Final Reflection

This course has been a hell of a ride. At the start, I came in guns a-blazin', unaware of the road ahead of me but confident that it'd be a smooth ride: just a few blog posts a week, right?

Wrong.

Interviews? Five of them? Reading reflections? Elevator pitches? Product development? Customer and market research? Due at the end of the week? HELP.

We can all agree that our schedules (or lack thereof) at one point in time, got the best of us in this course. We all had days of dread, days where we said, "You know what? Screw it, this assignment just isn't getting done today." We've had days where we have said, "No, these assignments are easy, I can do it, and I will have it done ahead of time and get my points in for this week." We learned by practice how to be tenacious students.

Yeah, it might have been a little overwhelming here and there, but there were certainly times where this was the only class I WAS looking forward to doing work for. As the class went on and we dove deeper into our venture concepts, I became so passionate about my project and my research. I was striving to do so much more, to learn, to expand my network and my idea, to actually DO something with my idea rather than just ponder.

I will always remember the assignment we did midway through the course, My Secret Sauce, was also my most joyous experience. Having to take a step back from my project and interview others about myself was eye opening. It truly amazed me what people saw in me, and the faith that others had in my character and drive. This was a turning point in this class for me, and I found so much more motivation to pursue my venture concept.

I'm most proud of myself for formulating the venture concepts. They were very long assignments that demanded a large amount of insight and organization, but I successfully outlined my idea and was able to procure a finished summary that I could use to share with others. The foundation was finally laid out, which means I had reached the first major milestone in my business venture, who would have known!

I had not thought I would reach the point of being an entrepreneur. Now that I am one, in the smallest sense, I feel as though that these assignments have instilled the pillars of entrepreneurship within me. The exercises and lessons I have learned in this class are practices that I will take with me and refer to throughout my college career and professional endeavors. No joke - I actually will be keeping this on my resume and using this as employment leverage, because I genuinely believe that this course and this concept development has helped me grow my perspective, communication skills, and talents in project research and development.

One recommendation I would make to students of semesters to come, is to accept the challenge, and take it head on with a firey passion. As long as you stay motivated and passionate about your project, you will make the most out of this class, and the assignments will come and go with a breeze. If you want to perform well in this class, you have to commit, just GET IT DONE! DO IT! DO THE ASSIGNMENTS! Prepare a week ahead, look at the assignments and know what you have to do over the next week to finish on time. You cant do an entire reading assignment, 5 interviews, and an elevator pitch all in one day, good luck and bless your soul if you get to that point. To foster the mindset of tenacity, seek mentorship! Connect with your teaching assistants and ask them how they got through this course, and what it takes to be successful in ENT3003, read through old posts (like this one!) and see what advice others have had to give to others after they have completed the course. Finally, keep on blogging.

Venture Concept No. 2

Following is a compilation of: a summary of feedback from the posts Venture Concept No. 1 and What's Next, a venture concept revisited and re-vamped, and what I've learned from the feedback.


Some of my feedback consisted of excitement for my newest venture concept "What's the Move", a social media platform for locals in the area to see what's happening out on the town that night. Others commented on their interest in having half of their membership purchase go toward housing scholarships for students in need and the great leverage that charity would give my concept over other similar business ventures. I also received comments which contributed their subleasing experiences and how they have a great unmet need for a service such as mine to help combat their financial obligations.

Most of my feedback was procured from my "What's Next App". The most practical insight was that concerning the addition of a timeline or news feed consisting of the newest posts in the area. This individual stressed that he was already so comfortable using that platform and would be intimidated and frustrated to have to become accustomed to a new platform that he doesn't trust just yet. People have to believe it works and believe in the platform in order to deem it worthy of possession of their time and energy. This one I had to jot down, it was an obvious obstacle I hadn't even considered due to my enthusiasm for the cutting edge platform.

Through my interviews conducted in my "What's Next" post, I tried to do as much as I could to re-vamp and re-brand the entire idea of my original application, and almost make it a completely new application and expanding to a whole new target audience. I want to tune in on the "connection" factor that my leasing service currently provides, and help others connect directly to services they need within the local area. This spawned from feedback I received from a customer which encouraged me to create a new application for bands and for venues seeking live music: a band manager app that manages your band for you, finds local gigs and notifies you of the opportunities, connects you to individuals in need of live entertainment for the genre of music that you provide, and has features which facilitate communication between the band and the party of interest, and allows all payments to be made through the application. We felt like we minimized our target audience from the last one which could be a good and bad thing, we have found a very specific set of individuals: party goers and noise makers, allowing us to more specifically define our audience, but then again we have reduced the market which could buy into the application and use it sufficiently.

However, what served as the catalyst for Venture Concept number two was the rarely asked question: Does that already exist?

Think about it.

There are so many applications and services being developed right underneath our noses. There are so many up and coming, brand new business ventures that Gators right here on our campus in this very community are trying to get off of the ground and expose to the Gainesville. Why not create an application that connects you to these ventures? If you have needs regarding:

Housing
Scholarships
Entertainment/Live Events
Tutoring
Transportation Service/Repair
Parking
Costumes
Fresh Markets
Vegan Options

Why don't you go local and contribute to the community right here at home. There are hundreds of services, ventures, and mobile applications that are developing right here on campus. My next venture is to create an application which serves to connect the local community with student ventures, helping the community to flourish while also funneling customers into student concepts and giving Gator entrepreneurs the chance to develop a serious and sustaining market. The application will not be limited to the University of Florida, and it will serve as a main platform for all university student ventures to advertise in and personally connect with their local communities. In efforts to help get student ventures off the ground and running, the application will be free for users to search through the categories of ventures that students are producing. To connect with those ventures through our application, the application will prompt that the user pay a small one time $2.00 fee, a portion of which will be donated to the student business or organization. As an incentive for students to use our application and encourage users to locate them through our app, the portion donated will begin at 50%, and increase by 1% for every customer that connects with their organization through our app. This will help generate funding for the student ventures as well as increase traffic within and awareness of our application.

