Friday, September 17, 2010

Techopreneurial Business

Techno Assignment 5: Given the chance to have your own techno business, discuss it's nature and target clients.

 The world of technopreneurship is indeed so wide. There are lots of businesses that can be putted up just on being a technopreneur. It just needs a bit of imagination, being unique, risky and ambitious.Enhancing the nature of their businesses to engage in a higher level technopreneurship is a must in order to compete and stand against other competitors. Now a day, lots of technopreneurs had been competing in the field of technopreneurship. Where in each individual is granted the newest and highest technologies in their own unique ways. Having some edges could help to gain some extra advantages among these competitors.Since lots of entrepreneurs had found the rising of technology as a way of business, the evolution of technopreneurs and technopreneurial businesses had been spread out and because of that, several businesses had shared the same nature. In order to surpass the competitors, a business must have some edges to conquer the field.Creating and specifying a business idea is too much complicated. Thus it needs to be allotted a huge time for completion. And a time to be allotted to debate about certain attributes on the business features. For there are lots of things to be considered first in order to have a business.

Given a chance to own a technopreneurial business, I would still choose the concept of marketing with an extension or back end of web designing as an additional business phase. So, marketing and web designing: Those are two popular words or terms in the field of business, sound great but is so hard especially for starters. Although this business proposal is just an idea, this proposal is indeed not suitable for starters like me or “us”. I do agree with the questions and comments regarding the said business proposal last time, and for the comment that this business is too ambitious. Yes it is true, it is impossible for starters to build a business which is as high level as this one. Though this might sound so ambitious, but still, given a chance to own a technopreneurial business, I will rather stick on this idea. Yes of course! It is ambitious, it is risky, and needs a lot of money in order to generate. But let’s look on it the other way around. Having this kind of ambitious idea, there could be some ways of solving the said problems regarding on the business. It is risky; I think all businesses can’t promise a full percentage of being a risk free. Creating a business like this is as risky as it already looks. Now going to the issue of money; extending my imagination, and surpassing the state of reality, every business has its own so called investors. If given a chance to have an investor whose willing to invest a money to help me in generating the business idea, then why not? Why not give it a shot? And now the last issue that I could remember must have to be skillful; not questioning about the man power but rather on the ability on handling this kind of business. I must be skillful enough to handle it, but facing the reality, as for now I am just a student, a learner and a beginner. Maybe as time passes by as I succeed or rather if I succeed in my study and in my own field, I could learn how to manage and generate this said business. So let’s not disregard the point that I am studying, to gain more knowledge, to be a professional, to be skillful as everybody else is (hopefully), and to be competitive in the field. Marketing is the process by which companies create customer interest in goods or services. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business development. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves.Marketing is used to identify the customer, to keep the customer, and to satisfy the customer. With the customer as the focus of its activities, it can be concluded that marketing management is one of the major components of business management. Several or rather people would come to us, to buy some specific technological computer stuffs that they need and they could also approach us to make some desired web pages. This business, as I think, could give a bigger chance to grow unlike other business ideas, although this kind of business idea would basically need a huge amount of capital or investments, which is some of the many reasons why this business is so hard to generate.

Desired goals of the said business idea; some of its dreamed goals is to provide some jobs on several jobless individuals, to promote the business products, to earn respect within the company, and to keep up with the competitors. This business could open some job opportunities among several jobless persons. There are lots of individuals, who are skillful enough, competitive, and talented enough, but can’t even land a good job because of the job efficiency in the country. This business could help them, by giving them the chance to have a job and earn an income. Can you imagine an island, full of several highly talented individuals but could not practice their professions and talents because of this said job opening efficiency? Their talents would go to rust and would surely degrade unless they will be given a chance to exercise it. Had imagined it? Terrible isn’t it? An awful thing to imagine and could happen if the said problem could not be resolve immediately. A business (also known as a company, enterprise, and firm) is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods or services, or both, to consumers, businesses and governmental entities. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies. Most businesses are privately owned. A business is typically formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business itself. The owners and operators of a business have as one of their main objectives the receipt or generation of a financial returns in exchange for work and acceptance of risk. To promote the business products; expectedly, one of the business’s goals is to promote the products in order to gain some costumers and basically for the company to earn the income. And most of all to keep up with the competitors; for the business to grow it must be competitive enough to keep up with its competitors in the field of technopreneurship, as what I had said earlier, the business must have some edges to make it more unique.

If possible, all companies and businesses could upgrade and enhance their services and even their own business. Who knows? Some of this days, if I can’t able to create and generate this idea in the real life, maybe someone could and someone would, and this someone would able to excel in this field. And if the business would achieve it ultimate goal, it could upgrade into another larger scope business, giving many services as to its beloved costumers as it could and bringing several job opportunities among the individuals in the country. Isn’t it exciting and interesting? This could bring the people in the country the pleasure of having a good job, landing on a good paying job, at it could also bring or could raise the economical rate of the country.

