Halfway Reflection

1.  What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course? 
- Time management is definitely a characteristic I've had to develop in order to keep up with this class. Sometimes you don't realize that the assignments are time consuming and your time must be managed. I've also developed to be more prone to thinking outside of the box. Sometimes we don't realize that we are only revealing the surface of something and in this course we are asked to think even deeper about a certain concept or "opportunity" and that has taught me to look at daily things in different perspectives.

2. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?
- I haven't had any experiences where I've felt as if i wanted to "give up". However, I have felt very frustrated or hopeless sometimes to achieve a certain result that is difficult. Such as, getting better on certain tests and going over the same concepts that I'd continuously get wrong or misunderstand or not memorize. In those times, I take a break to think about what I need to do and change my attitude into positive energy.

3. Three Tips:

• 1. Time management- these assignments can catch up to you if you underestimate them, which will result in not being able to submit it on time or turning in a poorly done assignment. Plan your week ahead, not just for this class but for all of your classes. Therefore, your week is planned and organized.
• 2. Stay positive - Being in school, taking classes, working, volunteering, etc. can cause overwhelming and frustrating feelings. It's important to not let this energy affect your work and life and to remember that all of this is for a reason.
• 3. Stay determined - It can be easy to allow frustration to overcome and get the best of you. Consist a stead and strong mindset about not just school but daily life.

Reading Reflection: Steve Jobs

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

·       What surprised you the most?

-       I had no idea that Steve Jobs was an orphan child and adopted graduate students. I found his birth parents very interesting; how they could not keep him because of religious reasons but still wanted him to be adopted by parents that would secure his educational future.

·       What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

-       The main thing I admired about Steve Jobs is what can be admired in many other famous entrepreneurs or inventors that have left a legacy, which is persistence and determination, even after failure.

·       What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

-       The book portrays him as an arrogant person who was not liked many people. This had an effect on his early work life and relationship with his adopted parents.

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

- Yes, with his initial release of the Mac in 1984, he experienced setbacks because of competition. He came back with a Super bowl commercial that spiked publicity in the Mac.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

- Steve Jobs exhibited what his team called reality distortion field (RDF), which meant that when Jobs decided something should happen, he would make it reality, and this spread throughout his team.

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

- The reading talks about the 1984 Super bowl commercial on Jobs new Mac and how it spiked publicity. So, I looked it up and I don’t quite understand the setting and how it relates to the message.

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

- What do think when there are people telling you that your ideas will never make it or that you’ll never make it?

·      I feel as though every entrepreneur goes through this struggle.

- Do you have any regrets in the relationships you had over the course of your life?

·      As someone who must spend most of his/her time on their invention or idea or business, it can be very easy to lose focus of all the other important aspects of your life.

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

- I think Steve Jobs was hungry for new ideas and those ideas becoming reality, while convincing everyone else to agree. His main message is that any goal or dream you have has the possibility of becoming reality and I do believe that as well.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior

Choosing a segment and my interviewees:

For this assignment, I chose the segment of first and second year college students. All three of my interviewees first and second year students which means this their first time away from home and their parents, and being in a new environment without them. The first is a biology major heading towards the pre-med track but still considering other opportunities. The second is a psychology major with the goal of being a social worker or psychologist. And the third is a chemistry major with the hopes of being a dentist in the future.

Interview Information:

Interviewee #1: Brian (biology major)

When did you become aware of your need?
-Well, considering I no longer live on campus, I no longer have this need. However, I realized this became a need once I moved from home into a dorm on campus. I was unsure of the new environment and how to do certain things, and I also felt like I wasn't very informed.

What is something you do to try and solve this problem?
- I would usually ask my parents or my roommates on their input or if they knew something I didn't.

What was your source of information?
- I knew that there was a desk assistant at the Beaty area desk but they would usually give us vague and confusing answers and if the desk was closed, they were unavailable.

Do you talk to friends, roommates and neighbors about problem?
- I would ask my parents what I should do and who to talk to. I would also ask my roommates if they knew the answer to my problem.

