Interview an Entrepreneur

Interviewing an entrepreneur can lead to insights about their journey, the path they are taking now, the decisions they face and must address, and the rewards and challenges that they must confront.

A great deal of what entrepreneurs accomplish is a result of their background, connections, and experiences. You want to interview someone who is a founder of the firm and has operated their business for at least two years. It is OK to interview a founder of a non-profit. The entrepreneur should be working in an industry that you have an interest. Students must choose someone NOT in their family, a friend, boss, or family friend. Students should network using virtual events, Linked In, or asking for friends and family for recommendations.

During the interview, students should ask the following questions. Students should probe some with their follow-up questions. Students will write-up the interview and provide the answers and comments on each question. Students are not permitted to email the questions and submit what the interviewee sends back.

Interview Questions

1. What is your business?

• What is the mission of your organization?
• What do you sell/provide and to whom?
• Why is your firm/organization unique?
• What channels do you use for your organization?
• Who are your key partners?

1. What is your title? For what are you responsible for the organization in which you work?
2. What was your career progression? What is your educational background? How did you decide to be an entrepreneur?
3. Describe a day: how do you spend your working hours? What are the kinds of things you do, what are the tasks you undertake? On what do you spend most of your time?
4. What are the rewards of being an entrepreneur?
5. What are the hard things about being an entrepreneur?
6. What knowledge and skills do you need to be an effective leader?
7. How do you engage and motivate employees? If you do not yet have employees, what kind of culture do you want to build in your organization?
8. Have you had a mentor or a sponsor? How did you find that individual, and what was that relationship like?
9. If you were advising someone who wanted to pursue the entrepreneur’s journey, what would you tell them?

Self-Reflection

After writing up the interview, each student will answer the self-reflection questions below. Each question requires at least a paragraph to answer the question fully.

• What surprised you the most, or what was the most unexpected thing you learned during the conversation?
• What is the most important learning/understanding you gained from conducting this interview?
• How does this new data affect your desire to be an entrepreneur?
• What will you do as a result of the new information you now have?

REMINDER: The interview should be written in a narrative and not as a list of questions and answers. Also, students need to get all questions answered. Some questions may be modified to fit the entrepreneur.

After this exercise, students will write a handwritten note of thanks to the individual interviewed. An email or text message is not the same. Thanking the people who help us is always necessary. A handwritten note in our world of e-communication is not only classy but memorable. Students need to include a copy (photo) of the thank you note with the interview assignment.