Lesson 1

Experience: The main experience I wish to remember this week was reading and watching the videos in the “Business in a Global Environment” powerpoint. During these past two weeks I also spent a lot of time trying to figure out the CapSim program and getting used to how it works and is played.

Reflection: Looking back, I see that I have already come a long way into understanding the CapSim program. At first, I made so many mistakes like filling out the wrong programs and repeating the same tutorials over and over. I continually reminded myself to trust the instructor and what other students had said about not worrying if you don’t understand it right away. It will come slowly but surely. Finally, after watching the adobe connect recording, it is finally making a bit of sense to me. Concerning the other material, it all came very naturally to me (mainly because we’re going over the exact same stuff in both my accounting and economics classes). I never thought that I would be learning the same principles in classes that are so varied. It gives me many opportunities to reflect and apply what I learned in one class to help me in another.

Identify Key Learning: The Guy Kawasaki videos really stood out to me because it taught me what my main goal in business should be. He said that as entrepreneurs we need to make meaning by either righting a wrong, preventing something good from ending, or improve the lives of others. I wish to always remember when he explained that if we try to make meaning we will make money, but if we try to make money we will not make meaning or money. Even if this is a bit naïve, I think it is a wonderful idea for anyone not only in business but in life as well. This is a key lesson for me because I know it will help me in my future endeavors as a business owner. I will be able to look back on my learning and remember the insights I had to make me a better entrepreneur. Other key learnings were about the U.S. GDP and our trading with other countries. I spent a while just exploring the suggested websites on the powerpoint and become fascinated with what they had to offer in terms of information.

Action Planning: Because I have learned these great things this week, I plan to first write them down in my learning blog http://paigeentrepreneur.blogspot.com. By doing this, these lessons will always be easily accessible to me whenever I am in need of insight or guidance. Next, I have decided to create my own mantra, like Guy Kawasaki suggested. However, because I don’t have a start-up business yet, I plan on writing a mantra for my own life. I want to take a few days, think about my life/studies/goals and really think about which few words best describe my essence. I will give myself a time limit of one week and post my final manta on my blog by next Friday at 10 pm.

Applying: I am creating this project for myself to help guide myself through life and business. I want to be able to create a personal mantra which will always be an inspiration to me and what I believe in. I hope this will help me determine what I want to do in life and who exactly I want to be. But, more importantly, I hope my mantra will always remind me of who I am and what I stand for. I will monitor my success by actually writing it down by the given time and having my family members give input of how well it describes me. To help me follow through, I plan to set aside 15 minutes each day to ponder about my mantra. I will take a walk to the beach every morning at 8 and spend that time in thought. I will bring a notepad and write down my rough drafts and finally come up with my lasting mantra. 

Last Lecture

To someone wanting to begin their own entrepreneurial journey, I would recommend to firstly, learn how to spell all forms of the word entrepreneur. Looking back, I would have saved so much time by simply taking two minutes to learn how to spell this word instead of constantly searching for the assignment title, typing it (wrongly) into Google, or using my spell check option. If you’re anything like me, do yourself a favor and don’t put off studying this word until the last week of class. And if you’re nothing like me, let yourself chuckle at how people like me go through life.

Secondly, do what you want. I have found that when it comes to your career it is okay to focus exclusively on yourself. What a shame it is to meet someone who doesn’t like what they do, and come to find out that the most influential people in their lives pressured them into going to boring law school, taking strenuous dance classes, or even not ‘letting’ them invest their own money towards another possible career or business choice. I’m not saying that if you have a hobby to paint and a family of six, you should quit your job and start water coloring on famous bridges. But, if you have a dream to start an art studio-do it. If you dream of becoming an art dealer-make it happen. The way I see it, you have two options: (1) Do that ‘thing’ that you’ve been dreaming about for years or (2) end up wishing that you had. President Monson quoted John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem in the April 2014 general conference. He said, “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: "It might have been!”

Thirdly, make those around you the center of your business. Throughout my short time of actually studying business management, I have learned that people are the most important factor. People loan you money, people give advice, people become partners, people buy your product, and people get things done. No matter what sector you get into, people will influence your career and life. It is your choice whether it will be a positive or negative influence. I watched Kevin Shiley’s faculty interview on marketing. He spoke about an experience where he was in a tough spot during his internship. He needed to find a way to stick out to the employers, but continue to stay true to himself. After a while he began to create more sincere relationships with the designers (people who his competitors often looked over). From doing this, he received their best work, in turn creating a better product for him to supply. He was eventually one of few to be offered a permanent position. This story proved to me that creating relationships with those around you will give the greatest advantage in business and life.

Lastly, go for it! If your idea is as good as you say it is, then why not do it already? You have the drive, passion, and persistence. And, thanks to Google, have all of the information you need. Personally, I have found that the hard part is just getting started. It can be nerve-wrecking and you may continually be putting it off. But once you learn about the different business options, start filing your forms and committing yourself by paying the filing fees-you’ll be so excited that you can’t wait to take on all of the risks that once panicked you. Before then, I would also suggest that you read So You Think You Want to Be an Entrepreneur? by Jon Gillespie-Brown. This book teaches the pros and cons of starting your own business. I have learned many important lessons from actively engaging in the readings and activities, and I know that you will, too.  There is no age that is considered a hindrance, no financial circumstance that you can’t overcome, and no reason not to take a leap of faith to start your own entrepreneurial journey.

