Final Reflection

Reflection

Read through your posts from this semester. Recall all of the experiences you've had a long the way -- the highs, the lows -- the fun moments, and the moments of drudgery, and even the moments of dread.

I think that, looking back through my posts from this semester, I have enjoyed building this idea of a company and learning a lot about the issue of sexual violence within our country, not only through research, but through actually talking to different people and hearing their thoughts about it or their experience with it. On the other hand, I did not particularly enjoy going through and having to do assignments where we went through different newspapers and articles and had to write about the regulatory changes and economic trends like in assignment 6 or the Identifying Local Opportunities Assignment. This is because in the assignment prior to that, we had already formulated our opportunity belief. So I didn't understand the purpose of doing all of that after we had already landed on the opportunity we were to focus on. That being said I think that it would be much more reasonable to have those assignments due before rather than after. That being said, Solving the Problem, was probably one of my favorite assignments. I really enjoyed putting all of the information I found together and being able to express how important this issue is.

Experience

What sticks out to you as the most formative experience? The experience that you'll remember years later? What was your most joyous experience? What experience are you most proud of yourself for accomplishing?

I think that this whole process in general, of creating a blog to record my journey of finding a problem, coming up with a solution and learning how to start building the concept of company was a great experience. I think that the idea that you can go back and see your own train of though grow and change and develop as you complete these assignments is great and I really appreciate that. I think the idea of having a blog made me really nervous at first, because usually you submit an assignment and thats it, you never have to see it again. But with this, not only you see it, but your classmates and really anyone who comes across it online. This is open to anyone, and that is really intimidating. But in some ways I think that it makes you work a little harder to make sure that everything you submit looks nice and is coherent with what is asked of you.

Entrepreneurship

At the beginning of the semester, I mentioned that I wanted each of you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Now, at the end, do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Do you think you have moved closer to developing an entrepreneurial mindset?

I definitely think that I have moved closer to developing an entrepreneurial mindset, however, would I say that I see myself as an entrepreneur? I don't think so. I think that this class really helped me in understanding what and entrepreneur is, what they do, and how they do it. I created an idea and many of the step that would be done to ideally start a company, however a lot of it was hypothetical. I mean the problem was real and me talking to and getting the feedback was real, but I don't think that I would consider myself an entrepreneur unless I actually physically go through the process of starting up my own business and run that business to a degree of success for a year or two. That is because until you actually do that, I don't think you can really understand how difficult it is, how organized you have to be, and how much on your feet thinking you have to be able to do.

Recommendations

What is the one recommendation you would make to the students who are going to journey down this path in the future? What would you recommend they do to perform best in this course? What would you recommend they do to foster that mindset?

To future students going down this path, think about why you are asked to do each assignment before you do them. Each thing we are asked to do is for a reason and I think that it is really important to know that reason rather than just throwing something together to fulfill the requirement, because it helps you get the most that you can out of this class.

To preform the best you can in this class, I think that you should simply stay organized. This is a class meant to teach you something so treat it as such. It is really easy to get behind on things or treat something as less important if you think of it as an easier class. So stay on top of your work because it will end up catching up with you.

My recommendation for being able to foster that mindset is that you chose a topic that you thoroughly enjoy and put your best effort into each assignment. If you chose a topic that you don't like or you don't care about, you are going to quickly give up putting any effort into the assignments and you aren't going to be able to take away any substantial lesson from completing the assignments.

29A – Venture Concept No. 2

Venture Concept

Opportunity

The opportunity is that every 92 seconds there is another American victim to some sort of sexual assault. The rape rate in America had been steadily declining since 1992 when it reached an all time high at 42.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. However, since 2013, the rate has once again started on this incline that grew from 25.9 to 30.8 in only five years. I feel as though customers needs are not being satisfied which is why this is growing so drastically. They need a company like mine, a group of people there to teach them and to be there for each other. This is a very 'hush-hush' topic that you don't hear many people talking about. The reality is though, that an overwhelming majority of women are afraid to walk alone at night, afraid to go out by themselves and afraid to take a bus unaccompanied. This should not be the case. People should not have to live their lives in fear that someone else might try to harm them. By creating a well marketed and advertised platform for my company, showing women that we are there to help them feel safe, we will have a large window of opportunity. This will show them that they have somewhere to go to help protect themselves, and I believe this window will be open until this statistic is obsolete because all anyone wants is to feel safe.

Innovation

The innovative aspect of my company is incrementally innovative. Many self defense classes involve going to the class, learning some moves, and leaving. My company is innovating on the idea of what self defense should involve. What I mean by this is that we will not only have classes teaching you about how to defend yourself, but we will teach why we need self defense, and how to be aware of your surroundings. We will have a strong focus on these classes and can entice the customers to attend the classes by offering coupons or rewards to those in attendance. Our company will be subscription based, having payments on a monthly or yearly basis (or whatever would work best for our customer). In addition to this, when signing up, each individual will be assigned to an instructor and paired with a buddy. The importance of this is so that way the class does not end when you leave the vicinity. You can keep in contact with both of these people and have them as resource to call when you feel like you are in a fishy situation. This company wants everyone to feel like family, to feel safe when around each other. Loyalty from customers comes when they feel important to an organization.

