I am a second-year Innovation Academy student, so in theory - I am required to take this class. However, even if I didn't have to be here, I feel like I would be. Entrepreneurship is a concept that has always interested me since I was little. Tycoon games were the #1 favorite past time of a 9 year old me. Roller Coaster Tycoon in particular was my FAVORITE game in the world. I got to run and manage my own profitable theme park, and this concept was inspiring to me.
Being apart of the Innovation Academy, I actually got the chance to try my hand at Entrepreneurship, and entered a competition with a few of my classmates called the IA Catalyst Showcase. For this event, we had to find a market and come up with a product that would satisfy the needs of that market. My particular group came up with AquaNyte - A utilitarian twist on a traditional water canteen. We didn't win - however, we did learn a lot about business plans, prototyping, and most importantly, entrepreneurship.
Not winning was discouraging at first, however in the end, it was a learning experience. This experience pushes me to pull something out of this class. I want to be able to do what I did, with more knowledge and actually be able to fix the flaws that we had the first time. I want to know where I went wrong, and have the means necessary to fix it. That's my personal goal for this class - to be able to successfully identify markets and theorize solutions.
Hello Ryan!
ReplyDeleteWow, I was very inspired by your story because I competed in the catalyst event as well, and know how you felt throughout it all. I'm so happy that this event over the summer inspired you to take this class. I feel that your experience throughout last summer and competing in the event, will help you gain further knowledge through this class! I think you will be successful with this class and succeed with your personal goals for it!
Roller Coaster Tycoon was the best! I had never thought of it as an entrepreneurial game before, but I definitely agree with your assessment.
ReplyDeleteThe IA Catalyst Showcase seems like an interesting contest. It's unfortunate that you didn't win, but it seems like you took a lot away from the competition. Your desire for improvement is admirable. Thanks for sharing your story!
If you're interested, you could check out my story here: http://jamestyrrell.blogspot.com/2016/01/my-entrepreneurship-story-week-2.html