Final Reflection

            1) The highs: My favorite moments through this course was doing the interviews in the beginning stages of my venture. Coming up with ideas are relatively easy and seem to be bulletproof. However once introducing your idea to new people who do not have a bias towards you, they can sometimes deliver a harsh reality. The first interview was nerve racking. When I actually got a multiple response from my first peer was the highest moment in all of this. An outsider reinforcing your belief that you have a good idea on your hands is an amazing motivational booster. This first sense of encouragement made me feel as if I had real potential to develop a successful venture. There will always be some people that will discourage you including yourself. Positive feedback from people who aren’t friends and family can be more motivational than I thought.

The lows: When being asked what the next step is to your venture can be extremely tough. I spent weeks creating an app that I thought was perfect. When being asked what the next step is, it led me to a creative wall. There are always areas that can be improved. Finding them was very difficult and constantly halted the progress of my venture which was difficult to accept at times. Also when reading comments on how to improve my product can sometimes be a little disheartening. However it led to me expanding my horizon and overall a new and improved product.

Fun: I enjoyed doing the elevator pitches the most. To create an elevator pitch I could not resist coming to realization that I am becoming a true entrepreneur. Trying to sell this idea of an app finally sold the idea to myself. I took this app from just an idea to a potential money maker and this is what excited me the most during this class.

Drudgery:  Finding potential users of my app to interview sometimes seemed to drag on. The interviews proved to be vital to the success of my product but initially felt like a burden.

2)The elevator pitch will always be my favorite experience in this class. This gave me experience in forming idea and trying to sell it to people. The skill of being able to explain an idea clearly to others is extremely valuable. There are many times people’s million dollar ideas never get recognized because they could not express their vision clearly to their peers. I have a long way to go but practicing in a safe, judge free environment was a good way to practice vital skills I will need in my future career.

3) Being able to fully invest myself into a product of my own helped reveal my entrepreneurial mindset. It is very easy to hop on board with the next big item or product out on the market. However creating the next big thing and fully believing in yourself is the mindset of an entrepreneur and I had to have this mindset throughout the entire semester to be successful. I always thought I had an entrepreneurial mindset and this venture reinforced that claim.

4) My strongest recommendation for future students is invest in your peers the same way you invest in yourself and your venture. The comments from fellow classmates as well as the interview responses were some of the most vital resources when revising my venture. Seeing different responses is key to crafting a perfect venture.