I am Sophie Bechkowiak (bich-ko-v-ak). I am a third-quarter student in the minor and in my career at Western. I transferred as a junior from Whatcom Community College and I am studying philosophy! I am thinking I might change my major to journalism and have philosophy become another minor instead. I would probably be really close to having a philosophy minor completed. I really like listening to podcasts about real-world stories, like This American Life, being a reporter for them has always been a secret hope of mine. This leads me to my hobbies, I really enjoy listening to podcasts and drawing and painting, but I haven’t been very inspired recently. I also like spending time outside especially at the beach.
I am in the entrepreneurship minor to get discover what I want to do as well as receive guidance and help along the way and hopefully graduate with a somewhat developed venture project. The first day was pretty good, very relaxing and chill. I was really hungry though because I didn’t time my meals so I dipped out a few minutes early while they tried to figure out socrative. I don’t think I need any more clarity. The cute tunnel we did for the e1’s was funny, I am sure we embarrassed them a little bit but I think if they come back next quarter will remember it.
To prepare for this quarter I am going to do what I normally do and keep up to date on my calendar and continue to use my whiteboard as a reminder for projects and homework. I might get a planner too and actually try to keep it up to date and use it regularly.
I don’t think I have any questions right now! So far so good. I expect to learn more about the tools in the program and how they work. I also expect to have a better understanding of my customer and how to actually do that. I also hope I will have a good idea for a venture because I have no ideas right now. But that is okay. 🙂
Out of E&I: I had the amazing opportunity to spend some time in Hawaii over break! I am super grateful for my trip, it was much needed after Winter quarter.
I am not sure what day I felt the most traction. Obviously when we have in-class work time I get more done than when we don’t. I wish we had more of that. Especially so we can ask questions as we are working. I feel like more structure in that area would be helpful. Then we can get real-time coaching and receive help on a problem right then and there instead of after the fact which isn’t always helpful. I feel like that would help me more instead of some of the other things we do that I don’t understand how they relate to entrepreneurship like the IDI test (it was cool but I still don’t understand the direct correlation between my venture project and that). The guest speakers help me the most with my personal growth for sure, especially Arathi. (I hope I remembered her name).
The time I felt the most empowered is when I was walking around downtown collecting the prizes from the businesses and talking to them about what would happen on the event day. I felt like the main character like nothing would stand in my way. I was proud of myself at that moment for pulling all these places together and making it actually happen.
The time I felt most challenged this quarter was when we had to work with Western to put on an event. The school works too slowly for this class to use them to put on an event in only three months. It was a lot to ask and especially when the teaching team also wasn’t aware of the challenges we would be facing. It ate up a lot of our time. It was difficult and was really discouraging to have to pivot so many times because of issues with our own school. If we had a whole year we could have made something work but we didn’t so we did the next best thing! (Which worked out really well even with only a few weeks to plan it). That is pretty much the main reason we couldn’t do the other event ideas we wanted to do.
I don’t know what I want to see or know more about in the learning toolkit. I don’t use it very often at all if I am being honest. I think it’s a good recourse but I find that asking other students (when available) is easier and provides clearer quicker answers for me personally.
Overall, I like this class a lot, especially the people! I have made amazing connections with the teaching team and my classmates that I value a lot. I am excited to see how we can make the program even better and less confusing/stressful!
I hope everyone has a great spring break. And speaking of spring… here is my Tula bean in the spring sun to get us ready. Sunny days are on their way!
How far would you be willing to walk between scavenging sites?Â
Keeping it within a mile, mile, and half radius. Otherwise, it will take too long to walk.Â
What would be a good incentive for you to join the event?Â
I mix of having prizes to find during the hunt. But like something larger at the end like a $25 gift card to somewhere local.Â
These were some of our interview questions for our post prototype idea. This is from an interview with my roommate. We learned a lot and got some good feedback about how we could get people to want to come to our event and some of the specifics about it as well. I think they were very successful except maybe not asking people if they would come to our event, that wasn’t the greatest question we came up with. I also think I could have pried a little more or gotten more of an explanation out of my friends especially. Gotten them to be more honest maybe haha.