So we are been talking about technology since the start, let me define what technology is; Purposeful application of information in the design, production, and utilization of goods and services, and in the organization of human activities. Technology is generally divided into five categories (1) Tangible: blueprints, models, operating manuals, prototypes. (2) Intangible: consultancy, problem solving, and training methods. (3) High: entirely or almost entirely automated and 'intelligent' technology which manipulates ever finer matter and ever powerful forces. (4) Intermediate: semi-automated 'partially intelligent' technology that manipulates refined matter and medium level forces. (5) Low: labor intensive 'dumb' technology that manipulates only coarse or gross matter and weaker forces. At the present time, technology had been so known to peoples, even of at young ages. Nowadays, young ages had been starting using computers and other stuffs that is conquered by the technology or involved with technology. Directing you to my real point, most of the people or all individuals had known the technology so well, lots of them are using it and for sure time will come that they will come unto a business company to buy certain parts for the enhancement of their gadgets and stuffs. And for the back end of this business idea, still there are several people who want to have their own web pages for their own reasons. We could grant them what they what and what they need.

Although several companies had been excelling through this nature of business (sorry, could not site some examples of the companies, it might be confidential or something like restricted), there is also a negative side. And it is all about lose, putting up a business like this and investing a large amount for it to generate will be risky. What if it fails? What if no one is interested? Not interested in a way that, they could not trust the company or the business because it is just a starter and not so well known. Still there are things that needed to be settled to reach the top of this field. So before engaging in this field, we must know first the environment of marketing for us to have a bit information and knowledge about it, studying it would serve as our stepping stone in engaging marketing business. So what is marketing environment? The marketing environment surrounds and impacts upon the organization. So, marketing involves selling goods and services to some costumers in order to gain an income. There are three key perspectives on the marketing environment, namely the 'macro-environment,' the 'micro-environment' and the 'internal environment'. Let us define the 3 key perspectives on the marketing environment so that we could have a partial knowledge on marketing, and so we could generalize the business idea properly. The micro-environment: This environment influences the organization directly. It includes suppliers that deal directly or indirectly, consumers and customers, and other local stakeholders. Micro tends to suggest small, but this can be misleading. In this context, micro describes the relationship between firms and the driving forces that control this relationship. It is a more local relationship, and the firm may exercise a degree of influence. The macro-environment: This includes all factors that can influence and organization, but that are out of their direct control. A company does not generally influence any laws (although it is accepted that they could lobby or be part of a trade organization). It is continuously changing, and the company needs to be flexible to adapt. There may be aggressive competition and rivalry in a market. Globalization means that there is always the threat of substitute products and new entrants. The wider environment is also ever changing, and the marketer needs to compensate for changes in culture, politics, economics and technology. And the last one, the internal-environment: All factors that are internal to the organization are known as the 'internal environment'. They are generally audited by applying the 'Five Ms' which are Men, Money, Machinery, Materials and Markets. The internal environment is as important for managing change as the external. As marketers we call the process of managing internal change 'internal marketing'. Basically, you might look at marketing as the wide range of activities involved in making sure that you're continuing to meet the needs of your customers and are getting value in return. Marketing analysis includes finding out what groups of potential customers (or markets) exist, what groups of customers you prefer to serve (target markets), what their needs are, what products or services you might develop to meet their needs, how the customers might prefer to use the products and services, what your competitors are doing, what pricing you should use and how you should distribute products and services to your target markets. Various methods of market research are used to find out information about markets, target markets and their needs, competitors, etc. Marketing also includes ongoing promotions, which can include advertising, public relations, sales and customer service. So what is the concept of marketing? Concept of marketing: is a marketing philosophy, which sees the consumer or client as the central focus of all the activities of an organization because no organization can survive without the continue patronage of its consumers. This philosophy regards a genuine concern for consumer welfare (Consumer Orientation) and the adequate fulfillment of his needs (consumer satisfaction) as the most dependence paths to the realization of an organization short and long term goals. The act of marketing has undergone a metamorphosis over time. It has evolved from the production to the selling stage and to the consumer Orientation stage and indeed is evolving in some organization to the consumerism and social responsibility stage. There are sharp contrasts between the two stages. At the selling state, the emphasis is on the product, the company first makes the product, and then figures out how to sell it profitably, the orientation of the company is internal and the emphasis of the company is on the sellers need. Conversely, at the marketing stage, the emphasis is on the continuous, wants, the company first determines wants and then firm figures out how to profitably make and deliver a product to satisfy these wants. These notes are some of the things that are needed to be defined first before engaging in marketing businesses, it is proper and a must to have knowledge before engaging in something. For your knowledge and your experience will serve as one of your edges against all of your competitors.

