Week 2 Reading Reflection

1) The biggest surprise for me in this very first reading was seeing that a small-business owner and an entrepreneur do not mean the same thing. Like the reading said, people often use the two interchangeably, and I am definitely one of those people. It says that small business owners can be regarded to as the managers, which makes sense now that I reflect upon it. I am actually also in Principles of Management this semester, and seeing this relation in the text helped me to differentiate the two.
2) One part of the reading that was confusing for me was when it talked about entrepreneurs being academic and social misfits. Every time the word entrepreneur comes to mind I think of successful, intelligent people; so naturally, this myth caught me off guard. As I read further into the paragraph, it explained how the entrepreneur is now viewed as "a hero- socially, economically, and academically". This explanation aligned a lot better with my thoughts of an entrepreneur.
3)I would first ask the author why he included copious amounts of visual aids throughout the text- if it was a more effective way to get the information across or if it was just for visual effect. I would also ask what exactly causes the eventual downfall of "gazelles" and why one can never survive forever.
4) I loved every part of the reading, but if I had to pick one part to disagree with it would be when the author talks about Robert C. Ronstadt's summary description of entrepreneurship, because I didn't really fancy it. He says entrepreneurship is the "dynamic process of creating incremental wealth", and I think it is much more than just the material aspect of wealth. I believe that entrepreneurship is what betters our communities, reinvents the world, and what makes life better and more fulfilling.