Assignment 30A- Final Reflection

Assignment 30A- Final Reflection

1. Rereading these posts made me have a lot of flashbacks. This semester was so challenging for me that even the most entertaining assignments felt like a chore for me. I really wish this semester had been easier for all of us because these assignments are actually very engaging and fun, but your experience definitely depends on your product idea and where you are mentally
2. During my time in this course, I felt like I went through a lot of formative experiences. The whole idea of creating a product that we would develop throughout the semester was what stood out most to me, and definitely what I'm most proud of accomplishing. I think my most joyous moments were reading the comments on my posts and seeing everyone's positive responses and comments
3. I do believe I've grown to have an entrepreneurial mindset from this class. I went through many steps to create a business model of my venture concept and I think now, given that I have real experience, I would feel comfortable enough to start actually creating a product of my own
4. For students journeying down this path in the future, I would recommend to plan out their semester with this course from the beginning. Since the first lecture, Professor Pryor says students can be basically done with this class by end of February and he's right! I wish I would've planned out my semester to take the load of the assignments off my shoulders way earlier, but I would highly recommend doing that from the beginning. Also, to genuinely enjoy the product they're designing! Having a passion for the things you create allow for better work and better design. Enjoy the class and give yourself a break once in a while!

Assignment 29A- Venture Concept No. 2

Assignment 29A- Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity 

For this business design, my opportunity is easily identified. Being a low-income college student myself and also someone who identifies with a minority group in our student population (Hispanic/Latinx), I wanted to target a market segment that I can relate to and understand their needs. Therefore, the potential customers for my business idea are also low-income college students who primarily identify with a minority group within the respective college's student population, which in this case would be UF. The opportunity of this business idea occurs every year, and even appears to be in high demand at the start of each semester, but mainly towards the start of the academic school year in the fall/late summer. For this reason, my idea would be successful since there is always going to be a consistent new group of individuals every year who are seeking my product. The market is a clear demographic of students who can provide information of their financial and ethnic backgrounds upon completion of applications to be accepted as a resident of the housing complex. As of now, customers that are housed in off-campus housing need to be making a significant income to afford the rent of a place located close to campus and with decent living conditions- rent for a place like The Standard or Social 28 can range anywhere from $900-$1200 a month! With my idea, customers will absolutely be looking to find a place that can provide similar living conditions and maintain close proximity to campus for classes and studies for a low rate. Many low-income students don't get to experience these luxuries due to their financial situations, and my business idea gives them the opportunity to do just that- live in a place close, affordable, and nice for a low cost and small labor contribution to the complex. 

Innovation

The "product" I am offering is a housing complex designed for low-income students that will allow residents the ability to enjoy luxury-style amenities and decent housing while also remaining close to campus, especially for those students who cannot afford to bring a car to college or the bus routes do not reach their current apartment. Because this business would be in partnership with other complexes in the area that have maintenance staff and other business necessities, the monthly cost for residents would have to start out at around $530, which is an extremely good price for the location and style of housing. After the business has gained traction and become functional, the rent rate could eventually go down by as much as $100. To get the company started, students can be expected to pay the equivalent to a security deposit upon signing a lease, which could be up to a $400 deposit for unexpected costs that may arise during their time with the company. This housing complex can also ensure that there is an even amount of students from each grade level residing with them by maintaining a cap of how many 1-4th year students and graduate students are allowed to sign a lease during a semester. As the business begins to take off, expansion can happen as well and the cap can slowly become bigger and bigger depending on how well the system works. To keep rent costs low, students who are residents can contribute a small workload each week that normal apartment complexes would have maintenance do, such as sweeping hallways and delivering mail in exchange for low rent. These tasks can also be used for resumes and experience as the graduate student-run complex can also provide letters of recommendations for those students who so choose to put this experience on their resumes.

Venture Concept

All in all, I don't find it'll be difficult to get customers to switch to this product. I already am aware that this need exists to a great extent within student populations worldwide, and this business idea could really take off and expand if all were to go well. After going through many forums and speaking to low-income students firsthand, I've come to find this idea that a small labor task in exchange for residency at such a clean, convenient housing is more than worth it for the price of its monthly rent. I would be facing many other competitors, such as all the other apartment complexes close to campus that offer similar or even better facilities/location, but I think my offer for lower rent supersedes the need for these apartment complexes. Again, my market segment is somewhat limited in demographics of who can apply for a lease, but I know that at least the people in my target group would be extremely interested and I believe I will have a steady number of customers. Additionally, the convenience of it just being within walking distance to campus is enough to attract customers to my product idea.

Secret Sauce

I believe that my most important resource will be convenience in conjunction with affordability. The two seem to be mutually exclusive with regards to housing units around campus, and this business idea offers the best of both worlds. Not many places to live off-campus offer decent living conditions for a low price, and the incorporation of the two in this product is what will ultimately attract customers to want to purchase it. In the future, it may be cool to extend the business and offer a line of "rental" cars or scooters that students can borrow for the year. This would be designed again for low-income students who cannot afford to have their own cars or scooters on campus with them for transportation during the school year. For my own next steps, I would like this business venture to introduce me to the world of hospitality and kick-start my dream of working in the tourism and travel industry. This would just be the start to my career in hospitality and remind me of my humble beginnings when I hopefully own my own company in the future someday

Feedback

I mainly got positive feedback rather than constructive criticism, which was unfortunate. However, I definitely wanted to highlight the positive feedback which I greatly appreciated while also giving my own constructive criticism for someone who may want to actually implement this business venture in the future. I appreciated that the idea was received well and that there are others who agree my design is unique and extremely needed by college campuses. I terms of logistics, I think we could come up with a better idea on how to keep the complex sustainable without having to "borrow" workers from other complexes essentially. Maybe in the future we can partner with the university instead and employ workers with their budget.

Assignment 28A- Your Exit Strategy

Assignment 28A- Your Exit Strategy

1. Identify the exit strategy you plan to make. Do you intend to sell your business in the next 5 years for a large return? Do you intend to stay with the business for several decades and retire? Do you intend to protect the venture as a family business, and pass it down to your children?
   In all honesty, I dont believe I can see myself managing a business like this very far into the future. It was designed for college students to help other college students, and once I dont fall into that category anymore, I will sell the business and make a nice profit to start off my life with.
2. Why have you selected this particular exit strategy?
   I selected this strategy because I think while it would be a good experience and job to have coming out of college, I hope to be able to move higher and work with more recognized companies in the corporate world. I have no business managing a college campus housing unit for the rest of my life.
3. How do you think your exit strategy has influenced the other decisions you've made in your concept? For instance, has it influenced how you have identified an opportunity? Has it influenced your growth intentions or how you plan to acquire and use resources?
   I think my exit strategy may have influenced the way I thought about my business plan and how to improve it. Knowing that this wasn't a business I was planning to be in for the long run made me a little more relaxed about the venture concept idea since I knew there would be someone else dealing with it in the future. Admittedly, that may have not been the best way to think about it, but there's always room for improvement and this class taught me it was okay to fail.

