FINAL REFLECTION

The experience I most enjoyed and that will stick with me the longest was interviewing those close to me and asking them what they think makes me stand out. At first, I thought the assignment was a bit corny and I was reluctant to set up these interviews with my family members, but it proved to be a great experience. I decided to add on a question at the end asking everyone to share something they thought I could improve on or any advice they’d like to give me. I am not one to boast so it felt weird asking them what makes me great and then leaving it at that. I wanted to know what they thought of me and what they thought I could be better at, and as it turns out, what I remember most were the things they said I could improve on. This experience helped me to see that the things in my life that I know I am weak at are what others see that I am weak at as well. So, in a way it was good to see that I am being self-aware of my flaws and not oblivious to them. Also, each person had a different suggestion or advice and I was able to see that most likely it was something they wanted me to do better with them. For example, my sister said I should open up more and be more vulnerable. I believe she said that because she is a talker and she likes to tell me all about what is going on in her life but I tend to keep things close to the vest. Her suggestion I believe was aimed for me to improve my relationship with her. I really enjoyed all the suggestions because if there is one thing I’ve learned in this class is that relationships are key and we have to focus on having good relationships with people that will help us along our journey, and the most important people are our families.

Before I took this class, I already thought I possessed the entrepreneur mindset because I hate taking orders from people and I want to be my own boss. I thought that was the main aspect or driving force of being an entrepreneur, but I have learned it’s only a small part. I have learned that the best entrepreneurs are focused on solving problems, they aren’t focused necessarily on the money but how to provide a service or product that will help solve a need customers have. Not only that but they are people that are driven by learning new ways of doing things and not being afraid to take risks, fail, and continue to work. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout this course is failing forward. We have to put ourselves and our ideas out there and not be afraid to fail because that is how we will identify if we have a product that will stick or if we need to ditch or change something. I think I am much more equipped now to be an entrepreneur and I believe I am finally understanding what the mindset is. 

The biggest recommendation I have for future students is to plan, plan, plan. I found that if I sat down one day of the week to plan for the following week not only was I able to turn in my assignments on time and not be so stressed, but I was able to learn so much more from the material that week. It helped me to focus on each assignment and really get the most out of the intention of the assignment. I was also able to get the most out of the interviews because I wasn’t feeling rushed and I had a plan. If you prepare and plan ahead it is so much easier to get a good grade in this class but it’ll also be easier to identify opportunities in your area and then test that opportunity during this semester. All in all it was a great class and I enjoyed it a lot and most of that enjoyment came once I started to realize that I needed to plan ahead.