Week 1 Journal

Marriage & Family Chapter 1:
I really enjoyed this week’s reading! I reflected on the social tendencies that I observe towards marriage. In my interactions with others I’ve noticed that those who aren’t married have very high, sometimes unrealistic, ideals for their future marriage. As I’ve spoken with those who are still waiting for marriage I’ve tried to emphasize the importance of pre-marriage dating and true courtship and understanding what to look for, as well as post-marriage dating and courtship to continue fostering a relationships of love and understanding.

In the eyes of the world I was married very young at 22, but in contrast with some of my LDS peers I was relatively old. It’s fascinating to me how much the culture of my religion affects perspective on what is normal and expected. I very much believe it is important to counsel with trusted advisers and most importantly Heavenly Father before committing to the life-long and eternal pursuit of marriage.

Goals and Objectives for this Class:
This semester I hope to gain a greater understanding of the components necessary to build a successful, fulfilling, and lasting marriage. My relationship with my spouse is something I hold so dear and I am very interested in continually striving to understand ways to improve, communicate more effectively, and grow in our respect and understanding of one another.

I look forward to learning about conflict management as well as individual practices that enhance the marriage relationship. I feel it is very important to individually find fulfillment through cultivating dreams, ambitions, goals, and talents as well as growing together as a couple. I want to better understand how to maintain a healthy sense of autonomy from my spouse so I can be personally satisfied while still engaging in intimate and unifying activities and grow to “become one” with him. I have a testimony that marriage is a divine institution that allows for incredible growth and character development and I hope this course helps me to channel that growth and implement new perspectives and practices to improve my most valuable relationship.

B283 – Week 13

Failure – Michael Jordan:

I loved this short yet powerful message. I often feel overwhelmed when I fail. I feel discouraged or that maybe I’m just not cut out for the work I’ve chosen, but this message reminds me that the ultimate failure truly is giving up. This past Sunday someone gave a talk and referred to the strengthening power of the Atonement. The sister who was speaking said that weaknesses are gifts from God so that we can learn to come to Him and become as He is. I felt so encouraged as I listened and remembered how often I have become better as I have worked on my weaknesses and overcome my  moments of “failure” through Him. Michael Jordan is right. Because you’re willing to fail over and over and over again…that’s why you succeed.

Life = Risk Video:
I really enjoyed this video as well! This video reminded me that failure is a result of living life and trying new things. I’m working to reject the idea that failing is a threat to me and my success. Failing means I put myself out there and attempted something great. It means I can learn what went wrong and try again with more experience.

$100 Challenge
I can’t believe the work is done for the $100 challenge project! I so enjoyed this project. I feel that I really learned a lot about projecting myself and marketing my business. I learned how to spread the word and what kinds of tool are required to effectively get new customers. I was able to identify future expansion opportunities. I definitely plan to continue with this business after this class! I have made a substantial income that I am donating to charity now, but in the future I will be able to use those funds to circulate in my business and also support my family. I am so grateful for this class and the opportunity to launch a project I truly enjoy.

 

 

B283 – Week 12

Family Business 

This week I learned so much about family business! I learned about how to prepare for starting a family business and how to pass the business on to those who come after you. I found it really interesting the details of organization involved in owning a family business. I hadn’t thought of how it would be easy for family members and friends to expect jobs even if they weren’t qualified, which would lower the overall value of the company or business.

In my family there are a few family businesses, but one comes to mind in particular. My cousin and her husband own a tutoring company: FAST Mentoring. They have hired many, many family members to tutor for them, run their front desk, etc. but they have set very high standards and expectations. The work is not easy, but the pay is very good and the environment is awesome. I’ve worked with them in the past and it feels good to work with and support family.

$100 Project:

This week for my $100 project I branched out and expanded my business a little. I had originally limited my mothers-helper services to cooking, cleaning, and child care but this past week I was offered work as an office assistant for a home health-coaching business. I enjoyed the work very much and feel the pay was very fair for the amount of work that I did. My schedule has been filling up and I have found it difficult to balance my heavy school load, but I have found it interesting to see what opportunities have come with this business and how I can expand it in the future. I am looking forward to compiling all of my information into a slideshow!