Assignment 27A- Reading Reflection No. 3

Assignment 27A- Reading Reflection No. 3

Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

1. What was the general theme or argument of the book?
   The general theme of the book was how our several psychological biases are natural and it's important to acknowledge them in order to be more self aware about our judgments and decisions 
2. How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
   I think it connected with the course because our assignments require us to do a lot of self reflection and think about the way people make decisions, which is also a concept explored in the book. Our 2 systems of thinking can absolutely affect the way we behave which, in turn, can help us better understand buyer behavior which will affect our venture concepts.
3. If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
   The exercise I would design based off this book would be to essentially create a list of situations and have students decide what their responses to each one of them would be when following system 1 thinking and then system 2 thinking. It would be cool to see what each student's automatic first behavior would be through system 1 thinking, and then how their system 2 decisions actually showcase who they are as a person and their way of deconstructing situations to react appropriately
4. What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
   My biggest "aha" moment was his explanation of the bat and ball problem. The problem gives an excellent example of how system 1 thinking overtakes system 2 thinking and it shocked me so much because I fell into the trap. The question is "A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?" where the answer is 5 cents instead of 10 because if the bat costs $1 more, it comes out to $1.05, which, combined gives you $1.10. He explained that overriding this system 1 thought is difficult but requires deliberate, intentional thinking

Assignment 26A- Celebrating Failure

Assignment 26- Celebrating Failure

1. During this semester and year in general, I experienced a LOT of failure with regards to academics and my personal life. In one instance, I helped lead a very large general body meetings where nearly 100 students (both UF students and exchange students) were there in attendance. The presentation ran fairly smooth, and we usually end the meeting with a game of two truths and a lie about each exchange students' home universities. Somehow, the answer key to the game was completely messed up and resulted in nearly a 30 minute delay of the game, which didnt even function properly after "fixing it". This was very embarrassing for both the executive board members and the students in the organization, and is definitely a time that I think I failed.
2. From this event, I learned that failure happens even at the most inconvenient of times. In the moments you need things to work most, like in front of an audience for example, they don't, and that's life. The only thing our executive board could do was laugh about it and come together to brainstorm ways to fix the situation either in the future or immediately.
3. In general, I learned that failure will happen whenever it wants to and you kind of just have to roll with the punches. Embrace it, accept it, and understand that it will keep happening until the day you die. Personally, I've become someone who is afraid of failure but ready to take it on. I think this year was very challenging for me because I failed so much more than I'd like to admit, but I'm clearly alive and well and made it through all of my failures in life if I can be where I am today. This class made me realize that someone else's failures can be your greatest strengths, so always look at your failure as an opportunity.

Assignment 25A- What's Next?

Assignment 25A- What's Next?

Existing Market

Step 1: For my service, I think the next steps are to ultimately begin putting this idea into practice and begin receiving funding for its implementation. Then, once my business has begun, I would work on expanding to other college campuses across the nation and see how geographical location may alter the needs of the students and how we can begin the process of improving conditions depending on location

Step 2: Interview component suspended

Step 3: For my venture, I think it would be smart to first gather a group of students who would for sure use my facilities should it actually come to life one day. I think it would be important to ensure there is a waiting market segment and available government funding so that once this business venture begins, there is steady income to keep it maintained and growing.

New Market

Step 1: A new potential market I could target are specifically international students

Step 2: My venture concept could benefit international students because they also seek affordable, clean housing when coming from across the world to attend an institution. They also shouldn't have to resort to dirty houses or strictly on-campus dorms for living just because they may not have the funds to find something luxurious since they're already paying 3x more than U.S. residents for tuition
Step 3: Interview component suspended

Step 4: Through this market, I learned more about the demographic that I identify with than I've ever known. I got firsthand experience speaking with potential customers and I learned about many different opinions from people who all fit into the category of my targeted audience. I think introducing this business design to this new market would open up a lot of opportunity since they are also a large population of individuals who seek the services I am providing. This market appears equally attractive and maybe even more desirable since there are less options for housing for international students than just low-income students in general. I would definitely consider this market in the future after my business has successfully taken off.

Assignment 24A- Venture Concept No. 1

Assignment 24 A- Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity

For this business design, my opportunity is easily identified. Being a low-income college student myself and also someone who identifies with a minority group in our student population (Hispanic/Latinx), I wanted to target a market segment that I can relate to and understand their needs. Therefore, the potential customers for my business idea are also low-income college students who primarily identify with a minority group within the respective college's student population, which in this case would be UF. The opportunity of this business idea occurs every year, and even appears to be in high demand at the start of each semester, but mainly towards the start of the academic school year in the fall/late summer. For this reason, my idea would be successful since there is always going to be a consistent new group of individuals every year who are seeking my product. The market is a clear demographic of students who can provide information of their financial and ethnic backgrounds upon completion of applications to be accepted as a resident of the housing complex. As of now, customers that are housed in off-campus housing need to be making a significant income to afford the rent of a place located close to campus and with decent living conditions- rent for a place like The Standard or Social 28 can range anywhere from $900-$1200 a month! With my idea, customers will absolutely be looking to find a place that can provide similar living conditions and maintain close proximity to campus for classes and studies for a low rate. Many low-income students don't get to experience these luxuries due to their financial situations, and my business idea gives them the opportunity to do just that- live in a place close, affordable, and nice for a low cost and small labor contribution to the complex. 

Innovation

The "product" I am offering is a housing complex designed for low-income students that will allow residents the ability to enjoy luxury-style amenities and decent housing while also remaining close to campus, especially for those students who cannot afford to bring a car to college or the bus routes do not reach their current apartment. Because this business would be in partnership with other complexes in the area that have maintenance staff and other business necessities, the monthly cost for residents would have to start out at around $530, which is an extremely good price for the location and style of housing. After the business has gained traction and become functional, the rent rate could eventually go down by as much as $100. To get the company started, students can be expected to pay the equivalent to a security deposit upon signing a lease, which could be up to a $400 deposit for unexpected costs that may arise during their time with the company. This housing complex can also ensure that there is an even amount of students from each grade level residing with them by maintaining a cap of how many 1-4th year students and graduate students are allowed to sign a lease during a semester. As the business begins to take off, expansion can happen as well and the cap can slowly become bigger and bigger depending on how well the system works. To keep rent costs low, students who are residents can contribute a small workload each week that normal apartment complexes would have maintenance do, such as sweeping hallways and delivering mail in exchange for low rent. These tasks can also be used for resumes and experience as the graduate student-run complex can also provide letters of recommendations for those students who so choose to put this experience on their resumes.

Venture Concept

All in all, I don't find it'll be difficult to get customers to switch to this product. I already am aware that this need exists to a great extent within student populations worldwide, and this business idea could really take off and expand if all were to go well. After going through many forums and speaking to low-income students firsthand, I've come to find this idea that a small labor task in exchange for residency at such a clean, convenient housing is more than worth it for the price of its monthly rent. I would be facing many other competitors, such as all the other apartment complexes close to campus that offer similar or even better facilities/location, but I think my offer for lower rent supersedes the need for these apartment complexes. Again, my market segment is somewhat limited in demographics of who can apply for a lease, but I know that at least the people in my target group would be extremely interested and I believe I will have a steady number of customers. Additionally, the convenience of it just being within walking distance to campus is enough to attract customers to my product idea.