The business backing this concept and online service will consist of the following teams: • Tech – programming, mobile application development, and website development
• Marketing – developing strategies and materials to reach our target audience
• Promoting – active advertisement of the business through tabling efforts, material distribution, and sustaining an active media presence
• Customer service – ensuring that members receive aid by answering emails as well as sending emails to receive feedback, welcome members, and update them on news such as local listings if they subscribe
• Management – overseeing the company flow, project flow, team development, and tracking progress to continually enhance the application and marketing strategies.
• Campus outreach - company ambassadors at each university who develop marketing teams to help promote this application and encourage student businesses and organizations to join, allocating student emails at tabling opportunities and creating a campus wide network

Venture on, ENT3003 C/O Summer 16.

Reading Reflection No. 3

The Art of Social Media by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick


This guide provides you with 120 tips, tricks, and tools to promote your image across multiple online platforms for viral virtual visibility. From perfecting your avatar and crafting your mantra to utilizing RSS feeds and having effective Twitter chats, Guy and Peg ensure your image and presence is resounding in the digital world. In relation to ENT 3003, this book serves as the perfect reference for building a successful blog. With concise guides for general maintenance, housekeeping, connecting all of your media platforms, facilitating inbound marketing, and responding to comments, The Art to Social Media serves as a playbook for successful blogging in ENT3003.

If I had to design an exercise for this class based on the book I read, I would have students read a chapter out of this book called "How to Feed the Content Monster" foremost. Following, I would have them create an editorial calendar for all of the assignments for the first three weeks of class in a platform of their choice in order to manage their blog posts and accompany a social media component in their blog. I would have students create a social media account to visually catalog their journey and progress in their ventures to give them a true sense of "Feeding the Content Monster" and equip them with the knowledge of integrating social media with their blogs to enhance their virtual visibility and relations in the entrepreneurial community.

What truly hit me like a brick wall when reading this book were two recurring factors: reach and consistency. You have to keep up with all forms of media in order to truly expose your posts, shares, and image to a considerable network, sharing the same post throughout all of your pages and sites to reach all of your followers. One quote that stuck out was, "If you’re not pissing people off on social media, you’re not using it aggressively enough". Furthermore, in order to truly brand yourself and relay the sense of who you are or what your company stands for, your media needs to have consistent visuals: use the same avatar, relevant cover photos, share the same images on your platform; create a sense of unity across all of your platforms. Seems simple enough but these were two things that I believe often go overlooked.

Reading Reflection No. 2

Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah discussed methodologies and strategies that steer business owners away from traditional information-pushing type of advertising onto customers. Rather than paper pushing and email blasting, Inbound Marketing instead implores entrepreneurs to create a company atmosphere that peaks interest and draws potential customers in conjunction with making routine use of analytical tools to investigate the behavior of their customers. The book truly enhanced my learning in ENT3003 by widening my perspective on the back ends of product development and marketing. The authors specify the necessary steps to enhance company visibility through the manipulation of social media, google, and blogs. I hadn't understood the impact that blogging behavior and content could have on a company's transcendence to the top of the search engine results, or the pull on customers to the page. Additionally, you want to connect with other relevant pages by subscribing to authoritative blogs relative to your product or business and contribute to their comment section. Not only does the author of that blog notice you, but when other users who are reading that relevant blog read your comment, that creates an opportunity for them to view your blog, which brings me to my next point. A crucial component of creating visibility of your company and traffic on your website is creating a network of links that direct users to you and your page. This was my biggest "aha" moment, when I truly understood the definition of "inbound marketing": directing users to you, roping them in not only by peaking their interest and creating a brand that people remember, but by utilizing digital tools to literally direct them to your pages. If I had to design an exercise for this class based on Inbound Marketing, I would have students log their behavior when they conduct searches and use social media, specifying where they started, every link they clicked along the way, things that caught their attention (such as ads) and other links that were provided on that page which were "relevant" to their search, and finally where they ended up and what the results of their search were. Did they find the answer or product they were looking for? Did they stumble upon a new company or concept? How many links did it take to resolve your search? How many pages of the results provided by the search engine did you go through? Did you utilize multiple platforms (twitter, facebook, mobile applications) to find your product, service, or ideal company? I believe that creating an awareness of your own buyer/customer behavior will help students understand inbound marketing and how to utilize it to their advantage for their own entrepreneurial endeavors.

Exit Strategy

My exit strategy: having developed a large database of listings and partnerships with local investors, real estate agencies, and apartment complexes, I intend to sell my business in the next 5 years for a large return, as it will have accumulated great value but certainly lived a long life as a mobile application. I do expect the application to have plateaued in regard to acquiring interest from the target audience after 5 years of being on the market. Selling the data will benefit logistic services and other companies with the same target market, while also serving as a financial provision for my future entrepreneurial endeavors. I know that this venture will be relatively short lived - it will not be used 25 years from now and will likely only be successful for a short duration of time (5 years approximately), which has certainly influenced other decisions I've made in my concept. I know that in order for this service to be successful, it has to hit the ground running with guns a-blazing, and I've conducted thorough research and customer analysis in order to most efficiently and effectively develop this idea so that we are receiving constructive feedback from customers to grow rather than negative feedback about the flaws of the application (with heavy R&D the bugs will be worked out and the application will be tested prior to release). With a user friendly application that services the customers with excellence and ease, the marketing strategies will be easy to pursue and the app will flourish, becoming largely visible and widely used in college areas across the nation.

Making it Real

It's resume official!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9XCvjV9Hw-ET0t6OUVzSEsxNVE/view?usp=sharing

What's next

Existing Market

Step 1: It's rather hard to identify a relevant "next move" after a subleasing application. Maybe, we could take the platform to the next level to include a greater target audience, such as home buyers. It is also a possibility to use this same format of connecting individuals to leases and shift the focus: connect animals in need of homes to loving homes seeking animals. I had a difficult time procuring ideas, and therefore went on to conduct my interviews, as they always open my eyes to new or overlooked opportunities.

Step 2: Unfortunately I have been deprived of a recording device over the weekend when I began this assignment and was unable to record my interviews, but I shall describe them in detail.

Customer 1: Customer one had a difficult time identifying what may be the next step after launching this application. I did not prime them with my ideas before asking theirs, so as to procure their own genuine ideas and see what their mind would develop, hoping I might hear a brand new avenue to pursue. We ended up in a conversation about existing platforms that are being used to find housing such as Facebook groups, Craigslist, RadPad (a new one I haven't heard of), and Air B&B. We discussed what each of them had to offer and what made my application different than all of the previously stated options for housing research. This customer came to the same conclusion I had initially, before I had introduced my ideas, which would be to expand my application to a larger audience by encouraging home owners and real estate companies to post their listings.

