14A: Halfway Reflection

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

a.     Behaviors that I have developed throughout this course are being able to relate and enjoy each of the assignments. This course is structured in a way to break down thought processes and develop ideas. During the course, I have noticed that I enjoy having to think out of the box, conduct research, and elaborate on my ideas. I also enjoy reading other’s posts and hearing about ideas. Reading other people’s post-shows me how different and creative our thought processes are. Seeing other people’s creativity encourages and inspires me to improve and think out of the box.

2.     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?

a.     The transition from high school to college was difficult to adjust to for me. The courses I took in high school were very generic because that was all that was offered. Adjusting to different types of courses and different ways of learning/studying was definitely a challenge but what pulled me through was realizing that I am here for a reason. I am so grateful to go to a school that offers such a wide span of topics and sources for me to grow and learn. I feel like I am developing a tenacious attitude as the courses get more interesting and I understand more topics. Since we are halfway into the course I understand how to complete assignments for specific courses and am learning more in-depth information rather than the basic starting information.

3.     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' ?

a.     Stay on track. Staying on track of your assignments helps not only with your grade but your own mindset. Rather than waiting until the last minute and giving half effort into an assignment, stay on track and complete the assignment with effort.

b.     Think out of the box. This course is designed to test your mind and push yourself. When brainstorming ideas, you should be creative and think of things that haven’t been done. Starting off the course being innovative helps you thrive in the assignments.

c.     Try to relate. Try to relate to the topics that you are working on, it makes the assignments easier to do. Relating to the topics help you be passionate about what you are talking about. Rather than thinking of the assignments as homework, if you relate to them they can be work that you enjoy doing.

13A: Reading Reflection No. 1

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

·      What surprised you the most?

o   Being a part of this generation, everyone either owns or knows what the company Apple is. Steve Jobs is someone that people look up to and are inspired by because of his company and his road to success with it. Personally, I have always been interested in entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and have done research on him prior to reading this book. While some might say that they were surprised by his decision to drop out of college or how he is invested with other companies, I was most surprised by how he coined the name Apple for the company. Since I have learned about Steve Jobs prior to reading the book, I knew about his story and how his company took off. I never wondered how he named the company until I read it in the book. I thought it was a bit humorous that he named one of the biggest and most successful companies Apple because he visited an apple farm the day he founded Apple Computer.

·      What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

o   The most admirable thing about Steve Jobs was his charisma. Even after he dropped out of college, he chose to take courses to learn more. He was always driven to produce products that are perfect and never settled for anything less than great. The term “Reality Distortion Field” was coined, it was used to describe Job’s dedication to his products and his ideas. Having a term coined due to his dedication and his strive for success shows how charismatic he was.

·      What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

o   The least admirable thing about Steve Jobs was his treatment of his colleagues and staff. His temperament was a very well-known issue that he had, people have even admitted that he verbally assaulted them. I believe that no matter who an individual is, they deserve respect. While Steve Jobs was the CEO of Apple, that does not mean he had the right to disrespect others who work for/with the company.

·      Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

o   Steve Jobs did encounter adversity and failure. In 1985 he was fired by the Apple board of directors due to an accumulation of his behavior and his treatment to those around him. Jobs did not stop there; he continued to invent and do what he loves. He became invested with Pixar and designed a computer called NeXT. He then was given a second chance with Apple in hopes to save the company. 

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

a.     Competencies that Steve Jobs had was his creativity in technology and his way of persuading people. Jobs always was creative and wanted to innovate to produce products that were like no other. Without Steve Jobs, we would not have most of our high technology today. With his creative mind, it was known that Steve Jobs had a way with words, he could convince individuals to push farther when developing ideas and work endlessly.

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

a.     I was confused about the relationships that Steve Jobs had. His relationship with his daughter from his first marriage was briefly touched on. I was confused about this because I know that his issues with his daughter were very public and well known, so I thought that there would be more insight to this topic in the book. 

4.     2 Questions I would ask

a.     What do you think about the company now and what has been produced?