Going to our back end, web designing. Lots of it professionals which are skillful on these field are still waiting to land on some jobs to practice their profession. This business idea could bring them what they want and in return they could give the company what they need. Though I could say that I am jumping into conclusions, but this is what I could imagine, this idea could bring several peoples back to work (which is a good sign for the country) and could give a huge return as to the income. So what is a web designing: Web design is the skill of creating presentations of content (usually hypertext or hypermedia) that are delivered to an end-user through the World Wide Web, using a Web browser or other Web-enabled software . The intent of web design is to create a website—a collection of electronic documents and applications that reside on a Web server/servers. The website may include text, images, sounds and other content, and may be interactive. So clearly, pertaining on IT professionals who are talented in making web sites (and hopefully as my skills go sharp, I could be able to create my own site).

Who are the target costumers/people? The target customers are those people who are needing some parts and enhancements for their gadgets, those who are needing to buy a new hardware, those who are wanting to try new stuffs and to explore the world of technology, those who are wanting to have their own web sites or web pages for their own purposes, purposes such as: it could be a website for businesses, a website for some company and for groups, for those who wants to have a website for promoting some things that they want and etc. There are lots of possible individuals that could become a costumer of this business idea. Fascinating isn’t it?

Let us add some features on this idea, let me insert the idea of having the protection of the beloved costumers. For their protection against any violations or biases, in the business marketing, there will be warranty on each item they brought. So that the costumer could ensure the good functionality and service of the business. Putting up a business, you should ensure the rights of your costumers. They should ensure the full functionality of each items that they will be purchasing at any costs (for what they say, in the business customers are always right). And speaking of several items for purchasing, items must be affordable, should be convenient, and should be cost effective for the costumers. For them to say that the business is reliable, which means it is a level up for the name of the business company.


Now the ending of this article is near to end, and I think I had shared several components that are needed to expound or to stress out my idea, starting from the basic of marketing up to illustrating the nature of my business idea (actually not mine, should use “our idea” for it is our groups idea). Done with researching from the basics of marketing in order to gain some knowledge about it and to open a new path for those who are interested in marketing business, hopefully it had help you to generate more interesting business ideas. The business idea that we had come up is really ambitious. And knowing the field of technopreneurship, it is tricky, so a technopreneur should be able to go with the flow of this field to surpass the competitors. Therefore once again it is risky. Before ending this article, I just want to leave a quote: Those who had been successful were once become a dreamer in order to attain what they have, thus, dreamers will later be successful if they won’t give up their dreams and face the challenges. So keep dreaming! Keep striving! Keep moving, for your goal is only a step ahead to you.



References:
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/11/05/20-goals-for-business-social-media-use
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/technology.html
http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-marketing-environment.html
http://www.shvoong.com/social-sciences/1720191-definition-marketing-concept/

Steve Jobs Commencement Address

Techno Assignment 4: What are the lessons that you learned after reading the commencement address of Steve Jobs?

Reading the commencement letter of Steve Jobs could enlighten anyone. Every single word he spoke makes heavy and meaningful sentences. Meaningful in a way that it could inspire students through the lessons of his words. He said, “You have to find what you love”. Pertaining to this quote, you could surely get a lesson, such as: you should stand on your own feet – be an independent as far and as tough as you can, standing in your own feet would take too much risk, but succeeding in it would surely make you a better person. You have got to find your interest – simple because finding what you really love could give you an advantage. Advantage of being a technopreneur, for example: your point of interest is in enhancing computer software, you could easily or rather you could make it possible for your own self because that is what you want and love. Going back to the quote, “ you have to find what you love”, basically it will serve as your stepping stone or as a preparation for the near future.

Steve Jobs is a work alcoholic. He is a hardworking guy. So now this is one of some lessons you could surely get in his commencement letter. He doesn’t give up that easily. Even if he had to sleep on the floor, even if he had to walk 7 miles across town every Sunday just to have a one good meal, he would do it! Just for the sake of doing what he love, to work hard and improve his self. Now, as a reflection and as a proof that finding what you love would help you as you continue on your journey, here is a success of Steve Jobs which that certain quote could be applied: he dropped-out in college and dropped-in in a calligraphy class and had learned several font styles, which at present had been applied to enhance the computer interfaces.

