Entrepreneurial Journal Week 9

 Most of my thoughts are still swirling around buying in on that franchise, same as my nephew Daniel. California has made it near impossible to do so…for example the annual cost of an LLC or the required electrician’s license or 4+ years working under one…Gross pay was about $40k a month in the state of AZ with a couple of employees…it makes me ask myself what the motivating factor is in this business venture.

I’m going to keep my motivations in mind as I consider the readings from this week. I like lists! I love when writing is organized by principles or bullet points while explaining a concept. So readings this week was great. President Kim B. Clark said these three principles make up a leader: Lead by example, with vision, and love. If I were to climb that preverbal brick wall (California) to buy into this franchise (Trimlight), how does that make me a leader? What are my motivations? Will owning and operating this business allow Christ’s influence to flow into the world (thoughts by Elder Bednar). 

Well, to process these thoughts even further I have to know why I like Trimlight. Part of my interest is fear; fear is not a part of being a good leader but I can’t deny I feel fear. With the LA fires this January the state is talking about a 30-100% increase in fire insurance. As a family of 7 on one income, I’m worried how we will survive even more financial burden. 

Another interest is in my children being provided an option for work in the future. If Trimlight was successful longterm we could provide jobs and potentially careers for one, some, or all my children. Plus we have several nieces and nephews who live here, they might could use a job. As for the product, I know Jim Ritchie and Jim Collins talked about a good leader needs passion for the product. I don’t know how passionate I am about Trimlight as a brand, but I do know I’ve always loved light. I think light is one of the most obvious and beautiful symbols in the gospel. It brings understanding, clarity, safety, and so much more. Trimlight isn’t really just a way to make money, it’s a huge benefit to providing safety. It can be used for homes to brighten the surrounding areas, it can be used on commercial buildings to guide or lead people to them. Or picture a school building out here in the mountain country, Trimlight would allow the building to stand out, keep the dark shadows literally and symbolically at bay. Nefarious works take place in dark shadows. Safe places need to stay safe places. 

This thought process seems to relate to Jim Ritchie’s higher ground. A good leader takes others with them to higher ground. We can raise the standard of how we treat people and where safe places are in this world. That can be done through any venture we engage in, even a company like Trimlight.

Entrepreneurial Journal Week 8

 I said in my class discussion board, resistance is one of my most difficult challenges. It has an affect on everything I think and do. I’m less sure of my decisions. I’m not convinced if my thoughts are swayed by social media or influenced by my real feelings. I second-guess most things.

 Near the beginning of this semester’s class we learned about a brick wall by Randy Pausch. That brick wall represents resistance. Randy said it was meant to keep everybody else out so the few could fight their way over the brick wall to achieve their dreams. Resistance is my weakness. When I run into a brick wall I’m convinced it was there to keep me out;  I even justify it by assuming that brick wall was placed there by God to keep me out and redirect me. Is it possible divine intervention is redirecting my path? Sure, possible and sometimes plausible but not always.

 Instead when things get tough and I feel abandoned or restrained I believe then is the time one should take a preverbal deep breath, count to ten, and persevere with optimism. I’m not yet sure how that is to be done. I do know the readings suggest there is help.

Help comes in many ways. Progress and optimism require support. President Monson said several great things in our reading assignment. He said when an individual experiences resistance (he described it as careless, selfishness, offended, wounded, critical, and transgressor) it is the job of the disciple to life, cheer, and calm.  To quote him, 

“We join in uttering the biblical plea “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face.”

Taylor Richards said it this way: Never quit. Kept doing right things (like Nephi) always involve the Lord. He opens doors for you. And don’t underestimate yourself. It is with the Lord we can do amazing things.  So if each of us works to be a supporter, an uplifter, and a positive influence for others, our own brick walls seem shorter. Our family, friends, spouse etc can be there to help us over that wall just like we are their to help them over theirs. And more importantly, so is the Lord. My favorite scripture comes from the Old Testament: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct they paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Entrepreneurial Journal Week 7

 Stephen R. Covey has, at this point I’d call it an infamous book about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. To paraphrase Jim Ritchie from Launching Leaders, when someone that knowledgeable condenses effectiveness and success into (only) 7 habits, we should listen and study!

