Pirates of the Silicon Valley

  1.)  What are the Factors that contributed to success and failure of Steve Jobs as a technoprenuer?

-      Steve Jobs was an American technopreneur and an investor. He was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and the co-founder of the Apple Company. He has the majority shareholder of Pixar, and as well as a member of The Walt Disney Company’s board of directors, and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT. Steve Jobs was the pioneer of microcomputer revolution in 1970 and 1980, along with the Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Although, Steve Jobs died with a Pancreatic Cancer in 2011. His death was very tragic to the people who love him very much, the people love the Apple products ever since it was started, and the people are very loyal to the Apple products (iPhones, iPod, MacBook and many other Apple products that they manufactured.). Steve Jobs was very successful of being a technopreneur, and admired by the people. However, there are a lot of factors that contributed to Steve Jobs’ success and as well as to his failures.

  In early years of Steve Jobs, started in 1985, Steve Jobs together with his co-founder Steve Wozniak, they are awarded by US President Ronald Reagan with National Medal of Technology in 1985, Entrepreneur of the Decade by Inc. Magazine in 1989, Grammy Trustees Award in 2012, and many other awards that Steve Jobs received. In early days of Steve Jobs, he was college dropout back then (Reed College in Portland, Oregon), he did not even know what he was really doing at that time of his life, he even travelled to India for enlightenment and as well as studying Zen Buddhism. Moreover, Steve Jobs used marijuana in his college days, and according to Steve Jobs it was the one of the most important things happened in his life. Even though, Steve Jobs had a lot of vices that he did in early days of his life, it also one of the factors that he became a very successful technopreneur.

  Steve Jobs was very love electronics, and this was when his success started. With a very simple admiration to electronics, he found a passion and had an ambition to change the microcomputers revolution. With his co-founder Steve Wozniak, they started to set their own company, at first it was only started in the garage of Steve Wozniak’s place then it became larger company, they have their own manufacturing centers, and set a name and fame in worldwide computing industries. However, factors that contributed to Steve Jobs success are: First, his passion to his work, was one of the key that he became successful technopreneur, he did all his very best, Steve Jobs did all what he think is right to the company. Then, his determination, taking all the risk, following his instinct and intuition to guide the company to success, he never cease to seek new opportunity, and Steve Jobs never stop thinking new Apple products concept, Steve Jobs even stole a concept from the Xerox computer with the Graphical User Interface and Moues concept, and that was very clever act that he did. Also, being a perfectionist. Steve jobs was very perfectionist that he even fired his workers because it did not meet his required standards, he did not even let his workers rest. But despite of being of a perfectionist, it was his being a perfectionist that took him to become a very success technopreneur in computing industries. Because Steve Jobs aims for perfection in all of their Apple products, to manufacture a very new and very first products, he was very keen and competitive when it comes to these aspects, and every Apple details must be made perfectly. Moreover, Steve Jobs stated “You work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work”. And that is why Apple Company was known for having a very good quality Apple products, and that is the reason why the people give their full support and loyalty to Apple Company. In addition, Steve Jobs creativity and cleverness was also a factor that support his being perfectionist, they stole a concept from Xerox, and produced their own Apple later, from Lisa to Apple I to Apple III, Macintosh up to the iPhones.

  In managing company, Steve Jobs back then, he was very good at management, his management skill took their in-garage Apple Company to a large Apple Company building, and to be a very famous company in worldwide, and as well as  with his power in communicating to people. Steve Jobs was very good at communicating to people, he has the strength in convincing investors to have a business partnership with their Apple Company, have the loyalty of the people, and became known in computing industry.