Venture Concept

Teaching

Competitors to my company are the other self defense companies. However, more than this I honestly feel as though Personal Defense Devices are a bigger threat. This is because people often think "oh i am safe, I have my pepper spray," even though they have never used it, might forget it at home, or don't know how they would react under the more intense circumstances of sexual violence. This is why my company would teach them all of these things. These classes will be offered probably two to three times a week and spanning for only around 30 minutes and each class will cover an array of different information. Customers will be encouraged to attend at least a class a week and if they are unable to attend we can work with their availability or make sure that the information is available for them. There are not a lot of sexual defense companies that are at least well-marketed to have made themselves known. I suppose gyms could possibly be a threat to the company, however, most gyms either don't offer classes or their classes are limited and people with jobs don't have time to attend them. We combat all of these things, as said previously.

Three Minor Elements

1. I believe that my most important resources for starting this venture are my keen interest in what I am doing, my contacts to start up the business and my communication skills. These resources are not only unique to me, because all of these resources are, but they are also what is going to help start up my business, and what is going to make me keep going even when the company faces hard times. I think passion is extremely important, you obviously need more than that, but without passion for what you are doing, there would be no drive in your work ethic and nothing keeping you there.
2. The next opportunity that I think that I would like to tackle with my current innovation would be to aim it at children and have programs where children could use the Buddy system for bullies. We would tech self defense and what to do if they are facing bullies along with giving them confidence to speak up about it. This is because a big problem is that most children who are being bullied, do not tell anyone.
3. In five years from now, assuming that I launched, I would hope that we would have around 33 locations in Florida, spread out to be about 1 location for every other county. I would also hope that it had begun to spread out of Florida. Alaska, Michigan, Nevada, Arkansas, Colorado, South Dakota, New Mexico, District of Columbia, Nebraska, Oklahoma. These are the states with the highest rape rate in America and so my goal would be to definitely have a least one franchise in each state within five years and grow from there.

Feedback

Most of the feedback that I got was just about how important they think the classes are. "I think that it is important and such a good idea that you plan to teach your customers why self defense is necessary."
This feedback has changed my original in that I made the classes a more focal part of my innovation and venture then they were before. I wanted to make them available to all customers and to entice customers to attend by giving rewards. There will be multiple classes a week so that more people have the opportunity to attend.

Your Exit Strategy

1) Identify the exit strategy you plan to make.

As someone who is as of yet to decide exactly what they want to do for their career, I know that I want to explore. However, this business is important to me. I believe that it is an unbelievably important cause that we all need to come together for a fight. That being said, my exit strategy is that I would startup the company and stick with it for a couple years until I know that it is stable and profitable. I would then sell it to someone who is looking to continue the business. That way I can make a large return for my efforts within the company, the company can benefit for a newer and fresher perspective, and I can pursue a career more towards my field of interest.

2) Why have you selected this particular exit strategy?

I have selected this particular exit strategy, knowing that though I believe in this idea and this topic is something that is very important to me, running my own business is not what I necessarily imagine myself doing the rest of my life. I think that this offers a balance in giving me new experiences, starting a company that I truly believe in, and giving me the chance to make a large profit from this company.

3) How do you think your exit strategy has influenced the other decisions you've made in your concept?

I never had really thought about my "exit strategy" until now, so I don't really think that it has had any particular influence over the decisions I have made thus far. I think that while you are with a business you should give it your all, whether you plan to be with it for 5 or for 25 years. This is exactly what I have tried to do, I have given my all into the ideas that I have put into my company. The only thing that I would probably add to my plan is to find an apprentice to work with me, someone who is aspiring to own a business similar to this or who I can trust to maintain the core values of the company even after I am gone.

Reading Reflection No. 3

The Last Book

The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users Guy Kawasaki

1) General theme or argument

The general theme of this book is of how social media is the foundation of advertisement, for not only your business, but you as the business person. In here, the author talks about different ways to maneuver social media and gives you tips on how to sell yourself to through social media to your target audience.

2) Enhance what you are learning

This book connects with and enhances what we are learning in ENT 3003 through showing us, as entrepreneurs the importance of having an online presence and how to profit from this with minimal effort. It talks about why this is important in today's day-and-age and how you can profit as: an individual, an entrepreneur, or a working person.

3) An exercise for this class

Creating an assignment for this class based on this book, I would have everyone take a look at their social media. They would have to go through and remove everything that they don't want to be a part of their campaign for themself. We would then, in class, rewrite our biography and user-tag, to fit this same criteria. Then using the books tips, and in the next week, post at least one picture everyday that follows the guidelines he set.

4) Biggest surprise or 'aha' moment

I think that the biggest surprise for me when reading this book, was about the author. Before reading this book, I had no idea who Guy Kawasaki was. Afterwards, however, I found out that he is Apple's former chief evangelist, and he is one of the developers of having blogs, a twitter, facebook, and tumblr, for a business. Having learned all of this, I think that he is more than qualified to write this book. I also think that this was simply interesting and gave me a new perspective of this person due to their significant background.

Celebrating Failure

Let's Fail, A Lot!

Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed.

I think that somewhere I have failed this past Semester, overall, is just in my Time Management skills. I feel as though as many thinks in my life continued progress: work, family stuff, school, clubs; it left me a little overwhelmed and I wasn't able to do everything up to the standard I expect from myself.

Tell us what you learned from it. 

What I have learned from this experience is that taking the time to sit down with a calendar or planner of some sort, is extremely important. The excuse I tell myself a lot of the time to avoid doing this is 'I don't have time to right now'. The longer you push something off, the more you'll have to catch up on. This is a really hectic time in our lives and it can most definitely be overwhelming, so we shouldn't be putting all of this pressure on ourselves.

Reflect, in general, on what you think about failure.

