29A – Venture Concept No. 2 Submit Assignment

• Opportunity
• While attending sporting events such as baseball, hockey, football, and soccer games, there are always tons of fans in the stadium.  While in the stadium, there are several needs such as food and drinks.  When a team is doing well, fans tend to want to continue to come to events to support their organization.
• The nature of sporting events, is that people are constantly waiting on a line to purchase food and drinks.  With these lines being so long, people are consistently bumping into one another or missing parts of the games from the lines being too long.  When people are attending these events, they are trying to enjoy themselves as much as possible with their friends or families.  Other groups of people that want to enjoy these events are tourists who probably do not want to miss a second of the game.
• The need is for people to attend these events and have fun with having the opportunity to not miss as much of the game as possible.
• The forces that allow people to have to wait on lines is the amount of people that are attending the events, the size of the stadium, along with the amount of concession stands and different types of food in the different parts of the stadium.
• There are no satisfactory resolutions to this case.  Majority of my interviewees that I spoke to while they attend sporting events is that they cannot stand having to walk around for the specific food that they want and when they finally arrive to that specific stand, they cannot wait for much longer because they have already wasted so much time. 
• Potential customers can be identified as individuals who are in the ages of 16-50.  These are the fans that typically are attending sporting events and will able to pay for their food and drinks by card on the tablet.
• Innovation
• This tablet is designed to cause less crowded areas and limit lines throughout the stadium as much as possible.  The tablet is also designed so that you will not be able to miss a single play of the event you are at and if you do you will be able to rewatch the play on the tablet itself.  You will be able to order food and drinks and be able to have them brought to you while you are sitting in your seat.  The only time you will have to get up out of your seat is if you would have to use the restroom.  On top of being able to rewatch plays, you will be able to see the scores around the league of the type of event you are attending.
• Our goal is to be able to plant the tablets throughout every single stadium throughout the United States.  Another one of our goals is to be able to then go international once it is seen how successful it is in the United States.  The cost of the tablet would depend on the size of the stadium and how many the stadium plans on purchasing.  The more tablets that want to be purchased, the less the price of each will be.
• I will also be making more money on top of selling the tablets by taking a small percentage from the amount of food and drinks fans are purchasing throughout the stadium.
• Venture Concept
• Stadiums will purchase my product if they want to be able to limit the amount of lines throughout the stadium.  They will also be interested in the fact that they will be saving more money on other technology because this will satisfy the needs.  Stadiums will not have to hire as many people as well because they will only need people bringing food to the seats rather than working the actual stands.
• I do not believe that it will be hard for stadiums to switch to my idea once I get one stadium to purchase first.  They will be able to see how much money that stadium is saving and how there is not as much trouble as there typically would be.
• As of right now, there are no competitors because nobody has come out with an idea such as this.  Once the product is bought, it will be hard to compete against it because it is an expensive investment for the stadiums to switch.
• I will effectively distribute by visit different stadiums and showing them the tablet and how it works.  Once stadiums begin purchasing them and they are being installed, more stadiums will be able to see how they work and I will not have to travel as much.
• Customer service will be taken by the fans attending the event.  After the event, a survey will come up on the tablet that will allow them to respond on what they thought.  Fans do not have to do the survey but if they do they will be given a coupon code via email for the next time they are in the stadium.
• When the survey is taken, we will then make adjustments and bring in considerations for the tablet on what to change and add based on the feedback.
• I am estimating that I will have about 20 employees.  These employees will be for tech help and questions concerning the product.  I will hopefully be able to have some travel as well so I do not need to be the only one doing it.
• Unfair Advantage
• Being able to have my background in sports with such a highly respected organization in baseball is going to be what puts me over the edge.  I have made so many connections that I could go to for help on this product to tell me what I am doing right, wrong, or what I could even be doing better.
• What is next
• I want to be able to make tons of money off of this product that I believe could make a run.  I also want to be able to help fans continue to love their experience while going to sporting events because it is a major hobby of mine along with so many others.
• For Me
• If my product was able to pull through, I would want to be able to go around explaining to students who have ideas to continue to pursue them and not back down.  I would want to share the struggles that I went through while being an entrepreneur.
• Feedback
• Go international is a main goal.
• Understand what I would have to do to know that I accomplished my goal.
• Know that getting them into every stadium is a main goal.
• Know what you will do after they are installed.
• Agreed people do not like waiting on line at sporting events.
• Agreed lines ruin the customer experience at the event.
• How I'll Adapt
• Eventually work my way to internationally if everything goes as planned.
• Target all stadiums throughout the United States.
• Find out more ideas from all kinds of fans.
• Continue to adress to fans what they do not like about attending sporting events. 
• Based one what I learned from the feedback from my classmates, I was able to change to my venture concept of making it clear what my goals were.  I was also able to come up with other ways to continue to push the product and continue to update it by seeing what the fans wanted themselves.

