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Showing posts from July, 2019

28A - Your Exit Strategy

1. I do not foresee myself handling this business after its first few found of successes as I'd rather a big short-term paycheck than having to operate the business for years to come. I currently have other passions that I would rather pursue than this business therefore giving me the desire to stop while I'm ahead. 2. I selected to sell my business after a short time period because I do not have that burning desire to operate a business in this particular field. I would rather practice law and make sure that is my main focus in the future. If I were to own my own business, I'd rather have it pertain to something I truly care about such as soccer and basketball. 3. I don't think this exit strategy had much to do with my initial concepts because I always knew I had to do everything possible just to get my business to a point where I could sell it. Even if I wanted to continue with the idea for the long term, I would have gone about the assignments the same way. I did

27A - Reading Reflection No. 3

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams 1. The general theme of this book is that failure is 100% natural and thats its more than okay to fail. Changing your perspective from setting goals to implementing systems is Scott Adam's preferred way of succeeding in the future. He specifically enjoys systems because they are not in the future and they are much less specific than goals, however they do include deadlines. Setting deadlines to track progress and maintain motivation is key to succeeding at any endeavor. As long as someone is putting the effort towards something and keeping their chin up, then they will "win big" or at least succeed in the future.  2. This book correlates well with our class because every assignment we complete is still technically a failure in the grand scheme of things. Our repeat assignments and progression allows us to learn from our failures and put that knowledge into our next assignments to better succeed.

26A - Celebrating Failure

1. I failed at getting my practice LSAT score to the goal of 165 that I wanted. I was able to every now and again reach that score and go higher, however my consistency was not there as I repeatedly scored high 150's. I never really struggled with the logical reasoning or reading comprehension sections but the analytical reasoning was something I could not master easily. Setting up problems into "logic games" was a skill that I never practiced before and the time constraints for finishing each section was difficult. In the end, I was able to consistently score around 160 in my practice LSAT and eventually settled for a 158 when I took the real LSAT. 2. I learned that failure is not indicative of your future success. Although I had to practice for a considerable amount of time, I was eventually able to "master" that difficult section so I could score better overall. I also learned that if you put enough time and effort into something similar to what I did, you

25A - What's Next?

Existing Market       The next step for consulting service/product combo would be to finalize supplier relations and begin meetings with local, franchised gas stations to see how their support would hold up. Once I have connections with a supplier, the meetings will be more credible as I already have the means of production accounted for.       I interviewed three friends from my sustainability class that use motor vehicles and cash and they agreed with my initial thought of finalizing supplier relations and pursuing the gas stations. The first interviewee, Rachel, also said it may be smart to set up relations with cash carriers such as Brinks who would take the money out of the machines in a secure fashion. When asking about future steps for customer desires, everyone believed that this is about far as the gas industry will allow innovation to go. Touch ups such as allowing the machine to provide change in dollar bill form as opposed to change (like most other cash readers) would al

24A - Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity       My venture, Fast Fuel, is taking advantage of the opportunity of convenience fueling at gas stations when using cash. In gas stations all across America, the fuel pumps are designed to only take credit and debit cards while forcing cash customers inside to pay at the register. This is a hassle for millions of Americans who either always use cash or like to use cash when they currently have it. The amount of time that people can spend waiting in line at "convenience stores" can be upwards of 15 minutes depending on the length of the line, the amount of cashiers, and the amount of time each customer takes to pay. Although sometimes the wait might be minimal, this is never guaranteed and people should not have to rely on luck when in a hurry.       This opportunity can be marketed towards any American who possesses a gas vehicle and does not exclusively use credit and debit cards. This opportunity also provides convenience not just to the buyer, but also to o

23A - Venture's Unfair Advantage

1. Convenience a. Valuable - Convenience is a value that every consumer desires. b. Rare - Convenience is not rare, however it is rare in this industry. c. Imitable - Very imitable in terms of product, but not service. d. Not-substitutable - Not substitutable as cash readers are the only means of convenience when fueling. 2. Up-to-date Opportunity a. Valuable - Its valuable because its new but not original. b. Rare - Gas stations do not use them so it is rare. Up-to-date opportunities in general vary in rarity. c. Imitable - Yes because other ideas of convenience are possible. d. Not-substitutable - Yes due to lack of current innovations. 3. Large Market Segment a. Valuable - The larger the market size the larger the possible demand. b. Rare - Not all opportunities are blessed with this large of a market segment. c. Imitable - No because you cannot force people to desire products. d. Not-substitutable - Yes because there are no other prevalent markets. 4. Can be Inter

