Week 13

So you want to be an entrepreneur? Luckily I have spent the last 13 weeks studying just what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. First I would recommend that you have a strong mind and a mighty heart. I would suggest creating a bucket list of all the things you want to accomplish in your life and make sure that whatever career you start allows you to check some items off of your list. Visualize yourself at an award banquet when you are 75 years old and imagine what type of person you would like to be remembered for. What do you want people to remember you for? 

As you start your entrepreneurial journey I would recommend that you write down what the values that are important to you so that you never forget them. We are only truly successful entrepreneurs when we uphold the values that are important to us. Some other things to consider are that you need to be realistic about your goals. It is great to shoot for the stars and go big but it is also important to remember that you only have about a .0006% of being a "rock star entrepreneur." 

Entrepreneurs need to make rules for themselves. Never be too busy for a church calling, never be too busy for your family, decide what family events are too important to miss. Learn from your heart instead of your head on occasion. Lead by vision, love, and example. Trust people and they will trust you. Be a GOOD person. Fill your heart with love, trust, and service. 

Above all remember that this is a wonderful time to live on earth. Take advantage of the opportunities presented to you. Do something that will make you and the world a better place. Keep your priorities straight. Live your life in a way that you won't regret. 

Week 12

I loved reading an attitude of gratitude by Thomas S. Monson. Here are a few of my favorite quotes. 

• This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. 

• We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thoughts and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude.

• True friends put up with our idiosyncrasies. They have a profound influence in our lives.

• Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.

I loved watching the eCorner Videos this week. A few of the most important messages I learned:

• You should always put yourself in a position to take advantages of opportunities that come up.

• When looking for a job you should look for something that you think will be enjoyable. 

Week 11

I really enjoyed learning more about microlending, specifically Grameen Bank. It really changed and enhanced my knowledge of credit and how loans are given. I wish that more institutions would follow after Gameen Bank's footsteps.

I also loved talking with my classmates about credit cards. Debt, savings, and credit are something I have very strong opinions about so it was really fun for me to discuss these topics. It is interesting how many different perspectives on this topic there are. Even though we all have different perspectives there are some core truths that the apostles teach us about how to be wise with our money and I think it is so important to heed that counsel. We shouldn't spend more than we earn, We should live below our means. We should save part of our money for a rainy day.

I also enjoyed completing the Manage Mentor Activity and seeing how my perspective has changed throughout this course about being en entrepreneur. I feel like I have a better understanding of the pros and cons associated with being an entrepreneur and I understand the risks associated with it.

Week 10

President Monson's Formula for Success
Fill your heart with love
Fill your mind with truth
Fill your life with service

Never put yourself in a situation where you can't say no! -Komisar

After reading the Attitude About Money article I really started thinking about how we can still be successful entrepreneurs and we can do well managing our money without becoming obsessed with money. Money should never be our priority. Money cannot buy as happiness. With that being said that doesn't mean that we should pay no attention to money. Everyone needs to pay attention to their finances to make sure that they can provide for and take care of their obligations. We can still focus on family first and let everything else fall into place. It doesn't mean because we focus on family as our first priority that we aren't going to be successful financially.

Another important principle I learned this week is the important of finding balance in your life. There is plenty of time in our lives to get the things done that we need to. We might just have to cut out some of the unnecessary items from our life.

Week 9

This week I was able to read the book The Dip. It was fabulous and I have been trying to convince everyone I know to read it.

Favorite principles from the book

Most People are Afraid to Quit
Average is for Losers
If You're Not Going to Get To #1 You May As Well Quit Now

Favorite Quotes and Thoughts From This Week 
“Entrepreneurs are not just opportunistic; they are also creative and innovative.” -Heart of Entrepreneurship

When you take really smart people and give them really good tools they build beautiful and amazing things because they are passionate about it. -Mayer

To testify is to declare something you know to be true; being converted requires us to do and to become. -Elder Oaks

Who we have become is most important to us at the final day -Elder Oaks 

Persons who have received the Spirit of God have the mind of Christ -Apostle Paul

Mentor Session 6
The mentor session 6 activity helped me to think about all the struggles associated with being an entrepreneur and helped me to think about if those things were really worth all the pros. I think that listing pros and cons is really beneficial and can really help you sort out what is important to you. 

