Reading Reflection No. 3

For my third and final reading reflection, I read How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams.

I chose this book because it sounded (from the title) like a book about how to turn lemons into lemonade. It takes a special mindset and perspective to be able to do that and I wanted to see what author Scott Adams had to say about that. It's even more impressive because he didn't just talk about it but he did it! He was successful at making lemonade out of those lemons. 

The general theme/mindset of How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big was to persevere through the lemons no matter how long it takes to squeeze them into lemonade. Try, try again and don't give up! Scott Adams is the creator of Dilbert, a wildly successful cartoon comic. It wasn't a hit from the get go and took years of struggling and failure before it took off and became what we know it as today. Quotes from the text to support the general theme:

• “I bought some art supplies, practiced drawing every morning before work, and wrote my affirmation fifteen times a day: ‘I, Scott Adams, will be a famous cartoonist.”
• “I find it helpful to see the world as a slot machine that doesn’t ask you to put money in. All it asks is your time, focus, and energy to pull the handle over and over. A normal slot machine that requires money will bankrupt any player in the long run. But the machine that has rare yet certain payoffs, and asks for no money up front, is a guaranteed winner if you have what it takes to keep yanking until you get lucky. In that environment, you can fail 99 percent of the time, while knowing success is guaranteed. All you need to do is stay in the game long enough.”

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big connects with what we have learned in class by showing us that it is acceptable to fail many, many times before you get something right. Just keep trying! This correlates to the "Celebrating Failure" blog post we did where we talked about a time we failed, how we processed it, and how we moved forward. Both this book and the assignment reinforced that failure is a normal and acceptable part of the entrepreneurial process. It's how we handle it that matters.

If I had to design an exercise for this class based on How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, it would be a personal words of affirmation exercise directed at yourself. Just as Scott Adams handwrote that he would be a famous cartoonist fifteen times a day, we would do the same practice with our own words for what we aspire to do. We would record if/how our thought process and perspective of ourselves changed after repetitively doing this for x amount of days. Also, a requirement of this exercise would be to upload a picture of your handwritten affirmations. With all the constant negativity in the world, it is important to remember to compliment yourself regularly and to believe in yourself.

My aha moment while reading How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big was when Scott Adams said:

• “I’m a perfect example of the power of leveraging multiple mediocre skills. I’m a rich and famous cartoonist who doesn’t draw well . At social gatherings I’m usually not the funniest person in the room. My writing skills are good, not great. But what I have that most artists and cartoonists do not have is years of corporate business experience plus an MBA from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.” 

This speaks to me. It means that you don't even necessarily need to be the brightest or best at something to be successful at it. Just harness the unique aspects that make you you and apply everything you've got. I thought this was a very down to earth and truthful statement that we all need to remind ourselves of. It alleviates pressure and teaches us to just do the best you can do and strive to be the best you can be. It will pay off and lead to greatness if you just keep trying. 

Venture Concept No. 2

To summarize what I wrote in my Venture Concept No. 1:

Opportunity:
Mainly busy working people and elders have the need of my grocery delivery service business. They have this need because they simply don't have enough time to do everything required of them, one of the most time consuming being grocery shopping. Also, they have better things to do and to enjoy. As far as elders go, perhaps they simply just don't have a way to get to the grocery store. Maybe they are unable to drive a car or are physically incapable. This unmet need can affect anyone and everyone regardless of geographical location or demographics. There are no exemptions because everyone needs to eat. This need is currently unsatisfied so there is a big opportunity here and I believe it will be open until a giant grows and takes over the market.. me! I would be a pioneer business.

Innovation:
My innovation is called Groceries To Go, which is a grocery delivery service business. It allows people to order groceries via the website or mobile app (you can even upload a picture of your grocery list) and to have them delivered to their front doorstep within a two-hour time frame guaranteed. The fee is a small percentage of the order total amount. I'm thinking 12%-15% at this time. Customers can pay securely with their credit card.

Venture Concept:
My business venture will solve peoples' unmet need by saving them time and hassle. Customers will no longer have to take the time to go grocery shopping and to deal with the congestion of busy roads, parking lots, aisles, and check out lines. They can do other more important things like get other less time consuming errands done or spend more quality time with family and friends, or simply just not leave the house and relax at home. Customers would use my service business to save themselves time and hassle. There are no big name competitors at this point. Nothing similar has taken off. Perhaps they are not infiltrating their business well enough. My quick distribution, excellent customer service, and availability to large urban populations will put me ahead in my venture. I will need many different departments for my business to be successful. I will need market researchers, orderers, stockers, accountants, product pullers and packagers, distribution, logistics, and more. The amount of employees I would need would be determined by the amount of demand.

My secret sauce/unfair advantage would be my close attention to excellent customer service. Since this is a service business, that is extremely important. I can't stress that enough. Without excellent customer service, my business would quickly go under no matter how awesome the idea is.

What's next for the venture is making my service available to more than just populated urban areas. I would like to expand to the suburbs and rural areas alike. I would also like to include more than just groceries that can be delivered, such as items like household items and hygiene products.

What's next for me is growing my business and either nurturing it and handing it down to my family someday or if they don't want it then selling it to a company that will continue to grow it and make it great. This first venture helps to achieve my vision by showing myself that I can do it! I can create an original idea on paper and flourish it in real life. Also, the whole entrepreneurial and business growing process would teach me the ropes.

I received some wonderful feedback from my classmates about my Venture Concept No. 1. Some comments were reinforcing but there were also two that helped me with making improvements. A really good reinforcing comment was from Carlos. He agreed that my value of excellent customer service and an urban location for my service business were very important. The reinforcement helped me to feel more confident in my viewpoints. The two comments that offered improvements were very insightful and helpful as well. I appreciated it. CPaxton said that I had a great idea and it would be a great service business for elders but that she was concerned that they wouldn't be able to use it because of the technology factor, the mobile app and/or website. That's something that I hadn't really thought about but it's a realistic factor. Some elders don't have access to technology or just plain don't like it or don't know how to use it. I'm  not sure how else I would reach elders or have them place grocery delivery orders, but it's something I do need to think about now and come up with a solution for. Thanks for the insight on something I hadn't thought about Cathy! Another helpful comment was from Juan. He said that he liked my idea but that it was certainly a luxury service, which is true! I had mentioned that earlier as well. His comment was insightful because it made me reconsider my target market so that I can reach the right group of people and have the best chance at success possible.

Final Reflection

ENT 3003 has been both an interesting and wonderful experience.

I believe the assignment that has created the most formative experience for me was actually the "Bug List," our very first assignment. This might sound surprising because it was fairly simple and there was no major concept being developed at this point yet, but it was THE assignment that gave me my new entrepreneurial mindset. The Bug List is what helped me to understand what thinking like an entrepreneur was and I found myself identifying real life problems and solutions well after the assignment was over. The Bug List first embedded the entrepreneurial mindset in me.

The experience that I'll remember years from now is the interviews of course! They were intimidating, nerve wrecking, and demanding, as well as informative and eye-opening too. They were both good and bad and probably overall necessary. They definitely helped me to grow as a person. I know that.

My most joyous and proud experience was the development of my elevator pitch. I really enjoyed those assignments and the process of taking my classmates' feedback as well as my own and applying it. I feel like I really got the details together during the development of my elevator pitch and gained a lot of clarity on my venture.

I do believe I have developed an entrepreneurial mindset as I said above in my blog post. The Bug List began it all and now I am able to identify problems and solutions to unmet needs and things that can be improved.

