Last Lecture

So the course, or perhaps journey has finally concluded. If you have been following my posts you are aware of the different lessons and incredible principles learned in this course. This journey is one that I have cherished and learned so much from. Being an entrepreneur is about so much more than what I had originally envisioned. Being an entrepreneur is about having standards and a vision. The mentors who I have learned from are all people who had an idea or plan and built on it. The life of an entrepreneur is hard. It is so hard to find a balance between running a business and living a family life, but it is remarkably rewarding when the balance is struck. If you are wondering if the life of an entrepreneur is for you consider these helpful questions:
-Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others?
-Are you ready to gather mastery over yourself?
-Are you ready to handle trials and challenges that will make or break you?
-Do opportunities and uncharted territory of business excite your or intrigue you?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then perhaps it's time for you to consider taking the journey of a lifetime and become an entrepreneur. I wish to share something with you. When I started this class I was having an identity crisis. I grew up believing I knew who I was, but certain events in my life led me to believe I was someone else. Throughout the last 14 weeks I struggled with finding myself once again. As this course is over and I have been inspired by the various examples I feel I have gathered a sense of who I am and how to ensure I never question myself again. What I stand for is stated in my personal constitution I made for myself. This has helped me establish a knowledge of who I am. I urge you to try it for yourself. Whether you want to be an entrepreneur or not, choose to take this journey. It is not so much about being a CEO as it is about becoming who you are meant to become. I can promise that if you choose to do so you will be blessed. This journey is for those who want to reach their full potential. If you are expecting it to be easy then it is not for you. If you are ready to find yourself then welcome to the club and get started.

Heroes are at home

As I am coming closer to the end of this course I feel I have gained something I don't usually gain from other courses. I have my thoughts and impressions recorded from each week since I started which has been an incredible blessing. I have had the chance to truly meditate and learn the material. I am so grateful for being able to do that with the material in this course. This week was an exceptional week with an in-depth case study on a man named Randy Haykin. He has a vast career from Apple, to Yahoo!, and Paramount, he really knows his way around the work field. What is even more impressive about him is his persistent and hard work balancing his family life, spirituality, career as an entrepreneur, and being an overall good person. He faced a big hurdle trying to maintain a happy and healthy family, but he is adamant about tuning his life so that he can have a happy family. That is a priceless lesson to me. It is not easy to have a family and be an entrepreneur, but he manages to keep his priorities in check and that's what makes him a great responsible man. I am grateful for getting to study his life.

What It Means To Be A Hero

This week was a packed and interesting week. I've been asked to answer a few questions regarding an article I read about economics.

• Based on what you read in the first two pages (pages 3 and 4), why are virtue and integrity so vital to an economy?

     Virtue and integrity are vital because that is what this economy is based on. We have become so caught up in trying to get ahead and become something more for nothing that we lose sight of the morals we originally acted on. We must choose to display these qualities to make our economy an honest place to do business.

• According to Charles Handy, what is the "real justification" for the existence of businesses?

      I am not 100% sure, but I believe the answer would be that the rich get richer. I sense a strong sense of negativity towards those who lie, cheat, and deal dishonestly. These people seem to run business, but they are not fit to do so. It is sad, but that is why we need more truth and honesty. 

 

     Questions like these were some of the difficult and challenging moral dilemmas we deal with. My biggest learning experience this week was finishing the book "A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey". This book was excellent and full of simple concepts and principles that most of us have learned, but many of us forget. The book is progresses through old stories like "King Midas" and "Icarus". These stories have commentary surrounding them providing each story with some insight and an idea of what should be taken from them. This makes the concepts and principles excellent ways to improve ourselves as people and I am so grateful for what I have learned. This has been my favorite book thus far.

What Does Money Do?

