Week 4 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

• With globalization bringing the world closer together I didn't expect one of the trends Faith Popcorn identified is cocooning in which individuals want to shelter themselves from the world's harsh realities.

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

• Either/ Or thinking was confusing to me as I associate it with something other than the description. Also how does one go about living life in ambiguity successfully?

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

• Are you more of a right brain person or left brain person?
• What inventor do you admire most and why?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

• I disagree with the process of developing creativity. Creativity can not be forced or taught. I believe it to be more of an innate quality in which each individual has a different way of thinking and boosting their own creativity. Also correlation does not equal cause which in a way debunks the terrorism ignites innovation theory.

Customer Interviews No. 1

Opportunity: College students around the world spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks that they only use for a semester. Many of those textbooks sit around and go unused. I want to change this and hopefully reduce the amount spent on textbooks with a give a book get a book program. The program would occur at the end of each semester when students are registering for new classes and finishing up old ones. Each participant will donate old books and receive books for their next semester in exchange.

 

Potential Customers: My target market currently is college students at UF, but can be expanded to fit markets at other colleges across the globe as they are also experiencing an increase in textbook cost.

 

Questions:

• What is your year and major/college?

• Have you ever been tempted to not buy a recommended book and just use supplements like Smokin Notes due to price of textbooks?

• How much do you spend on textbooks each semester?

• Would you rather use e-texts or physical textbooks?

• Would you be willing to participate in a give a book get a book program?

 

 

 

 

Interview Reflection: I will admit it felt very unnatural and almost infomercial like to film my interviews. During some interviews I ended up having to rerecord the interview due to laughter between myself and the interviewee. Although at the end of the five interviews I was excited to see a positive response to my give a book get a book program. I was scared many of the students were going to say no they do not use physical textbooks anymore and just prefer to use e-texts or supplements like Smokin Notes, but I was pleasantly surprised that a majority of the interviewees would rather use a physical textbook which would make my program a success. Students are spending thousands to get an education and all seem to have a similar interest in saving as much money as possible. The average student spends anywhere from $300 to $500 on textbooks and supplements each semester and with my program I hope to drastically change that number. 

Top 5 World Problems

Top Five World Problems 
1.)Lack of Equal Right
2.)Lack of Peace
3.)Lack of Sympathy for others
4.)Poverty
5.)Materialism

Reflection
I feel that the number one issue in the world is equal rights as it is something that divides us and does not allow for peace in the world. When I say equal rights I mean looking past religion, education, race, and economic background and having equal opportunity everywhere. If this problem was solved then maybe we wouldn't have many of the other largest world problems.

World Problem's Solution's Feasibility Ranked 
1.) Materialism Issue Solution: Make it trendy through television to not be obsessed with things, but experiences.
2.) Lack of Equal Right's Possible Solution: Continue to support non profit organization such as She's The First that support girl's goals across this world and educating the youth on the disparities among other countries' access to equal rights and stressing its importance.
3.) Lack of Sympathy for others' Possible Solution: Promoting volunteering at a young age and in school its important to have meaningful conversations not just with your friends, but those you do not like as well because it is important to understand what makes others who they are today.
4.) Lack of Peace in the world Possible Solution: I do not think I have a solution for this problem, but I wish I did. I do know the solution will involve compromising and finding a common ground between all.
5.) Poverty Possible Solution: Ensuring all that graduate high school have taken at least 5  classes on finances, taxes, and professional skills. Legislation could be passed to ensure companies can not exploit cheap labor, etc. Poverty may not be solved in this response as there are so many components, but it is important to identify it as one of the largest problems in this world.

Reflection:
Feasibility of solving all the largest world issues can be viewed as far fetched, time consuming, and much more complicated than the solutions I offered. Although I feel we must start somewhere in order to make even a small difference and start chipping away at the worlds largest problem. The most feasible way of solving some of these issues is educating the youth and with knowledge comes freedom as others can spread their knowledge and allow others to see we do need expensive objects to make us happy and we do not need to compete with everyone around us in order to achieve greatness we need to work together and past each other's differences and celebrate our common goal of being happy.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Article Title: Hungry for a better diet?