From all seven habits, the most meaningful to me was the first. Be Proactive. I would love to believe myself proactive one day. Currently I am not - or at least according to my paradigm I do not see myself as proactive. 

**Side note, Covey defines paradigms as how we see and understand the world. This understanding is directly tied to our character. This is because of the way we view events and ourselves, it’s a road map to how we act. 

Anyway, I do not see myself as proactive, especially when Covey describes that characteristic as a self-starter and a decision maker. I have mini panic attacks daily because of the multiple decisions that are required of me from my children. 

Any decision from “what food will the toddler eat today? How can I pick the right choice without wasting food when he says yes to everything I offer?” To intense pressure to lead with “Mom, [insert sibling’s name] keeps [insert disagreeable choice]!” 

I am not proactive. I feel trapped in a corner over EVERY uncomfortable decision. I panic easily and anxiety riddles my body at every turn. So out of all the habits, I long to employ the habit of ‘Be Proactive’. 

Interesting to note, Covey says once we have mastered the first of his stated 3 habits, we graduate from being dependent, to independent. However, it is only through mastering the last habits 4-6 that you move from independent to interdependent. This state of working hand in hand with people is when we are the most effective. I’d say it seems to coincide with the gospel teachings of charity and the law of consecration. 

Entrepreneurial Journal Week 6

 I’m not a 100 percent-er. N. Eldon Tanner once spoke on self mastery and used this term to represent someone who is 100% in a chosen thing 100% of the time. Although I am committed to my covenants, my husband, and my family I am not a 100 percent-er as a general statement. Let me explain further: George Leonard the author of a book called Mastery described three distinct learning patterns from his students of aikido. These patterns he then determined, represent us in all of our paths of living. There is the hacker, the obsessive, and the dabbler. I’ll quickly describe what each learning pattern means and how it applies to me.

The hacker: once understanding the technique or skill of a thing, the hacker plateaus and is comfortable with stagnation. 

The obsessive: committed to fast, perfect results. The obsessive over does things and pushes too hard, they do not comprehend occasion for development and create a roller coaster life with deep falls. 

The dabbler: loves the dream and idea of newness, but fervor declines quickly and they move on to the next dream or subject to engage in that opportunity. The dabbler doesn’t actually want to change, but rides the rush of adventure. 

When I say I’m not a 100 percent-er, I think I have all three of these learning patterns that were described by Leonard. I often dabble or hack and occasionally obsess into my life plans. I expect to do 50% of a thing and somebody else to meet me half way (they do the other 50%). For example, I’ll rinse all the dishes in the sink, but won’t proceed to put them in the dish washer. The dopamine has stopped, so I stop the task! I need somebody else to do the other 50%, in this example, put the rinsed dishes into the machine to be sanitized. 

Being this way leaves a lot of room for improvement. However, on the positive, I believe being a ‘meet half-way’ persona makes me emotionally flexible, more agreeable, less contentious, open mindset and more. 

Entrepreneurial Journal Week 5

 A hero’s Journey. No author name for the speaker was given. He spoke for 22 minutes about destiny and changing the world through entrepreneurship. He wove a tale that began where most of us begin: self doubt. He said we often think ‘do I have what it takes to succeed’. He proceeds to share some insights on how to move past the initial self doubt we humans experience. We should hold on to our desire to change the world. And we need to stop worrying about the wrong things. We were challenged to ask 10+ people who we consider to be role models. Interview them about their triumphs, regrets, lessons they wished they had learned and applied sooner etc. The speaker than shared what those interview commonalities were.

So what really matters in life? I love how the common themes from the experienced role models (people over 60 years of age had enough life experience to share life lessons worth listening to) were summed up in three questions:

1. Have I contributed something meaningful?
2. Am I a good person?
3. Who did I love and who loved me?

These themes are a simplified yet profound road map to good living. It provides purpose and direction that is worth study and execution. If we are to do something meaningful with our lives it needs to make a contribution to us, to the world, in a positive way. This means we need to focus on a passion and it needs to use our special gifts, yet we need to remember this is a business class, it also has to tie into making a living. 

