Customer Interviews No. 1

1. For the opportunity, I chose to see how people tend to manage their time.

2. For this, everyone would have an unmet need, but I chose to focus on that of college students since it can be a large struggle for them.

3. The thing I learned from interviewing the people is that college students do struggle with time management. I feel this is a good opportunity because there are a lot of people that would benefit from learning how to manage their time.

4. I learned from interviewing people that it can make you a lot more nervous than you think you'll be. I have a habit of stumbling over my words because I'm nervous and I now know that is something I really need to work on.

Week 4 Reading Reflection

My biggest surprise is that there are so many things that people say that kill your ideas. You never really realize that it can keep someone from achieving their dreams or not.

The one thing that confused me is how both hemispheres of the brain affect your entrepreneurship. It was not covered as in depth as I wish it was in the reading which is where I began to get confused.

The first question I would ask is for the author to elaborate more on the hemispheres of the brain. I would ask this because I was confused by how little was offered in the text and did not fully understand what the author meant.

The second question I would ask the author is what the best way is to avoid muddling mindsets. I would ask this because I sometimes have a block in my creativity and I want to know how to avoid it.

I did not disagree with anything the author said in this chapter. It was very well put, with interesting and unique ideas.

Top 5 World Problems

Top 5 Problems (ranked most to least serious)

1. Increase in population
2. Global warming
3. Terrorism
4. Poverty
5. Pollution

Top 5 Problem Solutions ranking (best to least implementable)

1. Poverty - This can be fixed by creating jobs in poor areas of developed countries, and outsourcing labor to underdeveloped countries to create jobs.
2. Pollution - This can be changed by stricter regulations and rules against the production of products that pollute the environment.
3. Increase in population - A way to fix this is to make sure that everyone has proper sex education and readily available contraception.
4. Global warming - To change this, we need to work together to limit the pollution in major metropolitan areas and factories that pollute the air and deplete the ozone.
5. Terrorism - A way to change this is to make sure countries have trained military and weapons to be able to protect themselves and their citizens.

Justification

Increase in population, or overpopulation, is the biggest problem because the Earth only has a limited amount of land and the exponential growth of our population will not be able to stay on the land for much longer. Global warming is next because the Earth has growing exponentially warming over the years and is seen as the biggest problem by a lot of the population. Next, I put terrorism because it has always been a problem, whether that be genocide, religious persecution, or just general dislike of a country to where they take violent actions. This problem has become more apparent in the past few years. I next put poverty because it is a problem not only in third world countries, but also in developed countries. Pollution is last because the even though it is a huge problem, the more developed countries seem to be more aware of the problem and doing their best to regulate it.

With the solutions, poverty would be the easiest to fix because of the mass companies that could easily outsource work to the underdeveloped countries. Pollution is next because with strict regulations and government intervention, we can limit the amount of pollution from factories. Overpopulation is next because teaching sex education is not an expensive venture and also offering free contraception like birth control or condoms. Global warming is next because air pollution can be decreased by strict government regulation on factories, but the emissions from cars is harder to regulate and decrease. Terrorism ranked last because it is much harder to implement without causing more issues with the countries because of military invasion.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Teachers Speaking Out, Not Being Heard 
[ http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A87613EECBD008?p=AWNB ]

This article talks about how the teachers in Florida are being pushed through bureaucratic hoops which is causing them to want to leave their profession. They don't get raises, but rather bonuses if their students get specific scores on standardized testing. The reforms that teachers are seeing had caused them to hold a rally in Tallahassee to try to get the attention of legislators and create a change in the education system.

The problem presented is that teachers are being forced to abide by these new policies like the core curriculum, FCAT testing, and other standardized tests. The tests are not helping the students learn, but rather forcing the teachers to teach them to pass these tests in order to ensure their salaries will raise.

In this article, the teachers have the problem.

2. FGCU Students Decry New Road Plan
[ http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A83DF8E7BC39D8?p=AWNB ]

The article states that FGCU wants to put in another entrance to the school where the freshman dorms are to help alleviate traffic. The students are concerned because there is a gopher tortoise habitat in that location. The students concerns also stem from the fact that FGCU recently changed their mission statement from "practices and promotes environmental sustainability" to "promotes environmental sustainability." This means the school is now more focused on expansion than practicing environmental sustainability.

