Final Reflection

Where to begin... this course has been a mix of things I thought it would be as well as a lot of things that were new and I had not anticipated. From the first elevator pitch, to an idea napkin, and so much more it was a great learning experience for me on everything that encompasses being an entrepreneur. The most formative experience for me was getting out and learning about something I was not previously too familiar with and talking with people to garner all of the information possible. In terms of joyous or most proud moment would probably be the elevator pitches as I am not someone who typically likes to record myself or talk in front of people but I enjoyed it and was rewarding to see the growth from the first pitch to the last. After all of these trials and tribulations, I'm not sure I would go as far as to label myself an entrepreneur just yet but I undoubtedly expanded my entrepreneurial mindset and that is something I will carry with me in whatever future endeavors I take on. Lastly, I would just recommend to someone who is taking this course in the future to stay ahead of the work as it can otherwise overwhelm you and to take each assignment for what it is and to truly embrace it and the course as a whole because that is the only way to fully develop that entrepreneurial mindset.

Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity

• The primary occurrence of this problem seems to be for those commuting to and from work, in the busiest corridors of the more crowded cities. This is really a cause and affect to me, as these are only the more congested corridors due to the lack of solutions to the in these busier areas. 
• Secondly, students that commute to and from schools, especially at the higher level education level experience this in and around their campuses. Again, this is something that stems out of causation and is not necessarily a required outcome in my opinion with a few minor changes.
• Lastly, are those who drive regularly as their occupation, such as truck drivers or Uber/taxi drivers. These are the people who experience this more than others and generally it can be not as circumstantial and not always in the same place, further emphasizing the underlying issue. 

Innovation 

As I stated before, there is really no simple solution and so my concept is more of a mitigation plan that is comprised of three pieces all of which are already existing in one place or another:

1. The first component is rather simple, which utilizes pre-existing means of public transportation. The two primary pieces of this would be first off, to promote the usage of bussing and make it more accessible in the more congested areas. Furthermore, enhancing transit via railway would cut down on a portion of the longer-distance issue that the likes of truck drivers experience.
2. The second piece of this would be the somewhat more uncommon practice of carpooling, which is already used in some larger cities such as Atlanta. Promoting this via means such lowered gas prices as well as certain lanes on highways only accessible to those with more than one passenger in the car, would encourage commuters to lower the number of cars on the roads.
3. The final aspect of my venture would be the most innovative, but something I was exposed to in my hometown of Tampa. That is an overpass that connects over the busier corridors, that allows drivers to avoid lights and would in theory allow for a more free flow of traffic.

Venture Concept 

The "secret sauce" for my venture sounds somewhat cliche, but the culture we would create and demand our employees uphold would be the most vital component to our success. That is something that is relevant to any venture in my mind, and any project I would undertake this would be the essential framework. The next step for the potential project would be to research and begin seeking the necessary funding, as this would undoubtedly be a significant financial investment. Moreover, we would seek to generate that financing from both private entities and governmental resources. Lastly, from a personal perspective, I would have to assess whether this is a project worth undertaking. Furthermore, the size of something like this would be something I must know what I am getting in to and gather all of the necessary resources and weigh my options to make the most educated decision. 

Feedback

Unfortunately I did not receive any feedback on my first venture concept or my "what's next" post so it was difficult to make too many adjustments from my first concept. Thus, I did not make any significant changes as I still believe this would be my best course of action in terms of utilizing assets at my disposal for this venture.

 

Exit Strategy

Depending on the opportunity, I would like to sell my venture business eventually as I don't believe whatever I get in to directly out of college is what I will want to do and where I will want to be until I retire. To me that almost defies the entrepreneurial spirit in having the fluidity to move around and take on new challenges. With that said, if I were to love what I was doing and I was doing well enough to sustain myself and my eventual family in a place I enjoyed living then I would not be opposed to staying put. I don't think it would necessarily impact my actions in the moment as I would be solely interested in the betterment of the business. That is why it would be imperative to keep an open mind and not set yourself on any one course but instead follow wherever the opportunity goes.

Reading Reflection No. 3

For the third and final reading reflection, I chose the biography one of the more influential people of my generation, Steve Jobs. Walter Isaacson does a terrific job outlining the entirety of his life.

1) The thing that surprised me the most was how personally invested Jobs was in his products and if somebody had a critic to make about one he took personal offense to that. What I admire most about Jobs is his determination even in the face of failure which relates well to the exercise I just completed on facing failure and growing from it. It was difficult to find something that I least admired but I would say that some of his employees and contemporaries viewed him as somewhat childish at times and some even calling a "a**hole". Jobs did face failure at times as most great innovators did, and as I said that is thing I admired a lot about him and that he remained always heavily invested and hands on despite some shortcomings and that he persisted regardless of the outcome of his products.