When you search in google, what are your search terms?
- Looking on the website for Beaty towers is sometimes helpful but does not always provide me with the answers that I am looking for.

Interviewee #2: Michelle (psychology major)

When did you become aware of your need?
- I became aware of my need when I moved to Beaty towers and was unsure about our maintenance services and how we receive packages.

What is something you do to try and solve this problem?
- I usually try to ask the desk assistant if the desk is open but if not, I'll just try to ask my roommates.

What is your source of information?
- I try to ask my friends who have lived in dorms before or i'll ask my parents.

Do you talk to friends, roommates and neighbors about problem?
- I usually ask my roommates and friends about this problem.

When you search in google, what are your search terms?
- There is a Beaty Towers website but it doesn't answer the questions I have. It's only meant for people who are looking to live there. The information is very broad.

Interviewee #3: Pratt (chemistry major)

When did you become aware of your need?
- I became aware of my need when I started living in a dormitory setting and realized that I was one out of many residents who were unsure about the same things.

What is something you do to try and solve this problem?
- I'll first try to ask my roommates and if they are unsure then I'll go downstairs and ask the desk assistant.

What is your source of information?
-I think my most reliable source is the desk assistant or anything I can find on the Beaty towers website.

Do you talk to friends, roommates and neighbors about problem?
-Yes I do, I'll first ask my roommates my question to see if they know.

When you search in google, what are your search terms?
- Like I said before, there is a Beaty towers website but it doesn't answer the specific questions I have. It's more people who are looking to move in.

What I learned:

I learned that the un-met need that I have identified is only present with the interviewees who live in a dormitory on campus. Two of my interviewees live at Beaty Towers and the other lives at Gainseville Place Apartments. I have discovered that because the apartment environment is usually familiar in the way packages are received, the parking regulations and maintenance services, there are not many questions on their new living environment and therefore, there is less confusion. However, for my two interviewees who have been introduced to a completely new environment, they are unfamiliar with these aspects and must be informed of these new processes and the ways to deal with them. Also, because they are just coming from home, they have never had to deal with most of these aspects of living, it was always the responsibility of their parent/guardian.

When searching for solutions to the problem, I found that when the interviewees have questions about any services, they tend to either ask their roommates, neighbors or the desk assistants working at the area desk. These sources are not reliable all the time because neighbors and roommates may not know the answers and the desk assistant is only reliable during their work hours, which is nnot all the time.

How I would describe the segment:

The students who usually live in dorms are first and second year students. They are not used to being away from home which means they are sometimes naive and unfamiliar with how to take responsibility. This segment correlates with majority of the people living in dorms.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. 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 Karina Pizarro, I am a second year innovation academy student majoring in wildlife ecology and conservation. I have a passion for animals and understanding their instincts and behaviors which is sometimes very difficult considering that do not share the same language as humans. However, this empathetic skill I have developed has helped me in my interactions with people; understanding their problems, being sympathetic and objective towards them.

2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 

- I am offering an easy and accessible application to get instant and accurate knowledge about any dorm that a student is living in, which includes parking restrictions, staff contact and directory, packing receiving process, maintenance services, etc. Along with the information, there will also be a tool to put in service requests, chat with their floor RA and anything that they would usually need to ask the front desk to do. Residents will no longer be uninformed and can be guided with just the touch of a screen.

3) Who are you offering it to? 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 it to student residents on UF campus who are uninformed or misinformed about their new living environment. Dormitory residents are undergraduates who have never lived on their own and it may be difficult for the to come up with the answers to solve their problems. This application will lead to a portal with the questions and answers.

4) Why do they care? 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. 

- Anything that can be made easy and accessible to students who already have so much on their plate and may not have time to deal with is worth paying for. This will give residents one less issue off their plate.

5) What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

-I have first hand experience with being a dormitory resident and an employee there as well. I am aware of the constant issues that residents face and contain a lense and perspective that not everyone has because of this.

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. 

-       I believe these elements do fit well together. Although I am very good with understanding people, my experience with animals definitely exceeds my experience with people, customer service and communication. However, in my experience, I have learned the valuable skills of having a hard wok ethic and being open to new angles and ideas.