For the past 10 weeks I have researched the process of starting a new business. From the initial ideas to the budgeting and marketing, I tried to create my own opinion on the topic by listening to experts in the field. But what exactly did I learn? Well, in brief, I learned that entrepreneurship is more complex than I originally thought. Starting a business requires someone who is comfortable wearing many hats. They need to know how to make a budget proposal and work on audience analytics, as well as be creative enough to figure out new products and ideas. For this reason, I believe that in the initial phases an entrepreneur is a one-person team. Finances, marketing, socials, HR and all the other functions of a business need to be balanced on the shoulders of the entrepreneur. This means that if there are skills that are not as strong as others, part of the start-up process is learning how to gain the knowledge necessary to be successful. In this aspect, I feel very close to the process. I love to learn new things and my career choices are giving me the ability to be in an ever-changing environment. However, I also know that now is not a time for me to start my own business. I feel the need to explore new fields and dive deep in operations that only well-established firms can give me. The journey I took these past weeks exposed me to new facets of business. I was surprised by how much structure the idealization process has. In my mind having an idea is not confined by questions and rules, so it took me a while to understand why having constraints can help move ideas in the right direction. I have also realized that being exposed to these experiences has given me a sense of learning. Just looking at how I talk about businesses now versus in the first few weeks of this blog, it’s easy to see how I gained more respect for the process. Ultimately, however, being an innovator is more than just starting a business or learning about the process. In my opinion it’s a way to life that is different than everything else. It’s about not wanting to be bound by other people’s limitations and accepting the fact that responsibility for failure is almost entirely on your shoulders. It is definitely a decision bigger than its business; a decision that is based as much on timing and experiences as it is on dreams and ambitions. As Steve Jobs said: “your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”