A Colombian Entrepreneurial Thought

This semester was absolutely full of learning and experiences. I can say that the experiences and teachings shared have been absorbed, There have been meaningful readings and lessons received because of the particular situation I was going through while studying the class. There is one particular reading that I would ask everyone to read again, it is "Are Successful Entrepreneurs Born or Made?". The reading contains powerful insights into the secret to success and its explanation of how the combination of skills, character, and luck are key concepts to our entrepreneurship life. The journey is not easy but it is full of opportunities, which if are well taken will take you to your most desirable goals. Challenges are present all the time and in several different ways but patience is a most for our entrepreneurial life. Because of my religion and beliefs, I also encourage you to seek divine inspiration and be humble. As human beans we know nothing compared to God, however, ...

This has been a year full of challenges and opportunities. I would say that developing a business project such as the one I am dealing with is not easy, in fact creating a call center is complicated and requires a considerable investment of time and money. Something intriguing for me was I had evaluated several items mentioned in the reading "Identifying and Exploiting the Right Entrepreneurial Opportunity...for You" when I was looking for venture capital. Unfortunately for me, I did not pass the last filter in a local presentation of business projects that our city hall was looking to finance. After reading the text mentioned above, I had realized what other aspects are taken into consideration for these investments. I feel encouraged to make some adjustments to my business project. I feel like I now have more valuable information to create a better opportunity for my society. I have also felt identified with the description given of how an entrepreneur is like, citing...

This week has been full of challenges and especially with my business projects. I have had to face several inconveniences with some of my partners and this is causing delays in our plans. I am going through a financial challenge in my life and precisely this situation has encouraged me to seek revelation and ponder in how will I manage everything. I have a conviction that money is just the resource, that if it is well used, blesses the life of others including us, of course. Having this point of view towards money has set my heart and mind into the important things in my life, my family and my religion. Thus, this perspective encourages me to work for the right reasons and look for the best way to help others. Reading about the rules for prospering has also helped me to keep the right focus towards money, the following are the rules: Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing, and fast offerings. Rule 3. Th...

Execute, what an interesting word! It means to put a plan, order, or course of action into effect. It is absolutely an easy word to look for using the Google search box, but according to the reading "A message to Garcia", the ability to execute the rarest Skill of All. This was the first time that I read that description. When I read this text I felt inspired to try this with the team I manage at my work. Results were immediately evident, "how do you want me exactly to do it?", "What is the best time to do this?", "Once I am done with that, what do you want me to do?". Believe it or not, those were some of the "questions" I got after delegating a specific task. I just laughed internally. That is a natural behavior in most of us. Talking about leadership let me share what the article says about making a difference, a characteristic of a natural leader, it says, "Woody Allen said that 90% of life is “just showing up.” If so, the ...

This week has been very challenging at my work. We have been receiving constant visits from our clients and in the efforts to make sure everything goes perfect for them, we have missed certain details that we did not perceive at the right moment. These issues have been the reason for having different meetings in order to identify the root cause of the problem. I am an internal and certified quality auditor and one of the things you learn in this path is precisely how to find the root cause of a problem. There are different strategies to analyze a problem and get to its root cause. I have personally used one that is called the Ishikawa or Fishbone Diagram, this method, based on Wikipedia's definition, "helps to identify potential factors causing an overall effect. Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are usually grouped into major categories to identify and classify these sources of variation." I have seen results by using it but a much ...

This week I was able to learn different things for my path to success. While reading some of the chapters from George Leonard's book, "Mastery", I was able to realize about the several stages where you can be during you mastery path. The book describes in a very interesting way what Mastery is and why we sometimes choose the easiest way instead of the long path that brings happiness and better results in our lives. It also describes the opposition to the concept itself and how to overcome those philosophies. One of the concepts that I realized was part of my life and that I never heard before was "Homeostasis". The way George Leonard defines the word homeostasis opens our understanding and especially because, if we want to master something, we need to move from our comfort zone to a more challenging and higher level of life. Leonard says "This condition of equilibrium, this resistance to change, is called homeostasis...[it] works to keep things as the...

