Shacara Pitre
CYSE 494
January 11, 2023
Week 1 Journal Entries
- Am I an entrepreneur?
To start, an entrepreneur is a person who comes up with or introduces a new product or service for either profit or social impact. As far as if I consider myself an entrepreneur, I would say yes. Throughout this class, I will prove just that. Entrepreneurship involves problem solving and coming up with solutions. As stated in the module video with Nancy Grden, anyone can be an entrepreneur. Even though you are creating your own business, it is similar to any other job in which you are implementing new ideas and coming up with new ways to better the business which will leave a positive impact on the community.
- What is success?
Success can mean a number of things depending on how you look at it. One way to look at success is when you achieve a certain goal that you were trying to accomplish. The amount of money that a business makes could determine if it is successful or not. There isn’t really just one definition of success because success could be based on an individual, a business, societal factors, etc. Having a successful business is not easy and like we learned in the modules, failing and starting over is a good thing as that makes you grow as a person and for the business.
- Am I a self-starter? How well do I follow through on my ideas?
I believe that I am a self-starter when it comes to getting the task that I need to complete at work done in a timely manner. I like to take the initiative to complete an assignment before my supervisor has to ask me to do it. When it comes to new ideas that I have, I don’t always act on them as I have never done any kind of entrepreneurship work before this class. However, I have come up with different ideas that I would like to see happen. It’s just that I haven’t acted on them yet.
- How does ODU view entrepreneurship?
ODU supports entrepreneurship in the sense that they are a leader in economic development and entrepreneurship. They offer many events that showcase the works of entrepreneurs. The Strome Entrepreneurial Center that is a part of ODU educates students on how they can make a career out of being entrepreneurs by providing consultations, guest speakers, workshops, and hands-on activities to showcase their skills. ODU provides those who want to pursue entrepreneurship a solid education that they can use and apply their knowledge in the real world. Overall, it supports and encourages its students to pursue their own ideas and gives them the resources they need to succeed.
- What is my role in this ecosystem?
My role is to provide people in the community with a product or service that will have a positive impact on them. As an entrepreneur, we have to seek out a problem in the community and be able to apply that knowledge and create a solution that will hopefully solve if not manage the problem. It is also my responsibility to realize that this requires a collaborative effort and is not a solo one man job. Being successful in a business involves surrounding yourself with people who are going to challenge you and help motivate you to solve a common problem.