The Last

If there is anything that I've learned from this class, it's that the path to business ownership and entrepreneurship is going to be both a journey and an adventure.  The journey will definitely not be easy and it is guaranteed to be difficult.  The hope is that as long as you're doing something that you love and are passionate about, the difficulties won't be any worse than the monotonous chore of working for somebody else in a job that you despise.  As a result, I have come to conclude that the difficulties in the journey will be worth it in the end. 

There are several tips I could give as a result of learned from this class and from my experience in working for a company run by seasoned entrepreneurs.  The first tip I have is to make sure that you figure out a way to differentiate yourself from the other players in the market you plan to enter.  There may be a thousand people making and selling the same widget you want to sell, so figure out a way to make your widget special and difficult to live without.  So learn how to separate yourself from the pack. 

The next tip I have can be scary but a necessary & vital step in the entrepreneurial journey.  Be willing to take risks.  Unless you inherit a family business, it is not often that a business just falls into your lap.  You have to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and take the first step.  More often than not, that first step can be the most risky simply because it will not guarantee success.  Taking risks will sometimes lead to failures, so when that happens, learn from those failures and try again. 

One of the most important things to remember when beginning an entrepreneurial path is to never compromise your ethical foundation.  Determine early what your ethics, morals, and boundaries are and never jeopardize them.  In my working life, I have definitely seen ethical boundaries crossed and it has always left a bad taste in my mouth.  It is very easy to make little compromises here, take a short cut there, and before you know it, you've not only crossed a line but are suddenly wondering how you are going to get back.  It might be more difficult to take the higher, ethical road, but in the end, it will be easier than trying to dig yourself out of hole. 

There are so many things to learn and master along your entrepreneurial path, but the last thing I want to share is to remember to be thankful and express gratitude along the way.  Your family will make sacrifices for you.  Your mentors will share their time, talents, and knowledge with you.  Investors will take a chance on your idea and believe in your ability to succeed.  Customers will continue the investment in your success by showing good faith in your products and services.  Regardless of how much is contributed by people along your journey, always maintain a thankful heart and give outward expressions of gratitude. 

I will leave you with my expression of gratitude.  I am so grateful that I've had to opportunity to learn and grow through this course.  It has given me knowledge and skills that I was able to apply immediately to my current job.  It has given me the starting point that I couldn't manage to find before now.  It has given me the belief in myself that I can actually join the ranks of entrepreneurship and has given me the skills to not only be successful in my own journey but to pick myself up if I fall along the way, and that is priceless. 

Winding Down

As this semester is coming to a close, I've come to realize that I'm going to miss these weekly reflections and the time to consider the week's materials.  I think that I've liked the videos most of all, because they have offered a more personal glimpse into the real world of business and entrepreneurship through real world applications and experiences.  Here is some of the things I learned this week"

"Avoid the Wrong Job"  Stan Christensen

I really enjoyed watching this video and thought that Mr. Christensen gave good advice when he pointed out three key assumptions that people make that can lead to trouble.  These assumptions are:

• Building your resume.  Too many people build their resume with the intention of out guessing with the employer wants.  He suggests that you should use your resume as an opportunity to begin telling your story.
• Picking a job to get to the next level.  Many people will pick a painful job with the intention of only doing it for a few years simply to get to the next step in their career.  Most people make this mistake right out of college.  Instead, Christensen suggests that you pick your first job based on something you think is fun and that you might enjoy.  It will still be work, but your chances of prospering in that setting are greater.
• Specialization is not always the best route to success.  The idea that you have to specialize in something is the only way that you can succeed and advance is a faulty assumption.  If you stick to one specialty in business, you will always be pigeon holed to that one thing.  Instead, you should focus on generalizing in order to do a variety of things and take advantage of opportunities as they come up.

"Action Hero Larry North"

I thought it was really interesting to hear the background of Larry North and see how he was able to turn his less than ideal upbringing into life-long success.  There were two things that really stuck with me from this video.  The first was his observation and advice that "Being an entrepreneur takes having a thick skin."  He went on to explain that there will be blows along the way that come in the form of lawsuits, dishonest employees, or even losing key employees.  But you have to "Be prepared and expect that the water will get murky."

