Week 4 Reading Reflection

In this chapter I think that one of the biggest ideas that surprised me was related to Table 5.3. It discusses how many people believe that only geniuses have the ability to be creative and how that is idea is incorrect. I didn’t necessarily believe only geniuses could be creative but I did believe that there is a group of people that are better at it than others. Table 5.3 shows the most common sayings that are instant idea killers. I 100% agree with these but didn’t really recognize them as idea killers until I read the text. People that claim someone’s ideas to be “dumb” or “weird” oftentimes don’t realize how much that affects a person and pursuing their ideas, creative or non-creative.

This chapter was pretty straight forward in terms of innovation and creativity and I think it was presented clearly. There was no specific part of this reading that was especially confusing or difficult to understand.

In the section that discusses the right and left hemispheres of the brain it discusses what each hemisphere is responsible for. Although it is clear that humans have both hemispheres present I have heard that people can be more dominant in one of the hemispheres as opposed to the other. Do you find this to be true as well? Do you really believe a person could be equal in both hemispheres?

When writing the steps to the creative process do you believe these are the steps to a big idea creation or small ideas everyday creative ideas as well? I ask this because it seems like it is a lengthy and more in depth process as opposed to the spur of the moment ideas they need to be quick due to time constraints. I can see how the process works but it seems like a constraint, like time, would deter this planning process.

I think that I am learning a lot from this textbook so far and there will very few times that I find something to disagree with the author on. This chapter is no different and I agree with what the author said in this chapter.  

Customer Interviews No. 1 - Study Techniques

In high school and middle school I studied very little if at all for exams. When I had my first college exam I did not do great because I hit a big learning curve when it came to learning how to effectively study for an exam. I quickly realized I wasn’t ever truly taught how to study and went through many methods of trial and error until I found a study tactic that fit me. I feel like many other people hit this same learning experience whether it is jumping from middle to high school or high school to college and if we adequately equip them now they will be able to avoid the step of finding this out the hard way.

The group of people that have the greatest unmet need in terms of learning studying techniques would be middle schoolers or high schoolers. Learning the techniques they currently use and the effectiveness of their technique will help determine if there is an opportunity that can be explored here.

The questions I used to conduct each interview:

·         What grade are you in?

·         How many classes do you take right now?

·         Do you study for your exams or tests?

·         How long would you say that you typically study for?

·         What are your study techniques? How do you study?

·         Do you think that this works well for you?

·         Would you be open to learning a new way to study?

Interview 1 - https://youtu.be/l2ATMgzR0Fc 

Interview 2 – https://youtu.be/R8O9-HJmL48

Interview 3 – https://youtu.be/Dl4Q93GAnv8

Interview 4 – https://youtu.be/0fI8Y6fbLNA

Interview 5 – https://youtu.be/QsAwSjCL-xk

I think that there is an opportunity to perhaps offer new techniques and ways of studying to the high school and middle school demographic. The interviewees expressed mixed reviews on learning new studying tactics. This shows that there is a least some students that would want to or at least be willing to try new ways of studying in order to improve their studying habits.

Even though I chose to a potential opportunity that needed interviews from high schoolers and middle schoolers I still found that I was nervous prior to interviewing. Once I got the first interview out of the way I gained more confidence and was able to use that confidence in the rest of my interviews. I also learned that in the future I should ask more open ended answers in order to get answers that are longer than “yes” or “no”. 

Top 5 Major World Problems

Top 5 Major World Problems                     

1. Clean Water 
                                       
2. Terrorism  
                                            
3. Poverty 
                                                    
4. Education                                              

5. Species Extinction                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Ranking my list of top 5 major world problems proved to be difficult because out of my original list of 10, shortening it was almost impossible. They each deserved to be in the rankings because of the severity of each problem. But the first one on the rankings was the easiest, which had to be clean water. The statistics are just staggering in that 1 in 10 people do not have access to clean drinking water. That is a difficult statistic to swallow and something has to be done to prevent deaths that are premature. Terrorism might not have ranked as high on the list a few years ago but in light of recent events in the world it is something that needs to be addressed now. Poverty goes hand in hand with hunger in my rankings because they really have a cause and effect type relationship. Half of the world living on $2.50 or less is insane and makes it an important issue. Education is a problem that in many people's opinion can aid in helping fix the poverty issue. The more people are educated the greater the likelihood of them being able to find a job are. The last issue that made my top 5 problem list is species extinction. This issue is one that is growing in importance each and every year because species are dying off and there are so many endangered that are in jeopardy of the same fate.