My #1 recommendation for future ENT 3003 students is to create and develop a venture that you actually really care about and are interested in. Also, don't skip out on the assignments that include interviews. Yes, it is a hassle but it is very rewarding when you get it done and have done it right. That gives you the truest and best experience.

Making It Real

Making It Real Entrepreneurship Resume

My Exit Strategy

1) I would like to keep my business, "Groceries To Go." I would like to continue to maintain and grow it and to pass it on to my future children and keep it in the family. It would be up to them someday whether they would want to cash it in or not once it has reached max success and profitability.

2) I have selected this exit strategy because I have worked hard for it! If I were to actually launch this service business and it was successful, I would want myself and my family and future children to reap the benefits. Plus, it would be a bummer to see someone else outside of the family managing it after I created it and worked so hard at it. I think the only time I would want my family to cash it in would be if they weren't enjoying it anymore or if it became so stressful that it became harmful.

3) I do think my exit strategy has influenced other decisions I've made throughout my venture concept. I have stated that I would largely focus on excellent customer service. If I had simply just planned to create the business and cash it in immediately, then I wouldn't have focused on this so largely. Customer service is a long term goal orientation that I am focusing on because I would want to pass the business down to family in the future.

Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity:
The opportunity I have identified is busy people who do not have enough time to go grocery shopping for themselves. These people are very busy and short on time. They range from working moms to full time students that live on campus at a university. It can also be elders that are incapable of driving themselves to the grocery store. My customers are not people who enjoy grocery shopping and have plenty of time to do it, and are not people who cannot afford this luxury service. My customers are obviously adults, not children. Within these segments, the people can be located anywhere geographically because everyone needs to grocery shop. It is not limited by region. Something I hadn't thought of before, perhaps people located in the more extreme weather climates would use it just for that reason. People don't like going out if it's too hot or too cold. It's too uncomfortable either way. Demographically, it has to be people that make enough money to afford the service since it is a luxury service.

The world is so fast paced and busy in this modern society that it is hard to find time to get everything done that is demanded of you. Customers currently do not have this need satisfied. As it is now, they have to go grocery shopping for themselves. I think the opportunity is currently big as this idea has not really been tapped into successfully yet and I don't know anyone that has ever used a service like this. There is not a giant in the market yet. It has great potential to be tapped into right now and I believe it would take off exponentially.

Innovation:
My innovation is a grocery delivery service business. How it works is you order the groceries you need via our website or mobile app. You can search for and select the groceries you need as well as the quantity or you can simply just upload a picture of your grocery list and submit it to us (as easy as that). You can also create and save a grocery list of the items you need frequently and set up an automatic order placement for however often you need those items replenished. We deliver the groceries you requested right to your doorstep within a two hour time frame guaranteed. You pay with your credit card. It is a secure checkout. The fee is 12% of your order total amount with a minimum purchase of $45 required. A $3 delivery fee is automatically applied to every order.

Venture concept:
My business idea will solve the unmet need of my future customers out there by saving them time and hassle. It will be extremely convenient for them. With my service they can do other things with their valuable time such as spend quality time with their family and friends or do other less time-consuming errands. They can avoid the congestion of grocery store aisles and parking lots and they won't have to wait in those tedious and never ending checkout lines.

I think my target segments would absolutely use my service. There are no big name competitors yet. This business idea is new and unsaturated at this time.

Logistics, customer support, and location all play a big role in the success of my business:

• Logistics are important because we need to get the right products to the right customer at the right time. 
• Since we are a service business, customer support is extremely vital. We absolutely must have top notch customer service and resolve any problems that arise immediately so that the customer is not only left satisfied but happy. Good word of mouth is everything.
• Location in urban areas is important so we can realistically deliver to the largest amount of people possible. 

I would need many employees in order to satisfy the different necessary jobs. I would need a team that processed orders, payments/accounting, pulled the orders off the shelves, makes sure groceries are always stocked and available, loaders, deliverers, and managers to oversee all of these operations. The more customers we obtained and the more we grow, the more employees we would need to satisfy their unmet needs.

My secret sauce is my persistence. I never give up even in the face of doors closing and it seeming like there is nowhere else to turn. I find a way to make it work. Always try plan a, b, and c. When those don't work, create new plans.

The next opportunity is having my service available for every American, not just for those in urban areas. Also, another next opportunity is a quicker delivery time. What if we could shorten the already short two hour delivery window time frame to an hour and a half or even within an hour. Finally, the last opportunity I can brainstorm is the delivery option of more items than just groceries, perhaps other non-grocery household products.

What's next for me is getting together an amazing innovative team and coming up with the specific final tactics and implementing them. Within the next 5-10 years, I would want "Groceries To Go" to become a common well known household name. I want the name to have integrity and value behind it. I want people to use the service and love it. I want to make a real connection with customers and genuinely make their lives a little bit easier with this service. I hope for it to be effective in saving them time and hassle. I hope my system is smooth, efficient, and works and my company is profitable. This venture helps to achieve my vision by following through with making something come to life that began as a mere sketch in my mind.

Celebrating Failure

I can't really think of one gigantic failure that I've had during this past semester I (thank goodness) but I will name all the little things I can think of:

In this class, I failed several times at doing the assignments where you actually have to go talk to people and interview them. I really dislike those assignments and don't enjoy them at all. Also, I didn't do so hot on the extra credit quizzes. In my marketing course, I missed one of the LearnSmart assignment due dates. By the way, I have A's in both classes still so don't judge me too much ha. I learned that I need to set aside more time for the assignments that I underestimated. I need to give myself more time to interview the people. Missing the marketing LearnSmart was an accidental fluke. It's the only one I missed and it's because I lost track of time because it was due around the 4th of July weekend. Next time, I'll just mark down the date better.

In my personal life, I failed at making cod one night. I tried cooking it in a pan on the stove top and it completely turned into mush. It was really gross. I'm usually a really good cook and that was the first time I ruined a dinner in the two years I've been cooking. I learned to stick with cooking salmon or to cook cod in the oven instead.

I think, probably like everyone else, that failure is never fun and usually always disappointing. Having said that, it's a fact of life and although it's upsetting to fail, you have to talk yourself through it. My rules for myself when facing failure are to be realistic with myself, not biased towards myself, and rational towards everyone involved. Figure out the cause of why you failed and how you can fix it next time and actually work on fixing it, not just saying you will.

I do believe that I am more likely to take a risk than I was four months ago. I am not a risky person by nature. I am adventurous though but not risky. There's a difference. I have learned through this class that entrepreneurship is like being a pioneer in a sense. What pioneer do you know that nailed the path right their first try? Practice makes perfects. Failure is okay and it's okay not to be perfect. It's a normal (albeit annoying) part of the process that leads to success.

The Amazon Whisperer

"Groceries To Go"

Revenue drivers:
Groceries To Go is a service business. Having said that, the primary way my business will make revenue is by providing top notch excellent service. Groceries will need to be delivered on time. The order items and quantity will need to be correct. As in any business, problems are bound to arise. Any problems will need to be handled correctly so as the customer is satisfied and happy in the end. We need to keep their business and attain good word-of-mouth.

The "next thing" I can imagine my customers will probably want is possibly an even faster delivery time or the option to have a larger breadth of products delivered, so products beyond just groceries such as household items, etc. Customers would probably also want a more personalized experience so maybe an option where customers can save their common grocery list items and automatically reorder them or something along the lines of that.

These next things will improve my business by enhancing the customer experience and overall satisfaction by adding more convenience and personalization. I think the new personalization aspect would definitely heighten customer loyalty by making the experience feel more personalized and making them feel special.

