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Student Insights for Entrepreneur Interviews

Entrepreneur insights and perceptions related to their businesses were obtained through interviews conducted by students. Student insights and reflections regarding the interview process are shown on this page.

Simply scroll down the page to view. They are shown with the most recent reflections appearing first.


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The things that were most meaningful to me about this project was that I got to learn more about a close family member's business. I learned things about the business that I never knew before, and probably never would have known had it not been for the interview that I had with him. I feel like I got to see more into the certain struggles that the business may face as well as all of the positive aspects of the business. Including how his employees and himself make a great effort to make the patients feel welcomed and that they are truly cared for, both as a customer and as a friend who each is important to the business. By learning more about my family member’s business, I felt like I got to be closer to the person. This helped me on a personal level understand a part of their life that I don’t see every day.I got to learn a little bit more about business in general by conducting this interview. From it, I learned a little more about vendors and how they are easier to set up than getting financing from a bank. I learned that they are several outlets such as seminars, websites and journals from which a business owner keeps up to date with what in going on in their field of business. This will be helpful to me in the future because you can never know too much in your field. There are always going to be other business owners out there who are doing the same thing, or a similar thing as you, from which you can bounce business idea back and forth off of, assuming that they aren’t direct competition to your own business in your area. This interview has been very helpful to me as a whole, and I am glad that I was able to conduct the interview and gain some knowledge about business from it as well.
Date Submitted: 2010-03-29 18:37:08
The most meaningful thing about doing this project was learning about interest in businesses people start and how they grow in on it. At first i wasn't sure who i was going to interview or who i knew that owned a business. Then, i realized i had some family members who own and have opened their own business on their own interests. One would be a company, WheelSpin. This company is here for dirtbikers needing to fix up their bikes, and get their minds set on how they want their bikes custom. I wasn't sure who i wanted to interview, so i later decided to interview a family member who has recently started a website business.
I took a risk on this one, because it interests young adults over 21. This company helps out customers who are interested in Happy Hours and prices at their local restaurants and bars. This project helped me understand that a business doesnt need to be in a building, or office. A small business can be a website. Ive learned also that running a small business can start small and grow bigger into a full-time big business. This interests me only because having a 13 older cousins who all have interests in Happy Hour at their local restaurants and bars, i know soon i might be able to help out with this company and help it grow not just in a couple cities of Northern California, but also in Southern California.
Date Submitted: 2010-03-31 17:02:23
The most meaningful thing I got out of this project was talking to the owner and getting a better understanding of how things work. Simply visiting a business cannot tell you everything about it. Listening to him let me in on some valued information I should keep in mind when I start my business. I learned that starting a business can simply be having to take over from someone else. I learned that there are so many things to consider money wise when it comes to bill paying, since there are so many permits and simple necessities needed to keep the business running. Knowing the area can greatly help too. Simply opening a business anywhere can get you some money, but knowing the businesses and the people in the area can increase incoming business. If you can cater to the surrounding area you are more likely to gain more business.I also learned some important information when it comes to knowing what to do before getting into a business. He told me that talking to other business and their employees can give you insights to how things work. They can also tell you their past experiences and talk about what not to do. He told me to talk to legal people to go over specific forms. This project taught me many things that go on behind the scenes at a business an just how hard working by yourself, for yourself can be. I hope I can put the information learned though this project to good use.
Date Submitted: 2010-04-02 08:14:29
Being able to get an in depth look at my fathers business and being able to see things from his point of view. I was able to pick his brain throughout the interview, but trying to understand without any prior knowledge about small business is a challenge. He was able to give me insight on questions that I already been thinking about, such as questions # 1 & 6. Being able to understand these concepts are huge for success in a small business, I was shocked to find out that he knows so much about the industry in which he works and how he has such a good grasp on what his goals are for his business. Being able to understand his goal will be able to help my actions when i assume control of the family business years from now. My fathers views are going to help with the decisions and actions i take down the road, this project was able to get me some of the information i needed as a college student learning business.    This project has let me see things from a point of view I'm not familiar with yet, views that can only be taught by actually owning your own business. The views that I've learned are keep good records, a good cliental basis and keep up to date with new products that could be sold to maintain a good income. I would like to see my fathers business grow as much as possible without mass producing more outlets. Through this project i was able to find out that that was my  dads original goal, expanding to an extent. This is meaningful because i would like to keep things the way he wants it when he lets me take control. I really don't want to ruin his perceptions of how the business should be when i assume control. By doing this interview Im now able to see what those boundaries and goals are.
Date Submitted: 2010-04-03 13:32:36
It was meaningful to me because of several reasons, but mostly because my relationship with this man. He has been instrumental on the success on my career. He has helped me and guided me through many of the difficulties of the music industry. He is also a great man and extremely talented. He’s passion for the art of music shows in his work. We also have very similar taste in music.

I also learned a whole lot about his business. There are many other questions I asked him that aren’t even in this questionnaire. I was so intrigued about his business. I would love to do what he does for money. I look up to him and wish him the best in his career. I had a great 2 hours of discussion; went by really fast.
Date Submitted: 2010-04-04 23:34:36
The business owner I interviewed was very open and honest about his company.  Just like the professor said he would be. He seemed very happy to talk about his “baby”, his company.  There was a true excitement in his telling me about how he got started and a genuine pride in his voice over his accomplishments.  The man I interviewed was only 24 years old when he started his entrepreneurial adventure.  At this young age he was willing to take the risks and handle the pressures of owning a small business.

