The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users by Guy Kawasaki
1) The general theme for the book was talking about the importance and the myriad of ways of how social media today is a way to help a business thrive or for it to struggle. There is no denying the power of social media today and how it has an influence on so much that happens in businesses today.
2) The way the book helped connect with the class was how us entrepreneurs started blogs about our experiences on all the work we accomplished throughout the semester. We started our own form of social media to share out there with the world.
3) I would add an element of not only writing the blogs for the class but to also have the students share the blogs onto their own social media so that more of their friends and family would see their ideas for input.
4) The entire book for my was a huge "aha" because I did not know the lack of knowledge I had towards the importance of social media and what it is. Even had me second guessing how I use my social media and the improvements I want to make for myself
Friday, August 5, 2016
Final Reflection
1) Going back and reading through all my blogs it has definitely been a roller coaster of a semester for my in the class, with my summer classes and with my life in general. There were times where things were amazing and other times where it was not so amazing.
2) For myself, the biggest experience would have to be coming up with my venture idea, like something that not was thought off but also written out and talked about with others. The building of ideas and improvements over weeks stretches was definitely an experience and the first time I do such a thing.
3) I do see myself even more as an entrepreneur since I was put to think like one. My experience definitely has given me, even more, respect to all entrepreneurs for the experiences that they had to go through to achieve their dreams and success.
4) One recommendation I would give to future students is to take advantage of being able to think out the box and follow a dream/thought that you come up for your venture. There is nothing more rewarding and exciting than having an idea come to life and doing something you are passionate about.
2) For myself, the biggest experience would have to be coming up with my venture idea, like something that not was thought off but also written out and talked about with others. The building of ideas and improvements over weeks stretches was definitely an experience and the first time I do such a thing.
3) I do see myself even more as an entrepreneur since I was put to think like one. My experience definitely has given me, even more, respect to all entrepreneurs for the experiences that they had to go through to achieve their dreams and success.
4) One recommendation I would give to future students is to take advantage of being able to think out the box and follow a dream/thought that you come up for your venture. There is nothing more rewarding and exciting than having an idea come to life and doing something you are passionate about.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
My Exit Strategy
2) I choose this strategy because I want to do what is best for me. I do not want to live my life with regret and thinking "what if"
3) My exit strategy does influence my other decisions because one decision will have me doing everything I can to make it grow while another would make me want to do everything to set it up right so I could let it go, so it is all a matter of where I am going with my decision.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Celebrating Failure
My most common failure that I have had recently has to be in my internship. I can not count the amount of mistakes that I have made that has been the internship an experience, to say the least. The failure at times has been my fault for not paying enough close attention and making the "rookie" mistakes. Then others have been because I was put under the assumption of knowing how to do something but my fellow coworkers forgot I am new and do not know everything yet. Plus there have been days where the seconds have felt like minutes with how ridiculous and stressful things were going at work. At the end of the day though I can look back at it all and see what I have learned, how I have grown and know what I do not want to deal with in the future. Failure is hard for me, I am a perfectionist when it comes to many things. But for somethings, I am open to mistakes happening and learning in stride with what is going on. This internship was that, taking the time to accept mistakes are going to happen and then be able to learn from them to be able to capitalize in the future. Failure is something that is emotional and mental for me, I like to think a lot and failures are something I ponder about quite a bit at times. I have been much more open recently to taking risks because I have learned for me at least, it is what life is all about. Taking that risk for that reward.
Venture Concept No. 1.
Opportunity: The opportunity that is out there for the future customers is the chance to enhance their driving experience. There are vehicles out there today that have really bad blind spots and that makes driving dangerous and stressful. With offering a device where there be alerted of vehicles in their blind spot is would make the driving experience much more pleasant. The need is really any driver out there with a vehicle that doesn’t have blind spot sensors already on their vehicle which is millions of drivers in the U.S. alone. This window of opportunity will be open for many years to come until it becomes a basic part of vehicles to include blind spot detection.
Innovation: This idea of mine is not exactly new, it has already been done in a way. The issue is that it hasn’t been marketed in a way for it to have success. It has not been taken out and shown to people about it and how it can enhance their driving experience. The product is out there and for a while now, it just has not been presented in a manner yet where people feel that this can be a benefit to their lives. It is applying sensors on the blind spot of the vehicle so that the driver and feel confident and comfortable driving at all times. The price of the sensors will be determined on the manufacturing of the product as well as the amount of sensors that are bought, they will be sold in packs of two for the customers.
Venture Concept: Customers would buy this product because they will realize a way to benefit their life on the road in a way they never realized they could. And anything that makes life easier and better is a life that many people would want. For that reason people would by the product and the way to keep them is by keeping the product high quality and consistent in its use and experience. Competitors are already out there and that is where the idea came from in a way.
Minor Element
My secret sauce would have to be the connections that I have already made of individuals in the automotive industry. This would definitely help with getting my foot in the door and in the right direction to make this all happen.
The next opportunity for the venture would be making improvements to enhance the experience of the customers who are already using the product and finding ways to bring new customers in.
In five years of launching I would like to have the company to be self-sustaining, making its own revenue to run on. And in the next decade make a contract with a major automotive company to put the product into mass production in all vehicles.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
My Unfair Advantage.