Customer 2: With this customer I tried to focus the conversation on the idea of what we should be doing, what would be wrong with the application that needs development, rather than brainstorm a new idea or venture concept. Essentially, this customer encouraged me to add a timeline to my application. This threw me off a bit because I wasn't quite keen of the idea of mimicking Facebook, the platform currently being used by my target audience to find subleases. Despite my skepticism I continued to listen to their justifications and logic behind their argument. Customer 2 stressed that he was already so comfortable using that platform and would be intimidated and frustrated to have to become accustomed to a new platform that he doesn't trust just yet. People have to believe it works and believe in the platform in order to deem it worthy of possession of their time and energy. This one I had to jot down, it was an obvious obstacle I hadn't even considered due to my enthusiasm for the cutting edge platform.

Customer 3: With customer three I solely brainstormed ideas for what could possibly be next, but instead primed them with my ideas (which were very few and listed prior in step 1). This customer was certain that I could expand my application to include home buyers AND pets needing homes (pets have housing needs too), and decided to change the conversation to completely radical ideas that weren't necessarily related to my current application. We focused solely on the "connection" factor that my leasing service currently provides, and the ideas we came up with were pretty interesting. One of them was connecting bands and DJs to gig opportunities, making a band manager app that manages your band for you, finds local gigs and notifies you of the opportunities, connects you to individuals in need of live entertainment for the genre of music that you provide, and has features which facilitate communication between the band and the party of interest, and allows all payments to be made through the application. We felt like we minimized our target audience from the last one which could be a good and bad thing, we have found a very specific set of individuals: party goers and noise makers, allowing us to more specifically define our audience, but then again we have reduced the market which could buy into the application and use it sufficiently.

In terms of growing my existing market, I will market the new application created (or addition to the current application) to the users of my Subleasing application, and when a large enough base develops, market my subleasing application to users of the new service i create. I hope that by making the email subscription for the subleasing application appealing I can also retain the market that I develop in these applications so that the recurring emails keep the applications in mind with the users, driving the word-of-mouth marketing to increase use of What's The Move? and sales of membership with the leasing service.


New Market

Step 1: I want to create another mobile application called “What’s the Move?” which will serve as a social forum for locals of all ages. This mobile application will also sync with your Facebook contacts to make finding your friends easy. Create groups and get notified when there's an open invite party in your area, drink specials downtown, or when a party gets busted. What’s the Move will show you what’s hot and happening (or not so happening) in your local area, and see what the Next Move is and where the party is headed.

Step 2: My venture concept will create values of local community and social networking. Individuals are able to get involved with their peers over beers in a bar that's happening and not getting busted down by cops, (or crazy college kids, if you're an older adult looking for a more laid back scene!). Get to know people in your area and where all the hot spots are in town when you decide tonight is the night to go out, and bring the party to you by checking in and posting pictures and videos in the timeline to let people know that this club is "The Move".

Step 3: Unfortunately I have been deprived of a recording device over the weekend when I began this assignment and was unable to record my interviews, but I shall describe them in detail.

Customer 1: My first customer was very intrigued by the mobile application at first, excited to hear about an innovative solution to the inevitable ever-changing plans which plague college student nightlife. I really had only just thought of the idea off hand and hand't completely dissected my idea, so speaking with this customer helped me get the ball rolling on what all What's The Move? (WTM) could be. We developed the application to include drink specials, a map that shows how many people are checked into bars in midtown and downtown, ratings of people's nights at certain locations that could potentially be a business partnership with yelp, having an anonymous timeline in the application so there could be a live feed of statuses and pictures from around the local area, ensuring alerts and notifications get sent when cops are reported in the area, or when there is a large influx of check ins at a certain bar.

Customer 2: While this customer was very receptive to all of the ideas I had gone over with the last customer, they did not have anything further to contribute to those features and were more concerned about the safety of users. My target audience includes that of University affiliated students so I understand that there is an evident concern for the safety of students. We talked about options that would allow us to assure users that they were unable to be targeted through the application. Foremost, linking your Facebook would not release your information to other users in the system. You would remain completely anonymous to the WTM? community as would all of your posts. Only the individuals you have released your location to (an app feature) would be able to see your name and profile image displayed on your posts and check ins in the timeline. Furthermore, there will be features allowing you to block someone, or revoke their viewing privilege by ending the sharing of your location with that individual.

Customer 3: Customer three was very excited to hear about all the features I had developed with the two previous customers, but actually brought something really intriguing to the table which I had been waiting to hear: "Wait, isn't there already an app for that?" It was brought to my attention that there is a very new mobile application being used in Gainesville called "FOMO". Turns out that this is an application that provides a weekly forecast of drink specials, "ladies nights", and other deals for restaurants, bars, and clubs in the midtown and downtown area. It targets the same exact market and has been running successfully for the past three months. FOMO also hosts their own events and offers drink specials to attendees. While my application is focused more on serving as a communication platform, it would be great to network with the creators of FOMO to either help develop my idea and ask for their mentorship, or integrate my ideas into their platform and become part of their existing team and business.

Step 4: Based on my feedback from customers, I definitely see this as a viable opportunity to exploit. Once again I need to get back to the drawing board. I have to outline the application, develop a team, organize a marketing strategy, figure out how to gather funding, and draft a working timeline for the project and its milestones. In pursuit of this endeavor I will use the format of this class and the blogging exercises to guide the development of my app, continually revising my idea and interviewing future customers and persons of resource in order to perfect the application before launch.
What surprised me the most was how much information I was able to gather from these six different perspectives and how much this mere idea of an application came to live just over the course of a couple days through conversation. This expanded market can be more attractive financially (since there are more people who may use this app and end up connecting with the leasing application, purchasing membership) but I do believe it is much harder to exploit because of that growth in numbers. I now have to market to a larger range of ages, audiences, preferences, tastes, and technological savvy, rather than a concentrated target market of undergraduate students who meet a specific criteria which I thoroughly understand as a student myself.

