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.