The Keystone course provided ample knowledge on where innovators start on their ventures and how they get to the places they want to be. Sometimes, the start of the product may not be where a company finds the most success, but one lesson I have learned is that being open to adjusting and pivoting when necessary are vital to an entrepreneurial longevity. One of my favorite activities that highlighted this sentiment was the group work in which we needed to innovate a product for different customers, actions, and places based on random cards pulled from Cards Against Humanity. Our three phrases were beekeepers, kids playing outside, and on the moon. Having these completely disparate themes, our team’s final product was an anti-gravity honey shooting spacesuit that entertained kids as they played on the moon, while keeping beekeepers in business. Though it might not be the most practical of toys and the market would be extremely niche for the product, our team iterated ideas and brainstormed from shared experiences like what we saw while watching the Bee Movie. We first knew the product needed to be usable on the moon, so we went with an anti-gravity product. Then we thought of who needs to make money and how reasonable would it be for beekeepers to sell for their target market. The product would need to financially help them thus we decided on incorporating honey into the final prototype. Lastly, we went through the target market of children and tried our best to appeal to their wants and came out with a toy. A jetpack was an option, a honey shooting gun was another, but in the end an interactive spacesuit with functions like shooting honey seemed like the safest option. Our team’s start was not where we found the most success but with the ability to prototype, adjust, and pivot we came to a conclusion that seemed to satisfy the customer needs. I learned that the three integral portions of designing a product come with willingness to prototype, test, and pivot while meeting the satisfaction of a customer can be checked by a product’s feasibility, viability, and desirability.

 

Entrepreneurship is the second part of this certificate’s name, thus we conducted multiple simulations assessing our ability to make decisions towards creating a successful venture. One such team endeavor was the New Venture Exercise: Food Truck Challenge. Our group made sure to get everyone’s opinions before making a decision and then submitted our responses only after everyone had a chance to speak. Fortuitously, in the second round, we found out the simulation's winning combination of selling smoothies at the train station very early on in the game and decided we would be the winners- as our calculations predicted a record number of revenue made. Unfortunately, we did not indeed win. Only one person was submitting the answers, but we chose the incorrect responses two times and gave our lead out to the other teams. After much dismay, I learned the importance of checking your team members if you are relying on them heavily and offering a second lookover. More critically we decided that our team effort was clouded by our arrogance and that Murphy’s Law truly exists- when something can go wrong, it will go wrong.

 

A refreshing view of the situation also came to mind after the game was over and that was that I felt proud either way and very close to my team. This might have been due to our ice breaking question of which pie is our favorite, but feeling comfortable around the people you're working with is essential for psychological safety and thus a winning environment. An example from a case that highlighted the notion of creating a positive culture was the Florida Air Case in which the team was falling apart & creating a myriad of issues prior to the product’s launch. Rifts formed between team members Dan and Henry due to Henry’s unwillingness to work and this attitude trickled down to other employees who did not have the same passion for the product. Our recommendations were to mend the tensions and continue forward, but most teams in discussion opted to fire Henry and other uncommitted employees. Not giving up on your team certainly is hopeful, but creating an ethical culture also brings into question the willingness to cooperate and ability to stick to the tenets of the mission. In the future, I will strive to make contributions to my team that encourage people to work towards our goals and that I can be of utmost support to uplift unheard voices.

 

Being a senior at Duke, my future educational experiences might not be of main focus currently, but certainly this course has impacted my view on my career and how I would like to operate in my personal life. This keystone course has inspired me to pursue jobs that are heavy on ideating, flexibility, and working in teams as these were all aspects of the course that I thoroughly enjoyed. I want to combine my interest in the natural sciences with my interests in marketing, innovation, and design. I have more awareness about how I can fulfill the world’s wants and needs and I hope to tackle this head on with any career path I choose. I want to operate as a change-maker and in my personal life I plan to take steps that help me become the best team member to society I can be by creating inviting environments wherever I am and with whoever I am working with or building relationships with.