Progress Update

My $100 business challenge is going well!  Juliet is a joy to take care of.  Originally I was going to charge my friend $25 a week to take care of Juliet, but she pays me $30!  I really like being able to help my friend by offering low-cost child care – Juliet is so easy to take care of and I know that my friend doesn’t have much money.  She is a part-time teacher while her husband finishes school, so their income is somewhat limited.  I feel like I am making a positive influence in their lives by helping them to save more money and work while knowing their child is in loving care while they are away.  Sometimes I wonder if I should even charge them at all, but I need to make at least $100 for the assignment!

Also during this week, I was able to learn about different leadership styles and what style I tend to use.  I am a delegating, democratic type of leader.  This doesn’t surprise me at all!  I always want the input of others when making decisions – I never want to feel like I’m imposing my own decisions on everyone else.  Dictating others has never been my style, but I could probably use some more decisiveness and persuasiveness in my leadership style.

I also learned a little about an entrepreneur named Russ Rosenzweig.  In a video, he shared some important insights about targeting a specific market.  He and his new company struggled at first because they were trying to market to the world rather than a target market.  Once they narrowed in on a focused market, they were able to achieve success.  This is an important thing to note, because I can see how tempting it could be to market to everyone and anyone possible!  But without a lack of focus, we lack the ability to market effectively.  I also loved his thoughts on material wealth and acquiring possessions.  As he experienced wealth, he realized he accumulated more and continually wanted more and more.  But his experience in India opened his perspective and he realized that there is so much more than accumulating material wealth and possessions – life should have meaning and purpose.  Rather than focusing on external sources of happiness or success, such as acquiring material wealth and possessions, we should focus on our internal source of happiness and success.  As we do so, we can help improve the world and make it a better place.