Journal to Success

Starting out in this class I thought that I was just going to learn about how to start a business.   What I didn’t realize was that I would be coached into really looking into myself and examining what was important to me and what I was willing to do about it.   To me, having my own business is about freedom; freedom to use my gifts and talents in a way that will involve and bless my family.   I realized this as I was taking the class.   Yes, it would be fun to have my own business, but I had to analyze what my end goals were and if this endeavor fit into those plans. You are first going to need to decide what your goals are.   What would you like to accomplish, but more importantly, who do you want to become?   Seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost and seek to understand what you really want out of life.   Once you have decided what your end goal is, then decide if pursuing entrepreneurship would help you achieve that goal.   Clayton Christensen ...

This week I’ve been evaluating the cost of entrepreneurship.   I’m blessed to be in a position that I don’t have to work outside of the home.   This semester has been a good proving ground for what my strengths and weaknesses are when I have to divide my time between at-home and out-of-the-home pursuits.   One of the papers that we read this week was informative and caused me to reflect – how can I use the experiences that I’m having now with school and family, to determine where my weaknesses are in this new turf?   How will I make sure that my life is in balance if starting a business is in my future? In the paper, Identifying and Exploiting the Right Entrepreneurial Opportunity…for You , it states, “If we are to make full use of our opportunities in life, we must know ourselves – in particular, our strengths and our weaknesses.”   I’ve been contemplating what my strengths and weaknesses are as I divide my time.   I’ve noticed that some of my strengths ...

Charles Handy, in his article What’s a Business For? states, “Markets rely on rules and laws, but those rules and laws in turn depend on truth and trust.” If there is no truth and trust, then the market becomes unreliable and people won’t want to invest in it.   This could make it so that we rely on the governments for our modes of savings and they have not been very good venues in the past for this.   Many executives are no longer concerned about the long-term health of their company.   Instead of being concerned about their customers or employees, they are more concerned with their ambition and how much money they can make.   It says in the article that “one result of the obsession with share price is an inevitable shortening of the horizon. . . companies are mortgaging their futures in return for a higher stock price in the present.”   With many executives now receiving stock options as part of their payment, they are more concerned with making money now than...