Assignment:
Part 1: Entrepreneur Interview Paper
Locate a local entrepreneur to interview and write a reflection paper on your chosen person. You are required to submit a one-page biography of your entrepreneur. It is important: Be sure to start this assignment as soon as possible to insure that you find a suitable entrepreneur.
The purpose of this paper is to interview a local entrepreneur in order to develop insights into the world of entrepreneurship. At the end of the process, you will need to take the information and reflect upon the challenges and the rewards of being an entrepreneur.
• What type of person becomes this type of risk taker?
• What challenges did he or she face and overcome?
• What failures did this person have?
• How many companies has he or she started?
• How successful is he or she?
• Why is this person successful?
• Why did he or she become an entrepreneur?
• What is this person's measure of success?
• What did you learn about entrepreneurship from this interview?
This paper should focus on these types of questions but should not be limited to just the ones listed above. Get creative and get into the idea that you need to learn from this person so that you can better understand the challenges this business choice offers.
Guidelines
• You must follow APA formatting guidelines.
• Although this is not a scientific-type writing assignment and is mostly creative in nature, references are still very important. You must reference your interviewee. Be sure to look up how to cite an interview in APA style.
• Any questions about this paper may be discussed in the weekly Q & A discussion topic.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I do not know anyone who is an entrepreneur or owns a small business. What do I do?
Find someone who owns a business (or who has owned a business in the past) in any industry, anywhere. You may have to get on the phone and make some calls. Tell him or her you are a college student and need approximately 30 minutes of his or her time. People are almost always happy to help a student. Have a backup in case your first choice for an interview has a conflict at the last minute. Conflicts and conciliation can happen, so it is best to be prepared.
2. Do I have to do an interview?
Yes, a personal or phone interview with another person is required. Full contact information for the source should be provided in your paper for verification purposes.
3. I do this work for my company; can I just talk about my experience?
No, see question 2 above.
4. How do I cite a personal interview as a source reference?