30A – Final 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.
• In my opinion, by far, the hardest experience throughout this course was creating an idea to stick with throughout the entire course.  When I think of ideas of what the world needs, I feel as if everything has already been made but there is always something that someone needs.  I remember thinking about what to write about all week.  I did not think I had the greatest idea at first but as I continued throughout each assignment and was getting feedback, it made me realize that there was potential.
• 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 believe my most formative experience was when we had to interview a good amount of people throughout the entire semester.  I had to open myself up and share my idea with a few people that I did not know or was not comfortable with opening up to.  It was able to show me not to get too high and not get too low because nobody will ever think of your idea like you do yourself.
• The experience that I will remember years later is what this entire course has shown me from start to finish.  I will always remember how much work should actually be put into an idea before you jump ahead and start investing into it.  This course has proved to me that you must always be prepared to the max before making your decision.  Even in the second to last week, reading my last book review taught me more that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
• My most joyous experience was when people were giving me my feedback and believing in my idea.  I was able to continue to add to my idea and make it better than ever before.
• The experience that I am most proud of myself for accomplishing throughout this course was being able to stick with the same idea and continuing to add to it each and every week.  This course had shown me to never be satisfied with your idea and that there is always something I could add to make the product better.  This concept can always go for life itself or other courses that I will be taking.
• 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?
• At the end of this semester and completing all of the assignments, I now do see myself as an entrepreneur.  I saw myself all semester every day continuing to think about what the world needs and how I could see it in business.  I was able to focus on my own ideas along with coming up with other ideas that I could look into for the future.  Bringing these techniques with me, I can definitely say that I have developed my brain into an entrepreneurial mindset.
• 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?
• One recommendation that I would make to the students who are going to journey down this path in the future would be to never give up and to never be satisfied with whatever you are doing.  There is always something to continue to keep your feet moving with and if you are content and not changing you are probably doing something wrong.  To succeed in this course, I would recommend that they read the assignments early and often so they can picture in their head how long it is going to take and how they want to go about completing the assignment.  To foster this mindset I would recommend that they continued to push themselves until the entire semester is over because this course is definitely one that they can benefit from for the rest of their life.

28A – Your Exit Strategy Submit Assignment

• Identify the exit strategy you plan to make. Do you intend to sell your business in the next 5 years for a large return? Do you intend to stay with the business for several decades and retire? Do you intend to protect the venture as a family business, and pass it down to your children?
• I plan on staying with my idea for several years until I begin to see a decline.  I want to be able to make sure that I am making enough money to support my family and live a healthy life.  What also makes this questionable is how much more I can improve my idea.  If I am able to continue to add to the tablets with companies continuing to buy in, I think the sky is the limit on how long I would want to hold on.  If this was the case, I could see myself eventually passing it down to my children.
• Why have you selected this particular exit strategy?
• I have selected this particular exit strategy because I think it is the smartest way to go about it.  If the company went off at the beginning and was declining very fast, than I would consider selling it in 5 years but I think that is too early to make such a big decision that I have put so much time and effort into.
•  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 believe my exit strategy has influenced my decision on how I am going to go about making future decisions.  I say this because I do not plan on selling it early at all, with that, I am going to be making decisions that will be benefitting me more in the long term rather than early on.  If I see an opportunity that can benefit me early on I would still be open to it.  Mostly I believe my exit strategy will be effecting more long term if anything.  I feel as if planning for an early exit will slowly move towards that and eventually I will have no choice but to sell it early which is something I would not want to do.

27A – Reading Reflection No. 3

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Scott Adams

• What was the general theme or argument of the book?
• In my opinion, there were several of themes and arguments of this book that you could talk about but the one I found most powerful was Scott Adams talking about how you should be following a system rather than a goal. In his book, he uses dieting as one of the examples. He states how wanting to lose 20 pounds is a goal, while eating right is a system. Another example I used which I believe to relate to entrepreneurship the most is making millions of dollars is a goal while being a serial entrepreneur is a system. I think a lot of the times especially in college people focus on how much money they are going to be making. This book shows how you will be able to see a bigger difference by being in a system and slowly working rather than just having a set goal. Having a set goal especially one as high as making millions can be very discouraging when you get to a certain point. If you get into a system and use it to keep working you will see a better change in your life rather than having a goal and quitting.
• How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT3003?
• This book in my opinion connected and enhanced what we are learning in ENT3003 because it shows us that there is a recipe to success and it is not having one thought and not allowing a single thing effect it. When you are able to work in a system, you are able to see all of the different ideas that come along that can benefit you. There is more to being an entrepreneur than having an idea and not allowing anyone to prove you wrong. It takes time for an idea to come close to perfect.
• 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 this class based on this book, I would make an exercise similar to what Adams showed in his book. As I spoke about earlier, I feel as if tons of college kids just want to graduate and make tons of money and expect that. I think using an exercise to make a list of about 20, like Adams showed can be a big help of showing students that you can't just expect certain things to happen because you have a college degree. It will show them that following a system will benefit them way more than setting a goal and they can see changes in their life that they can benefit from.
• 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 to be when reading this book was what it had to offer. When I first began to read it, I did not think it would be as eye opening as it was along with affecting me the way it did. This book was able to show me how much more there is to just setting goals and doing whatever you can to achieve them and if something didn't work to just set another goal. By following a system rather than doing what you want, if you decide to stop it, you will leave the idea or goal a lot better than when you first thought of it and potentially carry some of the learnings with you to your next goal or plan.

26A – Celebrating Failure

• Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed -- whether in this class, or outside of this class. Don't spare any details! It'd be even better if there was something you tried several times this semester, and failed each time. 
• One time during this semester that I have failed in my eyes is not getting an A in one of my courses that I thought I should have.  Instead of getting an A, I have come to the realization that I will most likely be getting an A-.  Obviously an A- is a very respectable grade, but in my eyes I failed because I did not meet my expectations.  Last semester was my first semester here at UF and it felt like a breeze to me.  I came into this semester cocky and got off to a slow start in the class which is going to wind up coming back to get the better of me in the end.
• Tell us what you learned from it.  
• What I have learned from this experience is that you should never take any kind of situation easy.  No matter how easy the course is expected to be I now know that I should be giving each course 110% so that I can get the grades that I want and expect to get.  I learned that you also can expect one thing from a course but it can go a complete opposite way than you expect.  This also opens my eyes to realizing that it could have been a lot worse if I did not take action as early as I did which I am thankful for doing.
• Reflect, in general, on what you think about failure. Failure is hard, isn't it? It's embarrassing, sure, but it also means that we have to change something about ourselves. Talk about how you handle failure (emotionally, behaviorally). Finally, talk about how this class has changed your perspective on failure -- are you more likely to take a risk now than you were just a few months ago?
• My opinions on failure is that it is really hard to accept and it absolutely is embarrassing. It teaches you that you need to make a change to something that you may not be comfortable doing.  It shows me that the world is consistently changing and you must adjust to that.  Failure shows people that you cannot be content with where you are because one thing can change which is going to result in you "failing".  When I fail, I am always looking at what I could have done differently.  Yes it does bother me at first, but once I am able to overcome it I can open my eyes to want needs to be done next and can't worry about the past.  After taking this class, I am absolutely going to take more risks compared to a few months ago when I did not take this course.  This course has shown me that there is nothing wrong with failing and that you can only learn from failure.  The course has shown me that determining what is done after failure is how you will overcome the loss and see change.

