22A - Elevator Pitch No.3

https://youtu.be/Zj6hYCv_03E

After looking at the feedback I tried to say "um" less which I think improved here.  Also, I received good feedback from my previous pitch so I just tried to refine my pitch on this third attempt. It is definitely becoming easier to perform these elevator pitches because practice makes perfect. 

21A - Reading Reflection No.2

The book I chose was How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams.

1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?

The theme of us this book is to never give up and turn failures into success.  It describes Scott Adams and his life that was filled with a multitude of different failures.  He learned from these and developed different theories and tips that can help anyone rebound from failures.  His persistence and grit led to his hit comic strip, Dilbert.

2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

This book definitely connected and enhanced what I learned in ENT 3003 because of the stress on learning from failures and turning those failures into successes.  In this class, we have done some of the same assignments, but when we re-do them we have the chance to look at our feedback and learn from it.  This is similar to what Adams did on his journey to success.

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

If I had to design an exercise for the class it would include having each student make a list of 5 different failures they have endured and how they responded.  I would then have the students either read this book or read about the techniques in the book.  After this, the students will go back to their list and revise how they would attempt to turn their failures around.

4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

The biggest surprise from this book was learning about how many failures it can take before someone finds success.  It really cemented the idea that giving up is not the answer and that if someone puts in enough effort and work then they can find a way to become successful.

20A - Growing Your Social Capital

1) Who they are and what their background is.

The first person I contacted was Josh Keening who is a Heavner business school graduate and I decided to ask him what he thought of my idea.  I contacted him because of his natural ability to figure out problems.  He is someone who I look up to because he is very well versed in the business field and I believe he could help me immensely.

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

He is the domain expert because he has achieved what I hope to achieve in the future.  He fills this spot with his business acumen which I need to be able to do when I am his age.

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

I found Josh through my friend who is also older.  He introduced me to him and ever since then we have been friends.  Although I do not talk to Josh as much as I used to he is still a great source of information and a mentor for me.

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

Josh gave me his professional opinion on my company and said he will be able to guide me through multiple processes of the business concept.

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

 Josh Keening was very influential on campus and knows how to make things work quickly.  With his help, I think my idea could flourish.

1) Who they are and what their background is.

My next person was Barry.  He was a construction management major during his tenure at UF and now resides in Sarasota.  He is a very hardworking and organized person that is thriving in his current position.

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

He is filling the market expert because of his IQ of construction. To help create a bus lane it is important to take note of the construction needed to make it happen.  

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

I found him through the greek community and called him to talk about my idea and his personal opinion.

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

Barry was extremely helpful and actually said he would help me further my idea when the time was right.  That is a huge favor to be able to have his expertise at my disposal for free.

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

Having Barry in my network is immensely valuable because he can give me the insight of the market that I am unfamiliar with.

1) Who they are and what their background is.

I had an email conversation with Reynolds who is knowledgeable of helping organization receive the supplies they need to be successful.

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

He is filling the supplier spot because that is his expertise.

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

I found him through the internet and contacted him via email.  It took him 2 days to respond but he sent me some valuable information.

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

Reynolds said my idea had the possibility to it but I have to work on it more in order to make it more feasible.  The favor he gave me was possibly being able to help me after I put more work into the idea.  This is still great because he is an important person.

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

Having Reynolds in my network would be extremely helpful because he is a true, recognized expert in the supply field which would help make my idea a reality.

This helped me reach out to people that I did not initially think would provide me help, but after going through these processes I realize that everyone can help contribute.  I had a good network before but now knowing how truly important it is I will continue to network and expand my horizen.

19B - Idea Napkin No.2

1. You: I am a person that is hardworking and dedicated to something that I set my mind too.  I am a Finance major at UF so I am very aware of the awful traffic around campus.  I do not have any experience in regards to road construction and things of that nature, but I am friendly and can work well with others easily so my Finance knowledge combined with someone else's construction knowledge would make for a great team.

2. What are you offering to customers: I am offering an idea that would limit the traffic around campus.  Busy streets during busy times make it almost impossible to travel quickly around so I am offering a way for the customers to be able to move faster.  One idea is to implement a bus lane so that cars and scooters have more freedom on the road rather than being subject to waiting for people to get on/off the bus.  This causes massive backups which are annoying for everyone involved.

3. Who are you offering it to: I am offering this to the community of UF.  That includes primarily students, but also for the faculty and anyone else that needs to move around campus.  The ideal customer would be a student who has class across campus and needs to arrive on time, but the unpredictably bad traffic hampers this.

4. Why do they care: Customers will actually pay money for this because it is very important to arrive to class at the right time.  People will sacrifice some money to be able to save time on commuting because the big picture is getting good grades in school.

5. What are your core competencies: I am someone who is diverse and can work with all types of people so I think that would help me move this idea along and hopefully make it come to fruition.  I am hard working and creative and want to understand the different ways to make life easier for everyone.

After reading feedback and re-thinking my idea throughout the other assignments in between I believe these elements could blend together nicely.  One of the main parts of feedback I received mentioned that adding a bus lane would be costly and difficult to scale.  I agree with this feedback but I believe if I can find someone that will help me on the construction side of things then with hard work and persistence it could be possible.

18A - Create a Customer Avatar

My ideal customer is a 18-22 year old college student.  For issues like traffic around and on campus the person who is affected the most is a college student.  My customer is a fan of sports and hanging out with friends during his time outside of class.  The car he drives is a grey Honda Accord that is fuel efficient and should be a perfect fit for a college.  It has not been as efficient as it should be considering the backup of traffic which ultimately wastes fuel.  His favorite shows to watch on TV include ESPN and Comedy Central, but he usually watches Netflix or HBO Go.  He does not have any children right now, but definitely sees himself with a family after he graduates college.  

I have a lot in common with my avatar because I am a college student as well.  It is not a coincidence because I suffer from the same problem that many students face.  I know I would have trouble maneuvering around campus if I had a car, so I have to use a scooter to be the fastest as possible.  My avatar pretty much describes me, but that is still common for a college student.

17A - Elevator Pitch No.2

https://youtu.be/QiO9ry26W0I




After reading the 2 comments from my last elevator pitch I used some of their feedback in my second one.  I think it was important to not say "um" as much as I did last time.  This second time around I feel better about my topic which made it easier to describe in such a short period of time.  The rest of the feedback said that my topic was good and should be implemented.

I incorporated the learnings from the course thus far and the feedback to try to improve my elevator pitch.  I think if I continue to practice it would become very easy to do.