ENT3003

I really liked some of the assignments that allowed me to use my imagination with my venture idea. I thought that I wouldn’t like the elevator pitches and even from the start of the class told myself that I would not do them, however, once I attempted to do the first one I realized that maybe it wasn’t too bad after all and found it very helpful. I am not as camera shy as I usually am. The first time I did the elevator pitch it was so hard not to laugh as my husband recorded me. I think the ones I dislike the most were the ones that required interviews after interviews. It was hard to find people who were willing to give me decent feedback on my venture idea. It was even tougher getting them to answer more than with just one word.  I would have to say creating my customer avatar was pretty cool. I have never had to basically create a life of someone. It was interesting trying to figure out the life of a customer that would buy my product. I think that the elevator pitches are ...

Opportunity There are a number of children who year after year has passed away due to heat stroke as a result of being left behind in a vehicle. The majority of caregivers admitted that it was because they had simply forgotten about the child in the car. There is a hand full that was as a result of being left playing unattended and unfortunately some that intentionally left their child in the car. Parents and caregivers need a way to ensure the safety of their young. With the rising temperatures across the globe, this issue will continue to occur. What most people fail to understand is what is called the greenhouse effected. This happens when a vehicle has all their windows and doors shut. The sun can effectively warm the car on a cooler day. The sun's warm energy is trapped in a vehicle. Not only that but with all the technology that is advancing people spend more time looking at their phones then they do pay attention to what is happening around them. The first thing most p...

I don’t think I would sell the business in the next 5 years. I intend to keep the business but maybe if we are successful enough I will have people to keep the business going for me and I don’t always have to be around. It would give me a chance to do other things I might want to pursue. I do think that it would be nice to see the venture be passed down to my children. I think they may even have more or better ideas that could make the venture boom. I chose this exit strategy because I would hate to see something that I create turn into something that I don’t believe in. I want the values of the company to stay aligned with the original vision I had for it. I personally have worked for a small business and have seen it start out great and after being taken over by someone else who didn’t have the same vision as the original owner, it lost a lot of the loyal clients. That is not what I want. I also think that leaving it to my children would give them an idea of what it is like to run th...

1) About the entrepreneur What surprised you the most?  I did not know that Steve Jobs was adopted. His adoptive father was the one who introduced him to engineering and design. It makes me wonder if he was never adopted would Steve Jobs be the man, he was. Would we have the Apple products we know now, had he stayed with his birth parents. I also did not know that he worked in the company Atari. I was also surprised that his partner Wozniak was willing to give their original design for the computer for free. I was also surprised how fast the company boomed within a short period of time. It went from being worth thousands to being worth billions in a matter of about 3 years. I think what surprised me the most was how he treated people. He was not a very nice person in my opinion. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? I admire Job's determination. He didn’t let things stop him from going for what he wanted. I also admired that he worked hard with everything that he did. ...

This semester was a little on the hectic side. I don’t believe I failed at anything but I did have a few hardships that I did learn from. In one of my other classes I take the first portion of the semester we had 10 chapters to read from the textbook, a 400-page book, 15 articles, and chapter lectures/other side lectures (ranged between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours each) that I needed to have learned before test one. We were given five weeks to learn all of that information. Because of the hurricane, I lost one week because I did not have any power at my house. I was very overwhelmed with the amount of information that needed to be learned. I thought it was impossible. I really did feel defeated. I thought that the teachers would consider giving us extra time but that didn’t pan out. I didn’t go so bad on the test but I also didn’t get the grade I would have wanted to receive. Next time I feel like instead of going along with the syllabus I should attempt to get a little ahead especially be...

Existing Market So, the people I interviewed were all mothers. I got ideas back such as maybe doing more accessories that they could buy with the car seat or that could come with the car seat. One person mentioned that they like the idea of being able to have something where they could stick a tablet or phone so that their child could watch movies on the device. She explained that when a child is too young it is difficult to have them front facing so that they could enjoy the tv's in the minivan. One of the other mom's thought I should consider doing something with the highchair. It needs some updated features to keep children occupied while they are prepping meals. The third mom thought that I should do something with the stroller. She has seen some out there have cool features but they are almost impossible to afford. She feels I could come up with something "cooler" and more affordable for parents out there. I believe that in the future I could see this business mo...

