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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| One of the most meaningful parts of this project to me, was the fact that I was able to interview my Uncle. I do not get a lot of time to talk to him so it was nice to be able to have an excuse to reach out. Also, because he has been running his own business for as long as he has, I know that the source of my information is reputable and can be trusted. It was also nice to get information from someone who is as pragmatic as he is, as I can trust the information to be with limited bias and solely committed to the betterment of any small business owner. Another thing that was meaningful about this project was the fact that I really got to get into what it is really like to start a business and why. My Uncle said that he was bored with the initial direction of his business. So eventually he decided to change where he was headed. He said that it should be something you are good at and enjoy to you. To me this was very validating because; while everyone wants to be their own boss and make money, they sometimes forget to do what they love and it kills the experience for them. Lastly, he told me "Whatever you choose to do for a career, try to think about if it is something you will love/like, or at least won’t mind doing when you are in your 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s 70’s & 80’s? and how you can modify your career as the years go by". |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 11:22:44 |
| Interviewing an entrepreneur was very interesting and fascinating. The reason why I am taking this class is because one day, I would like to become an entrepreneur. I have alway dream about having my own business, and this project was the great opportunity to have some unforgettable conversation with a great individual. One thing he said is, “Believe you are going to be successful even before you start your journey.” At first, I didn’t understand what it means. But I finally I found out the solution. It means that I must be sure about my goal, also a future plan has to be specific and achievable. And the one thing that he kept telling me while interviewing was, “Do not let go your dream even though it seems impossible at the beginning.” He told me when the business was going slow, he wanted to quit and find another things to do because he thought it was almost impossible to grow it. He said, “I don’t know how much time I committed to quit.” Even though he wanted to quit that business, he could not quit easily because he had so much love about that business, and he invested time and effort to get started it. So he kept trying and creating new systems to grow the business. After a few years of hard work, he turned nothing into something. Now the business is going pretty well and he said, “Everything works at the end if you do not quit.” The quotes he gave me motivated and inspired me to work even more harder. I am so blessed to have this kind of opportunity. I’ve learned that owning business is difficult and complicated. Even before I take business class, I thought owning business is simple. But after I heard and saw all the documents and plans, it is actually not as simple as I have thought. I have also learned how to deal with employees and manage restaurant. Management system is almost everything in the business. I have also learned that finding what people like to see or eat is very important in business. He told me that, “If you are going to run restaurant business, of course, the food has to be delicious. But what make people more exciting is, how the food look like, design of plate, how you serve food, and nice and delicious smell.” He said that food is like art. He said that if it looks good, it taste good. If it does not look good, it does not taste good. And I admitted. Now days, people tend to take picture of food. He told me that it is also a marketing and advertising strategy because they take picture and upload it through web or social media, and people look at it and come to our restaurant to try our food. I was very surprised about how he think of small little thing that most people cannot catch it correctly. It was the best experience and learning curve. This interview I have done help me to think more about entrepreneurship and value and importance of owning the business. He gave me many tips that I can definitely use it at the future. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 12:14:39 |
| While I was doing this project I learned a lot about different business ownership concepts. There was also meaningful advice given to me by the owner of the restaurant that I work at. For example I was able to get to know my boss on a more personal level .I also learned a lot about his experiences in the business and also how he got started. All of his experiences are what stood out to me to me because I now know what to avoid in the future if I do decide to start my own business. Aside from his advice, there was a lot of meaningful aspects of business management had he pointed out. There was plenty of meaningful topics and points that [Name Removed] touched on. For example he touched on the difficulties that come with being new to an area. While speaking on this topic he also talked about how to overcome these issues when they are brought up in time. After we talked about being new, we talked about credit. This also stood out to me because he explained to me how to start and how to maintain a good credit standing. To do this i was told to keep the spending to a reasonable amount and to not spend more than what I can pay back. This was meaningful because in the future I know I will have to deal with credit and I now have a better understanding on what to do and what not to do with it. All in all, this project was a cool experience because of the talk, information and the little bit of bonding I got to do with the owner of my job. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 13:27:51 |
| It was a great experience. Having the opportunity to interview a small business entrepreneur. It was so interesting for me knowing how they started, and where ideas come from. Also where they get their goods from. Nowadays most goods come from China. They’re cheaper, and easier to transport. Having a good network can lead to good product. Which you could make reasonable prices to customers. That way you have good customers coming, and you keep your business running. Also I found out that cash flow is very important. How you use it towards your business. You need to know how to manage it wisely. On good product, and in your company. Investing money into equipment for the company. Can give you good results for example; It could give employers easier axis. To work around the product. That would mean goods can be transport to the customer; a lot faster than normally and everybody can be happy. I believe this project has helped me in many different ways. To visualize, and have knowledge; how to run a small business; although nobody said it was going to be easy. Always try to have a game plan; if your business is not really giving you success. Try to selling it for as much you can .Before it’s too late. At least you get some money back, and remember business is. About who last is the longest, and who can manages it the wisely. Keep your eyes wide open, and be very determine. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 14:20:24 |
