5/20/19            Journal 1

With the class just starting, I took this day to look over the syllabus and understand what is expected of me to be successful this semester. From what I read, I can see that right out the gate there is a discussion board due that requires an introduction and a proposal. This proposal is something that will take some thought, and since I’m out of town, I don’t really have time to put in the work to research a topic today, however, I am able to answer these important questions.

• Am I a self-starter? How well do I follow through on my ideas?
  • Yes, I am a self-starter. If I feel that something needs to be done, I will take the responsibility to get it done myself. I am almost always able to follow through with my ideas but that usually is relative to how well thought out the idea is.
• How well do I get along with different personalities?
  • I pride myself with the ability to get along with almost any personality. One thing that I can struggle with time to time is being the carrier of the conversation. For example, if someone isn’t very chatty and it is required that I converse with this person, I won’t last long, unfortunately.
• How good am I at making decisions?
  • I make very good decisions since I weigh the pros and cons effectively.
• Do I have the physical and emotional stamina? Explain.
  • Physical stamina is not something that I excel in, however, I am fortified emotionally since I’ve grown up to be that way
• How well do I plan and organize?
  • I am good at planning things out effectively but I can sometimes have issues in organizing.
• How will my entrepreneurial efforts affect my family? (Skripak, 2016).
  • My family will always be supportive in anything I do and should my efforts require their help, they would do anything they could to assist.

5/21/19            Journal 2

Today was a brainstorming day as I contemplated what I should write my proposal on. From what I read, the syllabus said that my pitch can deviate from my initial proposal, which I think that it might, so I’m not very pressed on having a fully developed idea at the moment. I’m thinking that the topic has to do with cybersecurity since it’s my major, but if I am paired up with students that have a different discipline than I do, should I have a more flexible topic?

5/22/19            Journal 3

With some thought, I decided on a proposal topic that would be suitable for the majors that are in this course. The mandatory implementation of computer literacy courses would be beneficial for students in the K – 12 range and can have contributed research from cybersecurity, sociology, and criminal justice majors. While at this point I am not sure who my group members are or how many I will have but this the best idea that I can contribute so far.

5/24/19            Journal 4

I wrote some more of my proposal today and I feel like I’m off to a good start! I’ve found plenty of articles discussing the computer literacy rates of students and much of it can be influenced by the incomes of families. That assists in my research because if a student can’t afford these technologies at home, then at least when they’re in school, they have an opportunity to learn.

5/26/19            Journal 5

Today is just another day to write more of my proposal. The way I’m going about it is writing a little bit every day to avoid myself getting overwhelmed the day that it’s due. Normally I procrastinate but I’m trying to take a different approach this semester to make it a bit easier on myself. Also, some more information that I found had to do with the different laws that are in place for the school system and the process that you have to go through to change anything about the system. This will take more time for me to fully understand it and will definitely be interesting to formulate a way to relay this information in a pitch

5/27/19            Journal 6

I have finally finished my proposal and it’s just in time because this is the day that it’s due. I feel fairly confident that I touched on many key points that would make this an effective proposal but I’ll have to see what my grade looks like to determine if that’s true.

5/28/19            Journal 7

I’m glad that I finally get to see who I’m in a group with! Luckily for me, I was put into a group of 3 and they both seem like very nice people. While we have not thought about what our pitch is going to be about yet, we decided to meet up on 6/5/19 to sit down and discuss what our next step is. I have a feeling that I should come up with some secondary topics that are slightly different than my proposal so that I have a substantial pool of ideas to think about.

5/30/19            Journal 8

I haven’t done much research today, but I must keep up my journals to document the eventful and uneventful days of my work. I thought about contributing some statistics about the number of people that commit and are victims of cybercrime that live in impoverished areas in comparison to some of the more wealthy areas. This way, it would contribute to all three areas of study that involve cyse, crjs, and soc.

6/1/19              Journal 9

Yet again, there is not much to report in this journal, however, I decided to go through with finding more information about those statistics and have a few documents printed out to relay to my group members. While we have not had any communications since that initial day, I have hope that they are putting in the effort to make this project go well.

