Your Exit Strategy

1) Identify the exit strategy you plan to make. Do you intend to sell your business in the next 5 years for a large return? Do you intend to stay with the business for several decades and retire? Do you intend to protect the venture as a family business, and pass it down to your children?

2) Why have you selected this particular exit strategy?

3) How do you think your exit strategy has influenced the other decisions you've made in your concept? For instance, has it influenced how you have identified an opportunity? Has it influenced your growth intentions or how you plan to acquire and use resources?

The exit strategy I plan on making is to sell the business off in the next five years. I want to somewhat specialize in getting businesses off the ground and then selling them to people so they can be successful with it. It requires a lot of hard work, but leads to a happy life. I selected this exit strategy because I believe it will allow me to get the business off the ground and then move on to other things after making a little bit of money. I think my exit strategy is influenced by the fact that I will be making connections, so while I am helping students get jobs, I can be looking for an opportunity for myself. My exit strategy also allows me to use this business as a stepping stone. It helps me find new opportunities and be the most successful I can be.        

Final Reflection

The most formative experience I have had this semester was when I was reaching out to different people to grow my social capital. It allowed me to create connections, two of which I still contact regularly. I do now see myself as an entrepreneur. I have developed the mindset where I am constantly looking for opportunities. Everything I notice that bothers my now I try and think up a useful solution that other people would want to use. I think I am now very close to becoming an entrepreneur and have been able to develop what it means to be an entrepreneur. I would recommend students to put their all into this class. The more you put into the class, the more you will get out of it. I would recommend checking the assignments well ahead of time and making sure you plan your schedule accordingly. Some of the assignments can be difficult. I would recommend using a planner to allot time for yourself and you will excel in this class.     

Celebrating Failure

In this past semester I have had a lot of wins, but many more losses. One failure I remember in particular was when I was working on my tower project in my Design 4 class. For this project, I wanted to make a 48 in. tower that was basically upside down. By this, I mean that the top was the widest part and the bottom was just one metal rod that pushed into the ground. I tried many different times playing with how the rod goes into the ground, how deep the rod has to go, and how I could support the tower without it falling over. Eventually, I was able to devise a "ground" that could support the tower so it would not fall over. However, it was not perfect. Just last week, the tower fell over and broke so I have to fix it a little, but that was only because it was accidentally knocked over. The tower itself was completely supported by its base. I learned a lot from this project. I learned that making an upside down tower is actually a possibility, and I learned how I can do it, if i ever want to do it again in the future. I think failure is amazing. You almost always fail before you succeed. I take failure as a learning experience. The more times that I fail, the more opportunities I will have to better myself in the future and not make the same mistake again. I believe that as long as someone is learning from their failures, it is not a failure. Instead, failure turns more into a lesson and benefits people more than succeeding would. I think I am more likely to take a risk more than I was a few months ago. This class has taught me that failure is good and can help an idea develop and eventually be successful.     

Reading Reflection No. 3

For this exercise I decided to read the autobiography Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Croc. The thing that surprised me the most about his story was that, at first, he was not making any money at all. He was actually in debt! The thing I least admired about Mr. Croc was the way he undermined the MCDonald's brothers and took over the franchise. The thing I most admired about Mr. Croc was his determination and his ability to seize an opportunity when he sees one. Mr. Croc did encounter failure when he was selling paper cups and milkshake machines. He was making barley any money and just getting by. What he did about this was seize an opportunity he discovered with McDonald's. I noticed that  Mr. Croc was very skilled in identifying opportunities and selling people on items. This is important because he had to sell this business idea to middle class people who were looking to make an investment. I did not completely understand why he was not making money while selling McDonald's, so I did some research and found out that he was not making any money at first because he did not own the rights to the McDonald's franchise and was growing it for the McDonald's brothers. I also discovered that the way he ended up making money was by buying the land the McDonald's would be built upon and collecting rent. If I could ask Mr. Croc two questions I would ask him "What are your goals for the future now that you are so successful?" and "What is your best tip for making sales?" These two questions would help me understand how to sell people my product and how to prepare for the future. I think Mr. Croc praised hard work heavily. He was always working, so much so that it tore his first marriage apart. I do share the opinion that hard work is valuable, but one must put their family above all else and if a hard work ethic is destroying ones family, then he/she must reconsider what is important to them.   

