Final reflect

1. The moments of drudgery were the assignments requiring multiple interviews. Joyous experiences were being to complete all my work and the friendly comments i received.

2.The experience i feel i will remember was interviewing my group of friends one one of the earlier assignments, afterwards we just hung out and talked about stuff. It was nice.

3. I can't say that i see myself as an entrepreneur, but i believe with the knowledge i learned from class and some hard work i could become one.

4. Don't forget to do the work and don't wait until last minute to do it. Do the assignments a day or so in advance so your not stressed. Also look up some of the books because they have very helpful tips and mindsets for you.

venture concept 2

Safely Carting Undergrads and Teachers Swiftly

Opportunity

While attending the University of Florida i noticed that everyone on campus has a scooter and that a lot of students classes are on completely different sides of the campus, sometime multiple at a time. At UF the only way to get to classes on time is mostly to walk or run to them. Sure, you could take a scooter or a bike, but finding a place to put it can often be tiresome and make you late. I feel that there is a need for fast paced travel between classes, perhaps a shuttle of some sorts. Sure, there are the buses, but there often crowded and get stuck in traffic on the way to the stop. Several of the students have started to use electronic boards to quicken there commute, but those are often an expensive purchase and hold a limited charge. I see a need for travel around this campus are, and i have a solution.

Innovation

I would created an app based transportation service for University students and faculty. The service would provide easier and faster forms of travel around the campus. Think of it similar to Uber, except instead of using cars it would use golf carts. The service would be faster than most vehicles because unlike cars and buses, carts can take the sidewalk and drive directly to the building. The service would be in 2 parts. A scheduled half, similar to bus stops, where carts would travel back and forth between a popular destination on/around campus. The second would be a direct travel, where you would schedule a pickup to go where you need to. The cost would be cheaper as well or could be included with a plan with the campus so you can use it whenever. The good thing about this system is that it can be transferred to other college campuses as well. I feel that the opportunity would be open for only a short amount of time before all the students end up buying other forms of transportation.

Venture Concept  

•  Students would switch to this new form of transport because students would always like an easier way to do something and a large population of the students wished that their classes weren't so far from their dorm. Switching would be easy. All they would need to do is get the app and set up their account or show their ID.
•  Competitors would be Uber-like companies, Ride-share services, public transportation. Their vulnerabilities would be that Ubers often charge rates are too high, Public transportation is  traffic, crowds, and possibly sanitation. Lastly ride-share services can be difficult to set a location for pickup.
•  Price points: Prices would be dependent on if the student would rather pay for a single trip or larger sum for an extended period of time (i.e. semester, yearly, monthly)
• Support: My service would have number to call and one of my representatives could help fix your issue or if you can't call you can leave send the issue through the app directly to us.
• Employees: The total amount of employees for the current version would be estimated to be about 25 or more. It would be made up of myself, marketing advising, customer service representatives, drivers, technicians, and App/tech support.

2. I honestly didn't need to change my concept much at all. All of the feedback was positive for the idea. They did point out the situation of foot traffic on sidewalks, but i plan to make sure the carts have a route and are trained to avoid all pedestrians. They also think when i want expand my company i should expand in to senior citizen transport route.

3. The only real change really needed for my concept would be a six seat cart and avoiding pedestrian traffic.

4.

reading reflection 3

1.The book is a collection of over 100 practical tips to treat your social media presence like a business and to get the attention your brand, product or business deserves.

2. It gave me tips on expanding the image and securing the professionalism of my business. Gave me a wider view of how i should market it to people.

3. I would have everyone try create a professional social media account to see if they could. Then see if they fit the criteria.

4. That talking and using 2 forms of media back and forth can gain a larger following than one all together. Letting the accounts talk to each other in a way. Allowing for a wider range of customers.

exit strategy

1.  I would say the business would be a short term project, I would probably sell it off if it didn't have a next step for expansion. However, if i were to keep going i would was it on to someone i knew was capable of the position and wouldn't compromise ideals 

2. I seems like a reasonable plan for my business. Mine wasn't necessarily built to turn into something as big as like UBER, but it allows for improvement if decided upon. 

