09/05/2023

WCS494

Journal 1

Am I an entrepreneur?

An entrepreneur can be defined as a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks to do so. I am an entrepreneur in that sense because trying to own my own business has always been an interest of mine. I have tried drop shipping before and was unsuccessful in terms of making a big enough profit for it to be worth the time. Drop shipping businesses are businesses where you create a product and find a manufacturer that can produce that product for you at a bulk sale price, and in turn you market it and sell your product. I did not make enough money for it to be worth my time, but had I spent more time developing and marketing my product (clothing) better, I could have had a better business. Later in my life, it is one of my major goals to produce a software that can change lives for the better and make a business out of it.

What is success?

Success can be defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Success can look differently for everyone. Success may mean making a great sum of money, or it could be creating a family. Success can also be more personal, like accomplishing traits like self-worth or self-love. Success can also mean becoming a homeowner or business owner. Success for me is creating a career path that I can grow in, make large sums of money in, while creating the family I one day want to have, while simultaneously creating and growing my business.

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

A self-starter can be defined as a person who is able to work effectively without regularly needing to be told what to do. Self-starters show the qualities of taking the initiative, working independently, and identifying what needs to be done at work. They are productive and efficient members of any team and can work with little help or supervision. I am a self-starter and have demonstrated these qualities with every job I have had. My first job was at Wendys when I was 16 and I was soon working with just one other person in the mornings because my coworker and I were as efficient as having 4 to 5 people on. Same thing goes for the other jobs I have had and currently have. I can get work done right away, take about a week to learn all the things a job needs me to do, and do not require me to be told what needs to get done. I follow through on all my ideas and have no issues juggling multiple things at once. I can work full time, while being an online student in my cybersecurity bachelor’s program full time, working out six days a week, working on certifications on the side, and making time for family and friends.

How does ODU view entrepreneurship?  

Old Dominion University views entrepreneurship as someone that serves as a thought leader, convener, and catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship This school helps build lasting relationships between industry and academia to improve society and revitalize the economy.

What is my role in this ecosystem?

My role in this ecosystem is to help make it a better place and create things like software to help the people within it. I would love to create a couple of software. Something like Norton or MacFee, but not as expensive so that I reach a larger audience and am able to help everyone that uses a phone or laptop to keep their data safe. The next software I would like to create is for people that deal with online stalkers. Especially when these cyberstalks are very educated in the tech space and know how to hide their IP addresses and cover up their steps so that you cannot find how they got in. This software I develop will be a little more personal to me than the first one and the goal is to bring peace to people that have dealt with someone that is obsessed and wants all access to their personal pictures and personal messages with family and loved ones, as well as people that create fake accounts of you. I have personally had this done to me where someone pretends to be me online and it is a crushing feeling when you report them, and the police can do nothing as well as the app that it happens on does nothing. I want my software to find and pinpoint exactly where and who the person is so that you can take hard evidence to these apps and/or police so that nobody is impersonating you or hacking into your personal accounts.