Week 15 Reading Reflection

1. I was most surprised to find out that loans are handled differently for men and women. I never anticipated that being the case.
2. I was most confused about the part on the different types of loans and their specific uses, especially since I have never taken a finance class before and know little about this concept as a whole.
3. How did you get into the business of micro-finance? Does the strategy for ethical practices always work?
4. I do not disagree with anything the author said, especially since I do not know anything about this industry.

Final Reflection

I look back to the beginning of this semester and my first post about my entrepreneurial idea and I laugh at how long ago that seems, when in reality it was merely a few months ago. The most entertaining post to reread was the Bug List. So many of the things that I had remarked upon are no longer issues in my life. A major low point was reading and seeing references to my now exboyfriend. Being forced to recall how prevalent he was in my life was not easy. The post that had the biggest impact on me was "My Secret Sauce". The first time I posted it, it was mildly reaffirming to me. Now, it means much more. I've been struggling with who I am now that I am graduating soon, but seeing what those closest to me think is very inspiring. That exercise was easily the most formative and I believe I will absolutely remember it for years to come. The most joyous experience for me and the one I am most proud of was the second very short interview. It was shortly after I had broken up with my boyfriend, and I had to call his father out of the blue to ask for a follow up interview. I had no idea if he hated me now and would refuse to talk to me. I was shaking with nerves, but I was very pleasantly surprised that he still has nothing but warmth for me. I would have been too terrified to reach out to him if it had not been for this class.

Unfortunately, I do not see myself as a entrepreneur after this semester. I believe it takes much, much more to be a true entrepreneur. However, I believe I am closer than I was before to developing an entrepreneurial mindset. My one recommendation for future students taking this class is to not give up halfway through like I nearly did. It's a lot of work and you will get warn out, but it is worth it in the end. Stick to it, especially when the going gets tough. Tell yourself that although it might be the last thing in the world you want to do right now, you will definitely regret it later if you do not do well in this class.

Very Short Interview No. 2

After going back and examining my initial interview with Mr. Moor, I realized that my questions seemed very surface level and didn't have any flow. Therefore,  this time I tried to delve a little deeper to discover the true inner workings of an entrepreneur. I also only prepared the first question and decided to choose the follow up questions based on what he already discussed.

Question 1: what is your biggest regret/what would you change about your past entrepreneur experiences?
"I would try not to be as independent. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and ask for help or guidance on the way to success. It get tough when you are out there alone and having someone you know has your best interest at heart helps you push through."

Question 2: what's the best entrepreneurship advice you've ever received or given?
"I learned this the hard way and tell anyone I can to learn from my mistakes. Always keep your contacts up to date with your life. It's not hard to pick up the phone every couple months and maintain that relationship. You never know when you might need to call in a favor."

Question 3: how do you go about meeting these new contacts and how do you decide which ones are valuable?
"Well it changes every time. Meet everyone you can. A solid handshake and looking them straight in the eye is a good start. And you just try to maintain every relationship you can, they'll either cut it off on their own if they aren't serious about mutual business benefits or it'll turn into a great thing."

Unfortunately, this interview again didn't seem to go as deep as I hoped. I feel like I don't have as good as a grip on my entrepreneurship skills as I initially thought. However, it also could be that Mr. Moor is not the best at opening up. Nonetheless, I feel that I have progressed quite a bit through this course even if it is not as much as I previously thought or hoped.