This week was another challenging, insightful, and spiritual journey  into entrepreneurship. Rarely is there a dull moment and I feel as though I am truly learning things of great worth. One of the many learning moments I had was on a couple of case studies that rather difficult to find answers for. I studied two separate scenarios and was asked to come up with answers to each issue. The first scenario I was asked to answer was me being put in the role of a father. In this role I have a daughter who has a dance recital that I have been promising for weeks I will attend and "wouldn't miss it for the world". An hour before the recital I get a call from my best customer that there's been a fire and I am wanted in person immediately. If I do not go I will lose the customer. I struggled with this, but I quickly realized I made a promise to my daughter and cannot break it. If I do she would grow up knowing I don't keep promises. My family is more important to me then a customer. In a second scenario I am a football coach (whose name I forget at the moment). I am finally moving up in my position as a coach and am asked to coach a high profile team. The same day my wife files divorce papers and threatens to move with our daughter if I don't change my profession. I am on the road too much and the wife doesn't want that kind of life. My answer to this was more difficult, but I still had one. I would try and reconcile things and see if we could work things out. If not then I would pray, but most likely find another job. I wouldn't lose my family over a career choice. These scenarios taught me important lessons in my life. I will always do what I think is right for the most important people in my life. Another valuable topic is an article I read titled "Attitude On Money". This reading was well presented and offered a logical look at how money isn't evil or good, but rather dependent on how an individual uses it. I am in agreement with this mind set. Money is not good or evil, but it is a symbol of how we live. If we waste our money then we waste our resources. If we use our money to better the lives of the people around us, or use it to stay financially stable then I believe we are using it wisely. If we live believing that money is good or bad then we limit our potential to use it and see it for what it really is. I think as long as we use it the way the Lord would have us use it we are in the right and have successfully used it. These things are so valuable and we must never lose sight of these truths.

Dream Big For the Right Reasons

This week was another great lesson. Even if my posts start to sound the same, I assure the reader of this blog I am learning something new each week. I can't quite express the gratitude I feel for each new lesson or nugget of truth learned that helps me on my path to achieving my goals and dreams. The main focus for me this week was on an interview I conducted with a local entrepreneur. This was an assignment, but I found it to be very insightful and applicable to my personal life. The things I learned in my time talking with this entrepreneur helped me realize the purpose of why I want a good job. I realized that I want to be successful so that I may provide for a family, and help maintain a good healthy lifestyle. With this in mind it makes choosing a job a little more specific. It causes that a more careful examination be placed upon what we choose for a profession. This is a lesson I can see myself using in day-to-day life. It helps me assess whether or not I am on the right track. God wanted me to have this interview to learn this lesson, and for that I am truly grateful.

Strength in Trust

This week I felt a strong emphasis of trust in the material I studied. Trust is vital to success in business. Trust is what bonds employees and employers together, and offers a solid relationship to make successful strategies. With this principle in mind we can better ourselves and those around us by showing others the courtesy of trust. It isn't easy to do so in this world, but without it, it becomes significantly harder to produce good and effective results. It is so important to lead by example. One example of trust that I found very insightful this week is a video of Guy Kawasaki titled "Aspects of Building Trust". In this presentation Guy refers two types of people as an "eater" and a "baker". The "eater" represents someone who is concerned with only helping themselves, while the "baker" is concerned with helping everyone he can. I think this concept is excellent at portraying what kind of attitude is most effective. If we have the attitude of helping everyone we will be significantly more successful, both in our personal lives and our careers, than we otherwise would. We must be willingly to help and trust others and we can trust we will receive that treatment in return. I feel strongly that following this counsel will make our world a more kind place to live.

Never Give Up

This may seem like a somewhat strange post to see for a student studying business, but I feel the lesson I learned this week cannot be overstated or looked over. Never give up. Seemed to be the theme of the material I studied this week. It was very important to me. What I think is interesting is that this lesson was exactly what I needed in my personal life right now. Being an entrepreneur involves all aspects of life, not just being business focused. That's perhaps one of the most crucial lessons I have learned. Entrepreneurs are humans, and as such they can get bogged down by life and other things. Never giving up is just as crucial for an entrepreneur as it is for anyone. Knowing when to get back up and keep enduring is vital to life and business. It is the only sure way of keeping afloat in the world we live in. Putting our faith in God is imperative to staying strong. As I read  Jeffery R. Holland's talk and watched his video "Good Things To Come" I was inspired that no matter what life throws at us we can always persevere. This has been the most inspiring lesson I've had. I'll not soon forget the wisdom I have learned.