25A – What’s Next?

• What I Think Is Next
• I believe that down the road, I should consider, what I can continue to add to the tablet to upgrade the customer experience.  I think that adding to the fan experience can only want more stadiums to purchase from me.  I think creating different packages for different seats in the area on the devices can also help bring in more money for the stadiums which could lead to more commission for my company.
• Existing Market Interviews 
• My first interview was with a male who is 28 years old who attends several New York Giants games a year.  He had stated how he believes that he thinks being able to purchase drinks and food from your seat without having to get up is an awesome idea.  He also believes it is a smart business move because people will be more tempted to purchase more while having the screen put in front of them.  What he did mention about the alcohol purchases is that it may allow fans to get too "rowdy" which can lead to more fights in the stands of the stadium.  He stated how he enjoyed my venture and he is curious to see how it turns out.  He strongly recommended to continue to add to enhance the customer experience.
• My second interview was with a male who is 21 years old who attends multiple New York Giants, New York Yankees, and New York Ranger games a year.  He also thought it was a great idea.  He thought that the purchasing of alcohol at the seats could make someone like him and his friends more tempted to get drinks because they just turned of age.  He also thinks being able to purchase future tickets at his seats is a good idea.  He thought this because if they have alcohol in them, they will be more tempted to buy them there if the team is doing good than if they were to be at their house weighing out the options of getting tickets or not.  He thought that as technology continues to advance, I will be able to continue to get more ideas on where to go to next.
• My third interview was with a 24 year old who goes to several New York Yankees games and concerts a year.  He stated how he does not think having the tablets at concerts would be that good of an idea.  He mentioned how depending on the concert, there is a possibility that the tablet would break or become damaged.  He recommended to look into all aspects for my venture and to see if there was any way to put something around it to protect all of them and keep germs out of the way.
• Reflection
• I was able to see more opinions on my idea as I continued to engage into it.  I was also able to see different possible ideas.  One idea that I found interesting was in my third interview with taking the tablets away for concerts.  Typically at concerts, people are more engaged into who is playing than what they are drinking and future tickets they will be able to purchase.  Taking the tablets away for events like these would be able to save a lot of money incase they were to become damaged in any kind of way.  These three interviewees have continued to be great influences to continue to give me more ideas on where to go to next.
• New Market
• In this case, I do not believe there to be a true new market.  I believe that one of the best things to do is to continue to add on to the tablet for the fans.
• New Market Interviews
• I decided to interview a fan while I was at a Yankees game yesterday.  He expressed to make sure that before I go to show it to stadium owners, to make sure everything is polished completely.  He recommended that it would be a good idea to have all languages installed onto it because you never know the type of fan that will be using the tablet.
• I decided to interview another fan at Yankee Stadium yesterday as well, he recommended that it would be a good idea to look into just creating the software for a tablet and then invest in an already made tablet that is being sold today,
• Reflection
• As I continue to talk to more and more people, I am beginning to understand how there is always a need for something and always something that can be improved.  For example, I had never thought of installing all kinds of languages on the tablet.

24A – Venture Concept No. 1 Submit Assignment

• Opportunity
• While attending sporting events such as baseball, hockey, football, and soccer games, there are always tons of fans in the stadium.  While in the stadium, there are several needs such as food and drinks.  When a team is doing well, fans tend to want to continue to come to events to support their organization.
• The nature of sporting events, is that people are constantly waiting on a line to purchase food and drinks.  With these lines being so long, people are consistently bumping into one another or missing parts of the games from the lines being too long.  When people are attending these events, they are trying to enjoy themselves as much as possible with their friends or families.  Other groups of people that want to enjoy these events are tourists who probably do not want to miss a second of the game.
• The need is for people to attend these events and have fun with having the opportunity to not miss as much of the game as possible.
• The forces that allow people to have to wait on lines is the amount of people that are attending the events, the size of the stadium, along with the amount of concession stands and different types of food in the different parts of the stadium.
• There are no satisfactory resolutions to this case.  Majority of my interviewees that I spoke to while they attend sporting events is that they cannot stand having to walk around for the specific food that they want and when they finally arrive to that specific stand, they cannot wait for much longer because they have already wasted so much time. 
• Potential customers can be identified as individuals who are in the ages of 16-50.  These are the fans that typically are attending sporting events and will able to pay for their food and drinks by card on the tablet.
• Innovation
• This tablet is designed to cause less crowded areas and limit lines throughout the stadium as much as possible.  The tablet is also designed so that you will not be able to miss a single play of the event you are at and if you do you will be able to rewatch the play on the tablet itself.  You will be able to order food and drinks and be able to have them brought to you while you are sitting in your seat.  The only time you will have to get up out of your seat is if you would have to use the restroom.  On top of being able to rewatch plays, you will be able to see the scores around the league of the type of event you are attending.
• The tablet will be sold to stadiums around the United States and hopefully be able to expand internationally.  The cost of the tablet would depend on the size of the stadium and how many the stadium plans on purchasing.  The more tablets that want to be purchased, the less the price of each will be.
• I will also be making more money on top of selling the tablets by taking a small percentage from the amount of food and drinks fans are purchasing throughout the stadium.
• Venture Concept
• Stadiums will purchase my product if they want to be able to limit the amount of lines throughout the stadium.  They will also be interested in the fact that they will be saving more money on other technology because this will satisfy the needs.  Stadiums will not have to hire as many people as well because they will only need people bringing food to the seats rather than working the actual stands.
• I do not believe that it will be hard for stadiums to switch to my idea once I get one stadium to purchase first.  They will be able to see how much money that stadium is saving and how there is not as much trouble as there typically would be.
• As of right now, there are no competitors because nobody has come out with an idea such as this.  Once the product is bought, it will be hard to compete against it because it is an expensive investment for the stadiums to switch.
• I will effectively distribute by visit different stadiums and showing them the tablet and how it works.  Once stadiums begin purchasing them and they are being installed, more stadiums will be able to see how they work and I will not have to travel as much.
• Customer service will be taken by the fans attending the event.  After the event, a survey will come up on the tablet that will allow them to respond on what they thought.  Fans do not have to do the survey but if they do they will be given a coupon code via email for the next time they are in the stadium.
• I am estimating that I will have about 20 employees.  These employees will be for tech help and questions concerning the product.  I will hopefully be able to have some travel as well so I do not need to be the only one doing it.
• Unfair Advantage
• Being able to have my background in sports with such a highly respected organization in baseball is going to be what puts me over the edge.  I have made so many connections that I could go to for help on this product to tell me what I am doing right, wrong, or what I could even be doing better.
• What is next
• I want to be able to make tons of money off of this product that I believe could make a run.  I also want to be able to help fans continue to love their experience while going to sporting events because it is a major hobby of mine along with so many others.
• For Me
• If my product was able to pull through, I would want to be able to go around explaining to students who have ideas to continue to pursue them and not back down.  I would want to share the struggles that I went through while being an entrepreneur.

