Week 15 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

The biggest surprise to me was reading about SKS located in India.Not knowing about that much about the organization before this reading, I was thoroughly impressed with their efforts, values, and integrity that this company exuded even in times of hardships, like when they got robbed. They truly care about their customers and even decided to leave the village when it was in the best interest of its customers.

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

What was confusing or baffling to me is how the company remains popular when it only collects $1 a month from its customers in order to pay back loans. It only speakers for its hold on it customers and the trust it developed with them. 

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

Some questions I would ask are, what are other businesses that are quite profitable and successful in areas of the world with high poverty? Also how successful is micro finance?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I don't disagree with anything.

Final Reflection

1) I remember the most difficult assignment for me was the first assignment where we had to interview strangers, or "our customers". Stepping out of my comfort zone to get them to agree to being recorded and provide their insight on my idea was a challenge.

2) The most formative experience was probably the entrepreneur's mantra. Speaking in front of a camera, that was what formed me. It gave me a taste of what to expect for future assignments. Some of the more fun aspects were exploring different business ideas that would happen in the Gainesville locale or just cool products. I don't think these ideas are far off and with the right amount of money, it may just happen! Also an experience I will probably remember for years was interviewing Joe Ciruli, the CEO of Gainesville Health and Fitness. Being able to interact with such a successful local entrepreneur, seeing his relatively unorthodox path to leadership inspired me that no matter how different people are, they can achieve success.

3) I think I have moved closer to having the entrepreneurial mindset. Looking at the mantra, I experienced failure throughout this assignment, but facing this failure and picking myself back up to move forward is a tenet to entrepreneurship. However, something that could have helped me in the past was not receiving as much praise that everyone regularly gave for their comments. If people were more willing to give constructive criticism, rather than praise, this class would have benefited. 

4) Something easy to do for yourself in order to be successful in this course is set reminders for yourself about the assignments due. Setting a phone alert or writing in your calendar can help remind you to do crucial assignments! Also, you will be uncomfortable, you will have to step out of your comfort zone, but it's okay! It will only help you become a better entrepreneur. 

Elevator Pitch No. 4

1) The pitch. Same as last time, 1-minute long. No Web cams. No sitting. Be dynamic! Upload the video to YouTube (as you do with all of your videos) and post the link.

2) A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch. 

Other people's feedback help encourage me to become more confident when giving elevator pitches! To hear such positive words of encouragement really helped me add that extra pizzazz to my elevator pitch! I really appreciate the comments from other bloggers, it's like we help each other grow in confidence and as entrepreneurs so that when we really need to give the Elevator pitch that counts, we can land that job or deal.

Week 14 Reading Reflection

1.) The most surprising thing in the reading this week was the part where they said that Southwest Airlines is successful because of its fun and  positive service. I would think it would take more than that to be successful.

2.)One thing that was confusing to me was the model about entrepreneurship strategy. It seemed really all over the place and not clear enough on what the correction strategy was.

3.) Questions
1.) For developing a vision do you think this has to be short and concise in order to be effective? 
2.) How would a top tier executive make sure that management support exists within their organization on a consistent basis?

4.) One thing I thought was maybe wrong in the reading this week was the part where the author said Southwest Airlines is the most profitable airline in the industry. I though it was one of the newest one and it just seems crazy if its true

Google Gold

1) I unfortunately did not keep SEO in mind when doing my blogs. I had simply just placed the respective week labels for each post. However, despite not having a huge emphasis on SEO, I still gained, in my opinion, traction on my blog, receiving over 500 views since its induction.

2) If I were to choose keywords, I would probably incorporate pop culture references, like Damn Daniel, DJ Khaled, Snapchat, etc.

3) I was sort of embarrassed to share my blog on social media, so I did not tell my friends about it. However, I have some friends in the ENT class as well and they like to promote my page out of fun.

4) My most viral post was the Twenty Percent assignment which can be found here http://kevindoanent3003.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-twenty-percent.html. It generated 27 views and 9 comments. I think this was one of the more challenging assignments so I feel that people went on the class blog directory and looked at other people's assignments to get direction on how to do the assignment.

5) Searching for "Week X" didn't really come up with too many great results, however if you search "Kevin Doan Blogger" you can find your boy on the top result.

Very Short Interview, Part 2

I forgot to complete my submission for the first "Very Short Interview" assignment. I went to an Entrepreneurship club meeting earlier in the semester where Joe Cirulli, founder and owner of Gainesville Health and Fitness. Not only focusing on his business and his clients, he speaks around the world sharing best business practices and how he accomplished his dream. However, I couldn't reach him for a follow up interview, and since I didn't do the first assignment, I decided to interview another business! Bearbottom Clothing, a local company that produces casual clothing, was founded by a UF student, Robert Felder. Founded in 2014, the company was started after Robert visited Bangladesh and he was inspired to help the citizens of the country by placing his first factory there and donating a pair of shorts to Bangladesh with every purchase made. 

If you want to support the business and Bangladesh, visit his website! 

https://bearbottomclothing.com/

1. How have you learned to overcome failure in entrepreneurship?
I learned to minimize risk as much as possible so that when things don't work out, it isn't a tragic event.


2. What are some of the key resources have been in starting your company?
Despite being a business management and food and resource economics senior, I found that the most valuable resources were my parents and my friends. Their encouragement and experience with business was instrumental in starting this monumental project. 


3. What about Bearbottom makes you the most proud?
There are a lot of things I love about having my own company, but one of the major ones is being able to help a community thousands of miles away and knowing that my efforts are making a positive difference in this world. 


