13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

What surprised you the most?

Berry Gordy owned Motown records and was for decades the most successful African American business in the country.

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

He was a visionary and was responsible for creating the modern music industry in America. He is the reason Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, and Diana Ross have careers.

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

Berry Gordy was known for giving young artists unfair recording deals and taking advantage of them for his own monetary gain.

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

Berry Gordy was very successful in his business but his personal life was somewhat controversial. He was married 3 times but he channeled his family troubles into hard work in business.

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

He was a ferocious businessman who would not settle for anything less than he thought he deserved. He would not give up in the pursuit of an artist he wanted to sign.

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

I could not understand why Berry sold Motown to Universal records. He lost Majority of the control of the company and is no longer in charge.

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

How did you identify talent? The fact that Berry Gordy is responsible for the careers of many of the greatest music artists ever is unbelievable.

How does it feel to be that successful? I don’t think I will ever be as successful as Berry Gordy so I would just want to know how he feels about being who he is.

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

I think his opinion is was probably that hard work is the most important part of being successful.