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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| The most meaningful part of this project for me learning how my dad runs his business. He shows the struggles and the hardships you experience when you are learning about how to make a company work. He showed that an idea is not always handed to you on a silver platter, that there are something's that you have learn and take advantage of because of necessity. He also has showed be what are good guidelines to follow and what I should learn now that I have the opportunity. Sometimes I do not understand the reasons my dad makes certain business decisions that I have no idea where they come from and the thought process behind them. I am used to everything being statistical and everything is a "one size fits all' approach to it. He has showed me that although have the knowledge about things greatly helps you can't have that as a substitute for experience. Experience is that one things that you can always count on that will keep your out of trouble. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-22 23:03:57 |
| The most meaningful part of this project was getting to understand my father in a way other than a dad, or a boss. We had sat down and the questions i asked him allowed for more personal responses. i have heard stories of starting his business many times in the past but he has never really elaborated on what was flowing through his mind and his thoughts on the business he created. He has always been a role model and provided advise for me, and i feel this has connected us on more of a business level. I have definitely noticed repitition in things he has told me over the years when he responded to some questions with those same words of advice. When i asked him about being competitive and technology advancing, we both shared a moment in deep thought where we were contemplating an answer. I know he wants to continue to improve his skills with the advancing technology, and I wanna use my current skills to help us stay competitive and technologically advanced. This business class opened my eyes to a whole different side of the business and i feel this project alone has helped my regain interest and a desire to succeed. This interview helped me understand how much time and dedication it takes to be a sole proprietor for a business, and I now can see how exhausting it can be to take on that role. Hopefully This also opened my dads eyes to see how serious i am about the career path iv chosen and worked so hard for up to this point. Many times i have wanted to quit and try to succeed at a competitive company to prove i can be successfull outside the family business, but this project and class has refueled a fire inside to mainly just want to succeed. Even though working for family can be harsh, I am definitely more sympathetic towards my father and everything he has done up until this point in his life. This project really makes me wanna work harder than ever for my fathers business and now i wanna take on more roles than just focusing on being a service tecninician. I would slowly like to take over more responsibility by either helping him with marketing or proving my knowledge so one day soon i can be a supervisor and possibly have people working under me. If I continue to expand my education and experience while supervising others, that would leave my father to do more important tasks such as finding new customers, landing more sales and jobs while possibly expanding the business. This project was very helpfull for both of us, and from now on when we work together i think we will look at each other with more respect and desire to help each other out. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-22 23:04:04 |
| The most meaningful ideas and advice that I have learned from this project are budgeting, financing, and the advice on taking baby steps in life. My budgeting is not very great; I tend to spend most of my paychecks instead of saving them. As he was telling me about how he saved up his checks from his minimum wage job is insightful because it showed me that every dollar counts. And his advice in financing to try to save up as much as I can to start my own business is a useful tip. Having the safety net of not owing anyone that loaned me money for my business. I also liked his perspective on buying a new car versus buying a house because I feel that my generation is very materialistic and that many people in my age group will buy a new luxury car instead of saving up for a house. Ever since I was little, I always dreamed of my future far beyond the present time. I guess most of us gave thought to our future when we are forty or something when we were children. However, I have not planned that often of where I will be in the next five years. If I did, I did not stick to that plan. But it makes more sense taking baby steps in life much like merging onto a freeway. It’s better to lag on a step than to skip a step. Now, I want to make a plan for myself within the next five years and to keep it realistic. I feel like the years are going by very fast but when I stop to think about it, it really isn’t. It just seems that way after I think about what has happened in the past year. This interview has given me a great deal of useful insights in being an entrepreneur and on life itself. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-22 23:07:09 |
| This project helped me understand that owning a business is an all day, everyday type of venture. It becomes your entire life, not just when you are working, but when you are home as well. The hours of research you have to put into knowing the field of work you want to get into is endless, because knowing the market you are getting into is imperative for success. [Name Removed] is constantly reading up on the new codes and regulations in his field of work. I learned that being successful does not happen overnight, and creating a client base will take years. [Name Removed] is a new business owner, and he uses getting to know his customers on a personal level to help expand his business. When I start my own company I will also include this style into my company. Customers are the main source of business so they are the number one priority. I thought it was interesting that [Name Removed] did not go through any financing company to start his business. The cash on hand idea is so new to me because it is so expensive to own a company. To have all that working income readily available for your business is such a nice privilege. Many companies would have to go through banks to get financed and set up a business plan. I took a lot away from this experience and I know how much work to expect to be doing when I start up my own interior design business. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-23 01:14:23 |
| The most meaningful part of this project was hearing the perspective of a business from the entrepreneur viewpoint firsthand. I learned that it takes a lot of effort and commitment when someone is interested in starting their own business. There are many sacrifices and risk that one has to make when one owns their own business. You have to dedicate a lot of your time and energy if you want your business to thrive. It will help you value your business by applying as much time as you can into your business and well as dedication. This will also help you pay attention to what needs to be maintained and what should be focused on in your business. In the long run it will pay off and be shown in your sales and customer feedback. The entrepreneur I interviewed helps me realize that if I put my mind to my goals I could start my own business one day and I could help the business succeed. I take a while to build up the foundation for a new business. Even though, there might be a lot of challenges such as finance problems, there is always hope and solutions. A positive and determined attitude has to be carried on through to the process of starting a business since the beginning. I realize that there is hope. You do not have to be rich nor a professional if you want to start a business. You just need a goal and a method. Challenges and downfalls may occur from the start and throughout your business years, but if they are overcome than your business will stay strong and productive for many years. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-23 01:16:44 |
