13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

·       What surprised you the most?

I was surprised to learn that Elon Musk grew up in poverty raised by a single mom. I thought that he would have derived from money and was successful because of that.

·       What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I admire how Elon Musk grew up in poverty and watched his mother work 5 different jobs to support him, and decided to escape living the same life his parents did.

·       What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

I honestly didn’t find anything that I least admire when reading this book. He grew from nothing, and worked his way to the top and is extremely dedicated and passionate about his companies.

·       Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Yes definitely. Elon Musk grew up in a single family home in poverty and was bullied as a kid. When he was older and created his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, the recession took place and nearly wiped out both of his companies due to financial issues. He still overcame the adversity and potential failures.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

Elon Musk is intelligent, hard-working, and dedicated to his work. He has competencies in the ability to overcome adversity and barriers. He is a pure entrepreneur and successful at it, as he developed companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and SolarCity.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

The only confusion in the book was the explanation of the technical aspects of his companies. It was only confusing to me because I don’t have that background and knowledge on that subject.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

The questions I would ask would be: What made you choose the path to create your first company? And did growing up in poverty and a single home family have any impact on where you are today?

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think that Elon Musk must believe that hard work is essential to the creation and progression of any business. I think that the main thing that he had was a strong work ethic and that could be the reason he has made it where he is today. And I believe that I definitely share that opinion, I grew up watching my family and grandparents work hard every single day to give me the life that I have. Hard work and dedication is instilled in me.