Scott Turrel - Entrepreneur

 This week I went to a family reunion and learned a lot about how far I've come this semester. Spending time with family I haven't seen in years was a great way to compare who I used to be and who I am now. Many members that I know quite well have some great ideas as to what they might want to do or businesses they might want to start. The difference between most are those that are all talk, sharing their ideas with words like "I would really love to..." and those that actually do with affirmations like "I've been working on...".  It really gave me some perspective on what I actually want to do. I want to be able to return to the next reunion in three years and say what I'm working on or what I've accomplished rather than being part of the crowd that just talks about what I would rather be doing. Some final advice I might give to someone or myself would be to keep going to the finish line. I had many chances to quit school before and stop working...

 I found it very interesting that in Paths to an Entrepreneurial Career, speaker Ted Zoller said the most successful path was to start in a large company then, over time, back into a smaller venture. I think about how much you can learn from a large well established company and the contacts you can make. Its almost like a free education allowing you to learn the ropes before going it on your own.  Another thing I made a connection with this week was about the importance of knowing how other companies (often large companies) operate. A small business that supplies a large business, needs to know how their client makes decisions. I love making connections with the different kinds of work I've done, often using one as an example to help solve a problem in the other. The last thing was reviewing my learning about gratitude. I always have to remind myself that having an attitude of gratitude is not the same as being complacent and just thinking there is nothing I can do about my si...

 I believe that virtue and integrity are important to the economy because trust is needed to grow business. Business drives economy. Without trust in a business it won't work and thus won't contribute to the economy the way it needs to. Whether the general population stops frequenting a certain business (i.e. restaurant, or market, etc.) or refuses to invest in a its future through the stock market, this will impact the economy that is most closely affected by that business. I am reminded of shows like "American Greed" or movies like "The Other Guys" and "Fun with Dick and Jane". The former is documentary style while the latter two are more comedic and satirical, but they all paint a vivid picture of corporate greed that destroys innocent lives and subsequently causes harm to the economy. I myself am hesitant to invest in any business without knowing what kind of values they live up to, not just what they say, but what they actually do. According t...

 In answering the question- What is your attitude toward money?- I have to say that it is pretty complicated. As I learn more with each class leading up to my degree, I think my attitude and views on money change more and more. Years ago I thought that simply having all the money would make all my dreams come true. Now, through education, I've taken a hard look at what it is I really want in life. And yes, having lots more money would make some things easier. The truth is that what I want doesn't actually require all the money. At least not right away. Having more money now could make things go faster, but the reality is I can still accomplish what I want through hard work, research, and especially patience.  A person's view on money can drastically change their life to the point where it becomes an all consuming concept. Something I have tried very hard to do is teach my kids about patience and responsibility. When my oldest wanted to take a vacation to Washington D.C. wit...