Secret Sauce

I believe that my most important resource will be convenience in conjunction with affordability. The two seem to be mutually exclusive with regards to housing units around campus, and this business idea offers the best of both worlds. Not many places to live off-campus offer decent living conditions for a low price, and the incorporation of the two in this product is what will ultimately attract customers to want to purchase it. In the future, it may be cool to extend the business and offer a line of "rental" cars or scooters that students can borrow for the year. This would be designed again for low-income students who cannot afford to have their own cars or scooters on campus with them for transportation during the school year. For my own next steps, I would like this business venture to introduce me to the world of hospitality and kick-start my dream of working in the tourism and travel industry. This would just be the start to my career in hospitality and remind me of my humble beginnings when I hopefully own my own company in the future someday

Assignment 23A- Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

Assignment 23A- Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

1. (Human Capital) Empathy
   Valuable: A lot of students find it difficult to communicate their concerns to adults and may find it intimidating. My empathy allows me to understand their needs and see where they are coming from in their worries
   Rare: To an extent, since there are empathetic people but not many are found within this market
   Imitable: While people could mimic my idea to manage an apartment complex, the logistics of my business idea would be difficult to replicate many times in the same area. However, they can be imitated by student
   Non-suitable: Other potential resources would be other apartment complexes, but they couldn't help my target group the way I would be able to
2. Affordability of my product
   Valuable: This is one of the first things most people look for when they're making a purchase decision
   Rare: Not many housing units close to campus are within the middle class income budget,
   Imitable: This could be easily copied
   Non-suitable: This preference for a housing unit could be replaced with other preferences
3. Productivity within residents
   Valuable: This is valuable for the experience and resume builder they can use on applications
   Rare: No other apartment complex compensates their residents in rent through labor
   Imitable: With the proper budgeting adjustments, this wouldn't be too difficult to copy
   Non-suitable: There are other ways to lower rent costs
4. Innovation
   Valuable: It's very difficult to come up with a "new" idea nowadays so it is valuable
   Rare: Innovation is equivalent to rarity
   Imitable: It can be but it would take time because it has never been done before
   Non-suitable: there are no other resources that can provide the same benefits
5. Partnership with other complexes
   Valuable: This will allow residents to not need to pay so much to cover for maintenance costs since they will be sharing staff from other complexes
   Rare: not rare, many complexes form partnerships often
   Imitable: Very easily imitable
   Non-suitable: Proper government funding would allow the complex to not need to partner with other ones
6. Accessibility for all
   Valuable: This is valuable because some resident halls, for example, are limited to the type of students that can house themselves there
   Rare: Not very rare, this is a common characteristic of most apartment complexes and dorms
   Imitable: Because it is already common, it is imitable
   Non-suitable: This can be replaced with restrictions on the types of students that are accepted to live in the apartment complex
7. (Human Capital) Having taken LEI3301
   Valuable: This has given me so must insight into the hospitality industry that I'm confident I would be able to have this business plan run successfully
   Rare: This course is limited in the people that can take it so it's somewhat rare
   Imitable: This course is easily imitable
   Non-suitable: There are more advanced courses that can teach me more about the industry
8. (Human Capital) Open-minded
   Valuable: By being open minded, I am very open to accepting criticism and the ideas of others to incorporate them into designs
   Rare: It is not rare
   Imitable: Being open-minded is a mindset and if you don't possess the ability to be this way, it is difficult to train yourself to be
   Non-suitable: Being very liberal in ideas is somewhat similar to being open-minded and produces similar results in leadership
9. Diversity
   Valuable: This would look great on resumes for residents that contribute to the chore work and would be eligible to receive more funding
   Rare: To my knowledge, the diversity of the student-housed residents depends on the amount of diversity within the college
   Imitable: It can be imitated by changing the demographic of your target audience
   Non-suitable: No other resources that can provide the same benefits
10. (Human Capital) Connections
    Valuable: This will give me an advantage in the field and will give me a lift in my position in this market
    Rare: Many people have connections, however it's a matter of the right connections that are rare
    Imitable: It is easy to reach out and network to make connections so yes, it is easily imitable
    Non-suitable: If someone can network for your company, you dont have to be the one to possess this human capital to benefit your company

After completing this exercise, I can see that my top resource is probably my connections. Because I actually have contact with people who are experts in the field I would be entering, I could get firsthand insight on what management methods would need to be changed and if any ideas I would have for my business design are proven to be faulty. As much as I can say these resources of mine give me an advantage, they dont really have any use unless a business expert (such as the one I have connections to) tells me they can be used

Assignment 21A- Reading Reflection No. 2

Assignment 21A- Reading Reflection No. 2

Book: How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams

1. What was the general theme or argument of the book?
   The general theme of the book was that failure is not truly "failure", because you can take what you learned from those experiences and emerge stronger from them. 
2. How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
   For me, this book made me feel a lot better about the many times I got stuck on an assignment or couldn't think of an idea for my business plan. This book emphasized the concept that it's okay and even necessary to experience failure in order to succeed again through other means. We learn a lot in this class similar values, and that its encouraged to be unique with our creations and focuses on innovation. Similarly, the author Scott Adams explains these concepts and that we should give credit where credit is due.
3. If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
   If I had to design an exercise based on the book, I would have students make a collection of skills they have based on what other people say (people that are close enough with them or have worked with them on a project) and another collection of skills other people say they can work on. For the first list, they would explain why those are their strongest skills and what led them to excel in them. For the second list, I would have them address how they can improve on their weaker skills and an example of someone they know that exhibits mastery in the skill. This would help students reflect on their "failures" and how there is actually a way to be successful from them. Also, it would allow them to praise themselves on what skills they do master and give them perspective on how they are still successful despite obstacles they face.
4. What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
   If I had to pick an "aha" moment from the book, I think it would be Scott Adams addressing that knowledge is more significant than willpower when it comes to being healthy. While some people would agree that strong willpower will push them to keep going when trying to be healthy, Scott argues that the knowledge of how your body works without comparing it to others is the key to being healthy. This is also great advice to implement in your daily life!

Assignment 20A- Growing Your Social Capital

Assignment 20A- Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert:

1. Who they are and their background: An old friend from high school who is currently trying to pursue his own entrepreneurial endeavors in real estate. He created his own real estate company and has been working in it for three years now
2. Slot: He is engaged in the same type of business activity as I'd like to be, which is selling housing to people from all over
3. How I found and contacted them: Somewhat kept in touch after high school and they invited me to like their real estate page on Facebook. From there, I used Facebook messenger to contact him
4. Nature of the exchange: He agreed to help me with my assignment and I promoted his real estate company page on Facebook as a thank you
5. Advantage of exploitation: I got to learn different techniques about selling in real estate and what different aspects of housing units different market segments look for (space is more significant for families, rent is more significant for single people, etc.)

