Journey Reflection

The last 14 weeks have been full of concepts and methodologies that will only help me to reach my highest potential as a future entrepreneur. Within these concepts, there are some points that I would like to leave captured in this post.

The first one, and I think one of the ones that has caught my attention the most, is to lose the fear of failure. Without any doubt, until today it is something that I have not been able to channel completely, and I still have my doubts, perhaps the fear of failure and lose time, effort, money and perhaps the support of those around me, however something that I want to achieve is to learn from my failures, take more than one lesson and undertake again. In my life, I have already had failures and perhaps for the same reason I do not want to go through the same thing again.

The second thing is to dream big, that nothing and no one can get in the way of what I want to achieve, to be able to fulfill my dreams. Obviously, it is useless if they only remain dreams, but when you make the effort to see a dream come true, it is easier to continue with another dream and continue to achieve them. One of my dreams is to be able to graduate, for many years, it has been a dream that for different things, some failures, I have not been able to achieve, however today I am closer than ever to achieve it and once achieved, it will be the springboard for a new dream.

The last thing is really two in one. Gibson talked about having clear financial goals, because when we identify clear and specific goals and create a plan to achieve them, then we are on the path to making our energies and resources more effectively. And along with this process is that we have to develop resilience, because many times this process will take time and one way or another, we have to face the financial challenges that this journey can bring.

So, after 14 weeks, I consider that there is nothing better than being able to venture into the journey of entrepreneurship. It will have many challenges along the way, it will not be an easy road, however, it will be something that will keep us focused, alert and with the best of dispositions to get ahead in the face of any adversity we may encounter. Despite all my shortcomings and some fears, I will be the next one to embark on my entrepreneurial journey.

A Journey of Gratitude

This week, one of the things that caught my attention was the importance of having passion, resilience, and the importance of failure in our journey as entrepreneurs. 

Passion is more than just knowing what you want, it is dedicating all the effort, getting completely into the project and giving the best of yourself day after day. That way the final result, most likely, will be what you are looking for. However, by not having passion and just trying to do your best, the results will not always be what you were expecting. And although passion is a quality that you must have to succeed in entrepreneurship, you must also be resilient to the difficulties, to know how to move forward after the stumbles or difficulties that surely a venture will bring hand in hand. Many times, and this happens to me very often, I expect to see results immediately, and that makes me feel frustrated on many occasions because I feel that things are not going as you imagined, but this is where you have to make a change, where resilience must prevail. It will also be a great advantage when for some reason things do not go well, failure is a great opportunity to rethink new strategies, look for different ways of doing things, to change what was done wrong and start again. More than a failure is a learning opportunity, an opportunity for the following to be much better and reach the desired goal. Nobody likes to fail, but there is no success without having failed many times before.

I feel that when I get to apply all these things, it gives me a broader vision of what I can achieve, and to be able to better face the challenges that entrepreneurship brings.

So I just have to start my journey, one of the things I read during this week is that the path of the entrepreneur is not smooth, but full of slopes.

What's a Business For?

According to Charles Handy in his book What’s a Business for? He highlights the importance of virtue and integrity as a vital means for an economy. Since businesses operate within a society and depend on trust and cooperation to function effectively, it is here that virtue and integrity are crucial in creating and maintaining this trust. When companies act with honesty, fairness and ethical behavior, they create an environment that fosters trust among stakeholders, be they customers, employees, and the community at large. This trust, in turn, facilitates long-term relationships, collaboration and overall economic growth.

The "real justification," as Handy puts it, for the existence of companies is not only generating profit, but also the creation of value for the society. Beyond generating wealth, companies must help contribute positively to society, whether by providing goods and services that can meet people's needs, create employment opportunities, or take into account the impact their operations may have on the environment.

In the end, the virtue and integrity that Charles Handy speaks of are vital and necessary in the business world, as they are what generate trust and cooperation. And when a company omits these qualities, is when failure begins.

The two proposals that I agree with are.

The need for businesses to adopt a stakeholder approach: Handy's proposal deepens the need to have a broader vision, where not only the needs of shareholders are prioritized, but also the needs of customers, employees, suppliers, and the environment are considered.

Embracing the concept of corporate social responsibility: The importance of companies taking responsibility for their impact on society and the environment, and that they can go beyond what the law has to dictate. In the end, we all live and share the same place, so I think it would be ideal that companies can contribute in some way to improve the place where they operate.

Measuring the Cost

One of the things that struck me during this week's reading is what Gibson talks about having clear financial goals. When we identify clear and specific goals and create a plan to achieve them, we can better channel our energies and resources in a much more effective way. Another thing is the courage to be perseverant and resilient in the face of financial challenges, because they will certainly come at some point in our lives, and instead of giving up, it is a very good opportunity to learn from setbacks, learn lessons and adapt our financial strategies.

Another important point is how important it is to delve into financial education. Acquiring knowledge about personal finance and investment strategies is very important when making decisions. Since knowledge on this subject will make us make smarter decisions that will help us achieve greater autonomy.

The other thing that always strikes me week after week, is how the fact of being an entrepreneur, we run the risk of not knowing how to establish a balance between our work, family and personal life. Perhaps for everyone in the beginning, it is difficult to achieve that balance, because for an entrepreneur, starting a business is very similar to having a baby, at the beginning, it requires a lot of attention and long hours of care, however, over the years it becomes more self-sufficient and we can give it some freedom, but never leave it unattended. The same thing happens with the business, at the beginning, it takes a long time for it to be able to walk on its own, but once it does, it will be great to see how it continues to function even if we are not 100% on top of it.