Entrepreneurship and Me
Last fall, when I had just started as a Finance major in the college of business, my friend asked me if I wanted to join his company. Change-Up Health was his creation, providing a platform for easy donations to in-need hospitals. It worked by tracking your transactions on your credit or debit card, and rounding up the change to the nearest dollar. That amount was donated to a rural hospital near you.
My friend wanted me to join as the Chief Financial Officer, in charge of the company's budget, financial statements, and taxes. It was a great opportunity, and I happily accepted. I learned a lot while I worked with my friend: I helped table meetings between the officers, spoke with business advisors and possible investors, and kept track of company expenses.
Sadly however, my friend the founder seemed to lose his vision for the company, putting it to the side a lot. Now, nothing is going on with Change-Up, and my friend hasn't mentioned it or worried about it in several months. He has gone on to start a real-estate wholesale company, and it seems to be going well.
I won't regret working with him however. It was a lot of fun, and I gained some good experience in the process. I learned that starting a business isn't nearly as imposing as I'd expected. Even the company falling by the wayside taught me that a business is only as good as the vision of its owners. Once they lose the desire to continue it on, it is bound to fail.
I've enrolled in ENT3003 to hopefully find what sparks that entrepreneurial spirit that my friend has. I have a couple ideas for starting my own business, but I don't know how to get started or what direction to go in. I hope to learn, if not methods for starting a company, at least some ways to drive my creativity and realize my visions for my business.
Hey Kyle. I enjoyed reading your post. That is pretty cool that you got to work at a friend’s company for a short while. Change UP Health seemed like it was an awesome company to be a part of. Sorry that you did not work with the company as long as you may have expected. But at least you received work exposure for the time being. I have never worked for a company or had a job, but I know it takes commitment of time, hard work, and dedication to be successful.
ReplyDeleteHey Kyle,
ReplyDeleteThe experience you've had with a start-up that you played a huge role in is very cool and inspiring. The idea you and your friend were working with seemed very beneficial to the community and I am sure it was a great experience for the two of you. I am sorry it is over now, but at the very least you have had experience being a CFO which is something not a lot of people can say.
Hey Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that the project stalled. However, it seems like a really great thing to have been involved with and seemed to me like an awesome project. That being said, you did a perfect job telling your entrepreneurship story, which was personal and definitely relevant to the class. You also listed a good reason for taking ENT 3003 (finding that entrepreneurial spirit) and overall did a great job on this assignment. Great submission!