Market Expert:

1. Who they are and their background: My uncle who has been working in management positions of different apartment complexes all over Florida for over fifteen years
2. Slot: He knows a lot about conducting customer research for this type of business and is also technically targeting the same market as I am
3. How I found and contacted them: I gave him a call since I already have his number and I cannot go physically visit him right now given the current situation
4. Nature of exchange: He did it as a favor for me because he's family :)
5. Advantage of exploitation: He gave me a lot of insight as to what kinds of areas in Florida I can expect to find different populations and where specifically I might want to begin my business and what areas need help that I can expand to. He is also a good reference to have if implementation of this idea ever were to happen so he can guide me on managing it

Supplier:

1. Who they are and their background: Associate from the leasing company that owns my apartment complex. They have been working with the company for six years now
2. Slot: The company they work for sells services to other organizations/firms in my industry
3. How I found and contacted them: I was able to contact the leasing office for my apartment complex and get the contact information for the actual company they work for
4. Nature of exchange: They helped me out as a favor since I'm already in a signed housing contract with them and am a current customer of theirs
5. Advantage of exploitation: They gave me a short review of how they began with the company and how they've managed to expand so much and essentially create a monopoly in the apartment complex industry in my area. They are a good contact to have for if/when I want to start my business venture in the future 

Reflection:

I felt like this assignment and doing the networking was significantly less intimidating than most social networking events I go to. In most that I've had experience with, I have to present myself extremely professional and speak one-on-one with recruiters. However, with this assignment, it was nice to be able to reach out to people I even knew to gain insightful information on how I would begin or manage my business idea. In the future, I think it would be helpful to seek out people I may know first, and then expand my network further after.

Assignment 19A- Idea Napkin No. 2

Assignment 19A- Idea Napkin No. 2

1. You
   My name is Jeannette, and I am a second-year business administration major with an area of specialization in Travel & Tourism Management. I'm really involved with the international business programs and Hispanic Student Association, as well as a job at the UF Computing Help Desk. My involvements have allowed me to gain significant experience in hospitality and event planning, which is what I hope to have an occupation in in the future, and I feel it has allowed me to better understand a client's needs and how to solve that opportunity. Specifically, students that are first-generation and from communities of color, which is why I chose to focus on designing a student-run apartment complex close to campus that is affordable and has excellent living conditions. I know that a living situation, such as the one I'm proposing, would be of great interest to me and most of my friend groups, and can be something that can be implemented for the long run.
2. What Are You Offering To Customers?I am offering a housing system close to the University of Florida's campus (and potentially other campuses across the nation) that allows students to pay discounted rent in exchange for weekly chores/roles of responsibility. This will ultimately result in lower rent costs as students wont need to pay for certain maintenance services, and could possibly even partner with apartment complexes nearby for access to their amenities at a reduced cost for students who would like to purchase it.
3. Who Are You Offering It To?
   I am mainly offering my product to low-income, first-generation students enrolled in both undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as any student interested in living in off-campus housing. This housing establishment will mainly be marketed to students of color, but is open to any student experiencing financial constraints.
4. Why Do They Care?I specifically wanted to highlight students who do not have the luxury of not taking rent price into account when searching for housing. I believe students should not feel they have to resort to on-campus or dirty off-campus housing just because of their family financial situation, and therefore should be able to experience decent living options walking distance to campus in case they also cannot afford transportation to class.
5. What Are Your Core Competencies?I believe my whole idea in general is what sets me apart from other competitors. While I do understand there is much competition in the housing market, especially for the limited housing options available that are close to campus, none of them cater to the demographic group I am marketing this towards, and I have yet to see housing options that incorporate all of the elements I am proposing. Being a student in the position of my target group, I can understand on a personal level what students in different minority groups are looking for and how limited their housing options are due to different financial constraints. Furthermore, students living in this kind of housing can gain experience in many different skill sets, depending on their assigned chore for the week.

Feedback Summary:

While I did receive limited feedback. it was very positive and encouraging! People who have heard of my idea seem to really like it so far and think it's helpful to the community that I'm targeting. Something did come to my attention from one of the comments, that some unexpected and variable costs that may arise and there needs to be a steady way to pay for these cases. To address that, I think it would be helpful if this service requested government funding and could be provided emergency funds in case these arise. Additionally, this alumni/student-run complex could be partnered with other companies and share expenses for maintenance for a reduced rate. There are many options to explore and many things we could look into upon the implementation of this.

Assignment 18A- Create a Customer Avatar

Assignment 18A- Create a Customer Avatar

My prototypical customer is a racially diverse (half-black half-Hispanic) female in her early 20's. She attends the University of Florida and is currently a third-year Journalism major from Cuba and has family in South Florida and mainly her home country. My customer also has a very big family, including 2 brothers and 2 sisters, so she must support her expenses by working part-time as an assistant at the Gainesville news station on campus. One day, my customer hopes to work for the Spanish news channel "Telemundo" and loves to sing, write poetry, and cook. She is a registered Democrat, and looks up to Beyonce, Zoe Saldana, and Barack Obama as her idols. She is very family-oriented, responsible and hard working, and is considered a great student.

As far as what I have in common with my customer, I would say we both grew up in traditional Hispanic households and have experienced managing a big family on top of other responsibilities. Our similar hard-working mindset allows me to understand her as a customer and what she would be looking for in a product. Because of that, our similarities are not coincidental because most females I meet that are like me are in search of a product that I hope to create, so I would be targeting a segment that this prototypical customer falls into.

Assignment 16A- What's Your Secret Sauce?

Assignment 16A- What's Your Secret Sauce?

5 ways I have unique human capital:

1. Kind: Kindness is one of my biggest values in life, and I actively try harder everyday to practice it as much as I can. In life, begin kind can get you many places and connections (although you should always be kind just to be kind) and you should always want people to remember you in a positive light. Aside from being short, saying I'm very kind is one of the most common ways people describe me!
2. Open-Minded: I take pride in the fact that I am very open-minded. Although I may get overwhelmed at times, I handle change very well and am willing to accommodate to things as necessary. I'm also a person who makes sure everyone is being heard, and all people's opinions can be taken into consideration before making a decision, and I think this is very helpful in a workplace where there may be a lot of diversity.
3. Fast Learner: As mentioned earlier, I am very open to change and learning new ways to do/improve things. This also takes the ability to learn quickly and be able to accommodate fast, which I have been complimented on many times. I don't like to give up easily, so every time I have to learn something new, I take it as a challenge and try my best to really focus on learning the procedure to things.
4. Collaborative: I believe I have great teamwork skills, and therefore makes it easy for me to be collaborative with my colleagues. I feel this is a very important quality to have nowadays, and it seems to be one of the biggest qualities recruiters look for in candidates. In a work environment especially, this would come in handy.
5. Empathetic: Lastly, I believe I am very empathetic and can handle other people's emotions very well. I have been told on multiple occasions that my emotional intelligence is very high, and I'm very easy to have a conversation with. This leads to a strong, solid relationship with people that involves open communication, which is very important.

Interviews

Interview 1 (Brother): "Your most unique skills I think are empathy, sense of humor, and leadership skills. I'd say they're all at a higher level than the average person."

Interview 2 (Friend/Roommate): "It's hard to say what your best quality is, but probably kind or generous. You're a genuinely good person and would make a great boss someday"

Interview 3 (Coworker): "You always come through for people! You picked up the last part of my shift when I really needed it, and didn't leave me hanging like you-know-who did last time (lol). You're very reliable"

Interview 4 (Classmate): "I would say you're very intelligent on an academic level, but in general, your niceness is what sets you apart. I felt very comfortable being in class with you and you helped me out so many times!"