The second thing that I really liked was his thoughts on mentors.  He said, "Don't just seek the advice of good mentors...put it to good use."  I really liked this insight, because what good is seeking the advice if we are unwilling to consider it and put it to use.

The last thing that stood out from Larry North's spotlight was one of his parting remarks.  He said, "Learn from your failures."  This phrase is heard often but it has applied meaning when you hear someone like Mr. North admit some of his failures along with what he learned.  It's this type of personal connection that I will miss from this course.

Good Stuff to Learn

There were a lot of materials for this week, but it was all full of good stuff to learn.  As each week goes by in this course, I find myself more eager every day to start my own business.  Not because I think it will be easy or that I will become wealthy.  It's because I want to put into practice all that I am learning and be able to truly make a difference in the world around me.  Here are some of the things I learned this week:

"Make It Personal and Make It Work"  Sheryl Sandberg

The basic message of this presentation is in the title.  When choosing a business or developing an idea, you should do something that matters, and to do that you have to do create a vision that scales.  She gave some examples of some companies that have taken their grandeous visions and scaled them down to make them accessible to the masses.  Here are some of those companies:

• Google - Google's mission was to take the world's information and make it useful and accessible.  They were able to compile information that prior to that time, was only available to the elite through education and money.  I personally have experienced the vision of Google every single day when I perform at least one information search through their platform when previously I would have had to consult encyclopedias, do library research, or talk to knowledgeable people on the topic.  
• Facebook - Their mission has been to give people the power to share and make the world a more connected place.  Facebook has been a useful tool for me in reconnecting with friends and distant relatives that live far away.  Facebook has under recent scrutiny for it's advertising practices.  I can't help but think that if they had stayed closer to their original mission, these missteps might not have occurred. 
• Apple - Their vision was to bring computers to the masses by making computers accessible and affordable outside of a business setting.  They wanted to get a computer in every single home.  That sounded outrageous at the time, but I would dare say that this particular vision has been realized in the United States.
• Nike - This company has redefined what an athlete is.  An athlete is no longer an elite status individual that only competes in the Olympics or in professional sports.  Anybody can be and is an athlete.  They have even convinced me a time or two that I might qualify as an athlete too, even though I'm not an athletic person!

I really liked the examples she gave of how to scale your vision.  She concluded by saying, "Make it personal and make it work."  I'm definitely going to remember this presentation.

"Entrepreneurship & Consecration"  Elder Gay

There were so many wonderful things shared in this talk and I took a lot of notes.  But two things really stood out to me.  The first was a quote he shared by Thomas S. Monson that said, "God give to mean the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things."  This is applicable in business, scholastic and personal endeavors.  So many times I have wished for things to be easy, but I know that without the challenge of working through the raw materials of the situation, I wouldn't be able to learn, grow or succeed.

The second thing that stood out to me was one of the closing statements of his talk.  He said, "Business is about service and rescue."  I really liked this and have taken it to heart.  If we are able to use our business endeavors as a way to serve in some way, we will eventually be in a position to help rescue others when the need arises.  I really hope to be able to serve others through my business goals and never forget to give back.

"What's a Business For?"  Charles Handy

Truth and integrity are vital to an economy, because without them, capitalism will falter and society will be forced to rely on the government for the creation of wealth.  Truth is a very thin line to walk in the world of capitalism, but it can be done...it must be done in order to maintain the confidence of society and to maintain confidence in the economy.

Mr. Handy explained with the real justification for business is.  He said, "The purpose of a business...is not to make a profit, full stop.  It is to make a profit so that the business can do something more or better."  I can relate to this philosophy.  I have always been grateful for my job and the ability to provide for myself and my family.  But as I get older, I find myself really wanting to work for a business that is able to do more with their profits by giving back to the communities they thrive in and through charitable work.  Of course, the ultimate goal is to be able to give back through my own business one day.