Unfortunately, as this is a service business, there is not really a product that would enhance my service business. I would just concentrate on my service-oriented improvements that I have already mentioned in this post to enhance my business idea.

My Venture's Unfair Advantage

Business venture: "Groceries To Go"

10 resources + their VRIN analysis:

1. Research & Development - I have already began to put a lot of thought into my business concept, what it will be, and what it still needs to operate correctly. The idea has already been born and this is valuable because it puts me one step ahead of my competitors for launching this idea. 
2. Persistence (human capital/capability) - I have a crazy amount of persistence and I always find a way to work my way around road blocks and continue on the path I set out on. This trait is inimitable because you either have it or you don't. You can't buy this trait and I can't imagine training yourself to be that way.
3. Organized (human capital/capability) - I am very organized and to-do list oriented. I always know what I need done and when. I am very aware of deadlines and what I need to do to meet them. This trait is rare because a lot of people are procrastinators. I believe being organized is even harden to attain than persistence, because it is a deep personality conflict if you are not naturally that way. It's hard to break.
4. Caring (human capital) - I am caring and believe I would be able to relate to my employees well because of this. This is rare because most people don't care about their employees very much anymore. Employers don't treat their employees well and don't practice internal marketing.
5. Empathetic (human capital) - I am empathetic and this would come in handy greatly when dealing with customers and any problems that arise. This is rare because not very many people are empathetic and can relate to others/put themselves in their shoes. 
6. Connections (social capital) - I have connections to people in the grocery and logistics industry. I could talk to people I know that work at Publix or talk to my neighbor which is a fruit delivery broker. This is valuable because I could learn from them and receive great advice and hopefully more connections to expand my network. 
7. Logistics will - I have established that I will have the ordered groceries to customer's doorsteps within a two-hour timeframe guarantee. This is non-substitutable because time is of the essence in a service business. It is very important to get the right products to the right customers at the right time.
8. Investments (financial capital) - I haven't actually asked but I strongly believe if I actually became very serious about launching my business that my family would help me out by investing in it/me. This is very valuable in being able to get my business off the ground. 
9. Help (social capital) - My family and friends would be more than helpful and supportive throughout my business venture. This is non-substitutable because it takes a village to raise a business and I would need the encouragement and relief of family and friends.
10. Market - I have discovered throughout this process that there is a market for my business idea. People are interested and would use this service, and it is currently unavailable/not being met. This is valuable and non-substitutable because without demand, there would be no reason to supply. 

I would say that my TOP resource is my persistence. I have always been this way and always work hard enough to find a way for something to work, even if the odds are against me. I'm creatively persistent and don't give up on my goals. This is a human capital aspect that cannot be taught or learned, it has to be a fire within yourself. I think my resource of persistence would be the most valuable in the success of my business venture, "Groceries To Go."

Elevator Pitch No. 3

Link to my Elevator Pitch No. 3:
https://youtu.be/kL6NOlOTmC0

I didn't receive any corrective suggestions from my second elevator pitch to apply to my third elevator pitch, but here is what I decided to tweak for myself:

• I tweaked the order of my pitch. In my second elevator pitch I explained my business solution then an "imagine this" situation. For my third elevator pitch I gave the "imagine this" situation and then the solution to it. I thought that was a more attention grabbing order.  
• I supplied the same information that my classmates suggested I go into more detail on from my first elevator pitch suggestions, including emphasizing the hassle of physically going to a grocery store yourself. 
• In general, the flow and sequence of my third elevator pitch was much smoother and I had more confidence in myself and the details of what I was going to say. It came much easier to me this time. It's not perfect but it's much much better. Practice truly does make perfect and I'm glad we did this. It really sank in after this third time.
• Also, thank you to Juan for helping me out technically. He let me know that my second elevator pitch was on the private setting on YouTube so I made sure to fix that for my third elevator pitch. 

Thanks for watching! All feedback is welcome. I look forward to watching my classmates' third elevator pitches.

Idea Napkin No. 2

My business idea: "Groceries To-Go"

1. Me. Not much has changed in this department. I am still a student and work part-time. My talents are being extremely organized and to do list oriented. I am also persistent and goal oriented. My life aspirations are to have a happy family and a successful career. If I were to start this business, it would play a huge role in my life. It would almost be all time consuming and take all of my effort. It would be a big operation and I would have to pioneer it until it was well-established enough for managers to take over. Even then, I would probably still oversee all operations and actions.

2. What am I offering to customers? 
Convenience and time savings! That is first and foremost what I am offering to customers with my service business. The unmet need of my customers would be not having enough time to run all of their errands, specifically grocery shopping, because it is the most time consuming one and it seems like you are always out of something. Plus, who wants to deal with the super congested and annoying grocery store parking lot, aisles, checkout lines, etc?? My company delivers the groceries my customers need directly to their front doorstep within a two hour time-frame, guaranteed. The fee is a small percentage of the order total amount and customers can pay securely through credit card via the website or mobile app, which is also where you select the groceries you need as well as the quantity or can simply upload a picture of your grocery list.

3. Who am I offering it to?
During the further development of my business, I have come to realize that the primary market I am trying to target is working moms of all ages, more likely in their thirties (with younger kids and well established enough to afford the service). What working moms all have in common is that they are stretched too thin and don't always have time to get everything done (read be superwoman). Between juggling kids, a husband, other family members, work, kid's sports, errands, chores, etc, etc, there just isn't always enough time and I'm sure that can be extremely stressful. That's why Groceries To-Go is here to help when it is much needed, or even when it is just desired as a luxury service.

I was lucky enough to get some really helpful feedback from my classmates. Although I believe that my service primarily focuses on working moms, my classmates said that it would also be beneficial for elders (which I mentioned) and college students (hadn't thought of that). I definitely want to pay attention to these aspects and market to them as well.

4. Why do they care?
My customers would care because it saves them time, stress, and hassle. They would pay for my service because it would allow them to do more valuable things with their time such as spend more time with their family and friends, do other errands/chores, or simply relax and enjoy themselves.

5. What are my core competencies?
What sets me apart from everyone else is that there is not anyone else that is big in this area. I can save people the fussy task of grocery shopping by doing it for them. My company also offers the option to upload your grocery list to the mobile app as well as a two hour delivery guarantee. These aspects make my business special.

I do believe that these five elements fit together well. They are all pretty in tune with one another and match up well. I don't see one that is specifically out-of-joint with the rest. The only thing at this point that I'd like to do is further research on the competition. Is there any? What is their business model? What is their service area? Pricing? Are they successful or failing?

Feedback memo:
Five main points that I took from the feedback I received are:

• Description of how the service works, what are the details.
• Clarification of the pricing/fees
• Explanation of how to pay and if it's secure
• Emphasize the hassle of congested grocery stores in order to relate to others
• Market to elders and college students in addition to working moms

I incorporated all of these feedback aspects into my second idea napkin by discussing them individually and going into great detail on them, especially in element points #2 and #3.

Reading Reflection No. 2

The book I chose to explore from the second reading list options was Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.

The reason I chose this book is because I was initially attracted to the title itself. I am a big believer in the quote, "think positive and positive things will happen." I believe your mindset can change your entire life by affecting you and influencing what happens in your life.

1. The general theme/argument of Mindset was (as said in the words of the author, Carol Dweck):
"For twenty years, my research has shown that the view you adopt of yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life." - Carol Dweck

Dweck says that your mindset affects every aspect of your life including parenting, business, school, and relationships, etc. Your mindset affects your self-awareness, self-esteem, creativity, ability to face challenges, resilience to setbacks, levels of depression, and tendency to stereotype, among other things. It boils down to two main mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. The fixed mindset is stuck in its ways. It desires to look smart and therefore avoids challenges, gives up easily, dislikes effort, and ignores feedback. The growth mindset is flexible. It desires to learn and therefore welcomes challenge, is persistent, values effort, and learns from criticism. The growth mindset is the one you want to achieve. Dweck says that the number one way to begin to change your mindset is to be aware of it. 

