Intro to Entrepreneurship Week 12

This week has been kind of a blur. It is Spring Break for my kids and I do not think I have had an hour's work without an interruption. This week's videos were pretty good. I loved the one on consecration. I think I am going to watch it again tomorrow. I had another classmate tell me that if she got nothing else out of this class that that video was worth it. The article about microlending was fascinating. Just $27 dollars helped 42 people. Even I could do that. I was amazed at the repay rate. The rate of loans that were paid back was 97% which tells me these people really appreciated what he did for them and were grateful for the opportunity to better themselves. How many of them turned around and helped someone else? I am sure a lot. 

In discussing Hardy's article it made me realize that integrity and virtue seem to be old-fashioned values but the business world and world in general need them now more than ever. How does a business have a "mistake" in estimating profits by $100,000,000,000? That is 100 billion dollars! This takes away the trust and foundation of businesses. It feels like we need a police force just for businesses to make sure their records are true and that are dealing fairly with each other. 

People used to have a business to make money. That too is an old-fashioned concept. Businesses want to do more and be more. Money is not enough anymore. Being and doing more is now the real reason to have a business. I hope I do not get so far into the business world that I forget about people. Maybe humans is a better word. That is what this life is about. It is not about being the biggest and best company. 

Handy said, "More honesty and reality in the reporting of results would help, for a start." I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Even with audits and multilevel accountability, the numbers that companies report just are not honest anymore. I think if I had a solution for this problem that I would be one of the top paying people like I'm talking about but I'd hope I would keep my integrity and virtue. 

Intro to Entrepreneurship Week 11

I wish I knew who was visiting my site and reading my posts. Leave comments where you are reading from. I'd love it! Thanks!

Money! The article that affected me most is the one about money and how we think about it. It talked about poverty and the thinking that comes with it. I wholehearted agree with it. The status of poverty really takes the hope out of people. There does not seem to be a way out. This is not true but it's what it feels like. The article told about Jon Huntsman (who I am distantly related to) and how even when he had a meager income he still parted with some of it to help someone is a worse state than him. This is the attitude we need to have. There is always someone worse off than you are. It may not be financially but everyone has his or her trials. Reach out to someone in any way you can.

Just yesterday there was a young mom in my ward who called to see if she could drop off her four children so she could go to the grocery store alone since her husband was out of town for a few days. I absolutely said yes. After she came back, she just did not seem to want to go home. She was able to stay a while, talk, and relax. I was able to send some food home with her so she did not have to think about what to make for supper. This was one way I was able to help someone. Someday it may be financially that I can help. This ties into President Monson's Formula to "Fill Your Life with Service". If we all used our resources we have been blessed with to help someone else, this world would be a much better place.

Intro to Entrepreneurship Week 10

This week I got to interview an entrepreneur. I learned a lot. Several things I learned were that family is important and can make a big difference in a business. Support from your family can make or break a business. Her biggest advice was to make sure you pay yourself. It not only contributes to your financial success at home but also transfers that success feeling back to your business. This also points back to the support from family. If your family doesn't think the business is doing well then they may be off put by the time you spend there. Yet another would be to do what you love. You're going to spend a lot of time at your business and if you don't love it, want it, breathe it then you're going to be miserable.

The video about thinking big was great. If you think small you're going to do small. Sometimes I'm amazed at how powerful thinking really is. Sometimes when people host Pampered Chef shows I am hopeful that they get to $200 and anything else is gravy. I was taken aback when a fellow consultant told me that they are disappointed if the show isn't over $500. When she said that I thought she was kind of overachieving. Now I realize that I need to think that way too.

Still not enjoying the book. Ugh.

Intro to Entrepreneurship Week 9

This week has been kind of a bust to me. My accounting took forever and an extra day. I've worked tutoring for over 13 hours which is a first. Everyone must be getting serious about their grades. I didn't get to do all the reading but I watched all the videos. I say I didn't get to do the reading but I have read Small "L" Leadership and DPC more than once in other classes and I also read the book Good to Great. Those are all wonderful reading. I just didn't get to read them fresh for this class.

Trust. Guy Kawasaki talked about trust. I think it is hard to trust someone else first. I think I want them to trust me because I know I'll keep my end of the bargain. The companies that he talked about are great examples of trust. I didn't know that about them. I wish people would be more trustworthy and quit "burning" these companies by taking advantage of their trust. It happens all the time.

The concept of small "L" leadership has intrigued me from the first time I read it. I said it then and I'll say it again: that's the kind of person I want to be. I have had leaders with and without that type of leadership. I know that from the "follower's" perspective it is much easier to love and obey (follow) a Small "L" leader.