Week 8

Favorite Quotes 
Lead by Vision. Lead by Example. Lead with Love -Kim B. Clark

Run from sleaze, flee evil, and be loyal to your best self -Gordon B. Hinckley

Trust people and they will trust you -Guy Kawasaki

Useful Things to Remember 
The leading factor that causes arguments, separation, divorce, and broken hearts in marriage is selfishness

The most powerful influence on your children will be your attitude

The most important thing you can do for your children is to love and support each other as husband and wife

Think about how you can help others

Hire nice people who think of others

We need to promote loyalty

If you need resources don't be afraid to ask

Week 7

This week I learned a lot about myself and my business goals and skill sets while completing the "Mentor Session." I think it is really important to sit down and evaluate yourself and see what kind of shape you are in to run a business. Not only do you have to be mentally prepared but you need to be physically prepared as well. I think it was also helpful to evaluate what skills I have a strong background in and what I still need to work on. It also helped me to decide when searching for a business partner what particular skill sets I will need to look for in another individual because of what I currently lack in my own skill set. 


Favorite quotes from the week...

"The 'great work' is you—your life, your future, the very fulfillment of your dreams.” President Holland 

"Too many of us learn only through our heads and not our hearts." Sister Holland 

Week 5

To balance life with work you need to make rules. 

Never be too busy with work to take on a church calling. 

The most valuable asset to an entrepreneur is time. 

Personal finance can help bring us to Christ. 

Personal finance can help us accomplish our divine missions. 

Personal finance can help us return with our families back to Heavenly Father’s
presence. 

Personal finance can help us become wiser stewards. Personal finance should not be a scary topic if you are well educated.

Personal finance is a 5 step process:

1. Decide
2. Educate
3. Commit
4. Believe 
5. Achieve 

Important Things to Remember:

1. Life is about others
2. It's about faith
3. We can have God's help
4. Finances are a spiritual manner
5. We are responsible for our choices and our finances
6. Consumer debt is an addiction
7. Every family should have a budget
8. We cannot judge or compare
9. We must learn to be financially wise

Myths about Entrepreneurs:

1. Entrepreneurs are born, not made
2. Entrepreneurs are well educated, rich, and young
3. Entrepreneurs are big gamblers
4. Entrepreneurs are loners and cannot work with others
5. Entrepreneurs only care about money
6. Most successful entrepreneurs start their companies with a break through invention or technology 
7. Fail at your first business and you will never get a second chance
8. They couldn't get a good job so they work for themselves 
9. Entrepreneurs have to sail very close to the wind to succeed
10. You will have no life as an entrepreneur 

Week 4

I had such a great week in class this week and I learned some really valuable lessons. I really enjoyed reading a little bit of So you Want to be an Entrepreneur. I think I'm really going to enjoy this book. I'm also looking forward to starting Mastery this week. 

Some of my favorite things from this week from the various readings:

Some of the hardest decisions in life are choosing between two right answers 

What matters most is not the prize at the end but how the hero has changed in the process

There is only a .0006% chance of becoming a "rock star" entrepreneur

One of the most important questions you can ask yourself is, what are my values and what do I care about? 

Elder Faust discussed qualities you should have that would bring opportunities and blessings: 

1. 1. 
   How to organize and use time wisely
2. 2. 
   The importance of hard work—that you reap what you sow
3. 3. 
   Leadership skills
4. 4. 
   People skills
5. 5. 
   The value of gospel study
6. 6. 
   Respect for authority
7. 7. 
   The importance of prayer
8. 8. 
   Humility and dependence on the Lord 

After reading the Sandefer article my favorite takeaway was: 

"Entrepreneurs become successful, one small investment at a time, in a never-ending 

process. Because entrepreneurial success isn’t a destination, it’s a journey."

I always enjoyed learning about the 10 most common traits of successful entrepreneurs:

Persistence

Confidence

Vision

Action

Dedication

Faith 

Integrity

Adaptability

Courage

Communication

Week 3

This week I finished reading The Start Up of You and I am actually kind of bummed because I loved it so much! I had a ton of fun reading it and I think I learned so much valuable information. Below are some of my favorite take aways from the text.

• We are all natural entrepreneurs, but we aren't all cut out to run a business
• Before you try to start a business it is important to determine your competitive advantage
• You should be adaptable. It isn't going to be beneficial to have a one track mind. Chances are you aren't going to end up at the end of the path that you first dreamt up. 
• Network! Network with purpose. Have planned coffee breaks or lunch meetings with people who you want to strive to be more like.
• Understand risk and evaluate when the risk is worth taking and when it isn't.
• Always be learning!