2) The core competencies that stood out are the obvious ones for someone such as Jobs; intelligence, hard-working, dedicated, persistent, etc. What differentiated him for me from some other large business executives was that he was there through it all, not simply just overseeing the company.

3) The whole battle with Google over the Android dispute was rather confusing to me. I understand it was a large competitor, but I never understood his grounds or reasoning for picking that fight.

4) I would start by asking Steve Jobs what his biggest regret was in all of his endeavors and then I would ask him what his greatest accomplishment was both in his personal and professional life.

5) I think the obvious answer to Jobs' view on hard work would be not only is it essential but it is the framework for being successful at anything you do, and I would completely agree. Without hard rock, no matter how smart or creative you are it will be difficult to succeed in any of your endeavors.

Celebrating Failure

This semester has been challenging for me both in this class and out of class, even more so now with all of the chaos that the Coronavirus has caused. With that said, I have tried to stay focused and on top of my classes and avoid letting these turbulent times affect my life too much. However, if I were to note one thing I did not accomplish that I wanted to it would have been to get an internship or a volunteer opportunity this semester. With the virus, part of it was my fault for not getting started on it soon enough and the other part of it was it became nearly impossible with the world as we know it shutting down. Thus, I have learned to get ahead and try to avoid a situation like this in the future by not waiting to the last minute for anything, but especially something like this. Failure is a tough pill to swallow in whatever it is we do, and especially applies to my situation when I won't be able to tell potential future employers about all of the experience I gained this semester. Telling family members or friends you came up short of your goals in whatever it may be is never a fun conversation to have. To me I see failure as an opportunity, it presents you a chance to learn and grow from your mistake(s) or unfortunate circumstances and become better for having gone through that difficult time. That is exactly what this class has further emphasized to me, take risks and view everything as an opportunity. Life is all about taking chances on something you are passionate about and it is not always going to work out, but that is when you analyze what happened and be better off from it.

What's Next?

I touched on what would be next for both my venture and myself in the Venture Concept assignment, so that segues well in to this discussion. When analyzing the markets, it was somewhat difficult to garner a full understanding on the current market without interviewing experts. The existing market for my venture is rather complex with the involvement of governmental entities and large-scale contractors. However within the current market I believe I would have all of the necessary resources.

In regards to expanding into a radically different market, that would be not be as hard as some other ventures as my problem is one that is applicable to the majority of people. The beauty of this venture is it is an issue to people regardless of occupation, status, etc. for the most part. The exception to that would be those who do not have their own cars and are reliant upon public transportation. My idea could be even more appealing to them in the sense of enhancing public transit as a whole. This would be a different market than the initial target audience, but would still likely appeal to these people.

Venture Concept No. 1

Have you ever found yourself sitting in traffic wondering if everybody just drove the speed limit, why is this an issue?

Unfortunately, there is no simple singular solution to this age-old problem. Whether it's car accidents, "rubbernecking", or any other of the countless causes of congestion, it's very frustrating as a driver. Thus, this presents an opportunity for innovation into attempting to mitigate this problem that a lot of us go through on a daily basis. That's where I believe my venture concept can come into play.

Opportunity

• The primary occurrence of this problem seems to be for those commuting to and from work, in the busiest corridors of the more crowded cities. This is really a cause and affect to me, as these are only the more congested corridors due to the lack of solutions to the in these busier areas. 
• Secondly, students that commute to and from schools, especially at the higher level education level experience this in and around their campuses. Again, this is something that stems out of causation and is not necessarily a required outcome in my opinion with a few minor changes.
• Lastly, are those who drive regularly as their occupation, such as truck drivers or Uber/taxi drivers. These are the people who experience this more than others and generally it can be not as circumstantial and not always in the same place, further emphasizing the underlying issue. 

Innovation 

As I stated before, there is really no simple solution and so my concept is more of a mitigation plan that is comprised of three pieces all of which are already existing in one place or another:

1. The first component is rather simple, which utilizes pre-existing means of public transportation. The two primary pieces of this would be first off, to promote the usage of bussing and make it more accessible in the more congested areas. Furthermore, enhancing transit via railway would cut down on a portion of the longer-distance issue that the likes of truck drivers experience.
2. The second piece of this would be the somewhat more uncommon practice of carpooling, which is already used in some larger cities such as Atlanta. Promoting this via means such lowered gas prices as well as certain lanes on highways only accessible to those with more than one passenger in the car, would encourage commuters to lower the number of cars on the roads.
3. The final aspect of my venture would be the most innovative, but something I was exposed to in my hometown of Tampa. That is an overpass that connects over the busier corridors, that allows drivers to avoid lights and would in theory allow for a more free flow of traffic.