“You’ve got to find what you love.”, he started. The moment I got to read this, I was really in an unexplainable state. I don’t know of what would I have to sink in mind. I don’t even know if I can be able to find what I love. But what strikes me most is when he talks about trust. This is the most character that I treasure the most. The very value that I wanted to have, to earn and doesn’t want to lose. But, ironically speaking, to trust especially to myself and to my capabilities is very much difficult. Although people may see me as tough and strong, still I could not find it in me to trust my whole being. Now why? It’s because I am being affected by my on faults and a captive of my own personality. I just don’t know but I could really find it hard and I know that it’s because of my faults and mistakes done in the past. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future because you can’t connect the dots by looking it forward.

Steve Jobs second story is about his loss, he as the founder of the Apple Company had been kicked out of his own company. Now, it is a big loss right? But still, he had proven that he really loves his field, he had stand up against his loss. He had built and founded a new company named as the PIXAR and later had been brought by the Apple and so he is now back to work, back to what he really love and now totally back to business. What a big lesson indeed! Standing and proving the world what you have got, keeping the confidence despite of having a big failure, to start a new one and believing in your own great skills.

Trust your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. To connect the dots, you must look into it backwards. trusting in your skills will help you as you go on furthur. That certain skill, whatever it is, will be the very thing to cling on when something is not certain. It will help you or gave you the reason to be strong and not to give up.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is a great work. Being a hard-worker is not that easy, but the fruit that it will give is surely worth it.

His third and the last part of his own story are all about death. No one wants to die. No one has escaped the wrath of death. No one would love to die, maybe some is curious but to know the truth, they are just only curious of what is the feeling to be dead, to have a cold body like those ones (6) six feet below the ground. Now this is my favorite part! “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you will most certainly be right”. Hence, live your life to the fullest! Make every single day meaningful! Do everything you have and you can do today, every little thing that you can do for you don’t know when is the time you will pass by. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. Its just like that knowing that sooner or later you will die, you will do anything to satisfy your own self, you will have the motivation to just keep on struggling to have no regrets at the end, to put aside your fears, pride, and emotional belongings in the face of the fearsome death.

Your time is limited; so don’t waste your life in living in someone else’s life. Hence live your own life the way you wanted it to be! Step out of the shadow that envelopes you, and show everyone else what you got. To have your own path in life! And just remember one important thing, you have to follow what you love and to follow your heart (though not at all times, but most of the times). Stay hungry and foolish – a good and nice one! Stay hungry for knowledge, keep seeking, keep on moving, and don’t just stay on a place. Stay foolish! Be a risk taker, don’t give up the challenges in life, and face it without fears and keep on striving for the best to have no regrets!

My Purpose in Life

Techno Assignment 3: Purpose in life.

Every person has their own goals and purposes in life, own purposes which makes them unique as an individual. Here are some of my purposes in life ( a new beginning ):
  • to surpass all what I am in the past
  • to be more flexible
  • to strive hard without breaking, and if ever to stand up with all my guts and confidence
  • to continue the fight and basically to attain my goals
  • to put all my efforts and to aim a great success with my interest as the center of my journey.

My Personal Trait Test

Techno Assignment 2: Reflections/insights on your personal traits test.


Many individuals had been taking the personal traits test to know their skills, and basically to know their personal traits. So that they could determine where could they excel the most, and to improve themselves (there personal traits) to fit on to something and to attain their dreams and goals.

Having the personality traits test as a measurement of an individual capabilities and limitations is a good approach when making a certain decision. Decision making such as being involved in a business or what we termed as being a technopreneur. Perhaps they could be assuring of their own knowledge and skills to surpass and be on the top of the hierarchy on a certain field.

Understanding the importance of the personality traits test, it goes somewhat like this: it helps us know our capabilities, our talents or should I call it skills. It helps us improve our own selves by giving us a ranking of the results to inform us where we really belong and to inform us what skills to improve in order to be more competitive.

Personal traits test also includes the self mastery. As I said knowing your own self before taking a move is a good approach on having a certain decision. For self mastery is one of the elements needed to be a good technopreneur. Mastering your own self would help you know your limitations.

Last meeting we had our test, our personal traits test. I had taken the test, answered all the questions according to what I feel to choose and must do in a given situation and scenario. Amazingly, as we checked our answers to total the result and to know our capabilities, the result of my test was a total of 43.and by the way that personal traits test were given to rank our technopreneurial skills, therefore, having such a score would rank me up to having the potential and skills of being a technopreneur someday.

On our last assignment, we were task to answer a given question. The question goes like this: How did you see yourself as a technopreneur? And my answer to that question was somewhat like this: The field of technopreneurship and being a technopreneur, stills has a chance of coming up with a good result and a great success. (And this is a part Before going to the main question, let me first define the meaning of technopreneurship to make it all clear. As what I had understood, the term technopreneurship coming from the word itself “techno” which basically means technology, and “entrepreneurship – preneurship “ which surely means business. In other words, or to shorten it all up, technopreneurship is a business which involves and deals with the use of technology as its media. Putting and individual/being involved or running a business needs a lot of decision-makings for it is risky and complicated as it already is. An entrepreneur or technopreneur must be aware on all things specially about on what he must do to package his products to the customers, must be wise and intelligent enough to handle different sets of situations in order to survive the long run of business.

