"Very Short Interview, Part 2"

Very Short Interview with Entrepreneur, Part 2

 

I thought my first interview was very basic and very basic questions. I think my entrepreneur was a little awkward in front of the camera rolling. I think he did a good job answering the questions but seem a little uneasy during the process.

For this exercise I was not able to interview the same entrepreneur, but I did interview another entrepreneur in the same industry. I interviewed an x pro surfer who has won many titles and is now one of the most respected surfboard maker in the industry. I had to do a phone interview with him as it was short notice no being able to interview the first one again. Please take notice of his first answer in the interview. I think that really sums up to me one of the greatest reasons to becoming an entrepreneur.

Me: If you could only give me one piece of advice about becoming an entrepreneur, what would it be?

Clay Bennett-The main piece of advice I would give you is to figure out what you would do for free and turn it into a business. Also, make sure you have plenty of working capital and have additional resources for more capital for several reasons. The first reason would be if you have a slump in business and you have more overhead costs than you have net income or working capital. Second reason to have access to more capital is if your business really takes off then you will need to be able to handle additional expenses to be able to fulfill orders or for possible expansion of your business.

Me: What are some of the most difficult challenges you face by being an entrepreneur?

Clay Bennett-One of the main challenges I face is, of course money again. Another is to make sure that people can and will believe in you and trust you enough to buy into you as a person and your products. People want a good quality product at a fair and honest price.

Me: What is the most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur?

Clay Bennett-It all goes back to the single fact that you are your own boss. You make the calls right or wrong and you deal with any issues in the manner you think is best. It’s the American Dream.

I think from doing all the one-on-one interviews and recordings as well as the elevator pitches this exercise was a breeze. It just goes to show you once you do something several times and you get a comfort level then it becomes second nature. I believe I could walk up to a complete stranger and ask them almost any question with no problem at all.