Celebrating Failure

Last semester I failed horribly in my computer programming class. I have never coded a thing in my life, and here I was, expected to perform in a program requiring modular, object-based, code. I spend hours on end studying for this class, trying to learn a new language and keep up with my lecture hall of classmates, all programming so expediently and silently. I was too intimidated and proud to seek help beyond my friends in the class, and eventually it drove me to failure. I ended up needing to drop the pre-requisite class in order to save my GPA. From this class, I learned how to study ahead, seek out resources to further my knowledge, and ask for help. That's all it takes sometimes, a little bit of pride swallowing and guidance from others. I've never failed a class before in my life, quite honestly I have always been a straight A student up to this point in my academic career. I was so distraught to be in that place at that time, my first real failure. I didn't know how to cope but in hindsight, it was a great character builder that has made me a better student. I have learned to accept that all I can do is my best, and the only way I can truly fail is if I do not take advantage of the resources that I have and stay motivated above all else that I can perform. I am so much more likely to take on projects and make the most out of them because I know what it's like to fail - and how to bounce back from it with the right mindset and a fresh start.

Venture Concept No. 1

Venture Concept No. 1



Opportunity

On campuses nationwide, undergraduate students often transfer from dormitory housing to off-campus housing in apartment complexes within a 1-3 mile vicinity of campus. The needs for housing vary from student to student, but what remains unchanged are year-long leasing contracts. Leasing contracts run longer than many students’ time enrolled in their respective Universities each year. Undergraduate programs typically run in the Fall and Spring terms, or for specialized programs, such as the Innovation Academy at the University of Florida may run during the Spring and Summer terms. In their off terms, students typically depart their campus residence to go home or pursue internships and study abroad opportunities. Inevitably, what results is a need: the student must address what they will do with their leasing contract and place of residence near campus when they will no longer be living there for a 3-4 month period.

There are two solutions: continue to keep the residence and pay rent, avoid paying rent by subleasing the empty apartment to another student or individual for a term. Furthermore, there are students who will not remain on campus for a full year as they approach graduation. For students who may only need to reside in the area for a single semester, they may try to avoid committing to a year-long contract by searching for a local short-term sublease which fits their needs.

These dilemmas define my opportunity: There are undergraduate students who have needs housing for various periods of time, hundreds of which can attest to difficulty they have faced either successfully finding an individual to lease from them short term, or successfully finding a short term lease which best fits their needs. The need for short term leases and for subleasing contracts for short terms is greatest within the undergraduate student demographic: ages 18-23 who live within a 1-3 mile vicinity of campus.

At the University of Florida, customers are currently satisfying this need by utilizing Facebook groups created by students for students subleasing or apartment hunting. All of the students I have engaged in conversation with regarding subleases have identified this as the main if not only source they use to locate subleasing opportunities. The issue with this platform is that the posts do not all provide the same amount of information and there is no organization or filtering opportunity to find contracts that fit your unique needs. Furthermore, many posts get lost down the feed as the influx of posts is usually very steady. Your post is likely to go unread after a week or two has passed from your posting date. This window of opportunity to enhance the research experience for sublease-ees and sublease-ers is evident and may not be open for long if it is not pursued soon, but the need will persist until a better platform is created.



Innovation

My goal is to create a collaborative environment between those needing a sublease or needing to sublease their contract, and connecting them to the party or contract that meets their needs. Instead of creating a post and allowing it to get lost in a feed, hoping someone may eventually find it and respond, this service will do the work for you. This online service and mobile application will link to your Facebook to automatically sync your network while simultaneously utilizing your location to connect you to students in your area who are looking for a sublease that fits the amenities your short term contract provides; or vice versa: this app will provide you with listings that meet the criteria you desire from a short term contract. Simply, users can create an account, log into their local area, upload their short term contract to the database with all of the required information (price, negotiability, term length, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, location, furnished or not, pet friendly or not, etc), or simply search for a lease by using our filterable search engine to look for places that meet your needs. You can save these search settings and opt in for notifications, this way, when a short term lease is uploaded, you are notified that there is an opportunity that meets your needs. From the other angle, when you create your account you can choose to post your needs to a forum so that students leasing their place can find you. Students who fill out a post will indicate their rental desires and their negotiability for each item which are pre-specified and all required, (price, negotiability, term length, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, location, furnished or not, pet friendly or not, etc). When a new sublease-ee post is created, those leases in the area which match this criteria will be notified that there is a user who fits their contract, and give them the opportunity to connect. This platform will be extremely user friendly to facilitate communication between parties, so students can indicate interest in the lease, directly message the owner of the lease, or the owner of the lease may directly contact an individual who fits their contract. Furthermore, all posts can be edited and adjusted in case your needs change, and will repopulate your results and notifications to ensure you are always receiving relevant opportunities.

This service will be free to use for individuals to test at all times. Although, in order to connect to users and communicate with those who are posting their leases or posting in search of leases, you will need to purchase a membership. The membership is a small one-time fee of $5.00, half of which will be donated to a charitable organization which collects money to provide housing scholarships for students who have undergone extreme hardship, Take Stock in Children. We hope that this will encourage the purchase of a membership, as well as help other students who also have housing needs.



Venture Concept

This solution directly combats the issue of finding a sublease that fits your needs, or finding an individual that fits your sublease by connecting you specifically to those contracts or individuals that fit your criteria. The time spent researching for the right sublease or individual has now been expedited, minimizing weeks of research to minutes. Furthermore, we can do the work for you. Rather than spending your time searching, simply upload a post your needs as a sublease-ee, and we will send you notifications and a weekly or daily list of leases that fit your needs; or upload a post of your leasing contract and all of its glorious amenities, and we will send you notifications as individuals upload their needs that fit your lease so you can connect with them. Currently, there is no platform that does the work for you. We’re here to maximize your time as a student and make leasing a breeze. Branding will play a large role in the business concept. It will be necessary to gear this app to college students, and create a dynamic environment and culture of excitement (rather than anxiety), trust (rather than skepticism), and achievement. The business backing this concept and online service will consist of the following teams:

• Tech – programming, mobile application development, and website development • Marketing – developing strategies and materials to reach our target audience • Promoting – active advertisement of the business through tabling efforts, material distribution, and sustaining an active media presence • Customer service – ensuring that members receive aid by answering emails as well as sending emails to receive feedback, welcome members, and update them on news such as local listings if they subscribe • Management – overseeing the company flow, project flow, team development, and tracking progress to continually enhance the application and marketing strategies.



