Final Reflection

2) I think that the most formative experience are the elevator pitches. The experience I will remember years later is the venture concept assignment. The most joyous experience was the reading reflection when I read Steve Jobs' book. I'm most proud of accomplishing the venture concept no. 2 assignment.

3) I have definitely become more of an entrepreneur. I also see myself as more of an entrepreneur having learned a lot of the aspects of that come with being an entrepreneur in the class. I have definitely moved closer to developing an entrepreneurial mindset.

4) The recommendation that I would make is to understand that you will miss assignments. The key is to do the most assignments that you can, and do them well. Along with that, participate! Do all the extra credit possible. To foster this mindset you just need to have a lot of time management skills. These time management skills really do develop throughout the semester.

Venture Concept No. 2

The cable cutting group is a smart group, interested in saving money, and acquiring the best deal they can get for their money. This smart group of individuals present an opportunity, for which no one is currently filling the need of. Streaming services are fulfilling half of cable cutter's needs. Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are able to offer movies and shows at a monthly rate. These individuals have eliminated the basic cable packages that exist today, and successfully switched to streaming services. This is because the basic cable packages that exist within the current cable company system lock their customers to channels they don't want to watch. Customers are forced to buy  a certain amount of channels they don't want to watch. The market is defined equally throughout the United States, as cable companies are running a monopoly with the current system. These cable cutters are extremely loyal to their streaming services, as they are interested in attaining the best possible product they can get. This opportunity is on a world level, as it could potentially be the future of cable as a whole. The window of opportunity will most likely be open for the next few years as no news of major implementation has been announced. Although, action must be taken immediately if actively pursuing this opportunity, because it could be implemented rather quickly. Once implemented the target audience is very loyal and if a good company takes part, they could take a large amount of the available market share.

This target audience needs a cable system that allows autonomous action. In order to satisfy the target audience, the cable service itself must be changed. The innovation consists of creating a new form of cable that still runs on the same grid that is being used today. Meaning that all of the channels that are available right now, will stay, yet the system that is used to sell cable to customers will be changed. The system for this innovation allows the customers to choose what they want to watch. In general, the cable cutting movement has sparked cable customers throughout the United States to change to other alternatives. This is because the current cable system is outdated, not only by running a monopoly, but by locking its customers into packages that they don't want to have. For example, if I go to a cable company and want to have ESPN, I will be forced into a basic cable package. This basic cable package will have somewhere around 70 channels, yet I only want to watch one of those channels. The idea of having to pay for a basic cable package is just outdated. The innovation consists of letting the customer choose what they want to watch. Each month the customer can choose to change what they want to watch, by adding, dropping, or keeping channels. The customer would only pay for the channels that they choose for the month. So, if the customer only wants ESPN for the month, they can choose to just have that channel and pay $8 dollars. Customers can choose as many channels as they want, the goal is to give as much autonomy to the customers as possible.
There are a few additions to this basic concept that produce more revenue and publicity for the product. The first addition to this concept being the ability for customers to pay for live events. If a customer doesn't have a channel on which a live event that they want to watch is being played, they can stream that live event for a cost; without having to buy the channel as a whole. For example, if I want to watch the World Series on CBS, and I don't have that channel, I can choose to stream the whole series for a fee. The fees for streaming depend on each channel and the amount of streaming time. Along with live event streaming, pay-per-view services will be added. PPV events such as boxing, UFC, WWE, etc. can be streamed as other cable companies normally would. The second addition is the possibility of partnerships with streaming services. As this model of cable company resembles streaming services models such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, it creates the potential for partnerships. A partnership with a streaming service could mean a few things for the company: more customers and publicity, possible applications for streaming and cable at the same time, and the possibility for content creation such as movies or tv shows.
The reasons customers would switch to this cable company would be for the freedom they have when choosing how they watch television, the cost benefits, and the potential partnerships that may exist with their current streaming services. The competitors for this venture concept are all of the cable companies not only in the United States but the world, as this could be adopted as the new model for cable in the future. The vulnerabilities to this venture concept are the barriers to entry into the market. Cable companies have a current monopoly over different regions in the United States, meaning that there must be a lot of capital available in order to start this venture. The role of price points and customer experience are certainly the most important, as they display what the company values are for this concept. Being a concept that gives freedom to its customers is at the core of the company.
This company will have its model that will make it hard for competitors to copy the success of it. It'll be too late before cable companies realize that this is the model of the future. The next opportunity for the venture is breaking into the market and tackling the initial barrier that exists. Finally, as an entrepreneur with this venture I would want to have a solid partnership with a streaming service, such as Netflix, not only creating content but making the world adopt this new cable service model. 

Feedback:

- The first comment was mostly positive feedback regarding the venture concept, so there are no changes I could make from that.

- The second comment helped me put my venture concept in a different perspective. The comment started by giving me positive feedback. It continued by explaining that Netflix doesn't really fit into my business model. I disagree with this point. Netflix has taken a lot of business from cable companies. The company cares a lot about its customers, and they try to offer them fair content for what they are paying. This fits into my business model. Why? Because my company is trying to offer consumers that are currently paying more for what they're getting, what they're supposed to be getting. Netflix and other streaming services also open up the potential for content sharing across platforms. Along with content sharing across platforms it adds the possibility for future collaboration on content creation. Netflix is currently creating its own content, which could be aided by more funding and more viewership. Thus, my company comes in and offers a different viewership than the already customers of Netflix. 

- I didn't really change my concept, but thanks to the feedback I thought about how Netflix fits into my business model. This made me think more about my concept and the business model that comes along with it.

My Exit Strategy

1) The exit strategy that I would plan to make would be staying with the business for the next several decades and retiring. This could also lead to me passing on the business to family or selling it at the end of my decades long run.
2) I have chosen this particular exit strategy because this product is one that needs to be steered the right way, with the right intentions behind it. Rather than the intentions of juicing every single bit of the customer's wallet and taking advantage of the market. I want this venture to have a good connotation behind it. A connotation that shows the goodness behind what a service truly should be. Another reason for taking this exit strategy is the fact that if I were to let this company get bought out, the system would immediately revert back to what it is today. The system today takes advantage of the fact that it can be different monopolies. It also takes advantage of the customers by not giving them other choices and forcing them into packages. This is exactly what I am trying to change with my company, it needs to be steered in the right direction, and if I were to let it be bought out it would instantly revert back the current corrupt system.
3) This exit strategy certainly influenced how I looked at different aspects of the opportunity. In fact, the opportunity itself was identified by thinking about markets that need to be changed. I thought about the cable company market right now and how it needs to be changed in order to give rights back to the consumer. I think that a service is a lot about giving autonomy to the consumer and letting them come back because of what good service you have given them in the past. Rather than creating a monopoly that forces people. So I think that this exit strategy definitely influenced how I chose this opportunity. I would say that it influenced my intentions in a good way. My intentions are reverting a system back to what is right, rather than taking advantage of individuals. I think that these intentions are reflected by my exit strategy.