I feel like next time I am going to ask more questions to get a longer more informative answer out of people. I forgot to do that or simply didn’t want to do that sometimes so that is something I will be working on. I will also be working on talking to random people on campus instead of my go-to people. It can be hard sometimes to motivate myself to do that especially if I don’t make time for it.
What kind of question could replace the question “would you attend _____ event?”
Something extra:
We hosted our event this weekend on Saturday! We had a great turnout and got awesome responses and feedback. People seemed to have a really good time! It made me really happy. I feel like I did a lot for this project and I think it showed. I like event planning more than I thought I would, it was really rewarding.
I am super proud of my team! Everyone is working hard and doing all that they can to get this event up and running. We are all doing separate things to get ready but everyone is engaged and excited. One challenge we are facing at this point is just racing against the clock. We have a lot to do this week to get ready and we are depending on some outside sources to help us with finances so I am a little nervous about getting that done with enough time to spare. I don’t know if we are struggling with anything except time and making sure it all gets done. We didn’t have much we wanted help with last Wednesday. I suppose we could reach out to the teaching team but the website doesn’t have resources to help with time or getting others to respond. Otherwise, I’d look at the website.
Our plan of action at least for myself is to contact the businesses we are going to be working with and get them prepared for our scavenger hunt. I will need the help of all of my team to do this. We will also have to complete a mock hunt to make sure it works properly before Saturday. We will also have to collect the prizes from businesses, and set up the online transaction link through western. We have a lot to do this week! I am excited and nervous but if we continue to work together we will be able to pull off an awesome event!
Much shorter journal this week, I am super busy with the event and all that jazz. But here is one thing outside of E&I. My friend and I went to Seattle this last week and the sunset was beautiful. Also, Ducks!
The IDI test is always interesting, I don’t think I ever saw my results when I took it in Fall quarter with Art. I was surprised to see that I received myself to be more accepting than I actually scored. I am very interested to know how they differentiate and determine that through the questions given. How can you record both the perceived and the actual orientation in the same test? It was super cool to see though. I have had very minimal experiences with other cultures purely because of a financial state not because of lack of interest. I have not been able to interact with many other cultures, so most of my answers were based on how I think I would act in the given scenarios. I’d Like to take the test again after having traveled and actually practice what I think I would do.
On Monday during the debrief, enjoyed the presentation of the giving tree, I thought that was a cool way to show equity and equality. Though I am still unsure how it directly relates to the E&I program or why we did it in the entrepreneurship class. But it was cool to see nonetheless.
E4 Shift and Share:
I loved how the three ladies combined their projects. Very neat! It was fun taking notes with mind mapping but it got a little too messy and all over the place for my liking.
I am a visual learner. Powerpoints or demonstrations make my brain happy.
I don’t use a method for time management. I go on a day-by-day basis. What works for me is a whiteboard in my room with the tasks I need/want to get done that day. my day changes so much when it comes to mood, energy level, and amount of work. It is hard to have a set schedule to stick to every day. I like the system I have now.
I am currently trying to establish a consistent morning routine but that needs to start with a consistent wake-up time. I really like staying up late way too much. I feel so creative in the evening when people are asleep and it’s dark outside and I can just watch tv or listen to a podcast and paint for hours. Art is my happy place for sure so I like to do that whenever I can, and usually, that is at night after all my work has been completed. My school schedule doesn’t help much because every day is a different start time, or one day has more classes and work than the day after. I am not entirely sure how I will nail all this down but I’m sure I will figure it out. I am also trying to meditate daily which can be really hard for me with anxiety. My anxiety makes me want to get all my stuff done right away so I am not anxious anymore but then after that, I am so drained. I’d like to meditate in the mornings but it’s a nasty cycle of being tired or anxious about the day ahead. It is getting better though, the nice weather is helping and so are the longer days for sure. I am also signing up for yoga classes too which I am excited about because I will have a class to hold me accountable and I will learn some good flows and salutations to do on my own. I am also trying to reach out to my loved ones on daily basis to tell them I love them and I am thinking about them. My friends deserve all the love and blessings in the world. Lot’s to do and I am excited I am feeling inspired and energetic again. I was in a slump for too long.
