Week 14 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? The biggest surprise for me in the reading was the section about green capitalism. I did not think that this would make it into a textbook. A sense of environmental awareness is an important aspect to the business world and it is nice to see that it is making its way into textbooks.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. One part of the reading that was a bit confusing was the part about an integrative model of corporate entrepreneurship strategy. The talk about antecedents of a corporate entrepreneurship strategy were new to me and a little confusing. 

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why? The first question I would ask would be: why is pro-entrepreneurship vital to the organizational structure? and the second question would be: what are the individual entrepreneurial cognitions? I would ask these questions because they seemed to be the most vague to me. 

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How? I do not think that there was anything that the author was necessarily wrong about. I tended to agree with the author on what I already knew. 

Google Gold

1. My approach to SEO is to use keywords that are also used in the assignment directions. I figure that if somebody is going to read the directions in the assignment calendar, then they are willing to search the words that are in front of their face. I used some of the same words and common business terms for each blog post to pursue SEO.
2. Some of my keywords were “CleanLine” (the name of the venture), “Max wilkinson”, “blogger”, “blog”, “water shoes”, “venture”, “product”, “success”. I did refine my keywords through the semester when I became more confident in my product.
3. I used social media to enhance my SEO efforts by notifying others around me of my blog and directing them to my blog through Blogger, YouTube, Instagram, and FaceBook. My general impression of using social media to improve my blog’s profile is that it is extremely helpful in directing customers to my product base. I think that social media was generally ignored regarding my blog.
4. My most viral post was the 80-20 Rule post. I am surprised by this post being the most popular, but I did have a great interview with a local entrepreneur so I think that may have had something to do with its popularity. 
5. When typing in “Max Wilkinson blog” I am the second result on Google, which is on the first page. 
   

Very Short Interview, Part 2

The answers that I received from Leo during my first interview were very deep and insightful. The fact that the classroom is merely a connector between the students is a valuable piece of knowledge that should be utilized for schools across the nation. 

Me: “What challenges does an entrepreneur face on a daily basis?”

Leo: “The fact of scarcity is always present. There are always more things to get done everyday than we have time for, and that is okay. It is our job to prioritize. This is the key to a sustainable future.”

Me: “What is one advice you would give to people who are looking to be entrepreneurs?”

Leo: “Do not be afraid to fail. I know it sounds cliche, but going into a project knowing that the outcome does not matter is the reckless and lethal mindset that an entrepreneur must have.”

Me: “What is a habit that successful entrepreneurs possess?”

Leo: “Reading. This is the best way to obtain knowledge. It is like living through multiple people, and when they fail, you can learn from their failures even if you haven’t had the same problem yet. Reading is often overlooked, but it is the way to more success in this growing technological world.”

I am now a lot more comfortable talking about entrepreneurship as compared to three months ago. I feel that I have grown as a person and as a student studying entrepreneurship. Leo did think that I progressed in my journey as an entrepreneur. After discussing my venture, he thought that it would be implementable. Although there will be trials and tribulations, that is with any great concept.