1. Ease of use
v- High, something easy to use is wanted especially if it has benefits
r- Low, not an original idea
i, Low, can be duplicated
n- High, there are others out there that offer similar benefits
2. Potential to grow
v- High, for investors this may seem worthwhile
r- Medium, something like this can be new to some people
i- Medium, if a similar product was to come out it can compete
n- Low
3. Industry connections
v- High, great foot in the door for a big job
r- High, not normal for such potential
i- Medium, someone with similar connections can capitalize
n- Medium, someone with similar connections can do the same
4. Personal drive
v- High, needed to achieve success
r- Low, not rare but at the same time not everyone has it
i- Low- anyone can get a drive for success
n-
5. Multilingual
v- High, can expand into many regions and countries
r- Low, others know the language as well
i- Low, anyone can learn the language
n- Low, many resources out there can translate
6. Growth
v- High, any growth is good growth for the company
r- Low, growth is needed for success so not necessarily rare
i- Medium, could be duplicate but could lead to different results
n- Low, not many resources that are perfect
I am aware I am 4 short of the requirement. I had a tough time thinking of good advantages that can be brought to the table. But out of the 6 mentioned above I think the biggest advantage would have to be the connections I have in the automotive industry. As the saying goes, "its not what you know, its who you know."
v- High, something easy to use is wanted especially if it has benefits
r- Low, not an original idea
i, Low, can be duplicated
n- High, there are others out there that offer similar benefits
2. Potential to grow
v- High, for investors this may seem worthwhile
r- Medium, something like this can be new to some people
i- Medium, if a similar product was to come out it can compete
n- Low
3. Industry connections
v- High, great foot in the door for a big job
r- High, not normal for such potential
i- Medium, someone with similar connections can capitalize
n- Medium, someone with similar connections can do the same
4. Personal drive
v- High, needed to achieve success
r- Low, not rare but at the same time not everyone has it
i- Low- anyone can get a drive for success
n-
5. Multilingual
v- High, can expand into many regions and countries
r- Low, others know the language as well
i- Low, anyone can learn the language
n- Low, many resources out there can translate
6. Growth
v- High, any growth is good growth for the company
r- Low, growth is needed for success so not necessarily rare
i- Medium, could be duplicate but could lead to different results
n- Low, not many resources that are perfect
I am aware I am 4 short of the requirement. I had a tough time thinking of good advantages that can be brought to the table. But out of the 6 mentioned above I think the biggest advantage would have to be the connections I have in the automotive industry. As the saying goes, "its not what you know, its who you know."
Amazon Whisperer
-For revenue drivers I could look into doing sponsorships or contracts via automotive services such as insurance companies, rental companies, automotive dealerships and much more.
-The next thing I could think of to offer "next" for customers is a product that could compliment the driving aid which is possibly connecting it with the phone via an app or an additional product to go with the car awareness sensors.
-The "next" offering would enhance the customer's experience by making it more beneficial and enjoyable for them.
-The next thing I could think of to offer "next" for customers is a product that could compliment the driving aid which is possibly connecting it with the phone via an app or an additional product to go with the car awareness sensors.
-The "next" offering would enhance the customer's experience by making it more beneficial and enjoyable for them.
-The product listed above is similar to my product except is uses the aid of an app as well for the use for the customer.
-So far I had no luck finding reviews with the product to see what people like/dislike of the product.
-For changes I'd make it more clear for the customer, looking into using actual camera to show the customer exactly what is out there.
-This product would make a good offering to customers is because apps for mobile devices are what people want, being able to offer them one will help bring interest and use for them.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Growing My Social Capital
1) I had no success making contact with anyone who I would consider being a domain expert.
2) I met with the manager at a local automotive electronics store. Being that my product is an electronic for vehicles it seemed an appropriate individual to contact for the industry and my expert in the market. I met him through my father who has done business with him before with our cars here at home. I reached out to them in person at their store to speak with them. With him I spoke how he got started and what has he done to remain in business through the years and maintain that success. They did me the favor of informing me about the automotive electronic industry locally and with this I can see what the market is for my area and my idea. Having this conduct is important because it could be a business relationship where he could do the installation for the product for customers.
3) I had no success making contact with anyone who I would consider being a supplier expert.
Reflection: In the future I would put some more time and energy making the necessary contacts, I know it is a hit or miss when it come to these things. I just made sure to keep my head up because not hearing back from individuals did not feel good but is just motivation to make improvements and to try again. This did differ from my networking experiences in the past because I have mostly done it solely in person so having to go through social media, emails, etc. was a little more difficult for me.
2) I met with the manager at a local automotive electronics store. Being that my product is an electronic for vehicles it seemed an appropriate individual to contact for the industry and my expert in the market. I met him through my father who has done business with him before with our cars here at home. I reached out to them in person at their store to speak with them. With him I spoke how he got started and what has he done to remain in business through the years and maintain that success. They did me the favor of informing me about the automotive electronic industry locally and with this I can see what the market is for my area and my idea. Having this conduct is important because it could be a business relationship where he could do the installation for the product for customers.
3) I had no success making contact with anyone who I would consider being a supplier expert.
Reflection: In the future I would put some more time and energy making the necessary contacts, I know it is a hit or miss when it come to these things. I just made sure to keep my head up because not hearing back from individuals did not feel good but is just motivation to make improvements and to try again. This did differ from my networking experiences in the past because I have mostly done it solely in person so having to go through social media, emails, etc. was a little more difficult for me.
Reading Reflection No. 2- How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big -Scott Adams
1. General Theme) Is finding the right way of thinking mentally to then be able to take the appropriate physical actions for success. Knowing how to better yourself is important and vital to actually have the success of getting better.
2. In my opinion I feel this book was phenomenal with not only the course itself to have success in a business but to also have personal success, I found that amazing. I love a new way to look at things and ways to better myself as a person. I have always been one to help other but it is nice learning ways to better myself.
3. If I was to designed an exercise it would be one where people would take what they read and find what things to they can personally do to better themselves and list and explain those out. Then to take a week and actually perform those tasks to see if it does help them out.