Choices

This week we had to read and respond to a couple of mini case studies regarding choices one might have to make when in the working world, either as an entrepreneur or working for another business.  After our response, we were to engage in discussion with our class mates on the discussion boards.  I thought it was interesting that an overwhelming majority of the responses mentioned that they would never choose work over their family, regardless of the circumstances.  I can't help but wonder if those responses came from people who have never been in the workforce.  I don't think they are wrong in wanting to always choose their family in these circumstances, I just don't know that it's always realistic.

Just this week, I was forced to make a choice.  A dear friend's mother passed away and I made plans to attend the funeral service, not only to support my friend but to also honor a woman that I respected and loved.  Death is never convenient, but this funeral happened to fall on my day off which would make it possible to attend.  A coworker also had a death in her family this week and that funeral service was at the same time as the funeral I was planning to attend.  My coworker was left trying to find somebody to cover her position for the day and that duty fell to me as the only qualified person to perform her responsibilities.

I wanted to say no for several reasons, but if I were to refuse to cover my coworker, it would leave her stranded and unable to mourn the loss of her loved one with her family.  While I desperately wanted to attend the funeral of my friend's mother, I knew that I needed to forgo that opportunity to assist my coworker and work on my day off.  While it wasn't my first choice and it prevented me from supporting my friend, in the end, it was more important for me to extend kindness and compassion to my coworker by working for her than to support my friend. 

I realize this situation wasn't as extreme as those presented in this week's case studies, but it emphasizes the fact that as contributors to the workforce, we have to make choices every day that will have a trickle-down impact on those around us.  The impact isn't always negative, but if we don't make mindful, thoughtful, and meaningful decisions, the impact can definitely be disastrous. 

This week we read the talk titled, "Formula for Success" by Thomas S. Monson.  In it he gives a simple, three step formula to help the journey through mortality and achieve the reward of exaltation.  The following are the three steps to the formula:

1. Fill your mind with truth.
2. Fill your life with service.
3. Fill your heart with love.

While I don't know that I will master this formula for success in my mortal life, I do feel like I was successful in practicing two of the three steps this week.  My heart was definitely filled with love (and a lot of aching) for both my friend and coworker as the loss of their family members.  In trying to make the right choice, I ultimately chose to serve my coworker on this one day so she could be with her family.  I think I made the right choice. 

Dream Huge!

This was a crazy week of work so I welcomed the chance to sit down to read and watch this week's lesson materials.  Here are some of the things I learned from this week's lesson materials:

"Think Big"  Taylor Richards

Don't underestimate yourself.
Involve the Lord & you can do the impossible.

"It's a whloe lot more fun to do great things than to just be good or just be mediocre."
It's not harder to be great than to be good.
Pursue your goals & dreams.
Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it.
Dream huge!

I really like the last statement of "Dream huge!"  As children this is not difficult, but as adults we often let life and responsibilities get in the way of our dreams.  This was a good reminder to keep dreaming. 

"Action Hero Kathy Huber"

It was interesting to listen to Ms. Huber describe her schooling, early career and struggles with being in a male dominated field.  The thing I enjoyed learning the most was how she described what she learned from her setbacks.  I can only imagine the turmoil she must have gone through when her company, Iron Bridge Networks, folded in the dot-com crash.  Rather than let it destroy her or her ambitions, she chose to look at that experience as the Iron Bridge University and considered it to be better than any MBA program available.  It provided her with new opportunities and the ability to mentor others and share her experiences.

Turn your setback into your university.  I like that!

"License to Pursue Dreams"  Marissa Mayer

At the time of this recording, Google offered "20% Time" to their employees.  This meant that they could dedicate 20% of their time working on whatever they wanted to work on outside of their regular jobs for something that might potentially benefit the company.  This allowed employees to be creative and innovative as Google trusted them to use their time wisely.  Ms. Mayer stated that in 2005, approximately 50% of the products Google launched came through the 20% Time pipeline.

This sounds like a great way to to foster work creativity and I wondered if it was a program still in practice at Google.  Upon doing a little bit of searching (on Google, of course!) I couldn't find anything dfinitive to indicate if the program was still being used.  I did find this article from Business Insider written in 2015 that suggests that it may no longer be an active program.