B283 – Week 11

5 Things the Best Leaders do Daily – Blog:
1. Praise often and in public. Recognize those on your team and congratulate them! Pour lots of good energy into those who are progressing and performing.
2. Send employees out with a roadmap. Be sure your employees know what is expected of them and how to do it. Help them to plan out their days and then support and guide them.
3. Capture feedback and actually use it. Actively seek the opinion and advice of others. Demonstrate publicly that you are making changes based on the opinions and suggestions of those you work with.
4. Cultivate a positive workplace culture. Make where you work a fun place to be. Create workplace traditions and talk about the WHY of your culture and the HOW of developing it. 5. Know your people. Understand your employees’ and work partner’s needs and expectations. Communicate your own with them. Support where they fall short and help them to see how they can improve and ask for feedback from others as well.

Steve Jobs:

I think I learned the most this week from our study of Steve Jobs. I felt so inspired listening to and reading his advice. He is an amazing man who humbly and quietly has changed the world. His attitude towards his work is driven by passion for what he does, not a need to become famous or to have others look to him as an expert, although he has accomplished both. He has left a footprint on the world that will last forever.

$100 Project:
This week I have had two opportunities with my $100 dollar project. I have very much enjoyed helping mothers to accomplish tasks around their home and I’ve also enjoyed getting to know children. This week I made a decision to babysit a family for free since the parents were going to the temple to chaperone for a youth activity. I felt that since they were doing a service I could too. This experienced helped me to see how I can serve others even in small ways with any business I do.

 

B283 – Week 10

United in Building the Kingdom of God – L. Tom Perry:
I really love this message! I think the following is a really powerful paragraph:
“The important point is that the Lord condemns both the preoccupation with worldly possessions and the lack of occupation with building His kingdom, whether it is a consequence of having too much or too little.” I have absolutely seen that pride is found in comparison, whether it be you have more than others or less than others. I appreciate the distinction that is made between being prosperous PRIDEFULLY and being prosperous when you will seek to bless and build the kingdom of God. Another quote that really stood out to me is “The Lord is not telling us that we should not be prosperous. This would be inconsistent with the many records we have of Him blessing His people with prosperity. But He is telling us that we should seek prosperity only after we have sought and found Him. Then, because our hearts are right, because we love Him first and foremost, we will choose to invest the riches we obtain in building His kingdom.” Elder Perry challenges us to live more in service to our brothers and sisters. I plan to take this challenge to heart and do all I can to love and serve those around me.

Entrepreneur Blog:
The blog that I read highlighted the importance of studying entrepreneurship. Whether it be in school or through your own diligent learning, the blog article mentioned how essential a working knowledge of marketing, accounting, leadership, innovation and design, and time management are when creating a company. If you do get a degree in management, an MBA is recommended. Another suggestion was to continue reading from business and entrepreneurship books throughout your journey. Continual learning will foster continual improvement and growth, which will bless both your business journey as well as your personal development and journey.

Tips for the Entrepreneur:
Don’t Settle. Have the right people involved! Don’t rush the process. Have a clear idea of what you’re looking for so you can be sure they will benefit the team. Continually work on becoming an expert in every area. “Have a healthy disregard for the impossible.” Don’t be so specific in your goals – it will limit your resources. Have an idea of where you’re going and let additional ways of getting there come up. Don’t start a company because the space is hot. Recognize a need and only enter the market if you can do it better than everyone else or add a unique insight. Take a few years to better understand and invest in the area of your business before getting hundreds of people to follow you.

Entrepreneurs Then and Now – Guy Kawasaki:
Kawasaki’s Law: Take every full-time engineer, engineer worth half a million dollars. Take every MBA subtract 1/4 million dollars. (pre-money valuation). The old focus was on advertising. NOW we focus on PR – getting other people to talk about you instead of talking about yourself. Prove your model local before you think about expanding. Times are changing and if you can’t understand and keep up with the changes your business can never be up & coming and successful. Be relevant.

$100 Project:
I have enjoyed my work this week with my project. I am still far from my goal, but I have started spreading the word about my mothers helper business and people seem to be interested. This week I had the opportunity to babysit for a family I’ve never worked with before. It was great to feel my marketing and word-of-mouth advertising is helping! This week I earned $60 towards my project. Hooray! I’m glad I picked something I’m passionate about and enjoy. It feels like a win-win as I help overworked moms and also move my business forward.