3. Though i might not expect much form the business, it should be successful. With this strategy i have a open mind for newer, possibly better opportunities. It did influence on how i would let my company grow. At its own pace. 

celebrating Failure

1. I took my grammar exam twice this semester, 3 days apart. The first time i din't score as well as i thought. So i studied really hard for the second one.When that came around and i took it i ended up getting the same exact grade as the last one. It sucked. 

2. Failure sucks, but it was not worth getting mad or upset over. I could still pass the class with all the other points i had. 

3. Failure is apart of life. You will fail eventually at something at sometime and that's OK. You just need to learn from it or just accept it and get over it. This class really didn't effect the way i still look at failure, but allowed me to see if it is more likely to happen or what would fail and fix from failing. I would like to analyse what i do before i take a risk.

What's Next

Existing Market

I will continue to target University of Florida students. I want to advertise heavily to UF students so that there thousands of customers for my service. The next step in my business plan for this market expand the range of the transport to popular areas in Gainesville. Like the publix or the moveis or downtown.

The first student i interviewed was a sophomore. He said to make sure to have proper app updates for the app because often times when he was going to use a delivery or ride app it bug out. The second was a graduate. He said that it would be good to offer it to faculty members and teachers as well. The last was a junior, she said that the idea could expand to go to houses near the campus area, but not within walking distance.

The interviews gave me better insight into my existing market, allowing me to better the service. The last interviewer made a good point, there are those that live a decent bit off campus. Perhaps it would best to map out frequently college rented housing for an estimate of how far the service should travel. The first interviewer made a good point about bugs, i used to test for them for a marketing company. I would definitely need to hire a support team for those issues.

New Market

The new market i would wish to target would be multiple colleges and there students. I feel that college students share some similarities such a school pride, but i feel that some colleges may share a different mindsets than the others. I would also be dealing with a new campus to map out and work with.

The first person i interviewed was my cousin Drew, he graduated from USF. He said that the carts should have a map with short cuts on hand, because the campus at USF was huge. The second is my friend who attends the University of Indiana. said that the carts should be prepared for off road and the drivers should be locals because the University is a densely packed place. Also added about temperature controls for the cold days.

After the interviews, I learned that college life can vary from place to place. From temperature, to campus setup, to even different hot spots for each college/town. I was expecting drastic variations between college layouts, so i would definitely need to hire someone who knows their way around the campus the service is sent to and someone who knows about where all the students like to go around town/campus (after class). This new market appears to be just as attractive as my existing market, perhaps more so because of the amount of different major colleges in each state.

What Makes Me Special

I'm a current student at University of Florida

•  V- I am a part of my target audience and understand its needs.
•  R- Who else would know about the UF student other than a UF student?
•  I- There are a large amount of UF students on campus and those who have graduated from here 
•  N- no one could substitute me, i am a UF student.  

My mother has worked in marketing and advertising

• V- She can give me the knowledge i need to promote my business properly
• R - Not every entrepreneur has a source marketing tip this close to them 
• I - Anyone who majors in advertising could be able to have an advantage 
• N - I could hire an outside source to advertise my idea, but this would cost me more I trust my mother's experience 

I am certified in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Photoshop, etc.

• V- I can always make a proper pretension of my product and keep track of all the data of it
• R - sure there can be experts who are certified in one or two, but I'm certified in multiple
• I - there are probably those more properly trained or experience

This service is specific to University of Florida students/Faculty

• V-I think this is very valuable because I have a specific target market
• I- There are other ride companies, but none specified to a specific place 

I am very detailed oriented in what i do

• V- It is good to always have a well thought out plan for whatever your doing.

I know someone close who can repair the carts

• V- It is valuable to have someone who could fix the product of the service
• R - It's rare because he is a close friend of my family
• I - There are other mechanics out there to work on the carts 
• N - There are outside sources i could hire, but i would have no connection or trust with them. Plus would cost me more 

I have product/service testing experience 

• V- You need marketing, without it who would be able to get your product out in the open. Adapt to the peoples wants.
• R - Having someone of my age with a decent amount of experience in the marketing field is rare
• I - there are those who probably who have more years of experience than me.