22A – Elevator Pitch No. 3

2) I was not given much feedback on anything to work on.  I was given one piece of feedback from Ben complimenting how he liked how I added his along with Esteban's feedback into it.

3) In my 3rd pitch, I really wanted to work on being able to memorize it and be more comfortable with it.  I tend that sometimes when I begin to panic, I speed my pace up and it can sometimes be longer than 1 minute.  I also have been trying to become more comfortable in front of the camera which I think I have been doing a lot better with.

23A – Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

• Human Capital: Working in sports
• Valuable: This is extremely valuable because I have an idea what the customer wants.
• Rare: Not everyone has the chance to work for an MLB team this early in their life.
• Inimitable: This could be inimitable but it is hard to get a job in sports.
• Non-substutable: This cannot be substitutable.
• Social Capital: Connections with people working in professional stadiums
• Valuable: I can learn from other's experiences. 
• Rare: I may know some people that other people do not.
• Inimitable: This could be inimitable if someone were to work in sports.
• Non-substutable: This cannot be substitutable.
• Social Capital: Contact with sports fans that attend games
• Valuable: I can hear what fans want to see when they attend stadiums.
• Rare: This is not as rare as others.
• Inimitable: Most people know people who attend sporting events.
• Non-substutable: This cannot be substitutable because of the experience of a sporting event.
• Public Speaking Experience
• Valuable: Not being afraid to get up in front of groups of people and speak about my idea and hear back with more ideas.
• Rare: Some people have a huge issue getting up in front of groups of people.
• Inimitable: It is possible but I think it is hard with the amount of people who would prefer not to do it.
• Non-substutable: This cannot be substitutable because it is based off of experience.
• Social Capital: Personal Relationships
• Valuable: Being able to share my idea with people that I know won't go behind my back to ruin it or take the idea.
• Rare: Some people do not have close relationships to go back for help
• Inimitable: There are others who could have close relationships.
• Non-substutable: This cannot be substitutable because it takes experience to build a foundation on a relationship.
• Leadership skills
• Valuable: People will want to follow me to help and reach success.
• Rare: A lot of people look for others for help and not go about something themselves first.
• Inimitable: It can be but not comparable to me.
• Non-substutable: This could be substitutable with another trait that is similar.
• Social Capital: Being apart of several groups at home
• Valuable: I will be able to get more help and even donations if my idea were to pickup.
• Rare: Some people are not apart of any kind of group and think they can do anything themselves.
• Inimitable:  Other people could be apart of groups themselves.
• Non-substutable: Can be substitutable with other groups.
• Resources around me
• Valuable: I will be able to get other ideas and tools to help me succeed.
• Rare: Not really as rare as other ideas.
• Inimitable: People could have their own resources.
• Non-substutable: There are so many resources other competitors could be using for themselves.
• Uniqueness of idea
• Valuable: My idea to this day is not on the market yet.
• Rare: I will be able to take advantage of this until someone challenges my product.
• Inimitable: People will be able to make a similar product.
• Non-substutable: I can be able to come up with more ideas to make my product more dominate.
• Research Tools
• Valuable: I will be able to use all different resources to gather more information on what I could do better.
• Rare: It is not that rare.
• Inimitable: There are so many research tools that could be used.
• Non-substutable: It could be substituted with several things.

After doing a VRIN analysis, I think that my best tool would be having the connection of working in sports.  I decided to choose this because to me, nothing can ever beat experience.  I as able to make so many connections along the way while I was also able to see what fans liked and didn't like.  I think that working in sports also pulls in more of my ideas such as my resources and connections from working in the MLB.

