Inspiration and Panic

I normally wait until the end of the week to write in my journal so that I have a complete perspective of the course content for the week. What I have noticed is that I also save the Acton hero videos for the end of the week (they're one of my favorite parts of the course) and so my journal often reflects principles I picked up from those videos. This week is no different.

The videos from Catherine Rohr and Corey Bell were really inspirational to me. They both had totally changed the direction they were taking in life and were continually motivated by a desire and drive to help others. It makes me want to be like that. I certainly don't feel like I'm a bad person, but I do tend to look inward (not just at myself but also my family) first because I’m concerned about meeting all of our needs. I really do hope that one day I will be in a position to serve my fellowman; to extend a helping hand to someone who is having a rough time. I do see the resources that God has blessed me with as a stewardship and I know that when I stand before him he will ask what I did with it. I hope that I can maintain my current perspective throughout my life and will be able to say that I did what he would have done, were he in the situations I was. That will be a very satisfying and fulfilling day.

On the topic of my $100 challenge, I’m in panic mode. I think this feeling I’m having is similar to the one I would be having if I really were relying on the income from a start-up I was running to support my family and the money just wasn't coming in. The company that I had contact with this week turned out to be looking for something different than what I am offering. They didn't really have any email campaigns established and so they have no way to track the performance of an email if we were to send one. I agreed to meet with them again and go over some of the key learnings that have come out of my last two years of testing emails, but that will be a much longer project than this assignment will allow for. So, basically, I have no clients and only one week to round up some revenue…yes, I’m panicking.     

The Dip and Becoming

This week was an interesting one, lead off by the completion and reflection upon the book The Dip by Seth Godin. This book took me a little off guard, especially in the beginning when I didn't yet know much about the premise of the book. But ultimately, the book is about quitting. It’s about learning to quit the right things at the right times. It also gives advice and pointers on identifying when you are quitting for the wrong reasons and are making a bad decision.

I also really liked the principle Godin taught about the cul-de-sac. This “dead end” is when you find yourself in a job that’s going nowhere. There is nowhere to grow and you’re bored. Godin says that for a person with drive and talent, you can’t afford to waste your time and energy at a job that isn't taking you anywhere. You could be learning and growing at an incredible pace if you would just get out of the one that’s holding you back and go find the job you were meant to do.

I felt like this also had similar notes to Elder Oakes' talk “The Challenge to Become.” He emphasizes the importance of not just doing but becoming that which we should be. He used an awesome parable about a man who had amassed a large fortune in his life through diligent work and an honest living. He knew that he could not simply pass it all on to his son because his son did not yet have the knowledge and experience to handle the inheritance wisely. So, the father told his son he could only have the inheritance once he had become the man that the father is. To help him in his journey he gave him all of the rules and principles upon which he had patterned his life and gained his knowledge and wisdom. The son was then able to live as the father had and learn as he had, to eventually become as he was and receive the inheritance.

Obviously this has direct application to our eternal progression and made me think a lot about how our Heavenly Father created this whole plan so that we could learn and grow in the exact same way that he did so we could eventually become like him and inherit all that he has.

Relating this all back to the cul-de-sac, if we aren't becoming that which we desire to eventual be, what are we doing it for? If we aren't growing and developing into the kind of person and employee we want to be, then we need to move on to something else. We are wasting valuable time, wading in the knee deep waters of mediocrity when we should be swimming in the profound pools of progression.

It's all about the people

The importance of people was the key topic this week, and I found it very compelling. There was so much data behind the idea that the quality of people in an organization is often more important to its success than the products or services that the business offers.

In one of the readings there was a quote that basically said, an excellent idea in the hands of a mediocre team will flounder and fail but a mediocre idea in the hands of an excellent team is much, much more likely to succeed. I think that’s why VC's so often are just as much if not more interested in the person behind the venture as the venture itself.

This principle was supported by the jetBlue case we studied which highlighted the high level of importance jetBlue places on the management of human resources. I don’t think that jetBlue would be anywhere near as successful as they are if they didn't strive to have and keep the very best people available.

Looking into the future, these are lessons that I have to remember. I have always placed a very high value on people, but for me it was more intuitive than anything. Here we have many examples of why the people in a company is so important. I definitely will come back to these articles and cases in the future to glean and relearn what was taught.

As for my $100 Challenge, I had another small victory. The company that I was referred to and referenced last week has agreed to sit down with me via Skype to talk about the goals of their email communications. This isn’t quite an agreement to compensate me for consulting services, but it is more of an interview for both of us to see if I can really help them in the areas where they are struggling. So, while by consulting business is still without a customer, I’m very optimistic that this one will work out. As long as they are looking for the kind of help that I can provide.

