My last lecture

My Last Lecture… There are many things that I have learned over the last 14 weeks of this journey and I am going to share them with you. When I started this journey I was scared, wondering what could I learn, is this going to be difficult, am I supposed to figure this all out in only a few weeks? How was I going to come up with a business, work my business and be successful when I haven’t done this before. How can I impact the world with my idea and how can I help people in a way that makes me happy and want to be to work each day? These questions plagued my mind and I had to find the answer. When it all came down to it I wanted to do what I learned from each of the action hero stories that I watched. I needed something that would make me happy, that I would enjoy doing and loved. During this journey I learned that I need to remember to find out what my resources are and how to plan them out. I learned that one thing you need to be successful is to remember you don’t have to produce a product that is new and world changing. You just need something that is of interest and something that people would want to have in their lives. It is also important to make sure that you have a business plan that will help you organize the information you are given so that you are able to plan accordingly. You don’t want to make sure you know how your business will work and what you need to do in getting it started. In our reading during week 4 we learned that if we keep working to get through that tough times, we will be rewarded at the end, not necessarily in a monetary way but in a knowledge and growing way. And the only way you must go is up. Each decision that you make while running your business is a learning opportunity and the best thing in helping your future business. There is always a lot you can learn from mistakes you make along the way. There was a lot to learn about customer service. If you aren’t willing to think about your customers, then you may not be in business very long. The important thing is to remember where your sales come from. Over the years we have lost basic customer service skills and it seemed that it was a dying art. However, I am noticing more and more that it is making a come back with some companies. Could it be that they realized that it will benefit their finances to take care of the customers that purchase from their business? If you treat people, the way you want to be treated then you will have return customers and word of mouth will be a great thing for your business. I know that even though my dad sold his business 20+ years ago if he were to go back and hang a sign that said Max is back, he would have all his previous customers come back to the business immediately! They knew he cared and would take care of them and that he was honest and fair in all his deals. Overall some of the biggest take-aways from this course was learning how to make the hard choices in business. Do you work with family, who should you hire and who shouldn’t you hire? You will find in business that no matter what you do there is always going to be difficult choices and challenges that you face. But if you are honest and learn from mistakes and grow from the challenges you will be the best business owner around. Know your limitations and know how to handle times that you may fail. Pick yourself back up and keep moving and learning. Don’t take yourself so seriously, find time to laugh and have fun. Make time for your family and be there when they need you. In all you will find that you can do amazing things in your life. Stand tall and trust in God that he has a plan for you and that you are following that plan. Be the light and example that others will appreciate and want to see in you. Serve your fellow man and be dependable. Know that there are many ways your life can go. If you don’t like the way it is going, then change your path and find the route that you want to follow that will build you and make you the best that you can be. The power is in you to make it to the top, because you got this!