                                               i.     I would ask this because I wonder if Jobs approves of the products that are released from Apple now and if they meet his high standards.

b.     Do you regret anything that you did in your career? Any products?

                                               i.     I would ask this because I have a hard time believing that things are perfect. I feel that Jobs had to have regretted or wish he done something different with certain products. 

5.     What do you think the entrepreneur’s opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

a.     I believe that Steve Jobs never considered his work as hard, I think he viewed difficult work in a way that things can always be improved. After reading about his determination and drive to make perfect products, I think his mindset was not whether if it was easy or hard work, it was more about if it can be better. I do share that opinion but only to an extent. I think Jobs was very influential and successful, but he lacked the skills of being a genuinely nice person. I think he was always driven towards success but never understood that there is more to life than having a successful business.

12A: Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

• Segment
• Those who face trouble with finding parking on college campuses.
• Interviews:
• Hayley F.
• Hayley fits into my segment because she is a college student who drives to her classes almost every day. Since she has to drive to her classes, she has to park her car near them. Hayley spends a great amount of time trying to find parking and this has interfered with her daily routine. She expressed that finding parking is one of the major issues with her college and she wishes that something could be done to fix it. 
• Gianna J.
• Gianna fits into my segment because she is a college student who drives to class every day. She goes to college in a city that has drastic temperatures where walking to class is not an option on some days. She struggles with finding parking on some of her most important days and is affected by it. If she can not find parking in time she usually ends up skipping her class because so much time has passed.
• Jade R.
• Jade fits into my segment because like the other individuals I interviewed, she drives to class almost every day. Her campus is very big so most of her classes are not within walking distance. She told me that some days she would rather spend money on services like Lyft or Uber to get to class even though she has her own car. She does this just to avoid the stress of trying to find a place to park.
• Overall
• Each individual that I interviewed struggle with parking on college campuses. Each of their situations is different but they all have a common issue. This shows that there is an opportunity for my service/solution. More research could include trying to find out which college campuses need this service the most and which colleges have done things to fix parking for students.

11A: Idea Napkin No. 1

Idea Napkin

• You
• I am a 19-year-old college student at the University of Florida. I am majoring in Public Relations at the College of Journalism and Communications and minoring in Innovation at Innovation Academy. I am active in multiple clubs on campus and am certified in software like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop InDesign and Illustrator. I aspire to make any business that I pursue successfully.
• What you are offering to customers?
• I am offering a mobile app to help lower the stress of finding parking on college campuses. This app will allow students to be aware of the parking spots that are available and will help students prepare to find parking. Students will be able to find parking easier and faster so they can remain on schedule.
• Why do they care?
• People will pay for this product because it will help college campuses be more organized and will decrease the amount of stress that students struggle with when trying to find parking.
• What are your core competencies? 
• What makes my product different is that there is no app to help students find parking. This is a common issue on different college campuses. As of right now, there is no resource to help students find parking.
• Summary
• I think that the 5 elements of my business concept fit together well. I believe that there is a target audience and the opportunity available. The aspect that could be worked on is making sure that the service would be used often. I think that with time and research, the business concept could be very successful and students who struggle with parking on college campuses will appreciate this service.

10A: Elevator Pitch No. 1

9A: Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

Interviews

Megan H.

• Do you think parking is an issue on your campus?
• Yes, I do think parking is an issue on my campus and many other campuses.
• Do you ever find yourself struggling to find parking on campus?
• I do not find myself struggling to find parking because I have a decal that allows me to park almost anywhere I want on campus. I got my decal with the number of credits I have and being lucky I guess.
• Do you think that most people on campus share this issue?
• I think that if I did not have my decal I would definitely find this a huge issue, so yes I think this is a common issue.

Isabel R.

• Do you think parking is an issue on your campus?
• For some people, it is an issue.
• Do you ever find yourself struggling to find parking on campus?
• No, I am all online so I do not need to go onto campus like other students do. I only need to park on campus when I have a meeting or need to go to a specific building for a short time.
• Do you think that most people on campus share this issue?
• I have heard from many other people that this is a big issue for them and how it should be fixed.