Interview 5 (Mother): "While I think you're the best person in the world, I'd have to say you're extremely responsible when it comes to your school, work, and self-discipline. You always keep your word with people and get things done without being asked"

Reflection

I found all the answers to be heartwarming, but mainly accurate. It was nice to know I am perceived in such a positive light, but also that these qualities can be used to improve my human capital. I think I definitely view myself in a different way than people on the outside view me, mainly because I know what my weaknesses are and where I can improve on as a person. I don't think I would change my list, because I know those are my main strengths as of now, but I would like to improve on other areas to hopefully continue updating it in the future

Assignment 15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Assignment 15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Alternative Evaluation:

The first person I interviewed stated that price plays a large role in deciding where they can live in the future, and style/convenience/amenities are almost "luxuries" to them- not really a large deciding factor for their housing. While it would be nice to live in one of the luxury student-housing, two of my interviewees said it definitely cant be their end goal when deciding where to live. My last interviewee had a slightly different answer, saying she was fortunate enough to be granted a large scholarship and could be a little more lenient with the prices of the apartments. The second most popular demand for buying apartments was how well built or gross it was!

How/Where Do They Buy?:
While all three of my interviewees said they prefer to do their shopping online, going in-person to tour apartment complexes and housing units are what seal the deal. Pictures online can be fake or edited to look more luxurious than the place actually is, and if they're already in Gainesville, it makes sense to just go for a tour. My second interviewee said another factor is if they want to live with specific people and what their preferences are. This is important because if their parents play a large-role in the decision, everyone's thoughts have to be taken into consideration before moving on with the next step.

Post-Purchase Evaluation:
For the most part, my interviewees stated a post-purchase decision cannot really be made until about halfway during their time living in the apartment complex. Mainly they have already had time to experience any sort of appliances breaking down, how long the bus rides are, insect infestations, etc. so they can accurately gauge whether their purchase was worth it for the price or not. One thing my first interviewee said they look for is how fast the management team helps take care of their complaints. If the management team doesnt care about their residents, they're not gonna care to stay with them.

Conclusions:
After conducting all my interviews, I found it very helpful to know what's inside the minds of consumers when making a purchase that will affect my product. However, it's good to know they all had very similar answers and felt passionately enough about each of them to know what I should target when creating my product. For the housing market, there isnt too much leniency when deciding a budget or style, so hopefully mine will attract a large portion of the student population I'm targeting.

Assignment 13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

Assignment 13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

Book: Coco Chanel by Lisa Chaney

1. What surprised you the most? What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
"Coco Chanel" was a very interesting read that allowed me to learn the background behind a well-renowned fashion designer who influences artists today. Truthfully, learning everything about her childhood and transition into adulthood was surprising to learn about, especially due to all the hardships she endured growing up. Among that, I most admired her resilience to create new, revolutionary fashion, despite all of the setbacks in life that would've normally discouraged someone to keep going. As someone who also believes people's experiences (both good and bad) are what shapes a person into the best versions of themselves they can be, there wasn't anything I found unadmirable about her story. Living a life of death, abandonment, and poverty is certainly not easy, and all of her actions are pretty justifiable for someone in her position. Gabrielle faced more adversity and failure than I imagined, and used her talents to learnt to sew and pursued a career in the fashion industry, regardless of fear of judgement

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

As mentioned above, competencies she exhibited was resilience, along with innovation and fearlessness. These qualities were her driving factors in the creation of her unique designs and kept her going, which would come to make her a worldwide fashion icon until even today

3. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
One part of the reading that was confusing to me was keeping up with all the men in her life. While Gabrielle was a strong, independent woman, she did have many relationships during her lifetime and having to keep track of all the men that came and went got to be a little tricky for me. 

4. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask?
Q1: What career path would you have gone down if you decided to give up on fashion?
Q2: In what ways do you think your independence at a young age shaped the work you created upon entering the fashion industry?

5. For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
I think Coco Chanel's opinion of hard work is essentially the quote "if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself". I think she embodied the saying in all of her work and commitment to creating unique fashion for women everywhere, and is what led her to become such a successful entrepreneur. Every aspiring entrepreneur should also aim to keep this quote in mind when starting their journey, and never lose sight of the end goal, as exhibited by the story of Coco Chanel

Assignment 14A- Halfway Reflection

Assignment 14A- Halfway Reflection

1. Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?
   - Some behaviors I have used/developed to keep up is time management, first and foremost. In conjunction with my organizational skills, it has helped me keep up with doing the assignments to the best of my ability, as well as complete them all on time. Furthermore, I find that I need a clear head and non-distracting environment since this class takes a lot of effort and critical thinking.
   
2. Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?
   - Recently, there have been quite a few days where I've felt like giving up. Unfortunately life comes at you really fast with good and bad things that happen unexpectedly, and those can really take a toll on your physical and mental health. These past two months have probably been the most difficult two months of my life due to personal reasons, and the love and support from my friends and family has truly been the thing that keeps me going. I was never really one to reach out or ask for help when things got rough, but once you get to a point where there's no choice but to do so, it's like the weight of the world is slowly being lifted off your shoulders. I cannot stress how much even a simple text message of encouragement from a friend or hearing your favorite person's voice helps, and has made me develop a tenacious mindset in everything that I do. Now, I celebrate my victories (no personal victory is too small to celebrate) and work harder to overcome my defeats. Life is so so so hard, but a tenacious mindset, a little bit of coffee, and a strong support system will go a long way.
   
3. Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?
   - Tip 1: Time Management! If it hasn't been said enough by everyone else, this class has by far been one of the most time-sensitive intensive classes I've taken. Having done the IB program in high-school, I needed to learn time management at an early start. Once you get to college, life becomes SO different and you have more responsibilities/commitments that become a little difficult to manage. Set aside some time in your day that you know you can get some work done (and listen to your body: if you can't do work late at night, do it in the morning and vice versa. Your body knows you better than you know yourself) and really get it done. It will be difficult but manageable, and all it takes is a little planning. Which leads me to my next tip...
   Tip 2: Organize yourself. Get a journal, white board, Google Calendar, etc. to keep yourself organized with your assignments and know what you have to get done by the end of the week. Decorating it is a plus to make your tasks more enjoyable to do, but as long as you have a way of physically seeing what needs to get done, in what order it needs to get done, you're set! Another quick pro-tip is getting as much as you can done all at once because it feels sooo good to know your comments due Monday have already been completed by Friday. Trust me.
   Tip 3: Reward yourself after you get your assignments done so you have an incentive to do them. Knowing I get to watch a few episodes of a Netflix show or can go out to eat with my friends after I get my assignments in makes it so much easier to actually have motivation to do them, and is much needed for detailed assignments like these ones. If you have a friend in the class as well, encourage them to do their work and don't forget to reward yourselves!

Assignment 12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.1

Assignment 12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Segment: Students of color attending or about to begin attending a university away from their hometown

Interview 1: My first interviewee is an 18-year old Hispanic female senior in high-school who is graduating this year and expecting to attend the University of Florida beginning Summer 2020. This person recognizes the identified need and is beginning to experience it for the first time as her friends have already begun their apartment hunting for the upcoming school year. She stated she has never needed to think about something like this, since she lives with her parents and has been for her whole life, and did not realize how many difficulties they would encounter when trying to decide a living situation. Therefore, getting her college acceptances has been the first time she has encountered this problem and is dealing with the situation on her own, for the most part. She also said her friends have gotten a head start and found subleases, and recognizes that she will be faced with the problem again when determining her living situation for the Fall/Spring 2020-2021 school year. She said using google to find apartment complexes in the general area she wants to live at and will hopefully be able to do in-person tours over the summer, as well as get personal recommendations from her friends who will live in other complexes over the summer too.

