Course Reflections

My experience studying Entrepreneurship this semester has helped me gain a clearer understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur, and what it takes to become so.  There are several things that resonated with me as I went through the course.  The concept that stood out to me the most is that to become an entrepreneur, you need to get to know yourself.  It’s not just about knowing that you want to start a business, an entrepreneur needs to understand what they are passionate about and what their skills and strengths are.  Once they have learned these things, they can use that knowledge to find a need they can fulfill using the passion and skills they have. 

The second thing that stood out to me is the need to truly believe in whatever venture you create.  One cannot become a successful entrepreneur if they do not believe in what they are offering people, whether it is a good or a service.  When you are passionate and believe in something, you will put forth your best efforts, and resist becoming discouraged.  Starting your own business is hard and believing in what you are doing is what keeps you from quitting when things get difficult.

Another part of what learned is that an entrepreneur needs to give back.  When someone who starts a business find success, it is important to use some of that success for the benefit of others without receiving anything in return.  It is in serving others that we maintain our humility and our humanity.  It is easy to get caught up in money and success when you find it, but that is not where true happiness lies.  True happiness is in taking care of others.  Remember to serve others.

The last thing that I found important is that we cannot get so caught up in our successes that we forget to spend time on our families, at church, and taking care of ourselves.  Starting a business takes a lot of time, energy, and persistence.  If we are not cautious, we could find ourselves devoting too much time to our business and not enough time in the things that are eternal.   As President David O. McKay said, “No other success in life can compensate for failure in the home.”  It is important, as we start down out path to becoming an entrepreneur that, to make sure that we maintain a proper perspective, and keep our priorities in the right order.  Then, we will be the most successful selves we can be.