I think I feel impostorism too often with the anxiety I experience. I talk to my therapist about it and she reminds me most of the thoughts I have aren’t my fault and it is really just the disorder talking, not me. which is helpful to remember. anxiety is an uphill battle but I am getting a lot stronger and tougher because of it. It has definitely been hard but I wouldn’t change it at all. I think I have learned a lot about emotions and how to express them and handle them in healthy ways and that is a very valuable skill in my opinion. Impostorism is a dangerous trap. No one deserves to feel lesser than they are!
{Sorry for all the anxiety talk. I have decided that hiding it from people is useless and being open about it helps me feel in control and empowered. It’s not some dirty secret, it is a large part of my life and daily struggle but I love who I have become because of it! }
Something extra: These are all three of my roommate’s cats on the three piles of stuff on my bed depicted in a blurry photo. I would love to know why cats lay on objects when there is so much bed available.
During the BMC workshop, I don’t think I was super surprised to see the actual order of operations, it made sense, I do think the order my group came up with made sense too, and sawyers group. So it kinda feels like it can go any way, to be honest. But maybe not the first 4? I would like to understand the elements of the BMC a little more than I do now. I think using the BMC is the trickiest map for me, probably because I have not completely understood everything until recently and I still can learn more.
Arathi is my favorite speaker that we have come to talk to us. I really like her long in-depth answers. I feel like I learn a lot from her. I was really glad she said that 70% of our thoughts are negative, I have heard that before and I find it to be very true. I have struggled with generalized or extreme anxiety my entire life and it has been a long journey to get to where I am now, I still have a lot I’d like to do! But sometimes it is nice to know it isn’t my fault for my negative thoughts, my brain simply tends to favor them more for some reason. Maybe it’s a fear reaction and my brain thinks it’s harmful thus triggering anxiety. At least that could be what it is for me. Nonetheless, it was a good reminder for me personally.
I’m not entirely sure what coaching is to me. I know what it means but I don’t know how it fits into my life at this moment in time. I suppose I could use coaching for myself but I don’t think I am in a great spot to coach others simply with school being my main priority. Coaching in the program? I feel like I haven’t had a long enough session for it to be as productive as I’d like. I feel like if we do another coaching session I’d like to spend the whole class period doing so to make sure everyone gets what they need. I also feel like most other students don’t make the best coaches, I don’t think I would, I have too much on my mind some days to be able to help someone out and give them my full attention. I think coaching is a great tool but if we use it in class I think we need to really spend time with it to get a lot out of it. For example, Arathi has what I assume are hour-long sessions with one client and it is solely focused on them and what they need help with. I think coaching is supposed to be a little more like that just from a one on one standpoint with designated time for helping one person.
This weekend my friend and I did some tie-dyeing with Rit dye which I don’t know too much about but I know it’s one of the best dyes for fabrics. They look very red but it was much more orange in person. I am so excited to see what they look like!
When Jonothan/Komodo came to present, I really liked how he talked about communication between everyone. I like that he brought up that making sure everyone feels included and that no one is above another is important, some people just have different jobs. For example, Jonathan seems to be the main idea guy (or one of them) behind the whole venture but yet he didn’t identify himself as the CEO (correct me if I’m wrong). He said he was focusing on the financials at the current moment and some of the hiring. He seems to do a little bit of everything, and he hires other people to take on the things he doesn’t have expirence with.
One question I have is I want to know how the boat covers are sustainable, and do they pay themselves off at any point? Why is this a better investment besides easy installation, and new technology? Overall, I really enjoyed the presentation though, at some points he lost me and I spaced out when we went on tangents but for the most part, I was engaged.