6/2/19              Journal 10

I kept going with my research and looked into finding some scholarly articles to the mix. While I don’t plan on printing them out to show my group members, I will have the links and documents saved to pull them up when I get there. In my next journal, I hope to have more substantial and productive content to provide, especially with my group meeting on the 5^th.

6/3/19              Journal 11

I have been putting them off, but I got around to the modules that are needed for us to review. I read module 1 and it provided an introduction to this course and helped me gain a better understanding of what the course entails. Next came module 2 and it provided insight into how each entrepreneur can start off differently. This can span from a lifestyle business to a social entrepreneur and since I have recently discovered that each of us is studying a different discipline, this could possibly be an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship as it was stated in the module. This could mean that each of us can have a different idea that may have varying startup paths.

6/4/19              Journal 12

I move on to module two and it’s an overall guide to generate entrepreneurial ideas through the use of frameworks, tools, and techniques. While I have not met with my group yet, we have discussed our pitches and how we can combine them to make a cohesive idea that relates to a program for children that promotes skills that may not have been taught in schools. By using these tools, we can have a more streamlined process of composing an idea.

6/5/19              Journal 13

The meeting went well and through the conversation, we decided to create a STEM program that would appeal to each of our ideas. From here, we need to think of how we want the program to be set up and what amenities it provides. After reviewing module 4, it explains the importance of analyzing and understanding the possibilities that the markets offer for a program or idea like this and this is good to keep in mind because it would be best to know what area and demographic would find this the most appealing. We’ll have to look at some data to see what age group that would benefit the most and go from there

6/6/19              Journal 14

For module 5, it defines ethics, examines a framework for ethical decision making, and covers some ethical problems that are unique to entrepreneurship. While I never thought that I would need techniques to make ethical decisions, it seems that this is a topic that is relevant in the entrepreneurial field. These techniques are something that I haven’t found a use of just yet in the process of developing our idea, however, I would use them effectively should the moment present itself.

6/7/19              Journal 15

So far, we decided to come up with the idea of creating an Instagram page that advertises this program and we have split up the work evenly to create the page. I was given the role of creating the name and the slogan and it is still a work in progress. I also went over module 6 and this deals with budgeting and financial statements which are both very important when drafting any idea. Creating an Instagram page by itself doesn’t cost any money unless you pay to promote it to a wider range of viewers, but establishing the program, having the business license, renting the building or venue are all things that need a financial plan. It was explained that entrepreneurs have no past information to go on, so we’ll discuss some estimates for the expenses to run this sort of program.

6/8/19              Journal 16

As I went through module 7, it gave me an understanding of what social innovation was and how it is different than what I initially thought. It is an idea that promotes change in people’s actions, thoughts, and attitudes, rather than just an idea of a product or business. While having a social entrepreneurship would be interesting, it is not what our idea relates to. It is more so a business idea because we are not trying to promote behavioral or attitude change, we simply want to promote more opportunities for STEM study for youth that may not have had the opportunity to do so.

6/9/19              Journal 17

I have finally come up with a name for the program! It is going to be called “STEMs of learning” and the slogan, “A place to branch out and learn something new!” The group agreed that this was a fairly clever idea and I feel like our idea is slowly coming together. We planned to have another meeting soon so that we can discuss what our next steps should be and how we are going to present it. Also, I reviewed module 8 and it covers the legal issues that occur when forming an organization. While our idea isn’t something that we plan on implementing in real life, this module explains concepts that are critical in protecting our personal lives from the risks of doing business. For example, this group could be seen as a general partnership and has a stronger growth potential than a sole proprietorship, however, some disadvantages can be that the business would terminate if a partner dies and we all have unlimited personal liability for the firm’s debts.

6/10/19            Journal 18

Moving on to module 9, it discusses the process for creating a pitch and even gives examples of what you should do and what you shouldn’t. At the moment I don’t feel like our group is ready quite yet since we are still trying to put together and design everything but by reading this module, it makes me think of how we should go about doing this. From Kawasaki’s guidelines, one idea that we haven’t thought of was to include a competitive analysis. We are aware that there might be some programs available that contribute to STEM study, but we need to look at our competitors and find a way for us to stand out from the crowd.