The article also quotes Ms. Mayer, who later went on to become the CEO of Yahoo, as saying, "I've got to tell you the dirty little secret of Google's 20% time.  It's really 120% time."  This is definitely something that I wondered about.  I know that if I wanted to work on something at my job outside of my normal scope of responsibilities (even with permission) I would end up doing it outside of my normal work time.  Whether her statement from this article is correct or not, I do like the idea of 20% Time and the creativity it could encourage.

Application

As each week goes by in this course, I can appreciate the weeks that I can find applicable concepts to my current job. 

Here are some things I learned from this week's materials:

"A Message to Garcia"

There were so many wonderful tidbits of information crammed into this reading.  Here were some of the highlights for me:

• Learn to get the job done.
• The ability to execute is more valuable than education or talent, because it is far rarer.
• It is impossible to build an effective organization without delegating important tasks to talented and capable people.  
• If 90% of life is "just showing up" then the most important 10% of life is execution.
• The greatest challenges always come from within.

The secret to developing the right attitudes, habits and instincts for execution:

1. Accept the mission and get started.
2. Be curious.
3. Immediately sketch out a plan.
4. If you need resources, don't be afraid to ask.
5. Enlist help when needed.
6. Report back and show your work.
7. Under promise and over deliver.
8. Expect to make (small) mistakes.
9. Put results before schmoozing.
10. Replace the voices in your head with positive action.

This list is particularly beneficial to me because I sometimes do struggle with executing tasks.  It isn't because I am incapable, but rather because I get so overwhelmed that I don't know where to start.  I really like to make lists so the irony isn't lost on me that I connected with the above list!  It is often the act of making a list or sketching out a plan that helps me focus and navigate the path to completion.  

"Aspects of Building Trust"  Guy Kawasaki

I think this was my favorite video this week in which Mr. Kawasaki laid out the three characteristics of trustworthiness.

1. Trust people and they will trust you.  The basic concept is that that you have to extend trust first before people will ultimately trust you.  He gave an example of three business that exhibit this characteristic...Amazon, Zappos, and Nordstrom.
2. There are two kinds of people...Bakers and Eaters.  Eaters will look at a situation and see what they can get out of it which is essentially a zero sum gain.  Bakers will look at a situation and see it as an opportunity to make it bigger and better.  Be a baker.
3. Default to YES.  As you meet people, you should always be thinking of how you can help that person rather than wondering what that person can do for you.  This can be beneficial with networking and gaining customer loyalties  

I think the reason this resonated with me so much is that I can see the lack of these three characteristics of trustworthiness in my current place of employment.  It isn't blatant or always obvious, but there is definitely an underlying tone of a lack of trust between employees and with customers.  This is something that I definitely want to evaluate and change within myself but also change the trust culture at my work.

Never Give Up

This week was a physically demanding one for me that involved long hours at work and not a lot of sleep.  As the week wore on, I kept telling my husband that I just didn't know how I was going to make it through in one piece.  As I was complaining to him Thursday night about the bleak realization that I had to get up early again the following morning, he looked over at me and said, "Babe, you can do it.  Don't give up."  Such wise words that had significant meaning to me this week as it was a topic of  scholastic and personal learning for me. 

Here are some of the things I learned from this week's materials:


"Action Hero David Carrington"

I thought it was interesting to hear that we should embrace the idea of thinking backwards.  I find myself thinking backwards all the time and figured that was a bit of a thought process flaw for me.  But it's nice to know that I can use the skill of thinking backwards and randomly to find solutions to problems. 

Mr. Carrington shared his personal insight into his bought with cancer.  He stated that "Cancer forces you to reassess your life and put things into balance."  I have heard that from several people who have faced a daunting illness or tragedy.  It's unfortunate that it takes something drastic to help us focus on what is truly important in our lives 

He also shared his three ways to grow a business:

• Increase your number of customers.
• Increase the frequency of purchase.
• Increase the average order.

