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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 1211 to 1220 of 1253
I have learned so many things through this project. The first of all is that study is always important. I have to keep myself in a study mode, to keep curious about everything, so I can keep learning and improve myself. Everything I learned today will be useful in the future in some way. To make more friends and get to know more people. You never know who is going to help you in the future, so just be nice to everybody. I also learned that it is not easy to be an entrepreneur, because you have to know everything to run a company well. After becoming an owner of a company, your decision is not for yourself, it is also for all the employee that works for you because you have to keep the company alive and to make sure everybody works for you could keep their life in a good position.
I also learned that when running a company, we have to keep update our information. Because if we do not do that, we will be eliminated by the market. Most of the time, the core competitiveness is always a good product, so research and development are always important. I have to make myself stronger, not only in the academic part but also in the psychological part. I think If I want to be an entrepreneur, I will be facing so many difficult problems, so I have to keep my heart strong enough to handle all the problems I might need to solve. I really thankful about this interview, and I think I will be aware of many things that I had never think about.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-17 22:07:02
I really feel my major take away from this project was that how it’s important to improve your personal value. Whether that’s through working on your enterprise, or researching possible answers to questions, or working for someone else so you can have the wealth to work on your own. It’s all important, and helps make yourself capable in a physical in mental sense to be able to take on your own enterprise. Without the personal independence it’s nearly impossible to have the freedom or autonomy to do what needs to be done, and although it’s important to take help where it’s available, being strung up in the financial industry is a recipe for trouble. If you want to be able to gain value from your enterprise, then you have to put your value into it, and find new ways to build your personal value.

My major reason for this take away is it seems to me that his company exists as a series of people who were able to add their value to the company. My great grandfather, who started the company, specialized in finding used surplus for next to nothing and selling it at a large profit. He started the company on his own dollar in the back of his car. He had no interest in restoration, repair, or design, he bought and he sold. My grandfather, on the other hand, was self taught in practical mechanical engineering and was able to take the stock of used merchandise and find ways to make it worth more to the customer base available. My father als learned the mechanical principles, while also specializing in electro-mechanical systems, transformers, and switch gear and designing circuits and panels for those same customers. It’s important to build on what you have, because then you can’t lose what you’ve already gained.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-17 23:53:28
Getting to know the business side of my grandfather was most important to me. I was not aware of the wisdom he had and the struggles he had to overcome to create his business. I felt as if he greatly appreciated being to pass that along to his eldest grandson and was smiling the whole time. Another thing is how much his employees mean to him. Their work ethic and safety is at his top priority and that shows me a lot about being not only an entrepreneur, but a good person. Although I do not want to create my own business, I believe his desire to help his employees was inspiring in life in general. The work ethic and will to succeed that he told me will contribute greatly to when I work to become a fire captain.
The second is his emphasis on cost reduction. He seemed to stress really hard about the part concerning the biggest challenges and how I can prepare if I wanted to open my own business. I will keep this in mind for any of my friends that want to open businesses or possibly while I’m working for my current employer. I work for a restaurant and bar so there are always ways to reduce costs or improve efficiency and since taking this class I have already helped my manager with two things that helped the business. I will apply everything my grandfather has told me to my current job and even to when I become a firefighter in the general aspects of his interview. I am greatly appreciative for this interview because of the strengthening of my bond between my grandfather and I.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-18 01:57:41
This project was really helpful to me because I’m interested in becoming an entrepreneur myself. It was interesting to hear the story of a successful female entrepreneur that I could learn from and apply her experience to my own plans and ideas. I feel that as someone who is not an entrepreneur, bridging the gap and getting there can seem kind of daunting. But through my conversation with Ania I learned that maybe it was my expectation for everything to be perfect that was standing in my way. I’m the type of person who’s a perfectionist and expect things to be perfect when produce work and execute it. But in this type of industry you must be okay with making mistakes and possible failures.
Speaking with Ania kind of calmed my nerves and hesitations about starting my own potential business. Hearing a story from a female entrepreneur really inspired me because it shows how we are just as capable and efficient at doing things that we want even when others might put you down or discourage you. Ania was very helpful, kind, and open to sharing her experience which I really appreciated. She didn’t try to sugar coat any of her story for me and let me know about the pitfalls she experienced and gave me lot of good advice. She taught me to let go of my expectations of perfection and to expect the reality of being an entrepreneur and the hardships that come with it. It’s not going to be an easy road, but if my desire is there and I have the drive I can accomplish more than I think.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-18 10:02:46
The most meaningful aspect of this project was knowing that there are people out there that are close to me and my family and that know how to run their own business. I've known Pat McGivney for a very long time, since I was young, and I knew she had her own business but now I'm at an age where I can understand what she means when she talks about her struggles and positives to her company. I learned about the process she took to start her business.
I learned that a successful business takes many aspects into consideration. It all depends on your goals and what the plan for your career is. I learned that technology plays a role in public accounting like it does in everything else. I assumed that technology played a role in this regard but I was able to dive deep and understand how social media and annual updates on software play a role. Opening a business takes strategy, consideration, and planning. Pat McGivney knew that she wanted to run her own consulting firm as a CPA for a long time and decided to open her business 10 years ago.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-18 12:38:18
Sherrie Robertson, the entrepreneur that I interviewed, regretted that she had little to no marketing experience, and this made me appreciate my curriculum thus far a lot more. Often, I have the tendency to go through my classes one assignment at a time. I don’t think about how to apply the information I have garnered throughout the course to real life. Instead, I think about the information useful to individual assignments or necessary for examinations. I should be more mindful of the fact that most, if not all, of my classes have practical applications and I should apply my learnings as often as possible going forward through school and my eventual career. Not only should I apply what I have already learned, but I should never stop learning new things. I should always keep my eyes open for new opportunities, new technology, new methods, and whatever else may help me along the way.
Another meaningful tidbit that struck a chord with me was her emphasis on having a reliable foundation of peers and family that will make progress a possibility. Running and/or starting a business is hard and it is even more difficult, nearly impossible, to do completely on your own. It takes a lot of support to be able to do it successfully. The people that you choose to surround yourself with could be the difference between success and failure. It is important to rely on people who will hold you accountable for your words and actions; people who will hold you up when you get tired and catch you should you stumble. It is important to be aware of who you interact with and how those interactions effect not only your business but you as well.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-18 13:53:02
The most meaningful aspect of this project for me was the ability to bridge what we learn in class to the real world. It offered me a unique prospective from someone who is already an entrepreneur. The structure of the questions was very useful in getting insights into Westminster Sportswear business operations. As an example, starting off with the first question, which says to identify three things Westminster Sportswear does in order to survive and thrive. This alone gave me information about what priorities Westminster Sportswear had and factors that contributed to their success. This information can be applied to mostly any business with relevant context. It talks about the importance of identifying the latest trends in a business and the importance of knowing the latest production practices dictated by those trends. Also, the critical role social media plays in businesses. The next few questions helped me obtain a better understanding of the factors that were considered when Westminster Sportswear was opened, and the mistakes made in the process of opening a business. Again, I can relate this to any potential business that I might open in the future. These questions can help me learn why people choose certain business ventures and what are some topics in hindsight a business owner would have liked to learn prior to opening their business.
The next few questions dealt with the relevance of competitive advantage, financing, challenges and advice. Answers to these question are pertinent to both internal and external functions of a business. They helped me garner a better understanding of a real-world example of how technology is a critical integral part of competitive advantage in any business. Technology can make the difference between success and failure for a business and it is extremely important have a plan which has a continued implementation of new technologies relevant of your business industry. I also learned the viable avenues for financing for a businesses. It is important to know if a traditional bank turn down a loan application, a person can always obtain an SBA loan. This type of loan is easier to obtain for new businesses. The last two questions helped in understand the changing nature of challenges facing Westminster Sportswear and other businesses. It is important to identify the current challenges a business might be facing and mitigate strategies accordingly to deal with challenges in a proactive fashion. Lastly, the given advice was perhaps the most important aspect of this exercise in my opinion. It provided an opportunity for me to learn from someone else’s mistakes which in the business world is crucial to understand. If I can learn from mistakes committed by other individuals, it has the potential of saving me money and more importantly time, which in my opinion is priceless.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-18 14:08:38
The most meaningful part about this project is the reminder to get ahead of the game. Originally, I had a date setup to have an interview with someone who ended up having to reschedule. He told me that I can call anytime after a certain hour and he would pick up. He ended up not picking up, and I had to scramble to find another entrepreneur. Thankfully, I didn't go with this entrepreneur, I know him personally and he is a horrible business person and has no idea what he is doing. He does little to no advertising, no marketing, He sold his house, his car, moves into his business, and does this because he refuses to listen to anyone's ideas that can help him because of how prideful he is of his own actions in his business. I might have been able to gather information on what not to do, but the questions listed would have most likely been hard for him to answer and then he and I might have a unsteady relationship.

