Week 12 Reading Reflection

1. The biggest surprise for me in the reading was learning how much planning goes into entrepreneurship and venture ideas. I knew that to some degree it was necessary; however, due to the field's creative association, I assumed most people figured it out as they went along, as opposed to planning far ahead. I suppose that I assumed this because that is how I associate creative people and their work in my head. I tend to think creativity cannot be planned, but rather, it just happens. Now I know that this is not always true, especially in the case of an entrepreneur.
2. One part of the reading that was confusing to me was the part where the author illustrates all the fatal vision in strategic planning. If a single entrepreneur has a venture idea they are looking to pursue, it seems to be that they would need to hire help in order to avoid all possible types of fatal visions. I find it hard to see how a beginner or someone working alone would be able to do all this analysis, while still trying to create a product/service of the best quality. The text does not describe how to balance the two responsibilities.
3. If I could ask the author two questions I would ask him (1) "How do you suggest entrepenuers balance the responsibilities of avoiding fatal visions, conducting a SWOT analysis, managing growth, and actually creating a product/service?" (see question 2 above) and (2) "Are business assessments such as the SWOT analysis necessary for all venture ideas, or are there industries where they are not?"
4. There was nothing in Chapter 13 that I thought the author was particularly wrong about. The chapter focused on types of analysis and development stages, not really the opinions of the author.