Week 15 Reading Reflection

1. The idea of micro finances in general really surprised me. My grandmother grew up in a poor area and I really think this idea could have helped her.

2. The reading was really straight forward.

3. What happens if someone couldn't pay the loan? Do you have a way to check their credit?

4. I don't think she was wrong about anything.

Final Reflection

1. This semester went by extremely fast! This was my second semester here at UF and it definitely went by quicker than the first. I was more involved with things such as, E-Club, working out, and working at the dealership more often. This class has it high and lows throughout the semester. I remember a couple times I missed assignments because of the infamous 9 P.M assignments due time and dreading to go out and record people for my assignments. Looking back I think this class has really helped me here at UF. The 9P.M due time has made me take care of some assignments early and better my time mangement. The assignments have all helped me in some way. Interviewing customers and other people taught me how to get public opinion on ideas. I find myself asking random people what they think of my business idea I just came up with. Looking for opportunities comes a lot easier to me now because my entrepreneur mindset has really developed in this class.

2.The hardest assignments this year has to be the Venture Concept because it required me to really scope into my venture and plan it out as if I was opening this business in the upcoming future. The experience I will remember a couple years from now is probably interviewing customers. Some moments were funny, awkward, and enjoyable.

3. My entrepreneur mindset seed has definitely been planted this semester! Everyday I think of something that has to do with entrepreneurship. I always seek to find a solution to a problem by creating an idea or asking others if they think my idea will work. This class has 100% facilitated my entrepreneur mindset by the assignments we had to do.

4. Some recommendations I have for students taking this course next are to be diligent when performing these assignments because they can get overwhelming when your always behind and doing everything last minute. Spacing your time with the harder assignments makes the class a lot less stressful. To develop a entrepreneur mindset you have to be very open minded. Stick to an idea if you think its really good but be open to improvements or even trashing your idea entirely. This will leave room for a new idea to blossom because failure is going to happen you just have to handle it properly and learn from it.

Elevator pitch 3

Join Eco gym today

Venture Concept No.2

Opportunity: On this venture concept I have once again changed my idea! I have decided to hold off on the idea of renewable energy by using motion in the gym because the idea is simply too expensive and isn’t feasible at the moment for me. However, recently I have new inspiration to start a business on amazon through FBA. You know how you buy products on using amazon prime? Well I will be the supplier of some of those products! This idea came up during an entrepreneurship club meeting and one of the speakers spoke on this topic. I find this to be a great opportunity because of the low start up cost for me and the large margins I can make because of the cheap product. Some forces that have allowed this opportunity to come about is amazon. Amazon allows suppliers to send their products to the shipping factories at amazon. When a customer purchases the product they ship it out for you and handle everything else. This makes it easy for both parties to buy and sell. Another key to the opportunity is the supplies; which are coming from china. Finally, the last aspect of this opportunity is the consumer. In recent years, more people are purchasing online and less in the stores. Every year the deals get better attracting more and more people. With a combination of cheap prices and fast shipping this trend isn’t going away anytime soon.

Innovation: As of right now, I have no innovated anything for my business venture because I intend on entering a market that already exist with less competition. Selling on Amazon is all about quality control so I might innovate an existing product with better materials.

Venture Concept: Now I will explain the process on how my venture works. First, I will research products I can buy in China and possibly tweak it to my own liking (in the process). After, I find a product that I want to produce I will contact the company in China and discuss the prices and hopefully speak with someone of higher position to ensure I am getting what I paid for. The next step is to receive the product and making sure everything is ready to ship out to amazon. Once it ships to amazon it is a waiting game as the products slowly start selling. After a customer purchases the product I will follow up with an email seeing if they have any problems and if they would rate my product. Ratings are important because it makes the product seem more reliable to customers and makes the feel safer about purchasing the product. After the product starts to sell better and I have more revenue I will begin with the second and third product line. To keep up with production I will outsource my employees so while I am busy they can handle my emails and place orders for the business. My end goal is to make a business that can stand on its own away from Amazon.

Minor Elements

The most important resource for this venture is the supplies. The quality must be on par with other products or in some case better to attract and keep customers.

In five years, I see myself in the same industry. I want to keep producing products and weaning myself away from amazon into my own company.