The question is, how do I see myself as a technopreneur, honestly and frankly speaking, I am in a big doubt on my skills of being a technopreneur. Describing my characteristics would absolutely conclude a big percentage or chance of failure. Though I could give it a try anyway, I am a man who faces challenges in a way I want it to be, quitting is not my habit but I merely do know when to end it all when it is badly needed.
So now, going back to the question of being a technopreneur, being a good technopreneur needs to be a good leader. Let us focus on the side of the characteristic leadership, for leadership deals a big factor specially when an individual is said to be or to become an entrepreneur or technopreneur, and for the reason that good leaders always excel or surpass anytime and anywhere despite of any reasons that might stop him from doing what he believe is right. As I had mentioned earlier, I am a good follower but to think that I may be a good leader is a big doubt and maybe there’s a big “no” on it. Let me prove it and let us have a good example: let’s base this one in school activities or class activities, most of the times when the school or rather the teacher for example has given a activity to be worked on as a group, I always pick and play the role of being a follower or a member. I always avoid the position of being a leader, because being a leader means having the whole responsibility and for sometimes being a leader takes a lot of confidence and managerial skills and abilities, and these are too bustle on my part as a part of the group. Hence I would rather be a good and obeying member that organize and handle things myself. But sometimes, when no one would take the place of being a leader because if some certain reasons and knowing that I am one of the few who is not so loaded with all the things, I myself would start acting like one just for the sake of having an organizer and to build everything up.

Here I a brief conclusion: I am not qualified of being a good leader and most of all being a good technopreneur because of my lazy habits who always messes things that are should be done. Because a good technopreneur or an entrepreneur is a good leader, and a good leader is hardworking. By the way, I am not putting my self down, having these imperfections serves as a challenge to deal with. A challenge that would help me grows and matures more and finds the real meaning of life.

On the other hand, let us be neutral. I do also have some good qualities of being a good technopreneur, but most of it could be achieved or would show up in critical ways. Let me site some of the qualities and characteristics; it includes: being a risk-taker – because I am one of those people who possess that characteristic especially when the percentage or rate of success is higher than the failing rate. Hardworking (if it is badly needed and when time pushes me in a critical condition and leaving me no other choice). A positive tinker but still I am in a doubt regarding of being a good leader. So now, am I qualified of being a technopreneur? I would surely say yes! Indeed I am qualified of being one, just a little work on my attitude and it would be all fixed up.

And also with the help of good followers or members, I think I could handle things. And coming up with a good idea or concept to package our products, I think I could also be a good technopreneur. Maybe I am not as good as Steve Jobs were, but who knows? I myself might see myself at the top and done greater things than he does and had achieved.

I do wonder if I will be given an opportunity to become or follow Steve Jobs career path, would I take the risk. Could I handle the pressure? Could I handle the challenges? These are some of the question, which are needed to be answered, not by other people, but instead I must answer it myself. I who definitely know myself, my capabilities and limitations as a human being. And hopefully when that time comes, I could already come up with a good positive answer and be prepared to take over the big challenges life would slap on me. To win and take over those challenges and pressures, and be a part of something new and interesting world of technopreneurship.

Indeed being a technopreneur is a tough thing to be, for it just not only requires being intelligent, still there are so many aspects and involves a lot of things to consider before reaching the top. But possessing a good mindset will give you a great achievement. And as a fruit of being hardworking, being a technopreneur opens an individual lot of choices to make. Though must be wiser to pick the right one in order to have a good outcome.

But still, putting myself in that shows I am a risk-taker). Although I am not as business minded as some geeks were, I will still strive and make my way out to achieve success. For as long as there is a crisis, there are still ways to negotiate with the people, make a business and earn money, you just need to be creative and see things in a different way.

And by the way, being a good technopreneur involves being an optimistic, as what I had mentioned “seeing things in a different way”, must see things in a different way to see the brighter side of it. Seeing happiness despite of loneliness is just like seeing a business in the middle of a big crisis. And also, being optimistic would surely be a good help especially when having too many challenges to over come. This would help a technopreneur have a good mindset for a better out come.

Let us define what personal traits are. We may refer to our character, attitude, physical appearance, social interactions, skills, intellects, and etc.