  Innovation is the key to success. But in fact it is one of the factors to the success of Steve Jobs. Apple products are very unique, if not all, most of the products are unique. Each Apple product was made as innovative as it should be. Other competitors had difficulties in competing with the Apple Company, because they only focuses on how make people to buy their products, but to Steve Jobs, innovations and quality assurance must be meet first before letting all the Apple products come to market. And I also believe that assuring the quality of the products and innovative of the products are very important, though, I never tried an Apple product before. These assurance is very true to all and it is a must, because you really have to meet all the demands to satisfy all the people who want to use such products. Because Steve Jobs is one of the pioneer in microcomputers revolution, and that is why he is very perfectionist, every details must be perfect. Moreover, technology is developing very fast and so for technology innovation. Lastly, the factor that contributed to Steve Jobs Success was the devotion to his work, and that factor leads to his failures as a technopreneurship, as he fail to become a very good boss because Steve Jobs used to yell at his employees because they did not meet his standards, did not let them rest. But then again, want important is that Steve Jobs devotion’s bring the computing world in a whole new level of innovation.

         

  2.)  How do you see yourself as a technopreneur?

-      Technopreneurship it is a field of entrepreneurship with use of the technology. As our world is now in a whole new level of technological innovations. To be honest, I really do not see myself to be a technopreneur because, I knew to myself that I really do not have any talent in business as of the moment at all. But I did love to have a business, I have this dream since I was very young, seeing myself of having a business of my own, and being the boss, is the best dream that I can dream of. Though, entrepreneurship can be learned anytime and anywhere, because business course are just a step away. As an Information Technology student, I may have the all the knowledge about the Technology, but what I am lacking right now is the sense of entrepreneurship. But then again, I really do not have any interest in involving myself in entrepreneurship, despite the fact that I did dreamed of having a business of my own. Because it is very easy for me to see myself as a millionaire, having a business of my won, that is what I really dreamed of, also, in fact, that is our dream, most of us at least. That you can buy all the things you want, travelling around the world, and having an easy if life is very ideal life that you can think of. That you do not need to think of the price tag. That is really a life, for me at least. Contradiction.

What keeping me to contradict of being a technopreneur or entrepreneur is the mindset that I am having right now, the “Go to school, get good grades, and get a high-paying job”, having a job is I really dreamed of, ever since in a middle of elementary grade and up until now, in college. This mindset really stuck in my mind, that it makes me forget what I really should think upon attending academic classes. However, it is not just my mind intuition but it is also what my parents carved in my mind, that I really have to go to school, get a good grades, and then eventually seek a very good, and a high-paying job. In addition, it also the mindset that the schools I attended to, they subscribe and support to this kind of mindset throughout the years, and here I am imbibe to this mindset and carrying this up until college. Because of this mindset, the schools and the universities are having a problem in their graduates, as their best graduates tend to work to another city, not in their own city where they live and graduated to. The graduates are easily lured to the companies offering big deal compensation and package incentives, and obviously, the graduates will really take the opportunity as of today, job seeking very difficult, there are a lot of new graduates that are graduating every year. In addition, in this situation, other places, in other countries, especially in Cebu and Manila, which this two are very popular destination of most of the graduates, when in fact these two are the graduates’ primary destination of the seeking job place, and that is why these cities are tend to be more developed and growing faster, and their technology industry also grows faster, and the city where they live is left behind, the technology industry in growing slower and slower, and also the city itself is lack of opportunities, the technology industry is not enough to accommodate all of the best graduates of the universities.

I am not very sure of what I really want to be. If I want to be an entrepreneur or just having a high-paying job or at least a decent job. As a currently studying college student, I still cannot say of what I really want to be in the future, I do not know what I really want to be after I finish my studies in college. I still have no concrete mindset for the future. Because what I always thinking is just having a very simple life, that is what I really ask for. That is always comes to my mind, just a having simple life. This what the usual mindset I always think, when I start to ask myself of what I really want to be after I finish my studies in college, or what would be my career in the future.

