Melody's Entrepreneurship Story
My Entrepreneurship Story
When I was 10 years old I went on my first medical mission’s trip to Guatemala City, Guatemala. I traveled with my parent’s and family friends under an organization called Missionary Ventures. Preparing for this trip we were told to expect the most terrible living conditions, malnourished children, overall the signs of an underdeveloped country. However, I was never told about the numerous men, women and children who, I did not know until later years, were entrepreneurs in their own way.
Yes, I saw families use cardboard as beds and trash bags as roofs, I saw families have to walk miles for water that was nowhere near clean, but I also saw these very people make the most of what they had to make a living for themselves. Whether it was to make souvenirs out of native plants or take leftovers and create a common meal to sell on the streets. It wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but taking the resources available to you and making the most of them in your own way is entrepreneurship. Everything I saw sold on the streets was handmade whether it was blankets, bags, figurines; and it was things I couldn’t just buy in a souvenir shop in New York City. Each item showed hard work and authenticity of the people who worked towards them. I had no idea this memory stuck with me for this long, however when faced with this question, it’s the first thing that came to mind, for you can be an entrepreneur no matter how big/small your contribution to this earth may be.
I’m in the Innovation Academy so I am required to take ENT3003, however, I believe this course will help me become a better medical practitioner once I enter the workplace for I want to own my own practice, and I will need numerous traits of an entrepreneur to do so.
Hi Melody! I really enjoyed reading your story. I’ve had a similar experience when I eight. I went to the Philippines with my family to visit our relatives. I vividly remember wood and cardboard houses lining the highway our rented car was driving on as well as a kid my age carrying a sack of belongings over his shoulder. Though it may be hard to view it as such, those people really are entrepreneurs. Some make food and sell it to people for a living, and others make their own little trinkets. I’ve heard stories from my parents that some people would dig through the trash and find items that are still usable and sell those as well. Those people were working hard to make a living with the resources they had, so they really were entrepreneurs.
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