Student Insights for Entrepreneur Interviews
Entrepreneur insights and perceptions related to their businesses were obtained through interviews conducted by students. Student insights and reflections regarding the interview process are shown on this page.
Simply scroll down the page to view. They are shown with the most recent reflections appearing first.
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Records 1181 to 1190 of 1253 |
The most meaningful part of this whole project is the insight and reality of what it takes to start your own business. I think its really important to be able to go in to something having a clear understanding of what it takes to be successful. This project allowed me to be able to see first hand that its okay to take risks and being an entrepreneur you have to be able to bounce back from anything that doesn't go like planned. What I loved about the interview process is that the answers I received were so real and full of motivation and I was talking to a business owner from my own community. As I reflect and ponder of my own plans to be a small business owner one day, I came to realize that it can be one of the most scariest thing to do but I shouldn't be afraid of the risk and if I have the passion and determination its worth a try. I was able to see fist hand how much fun it is to make money out of something that you enjoy to do. Being your own boss seemed amazing because you have all the control to push your business in any direction that you want and it becomes total creative freedom. I also saw the down side of owning a business and that is dealing with customers or the lack of. Without customers coming thru your door it can really set a panic especially if rent for the property is coming up and that is something that we discussed a lot thru out the interview. Having a savings set aside is important for unforeseen events like maintenance around the store and supplies needed to keep it running. After the interview I was able to have a conversation about my plans for my business and being an entrepreneur, all i received were beautiful words of encouragement and motivation. I now have someone that offered to mentor me and help me move forward with my ideas to one day be a small business owner. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-24 20:49:44 |
I feel like I am one step closer to starting my own business and joining the fun in the global market. The most meaningful topics I learned in this entrepreneur interview are: market saturation, using your competitor’s web-sites, getting loans from your bank(s), choosing a location, and having satisfactory customer service. Overall this project was very helpful and interesting, I did not expect to learn so much just from one person in an hour. This was by far the best advice I have gotten from an entrepreneur. I plan to interview more entrepreneurs to get as much advise and ideas as I can get before starting my own business, so I can have a better understanding of the type of business I will be launching and have a higher chance of succeeding. This entrepreneur that I interviewed is running a business that is not similar to what my business will be providing and selling, but business is business and this has helped me. I hope to get a better understanding on each of these topics she has shared with me. I learned that the location in which you decide where to start your business will highly determine your success. Also having a good and brief business plan is important because banks want to know how you will generate cash flow to repay your loans. Most important of all, you must be very enthusiastic and hard working in the type of business you decide to start and be very knowledgeable, and you must always put the customer first. I also learned that with great customer service you will be a very competitive business to beat. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-24 20:51:17 |
The most meaningful part of this project is interviewing a person really close to me and talking about something extremely personal on their half. I grew up around this person and never really thought about what really went on in the business or how they even got to where their at. It wasn't until recently i learned all the stuff that goes into making this small business and how lucrative it really is. To be completely honest i was shocked when i saw the numbers at first ,but then thought about it and it made sense to see how the numbers add up. Like when you go to Target and see your total you don't understand how the total is so high ,but see how all the items add up into a huge sum. Its crazy to think how anyone can really start their own business and become successful with hard work and dedication. It gave me a hope because owning a successful business seemed so far fetched for me. I always had this thought that to run a successful high profit business you have to look a certain way or the business would be flawless. I happily learned that with hard work you make it what you want. If you find a certain niche market you will have customers who will even recommend you more customers. I learned that all it takes is a product and a passion. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-24 21:52:26 |
