18A Create a Customer Avatar

My customer avatar is a 18-22 year old male who goes to college and attends UF football games.

1. I am a 21 year old male who goes to college and attends UF football games, just like the customer avatar.

2. I do not think it's a coincidence that I have so much in common with my customer avatar because my customer is people like me. I came up with the opportunity because I was looking to solve a problem that affected me.

17A Elevator Pitch No. 2

Reflection: It seemed like everyone that commented agreed that this idea would benefit all of them and they could all relate to the problem. I think that everyone being able to relate to this problem is the most useful feedback I received. I did not really receive any feedback that I did not expect or that was wrong.

What I Changed: The only thing that was requested for me to change was make sure my mic picked up everything I had to say, so that is the only thing I really changed.

16A What's Your Secret Sauce?

Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique:

1. My work ethic. I graduated high school with poor grades because I did not really try. I made it my goal to transfer to UF from FGCU. I had to work harder than I have in my life and I was able to accomplish my goal. When I put my mind to something I know I can achieve it.

2. I have always been mature for my age, even when I was a little boy. I have always been more mature than the people around me. It always seemed like I had better grasp and view on the world than the rest of my friends.

3. I am a very patient person, which i think helps me work well with others,

4. I am an open minded person. I feel like I am able to understand other perspectives pretty well. I may not agree with them by I hear out that person.

5. I have very good problem solving skills and I am able to think outside the box.


5 Interviews:

1. Mom: 
My mom talked about my good work ethic. She mentioned the last two years seeing how hard I had to work to transfer to UF. She then joked asking where that work ethic was in high school. She also talked about my intelligence. She could always see how smart I was, which is why it bothered her to see me not live up to my potential in high school. Now she is happy that I finally decided to work hard in school and make it to UF.

2. Dad:
My dad talked about my personality. He said I am a very chill, go with the flow type of person which makes me easy to get along with. He also mentioned that it helps me perform better under pressure. I am able to maintain a calm mindset and push through the stressful times. It also helped me during sports. He said that it seemed like I always performed by best when during crunch time.

3. Girlfriend:
I interviewed by girlfriend, Sarah. We have been dating for over two years so she knows everything about me. She also talked about my work ethic and about how smart I am. She said she could never work as hard as I did to transfer over to UF. She also talked about how good my grades are, given how hard of classes I am taking. She said she does not know anyone with as hard of a work ethic as me.

4. Best Friend:
I interviewed my best friend, Grant, who I have been best friends with since I was 5. He talked about how I am able to take on so many problems without getting overwhelmed. I am able to handle my own problems on top of helping other people with their problems. He said that I am always able to keep a calm and clear head.

5. Good Friend:
My good friend Jason, talked about how I am a very good problem solver. I am able to think outside the box to come up with solutions. I am not a very creative person, but I am a creative problem solver. He talked about problem solving being something I am very good at.

Reflect on the differences:
I view myself just about as everyone else views me. This assignment was hard for me because I am not someone that is particularly good at bragging. This made is hard to come up with my "secret sauce."

15A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.2

1. I interviewed college students who purchase student football tickets. All three people I interviewed were male.

2. Regarding the alternatives, there are not any. Students must purchase their student tickets from UF and pick them up from the ticket office, there is no other option for them. All three students said they would actually pay a little extra for an alternative, such as being able to access their ticket on their phone so they would not have to wait in line to pick their ticket up.

3. Students would go to buy website and buy their tickets the same way they do now, using a credit or debit card. UF would agree to sell their student tickets on my website and would make the same amount of money they do now. I would simply charge a little bit more per ticket, since they no longer have to wait in line.

4. Two of the men I interviewed said they go to every game and it is cheaper to buy the student football season tickets, so it is always a good purchase. They said it would be an even better purchase if they no longer had to wait in line to go pick them up. The other student I interviewed said he views the purchase as good or bad depending on if the Gators win or lose. He will still buy the ticket, but views it as a better purchase if the Gators win.

5. I interviewed three men who purchase UF student football tickets regularly. Two of them purchased the student season tickets and the other did not but still purchases them quite often. All three were in favor of the idea of being able to use a virtual student ticket on their phone. They all also said they would be willing to pay a few bucks extra, per ticket, to be able to have this feature. All of them also said the biggest drawback is waiting in the long line to pick their ticket up. Everyone that I have ever talked to says they hate waiting in the line.

6. I have learned that a high percentage of UF students attend the football games at least a couple of times a year. I have also learned that everyone hates waiting in the long lines to pick up their ticket, but there is no other option. I am hoping to become the first alternative to waiting in those long lines and I think that students would be willing to pay more money for their tickets if they could access them on their phones.

14A Halfway Reflection

1. Time management and making a plan for this course and sticking to it is required to stay on top of everything. Set aside a certain day of the week that you want to start on the discussion posts and do not wait until the last minute. Some posts require interviews that cannot be done last minute. You must be disciplined to stick to that schedule and not keep putting everything off.

2. The first assignment that we had to interview people I did not think I would get it done in time. I put it off and did not realize that I had to interview people for the assignment. Luckily, my roommates were home and some friends were able to help me out to get the assignment done. After that I learned to look at the assignment at least a week before it is due to at least get an idea on how long it will take to complete. I have developed a routine that allows me to complete everything on time.

Tips:
1. Time management- Learn how to manage your time so that you are not caught off guard and turning in work that is not beneficial to you.