My interview with the second entrepreneur went very well and smooth. He was available only during a certain time frame and I made sure to call during that time. He answered questions to the best of his ability and asked me to repeat or rephrase the question when he wasn't sure how to answer. I found the direct communication very meaningful and I appreciate how easy the process was with my entrepreneur.


Date Submitted: 2019-03-18 14:11:12
Personally, I have never wanted to be an entrepreneur, I’ve always been very comfortable with working under someone else and have never aspired to be my own boss. So, the meaningful part for me about this project was really learning from Eric. Seeing the differences between us, our different personalities and motivations. The way he adapts to his challenges and recognizes the importance of change and embraces it. Recognizing how completely opposite I am and how I wither under pressure and dislike change. Eric is my age and seeing how much success he’s gotten at such a young age has me in awe. I really enjoyed reading his responses, I could honestly even “hear” his passion for his businesses and I wasn’t interviewing him in person.

I don’t know why I always pictured entrepreneurs to be these know-it-alls. People who have every aspect of their business down and know all the tools to make it successful. Hearing Eric admit he sucks accounting made me take them off this high horse and see them as ordinary people. Ordinary people who have high motivation to succeed and will improvise, adapt, and overcome to any situation. Eric sucks at accounting so he researched and found QuickBooks. Eric keeps himself updated through his Secretary of State website in case there’s any changes to rules and laws of business. That honestly all just blows my mind. The fact that he doesn’t have it all down, but searches for solutions to fix what he lacks.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-18 14:29:44
It was very meaningful to get to speak to someone who shares similar goals as me, which is to help our youth go into college with the skills and the money to be able to afford it. Dr. Chase had a very long journey and eventually he was able to apply everything he had learned later in life into this organization to help people. It taught me that it is never too late to start something, and even if there is not too much money being made, that it is not the most important thing.
I was also able to see many of the things we learn in our class into practice. For instance, the detailed financial planning will be very useful in being able to have the company stay afloat. Planning is extremely essential, but more than that, it is about being flexible when things do not go according to plan. Adaptability is key, and planning for those changes will help me have not just a plan B, but a plan C, D, E, and so on.
Date Submitted: 2019-03-18 15:07:41
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Records 1211 to 1220 of 1253