When first assigned this project, I wasn’t sure what I would get out of it. After interviewing my chosen entrepreneur, I got many answers with tactics and information that I have never heard before. I truly enjoyed this project and all the new information I got out of it. What I liked the most, was that I felt like I was somewhat involved in the business, receiving information on how it can be improved or what changes need to be implemented for positive benefit. This has definitely given me more inspiration in starting a business of my own. This project has made me step out of my comfort zone in learning about entrepreneurship and the many parts that are essential for success, which I still have a lot to learn. My goal for this project was to ultimately gain as much knowledge as I could from someone in the field of business. With all of the information I have obtained over this experience, I am sure I will have a better understanding of terms related to business. I believe with all of my new information I will also have a better understanding within class and further instruction on the following chapters. I am grateful for the opportunity to have such a helpful project and it honestly makes me more excited for my future, and what I have to come in my designated career. While I am currently working on my upcoming fashion brand, I will have to use a lot of my new skills to contribute to a hopefully successful beginning. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-25 00:12:58 |
This project was actually really cool and i actually enjoyed it. It was cool going going out my way to find someone who we can talk to who actually has the experience that we want to hear about. The most meaningful part of this project to me was when he started to tell me about how he come from nothing to something. Back in his day everyone in his family was poor and struggled to get money. As a kid he worked anywhere he could from plumbing to working at a bakery. When he came to the us he started working construction and thats how he got his experience to start his own company. When he first started he lived in a house with a group of guys eating rice with beans everyday. Finally he got his license and everything changed for him. After he started my construction company he began to invest in a lot of properties and also saving money on anything he could. Since he was able to save money he got the opportunity to open a Waba Grill and from there he saved his money again is now going for his third restaurant. Also he has expanded his construction company as well. This have me a lot of hope because it was just proof that with hard work you can accomplish a lot of things in life. I asked him if this is what he wanted in life and he told me its much more then what he ever imagined. That made me think about how much i can get done if i really put all my effort into what i really wanted to do. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-25 01:00:10 |
I think the most important part about this whole project is, to see how much hard work is needed to actually create a successful business. People not being able to come home and see their family is so like ridiculous, but it was for their benefit. So they have food to neat on the table. I think a lot of people get it confused, especially now, that you can just put entrepreneur on your bio on Instagram, and that makes you one. But it doesn't and if people understood the treacherous journey it was they would have a second thought on putting that in their bio. Another thing that is important is that you have to move with the times. You have to keep adapting, and keep learning at all times because every second your are not learning is another second that the competition is catching up to you studying you. That should keep anyone motivated all the time. Also the taking stuff from social media and getting inspiration. That is definitely something so simple that I never thought of. it is so easy to look for a certain hashtag, see what your competition is doing, and do it better than them, or cheaper, or faster. These are all tips that I think I will take with me forever, because they are so practical, and as a entrepreneur, we are practitioners. Another thing that deserves its own discussion, was becoming stagnant. Becoming stagnant is actually the worse thing you can do obviously, Look how much he dedicates to not be stagnant. Every time he has any type of free time it goes into learning, or getting inspiration from something new each time. Once your mind stops moving, that starts the downfall of your business, or you need to get a different person in there to help you . I think the thing I am going to be scared of is that when I am successful, I will feel like I made it, and easy up on the gas. Just become stagnant until it hops out at me that my business is failing. So I am constantly trying to keep the dog in me moving, and hungry. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-25 07:55:15 |
I have known this entrepreneur for many years. He used to be a district manager for the company-owned offices before he acquired the franchise stores and became a franchisee. Back then, he was always busy managing 10-12 offices. He had to deal with office managers, employees, clients, and the most difficult party – the upper management team. There were endless conference calls, reports, and meetings. Now, he is more independent with his own franchise stores. Even though he has to follow the standard guidelines and regulations set by the franchiser, he has better control over the managements of the offices, the employees, work schedules, marketing, and even the pricing/costs of the services provided. The franchiser provides tradename, marketing, advertisement, software/programs, and free training for him and his employees. When I asked him how he acquired the franchise stores, he told me that, after working with the company for so many years with his excellent leadership, abundance knowledge and skills for the business, he was approached