6/11/19            Journal 19

We decided to have another meeting tomorrow to discuss what our next step is and I feel like I can contribute better insight now that I have been going through the modules. The module that I am on now is the 10^th and it covers marketing. This is an important aspect of any business because it deals with persuading other to partake in whatever product or service that you’re selling. In our case, we can have flyers and adverting that have messages framed in a certain way to promote business. For example, we can say that 80 percent of youth that participates in this program excel in school, instead of saying that 20 percent that participates have average scores.

6/12/19            Journal 20

Yet again this was a great meeting today and we are beginning to finalize what needs to be done. A cover page has been created along with the age group, amenities, name, and slogan. The last thing we need to do is figure out the pricing for everything and compose the slides. For the next module that I went over, it was module 11 that covers dealing with failure and this is something that everyone has come to face at some point in life. What was very interesting about this module is that there are games that could be played to help solidify what was identifiable as a failure. While this is a very good lesson for someone that doesn’t understand the benefits of failure, I know for me, it has always been a great teaching tool that I learned from. In regards to this pitch, paper, and journals, I have been putting my best effort into acquiring the grade that I need to pass. In the event that this isn’t adequate enough, I will opt to retake the course again and approach the assignments differently until I get it right.

6/13/19            Journal 21

I went through module 12 and it displayed some testimonials of students that used a Canvas to a problem that they want to solve. This is really important because, in a way, this gives me confidence that these models can be applicable to all types of disciplines, especially when I look at Jack’s example. After this semester is over, I was thinking of creating an app that would assist students in STEM-related disciplines. This could be something that ties into the actual STEM program that we’re creating, however, I still need to put some more thought into it. I also took a look at a BYOB video of Maya Holihan and it was very interesting to hear about her story. She started off small but eventually accumulated a team of advisors to assist along the way. Lastly, I would say that my overall perspective of this course is that it is effective as it teaches the topics you need to understand to get started on whatever you aspire to do.

6/14/19            Journal 22

The next BYOB story was about Max Greenhood and he has worked hard to establish this company that is dedicated to helping organizations succeed with modern web development, innovative design, and data-driven online advertising. He explains some of the intricacies that went into creating his business and it is a testament of how accurate the information in these modules are. To answer the question the questions about what I liked the most and the least about this course, I would say the best would be how the information is relayed in different modules and that there isn’t an assignment due every week based on them. I like doing my work in bulk, so this course worked well for my schedule. For the least, it would be writing a 15-page paper even though it is a summer course. While I do believe that this assignment is important to reflect on what information is needed to be considered in order to create a successful business, it is somewhat lengthy due to the time constraints of the course.

6/15/19            Journal 23

When watching the video about Lunch & Learn by Jamar Diggs, I struggled to hear what he was saying even with my volume all the way up, which is a trend with these videos but to gain an understanding of what their business is about, I just look it up. From what I can gather, he explains the importance of social media as it is a great medium to get your business well known. He is able to make strategies that can be implemented multiple times and conducts seminars to help others understand how to do the same. When it comes to this course, for improvement I would suggest that someone maybe adjust the videos or have subtitles because I really would’ve liked to hear what these entrepreneurs have to say.

6/17/19            Journal 24

Next video is of Jeanne Fiocca of Cookie Text Cookie Cakes and from what I have read on her website, she started in Hampton, VA baking for family and friends and as time went on, she was able to expand her business to what it is now. Also, I would say that this course has provided me with the abilities of being a candidate for vacant positions because there are many out there looking for employment, however, I would have the skills to look at a company and find ways to make it better for expansion, like I would for a company of my own.

6/18/19            Journal 25

Cheryl Tan of Cheryl Tan Media was an interesting story of how she felt the need to leave her job at the news station because she felt like there was something more she could be doing with her life. While many thought she was crazy because she worked so hard to establish her career, she did what she felt like she needed to do. This was to found her business that offers guidance on marketing to businesses. This resonates with me because while I am working hard on getting a degree and establishing my career, I feel like it will come to the point of where I will veer off to do something different to make me happy. When it comes to this course, I feel like it prepared me for positions because similar to what I said in the last journal, it gave me an understanding of how to establish a business. Once I am able to fully understand and embody these concepts, I will be able to demonstrate this knowledge and potentially improve a business that I have been hired into.