Failure is defiantly embarrassing, in my opinion. You hold yourself to a certain level, and even if you don't fail in the eyes of someone else, you can fail in your own. It's usually hard to admit when you failed at something because you are partially embarrassed and partially disappointed in yourself. I think the best way to cope with failure is to simply take it as a learning experience. Take this situation and think of ways to prevent it in the future. I think that's really all you're able to do cope with failure. However, by saying that, I think that it is important that we fail. Because only through failure, can we gain a new perspective, can we learn and grow, and can we gain new experiences.I am not saying to not try and succeed, Obviously give your all to whatever you are doing, but if that isn't suitable for a particular situation, this is when you can come back and learn a new technique.

What’s Next?

Existing Market

Step 1

Talk about what you think is what's next in terms of products and services for your venture.
As for what I think is next in terms of products and services for this venture, I think that obviously finding and building the facility for the first location is key. Shortly after is when advertising would begin, to get the word out about our company and get people excited about our grand opening.

Step 2

I interviewed: Dorothy Richardson, Alexia Bryd, and Kari Trozak, to get an understanding about what my target audience would believe is next for this company. I asked them "What should we be doing that we aren't planning to do?" A lot of the feedback was along the lines of: get a starter loan, get facilities and equipment, find qualified teachers and trainers, and and plan advertising technique.

Step 3

What makes the most sense for this venture in terms of growing my existing market, I believe is building a foundation of trust and loyalty. After getting my venture open, I know that it is keen to deliver on everything we promote and advertise because that will be the first impression of the customer. When we begin promoting ourselves, part of our mission statement is that we are a family and we want to be a safe place for people. That said, employee-customer interaction is crucial. We need our employees to remember faces and get to know the customers so that they know we are interested in each of them individually.
There are probably only a limited number of ways to set a path for the future in order to achieve this, so this is what I have come up with: have design layout and profit plan for first five years, pitch case to bank for a loan, break ground and begin construction, start advertising to community and build up online presence, look for qualified and eager employees to train and teach customers, and begin interior work on building, have grand opening.

New Market

Step 1

Identify a radically different market from what you're currently planning to target. If you're currently targeting B2B, think about going after a B2C market. If you're currently targeting an affluent part of society, think about targeting a very poor part of society.
A radically different market from the one I am targeting are older women. My target audience are women ages 12-40, so targeting women ages 50+ would be a huge change in advertisement and in the way we would be teaching.

Step 2

I think that older women are still at risk people, maybe not for sexual assault, but but for assault and theft. Given the age difference, I think that an online presence is not as essential as community advertisements and getting promoted in the paper or certain magazines. I believe that the online presence would be more directed at their children or grandchildren, encouraging them to pass the information along. Finally, in terms of training, I think that there should still be a physical aspect, however I think that 3/4ths of the training should be in using self defense tools and being armed with something like pepper spray, at all times. Finally, I think that the classes are just as important and that everyone should be well informed about the statistics of sexual assault, assault and battery, etc.. People need to know what kind of risk they are in and how to defend themselves or reduce this risk.

Step 3

I interviewed Lucille-Ann Whalen and Donna Richardson to ask them how they think this business might help customers like them. They said that it would make a group of people who are often seen as and depicted as defenseless in most situations, gain some of their confidence back and know how to confidently steer clear of dangerous situations. Some adaptations I might have to make however, are having more on the spot trainers in case anyone needs help, along with medical examiners or nurses in the case of anyone getting hurt.

Step 4

I think that the most important thing to know is that age is not a condition that makes you not human. Everyone can still do things for themselves, they still have fears, they still have ambitions and want to learn. Maybe a few adaptations need to be made for whatever group of people you are focusing on, however that does not mean they can't do something, it just means they can do it in a different way.
This new market, for me is not as appealing as my existing one, and the reason for this is not because the new market shouldn't be focused on, it is only because the threat to the existing market is so huge, that it is hard to turn away from them right now.

Venture Concept No. 1

Putting it All Together

Opportunity

The opportunity is that every 92 seconds there is another American victim to some sort of sexual assault. The rape rate in America had been steadily declining since 1992 when it reached an all time high at 42.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. However, since 2013, the rate has once again started on this incline that grew from 25.9 to 30.8 in only five years. I feel as though customers needs are not being satisfied which is why this is growing so drastically. They need a company like mine, a group of people there to teach them and to be there for each other. This is a very 'hush-hush' topic that you don't hear many people talking about. The reality is though, that an overwhelming majority of women are afraid to walk alone at night, afraid to go out by themselves and afraid to take a bus unaccompanied. This should not be the case. People should not have to live their lives in fear that someone else might try to harm them. By creating a well marketed and advertised platform for my company, showing women that we are there to help them feel safe, we will have a large window of opportunity. This will show them that they have somewhere to go to help protect themselves, and I believe this window will be open until this statistic is obsolete because all anyone wants is to feel safe.

Innovation

The innovative aspect of my company is incrementally innovative. Many self defense classes involve going to the class, learning some moves, and leaving. My company is innovating on the idea of what self defense should involve. What I mean by this is that we will not only have classes teaching you about how to defend yourself, but we will teach why we need self defense, and how to be aware of your surroundings. Our company will be subscription based, having payments on a monthly or yearly basis (or whatever would work best for our customer). In addition to this, when signing up, each individual will be assigned to an instructor and paired with a buddy. The importance of this is so that way the class does not end when you leave the vicinity. You can keep in contact with both of these people and have them as resource to call when you feel like you are in a fishy situation. This company wants everyone to feel like family, to feel safe when around each other. Loyalty from customers comes when they feel important to an organization.