Making It Real

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zMN8dJ73vOgqHbOHKrudDxXiN63cwe8BNwSc6QfaybQ/edit

Celebrating Failure

1) My midterm exam that I had for another class this semester is one that is constantly on my mind. I wouldn't exactly say that I failed it, I just really didn't do well on it. Not only did I not do well on it, I expected to do much better on it. I studied for a few days for this exam, and I felt pretty confident about it beforehand. Once I got to the exam, I was very confident on half of the exam, and the other half I wasn't so confident on. Part of this is my fault, and I have accepted this as my fault, yet it still bothers me. The other fault that I see in it is the fact that the professor didn't tell us that we didn't have to study for that part. He told us that the part in which I was confident in was going to be most of what was on the exam. He even told us not to study on some of the parts that were questioned on the exam. Regardless, he's not to blame, rather I just failed to study for part of it.
2) I learned that when studying I can even contact the professor and ask what I should expect to see on it. Looking for direction before an assignment or an exam is totally acceptable on the part of a student. I from now on will definitely be looking for direction to prior an exam or an assignment I am unsure of, with the professor. Plus, it never hurts to ask the professor for thoughts and expectations.
3) I think many ways about failure. Failure is very hard to accept. Failure is also one of those things that can be great for a person if they take everything they can from it. Failure can teach people to change something for the better. It can also make people learn from their mistakes. I think that learning from failure is one of the best aspects of it. I handle failure in different ways, it just the depends the caliber of failure. Sometimes failure just means that more work is needed. On the other hand, it can mean that you didn't do well on an exam and your final grade will suffer a lot from it. I always try to handle failure from the perspective that you can learn something from it. Each loss (failure) to me is just experience, and there should always be something that can be taken out of that loss that enhances you as an individual. I am definitely more likely to take a risk now than I was four months ago. Just because of the way that this class teaches us about how to deal with failure. The perspective of many people, including mine can be changed if people accept failure and learn to deal with it. If there is anything that this class has given me, it is the fact that I can accept failure and learn from it each time.

Venture Concept No. 1

The cable cutting group is a smart group, interested in saving money, and acquiring the best deal they can get for their money. This smart group of individuals present an opportunity, for which no one is currently filling the need of. Streaming services are fulfilling half of cable cutter's needs. Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are able to offer movies and shows at a monthly rate. These individuals have eliminated the basic cable packages that exist today, and successfully switched to streaming services. This is because the basic cable packages that exist within the current cable company system lock their customers to channels they don't want to watch. Customers are forced to buy  a certain amount of channels they don't want to watch. The market is defined equally throughout the United States, as cable companies are running a monopoly with the current system. These cable cutters are extremely loyal to their streaming services, as they are interested in attaining the best possible product they can get. This opportunity is on a world level, as it could potentially be the future of cable as a whole. The window of opportunity will most likely be open for the next few years as no news of major implementation has been announced. Although, action must be taken immediately if actively pursuing this opportunity, because it could be implemented rather quickly. Once implemented the target audience is very loyal and if a good company takes part, they could take a large amount of the available market share.

This target audience needs a cable system that allows autonomous action. In order to satisfy the target audience, the cable service itself must be changed. The innovation consists of creating a new form of cable that still runs on the same grid that is being used today. Meaning that all of the channels that are available right now, will stay, yet the system that is used to sell cable to customers will be changed. The system for this innovation allows the customers to choose what they want to watch. In general, the cable cutting movement has sparked cable customers throughout the United States to change to other alternatives. This is because the current cable system is outdated, not only by running a monopoly, but by locking its customers into packages that they don't want to have. For example, if I go to a cable company and want to have ESPN, I will be forced into a basic cable package. This basic cable package will have somewhere around 70 channels, yet I only want to watch one of those channels. The idea of having to pay for a basic cable package is just outdated. The innovation consists of letting the customer choose what they want to watch. Each month the customer can choose to change what they want to watch, by adding, dropping, or keeping channels. The customer would only pay for the channels that they choose for the month. So, if the customer only wants ESPN for the month, they can choose to just have that channel and pay $8 dollars. Customers can choose as many channels as they want, the goal is to give as much autonomy to the customers as possible.
There are a few additions to this basic concept that produce more revenue and publicity for the product. The first addition to this concept being the ability for customers to pay for live events. If a customer doesn't have a channel on which a live event that they want to watch is being played, they can stream that live event for a cost; without having to buy the channel as a whole. For example, if I want to watch the World Series on CBS, and I don't have that channel, I can choose to stream the whole series for a fee. The fees for streaming depend on each channel and the amount of streaming time. Along with live event streaming, pay-per-view services will be added. PPV events such as boxing, UFC, WWE, etc. can be streamed as other cable companies normally would. The second addition is the possibility of partnerships with streaming services. As this model of cable company resembles streaming services models such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, it creates the potential for partnerships. A partnership with a streaming service could mean a few things for the company: more customers and publicity, possible applications for streaming and cable at the same time, and the possibility for content creation such as movies or tv shows.
The reasons customers would switch to this cable company would be for the freedom they have when choosing how they watch television, the cost benefits, and the potential partnerships that may exist with their current streaming services. The competitors for this venture concept are all of the cable companies not only in the United States but the world, as this could be adopted as the new model for cable in the future. The vulnerabilities to this venture concept are the barriers to entry into the market. Cable companies have a current monopoly over different regions in the United States, meaning that there must be a lot of capital available in order to start this venture. The role of price points and customer experience are certainly the most important, as they display what the company values are for this concept. Being a concept that gives freedom to its customers is at the core of the company.
This company will have its model that will make it hard for competitors to copy the success of it. It'll be too late before cable companies realize that this is the model of the future. The next opportunity for the venture is breaking into the market and tackling the initial barrier that exists. Finally, as an entrepreneur with this venture I would want to have a solid partnership with a streaming service, such as Netflix, not only creating content but making the world adopt this new cable service model. 

Elevator Pitch No. 3

1) Here is my third pitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtHH-F-sSdk&feature=youtu.be

2) What stood out as important was a comment about trying to create a viable competitive model. I set out to look for changes or additions that I could make to create more revenue or a more appealing product. The addition that I made was adding the ability to stream live events.

