MGT 386 Entrepreneurship Prepared by MD Asif Hossain (MAO)

Guideline questions for Entrepreneur Interview

Assignment Question:
You have to create an Entrepreneurial Case by interviewing a real life entrepreneur. Ask as many
questions as you like. The goal is to get insight on the entrepreneur’s experience, challenges
he/she faced, how they overcame those etc. Ask question about their experience with
Intellectual property, process of new entry, process for creativity. (All the topics we studied in
the class that you can think of)

Outcome:
1. To understand and experience how to analyse an Entrepreneur. What are the thing
and challenge they have to go through every day?

2. Give you an idea to what extend an entrepreneur is similar or different in terms of

what we learned from the book.

Rules and Submission:

1. Recommended 1 page Max 1.5 Pages (Without Tables) Two Pages including tables.
(Each Member)

2. Make use of tables for better structure.

3. Font size 11-12. Acceptable fonts- Times New Roman or Calibri.

4. Include a cover page with your details. (Group name, Group member, member’s ID,
Contact Info)

5. Print and bind them together.

Total Marks: 10 % Marks

Deadline: 7th August 19 Wed (Deadline cannot be extended)
Please Note: This is only a guideline; you are free to include your own questions
and methods to analyse.
Details to fill out:
Company Name:
Location/Mailing Address: Postal Code:
Phone: Fax: E-mail:
Website:
Number of employees: _______ Year formed: ________ Sector: ____________
Profiled by: Company Details:

Sample Question:
Entrepreneurial details questions:
1. Why did you want to become an entrepreneur?
2. What are the benefits of being an entrepreneur?
3. What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?
4. What advice would you give to another would-be entrepreneur?
5. Why do you feel your company is successful? Remember, success can be defined in
many ways.
6. What lessons have you learned along the way?

Public relations questions:

1. Has the company received any media attention (magazine or newspaper articles? Get
copies if possible.)
2. Have you or the company won any awards or gotten special recognition?

Practical Question:
1. Did you ever had to use/go through any procedure regarding Intellectual Property?

2. Ask questions about new entry, how does he generates idea etc. Ask question about
his experience with Intellectual property, process of new entry, process for creativity.
(All the topics we studied in the class that you can think of)

Labour market questions:

1. What skills do you look for when hiring an employee?
 2. Please list the positions (administrative assistant, web site design, data entry, network
administrator, accounting, marketing, engineer, electrician, etc.) that make your
business function?
3. Do you have difficulty in securing or retaining certain positions? If yes, which
positions? Why do you feel there is a difficulty in recruitment?

Advisory and opinion questions:

1. What advice would you like to pass on to the youth of our province?
2. Are there any interesting stories/experiences about your company/clients you would
like to share? Wow points tend to come from this question.
3. What is one of your greatest accomplishments?
4. What is your most memorable business moment? A business highlight?

Closing questions:
Is there anything I haven’t asked you that you were expecting me to ask?
Sample Case:
J&E enterprises | by mark manning
“With good ol” hard work and ambition
Mr. Eugene Manning is the owner and operator of J & E Enterprises located in St. Brides,
Placentia Bay. This business, which was started in 1979, is well known and respected in the
construction industry throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. This business is a truly
remarkable story of a man who decided to follow his dreams and succeed no matter how
insurmountable those dreams may have seemed to be at times. To quote Mr. Manning,” Good
ol’ hard work and ambition will take further than your dreams could imagine”

“I learned from my Father”

Eugene is the oldest of a family of eight children born of Julia and Walter Manning. All of the
Manning children played a role in running the family business. Walter Manning and Son’s Ltd. is
a small convenience store owned and operated by Eugene’s father Walter Manning. The
business was a stepping stone for Eugene to develop the skills and work ethic to become the
successful business man he is today. When asked how he became so strong willed, determined
and hardworking, Eugene always thanks his father for giving him those traits while working in
the store. “Dad always said we had choices in life; we could be successful in what we do, but it
was up to us to make that choice. I guess I really took it to heart”. Eugene went on to say that no
matter what task his father would ask him to do in the store, the request always ended with the
quote “do it right or don’t do it at all”. Eugene said he took that attitude to the creation of his
business and he truly lives by the philosophy today, confident that it adds to the success of his
business.