Venture Concept

Competitors to my company are the other self defense companies. However, more than this I honestly feel as though Personal Defense Devices are a bigger threat. This is because people often think "oh i am safe, I have my pepper spray," even though they have never used it, might forget it at home, or don't know how they would react under the more intense circumstances of sexual violence. This is why my company would teach them all of these things. There are not a lot of sexual defense companies that are at least well-marketed to have made themselves known. I suppose gyms could possibly be a threat to the company, however, most gyms either don't offer classes or their classes are limited and people with jobs don't have time to attend them. We combat all of these things, as said previously.

Three Minor Elements

1. I believe that my most important resources for starting this venture are my keen interest in what I am doing, my contacts to start up the business and my communication skills. These resources are not only unique to me, because all of these resources are, but they are also what is going to help start up my business, and what is going to make me keep going even when the company faces hard times. I think passion is extremely important, you obviously need more than that, but without passion for what you are doing, there would be no drive in your work ethic and nothing keeping you there.

2. The next opportunity that I think that I would like to tackle with my current innovation would be to aim it at children and have programs where children could use the Buddy system for bullies. We would tech self defense and what to do if they are facing bullies along with giving them confidence to speak up about it. This is because a big problem is that most children who are being bullied, do not tell anyone.

3. In five years from now, assuming that I launched, I would hope that we would have around 33 locations in Florida, spread out to be about 1 location for every other county. I would also hope that it had begun to spread out of Florida.

1. Alaska
2. Michigan
3. Nevada
4. Arkansas
5. Colorado
6. South Dakota
7. New Mexico
8. District of Columbia
9. Nebraska
10. Oklahoma

These are the states with the highest rape rate in America and so my goal would be to definitely have a least one franchise in each state within five years and grow from there.

Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

What Makes You So Special

Resources in my Venture

Human Capital, Social Capital, Financial Capital, Capabilities, and Organizational Culture

Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, and Non-Substitutable

1. Self Defense Training
• I have had different kinds of self defense training in my life, and I obviously would like to further pursue this and learn more. I have a yearning for growth and I have a decent foundation to do that from.
2. Keen Interest in This Topic
• Having personally experience many types of sexual harassment and knowing many women who have been victim of assault, I can not just stand by knowing that there must be something that can be done to help defy this.
3. Experienced with Leading and Organizing Group of People
• Much of my work experience that I have accumulated has helped me to build up my organizational skills and my leadership skills. I am not saying that I want to become President or anything, however I do think that I have enough experience and will gain enough experience and have enough passion that would make me a suitable leader in this endeavor. 
4. Education - the University of Florida
• Seeing as these resources are being stated for the future prospect of starting up this company, I have not yet completed my education, however I am currently working on getting my degree in Business Administration with a Specialization in Mass Communication, accompanied by a Minor in Innovation.
5. Connections to Police Officers - Help with Specialty Training
• My father is a Lieutenant with the Jacksonville Sherifs Office. That being said, many police officers conduct these types of self defense training, so I then have contacts to be involved with either teaching classes at my company or in training my future employees for qualification of being a teacher.
6. Contacts with Marketers - Make Business Known
• One of the biggest event for a company is their 'Grand Opening' which can only be grand if marketed well enough, to give the desired turn out. I have several connects to people who are really good at marketing and who could potentially help me market my company to get the name out there.
7. Good Credit and Savings
• I believe that I have always been very responsible with my money and that I am really good at saving. I also have really good credit which could help me get a loan if necessary. 
8. Communication Skills - People Facing
• A large part of any job, especially as the entrepreneur, is that you are the face of the company. Even at my current job, I am being trained in customer service and think that I have very good communication skills that could help build up my clientele. 
9. Familial Support
• I have been blessed with a very involved and supportive family that I would have the support of with this company and that I know I could rely on if need be.
10. I Value Support, Growth, and Accountability
• Some of my core values are support, growth, and accountability and I would reflect these in my company and company mission statement.

Top Resource

I believe that my most important resources for starting this venture are my keen interest in what I am doing, my contacts to start up the business and my communication skills. These resources are not only unique to me, because all of these resources are, but they are also what is going to help start up my business, and what is going to make me keep going even when the company faces hard times. I think passion is extremely important, you obviously need more than that, but without passion for what you are doing, there would be no drive in your work ethic and nothing keeping you there.

Elevator Pitch No. 3

Pitching Practice Makes "Perfect"

1) The Pitch

'“Every 92 seconds another American is sexually assaulted (1).” Due their inability to defend themselves or simply being uninformed about how serious this issue is, more and more women are becoming victim to sexual violence and the rape rate in the United States has gone up. Due to this, "59% of women who ever walked down an alley alone always or often feel unsafe doing so (2)." The solution is developing a company that not only provides accessible but affordable, weekly self-defense classes, as well as pair each customer with their own ‘buddy’ to call when they feel like they are in an uncomfortable situation. Through large community advertisements and promotion on social media we can make our company known. Working with each customer individually, we can make personalized payment plans that work for them. The Buddy System is a crucial part to this idea because if you are alone but on the phone with someone or in communication with them in some way, you are less likely to be targeted by a predator. And worst case scenario, there would be someone that knows you're in a bad situation and could call for help. Amongst the different types of self defense classes we offer, there would be training for hand-to-hand combat along with in how to use pepper spray, tasers, and other self defense weapons. Webster Merriam's phrase synonym for together is "at peace". No one should ever have to live their life in fear, afraid to going out by themselves in case that 'something might happen.' Our goal is to teach you what to do and how to defend yourself from acts of sexual violence and act as your security blanket when you are out with friends or on your own.'