Personality is made up of the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. In addition to this, personality arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life. In other words, this means that personality traits are the distinguishing characteristics or components that make us. The variants of qualities and characteristics are distinctive to a group, nation, place, etc and it depends primarily on their beliefs, customs, traditions, etc. The sum of such qualities seen as being capable of making, or likely to make, a favorable impression on other people and the personal engaging manner or qualities. Which are the primary tools in having good place in technoprenuership, to excel nad be competitive in this field. 

Let us take some phrases out from my own answer. I am in a big doubt of my technopreneurial skills. Now being futuristic, I could already conclude a total failure of my own business. I am just a good follower, but not a good leader at all. I am just a lazy man who always messes thing up and to think that I could not accomplish anything at all.

So basing on those phrases I had taken and relating it to the result of the personal traits test, there is just only a thing missing. It is the confidence of standing on my own feet, to lift up my personality and be proud of it. Its not that I am or had been boastful because of the result, it is because of knowing my real capabilities and to strive more harder to achieve and attain my own goal, to gain more confidence, to help and improve my own self, to excel at my own risk and be proud of my achievements.

The result of the test had really lift me, had lift me mentally to the extent of having a good perspective as I strive on becoming and being a technopreneur one day in case that I am done with my field as an IT. It had given me the chance and the hope to grow more, mature more and trust myself, to persevere, and to be more competitive and to have such confidence on believing to my skills. It had served as a stepping stone and an opening for a new and challenging branch of my life. Knowing that I could be on of some technopreneur is indeed an exciting thing to discover. Maybe one day, as I move on my career and exceed on my field, I could be a technopreneur, to make and earn my own income without leaving the world of technology.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Being a Technopreneur


Techno Assignment 1: The Questions are:
1. What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur?
2. How do you see yourself as a technopreneur?
3. Would you take the same career path that Steve Jobs took? Why or why not?



1. What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur?

“You just don’t live in life, you change it, shape I, you make your mark on It”, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." and “Good artist copies, great artist steals”. These are some of the quotes Steve Jobs had spoken. Very inspirational quotes coming from a one inspirational man, who had a journey, competed and had dominated the world of Technopreneurship.

In the world of business we could say that a little mistake could ruin everything you had, for there are lots of competitors waiting for an opening and a chance to eliminate you. Thus, we could say that it is more like “survival of the fittest” which states that “the strong shall live and the weak shall die”. Better company with in demand products to offer basically reigns and dominates.

This is a reflection of Steve Jobs career based on the movie “The Pirates of the Silicon Valley”. But, before having my reflection, I just want to introduce to the readers who Steve Jobs really are. Well, Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (born February 24, 1955) is an American business magnate and inventor. He is well known for being the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple. Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. And before having those titles, he was just only a student, curious inventor who really wants to deal with computers. Took some wild experiments and that how it all began.

The task is to site the factors that contributed to the success and failures of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur; pertaining to the task, I would start talking about the factors that had contributed to his awesome success. Steve Jobs, based on what I had witness on the said movie is a creative, hardworking, crazy but positive tinker, risk taker, a good adviser and technopreneur, and an inspirational and good leader with a great ability, who has the guts to keep on standing and striving even if there’s only a bit of chance remaining.

But Steve Jobs could not specifically do all of those things without the help and supports from his friends and employees. Especially with the help of his friend “Steve”, who has been on his side ever since the start of his crazy dream, which had been his shoulder to all his works and experiments.

So now, lets stress out the meanings of these factors one by one. Creative – he is a creative technopreneur, each design he made were based on his experiences. Hardworking – for he is committed to his job which made him to make it to the top of the hierarchy in terms of being technopreneur. Crazy but a positive tinker – for he makes decision in a unique way that even his friend “Steve” couldn’t understand, but when things fall apart still he has the strength to keep on going and believe what he believe is right. Risk taker – he takes all the risk and had treated it as a challenge, as if there’s nothing to be worried of and everything going to be alright. A good adviser – because Steve Jobs just don’t spoke out words with no valuable meanings, it should be a phrase of a sentence that someone can pick a lesson from. A good technopreneur – because he can endure all the sufferings and focus on his own job, he is not threatened on his big competitors which makes him a competitive technopreneur. An inspirational and a good leader – as what I had said lately, he is an inspirational leader for he is a good adviser and a true leader who leads and commands his employees. Taking his employees to the right path and making their company grow and mature more and more. Along with his own ability he had raised his company leaving his competitors behind and making them at a blank business.

Just to share something, Steve Jobs crazy dreams include wiping the IBM out of the rolls. This is a dream, which came to a reality, he dominated the world of technopreneur, beating up the IBM and putting them to a big misery. Making them as if out of date, in lay mans term making them looking old fashioned, for the Apple had leap a bunch of years on their technologies.

