Week 9 Post

For this week I interviewed my brother who is a successful entrepreneur in the technology gadget field. These are the top 5 comments he made during that interview. 

1. Believe your product will revolutionize the industry. His thoughts were that if you aren't thinking big enough then you're selling yourself short from the beginning.

2. Always be open to critical feedback of your products. Some of your best ideas and feedback comes from those who don't like the product you're offering because they offer the most honest opinions.

3. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. The launch of their first product didn't go as planned so they retooled it and relaunched it with HUGE success. Your product won;t be perfect right off the bat but that doesn't mean all your ideas or that even that product won't be great.

4. Don't hire or partner with people who think just like you. It's important to have opposing views with those you work with, you're more likely to find holes in your product with different minds than like minded individuals.

5. Love what you do. Being an entrepreneur is not easy but it can be incredibly rewarding! Be patient and trust that what you're doing will get the results you expect, don't get caught in the weeds of negativity when things don't go your way. Be happy, have fun, and love being an entrepreneur!

Week 3 Post

The biggest takeaway I got from this week was reading Magdalena Yesil’s case study. She was a very driven person who knew what she wanted and proved that if you allow that to drive you then it’s possible to achieve your goals. What she proved was that it doesn’t mean you have to have a pedigree of wealth in order to make it in the world, but rather that it takes determination to succeed. Her attitude and desire to succeed stood out to her peers and showed in her work everywhere she went. It’s not easy jumping from job to job and maintaining a positive reputation but obviously that wasn’t an issue for her as she was highly sought after and jumped from start up to start up because of her accomplishments at each job.

How this impressed me personally is that it has led me to wonder what my peers or others would say about me. Do others see me as a driven and knowledgeable leader that is capable of performing at a high level all the time? Whether I choose to be an entrepreneur or not I can still carry a reputation that others want to work for or with me. 

Week 2 Post

I had the opportunity to hear the speech by Randy Pausch a few years ago and it is just as inspiring to me now as it was then. You can tell that what he had to share was truly coming from the heart and was a way of life for him. The fire in his heart is very real and you get the feeling that he is out to make the world a better place and leave his parting thoughts as positive seeds for others to take and grow.

Why I think Randy w as able to achieve his childhood dreams is because of how he was raised and how he chose to take advantage of those lessons. To me I get the feeling that he never really had to make a choice to be the light he was but rather it was instilled in him by his parents that his dreams truly can come true. I loved the pictures of his room and how they allowed him to develop his imagination by posting  things all over the walls. He was allowed to express his imagination and dreams freely which helped open his mind and expand his possibilities.

I do feel that dreaming is important. I think it’s important to not be the one who squashes others dreams either. I think about the part of the Will Smith movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” where he catches himself shooting down his sons dreams and goals. Instead of allowing it to go he turns to his son and tells him to never let anyone put him down and take away his dreams because they are his and only he can choose whether or not he wants to fulfill his dreams. Dreams drive us to achieve our goals and passions in life.

A dream of mine from my childhood was to play football at BYU. Unfortunately as I grew older and develop some health issues I wasn’t able to fulfill them but I’m okay with that. I was allowed to do all I could in high school and although I didn’t play football at BYU I realized that I have a lot to be grateful for because so many others with my disease aren’t able to. 

Week 1 Post

This week some of the big takeaways I had are about what it takes to be successful as a person and as a businessman. 

President Hinkley's talk was all about inspiring us to do good and to be good. Not to give up on who we are and what we need to do every day as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. We need to stand up and not give in to the negative things that surround us every day. Elder Bednar also spoke about how we need to truly gain an education and not just take the easy route, something that I know I've accused myself of on more than one occasion. 

As for what it takes to be a successful businessman I look at what Jim Ritchie did and listen to his advice as well. I've read many of the books that he suggested but will pick out the others and will read them as well. It's inspiring to see someone retire at the age of 35, that's 4 years away for me! Of course it's more than just reading the books, it's about applying the lessons and advice supplied in them.

Over the past several months I've been considering opening my own business and I look forward to getting the kick in the rear from these lessons to help me push myself to get out there and do it.