2. Think outside the box- Thinking outside the box is a valuable asset to all entrepreneurs as it helps you come up with innovative and new ideas

3. Come up with an idea that you enjoy- An idea that you enjoy talking about will actually make the class enjoyable and not so much of a task or hassle.

13A Reading Reflection No. 1

Elon Musk

What surprised you the most?

I found the way Elon Musk started as an entrepreneur to be the most surprising. I always thought he was successful through Tesla and never knew exactly how he made all of his money before. I found it surprising that he made a lot of his money through paypal.

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I admire Musk's will and determination. People are always telling him that he is crazy and nuts because of what he is doing now. He is attempting to put a man on Mars and also selling flamethrowers. The man is worth billions of dollars so obviously he is doing something right. People keep putting him down but he is continuing to fight for his ideas. He was even forced to step down as chairman for Tesla. 

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

I would have to say that I least admire the way Elon Musk treats his employees at times. He is very extreme and demands perfection out of people, which is a reason he is successful, but also not how you should treat people. I think that he needs to treat his employees with a little but more compassion and remember that they are human beings and not robots.

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

Elon Musk has faced adversity his entire life. Even as a child he faced adversity in his parents separating and being bullied in school, which resulted in him focusing more on books. He has been driven out of numerous companies and faced failure his entire life. But through all of these failures he has been able to learn. The best opportunity to learn is learning how not to do something. He is still continuing to face adversity now with Tesla. He was just forced to step down as chairman and is still figuring out what his best option is to go forward. 

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

I think Elon Musk has something that all great entrepreneurs have and that is resilience. All entrepreneurs must be willing to be beaten down and then get back up even stronger. Very rarely does someone make a product that is a major success their first time. Elon Musk was beaten down and is still continuing to be beaten down but continues to get back up and learn from his failures. Elon is a perfect example of how all successful entrepreneurs must be.

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

I didn't really find any part confusing but I did find some parts boring. It seems like with all biographies there is unnecessary information that makes the book so much longer than it needs to be. I like to learn about successful people but all biographies are so long. I wish they were short to the point and contained only useful information. 

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

1. How do you continue to push forward through all of the negativity that people throw at you?

2. What is the best mindset to have to be able to continue to come up with innovative ideas after so  many have been shot down?

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

I think Elon Musk's opinion of hard work is determination and perseverance. He is able to shut out all that negativity and continue to work to achieve his ideas and aspirations. Musk eat, sleeps, and breathes his work. I share his same attitude in hard work.

12A Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Segment: College students who purchase student football tickets.

Interviews: I interviewed three college students here at UF. All three of them purchase or have purchased student football tickets. As in previous interviews, I have seen that anyone that has purchased student football tickets hate waiting in the long line to pick up their ticket and would much rather be doing something else. Since all three mentioned that they did not waiting in line to pick up their tickets, their need for a solution is at its peak while waiting. One person actually had to wait in the rain to pick up one of his tickets because it was the last day to pick it up. Another person mentioned that he knew someone that lost his student ticket before the game and was unable to attend the game. When I asked them about a possible solution they thought of they did not really have one. They are forced to wait in line to pick up their ticket. Two out of the three people interviewed wished they could just use their UFID card as a phone. All three of them mainly just complain about waiting in line to their friends because most of their friends wait for their tickets too.

Conclusion: After all of the interviewing I have done this semester, I have learned that all people that have student tickets hate waiting in line to pick them up. They all recognize that there is a solution, but it is up to the school to alter the way they hand out their tickets. There is a huge market that is available because this problem spreads across to all college students who purchase student football tickets.

11A Idea Napkin No. 1

1. Who: I am currently a junior at UF, majoring in business management. I have been around the business world my entire life. My father is an entrepreneur and my grandfather has been in the corporate world, along with starting his own business. I had an internship this past summer for a supply chain management company, which allowed me to operate in a real business environment. I have grown up learning from my father and grandfather and wish to be like them. My aspirations are to succeed in the world of business in whatever way I can.

2. What are you offering customers: I am offering a service for colleges, currently focusing on UF, and college students. Colleges can now sell their student tickets through my online services, which would give college students the option for virtual tickets accessed through their phone. This eliminates students waiting in line to pick up their physical tickets at the ticket office. I also aim to decrease the possibility of students losing their tickets.

3. Who are you offering to: I am offering my services to colleges and college students who purchase student tickets. I am specifically aiming to sell student football tickets through my website as football games are the most attended by college students.

4. Why do they care: These college students will be more than willing to pay the extra fee to buy their tickets online and access them through their phones. Now they do not have to wait in the long lines to pick them up at the ticket office and they will be less likely to lose their ticket, since it will be on their phone. Colleges will sell their tickets through my website because I believe more students will purchase tickets since they do not have to wait in lines anymore. Students who are on the fence of purchasing student tickets will no be more inclined to purchase tickets.

5. What are your competencies: To my knowledge, most major college football schools do not offer student tickets on mobile devices. If I could enter this market than I would not have many competitors. The main competitors I would have to worry about are the pre-established online ticketing companies, like stubhub and ticketmaster.

I believe this is an amazing opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of. The vast majority of students that purchase student football tickets hate waiting in lines and would love an alternative to it. I would love to be the one that uses the opportunity, but the most difficult part is to out compete the established ticketing companies. If colleges agree to offer their student tickets virtually it will be difficult to convince them to sell through my services and not companies like stubhub and ticketmaster.