The Smart Car Seat Opportunity There are a number of children who year after year has passed away due to heat stroke as a result of being left behind in a vehicle. The majority of caregivers admitted that it was because they had simply forgotten about the child in the car. There is a hand full that was as a result of being left playing unattended and unfortunately some that intentionally left their child in the car. Parents and caregivers need a way to ensure the safety of their young. With the rising temperatures across the globe, this issue will continue to occur. What most people fail to understand is what is called the greenhouse effected. This happens when a vehicle has all their windows and doors shut. The sun can effectively warm the car on a cooler day. The sun's warm energy is trapped in a vehicle. Not only that but with all the technology that is advancing people spend more time looking at their phones then they do pay attention to what is happening around them. The ...

On the last pitch, one commenter mentioned that I seem more comfortable with my pitch this last time around. I really feel that I can agree with that. I remember how nervous I was doing the first elevator pitch. In my mind I believed that there was no way that I could come up with a pitch about my product and repeat it in front of the camera. I did many takes of my very first video, fewer in the second and I almost got it perfect with this last video. What I did take away from the feedback was that I should have more passion in my voice. So, with this elevator pitch I tried to do just that. I kept everything else the same as far as the speech. However, I worked more on changing the tone of my presentation. I found this somewhat difficult just because I did not want to seem too enthusiastic talking about the statistics of deaths that occur among children.

1. Technology: I would have the technology that no one else has yet. Valuable: Yes it would be valuable. Something that people will probably be after. Rare: Maybe in the beginning, until more and more companies attempt to come up with a similar technology. Inimitable: Not 100% exactly. But there is a possibility of coming up with something similar. Non-Substitutable: I could come up with something better as technology advances. 2. First of its kind: If I could get it out on the market before anyone else, I believe that it will give me a greater advantage. Valuable: Yes it would be valuable. Rare: The moment it comes out it will be. Inimitable: No, others will try to create the same thing. Non-Substitutable: Someone could release it quicker than me. 3. Multiple products: This would allow me to offer the product at a more affordable rate for those who might not want the car seat but would like the extra safety feature on their non-smart seat. Valuable: Yes, these are products I w...

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? I am a college student with many ambitions. Still trying to figure out what my purpose is and what exactly it is that I want to do with the rest of my life. There are so many things that I want to learn and so many things that I think I would be great at but have not actually gotten a chance to prove myself. Since finishing high school, I went from living in the state of Washington to moving to Orlando FL for a fresh start. Since I have been here I have held a variety of jobs. Some that I enjoyed, some I didn’t, and one that I got fired for because I refused to do something I didn’t believe was right. All of these were just learning experiences that has made me stronger. My skills include customer service, communication, basic computer skills, ...

Customer She lives in Central Florida. Temperatures here in Florida are known to reach to the hundreds. She has been married to her husband the last 3 years. She graduated from UCF with a bachelor's in business. She works in a corporate office in downtown Orlando. She has a very demanding boss. She normally drives her little silver 4 door Toyota Camry. On her spare time, she is usually at home with her husband or with her family that lives in the area. She does really take part in any organizations. She does like to read on her kindle. Her favorite genre of books is a mystery, suspense, and romance. When she isn't reading books, she is watching B rated movies on Netflix. She doesn’t really watch the news. Most her information comes from articles that she comes across online. She is about to have her first child in just a few months. She is in the process of buying all the things she believes would be beneficial for her baby. She and her husband love to purchase ...

