Reflections

Now that I have been back in the U.S. for a couple of months, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my experience in Peru. It was truly amazing to think of what I was able to do during those 3 months. I took with me all of the knowledge I had gained from a world-famous business institution, Thunderbird School of Global Management, and directly worked with those in need. I didn't just sit in a fancy chair with a board of executives talking about CSR initiatives for PR purposes, but I was able to give directly to those in need. That is what I'm all about. I have learned that I absolutely love to help people at the "bottom of the pyramid". I understand now how important it is that I hold myself in a business-like and professional manner, but I don't really care to "impress", so to speak, the big business dogs. I want to continue being a person with whom the common people can relate to. If the common of this world could only see what they are capable of being, there would be so much more prosperity. What better way to relay this message of hope to people than by mentoring, working with, and inspiring these people one on one.
What I aim to do now is find a full time job doing similar work. I would absolutely love to work in the field directly with people in need. I want to help entrepreneurs in the developing world build their knowledge base on business in order to create more jobs and more wealth. These common people are the key for job creation! Many countries in the world face a growing young population who are entering the job market and have no where to go. This will be a serious problem unless addressed properly.

Looking back

 The lovely ladies from my classroom visits. Here we discussed potential business ideas and created business growth models. These classroom visits were designed to cover as much ground as possible and spread our free business advice to those who had yet to start their own business, but had the dream of doing so.

 Four of my awesome graduates! Each of these ladies had competed the course requirements provided by the NGO, EL Gran Salto. These requirements included attending the mass training, have 3 on-site personal visits from a mentor (me), and complete a 3 year business growth plan. I'm so proud of them!

 The beautiful and amazing Ana Maria. She was by far the lead intern of the group, working countless hours on El Gran Salto's facebook page, coordinating with alumni, and planning for her own clients' visits.

Jordan the stud Flake. He and I pretty much spent 3 months together in a taxi in Lima. I'll give him a lot of credit for humoring my lame jokes during those long, traffic-filled days.