Is to be a technopreneur is simple? Because, just hearing it, for me it is very intimidating, and at the same it is very interesting. If I really do see myself as a technopreneur, maybe I will be in the list of the best, and the most respected Filipino technopreneur, as I really see myself striving through all the hardships that will be facing. And also, because I know that if I really want to be technopreneur, I will persevere and pursue to be a great technopreneur. However, the journey of being a technopreneur is not that easy, I have to shape myself up, building technopreneurship skills, I have to devote myself to be a technopreneur. The passion for working in business world, boosting up the communication and presentation skills (which what I basically lack), I have to learn all the technopreneurial techniques that are needed to be a technopreneur. Learning all the basics and advance entrepreneurial techniques is a must. I have to be a professional as I can be, if I really want to be a technopreneur one day. Because, it is really a must to excel in all aspects of technopreneurship, a great strength is needed to survive in a business world. To be creative and innovative, and as well as cleverness will be the key factor to be a successful technopreneur.

  3.)  Would you take the same career path that Steve Jobs took? Why or Why not?

-      Career path that Steve Jobs took was not the easy career. If I will take the same path as Steve Jobs took. I will strive and be passionate to what I should really have to do. It took a very long run for Steve Jobs to be a very successful man, and as well as making the Apple Company a very success company, the Apple Company is very incomparable and very competitive company. It is way too way far from other companies. But then again, if I will take the same path as Steve Jobs took, I will also strive for what I really want. If I want something I will a find a way to get what I want. To be a passionate technopreneur, to be a creative and innovative technopreneur. And also to aim higher, to think beyond, and I will not stop thinking new innovative ideas, and technopreneurial techniques that are needed in achieving the goal of being a technopreneur.

  Steve Jobs was described as a very good man that who became later a great influencer and who is also good at communication to people, convincing people, gaining all the trust and loyalty of people. His perfectionist attitude is what drives him to the very top of the technological industry. It enables him to be more competitive, to be more creative and as well as to be more innovative in producing a very first and a very new product, which is very important in technopreneurship aspects. His strong passion in technopreneurship also help him to survive in the technopreneurship industry. And the way he thinks is way too different from the others, he thinks more advance and more innovative than the others. Also, when it comes to marketing of products, it was Steve Jobs who made all the decisions, following his own perspective in technopreneurship. Career path that Steve Jobs took is requiring a very strong technopreneurship skills, such as the communication skills, Steve Jobs possess a very strong communication skills enough for convincing people to win their trust and as well as their loyalty, and he has a self confidence that help him to properly project himself to the people. Because of this skills, Steve Jobs was able to showcase his insights about the technopreneurship and as well as he knows how to properly market each Apple product launching.

  What is all matters to Steve Jobs is the passion to work with his strengths and technopreneurial techniques, the determination of successfully achieve the goals of being a technopreneur. Steve Jobs always taking risk and always anticipate the consequences of the risk he took. That what Steve Jobs always do and because of that it made him very successful. Steve Jobs always strive for success in the Apple Company, doing all the possible solutions, generating new innovative ideas and creating new strategic Apple product marketing plan. But there is one thing that Steve Jobs was failed at, it was in communicating to the employees, he failed to be good to the employees, because Steve Jobs has a very bad temper, pushing all the employees to their limits, not letting them to risk, working beyond working hours just to satisfy what Steve Jobs wants, and without hesitation he will just fire them out of their jobs. And also, Steve Jobs was very clever when it comes to gaining innovative ideas. Steve Jobs and his teams went to Xerox Company for company tour, Xerox have this Xerox Alto which more powerful computer which uses mouse and a graphical user interface, but Steve Jobs took advantage of it and then he steal the concept of the Xerox Alto, and later he made their own Apple Computer which has the same concept and features of the Xerox Alto has. But vices aside, Steve Jobs did more good things about the Apple Company, he is the one who does the Apple product marketing, bringing the company to a higher level competitive company, from In-garage Company to a very large Apple Company Building, and having their own data centers, and producing very high quality products from Lisa Computer to iPhones and iPods. And it is also the Steve Jobs’ innovative ideas that made him a very success technopreneur.