What's Next

Existing Market
1) Whats next for my venture is establishing connections. I will use my current connections to make even more connections. On top of this, I will make connections with potential customers and start gaining trust with them.
2)The first two people I interviewed I interviewed together. Their names are Parker and Danny. They became friends their freshman year and are currently living together. I explained to them my venture and asked them if they would use the service and both of them responded yes. Danny responded with less enthusiasm than Parker. I asked them what I should do next and Parker said to start a place where people can come for help if they need it. Also, he said to make sure to establish as many connections as possible, both with customers and businesses looking to hire. Danny agreed with all of that and he said to advertise on campus with flyers. It will help get the world out to seniors needing help. Parker said that the customers would want reliably. They want to start their careers and if I can actually help them with that they would recommend it to anyone. Danny said almost the same thing. He just added that customers would want personable people. 
The third person I interviewed is named Cole. Cole is graduating this semester. After explaining my business idea to him, I asked if he would use it and he said no only because he is in the same field as his dad and is getting a job with the same company as his dad. He said what I should do next is get the word out. Talk to people and explain what I'm doing and he is sure many people will use it. He said customers would want someone they can trust and rely on to help them start their career.
3) What makes the most sense for my venture in the future is network, start the business, and advertise. I will continue meeting people and using the connections I already have to network and gain more connections. This is simply done by going out of your comfort zone and asking others for help. On top of this, you want to help the other people so you can instill trust. The second part, which is beginning the business, I will do by letting people know I am always available. I will help them with whatever they need, at any time any day. This establishes trust with the customers and allows the business to begin. After starting the business, I will then advertise. This will draw attention to me and allow me to get more customers.

New Market
1) A radial market I can target is the elderly. The elderly still want jobs, and sometimes struggle to find them.
2) This will be able to create value because it will allow my company to expand connections. The older the person, more than likely, the more people they have met. So, helping these older people get jobs will help me gain connections.
3) The two people I interviewed were my grandparents on my dad's side. One is named Nancy and the other Evelio. They gave similar answers because they have been married so long and almost think the same way. They said it will allow me to meet lots of older people who are deep in their career fields. They think for me to be successful in getting the elderly jobs I would have to market towards jobs such as Publix. Most of the time the elderly want jobs to just entertain themselves in retirement and receive a little bit of extra spending money.
4) This new market is very interesting, I think it is a possibility, but not my focus as of right now. This market allows for a huge customer basis and what I found most surprising was that the elderly could even use this market. I did not really think of it until today, but everyone needs a job. I assumed I could at least help a few, but after having the interviews, I realized that lots of people would want to use it. This new market is not as attractive as the old, but it can be pursued in the future.           

Your Ventures Unfair Advantage

1) Willingness to help others- I love helping other people and my willingness to help others sets me apart. I can use this to help others get jobs and start their careers straight out of college.
2) Ability to talk to people - I love talking to people and making connections. My business is helping people get connections in their respective field.
3) Family members - My family has many people in it that own their own businesses and have lots of connections. This will allow me to network with my family and hopefully find someone that will help someone else get started with their career.
4) Friendliness - I am friendly person who instills trust in most people I talk to. Because of this, people will trust me to help them network and find jobs.     
5) Hard worker - I put all my effort into everything I do. I work hard for everyone to help them out. This helps me because my hard work and determination will help me help the customers.
6) Leadership - I am a natural leader and people follow me. I lead by example and people trust me and follow. This will help me because I will be able to lead people to start their careers and lead a team of advisors.
7) Communication - I am able to communicate my ideas and thoughts to people. This helps me because I will be able to better connect with my customers.
8) Punctual - I am always on time to everything, most of the time early. This allows me to earn my customer's respect by keeping my word.
9) Good listener - I always try and listen to everyone intently. I want to get to know everyone as well as possible. This helps me because I will better be able to know the customer so I can then, hopefully, find them a job with people like the customer. 4
10) Empathy - I am decently good at feeling people's emotions and putting myself in their shoes. This is why I want to help people as much as I do. Because of this, I will be able to put my self in the customers shoes so I can help them start their career. 

My strongest attribute is willingness to help others. This is more important than the others because the others almost come from this one. This is my strongest characteristic and anyone that meets me for the first time notices that i have a passion just to help others. 

Growing Your Social Capital

1) One person must be a domain expert in your industry. This would be someone who's engaged in the same type of business activity as you would like to be. They may own the same kind of company that you would like to own, or they may be a technical expert who knows a lot about the kind of product or service that you would like to produce.

3) One person must be an important supplier to your industry. This would be someone who is selling products and services to other organizations/firms in your industry. 

What constitutes 'contact'? Social capital exists in the "potential goodwill" that exists between two people. For you to establish "potential goodwill" for this exercise, you need to have obtained feedback from each of these people on your business idea so far. For instance, this could include meeting with them to show your elevator pitch or your idea napkin. 

One last catch: The three people you add to your social capital cannot have participated in any other exercise you have completed as part of this course. 