2) Reflection

As someone who really struggles with public speaking, I think that this is really helping me. Having to do this and practice this so much has helped me to slowly gain a little more confidence in myself. Also, receiving feedback from my fellow students has been very helpful in letting me know how I may improve myself. It is a less direct way than someone getting called out in front of the entire class, so it makes me feel like I am developing and able to fix what needs fixing.

3) Feedback

From my feedback in previous assignments I was told that I could maybe expand on what type of self defense classes and trainings we would offer. I have now addressed this specifically in my pitch. I really appreciated this feedback because I honestly don't think I otherwise would have addressed it, so thank you and I welcome any more feedback that can be offered. Additionally, no one said this, however, I feel as though I get nervous during public speaking and know that I struggle with having my pitch come across in the most confident way. I have been working on improving on this and hope that it comes across in my delivery.

Reading Reflection No. 2

Bringing In A Second Opinion

Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Peter Drucker

1) General theme or argument

The general theme or argument of the book is that entrepreneurs must use innovation to exploit change and shows how this is so within the economy and society. The author discusses why, when, and how different innovative tactics should be used by entrepreneurs.

2) Enhance what you are learning

I think that the book connects with and enhances what we are learning in ENT 3003 because, just as this class, it focuses on an entrepreneurs actions and behaviors and shows how innovation intertwines with the development of an entrepreneur and their business.

3) An exercise for this class

If I had to design an exercise for this class, based on this book, I would create a list of different problems and then split everyone up into groups. Each group would represent their own company. I would give each group a different problem to say that is what your company is facing. Their task would be to come up with a way to overcome the problem (for example, a new competitor entering the market) in a way that benefits their company the most. So each group would then have to use different innovation strategies and advance their consulting analysis to ensure customer loyalty, increase revenue and decrease any potential threat to the company.

4) Biggest surprise or 'aha' moment

Honestly, I did not have much expectations when beginning this book. I feel as though, especially after taking Creativity in Action, a lot that I have learned about innovation and how it functions in a work place and trickles out to the society, has remained consistent. So even though I did not have an 'aha' moment when reading the book, it was defiantly interest seeing his specific thoughts on how everything worked together. Specifically, my favorite section of the book was on 'Entrepreneurial Strategies', which talks about different strategies to manage a new business.

Growing Your Social Capital

1) One person must be a domain expert in your industry. This would be someone who's engaged in the same type of business activity as you would like to be. They may own the same kind of company that you would like to own, or they may be a technical expert who knows a lot about the kind of product or service that you would like to produce.

2) One person must be an expert on your market. This would be someone who is targeting your market with similar products services -- or knows a lot about conducting customer research in your area -- or represents a major piece of your market (this might be most applicable with B2B markets).

3) One person must be an important supplier to your industry. This would be someone who is selling products and services to other organizations/firms in your industry. 

What constitutes 'contact'? Social capital exists in the "potential goodwill" that exists between two people. For you to establish "potential goodwill" for this exercise, you need to have asked feedback from each of these people on your business idea so far or in some other way created a favor "request." For instance, this could include asking to meet with them to show your elevator pitch or your idea napkin. 

One last catch: The three people you add to your social capital cannot have participated in any other exercise you have completed as part of this course. 

How to write up this post. Break up your post into three parts, one for each person. For each person, describe:

1) Who they are and what their background is.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Finally: Reflect. This experience requires you to do a little 'targeted networking.' How will this experience shape how you participate in any future networking events? Did this experience differ from your networking experiences in the past? How?

Idea Napkin No. 2

You

I am a second year Business Administration student, specializing in Mass Communication and Minoring in Innovation. I am a Brother in the Business Fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi whose vision statement recognizes as the premier developer of principled business leaders. Within the University of Florida's Innovation Academy I have become fluent in Fusion 360 printing and design and Arduino UNO Rev3 Microcontroller. I currently work as a Sales Associate at Planet Smoothie and have previous experience as a Senate Page for Senator Rob Bradley, Councilor at Bright Minds Youth Development, and Intern for Congressman Ted Yoho. I have learned a lot in terms of interaction with customers, working with others and refining my organizational skills. I aspire to use the skills that I have learned to contribute to a company, and am always looking to learn more and grow myself within that company.

What are you offering to customers?

This company is accessible and affordable and offers weekly self-defense classes, as well as pair each customer with their own ‘buddy’ to call when they feel like they are in an uncomfortable situation. Through large community advertisements and promotion on social media we can make our company known. Working with each customer individually, we can make personalized payment plans that work for them. Our goal is to teach you what to do and how to defend yourself from acts of sexual violence and act as your security blanket when you are out with friends or on your own.

Who are you offering it to?

Target Audience

Demographics

Women｜Age: 15 - 40｜Any Race｜Rural Areas｜Lower / Middle Class

Psychographics

Values safety｜Doesn't want to be a victim｜Women who feel vulnerable｜Strength to Women

Why do they care?

Every 92 seconds another American is sexually assaulted (1).” Due their inability to defend themselves or simply being uninformed about how serious this issue is, more and more women are becoming victim to sexual violence and the rape rate in the United States has gone up. Due to this, "59% of women who ever walked down an alley alone always or often feel unsafe doing so (2)." 

What are your core competencies?

The Buddy System is a crucial part to this idea because if you are alone but on the phone with someone or in communication with them in some way, you are less likely to be targeted by a predator. And worst case scenario, there would be someone that knows you're in a bad situation and could call for help. Amongst the different types of self defense classes we offer, there would be training for hand-to-hand combat along with in how to use pepper spray, tasers, and other self defense weapons.

