13A reading reflection no. 1

Andrew Carnegie, David Nasaw

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

• What surprised you the most?
• I was most surprised that Andrew Carnegie was only 5 feet tall. I found that fact very humorous and surprising. Also, I was surprised that Carnegie was so successful with very little formal education.
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
• I personally admired how Andrew Carnegie was a very successful businessman, yet he still gave back to others. Philanthropy is a passion of mine, so when I read that Carnegie gave away around 350 million dollars to others, I was very impressed. Carnegie's funds opened 2,500 public libraries, since he was a big lover of books. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
• I least admired how some people felt that Carnegie became successful at the expense of his employees. His employees were so unhappy to the point that they refused to work and initiated the Homestead Strike of 1892. Even though Carnegie was not there during the strike, he was still responsible for keeping his employees happy.
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
• Carnegie experiences adversity and failure from a very young age. He witnessed his sister and brother dying, and he watched his father struggle and fail repeatedly. Also, Carnegie experienced business failures and had to reinvent the company numerous times. Specifically, his company dealt with labor issues. However, despite his struggles, Carnegie persevered and never gave up on his company and vision and turned it into a great success.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

I noticed that Carnegie always had perseverance and never gave up. Creating a business as successful as Carnegies came with many obstacles. Since Carnegie grew up poor and experienced many hardships during his childhood, I noticed that Carnegie needed perseverance to be a success in America with no formal education. 

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I was not very confused during the reading but if I had to pick something i would be curious to know more exactly how Carnegie made his company so big and successful. It seems very difficult to attain. 

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

• If you were to change anything, what would it be? 
• I think that Carnegie may have good advice to avoid many of the hardships he endured when creating his company after looking back on it that could be helpful for a new entrepreneur. 
• How did you make your company such a success and get past the obstacles and keep a positive attitude?
• creating a successful business as big as Carnegie's takes a lot of willpower and patience. Therefore, I would like to hear Carnegie's perspective on how he was able to make his company happen.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think that Carnegie's opinion of hard work was never giving up and powering through any obstacle that was thrown his way. I agree with this opinion because I believe we have to endure hardship to learn how to create something great in the end.