by the franchiser for the franchise opportunity. He advised me that even when we are working for someone else, as long as we work hard and show our ability, the opportunity is always there. Get into what we love to do first, enrich ourselves with knowledge and experiences, do our research and homework, grab the opportunity when we have the chance. When asked if he prefers to own a franchise store or opening his own business, he said it depends on the type of business, personal preference and the timing. For him, he grabbed the franchise opportunity 11 years ago and he is happy with that. He does not have to keep up with most current updated software and programs since they are provided by the franchisor. He does not have to worry about marketing and advertisement because they are also provided by the franchisor. He can concentrate on servicing his clients. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-25 09:11:33 |
The most meaningful thing about this project was the going out and finding a successful entrepreneur who was able to share with me their experiences and hardships. Being able to hear about their experiences and all the sacrifices she had to make to get to where she is at is truly inspiring. It gave me a firsthand look at what it is to take a risk and go for it. I realized that if one doesn’t take a risk they can lose out on a great opportunity and dream that may not come again. Another meaningful thing that I took from this assignment was the fact that good things don’t always have to come together all at once, little by little things surely enough will fall into place and workout. I also learned that the title of an entrepreneur comes with a lot of work, a lot of long days and nights, and a lot of time that one has to invest in their business so that it can reach its full potential. I learned that there is more to being an entrepreneur than what I had originally taught, and it let me see all the hard work and dedication that people put into their businesses which is nothing but admirable. Like all other things in life, there will be good times and there will be rough times. A business will not always be a smooth sail, but the work that is put in will definitely show and if one loves what they are doing all else will come together nicely. The other thing that was meaningful to me was the fact that the entrepreneur who I had the pleasure of interviewing was a woman. It was encouraging to see a woman, in such a male dominated business, have her own business and be thriving in it. The fact that she started out as an employee of the company and later pursued her passion and took the risk of buying the business and making it her own is empowering. This interview was meaningful to me as I realized that there is more to being an entrepreneur that just the money aspect of it. Going into a business that interest you, that one is passionate about is certainly a characteristic that should be present so that one and their business can thrive as a whole. This interview really opened the door for me, and gave me more drive to keep pushing to be an entrepreneur. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-25 12:33:39 |
What i found most meaningful was that he had alot of support of family during his journey till today. In general the project is meaningful because we allow someone to share their story and have their voice be heard. It gives us a chance to put ourselves in their shoes and almost experience what they did. And most importantly learn from their mistakes. They also learn something as they are telling the story. It gives them a chance see how far they've come and be proud of their progress. I find it meaningful that they are always learning and so are we. we have the same fire, the same passion as they did when they first began. Its a bit nostalgic for them but they dont mind. People are always trying to help for the most part. This project put me out there to get my foot in the door and start up my plans. This project made me realize that i have chosen the right path as an entrepreneur. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-25 14:53:03 |
This project was a lot of fun for me because I got to interview my own dad. Sitting down and talking to him about his business was a lot of fun. Before this project I had a vague idea about what he did, I knew he was an architect and that he would come home with these big long thick rolls of paper filled with a lot of lines on them. This project allowed me to dig deeper and talk to him about what it is that he actually does and how he manages it. Learning more about something he is passionate about was very cool for me, and I certainly gained an appreciation and respect for his work. With him being my father I can see first hand that he works very hard. He gets up early every day and stays late sometimes to get his work done and I respect him very much. It was interesting to hear him talk about about his own business and see him get into business mode. It’s not easy being your own boss. You have to keep yourself motivated and on top of things because there really is just you. There is a lot of freedom, but with that freedom there comes a lot of responsibility. This project was meaningful to me because I got to listen to my dad talk about his own business. I gained more insight into how hard it is to run a business, but also how rewarding it can be. My dad’s work ethic to give everything he’s got into his work each day, and his drive to try hard inspires me not only as a person, but as a future entrepreneur. |
Date Submitted: 2018-10-25 15:32:19 |
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