4. The moment for me was realizing that being selfish isn't so bad, if done correctly. It is important to be selfish and to be able to do things that you want to do. You are living your life, you need to make yourself happy and better. You need to focus on you.
1. General Theme) Is finding the right way of thinking mentally to then be able to take the appropriate physical actions for success. Knowing how to better yourself is important and vital to actually have the success of getting better.
2. In my opinion I feel this book was phenomenal with not only the course itself to have success in a business but to also have personal success, I found that amazing. I love a new way to look at things and ways to better myself as a person. I have always been one to help other but it is nice learning ways to better myself.
3. If I was to designed an exercise it would be one where people would take what they read and find what things to they can personally do to better themselves and list and explain those out. Then to take a week and actually perform those tasks to see if it does help them out.
4. The moment for me was realizing that being selfish isn't so bad, if done correctly. It is important to be selfish and to be able to do things that you want to do. You are living your life, you need to make yourself happy and better. You need to focus on you.
Idea Napkin No. 2
1. Me) I am a senior Marketing major at UF. My talents would have to be working with a team and dealing with people with all sorts of personalities. I also am very good at listening and improvising in various situations when the obvious solution is not working. I also have a background and experience with automotive mechanics with my at home and work experience. I aspire to be running a business, I enjoy a challenge and leading teams to success. If I were to start this business I would be very hands on and passionate about it, whenever my ideas come to life I treat them like my child to help them grow and prosper.
2. What am I offering to customers?) I am offering a simple product that can be installed in any vehicle where it will alert the driver of the vehicle their blind spots while driving so that can avoid any accidents while driving in any situation.
3. Who am I offering it to?) My demographic is any individual on the road in an urban area where there are many merging ramps for highways. As well as anyplace that has a vast amount of vehicles that causes traffic on a daily basis. Also, it is for individuals with vehicles that are not equipped with the "blind spot sensors" from the factory. All these customers have in common is having to constantly check their blindspots which mean taking their eyes off the road for a split second which can be dangerous.
4. Why do they care?) The customers will actually pay money for this product if they are someone who wants to have the extra confidence of driving on the road. Also for anyone who would like to add modern technology to any vehicle which can save them the cost of buying a new car.
5. What are my core competencies?) By offering a product that is simple and can be used in any vehicle and will allow the customer/driver who cannot afford the luxury vehicle that this type of service is offered in. What I have that nobody else has is the product to offer to aa wider audience to lead to a better experience on the road for all.
I do believe these elements do all fit together for the business concept. They touch on the points of what I am here for, what I am offering, what is its purpose and why it all matters. I feel all those points need to be touched for any business to have success. It gives a clear picture for others to learn what exactly is being offered. Without these you will have struggle sometime down the road with any business.
Feedback memo: Based on the feedback I was only really questioned on how is this different that what is already offered out there on the road now. I made it clear the difference here is offering a product that can be used in any vehicle, not just newer vehicles. Other than that everything else people enjoyed and supported and those ideas I kept the same.
2. What am I offering to customers?) I am offering a simple product that can be installed in any vehicle where it will alert the driver of the vehicle their blind spots while driving so that can avoid any accidents while driving in any situation.
3. Who am I offering it to?) My demographic is any individual on the road in an urban area where there are many merging ramps for highways. As well as anyplace that has a vast amount of vehicles that causes traffic on a daily basis. Also, it is for individuals with vehicles that are not equipped with the "blind spot sensors" from the factory. All these customers have in common is having to constantly check their blindspots which mean taking their eyes off the road for a split second which can be dangerous.
4. Why do they care?) The customers will actually pay money for this product if they are someone who wants to have the extra confidence of driving on the road. Also for anyone who would like to add modern technology to any vehicle which can save them the cost of buying a new car.
5. What are my core competencies?) By offering a product that is simple and can be used in any vehicle and will allow the customer/driver who cannot afford the luxury vehicle that this type of service is offered in. What I have that nobody else has is the product to offer to aa wider audience to lead to a better experience on the road for all.
I do believe these elements do all fit together for the business concept. They touch on the points of what I am here for, what I am offering, what is its purpose and why it all matters. I feel all those points need to be touched for any business to have success. It gives a clear picture for others to learn what exactly is being offered. Without these you will have struggle sometime down the road with any business.
Feedback memo: Based on the feedback I was only really questioned on how is this different that what is already offered out there on the road now. I made it clear the difference here is offering a product that can be used in any vehicle, not just newer vehicles. Other than that everything else people enjoyed and supported and those ideas I kept the same.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
My Secret Sauce
My five unique ways:
1- Natural leader
2- Communication abilities
3- Prioritizing
4- Others before myself
5- Adaptive
5 people Interviews: (Audio got deleted, paraphrased the best I could from memory)
Paola- "What makes you special is your ability to know when to be serious and when to have fun. How you always know the appropriate time to say/do something. Because of that, it makes it so easy to talk to you."
Jonathan- "Always been the same old Louis from day 1. Known you since the 7th grade and now were pretty much 'adults' but you're the same guy I met back in Middle school. And I know if I need someone to count on, I can count on you."
Nadia- "You're one of a few people that get me. You are also one of a few people that I few genuinely comfortable around with. Between your personality and actions, you make me feel comfortable about myself.
Philip- "Once we officially bonded the beginning of sophomore year it seemed like our friendship was set. You've always been there for me and looking out for me even when I didn't ask for it. I know I can count on you for anything."
Marielle- "You've always been weird, but in a good way. You manage to always make everyone feel better whenever you see them. You are a very caring individual and have no problem putting others before yourself."
