My Entrepreneurship Story

My Exposure to Entrepreneurship:

   My father has always been easy to convince that "Get-Rich-Quick" schemes work. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the family, but to no surprise, they were not the way to "Get Rich", whether quick or slow. I have seen my parents try different types of businesses that (while requiring much hard work and time) never really seemed to earn us those big houses and fast cars we were promised. But despite his best efforts and unsuccessful endeavors, my father is still an optimist and is not afraid of taking risks! Which leads me to a time when he really dove in head first....

   One Sunday, while on a morning drive after breakfast, my father spotted a building sporting an attractive "For Lease" sign which caught his attention and triggered a memory from a dream he had the night before, of this very same building. In his dream, he was running a restaurant out of this location. He quickly called the number on the sign, got it up and running, turning a huge profit, sold the restaurant for millions and retired fat and happy. And we all lived happily ever after. Right?

   Of course not, because that is not how life goes and it certainly didn't happen to him this way. He did in fact call the number on the sign, but that was the easy part. The real work started when he began spending long days and nights there trying to get it up and running, all the while pouring more and more money into his investment. Eventually, the "Deli and Grill" opened after much renovation and permitting obstacles. Breakfast were their more successful hours, especially on the weekends when every seat in the house was filled with a warm body. As the community worked the restaurant into their daily and weekly routines, business was looking good. However, this seemingly successful business never seemed to turn a good profit. 

   Much to the dismay of my mother, my father spent every waking hour of almost every day pouring his blood, sweat, and tears into this place. All while spending more than the Grill ever made. Upon closer inspection by my father (and if I can be honest, a true "I told you so" moment for me), the books were not lining up with the receipts. The person of interest quickly became his untrustworthy and self-serving business partner, who used the joint as a place of pleasure instead of business. Giving away food and beverages and flirting with the wait staff and patrons were just two of his main offenses. With a partner burning every effort of making a profit in exchange for his personal gains, it was easy to see why the restaurant never turned into the retirement plan my father had hoped it one day may be. He sold the business and went back to work doing what he does best, finance. 

   Despite the impression I may have given, this is not actually a tale of loss, but of perseverance. Did my dad fail once again? Yes. But do you think that his past failures will stop him from trying his hand at would could end up being his million dollar idea? Absolutely not. He is an entrepreneur at heart. And it is in these failures, that he will find his success.

So, why am I here?

   If I can be perfectly honest, I enrolled in ENT3003 because it is a requirement for my degree, but regardless of that, I have heard some really amazing things about Chris as a Professor and his teaching styles, and in listening to his videos from Day 1 about upcoming assignments and putting us outside of our comfort zone, I know I made the right choice. This course sounds like more of a real-life, hands-on, makes-you-feel-it experience than just another boring read-along other professors call a class. THIS should be interesting...