Venture Concept 

The "secret sauce" for my venture sounds somewhat cliche, but the culture we would create and demand our employees uphold would be the most vital component to our success. That is something that is relevant to any venture in my mind, and any project I would undertake this would be the essential framework. The next step for the potential project would be to research and begin seeking the necessary funding, as this would undoubtedly be a significant financial investment. Moreover, we would seek to generate that financing from both private entities and governmental resources. Lastly, from a personal perspective, I would have to assess whether this is a project worth undertaking. Furthermore, the size of something like this would be something I must know what I am getting in to and gather all of the necessary resources and weigh my options to make the most educated decision. 

My Venture's Unfair Advantage

1. My unique combination of solutions to the problem
V - the value lies in the other components of this analysis
R - while no one of my solutions is necessarily rare, the combination of the three is
I - it could potentially be imitable but I have never seen anything like it
N - This unique combination is non-substitutable in my estimation.
2. My first focus would be upon increasing public transit
V - there is real value in this factor of the solution alone
R - this is not necessarily rare in it of itself
I - it could be imitated and has been in some instances before
N - this component is crucial to the solution and cannot be substituted
3. My second aspect is increasing carpooling
V - value is there in that this would undoubtedly limit cars
R - this is rather rare from my personal experience as I have only seen it in limited places
I - this could be imitated but it has been around for some time and has not be imitated much
N - This is somewhat substitutable but I believe it would be very beneficial
4. Fourth and final component would be the overpass in congested corridors
V- this is perhaps the most valuable aspect of the solution
R - This is also the most rare as I have only seen or heard of very few of these
I - it is something that could be imitated in limited areas but has not yet been
N - this is also the most non-substitutable aspect of my entire plan
5. The flexibility and diversity of my plan would allow for a strong human capital
V - this also has a lot of value due to the fact we would have an array of personnel
R - this is also rather rare to have this many people incorporated in a project
I - It is really not imitable unless someone combined the personnel of all three facets
N - This piece is really non-substitutable because the people make it happen
6. Financial capital would be that from both private and governmental funding
V - the value speaks for itself from a financial perspective
R - this is rather rare to have both of these means of funding
I - this could be imitable but acquiring both means of funding is not easy
N - the funding is clearly non-substitutable to most projects including this one
7. The capabilities of this project could be endless in certain cities if successful
V - the value of the ultimate capability of the project could be transformative
R - again it goes with the rarity of the project as a whole
I - the capabilities could be imitated but this is the best manner to do so
N - these cannot be substituted as they are the end result
8. The culture we would create is as something we pride ourselves on
V - culture is something within a company that is invaluable to me
R - this is the most rare to me is the culture we can create
I - this is also the part that cannot be imitated by anybody else
N - it cannot be substituted as culture makes the company tick
9. From a cultural perspective, ensuring everyone is represents that human capital
V - having people be representative of your brand is huge to having value
R - This is what a lot of people strive for but you could argue is rather rare
I - some can try to imitate this but it is much easier said than done
N - this is unquestionably not substitutable for a strong culture
10. Lastly, incorporating all of these aspects into a mission statement for the organization
V - this would summarize all of the value into one statement
R - mission statements are not rare but our's would be unique to us
I - a statement is imitable but ours specifically would not be
N - this could not be substituted as it establishes everything for the future

My most important resource would be establishing a unique culture that would fit our company. This would set the framework for everything else to come and we could not be successful without it

Elevator Pitch No. 3

Reading Reflection No.2

For the second reading I chose How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams. The general theme was exactly what the title of the book makes it out to be and that is a detailed history of a guy who has failed over and over only to find success. The book connected to this course and somewhat enhanced what we are learning but providing a personal perspective as Adams embodied the entrepreneurial spirit. If I were to design an exercise for this course centered around the book, it would be a discussion based off of your favorite piece of advice or quote that stood out because there were quite a few for me. Prior to picking this book, I had never read or even heard of Scott Adams so the whole book really came as a pleasant surprise to me. However, if I had to choose one 'aha' moment it would be the piece of advice of prioritizing yourself first in terms of getting enough sleep, exercising, eating right, etc. This may seem rather simplistic on the surface but it really resonated with me because you expect people, especially entrepreneurs, to focus on the ever-evolving world around them but you cannot be successful in doing that unless first considering yourself.

Growing Your Social Capital

1. The first person I reached out to was Vik Bhide, who is the Director of Transportation for the City of Tampa. She would be my domain expert as she is familiar with everything that goes into transportation within the city. She would be able to provide insightful information into congestion and traffic patterns in Tampa and any potential solutions. Unfortunately I have not yet heard back, but she would be a good connection to have going forward with anything relating to transportation.