Comparisons
There are differences from how others see me and how I see myself but I am not surprised by what I was told. I know when I was thinking about myself I thought about things that were solely about me, however, I know in reality I am someone who looks out for others as from what was told from the interviewees. I completely agree with the interviewees and if there was anything I would change from my personal list is that I am more considerate and concerned for others over myself.
1- Natural leader
2- Communication abilities
3- Prioritizing
4- Others before myself
5- Adaptive
5 people Interviews: (Audio got deleted, paraphrased the best I could from memory)
Paola- "What makes you special is your ability to know when to be serious and when to have fun. How you always know the appropriate time to say/do something. Because of that, it makes it so easy to talk to you."
Jonathan- "Always been the same old Louis from day 1. Known you since the 7th grade and now were pretty much 'adults' but you're the same guy I met back in Middle school. And I know if I need someone to count on, I can count on you."
Nadia- "You're one of a few people that get me. You are also one of a few people that I few genuinely comfortable around with. Between your personality and actions, you make me feel comfortable about myself.
Philip- "Once we officially bonded the beginning of sophomore year it seemed like our friendship was set. You've always been there for me and looking out for me even when I didn't ask for it. I know I can count on you for anything."
Marielle- "You've always been weird, but in a good way. You manage to always make everyone feel better whenever you see them. You are a very caring individual and have no problem putting others before yourself."
Comparisons
There are differences from how others see me and how I see myself but I am not surprised by what I was told. I know when I was thinking about myself I thought about things that were solely about me, however, I know in reality I am someone who looks out for others as from what was told from the interviewees. I completely agree with the interviewees and if there was anything I would change from my personal list is that I am more considerate and concerned for others over myself.
My Customer's Avatar
My Customer's Avatar- 16+ year old driver. Is a fan of modern technology, Drives a car that lacks the ability to warn about cars in blind spots. Lives in an urban city with high traffic volume.
What do I have in common with Avatar?
- I am the avatar, I am a driver in an urban city with high traffic volume driving a car that lacks the ability to warn me of my blind spots and I am a fan of technology.
Do I think it is a coincidence I have anything in common with my avatar?
- I do not think it is a coincidence because the idea I came up with is sparked because of a problem I experience and a possible solution to it.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Raffic
Raffic
[ra-fik]
noun;
Traffic while it is raining
My word did not catch on but it did lead to some laughter. Everyone thought I was trying to do a Jamaican accent every time I said it. And thankfully the weather as of lately has been pretty rainy so I had many opportunities to use it. I feel though that I can get my family and close friends to start using it if I stick to it a few more weeks.
[ra-fik]
noun;
Traffic while it is raining
My word did not catch on but it did lead to some laughter. Everyone thought I was trying to do a Jamaican accent every time I said it. And thankfully the weather as of lately has been pretty rainy so I had many opportunities to use it. I feel though that I can get my family and close friends to start using it if I stick to it a few more weeks.
Halfway Reflection
1) To be successful you have to be tenacious. This is something that can be developed. Developing a habit is all about repetition something that anyone can do. I got in the habit of checking the emails and the assignments to be able to be on time and even work ahead if I can. It is vital to be able to stay on top of the work and the best way for that is getting in the habit to constantly check on it.
2) Life is tough, things happen that just do not go your way and you feel the need to just give up, it happens to everyone. Now what you do at that moment to be able to either keep pushing forward or actually giving up is what makes a difference. There were times where I wanted to do that because of things that were going on at home or other responsibilities that came up. But at the end of the day, I signed up to attend the University of Florida to receive my degree and be able to learn skills to get me to the next level of a better me. Knowing that all this work is going to pay off and that I can learn something to help me got me to stay focused and to keep on working at it. I can proudly say I have always been tenacious by the way my father has raised me, always being hungry and wanting the best.
3) Three tips I can offer to any student would have to be; 1. Get in the habit of checking emails and notifications, 2. find something that motivates you, it can be a person or something like a song, and 3. think positive, having a glass half full mentality
will make life much easier on yourself.
2) Life is tough, things happen that just do not go your way and you feel the need to just give up, it happens to everyone. Now what you do at that moment to be able to either keep pushing forward or actually giving up is what makes a difference. There were times where I wanted to do that because of things that were going on at home or other responsibilities that came up. But at the end of the day, I signed up to attend the University of Florida to receive my degree and be able to learn skills to get me to the next level of a better me. Knowing that all this work is going to pay off and that I can learn something to help me got me to stay focused and to keep on working at it. I can proudly say I have always been tenacious by the way my father has raised me, always being hungry and wanting the best.
3) Three tips I can offer to any student would have to be; 1. Get in the habit of checking emails and notifications, 2. find something that motivates you, it can be a person or something like a song, and 3. think positive, having a glass half full mentality
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Idea Napkin No. 1
1)Me: I am a senior at UF where my experiences and skills from work that I have achieved have been customer service, sales, pickup and deliveries via a motor vehicle, bilingual and managing. My aspirations to work around a passion of mine which are cars. If I were to start this business this is something I can see being a passion and drive to make it a success.
2)What am I offering to customers: It would be a product in the vehicle where it will assist the driver on their changes of lanes and merging onto highways to be a safer and better experience.
3) Who am I offering it to: I am offering this to drivers if you are driving on the road this is something that can be of use for you. Any driver at some point had an experience where they needed to change lanes or merge onto a highway can had a tough time finding the time and space to make the move. By having a product that will help them merge in and out of lanes it will lead to a safer and better driving experience.
4) Why do they care: Customers will care and want to buy this product because it will lead to better driving experience for everyone on the road. By using a product that will help alert you to safely drive o the road.