Interview 2: My second interviewee is a 20 year-old Asian/Hispanic first-generation female who currently attends the University of Miami. She stated she first experienced the issue well into attending the college she currently goes to, as incoming students attending that university are required to live on campus their first year and didn't even think about how difficult finding affordable off-campus housing would be- let alone close to campus. Traffic in Miami is terrible, and having a house or apartment complex within walking distance to campus would be certainly ideal for her situation. She also stated she comes from a lower-income household and can barely afford living in Miami as a broke college student, so worrying about paying rent is a very prominent issue in her life right now. Luckily after making friends her first year, she was able to find a group of people experiencing the same issue (all from different nationalities, since living in the city is expensive in general for most people) and decided to live with them farther from campus and carpool together most mornings. Regardless, days she needs to take the Metro are a hassle and require her to wake up extra early and is a big inconvenience.

Interview 3: My third interviewee is a 24 year-old Haitian female graduate student currently attending UF's College of Dentistry. She stated she began experiencing this need when she got accepted into graduate school, as she lived in a scholarship home that renewed her residency every year so long as she kept her grades up. After finishing her undergraduate courses, she realized she would need to look into housing options closer to the College of Dentistry so her commute wouldn't be so long now that she was full-time in the building. Thankfully, she does come from a family that isn't necessarily in a big financial need, but given her graduate status, definitely needs to think about finances to avoid being in bigger debt. Given the location of her building, she has more options in her housing, especially since on-campus housing isn't really an option for her. Finding a solution was not extremely difficult, since she was okay with the location of her apartment in regards to the College of Dentistry and thankfully has a lower than average rent price. After she finishes graduate schooling, she plans on securing a job outside of Gainesville and will not have to worry about her housing situation being close or not to campus.

Summary/Conclusion: While conducting these interviews, I came to realize that the need always exists, but the people who experience the need rotate and no longer have the need once they are not affiliated with the university anymore. There are definitely a wide assortment of students who experience this need, and even from my interviews I was informed of a greater population of people not only attending UF but other universities as well that experience this need. A living situation such as the one I proposed about a student-run housing complex would be ideal to implement in universities everywhere, and placement of such establishments in regard to the campus setup would be a factor to take into consideration as well. Depending on the background of the student, different people have access to different resources and gives them an advantage overs less fortunate students (international students, non english-native speakers, first generation, etc.) who dont have general knowledge on house hunting. Thus, a business concept like the one I proposed should be advertised to all incoming college students and even those already attending who may potentially continue in graduate school or employment at the university.

Assignment 11A- Idea Napkin No. 1

Assignment 11A- Idea Napkin No. 1

1. You
   My name is Jeannette, and I am a second-year business administration major with an area of specialization in Travel & Tourism Management. I'm really involved with the international business programs and Hispanic Student Association, as well as a job at the UF Computing Help Desk. My involvements have allowed me to gain significant experience in hospitality and event planning, which is what I hope to have an occupation in in the future, and I feel it has allowed me to better understand a client's needs and how to solve that opportunity. Specifically, students that are first-generation and from communities of color, which is why I chose to focus on designing a student-run apartment complex close to campus that is affordable and has excellent living conditions. I know that a living situation, such as the one I'm proposing, would be of great interest to me and most of my friend groups, and can be something that can be implemented for the long run.
2. What Are You Offering To Customers?
   I am offering a housing system close to the University of Florida's campus (and potentially other campuses across the nation) that allows students to pay discounted rent in exchange for weekly chores/roles of responsibility. This will ultimately result in lower rent costs as students wont need to pay for certain maintenance services, and could possibly even partner with apartment complexes nearby for access to their amenities at a reduced cost for students who would like to purchase it.
3. Who Are You Offering It To?
   I am mainly offering my product to low-income, first-generation students enrolled in both undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as any student interested in living in off-campus housing. This housing establishment will mainly be marketed to students of color, but is open to any student experiencing financial constraints.
4. Why Do They Care?
   I specifically wanted to highlight students who do not have the luxury of not taking rent price into account when searching for housing. I believe students should not feel they have to resort to on-campus or dirty off-campus housing just because of their family financial situation, and therefore should be able to experience decent living options walking distance to campus in case they also cannot afford transportation to class.
5. What Are Your Core Competencies?
   I believe my whole idea in general is what sets me apart from other competitors. While I do understand there is much competition in the housing market, especially for the limited housing options available that are close to campus, none of them cater to the demographic group I am marketing this towards, and I have yet to see housing options that incorporate all of the elements I am proposing. Being a student in the position of my target group, I can understand on a personal level what students in different minority groups are looking for and how limited their housing options are due to different financial constraints. Furthermore, students living in this kind of housing can gain experience in many different skill sets, depending on their assigned chore for the week.

For the most part, I believe my elements fit together nicely to create a successful business concept that will aid thousands of students across the country. My only concern would be that some students would like to avoid having "chores" or responsibilities, and instead opt to live on campus or somewhere farther off-campus. However, with proper advertising and a thorough explanation of the benefits of this housing establishment, I think there would be a large community of students interested in my business concept and more than willing to provide a small service a week to have comfortable, affordable, and close living options to campus.

Assignment 9A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Assignment 9A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who: Through my interviews, I learned that a group of people who didn't experience my stated opportunity, but should've, were students that had no problem resorting to living on-campus. While searching for off-campus housing was an option for them and they experienced what it was like for a short period of time, they didn't find they had as much frustration as they thought they would. Two of my interviewees stated they were offered to move in with a mutual friend of their's, however after experiencing their friend's frustration during the house hunting process, opted to stay and renew their application to live in on-campus housing again. Another interviewee explained that because they had extra rent money from a full-ride scholarship, they didn't feel limited to their options since money wasn't so much of an issue, so they only experienced a small extent of the issue. My fourth interviewee was very similar to my last one in that they were graduating seniors who didn't have to worry much about finding housing options anymore since so many people sublease for one semester  and there are many options/deals to choose from.

What: The need isn't to find a housing option that is either close to campus, affordable, or decent to live in, but rather a housing option for students that incorporates all of those elements together. I found that this problem didn't affect as wide of a variety of students as I anticipated, but still was prevalent to the students who did experience this opportunity. For students who have many options or are open to alternatives in their housing situation (for example students that don't mind on-campus housing), this doesn't appear to be as big of a problem.

Why: The group of students who fall inside the boundaries have a different underlying cause than those that fall outside of the boundaries. Many students that fell inside the boundaries are lower income or first-generation and international students that have to very carefully allocate their money to their different expenses. Those that fell outside of the boundary may have experienced similar struggles, but don't have the need for a solution since it doesn't technically affect them anymore.

Inside the Boundary                                     Outside the Boundary

Who:     Students currently apartment hunting                  Students living on campus/graduating

What:  Decent living options for students that are          More student housing close to campus
                   affordable and close to campus

Why: -Low-income students don't deserve bad housing just because they can't afford $900+ monthly rents or know how to properly apartment hunt if they're first-generation

-Students are desperate to find a place to live and landlords/apartment companies take advantage of the high demand and naive college students

Assignment 8A- Solving the Problem

Assignment 8A- Solving The Problem

Opportunity: There is no affordable student housing near campus that doesn't involve giving something up (upgraded/clean units, expensive rent, amenities, etc.) in exchange for location

Solution: I believe there should be more apartment complex companies entering the market for Gainesville student housing. Furthermore, I think it would be convenient to have student-run or recent graduate-run housing units in the UF campus area since students know and can relate to the struggles low-income college students face. Even hostel-style housing that can house students for at least a year would be more convenient than having to pay all the fees associated with renting an apartment or house near campus.