2. The second entity I tried to connect with Commercial Building Services Inc. located here in Tampa. They are a commercial contracting company and are familiar with large scale construction operations and thus would qualify as my market expert. They too have yet to get back to me but having a large scale construction company as a connection will be very beneficial going forward.

3. Lastly, I reached out to Tampa Steel & Supply who supply steel and other large scale needs to construction companies and contractors. They would be my supplier in this instance, and it was interesting to familiarize myself with what all it would require for a project of this nature. Although I was not able to directly reach them, their website alone was very informative and emphasized to me how a connection like this could possibly benefit me in various facets in all future endeavors.

Although I do not technically plan on pursuing a career in construction or contracting, this was a very insightful process from a general networking perspective. This differed from previous networking for me in the sense of specifying a domain and market expert as well as a supplier. This will help me hone my networking abilities in the future in focusing on those who would be able to benefit me.

Idea Napkin No. 2

1) Recognizing one's own strengths and weaknesses is not necessarily always as easy as it sounds. Personally, there are two things I tend to note and that is for one, I am a hard worker in anything I do and I like to think I am self-motivated. I guess there are really three things because I also usually include the fact that I work with other people, and more specifically other highly motivated individuals. I've had a rather diverse background of experiences from working for a Congressional office to manual labor in the Florida summer heat. Thus I believe this has paved the way for my future aspirations that are still to be determined. If I were to hypothetically pursue the route of attempting to solve the problem of traffic, that would change a lot of my life as I currently know it.

2) The problem itself is rather simple and that is the unmet need of traffic but the solutions on the other hand are not so simple. Considering this has been a problem for years, there is no one single solution and so I believe a combination of things would be necessary. To start, the enhancing and upgrading of public transportation(buses, trains, etc.), combined with promoting carpooling and other methods of cutting down on congestion. Lastly, the unique aspect of an overpass from one point to another in the more crowded corridors without lights or anything to create any congestion.

3) The beauty and simplicity of this problem and therefore my solution is that it is applicable to nearly everybody regardless of demographics or psychographics. The primary factor for me would be location as the issue of traffic is not nearly as large of an issue in some of the smaller cities.

4) Traffic is something that no matter who you talk to or where you are for the most part, it will be something that people complain about. Countless politicians and officials have attempted to solve this problem with solutions somewhat similar to mine but have not been successful. In my opinion, there will never be a perfect solution that will entirely eliminate traffic, but limiting it would be a success.

5) To be honest, there is nothing that sets me or my solution apart or that has not been attempted before. With that said, I do not believe my unique combination of solutions has ever been set forth in the right environment and thus it is something that could ultimately prove to be a viable solution.

I only received one comment on my first post, so there was not much to change within my second post. She agreed with basically all of my points and then suggested I consider civil engineering to be able to execute this solution. As a senior in the sports management program, this would be rather difficult to do at this point. Instead, if I were to work on a potential solution to this issue I would have to hire/work with people like that in doing so. 

Elevator Pitch No.2

Customer Avatar

My customer is your average person, as cliche as that sounds. His or her hobbies likely include playing sports or going to the gym, reading or playing games, and spending time with family and friends. They tend to drive a typical four sedan, depending on if they have kids or not. The car is likely black or white and is a newer model, but nothing too fancy. They watch popular TV shows such as the Bachelor, college and pro sports, and the nightly news. My customer can be an array of ages so my guess is some have kids and other don't. Amongst those who do, some of those are likely to be adopted. They enjoy books all of types, from John Grisham to non fiction biographies, etc. Views of politics vary just like any other group of people, but generally are more moderate. The typical age is in the young adult to midlife range but on average tend to feel older than their age.

The avatar I created did somewhat resemble me at least at first glance. The hair, eyes, facial features are all somewhat resemblant of my own. This is probably not a coincidence when I think about it as I probably chose a lot of features I saw in myself when creating this customer avatar.

What's your secret sauce?

As someone who always orders extra of the "special sauce" at any restaurant where it is available, secret sauce is an invaluable ingredient to the recipe of success. When considering my personal sauce the five things that come to mind are:

1. Personable - I believe this is my biggest ingredient as I love to work with other people and believe I work best that way.
2. Hard-working - This is something that seems very general and applicable to a lot of people but this is something I pride myself on as one of my main attributes.
3. Leadership - This is something that's vital for any entrepreneur in my mind as you must be able to galvanize people and get them to believe in your mission.
4. Problem-solving - Whenever a problem arises being able to solve it in an effective and efficient manner is a crucial ingredient.
5. Empathy - Lastly, being able to relate to those you are working with and around is key for any entrepreneur and that is something I personally think I strive at.

 In conducting five interviews with people around me who I closely interact with regularly they agreed for the most part with my self-assessment on my strengths or secret sauce recipe. A couple of other traits they added were resolving conflicts, which somewhat goes hand in hand with problem solving, and lastly attention to detail in that I focus on all of the little things that make me successful.

