For the week five reading I didn’t really find anything
surprising because in previous chapters it went over ways to get around these
failures. This chapter didn’t really have anything that was confusing besides
the difference between the two approaches. They both are the same criteria just
a different way of approaching it. I do have a couple of questions about the “technical
feasibility.” Other than that I agree with what the author had to say about all
the different obstacles that can get in the way when you are trying to start a
new ventures.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Interviewing Customers No. 1
Interviewing Customers No. 1
The opportunity that I came up with is: an app that allows
people to sell or rent their home/apartment/dorm décor. I am currently trying
to sublease my apartment for the summer and then intend to move into a
different room. However, I don’t want to keep any of my room décor and the
Facebook groups and other sites that allow me to sell my stuff are too
clustered with other things to make it easy to sell my things fast. Another
problem with other websites are that I have to ship the things to really far
places and packing this stuff could be really tedious.
The people who I believe will have this unmet need are
students that attend college that move from dorms to apartments or vice versa.
For example, the décor that you decorate your dorm might be really cute but it
is very unlikely that you will ever have a twin bed or a need for a mini fridge
ever again (fingers crossed).
Questions for “customers”:
1.
Where do you currently live?
2.
Where do you plan to live next year?
3.
If you are moving to a new place, what do you
plan to do with your old stuff?
4.
How do you plan on decorating your new place?
5.
What do you think about an app that lets you
rent, buy and sell décor within the University of Florida?
Outcome:
By interviewing people I learned that my idea needs to be
more specific so that it doesn’t seem like other opportunities. The interviews
also taught me that I am extremely awkward when it comes to asking strangers
questions.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Week 4 Reading Reflection
I think for this reading the topic that stood out the most
to me was the fact that there are so many different ways to think of new things
to create. The first part about this chapter talks about eight different ways
to come up with innovative ideas. I really just thought it just came natural to
people. The part that I found most confusing was “Eliminating Muddling
Mind-sets.” I guess it’s more of a naïve realism but I don’t understand how
someone can have great ideas be shut down by everyday life. My two questions for the author would be: 1. Do
you actually believe any of this? 2. Do other people believe this? Therefore I disagree
with this part of the text.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Top 5 World Problems
Top Five Biggest Problems:
1. War
2.
Poverty
3.
Climate change
4.
Water Use
5.
Increase Population
I ranked the biggest problems like this because I believe that they all have an
impact on the other problems. I believe that war is the largest problem because
it causes poverty by creating war zones which then leads to pollution and
increase of CO2 in the environment that then leads to climate change which
effects the amount of water that is usable. While the increase of population
shows a lack of education in the world and more people to create wars.
Solutions:
1.
Water Use Solution: Creating a device that is
affordable, that cleans and allows access to water for the areas that cannot
reach it easily.
2.
Climate Change Solution: Producing less CO2 in
the air by cutting down the use of such things and creating new ways to create energy.
3.
Poverty Solution: Educating the population about
this problem and ways to fix it by creating more sustainable ways of living.
4.
War Solution: Get a better understanding of the
difference in the world so that conflict doesn’t arise.
5.
Increase population solution: Educate the
current world population about this problem.
This is the ranking of the most implementable solutions because
I believe that water and climate change are brought up more in society because
they seem like easier solutions. Everyday people are beginning to cut down on
water and carbon use. This is mostly because they are more tangible subjects. The
other solutions however, deal with people and emotions that are caused by a
thousand different factors.
Week 3 Reading Reflection
While reading this week’s reading I came across nothing that
was confusing but I did find it surprising about all the cons that come along
with being an entrepreneur. I understand there is always a risk that comes with
trying to be successful but is it worth it? The majority of this chapter talked
about the risk and the stress that comes along.
If I were to ask the author two questions, they would be about how does
someone bounce back from the “dark side?” I am not sure that I agree that someone should
risk their family, friends and all their savings on an idea unless they are
100% positive that the idea will be successful. I guess it’s good to understand
all the cons that come with being an entrepreneur but I think the book went a
little too far.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Identifying Local Opportunities
Identifying Local Opportunities
1. Asheville downtown group: Improve parking, cleanliness, walkability
In this article, the city officials of
Downtown Asheville have decided that even though the conditions are “okay” they
could be significantly better. The plan is to meet later this week and find out
ways to improve the conditions. The problem in this article is that the city is
becoming more and popular which brings in a lot of tourist; however, there isn’t
enough parking, cleanliness is lacking and walkability is low. The people visiting
downtown have the problem because they cannot park their cars, walk to
different locations and feel clean.