B283 – Week 9

Journey to Higher Ground – Joseph B. Wirthlin:
I love the analogy of higher ground presented in this talk. Elder Wirthlin has always been one of my favorite general authorities. I feel that the invitation to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ and journey to higher ground is often as difficult as it must have been for the people in Indonsia to believe a fisherman that a tsunami was coming. Faith and trust are required to follow those who are leading us to higher ground. Prophets are given to guide and motivate us as we seek for direction in how to rise out of the danger zones of daily life to a higher and more sacred ground. This talk also got me thinking about how those who prosper often grow prideful and turn away from being true followers of Christ. This week my husband and I watched the John Tanner story and how many thousands he gave until his family was essentially broke. His generosity with his prosperity is inspiring. I would feel honored to do well in my business so that I am enabled to serve God by providing financial means for others. I believe that money can be a form of service and giving it can be an act of love. I believe that financial freedom enables those who have it to serve and give, uplift and support their brothers and sisters on Earth.

Blog – 8 Tips to Become a Millionaire:
A few that really stood out to me that I want to work on:
-Invest your money so that it grows itself
-Automatically insert a portion of your paycheck into savings (10% investments, 5% savings)
-Associate with millionaires. Actively seek mentors and continually learn from them.
-Upgrade your knowledge and skills. Consume knowledge like air and be a lifelong learner.

Who to Hire Video – Guy Kawasaki:
Hire “infected” people. These are the people who LOVE the product or service. In many cases, most people focus on those who have the requirements and proven success. Look for characteristics and attributes that will create success and make it a top priority that they LOVE what they do and are passionate. Hire better than yourself. Don’t try to be the best at everything; learn to manage people who are the best at what they do.

Hiring the Right People – Mark Zuckerberg:
1. Raw Intelligence – the ability to figure things out rapidly and adjust
2. In line with what you’re trying to do – match culture

$100 Challenge
This past week I had the opportunity to babysit and get some hands-on experience with my project! It was great to see where I have some kinks I need to work out, like better clarifying my payment options. I also plan to make a flier that I can post around my apartment complex for babysitting services and I will need to calculate the cost of printing those fliers into my budget, which I did not do originally with my business plan. Overall things are going well! Very slow, but I am thinking of ways to increase business and improve marketing.

B283 – Week 8

Leadership with small “L” – Kim B Clark:
The three principles of leadership that President Clark shares are
1- Lead by example
2- Lead with vision
3- Lead with love
This talk really highlighted the role of leadership in the home. I appreciate that because being a mother is my number one goal and priority. My husband and I don’t have children yet but we are preparing to do so every day in how we treat one another, the habits we develop, and through building a relationship with Heavenly Father. I know that the ultimate form of leadership is in the home as I guide my family in paths of righteousness and seek to grow each day as I progress towards keeping my covenants and becoming as the Savior.

Disciple Preparation Center – David A Bednar:
This talk really resonated with me because I remember so distinctly my time spent in the MTC preparing to serve a mission. I often felt overwhelmed, exhausted, delighted, and spiritually uplifted. After reading Elder Bednar’s comparisons between BYUI and the MTC I see so many similarities. I often feel overwhelmed, exhausted, delighted, and spiritually uplifted in my studies. It is a matter of determination and perseverance to keep going, but my character and life habits are changing for the better as a result. I feel encouraged and uplifted as I think of ways I can transform my academic experience into my disciple preparation time.

Jesus, The Perfect Leader:
One of the things that really stood out to me the most from this talk was when Christ was described as a good listener. This is a principle I’m really trying to work on as I communicate with others. I don’t want to interrupt or simply HEAR people, but truly listen for understanding, compassion, and out of love. Christ loved His followers so much He was able to be candid with them and encourage and support them in their discipleship journey.