I wasn’t a fan of when he said small business owners aren’t exactly entrepeneurs or that there is a big difference. I don’t think there is a difference at all between small business owners and entrepreneurs. Same thing different words. Being an entrepreneur is finding a creative solution to a problem you’d like to see fixed. My mom owned a wine bar downtown for a number of years (she sold it right before covid which was a pretty good move in my opinion) but that is all she did. She didn’t expand or try to do other things and that is totally fine! That is all she wanted to do and I don’t think it made her any less of an entrepreneur. I think being an entrepreneur can mean owning a small business or creating a huge corporation or even writing a travel blog and doing that for a living. I think it goes against what entrepreneurs stand for when we put limitations around the word and its meaning. Anyone can be entrepeneur and I don’t think its fair to exclude anyone. Starting any sort of venture or business is hard and that should be acknowledged, not used to discriminate against the people who don’t want to expand and keep creating once they’ve established a business.
VPC’S
I like the vpc’s I think they are a loose, easy, forgiving way to start generating ideas and the bones of a venture. I use them often to come up with quick iterations of different propostions, or the same idea. I think they do help by allowing me to see if I am on the right track when it comes to helping my customer and figuring out how to solve the pains. The process is going well overall. My group created 3 different maps to showcase 3 ideas we had so we could have a direction to follow when we picked our final event idea. I think the Product matches the customer for the most part. The event is hard to come up with the customer side because I feel like we are picking and choosing the problems people have. For example we chose very general problems like bordeom and it being winter and covid etc. The event has very broad problems because the main reason people go to ANY event is because they want to or they are bored. Unless the event is for work or school. I hope that makes sense.
But things are going well with the vpc although we would have liked to have done an outdoor music event, that seemed to be more challenging than we had time to wrestle with. our first survey indicated that was the prefeered event college kiddos were interested in. But we found the next best thing that maybe hasn’t been done in the E&I world at WWU in a while. Perhaps next time or for another venture I could follow in Zosia’s footsteps and make my own festival haha.
I dont have a lot to share besides my answers to my questions this week, so here is a funky picture of my friend in a tiny green hat in the sun.
Success to me this quarter looks like putting on an amazing event, selling out/having a good turnout, and getting to know and establish good connections with all my team members. I know I like to stay on top of work especially with only 5 weeks until pitch and that can get annoying, so I will try my best to be patient with my group. For me personally, I would like to produce quality work under time constraints and stress. I have a lot more work from other classes this quarter and I know I can get overwhelmed easily. I want to try and combat that by making time for myself to go to the gym, do art, and see my friends this quarter.
I learned that I am more nervous to talk to random people than I was expecting. We also accidentally formed too big of a group which I think made it hard for us to feel comfortable going up to people and “bombarding” them with questions. I also learned that I have to be okay with people rejecting me/us when we approach them. Not everyone has the time or wants to answer questions. I wish I would have prepared some questions beforehand to give us some sort of direction. We stalled quite a bit because we weren’t ready with questions.
We went to Buffalo Exchange and Third Planet to try and find younger folks who may be interested in events to give us an idea of things they liked. We talked to a couple of college-aged girls who both said they liked music and enjoyed food trucks or snacks at events. I didn’t see very many people so I guess I saw the lack of people downtown. That was a little surprising, usually downtown has quite a few people wandering around. I have a feeling most of them were in restaurants which would be rude to go in ask people questions and interrupt their meal. I remember feeling like we were a little unprepared and had a hard time picking a direction of questioning. We managed a few interviews though! There weren’t many people in the stores we went to… maybe a weeknight was the culprit. I definitely want to try this again now knowing what to expect. I got a little nervous when approaching people, hyping myself up and then psyching myself out. I also remember being hungry and wanting food downtown, there were some good smells.
I think finding random people and not asking friends or roommates provides for more honest opinions and replies. But asking people I know is for sure easier. I would like to ask different people but I’m not sure if I will have the time most days, and it might be out of the way for me but I think I could try once or twice this quarter. Not much else has changed in my perspective. Coming prepared is the way to go for sure and not putting my own emotions into the interview. What I mean by that is removing myself from the project I’m working on so I don’t get “contaminated” answered from interviewees if that makes any sense. Just asking the questions with little to no regard to how it relates to myself and solely how it affects the project instead.
This weekend I hung out with friends on Chuckanut Friday and Saturday at the house she was house-sitting at. We goofed around and then Saturday morning we all went for breakfast and got matching rings downtown. We had a lovely weekend. it was nice to escape from responsibility for a couple of days.