5) What are your core competencies: By offering a product that is simple and can be used in any car will allow for customers who can't afford the luxury cars that include this type of service to be able to have the same advantages driving on the road.
These five elements definitely have a way or working together with some being stronger than others. The weakest would have to be the product itself, it isn't a new idea that hasn't been done before. It is just new enough though that million of drivers do not drive the vehicles that have that ability. But my strongest element is being able to bring that to all the other drivers that way they can be able to get that benefit driving on the road. My strength and weakness go together because one can't exist without the other. That is why I need to capitalize on the bigger picture which is helping the other millions of drivers out.
2)What am I offering to customers: It would be a product in the vehicle where it will assist the driver on their changes of lanes and merging onto highways to be a safer and better experience.
3) Who am I offering it to: I am offering this to drivers if you are driving on the road this is something that can be of use for you. Any driver at some point had an experience where they needed to change lanes or merge onto a highway can had a tough time finding the time and space to make the move. By having a product that will help them merge in and out of lanes it will lead to a safer and better driving experience.
4) Why do they care: Customers will care and want to buy this product because it will lead to better driving experience for everyone on the road. By using a product that will help alert you to safely drive o the road.
5) What are your core competencies: By offering a product that is simple and can be used in any car will allow for customers who can't afford the luxury cars that include this type of service to be able to have the same advantages driving on the road.
These five elements definitely have a way or working together with some being stronger than others. The weakest would have to be the product itself, it isn't a new idea that hasn't been done before. It is just new enough though that million of drivers do not drive the vehicles that have that ability. But my strongest element is being able to bring that to all the other drivers that way they can be able to get that benefit driving on the road. My strength and weakness go together because one can't exist without the other. That is why I need to capitalize on the bigger picture which is helping the other millions of drivers out.
Reading Reflection No. 1
For my reading, I chose "The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough. I found this reading quite entertaining to read about the whole story on where the story of flight began. I was so surprised by the dedication to this by the Wright brothers because their lives were put on the line on multiple occasions and nearly cost them their life. The same thing that surprised me also leads to me to admire the most about the Wright brothers, their perseverance to continue their work to reach success. And to pick something that I least admired was difficult because I had a great appreciation for all the work they accomplished because it definitely changed the world we live in today, I have a genuine appreciation for all they went through. I can confidently say that because of all the adversity and failure that they went through, all the crashes to nearly taking their life to then dealing with the U.S. government to look into their success once it was achieved.
The Wright brothers definitely showed 2 distinct competencies through their experience on trying to fly and that was dedication and passion. They were in love with the idea of flying and didn't take the failures to hold them back but to help them get closer to the end goal. One part of the reading that I found confusing was the unsung hero of the Wright brother's sister, how she nursed her brother back to health when he got into the accident and if wasn't for that who knows what progressed could have been made for the idea of flying. If given the opportunity to ask two questions to the Wright Brothers it would have to be; 1) Could you see yourself doing anything else other than trying to fly? and 2) If given the opportunity to be given a blueprint on how to fly, would you take it and avoid all the struggles? The reason for asking the two questions is to see if they had any other sort of passion of any sort and to see if they would want the shortcut route or take the route that was given. And lastly I believe the Wright brother's opinion of hard work is to never give up, dedication is key and if you are crazy about it keep on fighting for it no matter what happens and what people tell you,
The Wright brothers definitely showed 2 distinct competencies through their experience on trying to fly and that was dedication and passion. They were in love with the idea of flying and didn't take the failures to hold them back but to help them get closer to the end goal. One part of the reading that I found confusing was the unsung hero of the Wright brother's sister, how she nursed her brother back to health when he got into the accident and if wasn't for that who knows what progressed could have been made for the idea of flying. If given the opportunity to ask two questions to the Wright Brothers it would have to be; 1) Could you see yourself doing anything else other than trying to fly? and 2) If given the opportunity to be given a blueprint on how to fly, would you take it and avoid all the struggles? The reason for asking the two questions is to see if they had any other sort of passion of any sort and to see if they would want the shortcut route or take the route that was given. And lastly I believe the Wright brother's opinion of hard work is to never give up, dedication is key and if you are crazy about it keep on fighting for it no matter what happens and what people tell you,
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Tweaking the Innovation.
There isn't much of a product mix with my venture. What I am trying to instill is a method to improve the driving experience for all drivers. My idea for adding traffic lights on the ramps for highways is one that isn't out there to make money but to help others. One thing I can go into is the traffic lights and how they work. It would involve the same colors and design as the current traffic light; red, yellow, and green. The lights would be run by sensors and will run depending on the traffic. If there isn't any traffic then it will stay green, if there is some then it will turn yellow, and if it is red then there is heavy traffic and there needs to be some time and space left on the ramp to let those cars merge on. This idea doesn't have any breadth or depth, but it will make everyday life better.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
My Solution
It appears that from my interviews and research like many things there are pros and cons. The most common issue was that making any changes would add to the driving time and cause some traffic because of the traffic lights. Now with the idea of adding traffic lights on ramps it would ultimately help ease of merging on highways and that is proven with the success in California. Other ideas that I heard from my interviews was the idea of placing the highway's speed limit on the ramp that way the driver would have an idea on how fast they need to be at least. With the combination of these two ideas I feel that it would help reduce traffic accidents near ramps and improve the experience of merging into highway traffic.
Looking for Opportunity
Economic Trends
Whole Foods bets big on urban Millennials
A) http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/24/investing/whole-foods-365-los-angeles/index.html
B) An opportunity might exist because of in urban areas because of this new store being launched can bring success for the company
C) Catch Millennials attention because of the health-organic trend everyone is getting into
D) Will be relatively difficult to exploit because of the recent issues that Whole Foods has been experiencing, there is a lack of trust and people feel they can get a better deal somewhere else.