22A - Elevator Pitch No. 3

1. https://youtu.be/Q9i0HSA_3zE 2. Last Elevator Pitch, I received feedback that the scenario that I played out was very helpful in understanding the importance of the product's convenience. Although I didn't present it in the same way as before, I made sure to include the aspects of why customer's don't want the industry set up as it resides today (no cash reading devices). I also received feedback saying how the term "convenience" left an impression. I made sure to make this aspect as important as possible because it is the basis for desiring the product in the first place. 3. I didn't receive negative feedback so I only changed things to make it more smooth and less redundant. The shortening of the pitch also makes it more challenging to fit the required descriptions so I had to cut down on the length of the explanations. I also tried to appeal to both the third party consumer and the gas station owners as both of their views and impressions are ver

21A - Reading Reflection No. 2

.Makers The New Industrial Revolution By Chris Anderson 1) What was the general theme or argument of the book? The general theme of the book is that everyone will soon become an engineer/manufacturer/designer. Chris Anderson basically explains that manufacturing is becoming important again and it will eventually be done inside our own homes and communities instead of in big factories. The new trend and superiority of 3D-Printing and design is making other forms of manufacturing obsolete. Consumers will now begin to make their own products or form their own designs and send them off to a shop to be constructed through their software and printers. 2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003? This book highlighted that the world around us is changing, whether people like it or not. With the new rise in technology such as internet prominence and 3D-printing abilities, technology will become more and more important for the

20A - Growing Social Capital

Expert in the Industry I know a friend from high school who's father owns a series of Chevron gas stations in Cocoa, Florida. I texted my friend Dhruv and was able to talk on the phone with his dad for about 10 minutes. Agitish Patel is a local Brevard businessman who owns three Chevron gas stations and two Holiday Inns for over ten years. Mr. Patel did me the favor of describing the industry and what portions of revenues come from gas versus convenience stores. He said it would make sense to prioritize cash customers as they make more money off them due to not paying credit companies for their accounts receivable management. In the end, Mr. Patel was just better able to inform me of the specifics of the industry so that I can better formulate my next steps. Having this expert in my arsenal allows me to always have respectable information from someone who will continue to work in the industry firsthand. Expert in the Market My roommate of last year's father was an engi

19A - Idea Napkin No. 2

1. My name is Sean Reed and I'm one class away from graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's in Business Management and a Minor in Real Estate. I believe I am an approachable person with the unique ability of being able to talk to anyone with confidence. I have experience working under an attorney, doing freelance construction/landscaping services, and worked retail in a grocery store for over three years. My next step in life will be to complete law school and hopefully pass the BAR on my first attempt. If this business were to take off, I believe I could do it while I'm still in school as the consulting would not take extensive amounts of time. 2. I am offering gas stations a unique opportunity to save their customer's time while differentiating their services from other local gas stations. The implementation of cash readers at the gas pump will allow for faster service, potential increased profit, and a way to set themselves apart from other gas

18A - Customer Avatar

Customer Avatar The prototypical customer for my business is just anyone who drives a gasoline fueled car and occasionally uses cash. For this assignment, I created an avatar with the first person/style that came to my mind. This customer is Ricky Smith. Ricky Smith is your typical consultant who is in his early 30's. Unfortunately, Ricky is already experiencing rapid hair loss but he embraces it well. When Ricky has free time, he enjoys going to the beach to get a tan and/or reading books about successful people and ideas. This customer has two cars, a Nissan Sentra for everyday driving and a F150 pickup truck for situational purposes. both of his vehicles are white and he keeps them completely clean of any smudges or bugs. Ricky is currently in a somewhat serious relationship with a coworker that he knew from college. He plans to have a family in the future but is content with taking everything slow and not forcing anything. Ricky loves to cook and therefore always spend