I definitely think I am more comfortable talking about entrepreneurship and assessing success and failure now than I was a few months ago. After being challenged to go outside of my comfort zone, I was taught the steps it takes to be successful in entrepreneurship. Also because of all the video interviews I feel more confident talking to people and being direct with my questioning.

Week 13 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

I really enjoyed how through the chapter was in describing each part of the business plan and all the considerations to be had in such a venture. I wish I read this chapter before doing my Venture Concept and Idea Napkins because this chapter could have enhanced my assignment!

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

Nothing was too confusing.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I'd like to ask the author how accurate financial forecasts usually are and if writing business plans are the same process for every type of business venture, no matter their uniqueness. 

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

There may be disagreements with what really goes into a successful business. Do all entrepreneurs go through the same business plan write up in order to be successful? How many different variations exist when creating a new business?

Celebrating Failure

1) Something that I have failed this semester was sticking to a regular exercise schedule. I have gained many things this semester while taking this entrepreneurship class, including weight. After spending a spring break with my family in south Florida, I decided I was tried of my mom telling me to stay active. To combat this, I started running and even signed up for my girlfriend's sorority's charity 5K. The week leading up to the 5K, I was training daily. After the 5K, I stopped running and back on track to the 200 lb club.

2) I never felt so dedicated towards exercising this year until I forced myself to train for the event. I think that instead of setting a general goal of "being active and healthy", I think signing up for more events, adding more activities to my calendar will force me to prepare and continuously stay active!

3) Failure is inherently essential to growing as a person. Every successful person has had to go through failure to be where they are today. The experiences and lessons you learn from failure are sometimes more valuable than what is taught in the classroom and any advice. Failure is tough, but what separates you from the rest is how to respond to it. Will you be downtrodden by failure or will you pick yourself up and learn from it? This class challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and embrace failure. Failure isn't always negative!

My Exit Strategy

1) So my idea is LitVille, an all in one entertainment park. Mini golf, go karts, trampoline arena, Ferris wheel, human slingshots, indoor laser tag, it's going to be lit. Students can definitely understand that the city of Gainesville can be quite boring, with nothing seemingly to do for those who can't partake in social drinking. This gives an avenue for students, kids parties and adults to come relieve some stress.

After a few years of booming business, I will decide to sell the venture when its value is the highest. I will then use my profits to explore other business ventures.

2) Why have you selected this particular exit strategy?

I believe that the park will lose its local appeal and turn into a major financial loss due to litigation and lack of participation.

3) How do you think your exit strategy has influenced the other decisions you've made in your concept? For instance, has it influenced how you have identified an opportunity? Has it influenced your growth intentions or how you plan to acquire and use resources?

I feel that this assignment made me rethink about the long term success of this business venture and how realistic it is. After looking at similar businesses like Boomers, Fun Spot I figured that it is very difficult for a theme park to be hugely successful and sustainable at the same time. So my decisions are now reflective of ways of how I can easily remove myself of the business once I sell it.

Week 12 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations?

I was surprised to read that it is not always the best decision to join attractive markets, but to actually join markets with high barriers to entry. I guess this brings some legitimacy to Frost's poem, that choosing the road less traveled has made all the difference.

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

The reading wasn't confusing!

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

1. Has the author ever encountered an entrepreneurial venture where he chose to enter a market with high barriers to entry and failed?

2. What experiences do you have overcoming a growth wall?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

No disagreements but I would like to see the author include more examples of overcoming these walls.

The Next Idea

Existing Market

Step 1: My next idea is that this product will completely revolutionize the gaming rechargeable battery industry. Consumers individually go through dozens of AA batteries trying to supply their power hungry gaming controllers. To mitigate that usage, companies have offered rechargeable battery packs, however, most require taking the batteries out and charging them separately or plugging the controller in order to charge the batteries. My product will truly make the experience, wireless, consumers will simply place their controller on the wireless Qi charging pad to bring juice back into the batteries.

Step 2: 

Step 3: I really appreciated the feedback my interviewees gave me. With such a promising technology, it can serve much more than just gaming controllers, but to many other electronic devices as well. 

I'm getting excited just thinking about the new possibilities that this technology will serve. We can do away with the tangled mess that wires can get themselves into, and create a multifaceted charging plate that is able to charge not only a game controller, but a phone, laptop, smartwatch, etc, all at the same time. And then imagine a lifestyle where you don't even need to place the object on top of the charging plate, but only need to be in it's range/vicinity in order to charge. It's revolutionary. 

New Market.

Step 1: A radically different market I can pursue is B2B. The Qi wireless technology is originally thought to fit for the consumer but I think with a little tweaking, we can make it in high demand for other businesses/industries.

Step 2: Imagine a world, with electric cars that can travel FOREVER! But how, do you ask? Don't you need to stop and charge it every once in a while? I think you know where I'm going with this. BUT ALL ROADS WILL HAVE WIRELESS QI TECHNOLOGY BUILT IN. Your car will charge as you drive. It will charge while you are parked at the Busy Bee rest stop. It will charge when you're waiting outside your friends house so you can pick them up to take them to midtown. Damn Daniel, back at it again with the innovation. Bye bye fossil fuels and say hello to the Jetsons. 

Step 3: 

Step 4:  This new market is a tad-ridiculous and out of reach in my opinion. And the more I think about it, I think about all the R + D to even get to the point where we can implement such a technology in our driving roads. I think about all the lobbying from fossil fuel industries against such a revolution. But hey, a guy can dream right? 

This new market definitely is attractive and I grew more excited about the idea the more I typed about it. Despite all the obstacles that face its success, I find comfort in knowing that today's miracles and possibilities have all been considered an improbable ridiculousness at some point in the past.