Journal

How’s traction going so far?

I think this question means traction in general with the class… so that is how I will answer. I am having a great time. I can’t wait to keep working on VP2 with my group. I think we have a fun idea and it’s something we all feel passionate about which will keep things interesting. I am really liking this class so far. It is stressful for sure but not in a detrimental way. The more we get on in the quarter the more I feel like I can do this and that I am capable of more than I thought, which is always a nice thing to realize. As for the actual traction journals, I am learning more about word press so hopefully, I can clean up my site a bit more as the quarter/ year progresses.

I also gave my boss my 3 weeks notice so I will be leaving Brigadoon Service Dogs at the end of October. I am sad I have to leave because I really do like my job, all the smiley puppy dog faces are such a welcome part of my day. But I need to make school a priority right now, which is a very reasonable thing to do. I told my boss that I would love to stay on call to help cover shifts here and there but a full schedule isn’t going to work for me anymore. Plus, they deserve someone who can give 100% to the dogs and the trainers, my mind will be preoccupied with school for a while. So I think it’s for the best for both parties. I hope I can still help out and visit the pups from time to time. 🙂

What have you learned so far from Design Thinking and Creative Confidence?

I had to look these things up on the website if I am being honest. I showed up a few minutes late to the last zoom meeting so I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything. What I took away from the videos I watched by Meg was that these two things go hand in hand. Design thinking involves getting into action and prototyping and being open to the process. It also means conducting empathy interviews and connecting with your target market to ensure you get the best possible outcome. Creative confidence is needed to do those things! Thinking creatively and being confident in yourself/ your ideas will help the design thinking process go much smoother. Creative confidence is a great way to solve problems and empower yourself. Both are needed to have great success in this class and entrepreneurship in general.

 How might you apply this week’s learnings to your venture?

After the zoom meeting, I felt like I had a good idea of what my main values were. In this venture, I will try to make sure I am respecting my values and enforcing them upon myself. After learning about creative confidence and design thinking, I think I have a good idea of how to proceed with the venture. I will continue to remain open and enthusiastic about our project and try not to let the little things get in the way. I will try to solve problems creatively to the best of my ability. I will also try and come up with more prototypes than in VP1. I think having more prototypes or making them early on will help make our idea even stronger because we can conduct surveys or interviews based on said prototypes. I also won’t let failures slow us down either, it just means we get to pivot if our idea wasn’t as solid as we thought. It’s all a learning process and I am excited to keep working on things!

How are you preparing for success this quarter?

I am making sure my calendars are up to date for all of my classes and their homework assignments. I am also going into classes without any expectations. I have expectations for myself, just not the content/structure of the classes I am taking. By this I mean I am going into class with an open mind ready to learn and ready to put my best foot forward with whatever may come my way.

What do you expect for E-level  journey this quarter?

If I am being honest I don’t know what to expect. I expect some confusion and some problem solving for sure, but other than that I don’t know what’s coming. I am excited to see what this class is all about the further we get into the class content. I suppose I expect myself to grow and learn a lot about what I am capable of. This class is out of my comfort zone a little because I have never had a curriculum like this before. But I am looking forward to seeing what can I do.

How might you apply this week’s learnings to your venture?

Now I know a little bit more of how ventures are structured and what to expect so I won’t be going into the next one so blind. I will be able to have a better understanding of what is expected from me and how to go about starting a venture. I also know I can ask my vp1 group questions about things if I am feeling stuck, they are very kind and very helpful. I’m grateful I had such an amazing team and leader like Sawyer!

What did you love this week?

This week I loved the hype for the pitches in class. I loved making the first impression I did by ripping off my pants in front of 30 people I have never had the pleasure of meeting. Seeing all the different projects was so cool. It was awesome to see what everyone did in such a short time, it was incredible! It made me excited to dive further into this class.

Also this week I really loved walking home from campus taking my time, admiring all the changing leaves and the stormy sunset sky. Western is quite beautiful. I have lived down the street from WWU for years but never had the pleasure of being a student. It’s pretty lovely in the evening when there aren’t many people around and the sky is pink and stormy after the rain while the sun just starts to set. Just thought I’d share a nice moment I experienced this week.

What would you have loved to have achieved this week?

I would have loved to have given a smoother presentation. I think I did just fine for my first one but I definitely could have practiced more. I think overall it was a great experience and I think my team had a blast with the project. A little more practice and running it through one or two more times probably would have made it all run a little smoother. But in my defense, I had a lot of adrenaline from my big entrance ripping off my pants and all. I had to make sure they came off in one rip! There was a lot on the line.

 Please share your personal experiences and the lessons you learned from completing VP1 this quarter?

At first, I was pretty unsure of the class and what was going on. Wondering what I had got myself into and feeling overwhelmed. I feel like I didn’t get much of an explanation to what was going on, or what was expected of us so I was feeling pretty lost. But luckily Sawyer took on the teaching role and told me everything she could think of that was important about the class. Which was also overwhelming because it was a lot of information all at once. But once we started the project and actually started the process things started to fall into place and make more sense.

I learned that it is going to be a little overwhelming but that’s okay! I clearly showed myself that I can do this and that this class will prove to be a fun challenge for me. I am excited to see what other skills and life lessons I will learn. I also feel like I know a bit more of how venture projects are structured and sort of how to start but, further instruction would be greatly appreciated.

How may they help you have a successful and fulfilling VP2?

Now I feel like I know what is going on a little more. I can go into the next VP, full of ideas and ready to engage. I know a bit more of what to expect so I hopefully won’t feel as overwhelmed. And it seems like there may be some further instructional videos coming out that will help answer more of my questions. If I go into the next project eager and excited it will help me be more successful by making the experience and process more enjoyable. Which in turn will hopefully get rid of some of that nervousness. All of this will make the next VP go a little smoother, and I won’t feel as lost when it comes to things like BIC’s or test cards, etc.

How will you put that into action?

I will put this into action by watching the instructional videos before class and asking questions of my peers, my team, and the teaching team. I will also come to class excited to get started and learn. I will bring my positive attitude and an open mind. I am excited to make more connections in this class, not only to create a better support group for myself but to also make some friends who will make the class even more engaging and fun.

What challenges are you facing? What’s Next?

I feel that the biggest challenge I am facing is anxiety. I have general anxiety, I get help with it which is lovely, but it can make me timider than others at times. I don’t think it is very obvious to other people who don’t know what anxiety looks like, because I do a pretty good job of not letting it get the best of me. But it can make it so things that aren’t necessarily supposed to feel scary, feel really scary and intimidating. I think this class will help build confidence in myself and my skills as well as help me take charge of the anxiety I may be feeling.

For me, I think my next steps are to be ready to jump right on in VP2 and come to class excited. That way any anxiety I may feel will be more of a butterfly feeling than a pit in my stomach. I can’t wait to see what I can do on the next VP. I am excited to grow and learn more about myself as well as the entrepreneurial process.