Hi Sir Jorge,
Below are my answers for the first paper (factors):
Crisostomo, Kathleen Lizette C.
ENTREP
Paper 1: What factors do you possess / not possess to be an entrepreneur?
Having worked for three executive search firms as a headhunter, I have encountered several individuals who have left their full-time jobs to be entrepreneurs. Some have succeeded and are managing their jobs well, while others have failed and are back to looking for a stable source of income. Given there are so many risks involved in starting a business, I’ve never really given a serious thought to starting my own one.
Perhaps the closest thing I have right now to having a business is my online second-hand item store in eBay Philippines. I sell old clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and gadgets simply stored at our home. Most of the time my friends and officemates also ask me to sell their items in hopes of not only getting rid of them but also of earning extra income. The most that I have made was roughly PHP 2,000 per week. This has been a past-time but I have never taken it seriously—after all, I’m just getting rid of the stuff I don’t need.
My direct superior taught us that in order for us to succeed in our present job we have to act as if we are running our own business.
Since I have a revenue-generating job, I have to always make sure that I take care of our customers (company clients), have a healthy relationship with our suppliers (candidates) and employees (staff) and protect the bottom line (make sure the sales target is met). Because of this, even if I cannot imagine myself yet running my own business, I believe I have the characteristics needed to create, lead and succeed in my own business.
Action Coach, the world’s number one business coaching franchise based in Australia, indicated characteristics successful entrepreneurs need to have in order to succeed. First in the list is confidence. For many unconfident people, confidence starts when you cross the threshold and you gain self-esteem. The people who know me well know that I am an introvert. My first exposure to the world of recruitment made me break my barriers because I had to talk to different kinds of people on a daily basis and I had to make sure I increase my connections. Now, meeting and connecting with individuals of various levels from messengers up to CEOs has become very easy for me and has actually been a way of life. My confidence level definitely grew and I know I can surpass greater challenges.
Next in the list is feeling a sense of ownership. Aside from taking responsibility, an entrepreneur also teaches other people to take charge. Whenever we receive requirements from our clients, I have to act as if I am working internally for the client and that I need to have the position filled with the best candidate at the soonest possible time. This mindset allows me to be more accountable and more responsible for the future careers of the candidates I process as well as for the future benefit of the company where they will get hired.
Another includes being system oriented. Similar to how formulas work in the field of mathematics, entrepreneurs need to rely on particular systems and models to determine if an idea will produce a good outcome or a bad outcome. This is also the reason why I studied MBA, because I do not have any knowledge on the in’s and out’s of businesses apart from my background in HR. If I want to run my own business, I need to know have knowledge in the systems of finance, operations and marketing. I know a lot of people who brag that they were able to succeed without an MBA, but I’ve also seen a lot of people fail because they did not really study how feasible their business will be in the long run considering external factors. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Being system-oriented is connected to being passionate about learning. Aside from what I formally learn in school, I also highly value what I learn from my job, my relationship with other people and even with my random daily experiences. Successful entrepreneurs are open to others’ opinions, and I make sure I surround myself both with supporters and skeptics.
I still feel though as if I have a lot of areas to work on. First of all, I have to learn to not be afraid of risk or success. Nobody wants to fail, and I regard myself as one of the most competitive women in all aspects of my life, be it with work, school or sports. As a typical character 8 (challenger) in the Enneagram, I hate losing. This has caused me not to take chances in areas of uncertainty, including the possibility of having my own business. Slowly, I am learning that I cannot stay in my comfort zone and just continue to expand it. Unless I step out of it, I will never be able to realize my dreams.
Slowly, I am also learning to become optimistic, which is another important trait a successful entrepreneur must have. I am a pessimist by nature and previous failed expectations have continually fueled my negativity. Throughout the years, I realized how unhappy being so negative is and how refreshing looking at the bright side is. There will always be setbacks and disappointments but if I kept on looking back, I would never be able to move forward. Forgive, forget, learn from the past and move on.
Aside from qualities I possess and do not possess, there are also some qualities I hope to gain along the way once I have taken the risk to be an entrepreneur. A successful entrepreneur is gregarious. The fulfillment in doing something you love infects the people around you to the point that it becomes easy to be a social person and share excitement. It works the same way when an employee enjoys his job and feels as if he is not working. I love my job in the recruitment field and I have turned into the extrovert I never was simply because of my passion for my job. This is also connected to being dedicated. Many businesspeople fail when they lose focus: they concentrate too much on minimizing expenses, protecting the bottom line, or changing work processes. Whatever my business will be in the future, I have to take on the challenge and be devoted to my objectives and goals.
Lastly, I need to be grateful if I want to be a successful entrepreneur. An entrepreneur should appreciate and nurture what he is given, make it grow and take care not to let it fall off. I ought to be thankful for whatever monetary and non-monetary capital I have to start my business and I should not take any of these for granted. Being able to start a business is enough to be grateful for.
I hope by the end of the semester I will be able to get my thoughts together and decide on what path for me to take. I’ll be working on the qualities I do not have, will nourish the qualities I already possess and will develop the qualities I hope to have. 4.0
References:
Action Coach. (n.d.) 12 Essential Characteristics of an Entrepreneur. Retrieved March 29, 2012 from http://www.actioncoach.com/_downloads/whitepaper-FranchiseRep5.pdf
Regards,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| |
 | Kathleen Lizette C. Crisostomo Business Manager - Banking and Finance / Shared Services
Permanent Business
Prime Manpower
15th Floor Bankmer Building
6756 Ayala Avenue
1226 Makati City
Philippines
T: +63 2 878 2700
D: +63 2 878 2785 M: +63 917 865 4020 kathleen.crisostomo@manpower.com.ph www.manpower.com.ph |
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This communication may contain privileged or other confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, or believe that you may have received this communication in error, please reply to the sender indicating that fact and delete the copy you received. In addition, if you are not the intended recipient, you should not print, copy, retransmit, disseminate, or otherwise use the information contained in this communication. Thank you. | |
No comments:
Post a Comment