  Taking the same career path as Steve Jobs took, requires a lot of time, energy and as well as effort to be a successful technopreneur the same as he was. Because, as a currently studying college studies, I still have a lot of things to learn, the core values that needs to be mastered, the SEED which is stands for: Self Mastery, Environment Mastery, Enterprise Mastery and Development, these core values are very essentials and are need to be learn when taking the career of being a technopreneur. I have to be more confident to project myself to people, to be more passionate enough to survive in technopreneurship industry, to be more confident in communicating to people for convincing their trust and loyalty, to be more is to become very creative and innovative technopreneur, and more importantly to be become more determined to achieve all the goals as technopreneur

  As a start-up technopreneur, I must have that capability of developing good and innovative ideas, organizing plans and technopreneurial designs, and as well as managing a technopreneurship business, and of course capability taking risks along with its consequences in order to be a very good and a very successful technopreneur. With this skills and capabilities, together with passion to work hard and determination to become technopreneur, I am very sure that as I take the same career as Steve Jobs’, that I, myself will also become a very successful technopreneur.

Reflection (The Academic Perspective)

Rationale of Technopreneurship

(The Academic Perspective)

         

As a college student, I wanted to graduate so that I could have a high paying job, without consideration of pursuing the career I am taking, the Information Technology/IT field. As long as I could have a job after graduation. Did not even doing very well in academics, and not taking it seriously, just for the sake of compliance. I always have this kind of mindset ever since I started taking the field of Information Technology (IT). Even other students have this kind of mindset. And this is also what my parents usually say “You should graduate in college for you to have a decent job”. Every time they say that I usually ask myself “Do I really have to graduate just to have a job?” Just to have a “job” after graduation is for very confusing phrase. As long as a job? What kind of job? There are a lot of job offers out there that only requires “A college graduate.” without concerning the career or the field. That is also what I observed in the industry, job seeking is very popular activity nowadays. There are people have a business, but there are out of school, and they are very successful. Should I stop in college and just have my own business? Why not after graduating college then have a business? I come to realize that, it is really up to us how we are going spend our time thinking whether we have to have a business and be a boss, or just to have a decent and permanent job. But a having a business also a job, right?

          In most schools, the usual mindset that they follow and supports to, is the “Go to school, get good grades, and land in a high-paying job” this is also what my parents used to say. It is the default mindset that the school where I am currently enrolled to, in city of Davao, imbibe and carry this mindset throughout the years. Through the years, the schools are very proud to hear that the alumni excel in the companies they are working for, and with this, it results many cases: First, the best graduates of my school where I am currently enrolled to help the development of other places, but not in the city of Davao where they graduated to. Second, this brain drain cycle in the city of Davao and the schools happens every year. Third, the city of Davao’s industries remain thin and its development is very slow-paced. Fourth, the city remain a sought-after human resource provider to other places. And these are the result cases that have produce with this kind of mindset.

However, because the city of Davao is lack of opportunity, and other places have so many industries that have a very good opportunity for the alumni, that is why the best graduates of the school are sought after by companies offering great deal packages. And most of best graduates are lured to these companies, usually from Manila and Cebu. But most of the average graduates remain in the city and hardly find a good-paying jobs and opportunities. Because the city of Davao is lack of industries, hence, also lack of opportunity to offer.

However, there is a subject that I am currently enrolled to is the “Technopreneurship” is about having an entrepreneurship with the use of the technology. Technopreneurship is an Entrepreneurship in the field of high technology. It starts with an idea, which has the capability to be a viable technology-based enterprise. This kind of entrepreneurship is having this kind of mindset “Go to school, get good grades, create a company and to the boss” Using the knowledge, skills, core values, creativity and passion to create an innovative idea using technology. With this mindset, graduates could contribute and be involved in technological development of the city. And it is the alternative mindset that the graduates and as well as I, myself can have, it is the technopreneurship mindset. Technopreneur mindset have a possible implications: First, the graduates can decide whether to pursue the technology-based business opportunity as a start-up or not. Second, the venture capitalist could invest in their viable technology ideas. Third, the start-up ideas can be mature enough to be a stable IT enterprise.

