“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle” – Napoleon Hill

As I have progressed through my unique ISM journey, I have come to realize the importance of overcoming obstacles with a clear mindset. As these obstacles tend to disguise themselves in reoccurring forms, whether that is a ‘lack of time’ or an ‘overwhelming workload’, targeting one responsibility at a time and completing it to the best of one’s abilities is vital. This concept has become evident to me this following week as I stove to balance my academic career while pursuing further studies into the complexities of entrepreneurship.

As an important part of my ISM study is the concept of entrepreneurship, I made the decision to not only contact individuals in proximity but to expand my professional networks to larger entrepreneurship hubs which promote startup enterprises and social ventures. Having the opportunity to conduct online interviews with a few professionals, I was able to delve deeper into the intricacies of entrepreneurship and the intensive preparation required to launch a business. In addition to gaining and retaining this valuable knowledge, I was fortunate enough to contact an innovation incubator which has offered me support as I continue to develop my own social enterprise. Despite these large strides towards establishing a original product, I have continued to connect with local financial experts to gain knowledge on impact investing and local entrepreneurs to gain first-hand experience on the responsibilities that arise with operating a successful business venture. As the week’s theme has been characterized by growth and progress, I will continue to expand my professional network while looking to establish a working original product by incorporating the valuable expertise I gained throughout the week.