Lesson 9 Entrepreneurial Journal

Lessons Learned:

After reading "Journey to a High Ground" by Elder Wirthlin, I started thinking about the pride cycles of the Book of Mormon.  They are so clear to the reader when we can see the big perspective, but when you are living in the moment, you can't see the obvious.  The obvious is follow the prophet and the Lord and live righteously and you will be blessed.  It's sad that it's almost common sense as a member, but much of the world can't see it.  It would be interesting to see if there are any studies of the world which follow a similar pattern.  And it's always a good reminder to read about what can happen when the Lord blesses you with prosperity if you don't keep your heart in the right place.  I was surprised at the videos with Guy Kawasaki and Mark Zuckerberg, where they were saying don't hire someone based on their skills, but hire someone who is passionate and believes in your company.  I was still under the impression that skills and experience were the most important thing for hiring, but I can see how the culture fit it also important.  I don't believe they used "culture fit" back in my day.  I could also see how important comprehensive employee training is to ensuring the success of an employee.  I think sometimes companies think the employee is the problem, when in fact they just haven't had the proper training to do the job right.  I enjoyed reading about the JetBlue startup and how simple yet effective their company vision was of putting the customer's comfort and satisfaction as the number one thing.  But equally important, they also showed that they cared greatly about their employees as well.  They created a great environment in the company.

$100 Challenge:
This week I just had a small typing job and am still waiting for the bigger recipe book job.  I decided to invest in a 1 month subscription to www.virtualassistant.com for $10 just to see if I could find any small jobs there.  From what I have seen so far, it will be pretty difficult to get work because there are literally thousands of people competing for the same jobs.  I applied with a proofreading service and they said they only hire 1 out of every 300 people that apply.  I think I am better off looking for work locally like I planned on.  When colleges are back in session I will look to advertise in some free publications that cater to the college students.  My finances to date are:  Income $88; Expenses $10; Net Profit $78.