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8CDF00CC5CA68?p=AWNB

Summary: According to the article, “HUNGRY FOR A BETTER DIET?” describes different types of diets that Americans are obsessed with.  When looking at gluten free diets there are one percent of Americans that are recommended to go on this diet due to an allergy, but one third of American adults are on some sort of gluten free diet.  Despite that gluten has been consumed for centuries many dieticians say gluten free diets are a fad that a majority of Americans without the allergy are jumping on. Sales are going strong for gluten free products, but many are high in price. Another price gauging concept is vitamin supplements as it is estimated at a $37 billion dollar a year industry despite many do not need the supplements as the already get their recommended vitamins from a balanced diet. All consumers could use this information and as the fad diets attract attention, it is important for stores/ suppliers to keep up and not fall behind the times.

Article: I hate my ‘double chin’ - Is there anything I can do safely to correct it?

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8CDEDB7FE2AE0?p=AWNB

Summary: The author discusses how much she dislikes her double chin appearance. She calls on readers who also experience similar appearance to research Kybella, FDA approved treatment. She then goes on to explain the procedure as noninvasive and has minimal side effects. In the article it states that the procedure cost ranges from $600 to $1800 per session depending on doctor.

Article: Aging roads, bridges hinder growth of critical commerce International leaders gather in Tampa for conference on trade - International leaders gather in Tampa for conference on trade

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A877E51CBBBA68?p=AWNB

Summary: When Panama wanted ensure expansion of trade and the demands of their citizens were met they built a canal. As we venture farther into the 21^st century we experience infrastructure problems within the United States and updates need to occur. Organizations like Amazon rely on bridges and roads to transfer and distribute goods. Therefore it is imperative for the infrastructure to continuously to be worked on and updated. In the article a trucker named Anderson said, “We’re living on our grandparents’ infrastructure and just getting around to expanding. It wasn’t built to support this amount of people or the way freight is being distributed now.”

Article: What the heck is biodiesel? Stay tuned ... Conference in Tampa aims to raise profile of clean, plant-based fuel - Conference in Tampa aims to raise profile of clean, plant-based fuel

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A877E2A1092F10?p=AWNB

Summary: Consumers are looking for new ways to go green and protect the environment. Biodiesel is a way for consumers to support the green movement and is currently being displayed at a Tampa Convention. Companies are able to show off their biodiesel cars while consumers and citizens get the chance to promote their green efforts by attending and supporting Tampa’s goal to raise their clean environment profile. The problem currently is there are not many aware of biodiesels many benefits and consumers are tirelessly looking for ways to go green but at the same time not break the bank.

 

Article: Bills focus on Uber, Lyft insurance Legislators want 
to set standard for 
ride-hailing companies - Legislators want to set standard for ride-hailing companies

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7D228A5256A28?p=AWNB

Summary: Legacy cab companies are no longer able to compete in the market with new companies like Uber and Lyft. Uber and Lyft have cheaper prices than cab companies because they are not held up to the same standards and do not have to acquire high cost insurances. Therefore Florida legislators are working on a bill to allow for all ride services to be required to have insurance and allowing older cab services to compete in the market.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

Chapter 2: The Entrepreneurial Mind- Set in Individuals

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading?

I was surprised that one of the factors of stress hindering entrepreneurs was loneliness. I never thought deep enough to factor loneliness in as entrepreneurs are typically surrounded by all kinds of people; consumers, employees, and family/ friends.

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

The typology of entrepreneurial styles confuses me.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

What is your passion and how do you apply that to being an author?

The continues to say the key to entrepreneurship is finding oneself and their passion, so I wonder what the author’s passion is and how he applies it to his own career.

Have you ever been on the entrepreneurship journey and how did you personally deal with the stress?