Figuring Out Buying Behavior No. 2

Figuring out the right segment and the buying behavior within that segment is imperative to being successful within that segment. After conducting several interviews, I found out that quality is the most important aspect to my potential customers followed closely by price. Style much less more important but price and quality are equally two factors that must be considered. Buying online has become a much more common trend as technology continues to evolve, but strangely enough, of the people I interviewed a lot preferred to buy in person. That way they could see and more importantly touch the product before they decide to purchase. Buyers today are generally more likely to finance the purchase as opposed to paying outright with cash. In closing the interviews, I asked what would be the deciding factor in whether or not they would be happy with their purchase. The primary answer was whether or not they regularly found themselves utilizing the product or not. In summary, in this segment one must prioritize the quality of the product at an affordable price and it must be something the customer can see themselves using routinely.

Halfway Reflection

1) Tenacity is something I had never thought of necessarily in the academic setting but it is definitely an applicable word to what it takes to be successful in this course. I have always thought of myself as a hard worker but it took me developing an extra level of "tenacity" within the course to keep up with the material on a weekly basis.

2) A moment I can recall off the top of my head was when the lecture was not loading for me and thus I could not complete a cupcake and I thought about just not doing any of the work for that week but instead completed all of the assignments including finding a way to pass the cupcake.  I would say a lot of experiences contributed to that some unconsciously as perhaps in the past I would've given up.

3) First tip would be go in with an open mind willing to read and learn new things and about new people because that is really what entrepreneurship is about to me. Secondly, I suggest watching as much of the lectures as possible not only to learn but for some entertainment value at times. Lastly, work ahead if possible as it will relieve a lot of time crunch stress on Friday and Monday mornings.

Reading Reflection No. 1

Shoe Dog - Phil Knight 

1) The thing that surprised me the most about Phil Knight was the fact he often expected to fail and would even make sure to let investors know that it was a real possibility. That parlays into what I admired most and that was how hard he was on himself and how that was the primary reason he ended up being successful. The one thing I would say that I least admired was the amount of time he spent in debt as it paid off in his case but in the majority of cases that is not a sufficient practice. Knight unquestionably faced failure and you could argue that was the primary point he wanted to get across was that no matter how many times you came up short you should never give up on a dream.

2) There were countless competencies that stood out to me but the one that resonated the most was his self-awareness in that he was not the most personable or best looking but he was dedicated to his cause and was going to work until he made his dream a reality.

3) I was somewhat confused by the way he continued to acquire funding despite continuously going into debt time after time before finally succeeding.

4) Two questions I'd have would be: What has changed between the entrepreneurial climate from when you were successful to now? And if you were to start another business idea what would it be founded on?

5) My guess is Phil Knight's opinion on hard work is that it is at the center of all success. That is the way I see it as well in that no matter how smart or talented you are in whatever you do if you do not have the work ethic to go along with it you will ultimately fall short of your potential and your goals.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

With a problem like traffic, it is difficult to pin point one primary market segment but if I were forced to it would be those in the working class in larger cities who are commuting to and from work on a daily basis and experiencing this problem on a more regular basis than the average person.

When conducting the various interviews, I found the responses rather consistent across the board. The ideal target consumer generally commutes to and from either work or school at the busiest hours of the day. The places generally were the same at least locally here in Gainesville as all three noted similar places such as University, Archer, and 13th and the busiest corridors. This is also something I noticed in previous interviews from other cities as well as responses remained consistent in terms of place and time and that was what really made it evident this a problem and a real opportunity.

Need awareness is the perhaps the most important factor in successfully identifying an opportunity and implementing your solution. For my problem, this was rather easy as it remained consistent across the board at least from my limited experience with people both here in Gainesville and people at home in Tampa. Furthermore, expanding my information search beyond those two markets would better allow me to fully understand the entirety of the market and the need throughout the US.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1) Recognizing one's own strengths and weaknesses is not necessarily always as easy as it sounds. Personally, there are two things I tend to note and that is for one, I am a hard worker in anything I do and I like to think I am self-motivated. I guess there are really three things because I also usually include the fact that I work with other people, and more specifically other highly motivated individuals. I've had a rather diverse background of experiences from working for a Congressional office to manual labor in the Florida summer heat. Thus I believe this has paved the way for my future aspirations that are still to be determined. If I were to hypothetically pursue the route of attempting to solve the problem of traffic, that would change a lot of my life as I currently know it.

2) The problem itself is rather simple and that is the unmet need of traffic but the solutions on the other hand are not so simple. Considering this has been a problem for years, there is no one single solution and so I believe a combination of things would be necessary. To start, the enhancing and upgrading of public transportation(buses, trains, etc.), combined with promoting carpooling and other methods of cutting down on congestion. Lastly, the unique aspect of an overpass from one point to another in the more crowded corridors without lights or anything to create any congestion.