How to write up this post. Break up your post into three parts, one for each person. For each person, describe:

1) Who they are and what their background is.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

1) Patrick DeJong is an advisor at University of Florida. He works with students of all ages to guide them through the process of college and hopefully lead them to a successful career. He is the domain expert of my industry because he has worked with my target audience for years. I found this person in the advising office of UF. He was the advisor for the college of Design, Construction, and Planning. I contacted him by setting an appointment with him and seeing him face to face. I talked to Mr. Dejong just as an interview. I explained to him the assignment and he was more than happy to help! Interviewing Mr. Dejong helped me because he has been working with my customer for a long time and knows their wants and needs.        

2) Lenae Price is the Nonprofit Divisions Lead, Head Trainer, and Coach for Cork Communications. Cork Communications works with college seniors and graduates to teach soft skills like communication, storytelling, and building relationships to people who know the fine details of their field, but not the best way to express their ideas or get their point across. She is related to a close friend of mine, and after a handful of interactions I became interested in her work. I received her number through my friend and we scheduled a long phone interview. Mrs. Price explained to me the best ways to reach out to people in this target age group and how to identify the ones that will best benefit from my services. In exchange, Mrs. Price and I worked out a deal to basically combine lists, since we can benefit our customers in different ways that will further their careers. If I help college graduates get jobs, I will refer them to Mrs. Price to receive better soft skills to improve their ability to complete their new job. On the other hand, she will refer her customers to me if they are still in the job-finding process.

3) Mike Garland is the COO of FanFirst. FanFirst is launching a sports lifestyle social media app and is currently looking for representation on college campuses. Mr. Garland is targeting college students so he can get the word out about the new app. He is my important supplier because he already offers college students opportunities and gives them chances to network with other people in the sports industry. I found this person because he reached out to my fraternity because he was looking for help on college campuses. I emailed Mr. Garland after he first emailed my fraternity. I talked to him for a while about how he networks, and in return, I will be working on campus as a representative of FanFirst. This person enhances my ability to exploit an opportunity because he adds to the people I know and will be a great person to network with.  

Idea Napkin No. 2

I am an sophomore who attends University of Florida. I have a large family, and, with that, come lots of connections. Whenever I need to network, I always ask my family first, because a few of my uncles own businesses and have been networking to promote them. I am a good leader, have no trouble talking to people, a great presenter, and am creative enough to come up with out of the box ideas, but am logical enough to still explain them. I want to own my own architecture firm and build custom houses, adding my own touch to each one. I want people to experience and enjoy the houses I make. I see my business essentially absorbing my life. I love building models, coming up with designs, and drawing. I will constantly think about my current commissions and come with with tons of designs for them. 

I am offering a way for graduating seniors to find jobs in their field and start their career faster. I want the students to reach their career goals early, and surpass them. I will solve their needs by networking for them. My company will have a large network of "ins" and then be able to help these seniors get jobs in their career field. 

My customers are people looking for jobs. My customer is nervous and a little worried about how his/her life will play out. My customers are all people who are motivated, but just need a little more of a push to get them their dream job. 

Customers will pay for my product because it gives them connections. This helps anyone. The more people you know, the more opportunities you have.  This can be accomplished by any person, but, having one resource that allows for lots more connections is priceless. 

The thing that sets me apart from everyone is is that I am determined. I will work hard for them and exceed all of their wants and needs. I will really help them meet people in their field and just make the trasnition from college into the "real world" easier than the transition from high school to college.        

Reading Reflection No. 2

The general argument of the book is that people today utilize their free time better than in than in the past. This book enhanced what we are learning in this class because it emphasizes that in our free time we are constantly identifying markets, whether that be through ads we see or playing random games. The exercise I would devise based on the book is to assign students to try and not use internet in their free time. Then, I would have the students reflect back on what they did in their free time compared to what they do on a regular basis, but make sure it is very detailed. I would ask questions such as, "In your free time, what exactly did you do on the internet?," "Did you learn anything from doing those things on the internet?", and then ask would ask the same questions about what they did on the day they did not use the internet. My biggest surprise was the claim that we use free time more efficiently. This idea was interesting to me because you always here the phrase "back in my day" and I kind of just assumed that people wasted less time in the past mostly because the internet did not exist. After reading the book, I realized, although we are wasting time by searching on the web or looking at our phones, our brains are actively learning.    