I would like the author to have some experience as an entrepreneur as it gives him credibility and it intrigues me to see how others respond to the highs and lows of life.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I disagree with the concept of networking in order to deal with stress and how it can be therapeutic. I feel it may be important to network and understand how others are successful and how you can apply it to your own business; but when you are going through a rough patch not everyone wants to hear about others successes when you are miserably failing. I think the author should clarify that sometimes networking can also allow for a support system with others who have been where starting entrepreneurs have been and offer pieces of advice.

Very Short Interview No. 1

Donna Belanger first opened up her restaurant, All American Hero, with her husband in 1984. Always having a passion for cooking and people, Donna decided to open her own restaurant. She enjoyed coming up with new recipes and ways of bringing in new costumers. Her bestselling dish was chili, a secret recipe of hers. Donna shares that her entrepreneurship journey had its ups and downs; but was an experience like no other.

Interviewer: What was your greatest struggle and why?

Entrepreneur Donna: “Trying to make sure every dish came out perfect was difficult feat. Although my greatest struggle would be coming out of my shell and being more outgoing. When I started I was very shy, but by the time I closed my restaurant I was more outgoing.”

Interviewer: What does it feel like to be an entrepreneur?

Entrepreneur Donna: “My husband was a large part of the restaurant’s success as he understood the business part. But being an entrepreneur was very rewarding. I was able to hire people that eventually became my friends and some I even considered family.”

Interviewer: Where there any classes that helped you succeed as entrepreneur or classes that you wish you would’ve taken?

Entrepreneur Donna:  “I feel culinary class had a large impact on me as I was able to experiment on my recipes. Although I wish I would have taken businesses courses to have a better understanding of the finances and how to set up a company.”

Reflection: I was excited to interview an entrepreneur outside of my family and get a larger perspective on the process. Donna is a friend of my grandmother’s and I cannot wait to meet her when I visit New York in the summer. She seems like she had a great time being a business owner and truly enjoyed not only the highs of being an entrepreneur, but saw the rewards to failing here and there. Donna’s piece of advice to me was make sure to love what you are doing and if you don’t let go of it. This hits home because as a freshman I am looking into different paths I can take in life and seeing someone who successively chased their dreams was really inspirational. I look forward to trying her chili and talking to her towards the end of this class and seeing where this journey takes me.

World's Biggest Problems

1. Lack of Compromising between Political Organizations
• Possible Solution: Educating the youth that everyone needs to have an opinion, they deserve to be heard, and stressing the importance of not being able to get exactly what you want all the time. It is important to show that compromising allows for countries to be more successful as a whole and is a great way to allow for progress.
2. Cancer
• Possible Solution: Continue to support research and nonprofit organizations that work on coming up with a cure.
3. Lack of Equal Right
• Possible Solution: Continue to support non profit organization such as She's The First that support girl's goals across this world and educating the youth on the disparities among other countries' access to equal rights and stressing its importance.
4. Poverty
• Possible Solution: Ensuring all that graduate high school have taken at least 5  classes on finances, taxes, and professional skills. Legislation could be passed to ensure companies can not exploit cheap labor, etc. Poverty may not be solved in this response as there are so many components, but it is important to identify it as one of the largest problems in this world.
5. Reliance on Nonrenewable Resources 
• Possible Solution: Move away from nonrenewable energy and invest in renewable energy methods and researching how to ensure optimal efficiency of the energy sources.
6. Lack of Sympathy for others
• Possible Solution: Promoting volunteering at a young age and in school its important to have meaningful conversations not just with your friends, but those you do not like as well because it is important to understand what makes others who they are today.
7. Hunger
• Possible solution: Sharing ones wealth is important and giving back to those loss fortunate is very rewarding. But it is important to also support those that can provide through education so they can eventually support themselves.
8. Global Warming
• Possible Solution: Reduce pollutants and have all countries to work together to reduce carbon emissions
9. Lack of Peace
• Possible Solution: I do not think I have a solution for this problem, but I wish I did. I do know the solution will involve compromising and finding a common ground between all.
10. Materialism
• Possible Solution: Make it trendy through television to not be obsessed with things, but experiences
  
• Education is key to solving many of the world's problems!