This venture concept is completely different from my last concept. On this venture concept I have once again changed my idea! I have decided to hold off on the idea of renewable energy by using motion in the gym because the idea is simply too expensive and isn’t feasible at the moment for me.

I did not use the feedback from my last venture concept. 

Week 14 Reading Reflection

1. I was surprised to see the many different divisions of entrepreneurship all over the world from the corporate side to the individual level. It really excites me the levels I can enter.
2. The reading was really straight forward so there was nothing that confused me.
3. How can you get a position for corporate innovation? What is the biggest division of entrepreneurship?
4. I didn't find anything wrong with the chapters because it was well written.

Google for Gold

1. I didn't pursue SEO with my blog post.
2. The key words I used in my blogs were the weekly labels.
3. I didn't make much effort to promote my blog in social media. I tried using twitter and sharing a link to my blog but I didn't get much attention.
4. My most viral blog post would have to be Customer Interviews No.3 because it got the most views (15). I think it was my most popular because 4 people had to comment on it and I commented on 4 other post with a link to my blog post. Additionally, it had 4 youtube videos on it and that might've brought some attention as well.
5. Yes, I was on the first page on my google search!

Very Short Interview No.2

1. From where I stand now I think I picked good questions for the interview. I asked how he started the company, why he did, and how did he scale it.
2. Interview:
Question 1: When did your start up began to make money? Mobile Phone Geeks started making money right away because we were a service business for consumers and all we had to do was order parts and from there the money started coming in.
Question 2: What other services so you offer now that you didn't before? In the beginning we stuck to fixing iPhones and other phone's screen. Then we transition to more phones. Finally, we began to do it all in the phone industry; we bought and sold phones, sold cases, and did orders through the internet.
Question 3: How long do you plan on staying in the industry? I plan on staying as long as business is good. I believe the smart phone industry will stay for a while and people will always need their phone fixed. When the time comes for a new product we will transition to fix those as well.
3.  In the beginning of this class, I had no clue on how to start a business or come up with ideas. Now I feel comfortable with my entrepreneur skills. I can see problems clearer and ideas seem to come at me without even thinking. I turn every problem into an idea and I am 100% sure now I want to be an inspiring entrepreneur. I started to go to the e-club and that really helps listening to entrepreneurs speak about there idea and how they started and they did everything this class teaches me. The assignments have helped me develop my skills when it comes to approaching customers. Although, I don't think I have come up with a solid idea from this class, the seed has been planted and I have the right skills to become a business owner and entrepreneur!

Week 13 Reading Reflection

1. What surprised me when reading chapter 14 was the number of aspects that go into valuing a business venture.
2. How do you determine the correct P/E ratio for companies with no stocks or private stocks? This confused me because it is hard to anaylze a business on the P/E ratio without it.
3. How do you determine a firm's life expectancy?
4. The author was right on in the valuation of firms.

Celebrating Failure

1) I found failure in this class early on with my first business idea. My idea was a food advising company that helped restaurants meet their customers needs. I aimed this idea specifically towards the dining hall here at UF. I had a hard time coming up with ideas for the assignments and I didn't really care too much about the idea and only did it for the class. Eventually, I scraped the idea and thought about something I was actually involved in and used.
2) I learned from my failure that I shouldn't create a business for money but it should be something I am passionate in because it will take me much further. After coming up with my new idea of a gym that produces energy from the members of the gym, assignments were much easier and I actually enjoyed going out and looking for connections and talking to potential customers.
3) I think failure is natural in the entrepreneurship world because of how easy it is for a idea to be crushed. With that in mind, I think it would be tough if I invested a couple thousand in an idea and it failed but what you learn from making a business venture is so valuable because you will start you next venture with experience it will take you farther. This class has showed me that failure isn't a bad thing but one should learn from their mistakes and reflect on it.

My Exit Strategy

1) 5 years into my business venture of renewable gym energy I intend on keeping my business.
2)I want to stay in the gym industry because I believe it is only going get bigger. Along with more people going to the gym, I foresee more companies becoming more eco-friendly and efficient as well.
3) By staying in the industry, my main focus now is to establish a foundation for the future. I want to have a great gym plan for my members and for it to also be energy producing gym as well.  

