- An important takeaway I had regarding this class would be learning to handle investors and their role in building a sound business and entrepreneurship. The visit from the Mountain View CEO, was a very realistic demonstration of how investors are and trying to navigate them through complex buy-outs. Mr. Goodman emphasized the importance of being able to take risks especially if someone else is unwilling to take it themselves, as the other partners he had wanted out of the workload, he was able to take advantage of the investors giving up their opportunity in order to buy-out his dream company and be the sole owner of it. I thought his visit and especially his story of working from the bottom to the literal top was both inspiring and very interesting.
- There was an aspect of this class that I took away, and it may seem strange but it was the lecture of when to properly introduce yourself. The lesson of making what you can do for someone else first, then introducing yourself shortly after while seemingly simple became a game changer for me. I was able to apply that lesson to my Business Communications class, where instead of introducing myself and my credentials first, I would bring up what I bring to someone's company, then my personal self followed by credentials. Changing the order would seem to be such a small aspect but it clearly made a much bigger impression on my classmates and professors in the mock interview than introducing myself in a more traditional way.
- This class and specifically you, Professor, showed me that what you go to school for and your education does not always guarantee where you end up in your career path. You mentioned doing work for the medical industry, while also having a background in IT companies, all while you teach a course that is in entrepreneurship. Most other classes and professors to this point have been very by the books in this aspect of only setting on one path and sticking it their whole careers. Being in this class helped me take away the fact life takes a lot of twists and turns but especially for where you end up working despite what you may have initially studied for.
- An aspect which I was able to learn and understand which had multiple in-class examples of would be the idea of learning to fight another day. Especially in entrepreneurship not everything will according to plan, and in-reality most of the time it does not go according to plan at all. There was the example with the lady with the 3D printing business, and instead of letting go of the company which was clearly not in a position to succeed in it's current state, she wanted to stick to her guns and take a loan to try and save it. Unfortunately, she was not able to save her company, and that story stuck with me. Even though a business you make is very personal and reflective of yourself, learning when to sell and move on is just as key as learning when to start-up a business.
- From learning when to start a business, it brings me to my next point which would be getting over inaction and procastination. This was something I mentioned in 'All in Startup' book reflection, of learning how to get over delaying something especially when it is important to get started right away. Being stressed can lead to inaction since you are worried about messing something up, which leads to more stress in a vicious cycle. Overcoming the fear of delaying something in fear of making mistakes is one of the many things I gained from this class but especially once again the Kitty Hawk Project.
- Networking is an essential component of having an entrepreneurial spirit, and it is something that I took away from this course in-particular. Whether it was talking to my classmates about working together on a project, taking business cards from speakers, or the job fair we went to as a class as well. It is important to get to know people not just for yourself but for them as well. It could be surprising when down the line when they look for services you could provide or vice versa.
- Being there in the moment but specifically always particpating was one of the highlights of this class and something I learned from. It would have been a lot easier to take an online only class where I work at my own pace away from a professor and peers. Though having to meet people, talk in class, and actively contribute was not only more personally enjoyable, but helped me retain more information and lessons than just working through an asychronous course. I never minded having to go in-person even if it is far away from my house, since I feel like I could always take information you provided or a point one of my classmates made.
- My final takeaway is always asking questions and clarifiaction for anything but especially in business. There are so many aspects to have to think about when making an entrepreneurial start-up of capital, networking, investments, hiring, location, rent, client base, logistics, IT, and those are just to name a few of the core components. It would be nigh impossible for one person to be able to truly master all of these diverse fields on their lonesome. It is important to ask entrepreneurs before you, and experts of other studies and majors how they would go about handling these various issues as well.
Music for your ambience:
I learned a lot and took away a lot from this class about some of the objective and human elements of the concepts of entrepreneurship, as seen in the previously listed points on this webpage. I would have enjoyed to see more analytical work and examples of how to retrieve tax forms, payment stubs for employees, and a bit more on the financial and numbers side of business, though I assume that eventually there will be a course deicated to such a thing. I am appreciative of the time we had together, and I will gladly recommend this course for any future students, as you are a very amazing professor who helped cultivate my learning.