Week 10 Our needed conversions are often achieved more readily by suffering and adversity than by comfort and tranquillity ~ Dallin H. Oaks

 This week the reading material focused a lot on “becoming” and the ideal entrepreneur as being innovative. It was interesting reading for the most part.

One particular assignment The Heart of Entrepreneurship by Howard H. Stevenson and David E. Gumpert was quite dry and weirdly came across like a fortune cookie with passages like, “A close relationship exists between opportunity and individual needs.” Or “Opportunities do not show up at the start of a planning cycle.” It made the reading humorous amidst a rather dry read. But in truth it held many gems of wisdom; the main point being a successful entrepreneur is seeking after opportunities not merely trying to maintain a position of power.

But I found myself thinking that yes, innovation and opportunities to create new paths to pursue are great ways to build a business, but there is nothing wrong with doing something tried and true, something basic. I was of course thinking of my own business as co-owner of a landscaping company I do not see the need for huge amounts of innovation. We provide our customers with consistent, reliable service. My husband is the face and often the muscle of the business. He has personal relationships and interaction with the customers he works with. He prides himself in being efficient and ensuring work is done “right” to his satisfaction. If we were trying to expand and become a large company, he could no longer do that. He would be relegated to manager or training until he could hire a manager to do that for him. In that case, yes, innovative team management practices would come into play. But that is not our goal, we are satisfied with providing a home for ourselves and the basic necessities of life, with a few perks added in from time to time. 

Hearkening back to the idea of becoming, Dallin H. Oaks told of a parable:
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A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the inheritance would probably be wasted. The father said to his child:

      “All that I have I desire to give you—not only my wealth, but also my position and                 standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you         must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have         learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I           have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have                     mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.”
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Becoming an entrepreneur is not merely opening a business, it really is more about dreaming big and going after those dreams. It is about converting ourselves from one kind of being to another.
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Change is growth and growth sometimes hurts but it is always a chance for improvement.