Week 12 Reading reflection

One thing that surprised me was how important strategic planning was for a starting business and how some companies don't utilize it. 

What makes a company not use strategic planning?

What would make a company use the matrix model?

Nothing in this chapter confused me.

I believe the author was right on in this chapter.

Venture Concept No.1

Opportunity 
The opportunity for my business venture comes from the growth of the gym industry. Gyms are popping up in every city and are usually full of members. This opportunity has been growing because of the social media craze of being healthy and fit. Many gym members are heading to the gym to get that nice body ready for the summer or they are going to the gym to get healthy and live a better life. Either way people are going to the gym at a higher rate then ever and it is a good time to open up a gym. From statsticbrain.com, they state that over 50 million people have gym memberships and they are over 30,000 gyms in the US. Florida is a great place to have a gym because of the warm weather and culture around the gym. Naples and Sarasota are in the top 5 cities that spend the most on gym memberships. That just goes to show the popularity and demand of gyms. Additionally, renewable energy is also in demand as we are trying to transition into a more eco-friendly society. My idea with renewable energy by using the motion of gym equipment will also satisfy this need. This idea would be great to start in Florida because of the many local markets I can place my gym in and the unique idea of my gym will bring in members. Gym members are easy to attract and the members remain relatively loyal. In one of my interviews, I learned that gyms have been expanding locations and thriving because of the automatic bank transfers for the membership every month. It has become so easy for members to sign up and the money just comes straight out of their bank account every month so they don't have to worry about paying it on time. This also helps gyms keep members because they are already paying for the membership and don't feel like canceling it. Another statistic from the website is 67% of gym members don't go to the gym. That shows how they are willing to pay for a service they don't use. Finally, this is a big opportunity because of the positive benefits from having a eco-gym. Members will be producing energy for the gym saving the gym money on bills and also helping our planet. It will be the foundation for other gyms and possible much more in the future.

Innovation 
I would consider my idea radically innovative because it isn't widely known and only a few people have done it. My idea is putting renewable energy in a different context and will change gyms if it works. I plan to develop a way to make a pulley/turbine from the machines in the gym. It has been can be done with ellipticals, treadmills, and I want to develop technology make weights produce energy by harnessing the kinetic energy. This idea sounds farfetched but think of the flash light that can produce energy when you shake it. It could be used in weights and hundreds of people use that weight everyday. One just has to extract that energy. Finally, I would place solar panels on the building to make the gym more eco-friendly.

Venture Concept
Why will people want to go to my gym? Well, I would make it a gym that can target many type of gym goers. Most of the free weight lifting will be the younger crowd so I would gear the room to be more up beat and have music like EDM, hip hop, and rap. Other rooms like the ellipticals and treadmill will have a more relax theme around them. Another reason people will want to go to my gym because it will make them feel they are helping our environment. There is only one other company that is using this idea but I want to establish one in Florida. There are many gyms in Florida already but there isn't a eco-friendly gym so I would have the advantage in that aspect. To make people switch I will offer plans that beat the rates of other gyms by having incentives and other rewards for making energy at the gym. Most gym plans have a standard monthly payment but by having rewards it will make members want to go to the gym more. Thus, produce more energy for the gym. The gym will still make money if some of the members were paying low rates for their membership because of the percentage of people who hardly ever go or don't go at all.

Minor Elements
1. What are my most important aspects of the company.
To make the gym different it will be able to produce energy for itself and the plans I offer to customers will allow the customer to customize the plan. For people that go to the gym a lot I will offer them a lower plan and those who don't go often will pay a low monthly few and pay a small fee every time they go to the gym. These plans can change every 6 months and will make the customer feel more in control of their gym plan rather than the regular $10 or $20 a month.
2. Once I establish one gym the next step is to open up more and then eventually promote the idea of renewable gym energy so all gyms can have it.
3. After five years, I might sell the business or have someone else manage it so I will have time to create other business.
How can I make this happen?
1. I will do research on gym equipment to harness kinetic energy.
2. Produce/purchase the equipment to test
3. Get loan to start the gym
4. Hire employees
I made these simple four steps to start my venture. Although, it might not be easy having this plan will give me a framework on how to make it happen and allow me to expand my vision and test my entrepreneur thinking!
Thanks for reading. Feel free to input your thoughts below.