Reflection: I was really surprised that people actually liked my pitch. I am not a good speaker and it took plenty of takes to get this one right. So, after posting my last elevator pitch, it was suggested that I should talk about the "want". I was given the example of smart products that people purchase that could go along with the smart product that I am offering. At first, I really didn't understand what that meant. And maybe now I still don't. But what I got from it was that I should bring up other smart products that people buy as a way to encourage them to buy the smart product that I am offering. I would have to say that I agree with this. So, for this pitch, I added a line at the end where I mention those other smart products along with the smart car seat. I felt that making the connection, in the end, would help keep the idea fresh in people's mind.

1) Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique. What is it about you, exactly, that makes you different? Independent – I am my own person. I don’t try and rely on others for help. There are times I have come to a roadblock in my life and I have asked for help when I needed it. However, I have to try all alternative to solve my problem before I go to someone for any help. When I first met my husband that was actually one of the first things I told him about myself. Even though I am married and have someone to lean on, I try to do things the way I have always done them. If it is something I can handle then I do just that. If it is something that I need his opinion on then I get his opinion and then I handle things. Flexible – I like to be flexible in my life. I think sometimes to get to where you want to be in life you have to be willing to be flexible and work with what you have or what is given to you. I think the reason I have had so many job ...

Segments: Parents Begin with alternative evaluation. The interviewees could all agree that while price does matter, quality of the product is most important. They say this because they don’t want to spend money on something that will "fall apart" or malfunction. Safety is the most important aspect of a product they buy for their child. But they also wouldn’t pay an extreme amount of money on something if they can find a product that does just about the same job for less money. My second interview mentioned that there should be an option to add or remove features to maybe help with the cost. Maybe even have a way someone could just customize a car seat and have it delivered to their home. Having a variety of color choices would also be nice according to my first interview. How/where do they buy? My customers all said that they would normally try and find reviews for products online then if there is a store nearby then they would go to the store to actually, see it. One of them...

1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course? So, with this class, it seems easy to get a grade based off just completion. The tricky part is actually completing the work that is assigned. Some assignments don’t require a vast amount of time to complete but there are only a few of those. The ones that you will have to invest time in I would suggest starting early. I started to do all of my work on Microsoft Online. I figured out it was easier than having it just saved on my computer or tablet because then it gave me the opportunity to ensure that I have access to my assignments no matter where I go. So, whenever I have some down time at work I am able to work on my homework assignments throughout the week. This worked out especially great for when I had to do interviews. By the time I get to Friday, all I find myself having to do is looking over and uploading my work to the blog. 2) ...

What surprised you the most? Being that this is the first time I read something into the history of McDonald's, what surprised me was how exactly McDonald's got started. I didn’t know previously that two brothers started the small company and then Ray came into the picture with the plans to franchise the business. I was also surprised by how cheap things were and how much money people made a week. I've heard of things being cheap back in the days but actually reading what Ray Kroc got paid weekly just put things in perspective. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? What I really liked about Ray was that he took on all sort of opportunities when he was younger. There really wasn’t anything that he seemed to turn down. He seemed to use each opportunity as the next stepping stone to the next. He also didn’t allow for failures to hold him back. What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? So, his first wife Ethel would "complain" that he was never home...

Segment: The segment I chose current parents to speak to. For my 3 interviews I spoke to either one or both parents. The easiest way I was able to weed out who had a need that could be satisfied with my product was by talking to people about my product idea and the features to see if it was something that could help them. Interview Summary: Sierra (2 kids – youngest 3 years old): Sierra never really had the “ah ha” moment where she realized that she had this need. For her It was more like she already knew. Her youngest was born with a lot of complications. He has had moments where he has stopped breathing at times. The car Is one of those places where Sierra feels she can’t have her eyes set on him to make sure he’s okay because his seat does faces the rear. While she doesn’t necessarily forget her children in the car she really feels like the product has features that solves many of her other needs. Having a product that could monitor her child while she is not able to see him would...