Garcia

This week reunited me with one of my favorite readings/articles of all time. It’s a story put together by the Acton Foundation for Entrepreneurial Excellence called “A Message to Garcia.” The premise of the story is that President McKinley needed to get a message to General Garcia who was somewhere in the mountains of Cuba, no one was quite sure where. The president asked a guy named Rowan to take the message to Garcia. To quote the story, “Rowan took McKinley’s letter, ‘sealed it in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle and in three weeks came out on the other side of the island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia.’”

The purpose of Acton’s telling of the story is to illustrate the qualities that rowan possessed. He didn't ask for a map to Cuba, he didn't ask the president for a boat to get there, and he didn't spend months calling together a task-force to develop the best plan to get the letter to Garcia; he just went and did.

The first time I read this which was a few years ago, it really was transformative. I feel that I am quite capable to accomplish most of the tasks given to me, but in an effort to meet the expectations of the person giving me the task, I asked a lot of questions. I wanted to know the format they wanted it in, the specific details they wanted highlighted, or maybe even the number of pages that the final report should be. “A Message to Garcia” helped me to see that immense value most people find in a person that is willing to take general instruction and then just go do it. In fact, this kind of direction is often more effective because the person carrying out the task has the ability to accomplish it as they see fit. It can lead to more creative solutions and often increases efficiencies. I’m glad that I came across this article again and will definitely be saving it for future use. 

Leadership

I spent a lot of time this week reading about leadership and what it means to be a good leader. One of the articles that I read took a really interesting look at leadership, examining the Savior and his leadership style which I thought was really insightful. From that article I took a lot of great nuggets of truth and some ideas of what I can do to be a more Christ-like and thus a more effective leader. 

The big piece that I want to record in this entrepreneurial journal is the importance of leading by serving next to those that work for you. When I think about the best leaders I know, they always take time to understand those following them. What better way to see what they see and feel what they feel than to roll up your sleeves and work right there beside them? I can't think of one.   

I had an exciting day in relation to my $100 challenge this week. I got connected with a small company in Washington that is having trouble with their email campaigns. The owner is friends with my parents and was referred to me by them. I spoke with him on the phone two days ago and he seems quite interested. It isn't a firm yes, but it’s the closest I've gotten so far!

You don't know everything, but just keep going

There were a couple of key topics from this week’s lesson that really stuck out to me; one from Elder Holland’s talk excerpt called “Good things to Come” and one from the Acton Hero video series which featured Heath Bradley.

Elder Holland gave some great advice that I couldn't help but associate with and feel that I will continue to need in future years. I have a young family with a wife, a two year-old boy and little girl due in 4 months. I am trying to finish up school and excel at a full-time job in marketing. I do love the life that I have and feel incredibly blessed, but sometimes I can’t help but feel like I’m driving Elder Holland’s old car whose radiator keeps blowing. It can be hard to see the future and the wonderful things that are in store for my family. His words, “Don’t you stop. Just keep walking” really were straight to me.

The piece that I really enjoyed from Mr. Bradley’s interview was the part about coming down off the roof. He had gotten into some trouble as a 12 year-old and his mother sent him up there to fix the leaky roof. He had no idea how to fix a roof and didn't know what to do. He eventually saw that he needed to come down off of that roof to get help from someone else. He went on to talk about the fact that an entrepreneur needs to stop being concerned about looking silly for asking a simple question and just ask! You don’t have to be the expert on every topic; you can surround yourself with knowledgeable people who can help you make decisions. He finished the thought by saying, “Life is about the amount of knowledge you can gain, not the amount you can give.” I think that’s really good advice. Always be learning. 

Virtue and its relation to a fulfilled life

Listening to Bud Brigham talk about the life that he has lead and the experiences he has had was really interesting to me. When he discussed his youth and family life growing up, I thought about how that could have really been a setback. His father died of alcoholism when he was 19, leaving him as the oldest child of a fatherless family and without any kind of a role model. It made me very grateful for the family that i did have growing up and the wonderful examples of fathers and husbands in my life.

While talking about life, he mentioned that through a study of philosophy he came to understand that it was a virtuous thing for him to become the best version of himself that it was possible to be. I hadn't ever connected those thoughts before, but it makes complete sense. Changing to a more spiritual line of thought, the best version of myself would certainly be very Christ-like. Christ-like living is most certainly virtuous and leads to many other blessings and future rewards. I have a renewed commitment to become the best "me" that I can be, for both me and my family.

