Reflecting on your pitch and wrapping up Venture Project One

How did it go?

• With your team

With our team the project went amazing. The communication amongst all of us seemed very effortless, it was easy to schedule and attend consistent meetings, the expectations of everyone were very clear, and all of us were able to work together to clarify anything that seemed uncertain. I also really loved how my group had three upper E levels that really helped with teaching and clarifying things Isaiah (another E1) and I didn’t fully understand.

• With the evidence-based entrepreneurship skills

As far as evidence based entrepreneurship, I feel like I am getting a much better grasp on what that actually means. Some skills if not most are definitely still in development but it is all seeming to come together more now. I feel like especially after completing this first venture project it really helped me understand the class as a whole more as well as learn and practice evidence based entrepreneurship.

• With discovering a new brand opportunity?

Discovering new brand opportunities has been a blast! Especially when being placed in a group with like minded people ideas are never hard to come by. It almost feels like a recreational activity at this point to think about brands in a new way and try to find untapped opportunities for them. It’s especially fun when we pitch ideas into our group and they just keep getting built on with feedback from other group members.

What have you learned about yourself?

I have learned that I need an organized plan of action to tackle my objectives. If what is expected of me is unclear or hard to nail down it makes all of the work a million times harder. However, one thing that I have come to terms with is that in this class it seems like it is typical for assignments to not be laid out for you. After this project I now accept that as part of the work that needs to be done and use it as a chance to hone the skills of planning, organizing, and taking action.

From this learning, what will you carry forward into Venture Project Two?

I will definitely carry with me my understanding of how necessary it is to create some sort of plan. Understanding that to succeed I need to see the problem from all angles and first need to step back and see the bigger picture before breaking it into smaller pieces. I will also carry with me my new understanding of how these projects work and flow. I was new to the idea of evidence lockers and even just google drives filled with lots of parts. I feel like after completing this first project I understand it a bit more, had a nice introduction to it, and with VP2 will now get some more much needed hands on time utilizing these tools.

• Why is this important to you?

This is important to me because I am learning methods and tools that can be applied to any venture even ones outside of the classroom. It is also important to me because I wish to succeed in this class and seeing that I am actually learning and understanding new things that I didn’t three weeks ago shows me that I will be able to succeed in this class if I keep applying myself. Finally it is important to me because it shows growth, it shows that I already seem to have a better grasp on the course than I once did which is what in my opinion is absolutely crucial to life, the ability to learn, grow, and adapt.

Reflecting on this first week on a Venture Project One Team…

How’s it going?

• With your team

Although I am only an E1 and have not yet experienced any other Venture Projects with teams I feel I have been placed in a highly effective group. We have been able to maintain fluid communication among the cohort through Microsoft teams, and other group chats which greatly contributes to our success. In addition to that, we have also been able to conduct consistent meetings through zoom where we discuss and divide up work. After meeting and getting to know my team a little better I would also say we have a good variety of skills which most definitely will assist in our ability to conquer the project. Overall I am very happy with the group I have been placed in as we have all been able to manage work without any miscommunication as well as cordially aid each other on topics we are less sure about.

• With the evidence-based entrepreneurship skills

As far as evidence-based entrepreneurship skills, I would say I am definitely getting a solid grasp on the concepts as well as being introduced to new methods and ideas. It has been very exciting to learn and apply new skills. However, I do feel like the learning of new skills and the practice of them has been hindered due to the choice of continuing online. I learn much better with in-person face-to-face classes and I am sure this is also the case for many of my fellow classmates. Unfortunately, as of now, we can not really change this aspect, so we are forced to adapt.

• With discovering a new brand opportunity?

I have really enjoyed discovering new brand opportunities for this rebrand. I find it very fascinating and enjoyable to think about brands as far as how they can improve. It has even gotten to the point where ideas will pop into my head even while I am not attending class or doing school work. I think this is a really good sign as it depicts a greater understanding, or at least a desire to achieve a greater understanding of the course material.

Extra Week 2 Traction Journal Prompt

How are you preparing for success this quarter?

This quarter I am preparing for success with a tracking and goal-based method. I have obtained a planner, calendar, and whiteboard, all of which will be utilized to organize and track the goals and objectives I have. Using this strategy I will be able to see days and weeks I am more successful. Every night I write down all my objectives onto my whiteboard, I then check off the objectives I complete and can rate my day on a grade scale (A, A-, B, B-, C, etc.) which will be placed on the calendar for the day. This strategy will help me to easily observe days and weeks I was more successful and then reflect on what methods worked towards more success and what methods failed to result in success.

As far as more specific ways I am preparing for success, I am doing my best effort to stay organized and ahead of tasks when I am able to. I also am doing my best to consistently meditate as well as exercise to fortify my mental health and not let external factors have as drastic of an impact on me throughout the quarter. One thing I want to work on this quarter to prepare for success is to continue to develop a social circle that contributes to my personal and academic success. Another goal I have for this quarter that relates to preparing for success is finding a mentor of some kind.

What do you expect for E-level  journey this quarter? (eg- first quarter, second quarter, etc.)

This quarter I expect to be rapidly incorporated into the entrepreneurship and innovation community here at western. I expect to understand myself better throughout the quarter as well as understand what abilities I need to work harder on relating to the entrepreneurship and innovation field. Within this first quarter, I foresee myself making many new friends and possibly mentors along the way. I am excited for this new community I will become a part of and hope for it to result in great things!

Share about your vision board. What did you observe?

In my vision board, you can see pictures of athletes working out, books being read, hands coming together, friends hugging each other, and a little more. I placed the picture of the guy working out in the center of my board. This is not only because one of my constant goals is to stay consistent with working out but with how working out relates to many other aspects of the vision board. Working out is about growth, it’s about the steady and ongoing practice of pushing your muscles to do more resulting in big changes over increments of time. However, this change doesn’t happen instantly, this change happens slowly much like everything in life. But ultimately it is that consistency and dedication that results in large growth over time. So, this picture is in the center of my vision board because I believe that it symbolizes dedication and consistency to achieve large goals, and I believe this to be true for many other fields and sections of my vision board.

If one seeks to finish a book they will likely not complete the book all in one day. If someone wants to form a team, a team that is bonded and collaborative in their efforts towards a common goal it likely not be achieved instantly. Even if someone wants to make friends, it comes with time and consistent practice of spending time together. Basically, the overall summary of my vision board is working towards goals one step at a time. Not expecting results instantly but instead understanding that every moment devoting yourself to an activity is contributing to your overall growth in that field and as an individual.

How do you define the word entrepreneur and what is your role in it?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of an entrepreneur is, “one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” I don’t think this is a bad explanation as to what an entrepreneur is but I also don’t think this definition fully embodies what an entrepreneur is. An entrepreneur in my eyes is someone who can be a leader, someone who can work with others to achieve goals, someone who not only seeks but recognizes opportunities to better the world and/or people’s lives in creative ways. This is what I wish to achieve, I wish to develop my ability to recognize opportunities, my ability to convey ideas to others in an effective way, and my ability to hone the ways I can utilize my creativity as well as expand on it as a whole.