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How do I Write a Reflective Essay on a New Business Creation?
A reflective essay is one in which you reflect on an experience you had. In writing a reflective essay on a new business creation, you would look back on the experiences involved in creating it. You would write about your relationship to the venture and evaluate the experience. Reflective writing allows you to discuss feelings you had during the creation process with the knowledge that hindsight brings. A reflective essay of this type could discuss the steps taken to create the business, positive and negative lessons learned, and time and financial investments made.
Write down all ideas that come to your mind about what it took to start your business--think of it as a mind map that will help you generate ideas. Draw a circle in the middle of a piece of paper and draw smaller circles around the big circle. Draw lines that connect the circles. Label each small circle--LIKES, DISLIKES, POSITIVES, NEGATIVES, for example--and fill it in. In the big circle, write a list of questions and answers that will outline what you discuss in the essay: Why did I start my business? What did I learn from it?
Look at the ideas you jotted down. Use them to think about why you are writing this reflective essay. Remember that you are analyzing the creation of your business. Look for the most important message you want to send your reader. Usually, the main idea repeats itself in your mind map. The main idea is your thesis--the purpose of why you are writing this essay. Determining your purpose will keep you focused.
Write an outline to help you organize your essay. List the points you want to discuss. Use either a bulleted list or set up a format consisting of Roman numerals. Give your outline an introduction, a middle section that serves as your body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In your introduction, provide background points on your essay's topic leading up to your thesis. In your body paragraphs break down your discussion, and in your conclusion wrap up and summarize your ideas.
Write your essay. Just as you reflected on creating your business through your mind map, reflect on your outline to write your draft. Follow your outline to ensure your paper flows logically from beginning to end. Use transitions to connect each paragraph and help your paper flow smoothly. Open your introduction with a hook that catches your readers' attention, then provide concrete background information, and end your introduction with a powerful thesis statement. Remember that if the thesis statement was the only sentence your readers saw, they would know what your paper was all about. Explain your thoughts and reflections about your business in your body paragraphs. End your paper with a summary of your essay's main points. Write a closing sentence that leaves your reader with a powerful thought or a call to action.
Tip
Proofread carefully. Have a friend read your paper to catch mistakes you might miss.
Read your paper out loud backwards, sentence by sentence, to catch mistakes.
References
Tips
- Proofread carefully. Have a friend read your paper to catch mistakes you might miss.
- Read your paper out loud backwards, sentence by sentence, to catch mistakes.
Writer
Mary Alice Moore began writing in 1996. She has written for "AIM" magazine and "The Dangling Modifier." She holds a Master of Science in professional writing from Towson University and is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in composition and teachers of English to speakers of other languages from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.