Three minor elements

No one likes to worry about where they’re living next semester or if they will find a place that’s just right for them. Customers will buy into our unique service to make this process less of a hassle. There are no other platforms on the market that offer this sort of personalized service for this demographic. With the network I possess as a current student at the University of Florida surrounded by hundreds of others with this need, I live and work within my target market. Additionally, our charitable effort serves to encourage the switch. Currently, the only competition on the market is Facebook, which is not aimed to provide this service and only exists because students who have this need found that this was the easiest platform to link their networks together and identify leasing opportunities. The focus simply has to be shifted away from these groups and toward this new platform. My most important resource is going to me my marketing team. While all other teams are vital for the creation and development of the service, it will not be successful unless we are truly reaching our target audience and convincing them to make the switch to this service. Without a large user base, it will be impossible to convince students to make the switch, as it will be deemed useless: there will be little to no leases or individuals that fit the criteria, despite how user friendly or well developed the service may be.

The next opportunity I would like to tackle with this innovation is relevant to the target market. I would like to develop another mobile application called “What’s the Move?” which will serve as a social forum for locals of all ages. This mobile application will also sync with your Facebook contacts to make finding your friends easy. What’s the Move will show you what’s hot and happening in your local area, and when parties get shut down, users can log in their Next Move to show where the party is headed.

I hope that five years from now I will be able to see that the profit from both of these applications have successfully funded scholarships for students in need. As an entrepreneur, I simply want to use my innovative ideas to benefit people’s everyday lives while also investing in education and opportunity for individuals who strive to pursue endeavors such as these. This will be the first venture of many that will contribute to the funding of other non-profits, and hopefully with time, my own.

The Amazon Whisperer

My subleasing service is not a product, which makes this assignment rather challenging to complete. Instead I will direct the focus of this assignment to my prior business venture: compact and dissolve-able pre-measured pre-workout pellets. Revenue drivers: product purchase. I need to market my product to avid gym users and supplement buyers. In order to drive more revenue I could utilize social media to gather brand ambassadors to market my product and expand the business's reaching network. By developing a brand and culture rather than a product through social media, I can design multiple media to sell and drive the revenue for the brand rather than just one product, which will encourage subscribers to buy other products in the line. For example I could create a clothing line under the same brand which could, in turn, drive the revenue for my pellets. The product I'm offering: supplement pellets. Stop buying messy tubs of supplements. We have pre measured supplement pellots. Every purchase of a supplement comes with a complementary pill organizer which consumes less space than supplement containers and minimizes the amount of time you spend preparing your supplements for the gym. What's next? Not only are we offering to sell you our supplements in quickly dissolving pellet form, we also sell water bottles which have a special compartment for these pills, turning them into an appropriate "shaker bottle" when its time to supplement your workout with Branch Chain Amino Acids or Post Workout Protein shakes. My providing our customers with a customized shaker bottle for any of our supplement pellets (pre-workout, intra-workout, or post-workout) we are providing a further time-saving convenience in your workout routine. If you buy our pellets, our water/shaker bottle will come at a 25% discount and your next purchase with us will be 10% off. We offer exemplary products that are modeled to make your workout time most efficient and convenient and make your customer experience exemplary. You solely safe money by making a dedicated switch to our brand.

All of the negative comments for this shaker bottle address the following issues with the cup: the measurements are hard to read, it is hard to clean, the mixing tool does not perform as expected, and the cup is difficult to open and close and also leaks. People enjoy that there are attachable and removable compartments on the cup, that it holds up to 20 oz of fluid, that it additionally has a pill separator. Others noted that it is a very "stylish" shaker bottle. To improve the design I would make the measurements easy to read, engineer a better mixing tool to ensure my pellets dissolve properly and mix well in the water, and also ensure that the threading of the bottle makes it easy to open and close the bottle. Surely, there is also some way to make it leak proof with a rubber lining in the lid. This product would be a great addition to my product, but I would have to market it in some way so that it compels users to buy the cup in order to use my pellets.

My Unfair Advantage

The purpose of this exercise is to figure out what actually makes your venture special! What will be the resources that keep competitors from copying what you do and serving your customers better?


The three contacts from the last exercise who serve as my domain expert, market expert, and industry supplier. All three of these contacts asked me to keep their personal names removed from my blog.

1. domain expert
v- While she is connected to other domain experts within her own company, she has past experience with other real estate agencies, as well as a myriad of peer entrepreneurial and tech-savvy individuals who could be valuable assets to my team and get this idea off of the books and into the app store. r- The area surrounding the Univerisity of Florida is largely residential, and locating a leasing agent would not be difficult considering the large volume of real estate and leasing agencies in the area. i- While there are many leasing agents available to consult regarding my application, no one has the same network that my contact has, and that is inimitable. n- Any student leasing agent will likely provide similar benefits: knowledge and network contacts.

2. market expert
v- This person has a great amount of experience with short term leases in the local area and working with other students to meet each other's leasing needs. He understands the trials and tribulations associated with the process of locating and also selling leases, and thoroughly understands the target market's unmet needs. Furthermore, his network can be utilized to promote and advertise this application or online service and help acquire a mass amount of customers. r- It is not rare to find a student who has experience with short term leases and has this unmet need (thankfully or my app would be a bust!) i- This person likely has very similar experience with short term leases. Likely, I can find someone who can relate to this individual's leasing history. n- Any student who rents an apartment will likely provide similar benefits: experience and network contacts with similar stories.

3. industry supplier
v- they have experience working with other organizations and markets to write articles regarding their services and gearing it for a target audience of college students. Likely, I will be able to collaborate with this person to help advertise my cutting edge app as well. r- There are many industry suppliers who can provide PR for my application. This is not rare. i- This can be easily copied by others, and as I said prior, there are many newspapers, bloggers, and journalists who provide the same service n- I can find another resource with the same (or even greater) benefits. What's non-substitutable are the subscribers to this specific magazine who gain majority of their news and updates solely through College Magazine.

4. innovation academy resources
v- The Innovation Academy provides resources that encourage and enable business start up for students. I have the ability to rent space to open a business, utilize design and prototype space, as well as collaborate with MADE@UF (Mobile Application Development Environment) to get my application going. r- some of these resources are exclusive to Innovation Academy students, a group of students which are only 2,000 strong in numbers. i- These resources are very difficult to copy. These resources were created because nothing existed like them, specifically the ability for a student to open a business out of their own dorm area. n- these resources are certainly substitutable but come at a much greater financial cost.

