Week 2 Reading Reflection

The reading was very insightful to say the least. I realized that what I understood Entrepreneurship to be is not at all the same as what the book explained. In reality Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneur, put simply, is pushing the envelop.

I say pushing the envelop because in almost every aspect of life there is potential for innovation and change, and Entrepreneurship is like realizing that potential and actually doing something with it.

The biggest surprise for me when I was reading came in the very beginning when the difference between a small business owner and an Entrepreneur was explained. Until that moment, I too thought that being a small business owner made you an Entrepreneur by definition. Then I understood that is only a half truth.

Being a small business owner can make you an Entrepreneur so long as you're implementing strategies and ideas that fundamentally can grow your business into bigger, better and more amazing. Now, I have been forced to rethink some of my own ambitions. Opening a store or starting a clothing brand must be done with a constant mindset of improve, innovate, and realizing opportunities.

One thing that confused me, however, would definitely be the schools of thought. Personally, although the break down is beneficial to understanding Entrepreneurship, I feel that the labeling kind of restricts how an Entrepreneur is developed. Then again, I had trouble identifying whether or not you have to choose to look through the Macro view or the Micro view or both at the same time.

The reading was though provoking as well but I don't think I've ever been asked what I would ask the author. Now that I have to, the first would definitely be "what has inspired you thus far?" because to write a textbook on a subject I am convinced you had to be inspired. Then, the second being "do you practice what you preach/write?" for my own piece of mind because at the end of the day, I can read all of this but how do I know that even the author doesn't truly believe in what he's said/ taught.

If the author was at all wrong I'd say it is about the contribution that firms started by women, minorities and others truly making a strong contribution. All you see is how businesses by such demographics fail time and time again. Also raising capital may be essential but it is said as if everyone has equal access to the same avenues of possible investments and the like.