Opportunity- I see the opportunity because since there is something new, a new type of store, that will always be checked out. People, especially millennials love experiencing new things. And if they have success this will have the company get back on the right track and hopefully bring more new experiences for their customers.
Coke debuts 'proud to be an American' cans
A) http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/28/news/companies/coke-uso-american-cans/index.html?iid=hp-stack-dom
B) An opportunity might exist here of there being a high success because of Memorial Day, 4th of July, Presidential election and Olympics going on this year.
C) Anyone who considers themselves patriotic will purchase these cans to show their support
D) Will be easy to exploit because of the various events going on this year citizens patriotism can be easily brought out.
Opportunity- I see the opportunity because besides Memorial Day and 4th of July the fact that there is the presidential election and the Olympics this year will bring out the pride of many citizens here in America so it will be something that can be exploited.
Regulatory Changes
Equal Pay
A) http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html
B) There appears to be a large movement with progress being made regarding the equal pay for men and women, on January 1st in California, this was put into play officially.
C) This affects all workers in America since it officially happened in California it could lead a domino effect with the rest of the states.
D) I do see this spreading out to more states, the drive for equality is at an all-time high here in America so it is only a matter of time.
Opportunity- If businesses does equal pay it would lead to better employees due to the fact they all know they are getting respected on being paid on their skills instead of their sex.
Online Sales Tax
A) http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html
B) Congress is looking on creating an online sales tax to help bring in more tax dollars, the catch with the current law is if the company doesn't have enough of a physical presence in that state they can't be taxed.
C) This affects all small business and their customers because if they start getting online sales taxed it could lead to a loss of purchases due to the higher costs.
D) I see this going through and all online transactions have a sales tax, it is an easy way for getting tax dollars with the amount of online purchases that go on.
Opportunity- The opportunity of the amount of tax dollars that would be coming in would be enormous. It would be curious to see what points are made against this that would actually detour it from happening.
Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1
Opportunity- Expanding the traffic light to occur not only at intersections but also on the highway ramps to merge in traffic here in Florida, this system is used in the San Francisco, California area and has high success.
Who: Every driver who uses the highways
What: Putting traffic lights onto merging ramps on highways
Why: By spacing out cars merging onto traffic you reduce congestion and chance of accidents
Testing the who: I say bring this to Florida but this is something that can be implemented in every major city where there is a high population of individuals that are driving.
Testing the what: It would be a new change for many drivers and will take some time for it to be gotten used and use efficiently
Testing the why: Some people may find this to be a waste a time and it is the drivers' fault for not being able to merge into traffic, lack of driving experience, and any other reason associated with driving skills.
Interviews:
Jenny
Kevin
Kara
Lindsay
Chelsea
Jonathan
Who: Every driver who uses the highways
What: Putting traffic lights onto merging ramps on highways
Why: By spacing out cars merging onto traffic you reduce congestion and chance of accidents
Testing the who: I say bring this to Florida but this is something that can be implemented in every major city where there is a high population of individuals that are driving.
Testing the what: It would be a new change for many drivers and will take some time for it to be gotten used and use efficiently
Testing the why: Some people may find this to be a waste a time and it is the drivers' fault for not being able to merge into traffic, lack of driving experience, and any other reason associated with driving skills.
Interviews:
Jenny
Kevin
Kara
Lindsay
Chelsea
Jonathan
Friday, May 20, 2016
Identifying Local Opportunities- In the Tampa Bay Area
Title: SHEIKRA REOPENS FOUR DAYS AFTER 64 RIDERS STRANDED
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452509232&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=12a896a3a7a0680db8dc1797b70892a3
Description: The amusement park in Tampa, FL called Busch Gardens had their most popular ride leave 60+ individuals stranded on the ride, 32 of which were stuck nearly 200 feet up. Four days after the incident the park ran multiple tests to ensure it is running smoothly once again and reopened it to the public.
Description of problem: Problem is the trust issue now people are going to have with riding a roller coaster that left people stranded. Less people most likely are going to ride or be hesitant to get back on soon.
Description of who has the problem: Busch Gardens themselves will have the problem since they are going to have to figure out ways on how to increase riders and guest to the park after this incident and prove how their rides are safe.T
Title: FRONTIER EXPANDS HELP LINE HOURS TO COVER WEEKENDS
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452509231&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=0f1e1d803abf9932452a9d6fdd132d65
Description: Frontier Communications in recent months purchased and took over Verizon's land line phone, TV and Internet assets and have been having complaints with customers with outages and other issues. Frontier communications is working on adding customer service line to customer to be open on weekends as well now.
Description of problem: Problem is customer are complaining of the service they are paying for isn't working and they are wanting help and a solution to their problems.
Description of who has the problem: Frontier Communications has the problem of unhappy customers who are in need of help and the customer themselves have a problem of spending money on a service(s) that is/are not working.
Title: CUSTOMERS AGAIN RATE DUKE NEAR THE BOTTOM
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452509229&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=6da7af38c5cf2edf61c1a2f8e2a77bd1
Description: Duke energy in a recent survey to rank major utility companies was put in last place for customer satisfaction. Duke energy has been having a negative trend in this category and the company is supposedly working on making customer satisfaction a priority and have improvements.
Description of problem: Poor satisfaction of customers will lead to more customer complaints and issue from customers because of the poor conditions. Duke Energy is in need of making improvements or there is going to be a problem that will not have a possible solution.