Top 5 Most Viable Solutions

1. Terrorism - the U.S needs to step up and become a leader.    

2. Clean Water - bridge the gap between developed/developing countries.

3. Species Extinction - stricter legal penalties/fees for lawbreakers.  

4. Education - build schools and send educators.   

5. Poverty - donate money, develop education and healthcare.

The most viable solution to all of these problems in my opinion is the solution I suggested to terrorism. The U.S is no stranger to taking action to situations that are not just and right and the ISIS situation fits the bill. There are very few armies that could hold the ranks of the U.S military in terms of size and skill and we must utilize this asset and step up and become a world leader. All that is needed is government action and this is easily something that can be implemented tomorrow. Clean water is the second on my ranking of most plausible solutions. I suggested in my original post that if we are able to close the gap between the developing and developed countries clean water can be a past issue. If a developed country would adopt a developing country and offer their resources and technology to these people this could be very solvable. Species extinction is third on the list because imposing stricter penalties and fees to those who kill these animals would deter the offenders and is not something that is crazy or difficult to resolve. Education and poverty are two that become more difficult because it involves getting our hands dirty and going and developing these systems in these locations. Education and healthcare especially are issues that even developed and organized countries still debate over and change and starting from scratch in other countries with language barriers would make for a difficult feat.

Identifying Local Opportunities - Tampa

1.       “AS RANKS OF DRIVERS FALL, MASS TRANSIT NEEDS SURGE”

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA440728397&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=de77f4a8e3f8761eed5ccf115e30bffe

The young adult demographic of America has seen a recent drop off in number of young adults who have a driver’s license. This is for a plethora of reasons ranging from too busy, all the way to concern for the environment. Experts fear that if this trend continues and Tampa doesn’t develop a mass transit system the area will miss out on young adults choosing to live and work here because of the lack of a mass transit system. The local government has really dropped the ball on this issue because each county passes the decision to fund the project to the next county and nothing gets done. The real losers in this situation are the companies that are headquartered or run big operations in the region because the young adult demographic will choose to settle in other cities that will provide their transportation needs.

2.       “FLORIDA SHOULD END DEATH PENALTY”

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA440608946&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=85bab5cc62496e80342bdbd77381659d

The writer of this article argues that the death penalty in Florida should cease to exist. Florida is one of several of the remaining states that still allows this to occur and needs to be the next to end this sentence. Some of the problems the writer lists includes the execution of innocent people on death row, the application of the penalty (meaning what crimes are more likely to get a death penalty verdict), and the statement that killing someone is not a psychological necessity for the victim’s family. This problem primarily affects the families of the victims and the individuals who are waiting on death row in the state of Florida. However this problem ultimately lies in the hands of the legislators who must decide what is right in this matter for the state of Florida and its residents.

3.       “AUTO THEFTS BY TEENS AT CRISIS POINT IN PINELLAS”

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA440866747&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=5c5e4a108b4437b01a105d14321bd0ab

Felony arrests for juveniles in the state of dropped by about 20%, however in Pinellas County the felony crime rate for teenagers has increased by the same amount. The theft rate in Pinellas by juveniles is the highest compared to any other county in the state. Many point the finger at the poverty rate of the county but this theory has been disproven based on similar counties and their felony crime rate amongst teenagers. The people this problem directly affects currently is the residents of Pinellas but the people who need to act are the mayor of the county and the police officers in the county in order to deter the crime and continue to arrest those who are committing these crimes. Finding the root of this problem should be the priority of the county right now.  