21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

1. What was the general theme or argument of the book?
• The general theme and argument of the book, Cognitive Surplus, by Clay Shirky is that back in the day, people would typically spend a lot of their time watching television.  In today's day, instead of television, people are now consuming their day to day lives on social media sources.  Unlike television, you can carry your smart phone with you and can be more active on social media which is why I believe that it has taken it over.  Cognitive Surplus taught me and made me realize that there is more to life than constantly checking social media and seeing what is going on in the world.
2. How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
• I think that Cognitive Surplus made me realize that you cannot continue to focus on what everyone else in the world is doing with their lives.  On social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, you are able to see all of those traits.  To connect it to ENT 3003, in my opinion, entrepreneurs are more productive and active when focusing on what THEIR next move is going to be and THEIR next idea is.  While you are wasting your time on social media that time could cost you and wind up being someone else's idea that could possibly turn into a huge profit.
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 this class based on Cognitive Surplus, I would have students do research on rates of how long people use their social media for and see the side effects that they get.  These side effects can consist of depression, anxiety, along with obesity.  I feel that if people did not watch as much television or use as much social media, they would feel generally healthier in their mental mind along with their physical self.
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 to me were the statistics that were brought into this book.  I was totally unaware of how many people were using smartphones along with how much television people used to watch and still watch.  Obviously most people today use smartphones but to actually think about how many people that is blows my mind.  Thinking of smartphones makes me also think how many products and chances are missed out on just because someone is staring at their phone curious as to what someone else is doing or what they have to say.

20A – Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert

1. Who they are, what their background is:
• Brian, who works in the sports industry for a highly respected team in sports.
2. How this person is a "domain expert":
• He is able to see everything that is going on in sales in the sports world along with coming up with other ideas on how to bring them in.
3. How I found and contacted this person:
• I found and contacted this person because I had worked for him in the past and was able to speak over the phone with him.
4. Nature of Exchange: What they did for me, what is the return expectation
• I was able to explain my product idea with him along with being able to get a response from him on what he could see making it better.  In return I told him how I would keep him updated with what is going on with my idea and where I will go with it.
5. How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity:
• He believed that it was a great idea but had mentioned that it is a very costly idea and if it does not work it can become a major let down along with a lot of money lost.

Market Expert

1. Who they are, what their background is: 
• Eric, is a computer systems major and has a passion for sports.
2. How this person is a "market expert":
• I would not consider him an expert but he is the closest thing I could find to it.  Being able to perform knowledge with computer systems could be a major key.
3. How I found and contacted this person:
• Eric is a friend of mine that I have also worked with in the past.
4. Nature of Exchange: What they did for me, what is the return expectation:
• He was able to explain to be the average costs that I might have to be investing to get this done.
5. How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity:
• Including Eric will enhance my ability to consistently have knowledge on computer systems incase I need to make any adjustments.

Industry Supplier

1. Who they are, what their background is:
• Suzanne who works with Apple.
2. How this person is a "industry supplier":
• She is an industry supplier because she works with the tech support at Apple.
3. How I found and contacted this person:
• I went to Apple to ask tech questions about their iPads.
4. Nature of Exchange: What they did for me, what is the return expectation:
• Suzanne was able to express to me how it can be really expensive to fix iPads and there are times where they can get serious problems.
5. How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity:
• I will be able to have background knowledge on what will be the most efficient way about creating my tablet.

Finally: Reflect
I think being able to find a target market can be somewhat hard but at the same time I feel like I have found my right target market being sports fans.  What I found interesting was that I need another target market.  I was able to see that I also needed to target the tech market to get more information on some things that I truthfully don't know much about.  Being able to reach out to people more experienced in something than me was tough but made me eager to learn.

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

• Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?
• My name is Billy McEnroe and this is my second semester at the University of Florida majoring in Sports Management.  I have a huge passion for sports and see myself being involved in them in some way for the rest of my life.  I was involved in three sports in high school and played one sport in college for a short period of time. I have experience in working with professional sports behind the scenes and being able to hear what some people have issues with.  I see my business role playing a huge role in my life because I know there will be 100% effort put into it.  I want to be able to make the change of people getting more enjoyment into their activities at sporting events and think it is a chance to bring in a lot of revenue.  My strengths consist of being a huge people person and being able to talk to anyone.  I believe this will help me further my business because I will be able to reach out to as many people as possible without feeling uncomfortable.
• Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 
• The product I would like to design is pretty simple but I really believe that it can work effectively and efficiently.  I would like to make a tablet for stadiums that is installed into the seats.  On the tablet, you will be able to order food and drinks along with being able to pay for them at your seat so that an employee will be able to bring them to you without any hassle.  This will limit lines and will make it easier to move on the upper levels.  On this tablet, you will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets for future games or concerts.  If you get up in the middle of a sporting event to use the restroom or for another reason, you will be able to sit back down and watch replays that you might have missed on the tablet.
•  Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?
• I am offering this to one main group which is people who typically go to sporting events and concerts that range from the ages 16 and up.  They are my target market because after my research, around the age of 16 it is common for them to get some kind of card that they would be able to use on the tablet to purchase.  The tablet highlights could also target another group of younger kids who love watching replays at the games.  What they all have in common is being able to have the ultimate experience at events.
• Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 
• Customers will actually pay me money to use this product because they simply will not have to get up from their seats to miss action unless they have to use the restroom.  If they do choose to get up to purchase their food or drinks with cash, the lines will be very slim and if they miss an action play they will be able to sit down and rewatch it.  If a team is doing well, they will also be tempted to purchase more tickets right at their seat.  I also will be able to make money off of stadiums because they are the ones actually purchasing the tablet itself.  The tablet will be a high graded technology that will be high in cost.
•  What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 
• To my knowledge, this is not something that someone has fully installed into their stadium which is why I think it sets me apart from everyone else.  Jumping on top of this opportunity will give me the chance to make the trend big.  If it is successful in stadiums, more and more are going to want to use it.
• In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others. 
• For the most part, I believe that these five elements fit well together.  One future issue that I can see is having to come up with the tablet and being able to make the investment into it.  Obviously this type of technology costs a lot of money but if I am able to do it, there is potential for a lot to come back over time.  My second issue is that it does not target a younger market for the need of a card to pay for it at their seat.  My reasoning why I do not think it is that big of a problem is that if they are that young, they are most likely coming with a parent or friends parent that would be able to make the payment.
• For the "feedback memo" -- please summarize at least two main points that you took away from the feedback you received. Also, please describe how you incorporated the feedback into this idea napkin. 
• One main point that I took from my feedback was how I would be able to continue to take money.  I noted how not only would I be making money off of the customers making purchases, but I would also be making money of the stadiums that would be purchasing the tablets.
• A second main point that I took from my feedback was adding my strengths.  Being able to talk to people is what I believe to be a huge strength because it will be tough to sell a product without knowing anybody.
• I incorporated the feedback into the first question along with adding more feedback into question four.

