Very Short Interview No.1

I interviewed a good family friend of mine, his name is Timothy Damadian. His father invented the MRI back in 1977, and has since been an entrepreneur stemming form his father's invention. He's started multiple organizations particularly in the health field ranging from MRI centers around the country to med supply businesses. The following are some questions I asked that he answered:

• "What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?"
• " It means that a person has the qualities to create a business model. After that initial start, entrepreneurs differ greatly depending on the desire and skill to grow that model into a successful company or bring other skilled individuals to expand the concept. 
• "What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneurship course?"
• " The essential course is to understand the basics of Finance, Economy and Psychology.
  Basic Finance, because an entrepreneur knows if a business has the potential to be financially successful.
  Basic Economy, because even a sound business concept or idea could fail or succeed due to the state of local/ global economic trends, available resources and other phenomena currently trending.
  Basic Psychology is also important because you can’t manage a team without a basic understanding of what drives different people and how to manage the different personalities that may be critical to have people believe in the entrepreneur.
• "What do you wish you had been taught in school before setting out on your own path as an entrepreneur?"
• Excel. One of the tools I have found to be the most effective in managing a business startup is the Spreadsheet. From creating the model with cost projections and various proforma to managing your books, Excel is an excellent tool to master.

I was surprised when he said that Excel was the one of the most essential tools he wished he had learned in school. I'm sure technology was as strongly depended on when he was in school, but as it became more prevalent in society and businesses, he had to be self taught over the years.