Kirstyn M.

• Do you think parking is an issue on your campus?
• I do think it is an issue for a lot of students.
• Do you ever find yourself struggling to find parking on campus?
• I almost never find parking an issue on campus because I drive a small scooter to my classes which I can fit in most small spots and usually these spots are open.
• Do you think that most people on campus share this issue?
• Yes, I think if I was to drive a car I would find this a big issue.

Francesca F.

• Do you think parking is an issue on your campus?
• Yes, especially on a campus where classes are not walking distance from main apartment complexes.
• Do you ever find yourself struggling to find parking on campus?
• No, I chose to live in an apartment that is very close to campus to avoid having to bring my car to school.
• Do you think that most people on campus share this issue?
• Yes, I purposely chose an apartment complex so I did not have to deal with this issue on a daily basis and it was the best decision ever. 

Kyle P.

• Do you think parking is an issue on your campus?
• No, my campus has a lot of parking lots and parking garages.
• Do you ever find yourself struggling to find parking on campus?
• I do not because my school did a good job of making sure students had a lot of spaces and places to park. Our campus is also very spread out and there are so many places to park between each building.
• Do you think that most people on campus share this issue?
• I do not think most people do but I can see how some people get frustrated with parking.

Inside the Boundary

Who is in: Students who struggle with finding parking on campus.

What the need is: To find a solution to better parking situations.

Why the need exists: To decrease the stress and frustration of parking on campus.

Outside the Boundary

Who is not: Those who do not need to park on campus.

What the need is not: Ignoring the fact that the majority of people struggle with parking.

Alternative Explanations: People overlook this issue daily and do not consider stress.

Summary:

Overall, I have concluded that even though not everyone needs to park on campus, the opportunity still exists. I have also discovered that it depends on how each campus is designed to determine if this is a major issue or not. People mainly do not find this an issue when they do not drive or when their campus is within walking distance.

8A: Solving The Problem

The opportunity that I presented is very common in college towns, parking on and off-campus is an issue that students deal with almost every day. Students should not have to stress or worry about parking when they already have a lot on their plate. Considering that students pay thousands of dollars a year to attend universities, parking should be the least of their worries. Rather than spending time to find parking, students could be studying or making it to class on time. Even though some parking is available, I believe that more parking would be appreciated by students.

My solution could be various things, one could be developing an app that all students can access on their phone that shows which parking lots or parking areas are filled or empty. This app could help lessen the stress of having to hunt for parking. Another solution could be creating more decals for students or more parking lots. This would take longer and more work but in the end, I believe that students would make use of new parking lots or new decals. New parking lots, decals or an app would also show that schools listen to their student body and their opinions on making campus better.

7A: Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1. Not enough parking accessibility on college campuses.

2. Opportunity

• Who
• College students or faculty who struggle with finding parking.
• What
• The limited amount of parking and the struggle with the availability of parking on a college campus.
• Why
• It has become a common issue in most colleges and begins to affect the daily lives of students or faculty.

3. Hypothesis

• I believe that college students and/or faculty have dealt with the issue of parking on college campuses for years and as the population of students grows, it will increase. This issue has been voiced by an abundance of students and faculty members but no one has seemed to have found the right solution. I believe that interviewing individuals from college campuses will ensure the existence of this opportunity.