Sincerely,
   Paige Cooper

Week 12

I really enjoyed watching Stan Christensen’s e-corner video Avoid the Wrong Job. I found myself making some of the mistakes mentioned. I recently moved locations and needed to find a job quickly. All of the applications I filled out were requiring me to have tons of different skills and experiences that I did not have. So I concentrated on trying to find a job that would give me some skills that managers wanted-money handling experience, customer service, assistant experience, etc. I finally ended up with a job that is giving me some additional experience to put on my resume, but I don’t find it to be all that exciting and would not pursue a career in this field. It is a shame that I focused so much on what I thought other people wanted for me, that I wasn’t focusing on who would want what I already have. We finished the wonderful book So You Want to be An Entrepreneur this week! I’m a bit sad to have finished simply because I felt like I was learning something new each week. But I’m grateful for everything I have learned so far and will be putting it all to use soon (I just took the first step in starting my company, yay!).

Week 11

I cannot believe how perfect Muhammad Yunus’ article, “Microlending: toward a poverty free world” was for me. Everything he said applied to me personally and I know that I will be able to incorporate his ideas into my future business. My whole business idea revolves around loaning less fortunate people money to help them create their business, like Kiva. With the input from Muhammad, I feel like my idea is becoming stronger and worth all of my effort. Sheryl Sandberg’s video “Make it Personal and Make it Work” was so insightful. What I took from her video is that I should always remember and stand by my visions. It is important to have a vision that is good for the present day, but also something that will stand the test of time. It made me think that if I did have an idea that wouldn’t work for the future, I probably shouldn’t do it or continually evolve it (which we should do anyway).

I need to include these quotes by Muhammad so that I don’t forget them:

“An individual’s social consciousness and the urge to do good things for people on this planet can be as burning and even a more burning desire than personal gain.”

“I strongly believe that we can create a poverty free world if we want to. We can create a world where there won’t be a single human being who may be described as a poor person. In that kind of a world the only place you could see poverty would be in the museums. School children on tour in the poverty museums would be horrified to see the misery and indignity of human beings in the past. They would blame their ancestors in a massive way for allowing this inhuman condition to continue.”

”Don’t give up dreaming. Be a dreamer. And keep on trying to make the dream come true. Dream about the world you would like to have. If we all dream about a better world, I can guarantee you that we will create a better world.”

“I simply wish to encourage all of you to remember: irrespective of what you learn in school always be ready to unlearn and relearn.”

Week 10

This week we read the article Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. “The secret is that most of us are already quite happy.” I love this quote because it reminded me to be thankful for my present life and to not always look toward the future for my happiness. We all have the choice to be happy in this very moment. “Giving your time and your money to another human being is one of the most powerful ways to develop your own sense of gratitude.” This quote makes me thankful for the guidance we receive from our prophets today. We are constantly told that if we want to be happier, we should go serve someone. This advice perfectly corresponds with what the article taught us. I have a testimony that service is the cure to being unhappy and not loving someone as much as we should. “You finally will see that it’s only by losing yourself in a quest to serve others that you find your true self.” I’d like to always remember this guidance: “’How can I be happy?’ is the wrong question. ‘How can I create something meaningful for others?’ is the right question because it helps others and will change you in a profound way.” I also really enjoyed the e-corner videos about balancing our lives with work and family. I think that this is one of the most important things we should learn in this life in order to become truly successful-both financially and personally. 

Week 9

I feel like chapter 6 in “So You Want to be an Entrepreneur” was the most beneficial to me so far. It talked a lot about the reasons people use for not starting their business. I have found that I was using some of those same reasons. One major concern for me was that I’m so young and inexperienced! I know that I’m able to handle difficult things, but I just didn’t know if I was ready. The book taught me that if I think like this, I’ll never be ready. I have so many advantages of starting early-why waste them?! I don’t have family relying on me, I have a husband who is doing well and starting law school soon, and I’m not tied down to any one career path. If I’m going to start something, now is the perfect time. I can’t believe I’ve been putting it off for a busier, more hectic future ahead. One thing I’d like to remember from reading “The Heart of Entrepreneurship” is this question: How can I make innovation, flexibility, and creativity operational? This stood out to me because it summarizes where our thoughts should be when building a business. I don’t want to retain the “administrator” mindset, but keep innovating and creating new things for people to enjoy. I loved this week so much because it gave me hope that I can actually do this! Now I just need to keep to momentum…

Week 8

This week was great! My favorite thing was reading “The Start Up of You” because it let me think about my future goals and aspirations. I outlined exactly what I want out of my life, which to put it simply, is to create a happy and successful family and business. Doing these exercises gave me time to think about if what I want to do…is actually what I REALLY want to do. I get super excited when thinking about my future, which I take as a good sign to being on the right track. I loved the article “How to Start an Entrepreneurial Revolution” because it incorporated my previous studies in political science to what I’m currently studying, business management. As I wrote earlier, I was never excited about studying business because I’ve always been so dedicated to my love for politics and international studies. I learned this week that you don’t really ever have to choose just one thing you love. You can always find a way to learn and do things that involve your favorite things, just like how the article involved politics and business. I have always been worried that I’d have to give up my dreams of international relations, but now I realize that it has just given me a better background to improve upon.