2. Mindset connects with what we are learning in class because it reinforces the entrepreneurial mindset and personality that we have been practicing. I noticed throughout the reading that the growth mindset Dweck discusses and the entrepreneurial mindset that we have been practicing have so much in common: they both value challenge, persistence, effort, and criticism. They embrace it, not run from it. 

3. If I had to design an exercise for this class based on Mindset, it would be some sort of cognitive thought process challenge that would help us to think in the growth mindset. We would have to keep a journal for thirty days and write down our thoughts, what our normal response would be, and what the growth mindset response would be. It would force us to look at the alternative perception and place ourselves in other shoes. At the end of the challenge, we would discuss whether the change in mindset helped with perceptions, actions, and overall feelings. Did the new mindset begin to become habitual? Did it grow on you? How did it make you feel? Did you like that? How did it help you to handle a situation differently? Did it benefit you or change you overall? How? Do you think you will try to stick with it?

4. My aha moment while reading Mindset was when the book reported that a mindset "limits our potential or enables our success. It often marks the difference between excellence and mediocrity."

Wow! Your mindset truly impacts every single aspect of your life. It helped me to realize that you can choose how you want to think, process things, react, etc. While you are often not in control of what happens around you and what people say to you, you are in control of your mindset and what you choose to do with these outside forces. You are in control of your life and where you are going with it.

My Secret Sauce

1. Five things that I think make me unique:

• Drive to learn more skills, get a great education and career, be successful
• Very level-minded when it comes to filtering negative influences out and maintaining who I am
• Truthful and goodhearted, honest and genuine
• Values family, people, and relationships very much. Cherishes loved ones and tries to make them feel special. Quality time and quality conversation oriented, good listener. 
• Good at staying on track, making a to do list and setting goals, achieving them. Very organized, good at being prepared and not procrastinating. 

2. Links to my five secret sauce interviews:

Travis - https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/travis-secret-sauce-1/s-AzfWj
Key takeaways: organized, smart, driven, caring

Natalie - https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/natalie-secret-sauce/s-ASkbH
Natalie said I was outgoing and good at making friends in new situations. Although I am usually bubbly it still surprised me and was nice to hear because I feel I can be a bit of an introvert sometimes.

Mom - https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/mom-secret-sauce/s-AhK2U
Key takeaway: quality person and cherish people, special relationships

Dad - https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/dad-secret-sauce-1/s-v7grs
Key takeaway: understanding, driven, smart, creative and good imagination

Ryan (brother) - https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/ryan-secret-sauce/s-ADFEE
Key takeaway - caring towards people I really love, driven

3. I did learn some new things about myself. The thing almost everyone said consistently that made me feel the best was that I love my loved ones very much and it shows. I cherish my loved ones and enjoy spending time with them. I also learned that people see me as driven and outgoing. I do think these things are true and it was really nice to hear these things.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

YouTube link to my Elevator Pitch No. 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY6vJrYAjUc

I had a lot of great feedback from my classmates from my first elevator pitch. I took their advice and here are the things I added:

• I included more specific details on how you submit your grocery order. I explained how you can do it online or via the mobile app. I included details on how you can select the specific groceries you need and the exact quantity. As far as the mobile app, I explained that you can upload a picture of your grocery list and that will suffice. 
• I explained that you can pay with credit card because payment was a concern of one of my fellow classmates. 
• I explained what the fee is, a percentage of the total order amount. 
• One comment from a classmate was that they dislike grocery shopping because of the congestion and long checkout lines. I mentioned this in my first pitch but made sure to reemphasize it since it was affirmed by my classmate. 

Something I noticed myself after the fact in my first elevator pitch is that my foot came off the ground at one point and was in the video ha. I made sure to keep my feet out of the limelight this time, planted on the ground, except for normal movement so I wasn't standing still.

I look forward to more feedback from my second pitch and to view my classmate's second pitches. Thanks!

My Customer's Avatar

The prototypical customer for my company, Groceries To Go, is women in their thirties that are both moms and career oriented. She is a busy go getter and balances many things at once, wearing many hats. She is driven. She is married. Both her and her husband have good careers. They live in a nice brick house probably in the south. They are in the upper middle to upper class income range. She drives a nice to fancy SUV. It can be anywhere from a Ford Edge or Chevrolet Equinox to a Mercedes or Lexus SUV. Perhaps it is red, black, or white and definitely has a sunroof and all the latest safety features for their kids. She goes from work, to soccer practice, to planning personal events. She is educated. She was probably in a sorority at her four year university. She is Christian and tries to go to church regularly with her family. She is Republican. She always has nice nails and clothing and enjoys Starbucks coffee. She is great at cooking. She tries to eat healthy, e.g. juices and kale salads. She goes to Pilate classes and the occasional spin class when she is feeling especially ambitious. She loves the beach and being outdoors with her family. She loves riding her beach cruiser with her husband. She prefers reading and music over television but goes with comedies or chick flicks when choosing a movie genre. Lastly, she enjoys going out with her girlfriends to a nice restaurant with live music and enjoying a good glass of red wine.

I think what I have in common with my customer avatar is that I'd like to become her "when I grow up" ha! Some aspects of her I already have such as juggling many aspects of life at once, Christian, Republican, enjoying cooking and trying to eat healthy and go to yoga classes, love being outdoors as well as reading, music, and movies. I hope to have a family and a successful career someday. I don't think it's a coincidence that I have this much in common with my prototypical customer because I designed my company for a need I realized in my own life which is helpful for people similar to me/my situation with the same need (although I am only in my twenties without a career or kids yet. I chose thirties and career because they can afford my service).

Bachabow

My word is "bachabow."

Bachabow can mean whatever you want it to mean based on the situation and your tone. However, it's mainly a term of goofiness or endearment that you call someone. An example is: "Ugh, you're such a bachabow today," or "Hey bachabow!"

The person that most caught onto my word is my mama. At first she was kind of like bachabow?! What's a bachabow?? Whatever it is, she accepted it after a little bit because it's kind of funny and she started saying it back to me.

My dad tolerated it lol and didn't really care either way.

When I called my brother a bachabow, he said I was a bachabow lol and moved on.

Some friends ignored it, some questioned it, and some used it. Mixed reviews. Hard crowd ;)

Overall, I think it's a catchy word.

Halfway Reflection

1. A major skill that I developed throughout this course was pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and being more comfortable with talking to people I don't know. The assignments that require interviews can be a nervewracking request at first, but I have just recently gotten used to them and don't find them as bizarre or scary anymore. I have accepted them and don't think twice (as much ha). I learned how to prepare interview questions and to gather information from people about my ideas and thoughts, and to get their feedback.

2. A time I felt like giving up was within the first two weeks of this semester. I was a new student to UF and I was having a hard time adjusting to strictly online, Canvas, etc. I felt like I had bit of more than I could chew with too many classes. My advisor helped pull me through this as well as the structure of this course. The way it is laid out on Canvas is very user-friendly and easy and clear to understand and navigate. I really appreciated that. I do feel like I have developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months. I have pushed through several assignments that made me uncomfortable (see question 1 ha) and am better off because of it.