My company is innovating on the idea of what self defense should involve. What I mean by this is that we will not only teach why we need self defense, and how to be aware of your surroundings, but also have classes teaching you about how to defend yourself.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

Create a Customer Avatar

What’s Your Secret Sauce?

Describing 5 Ways My Human Capital that is Truly Unique

1. My passion for this solution in particular, making people feel safe.
2. I am very organized and like to find new ways to do things.
3. I try to think outside of the box and find solutions that maybe most people don't think of.
4. I pride myself in creativity and focus on the smaller details that some people don't think matter, but I think end up shaping the entire company.
5. I a most definitely a people person, and especially with a product like this you have to be more hand on with the customers and create a friendly and reliable face to the company.

Interview with 5 People Who Know Me the Best

I ask some people who are close to me what makes up my human capital and what about me would make me a good entrepreneur.

1. Steven Richardson (Older Brother) - He basically touched upon what he believed my skills were as a leader, he said that I can be authoritative but am also approachable and listen to others. He also said that, as a people person, I would do a fair amount of networking.
2. Alexia Byrd (Best Friend/ Roommate) - She said that I am creative and am good at coming up with new things. She also said that I would be able to grow my business through networking.
3. Emma Byrd (Roommate) - She said that I have an abstract way of thinking which would make me different from other people in the business world. She also said that I make a good leader.
4. Dorothy Richardson (Mom) -She said that I am a strong planner, in many ways for getting work done, in thinking ahead and leading a group. She also said that I have a unique way of looking at things and have always been interested in the arts.
5. Mitchell Musielak (Boyfriend) - He said that I have good customer service skills which is good for this type of enterprise. He also commented that I am stubborn and work hard to get what I want. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OhrudxeIb4&feature=youtu.be

Reflect on the Differences

I think that others see me in a very similar way that I see myself. I feel as though I am a hard worker, work well with others, am creative, organized, and can handle being placed in a leadership roll. I never thought of stubbornness as a positive quality when it came to being an entrepreneur, so that was enlightening. And the one trait that was said that I don't know if it holistically describes me is being a leader. I know I like things done a certain way and that I can communicate this with other people, however I can not be the aggressive force over other people. I have a problem with not being the best at conflict and tend to shy away from raising my voice in any way. Overall though I think that my original list stands true.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Segment: Gender

Interviewees:

Dorothy Richardson (42 - Female - Constituent Advocacy Manager)

Gabby Vukaj (21 - Female - Finance Major)

Jade Castillo (20 - Female - Entrepreneur of JC Photobooths and Party Rentals)

Alexia Byrd (19 - Female - Accounting Major)

Alternative Evaluation 

What matters most when deciding to join a club or membership based community for something like a gym or self defense classes? Price, quantity, style?

"The quality of amenities."

"The style matters most to me because I want to identify with it and really develop myself physically and mentally"

"When joining a gym, I would prioritize the prices but for self-defense classes I’d be more interested in the style/feel for the class versus it’s price."

"Price and quality definitely"

Or is there more than one factor that is important to you?

"Price then accessibility as I need to make sure it fits my schedule."

"The second most quality is quality because as a busy student, I need it to have multiple class opportunities."

"I can be more lenient on the price for self defense classes because I’m paying for an instructor to teach me how to defend myself. At a gym, I’m just using their equipment which I can find anywhere. Self defense classes will vary depending on the instructor, but the equipment at a gym shouldn’t change as drastically as classes."

"If feel comfortable with the trainer or whoever is teaching it."

How/Where Do They Buy

When starting these types of memberships, are you more likely to look around at different options online or do you check out the places in your local community in-person?

"I do online searches first and then call and if I like all that then I would go to the facility and check it out."

"I usually check the places out online because it's awkward to go and decide there that I don't like it."

"For self defense classes, I’d look online because I’d want to read through their website, the different classes, any reviews but for a gym, I’d just go. I’ve seen employees give tours to new clients looking into signing up for their gym but I’d just look online for the best deals and just sign up. To me, equipment is equipment."

"Normally online and reviews."

Are you more likely to use cash or will they finance the purchase or set up a payment plan?

"Monthly payments"

"As a finance major I know the payment plans are a scam because in the end you pay more. I like to pay it all up front or make use of any financial incentives to join."

"For the both options, probably a monthly payment plan that would withdraw the money from my account"

"Payment plan."

Post-Purchase Evaluation

What matters most to you when you think back on the 'rightness' of the purchase?

"So the purchase would be right if it's not too expensive."

"What matters mot to me when I think of the "rightness" of the purchase is if it truly challenges me in the way I'm looking to be challenged and if it impacts my day to day habits and body figure."" What matters most to me is knowing the purchase was worth it in the long run – am I able to defend myself because of the self defense classes? Have I lost weight or gained muscle? Both memberships, gym and self defense classes, should result in a change at the end of my journey. I’ll know I made the right move in terms of my purchase if I can say I’ve changed for the better/made steps toward accomplishing my goals."

"If I am actual able to protect myself afterwards."

What helps you determine if  the purchase was a good idea?

"If I see changes to my lifestyle, it works."

"I’ll know the purchase was a good idea if I’m seeing results. I don’t want to pay $20 a month for a gym membership"

"I would base it on how I feel about myself and growth. If I'm feeling stronger and more confident."

"If I feel safer walking around."

What sorts of things make you think a purchase was a bad idea?

"Bad idea if I tried for a few weeks or so and  I don't feel anything different."

I would think the purchase is a bad idea if the gym focuses more on the social scene or the "fun" fads that are not effective."