4.       “MANY VOTERS LEFT WITHOUT A CHOICE”

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA440666145&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=ff32b0d402c9d3ee9aedb489ebca1ba7

In a South Tampa voting district a resident complains that when voting for legislative representative for their county there was only one option on their ballot. They had no option of writing in someone to fill the position that had not been nominated which is typically an option that is given. Since the voter uses voting by mail the voter contacted the district and they said there was nothing that could be done for this problem. This leaves the resident with a problem of having to elect someone to represent their district without an alternative option to select. Furthermore this leaves many residents with a similar option if they are also affiliated with the political party that this resident was.  

5.       “DON'T STALL IN FIXING MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM”

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA440666202&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=66286fbc5c959b952bef794d1253a62a
The state run mental health hospitals are facing the problem of severe understaffing and and underfunding. The article also states that the government has had ample time to address these issues before the meeting that addresses the state budgeting for the next year but has failed to address the problem. Unfortunately the government has really not addressed this issue properly but they aren't the ones that are directly affected by the shortages to both the budget and staff of these hospitals. The real victims are the ones who are need of treatment for mental health issues. Not enough staff or money affects them the most because they are then unable to  get the help that they truly need at these state operated hospitals.  

Week 3 Reading Reflection

One of the biggest sections of this reading that made me pause to think was in the "Exuding Passion in Your Venture" article. One subheading of the section talks about redefining rejection as learning. Some times as people we can caught up in trying to please everybody through our actions and efforts but it is always important to remember we will never be able to please everyone. Choosing to look at rejection as a learning experience I don't think is only applicable to business but life in general in anything that we choose to do.

The only part of this chapter that was a little bit confusing was Figure 2.2 in the text. It is titled "Classifying Decisions Using a Conceptual Framework" The diagram itself isn't confusing but I wish that the author would have given real life examples of how each quadrant plays into our world today. What are some real examples that are relevant for each type that is listed in the figure?

In Table 2.1 of the text the author lists a set of 42 attributes that are often attributed to entrepreneurs. The first question I have pertaining to this table pertains to the order of the list. Is the list categorized in any specific order? Since it is not alphabetical is there any organization to it in terms of importance of the attributes? Secondly if an entrepreneur lacks a number of these skills does this determine their ability to thrive as an entrepreneur?

Are there any statistics that the author could provide when discussing the Type A personality type as it relates to stress? Does a Type A personality seem to be successful despite their high strung attitude in the entrepreneurship venture or do Type B personalities seem to make a better fit for the field?

There was no information in this chapter that I believe that the author was wrong about. It was interesting to see how the mindset of an entrepreneur can dictate so much about the actions they take. It was a very informative and eye opening chapter to read.

Very Short Interview No. 1

I interviewed David Hudson for this assignment, he is a owner of several businesses in the Tampa Bay area. Some of his businesses include, Hudson Inspection Service, Firm Foundations and Hudson Engineering. He also helps teach an entrepreneurship class at Trinity College of Florida as well. Here is a transcript of the interview: 

What kind of advice would you give to someone just starting as an entrepreneur/business owner?

I recently started teaching an entrepreneur class at Trinity College of Florida and I actually get that question all the time. My response every time is if you can think of something else than do it. I often then get an extremely puzzled look and I tell them of all the bad parts of being an entrepreneur. Think about all of the costs, the possibility of bankruptcy, health risks, time commitment etc. If these things make you nervous than don’t do it. If I am able to talk you out of pursuing entrepreneurship just through telling you stuff then you aren’t deeply committed. If an outside opinion changes your mind then you won’t make it, if you still want to pursue it then you’ll make it.

What characteristics does a potential entrepreneur/business owner need to have?

They need to be imaginative and creative when it comes to every part of their business. They must be self-motivated since they do not have a supervisor and work won’t get done itself. They should be a risk taker; they have to be prepared to take a loss. Not every single idea they come up with will be successful. Remember that their identity as an individual is a separate identity from your business. You can’t take things personal and you can’t be afraid to change things such as naming or branding. You have to be able to let things go and have humility. One example of this would be making my first million in the business before I was 28 then I literally lost it all overnight and built it again by the age of 35 but as an entrepreneur this can be a normal cycle. Everything can change extremely quickly.

If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same career path for yourself? If not, what would you change?