I am a very sociable, people person

• V- It's always good to have a friendly face for the company.
• I -Some people could be much better to talking and building connections than me
• N- there are other sociable people out there, but there is only one me 

My original design for the idea (using Go Carts instead of cars/buses) 

• R - idea is the basis for my proposed business is out of the box
• I - someone could make similar rideshare service, but not exactly the same.
• N -There are similar companies, but those companies are huge entities with flaws far greater than my own business.

Job experience in volunteering, marketing, and retail  

• V- My experience in multiple field of an industry gives me a wide understanding of how a company should work 
• R - Having been in multiple stages of a successful company could be a rarity to some
• I -There are experts in specific fields and those who have worked in as many or more positions than me 
• N - I could get experts who are masters in their fields, but i would need to find one in each stage of a company.

Venture no.1

Safely Carting Undergrads and Teachers Swiftly

Opportunity

While attending the University of Florida i noticed that everyone on campus has a scooter and that a lot of students classes are on completely different sides of the campus, sometime multiple at a time. At UF the only way to get to classes on time is mostly to walk or run to them. Sure, you could take a scooter or a bike, but finding a place to put it can often be tiresome and make you late. I feel that there is a need for fast paced travel between classes, perhaps a shuttle of some sorts. Sure, there are the buses, but there often crowded and get stuck in traffic on the way to the stop. Several of the students have started to use electronic boards to quicken there commute, but those are often an expensive purchase and hold a limited charge. I see a need for travel around this campus are, and i have a solution.

Innovation

I would created an app based transportation service for University students and faculty. The service would provide easier and faster forms of travel around the campus. Think of it similar to Uber, except instead of using cars it would use golf carts. The service would be faster than most vehicles because unlike cars and buses, carts can take the sidewalk and drive directly to the building. The service would be in 2 parts. A scheduled half, similar to bus stops, where carts would travel back and forth between a popular destination on/around campus. The second would be a direct travel, where you would schedule a pickup to go where you need to. The cost would be cheaper as well or could be included with a plan with the campus so you can use it whenever. The good thing about this system is that it can be transferred to other college campuses as well. I feel that the opportunity would be open for only a short amount of time before all the students end up buying other forms of transportation.

Venture Concept  

•  Students would switch to this new form of transport because students would always like an easier way to do something and a large population of the students wished that their classes weren't so far from their dorm. Switching would be easy. All they would need to do is get the app and set up their account or show their ID.
•  Competitors would be Uber-like companies, Ride-share services, public transportation. Their vulnerabilities would be that Ubers often charge rates are too high, Public transportation is  traffic, crowds, and possibly sanitation. Lastly ride-share services can be difficult to set a location for pickup.
•  Price points: Prices would be dependent on if the student would rather pay for a single trip or larger sum for an extended period of time (i.e. semester, yearly, monthly)
• Support: My service would have number to call and one of my representatives could help fix your issue or if you can't call you can leave send the issue through the app directly to us.
• Employees: The total amount of employees for the current version would be estimated to be about 25 or more. It would be made up of myself, marketing advising, customer service representatives, drivers, technicians, and App/tech support. 

1.  I think that the most important resource for my service would be my knowledge of the target market and area. I feel like i know how my fellow students think, what they would like. It gives me an edge over those who don't understand the student at UF.
2.  What would be next for my venture would be assimilating the system/service in to other universities in the state, then in the country. 
3.  I hope that in 5 years that my idea is starting to blossom into something greater, while also looking for my side career.

Reading Reflection 2

The general theme of "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Peter Drucker is that our mind has 2 ways of solving a problem place in front of us. The fast way which is instinctive and instant, and the slow is conscious and takes time.

I often must focus on the second way of thinking when doing the actual assignments, but use the fast way on figuring out what i would do the assignment on.

