Halfway Reflection

1)      I have to admit that I have not kept up with all of the assignments in this course. I have demonstrated tenacity to an extent, but not as much as I have before in my life. With the requirements I had completed I demonstrated acts of stick-to-itiveness, courage, discipline, and time management.

2)      One time when I felt like giving up was in the first couple of weeks when we had our first interview exercises. I find going up to random people to be very nerve wracking. The first day I could not make myself approach anyone so I had to do all of my interviews in one day. I believe I developed more tenacity and approaching people has become easier. After walking around campus one day with no success I was upset with myself and I needed to find a way to break out of my comfort zone.

3)      My three tips I would recommend to next semesters students are to:

·         Take cold showers, before you conduct interviews

 (Find other ways to break out of your comfort zone)

·          Manage your time appropriately. Get a head start on assignments

·         Practice visualization meditation exercises 

                                                          

Poorstructed

Poorstructed (Adj.) How one would describe a failed organization, structure, or idea. A structure that fails to stand. Can be used to describe the body.

The people I have used my word around liked it. It is an easier way to say something is poorly constructed. As expected my co-workers failed to understand my word at first use, because it is unfamiliar to their vocabulary. I would use poorstructered when something fell. Over time one of my co-workers used it, but it could have been to make fun of my word. In my line of work conversation tend to be of a joking nature. When I used it with my family they were unsure what poorstructed would mean, but when I defined it they started to understand the word. My mom mentioned it sounded like a word former president George Bush would make up. I used poorstructed to describe my apartment with my roommate and he laughed, because to a certain extent we both it is true. 

(Week 7) Reading Reflection No. 1

Week 7 Reading Reflection
1) You read about an entrepreneur: The Wright Brothers, By: David McCullough

·         What surprised you the most?

I was most surprised at how smart Orville and Wilbur were. I know aeronautics is not easy, especially since they were the first to be successful with maned flight. Much of how they constructed their prototypes, gliders, and planes came from scratch and the use of scientific research.

·          What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I most admired Orville and Wilbur’s calmness. Here they were about to show man that flight is possible and they are so humble about it. The book mentions others who have tried and failed and some competing with the Wright Brothers, but they do not seem fazed by the competition. In fact, they respect their competition which shows just how well-mannered the Wright Brothers were.  

What About the Entrepreneur Did You Lease Admire?

I find it hard to find something I to least admire about these guys. I believe in a balanced life and that can mean different things to different people, but the thing I least admired about the Wright Brother’s was their workaholic mentality. Sometime it can get in the way and more often than not I found the Wright brothers to choose work first.

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

Yes, most definitely, the Wright brothers faced many challenges and failures. Like many of their predesessors and rivals they had failed experiments. Sometimes the glider or plane would malfunction or the weather would be too aggressive. I believe their entire process from start to flight was full of adversity. The majority coming from mother nature it seemed, because the social acceptance or unacceptance did not seem to bother or inspire the Wright brothers.

To conquer the adversity and overcome failure the Wright brothers had to study and basically create science to work for them. They also made light of strenuous situations when life was almost unbearable at Kitty Hawk. Orville and Wilbur also raised their money through their family bicycle business. The Wright brothers were always working and learning.

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

The Wright brothers were smart, creative, had a vision, a passion for their vision. Nothing was going to get in their way. And this was for both Orville and Wilbur, neither one gave up on their dream of man in flight. They had thick skin and a bit hard headed sometimes.

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

I did not understand how Octave Chanute could speak to others about the Wright brothers as his pupils. In fact, it was the opposite in most cases. I do not understand how people can take credit for other people success. I also found the beginning of this book to be a little confusing and some of the writing seems to be off a little. After the first part the book opens up and the pictures starts to come together and the reader begins to become involved in Orville and Wilbur’s experiences.

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

    --Was there ever going to be a point where you two would have quit?
I may already know the answer, no! But any one with common sense would have rush back home from the swarm of mosquitoes. I'm curiousif there ever was going to be a tipping point at Kitty Hawk.

    --Since they were brothers, if Wilbur did not have Orville, would the airplane have been invented when it was?
It could go vice a versa too. Did one need the other. I know it helped, but was would flight have just stayed a dream?