                 

Yes without a question I would do it again. Once you become an entrepreneur it’s a lifestyle choice. I worked in a large corporation before but it was never a fit for me. There are certain things I would change though looking back. Some examples would be that I would avoid debt, avoid expanding faster than the business can handle and I would diversify my company sooner.

When conducting this interview I was very surprised by the complete raw truth of the answers I was given, These questions are ones I have always wanted to ask an entrepreneur and business owner because of my dream to one day start my own business. The response to the first question really made me pause and think if I was truly dedicated to the idea of owning my own business one day and upon reflecting I know that I still have drive and motivation to do so. Nothing can deter my ambition in this area of my life and I look forward to the second interview with Mr. Hudson in the future! 

The World's Biggest Problems

1.       Clean Water - Approximately 1 in every 10 people in the world lack access to safe drinking water. 1 in 3 people in the world also lack access to a toilet. These facts can be daunting if you truly let them sink in and realize that more people in the world have access to a cellphone than those who have access to a toilet. The gap between developing and developed countries is real and something has to be done to start reversing these statistics. I believe that one of the best ways to solve this problem would be to bridge the gap between developing and developed countries. If each developed country would adopt or partner with a developing country and help to build wells and create systems to generate clean water this problem could be solved one country at a time.

2.       Poverty - Half of the world today lives on $2.50 per day or less. HALF OF THE WORLD lives on less than a happy meal costs at McDonalds! UNICEF estimates that 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. I honestly didn’t believe that fact when I read it. I thought surely this must be a typo or there is a few extra numbers added in that stat but it is true. We as a globe lose 22,000 young children EVERY DAY due to poverty. There are so many ways that we can help this problem, every little bit that we help can literally save thousands of kids’ lives. A lot of the potential solutions to this problem are actually on this list as well. Access to education will allow people to work and earn income, access to health care is also an important piece to help and cure disease and illness, donating money always helps as well.

3.       Hunger - Hunger is a big problem that plagues many especially in the poverty stricken regions of the world. It is estimated that 795 million people on the planet do not have enough food on a daily basis. I have seen countless commercials that tells us that a dollar a day can save the life of a child who is hungry. How much do we really spend a day on ourselves and buying our starbucks coffee or our meal out at lunch? I don't think it is until we truly analyze our spending and the lives that we are privileged to live that we can realize how blessed we are in comparison to others. There is no reason why people should be dying from hunger anywhere on this planet given the resources and technologies we have as a society today. I think to stop this we need to wake up as a society and choose to do something about this. Realizing what is happening isn't enough we need to take action and step up as a society today.  

4.       Clean Energy - Clean energy is something that needs to be addressed today. The nonrenewable energy resources that we have been using up until now are running out quickly and a viable backup solution needs to be sought out. If we continue to put this problem on the back burner time will run out and as a society we will be forced to make decisions based out of dire need as opposed to the smartest decision we can make. I feel as though we are making advances on this problem but need to continue to put time and monetary resources into this problem to insure that the best viable solution will be developed and ready when the time comes. 

5.       Species Extinction - Humans today are directly responsible for the mass extinction of many animals globally. Overfishing is a major problem as we see more and more species of fish disappearing annually. Many people don't realize this fact but over 70% of our food is pollinated by bees. If a small species like a bee can play a vital part in our life what about the other species that are rapidly disappearing at higher rates? The National Wildlife Federation has done a great job of protecting endangered species and giving them a voice, but we must do more. In my opinion there needs to be stricter penalties and fines for those who choose to break the law and hunt or fish illegally. If we do not discourage this behavior now there may not be time later to reverse our actions.  

6.       Terrorism - ISIS is the main group that we see all over the news today that is a big leader on the terrorism front. Story after story we see the aftermath of the terrible acts they are committing and it seems as though many are sitting on the sidelines refusing to take action. If every country waits until a big terrorism event, like what happened in Paris, happens to their country it is way too late and many innocent lives will be lost. The US is one country that I personally feel needs o step up and lead the way in this fight. We are a country that has always been a leader in the world and other countries look at us to see how to respond. I understand that we are not the world police but as a concerned party in the world the US needs to step up in this department. We have the resources to end ISIS and we need to use those to our advantage before it is too late and the world looks much different than it does today. 