Reading Reflection Week 11

1. What surprises me is why aren't companies making innovation strategies? It seems like a logical idea but many companies have failed.
2. What confuses me is how a company chooses what to invest in because there are so many choices a company can make.
3. Is there negative effects from crowdsourcing like other companies stealing solutions or ideas? How come companies can't hire consultants to create innovation plans?
4. I think the author was spot on.

Amazon Whisper

1) How can my idea make money? Well I have several ideas on how renewable gym energy can make money. First is the product. I can sell my product to gyms. Or I can open up my own gym using my product. And finally I can make money by selling the energy I make from my gym if it produce enough.
2) As of right now I don't know what will be next. I plan on first selling my product to other gyms and then making my own.
3) By opening up my own gym I can really prove to the world that gyms can produce energy. Yeah some companies might have my product but it won't be the whole gym. By having the whole gym producing energy or most of it I can prove to other companies that this idea really works and will be the next step in my expansion.
4)

Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Cage with Linear Bearings

Customers like this product because they are able to perform many types of workouts on one machine. They also like the price and quality. Some things the customers don't like are the lack of motion and poor customer service. 

If I were to redesign the product I try to include better parts and make the bar removable. There were many complaints that the bar lacked motion so by freeing the bar you'd have unlimited range of motion for the bar. 

This product would be a good addition to my service because it is an all in one and a home gym equipment. So I would rig the Smith Cage to produce energy for a small home gym. Maybe the equipment could charge their phone or play music just by working out.   

My Unfair Advantage

1. Social Capital: My uncle is a computer programmer and makes websites. This is very important in this day and age for any business. Many people can make a website by paying others but I have the luxury of having help from my uncle.
2. Social Capital: My parents. They are a support system mentally and financially as well. Everyone has parents but I know my parents can loan me money which is very important to start off a business.
3. Social Capital: Seth G. from the last assignment. He is a general manager at LA Fitness and by having connections with him I can show my ideas to large companies. This is a rare advantage because its hard to meet people inside the business.
4. Capabilities: I think my idea is unique because it satisfies many needs in todays world. Gyms are a popular trend and my idea of renewable energy through gym equipment can be placed in many gyms. It benefits the gym and also the environment as well. Although, other people have created this idea no one has effectively put it in large gyms.
5. Human Capital: I am good with making connections with others and going out and making social capital. I don't think this trait is rare but it necessary.
6. Social Capital: Attending University of Florida is a advantage because I can meet people with different skills to make my idea work.
7. Human Capital: My finance degree will help me budget and manage my company.
8. Capabilities: The my idea is capable of being in gyms across the country and could possibly be used to other situations.
9. Human Capital: Leadership. I can lead a people and owning a business it is important to be able to take charge and guide others.
10. Human Capital: Vision.

My greatest advantage is having a unique idea. Although, it might seem a little far fetched but technology can to convert kinetic energy in the gym to valuable resource. I don't know many companies producing this technology but I know there is a lot of gyms. My gym equipment will be set apart from others because it will still perform like other gym equipment but will benefit the gym by reducing cost and benefit the environment by reducing emissions.

Week 10 Reflection

1. Something I found surprising in this chapter was that budgeting was the most important tool when dealing finance of a business.
2. I found the IRR method very similar to the NPV method.
3. When is it better to use a graph or a data table when working with margins?
4. There is nothing I wrong with this chapter.

Growing My Social Capital

1. The first person I interviewed was Seth G. from LA Fitness in Valrico, Fl. He is a sales manager for that location. He fills the position of domain expert. Seth is a friend of a friend who is a member of the gym. I was back in town for the weekend and we were actually going to LA fitness to workout and Seth helped me fill out my guest pass. I asked him if he could do a little interview for me about his job position and at the end I introduced him my idea. I briefly explained to him my idea of renewable energy using gym equipment and at first he was a little lost but I explained it in more detail and he was really wowed by my idea. He said that he thinks my idea could work because the gym doesn't have any kind of equipment like that and some of the machines could easily be transformed into energy producing equipment. I believe Seth is a great connection because of his experience at LA Fitness. He knows how to run the gym and how the sales work so if wanted to open my own gym or find information he would be a a solid source.