The problem is that students are concerned for the environmentally well-being of the school and its surrounding areas. If the school is willing to put a road in where there is a gopher tortoise habitat, then there is a problem with their ethics regarding the environment.

The students are the ones who have the problem, as well as the animals in that area.

3. State Prison - Reform is too - Slow in Coming
[ http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A6CEDE51B96A20?p=AWNB ]

The state prison system has a lot of issues with suspicious and unresolved deaths from the lack of treatment by the medical staff. The legislation and DOC should work on creating a faster and better response to life threatening illnesses and violent crimes as well as bettering the inmates health care.

The problem is that too many inmates are dying in state prisons because of violent crimes and lack of health care for serious illness.

The inmates are the ones who have the problem.

4. Transportation Company Sued Over Passenger's Death
[ http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A4D49581716668?p=AWNB ]

The medical driver for Bluebird failed to strap in a patient correctly. The patient then proceeded to be injured and put in a coma because of falling out of the chair when the driver stepped on the breaks. They died later that month. The husband of the patient is now suing the company.

The problem is that the driver was not being careful and being safe. They were not paying attention to see if they were safely strapped in, which caused trauma to a patient.

The problem is for the husband and his wife who died because of the incident.

5. Title Game Prices Low, but Airfare Costs Soar
[ http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A480C6391DDF38?p=AWNB ]

The tickets for the Clemson versus Alabama game soared in prices so that they were gouging their fans. In reality, the ticket prices are low compared to the skyrocketing prices of airfare since the games are so poular.

The problem is that the companies are taking advantage of people in order to make a large profit.

The fans are the ones with the problem because they are having to pay highly inflated prices.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

My biggest surprise is how much the chapter stressed the fact that entrepreneurs fail and how they have to "get back on their feet." There are obviously negative side effects in everything we do, and entrepreneurship is one of those things. A lot of the time, I feel like people sugarcoat it and make it seem like nothing can go wrong and it is the best thing yet. It was just interesting to see what the dark side of entrepreneurship can be.

The part that confused me the most was about the cognition of an entrepreneurs brain. I began to get confused when they were describing the cognitive adaptability and metacognitive model and how they differ. I am not a science person per say and getting into that is where I started to get lost.

My first question would be, "do you think that the risks of starting your own business scare people away from being an entrepreneur?" I would ask this because this is something that now scares me of ever opening my own business and taking that risk. Although, I know tons of people who are willing to take that risk even thought they know there might be repercussions.

My second question would be, "would the type of personality, Type A or Type B, determine whether the person is more or less likely to be an entrepreneur?" I would ask this because there are benefits and drawbacks to each personality type, and those could effect how successful you are in different areas of your life.

I don't believe that the author was really wrong about anything in this chapter. I thought that they did a good job explain the pitfalls of being an entrepreneur and how there is a dark side that not everyone knows about as well as how an entrepreneur mind works.

Very Short Interview No. 1

The entrepreneur I chose to interview was Kim Harrell. Her and her husband created two of their own companies which they owned each for 20 years. One company they had sold hunting and fishing sporting goods and the other was selling ATVs. Below is the interview I held with Kim.

What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?

"Being an entrepreneur is someone who is looking for alternate forms of income or making money."

What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneurship course?

"You should learn creative thinking, money managing skills, dealing with the public, state and federal tax guidelines and rules for running business (small or large), and financial planning for present and future endeavors."

What do you wish you had been taught in school before setting out on your own path as an entrepreneur? 

"I started these companies in my twenties and I wish someone had told me how to create a more diverse financial portfolio, like stocks, bonds, and savings accounts. I wish someone taught me to take more risks with my money earlier on in life and not keep all my eggs in one basket. It is easier to come back from a smaller financial loss when you're younger rather than when you are older and have a family to support and retirement to be saving for."