3) The beauty and simplicity of this problem and therefore my solution is that it is applicable to nearly everybody regardless of demographics or psychographics. The primary factor for me would be location as the issue of traffic is not nearly as large of an issue in some of the smaller cities.

4) Traffic is something that no matter who you talk to or where you are for the most part, it will be something that people complain about. Countless politicians and officials have attempted to solve this problem with solutions somewhat similar to mine but have not been successful. In my opinion, there will never be a perfect solution that will entirely eliminate traffic, but limiting it would be a success.

5) To be honest, there is nothing that sets me or my solution apart or that has not been attempted before. With that said, I do not believe my unique combination of solutions has ever been set forth in the right environment and thus it is something that could ultimately prove to be a viable solution.

Elevator Pitch

Testing the Hypothesis - Part 2

Who: After conducting several interviews, there could be some people who would be considered "outside the boundary". Although they still share a lot in common with those included in my opportunity of traffic, those who are commuting in smaller cities with less congestion or not during rush hour in larger cities could be considered outside the typical target of my solution.

What: The question of whether my need differs from another need is rather complicated considering the fact there are countless things that cause the problem of traffic. Thus, there are complications such as certain businesses that influence traffic, on top of unforeseen issues such as accidents or flat tires that further complicate this issue and could be seen as an entirely different need.

Why: The underlying need of those inside as opposed to outside the boundary remains consistent in my mind. And that is the fact they are trying to get from one place to another in the most efficient manner. Whether there issue is simply traffic or something like a flat tire, their reasoning is the same.


Inside the Boundary                                                                 Outside the Boundary
Who is in? Everybody who falls in the category                        Who is out? Those who do not
of struggling with traffic which is generally those                      struggle with traffic due to living
living in larger cities commuting in rush hour.                           in a smaller city or commuting at
                                                                                                     certain times or have more distinct                                                                                                           needs than simply just traffic.
What the need is? The need is simple and it is                           What the need is not? The need is not
that traffic is a major problem that is relevant                             for those with more specific needs
to almost anybody in a major city.                                               such as crashes or outside issues.

Why the need exists? The issue of traffic may                           Alternative explanations: The affects
never be explained entirely whether it's accidents,                    businesses and other unrelated factors
people driving in the wrong lane or just congestion.                  can disrupt the flow of traffic.                                     

Solving the Problem

My solution to the problem of traffic and congestion is a combination of several things, some of which you have likely heard of and then one that is more innovative. First off, increasing the usage of public transit such as more accessible busing, enhancing railways and promoting carpooling. The second piece is something I witnessed that is in progress in my home city of Tampa. That being an overhead expressway built in corridors that are most crowded specifically throughout rush hour times of day. This is obviously something that is not possible everywhere but a combination of these things are solutions that would benefit a lot of cities in terms of reducing some of their traffic congestion.

Testing the Hypothesis - Part 1

1) Opportunity - Traffic in the US

2) Local officials throughout the United States, but more specifically in large cities, have been unable to come up with a long term, sustainable solution to the problem that has been and is traffic.

Who: Local and State officials and legislators

What: They have been incapable of providing a solution to the age old problem of traffic/congestion.

Why: Financial and logistical problems related to decreasing traffic in a safe and sustainable manner.

3) An opportunity such as traffic is relevant to almost anybody who drives a car or rides public transportation and thus can be seen as a need for the majority of the population at least in big cities. Providing a safe and sustainable solution is not easily done hence why this has been a problem for decades and continues to be one. There are many factors for that such as logistics as well as financial limitations. The why is rather similar across the board for reasons such as getting to work on time, catching a flight or simply trying to make it home at a reasonable hour.

4) From interviewing five people who were friends, classmates or merely acquaintances, the responses were very similar across the board. I asked one individual who lives near me in Gainesville, and as you would expect his experiences with traffic were merely the same as mine. I asked a couple of individuals who did not live near me but also in Gainesville and they said outside of campus the traffic is not nearly as bad. Lastly, I asked two people who do not currently live here and they both live in larger cities and confirmed my notion it is much worse in other more populated places. In summary, this is a problem across the board but especially so here on a college campus or in a big city where congestion is higher and the problem is much more evident.

Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

1) The first opportunity correlates to the trend that is rising wages. With wages continuing to rise, offering a high quality product at a lower price than the competition while still compensating employees accordingly would generate long term revenue. Secondly, with tariffs only going up, making an American-based product would be vital to maximizing return on investments. In terms of regulatory trends, we see this with a potential new regulation on minimum wage thus presenting an opportunity now for employers to provide a pay raise to entice top level prospective employees. Secondly, we witnessed some rather new regulation in the sports world called the Rooney Rule, where teams are required to interview at least one person of color prior to making a decision on their next coach. This is an opportunity for teams to get ahead of the curve and be trendsetters in a way.