What's Your Secret Sauce

One way that I think that I am unique is that I care for everyone. I know everyone says this, but I will go out of my way to help complete strangers with almost anything. This can be kind of scary, because some people are not as kind as I assume they are, but, to me, it is worth the risk. I want to make sure that not only my loved ones and I are safe, but that everyone is safe. Another unique thing about me is the way that I study and do work. I will spend countless hours procrastinating and not being productive, but, when I have work to do, I sit down and focus all of my attention on the work until I am finished. One time, I was up for 52 hours straight building a model form my design class and I probably would not have even noticed that it had been that long were it not for the other people working in my studio. When I do my work, I really focus and do my work. A third unique trait I have is that  am creative. When I say creative I mean in a way that is almost unimaginable. I think in a different way than most people. I will come up with ideas that seem so ludicrous that, at first glance, do not make sense. Luckily, because I work so hard, I think everything out as well. I will have almost an immediate answer for any question someone throws at me when i pitch my ideas. With that being said, sometimes my ideas are not always the best. Sometimes it just makes more sense to go with a more straightforward answer to the problem then the out there thinking that I procure in my mind. The forth characteristic about my self is that I am interested in everything. This has been a struggle with me going to a school with so many majors to offer. I want to know as much as I can and am on a constant quest for knowledge. I know lots of "useless" facts about things just because almost everything peaks my interest. I love every subject in school and love solving problems. The fifth, and final, unique characteristic about myself is that I am a people person. I think this is in park because I am so caring for others, but I do not shy away from conversation. I enjoy talking to people about anything and am always ready to jump into a conversation.I just want to get to know people as well as I can. I absolutely love hearing peoples stories, wether it be from a homeless person on the side of the road or a CEO of a fortune 500 company.
I did five interviews with five different people who know me pretty well. I wanted to do these interviews in person, so they are my college friends, and a few people I knew from high school.

The first person I interviewed was Parker. Parker is my current girlfriend. She said my quality she most admires is that I am caring. She can count on me if she ever needs help and she knows I am always there not only for her, but for anyone.

The second person I interviewed was Logan. Logan is one of my first friends in high school and one of my best friends now. Logan said that my best quality was that I am rational. He said that I do come up with crazy ideas, but I do it in a rational way and make it easy to follow my though process.

The third person I interviewed was Joe. Joe is another one of my high school friends and he said my best quality was leading people. He said I was never afraid to stand up in front of a crowd and speak my mind.

The fourth person I interviewed was Kevin. I met Kevin at a summer camp after my Junior year in high school and stayed in touch with him every since. He is know in my architecture studio class. He said my best quality is that I am not afraid of speaking my min, no matter how crazy it may sound at first.

The fifth person I interviewed was Sammy. Sammy is one of my current roommates. I met him last year, and then decided to move in with him. He said my best characteristic is that I am determined. I work for everything and know I can achieve anything I put my mind towards.

Reflecting on myself, I think that I see myself in a more critical light than others. I am very aware of everything I do and always try and learn from it. People see me in a better light than I think they see me. I think I see myself differently because I always see myself and I know exactly what I am thinking. I think my interviewees are correct about me. I think that I do have those qualities, I just would not say it myself because I sometimes fall short of what I think those qualities mean. I think I would leave the list the way it is. I would not change it because it was a true reflection of what I thought of myself and, yes, it will change overtime, but I always want to know what I think about myself.       

Creating a Customer Avatar

My customer is about 22 years old, a typical college senior. He is an average guy with concerns for his future. My customer studies often, loves his family and friends, enjoys letting loose and relaxing on occasion, and is a bit shy. He is not extremely confident, but tries to put himself out there. Sometimes he steps on his own feet and makes a mess of the situation that he is in, whether that be forgetting to study for an exam, or simply jumbling a story he is telling to friends. He is a pretty average guy, but is determined and hard-working. He is trying to better himself and the people around him as much as he can, but he needs to step up to the plate and capitalize on an opportunity for himself. My customer does not have children, however, he is in a serious relationship. He wants to be able to find a good job to support himself, and, the family he plans on having in the future. He loves reading about cars. His dream is to one day retire and work on cars as a hobby. His favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant because Bryant worked hard to become the legendary basketball player he is, and my customer wants to work hard to excel in the business field. He is genuine and smart. He is the one most of his friend rely on when they need help, and can quickly think his way out of most situations. He is a little confused on what to do with his future. He is graduating with a business degree and knows he has lots of potential jobs he can be doing, but is not completely sure what he wants to do with the degree. 

I do have a few things in common with my avatar. I am hard-working, love cars, and sometimes jumble situations. I do not think it is a coincidence. I am currently a sophomore in college and just thinking about what I am going to do with my life after college is a bit scary. I know the field I want to work in and I know that I want to own my own Architecture firm, but the process of getting to where I am financially stable to open my own firm and all of the steps that go with it is overwhelming right now. I feel the service of advising graduating seniors would be helpful to me, because I will soon be in that same situation.           

