Fourth Meeting Reflection

                The fourth meeting in our technopreneurship was a different one from the other past meetings that I attended. One of the reasons that I find it as unusual is that many of us were an early bird in that meeting. I could say that as our facilitator told us the new rule regarding with the late comers that will be effective in the fourth meeting, many of us were afraid to face the consequence and that made to be early in school. Even if the time of our class will start at 8:00 o’clock in the morning, some of my classmates including me arrive at 6:30 am in the morning and it was funny to think how we are afraid to spend our money feeding up the whole class’ stomachs as the consequence of being late in the class. Though thinking the consequence is a terrible thing that may happen to me, I’m still happy that it was the new rule in the class since it will discipline us, reminding us that everything that has time to be attended must be follow and I see this kind of discipline as a useful one in facing the real world soon as we get our diplomas and will have our own jobs. Aside from the lesson that it will taught us, it will also makes our tummies happy. Everyone loves foods and I’m one of them.

 

                 The class starts with a prayer as the room was full. It’s the usual thing we do before we start our class. Before our facilitator discuss the actual topic in that day, he told us that we must do our task and use the time wisely to make things to be done early and avoid like what happened in presenting our idea for the concept paper. We rushed in our facilitator’s office to present our ideas in the last day that we were allowed and it’s not a good practice for us especially that the task that was given to us has it’s deadline. After discussing the things I mentioned, our facilitator shown three images which it catch my attention. I just like this part of the sharing since it was catchy and I learn more about technopreneurship. So, as what I said, there were three images that includes a girl that cooks something, a hut house or a “Bahay Kubo”, and a person who is like a doctor facing a sick computer. Our facilitator asked us what’s our idea in the shown pictures and I plainly understand the pictures literally unlike the ideas that our facilitator reveals in the class. He explained that each activity has materials that are needed to finish the said activities and to make it successful. These images were connected to the main topic in the discussion which is about the technopreneurship.  He reveals the HELF which stands for Human resources, Environment, Laws and Policies and Financial resources which is really helpful in the field of techopreneurship. HELF is the main material that is needed for putting up a business venture. Each of this has components. Human resources are the people who are very important for the start up of a business. It includes the researchers which are the idea generators, the developers or the implementor of the idea, the scanner and marketing people and also the financer of the business. The technopreneurship environment is also important same as how Human resources is. Environment includes the incubation centers, academic insititutions, internet access and communications, Geographic accessibility and other support services which really help to start up a business. In putting up a business, a technopreneur must consider the law and policies regarding in business ventures. He must secure the following: Intellectual Property Rights Office, Technology Licensing Office and the Legal Service. The last one to be considered in starting up a techno business is the Financial Resources. Ideas are useless if it cannot be implemented and it could just be possible with the power of money. Putting up a business is very difficult especially if you don’t have a financer that will support your ideas. These financers are the VC (Venture Capitalist) and investors which supports you to make your ideas real and not will just remain as an idea. Partnering with other organizations or institutions is also an helpful one for your venture like partnering NGO’s and GO’s.

                Taking the AQ (Adversity Quotient) test was part in the meeting and I also like this activity. We answer all the questions which will state the level of being an entrepreneur minded. As we finished answering the following questions, I got a result of 41 stating that I’m somewhat entrepreneurial. Others who got 0 – 25 score has an equivalent saying that they are not entrepreneurial. While, 26 – 36 are the persons who were just in the middle, meaning they are neutrals. 37 – 47 are the persons who were nearly entrepreneurial and I’m happy that somehow, I’m part of these kinds of people who possess this kind of mind. At least I know that somehow, I’m interested with business stuffs. For the very entrepreneurial person, they have a score of 48 and above. This means that, they are highly interested and are into business stuffs.

                Our facilitator also include the Business Models which we are required to make it and present it to the class which I find it not so like but not in the phase that I hate it. I didn’t least like it in the reason that I don’t like making business models but in the idea that I don’t know if I can do it rightly. I don’t also have the enough confidence to present the business model that I will make. I get nervous especially if it will be presented in the whole class and the idea that you must convince them to get their approval as well as the approval of our facilitator is not an easy task to do. I have problems everytime I get nervous which cause me to speak jumbled words so that’s the reason why I least like this part. I also got worried as our facilitator present the nine components of the business model canvas that we will present together with our ideas. It includes the Value propositions, Customer segment, Channels, Customer Relationship, Revenue Streams, Key Resources, Key Partners, Key Activities, and Cost Structure. In that moment, I just questioned myself on how I will do it. Thinking of what idea I will make a canvas is really difficult adding the nine components that must be present in my canvas adds also the worries in my head.

                In the end of the day, I accept the challenge since it’s a part of being a student. As what our facilitator said, we must not see things as a problem, instead, we must see it as an opportunity. I guess, it’s an opportunity for me to learn more about this subject even if I will not receive the sweetest yes as an approval in the idea that I will present in the class. It’s also an opportunity to practice myself and to be able to have a thick face which I will use soon in many situations. And the most important part of this is that the experience that I will earn which will be treasured in my trunk of memories.