For example, I just love this quote he says: “…people would pay a great deal to watch Michael Jordan play basketball, but not a red cent to watch him play baseball.” I probably love this because I’m a child of the 90s and it makes sense to me.  We need to have focus. We need to stick to a calling that fits our special gifts if it is to be meaningful.

Additionally, I love this thought from the speaker: concerning our meaningful contribution. He said a calling must serve others but it also must matter to us. Ask yourself, what problem do you feel you were put on this earth to solve? I still don’t know what this means for me. I’ll need to ask my role models some questions first I guess. 

Entrepreneurial Journal Week 4

 It’s been another great week for learning. This semester’s class emphasizes focus on who we are as individuals and how that applies to business. Tom Kelly shared some thoughts that were most poignant for me. He began by quoting Francis Ford Coppola “Do what you love. You’ll be better at it.”

 He then shared Jim Collins ideas about three circles: What are you good at, What are you born to do, What will people pay you to do. Let me expound; Tom Kelly emphasized this idea that the first circle (what are you good at) lives the curse of confidence. Just because you are good at something does not mean you are meant to do it. You might be the fastest typist in your class he says, but that shouldn’t be the reason you become a data entry professional. There are people who are born to do some things. You’ll know it, not because you’re the best at it, but because it makes you happiest when doing that function. Using our typist analogy again, this means that if you’re the fastest typist you know, and you are in a state of flow (fully immersed in the activity) feeling passion and fulfillment while typing, then you are born to be a typist. Last, you need to do something that others will pay you to do. You might be the best typist and in the zone when you do it, but if nobody will pay you to do that job you’ll need to move on.   

Jim Collins was referenced for using a journal as well, not of occurrences but of when he was at his best; when he was in the zone and feeling fulfilled. This was his journal of being ‘in a state of flow’. This journal (two years in the making) lead him to his career. When did he feel at his best, happiest? When he was teaching and when he was working on systems. He did that for a time, until he eventually moved on to another calling.

Here are a couple of important points to me from this 5 minute video we watched in class. 

1. I should make better observations of when I feel fulfilled. I found a notebook and started writing in it last night. 
2. Jim discovered what made him happy and he turned it into a paying job. But equally important to me is that he didn’t feel trapped in that ‘calling’. He did that, felt fulfilled, but moved on and did something else too! I often feel trapped by the ‘one idea’. I love so many, many things-a little bit. I don’t love one idea or one thing a lot. So this brings me hope that I can find my calling and my calling can change over and over again. 

Entrepreneurial Journal Week 3

This has been my favorite week of study so far. Most of the study made sense to me, the worst being Frank Levinson. His talk kept using abbreviations that I didn’t know! So I was constantly pausing and looking it up in a new tab. How grateful I am for Google. This much casual access to the internet’s accumulated ideas was not available to me the first time I was at school. Just to name a couple examples of my searches: 

Define PO in business (purchase order) and Define VC in business (venture capital).

To speak more highly of Frank Levinson, I want to point out a couple of his must haves for a start up. One ideas was to have cheap furniture. He said spend everything you can on great people and great equipment. Customers will even ben influenced to spend more money on your product if they see you ‘need it’. Another idea he had that stuck with me was no pride. He went on to emphasize the importance of leaving pride behind as you work on a start up company. For example, when a customer trashes you or your product, use that information to fix it. Learn from that opinion and more forward in a positive way. 

I have to mention how impactful Lynn G. Robbins address was for me. He used Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’ in several examples of good business and good living go hand in hand. He said, “The motives that drive people are the hinges upon which major outcomes swing”. He then used Ebenezer Scrooge as an example of a ruthless businessman, when his motives were money and pride. But throughout the story, he experiences a change of heart. His motives changed and he became a charitable and more honest human being that affected the well being of his employees, his community, and himself. 

Lastly and equally as impactful for me was Sister Dew’s talk on integrity. To summarize a thought she had: Do you care if the professor is fair? Do you care if your banker is honest? Wouldn’t you like to know your surgeon didn’t cheat his way through residency? Do you care your date/spouse tells you truth about their life, past, feelings etc? I do care. And I care how other’s view my integrity. I strive to be honest, and kind, and to do what I said I would do. I recognize my imperfections in this endeavor, but I strive and work towards integrity just the same.