3. Three tips:

1. Skills that support tenacity are just being organized and not waiting until the last minute! Keep a planner full of what assignments you need to do on which days in order to submit everything on time. That way, you will not get stressed out and overwhelmed from not knowing and you won't get bogged down. This really changed my experience for the better and helped me be more successful.
2. What most helps me develop a tenacious mindset is simply imagining my future and my personal goals. 
3. An in general tip I would like to share with other/future college students is to try to not spread yourself too thin. Make sure you are balancing your time between school, family, friends, yourself, exercise, hobbies, etc. It's important to work hard and get good grades but to also have fun and enjoy yourself as well. 

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1 - Need Awareness & Info Search

The unmet need of this blog post is not having the time to go grocery shopping. My solution is "Groceries To Go" which is my idea of a grocery delivery service business. I discussed it in detail in my Elevator Pitch No. 1 and Idea Napkin No. 1 blogs. One segment I will be targeting for my business is the part-time to full-time working class. The three interviews below concentrate on that segment and their opinion and need (or lack thereof...we'll find out) of my business idea.

In my interview with Ryan, I discovered that he does have the need for a grocery delivery business. He works for the U.S. Navy full-time. He is very busy working long days among all the other regular aspects of life one needs to tend to. He has a lot of errands to do and he usually tries to get them all done on the weekend when he is off from work. These errands and chores include grocery shopping (of course), mowing the lawn, washing his truck, fixing things around the house if necessary, etc. It is a lot to get done in two days when also down time and fun time is necessary too. He said he would use a grocery delivery service because it would save him time and he could get something else done with the extra time he saved. Plus, he doesn't like dealing with the crowds at grocery stores which are much worse on weekends. The parking lot is full, the aisles are congested, and the check out lines are long. He would find this service very helpful. Something he did say that would need to be find tuned is the cost. Pricing would help him decide how often he would use it, if it would be worth it, etc. At the right price he would use it often.

https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/buyer-behavior-interview-1/s-OAbyG



While talking to Mary, I discovered that she loved this idea. She does the majority of grocery shopping in her household and could definitely use the help. Again, if the price is right. She talked about set fees based on certain aspects of the order. She needs help with grocery shopping because she works and it is such a time consuming errand. It is a hassle. She said she would use this service every time (price reasonable).

https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/buyer-behavior-interview-2/s-2Oaaa



While talking to Ron, I discovered that he only grocery shops about once every six weeks because his wife does the majority of the grocery shopping. The both work almost full-time and he gladly helps when asked. This shows to me that people just don't always have the time to do it for themselves every time and need the help, which is where my business would come into play! Ron had a great idea about pricing that I hadn't thought of. Instead of a fixed fee, he brought up the idea of percentages. Ron suggested a 15%-20% percentage fee of each order's total amount. For example, if the order is $100, 15%, or $15, would be reasonable. Ron had a lot of great ideas. He also said that a larger delivery time would be acceptable, so longer than two hours would be fine. He also brought up the idea of pre-set grocery lists that can be re-submitted for commonly ordered items. It was a great interview!

https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/buyer-behavior-3/s-07VFH



In conclusion, I have learned that a grocery delivery service business would be in high demand for the working class. The number one reason working people would use it is in order to save time to do other errands and chores or for fun, leisurely time. They would also appreciate it to avoid the hassle of grocery shopping itself. Something that I do need to improve upon is the pricing. I need to gather more information about what would be reasonable and profitable, and integrate greater detail on my pricing plans. Overall, it seems like my idea would be useful!

Week 7 Reading Reflection - Reading Reflection No. 1

1. For my first reading, I chose the biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

• What surprised me the most about the life of Steve Jobs is that he was adopted. He was biologically born unto a Catholic mother (Joanne) and a Muslim father (John). Joanne's parents disapproved of the relationship which led to her putting up her son for adoption. Steve Jobs was adopted by a couple in San Francisco, CA. His adoptive father, Paul Jobs, was an engine technician at the time and first introduced Steve to engineering and design. The quality skills he learned from Paul are still reflected in his Apple products today. Interesting fact: On the day Jobs was thinking of a name for his new company, he was walking back from an apple orchard, and the name "Apple" stuck with him. Apple Computers was born. Unfortunately, it also surprised me that Steve Jobs struggled with and eventually passed away from pancreatic cancer at the young age of 56.

• What I most admired about Steve Jobs was his desire to give back to humankind. He appreciated the inventions and progress that was laid out before him by others . He wanted to take advantage of it, use it, take it even further, and pump the progress back into humankind. Steve Jobs said, "We try to use the talents we do have to express our deep feelings, to show our appreciation of all the contributions that came before us, and to add something to that flow. That's what has driven me."

• What I least admired about Steve Jobs was his lack of empathy. He didn't seem like a very heartfelt or sensitive man. To him, people were either "enlightened" or an "asshole." He wasn't the best family man, not the best father. In fact, he said he wasn't ready to be a father when his first daughter, Lisa Brennan, was born and was not present in her life (only financially). He would go to work at 7am in the morning and not return home until 9pm at night. By then his kids were already in bed and he was too exhausted to even talk. His career, Apple, was his family, his baby.

• Steve Jobs encountered a lot of adversity and failure throughout his adventures. He faced failure with some new ideas and products (lack of sales for the new super fancy professional NeXT). He faced adversity with partnerships (such as Atari and Pixar) and when he felt people had stolen his ideas (Windows, Android, and Antz as a spin-off of It's a Bug's Life for example). Jobs just kept fighting in the face of these challenges. He stood up for what he believed was right. He never gave up and always kept moving forward. 

2. The best competency that Steve Jobs exhibited was his fearlessness to go against the grain, to come up with wonderful ideas and to own it fearlessly. He wasn't afraid of having off the wall ideas and opinions and standing up for himself. On that note, he wasn't afraid of being off the wall himself and never changed his quirky personality and ways.


3. I suppose a part of the reading that was a little confusing to me was just following all the business connections and roles of different people.


4. If I was able to ask Steve Jobs two things, they would be:
When did you realize you were hitting it big and what did it feel like?
Did it change you? How so? Better or worse?
One more question to make it three: Do you have any regrets? If so, what would you go back and change?


5. I think Steve Job's opinion of hard work was to never give up, if you fail get up and try again, keep pushing, and don't be afraid to be different. I do share that opinion and greatly believe in that.

Idea Napkin No. 1

Piecing It All Together

This blog has to do with the idea I pitched in my Elevator Pitch No. 1, called "Groceries To Go"

My idea is that some day groceries can be ordered online, or a photo of your grocery list can be uploaded via mobile app, and the groceries will be delivered to your front door within two hours. 

1. Me. 

I am a student, a part-time employee, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. And so much more, those are just some of my titles. My talents are cooking, yoga, and caring about people. My skills are being driven and creating goals that I go after. I am very organized and have the fire inside to be a go-getter. "Groceries To Go" would play a huge role in my life if I were to really launch it. I would be very busy as the founder and would find if very useful as a consumer. 

2. What am I offering to customers?

I am offering a time saving and very convenient service to customers, having groceries delivered  straight to their doorstep. They can do this two ways: online, by searching for the groceries they need, selecting them and the quantity of each, and placing the order. Or via mobile app by uploading a picture of your grocery list. There would be a two hour delivery guarantee. 