5. innovation academy ambassador position and network
v- In an undergraduate program which collects students from 32+ majors of all colleges and unites them under one minor in innovation to foster a culture of leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation, it is so valuable to be a well known resource for students as an ambassador. Not only can I connect to a myriad of trades, knowledge, and talents, but also I am a respected member of the community. r- There are only 60 students who are honored with ambassadorship, but all students of the innovation academy have access to the same academically diverse network. i- This is the first program of its kind, and it has not seen a sister program yet. n- Certainly, joining any large student organization can provide the same benefits, but not with the same spirit, culture, and focus.

6. personal network with computer science undergraduates and graduates
v- My mobile application can only get off of the ground if I locate the human resources to produce the tangible product. My personal network with moible application developers and tech savvy programming individuals is crucial to the success of my business. r- There are thousands of compurter science graduates, it is not rare i- Programming mobile applications is a trade and business that is easily copied by others n- There are other resources and services that can assist in the development of my mobile application.

7. exposure to tangible target market
v- Being a part of my market audience and being an actual customer for my market amidst all of my peers who serve as my target market is key to releasing word of my mobile application and creating an awareness of my app. r- This is not rare. There are many businesses who target the same market I do. i- This is not easy to copy, there are hundreds, thousands, of other students that create mobile applications geared towards college students n- There are resources that provide similar benefits, I could easily change the product I am marketing and gear it toward a different crowd... I could turn this subleasing app into a forum for people trying to locate any sort of lease for any term at any price to reach a larger market or different market.

8. major in industrial and systems engineering with coursework in project management
v- I may not know how to develop the mobile application itself but I do have extensive knowledge on the management of projects and how to structure the adgenda and identify the resources necessary to complete the job. r- This is not rare. There are many others with the same coursework, experience, and knowledge. i- This is not easy to copy. If you do not have the leadership and communication skills to pair with your education you cannot effectively manage a team and a project. I believe I posses key human capital that will drive my success in this app development. n- There are many others who can provide the same benefits, and it may benefit me to work with those people.

9. internship as a project engineer with DPR construction managing large scale commercial projects from the chartering, endorsement and contract processes, through the design and cost analysis
v- While many people have knowledge of project management and education in systems engineering, not everyone has a valuable hands on experience that activates them to utilize their knowledge and apply it in practice. r- This is not rare but it is more rare than point #8. I know how to take what I've learned and engage in the practice of accessing all of the resources and conducting necessary action to see projects through. i- This is not easy to copy. If you do not have the leadership and communication skills to pair with your education you cannot effectively manage a team and a project. I believe I posses key human capital that will drive my success in this app development. n- There are other students who have undergone similar internships and greater internships who can provide the same human capital I possess.

10. experience with prototyping mobile applications
v- It is valuable to have a background in programming and mobile application so that I have some basic understanding of how the application is running, suggest ways to improve the app with the knowledge of programming I have in order to collaborate with my team, and also engage directly in the development of the application. r- It is rare to have personal experience when it is not your profession or field of study. i- This is easy to copy - anyone can learn to program with the right program and practice. n- This is not something that is substitutable. You either possess the knowledge or you do not, and know how to interpret the code or you do not.


I think my top resource is my social capital. I have all of the necessary contacts to enlist a great team of students to help me develop this mobile application, all of which will are vital to the success of my business. There are no further contacts I need in order to get this started... what am I waiting for?

Growing My Social Capital

1) One person must be a domain expert in your industry.

I met with a student leasing agent here at UF. I consider this person to be a domain expert because of their extensive and ongoing experience with leasing contracts they have acquired over the past year. I know this person through my organizational affiliation with them, and was able to approach her in person at a recent general body meeting, where we set up a time and location to meet and discuss my idea regarding my subleasing mobile application an online service. At our meeting, I presented her my first napkin idea and also discussed some of my interviews with her, and asked her for her insight. There wasn't an exchange of favors, we simply discussed the opportunities that my application presented and all of the components that would set my idea apart from already present platforms. Including this person in my network will enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity, because of the network that she has. While she is connected to other domain experts within her own company, she has past experience with other real estate agencies, as well as a myriad of peer entrepreneurial and tech-savvy individuals who could be valuable assets to my team and get this idea off of the books and into the app store.


2) One person must be an expert on your market.

This next individual is a member of my market, my ideal customer, making them my market expert. As a student enrolled here at UF who is also working part time, volunteering, and has specific housing needs, and has years of experience with subleasing their apartments across Gainesville they perfectly fit the general criteria for the majority of my market and had a ton of insight to provide. I actually happened upon this person in public. I was out at lunch with one of my friends discussing this idea, (I had brought up my brilliant entrepreneurial concoction upon her whining about not being able to find someone to sublease her apartment for the fall), when a stranger sitting behind me chimed in and asked about my application. We ended up spending the next hour discussing his past failures and successes with subleasing over the years, how his employment, financial, and travel situations necessitated this ongoing short-term leasing extravaganza, and how he and others in his own personal network have tried their best to overcome the hardships that follow with leasing out their contract for short terms. The favor they unknowingly provided me was their knowledge, but in the end this person did expect something in return: they wanted to know when I got this application off of the ground I would contact them, and so we exchanged Facebook information. This person has a great amount of experience with short term leases in the local area and working with other students to meet each other's leasing needs. He understands the trials and tribulations associated with the process of locating and also selling leases, and thoroughly understands the target market's unmet needs. Furthermore, his network can be utilized to promote and advertise this application or online service and help acquire a mass amount of customers.


3) One person must be an important supplier to your industry.

This person is an employee of College Magazine, providing PR, marketing, and advertising through print and online publication for organizations and firms in my industry with the same target market: college students. This student editor I contacted will serve as my "supplier" for this post, as they have experience working with other organizations and markets to write articles regarding their services and gearing it for a target audience of college students. I was connected to this person by a friend of mine who is in the College of Journalism with this individual, and was aware of their employment with College Magazine as well as their availability and contact information. I reached out via email to set up a meeting place and time to have a short discussion regarding their expertise in application to the development of my idea. The exchange was simply that of discussion and knowledge, and there was a small return expectation. She, the College Magazine employee, simply invited me to keep in contact with her and let her know if I ever got my idea off of the ground and running so she could write about it. While the conversation started with the idea itself and the feedback I had received in junction with the progression of the application development, the meat of the discussion was regarding her area of expertise and what she knows about marketing an organization's attributes to college students, and how to best gain the attention of college students. This awesome woman is going to be a vital part of my network in order to help enhance my ability to get this service off the ground and pull in the attention of potential customers.



