An American Entrepreneur

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on Earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” I believe many will agree with President Jefferson that having a positive attitude and a strong faith in one’s self will prove successful when striving to become an Entrepreneur, a person who has possession of an enterprise, or venture, and assumes significant accountability for the risks or outcome.
News of this paper didn’t provoke annoyance or unwillingness to do this assignment, but rather excitement and curiosity, more than anything. From the first mention of Entrepreneur at the start of the class, one man, in particular, came to mind; Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. I personally, don’t follow him as a fan, but I do, however, find him to be an excellent example of what it means to be an entrepreneur. Diddy, as he currently likes to be called, has strived as an entrepreneur with the creations of his many product lines. For example, Diddy has his own record company, “Bad Boy Records,” clothing lines, “Sean John” and “Sean by Sean Combs,” a movie production company, and two restaurants, all while continuing his own music career.
Diddy is probably most notable for his record label, Bad Boy Records, formally known as Bad Boy Entertainment. This east coast label, dealing mostly in rap and hip/hop was founded by Diddy in 1993 and turned out many multi-platinum selling artists, such as the Notorious B.I.G.
What I admire most about Diddy and his entrepreneurial skills is his, stop at nothing, attitude. Diddy knew from an early age that music was his passion and, with hard work and dedication, he would someday become one of the world’s biggest names in rap and hip/hop. Now a day, Diddy is more know for his works and an entrepreneur, rather than his current music career. I feel that it’s an admirable characteristic that Diddy stepped aside from his music career to focus on business and helping others reach their dreams. He proves to us that a strong knowledge in business can sky rocket you to great success.
If we look at the definition of “entrepreneur,” Diddy exemplifies all of the attributes; passion for an enterprise and he assumes responsibilities for any problems he encounters. Diddy may not be the first person you think of at the mention of “entrepreneur,” but he’s as equally admirable for his works as people like Bill Gates, Walt Disney, or Oprah.
I hope to someday be able to relate to Diddy and those other entrepreneurs because, like everyone, I have dreams and ambitions that I’d love to be able to capitalize on. Diddy has shown all of us that it is possible to reach our dreams, but that it takes hard work and a strong business savvy approach. I feel that this INDS 430 course will teach us the skills to be an entrepreneur and it’s left up to us to use our experiences to get there.