Week 3 Very Short Interview No. 1

I interviewed Donna Delfin, an entrepreneur who runs the online clothing boutique, ShopSereneSky.com.  I worked as a fashion marketing intern for her company last summer.
The interview questions and answers are as follows:

1. What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?
          Growing up with an entrepreneur father, I was surrounded by him starting many businesses and partnerships.  It seemed only natural for me to start my own business. To be an entrepreneur, you have to have passion, dedication, and a vision.  You have to have the birds eye strategy view yet get lost in the details as well.  Being your own boss is tough as you need to be motivated, constantly shift priorities to get things done, and delegate where you can.

2. What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneurship course?
          I think honing in on creating a strategy and vision is key.  During my career as a producer or project manager, I was in a place where management informed us on projects and priorities.  We were not privy to why projects were picked or important.  Having my own business, I learned the skills of following trends and researching competitors and the marketplace to see what can work for my brand.  I was able to build a brand strategy and stick to it.  I've been able to sell this brand style to customers, media, bloggers, influencers, and partners in order to grow further and build brand awareness.

3. What do you wish you had been taught in school before setting out on your own path as an entrepreneur?
          I wish school taught students the ins and outs of building a business and the growing pains associated with it.  I've been thankful to have great mentors such as my entrepreneur father, accountant turned interior designer mother, and other women entrepreneurs I've met along the way.  Thankfully with the Internet, there are many articles out there with resources to start your business, free mentors and free webinars online for other entrepreneurs to review and get started.

During this interview, I learned how important it is to shift priorities depending on what needs to be done on any given day.  For Donna, if a blogger contacts her on a particular day about a potential collaboration, she has to switch her focus to this opportunity and send over appropriate contracts.  She has to stay up to date with fashion trends so she knows what types of products and clothing/accessory styles to buy and sell; be up to date with current trends and national holidays (such as national doughnut day) in order to write effective blog posts and stay popular on social media; and be willing to accept change whenever consumer preferences shift or new opportunities arise.