I asked him a few questions about entrepreneurship to see how entrepreneurs see their work and what I should expect to learn in this class. Here is the information he gave me:
· What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
o It means taking responsibility for everything – your employees, your customers, your good name and your reputation.
o It means never letting anything get in your way and not blaming others when there’s a problem.
o It means always giving your best, even when you think you are giving all you can.
o And it means making sure your word is your bond and that others will only respect you if you lead with pride and compassion.
· Would you consider any or all of your daily work tasks to be entrepreneurial?
o Of course… At the end of the day I am a “one person” company. I can make or break myself and my accomplishments. No one is there to make me do the “right thing” other than myself. I certainly can hide under a rock and do mediocre work. But then I only have myself to blame when my business fails.
o As I have always said (and you know I have gray hair)…. “I am very hard on myself for it is ‘me’ who has given me gray hair.”
o People talk about “going gray” because of stressful situations. I am my own best motivator and I drive myself to perfection. Hence… the gray hair.
· What would you expect from a course teaching the principles of entrepreneurship?
o Integrity, compassion, leadership, how to work well with others, marketing, financial skills, general laws of business…. But mostly ethics.
o Simply said, there are great ideas from bad people. So just because you have something unique and valuable does not mean you will be a good entrepreneur.
o You must always be held to a higher standard than the one that society dictates. This is most especially true for a business owner.
· What do you wish you had been taught in school before setting out on your own path as an entrepreneur?
o To have the ability to see myself as others see me. In business and as a business owner our internal vision of ourselves is always more pristine than those around us. I wish I was taught more humility and self-awareness. For it is when we see ourselves as others see us that will help us to become better individuals.
o Leadership is an important skill that should be taught in school – regardless of career path. I am fortunate enough to take classes and even speak on the subject. But it is this area that most great people fail in their ability to rally and drive others to greatness. As I told a good friend of mine from High School (yes, many of us still keep in touch) that “I can truly find the greatness of my accomplishments through the successes of others.”
o Public Speaking and the ability to stand proudly and passionately about your work is very important. Once again, I am happy to say that I got these skills through school but I wish I had taken more as I use these skills every day – I must defend and position my company at every chance I get. And therefore I am representing myself. To not do this with confidence will only lead me to be a great person with no way of communicating my strengths.
I had an excellent experience learning from David. He not only has a passion for what he does, but he even cares about the small details that are detrimental to his job. He is willing to work extremely hard to achieve his goals. Another fantastic quality he possesses is his positive, encouraging attitude. It not only helps him to succeed personally, but it also radiates to people around him. In the face of failure, I'm sure that his positive attitude helps him pick up and start again. I look forward to learning how to work as hard as he does.
Megan
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