The End to a New Beginning: I Have My Master's!

This past week was the beginning to the end of my journey as an Entertainment Business Master of Science Student -- I feel great! Looking back on my yearlong learning experience, it’s hard for me to believe that I have accomplished such great things, yet still have such great things to concur. I used to doubt that a Master’s Degree would add any value to the knowledge that I gained in my undergraduate degree. In fact, I was eager, anxious, and ready to start my career upon graduating from Full Sail University, in 2010. What I came to realize is that I was among the growing number of individuals who stopped their education at the undergraduate level, to pursue work. After many thoughts of wanting to sharpen my career abilities, and allow myself as many options as possible for the future -- I went back to school! Here is a reflection of my journey this far.

           

I have been an avid entertainment business enthusiast for many years. I ended my career in the Armed Forces (Navy), in order to pursue my dreams within entertainment.

I joined the Full Sail University community in 2008, for the Entertainment Business Bachelor's Degree program. After I obtained my undergraduate degree from Full Sail University, I was looking to relocate to a bigger, more entertainment-based city. Well, upon graduation, I was afforded two opportunities within entertainment, in Orlando. One opportunity was with CBS Radio, and the other was with the Orlando Magic NBA franchise -- I was hired for both! Needless to say, my search for opportunities out of state ended at that point. 

Although my first love is music entertainment, after working with the Orlando Magic franchise, the sports entertainment field opened my eyes to endless ideas and opportunities. 

With this, I enrolled in the Entertainment Business Master's (Sports Management) Program to leverage my career & education goals. The program has been a great addition to my undergraduate degree, which refreshed many key points that I have learned before and placed emphasis on things that I did not know. While in this program I was also able to intern with the Full Sail University Sports Lab Powered by ESPN, which helped me to put what I was learning in my sports concentrated classes into a better perspective. Wow, I can't believe I graduate soon! Overall, I am glad I made this decision -- I see a bright future ahead!

The Student. The Career. The Investment.

Let’s be honest, the job market is critical – leaving college students with ample career opportunity upon graduation. It is important for students to recognize, early on, their full potential. As a business student and an aspiring entrepreneur, there are plenty of financial details that I need to consider, especially when seeking investments for my start-up company. I am in my final month of academic studies, eager to obtain positioning within a structured organization -- but as stated before, there are fewer jobs than the amount of graduates being produced.

This week in class, my instructor provided resourceful insight into various small business websites, which provide helpful tools for aspiring business owners and those looking to add to their current business. These sites are especially perfect for anyone seeking initial guidance, as it pertains to acquiring start-up capital.

Here are my question and answer details from this week’s class discussion. I hope what I have taken away from theses sites will be insightful to you, as well.

1. How might the information on these sites help you in obtaining financing for your business?

The information on these sites help by providing real life insight into of how small business owners achieved their goals of seeking investors, obtaining capital, and successfully competing with competitors. In retrospect, they also provide statistical data, which helps a prospective small business owner to be aware of what precautious to take when seeking start-up capital.

2. What are some other types of information available on these sites that may be helpful?

I found the “6 Capital Funding Sources for Minority Businesses,” referenced on www.inc.com, to be very informative. The author, Carol M. Brown outlined helpful statistical information for these demographics: African Americans, Native Americans, women and Veteran business owners. This information encourages business owners to look past traditional means of lending sources, because only 59 percent of small businesses are able to obtain adequate financing.

In addition, Forgivable Loans, Capital Assistance, and Individual Development Accounts (IDA) were also referenced.

References:

Brown, Carol, M. (May 31, 2011). 6 Capital Funding Sources for Minority Businesses. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://www.inc.com/guides/201105/6-capital-funding-sources-for-minority-businesses.html

http://www.sba.gov/

http://www.inc.com/

http://www.nvca.org/