“It wasn’t easy starting off, but giving up was a much more difficult option”
When Eugene graduated high school he continued to work in the family business, however he
never overly enjoyed working for someone else, even though it was his dad. After much
thought, he decided to dedicate his life to the building and operating of a construction
company. It was the summer of 1979; Eugene was young but certain as to how he wanted to
spend the rest of his life. Eugene walked into his father’s office at the back of the store and
asked his father to assist him with the start-up costs of his company. As per his usual comment,
Walter Manning agreed to help but with the condition that “do it right or don”t do it at all”!
And so it became a reality. With Eugene’s savings and financial contribution from his dad,
Eugene purchased the first pieces of equipment totalling $40,000.00. The purchase included an
undersized dump truck and a loader. Eugene commented on the fact that in the beginning he
often thought of giving up because contracts were not coming as he had predicted or expected.
His contracts were small jobs such as clearing snow. He decided not to give up but to put his
shoulder to the wheel and give it more time and to seek out more challenging contract
opportunities. He decided not to give up because of what his father had told him at the
beginning. Eugene said, “Giving up was a much more difficult option , not only because of my
father’s words but also because I knew without a doubt that this is what I wanted in life.”

business was booming

J & E Enterprises began to seriously pick up business after only its second year of life. With more
lucrative snow clearing contracts, land clearing jobs, and other miscellaneous jobs that required
the assistance of J7E Enterprises, business was booming. Eugene was off on the right foot and
doors began to open in the following years as his reputation for quality work began to take hold
in the industry. Mr. Manning began to hire employees which further advanced his business in
construction and soon J & E Enterprises became an influential player in the bidding of large
contracts across the province. Mr. Manning now had the foundation set and the development of
a growing, successful enterprise became a reality.
“I always wanted to go big with this, but never did I imagine I would ever have what I have
today”
Since the 1980’s, Mr. Manning has not only built J & E Enterprises into a greater company but
has also built that reputation of being the company that comes in and gets the job done right.
Mr. Walter Manning said, ”Eugene has done great things with his business and has become very
successful. What makes me proud is not the money, or the machines, but the reputation he has
built as a professional, hard-working and honest individual who watches the details of what he
does and how he does it”. Eugene has grown his business from the undersized dump truck and
loader to quite an extensive list with a lot of expensive and quality equipment including tractor
trailers, floats beds for transporting large machines, excavators, full size dump trucks, rubber
back backhoe’s and his newest purchase a mobile crane which allows him to compete for more
demanding projects. Eugene has also expanded his job scene with not just snow clearing but
also road construction and extremely lucrative Government maintained Small Craft Harbours
projects throughout the Province. Several of these completed projects can be found in the rural
parts of the Province including St. Brides, St. Joseph’s, Catilina, Bonavista, Branch , Harbour
Breton and others. An increase in the number of employees has risen from three(3) in 1984 to
24 in 2011.This increased activity is a testament to how far this company has come that
spawned from a dream and some good advice into a million dollar operation with even more
room to grow.

“Dreams and ambition guide you through the battle but its hard work that
wins the war”
To conclude I will leave you with Mr. Manning’s answer to the question; “Do you have any
advice for young entrepreneurs?” To this he replied “follow your dreams, let your heart and
ambition guide you, but most of all work hard at whatever you chose. If you can go to bed every
night saying that there is no one who worked harder than you for your waking hours, then I can
promise you will be successful. Dreams and ambition guide you through the battle, but its hard
work that wins the war. My father said it right; do it right or don’t do it at all”