7.       Education - Around 72 million children remain uneducated in the world today. These are children that could be the doctor that develops the cure to diseases and illnesses. These are the children that will shape our future as a world and not providing them an education is inexcusable. Illiteracy is a huge problem in the world and it stems from lack of education. Approximately 780 million adults worldwide are illiterate. This is an extreme disadvantage to these people in terms of work opportunities and can lead to unemployment which in turn can lead to poverty in these regions. As I mentioned before the ability to get an education is something that is directly related to poverty and could also aid in bettering that global problem as well. This cycle must be broken and the best way to do this is through monetary funding. We need to make schools in these countries and send the best teachers the world can offer and are willing to offer to go and help teach these children. I do not think it is an act of unwillingness to go to these regions but a lack of knowledge and monetary funding that needs to change. 

8.       Economy - The world economy and the US economy for that matter are currently a mess. The amount of debt that developed countries have today is astronomical. This statistic is staggering especially in comparison to the need that developing countries have in this department.The first thing that needs to be done is to stop taking out more debt. I guess I will never quite understand how it is possible for the US to take on more debt when it sits currently at 18 TRILLION dollars in debt today. Citizens are unable to take out a loan based on their personal financial statements primarily because the bank or other lenders are unable to see a way where the individual will be able to pay it back ever. This should apply to countries as well. When will the US ever be able to get the 18 trillion it owes and pay that off. The answer is more than likely never and yet we are still able to go deeper and deeper into this hole we are in. Until there is a foreseeable way to change this no more debt should be taken on. 

9.       Consumerism - There is so much trash on this planet that we are running out of places to put it all! I remember in my high school environmental science class we watched a video where a group of researchers were in the Pacific Ocean and they came across a huge mass of trash just floating in the ocean. They actually said it mostly made up of plastic and they showed pictures of animals that were stuck or trying to consume the trash collected there. Many researchers actually believe that plastic in non-biodegradable. It will simply never break down. I honestly think that the best way to reverse this cycle is to find an alternative to plastic. There is not much we can do about the plastic we have already generated, except for recycle it and possibly find a way to break it down. But finding a solution now can help save the future amount of plastic we have to dispose. Another possible option is to charge people extra at the grocery store for getting plastic bags. That would encourage everyone to seek an alternative to the plastic bags provided at grocery stores.  

10.   Overpopulation - Some studies suggest that the world will max out on the population it is able to support between 2020 and 2029. A lot of this can be attributed to the fact that people are living longer which is increasing the population and the number of children that are being born, especially in developing countries. Some fear that the food and water supply will eventually be completely depleted do to overpopulation. Others fear that wars will increase because of the fight for resources and the land in an overpopulated state. There are many ideas people have come up with to try and stop this problem over the years, none of which seem especially possible. I believe the best solution is to educate everyone on their options and make people aware of the problem. At the end of the day you are not able to control the number of kids that each woman has, and you can’t force people to take birth control. But making these things available and explaining their options are the best way to go on this issue. 

The Pesky Bug List

1.       Lying is the very first "bug" that popped into my mind as soon as I read the instructions for this assignment. Nothing and I mean nothing annoys me more than someone who tells lies. No matter how anyone tries to justify it there is no excuse for choosing to deliberately deceive someone. Most of the time people lie because they think that they won't get caught, or to make themselves sound better, or to justify their actions but in no way do any of those reasons make it right. One of the biggest excuses that bugs me is the excuse that they wanted to protect your feelings. Protecting someones feelings by  lying isn't doing anyone any good. First of all you are harboring the truth and secondly you are breaking their trust when they find out you were lying because lies always seem to eventually come out. Okay, rant now over. 

2.       Being late to pretty much any event bugs me. Growing up I was late to a lot of things, that's what happens sometimes when you have a single parent driving you and your two other siblings to a variety of activities, but I absolutely hated it. When I first got my drivers license I made it a point to not only be on time but be early to everywhere I went. 