3) I didn't change this based on feedback, but more based on what I have been thinking about my venture lately. I wanted to figure out more ways that my venture could make more revenue. I came up with the idea of adding live events. If individuals don't have a channel that they want to watch one night for a live event, they can stream that live event on that channel for a fee. This allows customers to choose an event they want to watch one night, rather than being locked into a channel for the rest of the month.

My Unfair Advantage

The opportunity that I have identified consists of creating a cable company like no other. I believe that I have a few resources that could make my venture special, here they are:

1) Management Skills:

Valuable: yes.
Rare: somewhat.
Inimitable: not after the correct work experience.
Non-Substitutable: first hand experience is best for management skills.

2) Knowledge of the current cable system:

Valuable: yes.
Rare: decently rare.
Inimitable: imitable if researched as long as I have for this opportunity.
Non-Substitutable: no substitutes.

3) Understanding how millennials work:

Valuable: yes.
Rare: somewhat rare.
Inimitable: no.
Non-Substitutable: no substitutes.

4) Entrepreneurial knowledge from this class:

Valuable: yes.
Rare: only if going to UF
Inimitable: taking this type of class at another school.
Non-Substitutable: long time, real world knowledge.

5) Knowledge to establish a good business plan and model:

Valuable: yes.
Rare: yes.
Inimitable: somewhat, but must be well researched and thought out.
Non-Substitutable: hiring someone to take charge of this aspect of a business.

6) Being punctual:

Valuable: yes.
Rare: punctuality seems to be becoming rarer, so I would say yes.
Inimitable: can be imitated, but must be done correctly.
Non-Substitutable: no substitutes.

7) Bilingual in English and Spanish:

Valuable: very.
Rare: somewhat rare.
Inimitable: can be imitated.
Non-Substitutable: other languages can be substitutes.

8) Leadership skills:

Valuable: yes.
Rare: somewhat - can work differently for each field.
Inimitable: can be imitated, but would only work to a certain extent.
Non-Substitutable: no substitutes.

9) Multiple connections within the cable industry:

Valuable: very.
Rare: somewhat rare.
Inimitable: can have other connections within the industry.
Non-Substitutable: having stronger connections within the industry, or other powerful connections.

10) Work ethic:

Valuable: very.
Rare: depending which population is being analyzed, can be rare.
Inimitable: not really imitable, must be willing to work in order to have this.
Non-Substitutable: no substitutes.

I would say that my top resource is the multiple connections within the cable industry. The exercise from last week enhanced this and took it to a new level. I think this is more important to my venture, more than the other resources I listed because it allows me to pool knowledge from different sources. It also gives me the opportunity to have these individuals work together with me in my venture. This is important for my venture because of the multiple opportunities that it creates.

Amazon Whisperer

Revenue Drivers:

• Cable service
• Partnerships with streaming services
• Advertising revenue

I believe the next thing that my customers want is the ability to stream a live event. For example, if a customer wants to watch the World Series, which is on ABC, and they don't have ABC. They can choose to stream the World Series for that night. 

This enhances multiple aspects in the business because not only does it improve user experience, it increases the likelihood of a customer switching from a cable company to my cable company, and it fosters customer loyalty. It fosters customer loyalty because my service allows the customer to do more than they had already done with their previous cable service.

There is nothing on Amazon that is remotely close to my idea. Other than the fact that they have a streaming service associated with Amazon Prime, you can't sell what I'm trying to offer on Amazon, at least not yet. 

Growing My Social Capital

1)

• AT&T high ranking employee. 
• Fills in the domain expert slot. He fills in this slot by being involved in the same kind of company I would like to own, just with a different model. He knows a lot about the kind of product/service that I would like to offer. 
• This is my father's friend, I asked my father if he knew anyone in the industry within cable or streaming services. I was able to contact him through the phone. 
• The nature of the exchange was very quick as he was currently at work on his break. Through the phone I was able to ask him about what he thought about my idea. He thought it was a great idea but like I have mentioned before, he thought it would have some initial barriers to break into the business. Mainly because of the big businesses blocking out the smaller ones. 
• Including this person in my in my network will enhance my ability to exploit the opportunity because he could serve as a mentor. He could even transition into my company as an executive. 

2)

• Previous Netflix employee. 
• Fills in the expert in market slot. He fills this slot by having been involved in the streaming industry. He knows how to target the market that I am looking at. He definitely knows about conducting customer research in my area as well. 
• I found this person because my brother is friends with him. My brother works in the tech industry so he knows many people within this part of technology. I was able to contact him through the phone.
• The nature of the exchange that I had with him was very informative about what a streaming service like Netflix operates under. He told me about how a partnership would have to work and that he previously didn't know of anything that they do like what I'm proposing. He was also able to tell me that to get the attention of any executive at Netflix, I would have to bring in numbers and be desired by their specific target audience. 
• Including him in my network will enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity because first, he knows the market. Secondly, he told me that I can contact him again regarding this opportunity if I had any questions. Lastly, he will be able to let me know how the company that I want to partner with works, before I would even try to have talks with them.

3)

• Current cable company employee. 
• Fills in the supplier in my industry role. He fills this slot by currently working as the supplier of cable for people. He is involved in selling product and installing services in my industry. He works asa regional employee for a cable company. 
• I found this person because he is a family friend. I contacted him through the phone.
• The nature of the exchange that I had with him was short because it was during work hours, and I assume that he had more to get done than being interviewed by me. He definitely told me about how cable companies work and how they run on the grid. He explained to me how the suppliers of cable are able to keep the cable company system. This helps me understand how I would have to set up my cable company. 
• Including this person in my network will enhance my ability to exploit my opportunity because I could first, bring him on the company if I need help with establishing my system. Secondly, he can teach me about the grid that I didn't know much about beforehand. 

This experience shaped how I will participate in any future networking events by understanding how to talk to people about something you're venturing into. Even though I may not venture into my opportunity, it will help me understand how to talk to people about something that I may genuinely be interested in starting. It would help establish connections to bring people on board with your idea, or networking with them for ideas. It definitely differed from networking experiences in the past. My past networking experiences have all been business related or internship related. This was more of an inquiring and learning experience. It was cool to see how people in a field can teach you about it. 

Idea Napkin No.2

1) I am a Sport Management major heading into my final semester this fall. My talents and knowledge are centered around sports, management, building operations, and customer service. I have experience in various fields such as: building operations, baseball operations, and management. 

2) I'm offering a cable service that runs as an independent company on the current cable grid. I believe that this model will be the model for cable companies in the future. The unmet need here is the fact cable companies force people into both contracts and minimum packages. My idea to fix the unmet need is similar to a streaming service. The company model will be set on letting the customers choose what they want to watch on a monthly basis, just like a subscription. The company can also have partnerships with streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. These partnerships would include the service and access to the application through the cable company, offering versatility. 

