My Own Last Lecture

Well, here it is, my final blog post. I've now gone through 14 weeks in this business class. It has been a great journey and I've learned a lot through the course of this class. In my final blog posts for this class I've been asked to give my last lecture. This is kind of a summary of what I would say if this was indeed the last lecture I was allowed to give.

So, what if I learned from this journey? I know I have said this a lot in this blog, but the most critical thing I've learned is to have integrity. No matter what we do in this life, no matter what we do in business, we must always make sure that we are not only honest to ourselves and others, but also to our Father in Heaven. My advice to anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur or start their own business is to first start reflecting on that aspect of themselves. Are you honest, are you true, are you the type of person that you would want to work with? After you can answer that question, you can look at other aspects of yourself. You must have passion, you must be driven, you must want it.

In a world of billions of people, we must stand out. Hard work and dedication will put you very far in life, it will help you move ahead of the pack. If you combine that with passion, integrity, intelligence, and a love of learning you will further yourself ahead of those around you.

Business is about creating relationships. We must create relationships that last and that are mutually beneficial. I absolutely love the principle that Stephen R Covey shares in his highly effective habits about how a win-win situation is best for everyone. If we could look at situations with our colleagues, business partners, vendors, customers and see that we can not only benefit ourselves to benefit them as well, we will come out so much further ahead.

Not everyone is going to be the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, but we can make a difference in this world. To make a difference we must change the way we look at people and at business. Perhaps our change will be through our products or our services, or maybe our change will come in the way we treat our employees our business partners, or those we serve. I know that as we serve those around us and work with those who also have integrity, we can and will change this world.

The End is Near

No, I’m not talking about the apocalypse, I’m talking about the eventual end of my Business 283 class through BYU-I.  It has been a great journey filled with a lot of lessons and some exciting opportunity. 

First, I would like to give a final run down on my business.  The Stickr Company did very well and I was able to make a $135 worth of profit after my initial invest costs of $20.  I was able to learn lessons from bootstrapping a business from the ground up.  It goes to show how with a little effort we can do great things.  I know $135 doesn’t sound like much, but it felt great.  And then to be able to give that profit back to someone who needs it in order to start their own dreams is amazing.  It really put my life and what I’m doing in perspective.

I also learned many things about persistence and hard work through this class.  I am currently working full time and a new job, sold my business, umpiring baseball and softball, going to school full time, being the president of the baseball and softball association, and being a husband and father of four.  It is a busy time in my life, but through hard work, planning and dedication, I know we can all do the things we set our minds to!