There are a million things to do, I have learned, even before you start with the first shovel full of dirt.  Hours and hours of going over numbers to ensure the bid you present is accurate.  The submitting tons of paper work to the engineer and the architect.  They in turn must submit plans and structural designs to the city and the home owner for approval and acceptance.  There is the aesthetic over view given to the home owner that is submitted by the architect.  The home owner at this time may want to change the type of tree or trees used, whether in the front yard or in the back yard.  The style of drive way, the material used for the drive way.  The Plot Plan is another consideration.  How will the water flow off said drive way?  And will the city or county approve the drainage design. That is just the very beginning of the project.  The architect must then submit his approved plans to the engineer to determine what is structurally feasible and the materials required to meet the codes established by the city or the county. After this process is complete the young man I interviewed would get a set of plans called Blue Prints.  He would then start to count board by board and sheet of wood by sheet of wood to determine the cost of materials and the time needed to build the structure. (They are called Blue Prints because of the printing process used to copy the large plans given to the different trades involved in the building of a house or building. The plans are printed on very large paper.)  Once all the materials are determined (Quality & quantity) and every pound of nails is priced and accounted for, then he must determine the cost for labor.  Only hands on experience can help you with this amount and type of work.

This project allowed me to see some of the “behind the scenes” work that goes into building a simple custom home.  There are many other lessons I learned about the housing industry, to many to cite here.  However I will say about this project, it, in and of its self, was a very good learning tool to guide me in my future ventures into owning my own piece of the economy.
Date Submitted: 2010-04-05 05:54:28
The most meaningful to me about this project was the entrepreneur I chose to ask these productive questions because she is successful at the business I want to be successful in. This entrepreneur is very positive, insightful, and always ready to help you anyway she can. She is not worried about you taking her business or asking for help in how to improve your own business. Although she is very busy in her business, she takes the time to help out those who want to be in the business she is in, no matter how competitive it is. How crazy is that? People in today's society do not want to reach out and help others in fear they will lose money, their business, and so on. Yet this entrepreneur contacts me to offer help. What an awesome person she is. I also liked how open, honest and real she was in answering the questions. She was not trying to tell me what she thought I wanted to hear, but rather the truth of this business.
What I have learned in doing this project is to persevere, do not listen to negativity, and do not give up. In these times it is easy to give up due to not thinking you can make it, needing money, listening to those who say being a makeup artist is not a career and that I should get a "real job" (whatever that means). Also being a single mother poses a risk of not having the security of being able to provide for my daughter as a traditional 9-5 job may. Most importantly, focusing on what is important and productive for my daughter and I is what I need to aspire to no matter what obstacles may come my way. A real failure is someone who never tries. I do not want to regret not going after the business I really want or do the things I want to do simply because I was afraid.
Date Submitted: 2010-04-05 14:26:32
The most meaningful part of this project was having the chance to get with an actual entrepreneur and talking to them about there business and opinion on it. I was able to ask them questions where they gave me there opinion based on there experience to the business world and how they handle some of these sitatuations. Not only did they make me think about business planning but also made them have a different perspective and think about how there business is running. And also when starting a business there is always a risk that your business may not go how you want it. Another would be that she gave me situations that often happen in a business and how to go about fixing them and making your company grow. She gave me a lot of key points on how to maintain and  operate a successful business, like being able to manage yourself will help you mange  your business and keep it succesful.
This was meaningful because I was able to sit down and talk to someone with experience and was able to be given ideas and advice on how to run a successful business. It gave me alot of insights on how it was going to be and how I would go by handling situations. And it opened my mind to help me figure out what I want to do in my career and how I can go by doing so and the steps I would need to take to get there. She let me know that it isn't easy but there is a reward when you have a succesful business that rSome uns on its own becasue when you put the hard work into it the payoff is even greater.
Date Submitted: 2010-04-05 16:46:52
Answer: I received a great opportunity to network with an existing business that was a privilege to actually get a chance to see all the different aspects that go into running a small company. I also was fortunate to receive the opportunity to a tell patty (the business owner) some ideas of mine for my fast food restraint. Since my fast food location was within a 15-mile radius. That was a great opportunity for her customers to receive coupons to my future business and promote my restaurant.Also another very meaningful aspect of this project, was the question asking, "what advise can you offer to an aspiring entrepreneur?". She answered that you must remember the customer is now your boss.The customer will ultimtley deciede if your company is  sucessful or is not. They decide  when its necesary for you to be present, what hours to be open for business,what you will serve, and prices that would be best meet the interest of yor public. So in conclusion this project was very helpful because it was a eye opener to realistic problems that we might be faced with.
Date Submitted: 2010-04-05 20:58:30
The most meaningful thing about this project was the experience to go out there and interview a person who has made it out in the real world. We learn about the entrepreneur in our book and by doing this project we can correlate the information from the book into the real life person that we interviewed. The whole experience was great going outside of the school setting and obtaining new knowledge from a new source other than the book. As being a hands on learner, i learn the material that we have gone over more in a hand on setting. Being able to pick the brain of a entrepreneur was a great experience and not many business classes gives us the opportunity too.
The person i interviewed has been a friend of mine for the last four years and he is the one who works on my car. The opportunity to get him outside the shop wasnt hard but by talking to him on a more business like atmosphere was different for the both of us. The things that he has told me i didnt even know or realize as a peer or friend outside of school or the project setting. Be able to pick his thoughts and ideas are great in a sense that i have other information and another source i can go to if i do take another business class or need to know something that is small business or business in general related. This project was a awesome experience. 
Date Submitted: 2010-04-05 21:56:33
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