3. Who am I offering it to?

I am offering it to anyone that is busy and needs to save some time via eliminating this very time consuming errand. Although, I think a lot of people would find my idea helpful, I think there are especially two types of people that would find my service extremely useful: moms and elders. Moms don't always have the time and energy to go grocery shopping, among all the other jillion things they have to do. It's an even more difficult task if they have to pack up the kids to go along with them. 45 minutes to an hour of boring grocery shopping is a long time for young kids to not get bored and cranky. Elders is another group that I believe would find my business extremely helpful. A lot of elders live alone (perhaps widowed, nursing home, etc.) and cannot drive and need this service. For example, my grandma (that lives far from me) has to schedule a taxi service or friend to pick her up once every two weeks and take her to the grocery store. It's sad and it's difficult for her to meal plan that far ahead and to not run out of something or need something unthought of in the meantime. 

4. Why do they care?

They care because going to the grocery store for themselves is sometimes (a lot of times) not worth the time and hassle. Not only that, but for example for some elders, it may not even be a viable option. I believe this is why potential customers would care.

5. What are my core competencies?

What sets me apart from everyone else is that I don't believe there is anyone else. I have not heard of a business that offers this service or does anything like it. If I am wrong and it has been invented, then it is not a good business model because I have not heard of it or know anyone that has used it. My service would be great because it would be quick, a two hour delivery guarantee.

I believe that my business model does connect well. What I am offering, who I am offering it to, and why they would care all align. This is definitely a great service for people that need to save time, want convenience, or are just unable to go to the grocery store for themselves. I think that covers a lot of people, as long as the price is right. That is something more that I would have to cover more and get greater details on. The pricing would need to be reasonable enough that it is a realistic service for the average household, but at the same time, realistic for me to make good profits. I would have to get a great team to help my infiltrate my business idea. There's no way I could do this on my own. Also, lastly, I would need to do some extensive background research to see if there are any pre-existing companies similar to mine and what their numbers and market share are. What does their business model look like and is it working our for them. How would I overcome the barrier to entry if there was one and how would I be different/better.

Elevator Pitch No. 1

My Elevator Pitch 1

My elevator pitch is pitching my idea of "Groceries To Go," my grocery delivery business. My idea delivers the groceries you need right to your doorstep when you need them, saving you so much time and convenience.

P.S. - Sorry for the recording taking place in my kitchen, but my iPhone just happened to balance at the perfect height on my Keurig, and I figured it goes along with the whole grocery theme right ha ;)

Tweaking the Innovation

My innovation is a grocery and product delivery service company that works through Walmart, called "Walmart To Go."

Product/Service Mix and Description of Innovations:

Departments - the customer pays varying costs depending on which departments the employees must go to in order to fulfill the order. For example, a visit to the garden department may be more costly that a visit to the toy department because five bags of mulch are much heavier and more difficult to handle than a small box of Legos.

Items include:

• electronics
• food
• home 
• baby
• sports & outdoors
• clothing 

Number of employees needed in order to fulfill the order in a timely fashion - pay more per employee needed

• 1 employee
• 2
• 3+

Time it takes for employees to fulfill the order - the bigger the order, the longer it takes, the higher the cost

• up to 15 minutes
• 15-30 minutes
• 30 minutes - 1 hour
• 1 hour+

Refrigerated vs Non-refrigerated Truck - higher cost for refrigerated truck

• refrigerated truck for groceries
• does it even need a freezer? perhaps an extra fee for that if necessary for profit
• non-refrigerated truck for non-grocery deliveries

 Truck size - the bigger the truck size, the higher the cost

• car size
• small truck
• medium truck
• large truck
• extra large truck

Delivery distance - the further the delivery distance, the higher the cost

• within 1 mile
• 1-5 miles
• 5-10 miles
• 10-15 miles
• 15+ miles
•  OR charging a set fee per mile
• Also, an upfront delivery fee + one of the two options above

Map each item (benefit, tangible, augmented):
department items - needing certain items from certain departments. Are the items tangibly pleasing once delivered? Does it match expectations, fulfill needs?

number of employees needed - a customer would purchase the service of more employees in order to get order fulfilled and delivered more quickly.

refrigerated vs non-refrigerated truck - a customer would choose one or the other based on if they are having food delivered, and of course they want food delivered still cold, not melted and soggy.

truck size: benefit - fitting all groceries and/or products being delivered. tangible: having everything you need. augmented: having all groceries and/or products ordered delivered at one time to fulfill need.

My Solution

My solution has to do with a regulatory opportunity I identified in my "Looking for Opportunity" blog post. The opportunity was better organic livestock and poultry practices for the better treatment and health conditions of these animals. My solution involves both product and service solutions. First, the animals need better living conditions. They need space and the ability to go outside and roam. This includes a larger housing environment. Another solution for better treatment is more careful animal handling. Lastly, the USDA should regularly audit facilities to make sure they are complying with standards. I think these are all effective solutions to this opportunity.

Looking for Opportunity

Economic trend opportunities:

"International trade will be critical for U.S. production and world growth"
a) I found this economic trend opportunity on forbes.com. Unfortunately, I am not as updated on these kind of things as I should be so I had to do a little pre-research.
b) I believe an opportunity exists here because it is very logical and numbers have proven this to be true in the past.
c) There are so many prototypical customers involved. It involves anyone that manufactures, distributes, or sells to those overseas, and vice versa. It affects America because we import as well as export. This includes the government and public and private companies.
d) I would say that this opportunity is relatively easy to exploit because it would be very beneficial to everyone involved.
I saw this opportunity because it just makes sense. International trade is good for our economy. It can help us save money and make money, and have access to items that may not have been accessible otherwise.

"Economists remained puzzled by a yearlong productivity slump and are looking at how new technologies might help spur innovation and productivity growth." This information specifically concentrated on robotics and how they are replacing human beings in factories, etc.
a) The Wall Street Journal
b) This opportunity exists because it is cheaper and more efficient for employers. It has expensive start up but pays off quickly over time. I'm not saying this is a good opportunity for workers because it's not, but it is a good opportunity as far as increasing productivity and decreasing costs.
c) The prototypical customer is the employers/companies that would be replacing human beings with robots.
d) This opportunity would probably be a more difficult one to exploit because it would cause a lot of upheaval among human workers, high upfront costs, and a technological learning curve.
I saw this opportunity because people are always looking for ways to save time and money (including myself), and this is a big one.

Regulatory changes opportunities:
Both of the regulatory changes opportunities I will be concentrating on have to do with the safety and health of our food market.

Organic livestock and poultry practices. There needs to be higher standards for the treatment and living conditions of these animals.
a) Regulations.gov
b) This opportunity exists because livestock and poultry are treated very cruel and it's really sad and wrong. Plus, it creates a dirty environment causing health problems within the animals and later on, unsanitary food.
c) The prototypical customer is the consumer of the food.
d) I think that this opportunity would be relatively easy to exploit because it has already been in the eyes of the public and can be addressed legally by the USDA.
I saw this opportunity because it touched me when I first learned about the problem and mistreatment of these animals. I have seen pictures and videos about it. They were shocking and terrible and hard to forget.

Proposed regulatory to register dicamba, a herbicide, to control weeds in cotton and soybean genetically engineered to tolerate dicamba.
a) EPA.gov
b) This opportunity exists because crops are being taken over by unwanted vegetation, aka weeds.
c) The prototypical customer is everyone. It affects farmers and anyone that is affected by the economy and eats food or wears cotton t-shirts.
d) This opportunity would be of medium difficulty to exploit. It's a fantastic idea and would be extremely helpful but there are so many people that are against herbicides and GE products.
I learned about this opportunity back in middle school. Herbicides and the GE controversy have been around for a while now. When I learned about both sides of the argument, I saw the opportunity. It has its pros and cons.

Forming An Opportunity Belief

Forming An Opportunity Belief

1) My beginning point: The Carillon Lakes gym and workout community has the potential to be so much more.

