Very Short Interview, Part 2

From where you stand now, what is your impression of that initial interview?

It's hard to believe that my first interview with Richard was over 3 months ago, but at the same time I feel that I have done more than 3 months worth of progression. I now know a lot more about entrepreneurship than I did at the beginning of all of this. Looking back at Richard's answers to my questions, to begin with, they didn't make much sense - but now everything is starting to piece itself together. I'm glad that Pryor made us do these interviews because it provided me insight knowledge from somebody that has been in the business for an extremely long time and is able to provide a lot of facts and tips if I were to pursue this myself.

Second, visit the entrepreneur again. Record the interview if possible. The three questions you ask this time are entirely up to you. Let your experiences in this course drive what questions you ask -- and that will be very different for each of you! 

When I went back, Richard was delighted to see me and I was surprised that he actually remembered my name. I made a comment about him remembering my name, and he said that after I came and interviewed him the first time, it left an imprint on him and an appreciation for the innovative youth. It made me feel good to hear him say that.

The questions I asked him this time were

1) If you were to ever leave this business, how would you end it?

His response was that he's always been a one-person business man, and even if given the choice, he wouldn't trust anyone else to keep the business running. Once he feels that he wants to retire, he will do so, and close the business but he has no plans on continuing it in anyway without himself being there.

2) What has been your biggest failure in this business?

Richard said that his biggest failure was making the mistake of hiring employees that didn't have the charisma and positivity that he did about the company. By hiring these people, the shop took a turn for the worst in sales and customer satisfaction.

3) How did you recover from that failure?

Richard said that after about 6 months, he fired these people and continued to run the business by himself for quite some time and made his interviewing process a lot stricter for possible prospects. He now has a team of 5 hardworking individuals that believe in themselves and the business, and he said the team has been the same for over 7 years.

Third, after the interview, try to gather some sense of how far you have come in this class. In your post, discuss your comfort level in talking about entrepreneurship in this interview now, compared to three months ago. Did the entrepreneur convey a sense that they thought you had progressed in your journey?

Three months ago, I found myself very nervous walking into Richard's shop to interview him but now it felt so comfortable. I feel that we have gained respect for each other in a sense that feels both friendly and inspirational. Richard has provided me a lot of life advice that will help me if I ever decide to start a business. Richard did see a progression in my knowledge by the way I presented myself, and the questions that I wanted to ask him. He could tell that I was knowledgeable in building up a business and focused my questions towards the end and various struggles that you may encounter along the way. Overall, I found this to be a very beneficial experience.

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