Am I an entrepreneur?

            I do think that I have the entrepreneur problem solving ability. However, I do not have any interest so far in starting my own business. I am just beginning my career in cybersecurity and honestly do not know where I might be later in my career. My military experience has placed me in many leadership positions in which I have thrived. Possibly in the future I could see myself fulfilling a need that I find is missing from my career.

What is success?

            Success to me is achieving a goal or accomplishing something that you decided to complete. This can be something as small as motivating yourself to exercise or achieving a lifelong goal. The ability to motivate yourself to reach the goals that you have set for yourself is what defines success to me. I believe even some failures in attempting to achieve a goal can be seen as a success. If you can learn and come out stronger on the other side than a failure is just a lesson that gets you one step closer to your goal. Sometime success is easy and sometimes you must overcome many hurdles before you reach that goal.

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

            I do see myself as a self-starter. I enjoy setting goals for myself and working hard to achieve those goals. Having a goal and planning how I can achieve that goal is a personal strength. The ability to take a goal and break it down into manageable parts makes the goal seem more achievable. This tactic has worked for me in every career I have had and allows me to focus on the goal.

How does ODU view entrepreneurship?

            ODU views entrepreneurship as a way for students to display their abilities to solve problems within their field of study. To me the goal of this entrepreneurship is to see if the students can work together to fulfill a need and create a plan to achieve that goal. I do see this class as a good alternative to the internship. As an active-duty sailor, I am unable to complete an internship while active duty due to my obligations to the Navy.

What is my role in this ecosystem?

            My role in this ecosystem is to learn to spot where a process or product is failing. Using skills that I am taught to determine if I can improve a product or process and come up with a plan to capitalize on this innovation. A business requires a lot of planning and innovation to create something that is unique and valuable to consumers. Learning how to take an idea and create something that creates demand is the role of an entrepreneur.