This week I want to focus my writing on spiritual things I had to analyze. When I heard Jan Newman's talk "Loyalty to God and Family" it really made me ponder on how centered is my heart in God and my family. I am right now in the long process of developing a huge business (with 2 partners in different countries) which not only requires money and business knowledge but it also demands time of quality to concentrate and focus on certain aspects of the project. I also have a calling as the ward's secretary and I need to go throughout the week to the chapel and meet with the bishopric, however, I have personally experienced how easily a voice comes to me saying "Don't go this week, concentrate on your business. You can still go next week and it will be fine!" That is a constant voice I hear whenever it comes to attend to Church assignments. The reason why I am bringing these experiences is that it makes me remember a promise received from my Mission Presid...

This week's teachings have been very uplifting. Reading about perseverance and if successful Entrepreneurs are born or made has made me ponder in certain thoughts I had. Elder Faust said, "Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges." But then I also read that a successful entrepreneur is a combination of skills, character, and luck. So there is a set of things that help an entrepreneur to become successful. Now, I don't like the work luck but rather I call it "divine intervention". I want to believe that God is in every detail of my life and that nothing occurs just because the universe wants it. Definitely, successful entrepreneurs have a combination of skills, character, divine intervention and Christlike attributes. All of our progress and happiness are also subjected to what we have become by the end of our path. A Hero's journey is not measured by the amount of money one has, nor the type o...

This week has been outstanding! I was able to close an important deal between my partners for the new project we are planning to start! Some of the things that I have been taking into account while working on this project, is that trials are always present when running a business. As a matter of fact, trials help you to shape and shine your business. As we were taught in the General Conference "trials become our greatest teacher." So when we exercise faith, we are patient during the time of trials and when we follow the promptings of the Spirit is when we see a clearer path. Pondering about the question suggested on the video Do What You Love which states "What are you born to do?", has made me think on "my calling" and what are the things I am doing to find that answer. Launching Leaders provides the great recipe not only for this answer but for our success. Identifying our stars (what we want to be in the future) and defining our steppingstones h...

This week has not been different from other weeks in terms of experiences and knowledge acquired. One of the most valuable things that I have learned throughout this week are related to how I am making and living a life. When reading Elder's Robins talk “ Making a Living and a Life” I felt encouraged to do the following: Overcome situations when the enemy wants to put pride in my heart for one or another reason. Continue putting God as my primary motivation. Increase my love to my Heavenly Father and fellowmen by developing more faith in them. Establish an "A" level for every single aspect and goal of my life (professional and spiritual). Teach others that living and making a life as under the "A level" makes life much happier and valuable. Remain firm on my personal Code of Conduct and Guardrails along my professional career and entire life. Another lesson that really penetrated my mind is that is important to find people that has skin in ...

I think I have never set a time to imagine how I want to be at my 70's, 50's or 30's. If I did, it was not with the same vision I have been taught this week. I never thought neither that  the questions 1)What have I accomplished?, 2) Was I a good person? and 3) Who did I love? were part of the self assessment one has to do every certain time in life to understand if the choices taken have been aligned to "my calling" in life and God's plan. Reading about the importance of having a clear understanding of who we are -children of God- and that God really cares about us has strengthen my mind and heart in this new path I have decided to take. The Cycle of Spiritual Guidance cited by Steven A. Hitz in Launching Leaders: An Empowering Journey for a New Generation opened my eyes to the real steps to be taken for a successful and peaceful life. In addition to all of the above mentioned, there is something that Randy Pausch teach us in his story life. It is to be p...

After almost 6 years without studying this decision I have made has been an extremely exciting and blessing experience. There is a power in the educational system of BYU, and when we combine the spiritual and edutacional kills we will all develop throughout our new journey we can expect to be real Disciples of Christ. This 1st week has been imperative for a clear understanding of my purpose here at BYU and the expectations that the University, my family and the Lord have with me. President Hinckley and Elder Bednar were very direct addressing this subject and considering their wise point of view, there are just more than good feelings about this new challenge and opportunity in my life. I love businesses and I am able to spend  a great part of the day thinking on different ideas or projects that may benefit others and that could also be great business opportunities. I have pondered a lot over the words of Jeff Sandefer in Living Life as an Entrepreneurial Hero when he says, ...