2. Weather-related event, business cancellations
In this article it goes over the business
closing due to the snow storm. The problem is that the snow storm in Asheville is
causing multiple important business, such as family medicine offices, to be
closed for the next couple of days. The business owners and the customers who
need this business are the ones with the problem. The business owners are
losing income and the customers are not able to get to what they need.
3. Possible Haywood school closing renews budget debate
Haywood county school officials are
discussing whether or not they should close an elementary school due to a
recent budget shortfall. The problem is that the school district is currently
having a budget shortfall which is forcing them to close down an elementary
school that they cannot afford to run. This effects the whole district as the
students and staff will have to find new schools to either work at or learn at.
4. Heavy snow hits mountains, with more to come
The Asheville area is currently receiving
ten inches of snow which is bringing a lot of problems to the area. Currently
Interstate 40 and other smaller roads are closed. The snow has caused multiply
car accidents and power outages. This is a problem for everyone living in the
area.
5. Center for homeless to expand, serve more needs
The article begins with the story of a young
mom with nowhere to go other than the homeless shelter in downtown. The
homeless shelter use to be over populated and not much of a help. However, it
has recently been undergoing renovations and coming up with new ways to help
the homeless. The homeless people are the one with the problem because without
this shelter they have nowhere to live or eat.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Very Short Interview No. 1
Interview:
(I apologize in advance for this being extremely
short. She was on a time crunch and could only talk on the phone for a short
amount of time.)
I interviewed Paige Morris, she is an entrepreneur
because she started and ran a landscaping business for 24 years in North
Carolina.
Question 1: What should my expectations be in this
course?
To learn how to start a company that will
make a profit. Gain an entrepreneur’s attitude.
Question 2: What does it
mean to be an entrepreneur?
An entrepreneur is someone who works for
themselves. They run a company that is based on their own core values.
Question 3: What do you
think I should learn in an entrepreneurship course?
You should learn how to always be looking
for new opportunities to increase your value or change the way of doing things.
Question 4: What do you
wish you had been taught in school before setting out on your own path as an
entrepreneur?
I wish I would have been taught to keep
going even after I accomplished my goal of having a company. I made sure that
it continued to grow but I wish I could have change directions completely and
sold it and started a new one.
What I learned is that
you always need to be pushing yourself even after you reach your goal. I also
realized that I need to really appreciate this class and what it has to offer because
it can help me in the long run and a lot of people don’t get the chance to
learn ways to enhance their skills with more than just common knowledge.
Monday, January 18, 2016
World's Biggest Problems
1.
Climate Change
Current climate conditions are very
different than they use to be. For example, temperatures and water levels are
higher than normal. This is from increase of carbon in the environment from
automobiles and other carbon producing machinery. Solutions: Producing less CO2
in the air by cutting down the use of such things and creating new ways to
create energy.
2.
Water Use
Currently there is still 11 percent of the
total world population that don’t have access to clean water. Solution:
Creating a device that is affordable, that cleans and allows access to water
for the areas that cannot reach it easily.
3.
War
Currently there is a lot of fighting
between countries such as in Syria. This is causing huge problems all around
the world. Economies are crashing, refuges have no safe place and more
conflicts are being created. Solution: Get a better understanding of the
difference in the world so that conflict doesn’t arise.
4.
Increase of Population
The current population is increasing
substantially causing more resources to be used. In the future, sustainability
will be very difficult to maintain. Solution: Educate the current world
population about this problem.
5.
Disease Epidemic
New diseases that don’t have cures have
been seen around the world such as Ebola. The problem is the sanitation of the
world around us. Solution: Educate the population on ways to ensure that the
spread of disease doesn’t happen.
6.
Poverty
12 percent of the world lives in poverty. This
causes hunger, mortality, child labor and many other problems. Solution:
Educating the population about this problem and ways to fix it by creating more
sustainable ways of living.
7.
Global Governance
The current wars going on are creating more
tension with global governance. More and more connections are becoming less peaceful.
Solution: Understanding the differences with religion and culture and creating
a balance between countries in how they relate.
8.
Nuclear weapons
Different world leaders are becoming
threatened by different countries. This is causing them to believe that by
creating nuclear weapons that can wipe out their enemies is the only way to
create a safe country for their people. Solution: Creating rules and agreements
that such a thing will not happen.
9.
Animal Extinction
As the climate is changing, so is the environment
around us. Because of the changing environment, more animals are on the verge
of extinction. Solution: This goes back to reducing the carbon output in the
world.