4. Interviews

• Angelina
• Do you struggle with finding parking on campus daily?
• Yes, before coming to this school I never thought that trying to find parking would be an issue that I would find so frustrating. I have classes every day, some of which are far from where I live. Since parking is so limited I have had to fit trying to find parking into my daily schedule when I could be doing other things with my time.
• Have you ever considered any solutions to limited parking?
• Maybe building more parking garages or parking structures.
• Do you think others will want better parking opportunities?
• Yes, I think that anything that can be done to help make the parking situations on campus better would be appreciated.
• Hayley
• Do you struggle with finding parking on campus daily?
• Yes, although some of my classes are within walking distance of my home, I find that when I do need to park on campus I always struggle.
• Have you ever considered any solutions to limited parking?
• Maybe having more decals that are available and more spots open to the public.
• Do you think others will want better parking opportunities?
• Yes, I think that this would help a lot with the stress that students have every day.
• Jade
• Do you struggle with finding parking on campus daily?
• Only sometimes, some days are busier than others which are still frustrating.
• Have you ever considered any solutions to limited parking?
• Building more parking garages so there are more spots for students.
• Do you think others will want better parking opportunities?
• I think that anything would be better than what we have now, students complain about parking often so anything that makes it even the slightest better would be good.
• Gianna
• Do you struggle with finding parking on campus daily?
• Yes, especially since I go to a college where the temperatures range from sunny days to snow days. On sunny days students are more likely to walk to class but on snow days it is almost impossible to find a parking spot because the school has such limited spots.
• Have you ever considered any solutions to limited parking?
• I have never thought about a specific solution but more garages or areas would help.
• Do you think others will want better parking opportunities?
• Yes, I think that it would benefit all the students.
• Maddie
• Do you struggle with finding parking on campus daily?
• When I came to college I did not but now that I have my car and I take classes that are more than a 30-minute walk from where I live, I do.
• Have you ever considered any solutions to limited parking?
• Maybe more decals that can be offered to students.
• Do you think others will want better parking opportunities?
• Yes, I think it would help students be less stressed.

After conducting my interviews, I am confident that this is an existing opportunity. Before these interviews I was only considering the campus of the college that I attend but after interviewing individuals of other colleges, I noticed that this is an issue that exists on multiple campuses. A solution for this issue could be implemented at other colleges and could help more people than I expected. 

6A: Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Housing

A. Where I found it: The website for my apartment complex.

B. Why an opportunity might exist: Since the prices for housing are rising at this specific apartment complex, it could encourage more opportunities to make money. With the complex gaining more popularity, the need for employees will rise.

C. Prototypical customer: People who live in apartment complexes looking to make more money to help pay.

D. Exploit: The opportunity is relatively easy to exploit because there are many places looking to hire more people so finding a job should not be hard.

Why I saw the opportunity: I saw this opportunity because I live in the apartment complex and notice how busy the office is and how hectic it can get.

Medical Marijuana 

A. Where I found it: Through multiple news outlets and social media.

B. Why an opportunity might exist: There is sufficient evidence that shows medical marijuana benefits those who have certain illnesses and pain. 

C. Prototypical customers: This could be an individual in need of medical marijuana to help relieve pain or help with their illness.

D. Exploit: I think this is relatively easy to exploit because medical marijuana is legal in numerous states and the effect it has on those who need it is successful.

Why I saw the opportunity: I see this opportunity because I have a friend who got into a serious accident and struggled with recovery. This person was able to get a medical marijuana card and this has improved their mobility and lessens the pain tremendously.

Economic trend: Climate Change

A. Where I found it: Local news outlets

B. Why an opportunity might exist: The US Climate is changing due to global warming, which is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases, this not only leads to warmers days but increases in the prices for food.

C. Prototypical customer: Everyone is affected by climate change but more specifically those who are experiencing natural disasters.

D. Exploit: I think this is relatively hard to exploit, the population does a lot to help the climate change but there is still more that could be done.

Why I saw the opportunity: I see this opportunity because I have noticed that there are many businesses and individuals who are trying to make our planet a greener, more sustainable place. 

Economic trend: Baby Boomers are not retiring

A. Where I found it: Through research.

B. Why an opportunity might exist: Older generations will not make room for younger generations to begin working and take over for them. The willingness of baby boomers to work stems from the Great Recession and the scars left from that.

C. Prototypical customer: Someone from the baby boomer generation and from the younger generation.

D. Exploit: I think this is relatively hard to exploit if all the jobs available are taken then new jobs will need to be created. 

Why I saw the opportunity: I see this opportunity because many people, especially college students are looking for jobs.