Now going back to the task, we will now be tackling about Steve Jobs failures, which had made a competitor of him pass through his company’s technology. Steve Jobs once said that “everyday they are opening doors, picking the wrong one might end it all”, is it a quote he had said to a friend. Because of having the fame and fortune, he began to become a sort of boastful and a short-tempered guy, who had forgotten to look back on where he and It all starts, who forgot his friends, the ones whom helped his to reach or achieve his goals in life. Sometimes he act to be so tactless and there are times he himself abuse his powers and superiority unto his employees.

Here plays the role of another technopreneur named as Bill Gates, an intelligent man, with a clever mind and awesome convincing powers or rather good at having sales talks, who has been the former owner of Microsoft. Steve Jobs had left the door open, making or giving the Microsoft the chance and opportunity to steal and claim the technology, which were supposed to be for the Apple.

These factors had affected his career and his company, that the Microsoft took advantage with.
There are two things Steve Jobs and Bill Gates where directly opposite, Jobs was as excited about innovation as Bill Gates was interested in making money. Steve Jobs is really a leader in innovation.

Before ending this article, I just want to share a trivia, According to one belief Apple originates from a pleasant summer Steve Jobs had spent as an orchard worker in Oregon. Where in he named the company Apple (http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/4-26-2005-69111.asp).



2. How do you see yourself as a technopreneur?

Before going to the main question, let me first define the meaning of technopreneurship to make it all clear. As what I had understood, the term technopreneurship coming from the word itself “techno” which basically means technology, and “entrepreneurship – preneurship “ which surely means business. In other words, or to shorten it all up, technopreneurship is a business which involves and deals with the use of technology as its media. Putting and individual/being involved or running a business needs a lot of decision-makings for it is risky and complicated as it already is. An entrepreneur or technopreneur must be aware on all things specially about on what he must do to package his products to the customers, must be wise and intelligent enough to handle different sets of situations in order to survive the long run of business.

The question is, how do I see myself as a technopreneur, honestly and frankly speaking, I am in a big doubt on my skills of being a technopreneur. Describing my characteristics would absolutely conclude a big percentage or chance of failure. Though I could give it a try anyway, I am a man who faces challenges in a way I want it to be, quitting is not my habit but I merely do know when to end it all when it is badly needed.
So now, going back to the question of being a technopreneur, being a good technopreneur needs to be a good leader. Let us focus on the side of the characteristic leadership, for leadership deals a big factor specially when an individual is said to be or to become an entrepreneur or technopreneur, and for the reason that good leaders always excel or surpass anytime and anywhere despite of any reasons that might stop him from doing what he believe is right. As I had mentioned earlier, I am a good follower but to think that I may be a good leader is a big doubt and maybe there’s a big “no” on it. Let me prove it and let us have a good example: let’s base this one in school activities or class activities, most of the times when the school or rather the teacher for example has given a activity to be worked on as a group, I always pick and play the role of being a follower or a member. I always avoid the position of being a leader, because being a leader means having the whole responsibility and for sometimes being a leader takes a lot of confidence and managerial skills and abilities, and these are too bustle on my part as a part of the group. Hence I would rather be a good and obeying member that organize and handle things myself. But sometimes, when no one would take the place of being a leader because if some certain reasons and knowing that I am one of the few who is not so loaded with all the things, I myself would start acting like one just for the sake of having an organizer and to build everything up.

Here I a brief conclusion: I am not qualified of being a good leader and most of all being a good technopreneur because of my lazy habits who always messes things that are should be done. Because a good technopreneur or an entrepreneur is a good leader, and a good leader is hardworking. By the way, I am not putting my self down, having these imperfections serves as a challenge to deal with. A challenge that would help me grows and matures more and finds the real meaning of life.

On the other hand, let us be neutral. I do also have some good qualities of being a good technopreneur, but most of it could be achieved or would show up in critical ways. Let me site some of the qualities and characteristics; it includes: being a risk-taker – because I am one of those people who possesses that characteristic specially when the percentage or rate of success is higher than the failing rate. Hardworking (if it is badly needed and when time pushes me in a critical condition and leaving me no other choice). A positive tinker but still I am in a doubt regarding of being a good leader. So now, am I qualified of being a technopreneur? I would surely say yes! Indeed I am qualified of being one, just a little work on my attitude and it would be all fixed up.

And also with the help of good followers or members, I think I could handle things. And coming up with a good idea or concept to package our products, I think I could also be a good technopreneur. Maybe I am not as good as Steve Jobs were, but who knows? I myself might see myself at the top and done greater things than he does and had achieved.