"If I don't think I actually got any benefit out of it or if it was a waste of time."

Conclusion

I think in general, most people shop for things in the same way. The search starts online so a company's online presence and aesthetic should be strong. Payment plans usually the preferred route to take for long term things such as these, and to be more profitable, people always enjoy be offered extra amenities. Finally, people want to feel welcomed in this type of community, they want it to make a change to their lifestyle and actually work for them. Maybe incorporating an employee whose job is to meet with the consumers their first week to make personalized plans and classes for each individual.

Halfway Reflection

Tenaciousness is a Competency

What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?

I think that the behavior that  have used the most in this class is learning how to step out of myself and try and look at things from other peoples point of view. We talked in the beginning of this course about the fact that something you may see as a problem may not be how others see it. We need to not convey our problems onto other and assume they will buy a product based off of this. In addition to this, using a creative and outside-the-box thinking has been essential to coming up with ideas central to my solution.

Tenaciousness is Also About Attitude

Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?

My giving-up moment was probably more towards the beginning of this two-month experience when we were Forming an Opportunity Belief. It was definitely coming up with an idea, that I not only thought was worth pursuing but that I was also passionate enough to spend the rest of the semester on, was one of the most difficult things to do thus-far. I think, though, after this was established, a lot of other things started falling into place. Because of the topic which my idea surrounds, the responses I get during interviews are usually pretty uncomfortable. It is not discussed enough and it is a serious matter so people often tense up or don't know what to say. I think overcoming thins, and getting people to feel comfortable and open enough to talk about it has been another struggle but has progressively gotten easier the more interviews I've done.

Three Tips

What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset'?

1. Find a topic that you are passionate about, even if it takes a little longer, because you don't want to spend all this time on something you don't care about, it will end up being a waste.

2. Give yourself enough time to talk to people for interviews, prepare your questions and show a passion for what you are talking about so that the people you are interviewing will want to care more as well.

3. Think of the possibility that you could be the one who actually starts this business later on. Find out what the people want, not want you want, and make a product that is so suitable to peoples needs that you can't not start this business.

Reading Reflection No. 1

Miracles Happen, Mary Kay Ash

You read about an entrepreneur:

Whilst reading, something that did not necessarily surprise me, but impressed me, was that in order to kickstart her business, she had to sell her product home-to-home; she went from this to making an annual profit of about $22 million. What I most admire about this entrepreneur is how confident and persistent she was. To be so passionate about her idea to face all the struggles of being a up and coming businesswoman in a man's world is extremely empowering. In order to give herself encouragement, she said that she would repeat the phrase her mother told her "You can do it, Mary Kay. You can do it.". The fact that something so simple  could would help her is a real testament to what people are capable of seeing as they have the will-power and belief in themselves.

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

The biggest competency that I noticed Mary Kay Ash exhibited was against the discrimination and hardships that came with being a perspective women businesswoman in the 1930s. During this time, the gender biased family roles were not only the norm, but they were the expected. Mary Kay Ash defied this social norm but it was not without hard work. Even before she founded Mary Kay Cosmetics, when she was growing her background experience, there was discrimination in the workplace. It is hard to grow if all the men are promoted ahead of you.

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

1. If you could change one thing that you had done in your journey to where you are now, what would it be and why?
2. What is this most impactful life-lesson that you learned through all of your experiences that you most hope to share with others?

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

I think that Mary Kay Ash's opinion of hard work is that it is at the center of being able to accomplish your goals. Of course you need an idea and to believe in this idea but without hard work and drive, how would you be able to do anything further with it? I defiantly think that this is true.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Segment: Gender

Interviewees:

Anonymous (19 - Female - Accounting Major)

Cynthia Corbett (22 - Female - Marketing Major)

Anonymous (18 - Female - Finance Major)

Catherine Moriarty (20 - Female - Marketing Major)

Need Awareness

In terms of sexual violence or sexual harassment...

• When do you feel most unsafe or at risk of experiencing these?
• "Mostly at night or even during the day, sometimes if I have to walk alone in an unfamiliar place."
• "I feel most unsafe when I'm under the influence or alone."
• "At night."
• "I feel at most risk of sexual harassment normally when it is after dark. If there is ever a time when I have an activity or if I am grabbing food late and then have to walk home or walk to a nearby bus station, I feel a little unsafe because there are not many people around and I am only there to fend for myself."
• Under what circumstances?
• "When I'm alone and I don't know the area very well or it isn't well lit. I feel more vulnerable to someone who maybe sees me as a potential victim. And I'm small and probably easy to carry."
• "If I'm under the influence then I tend to feel unsafe if I lose sight of my friends. Otherwise, when I'm with people I tend not to recognize danger. Secondly, being alone at night or in a tight space (like an elevator) with multiple guys that are being obnoxious or seem drunk."
• "When walking alone."
• "If I am alone, I will feel more worried of these events happening. If I am with friends, then it does not occur to me as much."
• How exactly do you recognize the feeling? 
• "My heart starts racing and I feel very anxious and I get sick to my stomach"
• "My fight or flight response kicks in, I instantly want to separate myself from the group that is making me uncomfortable. I also call people that I trust I know will answer the phone to stay on the line and talk to me until I'm somewhere safe."
• "My heart begins to race and I feel like someone is watching me."
• "I recognize the feeling normally when I first realize that I am alone, when I realize that no one else is around and that campus is not busy at all like it is during the day. I then tend to think about it and try to walk faster and get to my destination."
• Are there any specific places that you feel more at risk, or under certain contexts where you feel more vulnerable?
• "When I get off work at 12:30 am downtown I always feel extremely nervous and unsafe. Or walking to my car from a late test on campus since parking isn't close at all."
• "Alone at night and more so on back streets that aren't well lit. I'm always looking around and trying to listen for anything that may be near me and approaching. Also, feel very unsafe when I am drunk and alone. Even if I am in a room full of people I do not feel safe when I'm alone and unable to function normally. Also, groups of guys just make me uncomfortable in closed spaces. If I am waiting for an elevator and a large group of guys are also waiting. I will let them go and wait for the next elevator. I do not want to be alone and outnumbered"
• "No."
• "I definitely feel more vulnerable when I am alone. Or, because campus has the blue light safety blocks, I would definitely feel more scared if I were to walk home alone off campus. You never know what can happen off campus in the town of Gainesville and there are fewer “safety zones”."

