My Entreprenuer's Journal

  If you had one final lecture to share with a group of students on what you have learned from this course, what would you share? I was so impressed with Tom Monaghan’s story that I read this week.   His story is what I would share.   I loved how he just decided to buy a pizzeria that was for sale called “Dominicks”.   After turning it into the most successful delivery pizza store, Dominick withdrew his permission to continue using his name.   A delivery driver helped him come up with the Dominos name.   How crazy is it that such a household name was born by a pizza delivery driver?   Isn’t that how so many successes begin, just by happenstance?      I was also very impressed with Tom Monaghan who read CS Lewis’s book called “Mere Christianity” he said, “he basically was telling me that the reason you work so hard and try to accomplish all you had was to have more. Not just more but more than other people and that hit me right between ...

  President Monson gave a wonderful talk about Gratitude.   In my post today I wanted to touch on some of the points he talked about. I have always loved the story of the ten lepers and how after the Savior healed them, only one returned to give thanks,“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.” (Luke 17) I often wonder if I would be like the one and return to say thank you.   Sometimes I am forgetful and don’t always know how to give thanks to kindness rendered to me.   The other day my neighbor dropped off some mint chocolates with a cute “Merry Christmas neighbor” note.   I have been looking at those chocolates and wondering what to send over in return.   Or should I just a simply say “thank you.”   Sometimes its good just to let others serve you with out feeling obligated to give them something in return. ...

  Week 12 Journal entry by Colleen Manley              Based on what you read in the first two pages, why are virtue and integrity so vital to an economy?   Virtue and integrity are vital to a thriving economy because when it is present in a free market, people are more willing to invest their money in the stock market.   Charles Handy said,   “Markets rely on rules and laws, but those rules and laws in turn depend on truth and trust. Conceal truth or erode trust, and the game becomes so unreliable that no one will want to play. The markets will empty and share prices will collapse, as ordinary people find other places to put their money – into their houses, maybe, or under their beds.” America has its challenges with Capitalism, especially when big corporations lose the trust of the shareholders and stockholders.   So yes, virtue and integrity are vital to a thriving economy. According to Charles Handy, what is the “real ...

  Week 11 Journal entry by Colleen Manley              Thinking about the lens I look through about money brings me to my home I was raised in.   My father was once a successful businessman but lost his money due to following many entrepreneurial ideas here and there.   I can’t even list all of them.   Since my father’s death, my mother says he should have been a schoolteacher or a postal worker so they could have had a steady income and retirement, but this was not in his nature.   He had so much ambition and after his first successful business, which he sold, he went on to other things, never to see success in his entrepreneurial journey again.   He died without a penny to his name. After seeing my father be unsuccessful in his business life, I searched for a man to marry who would give me stability and security.   When I met my husband, he had dreams to become a doctor.   He had su...

This week, I was very intrigued by Jim Ritchie who talked about this book called “Emotional fingerprint”.   He said “Your Emotional Fingerprint is a program that helps you develop a blueprint for your feelings and emotions. It helps explain why you respond the way you do to situations in your life. It teaches that becoming aware of your emotional fingerprint or emotional DNA helps a person to make effective decisions, overcome the challenges, and achieve personal and financial goals with more effectiveness.” He also said, “when a person learns what the key driving forces are in their life, they can begin to take control of their future”. So profound!   I wanted to include these in my journal because I don’t want to forget them. I also appreciated his story about the old Indian chief who tells his grandson about the human experience and that inside each of us is a battle going on between two wolves, one is bad and one good. “The evil one— represented anger, envy, jealousy, ...

  This week I enjoyed doing my interview with my brother.   I am 8 years younger so even though I knew some of his business success, I didn’t know all of it.   It was fun talking to him and gaining some real insights into his successes and failures. After the interview I realized how much I learned from him and was sad that I hadn’t asked these questions earlier.   I have 5 brothers and all of them are entrepreneurs.   Now I am interested in all their stories and want to interview all of them because I learned so much from my oldest brother this week.   My second oldest brother is also a very successful entrepreneur.   He and my oldest brother went into business together as young fathers but found the business didn’t support both families, so my oldest brother backed out and let the other brother do the business on his own, but after a divorce he gave the business back to the older brother.   After his divorce, this second brother got remarried ...

This week I mostly thought about who I would interview.   I decided to interview my brother Joe.   He is such a great guy who has a very wonderful success story.   He did not finish high school because he was a bit of a goof off and his kind of learning just wasn’t sitting in a classroom.   He was very good at sports and was a friend to everyone who knew him.   He went on a mission to Ireland in the late 70’s and when he came home, he worked construction.   He met his wife, they married, and they made a nice life together.    I don’t want to spoil the report I am going to write about how he began his entrepreneur’s journey, but I am excited to tell you more. I really enjoyed the reading.   The action school of business taught me that we need to think backwards.   Start with solutions then look for the problem.   He told the story about Dale Earnhardt and his tragic death.   He created a banner and after a few minutes got 300 ...