Effective Habits

This week was quite the inner look of who I was. That's not to say the lesson was about me, but that the concepts and things learned within the lesson were about becoming more effective in self. I take the things I learn personally, so a lesson about being more effective and becoming more gave me an opportunity for self-reflection. I had the very nice surprise to study from author Stephen Covey. I was already familiar with his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", but this allowed me the chance to fully delve into each habit and make them personally apply to my life and studies. The habit that always seemed one of the most important to me is being proactive. It cannot be overstated how lazy many of us have become in the last decade. With the way media is at the forefront of attention, and a cultural shift on pleasure and gratification of oneself it is easy to understand why it can be so jolting to be proactive. This was an excellent reminder that if something needs done then do it. To become effective with anything we do it only makes sense that half the battle is accomplishing the task. I think with this kind of principle, and the other habits mentioned like putting things first, beginning with the end in mind, and more we can truly be the most effective with what we do.

Self-Mastery

Another excellent week in the study of business. There were some minor complications in the fact that I had surgery this week, but I was still able to perform my normal tasks. I found the most vital piece of information in the talk titled "Success Is Gauged by Self-Mastery" by Elder N. Eldon Tanner. In his talk he gave a great example of his grandson who had mastered a form of self-control at an early age. He made a bet with his grandson that if he would never miss a Sunday for church he would fully fund his church mission. Sure enough the boy did it and surprised the heck out of Elder Tanner. I found this to be a strong testimony in my life. I always aim to be a "100% percenter" like Elder Tanner's grandson, but it is not so easy for me. This story gave me strength that if I apply myself I can master me. Mastering myself is perhaps my most difficult challenge. I come from a lineage of people who change their self-mastery on a daily basis, so the success rate is difficult. I believe if I take the things I learn from this course, and the things I read in the book I have been reading titled "Mastery" by George Leonard then I will be able t change my lifestyle up to the point of mastery. This has always been a goal of mine, and I believe this course is aiming me in the right direction.

Portfolio Your Passions

This week has been another incredibly helpful and insightful look into business. Perhaps that sounds like a cliché thing to say for a business student, but for someone who really enjoys this kind of profession it is natural. I feel every time I watch a Stanford video provided in my material my intelligence on the subject at hand grows about ten times. It is really amazing to me that many of the things I learn each week are really common sense. For example in one video I watched titled "How Do You Find Your Passion and How Do You Pursue It?" discusses the idea that it is ok to have multiple passions. That translates to if you are having trouble picking a career path because you have too many passions it's ok. Choose to put those passions in a portfolio and marry the passions with the opportunities in front of you. This was extremely beneficial to me. I am the kind of person who loves everything, so having a way to put everything I love together and choosing to act on the opportunity that best fits my passion that is perfect for me. This is really a smart and helpful way to organize the best decisions to choose when deciding on a course of action. This allows myself to see what opportunity is ahead of me to take advantage of and marry that with something I love. I really like the natural effect this has on career choosing. I feel very uplifted and more confident after this lesson. I know I am growing and learning as a person. The things I am learning are truly wonderful.

Fear of Being an Entrepreneur

As I studied this week I was treated to some excellent learning. I finished up my assigned reading "The Ministry of Business", and learned some great things about how to take the skills I have and apply them to new and exciting opportunities. I must say that the book was really the highlight of the week for me. The things it taught me are going to stick with me for a long time. I feel I learned a lot about myself, and how I can evolve my talents. I am grateful for the chance I had to read it.

There was an assignment I did this week that requires some questions to be answered. Essentially it's purpose was to address the fears I might have when going into the field of business. Here are those questions:

1. If you pursue your calling with discipline, intentionality, and the help of fellow travelers, what are the chances that your worst case scenario will really happen?
   
