I have really enjoyed the course thus far. I find it so hard to believe that we are already halfway done with the summer. There are many behaviors that this course has required me to use, as well as some that I have developed throughout the course. For one, keeping track of my schedule for this course has been crucial to succeeding. There are lots of assignments, and many require more time than I thought. I realized though, once I sat down and began working, the assignments were rather enjoyable. They have taught me how to think like an entrepreneur, rather than someone just looking for a good grade. I also have particularly enjoyed the requirement of commenting on other student's ideas. It has been really cool to hear about their particular ventures and hearing their comments about mine in turn.
There have certainly been some times where I became very frustrated and felt like giving up. What comes to mind particularly is just the general idea that we have had to dig really deep into our ideas. Normally, I just would have thought of the idea and called it a day. This class has required me to basically analyze every little aspect of the idea, including conducting interviews. This seemed annoying at the time, but I now know that it is imperative for entrepreneurial success.
The first tip I would offer to someone who is going to take this course is: make sure you love your idea. If you aren't fired up about what you came up with, it isn't going to work out. There are dozens of assignments based off of your one idea, so you really have to be interested in fostering it and making it the best it can be. Secondly: be honest with your peer comments. Nobody likes hearing criticism, but it is imperative for success. Anyone can just say "great idea!" but that does not help the person in the slightest. Third: put yourself in the shoes of your customers. This is the number one best way to come up with new ideas for your ventures in this class. When I became stuck on my idea, I thought of myself as the customer. What would I want? What services would I benefit from? And more ideas came flowing!
Hey Sarah,
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your post. I agree with you that this class can be very time consuming with all of the assignments. Without having a proper schedule to keep up with the course, it is very hard to keep up. I had fallen victim many times during Summer A to running out of time and just gave up on trying to do them. I agree with all of your tips. Constructive criticism is crucial to becoming successful. An entrepreneur must be open to those critics.