• When you typically start to feel this way, what is the first thing that you do?
• "I normally call someone or start walking faster and looking around me."
• "I distance myself from the situation. I leave and try to find someone I know or get on my phone and start a conversation with someone I trust. Anything that makes me feel less alone and like I would have help if something happened."
• "Call someone."
• "The first thing I do is walk faster and look around for any person that may or may not be able to help in case something happens. Or, I tend to call a friend or my parents and just talk to them on the way home."

Information Search

• Have you ever looked into something that could help you feel safer?
• "I have pepper spray and other things for protection but they don't really make me feel safer because if someone approached me they would probably have the advantage because I wouldn't have time to prepare to strike."
• "A lot of people say I should be carrying mace or some equivalent on my keychain, but I've just never taken the initiative and bought something."
• "Yes."
• "I have not really looked into anything that could make me safer. I am not really aware of what else there is to do to keep myself in a safe position."
• Have you ever researched sexual violence statistics, and if so what are search terms that you use?
• "I have a few times mostly in terms of sexual violence on college campuses because it pertains to me most."
• "Yes, I have. The terms I've used are 'statistics', 'likelihood', 'College', 'Party', 'Under the influence', and 'men vs. women sexual violence statistics'."
• "No."
• "I have not really researched it on my own, but I have definitely been educated on this topic. If I were to research it I would probably look into the most common circumstances and most common places people get sexually assaulted at my age."
• Have you ever spoken to your friends or family about this problem?
• "Not really, I've talked to my family and they tell me to always be cautious and all that but never a full discussion."
• "Yes, but not directly. I've never sat down with my friends and just brought up sexual assault. However, we do speak about it in length if it gets brought up in conversation. This is one of the main reasons my friend group does like separate at parties and everyone (including the guys) have to check in once they are home."
• "Yes."
• "I have never really spoken to my friends or family about this problem, other than ensuring that we are all safe and my friends and I do make sure we all get home okay and we keep an eye out for each other at all times."

Research

After conducting these interviews I found these three commonalities: they all said that they feel unsafe when they are alone, they all said that their heart starts racing or they start walking faster to try and get away, and finally they all said they feel safer walking alone when the are on the phone with someone.

Conclusion

The people I have interview have all experienced fear or know of this situation, however, they all do not have something on hand for defense, they haven't all talked to their family or friends about it and they have not all done research on the topic. From this I can conclude that we need to spread the word and teach more people about what to do, who to call and how to feel safer in their day to day lives.

Idea Napkin No. 1

My Business Concept

About Me

My name is Christina Richardson, I am nineteen years old and work at Planet Smoothie as a Sales Associate. I am Majoring in Business Administration with a Specialization in Mass Communication and Minoring in Innovation at the University of Florida. I am very passionate about creative design and photography and aspire to travel and write about my experiences and what I see. As for past experiences, I have been a Congressional Intern for Congressman Yoho, a Senate Page for Senator Bradley and I recently worked at the Bright Minds Youth Development Summer Camp. If I were to actualize this company, I would hope that it could bring more awareness to the problem and help women feel safer. I don't think that some people realize how widespread this has become, and as a women I feel as though I shouldn't have to feel unsafe doing normal things such as taking the trash to the dumpster behind my work, taking my dog for a walk, going shopping alone, or going out with my friends at night. In situations like these, a brisk speed walk and headphone set become your best friends. I am a firm believer in tranquility and being about to feel comfortable in your own life and that is what I hope my company will bring to people.

Offering Customers

My company would provide accessible and affordable, weekly self-defense classes. We would work with each customer individually, making personalized payment plans. Additionally, we will pair each customer with their own ‘buddy’ to call when they feel like they are in an uncomfortable situation.

Target Audience

Demographics

Women｜Age: 15 - 40｜Any Race｜Rural Areas｜Lower / Middle Class

Psychographics

Values safety｜Doesn't want to be a victim｜Women who feel vulnerable｜Strength to Women

The Value

We will teach you what to do and how to defend yourself from acts of sexual violence and act as your security blanket when you are out with friends or on your own. No one should ever have to live their life in fear, afraid to going out by themselves in case that something might happen.

Core Competencies

The fact that we have the Buddy System is what I believe sets my company apart from others. This is a crucial part to this idea because it acts as your safety blanket and would make you less of a target.

I definitely believe that all of these elements work together. I mean I am narrowing down my target audience just to aim it at a more specified group most likely to want a solution to this problem. This however does not mean that we would turn away other people or discriminate against people who do not fit in the group described above. I want everyone to feel safe and anyone would be welcome. I think that having the Buddy System as a part of this idea makes us stand out. This being said I am sure that there is more that I could incorporate into this idea and some things that I could change about it. This will just come with time and the learning curve of starting and running the business.