From this interview, I was surprised that there is so much you need to learn before you open a business in regards to taxes and rules from the government. I expected it to be a lot easier than it actually is. It takes a lot of risk and planning to be an entrepreneur and open your own business, that is something else I learned when I interviewed Kim.

World's Biggest Problems

1. Hunger is one of the worlds biggest problems. Third world countries are underdeveloped and lack a lot of the things that developed countries have. A lot of the time, food is that resource. A way to change that is to make sure that these countries have the resources they need, like knowing what crops will grow in their environment that are full of nutrients.

2. Global warming is an issue that we seem to be facing for awhile. This year especially, the beginning of winter was warmer than it has been in many years. To change this, we need to work together to limit the pollution in major metropolitan areas and factories that pollute the air and deplete the ozone.

3. Animal extinction has been a problem for hundreds of years. Many species are on the endangered species list or are very close to being endangered. We can fix this by creating laws against hunting specific breeds, or creating environments like zoos to make sure that there are places that will keep the species alive.

4. Increase in the population is also a huge problem. People in underdeveloped countries have more children because of the lack of birth control, or because of prostitution and rapes. A way to fix this is to make sure that everyone has proper sex education and readily available contraception.

5. Poverty is also a huge problem, not only in underdeveloped countries, but also in developed countries like the US. Lack of jobs, and large families make it difficult for families to make money and not spend all of it on food and clothing for their families. This can be fixed by creating jobs in poor areas of developed countries, and outsourcing labor to underdeveloped countries to create jobs.

6. Terrorism is something that almost every country is burdened with. Attacks like 9/11 and the ones on Paris are problems that have not gone away. A way to change this is to make sure countries have trained military and weapons to be able to protect themselves and their citizens.

7. Sexually transmitted diseases is something that a lot of underdeveloped countries are dealing with. There is a lack of sec education and contraceptives. Prostitution is also something women will do to make money, but it comes at the cost of getting sexually transmitted diseases. A way to change this is to make sure that these countries have ways for people to be tested for free and provide them with contraception and sex education.

8. Pollution is also a problem we face around the world. One of the biggest controversies in the US was the plastic beads found in face and body washes that wash into our rivers and oceans. Chemical dumping is also a issue we face since factories dump chemicals into rivers. This can be changed by stricter regulations and rules against the production of products that pollute the environment.

9. Deforestation is a major issue as the population expands. The more housing and urban areas we need, the more destruction of forests happens, which takes away housing for animals and hurts the environment. We can fix this by putting bans on cutting down trees in certain areas and making certain areas national forests or conservation areas.

10. Lack of clean water is an issue in many underdeveloped countries. Even countries like the US have problems like this with chemicals or minerals in our drinking water. Countries in Africa and the Middle East would suffer the most because of the desert like environment that makes water scarce to begin with. The best way to fix this is to help provide portable technology that will clean water to make it drinkable or create stricter regulations on levels for tap water in developed countries.

My Bug List

1. When the toilet paper or paper towels (if they are hung horizontally) are being pulled from underneath instead of over the top. 
This bug exists because I have OCD and it just makes more sense to pull from the top so you can see where the perforations are to rip it.

2. When it is cold outside and my scooter takes about a minute to warm up so that I can actually move. 
I am usually in a hurry and having to sit and wait bothers me because I know I could be getting somewhere that much faster if I wasn't waiting for my scooter's engine to heat up.

3. When the volume of the tv or radio is on an odd number.
My OCD makes me uncomfortable if the volume is on an odd number.

4. When my eyes are too tired in the morning to be able to put my contacts in without them burning my eyes.
I do not like having to wear glasses because they give me a headache and don't match everything, so when I put my contacts in and they start burning, it annoys me because I know I have to wear my glasses.

5. People leaving clothes all over the floor instead of putting them in the laundry basket.
Clutter and mess gives me anxiety and having clothing scattered everywhere on the floor bothers me because it always looks like a huge mess.

6. When someone changes the air conditioner to a much warmer setting and it gets too hot in my room.
I can't sleep or concentrate when I am too warm, so when the AC gets turned up, its no longer a comfortable temperature and I can't get anything done.