"You Can Do Anything"  Taylor Richards

This was a short video, but I took away three things from it:

• We should be like Nephi & never quit.
• We should involve the Lord in what we do (including business decisions.)
• Never underestimate yourself or the Lord.

"However Long and Hard the Road" Jeffrey R. and Patricia T. Holland

This was an excellent talk with many good points of information to apply to every area of life.  I think that one thing that stood out and was an excellent reminder for me was the following passage:

"The only limitations you have are those you set on yourselves."

This struck a chord with me because I have often found myself to be my worse saboteur whether it's for work, personal goals or educational ambitions.  I rarely run into opposition from others telling me that I am incapable of doing something but I don't seem to have a problem with telling myself that I can't.  This was a good reminder that I need to be as supportive of myself as I would be to anybody else striving for personal improvement. 

Mastery & Habits

This was a full week of learning for me.  Not only did I increase my learning in my coursework, but I increased my learning at work and both made me feel good.  I have always liked to learn new things even though the learning hasn't always come from an academic setting.  I suppose that qualifies me as a life-long learner and I like that. 

Here are some of the things I learned from this week's course materials:

"Stand True and Faithful"   Gordon B. Hinkley

No matter how much the world around us changes, we must always remain true to ourselves and those around us and remain faithful in the gospel.  President Hinkley said, "The truths of this gospel are everlasting and eternal.  Philosophies change.  Customs change.  Culture changes.  But with all of these changes, there are gospel fundamentals that have never changed and never will change." 

The current social and political climate in the United States is a perfect example of philosophies, customs and culture changing yet the gospel truths will never change.  That was an important reminder for me this week.

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"  Stephen R. Covey

I have never taken the time to read this book so I thoroughly enjoyed reading this summary and listening to Jim Ritchie's overview.  Here are the seven habits:

• Habit 1 - Be proactive
• Habit 2 - Begin with the end in mind
• Habit 3 - Put first things first
• Habit 4 - Think win/win
• Habit 5 - Seek first to understand, then to be understood
• Habit 6 - Synergize
• Habit 7 - Sharpen the saw

The habit that hold the most meaning for me in my life right now is to put first things first.   I struggle with time management and prioritizing my personal and work tasks.  Part of that struggle comes from things outside of my control at work that interfere with my feeble efforts to make lists and prioritize.  But as I practice and implement the four quadrants, I hope to better be able to handle interruptions as they come up and get back on track. 

There were several quotes in this book summary and my favorite was from Albert Einstein.  "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."  I hope to change my level of thinking as I continue to learn and grow. 

Family Time

I really liked that this week's lesson materials included the importance of spending time with our families.  This week I found myself needing to make some difficult choices and the determining factor for those choices ended up being time with my family, so this week's content couldn't have been timed any better. 

Here are some things that stood out to me from this week's materials:

"Success is Gauged by Self-Mastery"  N. Eldon Tanner

I really enjoyed reading this talk by N. Eldon Tanner and found it interesting that his counsel from 1975 was very relevant and applicable today more than 40 years later.  I liked his simple explanation of the important elements in self-mastery.

"The first is to determine your course or set the sails, so to speak, of moral standards; the other is the willpower, or the wind in the sails carrying one forward."  He goes on to say that, "Character is determined by the extent to which we can master ourselves toward good ends." 

I could easily identify which element I always fall short on and it has something to do with having trouble finding my willpower when I'm trying to master a difficult thing.  I suppose that I need to spend a little more time on discovering my winds when I set out to master a piece of myself!

Another thing I really liked from this talk was the simple reminder to "Be a hundred percenter."  While he was referencing home teaching, I think this is a good motto to have in every aspect of life, especially when pursuing a business endeavor.  If you aren't willing to give everything one hundred percent, there is always a fissure for failure to creep in. 

"Loyal to to God and Family"  Jan Newman

I liked the advice given in this lecture by Mr. Newman.  He explains that your approach to business shouldn't be to run and grow your business at all costs.  That approach will lead you to compromise yourself, your family and your devotion to Heavenly Father.  He explained that there are two things you should never compromise on:

1. Never compromise your loyalty to the Lord.
2. Never compromise your loyalty to your family.

No matter how many businesses we create and impressions we leave in the world, our greatest legacy will be our family and our service to the Kingdom of God.  As a result, we should always have a willing heart & mind and never be too busy to take a calling in the church. 