2) My belief:

• What is the unmet need? I believe the people that designed the layout of the Carillon Lakes gym could have made a better use of space/location and could have furnished it with a greater variety of workout equipment. I also think a sense of a workout community is lacking and it would be nice if there were group exercise classes available. I would love to see classes in and outside of the gym, including "yoga on the lawn", walking and running on the paths, as well as more use of the tennis and basketball courts. 
• Who has the need? This effects all of the Carillon Lakes community members.
• Where did the need come from? I think the need has probably existed since the gym first opened. 
• What are people doing to meet this need now? They are using/tolerating the gym for convenience purposes. It's also possible that they have other workout outlets. 
• How sure am I that this opportunity exists? 70%

3) Prototypical customer #1 - Doug, middle-aged male, community member.

4) Link to audio interview with Doug: https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/doug
Doug uses the Carillon Lakes gym almost everyday. Doug stated that he did not have the problem of the gym being too small or offering insufficient equipment. However, he did say that he did not like the location of the gym because it is next to the pool and sometimes little kids sneak into the gym and goof around and get hurt on the equipment. He said he doesn't feel like it's his job to tell the kids what to do or to discipline them so he feels like there's not much he can do. This can be traced back to my belief that the people that designed the gym could have made a better use of space/location within the clubhouse. They could have put it on the other side of the clubhouse, away from the pool area.

5) What I learned from speaking with Doug is that perhaps the middle-aged to older community members find the gym itself sufficient for their needs, they just don't like the location by the kids.

3) Prototypical customer #2 - Holly, late twenties female, community member.

4) Link to audio interview with Holly: https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/holly
Holly uses the Carillon Lakes gym several times a week. Holly stated that she also believed that it would be nice if the gym was a little bigger and it would definitely be great if there was a wider array of workout equipment available. She said she has experienced the problem of limited ellipticals. There are only two and they get taken often. She is indifferent with the location of the gym being next to the pool/kids.

5) What I learned from speaking with Holly is that there is a need for more cardio equipment, especially ellipticals, the "hot commodity" as she said ha.

3) Prototypical customer #3 - Travis, mid-twenties male, community member.

4) Link to audio interview with Travis: https://soundcloud.com/user-752844123/travis
Travis uses the Carillon Lakes gym infrequently, only on occasions where he is bound for time. The gym is mainly just used as a convenience factor for him. The main gym he goes to is Gold's Gym. He said it is worth the extra five miles of distance. It is a much, much larger gym and offers a huge variety of workout equipment, including weight lifting and body building equipment which is his main focus. He said the Carillon Lakes gym would have to offer these features in order for him to switch over. He did say that he actually likes the location of the Carillon Lakes gym next to the pool though because he likes to take a refreshing swim or relax in the hot tub after a hard workout.

5) What I learned from speaking with Travis is that the Carillon Lakes gym it is not sufficient for a younger man because they are typically more into weight lifting, which the community gym does not support that well (only dumbbells and very limited machines).

6) Repeated 3-5 3x above.

7) In summary, after discussion with my three interviewees, I think my original opportunity belief has diminished from 70% to 40%, so almost by half. I concluded this after speaking with Doug. He said that as a middle-aged man, he doesn't need a huge variety of workout equipment. He needs just enough to "maintain." Therefore, the small Carillon Lakes gym is perfect for him. Considering that this 700 home community mostly consists of middle-aged to older people, I would say that the gym is good enough for the majority of the community members.

I think customer feedback is vital and entrepreneurs should definitely adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback. Two brains are better than one, brainstorming is a must. It would help prevent wasted time, ideas, effort, and creating something that is unneeded. After all, the customer is always right ;)

Identifying Local Opportunities

Happy Friday!

I chose The Ledger as my local newspaper of choice for this blog, Identifying Local Opportunities.

Opportunity #1:

• Lakeland man charged with kidnapping after Ohio highway chase
• http://www.theledger.com/article/20160520/NEWS/160529998?tc=cr
• In this article, a man kidnapped a woman and ran from the police when they tried to pull him over for reckless driving. It turned into a car pursuit and ended when the kidnapper lost control of his vehicle and wrecked. After a struggle, he was finally detained. The woman was reunited with her family. 
• The problem presented here is that the police didn't even know the woman was kidnapped until she signaled for help and the man took off again with her still in the car. I think there is an opportunity here for a better way to get help if you are in danger or kidnapped. In banks, there is something called a panic button that employees can press if they are being robbed and it sends a silent signal to the police. It would be helpful if women or children had something similar to this, whether it be an app or actual button as well. It would transmit real time GPS location to the police once it is pressed. It would help prevent kidnappings, domestic violence, rape, etc.  
• Mostly women and children are victims of these crimes, but it can really happen to anybody. 

Opportunity #2:

• Killer Nile crocodiles in Florida? Experts say it's possible
• http://www.theledger.com/article/20160519/NEWS/160519325?tc=cr
• Huge and dangerous crocodiles from the Nile in Africa have mysteriously ended up in Miami and the Everglades. How did they get there? What was the intent?
• The problem is that people are bringing them here illegally. The second problem is that we don't know why. Was the release into the wild an accident or malicious intent? The opportunity here is to put GPS tracking chips into the crocs to study their migrating patterns and origin. Maybe if we work backwards, we can track the source. 
• This can negatively affect anyone that comes into contact with these crocs as they are carnivores and can kill and eat humans. 

Opportunity #3:

• Fallen Heroes 5K will cause blocked traffic in Lakeland Saturday morning
• http://www.theledger.com/article/20160520/NEWS/160529996/0/search
• Some streets will be blocked for this awesome 5K Saturday morning and drivers are asked to take alternate routes.
• There are two opportunities I can think of to approach this problem. One way would be to reroute this 5K off of the streets and around one of Lakeland's many beautiful lakes. Prettier views for the runners anyway! The second way to approach this problem is to somehow take advantage of the fact that it is blocking traffic and create some way for the traffic to get involved such as donations to the Fallen Heroes families, etc. 
• Drivers on Saturday morning are going to have this problem. 

 Opportunity #4:

• Ex-Polk State professor faces 2nd trial after hung jury in fraud case
• http://www.theledger.com/article/20160519/NEWS/160519318/1338/news00?Title=Ex-Polk-State-professor-faces-2nd-trial-after-hung-jury-in-fraud-case
• A Polk State College professor, David Broxterman, faked a PhD and taught without proper credentials for five years. He said he "thought he had a PhD."
• An opportunity for a solution to this problem is to check into applicant's backgrounds, view their official transcripts and degree. Have a more thorough system that credits their claims. 
• Broxterman's students and the other faculty as well as Polk State College's name are negatively affected by his false claims. 

Opportunity #5:

• Florida now facing problems obtaining drugs used in lethal injections
• http://www.theledger.com/article/20160519/NEWS/160519330/1003/news00?Title=Florida-now-facing-problems-obtaining-drugs-used-in-lethal-injections
• Florida's death penalty is under scrutiny. Pfizer, the drug manufacturer, has banned their drugs from being used for lethal injection and execution purposes. 
• The opportunity here is to have Florida reconsider their standpoint on this and vote on it. If majority vote is to continue with legal injections, then find a new source to get the drugs from.
• This affects the State of Florida and its 390 death row inmates.

