B283 Capstone Journal Entry

 

Balanced Rock

Entrepreneur Journal

Journal

If you are a little bit like me, when you see a rock like this and have an overwhelming desire to get a large pry bar to roll it down the hill; you might be an entrepreneur. Would you do it just to see if you could? Would you do it because it’s there? Would you do it for the challenge? I think the best way to describe the entrepreneurial spirit is, you will know it when you feel it. It is an urge. It is a desire to make or build something. It is what you think about as you lie in bed before you fall asleep.

Reflecting on this last semester has allowed me the most serious reflection on my time as an entrepreneur. One of the biggest “aha” moments has been a semester-long “aha” moment. This “moment” came gradually as I realized how differently my entrepreneurial experience could have been, had I had the information I received piece by piece in this class. I wish that before I struck out on my entrepreneurial journey I could have had a guide to describe the path. With that in mind, here are my words of wisdom for a would-be entrepreneur.

First, get an education. It doesn’t need to be a college degree, it just needs to be enough so that you are not going into it blindly. I would also recommend a couple of books, “The E-Myth Revisited” and “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” Second, find a mentor. Become their friend, their sponge, and their student. Third, decide if the life of an entrepreneur is for you. If you are not sure, then it probably isn’t. You will need an unwavering commitment, an unquenchable desire or passion, and a tolerance for failure and risk. If it’s not for you, that’s all right. If it is, you will be sure to experience some very gratifying highs, along with some difficult lows.

So here we sit at the fork in the road. Only you can tell which path is the best. One thing is certain, make sure the path you choose also leads back to your heavenly home. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) See you at the end of the road, brother or sister.