Interview with an Entrepreneur

Interview with an Entrepreneur

One of the most valuable learning experiences students can have involves conducting a field interview of a successful entrepreneur. It is a way to learn a lot about yourself. However, to be of value, the interview must be done in a highly professional and systematic manner. It must be approached rigorously, not casually. The student should prepare questions in advance. Following this, it is helpful to first walk through the questions in a mock interview with a friend. The student should develop an efficient means for taking notes or capturing the key points made by the entrepreneur. When actually with the entrepreneur, the student must attempt to establish a personal rapport (taking the entrepreneur to lunch for the interview might help). It is critical that the student does not just deal with superficial questions and answers. The key is to probe, to ask why, to delve beneath the surface to get at what the entrepreneur is really all about, to find out what makes the entrepreneur “tick”.