Interviewing an Entrepreneur
Interviewing an Entrepreneur
Assignment
• Today – Brainstorming Questions
• Tomorrow – Creating Your Own Questions
(computer lab)
• Over the next week:
Finding an entrepreneur
to interview and executing
the interview
• Project Due: Monday,
September 24th
Interviewing an Entrepreneur
Assignment
You will be handing in a report
AND
You will be presenting your interview
to the class
Interviewing an Entrepreneur
• Step 1: Contact person selected and make an
appointment, Be sure to explain why you
want the appointment and to give a realistic
estimate of how much time you will need.
Finding an Entrepreneur
• People you know
– Parents, Relatives, Family Friends, Friends’
Parents
– Ask these people for help finding an entrepreneur
– A business owner you are comfortable talking to
– Brant Business Resource Enterprise Centre (civic
square)
– Last Resource: Ask me for help
Creating Questions
• Step 2: Identify specific questions you would like to
have answered and the general areas about which you
would like information.. Using a combination of openended and closed-ended questions
– Open Ended Questions – there are a wide variety of
answers. The question could lead to a story. Example:
How did you get started?
– Closed Ended Questions – Specific questions that will lead
to short answers. Example: How many years has the store
been open?
• We will brainstorm some questions as a class in a bit
• You will identify and type your questions tomorrow in
the computer lab
Conducting the Interview
• Step 3: Conduct the interview.
– If both you and the person you are interviewing
are comfortable, using a small tape recorder
during the interview can be of great help to you
later. (many of your phones have one)
– You will learn more if you are an “interested
listener”
Evaluating Your Findings
• Step 4: Evaluate what you have learned.
• You MUST record the answers to
your questions in some form (audio, video, writing)
• Be as specific as you can. Jotting down correct
quotes is more successful than writing vague
statements like “highly motivated individual”
Thank You
• Step 5: Write a thank-you note.
• This is more than courtesy
• It will also help the entrepreneur to remember
you favourably if you want to follow up in any
way in the future
• Networking
The Report
• Step 6: Completing a written report on your
findings
• This is to be typed and handed in
• This will include
– Your questions & the
answers from your interview
– A 2-3 paragraph reflection of
what you learned about
entrepreneurship/entrepreneurs/
starting your own business from your interview
The Presentation
• Step 7: Preparing a Presentation
– Everyone will do a 5-10 minute presentation on
their chosen entrepreneur
– Students will sign up for time slots next week
– Presentations will be ENGAGING (not boring)
• Use Video, PowerPoint, Skits, Pictures, Audio, other
visuals
– Teach the class about your entrepreneur and
unique lessons about entrepreneurship that you
have learned
Entrepreneurship Speaker Profile
Sheet
• Step 8: Fill Out a Summary Sheet
– You will be given a short summary sheet for my
records
– This will ensure you have received lessons from
the interviewing process
– Will also help students in the future think of
possible interviewees
GET INTO 5 GROUPS
In Your Groups
• You will be given one of the 5 topics that you
are to interview the entrepreneurs
• The members’ task is to generate as many
questions in that category as they possibly can
• As a group you will then select the best 5-10
• We will take these up tomorrow and come up
with a lot of good questions
• Each student is to write down these questions
The Interview Questions
• You must have at least 25 questions (5-10 for
each category)
• The questions should be a mix of open and
closed-ended questions
• To end the interview you will ask one “BIG
QUESTION” that will sum up the interview
The Interview Topics
• Background (family, education, job experience)
• Idea Generation and Evaluation (start-up + how
they are adapting now)
• Planning and Finance (plans made and financial
resources utilized for start up – and current
considerations)
• Operations ( how their business was organized at
the beginning and now, problems they
encountered, etc)
• Personal Attitudes and Characteristics (both at
the beginning of the venture and now)