About Me: My name is Eliana. I don’t really have any special talents that I have discovered thus far. I do have however, have a wide variety of skills and experiences that have helped shape who I am today that I believe will be of value. Some of my skills include, computer skills, customer service, multi-tasking, meeting deadlines, self-motivated, organizational, and I also have an aptitude for quickly learning new things. Most my experiences involved around providing customer service. I moved to Orlando, FL with less than $300 to my name. I was desperate for a new beginning. I applied for anything and everything I could find. The first job offer I took at a hotel as a room attendant. That job was the hardest job I have ever had. I was able to grow within the department within a short amount of time. I was a room attendant for 3 months, then got the opportunity to serve as the receptionist for the housekeeping department, and within another 6 months I was a housekeeping manager. I cli...

Who: So, I spoke to a few people at work and was able to find a few that have said they wouldn’t buy the product. The first person I spoke to said that she didn’t need a product like that because she never intends on having kids. She however feels that there would be a benefit to having the item but only if people use it properly. People cannot even remember to charge their phones so maybe they would forget to charge a car seat. She feels that a lot of people out there also buy gadgets but just to say they have them and not actually use them correctly.  The second person I spoke to also doesn’t have kids so she wouldn’t need a car seat but she suggested that it is not only children that suffer heat strokes in cars but animals as well. Saying maybe a similar device but for animals should be created. She said she would buy an item like that for her dog crate she has in her car.  Another person I spoke to has grandchildren says that if the kit is inexpensive enough they cou...

There are children across America every year who suffer heat strokes and some that have even died from them. There is a need here, in order to help prevent any more children from being harmed. There are many tricks you can find online about how you can remember to take your child out of their car seats. Some include leaving your bag near the car seat so that you automatically remember to grab it or I have even seen one that involved placing a shoe in the back-seat floor so that you remember. But in this age where most people have smart phone, tablets and cars that can speak to you, I believe it is time for a more advanced way of reminding you. I have a created an option for a wide variety of people. With proper use this should be able to reduce the amount of heat strokes children suffer when left in the car. 1. Smart Car Seat: A car seat with a pressure plate at its base that is able to tell if there is a child strapped into the car seat. The car seat has Bluetooth capabilities that a...

Children vs. Cars – Heat Stroke Prevention  Opportunity: Since 1998 there has been an average of about 39 children who have died as a result of heatstroke due to being forgotten or simply left in the car. That number doesn’t even include the countless number of close calls that occurred where a child was about to survive. What is sad is that most people believe it would never happen to them but in reality, it is something that could happen to anyone of us. The who: Parents of American children under the age of 6.  The what: Leave children in the car resulting in a heatstroke.  The why: In most cases, parents are forgetting about the children.  Testing the Who: I believe that this opportunity is available anywhere in the world. It isn’t just restricted the America. And it could be parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles, males or female. Anyone runs the chance of forgetting a child in the car. And although heat stroke can happen at any age, according to the st...

Economic Trend: Uber Loses License to Operate in London Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/business/uber-london.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness&action=click&contentCollection=business&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront I believe an opportunity exists here because, by not allowing Uber to renew their license to operate in London, this would open the door to a new company to offer competitive services. Uber is one of the most widely used public transportation service and with it out of the way that will force people to use other services that may become available.  People who might highly depend on public transportation prototypical customers. This could be people who may not know how to drive, who work odd hours whereas the bus/trains might not be convenient for them. I would also say tourist would as benefit because it is often the cheap mode of transportation.  I woul...

"Kissimmee's police chief driving change - After 3 officers' arrests, new policies set for accountability"  infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/16645B92927A2DC8?p=WORLDNEWS Summary: The article was about the new policy and training that they Chef of Kissimmee Police has recently been working on for the safety of the community as well as the officers. These policies are in place in the hopes of having better trained officers and to give the community a sense of relief, which they currently lack because to the recent shootings of unarms black men. The trainings include videos of multiple situations and use it as a learning tool to teach the officers how to properly respond.  Problem: The problem is that when mishandled situations occurs, it usually occurs with other officers around. Officers that are watching the situation go down are not speaking up against the officer that is crossing the line. The chef wants to make sure that other officers speak up an...