2. The second person I interviewed as Juan Medina a counselor at Gainesville Health and Fitness center. Juan fills the role of market expert. I went to the club to take a tour and Juan was my tour guide of the gym. He let me tour the gym seeing the kind of equipment they had. I told him about my idea and he said that it was really good and he shared a passion to help the earth. I explained to Juan on how my idea would work and he said it seems very plausible. Juan informed me that on the types of members the club had. He said there was a every type depending on the time of day. In the morning was when you can find the elderly getting a cardio or light workout. During the afternoon is when you find college students getting a work out in. And at night is when the body builders come out. After the tour we exchanged numbers and he offered to set up a interview with the owner of the gym. Juan is a good connection because he allows me to get my feet wet in the Gainesville Health and Fitness club. What I mean by that is I can come back to the gym and meet other staff members to review my idea or ask questions. 

3. The third person I was not able to interview but I plan on doing it. His name is Hudson Harr. He the CEO and founder of ReRev a company that produces gym equipment that makes electrical energy. He fits the role of supplier in the industry. Harr is a UF alumni and his business is near my hometown of Tampa so next time I go home I plan on visiting his business. An interview with him will be pinnacle in my business idea because he is a pioneer in the field of green gym energy. His technology is similar to mine but I want to explore other ideas away from ellipticals machines and I don't know if I want to produce the equipment or have a gym that will have the equipment in it. Harr currently has his equipment in several colleges across the nation with his experience on the technology and sales I could get a jump start on my idea. However, I am afraid he might not want to share his information to a potential competitor. 

Reflection:

After finishing this assignment on targeting connections in the field of my idea I have a greater insight in all aspects of my idea. The domain expert helped me see what the gym industry is really like and why is it a growing business. The market expert allowed me to see the types of people signing up for gyms. And finally the supplier gives me an idea on how the technology works and a foundation to start from. I feel as this assignment really helps me reevaluate my idea and a step in the right direction to further solidify my idea. 

Elevator Pitch No.3

1. My idea has changed from my last elevator pitch so this one is still a little fresh. My previous idea was a food advising service that I wasn't too passionate about. This idea I enjoy more and could have a real impact on our world. From the feedback of my last pitch I was told I need to be more animated and have more hand motion.

2. I tried to be more active in this video and included a demonstration to make the video seem alive and interactive.

Thank you for watching viewing my blog. I know I am not dressed professionally and I am not to fluid in my speaking. But, please comment below on what I can do to improve my idea! Have a good day.

My Secret Sauce

1. My Human Capital: I have plenty to offer to others. I have the ability to connect with others and help them in many ways. I can lead others in many situations. I worked on the construction site and managed a team with my friends for a summer. I am a problem solver among my friends. Whenever there is a problem big or small I can come up with a solution.

2. A summary of the interviews from my best friends: They all said that I am a motivated person to achieve more in life. They said that I am a problem solver in many situations. I've been great friends with these people most of my life and they all have the same thing to say about me.
3. Reflection: After finishing this assignment it is easier to identify qualities inside myself. The list that I made and the things my friends say about me are on the same line.

Week 9 Reading Reflection

1. What surprised me in this chapter 10 was how many people use social media. A fact that book had was that Facebook had more users than the population of North America!
2. Nothing was confusing in this chapter. The information was just the basic of marketing so it was very easy to understand.
3. Do small companies need to perform market research if they have little funds? Is there companies out there that don't need to market?
4. Everything the author said I agree with.

Idea Napkin No.2

1. Who am I? I am a young man who is looking make changes that will benefit Earth. I am also a person who can put together a team and lead those members to operate in sync. I am good at finding positions that fit ones skill set. I have many friends and connect well with others. My time management skills are also great.
2. What is my service or product? I am offering gym equipment that will make create energy. Similar to flash lights that make energy when you shake them. I will place that technology into the weights using the motion when people are lifting. On the treadmills or ellipticals that motion will also be harnessed for energy. The racks where the weights are placed will conduct the energy. This can power the gym saving them money and also make our environment a little cleaner.
3. Who is this offered to? I am offering this service to all gym owners or franchises.
4. Why do they care? Gyms will want this technology in their gym because it will save them money on their electric bill every month. The technology will cost a little more than regular equipment but will pay for itself in the long run. Imagine Southwest Rec center running on the sweat and power of the hundreds of students that work out there... That's a lot of energy!
5. My gym equipment will be different from every other companies because it produces energy. I will make my product produce the most energy and retain it as well.