2. As you look at your list of fears, what themes emerge? What is at the core of what you really fear? Financial ruin? The judgment or disapproval of others? Physical harm? Endangering the ones you love? Embarrassment?
   
3. What is the risk of taking no action – not following your calling? How do you plan to deal with fear when it pops up on your entrepreneurial journey? 
   

Here are my answers:

1. 

I believe that if I decide to pursue my passion/calling with determination and an effort to do my best, then the worst case scenario is all going to be dependent on how well I planned things out. It could be 50/50, or everything could fantastic. It is all up to the choices I make.

2. 

The recurring theme of my fears is the fear of failing as a person. My fears include starting a failing business, getting fired, and having employees quit for no reason. I believe that my fear is ultimately expressing that I don't want to let anyone down, but I must remember I am going into this position for my life and not for another's.
3.
The risk I run if I don't follow my career is the chance of slipping into a lazy, self indulgent attitude that consumes me. I have to be in something 100%, otherwise heart and mind lose the desire to accomplish anything. In my journey I must be careful of giving up. That would be my biggest weakness. When fear arises I will put my strength in the Lord. I will gain strength through following Him.

I believe the exercise on fear was important me. It really helped gain a better perspective on how I might handle being an entrepreneur. I am grateful for the lessons I had this week, and I can't wait to report back next week. 

Ethics of an Entrepreneur

This week has definitely been an engaging week. As each week goes by I realize that I am learning really valuable concepts. I feel quite honored to be able to partake in the lessons I am. Each lesson provides me with substantial knowledge that I can use in almost all faucets of life.

A great example of something I found valuable this week was a talk from Elder Lynn G. Robbins. In his talk he addresses motives in the work place. He does this by providing a letter grade for different types of people running businesses. This really made me look at the type of person I want to be, as well as make want to become an honest and valuable businessman. Here is description of an A level business owner:

"At the A-level, The Lord established the correct order with priorities as we read in Jacob 2:18-19,, “Before you seek for riches, seek the kingdom of God.  And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good . . .”  At this level the primary motivation is a love of God and our fellowmen.  Of necessity, there is a secondary motivation to earn a living. 

If a love of God and fellowmen is the primary motivation, then the working man or woman will be a kingdom builder and a full-tithe payer. They will have a “zeal towards their fellow men . . . and will be perfectly honest and upright in all things” (Alma27:27).  As a laborer they will be “worthy of their hire” (Luke 10:7).  As an employer they will give a “just recompense of wages,” (D&C 124:121).  They will be a beloved employer and endeavor to help, not only their customers, but also their employees and community. They will have a baker’s dozen mentality with superior customer service. Sometimes this person will even render service at no charge to help someone in need, such as those doctors who travel to Third-world countries to help the disadvantaged.  Their products and services are of the highest quality. 

Those at the A-level aren’t working for mankind, but living for mankind, trying to lift and help others.  In addition to making a living, they are making a life.  They have a different vision than those at lower levels.  Because of their love for their fellowmen, they define their business in terms of customers’ needs, such as a builder of homes rather than merely a brick mason.   At levels B through D, business is usually defined in terms of products and services rather than customers’ needs." 

I realized after reading this the importance of honesty with our fellowmen. This is truly the kind of person we all need to strive and be. This lesson really had me evaluate myself, and my motives. I believe that is a healthy thing to do. It is good to find things we could improve on. That is what allows us to truly grow and become who we are meant to become.

Goal Setting

There are few things in life more important than setting goals for ourselves. Although it seems unimportant, I believe we overlook the opportunity to write our goals out more often than we think. My whole lesson focused on setting goals and figuring out the future. As someone who lives very in the moment I found it a nice break to focus on what is to come. Too often I focus on what is in front of me, and I neglect to pay the future the attention it deserves.