3) The demographic that I am offering this product to are cable cutters. These cable cutters tend to be younger adults that are attempting to save money by not having to pay for cable. Thus, they "cut cable" and switch to streaming services. This demographic isn't limited to young adults, but it is certainly made up of mainly young adults. All of the customers have in common the fact that they want to save money, and watch good television. The cable service allows for this by allowing them to switch monthly from having all the channels they want to having none for a month.

4) Customers care about this because they don't want to buy into the system and monopoly that currently exists with cable companies. People will actually pay money for this because they would be saving money instead of paying for a package from other cable companies. They will also pay for it because they know they will use it. If a customer decides to get ESPN for the month, it is because they want to have ESPN, and are going to be watching it. When they pay for a basic cable package to watch ESPN, they also get 60 other channels with it that they probably won't be watching, yet they have to pay for it. And lastly, customers won't feel locked in with this sort of service, they will feel the same way about cable as they do with streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. 

5) What sets this cable company model apart is the fact that it is willing to accept a loss of money in exchange to gain market share for the later years when this model eventually gets adopted. While other companies will be forcing individuals to buy into their basic cable packages, and this cable company will be gaining market share for the future with those customers leaving the current system. The cable company could choose to make more by abiding to the current system that exists in cable, but it is about doing the right thing, and putting the customer first. This company will already have experience and partnerships with streaming services down the road, when other cable companies are forced to get their feet in the water with my proposed system. The company is about setting up a great long term goal of having more market share by providing a fair service. 

These elements I've proposed fit together. The tough part about these elements fitting together is establishing the company. To gain market share in the current cable system, some serious capital would be needed. The monopolies that currently exist within the cable company system would try to create roadblocks for this sort of system to break through in the business. But, once those roadblocks are broken, it is just a matter of setting the correct marketing strategy and tactics to gain the correct market share. Eventually, when some market share is gained, partnerships with streaming services would begin. These partnerships would create word of mouth for the correct target audience with services such as Netflix or Hulu. Overall, the synergy is there for these elements, and the company must know the roadblocks will be there before breaking through into the market. 

Reading Reflection No.2

For my second reading reflection I read "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big" by Scott Adams. This book was awesome and it is basically a mix of a lot of things that a successful person may learn over their lifetime.

1) One of the major themes of this book is highlighted by Scott's independent thinking. This book is about challenging conventional wisdom in the world. This book stresses the fact that success doesn't come overnight. According to Scott, success is the product of continued experimentation and staying on that trail of experimentation.

2) The book enhanced so many characteristics of my entrepreneurial mindset. There were so many concepts that connected to multiple subjects the course covers. One of the concepts of accepting failure really connected with me because it's something I've learned in the course. Entrepreneurs will go through failure, but it's how they learn from those failures that makes them successful. The book and the course cover this very well, so it enhanced the way to accept this concept.

3) I think the exercise that I would design would be called "goals vs systems." This book stresses the fact that people with goals aren't happy until they achieve those goals. While individuals with systems are always happy as long as they are following the system. For example, an individual trying to lose 15 pounds, will only be happy once they lose the 15 pounds. While an individual with a system of just losing weight, will be happy as long as he is following the system. The results will come with systems, and happiness will stay at a constant. The exercise for the class would be to change one goal in their entrepreneurial mindset to be a system.

4) Honestly the thing that most surprised me when reading the book was how his mindset differed from mine with some things. I really liked when he talked about goals vs systems. I was also surprised at his logical approach to business and life. It changed the way I think about working. The concept of knowing when to quit was very powerful.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

1) Here is my second pitch:
https://youtu.be/MnVjpoM81Nc

2) The feedback that most stood out to me really was establishing the company as an independent company, rather than an already established cable company switching to the new model. I liked the feedback that was given about the advertisement that could exist within the new model for this cable company. I also liked the feedback about the partnerships that could exist within the company with something like Netflix or Hulu.

3) I changed the company model based on the feedback. Now the company will be an independent company that is being established on the cable company grid system, rather than an already established cable company that is switching to my model.

Thanks for the feedback.

My Customer's Avatar

My ideal customer for my idea of a cable company would be a young adult considered in the "cable cutter" population. These young adults don't like spending money on items that seem like a scam. The cable system set in place at the moment seems like a scam to many young adults, as they don't want to pay for something if they aren't going to use it. These young adults enjoy streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Most of these young adults also browse the internet a lot using sites like Amazon and Reddit. These young adults are most likely on the liberal sides of the political spectrum. Thus, they would focus on eco-friendly cars most likely. They don't like giving money to businesses that take advantage of their customers.

I have multiple things in common with my ideal customer. I don't like spending money on unnecessary things, I definitely view cable as one of those services that takes advantage of people. I also use sites like Netflix, Reddit, and Amazon.  I don't think this is a coincidence, because I think that I would be a customer of this service if it existed.

I think this is probably a funny customer avatar for my ideal customer:

Paranalysis

1) Portmanteau - Paranalysis

2) A state in which one is paralyzed from continuing or beginning any form of analysis.

4) I used this while doing homework with a friend. They actually told me that it was interesting how I came up with that. I just saw a news article that was talking about paralysis and then a few articles below it, the word analysis came up.  I combined both of them together. It's meant to be more of something to describe a past situation I suppose. It's not one of those words that can be used that often in a conversation like "chillax." I said the word with both my family and friends, it didn't catch on. I feel like it didn't catch on because it's so specific, meaning you can't use it that often. In situations that someone would be able to use it often, I feel like it would definitely catch on.

Halfway Reflection

1) Tenacity is definitely something that is needed for a course like this. The course is assignment heavy and requires a specific amount of time each week. One cannot get through the course without allotting a certain amount of time to it. Each assignment is different and requires you to learn a different aspect of entrepreneurship. The behaviors that need to be developed in order to be successful in this class are those of organization and time management. Individuals need to be organized in order to get their blogs done and watch the lectures. Each week there is a number of new assignments, time management is required in order to complete them effectively. Throughout the week, courses need to be watched, and then assignments will follow up on those courses. Overall, to keep up with this course, it's all about time management and staying organized with the assignments.
2) At one point I felt like giving up at finding a person to interview for one of the assignments. I pulled through with it because I knew that if I got one done, I would be able to continue with the assignment. I definitely feel like I've developed somewhat of a tenacious attitude in the past two months because of the class. The experiences that most contributed to this are definitely the ones that have made me utilize time management. I have had to develop a schedule to balance all my classes and be tenacious enough to keep going with it, in order to finish all my assignments for a week.
3) Three tips:

(1) Develop a schedule for when you will be doing your assignments for each class. This class requires a certain amount of time each week, that absolutely cannot be blown through by just carelessly answering questions.
(2) Read the assignments early on in the week when they come out, so that you know what you will have to do by the end of the week. Give yourself the necessary amount of time to complete each assignment. Some assignments might take an hour, others may take two or three. Know how long each assignment should take, and give yourself the proper time to complete them.
(3) Do the extra credit. Understand that it is ok to miss an assignment or two. Some of the assignments will require too much time to complete them, during a week that you just cannot afford to do them. I have ran into this problem a few times, the only way to capitalize on this is doing the extra credit.