Description of who has the problem: Duke Energy has the problem because of whatever they are doing in customer satisfaction it is very poor, they must not care, they must not follow through what they say they will do, etc. The customers are also going to have problems because they got to deal with the power company not respecting them as customers apparently and sadly energy companies are not something of choice for many people since it is based on your location and where exactly you live.
Title: SCHOOL BOARD SHOULD CLOSE THREE CHARTERS
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452509226&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=419c7fbc402e7fbf19c99eec7af80f43
Description: Three charter schools in Pinellas county were shut down, this was an easy decision for the school board because the schools were connected with a company who had legal problems. There are other local charter schools who being watching while people are trying to get the state more involved to help deal with these charter schools and their taxpayers money spending habits.
Description of Problem: Charter schools are privately ran but with public funding, this leads to taxpayers getting on say on how their money is being spent for these schools which seems to use the money irresponsibly. Getting a stricter ruling over the charter school could help with this issue.
Description of who has the problem: The local school board has the issue that there are schools who are using public money in ways that is being wasted, and sometimes these charter schools get more funding than the public schools. This is an issue of irresponsibility and more laws and rules need to be put into place for these private institutions.
Title: CORPORATE GREED
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452528486&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=9c8313e55f690424afb7cab8b551035e
Description: The Tampa Tribune officially ended its time as a newspaper with it being closed and over 100 jobs being lost. Through the last 4 years the Tampa Tribune was bought and sold 2, lastly to the Tampa Bay Times who finally shut it down.
Description of Problem: There are over 100 individuals without a job now solely because of aggressive business moves that completely took out a newspaper.
Description of who has the problem: The problem is for the people who worked for the paper, the executives of the company left them stranded with no clear direction then finally lead them to finally sink with no where else to go with the company.
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452509232&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=12a896a3a7a0680db8dc1797b70892a3
Description: The amusement park in Tampa, FL called Busch Gardens had their most popular ride leave 60+ individuals stranded on the ride, 32 of which were stuck nearly 200 feet up. Four days after the incident the park ran multiple tests to ensure it is running smoothly once again and reopened it to the public.
Description of problem: Problem is the trust issue now people are going to have with riding a roller coaster that left people stranded. Less people most likely are going to ride or be hesitant to get back on soon.
Description of who has the problem: Busch Gardens themselves will have the problem since they are going to have to figure out ways on how to increase riders and guest to the park after this incident and prove how their rides are safe.T
Title: FRONTIER EXPANDS HELP LINE HOURS TO COVER WEEKENDS
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452509231&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=0f1e1d803abf9932452a9d6fdd132d65
Description: Frontier Communications in recent months purchased and took over Verizon's land line phone, TV and Internet assets and have been having complaints with customers with outages and other issues. Frontier communications is working on adding customer service line to customer to be open on weekends as well now.
Description of problem: Problem is customer are complaining of the service they are paying for isn't working and they are wanting help and a solution to their problems.
Description of who has the problem: Frontier Communications has the problem of unhappy customers who are in need of help and the customer themselves have a problem of spending money on a service(s) that is/are not working.
Title: CUSTOMERS AGAIN RATE DUKE NEAR THE BOTTOM
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452509229&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=6da7af38c5cf2edf61c1a2f8e2a77bd1
Description: Duke energy in a recent survey to rank major utility companies was put in last place for customer satisfaction. Duke energy has been having a negative trend in this category and the company is supposedly working on making customer satisfaction a priority and have improvements.
Description of problem: Poor satisfaction of customers will lead to more customer complaints and issue from customers because of the poor conditions. Duke Energy is in need of making improvements or there is going to be a problem that will not have a possible solution.
Description of who has the problem: Duke Energy has the problem because of whatever they are doing in customer satisfaction it is very poor, they must not care, they must not follow through what they say they will do, etc. The customers are also going to have problems because they got to deal with the power company not respecting them as customers apparently and sadly energy companies are not something of choice for many people since it is based on your location and where exactly you live.
Title: SCHOOL BOARD SHOULD CLOSE THREE CHARTERS
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452509226&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=419c7fbc402e7fbf19c99eec7af80f43
Description: Three charter schools in Pinellas county were shut down, this was an easy decision for the school board because the schools were connected with a company who had legal problems. There are other local charter schools who being watching while people are trying to get the state more involved to help deal with these charter schools and their taxpayers money spending habits.
Description of Problem: Charter schools are privately ran but with public funding, this leads to taxpayers getting on say on how their money is being spent for these schools which seems to use the money irresponsibly. Getting a stricter ruling over the charter school could help with this issue.
Description of who has the problem: The local school board has the issue that there are schools who are using public money in ways that is being wasted, and sometimes these charter schools get more funding than the public schools. This is an issue of irresponsibility and more laws and rules need to be put into place for these private institutions.
Title: CORPORATE GREED
Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA452528486&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=9c8313e55f690424afb7cab8b551035e
Description: The Tampa Tribune officially ended its time as a newspaper with it being closed and over 100 jobs being lost. Through the last 4 years the Tampa Tribune was bought and sold 2, lastly to the Tampa Bay Times who finally shut it down.
Description of Problem: There are over 100 individuals without a job now solely because of aggressive business moves that completely took out a newspaper.
Description of who has the problem: The problem is for the people who worked for the paper, the executives of the company left them stranded with no clear direction then finally lead them to finally sink with no where else to go with the company.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Bug Post- Louis Diaz
Bug List
1- During Thursdays when I had to attend AMA meetings the traffic on 13th street was so annoying around 6pm.Why- At that time many people are getting off of work and commuting home, also students are getting off of school to head to work/extracurricular activities.
2- I don't like it when I go to the McDonalds on Williston and 34th street and even if I am the only order to handle it still takes over 5 minutes to get my food.