I read something this week that I found to be quite helpful in looking ahead. In the (what I believe is a pamphlet) "Stars & Steppingstones: Some chances only come around once." by Jeff Sandefer, he wrote an excellent paragraph explaining how to properly visualize one's life:

"Beginning with the end in mind is not about planning every detail of your life. In fact, the entrepreneurial philosophy is based on dealing with uncertainty, not certainty. Beginning with the end in mind is about examining why life is worth living and being true to your own values and dreams. If you have trouble uncovering these fundamental goals and values, it is time to go back to your basic foundations."

I really appreciate what he says about going back to basics. I had a mentor that had the same philosophy. He taught me if things in my life were not going properly "Go back to the grove" he would say. "Find you".

Another person I found to be quite inspirational in this lesson was Randy Pausch. He gave his last lecture titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". He spoke on all of his childhood dreams he was able to achieve. I believe the reason he was able to live his dreams out is due to the fact that he didn't let failure stop him. He visualized when something would hinder his progress, and he went for it anyways!

I personally believe that dreams are important because they allow us something to reach for. Dreams are like goals. They are visual creative steppingstones for us to achieve. Without dreams life would be just a little less creative and interesting. One of my childhood dreams was to go sailing on the ocean. I always loved the thought of this. It seemed like a beautiful and spiritual connection to me and God's creation. This is absolutely obtainable for me today. Dreaming like that allows a sense of self meditation that can be quite relaxing.

The things I learned this week were wonderfully inspiring. I feel like a stronger and more focused individual.

1st Entry

I am writing this blog for a business class I am taking through BYU-I. I must, say after the first week's worth of materials, I can tell this will be remarkably beneficial for my education, as well as my personal life. Before I started studying the material, I logged in to my iLearn and felt a wash of overwhelming information and work. I was scared and intrigued, but definitely nervous. I started to feel as though perhaps I had bit off more than I could chew. I then started working with the material. 

As I read the inspirational excerpt of "Living Life as an Entrepreneurial Hero" by Jeff Sandefer, I felt a sense of strength. I instantly felt as though I could handle the work that was in front of me. The eight page essay Jeff wrote, is essentially an introduction for the class, as well as an introduction for incoming entrepreneurs. He stated the reality of what it takes to be an entrepreneur with great hope and realism. One of the most vital lessons I learned from his writing is expressed here:

"Life is difficult. It is also mysterious, rich, and beautiful. But you are likely to overlook the beauty and grow resentful if you cling to the fantasy that life should be safe and easy. It’s not—it just doesn’t work that way.

 When I was young, my mother left and my father often traveled on business. I practically raised myself. It hurt, and for a time I dwelled on the pain and unfairness. But then a trusted elder told me, “Life’s not fair. That’s just the way it is.” That felt like the truth. 

Those same early struggles made me self-reliant. And that prepared me for building a successful company, which itself was often lonely and frustrating, too. And the struggles of life kept coming. Later a trusted employee turned out to be an embezzler. My first marriage ended in failure.

 These wounds hurt, but wounds like these often provide fuel for entrepreneurial heroes. Properly harnessed, they give you something to fight against and the emotional energy to keep moving forward. Scenes of formative struggles help explain why Sir Lancelot searches for the Grail or why Harry Potter must defeat Voldemort. Because, for one, good must triumph over evil, even when part of that evil is inside of you."

This filled me with a great sense of empowerment. The key phrase that sticks out to me is "for one, good must triumph over evil, even when part of that evil is inside of you." This had me thinking for some time. It made me realize that we are all human, and just because we have ambitious dreams of doing good and conquering evil, it doesn't mean we don't have some evil in us. It taught me we just need to look past that evil within, and become greater to achieve what we desire. 

There are many things I learned and found helpful while studying the material. There were a myriad of good essays stating how the course will work, and how important it is to learn from those around us. The videos I watched were also a nice intro for what is to come, and the proper attitude to approach the class with. I feel it is a great first step into a field I am very excited to explore. I have high hopes, and faith in what I am learning.