Reading Reflection No.1

For my reading assignment, I read Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in Steve Jobs, Apple, leadership, entrepreneurship, or even business in general. The book was excellent, and I have nothing but good things to say about it.  

• What surprised you the most?
• I think throughout the book I was surprised at the quirkiness of Steve Jobs. Previously I had read about the fact that he was a weird person in the way that he wanted to achieve success. But I really never knew how much of a weird individual he was in the way he handled things. The way that he motivated his employees and would obsess over ideas was astounding. Along with this comes his dedication to perfection. Jobs was dedicated to doing everything he could perfectly, and would not stop until it got to that level. Which in his head, perfection was likely never possible.
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
• He was never satisfied with his success. Despite selling a number of like 6 million units with the Apple II, he wasn't satisfied with the product he had created. Then when the Apple III and Lisa computers came out, he wasn't satisfied with those either. I think the ability to not be satisfied with a little taste of success says a lot about a person. I think it says how much that person wants to take their product/innovations/ideas to the next level. I also admired the way that he motivated his employees, he was able to tell them that anything was possible. It was his way of "distorting reality," he wanted to do so in order to make his employees think they could do anything, in turn, this would motivate them in ways no one could think of. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
• I least admire the fact that when his then partner got pregnant, he dismissed that the child was even his throughout the pregnancy. I think that this was definitely one of his low points as a person. At least he expressed regret over how he handled it, but I still think that he had major flaws when it came to him as a person. The other thing that I least admire about him was that his intensity and pursuit of perfection took away from him as a person. He wasn't much of a family man because of his intensity and weird personality quirks. 
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
• Jobs encountered adversity all of his life really, he had to battle with people over the fact that he was such an odd individuals with quirky behaviors. That was one of the reasons he was demoted early on with Apple. He had to claw his way back up to the top of Apple in order to assume full control of the company. Jobs had a commitment to perfection his entire life, and it could be seen with so many different aspects throughout his career. 

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

Persistence. Steve Jobs had a persistence for whatever he wanted to achieve that was incredible. Perfectionism also comes to mind. As I mentioned previously, Jobs was a perfectionist to the 10th degree. He wanted to keep developing his products until they were perfect pieces of art that could be used by everyone. The other competency that comes to mind is his intensity. Jobs' intensity was incredible, those that worked with him mentioned the fact that he pushed everyone around him to aspire for creating something better/higher. 

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

His trip to India. I guess this confused me because he was headed in a direction of success, and even got a job at Atari by walking into their headquarters and demanding it. The direction of success that I refer to is not the fact that he was headed in the direction of creating or innovating, but he was doing something productive after having dropped out of college. So, stopping work and going to India to pursue his interest in eastern culture kind of confused me. Throughout his career, he did this thing where he would kind of drop off for a little bit and come back with this determined demeanor. I think the fact that he left Apple multiple times and came back made him who he was. I think that him leaving and coming back so many times meant time for him to think of ideas and develop them with time. 

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

- What drove you to be so persistent to create/innovate throughout your life, was there something inside that you held from when you were a child, or was it just something you always had? 

I would ask this because as I mentioned earlier, he has to be one of the most persistent people I have ever heard of. I think the impression of persistence on his part stuck with me when I read about him going to Atari after he had dropped out of college and saying he wouldn't leave until he had a job there. 

- What is your definition of perfection? 

I would ask this because throughout his life he sought perfection. I don't think that he knew what perfection was in his mind. I think that he thought he would find it once he got to it. But really, he just kept innovating and developing new products in his journey to perfection. I would just like to see what his take is on perfection and how to get there. 

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think that Jobs opinion of hard work was achieving perfection. Which I think he would probably tell you that perfection never happens. That once a creator makes a machine that he feels satisfied with, he has failed. Because that was Jobs' attitude about innovation. He felt that innovation was continuous and it needed to keep happening in order to at one point reach perfection. I share the opinion of hard work needing to keep happening. 

Idea Napkin No.1

1) I am a Sport Management major. My talents are centered around sports knowledge and management. My experiences are in management and customer service. I also have some experience with baseball operations.
2) I am offering a cable service that is not offered right now, that will most likely be the model for cable companies of the future. The unmet need here is the fact that cable companies have a monopoly and they are able to get away by offering basic cable packages. These basic cable packages force people to pay for multiple channels that they won't watch. The cable service I am offering allows the customers to choose what they want to watch on a monthly basis, competing against those companies that have taken many of the viewership from cable. The cable service could have a few innovations added which my interviewees mentioned. The best one of these additions to the cable service being partnerships with other streaming services. This would be in the form of applications along with the cable service, it would provide easier access and versatility with the product.
3) The demographic that I am offering this product to are cable cutters. These cable cutters tend to be younger adults that are attempting to save money by not having to pay for cable. Thus, they "cut cable" and switch to streaming services. This demographic isn't limited to young adults, but it is certainly made up of mainly young adults. All of the customers have in common the fact that they want to save money, and watch good television. The cable service allows for this by allowing them to switch monthly from having all the channels they want to having none for a month.
4) Customers will actually pay money for this because firstly, they are tired of the monopoly and scamming that the current cable companies have. Secondly, it is a service that will actually be used. For example, I tend to watch ESPN, HBO, and other channels that may have sports played on them. So, I would take those channels, and just use those. If for one month I don't want to use those channels, I can do so. The customers won't feel locked in, essentially they will have the same feeling they do from this cable service as they do with Netflix.
5) What sets this cable company apart is the fact that they are willing to accept some sort of loss in money to gain market share. While other cable companies are forcing customers to buy their packages and be locked into contracts, this one uses the same model as streaming services. Even though this company could be making more by offering packages in the short term, my company chooses to gain market share for the future. Because in the next few years cable companies will be moving towards this model, and trying to get their feet in the business with other streaming services. My company would already have experience and partnerships with the current streaming services. Making the company thoughtful for its customers, and setting up a great long term goal of having more market share by providing a fair service.

