Week 3 Reading Reflection

Questions

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations?

The Entrepreneurship in Practice section spoke of a Harvard Business School study that showed the chances of future success for experienced entrepreneurs being 34% as compared with previously failed entrepreneurs, 23% and 22% for first time entrepreneurs.  I had always heard that investors favored working with entrepreneurs who are experienced or who have failed previously because they would have learned from that experience.  I was really surprised that the difference between failed and new entrepreneurs was only 1%.  Somehow this still does not make sense to me.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

The metacognitive perspective was new to me hence was more confusing than other sections.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

Why not devote more attention to entrepreneurial motivation?  This is the one area that would really benefit new and experienced entrepreneurs.

42 characteristics are often attributed to entrepreneurs based on table 2.1.  Some of these seem inconsequential and even redundant.  Has research not determined a shorter list that is more meaningful?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I will go back to the study cited as part of my answer to question 1.  The author should have showed more compelling evidence suggesting that the difference between the chances of success of a failed versus new entrepreneur are negligible.