10.
Foreign Aid
The distribution of foreign aid that is given
is uneven. Solution: Set strict regulations for countries to have a set amount
of aid that they have to give each year.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Week 2 Reading Reflection
In Chapter one there is a lot to learn. What I found most
surprising is that Entrepreneurs aren't just one type of people. They all have
different ways of thinking but somehow still have a similar mindset that they need to be constantly innovating the world. Which isn’t
the same as a small business owner that settles once they believe that they have reached their goal. The part that I find the most
confusing is the entrepreneurial Assessment approach because I’m not sure where
all the different factors come into play. There were a couple myths that I didn’t
necessarily agree with the author which I would like to be able to discuss more
in depth and those were: Entrepreneurs are born, not made and Entrepreneurs must
fit the profile. I understand that they are “myths” but I believe that they are
true to some extent.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Bug List
Bug List:
1.
Starbucks line is too long in Library West
during the morning. Why? Only a few workers making drinks and the environment is
too small causing it to be loud and for the orders to mess up.
2.
Wine bottle cork going in the bottle. Why? There
is nothing stopping the cork from falling to the bottom.
3.
Starbucks often run out of supplies. Why? They don’t
know which products are going to be more popular at different times.
4.
Uber never know where exactly to pick up. Why? There
is no comment box to allow the person to describe where exactly they want to be
picked up at.
5.
Uber drivers don’t know how to communicate. Why?
There is no training on how to read a person and see if they want to talk or not.
6.
Greyhound bus station doesn’t have printers to
print your ticket out. Why? Cost money to print there when they can do it at
home.
7.
Parking at UF. Why? They sell more spots then
they have.
8.
Twist off caps have spikes that hurt your hands.
Why? That’s how they seal the bottle.
9.
Apartment staff takes too long at UH to fix
appliances. Why? They are understaffed.
10.
Medical Gauze sticks to the wound. Why? Needs to
be sticky enough to stay on the hand.
11.
Doctors at Shands are hard to reach. Why? Staff
is undertrained how to come in to contact with other staff in the hospital.
12.
DMV everywhere is always packed. Why? There are
no appointments.
13.
Packaging for small items is extremely hard to
open. Why? They seal the products so they don’t move but allows no space to
open it.
14.
Chipotle on University is always packed around
dinner. Why? It is the only chipotle within walking distance.
15.
Dunkin Donuts on University and in Target Copy
are packed during happy hour. Why? They are understaffed.
16.
IPhone charger always breaks on the end. Why?
The wire has nothing to protect it from bending and breaking.
17.
Shampoo/Conditioner bottles don’t allow you to
get all of the shampoo out. Why? The shape of the bottle.
18.
The Library doesn’t allow food inside. Why?
There isn’t enough seating provided for people who want to eat and study.
19.
Special K cereal gets stale fast. Why? There is
not a sufficient way to reseal the bag.
20.
Pandora is not consistent with the songs played
on certain stations. Why? They want you to hear more variety but they don’t ask.
This activity was difficult because it is hard to think of
problems that you encounter every day. Such as the line at Starbucks. Even
though I experience every day, I get use to it and plan my schedule around the
time I know I will be waiting in line instead of trying to fix the problem.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Friday, January 8, 2016
My Entrepreneurship Story
In high school I
created a club, Colors for CASA, that raised money and awareness for the local
women’s shelter. It started out with just a couple of friends and later grew
into one of the biggest clubs on campus. To raise money; I tie-dyed t-shirts
that had the club logo on them and sold them at sporting events, lunch, and
different grocery stores. As the club continued to grow we realized that only certain
color combinations were selling so we started to adjust orders to improve profits.
In the end we raised over 3,000 dollars in the two years that I was in charge
of the club. After I graduated, I left the club with younger students and now
they host golf tournaments, 5-K’s, and sell a variety of tie-dyed accessories.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Introduction
Hi!
I was born in Asheville, NC and lived there until my sophomore year of high school. After that, my family and I moved to Homosassa, FL (no one knows where this…).
Little facts about my family are: w
e love all water sports: (wakeboarding, surfing, swimming, diving, snorkeling); we love to travel all around the Caribbean Islands; most vacations come with strange stories that no one believes
So, I guess you could say that my family is a little on the adventurous side.
As for school, I am currently a third year student with a major in General Business with a focus in Pre-medicine. I have no idea what I want to do exactly so I am just hoping to cover a lot of ground in undergrad.
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