Interview Report on Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur Interview

An entrepreneur is someone who is his/her own boss, someone who has experience in business, someone who seeks opportunities when others do not, and someone who has the ability to go further. People see entrepreneurs in many different ways. I got the chance to sit down with an entrepreneur, Jim Wilson, and hear what he believes being an entrepreneur is, and what he did to accomplish his goals. Having known Jim for a few years I was surprised by how much experience he had and how much he knew.

Jim has had the entrepreneurial spirit since he was a young age. He has been greatly influenced by his family and friends as they too were entrepreneurs. When he was in grade seven he started his first venture, a snow shoveling business, and from there his experience only grew. By the time, he was in grade eight he had opened his own lawn care company and had 37 laws. When he was in grade ten, he decided to sell his lawn care company and go into the restaurant business. Jim has since opened two restaurants, attempted to open a third, but that fell through due to health issues, owned a landscaping company, and is already planning a new venture in the near future. I believe Jim is an entrepreneur because he has the drive and determination to be successful and has been successful. He did not give up when things were tough. Throughout his life, he has known what he wanted and has taken the necessary steps to get himself there. Being an entrepreneur is more than being your own boss to Jim, it is a way of life.

During my interview with Jim, we talked about the different characteristics he attained to help him throughout his ventures and also characteristics he believes are essential to succeed in entrepreneurship. The biggest thing he stressed was a good work ethic. If you are not willing to put effort into your business, you are not going to get far. You are the success of your own business. Another thing Jim said that really stood out to me was that being an entrepreneur is “like being an actor, playing a role”. The meaning I took from this is that you are going to be thrown into many different situations throughout your ventures and life and with every situation there is a different way of handing it. You need to be an “actor” and adapt to very new and unknown “role”. In entrepreneurship, there is going to be many obstacles you will have to face, knowing how to anticipate them and work through them will improve your chances of success. Another characteristic Jim spoke about pertains to your personality. He said it was necessary to be outgoing, friendly and be able to learn from your experience. Working with other people is an enormous aspect when it comes to business, and you need to be an adequate communicator to get ...