2) For both of the economic trends I found an article from Inc. (https://www.inc.com/joe-galvin/5-economic-trends-every-business-owner-should-watch-in-2018.html) that lists new trends in the market. Forming a belief was centered around the fact that these are both two very prevalent trends in the economic world and thus they would be relevant to any all businesses thus creating opportunities. The prototypical customer would be for one top level prospective employees looking for competitive pay and a rewarding workplace and secondly those looking to buy American-made products. In terms of exploiting this opportunity I think it would be very viable in the current marketplace.

3)For the first opportunity I believe the majority of people would not want to make the initial investment required to present a high quality product for a lower price and risk not getting the return on the backend. Secondly, a lot of investors will decide to outsource work to others places for cheaper labor but with rising tariffs and an appeal of American-made products there is a market for that. Moreover, increasing pay prior to the rise of minimum wage is something that would cost a lot of employers money on the front-end likely making them less inclined to raise wages. Lastly, in sports people always believe they're correct and are then not willing to break the mold for potentially a better candidate but will instead stick to what they are familiar with and comfortable with.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1) Hardball: Rays threaten to block redevelopment of Tropicana Field
https://www.tampabay.com/news/st-petersburg/2020/01/30/hardball-rays-threaten-to-block-redevelopment-of-tropicana-field/
The city of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays have been at a standstill ever since the team owner suggested splitting the season between St. Pete and Montreal. Understandably so, this was to the dismay of city officials and thus they have begun plans to develop on the 86-acre property that now serves as home to the Rays. The organization has responded with threats to block any redevelopment opportunity and thus the presents a problem for both sides. The Rays are trying to find a way to make the team more profitable while the City hopes to better utilize one of it's most important pieces of land.
2) Florida school group possibly exposed to virus confined to home
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2020/01/30/florida-school-group-possibly-exposed-to-virus-confined-to-home/
A group of students and teachers are being confined to their homes as they wait for word of whether or not they were exposed to the coronavirus while attending a conference at Yale University. When a student from China fell ill with a fever and cough, testing indicated it was the flu but the CDC advised further testing. The problem is clear if indeed the tests show the coronavirus for all parties who were involved with this event.
3) Rick Scott destroyed evidence after Irma, say two healthcare workers charged in deaths.
https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/01/30/rick-scott-destroyed-evidence-after-hurricane-deaths-lawsuit-says/
Two healthcare workers who were charged in deaths following Hurricane Irma are now claiming former Governor Rick Scott destroyed voicemails that would have helped their defense. The problem here is something that resulted in several deaths and the lives of two men are at stake as well as potentially if not more than the reputation of a former Governor.
4) For family of teen shot at Tampa cop's home, anger and unanswered questions
https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsborough/2020/01/29/for-family-of-teen-shot-at-tampa-cops-home-anger-and-unanswered-questions/
After their son was shot and killed by a nearby resident, the parents refuse to believe it was a mere accident. The boy who was holding the weapon when it discharged has yet to speak on what happened and thus the parents are not ready to give up on the case. Whether it was an accident or not is obviously a large difference given the possibility their son was murdered.
5) He was walking down Central Avenue in St. Pete. Then a man randomly slashed his face.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2020/01/29/he-was-walking-down-central-avenue-in-st-pete-then-a-man-randomly-slashed-his-face/
A man was casually walking down one of the busier streets in St. Pete when he thought he was punched in the face. 19 stitches later he realized he had been stabbed in the face as a man stood over him demanding his wallet. It appears his attacker suffered from mental illness after police were able to track him down and arrest him while Lowrance must now deal with a new scar on his face.

Forming An Opportunity Belief

My belief is a rather simple one in which I saw discussed in prior exercises both by myself and my classmates and is that is the issue of traffic. Although a very simple topic on the surface, there are many facets that can be discussed within the problem of traffic. This is an age-old issue that can be applicable to really anybody who drives a car or even rides public transportation. Traffic and congestion is something that seemingly is always a topic of discussion amongst local politicians and leaders as one of the top problems they commit to solving. In terms of my certainty that this opportunity exists, I would put it very high at 95% due to my personal experiences and interactions.

When talking to prototypical "customers" I find my initial analysis is fairly accurate in that this is in fact an opportunity and thus a need. The majority of people notice this problem on a regular basis but it also varies with certain times of the year as well as specific times of day such as rush hour. This is a need that dates back many years from the information I have gathered and only appears to be getting worse. Depending on who you talk to, some individuals will make their problem heard by expressing their issue to those who could potentially address it, while others simply acknowledge the need. Nevertheless, it appears the vast majority are indeed unsatisfied with the current traffic condition.