7. People leaving dirty dishes in the sink for more than a day.The mess bothers me, and it is gross, can start to smell, or attract fruit flies.

8. People who don't take out the trash when its full and just create a new bag next to the trash instead.
It is much like the dishes, it will start to smell and attract fruit flies and just is not clean.

9. The backed up traffic on 13th Street during rush hour.
Knowing that I could be driving faster than 5mph is what bothers me.

10. Pedestrians crossing the street when there is not a crosswalk and having to brake for them.
They have crosswalks for a reason, they are much safer areas to cross the road. They are making it dangerous by crossing the road without one to themselves as well as other drivers.

11. People who do not say please or thank you when they ask you to do something for them.
I was brought up to say please and thank you for everything. It is better to use your manners because they will get you farther in life.

12. When my eyelashes rub my glasses or skin touches them and causes smudges.
You can see the smudges when you look through your glasses and it can get very annoying to have to turn your head to read something because the smudges is distorting it.

13. When someone interrupts me while I am doing something important, like filling out an expense report at work, or doing a difficult homework problem.
I lose my train of thought when I am interrupted so I may make a mistake when I get back to my work.

14. When someone borrows my things without asking.
It is not considerate to take someones things, especially if it is something that I need or costed a lot of money.

15. Professors who do not explain assignments and expect you to do it the way they want without telling you what they want.
I like to try and get the best grade as possible, but without knowing what I am supposed to do, I can't fulfill the assignment to the best of my abilities.

16. Ads coming up while I am listening to music on Spotify.
When I am studying, I listen to classical music without lyrics so I can concentrate, but the ads come on and disrupts my focus and train of thought.

17. Using multiple writing utensils in one notebook, like different colored pens, or pens and pencils.
I like things to look neat and uniform, so I always use the same colored pen for each notebook or planner I have to keep it from looking messy.

18. Only Starbucks having a non-dairy substitute for coffee creamer.
Starbucks is so expensive, but I can't have dairy so I have only one option for a place to buy coffee.

19. When my wifi randomly decides to cut out.
I am usually working on something important and need wifi, so when it cuts out, I can't submit assignments or work on my duties as PR chair for my sorority.

20. When you can hear the chain on the fan clicking as it spins. 
The clicking distracts me from being able to concentrate on what I am doing.

Reflection:
I did not find this to be too difficult until I got to the last three or four "bugs". A lot of things bug me are because of my OCD, so that made this a lot less challenging to come up with these "bugs" than I thought it would be. Some of the things that I found that bugged me were happening as I was writing it. That also helped me to come up with these "bugs".

My Entrepreneur's Mantra

My Entrepreneurship Story

Over the summer last year, I got to intern at a company in New York City. This company was called Jo and Jax, which was created by two sisters, Joey and Jaclyn, who were dancers and wanted to create their own brand of dance and yoga wear. Getting to work for this company, I got to learn how the products are developed and run a photoshoot to how to successfully run social media websites to gain more customers. I got to learn how the two of them built this company from the ground up. The company is now a very popular brand among the dance world.

I chose to enroll in this class because I want to get more in depth into learning how to be an entrepreneur. I have thought in the past that it would be interesting to be my own boss and start a company from the ground up. So understanding what it takes to be an entrepreneur is what I hope to get out of this class.

Introduction

My name is Sarah Everts and I am from Punta Gorda, Florida. I am a sophomore finance major. I was originally born in Indiana and I have three brothers and one sister. Two of my siblings are married and have kids, so I have four nieces and a nephew. I have lived in New York City while doing an internship last summer at the company Jo and Jax. I have traveled to most of the midwestern states and gone camping when I was a kid. One of my favorite cities to visit is Chicago. I have been a dancer most of my life as well as art and photography.

I have worked for Student Government Finance as a Student Assistant since my first semester as a freshman. Working there helped me decide that I wanted to work in the finance industry. In the future I hope to be an internal financial analyst for a corporate company. I also have an interest in Public Relations (PR) as well from a lot of my work with Jo and Jax as well as being the PR Chair for my sorority.

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