Things went well! my team and I worked really well together. We had fun and the e1’s and I learned a lot about what it means to rebrand, this being our first rebrand venture. I had a lot of fun designing the logo and learning to use Krita which is a free drawing software much like photoshop. I am still messing with it for a separate project but I am having fun. For evidence-based entrepreneurship, not much changed since the last prompt. I feel like I know how to use it more and to tailor to the customer more than trying to just force my product on people. Discovering a new brand opportunity was fun, there are a lot more brands we could have chosen but now we have more ideas for later. I think We did a great job and created a new brand for Seven-Eleven we feel good about and created things we’d actually like to see happen for them. Overall I learned a lot in the very short very fast 2-week process.
I think I learned that I can do more than I thought workload-wise. Katie and I split up some of the process at the end simply to save time. We had a bit left to do after pitching beside the LJV but we got it all done and I think we can relax now that it has been sent it. I also realized that digital art is harder than I thought and very very different from pen and paper. It is rewarding for sure but the learning curve for me was steep for the first hour. Now I feel like I know more than I did and feel more confident in my digital art skills. I certainly am not where I want to be but that is okay! I also learned that pitch isn’t as scary as it felt last quarter. I feel confident in my presentation skills and rehearsing beforehand helps loads. Also, it’s only 5-10 minutes of my whole life so I think I will survive.
I will take my digital art skills with me and continue to perfect them, it’s something I have been wanting to learn for a while. I think it will be useful for further prototyping. I will also carry my confidence in my ideas and pitch skills with me as well as leadership skills for vp2. Something tells me I’ll need those. It is important to me because being confident in your ideas and yourself is half the battle. Without that, you probably won’t get very far on your own or even in a group. If you aren’t feeling confident in your ideas chances are other people won’t either.
This weekend was so fun. I saw a double rainbow. I hope everyone else saw it too. I went bowling with my best friend I haven’t seen in weeks. I haven’t bowled in ages but it was fun to watch myself get better with each round. Then on Sunday, I celebrated with my friend for her birthday. We found this really neat rope swing at the arb and got to catch up on life. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be out of quarantine. I’m also really excited to be in person this week!
Things are good! I really like my team a lot. We are getting along really well, and Katie set up an awesome poa that we have been following pretty closely which has been good. It is nice to see the progress and check off boxes. We have been getting good information back from our interviewees. I am excited about the project so far! I have been understanding Evidence-based entrepreneurship more and I think that has helped. I feel like I am understanding my customer more. And I think I will be able to tailor more to the customer and rebrand in a way that they want. I have been trying to pry more when I interview people, mostly my friends, (they are easier to pry answers out of). So my answers have been more in-depth which is helpful for sure. The more information they give the more I have to work with. Overall I think I can learn more and understand it better for sure, always room for improvement, but I definitely see a shift from last quarter to this one which is cool.
The brand opportunity has been super fun so far! We landed on 7/11. I think it will be exciting to transform, there are a lot of opportunities for rebranding on 7/11. I have loads of ideas and I think the customers/interviewees do too. It is always nice to not have to guess what they want to see. I also like that we chose 7/11 because it makes me giggle a little bit. It is kind of funny but I think that makes me like even more. I think 7/11 has a lot of potential, partly because people already like that store but also because there is a lot that could be different (as I am finding in my interviews). I am a loyal late-night 7/11 customer, the Slurpees are bomb, and they have good prices. I can’t wait to see how we can revamp them.
This weekend I got to see my friends!! It doesn’t sound like a big deal but after a 20-day quarantine (long story), I finally got a negative test and I was able to see my lovely amazing friends. Quarantine definitely put in perspective how much they mean to me and how much I rely on social interaction to help boost my mood. I am happy to be negative and to be going to the gym again too! Home workouts just don’t hit the same :/. They are great for quarantine but after a while they get old. I am relieved to be able to go shopping again for myself too. Quarantine really puts life on pause. Or at least it did for me since I was out for such a long time. It was crazy, but now it’s over!
