A very good friend of mine, David Nassau has a non-profit organization he started in 2013 with a friend of his. A short description of his project that he works on is "Hopping 4 A Cure™ for Multiple Sclerosis is a non-profit organization. Proceeds go toward College Scholarships, Caregiver Support, and Medical Research." I took that directly from the Facebook page, which provided the best description. Over the past year or so I have spent time with him, every now and again and he tells me about what is going on with his organization. Typically when I meet with him there is a lot to share, he always has some sort of idea for new self promotion about his org, he is very proactive about getting new people to be involved, and his "elevator pitch" for this is incredible. He is very professional and goal oriented, also friendly and willing to take the time to make sure people can truly see his visions and aspirations for hoping 4 a cure. These experiences with him make me feel like if I was as passionate about something as David is for his org than I would be able to be successful as well. He is always inviting people to is meeting and allowing new ideas to come in, he is very much about the creative process and welcomes every type of critique and criticism that can help him to become more successful. He has a very big "never give up" attitude, he has hosted many events and meetings and at first nearly no one would attend, but over time he has been able to build up and audience. He has more patience and perseverance than me, in that respect. David isn't discourage by failures, he welcomes them as an opportunity to grow and develop. He isn't afraid to fail if it will cause him to become better in the long run. I suppose that is what I admire the most about him. He has an unbeatable spirit.
(David and I are the two on the right)
The reason I enrolled in ENT3003 was honestly because it's part of my tracking for my IA minor, there's really no way around taking this class. But, that doesn't mean I don't want to gain anything from it, especially if I am investing weeks of my time into this course. I want to learn more abut the ways of an entrepreneur, and the steps they take to get to where they want to be. I may not want to start a business but that doesn't mean I am not interested in how people do so. I am interested by the entrepreneurial spirit, and I think the concept of needing to fail in order to grow is something that nearly everyone has to come to understand in their lives.
(David and I are the two on the right)
Aw, Kristiana, your post gives me the warm fuzzies. I'm not sure if it's the hopscotching for a cause or that you wrote about (and know) someone who started a non-profit, but I'm going to have to look into this. I wish you could have posted his "Hopping 4 A Cure" elevator pitch! David's spirit, as you've described him, definitely reads entrepreneurial, though perhaps not in the conventional sense. I'm so used to entrepreneurs being those figures, like Oprah, who have amassed an empire. I think I need to adjust my understanding.
ReplyDeleteHey, if I learned anything from the reading it's that you don't have to be a business owner to be an entrepreneur. It's almost like entrepreneurship is a lifestyle, not an occupation. Anyway, I'm in the same boat as you, here because I have to be but excited to be here. It seems the course will have takeaways above and beyond what I expected, which I think you've touched on here. Good post!
I would love if you checked out my story, too! http://adventuresinent.blogspot.com/2016/01/my-entrepreneurship-story.html
DeleteThough not exactly a philanthropist, my great grandfather did care about the well being of others and did everything he could to improve his community, including building bridges (voluntarily) and teaching neighborhood kids trades like woodwork.
I really enjoyed your blog post Kristiana. I didn't expect to read such a good post about a philanthropist entrepreneur. You really hit it out of the ball park with that one. I will be looking into the organization "Hopping 4 A Cure" later on and sharing it with my friends. Seeing the fact that a philanthropist is considered an entrepreneur has helped me better understand entrepreneurship.
ReplyDeleteIf you get a chance, please take a look at my blog post as well, it would be much appreciated :D
http://danielricciulli.blogspot.com/2016/01/my-entrepreneurship-story.html