Bug List

ENT 3003 “Bug List:”

1. The number one “bug” in my life right now is that Adobe Flash Player does not work on my iPad. In my previous three accounting courses, it was impossible to do the online homework on Aplia, the software. I had to use my PC. I have also noticed that I am unable to view Dr. Lutz’s online marketing textbook chapters. It is very frustrating, especially since my PC has a virus right now.
I am not exactly sure why this bug exists. I do not know why Apple would choose to make an iPad like that or design it that way. I know Puffin and other similar apps are an alternative but it is just not the same. The experience is not as smooth.

2. A bug that currently applies to me since I am out of state right now visiting family is that airplanes usually never depart on time, at least in my experience with Allegiant airlines. They have to de-ice the planes, etc., etc.
I think this bug exists due to the cold weather conditions up North, making traveling more difficult. It could also be due to a late departure on the other end. Perhaps they were waiting on a traveler to check in for departure, who knows. Also, the airplane may need maintenance such as refueling or a check over.

3. Another bug with traveling is TripFlex that Allegiant offers. It allows you to reschedule or adjust your flight without paying a fee. However, if you book within a week of departure, TripFlex will not apply to your flight. Usually the last minute booked flights are the ones that are most likely to change. That is when you need TripFlex the most.
I think this bug exists because they figure that if you book within a week, chances are not much will change in that short amount of time. However, I am usually an early booker and if I am booking within a week it is usually some sort of weird scenario or emergency that could potentially change. I need TripFlex just as much then as any other time.

4. A bug that drives Northern drivers nuts is the roads. The roads in Indiana have so many potholes you might as well be off-roading.
This bug exists due to the cold weather. The roads expand and contract so much from season to season from extreme temperatures that they crack and potholes are created. It is possible that Indiana does not have a good road budget to fix them either, but I do not know that for sure.

5. Another bug is that you cannot open a Keurig to fully dry it out. Reports have suggested that mold can grow in Keurigs causing health issues.
I simply think this is a bug due to an overlooked design issue.

6. A bug I used to have with older PC’s is that they would overheat.
This is probably due to the fan not cooling them down properly and perhaps the hardware being more heavy duty in the older versions. Laptops are so much lighter nowadays. Maybe it is possible that they do not have to work as hard to run and stay cooler.

7. A bug on my old cell phone is that the GPS would sometimes glitch out and reroute me in circles.
This could be due to satellite maps that were not as developed in that area or maybe the OS was malfunctioning.

8. Something that really drives me nuts at work, is when the food takes forever to come out or when you are eating at a restaurant and that happens to yourself.
This is usually due to an understaffed or undertrained kitchen.

9. Another thing that bugs me at work is having to work doubles, 13 hours shifts without a break or a proper meal.
This, again, is due to being understaffed or either poor scheduling or sometimes even because other employees have requested off or called in.

10. Now I am on a roll ha… The worst thing about work is the amount of side work servers have to do. We have to roll two giant buckets worth of silverware after every shift at server wages (nothing).
This is because management is to cheap to actually hire people to do that at minimum wage. They get the most out of their employees for the cheapest amount.

11. A bug is chipping nail polish. I am yet to find an at home nail polish that is chip resistant like salon quality polishes.
Maybe it is too expensive for companies to provide nail polish with such high quality ingredients that it would not chip. It could also be unrealistic to have all the special tools and applications at home.

12. Bug spray not really keeping mosquitos away.
I still get bit while wearing bug spray. Maybe there are some breeds of the insect that are resistant to it.

13. Getting sunburn stripes from spray on sunscreen.
Have you ever had a zig zag tan line? I have from not rubbing in spray on sunscreen properly or it blowing away in the wind. It would be nice if there was a little better system, maybe a heavier duty spray that covered more ground.

14. Having to wear a retainer every night.
It would be great if the after effects of braces were more permanent and needed less maintenance. Shifting teeth is the root of this.

15. Glasses with scratches and dirty lenses.
Scratch and dirt resistant glasses would be wonderful, but it is difficult because they are      made of glass. An alternative material would be better if possible.

16. Grown out hair roots.
I wish there was something quicker, easier, and less expensive than going to the salon to get hair color touched up. The processing time is why this takes so long. I wish there was a more permanent at home solution.

17. Payments that take days to process.
Have you ever transferred money to your credit card to make a payment on it and it takes 3-4 business days for it to process and show up on your statement? I have and it would be nice if it showed up immediately. I do not know why this takes so long, maybe the funds have to be released. This process needs to be streamlined.

18. Cash, needing it for certain transactions and not always having it on hand.
There needs to be an easier way to access cash, or even better, a different system altogether. I do not see our currency, cash, changing because its roots are too deep and that would be far too difficult of an adjustment.

19. Vehicles still requiring gasoline.
This is an obvious one. There needs to be a cleaner, easier to access, renewable alternative. I believe we still use gasoline due to big companies buying out new ideas to keep them quiet. Also, it is expensive to research and begin something new.

20. Last one! I am surprised phones do not charge more quickly yet.
We are still at the point where they have to sit on a charger for hours to get a full charge again. I would think by now there would be an immediate solution to a low or dead phone battery. These rechargeable batteries, although slow, are convenient because they do not have to be replaced. They are reusable. Maybe there is not a quicker solution yet because we have not found something more resourceful/less wasteful.

I did find twenty “bugs” difficult to come up with. I think that is because we are all so accustomed to things not always going right and just adapting to it and writing them off. During this exercise, I got the chance to actually think about what those things are, why they are like that, and what could be done to make them better or fix them altogether. The first five I was able to rattle off easily, but then slowed down on the sixth bug. I got stumbled multiple times throughout coming up with my bug list. It took several days to complete it

My Entrepreneurship Story

So far, the time in my life when I personally got the closest to experiencing true entrepreneurship was during my time as a Realtor at Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty when I lived in Jacksonville, FL. Being a Realtor is a profession that has been around, I did not invent that, but what made me feel like an entrepreneur is that I had to build my own business from nothing as a Realtor. All I had to help me in the beginning was the association with a big company name like Coldwell Banker. The rest was up to me. I had to consider my own network/"niche" and think of creative ways to reach them and hopefully get their business and keep their business. I tried many things such as making a business Facebook page, ringing doorbells and hanging door hangers. I also decided that I wanted to try sending out mailers so I went around to the local businesses in the area that I wanted to reach and pitched the idea of them purchasing advertisement space on my mailers. That way, it would lower my costs, increase the chances that people would hold onto the mailers for not only my info but the coupon, and it would also benefit the business that advertised with me. After months of working hard without much return, I decided it would be helpful if I had a mentor so I asked one of the consistent top producers in the office to meet me for lunch at Panera. We did, the conversation went well, and later on that evening she called me and offered me the opportunity to join her real estate team which comprised of her and one other at that time. Things began to take off better from then on. They mentored me and gave me some great ideas, handed me some leads, and got me involved in the community. I got to ride along with them and do tasks for them, both helping me learn the business. Unfortunately, after a year of giving the real estate business a chance, circumstances moved me to Lakeland, FL. I got away from real estate and decided to not pick it back up again. I decided to pursue school again as I have always wanted my Bachelor's degree. Plus, I just recently (last July) finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life.. marketing.

I enrolled in ENT 3003 because it is part of the pathway to pursue marketing. It is required, but luckily it truly sounds very interesting and I think it is a necessity to have entrepreneurial skills in today's business world. I cannot be positive yet but I feel as if entrepreneurship is somewhat of a melting pot of everything business. Entrepreneurs need to know about marketing, management, finance, etc. During this class, I hope to learn about innovation and what it takes to start a business and grow it into a successful one.

Below is a panorama I took of Jacksonville Beach with the pier in the background. It was one of the many photos I posted on my business Facebook page to promote Jacksonville and its beauty.

My Test Post

Hopefully my blog is working.