Coming into this course, I honestly did not know what to expect. Sure, I anticipated that the course would revolve around social entrepreneurship, but I did not know exactly how it would be applied. Early on I thought that the class would revolve around developing a completely unique innovation and focusing on that for our main project. However, I did enjoy analyzing a company and attempting to resolve their shortcomings. I found that this process helped us take a more analytical approach, as opposed to starting completely from scratch. Additionally, having our innovation be company-focused felt much more relevant as we were able to keep up with our target company on a day-to-day basis. Here are a few of my biggest takeaways from the semester:
- Ideation Methods: In my opinion, some of the most helpful exercises from the semester were those revolving around ideation. I definitely plan on using some of these methods in the future if I am feeling stuck on developing a particular creative idea. In the past, whenever I have brainstormed on a certain topic or issue, I’ve found that ideas became stagnant over time. This is especially true for group work, as it is difficult to be synchronized with everyone’s thought processes. One exercise that really stuck out was developing “anti-ideas” when coming up with product solutions. From my perspective, the anti-idea method accomplished the following: lightened up the mood, helped us think completely outside the box, and facilitated future idea generation. Next year I will be working in project management, and I plan on adding these ideation methods to my arsenal of strategic approaches.
- Living Principles Analysis: I found the Living Principles framework to be a comprehensive way to breakdown and analyze a particular situation or entity. Many of the considerations in the LP framework were originally nonobvious to me. For example, measures, such as culture and transparency, are key to the success of a company, but are not the first thing that comes to mind about prominent companies. By getting as specific as possible, you have the ability to understand what the core problems an organization is experiencing. The more you understand and define an issue, the easier and clearer the solution is. It is extremely important to be thorough in your initial classifications in order to produce a solution that is worthwhile.
- Sustainability Frameworks: One of my favorite readings from the semester was the one on sustainability frameworks. I do not have much of a sustainability background so I really enjoyed learning about different ways to measure sustainability. The framework that really stood out to me was the Life Cycle Analysis assessment. What stood out to me about LCA was how it was more quantitatively based than the other frameworks. In my opinion, tracking the impact of a certain product or service must incorporate a quantitative component. Understanding some of the most effective ways to do so is extremely important when assessing the best ways to go about a particular product or service.
- Feedback Analysis: In other entrepreneurship classes that I have taken, my professors have always expressed that is critical to receive customer feedback when making improvements to a particular concept. However, I had always found it challenging to organize such feedback in a way that I was able to distinguish what was important from what was not. The methods that we went over for organizing and breaking down feedback were very helpful. By doing this in a systematic way, I was able to pick up on certain trends, which demonstrated where we hitting the mark and where we lacking. Some of our best iterations came from receiving feedback and repurposing it in a tangible way.
Overall this was definitely one of my favorite courses of the year. My true passion is entrepreneurship and I believe that the material has helped me refine my entrepreneurial skill set and it has allowed me to look at issues from a different perspective. Ultimately, I want to start a business that makes a positive social impact, while improving the daily lives of people. To me, a business that accomplishes these two facets will define what it means to be successful going forward. Many of the most innovative companies of today are already doing so, and those who fail to adjust might not be around for much longer. As I begin my post-grad journey, I hope to apply many of the principles that we have gone over.