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

 



2) What stood out to me to be really important was the feedback that was given to me.  Ben had thought that I did a great job explaining the problems of the current situation along with the benefits that it would bring.  This had given me more confidence on my idea knowing that more people thought it was a good idea.  I also thought the feedback from Ben was really interesting because it gave me more outlook on my idea and how I can better express myself.  Esteban gave me a good outlook on structuring my pitch down more and spend more time on stating why the product matters.

3) Based off of my feedback, I took advice from both of my classmates.  I went over who we are as a company and how I would be making money, how I would be hired by the stadium, and how we would be producing the tablets ourselves.  I also structured the pitch down more so that the customers are able to see why the product matters more.

18A – Create a Customer Avatar

My product can essentially be sold to both individuals or businesses.  It can be sold to individuals for several reasons.  My individual customer has a love for sporting events.  They love going to these events to have fun.  When they are at these events, they love having refreshing drinks and food.  What makes this product so special is that now they do not have to get up at all.  They will be able to pay for the product and have it brought to their seats.  TV shows that my customer watches is ESPN and any kind of sporting events that may include football, basketball, hockey etc.  Some of my typical customers may have children or may not but it does not matter because the product is for any kind of fan.  If the customer is too young to make a purchase, a parent can but they young child will be able to play with the tablet to watch replays and see what is going on in the sports world.  My customer drives a pickup truck and enjoys tailgating before while they get ready for the game.  My customers favorite books are anything about sports.  What I have in common with the customer avatar is everything.  I am a huge fan of sports and love watching everything on sports as it is one of the only things I will watch on TV.  I do not think it is a coincidence because I think a lot of people passionate about sports make it one of their top priorities in their life.

15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

1) In my option, my target customers would do their picking based off of what is most convenient for them and what is going to benefit them the most.  I think that the quality of how fast their food is brought to them is also another major factor that could determine the success rate of my idea and customer satisfaction.  There is more than one factor that is important to my customer segment.  The important factors consist of timely fashion, quality of the food, and how the tablet works overall.

2) I think that my segment is more likely to be purchased in a group order by stadiums throughout the country.  Obviously there are a lot of seats in a stadium which means that there would have to be a lot of tablets in this situation.  I think that the purchase would most likely have to be financed based off the cost of what they can potentially be.  The people involved in the purchase decision would be the stadium owners.

3) What matters most to my customers is that the people are getting what they want.  What the people would want is to be able to buy food and have it brought to their seats along with being able to order future tickets and watch in game highlights on the actual tablet.  This leads to what the stadium owners want which is smaller lines throughout the stadiums which could also prevent less fights going on throughout games. What determines that the purchase was a good idea is that everyone is happy.  It could be considered a bad idea if there are any technical problems or the people aren't getting what they want.

4) In my first interview, I was able to find out that Chris thought it was a really good idea but thinks that there just can't be any early technical problems.  I think of this to be an issue because the only way to find out is from putting it into stadiums.  Chris also stated he would really enjoy being able to pay and have the food brought to him.  In my second interview with Pat, I was able to find out that he also thought it was a good idea but mentioned how if the food and drinks are not on time, or the food is wrong or isn't looking nice, he probably would not be happy with the experience.  In my last interview with Kevin, he stated that he thinks more thought needs to be put into it to determine whether or not it can actually work and people would want to buy into it.

5) I think it was a good idea to interview another set of people to get more opinions on the idea.  I was able to see what I need to adjust and fix to make sure it is what I want to move forward with.

14A- Halfway Reflection

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

One behavior that I have used and developed while taking this course is to be very proactive with the work that is given and looking at each assignment at the beginning of the week so I know what is in front of me and what I have to do.  Doing this has allowed me to be able to turn in all of the assignments on time along with getting the grades necessary.  Another behavior that I have been using is paying attention to detail.  I think that having the "Examples of Excellent Student Submissions" tool has been very helpful and has given me a lot of success.  There were a lot of times where I was not sure how to go about one of the assignments and looked to that for help.

2) 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?

One moment that I felt like giving up during this course was when we first began to do interviews for our ideas.  Not that I have an issue talking to other people but talking to the right people was making me panic.  Being an online student, I do not have the opportunities as on campus students because they have a whole community that they can go to along with possible sections they can go to.  Having to do interviews really has made me come out of my shell and work with people that I typically wouldn't.

3) 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' ?

One tip that I would give to next semester's student about fostering the skills that support tenacity are to continue to work in this course and to not give up.  This course provides a lot of work but it is definitely doable if you just stay consistent and stay on top of all of your assignments.  Another tip that I would give is to look back on your past accomplishments in other classes to help motivate you to push through this one.  UF is a very competitive school with very tough courses and I am sure everyone has gotten through a tough course thinking that they wouldn't have done as well as they did.  Lastly, I would recommend to keep an open mind and not be afraid to open yourself up to other people.  You can really take advantage of your interviews if you open up to the right people who are in the field that you are trying to get into with your ideas.