Enchantment Video – Guy Kawasaki:
1- Likeability.
Improve your smile! Learn how to dress. Dress equal to the audience which improves likeability. Have a great handshake. Maintain eye contact, grip firmly, smile a REAL smile.
2- Trustworthiness
Trust people and they will trust you; you are responsible to trust FIRST. Bakers VS Eaters. Eaters think their gain is other’s loss. Bakers think how they can make something bigger, yummier, and better. Always think “how can I help this person?”
3- Get Ready
Create something that is deep, intelligent, complete, empowering, and elegant.
4- Make your brand and position short, sweet, and swallowable
5- Create a pre-mortem
Before you ship PRETEND your company has failed. Approach the team and brainstorm all the reasons your product might have failed and in unemotional ways talk about how you could eliminate these reasons.
6- Tell a story
Why did you start? Why do you do what you do? People are inspired by stories.

$100 Project:
For my $100 project I have worked on creating fliers and sharing them with apartment managers and also individuals I have spoke with. I am trying to figure out how to better market to others and also having  a hard time meeting people. I just moved here the second week of January and have had a hard time meeting people. Since my project requires a degree of trust (watching children), I am trying to look for opportunities to build my reputation and also spread the word. The marketing component of this project has been very hard for me! I have had one job offer that went very well. I had someone who was interested offer to put the fliers up at her children’s school, so hopefully there will be some traction there.

B283 – Week 7

Stew Leonard Article:
This article emphasizes the importance of keeping the customer happy. Stew interacted poorly with a customer and insinuated she was wrong but his wife advised him to learn from his own mistake and treat his customers better or he would lose customers and his business would fail. He took this to heart and developed two company rules: 1. The customer is always right and 2. If the customer isn’t right, re-read rule number 1. I think this principle can apply in many service-based companies! Pleasing those you work with is essential in growing a business.

Defining the Jet Blue Experience:
The top thing I learned from this video was how Jet Blue managed to find ways to put their money where customers would notice. They didn’t try to do it all and they certainly didn’t do what everyone else was doing. They cut costs in areas such as food, and observed challenges in the flying experience and paid a little extra to help things go smoothly. Rather than spending MORE they spent SMARTER, only allocating their funds to areas that would be profitable or would increase customer satisfaction.

BLOG: 10 Advantages and 10 Disadvantages of Young Entrepreneurs:
I chose to read a blog about young entrepreneurs. The author highlighted a few points that stood out to me that I will recap here. He mentioned that if you’re young and interested in entrepreneurship you have fewer liabilities and financial responsibilities like a home and expensive car. You’re able to spend your time more freely since you have fewer obligations. The downsides include lack of experience and “klout”. Being young, there can also be conflicts between your company and finishing school. Prioritizing and evaluating your life plan and where to allocate your resources can be overwhelming at times. Overall, just utilize your best judgement and don’t be afraid to fall back on friends and family when necessary. Follow your dreams fearlessly, but don’t lose sight of reality.

$100 Challenge:
This week I’m starting to realize two really difficult aspects of the challenge. First, I’m struggling to get to know people and make them aware of my business. Second, if I were to have customers, my schedule is very very busy and I will need to sacrifice a lot to accommodate their schedules and offer them flexible service. I am working to overcome these challenges by setting a rigorous school routine that will open up flexible options and windows of time I can offer my babysitting/mothers-assistant service. I plan to make a flier to post in my complex and hope that helps with generating new customers and spreading the word. Starting a company from scratch is difficult and I feel my resources really limit me, so I am trying to find ways to overcome that as well (limited time, no transportation, just moved here, etc.). Overall I am learning so much! Lots of challenges and sometimes I feel overwhelmed and discouraged, but I am determined to at least try my best!

B283 – Week 6

In Praise of the Purple Cow:
“If you’re remarkable then it’s likely some people won’t like you. That’s part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise ever. The best the timid can hope for is to be unnoticed. Criticism comes to those who stand out.” -Seth Godin

I really liked this quote. I reminds me to keep continuing on with what I’m doing. Keep pioneering a way, even when I get negative feedback or hear someone speaking poorly of my decision or of my area of expertise. I am CONFIDENT there are people who are looking for what I have to offer and that is what I must cling to as I strive to market something truly remarkable. A purple cow of my very own.

