Friday, September 11, 2009

Entrepreneurship

So, let me lay out my schedule...

Tuesday, Thursday - 3 Entrepreneurship classes
Monday, Wednesday - Golf
Independent Study (research)

As you can see, I'm pretty Entrepreneurship heavy this semester, which is good, because that is what this blog was originally about!

So, a few notes on Entrepreneurship. Basically, anyone can be an entrepreneur, anywhere, anytime, anyone. Do not let ANYONE ever tell you otherwise. If you truly believe in your idea, you should make it happen...

That is...if it's a GOOD idea. I have heard from 2 professors already that Entrepreneurs do not take huge risks, like most people believe they do. A common misconception is that entrepreneurs are huge risk takers. This is actually false. A good entrepreneur will analyze his idea, and his market enough to know that there is a good chance of success. (The actual success rate for new businesses is 50/50...much better than restaurants, which have a 98% FAILURE rate)

Another common misconception is that an entrepreneur is someone that starts a new business. That is FALSE! Think about it, is a gas station owner an entrepreneur, or a business owner...no, they are not one in the same. Someone who starts a restaurant that does your dry cleaning while you eat is entrepreneurial (maybe not a great idea, but a NEW idea). A good entrepreneurial mind thinks uniquely, and looks at things differently.

If you want more education on entrepreneurship, I have found that the Podcast Entrepreneurship and Business Course with Mark Juliano (adjunct prof. at Carnegie Mellon) is a great basic course for someone wanting to learn to THINK more like a small business owner. This is geared more toward "big" small businesses. Meaning, businesses that are geared to bring in $2-$10 Million in funding to grow rapidly. It's still a great podcast, as he also gears some toward small business owners.

I find there are plenty of great podcasts which provide free learning.

I'll keep updating with more knowledge as I get it from my classes.

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