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

My segment is graduating seniors and what they plan to do after college.   I interviewed three people and asked them about multiple things.
The first person I interviewed was Jerry. Jerry is an architecture student graduating this spring.  I asked him what matters most when he is purchasing items and he said it depends on what he is looking for. For example, if he wants to buy a shirt to wear to a party, he buys something cheap that is not the best material because more than likely it will get messed up anyways. However, if he is buying something he plans to wear everyday, he will look at the material and how comfortable it is. In my segment, he said quality matters the most. He wants someone who can really guide him in life and make getting a job easier. More than likely, my segment will be bought online and then will set up an appoint to come meet the advisors. People will more than likely hear about it through some form of social media and sign up online to them come in later. Something that helps my customer determine if the purchase is a good idea is how many people actually get jobs when using the company. For example, if people that go to that place have a higher rate of getting jobs in their field then most, then they will use the service.
The second person I interviewed was named Anna. Anna is also a graduating senior and an architecture major. Anna says she looks at price the most when looking at products because she is a poor college student. She is trying to save every penny she has. She said my segment would be best sold in person because then the customer can get an idea of the people that will be helping them. She said for this purchase to be good for her, she would want to feel like she learned something from the advisor for a price $20 per meeting.
The third person I interviewed was Noah. Noah is a graduating senior with a finance major. He said he looks at style when thinking about things to buy. He really likes brand names and cares about what he looks like almost too much. He said that he would buy my product online and was hoping that there was some sort of online communication he could do if he had a quick question. He said that what matters most to him is that the advisor really helps him and guides him. If he feels like he was guided in the right direction, he does not really care what the price is.

In these interviews, I noticed that my service most people will pay for, even when they do not have a lot of money. Every person wanted advice and said that advice is always something that they are open to hearing.       

Halfway Reflection

This class is not very difficult, but, if you want to actually learn from the class, put all you can into each activity. Each activity helps you think like an entrepreneur and, eventually, you will do it without thinking. To keep up with this course, I simply check the assignments on Monday, do readings, if their any, watch the lectures, and submit the assignments. If you do this, you will have success in this class. Three weeks ago, I had a final in two of my classes and a paper due in another. During this time i felt like it was too much work and i would not be able to get it all done, but I was able to finish everything and do well. I feel like over the past two months, I have become more tenacious. I feel I now try and find and capitalize on  opportunities, which I did not do before. Recently, I have began designing t-shirts because one of my friends needed a designer. I now have sold over 250 shirts and have new designs being used every few weeks. Three tips I would offer next semester students is (1) make sure you complete the assignments. Theses assignments are most of your points in the class. If you do them you will do well. (2) Watch the lectures. There is a quiz every week on the lectures and they are free points if you watch. (3) Put your all into the assignments. The more you put into the assignment, the more you will get out of it.     

Reading Reflection No. 1

For this reading reflection I read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. I really enjoyed this book and the entrepreneurship story. The thing that surprised me the most was how difficult it was for Jobs to start his company. He began in his parent's garage with a few of his friends and was able to grow the company by reaching out to everyone he could. The thing I most admired about Jobs was how he stuck with his ideas so firmly. At one point, he was even fired from his own company because he would not change his ideas. The thing I least admired was his stubbornness. Although he always stick with his ideas and I do admire that the most, it also led to many issues that caused the company to have problems. He should have been more willing to listen to others ideas and hear if they were good or bad. He was a little too controlling. He ddi encounter diversity when his company did not like his idea so they decided to fire him. He left his company and still worked in the industry attempting to make a new company, but then was given an opportunity to come back to Apple and did. He had many competencies, with one of his best being his determination. He knew he had good ideas and a good product so he sold his ideas so he could be successful. One part that was confusing to me was when he was fired. I understand that he was fired because he was too controlling, but they overlooked his ideas and did not believe in him even though his ideas are the ones that made the company what it is. If i were able to ask Jobs two questions i would ask him how he came up with his idea, and how to really start a business. I know there is a lot more that goes into a business. than just an idea so the entire process of starting up is something I would want to know more about. I think that he values hard work more than anything. He wants people that will work hard and be able to make his ideas a reality. I do share the same opinion.         

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Segment: 
The segment I will be focusing on is college students who are graduating college and how they are planning to enter the world with their degree.

Interviews:
I interviewed two students who are graduating this spring semester and one who graduated in fall.

1. The first person I interviewed was named Trevor. Trevor is graduating at the end of the semester and has been at UF for four years. He is also heavily involved in campus. He is a member of the impact party and a brother of Delta Tau Delta. I began by asking him what his plans were once he graduated. He said he was unsure, but had a few internships at different accounting firms over the past few years and was going to apply to those places. As I was talking to him about his future plans, he was growing more and more anxious. He clearly did not have any set plans and was unsure of what would happen after college. I talked to Trevor about if their were people dedicated to advising him with the transition if that would help him, and he said that it would be very helpful. He is currently trying to make connections in his field, but is struggling and said that someone that would advise him would help a lot. I learned that some students do not really know what they are going to do with their major and need guidance. 