| Having been working in this business with my family for about five years, I have been gradually learning new things everyday. After doing this project I have learned a deeper depth into how this company works. When learning all these new difficulties, I can focus more on essential assignments for the company. It’s meaningful to me to have had the chance to interview my father because I get to see insight into what he initially had to do to start his business. Not only that, but having to learn his daily struggles and how he approaches them. He really did make me open my eyes to the business world and show me the hard sides and the positive sides to owning you’re own business. My dad has been telling me how lucky I am to be able to get an education about business. As he started out he had many trial and error situations, and had to learn business the hard way. I started my own trucking company about a month ago with his help. I’m lucky enough to be able to have his helpful hand and his prior experience through it all. I truly did underestimate how hard it is to initially start a business. Having this project and just being able to talk to him in a greater depth than ever before about business, makes me much more confident about taking my business to a higher level. I’m going to try to take as much of his advice that I could and apply it to my business. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 15:51:03 |
| The most meaningful about this project was I got to learn about how hard it is to run a business. I also heard about all the challenges that you have to go through owning your own business. Owning a business it’s harder than you think, interviewing and hearing all the thing she has to go though and the thing she has to do. It was a lot of fun interviewing the person I choose. I was ask her if she likes her job and she says yes she loves working with numbers and makes good money. The interview help to see their point of view of owning their own business and see how did they started and why I got learn about all those kind of things. The interview help me a lot to see if I ever want to open my own business or not. I have been thinking about and maybe I will own my own business someday. There is still time to think about for now is how she said focus on school and finish school and get a job anywhere but I just have to love it and if you love it you don’t have to work a day in your life. That’s so to true you just to love what you do. This help me think more about life so see were to go and what to do with life. She also said to learn how to save money because you never know what can happen. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 17:35:05 |
| What was very meaningful about this project to me was how polite and friendly my interviewee was. He gave me all of the information that he possibly could have and gave them in great detail. I really enjoyed the fact that the advice he gave me could really help me in my future business. He told me that I should know my place in the market and that got me thinking, do I really know where I am and where I could possibly stand in my future business? He also taught me that I have to study a lot to remain on top of the totem pole of my area. For example, I want to start a clothing company and for me to stay on top, I have to study and know what it is that the successful companies are doing and what they are doing to keep them on top. He gave me tons of great advice but the one that stood out to me the most and was the most meaningful was that I need to find my niche. I never heard this word before and he told me that it meant that I should find my place in a certain type of market. For example, I want to start a clothing company, so in that giant world of fashion, my place would be in the street wear area that appeals to young adults in the California area. This is probably important for every entrepreneur, not only myself, for remaining the strongest is something will make customers want to go and buy your products. For my interviewee, it was having the best cataract surgery in town, and for me, it will be providing the freshest T-Shirts and other street apparel in all of California. This goes to show, that clearly, without the aid and guidance people wiser than you, you cannot make it too far in business. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 18:13:17 |
| The most meaningful part of this business project was the opportunity to be able to speak to a current entrepreneur and learn from the words they had to say about their successful business from the questions asked in this project. From their past experiences I was able to gain an ample amount of invaluable knowledge that would not have been found anywhere else. For example, self-confidence is a huge key to success to becoming a successful entrepreneur. You must be confident in yourself in order to carry out what you planned to achieve from the beginning. This is key to not giving up on yourself. A young, aspiring entrepreneur must have a strong passion for what they are doing. Also, networking and building positive connections with others is very important. These interactions help you keep up with current trends and technologies that may be approaching the near future that may affect the business so you can adjust when the time comes. Over the long run, these peers may turn into mentors or even partners. What was also very meaningful to me about this business project was the experienced gained. Going out to the business and personally asking the entrepreneur questions about their business is very interactive and effective in learning to become an entrepreneur. It helps give a clearer insight on their personal perspective. I learned to always be aware of the environment and try to always expect to see what is coming up next. Always find sources of information that may benefit me. As I plan to start my own business as a young entrepreneur in the future I will defiantly look back at this project. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 19:54:13 |
| The whole project in general was very meaningful to me. Mainly because i want to open my own restaurant. I am still not 100% sure on the type of restaurant i would choose but i am definitely looking to open one. [name removed] is actually a close friend of my mom and is a big inspiration to me. He worked very hard in order to do what he really wanted to do in order to accomplish his goals and it inspires me to work hard. Even though his restaurant opening was delayed time after time he finally opened it. i go there all the time and the food is amazing. He has told me that if i ever have questions he will be willing to teach me everything i need to know about starting a restaurant and told me he would even train me if i was ever ready. He is a very nice guy and i would recommend anyone in the Santa Monica area to give this place a try. One thing that was said that really stood out to me was when he said that a lot of people do not really give the dishwasher any credit. Its true they on average probably get paid lower than the rest of the employees but they do really work hard. Currently i work at a restaurant and my managers and owners make it seem like dish washing is such an easy job and are always asking the guy to go faster, but its actually harder than it looks in my opinion. Plus if its not clean then he has to go back and rewash the dishes and the person is typically washing dishes the whole day. If i ever do open a restaurant i would make sure to do something for the dishwasher to make him or her enjoy their job. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 20:06:31 |
| I think number eight was more meaningful than to actually get to know what the business was all about. It is important to know what to focus on and see if it is really something you want to commit to. Number eight was more meaningful, because he took his time to actually say something with heart and a strong voice knowing what he said was that he meant it. Giving up is just too easy, anyone can say no and walk away, but be different! Actually work hard for something you really want. Hearing this from a strong good paying entrepreneur made me feel like it is possible to get anything done if you really put your heart and soul into it, you can really go far with hard work and determination. As long as you're working hard trying to make a future and you're friends are going out having fun, sacrifice all that! In the moment it might seem like you're missing out, but you're not! I learned more on question number eight then maybe knowing how the business got started and what they needed in the business. |
| Date Submitted: 2014-10-23 20:20:47 |
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