Assignment 7A- Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

Assignment 7A- Testing the Hypothesis

1. My opportunity was identified back in exercise 5A. I strongly believe there should be more affordable, close to campus student housing, and especially for low-income and first generation students. Finding affordable, available housing somewhat close to the UF campus that is decent enough for students to live is nearly impossible due to one or two main companies dominating the housing market in the Gainesville area
2. Who: low-income students attending college in Gainesville
   What: cannot find affordable housing near campus that is decent enough to live in
   Why: companies have a monopoly on the housing market in Gainesville
3. Testing the Who: Students in the Gainesville area are not the only ones facing this problem. While Gainesville is one of the cities in Florida with the highest rent rates, I am aware this problem affects low-income students all over the state and even across the country. For out-of-state students already in debt, this can pose as a bigger problem since they have other, higher expenses to worry about
   Testing the What: There may be some hidden housing units that are currently being occupied by residents that are comfortable enough to live in and affordable. Furthermore, the rent of houses are far less than the rent in student apartment complexes. More run-down units are less expensive as well, but low-income students shouldn't be forced to resort to barely functioning units just because it's all that's available in the area. Housing very far from campus cost less as well, however it is inconvenient for students who cannot afford to have a car/scooter with them in college
   Testing the Why: Capitalism is the main culprit of the problem. Companies that run student housing like to prey off low-income and first-generation students because they dont know better, and are easier targets to profit off of. Landlords of the local houses do similar schemes, and also like to profit off of students by charging them crazy high rates, and utilities/parking/amenities on top of the rent price
4. Interview 1: My first interviewee is one of my roommates, a theatre major in her 20's that is also a person of color and low-income, first-generation college student. Since we are not living in the same place next year, she has also found it difficult to search for affordable and decent housing near campus. While it has been frustrating for her, she recognized she is fortunate enough to have transportation (her own car) and therefore can settle for an affordable and furnished apartment complex about 20 minutes from campus. This is still frustrating for her because the bus rides are ~40 minutes long, but she is willing to make the sacrifice to live comfortably
   Interview 2: My second interviewee is a female senior living in a luxury-style apartment complex across the street from campus. While hunting for apartments in her freshman year, she informed me price wasn't an issue for her but rather the amenities offered and how comfortable she felt living in the apartment. Money hasn't been an issue for her in the past, and therefore wasn't an issue for her when finding her housing. She didn't care much about the monopoly in the housing market, and has been living in her current apartment since her freshman year
   Interview 3: My third interviewee is a 20 year old Argentinian male who is a first-generation college student in the U.S who lives with his family in Gainesville. He stated he is living at home because he cannot afford housing, and his problem is that since he lives at home and must commute to campus, parking is impossible to find. He believes finding good housing and parking go hand-in-hand, and for those who are searching for housing and must resort to far, off-campus housing should also have parking decals to commute to school.
   Interview 4: My fourth interviewee is a second-year first generation Mexican female living off campus in an apartment. She stated she just found the cheapest one (apartment) online, toured it, and liked it. Her apartment is an upgraded unit, and finds it inconvenient to commute to campus when her bus app isn't working, but takes the bus whenever she needs to get to campus anyways. Housing near campus is WAY too expensive and due to the circumstances, she is fairly comfortable with where she's at.
   Interview 5: My last interviewee is a male college freshman living on campus, non first-gen. He stated his parents had attended UF and had great recommendations for his living situation going into college. He hasn't experienced the struggle of searching for affordable housing yet, and he already knows what apartment complex he is living at next year. He said that many of his friends have experienced this frustration, and many of them live in housing owned by the same company. The rent rates HIGHLY differ depending on location, and he finds that his friends living close to campus have nicer, more upgraded units but it's a costly price.
5. Summary:
   I learned that this opportunity does have a very specific target audience. It mainly affects low-income students who are of different ethnic backgrounds, mainly those students who are first-generation. While this may not be a huge problem for all students (such as those with dorms, cars, living with their parents, etc.), it does pose as a big frustration for students who are going into the house hunting process blind and with no knowledge of what proper student housing should look like. It is unfortunate that college students must give up either money or proper living conditions in order to comfortable live, and its an issue work trying to fix for the community that's affected.

Assignment 6A- Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Assignment 6A- Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

1.      Economic Trend: Subway is laying off workers in attempt to streamline operations

Ø  A. Source: https://www.ibtimes.com/subway-layoffs-2020-300-employees-cuts-sandwich-chain-looks-streamline-operations-2917068

Ø  B. I believe there is an opportunity that exists for Subway to recover from its most recent financial pinch, without having to lay off the number of workers they are currently letting go

Ø  C. Prototypical Customer: Subway managers who let go of employees in the 2,200 locations that closed within the past year

Ø  D. Easy or Difficult: The opportunity would be relatively difficult due to the scale of the problem and the time it would take to reemploy all those who were let off

Ø  Why did I see the opportunity: I found this as an opportunity because as someone who has family that has been affected by a company going through an economic dip, I have seen the way it has affected families firsthand and have thought of other solutions to the problem without needing to affect someone’s way of receiving income

2.      Economic Trend: Aviation is not the enemy in the climate battle

Ø  A. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51364103

Ø  B. I believe there exists an opportunity to cut down on gas emissions and contributions to climate change without targeting only air travel

Ø  C. Prototypical Customer: Everyone is affected by the growing rate of gas and carbon emissions 

Ø  D. Easy or Difficult: It would be relatively easy given that the movement to be sustainable is pretty fresh and most people already try being sustainable

Ø  Why did I see the opportunity: As someone who likes to actively protect the environment and be sustainable (recycling, using reusable utensils, etc), I often try to find new ways to be green and encourage others to do the same, so when it comes to pollution, I am constantly thinking of ways our society can be more environmentally friendly 

3.      Regulatory Trend:

Ø  A. Source: https://www.ibtimes.com/uber-can-now-test-self-driving-tech-california-roads-2916930

Ø  B. I believe there exists an opportunity to allow Uber to test self-driving cars without putting the pedestrians of major cities at risk of being hit and killed, as previously happened

Ø  C. Prototypical Customer: Pedestrians in California

Ø  D. Easy or Difficult: This would be relatively easy to implement as they could do their tests off-major roads or in designated routes that pedestrians dont take

Ø  Why did I see the opportunity: Technology, in my opinion, is advancing at a scary rate and I like to find ways to be sufficient on my own without the use of technology. Therefore, its important to find ways to not rely solely on technology and Uber should be something that is manually driven, not relied on by the technology of cars

4.      Regulatory Trend:

Ø  A. Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/health/who-coronavirus-not-pandemic/index.html

Ø  B. I believe there exists an opportunity to contain this virus better than the current situation. I think it's possible to make better efforts to quarantine communities and implement a worldwide hold on international travel

Ø  C. Prototypical Customer: Those worldwide affected by the coronavirus

Ø  D. Easy or Difficult: This would be relatively difficult to implement given the size and scale of the problem (worldwide)