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

The Wright brothers seemed to live for hard work. It did not matter the situation either. Family adversity, weather or flying adversity, it did not matter the Wright brothers were going to see the task to the end. I do believe in hard work, but after reading the Wright brothers story I am not sure my struggles can match up. I also believe working smart is the better way to live. Sometimes hard work just drains a person out.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1)      You:

I am a college student who is looking to break into the sports management field. I was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I lived in New Jersey for many years and moved to Miami for high school. Then I moved to Pembroke Pines soon after graduating. I transferred to the University of Florida from Broward College last fall with my Associate in Arts degree. I love sports, music, and learning. I have a few talents, one being that I play hockey. I am a forward on the club ice hockey here at the University of Florida. Another talent of mine is my ability to play drums. I have been in a few bands over the years. I have a high tolerance for ambiguity. I learned how to adapt and make sense of new surroundings and situations from moving around and playing sports.

My aspirations are to create the ALike phone and tablet application for people to use to make a change, just a little easier. In school finding like-minded individuals and others who share your passions is easier than those outside of school like environments. I have many interests and skills so I want to find people to jam with one weekend and then others to go kayaking with the next weekend. After I start my business concept and it takes off that I would sell. Even though I sell-out so to speak I would still have an emotional connection with the app, because of what it stands for. Which is to bring people together.

2)      What are you offering to customers?

I am offering users a service to find people with similar interests based on their location. Users will be able to log in and create a personal profile. After that process the user will be able to view other profiles in the category they chose, depending on the user’s membership. Overall my application is an easier way for people to find each one another. And to make a connection even before they meet. The connection will be easier, because the people will the same hobby, lifestyle, and skill.

3)      Who are you offering it to?

My user base will consist of a few demographic and psychographic characteristics. I imagine my customers to be mainly young, recently graduated college students or people who move for job opportunities. My application will be for all ages, but I would find the (21-35) to be the majority of my users. I also imagine the majority of the users to come from neighborhoods outside of main cities. The majority of the users will likely span the entire middle-class population.

The psychographics of my users would be different, based on the category one is searching. Musicians may act and feel differently than hang gliders or bowlers. Most users will be new to their area or new to an experience, but they are all open-minded and looking for adventure.

4)      Why do they care?

The application is generally free to download, but to get the most out of the app one will purchase a membership. People are finding themselves in different places every day and with no outside connection, they can feel alone and even lost. People want to feel connected with others, to share ideas and engage in life with others. That is why people will care, use, and become a member.

5)      What are your core competencies?

My core competencies will be that a drummer will be able to find a band or single guitar player who shares the same style, skill level, and desire easier than before. My users will be able to upload YouTube videos or personal videos from their phones to attach to their profiles. I want to update the standard picture and written description profile with a more authentic and genuine video of the user. This way the viewer will get a better idea of who they are making a connection with.

I believe all five elements work together on paper and should be successful. One element I find maybe the weakest is number element number four. This may be the most important element overall, but I am not sure if implementing a membership is necessary. Maybe the application will be free all around and I only have revenue streams from advertising and sponsorships. I do believe people will find my application useful, because I know what it is like to bounce around and it is not easy. If this application can make the transition easier on people, then I would consider the ALike application as a success.

Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

New Hypothesis:

I have decided to change my idea from the “break room” to a social local connection app, ALike, for phones and tablets. I feel the world is full of people who are not practicing their crafts, because they lack a connection with locals.

Who: 

Much like my previous idea I feel students would take to my social app, ALike. The difference being that only freshmen, transfer, and international students would fall into my boundary. As most students are similar in nature I find upperclassmen, those in sororities and fraternities and those transfer students coming up with friends and who have extroverted personalities would fall outside of my boundary.

What: 

I believe the need I am looking to serve is similar to one seeking acceptance. The need to find something to do with others is similar to the need to be accepted by like-minded people. The difference could be from one seeking friendships and acceptance to one seeking new adventures with new people.

Why: 

The cause of the ones outside the boundary could just to break out of their comfort zone and try new things. While the ones in the boundary are new residents looking to socialize and make connections with people in their new community.