12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

For this assignment, I decided to make my segment younger crowds who are attending sporting events and other events at stadiums.  By younger crowds, I refer to people with the ages ranging from 18-30.  The three people I decided to interview was a 28 year old who attends several New York Giants games a year, a 21 year old who attends multiple New York Giants, New York Yankees, and New York Ranger games a year, and a 24 year old who goes to several New York Yankee games and concerts a year.

My first interview was with a male who is 28 years old who attends several New York Giants games a year.  He had stated how he believes that he thinks being able to purchase drinks and food from your seat without having to get up is an awesome idea.  He also believes it is a smart business move because people will be more tempted to purchase more while having the screen put in front of them.  What he did mention about the alcohol purchases is that it may allow fans to get too "rowdy" which can lead to more fights in the stands of the stadium.

My second interview was with a male who is 21 years old who attends multiple New York Giants, New York Yankees, and New York Ranger games a year.  He also thought it was a great idea.  He thought that the purchasing of alcohol at the seats could make someone like him and his friends more tempted to get drinks because they just turned of age.  He also thinks being able to purchase future tickets at his seats is a good idea.  He thought this because if they have alcohol in them, they will be more tempted to buy them there if the team is doing good than if they were to be at their house weighing out the options of getting tickets or not.

My third interview was with a 24 year old who goes to several New York Yankees games and concerts a year.  He stated how he does not think having the tablets at concerts would be that good of an idea.  He mentioned how depending on the concert, there is a possibility that the tablet would break or become damaged.

What I learned
I was able to see more opinions on my idea as I continued to engage into it.  I was also able to see different possible ideas.  One idea that I found interesting was in my third interview with taking the tablets away for concerts.  Typically at concerts, people are more engaged into who is playing than what they are drinking and future tickets they will be able to purchase.  Taking the tablets away for events like these would be able to save a lot of money incase they were to become damaged in any kind of way.

How I would describe this segment
I believe that there are a lot of people who would benefit from this idea.  I also believe that there are many additions that would be able to be added to the tablet itself.  The more people I talk to about this subject the more ideas I am able to get to broaden the perspective on it.

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

What surprised you the most?

What surprised me the most about Phil Knight's road to success was that he originally began selling Japanese shoes out the back of a truck and that his original company name was "Blue Ribbon".  I feel as if this can come off as less surprising to others if they knew more about Knight and Nike compared to me.  I have always worn Nike ever since I could remember and had never known this.  What I also found interesting was all of the different ways of work he went about before creating Nike.

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

What I most admire about Phil Knight is his will to fight and his will to always finding a way while experimenting.  From reading Shoe Dog, I was able to understand all of the struggles that Phil Knight had went through.  I think coming from a state and city that in the 1960's didn't have much and attempt to become an entrepreneur was a bold move.  To show the impact that Knight had on the state of Oregon, in today's world, it is more relevant because one of the greatest sports company is from there.  It makes both the University of Oregon and Stanford University more relevant as well because those are the universities he comes from.  His impact on the world is truly what I most admire because of his hard work and will to never give up.

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

If I had to pick one thing that I least admired about Phil Knight, I think it would be that in a way, he let others opinions about how to go about business influence him and that he was not very "strict" with the way he went about his business.  For example, he had stated, "One lesson I took from all my home-schooling about heroes was that they didn't say much.  None was a blabbermouth.  None micromanaged.  Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."  This had made Knight go a different way about his business rather than doing what his heart was telling him to do.  I think while running a business or attempting to start up a business you have to be strict with the people you are working with.  In Knight's book, he states how he was not like this.  Obviously his company skyrocketed and is such an admirable company so he did it all right, but if there was one thing I had to least admire about him that would be it.

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

Phil Knight encountered a lot of adversity and failure in his Nike career.  Knight was constantly told by people that they did not think that he was going to make it.  He also thought to himself that coming from Oregon was going to be a struggle for him because nothing big ever really happened in the state of Oregon.  He had graduated from the University of Oregon while getting his masters at Stanford and did not come out of college with a job.  He had stated, "We knew we could fail, we just didn't think we would."  This was a common quote made by his team as they continued to fight for Nike.

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

I think the skills that were most important to Phil Knight's success goes back to the beginning of the entire book when he talks about being up before others, the birds, and even the sun.  I think this work ethic goes a long way and that is why I share the opinion as you can see in my response below.  I think this work ethic is what truly shows people their true colors.  Knight continued to use this strategy even when things weren't going his way.  He continued to fight and eventually was able to find a path to success.

Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
I don't really believe that there was anything in this book that I found confusing.  If I were to say something was confusing it would be just following his path and being able to connect the littlest of details.  I found that I would be thrown off a little if a missed a smaller detail earlier on in the book when it came back later in the book.  Even though this was a small issue, I was still able to figure everything out and follow the book.

If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
If I had the chance to ask Phil Knight two questions, I would ask when getting married and starting a family in 1968, how did you handle this with your pursue to continue working day in and day out for Nike?  I would ask this question because when living life, there are many distractions.  Not that marriage is a distraction but I am curious as to how he handled it all for his success with Nike.  Another question I would ask would be what was the most challenging part of your life to chase Nike?  I would ask this question because I want to know the main struggle that almost made a successful man like Knight crack.

For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? I believe Phil Knight's opinion of hard work is found on the very first page of the book.  "I was up before the others, before the birds, before the sun..."  This statement by Knight implies how he was the very first one up and the last one to go to bed.  You could also imply that he was constantly tired but continued to push through it knowing it would pay off.  In my opinion, I would say that I do share this opinion with Knight.  I believe that the hardest workers in the room are the ones who eventually find major success.  Waking up really and going to bed late at night is a perfect example of this.

