Am I an entrepreneur?

While I have no true entrepreneur experience, I believe that I can become one given time and effort. I find it hard to imagine finding a way to make profits other than to work a job within a company, however I think that is in part due to my age and becoming accustomed to working. In short, I do not see myself as an entrepreneur currently, however I believe almost anything is possible given enough time and effort.

What is success?

I believe that success is measured by the achievement of goals. I like to set goals for myself, and upon achieving or making quantifiable progress on said goals is when I feel success. For example when I get a good grade in a class, or get a promotion at work.

Am I a self-starter? How well do I follow through on my ideas?

I believe that I am a self-starter. When I have solid ideas, I generally follow through on them. For example, I recently applied for a management position at my work knowing that I am a solid candidate, and was given the position. I don’t need people to tell me what/how to do things for me to make progress, as I generally do it on my own.

How does ODU view entrepreneurship?

This is a hard question for me to answer as I’m sure there are various answers that would be acceptable and many ways by which ODU views entrepreneurship. I think that ODU views entrepreneurship as a potential option for students graduating to pursue, instead of the traditional “here’s the degree, go get a job.” 

What is my role in this ecosystem?

I would say that my role within the ecosystem of ODU is to find ways to enhance my entrepreneurship ideas and skills and form them into a definite, definable goal. This goal could be to find an idea that I can market for profitability, or to simply succeed within this course and make progress towards becoming a better entrepreneur. 

What is design thinking?

Design thinking is a specific type of a problem-solving approach that aims to find new solutions to issues via understanding/analyzing the needs or desires of its intended consumer group in order to create effective solutions. Understanding/analyzing the needs/desires of customers is often termed a “human-centered” approach to innovation.

How has design thinking influenced a product I use?

A good example would be the smartphone, early cell phones used a variety of buttons in order to utilize human input to the device, which was a good approach at the time, however in order to have a full QWERTY keyboard on the device either meant large devices or very small buttons. In order to address this issue that consumers faced, the touchscreen was introduced.

What are the connections between opportunities and planning? 

Opportunities and planning intersect as opportunities are formed from knowing what customers/consumers “want you to do,” and when their desires/needs are in line with what you want to do, you can begin to make a viable plan on how to fulfill their and your needs/desires.

What opportunities have I missed?

In entrepreneurial terms, I feel that I have probably missed countless opportunities. It is difficult to think of potentially successful entrepreneurial ideas in the present, however in retrospect it seems that the idea would have been “easy” to bring up. I think a large opportunity I have missed is not following through on a landlord I used to do side-work for that offered to sell me a property to rent out.

Can a successful venture be unethical?

I absolutely believe that successful ventures can be unethical. While there is minimal media coverage on the issue, Nestle allegedly marketed their baby formula in developing countries in an aggressive and misleading manner, causing a large uptick in the usage of their formula instead of traditional breastfeeding, this caused potential health risks to infants. In terms of financial success for the company, they certainly succeeded. However, there is no doubt that the marketing strategy was unethical.

Why do entrepreneurs get in trouble with the law?

Entrepreneurs can get in trouble with the law for a variety of reasons. In my opinion, the most common violations can occur with compliance issues that stem from: labor issues, safety issues, contract issues, compliance violations, and intellectual property disputes. While each issue can be spoken on in depth, most are, to some degree, self explanatory. Industry standards for labor/safety issues are well regulated within all companies, contract issues are set by the standards for each company, compliance issues are dealt with considering the industry and conditions each company is a part of, and intellectual property issues generally stem from employees breaking confidentiality or non-competition agreements.

What does psychology have to do with marketing?

Psychology plays into marketing as it is important to understanding consumer behavior. Understanding how people interpret marketing strategies/respond to them gives valuable data that can be used to further develop strategies to better tend to the target demographic.

What types of marketing sway my decisions?

There are various marketing strategies that can influence our decision-making process. Some of these include social proof, which is when they show positive reviews or testimonials from happy customers to make us think it’s a good choice. Another is creating a sense of urgency or scarcity by saying something is in limited supply or available for a limited time, making us feel like we have to act quickly or we’ll miss out. They also use famous people or experts to endorse products, making us think that if they like it, it must be good.

How can I pitch ideas better?

Before pitching the idea, I can ensure that I know that audience that I’m addressing. Once I’m sure of the audience, I can tailor my idea pitch to the target demographic and ensure that the hook/justification fits said demographic.

What are my strengths and weaknesses in pitching?

One strength would be my passion. Having true passion and faith in the idea that’s being pitched is a large factor in the confidence that will be portrayed during the pitch. The largest weakness in my opinion would be that of  the lack of adaptability when questions arise during pitches. Any good entrepreneur should be able to quickly and confidently answer questions as they come as it shows confidence in the product as well as confidence in themselves.

What are the connections between the disciplines addressing entrepreneurship at ODU?

While some disciplines at Old Dominion place a more heavy emphasis on entrepreneurship than others, especially business and entrepreneurial disciplines, all disciplines touch on entrepreneurship at some point. One good connection between disciplines addressing entrepreneurship at ODU would be interdisciplinary entrepreneurship courses, such as CYSE 494. While CYSE 494 is just one example of many, courses such as this aim to foster innovation and entrepreneurship skills between students from varying disciplines.

