While walking through the scenic pathway of Blair Academy, I was given the opportunity to speak with Mr. Craig Powell about his background and experience as an entrepreneur. Much was discussed regarding both the necessary hustle that an entrepreneur should have along with the principles of leadership that are necessary to allow a business to run efficiently. However, the most important opinions that Mr. Powell shared were his views on failures along with his views on how certain products must be created.
When discussing the current technological industry that has developed, Mr. Powell brought up the insightful point that the main error within today’s society is the inability of entrepreneurs to realize that the human experience is a necessary part of development. “[Technology is being built] just to [be built] as opposed to making a human experience better.” The disregard for the human experience that Mr. Powell stated within the interview reflects why certain businesses fail, but more importantly, I believe that his statement also works to show why society itself is in such disrepair today.
Legislation, technology, and ideas are proposed simply to give the public the illusion that something is being done about issues within society. Instead of attempting to answer the problems that plague human society, many individuals are solely focusing on certain ideas which seem bright but may have no real impact on individuals within our society. Thus, I believe that the statement is quite impactful as a result of the implications that it has for society.
A more impactful point, however, was made toward the end of the interview. I attempted to ask Mr. Powell about the nature of failure and was met with quite a nice response. “I have never viewed failure as negative. I have always viewed it as an opportunity to grow.” This final quote by Mr. Powell has shown me that in business and specifically entrepreneurship failure is inevitable, but it is our mindset that determines whether failure can be beneficial or detrimental to our lives.
