Very Short Interview No. 1

Today I sat down with Steve, the owner of Leonardo's Pizza. I felt bad at first because I was interrupting his lunch with his brother-in-law, Ira, but they both welcomed me to the table!

We sat down, and both he and Ira spoke to me about their experience with entrepreneurship. Steve was eager to tell me about anything and everything related to Leonardo's Pizza, and entrepreneurship in general. 

Here is our conversation during the interview:

Lillie: What does it mean to you to be an entrepreneur?

Steve: It makes me my own person. I can accept my own standard and goals.. absolute freedom. 

He then went on to tell me that he had worked for the government and larger companies before, but he had the most freedom to make his ideas into a reality, when he was self-employed as an entrepreneur. 

Lillie: What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneurship class?

Steve: Can entrepreneurship skills really be taught? I don't know. I am not quite sure if someone can be taught how to be an entrepreneur. I think it comes with experience, and that can be hard to teach. The best school program is nothing until you experience it. There is a disconnect between reality and the textbook. I always worked in college; education is important; watching ownership is important. 

He explained how his early start working with small businesses had given him experience that he was able to use later on. He was curious about this question, and he requested that throughout the semester, I come tell him what I have been learning about the entrepreneurial process. 

Lillie: What do you wish you had been taught in school before going off on your own as an entrepreneur?

Steve: I think I learned a lot of lessons in college. I had to figure out how to navigate my own life, and how to learn everything. Living away from home was an important part of learning. 

He explained that one of the most important things he gained from college was experience. He stressed the importance of experience over and over again. 

I had such a great time meeting with Steve and his brother-in-law, Ira. They were both so excited to talk about their experience and answer any questions that we had. It was great meeting with an entrepreneur at the beginning of the semester, so now I can take his advice with me throughout the course of the class, and apply it! I am looking forward to the semester ahead as I learn more about the entrepreneurial process. 

P.S. I had pepperoni pizza for lunch at Leonardo's Pizza before the interview. 

10/10 would recommend!