Week 2 Reading Reflection

1.) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations?

• I never knew that we were in the age of gazelles and after reading the section I can see the trend they are taking about whether it be with companies like Starbucks or Best Buy. 

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

• In the part on gazelles only 17,000 out of the 25million businesses in U.S. are considered large. What exactly is considered large? And how is this number impacted by a recession? Gazelles are a large trend now despite economic hardships. What does the future have in store for businesses if all are doomed to fail eventually according to the author? 

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

Question 1: What is the best piece of advice you could give to new firms to ensure they do not fail within the first year?
Why: I'm curious to see what if there is a general root to the failure of businesses and what this author believes it to be.
Question 2: What warning would you give trendy business on how to succeed pass the constant changing of trends?
Why: on page 13, it discusses the different trends to keep an eye on and it got me thinking if there is a way to ensure a company adapts to the constantly changing trends.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

• I disagree with quote on page 3 from an anonymous source. You can want success and go after it even if there is uncertainty. But that doesn't mean you can be an entrepreneur. You need ideas, people skills, and understand the depths/rewards of failure and so much more. I also disagree with the notion that small business owners are not entrepreneurs as they both want success, had to challenge themselves, put theirselves out there, and start something new. Both identify a market and something missing in that market that consumers would benefit from having.

Bug List

Bugs List

1.) It bugs me that products today do not last as long as they should and when you try to fix it; It is more expensive to fix it than just replace it. For example my printer broke and the company offered to sell me a reduced priced refurbished printer instead of just fixing it.

• The bug exists because of this generation's obsession with having new shiny things instead of old. It also exists because of globalization and industrialization.

2.) It bugs me that there is not a crosswalk going across Gale Limerand that connects to Tolbert area that would allow for easy access to the Reitz Union.

• It is possible that it does not exist because either it would have too large of impact of traffic or simply it hasn't been brought to anyone's attention that has the authority to put a cross walk there.

3.) It bugs me that my iPad goes through battery so fast when I'm watching Netflix.

• My screen may be too bright draining the battery or it may just be the nature of the battery when streaming videos online.

4.) It bugs me that my original iPhone charger cord is so short and if I use a knock off brand it can have negative impacts on my battery life.

• This may just be a means for Apple to cut costs and save money and space by producing a smaller cord.

5.) It bugs me that my Tempur-Pedic matteress topper has a tendency to slide off the side of my bed even though I have a mattress protector and fitted sheet to hold it into place.

•  This may be due to the fact that I slide off my bed taking the topper with me.

6.) It bugs me that I have to walk down flights of stairs to get to my laundry facility and then walk back up them lugging my heavy laundry bag with me. And there is no elevator access.

• This could be due to the fact I should do laundry more or I could try to a get a more innovative laundry bag with wheels to ensure I don't hurt my back through lifting it or I should try my best to get out of dorm life ASAP.

7.) It bugs me when coupons don't work because the product is classified as a special buy at Macy's.

• This is caused by Macy's responsibility to protect its profits and ensure they have the revenue  to keep their businesses functioning.

8.) It bugs me that my necklace from Buckle is beginning to turn from a silver to a rusty brown chain.

• This can be due to the fact of you pay for what you get it. It is not like I paid the price of silver, so I really shouldn't expect the same quality.

9.) It bugs me that Ben n Jerry's ice cream does not come in larger sizes than a pint.

• This can be due to the fact that it is a higher quality ice cream that does not feel it would have as large of a market when a gallon might cost around $32 when comparing it to the current price of a pint.

10.) It bugs me that I am not in walking distance to a supermarket and I have to take a bus or drive to get to Publix or Target.

• Location is key and with great location comes price and space maximization. Therefore a supermarket wouldn't be able to maintain cheap prices really close to campus as their rent would probably be enormous for such a large building space.

11.) It bugs me that Disney World is over $100 per person per day.

• Disney World needs to maintain its employees salary, electricity, safety, and so much more to ensure everyone has a magical experience causing prices to be higher than desired.