Why- The workers there don't really care how efficiently they are working and just want to do enough to keep their job.
3- I don't like it that I can take my car back home anywhere and be confident where I leave it.
Why- My car being a classic and not having a heavy duty car alarm limits where I can take the car because the chance of it being broken into and stolen is high.
4- I don't like how expensive it is for me to travel from Richmond to San Francisco via BART plus the cost of using Muni within the city.
Why- The cost of living in this area is high, the minimum wage is up there as well making the costs seems reasonable to the locals here.
5- It is frustrating when I travel on BART that a number of people on there is sometimes ridiculous.
Why- There are a lot of people here in the Bay Area, it is expected.
6- During drop/add week the amount of time that is spent essentially reading the syllabus in most classes is quite annoying.
Why- For large classes where there is a high chance of the class getting dropped there is no point of getting ahead if many students are going to be behind.
7- When I take my scooter at Campus Scooter and it takes them so long to be able to check on my scooter and "fix" the problem that it had.
Why- There are lots of scooter and clients that they have to deal with being in Gainesville so I can understand it not being perfect and there being problems.
8- Ordering Chipotle online to have picked up from the University location and when you arrive to come to find it hasn't even been made yet.
Why- There has been a large change in employees and plus the location stays very busy throughout the day where keeping track of online orders can be difficult.
9- Whenever coming onto the highway how people don't make room for the people to merge on.
Why- By law the cars on the highway are not supposed to reduce their speed so really they are just following the rules.
10- Going to any store and asking an employee where to find something and they do not know where it is and have to find help.
Why- Obviously the employee just started working there so it is a learning process where everything is so it is important to be aware of that.
11- Being in a hurry to leave somewhere and having no clean clothes so you have to improvise my outfit.
Why- Obviously this is because of procrastination and not being aware of my surroundings not having clothes ready for certain events.
12- When you are doing work on Microsoft Word and it out of nowhere shutsdown without saving any of your work.
Why- Either something to do with Microsoft Word or with my laptop.
13- When I parallel park and the cars behind and in front of my car don't leave any space for me to leave.
Why- This is just common courtesy that not everyone has which is quite frustrating, better of finding a spot where a car can't park in front or behind you.
14- When professors make you purchase multiple textbooks to come to find that most of the time the textbooks are barely touched throughout the semester.
Why- I feel that professors should look into more their curriculum and what is really needed to be able to teach the class because making students buy unneccessary textbooks is very unfair to the students.
15- Being at a retailer where there are over 20 people at each register but there is only 3 registers open when there are over 20 available.
Why- It is a combination of business with having so many employees on duty and spreading around the work load but it is quite annoying when the lines could be reduced drastically especially if it is daily occurence.
16- Wearing a hoodie and sweatpants while being in a corner store and having the employees following me to keep an eye on me.
Why- This is just some discrimination based on my attire and I am aware that with what I am wearing I am going to be judged, it is not fair but it is the reality of the world we live in today.
17- When you go out to eat with a group of people, order at the same time as everyone else, however everyone else gets their food before you and you have to wait.
Why- This is something that happens to many people and it doesn't make much sense to why one plate causes such a delay.
18- Checking the availability of a product online to be able to purchase it in person at the store, seeing that it is available, driving to the establishment to find that it isn't even there anymore.
Why- This could be avoidable with making the purchase online and that way the only thing necessary then would be to pick it up at the location.
19- Going to a sports game where you purchased tickets and arriving to your seats to find people are in your seats.
Why- Obviously everyone tries to find the free "hookup" and try to take advantage of seats being left empty but be aware of the risk of doing such a thing and that there can be reprecussions.
20- Making plans with someone to meet at certain time and place and coming to find that they are late even though they are the ones that chose the time and place to meet up.
Why- This is annoying because personally being someone who doesn't like waiting especially when there has been an established time and place. The person who made the commitment should relay updates on their status if there is a delay.
Reflection
Coming up with this list was quite difficult. I know there are things that I am annoyed with but having to think of all of them at once was hard. Overall it was neat to realize there are solutions to some of my problems so that they aren't problems anymore.
My Entrepreneurship Story- Louis Diaz
Entrepreneurship Experience
My first real experience with entrepreneurs was my first job where my bosses, husband, and wife, started a machine shop, Alpine Tool, Inc., that they have to this day and over 20 years running. To this day, they are still running the show there. My father is actually one of their employees there as well. I still visit the shop when I am back home visiting. Working and being around this business sparked my interest on starting my own business and seeing all the work that it takes to be able to run one. It was rewarding to work for them and to see how it is to be on the inside and witness how everything runs for a small scale business.
Reason For Class
My reason and goal in this class are to be able to learn the mentality of the entrepreneur. Every entrepreneur had a driven mentality to be able to do what they've done and it is a mentality I would like to have myself. I am hoping with this class I will pick up tips and tricks on how to be able to do so.
My first real experience with entrepreneurs was my first job where my bosses, husband, and wife, started a machine shop, Alpine Tool, Inc., that they have to this day and over 20 years running. To this day, they are still running the show there. My father is actually one of their employees there as well. I still visit the shop when I am back home visiting. Working and being around this business sparked my interest on starting my own business and seeing all the work that it takes to be able to run one. It was rewarding to work for them and to see how it is to be on the inside and witness how everything runs for a small scale business.
Reason For Class
My reason and goal in this class are to be able to learn the mentality of the entrepreneur. Every entrepreneur had a driven mentality to be able to do what they've done and it is a mentality I would like to have myself. I am hoping with this class I will pick up tips and tricks on how to be able to do so.
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