2. The second person I interviewed was Hunter. Hunter is also graduating this fall semester and is involved. He is president of his fraternity and has also had a few internships. He is an accounting major. I asked him about his future plans and he seemed a little more confident in what he would do in the future. He said one of the companies he has worked for before is hiring and he has been in contact with a recruiter there. He said that the job is all set up and has already applied and has been called back. He will be working in Sacramento, California. I asked Hunter if an advisor would help him in finding his career path. He said it would be helpful, but he would not necessarily need it. Because he made good connections during college, he was able to secure a job in his field. He did say that if it was offered he more than likely would have used him or her, because any advisement helps. I learned from this interview that some students are more motivated than others and have a drive to make sure his life is planned out well and is in his own hands.
  
3. The third person I talked to was named Brad. He graduated this past fall semester. Brad was involved in college, although not as heavily as Trevor or Hunter. I asked him about how his transition for college to his career has been and he said it was not very easy. When he graduated he did not have many plans, but was able to get a job through one of his father's friends. He said it has been tough because he is not in the field he wants to be in, but he is working to pay the bills. He said he is applying at other places, but has not heard any word back yet. I asked Brad if an advisor would have helped him find a job and he said yes it would. He has some connections in his field, but needs help utilizing the connections. He said even something as simple as resume help would help him a lot. I learned that the transition from college to your field can be very difficult and that oftentimes you have to work outside of your field at first to then make money and apply for jobs in your field.

Conclusion:     
This segment of people are in a transition period that they are unsure of what life holds for them. Any sort of guidance can help them out so they can have their life more under control and know what they are going to do in the future. College is just a stepping stone on a career path and figuring out how to start a career is extremely difficult.

Solving The Problem

A local opportunity that I identified earlier was that street racing was a major issue and actually claiming lives. This is an issue because people love to race and people that have the itch to race do not have a convenient and safe place to race. Obviously, it is not very easy to make a safe racetrack, especially with all the expenses that it can occur. The demand is apparent with all of the street racing that is occurring. To solve this issue, I would want to give people a safe and convenient place to race. The product I would be giving people would be not only a place to race, but a place to come and watch racing. Now, with the Tampa area being so populated, there are already a few race tracks around, but almost all are at least a thirty minute drive from the most densely populated areas. One of the most convenient areas of the area is the airport. It is nearly twenty minutes or less from almost anyone that lives in the area, and there is a decent amount of land in the area that could be used to make a racetrack. If a racetrack is put in, it would have the opportunity to draw families and crowds of people on nights when there is little to do. The only problem would be the cost of opening a racetrack and all of the insurance that would have to go along with possible injuries to the racers. In order to attract people, I would have to sell racing tickets to watch for cheap, or maybe even free to watch, and as low as a fee as possible for people to race. I think this would be a great opportunity for the area and cut down on street racing that is occurring in the Tampa area.           

Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Economic Opportunities:

1. K-Mart and Sears closing over 400 store

          I found this in a recent news article I read about major stores closing. With so many of these stores closing, people will be looking for places to purchase the types of items they sold, which allows for new people to get into the market. For example, Sears sold washers and dyers, and now, a washer and dyer store could open to fill the need of the people that were shopping at Sears beforehand. The prototypical customer is a family who needs a new washer and dryer. I think the opportunity could be easy to exploit because the customers of sears and K-mart need places that have the same products.     

I identified this opportunity because my Uncle, who now owns a printing company, capitalized on an opportunity such as this. A large printing company left the area and he noticed the need and filled it.  

2. Sustainability

          I found this opportunity when thinking about different items that I have recently started purchasing. Over the past few months I have been buying foods that are organic and shopping at healthier grocery stores such as Trader Joe's. Once I started thinking about that more, I started to think about how not only do I look for a healthier diet, I also look for a more "green" market. This includes buildings that save energy and places that pay respect to the environment. This opens up opportunities for businesses to become more "green" and receive a new customer basis that is growing everyday. The customers are the people that want more conservative ways of living. The opportunity is fairly easy to exploit because the customers want to shop locally, so if a new local business is opened, the customers will want to try it. 

I noticed this opportunity because I am an architecture major and have been thinking about ways to save energy and conserve the environment. I am currently working on a project that would be a sustainable space that would focus on its interaction with nature and how little of an economic footprint it could leave.         

Regulatory Changes

1. Taxes

         I found this while watching the news with all of the recent talk of tax changes. This change in taxes will  cause more tax to fall onto business owners. However, because the taxes are shifting, many opportunities will arise. One direct one that I see is the business owners who are being taxed more heavily will need help figuring out the new taxes. This creates a market where people who are good at understanding tax law can help. The customer will most likely be small businesses. I think it will be difficult to exploit because the law is very complicated and not easily understood.

I identified this opportunity because I know tax reform is difficult to understand, and this market already somewhat exits. People currently are getting help with their taxes, but a tax change will cause these businesses to have to adapt, or be overtaken by a new business.    