But still, putting my self in the field of technopreneurship and being a technopreneur, stills has a chance of coming up with a good result and a great success. (And this is a part that shows I am a risk-taker). Although I am not as business minded as some geeks were, I will still strive and make my way out to achieve success. For as long as there is a crisis, there are still ways to negotiate with the people, make a business and earn money, you just need to be creative and see things in a different way.

And by the way, being a good technopreneur involves being an optimistic, as what I had mentioned “seeing things in a different way”, must see things in a different way to see the brighter side of it. Seeing happiness despite of loneliness is just like seeing a business in the middle of a big crisis. And also, being optimistic would surely be a good help especially when having too many challenges to over come. This would help a technopreneur have a good midset for a better out come.





3. Would you take the same career path that Steve Jobs took? Why or why not?

Steve Jobs was really an amazing person. He had succeeded through his own ability, passion and courage. With a good career together with lots of titles, we could clearly say that he had the true abilities of being what he was right now. To abide Steve Jobs career path is a great pleasure, but that pleasure comes up with waves of challenges to overcome and endure. Following his footsteps is too difficult to make, for there are lots of things and characteristics to be considered such as; an individual must possess some of Steve Jobs characteristics and abilities in order for him or her to achieve his or her goals. Or if not, he or she must whole-heartedly offer his or her own time and passion to the business to have a proper control on it.
Steve Jobs had started his journey as just an inventor who is so in love with computers, and little by little he had raised himself up through the offers of some business mans. And still had continued on growing because of his good performance.

So mind me, let me introduce to you some the path and decisions he had chosen, which made him on the top of the hierarchy. “In the late 1970s, Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkulaand others, designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series.

In 1976, Jobs, then 21, and Wozniak, 26, founded Apple Computer Co. in the Jobs family garage. In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of the mouse-driven graphical user interface, which led to the creation of the Macintosh. In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios. (Powered and imparted by google.com)”
Now I had clearly stated his career path, and hopefully anyone would understand. The question is, would I take the same career path Steve Jobs had taken? Probably yes, for basing as what he had achieved, anyone would dream of being like him and what it do feels to be like him. I would rather take that path, be competitive and raise my self level by level until I reach the top. I would be following the path he had made but not having some of his passion and ways. If I were to choose, I would only pick the points where he had been successful and discard the happenings of failure though he had survived and still made it. Knowing that possibilities of failure, I could surely avoid it for it would bring chaos on my part as a technopreneur.
Steve Jobs determination on changing things and coming up with a brilliant idea is unreachable. His is a true artist with a very creative mind, which he interprets in a way he knows. Despite of having his mood swings or what we call as being short-tempered, still he has the ability to lead a group of people and create an overwhelming gadgets and technology. And guess what, his creations are mostly admired by his competitors. Having so many challenges, he had faced it without any doubts and fears, believing on his aims and on what he think was right. And the product of his determination? A great success and achievement that anyone would be dreaming of.

How about this one, making my own path, following what my heart dictates me. It is much more better than following Steve Jobs career path. For it is a lot more of finding myself and knowing where do I really belong. Because being yourself gives you a big opportunity to rise what you got for some reasons that can be answered by most of the readers.

Having my own unique way is also a good idea, instead of following Steve Jobs steps; I would rather make it a reference and a stepping-stone for my own journey to make. Having what and individual really loves make him or her comfortable on every little thing he or she makes.

Now would somebody tell me, isn’t it far way better? You can ensure of a big success because having your own path means having your passion and interest of things. Having this kind of point of view as a technopreneur, you would surely enjoy and love the things that you do.

But now going back to my first choice, it is also nice to follow Steve Jobs career path, for he will serve as somebody’s inspiration and he’s chosen path will serve as a guide to some ventures out there.

Steve Jobs has really no room for committing any mistakes, and if he does, he definitely knows how to stood using his own abilities and strength. Being an optimistic is one of his admiring characteristics, which had helped him to become what he was right now. A characteristic that everybody should admire and adopt to become successful in live.

I do wonder if I will be given an opportunity to become or follow Steve Jobs career path, would I take the risk? Could I handle the pressure? Could I handle the challenges? These are some of the question, which are needed to be answered, not by other people, but instead I must answer it myself. I who definitely know myself, my capabilities and limitations as a human being. And hopefully when that time comes, I could already come up with a good positive answer and be prepared to take over the big challenges life would slap on me. To win and take over those challenges and pressures, and be a part of something new and interesting world of technopreneurship.

Indeed being a technopreneur is a tough thing to be, for it just not only requires being intelligent, still there are so many aspects and involves a lot of things to consider before reaching the top. But possessing a good mindset will give you a great achievement. And as a fruit of being hardworking, being a technopreneur opens an individual lot of choices to make. Though must be wiser to pick the right one in order to have a good outcome.