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Recent College Graduates New Residents to a Community International Students/Travelers Introverts	Current College Students College Graduates Who Stay Close to Home Extroverts Sorority and Fraternity Members
A Team to Continue Playing Ones Favorite Sports A Musician to Play Music With A Person to Form a Bond With	There is no need to meet new people and find things to do. These people already know where to go. They may feel they do not need any assistance.
When one moves to a new place they will likely not know anyone. An athlete not ready to stop playing may be in need of a league or group of people to play pick up with. People want to continue working on their crafts.	As these people would not use the app to find new people and activities, but they can use the app as a resident and help others.

Tweaking the Innovation

ALike's Product/Service Mix

Advertising	Membership Subscriptions	Sponsorships
Corporate Companies	Free Membership	Corporate Companies
Local Businesses	Monthly Membership	Local Businesses
	Annual Membership

Benefit (Core):

Memberships:

The user will be able to connect and make friends with someone involved in your hobby at a local site. A user can be new to an area and wants to find fellow musicians with the same interests and skill level or experience, and goal. Another user can be a local resident, but wants to break out of their comfort level and try new experiences.

Sponsors and Advertising:

My app will have both big companies advertising and local businesses branching out to the community. The big companies are paying for advertising and sponsorship real-estate space to promote their brands to make money. Local businesses are paying for advertising and sponsorship real-estate space to help promote their business and attract new clients to their customer base.

The Tangible:

The Categories:

My app will have a category for every hobby available in local areas. Members will be able to communicate to a certain extent. Depending on the level of membership one has. Every category will have their own page. Users will start off with one category and every month have the opportunity to pick add another category to their account. The different categories will be:

-Musicians

-Arts and Crafts

-Fitness and Sports

-Meditation/Mindfulness

-Literature and Studies

-Casual Connections

Advertisements:

All users will be able to see every company’s advertisements and promotions. A member will only see advertisements related to the current category in use.

Sponsorships:

The companies that have a sponsorship deal will have their logo on one side of the screen and interchange accordingly.

The Augmented:

Memberships:

My app will have three different ways one can be a member. The lowest level is a free membership and these users will have a different experience with my app compared to a paying member. A user with a free membership will not be verified, will not be able to communicate freely with other users, and can only see the basic profiles of other users.

The monthly membership allows a user to become verified, can communicate freely with other users, and can see another users whole profile page. But a monthly member can open access to one category every month.

A one-time annual payment user will have all of the same benefits of a monthly user, but can have access to every category immediately. In addition, annual members will see fewer advertisements.

Advertisements:

During peak hours the big company’s advertisements will be seen more and at the top of the screen. While local businesses will have their advertisements on the bottom of the screen. Although and local business can have an advertisement on the top they have to pay more for the space. Local businesses will have to pay more to get a spot during the peak hours.

Sponsorships:

The length of time a logo is sponsored on the side of the screen will vary by how much a company pays for the space.

The Innovation:

A phone and tablet application is not an innovation of its own, but the vision behind the application is. My goal is to have a place where new residents can come and interact with their community and find people who are interested in their same hobbies and passions. With a new resident communicating with a local first makes the first meeting a more enjoyable and a less awkward experience.

Memberships:

An innovation on the membership service is the one category a month idea and keeps a member curious. Also a member can choose to have full access to all of the categories from the start with one lump sum payment.

Advertisements and Sponsorships:

Sponsors and advertisers can use data to see where their ads logos will make the most impact with specific category groups. Local businesses and big companies can sell category specific items to members. If someone is looking for a book club, then Amazon can show an advertisement for top rated books. Then Amazon can promote a promotional code to the member through their advertisements and by clicking on their logo in the literature and studies category of the app.

Elevator Pitch No.1

I have decided to change my idea from the "break room" to an app called Alike, for connecting like minded individuals in local areas.

I have an idea for an app. Everyday, people are missing out on life, because they lack companionship and or friends with similar interests. This app is for the college graduate who moves away from home to embark on their career. This app is also for families who move and set roots in a different city, state, or even country. People will enjoy and likely follow through with their decisions if hey have already made a connection with someone in the group. Much of this world is about who you know. I want to connect others and build relationships with people who share their same interests, hobbies, and passions. The idea is to make friends first then engage in  activities second. I ask you to invest $12,000 USD to jump-start my idea with me. Together we can connect local musicians, artists, athletes, weekend warriors, and more importantly friends with one another. Help me, help others connect and live the life they desire! Thank you.

Elevator Pitch No.1