The exercise i would do for class would be a simple question and answer portion. I would ask a question, but i would ask to tell me their answer right away. Showing them when we rely on the fast part for shortcuts it can lead to mistakes. Your brain is lazy and would often choose the answer with the least amount of effort.

What i learned that differed from my expectations was how often we used these shortcuts. Our brain sees complex problems as simpler than they are and can lead to mistakes. It is finding a balance between these two ways that makes people so creative and cognitive. 

elevator pitch 3

https://youtu.be/dLAu41tddK0

Most of the feedback was very positive. They said i had a good dynamic energy and really showed that i cared about the pitch i was doing. Also they enjoyed my hand gesturing. I believe the positive feedback was important in fueling this pitch to be great.

The only real change i tried to make was to condense it from the last one. Secondly, I tried to be be a bit more fluid with my delivery of the pitch, unlike the last one that had some stutters in it. Other than that i didn't change much else.

Social Capital

Market Expert

1 I spoke with my friend Jacqueline who works in advertising and marketing. Also had lots of experience with the ins of the job
2 she would be my marketing expert
3. She is a friend of my mother and i simply contacted her through text.
4.  I learned some good tips for presenting the service, not to make it to noticeable or extravagant. Understand how your customer would feel about the service. 
5. She taught me that the way to market something is to make it seem like the customer needs to have it, but in a nonchalant way. How to better understand my customers 

Domain Expert

1. I spoke with my friend Gary, he works as an Uber driver.
2. He would fall under the domain expert category
3. Friend of a friend, I ask my friend if he would set up a meeting.
4. He told me about his job, the expectations he would need to fill to make sure the customer was satisfied with his job. 
5. He helped me better understand what type of people to work for my service. Also that customer service is a big deal.

Supplier

1. My friend Ryan, works with automotive parts and karts.
2. He would work as my supplier
3. Old family friend, The mechanic-car type. Just gave a call to him.
4. He gave me the rundown of how much the carts would cost, fuel, breakdowns of the cart itself, maintenance.
5. He would give me better insight into what i would need to do to acquire the carts and how to keep them running so my business keeps running.

This experience taught me to look for those who have qualifications, to be open, and to look closer to you would normally look for people. The experience really didn't differ that much from the last time. The only real difference was that last time i was talking to complete strangers and had no real connection to them.     

Idea Napkin 2

Idea Napkin 2

1. I'm Trevor Bork, I am a University Student (3rd semester). My skills are I are that am fairly intelligent, and I always like to look at the details and like how the process works. I'd say i'm also the type of person to be calm and reasonable under pressure. If i were to pursue this as a business, i would need just the right amount of time and to meet the right social capital to make it real, then pitch my service to those interested.
2. My service is a way to transport students and/or faculty around/across campus. It is sort of like a bus or an Uber, but the service would use golf carts so they can travel along the sidewalk to get there quicker and avoid traffic.
3. I am offering it to any University of Florida students and or faculty. Those who are late for a class or just don't want to walk halfway across campus to get there.
4. There are lots of students whose classes are too far or are in a hurry, sometime people are also just tire and don't want to walk all that way.
5. Well the service I'm doing would be included in the parking pass or as an extra service. Also would be cheaper than getting an Uber, because they cost about 6-8 minimum plus 1-2 per mile. Where as mine wouldn't be as costly. I would also be less crowed than a bus.

I would say most of my services elements fit into place. The only one that may be weaker than the rest would, be my experience. I would need a lot more experience and a strong team of advisers, suppliers, and marketing experience if i were to get this off the ground. The rest seem fairly well put together.

I decided to change my product because of feedback i received dealing with my products design and what it actually was. However, I tried to keep the same amount of detail and energy that someone pointed out in my last napkin. 

Customer Avatar

For my prototypical customer I decided to go with the male version. The male would be 18-24, a college student or graduate. They would be outgoing and social, play basketball, and go to most of the college football games. They would probably watch Netflix, most likely reruns of "The Office". Also possibly YouTube videos. They would probably keep an open mind for politics, but wouldn't be fluent all the details. They also love to just hang out and talk with their friends and go out into downtown on Friday or the weekends. Would either be an A+ or B+ student in their studies. They might also attend an honor society of some sort.