These elements definitely fit together. The tough part will be establishing the company to have some sort of market share. The monopolies that currently exist within the cable companies would make it hard to break in the business. Once that has been broken in, it is just a matter of setting marketing strategy and tactics to gain market share. Eventually, with more market share streaming services would want to begin partnerships with the company as they realize how it can help both sides. Overall, I think the synergy is there for these elements, the company must know that there will be an initial barrier in order to breakthrough.

Tweaking the Innovation

My company idea of a creating a cable company that allows individuals to choose what they want to watch monthly has a unique product service mix, because of the fact that it takes a concept that already exists, and tweaks it so it can survive in the market for much longer. 

Revenue Drivers:

• Cable Service - All of the possible channels and installation services
• Partnerships - Possible partnerships with services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. 

I would say that the breadth of this business idea would be small, while the depth would be huge. This is because the cable service has so many different channels that individuals can choose.

The Cable Service:

The items within the cable service are each channel and the installation services. At the core of the cable service exists the benefit of having cable and offering channels for people to watch. At the tangible level are the channels that individuals can watch. The augmented level for the cable service would be allowing individuals to choose what they want to watch, rather than forcing them to sign up for a basic package that they will not watch most of the channels. The other item within the cable service would be the installation service. At the core, the benefit would be installing cable for the customer. The tangible would be the cable connection that the customer has after the installation. The augmented level could consist of no sign up fees and free installation.

Partnerships:

The items within the partnerships are unique because it is an opportunity that would involve having both companies agree to create one product together. At the core would be having an app within the cable service that you are receiving such as Netflix. The tangible aspect would be the app itself. The augmented level would be having integration of apps and cable, creating an easier way for costumers to access what they want to watch. 

Elevator Pitch No. 1

Cable Revitalized allows individuals to choose what they want to watch on a monthly basis. This allows cable companies to stay in business and compete against other cable cutting businesses. There are a few opportunities that exist with this idea that could involve integrating other businesses with it.
Here is my elevator pitch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncjx2R9I4m8&feature=youtu.be

My Solution

My problem for the past week was attempting to find solutions or alternatives to cable cutters. I found many viable solutions that could possibly work for cable companies in the future. One thing is clear, cable companies will need to adapt to not having a monopoly and minimizing their products in the future. One of the solutions that I came up with, that I chose as my main opportunity would be cable companies offering only channels that the consumers would want to watch. So essentially, the consumer would pick the channels they want to have for a month to month basis. This would help cable companies compete with cable cutting businesses that have taken a lot of viewership from cable. I also offered the fact that cable companies could create partnerships with streaming services, in an attempt to unify viewership. There are many other ideas that could help cable companies stay afloat, a few of them mentioned by the individuals I interviewed. Overall, I think that letting the consumers pick what they want to watch would be a great idea, and it would bring a lot of business back to cable.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

My opportunity idea is to have a cable company that offers individuals the chance to pick the channels and networks that they would like to have, rather than forcing them to have certain channels. Cable today lets you pick channels and networks you would like to add to their already basic lines that they have, making you pay for some channels that you may not want. Thus, this would lower the price that individuals would have to pay for cable. This could be the future of cable because so many people are switching from having cable to not having cable at all with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. Why a company would do this is to get a head start against the other companies that will have to move towards this in the future. It would also attempt to break the monopolies that many cable/internet companies have set up in different areas of the United States.

During my interviews I will ask about the changes that this potential opportunity should make. Along with those changes should come additions to the opportunity. I have some ideas of my own that I believe can be added to the opportunity. These ideas include adding Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc. as partnerships with the programs. This would help the company compete against the other cable companies that have monopolies in certain areas. Along with modifications to the opportunity I will ask basic questions regarding their use of cable, what channels they watch, if they have to pay extra for them, if they would switch to something like this opportunity, etc.

Interview #1: https://soundcloud.com/user-856452611/interview-1
Interview #2: https://soundcloud.com/user-856452611/interview-2
Interview #3: https://soundcloud.com/user-856452611/interview-3
Interview #4: https://soundcloud.com/user-856452611/interview-4
Interview #5: https://soundcloud.com/user-856452611/interview-5

Looking for Opportunity

1. Consumer spending could fuel economic growth
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucemccain/2016/01/03/five-key-economic-trends-to-watch-in-2016/#18b9a4345f17

This opportunity presents a very important idea for the US economy and the world. I believe this opportunity might exist because it is logical. If consumers feel more confident in 2016 due to the factors mentioned of lower energy costs and improving household cash flow, then it is most likely to happen. The customer for this is all of the United States, as this is the economy being talked about. I think that companies in the US will exploit this if they do see the economic trend taking place within early 2016, so it should be exploited later in 2016.

I believe I saw this opportunity because of my interest in business, which has led me to take business courses. Thus, I have developed some sort of logic thinking about these sort of opportunities for an economy.

2. India will become the new growth king
Source: http://fortune.com/2015/12/28/global-economy/

This opportunity regards the global economy and talked about different trends that could happen globally. IMF expects that the Indian economy will grow at 7.3% clip, which means it would be faster than the Chinese government's numbers. I think this is possible because India has been growing steadily so, they are bound to have a turning point, and with the IMF expectations it leads me to believe that this is possible. The opportunity is there for the Indian consumers and the population to contribute to their economy. I think that this will be mildly difficult to exploit as it will be the first time their economy sees a boom, so there may be an adjustment period for India.

I believe I saw this opportunity due to my interest in economics. My interest in economics has been fulfilled by a few classes in the business school and online research.

3. New Rules Will Bring on a Pile of Overtime Lawsuits in 2016
Source: http://fortune.com/2016/01/06/overtime-lawsuits-rules/

This opportunity leads me to believe that there will be many changes in the future of overtime laws. I think this opportunity is almost guaranteed to happen because individuals are bound to find aspects of the laws that are wrong. If not that, companies will still be taking advantage of some employees through overtime laws. The customers for this are Americans that work on hourly schedules, and get taken advantage of when they work overtime and don't get paid for it. I don't think that this will be difficult to exploit because overtime abuse is rampant.

I believe I saw this opportunity because I have worked hourly schedules before for a corporation and got taken advantage of when I worked overtime and didn't get considered it. Companies find loopholes to not consider you working overtime and frame it a different way. This made me angry when I saw this regulation change, I was very happy for the future of most hourly workers.