"The Entrepreneur & the Family"   Steve Blank

This was a short video with a simply yet powerful message to "Make rules or the start-ups will take over your life."    Mr. Blank shared some of the rules he and his wife set for their family in order to make sure that his start-ups didn't steal valuable time meant for his family.  Here are some of his rules:

• Dinner every night at 7:00 pm with the family.
• Put the kids to bed together with his wife.
• Spend weekends with the kids.

While these rules and guidelines ensured time with his family, it didn't mean that he wasn't working.  Sometimes his kids would go to work with him on the weekends and sometimes he would work for several hours into the night after putting the kids to bed.  The main thing is that he determined that family time was important to him and he set rules and guidelines to make sure that happened. 

Passionate Opportunities

This week I have had to learn a difficult lesson on my educational journey.  I have been very fortunate so far to have instructors that care about their role as an instructor and care about my success.   This semester, I have ended up with an absent instructor and I haven't known how to deal with that.  It's been frustrating and discouraging and left me questioning several choices.  I finally had to come to the conclusion that I can't change his level of involvement but I can definitely change what I get out of the class.  I might have to spend extra time with a tutor, Kahn Academy, YouTube, and Google, but I will learn the information in this class.  While it's disappointing, I wont let this one teacher undermine my educational path.  This has also made me appreciate even more the excellent teachers I have had so far. 

Here are a few things I learned from this week's material:

"How Do You Find Your Passion & How Do You Pursue It?"  Randy Komisar

Two things stood out to me from this video.  The first was, "Rather than thinking about the passion, allow yourself to think about a portfolio of passions."  I have often struggled to find my passion in life.  But now I can look at myself as having a true portfolio of passions, because there are a lot of things that I love and am good at.   The second thing that stood out was to "Marry your portfolio of passions with the opportunities in front of you."  Now I will consider my passions a portfolio of passionate opportunities!

"A Hero's Journey" Jeff Sandefer

I really enjoyed watching this talk and came away with some great insights. 

What does a Hero's Journey mean?  It means:

• Living every moment of your life like it matters.
• Seeing struggles as adventures.
• Seeing setbacks as lessons.
• It isn't the prize at the end but how the hero is changed in the journey.  

At the end of life, only three questions will matter.

1. Have I contributed something meaningful?
2. Am I a good person?
3. Who did I love and who loved me?

In the quest to find your true mission in life, I liked his suggestion to ask five people what you do you better than anybody else.  Sometimes we forget that others observe us and can offer us insight that we might not be able to see.  I also liked his reminder to have good ethical guardrails and to surround ourselves with people of character. 

One thing he said that really stood out to me was, "Failure seen in reverse will make you stronger."  Last week I had to make a list of fears and make contingencies to face those fears if they were realized.  I think it's easy to allow our fear of failure to keep us from trying.  But jumping in and risking failure definitely provides us with the opportunities to grow and become stronger.  While I would never wish for failure, I know that I can overcome it and end up stronger because of it. 

Fears

This week forced me to do a lot of self-reflection.  Some of this was in conjunction with an assignment and some of it was out of necessity.  Both resulted in decisions that will benefit me in the now and some in the future.  It was a painful and difficult process to make those decisions but I feel like they were the right choices.  

The assignment that forced me to self-reflect was "Deconstructing Your Fears."  I had to list my biggest fears associated with a particular action, in my case, starting a business.  I then listed some strategies to overcome those fears and a way to recover should those fears become realized.  Below are my fears.

Here are some observations:

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?   

Anything is possible, but the likelihood of my worse fears being realized are greatly reduced as I seek the help of others, create a solid plan, and have the support of those who matter the most.

2. As you look at your list of fears, what themes emerge?  What is at the core of what you really fear? 

I believe that the core of my fears comes from disappointing people around me and disappointing myself.  As I learn more about myself and my abilities, the only way I can disappoint myself or others is either by not giving forth my best effort.  As long as I give 100% and continue to progress, I will be successful.  

