I'm in a bit of jam as we're trying to move forward with our business plan and by the looks of things, I think its something we need to put on the backburner for now. It's humbling to admit that at this point we're not ready to take this and make a go of it, but the time we have put into it has been good. I still have confidence in the idea and I'm certain that there's potential in this model, I just need to focus on some other things first. It's been a quite the learning experience. Here's what I've taken away:

Commitment

Obviously, the reason that this isn't moving forward is that I'm not fully committed to it on a number of different levels that all kind of stem from one key factor - time. Its not a matter of me not having enough, because my free time is ample; its where I'm putting that time in. So, while we put together the plan and everything looked to work, taking the time to put in those next steps was not something that I was ready to do. In that respect, its my own fault.

What would have helped - well a mentor for one. Fortunately, I had Michel my boss giving me some tips on how to be a good team player (Wise old Michel). But in terms of an entrepreneurial mentor of sorts, I had nothing. It would have been nice to have had someone say "hey, this is going to work - have you tried this?" Building those networks and those connections can really come in handy and I just didn't have that.

The big goal

What's more, is that my commitment was felt stronger to the idea of be an entrepreneur more than it was to the core of the business. That leaves me in a bad place and I think that's something an aspiring entrepreneur ought to be aware of. I look at someone who has the panache to take a leap and start up their business and I think "wow, that looks glamorous". The fact of the matter is, I don't think its that glamorous. Its a lot of hard work. So if you're more fond of the idea that you'll become a qualified entrepreneur than the plan itself - its tough to stay committed (and probably not healthy)

The Playing Field

Being more interested in being an entrepreneur more than anything else lead me into troubled waters - a business in an area that I'm not familiar with. I talked about doing something that you're passionate about, that you're good at. Something in which you excel - I should take my own advice. It's tough only being in business school and not having that secondary skill set to lay a smack down on. But maybe I need to take a step back and reevaluate my skills. Maybe I do have something to offer.

At any rate, The I have is great, and I can say that with confidence. The execution was lacking because I just didn't have the whit and skills that it required. Its a shame, but I don't think its the end... I may catch a break.

So what Will I do now?

So, I still want to be an entrepreneur - I have the business acumen and work ethic that a startup needs (did that sound cocky...?) I just want a taste of what its all about - so I started emailing startups in the area. I laid it all down for them, told them where I was coming from and what I'm all about. And do you know what, every last one of them got back to me and said they'd like my help (did I mention I offered to do it pro bono?) Money isn't the point for me - it's having that experience, that network and those mentors. At this point, its putting myself in those positions where I can work in that fast paced environment so that when the opportunity arises, I'll be there to meet it.

There's no right way to go about it - for now, probably for the rest of the summer - I'm going to take a step back and get myself ready. I'm really excited about all of the businesses that got back to me and I know that its going to give me a fresh perspective and will help me to learn a ton.