Reflection on previous idea
On this second idea napkin, I decided to change my idea entirely. My previous idea was a food advising for restaurants and other dining places. I felt that I had no relation to this idea and there was only personal benefit. With this new idea it could really change something.

Twenty Percent

1. Find a business owner and talk to them about their customers. I choose a local car wash near my house. The car wash has been established since I was in middle school and seems to be doing very well. Unfortunately the owner declined to be recorded.

A. Who do you think your target customers are? People who are too busy to wash their own car and want the job done right. Most of my customers are adults that work a lot or the elderly. 

B. What are your customers unmet needs? The customers come here because they don't have the time to wash their cars or they don't have the right equipment. We have everything here to give customer's cars a full car wash by using a pressure wash, vacuum, and tire wash. 

C. Where do you find your customers? My car wash is in a good location so my customers drive by and come in. Other customers are from word of mouth. 

D. What are your customers demographics? My customers are of all ages. 

E. Who is your 20%? Returning customers 

2.

3. Reflection: The car wash is a simple business where the customers unmet needs are easily achieved. As long as the car wash does a good job on the car wash at the right price people will be happy with their service. The three customers I interviewed seemed pretty happy with their cars and there doesn't seem to be any differences between the owner and the customer. 

Week 8 Reading Reflection

1. While reading chapter 8, some of the early information was really surprising to me. The part on social lending from other peers that you may not know is such a great idea especially for people that might have bad credit or idea is still very new. It just really cool that the bank is not your only way of getting a loan.
2. Nothing confused me this chapter. Where entrepreneurs get their capital is straightforward.
3. What is the most common technique entrepreneurs use to start up their small business?
4. I disagree with one of the Myth saying VC's don't want any part of daily operations. Why would a company invest millions of dollars to have no say in operations. What is the company invested was doing something wrong or unethical will the VC just stand there and do nothing?

Half-Way Reflections

1. At the halfway point in this class is almost over I have changed my behavior a lot. I am more outgoing and invested into the class than in the beginning. At first I didn't see how the exercises helped develop my entrepreneur skill but now I use them outside of the class. Also, when commenting on other student's blog post I now try to take the time and give them good feedback because their ideas also help my own.
2. I find the exercises not to hard so there wasn't a time where I wanted to give up but there were definitely times were I was too lazy to do an exercise and I had to find the motivation to go interview customers on a Sunday morning. I try to work ahead in this class but I find it best to stay on track and do at least one exercise every day or two.

Three tips

1. Make sure that the exercises are done in a timely manner. It sucks to do these exercises last minute and cram your time because they are due at 9PM!
2. Take the exercises seriously and do what they ask you to do. But, try to have a good time doing them because they can be fun at the same time.
3. Apply what we learn in class to your everyday life or just simple thoughts. 

Week 7 Reading reflection

1. It surprised me how much research companies do on customer's preferences, style, etc. It just amazes me how an entrepreneur must create a product that people will use and it must be tuned to their preferences as well. 
2. When reading the article it was a little confusing how customers could be other businesses as well. I am use to the idea that companies sold to consumers. After analyzing it more it makes sense because some companies only sell to other companies such as whole sale.
3. What is the most important trait companies target in a customer?
4. The article states that customers are coming less predictive but that isn't the case in some situations. For instance, Apple knows every time they release the new iPhone they can predict that a certain number of people will always upgrade and they come from many different social classes.

Free Money

My game plan:

I first started by walking around campus asking students if they wanted a free dollar. I started the conversation by stating that I worked for a used car dealership and wanted to show them some cars we had for sale. I then asked them to pick the car they would buy if they had to and after I handed them their dollar. I wanted to give the dollar away so they would do the survey for my job and receive their input.