         

          The schools, especially my school where I am enrolled are now pursuing to make all the students as well as graduates to have this kind of mindset, the technopreneur mindset. By doing this, the schools have this strategy called the Macro Strategy. This strategy aims to have a Technopreneurship ecosystem in the region as well as to have an Academe-IT Community Synergy which covers the following: Technopreneurship Programs in the academe, IT parks and Buildings, Technology Business Incubators, Domestic and International IT market, Venture Capitalists and Funding Institutions, IT Business Incentives and Legal Framework, Domestic and International Locators, IT-Enabled Hotels and Tourists Destinations and IT-Friendly Real Estate Environment. With this community synergy, many IT opportunity will be available and as well as creative, innovative and technological ideas can be generated. In addition, the IT community synergy could present event opportunities like competitions for the people, for them to have a place to present their creative and innovative ideas, like Start-Up Challenges and many others.

          The IT enterprises could now have an opportunity to compete in domestic and international market and the IT community synergy will be having projects and research conferences that will also increase the economic growth of the country. The IT industry in the city as well as in other places will now be getting bigger and can attract investors and thus, creating an opportunity for the IT enterprises. In addition, the graduates that have left the city where they graduated will decide to come back and will help to increase the technological development of the city of Davao.

          Other than the Macro Strategy, there is also a Micro Strategy that the schools as well as the school where I am enrolled to have this. This strategy focuses on the school-based technopreneurship ecosystem. The schools or the universities will be having this strategy that covers the following: Embedding the Technopreneurship in the curriculum, presentation events inside the schools/universities, and as well as building Infrastructures. In school infrastructures, it has two components: The Technological Research and the Development Facility. These two provides the following: Curriculum support, Events Coordination, Seminars and Trainings, Pre-Incubation Services, technology Licensing Program, Partnership Projects with Industries and Government, Technology-Related Extension Projects with Non-Governmental Organization or NGOs and many others. With this strategy, the city of Davao will now become an Information Technology-Hub or IT-hub and become the capital of Mindanao and could possibly be in Philippines, Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Growth Area or  BIMP-EAGA, Asia Pacific Region “The Silicon Gulf”, the City of Davao will also become the source of highly competent Information Technology/IT professionals with social and ethical standards, and the schools in the city of Davao become renowned worldwide as the source of professional IT graduates. In Curriculum Component, Technopreneurship will now part of the school curriculum, from First year to Third year level of the curriculum, and as well as Practicum Programs will also be part of the curriculum. Moreover, after finishing the curriculum the students will now have the Technopreneurship core values the ‘SEED’ which enumerate to: Self Mastery, Environment Mastery, Enterprise Mastery, and the Development Mastery. With this, the graduates will be fully equip with the core values, and then the technopreneur mindset will effectively implemented.

          As a college student, the Technopreneur mindset and the Technopreneurship curriculum greatly taught me the importance of having the these core values and also our professor taught us that we have to think out of the box, it means that we have to change our usual mindset ‘Go to school, get good grades and get high paying-job’ we have it change to ‘Go to school, get good grades and create, own a company and be the boss’. Because, we are have been thinking this way through the years, which is the usual mindset. With this mindset set, it results to disturbing cases that the graduates of our schools are working in other places not in our own city, the city of Davao. Moreover, it is still does not change the fact of questioning myself if I am really capable of having my own company and be the boss, still have doubts to myself. But I am pretty sure that my doubts to myself will be gone because I have trust and respect to our professor that he will do everything he could so that we will be more confidence and become fully equipped students with skills that is needed for the Information Technology industry, and as well as teaching us on how to become an Information Technology entrepreneur. Also, our professor told us that is also the Technopreneurship will teach us, the core values of Technopreneurship, the SEED: Self Mastery, Environment Mastery, Enterprise Mastery and the Development Mastery.