What i share in common with the avatar are that i watch YouTube and Netflix as well, but this is probably regular TV is either not available or we don't have the time to focus and just want to watch something quick. We also share the open mind for politics, this i feel is because students are still figuring out what they should be and learning what type of person they are. Lastly we share the good grades -- this is because most college students try to focus on their curriculum not only to learn it, but to also not have to pay to take the class again.

elevator pitch 2

https://youtu.be/HHwFK7vWXOk

2. The feedback i received made me understand where i went wrong, focusing on the problem too much and not the solution. Also, the purpose of the product i had initially was not all that sound. It allowed me to rethink my whole design and what i could do better in my next pitch.

3. I decided to completely switch what my problem and product were. I switched from dealing with turn signals and car safety -- to a much simpler problem, travel from classes and destinations on campus. In this one i tried to focus more on what the service was rather than the problem like beforehand. Lastly i tried to keep my energy the same level when i last did.

Buyer Behavior 2

From the elevator pitch review i had to change my idea of what type of product/service i should work with. I decided to shift from the turn signal safety to parking around campus. A system that allows to see spaces you when free spaces are available. More or less my segment would similar: People who own a car or scooter on campus.
So I interviewed 3 students, each with a vehicle.

The first owned a car, SUV. I asked her what was her process in choosing an app for her phone. she said she mostly based her decision on the need of the moment and if it was free. The i asked what brought the attention of that specific one, she said usually it was referred to her by a friend. Lastly i asked what made her sure that her purchase or download was worth the time to get it, she said if she didn't delete immediately or in a couple days it was a good get.

Second owned a scooter. I asked the same following questions and also pitched the idea to him. He said that it was based on ratings and word from friends. It was usually friend who would tell him, "Dude, you have to get this app" or something to that effect. Lastly he said that if he still had it with him it was a good purchase. He also gave his feedback on the new idea stating while a good concept would require much detail and work it it were to become real not mention finding a way to monitor all of the spaces in that area.

The last person i interviewed owned a small mini cooper. He said he went off of ratings of the app or if it just happens to be on his recommended tab.However, he would give it a second shot to see if it was a worth actually buying the app/service. He would ask questions like, "How much would i really use this" and "Is this really worth my money". Those were what gave him a good sense of judgement in his purchase. He said he'd like that idea to be real, but the standards of making seem way out there for just me to do.

Based on the interviews price of an app is a smaller,but still valid determiner in getting said program. Ratings and usage out of the app is more of a concern, like if my friends think it's a good app then i should get it. Most importantly there are lot of aspects that would go into making this thing real: Finding a way to monitor parking lots and there spaces, making sure the system recognizes there empty, the program of the app itself. It seems that it would take a lot more than just me to figure this thing out.

Hallway Reflection 1

1. Behaviors you will need for this class are determination (to get all the work done), openness (open to new ideas and critique), also time management skills (so you don't fall behind on the work), and lastly problem solving skills.

2. It was a couple weeks ago and it was during one of the interview assignments, I had no interviews and it was the day it was due. At first i felt like not doing it, then i got up went out and found those people and typed up that assignment with their thoughts with little time to spare.I feel I developed a little bit of a tenacious attitude from that moment going forward. 

3. Do not wait until the last day to the assignments, due them immediately when you have the knowledge and capability to do so.

Go to the extra credit seminars and listen closely to the professor. He knows what he's talking abot and is often very insightful.

 

Don't let the little things slow you down, just get up and do it.

Reading Reflection 1

Grinding it Out: the making of McDonald's Ray Kroc

1. What surprised me about Ray was his small start, he started out selling paper cups to owning and managing one of the world's biggest corporate food franchises.

I most admire Rays drive and determination, Even though he several health issues and was just a small salesman he just kept trying which was remarkable

I least admire how just took the business from the McDonald brothers.\

Sure he did, his first marriage deteriorated because of McDonald's (restaurant) and his own obsession into his work. Unfortunately, Ray and Ethel divorced in 1961 when he spent 2.7 million  to by out the McDonald's brothers stake in the company.

