My Entrepreneurial Notes

When I signed up for this class, I expected to learn how to start and run a successful business. While I did learn many business principles, I also had the opportunity to examine my life. I learned the importance of establishing long-term goals by asking myself who I want to become and how I want to be remembered. I learned how daily choices affect my goals, such as getting up early, being honest, and doing my best in my classes. President Monson stated, “ It has been said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. We are constantly making small decisions. The outcome determines the success or failure of our lives. That is why it is worthwhile to look ahead, to set a course, and at least be partly ready when the moment of decision comes. True finishers have the capacity to visualize their objective. ” Setting goals, with a higher purpose in mind, is something I learned to do in this class. One of the first principles I learned that really resonate...

This week I read An Attitude of Gratitude from President Thomas S. Monson. In this talk he said, "This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help. We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." Since reading this talk, I have been thinking about the role of gratitude in my life. I keep a daily gratitude journal. I write down three things I am grateful for each day and one positive experience. In my life, it is often much easer for me to notice the negative. Keeping a gratitude journal is my way of training my brain...

Virtue and integrity are vital to a strong economy because integrity enables trust. Consumers are more likely to trust companies that deliver on their promises. When companies do not deliver on their promises, trust erodes and consumers no longer want to engage with companies.  In What's a Business For, writer Charles Handy states that the "real justification" for business is to make a profit so the business can achieve greater goals than just making a profit. Businesses should have a greater purpose in mind.   Charles Handy proposed solutions to help business serve a higher purpose and avoid current pitfalls.  One solution is for business leaders to take the same Hippocratic oath as many doctors. This oath includes the admonition to do no harm. If businesses take this oath seriously, they will be concerned for more than just profits. They will set high standards for themselves in regard to their impact on the environment. They will consider the lives o...