As far as my $100 challenge goes, this week was a little disappointing. I've been really excited about the project for many weeks now and this was my first slump. I made virtually no headway with any of the potential clients I have contacted and thus am no closer to starting this business. I did have possible lead-generating conversations with a couple of co-workers who said they would mention my project to a few friends who owned businesses, so that's the silver lining on the week. Hopefully there will be wonderful things to report next week, like my first client.

Capability

This week we had to watch a video by Carla Fiorina which was an excerpt from a speech she gave to a group of students at Stanford University. The piece that we watched was a discussion on capability and what it can mean in relation to leadership. She said that capability can mean you have skills, extensive knowledge, or a resume filled will great work experience. But what she says is often one of the most important aspects of capability in leadership is the willingness and ability to ask "why."

I thought quite a bit about what she had to say and how it pertains to me and my situation, both current and future. This morning I was reading in the Lorenzo Snow manual we are using in elder's quorum this year. In the chapter I was studying, president Snow was talking about doing what the Lord would have you do. In there he told the story of Jeremiah being called to serve the Lord. Jeremiah was hesitant and questioned whether the Lord had the right guy. The Savior's response was, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee." Thinking about this in relation to leadership, most of us will be asked to lead one organization or another; be it at church or in the professional world or even simply as a father and husband in our own families. I think there will be several times when I will feel like Jeremiah and question whether the Lord called the right number; whether his lines got crossed when he asked me to do this thing. But how comforting to have the knowledge that was personally given to Jeremiah; "Son, don't worry. I know who you really are, even if you still don't. Trust me. We will do this together."

I am so comforted that no matter how incapable I may feel and no matter the task I am asked to step up to, the great God of the universe believes I can do it. That is all the confidence I need.  

Phil Romano and the Elevator Pitch

There were a lot of different activities this week that opened my eyes to a lot of various skills and knowledge that is needed to start a business. I certainly knew that starting a business wasn’t easy and that it would require a large amount of my time and monetary resources, but there is just so much that someone has to understand to help mitigate the risks associated with entrepreneurship.

I really liked the advice and comments from the Acton Hero, Phil Romano. He said that when you are starting a business, you have to focus in on a market need and build a business around that need. It seems that there are a lot of businesses that start without ever asking if anyone even wants their product or service. They want to be their own boss and make some good money in the process. Unfortunately they don’t do either for very long (if at all). Phil emphasized the fact that if you will meet a need, you will never have to worry about profits. You will make twice as much as the guy who is just trying to sell something.

The elevator pitch was also a really good activity for me. Having to describe the value of your business in less than 2 minutes is tough and you have to really get down to your business’ value proposition. What is it that makes you so special? Why would people buy from you instead of from your competitors? Then being able to hear what classmates (and potential customers) had to say is great. Something can make complete sense in your head but is pure confusion to everyone else, so getting that feedback is important. Honestly, I think that the elevator pitch activity should be a part of the very earliest stages of venture creation to ensure that you and everyone else understand why it is you are pursuing the business.

My $100 Challenge business is going well. I have been able to contact a few more potential customers, but I still haven’t landed that first customer. I’m in the process of putting together a modified resume to provide to these potential clients, so they don’t think I’m just some crazy kid who wants to mess with their email campaigns. I think this will help lend credibility to the business. 

Perspective and Stewardship

This week was full of words and advice from great leaders. There were a couple of things in particular that have caused me to reflect and ponder; the idea of correct perspective, and the idea that we don't own, only have stewardship over our assets.

Perspective, in my opinion has less to do with where you are standing and much more to do with where you are looking. Two people standing in nearly identical places and have entirely different perspectives on what was seen. The idea that eternal perspective is vital to our temporal happiness really struck a chord with me this week. The knowledge that the way I perceive the world is correct and that these perceptions will hold true for eternity brings me a real sense of peace.

The topics we read from the BYU Finance department were great, particularly the view of the material things we are blessed with. Pulling in the principle of perspective, it becomes much easier to utilize our material wealth for good when we realize that we do not own it, it belongs to God, and that he has simple given us stewardship over these resources. Then, looking into the future when we will stand before God, he will ask us how our stewardship performed under our direction; how we used the resources that were given to us. I think it is much easier for me to look for ways to bless others with by blessings when I see those blessings for what they really are. God gave them to me, so why not share them with others?