Where to begin?

Introduction

Well, as the title says, where to begin? I haven’t written anything like this in a long time, so please bear with me as I go about trying to formulate my thoughts. I suppose I’ll start by giving you a quick introduction. My name is Tara Gardiner. I’m 24 and a college senior pursuing a degree in business management with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. I am a former cheerleader and competitive equestrian (with extensive training in both English and Western disciplines) and have a passion for health and fitness, as well as a passion for writing.

While I fully admit that I still have much to learn in terms of what constitutes a healthy and active lifestyle (I’m absolutely no expert- but can speak on experiences of my own), my goal for this blog is to motivate and inspire others to achieve things that they never thought possible. Goals come in all forms- from mental to physical, professional to personal. Regardless of our circumstances and regardless of who we are, we all have the power to achieve our goals- should we only be persistent and have the desire to do so. Opportunities for change are limitless. No one will ever be perfect- and that’s something no one should strive towards- but we can always strive to be better, which is a heck of a lot better than achieving “perfection.” Being perfect is overrated and really, there’s no such thing. Everyone’s definition of “perfect” is different, making it all the more impossible to achieve. What is possible and absolutely achievable, though, is becoming the people we are meant to be- one step at a time. I won’t lie, there is a lot to this process and it takes work- but it is SO worth it.

Fulfilling Requirements

While the primary motivation for this blog rests around the fact that I am required to write a blog as a portion of my MKT 250 (Web Business Creation) course, I do plan to continue adding to this blog past what is required in terms of my studies. Requirements are guidelines- and though important, are also restrictive in some ways. Recognizing the balance in this is key-and on that note, I want to assure everyone reading this that I won’t just be focusing upon the prompts I’ve been given to cover week to week. I want to make this blog more personal, interactive and interesting- while focusing on topics that play more to my passions. There’s a quote by Sabrina Bryan that states: “You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus and the support.” This can have both personal and professional applications. Anytime you’re passionate about something, you’re 10x more likely to continue pursuit of that thing- whether it be a profession, a hobby, or even a relationship. From all that I’ve learned as a business student, passion is what differentiates a successful business from an unsuccessful one. If you’re not passionate about the product or service you’re providing or if what you’re doing doesn’t motivate you, you’re unlikely to get your business off the ground. The same can be said in terms of life; it’s important to recognize your passions and play to your strengths, as these things will ultimately lead to you becoming the person that you were meant to be- which should be the goal everyone has as they move through the ups and downs of life. It’s impossible to always be the best you can be- we’re imperfect people and make mistakes- however, it is possible to become better day by day.

Reflection: Choices

Everyone has choices in this life. We can choose to go to the gym regularly. We can choose to attend our classes and complete our assignments. We get to choose who to be friends with, who to date, and who to marry. We choose how we treat ourselves and how we treat others. I could go on and on, but the point I’m trying to make is that we have an infinite amount of choices- and it can be overwhelming. To be perfectly candid, I still have no idea what I want to do once I graduate or even what field I want to go into. While business management is a very broad degree in terms of industry entry, it leaves a lot of gray area that begs the question: “Where do I go from here?” While there are many things that I’m passionate about, I’m unsure of how to go about tying those things into what I eventually want to do as far as a career is concerned. I do know that no matter what I decide to do in the future, I want to do it on my own terms- be my own boss, so to speak. I plan to continue working hard in order to provide for myself and my family (should I ever be lucky enough to have one). I’m not a person that does well sitting idly by; my mind runs a million miles a minute, which will make self-motivating that much easier.

As far as “choosing a business” is concerned, I’d recommend that anyone striving towards this goal choose something that not only plays to their passions, but also stands a chance at being stable in an ever-changing world. The world has shifted away from brick-and-mortar retail presence to e-commerce retail – which is something that must be considered when entering into the business world (whether it be in the retail industry or other fields.) The COVID-19 pandemic has also affected many businesses, which is a factor that may hinder those seeking to establish themselves, even in terms of e-commerce businesses. Based upon what I’ve been taught this week, success factors for any business revolve around identifying complementary business models, generating ideas of profitable and creative ideas and differentiating yourself from close competitors. In my mind, business isn’t about profit- it is about helping others and providing a product or service that meets the need of a community or a specific demographic of people. It’s a measurement of value; and value is far more beneficial a thing than just revenue.