2. Regulations on Cryptocurrency

          I found this while talking to my Dad one night about cryptocurrencies and if he thought anything of it. There is an opportunity here because many of the current cryptocurrencies have little to no regulations and their prices fluctuate so heavily. If someone was able to make a cryptocurrency that had regulations on it and a steady value, then this would open up an entire new way of payment. The customer in this is people who are looking for a more efficient and safer way to pay for things. It is difficult to exploit because putting in new regulations is not an easy task, and stabilizing a currency is very difficult without a large, trusted backing. 

I identified this opportunity when talking to my dad about it. We are both tech-savy people who are looking at the newest trends. We noticed the rise in bitcoin, but also noticed how volatile it could be, and that a cryptocurrency that was regulated would be very efficient.   

Forming an Opportunity Belief

In my life I think there are opportunities all around me. I simply try and be myself and be friendly and I have noticed opportunities fall into my lap. For example, I one day went into the Apple Store to fix my phone and ended up talking to an employee for a while about the store and working in the store. He liked me so much he wanted to get his manager so I could have an interview. Unfortunately, I had to let the opportunity go because I live in Gainesville, FL and the Apple Store is in Tampa, FL. Although there are those types of opportunities, there are also opportunities inside my community for entrepreneurship. For example, many people are constantly looking for new and different places to eat. The unmet need is that people in my community want diversity in what they eat. This need came from the city of Tampa being a melting pot of people, each brining their own culture and food, so there is always something new to try. People currently are innovating in the food industry like never before and trying many things people never would have thought about.

The prototypical customer is a middle class citizen whoo wants to try something different than the everyday restaurants he usually goes to on his lunch breaks. The first person I interviewed was my father. He works a nine to five office job and frequently tries new places on his lunch break. He said that he is looking for a restaurant that has quality food, but is quick because he needs to get back to work. He also aid he is looking for something that is under $10, otherwise he would be better off bringing in his own lunch. He also said he eats lunch out about 4 days of the week, frequenting Panera and Chick-Fil-A often.

The second person I interviewed was my uncle. He owns his own printing company and does not usually work the normal hours, however eats lunch out almost everyday because he is taking clients to lunch. He prefers to spend around $15 on a meal. He also wants something that will take a little bit of time, has a nice environment, and is in a good location, as to impress his clients. He enjoys local restaurants because he is very proud of being a small business owner and wants to contribute back to his community.

The final person I interviewed was my girlfriend. She works part time at an on campus gym. She says for lunch she just usually grabs the closest thing, but does like some variety. She tries to spend no more than $7 on a meal and needs something quick. She hardly ever is looking to have a sit down meal, and only goes to a sit down restaurant on special occasions. She needs something quick because although she only works part time, she is also a student, so she needs to eat and then get back to her studies.

Upon reflecting on my original opportunity, I see that it is still there, but very hard to achieve because most of the time the people i interviewed are going to the chain restaurants such as Panera, Chipotle, or Chick-Fil-A. Unfortunately, the quick lunch market is somewhat cornered by these big names, however, for people such as my uncle, there is a large market. My uncle is looking for that trendy new place to impress his clients. He wants to take them somewhere no one else would so he can create his own personal experience with them. I think through this experiment, I have discovered that my new opportunity is more promising than my old. I also do think entrepreneurs so always adapt to the situations around them because they need to invent something different so they can stand out and have a unique quirk about them that keeps people coming back.           
  

Identifying Local Opportunities

Article 1: Brooksville Loses County Office

In Brooksville, there was not enough room for judges to hold trials so they needed a new space. For years, there had been a debate over using the government center for county commission. A new building is being constructed as the government house. This article shows a problem thag had been ongoing and is now fixed. For a long time the judges had the problem of ot having enough room to work, but now they have more than enough and are happy.

Article 2: Greek Orthodox Church Raising Money to Continue Construction

A Greek Orthodox Church has been attempting to raise funds for over ten years and now is trying to raise the last little bit of funds to be able to break ground. This is an issue in the community because people need this church as a place to call their own. An area where they can worship and reflect. Churches help communities and the faster the money is raised, the faster people will have a new church. The people of the parish are the ones with the problem because they have no place to worship.

Article 3: County Roads Still Dangerous

In the county, there are some dangerous roads, one of the most notable is US 19. This is a huge issue because people should be safe on the roads and not have to worry about getting severely injured in a car accident. The county averages just over 64 fatalities a year, which is high, even for the state of Florida. The people in danger are the everyday drivers of Pasco county. These people take an even higher risk than the rest of the state every time they get into a car. 

Article 4: Tampa Street Racing Claims Second Victim

There was an accident on December 5th, 2017 where two cars were street racing and crashed. Two people died in the accident and this is a problem because it is a danger to not only the people racing, but also the other cars on the road. The problem is street racing is dangerous and not only harms the drivers, but others that happen to be around. When people are speeding, especially when racing, control of the car can easily be lost and other cars can be hit.