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?   

The risk of taking no action is by default a failure.  While it seems safe to not take a risk or to put yourself out there, it also guarantees no chance of success.  As these fears creep into my though process, I have to remind myself that it's okay to be scared.  It is by overcoming our fears that we learn and grow the most.  I am ready for that growth.  

The other situation that required me to self-reflect and make some difficult choices was my educational path.  As I have taking classes toward my chosen degree of Business Management, I realized that it wasn't really what I wanted to do.  I didn't really have a desire to dive deep into financial accounting, statistics and economics.  While I want to be a business owner, I have no desire to run a corporation and determine preferred stock dividends.  This realization has led to a change in majors and course of study.  The end goal is still the same...get a degree.  

This week has been exhausting with all of the self-reflection and decisions that were made, but it was a good one.  I feel good about my choices and the discoveries I have made.  

What happened to January?

I looked a the calendar today and was floored to realize that it was January 26th!  January is typically a slow month but I have had so much going on with school and work that this month has literally flown by.  I have decided that the more strongly I pursue my educational endeavors, the crazier my life seems to get.  I suppose that this is my own version of a refiner's fire.  I need to prove to myself just how badly I want this education and I need to get used to the crazy in my life if I ever want to start my own business!

Through all the craziness of the week, there were some things that have been helpful.  Here are a few things I learned from this week's materials:

"Why Are Ethics Important?"  Frank Levinson

The thoughts he presented are easily summed up in one simple phrase, "Never compromise on ethics."  There is always a right way and a wrong way to do things.  As I look back on my time with my current employer, I'm amazed at how many times I have seen questionable ethics at play.  They are never really blatant wrong doings, but more like simple compromises.  It is possible to see how those simple compromises can lead to outright unethical behavior.  I have promised myself that I will never compromise my integrity or personal ethics to advance my career or my business.  

"Action Hero Ken Zolot"

It was really interesting to listen to this interview with Ken, a successful entrepreneur and educator.  The information he shared that I found to be most useful was the list of questions that a successful entrepreneur should ask concerning a new business endeavor.  

• Who cares?
• Why do they care?
• Who are these people?
• What are they going through in their lives?
• What is the real problem you are solving?

As I have contemplated the idea of starting my own business, I am often left wondering where to start.  I feel like this list of questions is a great starting point as I try go decide the direction to take.  This list definitely coincides with information I recently heard on a business podcast called, "Business Boutique."  It was explained that today's average customer doesn't care why you're in business, they want to know what problem you are going to solve for them with your product.  This confirms that I definitely need to create a product a service that will help my customer's lives.

"The Formula and Happiness" Jim Ritchie

This six part formula that Jim presents is so simple that it doesn't seem like it would produce results, but I know otherwise.  Here are the six simple steps:

1. Get up early.
2. Work hard.
3. Get your education.
4. Find oil.
5. Make your mark.
6. Prepare to serve and give back. 

I have worked on parts of this list at different times in my life and can definitely tell that working those steps can lead to success.  Right now I am working on getting my education.  I wish I would have completed this step when I was younger, but it is never too late to learn.  My husband and I are currently working on making our mark so that we can prepare to serve and give back when the opportunities present themselves.  

This week has taught me more about time management than I ever thought possible.  After returning from my work trip, I found myself with a late start to my weekly school tasks.  I have found myself waking up early and staying up late this week to get it all done.  It's been difficult but worth it, even if I didn't realize what the date was today!  I am enjoying my classes and being able to immediately apply what I've learned into my current job.  I am definitely looking forward to learning more!

Inspired

This week I've had the opportunity to do a little dreaming as I created a bucket list for myself.  As I have gotten older, I don't really take the time to dream about things as much as I used to.  But it was a nice break to think about my travel dreams and life long goals that I have yet to realize.  After reading this week's material, I was reminded that I should take more time to think of the things I want to do instead of just thinking of all the things I have to do.  