This week I also had the chance to read a couple great articles online. One of my favorite things I learned is that it is important to do what you love because you will be better at what you do. This specifically made an impact on me as I am getting ready to graduate and am looking for potential job opportunities. There are plenty of jobs out there that I could do decently but this video clip helped me to realize that I will be much more successful if I pick a job that I enjoy because chances are I will invest myself more and therefore will be much more successful. 

I'm excited to start reading our next text and see what more I have to learn. Entrepreneurship is such a new concept to me as a Family Studies major so I am really enjoying all the new skills that I am learning and developing.

Week 2

What a wonderful week this was to be able to dive into another case study, talk about ethics, and discuss LDS perspectives on business. I really enjoyed reading the case study about Magdalena Yesil as I am surrounded by a lot of the companies she was talking about in Silicon Valley. Before I moved to Silicon Valley I had a harder time understanding the world of Venture Capital and start ups but I can definitely paint a clearer picture now.

As I was reading the materials for class this week it really got me thinking about what I would do if I were in that particular person's shoes. Would I feel successful? Would I feel that I was doing an excellent job of providing for my family or would I feel that I was too focused on my career?

Another topic I really enjoyed discussing was that of integrity and how we can be successful in our careers while also maintaining and upholding our integrity and honesty. I recognize how important it is to be "true blue, through and through" as Joseph F. Smith would say. I think that it we focus on loving God, serving Him, and loving and serving our family that we will be much happier in our careers. We'll never be as happy if we focus on material things, wealth, power and prestige.

It is my hope and goal to always remember the important things in life and to remember what I am going to take with me into the next life and focus on those things rather than focusing primarily on business endeavors, career goals, and finances. All we can take with us are our experiences and knowledge so that is truly my focus in life and I hope never to forget that.

Week 1

I feel like I have learned a lot of really need concepts this week and it really makes me excited for the future! I loved reading about Randy Pausch and all that he has accomplished in life. Living in Silicon Valley myself I feel like I see a lot of people who have made their dreams become a reality. A lot of times from the outside looking in it looks like things just came easy to them. Reading about Randy's life helped me realize that this isn't the case for everyone. He really had to work hard in life for his dreams to become a reality.

I also enjoyed reading the Stars and Stepping Stones materials. I thought that I had a great discussion with my classmates and it was fun to see so many different perspectives. I especially enjoyed the part where it encouraged readers to visualize themselves at an awards banquet at age 75 and think about what you would want to be known for if you could only pick one or two things. This really put things in perspective for me and helped me to think about what is really important in life.

Another activity I enjoyed was the bucket list activity. I feel like that exercise had my name written all over it. I am definitely a bucket list girl. I create bucket lists for places I travel, particular seasons, the area I live in, and more! This really motivates me to get out and do things that I want to do. I have always wanted to make a bucket list for my whole life but hadn't done it yet so this was the perfect opportunity.

I also enjoyed what I have been reading in the Entrepreneur in You book and excited to read more of it. I hope to discover some valuable tools and tips to help me become an entrepreneur myself. I am really excited about this class and can't wait to see what else there is to learn and discover!

Introduction Week

I had several strong emotions come over me as I listened to the dedication given by President Hinckley during the Hinckley building dedication. Through President Hinckley's loving words and example he gave excellent advice to the students of BYU-Idaho and any other person who hears is words. He taught that we need a willingness to do the right thing, we need to pray to the Lord to help us. He reminds us that we know who we are. As I think about those words I remember the importance of going about our lives, even our professional lives doing what we know is right. It is important to have integrity, be honest, be good, be decent, and be prayerful. If we can do those things in both our personal lives and our professional lives we will be blessed immensely.

As I was reading the words of Elder Bednar the words "strong mind" and "mighty heart" really stood out to me. Elder Bednar explains that in order to effectively serve God those are two of the components that we need. I believe that this is something that we need in our lives professionally as well.

I have spent some time in the past few years reading through several case studies but I really enjoyed this opportunity to take a step back and really understand what the case method is, what their purpose is, and why we use them. Having the ability to use relevant, practical information will be extremely beneficial in our work lives.