I have noticed throughout this that my opinions regarding this opportunity are shared by a good portion of those around me and that is that traffic is an ever-growing problem. The one thing that stood out to me from my discussions is that this is not only a local problem but having talked to people from other places, it is as much an issue elsewhere if not more so in larger cities than here.

I believe my original opportunity is still very much present and if anything I have been reassured in completing this exercise. Moreover, I have garnered more information now than I previously had through hearing multiple perspectives on how this is a need for various individuals. In conclusion, I feel entrepreneurs should unquestionably adapt their opportunities to customer feedback as the entrepreneurship world is always fluid and their success is primarily dependent on satisfaction.

Entrepreneurship Story

Having grown up in a house where my dad is an attorney and my mom works for a law firm, I had never really been exposed to true entrepreneurship until recently. That was until I went over to one of my friend's houses whose dad's entrepreneurship fascinated me. His dad is actually a doctor and runs a walk-in clinic, but on top of that owns and operates several gas stations and recently purchased a CBD farm. Furthermore, their house was filled with miscellaneous collectables and antiques that he had gathered over years of attending auctions, trade-shows, etc. From the countless pictures with George Bush, to the stuffed bear that greets you at the front door, and the stories of how a doctor procures a CBD farm all enlightened me into the various meanings of entrepreneurship.

The reason for enrolling in this class was as I said before I have never really been exposed to the true meaning of entrepreneurship. I always had an idea in my head of someone who starts a business that becomes a billion dollar company but I'm realizing it is much more than that. Moreover, I somewhat see myself embodying an entrepreneurship spirit and I'm hoping this class will prove that to be true. 

Bug List

1. As I sit in my room writing this blog, I notice it is too cold in my room.
The reason for this could be a couple things: firstly, we live in an old house that has poor insulation and secondly my roommates could have turned the heat off before they went to bed.
2. When I am eating with people, it bothers me when they chew with their mouth open/smack.
This could simply just be because this is how they have always eaten and were never taught otherwise.
3. One of my roommates has a habit of shaking his leg whenever he is sitting down and thus shaking the entire table or couch we're sitting at.
The reasoning for this could be some medical explanation or he simply has a bad habit of doing this.
4.When my roommates tell me to empty the dishwasher or take out the trash when I frequently do so.
The reasoning for this is they too probably feel as if they do these tasks regularly.
5. When someone finishes the last of something(toilet paper, paper towels, etc.) and does not replace it.
They are probably feeling lazy in the moment and figure it is someone else's problem or simply forget.
6. When someone does not clean up after themselves.
This one again could be they are simply lazy and would rather put it off or they will just let it sit.
 7. When people drive excessively too slow in the fast lane.
They are probably just trying to simply drive safely.
8. When a scooter or bike is driving in a lane or on a road they should not be on.
The reasoning here for bikers is likely the sidewalk is too slow and for scooters it may there only form of transportation.
9. When someone riding in your car tries to tell you how to drive.
They have the best interest in mind and just think the way they would drive is better.
10. Poor listeners who continuously talk over you in a conversation.
Their goal is to focus on what they are saying and make sure their point is heard.
11. Restaurants, like every one in Gainesville now, serving strictly paper straws.
Obviously the reasoning is good intentioned from an environmental prospective.
12. Not holding the door for the person behind you, especially a woman.
The person is probably either in a rush or just not paying any attention at all.
13. Someone being on their phone all the time while with someone.
They're likely too caught up with someone or something else to focus on the moment.
14. A person that talks throughout the entirety of a movie or laughs obnoxiously.
The person is probably just enjoying the movie and conveying their thoughts.
15. Being late.
This one is simple and there are thousands or reasons/excuses people come up with.
16. Talking about personal success to the point of bragging.
This individual is likely feeling proud and looking for compliments from peers.
17. Someone saying they will do something and then not following through.
Another instance where there could be many reasonings but a person perhaps committed to doing too much.
18. Babies crying in a contained environment(planes, church, etc.)
Babies are being babies but sometimes parents could avoid disturbing others with nurseries, etc.
19. Someone spoiling a movie, show or book.
They may not realize what they're doing at the time and just want to talk about it.
20. Waiting on people
Similar to being late there are a million reasons, poor time management being at the top.

Reflecting back on my list this was a lot more challenging than I first envisioned. I imagined being able to sit down and in one sitting knock out 20 "bugs" fairly quickly but that was not the case. I managed to get through the first ten simply off of memory rather easily and then struggled for the next five. Finally, the last five were things it took me getting away from my computer to realize bothered me in the real world and in the moment and those were the toughest for me.

Test Post

First post - test post