Below are some things that stood out to me from this week's reading material:

"Treat Live as an Experiment" Tom Kelley

I really liked the suggestion that we should be willing to take risks in life and to be willing to fail.  Sometimes I am so afraid of failing or doing something wrong, that I allow it to hold me back from even trying.  I really like the idea to "fail forward."  Often times I think about failure as a setback or similar to taking two steps backward, but failure really does push you forward. 

It was interesting to learn about the origin of WD-40.  I had no idea that the name of this product directly correlated to that unsuccessfully number of failed attempts at bringing this product to market.  

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

I've heard many references over the years to this lecture. but I had never taken the time to read it.  I found his experiences to be inspiring and his insights to be profound.  He spoke a lot about his childhood dreams and then about how to enable the dreams of others.  I liked what he said in regards to experience, "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want."  It's so easy to look at a situation going in an unexpected direction as failure and a sign to give up, but how else do we gain our experience?  

He spoke about brick walls and the obstacles they represent in our lives.  "Brick walls are there for a reason; they let us prove how badly we want things."  He went on to say, "Brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough."  I believe this is how he achieved so many of his childhood dreams.  He wanted to achieve those dreams so badly that he wasn't willing to let those brick walls dissuade him in the least.  I particularly enjoyed learning to what great lengths he went to in order to realize the dream of experiencing zero gravity!  

At the end of his lecture, he gave a list of pointers that I think is worth mentioning:

• When people give you feedback, cherish it and use it.
• Show gratitude.
• Don't complain.  Just work harder.
• Be good at something, it makes you valuable.
• Word hard.
• Find the best in everybody.
• And be prepared.  Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.

"It's not about how to achieve your dreams.  It's about how to lead your life.  If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself.  The dreams will come to you."  

This was another busy and stressful week.  I had to go on a trip for work to a trade show and that threw a wrench into my school workload for the week.  But as I sit on a hotel room doing homework, I can't help but feel inspired.  I have had the opportunity to attend several classes the last two days that have motivated me to implement changes in my workplace.  I've also had the opportunity to meet so many business owners from across the country and hear about how they got started and how their businesses have evolved.  Walking the show floor has exposed me to results of hard work and creativity. 

Even though I have struggled this week to get everything done, I am grateful for the opportunity to go attend the trade show this week.  It has inspired me to keep working hard and striving to achieve my business dreams.  

W01 - Overwhelmed

This has been an extremely stressful week for me as I have combined the challenges of starting a new semester of schooling and all of the new year projects that I am in charge of at work.  Regardless of the challenges that I am juggling, I am extremely grateful to learn from this class and consider it a significant first step in my long term goals of owning my own business one day.

Below are couple of the things that stood out to me from this weeks learning materials.

"The Start-Up of You:  Executive Summary"

The main thing that I loved about this summary was the synopsis of Chapter 2 which explains how to develop a competitive advantage.  This is a challenge I am currently facing at my current job.  Our business is trying to figure out our competitive advantage in today's constantly changing retail market.  It is stated very simply in the first sentence, "Differentiate or die."  

The ability to differentiate is something that has held me back from starting my own business for several years.  It's overwhelming when I think of the current players in the market I would like to enter and I generally conclude that there will be no place for me to compete or improve the space.  But this small section of reading reminded me that I don't need to be better than everybody else.  I just need to find my niche and be better in that one spot.  

"Living Life as an Entrepreneurial Hero"

This article reminded me that the path to business ownership is a journey and an adventure.  It's not going to be easy and most likely will be quite difficult.  I figure that as long as I'm doing something that I love, the difficulty of that journey can't be any worse than the drudgery of working for somebody else feels at times.  I liked the simple reminder to "dream big but start with small steps."  This is how I have to approach life and it only makes sense that it is applicable in a business setting.  

"Life is too short to put up with jerks."  The best line ever!  I think this will be my new mantra.  Not only do I seek to eliminate jerks from my working life, but I don't ever want to be any one else's jerk.

As I complete the first week of this semester, I am looking forward to diving further into self-discovery as I pursue my long term goals of owning and operating my own business.