Article 5: Shelters Fill Up on Cold Nights

Unfortunately, many people are losing their homes and jobs, meaning more people left on the street for this cold winter. Also, the homeless shelters in the area are reaching capacity and there just is not enough space for this people to stay warm and sheltered from the cold. This problem impacts the homeless population, which is tragic because they are already in a tough time and do not need the extra stress. On top of that, they do not have the basic human need of shelter. 

My Entrepreneurship Story

When I was in high school, I worked for a small pharmacy and my boss was the owner. He had just opened it up a few years before I started working there. I was hired as a delivery driver. My boss had decided he wanted to set himself apart from the competition by giving free prescription deliveries. He noticed one day that most of his clients were older people who struggled to get to and from the pharmacy. For example, they would have to send their family members to get the medicine for them because they could not drive or were bedridden. This idea my boss came up with really put him apart, and, because of this, he started to have more and more customers. Now, he has grown to have a rather large customer basis and is flourishing in the success of his business. He fixed a problem with a simple solution that put the customer first and it allowed him to do well for himself.   

I enrolled in this class because I want to be an architect, and, with that, eventually open up my own architecture firm. From this class, I was hoping to learn the basics of entrepreneurship so I could be successful when opening my firm.

Bugging Out

1) At night, the internet slows down to the point where it is almost impossible to use.
The bug exists because when people have free time they tend to use the internet. Also, people are attempting to turn in assignments and catch up on things they may have missed in class. 

2) On days where major architecture projects are due, it is almost impossible to use the printers.
It happens because people all want to be ready for the presentation and forget that printers and printer supplies is limited, because, throughout the year, it seems limitless.

3) At Broward Chick-fil-a during lunch, the line can sometimes wrap around the whole building.
There are limited food places in the area and Chick-fil-a is already popular, especially for lunch. 

4) At my apartment complex, the lawn service will mow the lawn in the mornings and wake people up with the noise.
Because it is such a large area to take care of, the lawn service probably has it as one of their first stops. Also, the walls in the apartment are thin and anything can be easily heard through them.

5) The Wal-Mart line at around 6 pm is very long.
People get out of work and school and go to Wal-Mart to get what they need for dinner and the next day. 

6) My favorite shirt, after a while, becomes too small to wear and dirty.
It has been washed so many times that it has shrunk. Also, I wear it so much and sometimes spill on it, staining it, so it does not look as nice.

7) My phone does not work after long periods of time of me using it.
This happens because my phone gets hot after a while and needs a break.

8) It takes a while for the heat to turn on in my car in the morning.
My car has been sitting out in the cold all night and needs time to warm up.

9) Traffic lights late at night turning red when there is no other traffic on the road.
This happens because maybe someone needs to cross the road, or there was a car that turned right and the light needed to change.

10) At the start of a semester, the bookstore line is very long.
Teachers sometimes do not use the required text so students wait until they know they have to have the book to buy it. Also, students do not want to spend $300 on a book they will not use.

11) When I go to do my laundry after i get home from school, there are no empty washers.
Lots of people have the same idea as me and are just trying to get their lives in order when they are most motivated.

12) My earbuds are tangled almost every time i take them out of my pocket or backpack.
Earbuds tangle easily, especially when they are in small, scrunched up spaces. 

13) Imperfections in the road will make my car bounce around.
People use the road often and wear it down.

14) Going to a school bathroom on a Sunday and there is no toilet paper. 
The maintenance crew does not work on weekends, and the bathrooms are used often. Also, extra rolls of toilet paper are not left out.

15) When it is really cold outside and very warm inside, you sweat every time you walk inside from outside.
People have on layers of clothes to protect themselves from the outside cold, but want to be warm inside so will have lots of clothing on when they come inside.

16) When registering for big basketball games, if you do not do it instantly, you will not get a ticket.
Many students want to attend the games, and their are a limited number of tickets.

17) The bus is more often than not late to every stop.
It can take people a while to get on and off a stop, and sometimes will stop more than predicted.

18) Driving in 6 pm traffic and not being able to go on Archer road.
Archer is a main road and many people use it to get home. It also is one of the few roads that goes under the interstate.

19) When people drive in the left lane going the speed limit especially when i am taking long trips.
People are trying to get to places and will use the left lane to do it, but do not realize it is only a passing lane.

20) Late at night, when doing my architecture projects, I will sometimes run out of materials and need to get more, but all of the stores are closed.
Stores have regular business hours to allow their employees to have regular schedules. Unfortunately, architecture projects can take a long time to do and materials can be sparse, especially late at night.

This list was hard to come up with just because i do not usually think much of the minor inconveniences of life. I tend to overlook them and not worry a ton about it, because I thought there was nothing I can do to change it, but, after making this list and thinking why these things happen, I realize i may be able to change some of them.   

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