Blog – The Entrepreneurial Mind
This week I watched a video that was posted to The Entrepreneurial Mind blog. It was an interview with two young entrepreneurs who had started a company to book events through the internet. It was interesting to hear how they observed a need in society and then looked for a way to address that need simply and cheaply. They have spread throughout the Southeast and have plans to expand further. I was most impressed with their flexibility and how they tried many different things to find what worked best, from changing their name to how their services functioned and how they offered their services. I think this high level of versatility is what creates success, not just having a bolt of lightning inspiration or “big idea” but little observations, experiments, and innovations all along the way.

Know Thyself and Niche Thyself – Guy Kawasaki
This video reminded me the importance of finding my own unique voice and drawing on my strengths and individual skill set to offer a one-of-a-kind product or service. The goal is to be “high and to the right” which represents a product that everyone wants and you are the only producer. Developing a niche is much like branding in marketing. Developing an idea of who you are marketing to and how others can best remember you apart from others.

$100 Challenge: Elevator Pitch
From this activity I learned how to present my ideas for my business very concisely and with effective marketing techniques. I think creating an elevator pitch for any service I offer or business I’m working for will really increase my comfort levels of being able to talk with anyone about what I do in a very short amount of time. I think people are drawn to this kind of interaction because it doesn’t cost them anything and won’t bore them due to the length. I learned what I can chop out of my elevator pitch to make it more effective and also to always offer something at the end (business card) or ask if the person is interested or knows someone who would be interested.

B283 – Week 5

Opening the Windows of Heaven
I was very touched in Elder Faust’s talk when he shared about his grandfather’s tithing payment during the depression. This talk helped me to reflect on my husband, Blake, and I’s experience this semester. We have worked, sacrificed, and saved to be able to come live downtown Atlanta for him to attend GA Tech and we set aside a certain amount of money for his tuition this semester, but we ended up using 1/3 of what we had calculated. This great blessing came, I believe, as a result of sacrifice and diligent tithing paying. I am so grateful that God opens the windows of heaven and I know that I have been a recipient of His great generosity and miracles in many ways (health, financial stability, social opportunities, academically, etc.). My faith and trust in God supersedes my own calculations and work. Through HIS mercy and with HIS strength I can do all things.

BLOG – Guy Kawasaki: The Art of Branding
For my blog this week I read an article about branding. There were a few interesting points I want to highlight. A thought that struck me while reading was that of self-branding. Marketing a product is important and necessary, but I realized that as an individual and an entrepreneur I’m really branding MYSELF in every interaction I have with others. One of the most valuable time investments I can make is contributing to my own character and moral ethics as well as my skill set. The next principle that stood out to me was that of the “jargon” test. Kawasaki recommends running a brand positioning statement by your parents to be sure there aren’t words, phrases, or acronyms that are unfamiliar to the general public. I need to especially remember this with the business I want to go into since there are many opportunities for culture-specific language and terminology where there is potential for consumers to get lost.

Guy Kawasaki: Funding Choices
“Money warps you.” I found this statement very interesting and relevant. I’ve found in my own life that keeping a firm grasp on my finances has helped me to live with MORE freedom, regardless of the dollar amount in my bank account. I also think that the better relationship I develop with money, where it doesn’t intimidate me or feel unattainable, the more I can relax when I receive it and mange it effectively. I want to be able to balance between spending money recklessly and hoarding it as if I’ll never get paid another dollar in my life. There are many principles of savvy-spending that can carry over from personal finances to financing a business.

Peter Diamandis: Energetic Fundraising
“When you ask for money you often get advice; when you ask for advice you often get money.” Strive to build relationships with groups of people and individuals rather than looking for money. Money is a transfer of energy and confidence from the giver to the receiver.

$100 Project Update
This week I had a chance to evaluate the budget necessary for my plan. One thing I realized was that with a service-based company it may appear that my initial investment is low, but I have to calculate the hours and time spent and consider how else that time could be spent and what other possible incomes I am surpassing by allocating my time to this project. As a student I spend many hours a day with my studies and by taking time to build this company I am taking time away from my studies. In the long run, the ROI of graduation is higher than the ROI of my business, but I have to also consider that my GPA won’t necessarily affect my future income levels with my graduation, so it is a good trade-off to earn cash doing entrepreneurial ventures while in school as long as I can maintain my classes enough to accomplish my assignments.