Here are the cars I listed:

2002 Lincoln Town car

1993 Chevy Camaro

1995 Lexus ES300

Videos of the conversation (sorry the quality phone was in my shirt pocket):

Elevator Pitch No.2

1.  
2. Last time I did the elevator pitch I received a lot of good feedback. One person said to use better language and sound more professional and it helped my pitch a lot. 
3. What I changed from the last time I did the pitch was my idea. My idea is now a company that is giving advice to Gator Dining and is more concrete. In addition, I wrote out what I was going to say before hand so I came into this assignment more prepared than last time. 

Week 6 reading reflection

1. What surprised me in this chapter is how easily the five forces can be seen in our world today. For instance, when Redbox came out as a substitute for rental movies, Blockbuster lost a lot of customers. 
2. A confusing part of the article was how the government has influence to competition. The article has some policies that help the unions or companies but doesn't go into too much depth.
3. Can an industry thrive without having all the competitive forces?
4. I found the article to be very straight forward and I agree with the all the forces.

Interviewing Customers No.3

1. My interview stategy was to ask students that live on campus about their opinions on the dining hall. Some questions I asked were "What is your least favorite part of the dining hall", "Would you get the meal plan again", and "Why didn't you choose to have the meal plan".
2. Videos are above
3. From interviewing the customers of the dining hall I found that a lot of students are not happy with the meal plan. The biggest complaint is the quality of the food they serve and many are not getting the meal plan again. If they were to increase the quality of food they could attract more students. Also, the main reason some students choose not to get the meal plan because of the pricing. I would like to show these videos to the University of Florida in an effort to increase the quality of food for next semester. 

Idea Napkin No.1

Phamily Food

1. I am the owner of a business advising company that deals mainly with food services. I have put together a team of skilled individuals that specialize in cooking, industrial engineering, and surveyors. My aspirations are to help businesses reach out to more customers and fulfill their unmet needs. 
2. My business will offer advise to restaurants that want to increase customers and profits. Some advise the company has to offer is better cooking techniques, menu options, better quality food, advertising, pricing changes, and customer surveys. I will also bring technology to family restaurants such as Point of sale devices that will help them order from the table without a waiter. This will help restaurants reach out to their customers unmet needs and increase their profit margins.
3. I am offering my service to mostly restaurants that are in need of customers or new restaurants that want to establish themselves. I also advise to universities to improve their dining halls and attract more students that live on campus to purchase meal plans. 
4. Restaurants will want my advise because I will help them increase their profits. Although, they are experienced in the business themselves my service is specialized in all aspects of the business by using data and skills they don't have.
5. What sets my business apart from other advising companies is my specialization in restaurants especially dining halls. My company will have survey data from students living on campus from all over the country. 

I believe my idea still needs to develop and I wonder if schools/restaurants will actually pay someone to make changes to their business. However, I think some places will want this advise because I see a lot of unhappy customers walking out of restaurants and people unhappy about their food. The food business has been the same for a long time but with improving technology and techniques my business can help bring older style restaurants up to speed and help them improve their profits and help bring the customer a better dining experience. 

Week 5 Reading reflection

1. What surprised me while reading this chapter was how much time it takes to file a patent. I believe this varies between ideas because some ideas take years to develop.
2. One subject I found confusing was the types of corporations structures there was. From the S and B corporations to L3C. They are all corporations but have very different rules.
3. When does a company want to renew a trademark? Under Chapter 11: Organization who does the bank choose to manage the business?
4. I agreed with most of the material in this chapter because these are laws.

Interviewing customers No. 2

1. After my first round of interviews I saw there was a problem. Now this round of interviews I have a solution in mind that I will ask the customers.
2. Who- I made sure to find people that have meal plans and used it more than once a day.
3. This time I asked more general questions to find out what people don't like. I also included a question specific on the solution as well.
4. Videos are above
5. When I first began this opportunity I had the idea in mind that people were unsatisfied with their meal plan. Now that I am 10 interviews into the opportunity I now know why they are unsatisfied and have a clearer view of solutions to solve this problem.
6. Interviewing customers was a great experience. Here are some fellow tips for next years students.

1) Pick an opportunity that you are interested in. By doing this you will be more engaged in your topic and easier to find customers and come up with questions.

2) Choose good questions. Good questions lead to good information.

3) Have fun and don't take it too seriously.  