Is entrepreneurship an art or science?

I would say that both answers would be correct, however the most correct answer would be that entrepreneurship is both an art and a science. There is scientific methodology, analyses, and processes that can greatly contribute to the success of an entrepreneurial venture. On the other hand, it can be equally viewed as an art because in order to create a successful venture or innovation a great deal of creativity, vision, and intuition can be required.

How is failure good?

Failure is terrifying to most, and rightfully so, however I believe that from failure can come great positives. Failure is the best teacher in my opinion. For example, at my workplace I have taught many people how to drive forklifts and other heavy machinery, and one of my biggest points is always “watch your mast height when going through bay doors.” Each of my trainees has very clearly gotten the point in training, however roughly 80% eventually hit a bay door within their first month, due to not watching the height of their mast. However, once they hit a bay door once, they never do it again, as the failure of doing so in the first place cements the thought into their head.

What have I learned from failing?

I’ve learned countless lessons from failure: study harder, don’t procrastinate, don’t drink heavily before an early workday, don’t take relationships for granted, do the oil change sooner rather than later, etc. The biggest benefit I’ve personally found from failure is the cementing of prior knowledge via the realization of consequences. As I previously stated regarding trainees and bay doors, trainees are very clearly taught what to do to prevent the issue, however generally disregard the information until they realize the consequences of doing so. Just as I knew that I should study harder, not procrastinate, and so on prior to doing so, the realization of subsequent consequences is what has really formed the habits that I have today.

What ethical issues might arise related to what I am working on?

I would say that the idea of ensuring smart sensors are adequately protected against cyberattack in order to protect the humans working within production environments and also uphold environmental standards holds no ethical issues in theory, however the implementation may hold some. For example, if smart sensors were to be connected to individual uniforms instead of in stationary positions throughout production environments, it may be easy to harvest some portion of data pertaining to their location, time spent at their stations, and so forth. If said data is collected, in my mind an issue of data ownership/consent would come into play.

Describe five businesses or nonprofits that have been created in my field.

1. Mandiant

Mandiant is a company that focuses on threat intelligence as well as incident response services. They provide other companies with up-to-date software and in-house expertise to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber attacks. They provide network and email security, threat intelligence, endpoint protection, and forensic analysis services.

2. CrowdStike

Crowdstrike provides cloud-based endpoint protection and threat intelligence solutions. Fun fact, my company uses Crowdstrike endpoint protection on our computers throughout 112 branches. Their endpoint protection uses AI and behavioral analysis in order to detect and prevent malware, ransomware, and various other cyber threats from entering an organization’s network. 

3. Fortinet

Fortinet is a global cybersecurity company that offers firewalls, secure email gateways, and endpoint protection. Their security products provide comprehensive protections as well as intelligence dashboards that provide customers with insights into potential threats and endpoint data.

4. KnowBe4

KnowBe4 is a cybersecurity training and awareness platform that assists organizations in combating social engineering attacks and aims to improve organization’s overall cybersecurity awareness. They offer various interactive training modules, simulated phishing campaigns, and a plethora of security awareness resources to educate employees about potential threats.

5. Electronic Frontier Foundation(EFF): Nonprofit

EFF is an United States based nonprofit that aims to protect civil liberties and digital rights during the current age of technology. They heavily advocate for privacy, security, and freedom of expression in today’s cyber world. While not strictly focused on cybersecurity, they are working towards protecting individuals rights to secure communications and protections of individuals online privacy.

What is your overall perspective on the entrepreneurship experience? 

My overall perspective on the entrepreneurship experience is that while entrepreneurship can be very rewarding, it is difficult to become a successful entrepreneur. Without a significant amount of upfront capital, a good idea in an unsaturated field, and the willingness to push forward without immediate success, a successful entrepreneurship cannot be performed. That being said, I struggle to think of another venture more rewarding that a business venture of your own.

How did the entrepreneurship prepare or not prepare you to be a competitive candidate for vacant positions?

I believe that the entrepreneurship course(and project) has prepared me to become a competitive candidate for vacant positions through the various lessons I have learned along the way. I’ve humbled myself throughout this course. Before the project, I was of the mindset that I could figure just about anything out on my own with enough google-fu, however I have since realized that the majority of the time, a subject-matter expert is necessary in order to make an informed-enough decision in regards to business matters.

What suggestions do you have to improve the experience? 

I struggle to find any true suggestions to improve the experience gained from taking this course. The only aspect of the course that I would have liked better would have been had it been in-person, however it is difficult to do so for a summer course, and I chose to take it online instead of waiting for the spring semester to take it in person. While I could come up with a random suggestion in order to “answer” this question, I would rather be honest and say that I truly cannot think of any way to improve this course. I liked that the group project had individual work, meaning that while the group collaborated on the ideas themselves, each individual still had to do their own work.

What’s next for you?

In my future I see myself working within my management position within Lansing Building Products for another few years in order to garner management experience early within my career, and down the line jumping into the cybersecurity field. My thought process behind this is that if I can gain fundamental management skills early in my career, if the position ever comes up down the line for a cybersecurity-related management position, I may have a leg up on other candidates due to prior experience, albeit in a different field.