W09 Reflection: Entrepreneurial Journal

 Good To Great

The most important lesson that I learned this week was how to become a top business. I enjoyed reading Good to Great and took some valuable lessons from it. 

"Good is the enemy of great" which means It is easy to be good, but most good people find a comfort zone in their goodness, and never discover the joy and inner peace that comes from discovering greatness." (Good to Great, Jim Collins) Great leaders all are "self-effacing, humble, but passionately driven people" they believe in themselves, then get the right people to join them. Then they decide where their talents and strengths are and put them to work. If the person doesn't show improvement or interest they don't waste anyone's time. Passion, personalities and ambitions reflect a great company. 

Jim Richie talks about "3 characteristics and have leaders who were like-minded in each of those essential mindsets and belief." 

He says that.."

1. Have a great product that must have economic or spiritual value. It has to work and serve you well, appreciated, loved, and worth the economic reward. 
2. Believe you are the best! Believe in yourself and your product or service. 
3. You must have passion for your product, idea, or service."

You must have all three of these things in order to succeed and be successful or else it will crumble. 

My view

I have seen in the last year that it does take passion to start something like a new business. It is an idea that leads to a dream. It is a product or service that others will pay for because you have put forth the excitement, passion, and willingness to allow this business to be. I am seeing in my business that when my excitement has stopped the whole of the business has too. I am the driving force of this business call Desert Bliss Weddings. I am the creator of it. I keep it going... WHY? because it is my vision. Everyone else wants a part of it when it is working but I am the one that brings in the business and I am starting to see that. I work it, make ideas come to life, talk to clients, make the vision work and then I have the workers help me physically make it all work. I wish I could see how to make this shift or find those who are on my team to want to help make business happen but they don't have that desire. I can now see what Jim Richie and this class is teaching me about being a successful entrepreneur.

Leadership with a Small "L"

President Kim B. Clark, Brigham Young University–Idaho Commencement, December 14, 2007

I am committing to help this business dream that I have work. I need to lead with..

1. example
2. vision
3. love

"the kind of leadership that builds and lifts and inspires through kindness and love and unselfish devotion to the Lord and His work.  It is the kind of leadership that we need at every level of every kind of organization...  It is the kind of leadership you will need to build...[this business] "

Conclusion

I am starting to see what I need to do. I have a running business service that others are willing to pay for because I have seen it but I don't have all the pieces in place to keep it working for me. I need to make adjustments and go back to the mission of the business and make the business be heard and seen by more of the target audience. I am competing in a business that I know and have a passion to see it through and I need to realize that I am that driving force that will make it happen. Everything else is helpful.