This experience in contacting relevant members of expertise in my industry has propelled me forward in this endeavor. Furthermore, my perspective on this project has been broadened and I have been able to identify necessary team members that will take this project and make it go viral. Although this was a simple "assignment" for a class, targeted networking is something I will definitely be making a routine practice with all of my ideas and endeavors at future networking events, I hadn't realized how resourceful other individuals truly were up until I was activated to contact experts in the field. This was different than networking experiences I've had in the past because I had a purpose and a project underway. Other networking events I've been to are concerning my own personal human capital and learning about others in the same manner: at a surface level. This has probably been one of my favorite exercises, I truly engaged with this assignment and will practice it for years to come!

Idea Napkin No. 2

Problem statement:

In this exercise, there are two parts. First, the idea napkin; second, the 'feedback memo.' I explain them below. For the idea napkin, please describe the following (these are the same elements as in the first idea napkin). However, this time, please adjust your napkin to reflect the feedback you received.:



1) I am a determined, diligent, creative problem solver. I am able to work with what I have, identify opportunities for growth or alternative solutions, and will persist through my obstacles and environment to optimize my resources without sacrificing the quality of my work. I have a background inclusive of various leadership and managerial positions that have flourished my ability to collaborate and communicate with others. In regards to my business concept for a mobile or universal platform for local subleases for students, I can see my traits and talents complementing this project well. I can very much see myself becoming passionate about this endeavor and not only having it play an active role in my life, but truly becoming one with the concept, applying my backgrounds in project management and systems engineering to best design the platform.

2) What I am offering is a unified conglomeration of student subleasing options at the click of one mobile application. I want students to be able to create a profile, describe their subleasing needs to a search engine, and gain access to hundreds of listings from a variety of platforms which meet those needs within the local area, and also directly connect them to the owners of these residences for ease of communication. I want to make simpler, user-friendly, and more accessible, the platforms which students utilize to research local subleases.

3) I am offering this to enrolled students in colleges and universities who have housing needs that need to meet specific criteria: distance from campus, access to bus routes, furnished and unfurnished living spaces, short term and long term subleases, parking available, pet friendly environments, on site 24 hour gym, utilities included, and so on and so forth. My target group consists of undergraduate students that necessitate these very specific search criteria due to their academic and work load as well as transportation situation.

4) Finding a sublease that fits your needs, or finding a suitable person to sublease from you in a timely manner is a consistent problem for students here at the University of Florida. From all of the feedback I received regarding this concept, this has been the common theme: we need a more accessible forum to communicate these needs, identify short term and long term living options, and we need to create a collaborative community that brings these two worlds of subleasers and sublease-ees together. Customers might actually pay money to use this product or service because it will produce results. Why take the 50/50 chance you might get a response on your Facebook post for your Spring 2017-Summer 2017 sublease, fail, and ultimately end up paying $500+ a month due to a contract when you won't be living there, when you can pay $3.00 to purchase an app or gain membership to this subleasing forum that will GUARANTEE YOU RESULTS OR YOUR MONEY BACK.

5) Innovative, resourceful and flexible. Able to flourish in a collaborative environment or independent setting while maintaining a positive attitude and strong work ethic. Furthermore, I am detail oriented with effective communication skills and an enthusiasm for leadership, creativity, and technology. What makes me unique? Not only do I have the academic background to analyze materials, systems, and workplaces and design a system that is more efficient or effective for a company, I understand the concepts behind creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership and am equipped to contribute an innovative perspective to my work environment. I know how to communicate and empathize across of range of audiences given my eclectic work history. Being involved in organizations that demand time management, accountability, and leadership have contributed largely to my willingness to work in a team environment, help delegate tasks, take on responsibility, encourage others to succeed, and ensure that I keep my engagements and commitments. Aside from my exhibited profound resilience through hardship, I have an underdog's perspective which persists to attain goals amidst a high stress environment, as well as extreme flexibility and great ability to adapt to unexpected change.


Feedback memo

1. I reflected on what traits others saw in me which I didn't see in myself: traits of amicability, great verbal communication, my passion for my projects, and reliability. I incorporated this feedback into the idea napkin by making note of these things in my list of competencies, skills, and strengths.

2. In one of my earlier posts, "Forming an Opportunity Belief" I read the comments and realized that my idea was TOO big. I was out to conquer an extreme project that encompassed a large demographic - basically the entire voting populace - and was largely discouraged to read that while everyone agreed with my idea, there was no dire need for it. This drove me to explore other opportunities, including this fine gem.

3. What propelled my passion for this project were the comments posted in "Need Awareness and Information Search". I was able to gain further insight on specific personal experiences from others and troubles they faced while subleasing or seeking a sublease that provided valuable, tangible information to investigate and create a solution for. This changed my perspective on the unmet needs existing in the world of subleasing students and contributed to the broadening of my solution to make it most effective for my target audience.

4. From the Elevator pitch I was able to gauge how people received verbal communication and most importantly their key takeaways from a short snippet of relatively-engaging video. Since I was able to communicate my ideas very clearly and effectively I was able to focus on the constructive criticism provided which implored me to be more attentive to my body language and gestures. We are visual creatures. A mobile platform or website will ultimately fail if i cannot control the focus of my user or customer and direct them with the ease of use and readability of my application. I incorporated these as new key focuses in this revised idea napkin.

5. Interviewing others without priming them with information was an interesting avenue taken to gain insight and research. When people are interviewed they are compelled to answer immediately without a terrible amount of considerable thought, and their answers are usually honest and impulsive. When I interviewed people regarding this potential service, I received some skepticism but mostly out of curiosity and excitement. Many people I discussed this with not only agreed that this would be of great use to the student community but also felt compelled to share with me their stories and personal experiences to justify the need. Getting feedback from my interviewees helped me recognize the most outstanding factors present in the issue of subleasing apartments, which I incorporated into the above napkin idea.