| This unique project has helped me better understand what a business owner must do in order to get their business running and the challenges that come along with it. Having good communication skills along with understanding psychology is crucial to any business. This is because you have to deal with people daily whether its clients, vendors, or employees. Understanding the human behavior is important in which your business is fueled from consumer purchases. Also being able to comprehend customer’s feedback is another way to improve customer service. Customer service is what stays with the customers even after they leave your store, so if they have a pleasant experience, they are more likely to refer friends and relatives to shop at your store. With this comes treating your employees fairly and justly. Your employees are the face of the company. If an employee feels they are being mistreated, they are more likely to slack and give bad customer service, which then affects the customer. Learning how to get finances in order to help run or expand your business is also very meaningful. In most cases, to make money you have to have money. It is very difficult to start a business without any finances to help pay for purchasing of goods, employees wages, etc. In order to get a loan from a bank, you must show them that your business has been growing over the years along with how you intend to use the money. The overhead of a company plays a big role in the overall profit. Having to pay for insurance, taxes, and even employee’s wages are just another expense the owner of the company must understand. Lastly, being knowledgeable about your product is crucial. It would be very difficult to sell a product that you don’t even know how to use it or how to maintain. Knowledge is key to any business owner thus being aware of the companies each and every step is deeply important. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-23 01:24:51 |
| The most meaningful part of the interview to me was about learning from their customers. I always thought of creating products for the consumer with my own ideas rather than getting the ideas from the consumer. This was a great revelation to me because it is something that I can apply to my own future business. It makes perfect sense to ask what the customer wants rather than assuming that my ideas will fill their needs completely. The customers are the ones using the product so they deserve to be heard. I was highly encouraged after the interview because every information given was something I can also accomplish. Nothing was impossible. If you follow the right steps in creating a small business, you can be successful. The key here was to create a product that’s innovative, practical, stylish, and better than the previous product. Then talk to the consumers and find out their needs. Addressing customer needs or listening to what the trends are becoming can make the difference between a product that’s obsolete or a product (or service) that is loved by the customer. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-23 02:02:23 |
| Some of the most meaningful things that I got from this project are knowing about the amount of commitment and marketing needed to be successful. Like I said in the past answer, it is not a clock-in/clock-out kind of job. It is something that you commit to even on your free time, because you don’t know if you get a call during a vacation or even decide to take pictures because you happen to have your camera on you. There is a long cycle that photographers go through: advertise, get the job, do the job, get paid, repeat. I thought of that pretty simple, but I didn’t know about the details that are included within those steps. In our present time, it is not enough being a photographer and only knowing how take a good picture, now we need to now how to process it through digital editing programs like Photoshop. As a photographer, your skills consist of 90% business skills and 10% actual photography skills. You need to know how to finance and market all by yourself or there will be no customers coming to you. People don’t measure the worth and under sell themselves, which doesn’t make a good living. Some people hit it off well because they have proficient marketing skills. It may seem weird at first, but you will have to turn to your friends and family for connections in order to get anywhere in the photography world. It will not only help them, but it will give you publicity, getting the word out that you exist and this is where you are at with your skills. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-23 03:14:10 |
| This project not only gave me the chance to hear the startup story of a business and what it takes to run a business, but I got to hear it from one of my family members which gives me inspiration to start my own business someday. Before doing this project I was not as driven, now I feel like my eyes have been opened up to the possibilities I’m capable of. Everything that was said in the interview is now a useful piece of information to steer me in the right direction. Recognizing a problem isn't the solution, you need to solve the problem in order for your business to survive and thrive. I learned that it does not come easy, and hard work will pay off. Conducting this interview was most meaningful because I know now what I should and should not do, such as study and learn as much asI can while its available, it will become more of a hassle if you put it off. If it wasn’t for this project I probably would have not reached out to a business owner to ask them these kind of questions personally on my own time. What I took away from this project is that in order to start and maintain a business you need patience, dedication, and a vision. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-23 03:33:06 |
| The fact that I was able to interview my nana was very meaningful to me. I had no idea why or how she started her jewelry business. I was aware that my great grandparents took her rock hunting and she was a part of the gem and mineral society ever since she was a young girl. But I had no idea that she just started to create jewelry at the age of 40. I have grown up around a great amount of knowledge of gems and minerals and have always found it fascinating. I was unaware that my nana had lost interest in the subject until she was forty years old. Ever since I can remember, she has made and sold jewelry pieces. I would even accompany her to many of the events. I remember the first time that she let me go on one of these business trips. It was in Palm Springs at the ION convention. I was only seven years old. My nana let me wear some of her bracelets. I was a very friendly outgoing child and when people noticed and asked about the pieces I was wearing, I directed them to my nana’s booth where they ended up purchasing a few items. I then asked my nana if I could take some of her products into the main courtyard and sell the items there. I wound up selling over two hundred dollars’ worth of merchandise. I was officially my nana’s best sales rep. As I reflect back, I realize that I have been an aspiring entrepreneur ever since. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-04-23 12:18:12 |
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