4. Employee Pay - Minimum wage increases
Source: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html

This opportunity is not good for the Americans that are working jobs that could be taken over by robots or automated machines. This opportunity is specifically for the industry of fast food chains in New York since they just got new regulations on minimum wage. I think that this is very possible to happen because some of the employment positions in fast food right now could be done by automated machines/robots. The opportunity is clear for the corporations behind these fast food chains to implement technology and not have to abide by having to pay higher minimum wages. I don't think that this will be difficult to exploit for fast food corporations, as they will have to find different options if they don't want to pay for higher minimum wages.

I believe I saw this opportunity just because I have thought of it before. It is clear that corporations won't want to shell out more money than they already do and they are looking to save money wherever they can. So, they can save money by implementing technology. It is just a matter of who will do it first and how will they do it. I think that it's bad for the economy of jobs, but hopefully more jobs open up elsewhere for those individuals that may lose their jobs because of this.

Forming an Opportunity Belief

There is a problem any online shopper encounters and that is sizing. Sizing is always different from brand to brand, and even in the same brand there can be differences. My opportunity is to make some sort of universal sizing guide to help individuals when ordering online. Companies would have to forward their dimensions to the database of the sizing guide, which would then assist the consumer to attain the correct size regardless of the company. This need has existed since online shopping became popular. People have to return and reorder items currently to meet this need, this is quite inefficient for both the consumer and the seller. Not only because it requires the consumer's time but also employee time to process the returns. Not having to return so many items could in turn increase the productivity of a company. I'm 99% sure this opportunity exists, just because I haven't heard of a universal sizing guide that exists for all brands online.

The prototypical customer to a universal sizing guide can be any age that spends money online to buy a product that requires a proper fit or size. The questions I'll be asking the prototypical customers are those regarding online shopping, products, size charts, fits, etc.

Iteration #1: First, without mentioning the idea of a universal sizing guide, I asked about their online shopping habits. She mentioned the fact that she doesn't shop online too often, perhaps once every few months for a few items. I continued the conversation by asking if she ever has trouble using size charts. She explained that she has trouble using the size charts, since she isn't tech savvy and has to do conversions on some of them. I asked if this leads to having items come in sizes that don't fit correctly. She explained that it is not often, but it does happen that an item comes in the wrong size and she'll have to return it. I inquired about the return process and she explained that it differs from company to company, but it is always a hassle. I then introduced the idea of a universal sizing guide, and she explained that this could really help her while online shopping; because she wouldn't have to do conversions on the sizes. She said that she would be very satisfied with this type of solution.

Iteration #2: I started the conversation by asking how often she shops online. She explained that she shops online multiple times per month. I then asked how she feels about sizing charts that are presented by different sites. She explained the fact that some sites have great sizing charts that are useful and never give much trouble, but some other sites give trouble in how they present their sizes. She also mentioned the fact that some sites don't even include sizing charts. I asked her how often she has to return items because of sizing. She said more often than not since she is constantly buying things, she has to return things. I then told her about my idea for a universal sizing guide that would eliminate most sizing issues across the board with all brands. Asking her what she thought of the idea, she explained that it would be great because it could help for sites that list minimal information or sometimes have different sizing for different model lines.

Iteration #3: I started the conversation by asking how often he shops online. He told me he shops online once or twice a month. I asked what he normally shops online for, and he told me that a lot of the times it is golfing apparel or shoes. Since this was a different answer than the previous two females, I asked if he ever runs into problems when looking for or ordering shoes. He explained that only a few times in his life has he ran into problems such as sizing when ordering shoes. I told him about my idea of a universal sizing guide that could assist individuals when making decisions on shoes. He brought up that sometimes when ordering from different companies he has to go check what size he is in another company to compare the sizes. He mentioned the fact that sometimes some of the conversions he attempts to make he can't complete because the sizes aren't all listed in the different amounts he is looking for. Based on his enthused answer I asked if he would be satisfied with this type of solution for the problem, and he eagerly answered that it could definitely help a lot of people to know their sizes in all the different companies the shop.

From my opportunity I learned the fact that individuals do run into the same problem that I do when ordering different items, and not knowing the right size to order. The most surprising thing that I learned from my opportunity was that it could help in different ways. Such as the conversions from company to company, and just the general help for not tech savvy people.

Most of my original opportunity is still there. My new opportunity is definitely more accurate than when I started. Just by talking to people I would be thinking of small changes and tweaks that could be made to the universal sizing guide, in order to adjust for different people. I think that even thought of the idea that companies could create a space on their sites with their sizing charts, and then the universal sizing guide so that they could compare measurements with their favorite brands a lot easier.

I think entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on costumer feedback. In my experience I thought of different things that I could be changing just by talking to people. Talking to people could just be a way of testing their opportunity's model, and getting opinions would allow for entrepreneurs to make their products better and more feasible for customers.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Beware, beer drinkers: Craft labels are not as they seem
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CFC486CAA44610?p=AWNB

Essentially, an author by the name of Fred Grimm explains the fact that craft labels are really just to confuse and trick the American audience. These "craft labels" such as Blue Moon are owned by MillerCoors and other giant Beer corporations. By making it seem like they are craft labels they are able to market to a certain audience and sell to a different market. The problem is the fact that this is deceiving the public. It could become a legal battle or just making those that drink these fake "craft labels" move to another brand that may be more authentic. The American public other than Fred Grimm are having this problem.

2. THE EVERGLADES - Nile crocs found in Glades likely related, study finds
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CFF47B396A6128?p=AWNB

Three Nile crocodiles have been found in the South Miami-Dade county marshes since 2009. The story consists of UF biologist Frank Mazzotti explaining that the according to the DNA tests that they have ran, the Nile crocodiles that have been captures are from the same area. This presents a problem to not only tourists, the wildlife, and the environment around the Everglades if more Nile crocodiles were to appear.

3. Number of South Florida million-dollar homes nearly doubled since 2012, report says
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CF70285171B6A8?p=AWNB

This is not necessarily a problem, rather it is an opportunity. I chose to include this since we are seeking out opportunities. The story explains that the market for million-dollar homes has nearly doubled from 3.3 percent in 2012 to 6.3 percent in 2016. This report is according to Trulia, if the report happens to be true it could present an opportunity. The opportunity being for those investors or individuals involved in the real estate business to get more stakes within the Miami metro area, since it could reap serious benefits according to the numbers given by Trulia.

4. Hurricane insurance scam driving up Florida premiums
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CF4B534ADD1120?p=AWNB

In this story Michael Carlson explains how insurance companies and repair vendors are scamming the people of Florida. The scam consists of the repair vendors being able to abuse Assignment of Benefits. AOB are costing consumers more money, which threatens the state's property insurance market. Although Florida has gone a decade without a major hurricane, at any moment the next one could strike. AOB abuse is looming and it could potentially destroy the Florida insurance markets. Not only would it damage the insurance market, but it would essentially be stealing money from the people.