My Secret Sauce

Five ways I have human capital which is truly unique:

1) I am a Gator Engineer pursuing a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering equipped with a minor in Innovation. Not only do I have the academic background to analyze materials, systems, and workplaces and design a system that is more efficient or effective for a company, I understand the concepts behind creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership and am equipped to contribute an innovative perspective to my work environment.
2) I am an Innovation Academy Ambassador. I am a student leader who is completely knowledgeable of the facets and pillars of the Innovation Academy and all it has to offer to the extent where I can serve as a professional representative of the undergraduate program and communicate that information to a range of audiences.
3) I have endured physical abuse, poverty, and homelessness. Throughout high school I had undergone tremendous hardship and faced a series of obstacles that stood in the way of my successes. Aside from my exhibited profound resilience, I have an underdog's perspective which persists to attain goals amidst a high stress environment, as well as extreme flexibility and great ability to adapt to unexpected change.
4) I receive no financial contribution from my family to fund my education. I have secured finances for my college degree and living expenses completely on my own, seeking private scholarships, grants, and working during my off terms. This exhibits my tenacity and resourcefulness as an individual.
5) I have been involved in various student organizations that have broadened my perspective as an engineer and student and have largely developed my demeanor. From the Technology Student Organization to the Graphic Design club, I've explored a range of talents such as parliamentary procedure, promotional and informational graphics, branding for start up companies, web development, public speaking, and technical writing. Being involved in organizations that demand time management, accountability, and leadership have contributed largely to my willingness to work in a team environment, help delegate tasks, take on responsibility, encourage others to succeed, and ensure that I keep my engagements and commitments.


Interviews:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9XCvjV9Hw-EZ0w1ZjlxUVZEUm5FcnRhRXdyQ2ZIS1NnbzB3/view?usp=sharing
Jayna, my fellow ambassador and also dear friend, has had close experience with me working on projects in student organizations over the past year. Jayna believes that what makes me different and valuable is the passion and energy that I put into my projects. She also said that what sets me apart are the creative solutions that I procure, paired with my relentless drive to complete tasks thoroughly. As Nika had pointed out, Jayna also thinks my value is derived from the trust she can invest in me and that I prove to be a reliable worker.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9XCvjV9Hw-Eci1scUdsakVJakpNdWw5NUNja1RLOXdRbTRr/view?usp=sharing
Luis, my close friend of 4 years from high school, opened my eyes to characteristics I hadn't particularly seen in myself. Luis pointed out that I am an affectionate person that makes you feel welcome, and that I have a simple humor that can turn your day around. Luis knows that I have set long term goals in mind and that I am always working towards them to make them a reality. He sees that school is a main priority for me and notices that I will do everything I can to excel, educate myself, and go out of my way to help students and others. Something I had not seen in myself that Luis sees, is my diverse and rich vocabulary that "captivates you" and "draws you into conversation".

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9XCvjV9Hw-ESGlfSnZCYnJPbm13LUViWGVyYUxIYVNIbXJn/view?usp=sharing
To Nika, my dear friend that I met my spring semester of freshman year, my key takeaways are my determination and reliability. Nika denoted that I have an ambition that drives my success, and that all of my efforts are given 110%. Furthermore, Nika made a point that I am valuable to her because I am someone she can rely on for advice and guidance.

The following interviewee did not want to be recorded, but gave me permission to submit a written synopsis of his recording:
You're incredibly diligent and passionate in everything I've seen you do. You don't do something unless it's going to be 110%. You're fiercely competitive and strive to become the best, yet humble enough to seek expertise & knowledge from others. You foster teamwork with a diverse group of people and encourage them to find themselves and become the best they can be (volleyball and innovation academy are the two examples that come to mind). You're one of those rare unicorns that goes beyond the status quo of effort because you know normal is boring, extraordinary is what sets you apart from the rest and makes you SLIGHTLY more valuable than say a kid from Seminole state college... 😜 now if you'll please excuse me I'm going to continue to get drunk and enjoy my first weekend of summer b.
Turner Thornberry, thank you for believing in me.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9XCvjV9Hw-EYnE1dzFwQV9ELXc
The final submission is from my close friends from Extreme Dance Company, Lola and Melissa. Lola and Melissa, like the others I have interviewed see that I am a determined, goal oriented individual who possesses strong leadership qualities. They also noted that what sets me apart is my tendency to speak my mind, and speak eloquently.


The key attribute that all of my interviews endowed in me, or noticed rather, was that I am determined. I will do something through and through and make sure the goal is accomplished. Things that were pointed out that I didn't see in myself were traits of amicability, great verbal communication, my passion for my projects, and also my drive to excel, not just complete goals. I also didn't recognize how many people relied on me and trusted me with responsibility. After seeing these perspectives from other people I would include my dedication, passion, and reliability to my list.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

I'm an IA Ambassador. What better pitch to practice than one concerning the most exhilarating undergraduate program which I represent?

Please copy and paste the following in the search bar

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9XCvjV9Hw-EZG5PZ1VPenF5NHc/view?usp=sharing

My feedback was all very positive and I didn't have a lot of constructive criticism to build off of. Please include ways I may improve in the comments :-)

My Customer's Avatar

My customer's avatar is a young single adult between the ages of 19 and 26 enrolled in college who struggles to find subleases that fit their criteria, despite weeks of research. My customer is enrolled in a college, working part time as an employee, volunteer, or member of a student organization, and seeks living options within a 1-4 mile radius of campus that fits a rental budget between $300 and $600 a month, including utilities. My customer has a mode of transportation, particularly a car which requires a parking venue, and spends most of their time on campus or at local restaurants.

I am the customer avatar, and that's not a coincidence. I developed my idea for a universal Gator sublease platform (mobile application) because of my trouble finding a sublease close to campus that fit my needs. Due to my busy lifestyle as a college student, I cannot dedicate large amounts of time to extensive research to locate sublease POSSIBILITIES that seemingly fit my criteria, but unfortunately fall through due to undisclosed information by the leasing agent. Many options that I have procured have fallen through for that reason, and it just seems to be an endless cycle of searching across multiple student forums. Unfortunately, subleasing from students in forums (such as on Facebook) can not always be planned well in advance, and sublease postings for specific terms will only arise in the forums during the semester prior to the semester it will sublease for, or during that specific term itself. These complications can be burdensome, especially when an individual is not willing to commit to a full lease and is dependent on a single term sublease, such as in my own personal situation.