12.) It bugs me that the booties I bought from Amazon three weeks ago already have issues with the sole of the boot.

• This could be due to the cheap price impacting the quality.

13.) It bugs me that on campus dining options close early and many are not open on the weekend.

• This is due to the fact that businesses know the influx of people on campus is during the school hours and business week days. And on campus students probably couldn't support all of them being open.

14.) It bugs me that there isn't enough parking on campus.

• This could be because UF doesn't want to take away money in the budget to build another lot or garage and they simply do not have the space to do so.

15.) It bugs me that when I use Tide pods my clothes do not come out having a strong lavender scent that liquid detergent can produce.

• Tide pods are a newer product that have yet to expand their product into stronger scents or it could just be the technology doesn't allow for it.

16.) It bugs me that when asked tell me about yourself, Siri responds with she does not like talking about herself.

• The point of Siri is to interact with customers and to make their life easier not to entertain customers with fan fiction on a fictional character.

17.) It bugs me that my Outerbox iPhone case silicone covering is peeling and gets discolored by the dye in my jeans/ pants.

• This could be due to my own overuse of the product or the company does not have high quality concerns due to the nature of silicone.

18.) It bugs me to wait for a tv show's most recent season to be released on Netflix.

• This can be due to licensing issues, being released by the studio, and number of other issues. Also they have competition with Hulu who has contracts with companies to allow Hulu to release episodes soon after they are televised.

19.) It bugs me that restaurants are using kiosk checkout options which cause more issues than conveniences the times I've had to use them. Problems range from battery life being low to screens freezing to there not being any more receipt paper.

• This is could be due to the machines being new and the customers and employees are still getting accumulated to the product.

20.) It bugs me my AC unit in my dorm does not allow for temperatures other than freezing or sauna-like temperatures.

• This could be due to the age of the building hence the technology not being up to modern standard.

Reflection
It was challenging to think of so many products/ services that bug me. At first it was easy to come up with products that could be enhanced or services that could be changed, but got harder as the list grew. In order to come up with many of my bug list I had to look around my room and think about what could be better utilized or cause greater ease in my life. It was challenging for me to look beyond quality due to price and come up with variety of service based bugs. Although it might not have been as challenging if I thought about the bugs throughout the week instead of sitting down and doing all the bugs at one time. I feel this list is personalized, but many of the bugs I found are similar to the bugs of other college students living in dorms.

My Entrepreneurship Story

Growing up I was exposed to the entrepreneur spirit at very young age. My grandfather chased the American Dream through creating his own businesses. He owned two restaurants, a convenience store, marketed innovative infomercial products, and was constantly on the hunt for new ideas. I learned a lot from him as he understood that he would never let failure be an option and I watched as his hardworking nature allowed him to capture success. My grandfather loved owning businesses, but it was the customers he loved most. He had stories that could go on forever and experiences like no other. He has inspired me to be more like entrepreneurs; always on the hunt for new concepts and new experiences. My grandfather is the reason I'm in this class and why I want to know more about entrepreneurship. I hope to achieve success in this class by getting an A, but also to learn through experiences.
The image below is an advertisement for one of my grandfather's restaurants.

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Domenica DeYoung. Currently, I am a first year Management major at the University of Florida. I was born in New York, but moved down to Tampa, Florida when I was four. I have a large family with four siblings which can be hectic at times, but it is also very rewarding to have four little siblings to mentor. I am a food enthusiast that loves trying new places in Gainesville! My favorite places so far are the Top, Dough Religion, and Satchel's Pizza. I love traveling  and seeing the world through different perspectives. My dream is to one day study abroad in Florence, Italy and eventually work for a fortune 500 company. During last semester I pledged  Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity, which has given the opportunity to make a difference in the Gainesville community and grow professionally. I can not wait to continue my journey at UF and giving back to my community. I am looking forward to the future assignments in ENT3003 and to begin thinking of myself as an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur's Mantra

Test Post

Go Gators!

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