Entrepreneur Very Short Interview, Part 2

Once again the entrepreneur that I interviewed was a previous employer of mine who has been in business for more than twenty years.

Revisiting my Very Short Interview, Part 1 from back in January, my impressions of the first interview were very positive. Based on what we have learned during this class, I believe that the entrepreneur that I interviewed had a good understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur. We need to be willing to take on risks, enter an unknown environment, take on new challenges and remain optimistic.

His perception of what I should learn from a class in entrepreneurship was in line with with what we learned in this class. To maintain a broad perspective, be willing to change in order to adapt, and seek out your own opportunities.

What he wished that he had been taught in school has been addressed in this class. Think creatively and use logic in decision making.

For this interview I chose some questions that pertain to different phases of an entrepreneurial endeavor.

The first question was a two part question.

A. What motivated you to start your own business? Tired of working for other people and reacting to their Mos. Thought that I could do better and the time was right.

B. How did you choose the particular business that you opened? It fit the goals that I had set for my own business. The business had the opportunity to grow. Temporary Insanity?

The next question was : During the time that you operated your business, what would you say was your biggest challenge? When I first acquired the business it only produced one product and that was a seasonal product. My biggest challenge was to diversify the products produced by the business to provide a stable source of income throughout the year.

My third question was: Did you have a plan for when you wanted to retire from the business? My first option was to offer the business to any family members that might want it. Then I would offer it to any employees that wanted to take it over. If neither of those options were taken I would put the business up for sale.

I felt comfortable talking to the entrepreneur that I interviewed the first time, although, I did not know what to expect from this class, I did have some perceptions of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Those perceptions were addressed in this class, however, they were greatly expanded upon. I was also presented with new concepts that I had not associated with entrepreneurship. I was more comfortable talking with the entrepreneur for the second interview. The entrepreneur that I interviewed did not convey a sense that they thought I had progressed in my journey. However, they did express interest in the final grade that I would receive in the class.