Myths and Support

Lessons Learned:

This week has been an interesting one for me. I have enjoyed learning more about what others think about my ideas for the future. I have a long ways to go in my entrepreneurial journey but I feel the knowledge I am gaining in College has helped prepare me for the real world. I have the support of friends and family and even those who wish to join in the entrepreneurial pursuit. It isnt about money. I don't care if I make very little. It is about doing something I believe will benefit me and those around me. 

Lessons I need to Learn:

There is much to do as I go about my Journey. Paths to take and things to learn. I know that my Journey will never come to an end and will lead to many road blocks on many different paths. Depending on how I handle those road blocks may decide my fate as an entrepreneur. I must make wise choices if I plan to be successful and I need to learn what those choices may need to be before those road blocks arrive. I have a lot to do and not a lot of time to prepare for it. 

Is the life of an entrepreneur right for me?

Lessons Learned:

This week I had an opportunity to conduct a personal interview where I answered several questions pertaining to my talents and desires as an entrepreneur. I have often wondered if the life of an entrepreneur is right for my family and I. With a very young family a lot can happen that would drastically effect our lives. We could lose everything and become dependent on others for support. Our time together may be shortened as a start-up would require my full attention until I am able to properly learn to run it as needed.

Even with all these potential hazards of being an entrepreneur my wife has given me her full support. She wants me to chase after my dreams and establish a business I would both enjoy and utilize to support our family. She understands that sacrifices will need to be made and I will not always be able to have long periods of time at home. Even with all difficult it is going to be her faith in me provides the support I need to take the risks that will be required of me. A life of an entrepreneur is difficult yet the learning experiences will be well worth it.

Lessons I need to Learn:

As an entrepreneur it is essential I learn how to manage my funds appropriately. Learning how to manage your funds and utilize them appropriately could mean life or death for a start-up company. If you go about using your start-up funds unwisely you often run out sooner then expected. Many investors may decide they no longer want to invest in your company and pull out what remains of their funding.

This is one of my problems as an entrepreneur. My funds are limited and ever since I had my first job I have not made the wisest choices concerning money. Luckily I married my wife who knows how to save and when to spend. She has helped me improve my spending habits and create a budget that works for our family. As I prepare to enter the business world I need to learn how to master budgeting and using funds wisely. If I want to be a successful entrepreneur I can not make constant financial mistakes. Some are ok for they will provide me the experience and knowledge I need however making to many can lead to disaster.

"The Start-Up of You"

Lessons Learned:

I recently completed reading "The Start-Up of You" by Hoffman and Casnocha. They had a lot of insight on what ways our network can benefit us in our current position and in future careers. Before reading this book I never really considered those members of my Network as highly important unless I really needed them for something. It was after reading this book I realized that not only our the closest members of our network important but so are those who are our second and third degree connections. We should continually strive to build a relationship with these members as they will often be able to give us advice and recommendations that we may need in the future. Some of them may lead us to a job or perhaps even offer us a job we didn't even know existed. The more we nurture and become a benefit to those in our network the more they will be able and willing to help us in the future.

Lessons I need to Learn:

One thing I am still striving to learn is how I can be of best use to those in my network. I am still in college and as such do not know much about open positions in my field of expertise. I do not have a lot of on hand experience and what I do know has been learned from books and teachers. I decided the best way I can be of help is trying to post articles that I feel will be a network to my network as my updates. Perhaps by doing so my network will see I am trying to help out where I can until I have something that could be more use to them in the future.

Family and Time

Lessons Learned:

This week has been a fun learning experience for me. I often wonder how I would make ends meet with my first start-up business. I also wonder how my family would be impacted by such a business and what I would do to prevent my business decisions from harming them. I understand that sometimes that isn't possible but I believe if I am willing to set apart a day of the week for my family I would be able to prevent my family from falling apart. I also believe if I can create a business I could have my family be part of the business and join in with me. Perhaps something I could give to my children when I am ready to retire.

Lessons I need to Learn:

I feel I need to learn more about being an entrepreneur. I have learned a lot from school and from books but that can only provide so much. I feel that it is about time I set a date for when I want to start my first company and plan for it to happen. Before then I need to learn the best strategy for doing so and create a stronger network for my field. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by what I need to do but if I am not willing to take a chance then I will never get anything done. So much to learn and so much to do. I will always be learning but I need to remember that I learn through actively moving forward. If I sit here and worry I won't be able to learn a thing or make any mistakes.

Dreams

Lessons Learned:

Simple. I have a lot of dreams. Listening to Randy Pausch's Last Lecture and hearing about the Dreams he was able to complete during his life has been an eye opener for me. I thought about all of the dreams I have had since I was a kid. I thought about what I have completed thus far and what I have yet to complete. There is so much I want to do and so much I want to learn. Time is short and I know there will be many "Brick Walls" impeding my way in completing those dreams. Yet I know that those Brick Walls can be surpassed. I just need to prove that I want it. Prove that I want it, then go out and do it.

Lessons I need to Learn:

Patience, Patience, Patience. I have been hasty during many aspects of my life and there have been many things I have wanted to have done by this point in my life. I have noticed that I can grow angry at myself for not completing what I wanted to well ignoring what I have done. If I don't learn patience then many of my dreams will be missed and the joys of what I have accomplished during my life thus far will be to easily overlooked. Patience is something I need to develop in my entrepreneurial journey.