Assignment 3- Entrepreneurship Story

My entire life, I have been exposed to entrepreneurship in my family. 23 years ago, my parents became franchisees of a daycare center, Kids R Kids, just before my older sister was born. My dad had spent a little bit of time working for a paper company, and decided that he hated giving great ideas to management but never seeing them be put into action because he was so far down the totem pole. He always says that he became an entrepreneur because he doesn't like taking orders from other people--a harsh personality trait, but something that all entrepreneurs possess to some extent. To be a go-getter, you MUST take matters into your own hands and call the shots! That being said, he quit his job and spent 24/7 getting the daycare up and running while my mom was the breadwinner working her 9-5 at an ad agency and spending her nights and weekends helping with the business as well. They did not make a penny for the first two years they were in business; in fact, they lost money those two years. In order to make payroll, my mom would run to cash her paycheck on Fridays and put it right back into the business. They didn't have any money for advertising, so on weekends they would drive a giant school bus around town to put flyers in every mailbox and pin them on community boards, etc. My sister and I were the stars of the commercials they put together, and because of my mom's job she was able to barter to get some ad time and other resources to make it happen. Fast forward to now, and my sister, younger brother, and I are all grown up and the daycare has been smooth sailing for many, many years and my parents are on the lookout for their next venture. They initially chose this business because of the fact that they were beginning to have children and knew that daycare was expensive. Now they are interested in opening a dog kennel because they believe that it is a very similar business and offers a little less liability (dealing with animals and not people). They have inspired me to go after everything I want and to not sit around and wait for other people. Additionally, it has showed me that following your dreams will have some rocky roads and uphill battles, but it's worth it in the end. I am very grateful for the life these entrepreneurs have given me!

Here is a picture of my dad and I in the daycare (as you may be able to tell by the food pyramid poster in the background) on a weekend after running around town advertising.

I enrolled in this class because one day I wish to be an entrepreneur--how soon, I'm not sure. I thought that by enrolling in this class I would be able to engage in self-reflection that would allow me to identify my strengths and weaknesses, and also provide me with valuable feedback and constructive criticism from classmates.