Habit 1 - Be proactive.   We can choose our own response to any signals or information we receive. We have the ability to influence our own actions. Therefore, being proactive means to actively choose what our response will be in any situation rather than to react blindly. Habit 2 - Begin with the end in mind.   Main Idea Beginning with the end in mind means using an image or paradigm of your character at the end of your life as a frame of reference or criterion by which everything is examined. Each part of your life should be examined in the context of the whole - the long-term view. Habit 3 - Put first things first. Main Idea The heart of effective personal time management is to spend the maximum time possible doing important jobs in a non-urgent atmosphere that increases your efficiency. Habit 4 - Think win/win. Main Idea The most effective way to work with other people is to structure a win/win relationship focused on results, not methods. Habit 5 - Seek first to u...

  I have been an entrepreneur for most of my life.   It was instilled in me as a kid.   We were poor and had very little money so at the young age of 10, my sister and I got a paper route.   We lived in Las Vegas and our route was close to our home.   We both had bikes and would get up at 4am fold papers and then stack them in our bags.   This was very hard work for two young girls and probably dangerous too.   But we were determined to make money.   After a few weeks of this, and on a particularly very cold morning, my sister dropped her papers on the sidewalk and said, “I quit.”   I begged her not to leave but to no avail.   I cried but picked up her papers and mine and finished the route.   I was determined to do what I had promised to do.   I continue to keep my word today.   If I make an agreement with you, I will fulfill whatever was agreed upon. I really loved N Eldon Tanners talk on success gauged on self-mastery...

  What does choose to live a hero’s journey mean to me? It means making every moment count.   It means putting others first.   It means loving and living life to its fullest.   It means contributing to society, being a good person, and helping others on life’s journey. My husband and I started a rental property management company with my father-in-law and brother-in-law.   My husband and I put up the start up money and my father-in-law and Brother-in-law ran the company.   After 5 years and no return on our investment, we decided to become more involved in the company.   We found that my father-in-law spent every last dime, no matter how much came in.   the company actually made tons of money, but my FIL just couldn’t control his spending.   He not only kept spending all the money, but he kept dipping into the owners trust account, which was illegal.   After talking to him again and again, and after a few more years and hiring an accou...

This week I had to ponder what I want to become and who I see myself as.  I was surprised at how difficult this assignment was.  It took some serious reflection and to be truthful, I wasnt happy with the person that I see myself as.  And surprisingly, the person I want to become is the person I used to be.  I was a pretty great kid.  I was obedient, confident, and beautiful.  I was the person that many envied.  I was always smiling, always  happy and had no worries in the world.  I came from a poor family so just having a job was the greatest opportunity in the world.   Then I met the love of my life.  We got married and had 6 beautiful little babies.  My husband went to medical school then joined the Air force. We lived a fun and adventureous life.  After my husband seperated from the Air Force we moved to St George Utah.  I thought life couldnt get more perfect, We moved close to family and we lived in Mayberry...

  This week I did a case study about a woman named Magdalena Yesil.   She was an Armenian woman who decided to come to the US to study engineering at IIT.   After her first year of school, she decided to find a school in a warmer place and transferred to Stanford in California.   She earned her bachelors and master’s degrees and then took a job working for AMD.   She was also offered a job with Apple which could have also launched her career.   She became a very successful marketer and entrepreneur and much of that time, worked from home.   She was always learning and coming up with ideas.   She started her own company and sold it before it was even a proven success. She is a great success story that with hard work and dedication you can create your dream career.

  I believe Randy Pausch was able to achieve so many of his childhood dreams because he is a very motivated, intelligent, creative, passionate, and productive.   He didn’t need anyone making him get out of bed, he didn’t spend his days playing video games when he had things to do, like so many youngsters today.   And I believe he had supportive parents who encouraged him to follow his dreams and were there to help him along his path.   I loved his story about his bedroom where his parents allowed him to draw on his walls and be creative.   He must have had wonderful parents.   Yes, I believe dreaming is important.   One of my favorite hero’s is Walt Disney.   He was a dreamer.   He had such great ambition and talent, but his greatest asset was his sheer unwillingness to give up.   There were so many times that he was penniless and was subjected to great loss and disappointment, but with perseverance and dreams he forged ahead and now w...

This week was the beginning of my Entrepreneurship class.  I am wondering what I will learn from this class as it seems to be a repeat of my other Business classes.  I understand that this class is about creating a life plan, but I am 57 years old and wonder what my life plan will look like.  I am getting my education because it is a personal goal for me.  I have been a realtor for 10 years https://colleen-manley.iprorealtynetwork.com/ ,  I have run an online website for selling puppies  andreasyorkies.weebly.com and I currently own a travel agency MySuiteTravelhttp://mysuitetravel.com .   I have owned my own brick and mortar store called The Bear Mill. The Bear Mill Grand Opening 2006 So, what will a life plan look like for me?  Since my husband and I are just a few years away from retirement, I would like to use this opportunity to create a retirement plan if that is OK.  That would be my life plan I want to see myself in the next ...