Who have I become?

 It's the thirteenth week and I cannot help but reflect back to the person I was before I started this course. I had this view of what this course was about and what it should do for me. I also had some preconceived notions of what I was supposed to learn. As I look bac, I cannot help but feel changed and my lopsided view of entrepreneurship re-arranged. I am grateful for the things I have learnt. I see the world differently. I am also grateful that I have a wonderful instructor. 

This week I learnt from Stan Christensen not to do things because I think it's what other people want me to do. He said: "You're not going to be able to outguess them. You will likely if you do things that you feel passionately about..." This is absolutely true. As Larry North said: "Being an entrepreneur takes extremely thick skin." It is hard. There are so many decisions to make and lots of people depending on you. You have to decide if you are in for the long haul and be willing to take the pressure. And there'll be times that you feel like you do not even know what you are doing. So you have to be prepared for it. If taking up paid employment to hone your skills is necessary, do it. There is so much to be learnt from it. You have the opportunity to network and meet people that will be relevant in the future and also acquire skills that will be very useful. For example, I learnt how to take care of kids by babysitting my nephews and niece as well as my neighbors' children. I relished the opportunity and I noticed that they were drawn to me. Even the most difficult child would smile at me and talk to me. I learnt a lot. Now fast-forward to September this year when I was asked to teach children with ages ranging from 2 to 3 years. It wasn't a challenge because I was comfortable with them. We became fast friends, even the most difficult child.

I think that apart from recognizing business opportunities and evolving with your ideas, an entrepreneur should also learn to recognize learning opportunities and grab them with both arms. As I learnt this week, we must not be in a rush to expand and open that big business. We must observe our environment and then carry out proper research just as the scientists do. We must not measure success in terms of large profit but in terms of impact and cost minimization. If we are meeting the needs of the public and at little costs then we will make profit.  And when we make profit we must also think about giving back. If the world is a better place because of us, then we are truly entrepreneurs.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to dream big.

         Chef Gusteau in the movie “Ratatouile” said: “You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from.” This is absolutely true, we have so many people telling us what we should be and what we should not be that the slightest spark of an idea is met with instant rebuttal. There usually is no “try it out” or “what a great idea” it seems that everyone is waiting to tell you “no”. When I decided to become a French instructor, nobody in my family could understand why. I turned down a job as a Personal Assistant to a top government official because I really wanted to explore the path I was taking, to try something different. It wasn’t easy and as I learnt in this week’s reading from Acton Hero Katie Huber, you just have to motivate yourself and move on. As far as you are living a life of meaning it is worth exploring. This week I also learnt that not all dre...
Read more

Money, Money and more money

 My parents were average citizens who said that when I was born, life became better for them. It was because of that they named me "money" but in my father's local language. My mom said that I never lacked anything, even when my father died, money was never a problem for me. I completed my university degree because someone decided to pay my fees. These experiences affected my view of money. For a while, I lived a charmed life until I started taking up responsibilities. Though I have made some mistakes with money, I am wiser now and I see money as a tool to bless the lives of others as I was blessed. I know that hard work brings money and I work hard, I also know that depending on what I do with money I can reap a bountiful harvest or squander my opportunities. I always weigh the benefit of every decision I make about money. I am really careful about what I do with money and how I make my money. The world today has a fractured view of money. Lots of people see it as a tool...
Read more

Leadership

       This week's study material focused on leadership. It is amazing how being an entrepreneur puts you immediately in the position of being a leader. One thing we must understand is that we do not have to wait until we attain that position before we begin acting like a leader. It is something that we should begin now to inculcate in our lives. Most people equate leadership with being in an exalted position, where they give commands and expect people to bow down and worship them while hanging on their every word. No!      Jim Ritchie, one of the co-founder of Launching Leaders explained that leadership involves taking people to a higher ground. It is the same opinion shared by Jim Collins in his book "Good to Great". His first ingredient in becoming great is becoming a level 5 leader. He says that: " Level 5 leaders look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well. At the same time, they look in the mirror to...
Read more