2. Ray was very successful in negotiation, salesmanship, marketing, and his Career motivation.

3. One part I found confusing is not allowing the brothers to be partners in the company rather than taking away their restaurant and leaving them with one restaurant to only be overshadowed by Ray.  

4. Why didn't you include the brothers in your business or share their part in the creation? To hear their side of the story, get to know why Ray was the loner that he was. 

How big did you expect this company to be? To learn of his aspirations of the future, to see if his dream was all he wanted it to be.

5. Ray believes that one must keep going, but must sometimes get one's hands dirty. "Coffee is for Closers"was often a phrase he used in his early days. Though i feel one should take ones work seriously my take is a little less ruthless.

Figuring out buyers behavior 1

The segment i chose to focus on were on students or people on campus that owned a car or motorized vehicle. The 3 that interviewed were all students that fell into the segment. The first was UF junior who was a computer engineering major, second a freshmen and 3rd was a sophomore.

When talking with all 3 I first made sure to ask if they all had a cars or a scooter. Junior and grad had a car and sophomore a scooter. I explained my idea to them, each had some similar reaction but some had varied views. They said that it was a good idea and not really done before. Freshman asked how would effect scooters, I said that it would be the same as the car, but thought the idea might need tweaking for 2 wheel vehicles, but never said that it couldn't be done. Also the sophomore said not having to worry about signal would be nice not having to worry about driving home to see his folks.

What I learned from these interviews is that need for the signals would be varied among younger people, but my need still exists among students and adults, but to those who would like a less stressful ride on the road.  I see that i would need to focus the market a bit it is still relatively the same.

Based on what i now know about the segment, I conclude that people that people do care about the issue of the safety on the road and would like something to help with it.

Idea Napkin

Idea Napkin

Who: I'm Trevor Bork, I am a University Student (3rd semester). My skills are I are that am fairly intelligent, and I always like to look at the tiny details and like how things are built. I'd say i'm also the type of person to be calm and reasonable under pressure. If i were to pursue this as a business, i would need just the right amount of time and to meet the right people to make it real, then pitch my device to investors or those who might be interested. After things have slowed down, move on to a new product to be made for the people. 

What I'm offering: My product is an automatic turn signal or turn signal reminder so you don't forget or have to worry about it anymore. the signal would turn on automatically as you turn your wheel or the alarm would give you a friendly ding to turn on your signal.

Who I'm offering it to: I would be offering my product to auto shops, car manufacturers, car dealerships, anyone in the auto motive industry. Then they would be placed in cars for those who want a little extra safety or less to worry about while on the road.

Why do they care: Not only would my product lower the risk of getting in an accident or causing one all together. It would remove some of the stress one has on the road.

What are my core competencies: What sets my product apart from everyone else is that no one else is doing it yet. No car companies have decided to do this simple thing. I would only have competitors as soon as my product is made. But future competitors could be other car or tech companies.

Testing Hypothesis PT.2

Who: After asking around the only people that seem outside of the market are to those that don't drive or motorized vehicle of some kind. These include people who bike, walk, or take public transport. They say that either their not effected by it because it doesn't pertain to them or that they are just used to people like that.

What: One of the interviewees i asked said that she walks everywhere, to go classes and etc. Though the road may be dangerous it does truly effect her until she gets a car.

Why: People outside the market are those who are not effected by car travel or is so used to the issue they become almost used to the problem.

Inside Boundary

•  Who- people who want a little extra safety on the road 
•  What- to decrease the risk of danger and annoyance of people who don't use their signals 
•  Why- some say they don't have time, laziness, forgetfulness, or just not worth the effort and etc. It's a hazard.

Outside Boundary

• Who-People who don't drive cars or take public transport/bike/walk
• What-doesn't need to worry about people using turn signals 
• Alternate- Sometimes people use their signals, they just don't care about the issue, doesn't drive a car