| Course | MAN-2300 Introduction to Entrepreneurship |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Module 1 written assignment: deciding to become an entrepreneur |
| Length | About 605 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | B.S. in Entrepreneurship |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MAN 2300 Module 1
Paddles or Lesson Plans? A Personal Assessment of Readiness to Start a Tour Business
Student Name
B.S. in Entrepreneurship, Thomas Edison State University
MAN-2300: Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Paddles or Lesson Plans? A Personal Assessment of Readiness to Start a Tour Business
Introduction
For six summers I have guided kayak trips on Barnegat Bay for another outfitter. Customers keep asking whether there is a company that offers marsh ecology tours led by someone who knows the science, and I keep thinking the answer could be me. I teach middle school earth science, which gives me summers off and a steady salary. This assignment asks whether I should become an entrepreneur.
Why I Want to Start a Business
Barringer and Ireland (2025) identify three primary reasons people start businesses: to be their own boss, to pursue their own ideas and to pursue financial rewards. My strongest reason is the second. I have an idea, ecology-focused paddle tours, that the outfitter I work for has no interest in pursuing. Being my own boss matters less to me, and I do not expect large financial rewards from a seasonal business. The textbook notes that pursuing one's own ideas is a common and durable motive, which suggests my motive is a reasonable foundation.
Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs
The textbook describes four characteristics common among successful entrepreneurs: passion for the business, product and customer focus, tenacity despite failure and execution intelligence, the ability to turn an idea into a working business. I rate myself high on passion and customer focus; I know what customers ask for because I hear it every day. Tenacity is untested; I have never run a business through a bad season. Execution intelligence is my weakest area. I know kayaks and marsh ecology, but not insurance, permits, booking software or payroll.
Three Myths
The textbook challenges several myths. The first is that entrepreneurs are born, not made; research suggests entrepreneurial skills can be learned, which encourages me to take this course seriously. The second is that entrepreneurs are gamblers. Most successful entrepreneurs take moderate, calculated risks rather than wild ones. The third is that entrepreneurs need large amounts of money. Many businesses start small and grow from early revenue, which fits a seasonal rental business.
Starting Small: Effectuation
Sarasvathy (2001) described two ways entrepreneurs decide. Causation begins with a goal and seeks the means to reach it; effectuation starts with what the founder already has, her identity, her knowledge and her network, and builds outward, staking only losses she could survive. Effectuation fits my situation. I have a teaching salary, guiding experience, knowledge of the bay and relationships with marina owners. I could start with a small fleet, one summer and a limit on what I would lose if it failed.
Opportunity and the Individual
Shane and Venkataraman (2000) argue that entrepreneurship happens where a valuable opportunity meets a person able to spot it and act on it. My knowledge of marsh ecology and of what paddlers ask for lets me see an opportunity that others in the market have not pursued. Whether it is valuable is a question for the next module's feasibility analysis.
My Decision for Now
I am not ready to quit teaching, and I do not need to. I will plan a business that runs in summer while I keep my job, set an affordable loss limit of $25,000 of my savings and spend the next year building the execution skills I lack, starting with this course.
Conclusion
My reasons are sound, my passion and customer focus are strong and my execution skills need work. The myths I believed, about risk and money, made entrepreneurship seem more dangerous than it needs to be. An effectual start, small and limited to what I can afford to lose, makes the decision manageable.
References
Barringer, B. R., & Ireland, R. D. (2025). Entrepreneurship: Successfully launching new ventures (7th ed.). Pearson.
Sarasvathy, S. D. (2001). Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 243-263. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2001.4378020
Shane, S., & Venkataraman, S. (2000). The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research. Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 217-226. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.2791611
Reading the MAN 2300 Module 1 assignment instructions
Six MAN-2300 written assignments carry 33 percent of the grade; six forums, a proctored exam on the first three modules and a closing case analysis make up the rest. The first assignment asks about deciding to become an entrepreneur: why people start businesses, the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, common myths and your own readiness. Answers should be well developed and draw on Barringer and Ireland's text, cited in APA style. Apply the concepts to a venture you could imagine starting, and be honest about your weaknesses as well as your strengths. If you have no business idea yet, choose one you could realistically start in your community, since the later assignments build on it. Each written assignment counts, so treat this one as the foundation for the feasibility analysis, plan, finances, growth and management assignments that follow.
How the MAN 2300 Module 1 example is put together
The paper opens with the writer's situation and venture idea. A section tests her reasons against the textbook's three reasons. A section rates her on four characteristics, admitting the weakest. A section examines three myths and how each changes her view. A section applies research on effectuation to plan a limited-risk start, and a section uses research on opportunity recognition. A decision and conclusion follow, each grounded in the analysis rather than in enthusiasm. The writer applies each textbook list to her own situation, so every concept is tested against a real decision. Research on effectuation and opportunity recognition supports the practical plan. The tone is honest about weaknesses, which makes the decision credible rather than a cheerful promise to succeed.
Where the marks sit in the MAN 2300 Module 1 rubric
Mentors grade written assignments on well-developed answers, accurate use of the textbook's concepts and clear writing with APA citations. In this first assignment, answers that tie each concept to a particular venture and founder show understanding. Honest self-assessment, including weaknesses, earns more than a list of strengths. Using research such as effectuation to shape a practical decision demonstrates thinking beyond the chapter, and a clear decision at the end shows the analysis led somewhere. Mentors also value a paper that connects this first assignment to the course's later work, such as feasibility and financing, because it shows the writer sees entrepreneurship as a process. Accurate APA citations for the textbook and research complete the paper.
Common MAN 2300 Module 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Answers fall short when they define characteristics and myths without applying them, rate the writer high on everything or write about entrepreneurship in general rather than a specific idea. Others misstate the textbook's lists. Name a venture you could start. Rate yourself honestly on each characteristic. Explain how each myth affects your thinking. End with a decision and the reasons behind it. If you are unsure whether you are ready, say so and explain what would make you ready; mentors value an honest answer over a confident one. Keep personal stories brief and connect each one to a concept. A free first sample on your own MAN-2300 Module 1 assignment is available on request.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More MAN 2300 and B.S. in Entrepreneurship sample papers
- MAN 2300 Module 2: Written Assignment: A Feasibility Analysis for Ecology Paddle Tours
- MAN 2300 Module 3: Written Assignment: A Business Model and Legal Form for the Paddle Company
- MAN 2300 Module 4: Written Assignment: Startup Costs, Break-Even and How to Fund the Fleet
- MAN 2300 Module 5: Written Assignment: Growth Options After Two Good Seasons
- MAN 2300 Module 6: Written Assignment: Building the Team and Managing the Paddle Company
MAN 2300 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MAN 2300 Module 1 sample paper?
A science teacher weighing a paddle tour business, assessed against reasons, characteristics, myths and effectuation, is the assignment above.
Why do people become entrepreneurs?
Barringer and Ireland identify three main reasons: to be their own boss, to pursue their own ideas and to pursue financial rewards.
What characteristics do successful entrepreneurs share?
Passion for the business, product and customer focus, tenacity despite failure and execution intelligence.
What is effectuation?
Building from the resources already at hand and accepting only losses one could bear, instead of working back from a fixed goal.
What textbook does MAN-2300 use?
Barringer and Ireland's Entrepreneurship: Successfully Launching New Ventures, seventh edition, from Pearson.