10A – Elevator Pitch No. 1

11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

• Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?
• My name is Billy McEnroe and this is my second semester at the University of Florida majoring in Sports Management.  I have a huge passion for sports and see myself being involved in them in some way for the rest of my life.  I was involved in three sports in high school and played one sport in college for a short period of time. I have experience in working with professional sports behind the scenes and being able to hear what some people have issues with.  I see my business role playing a huge role in my life because I know there will be 100% effort put into it.  I want to be able to make the change of people getting more enjoyment into their activities at sporting events and think it is a chance to bring in a lot of revenue.
• Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 
• The product I would like to design is pretty simple but I really believe that it can work effectively and efficiently.  I would like to make a tablet for stadiums that is installed into the seats.  On the tablet, you will be able to order food and drinks along with being able to pay for them at your seat so that an employee will be able to bring them to you without any hassle.  This will limit lines and will make it easier to move on the upper levels.  On this tablet, you will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets for future games or concerts.  If you get up in the middle of a sporting event to use the restroom or for another reason, you will be able to sit back down and watch replays that you might have missed on the tablet.
•  Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?
• I am offering this to one main group which is people who typically go to sporting events and concerts that range from the ages 16 and up.  They are my target market because after my research, around the age of 16 it is common for them to get some kind of card that they would be able to use on the tablet to purchase.  The tablet highlights could also target another group of younger kids who love watching replays at the games.  What they all have in common is being able to have the ultimate experience at events.
• Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 
• Customers will actually pay me money to use this product because they simply will not have to get up from their seats to miss action unless they have to use the restroom.  If they do choose to get up to purchase their food or drinks with cash, the lines will be very slim and if they miss an action play they will be able to sit down and rewatch it.  If a team is doing well, they will also be tempted to purchase more tickets right at their seat.
•  What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 
• To my knowledge, this is not something that someone has fully installed into their stadium which is why I think it sets me apart from everyone else.  Jumping on top of this opportunity will give me the chance to make the trend big.  If it is successful in stadiums, more and more are going to want to use it.
• In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others. 
• For the most part, I believe that these five elements fit well together.  One future issue that I can see is having to come up with the tablet and being able to make the investment into it.  Obviously this type of technology costs a lot of money but if I am able to do it, there is potential for a lot to come back over time.  My second issue is that it does not target a younger market for the need of a card to pay for it at their seat.  My reasoning why I do not think it is that big of a problem is that if they are that young, they are most likely coming with a parent or friends parent that would be able to make the payment.

9A- Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

• Who: While interviewing another five people, I was able to come to the conclusion that there definitely is a market that this need does not fit.  The individuals that my product does not fit can be mothers and younger kids.  While talking to one of my interviewees, he had mentioned how he does go to a lot of sporting events with his family so he does not believe that all of them would need the device because he would be doing the majority, if not all of the purchasing.
• I then decided to interview a mother and explained the product to her along with the situation above.  She had thought about it and went on to say how she thinks it could work because sometimes if the father is not there in the moment, the mother would still have the opportunity to order food etc. for her and her kids.  She also then went on to explain how if couples would be going together, sometimes the women in the relationship would want to purchase something for the man or maybe something in the future like tickets for whatever the occasion might be.
• I interviewed two 21-year olds and they had stated that they thought it would be an awesome idea especially if sports betting would be legalized in all states including the ones that they had lived in and typically attended events in.  They did note though that for the sports betting, the people would have to be of age which could take out a lot of people that were attending the sporting events since sports bring in such a broad range of ages.
• After interviewing my last participant, a current worker in the sports industry, I was able to get another opinion on my idea.  He thought it was a really good idea and thought that there could be more potential in it.  By potential, he meant there could be other activities to be brought to the tablet system such as game highlights and other scores throughout the league.  This could be something that you see sometimes on scoreboards but it could be brought right in front of you that you can check at any time.
• What: In my first interview, I was able to have the idea brought to my attention that this will not fulfill everyone's needs in the stadium.
• Why: I think that this need will eventually be able to resolve a lot of problems once it becomes put it and people can see what can be added to it.

                             Inside the Boundary                                      Outside the Boundary

Who:                    People 21+                                                        Kids ages 5-16

                             Sports fans                                                        Non-sports fans

                             Concert fans                                                      Non-concert fans

What:                   Reduce lines                                                      Don't need lines

                             Not miss plays                                                   Don't want to miss plays

                             Buy future event tickets

                             Enjoy betting

Why:                    People don't want to miss parts of games

                             Enjoy seats instead of getting on line

                             Don't have to waste future time

                             Have chance to make money

Assignment 8A- Solving the Problem

• After thinking hard about my past two ideas that I have written about.  I had decided that I was going to put the two of them together.  I had done my 4A assignment on an idea that could have an easier way of paying for food and having it brought to you instead of having to wait on a line along with being able to purchase future tickets.  In our 7A assignment, I had done it on sports betting being legalized.  For this idea to work 100%, it is going to need legalizing of sports betting legal in all states.
• I would like to have a product that allows you to pay for and order food while you are at your seat.  Along with this, if sports betting can be legalized, I would want there to be an option to also be able to place bets.  While sports betting is not legal in all of the states in the U.S., I believe it would be able to start small in the states where it is legal.
• I have two potential versions of this
• My first version would be to install an iPad or Tablet looking item into the seats in the stadiums. 
• My second version would be to create an app on all devices that would be linked to the stadium itself.  

The tablet in my opinion would be a lot more successful than the app.  Since it is placed in front of the customer, I think it will be able to bring in a lot more revenue since they will be more tempted to use it.  I think not having to get up and wait in lines will also be a major factor in this.  I do not think the app would be as successful as the actual device being installed into the seats because it is not in front of the customer for use.  Also, when people go to sporting events, a lot of times, they are there for the entire day for tailgating and lose battery on their devices.  The tablet device would be better because if the customers phone dies, they will still be able to use what has been in front of them the entire event.