Ø Why did I see the opportunity: I saw the opportunity because I have international family who have been affected by diseases in low-income communities and cannot access a hospital. By making better efforts to contain the virus, those who cannot afford to be seen by health professionals have a lesser chance of being affected

Assignment 5A- Identifying Local Opportunities

Assignment 5A- Identifying Local Opportunities

1) Before Super Bowl, Miami's Little Havana faces exodus of Cubans, pressure from developers

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/01/31/miamis-little-havana-no-longer-majority-cuban-but-roots-remain/4587792002/

Essentially, the native Cuban population in Miami are experiencing a threat during this time due to the large amount of tourism and non-native hispanic populations migrating to the south for the upcoming Super Bowl game. This is also the main essence of the problem, along with the fact that having the title "Little Havana" isnt fitting anymore as the area's demographics are rapidly changing. Thus, the people who have the problem are native populations to "Little Havana"

2) Everything you need to know about coronavirus, the deadly illness alarming the world

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/01/29/coronavirus-what-are-symptoms-of-wuhan-china-novel-virus/4563892002/

The article mainly speaks about general information regarding the outbreak of the new coronavirus, where it has spread, and how to look out for it in question-answer format. The problem identified is that it has officially posed as an international public health concern, as noted by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, and everyone should be aware of the virus and actively trying to prevent any sort of contraction. The people affected are currently populations in China, however communities worldwide also have the worry/problem

3) More Latino students than ever are trying to get their degree, but it’s fraught and costly

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/01/06/more-hispanic-students-than-ever-go-college-but-cost-high/2520646001/

In a series titled Hecho en USA, latino communities have been identified within the US and interviewed about their daily lives, how they live, work, and involve themselves in academics. In this specific article, young latinxs speak about the adversities they face when trying to attend post-secondary institutions, while trying to juggle work life and taking care of their families. Those affected by the problem are the low-income latinx communities living in the United States.

4) Thieves steal bronze Salvador Dali sculptures from Swedish gallery

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2020/01/30/bronze-salvador-dali-sculptures-stolen-swedish-gallery/4618991002/

From Stockholm, Sweden, at least two thieves have been reported to have stolen over 10 bronze sculptures created by Salvador Dali, the historically famous Spanish artist. The problem includes general crime, but even more drastic as it costed the art museum between $21,000 to $52,000. This poses as a problem for mainly the staff at the Couleur gallery in central Stockholm, as well as police officers working on the case.

5) Facebook privacy tool gives you more control on how you're being watched online

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/01/28/facebook-privacy-tool-how-prevent-facebook-stalking-you-online/4597226002/

This article is about Facebook finally releasing a long-awaited privacy tool that allows users to clear information (that would be otherwise exploited by businesses) about previous websites and apps they have opened. The release of this tool by CEO Mark Zuckerberg was in an attempt to clear the air about a "poor scandal-riddled narrative on privacy." The problem actually affects business that normally exploit personal information from Facebook, as well as the Facebook company because they will now not be able to take personal information from their users without consent anymore.

Assignment 4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief

Assignment 4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief

1) I believe a problem that currently exists is that there aren't enough affordable housing options near campus

2) When identifying this problem, I found that complaints regarding this issue came mainly from students. Most UF students have the same issue every year of looking for cheap, affordable housing options (somewhat) within walking distance to campus and decent enough to live comfortably in. During my time apartment hunting, I found it very difficult to find a place to live that was under or at my budget, close to campus, and suitable enough to live comfortably in. I asked around if my roommates/other friends were experiencing similar frustrations, and almost everyone I spoke with had the exact same problems I was facing. Thus, posing as a problem UF students face frequently, about every time the spring semester starts. Now, people procrastinate and end up paying very high rent prices to live decently close to campus, and even sacrifice the red flags of houses just to be able to reach campus quick and for an affordable price. I am about 65-70% sure this problem exists, mainly because most of the freshman/sophomore population tend to live on campus, and not all of the junior/seniors+ are constantly looking for housing.

3A) Prototypical Customer: A second-year male business student living a 15 minute walk from campus
4A) Question 1: What is the exact nature of the need?
Answer: Its just so hard finding a decent place to live that's also conveniently close to campus
Question 2: When do you become aware of the need?
Answer: Only when I had to find an apartment after my first-year living on campus
Question 3: How long have you had the need?
Answer: It started about a year ago, and I'm running into the same issue around this time of year too
Question 4: When/Why did you first become aware of your need?
Answer: Towards the beginning of my second semester in freshman year. I remember some of my hall mates talking about living at The Courtyards and basically begged them to let me live with them haha, especially since I was having so much trouble finding an affodable 1x1
Question 5: How are you currently addressing your need?
Answer: Uhh I'm probably just gonna renew my lease. My roommates and I get along pretty well and although it's not the fanciest, I can wake up 20 minutes before class in the business school

3B) Prototypical Customer: A second-year female theatre-major that takes a one-way 30-40 min bus ride

4B) Question 1: What is the exact nature of the need? 

Answer: The difficulty of finding housing near campus. Pretty common for most UF students I think.
Question 2: When do you become aware of the need?
Answer: I'm only just recently having this problem
Question 3: How long have you had the need?
Answer: I would say since the end of last semester. So, about 2-3 months
Question 4: When/Why did you first become aware of your need?
Answer: As I was trying to find a place to live since I'm not renewing. Basically when you (myself) told me you were moving out (this is my roommate)
Question 5: How are you currently addressing your need?
Answer: Touring apartments for the first time, and driving around looking for places that are renting. Although many of the houses near campus are really gross and unfurnished, so I may have to consider getting another apartment 10ish minutes from campus.

3C) Prototypical Customer: A fourth-year female med-student living on campus 

4C) Question 1: What is the exact nature of the need?
Answer: People are having trouble finding good housing off campus. Couldn't be me.
Question 2: When do you become aware of the need?
Answer: I'm only starting to become aware of this because I will be graduating soon, and I'm helping some of my other friends who are staying longer find a place to live
Question 3: How long have you had the need?
Answer: I havent really been affected by it, but I guess only within these past 3 weeks is when I became aware of it
Question 4: When/Why did you first become aware of your need?
Answer: Like I said before, about 3 weeks, and because I've been helping friends out but I'm sure they knew they would have difficulty finding a good place to live this late.
Question 5: How are you currently addressing your need?
Answer: Well I've lived on campus all 4 years I've been here and I had no problem with it. Honestly, it might even be better than some of the crazy ridiculous expensive apartments around here.

5) I learned that the best sample group of students to use for a study on this would be second to fourth year students who are not already living on campus. The most surprising thing I learned was that some people would actually rather just renew their leases rather than go through the hastle of finding affordable and decent housing near campus.

6) Repeated as shown

7) How much of your original opportunity is still there? Do you believe that your new opportunity is more accurate than when you started?How much do you think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback? (In other words, is there a trade-off between adapting and staying firm?)
For the most part, my original opportunity is still there, however I just needed to adjust the demographics of my target audience.  I definitely believe my adjustment allowed my "new opportunity" to be more accurate than when I started, as I now have a more focused audience I can work with. I think adapting to the situation following feedback is extremely important, especially if you're an entrepreneur. If you aren't tailoring to the changing needs of your consumer group, then what are you even trying to advertise or help people solve?