ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FSE 301 - Entrepreneur & Value Creation

Course and what I did

In FSE 301, I learned entrepreneurship as a process you can test, not just an idea you talk about. The class made me start with a real problem, then go find proof that the problem actually matters to real people. Each module pushed me to collect evidence, reflect on what I learned, and then revise my work instead of sticking to my first assumptions.

My main work was building and revising an Evidence Based Pitch Deck. I created multiple versions of the deck across the semester, recorded pitch videos, wrote reflections, and tracked marketplace conversations. A major part of the course was completing 24 customer conversations. The point was not to “hit a number,” but to listen carefully and use what I heard to change my problem framing, solution, and go to market thinking.

What I built

My venture concept was LeadLoom. The idea was to help small business owners manage incoming leads and customer messages without losing hours every week on follow ups. In my pitch deck, I used a simple persona to make the problem concrete and realistic. I also mapped out the workflow I was proposing, such as organizing messages, drafting replies faster, and helping with follow ups so leads do not fall through. I included a basic competitive comparison, pricing tiers, and an early go to market approach that starts locally in Phoenix and expands after validating demand.

What I learned and why it matters

This course changed how I judge whether something is a “good idea.” Now I start by asking if the pain is real, who feels it most, and what people are already doing to solve it. The customer conversations trained me to be honest with myself when an assumption was weak. Sometimes I had to adjust the message. Sometimes I had to adjust the feature. Sometimes I had to admit that something I liked was not what users cared about.

This also connects to my technical work. I got better at explaining ideas to people who are not technical. I got better at working in feedback loops. I got better at iterating fast without taking changes personally. That mindset helps in engineering because real products do not succeed just because the code is clean. They succeed when the value is real and the adoption feels easy.

Connection to my GCSP theme, Joy of Living

My Joy of Living theme is about improving everyday life through systems people can trust. FSE 301 connects directly because it taught me to build around human reality, like time limits, stress, and the friction people feel when a tool is hard to adopt. LeadLoom fits that goal because it focuses on reducing the constant mental load of staying on top of messages and leads. For small business owners, that time and attention matters. Saving it can mean more space to focus on their work, their customers, and their life outside the business.

Artifacts

The final Evidence Based Pitch Deck for LeadLoom and the presentation video are included below as supporting artifacts.