5. Transportation - Uber getting special zone at Miami International Airport
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CEF9792F448278?p=AWNB

For a long time Uber and Lyft drivers would be fined immediately if they were noticed by Miami International Airport inspectors. This is due to the fact that Uber and Lyft take away money from the Taxi services that airports may have a partnership with. Uber and Lyft are now getting their own zone at MIA. This is the first part of legislation passed for a major airport that allows Uber and Lyft to do this. This is a problem for all of the users of these apps, not only when arriving at MIA, but arriving in many other airports. I have had to deal with the fact that Uber and Lyft are not allowed at some airports, or they are fined if they are caught picking individuals up. This problem is limiting a business just to make sure that their kickbacks and partnerships with taxi companies stay alive. MIA has taken a step in the right direction and I hope other places follow this.

Bug List

Here are 20 of the things that bug me:

1. Complaining. I don't like when people complain when in reality they are in a great situation compared to many others in the world. I think complaining exists because at times people want something to point out that is bad in their life. This may be because they want others to help them fix what they are complaining about. There are many reasons why people complain and I don't think any are good.
2. The sound of people chewing with their mouths open. This bugs me at my core. I really can't explain why, I think it's just a more of a rudeness and respect for others factor that bothers me.
3. People showing up late. I think this bugs me because showing up on time is part of showing responsibility and caring for whatever the occasion may be.
4. Deceptive advertising. Things as simple as companies advertising a product that is far superior to what they are actually selling. This bugs me because it is disrespectful to the consumers and the market to do such a thing.
5. Losing a sock while doing a load of laundry. This happens to me so often, I don't know why. It bugs me just because how often do people have to buy socks? I have to buy a ton of socks when I do buy them because it seems like I lose one in every load of laundry.
6. When people at baggage claim at an airport crowd the edge of it basically boxing out half the other people. If people could just step back a few steps and grab their bag once they saw it so much time could be saved rather than being anxious and greedy over having to beat people at getting bags. This bugs me because it's just inefficient.
7. People that interrupt conversations. This is something that bugs me because a lot of the time it shows a lack of respect for someone else's thoughts.
8. People who are "too nice" on the road. In specific those that have the right of way while driving and attempt to wave you ahead of them. This bugs me because it's dangerous. The people behind them now have to break unexpectedly because they are waving the right of way for you.
9. Strangers who stand or walk too close. This is one of those things where I can't really explain it, it bugs me just because I don't like people standing or walking on top of me. I see it as not respecting someone's space.
10. Littering. I enjoy the outdoors and it bugs me when people ruin the outdoors by littering. It's simple to just pick up what you have left behind and not disrespect what we have in the world.
11. Having to repeat something because someone wasn't paying attention to me yet demand the upmost attention when they're talking to you. This bugs me because I expect the same respect to be given to me as I give to others.
12. Intrusive advertisements. Advertisements that pop up randomly of a product that you have recently looked up. It bugs me because I don't like the idea of a database storing every single thing that I may look up and then spamming me with that.
13. People playing music too loud. This bugs me because you never know what people may be doing and what they're focusing on, so a lot of the time it can be very disrespectful.
14. People scanning their phones in the middle of a conversation. This bugs me because a lot of the time it shows no respect to the party that is speaking in the conversation.
15. Using correct grammar during conversations. It bugs me when people that clearly have been educated at higher levels of education don't use proper basic grammar skills. Part of it is because they went through a lot to attain an education, yet they carelessly make basic grammar mistakes.
16. People talking loudly at the library. This is again something that bugs me just because it is disrespectful to those that may be reading or studying around you.
17. People that don't wash their hands when they leave the bathroom. It bugs me because it's just unsanitary.
18. People that treat waitstaff poorly. It shows a lack of respect for people that are just trying to do their jobs. Not to mention that it shows poor character for the individual that does that.
19. When someone interrupts a lecture to ask a question that has previously been answered. This bugs me because it shows that the person that asked the question wasn't paying attention. It's also just disrespectful to interrupt with something like that.
20. When people don't put a turn signal on and create a dangerous situation. This bugs me just because it's careless and potentially harmful to those around.

Reflection:
It seems as though a lot of my bugs tend to be because of a lack of respect. This blog post was overall pretty enlightening. I can say that I definitely learned a lot about what bugs me. The part that was challenging was thinking about what bugs me towards the end of the list.

My Entrepreneurship Story

My entrepreneurship story goes back to my sophomore year of high school. This story involves two of my friends. We were just hanging out one night watching basketball and were intrigued by the fact that shoes are such a big deal for individuals that are interested in basketball. So we decided to look up the limited edition shoes that come out constantly. That night we really found out how crazy these limited edition shoes that come out are, shoes ranging anywhere from $150 to the thousands of dollars. From there we had the idea of looking at eBay to see how much the resale price is for a shoe that was around $200, it ended up being a rare shoe that had a lot of spark behind it, and I don't remember the exact price but it was more than $150 in profit people were getting. We thought this was insane, little did we know, that wasn't much compared to some other resale profit margins. So we thought, how can we get in on this profit. We researched for the next few days and found the websites that track which shoes are coming out and which sites they would be sold on. This gave us our starting point for which we thought would be a fun little business. Next we found out how we would gather the money and how we would split the work load, because it was definitely a work load. I had a good amount of money saved up to buy a few pair of shoes myself if I wanted to, which gave us a good starting point since my friends did too. So we looked at the schedule for the shoes that would be coming out in the near future and we would track whether they would be very sought after or not. This gave us an idea of what our resale margins would be, which also would let us know if it was worth it to buy and ship the item. We divided up the job three ways: shipping and selling, research, and buying. All of these being key points to the business that we had just started. Buying was definitely the most intricate part of the business, because you are literally competing against others to see who can buy the shoes the fastest. Over a few months we turned a very good amount of profit but it was definitely a hard business with a lot of boom and busts throughout it. Through the months, each of us had preferences on the shoes that we were attracted to, many of the shoes had a story behind being released. My favorite one of these was the Jordan True Blues, which had a cool story about Michael Jordan wearing them. Here is a picture of them:

I hope you enjoyed my entrepreneurship story. The reason that I am enrolled in ENT 3003 is because I wanted to delve deeper into the side of business within my major of Sport Management. In the future I hope to be able involve myself in some sort of business along with wherever my career may lead me. I felt as though ENT 3003 would help me in establishing some good cornerstones to what entrepreneurship is and how an individual can be a better one. 

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