Elevator Pitch No.1

Phamily Food

1. Students have an unmet opportunity at the Dining hall here at UF because the food quality and pricing aren't meeting their standards.
2. I believe that UF should increase their quality of food and add a new pricing option. A $1000 option where students have 3 swipes a day for any of UF's dining options. 

Week 4 Reflection

1. The biggest surprise to me in the reading was how traditional management could hinder entrepreneur innovation.
2. I found corporate  venturing and strategic entrepreneurship to be confusing because they were similar.
3. How many people are in the I-Teams in a large company?
4. On pg.83 I disagree with the corporates innovator's commandments. I believe one can be innovative and still perform their job.

Interviewing customers No.1

1. I found that a lot of people in my dorm complained about the dining hall food and the dining hall was close to my dorm so I thought it would be an easy opportunity to investigate.
2. The people that had the unmet needs were the students eating in the dining hall.
3. "Do you have a meal plan?", "What do you think of the pricing of the meal plan?", "What improvements can be made to better your experience?, "Would you get the meal plan again?"
4. I interviewed people in other halls and the dining hall.
5. I think the dining hall has an opportunity to improve and attract more customers. They can improve by increasing the quality of staff, better quality food, and more variety. 
6. I learned a lot interviewing people for this assignment. Just approaching random people increased my confidence and this assignment helped my interviewing skills as well.

Top 5 World Problems

Top 5 problems

1. War
2. Terrorism
3. Climate change
4. Clean Water
5. Poverty

Top 5 solutions

1. Resource depletion- The world should use alternative energy sources like nuclear, electric, and solar.
2. Terrorism- Collective efforts from major nations to fight terrorism.
3. Epidemics- To prevent epidemics from spreading, countries must invest in research and use preventive measures in the time of an epidemic.
4. Pollution- Increase strength of pollution laws and spread them worldwide.
5. War-Changing the mindset and educating the younger generations.

I choose war as my top problem in the world because it has been around since the beginning of civilization. This problem is persistent and ugly part of our culture that needs to be taken out. It kills innocent human beings every year and the benefits don't outweigh the cost.

My top solution is for resource depletion. By using alternative energy sources, it will make the world cleaner and use energy more efficiently. This solution is the most implementable because we have a foundation for this technology already we just need to improve it.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. I hate my ‘double chin’ - Is there anything I can do safely to correct it?

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8CDEDB7FE2AE0?p=AWNB

The article main focus is to target people that want to get rid of their double chin. Kybella is a type of acid that "melts" away the fat in the chin area and gets rid of the patients double chin. The sessions cost between $800-$1600.

The problem is for the people who have double chins and want to get rid of them.

2. Homes selling, but at a slower pace Tampa area sales in December are up just 3.3% from a year ago - Tampa area sales in December are up just 3.3% from a year ago
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8CDEDAB7CC060?p=AWNB

The main focus of the article is on Florida's housing market in the month of December. In the month of December the housing market only grew 3.3% from last year so analyst are predicting a slower 2016 market.

Problem is properties are taking longer to sell and returning less profit.

This is effecting real estate companies and private investors.

3. Pig functions as therapy animal? Hogwash, one neighbor says
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8CDF27A8A1968?p=AWNB

In a St.Pete neighborhood, a resident claims to have a pig a therapy pet but it has caused trouble in the neighborhood by charging at people walking their animals. The neighbor then took this issue to court to settle whether the animal is a therapy pet or not.

The problem is the pig is causing problems and is not a therapy pet.

The people living in the neighborhood is effected by the pig being disruptive. 

4. Bob Graham calls for Gov. Rick Scott to veto sweeping water reforms
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A83B0A1DF407A0?p=AWNB

Bob Graham a former senator and governor ask for a people to veto the water policy because it weakens the protection of the ocean and water ways in Florida which will cause more pollution.

The problem is Gov. Rick Scott's bill to reform water policy will cause increase pollution of the water in Florida.

Everyone living in Florida including the animals will suffer.

5. Could Obama's proposal for more background checks help reduce gun violence in Florida?
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A3F22C207B1BF8?p=AWNB

Obama wants to pass a law that will increase the security on guns by having people get background checks before they purchase a gun.

The problem is 30,000 people a year in the U.S are wounded/killed from guns.

People effected are the families of those killed and the innocent people.