3.      Those who don’t listen in a conversation also make my bug list. People want to be heard and sometimes that is all people want in a conversation. They don't necessarily seek your advice or your opinion on their life but they just need someone to genuinely listen to what they have to say. You can tell when people are thinking of their response to what you are saying as opposed to really listening to understand what you are really saying to them.

4.       People who are rude to waiters are people that I do not want to be friends with. Knowing people that are in the dining business have met some of the meanest and rudest people that I think mankind has to offer. It is not difficult to treat those on a wait staff kindly and treat them the way you want to be treated. After all they are only human too. 

5.       Seeing people out to dinner and everyone is on their phone is one that is near the top of the list if I had to rank these bugs. There are not many things that could be more important than having a conversation and spending time with the people that you are with. Texting or talking on the phone are things that most of the time can wait half an hour while you enjoy your meal and the company of those you are dining with. I actually noticed this bug within my own family initially and am now very intentional about not doing this myself. 

6.       Stereotypes are things that are most of the time unfounded and untrue. For example to assume that because someone is tall that they had to have played basketball in their lifetime is not an accurate assumption to make. Of course this is a very mild example but hopefully you understand where I am coming from. 

7.       Red lights. When you are trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as you can there is no time for those pesky red lights. Most of the time it’s just sheer boredom while sitting at a light that makes this problem a bug for me.

8.       Those who don’t use turn signals is one that I’m sure makes almost everyone’s list, unless you are the one not using you turn signal. Coming over into my lane without indicating that you are coming over is not only dangerous but not to mention illegal!

9.       Swearing is something that immediately bugs me. There are SO many words in the English language, and many other languages for that matter, and choosing to use ones that are ugly instantly creates annoyance.

10.   The toilet seat being left up as a female always has to make the list. It is no one’s desire to touch the toilet seat to put it down before you use the restroom. If anyone tells you otherwise they are not speaking the truth.

11.   Music that plays when you are on hold. Is there literally no other music that could be played besides that music? It is even worse when it is on repeat and you can’t turn it down because then when the call finally goes through you can’t hear!

12.   Being coughed on is on the list because being a germaphobe like myself being sick is not on the top of my to-do list. See the bug below for more information!

13.   Being sick is a bug because well nobody likes being sick. Not feeling well and having tasks to complete when all you want to sleep is no fun. Not to mention when you finally give in and go to the doctor odds are you are probably going to catch another illness while you sit in the waiting room.

14.   Waiting in long checkout lines is something that only tends to bug me when I am at a store with a ton of checkout counters. For example Walmart has 30 checkout lines but whenever I seem to go there is only three or four open and they go five people deep. Why do they build and purchase so many registers with no intent on utilizing them.

15.   Glitter is something that could have been never created and I would be alright with that. Majority of the time my encounter with glitter is when I purchase cards for friends or family at the store. Even if I don’t purchase one with glitter in it I get it on me from just looking at the various cards and then it is on you and doesn’t easily come off. You get inside of your car and then transfer it everywhere and it will never ever get out. EVER.

16.   Listening to the news. It doesn’t even matter what medium the information comes from, television, internet, radio, I don’t discriminate. The primary reason for this bug is because I feel as though the news is depressing and majority of the time it’s about pain, violence, death, crime etc. Very rarely will you turn on the news or read a positive and uplifting story.

17.   Facebook game invites should not be allowed. There should be a feature on Facebook that allows you to turn off the ability for others to send these invites to your account. I think the primary reason these bug me is because they clog up my feed and I sometimes have difficulty finding the notifications I really want to see on the site.  

18.   Tangled headphones are another nuisance in my life. I cannot listen to my music until they are untangled, and sometimes I don’t even understand how some of the knots can even happen!

19.   Ads on YouTube. Enough said. Some of them last only for 15 seconds but then there are those that are longer and you can’t skip them… Not a fan! I want to see my videos or listen to a song without the ads beforehand, I would even be willing to pay for that service.

20.   Texting language like HBU (How About You), K (instead of OK) and the list goes on and on. This bugs me because I feel like it’s not too much effort to actually type out these words to express what you really mean. Nothing is more annoying than having to look up what you meant to say in a text message.

When I first learned of this assignment I had mixed feelings on it. First of all I was apprehensive about wanting to think of 20 things that bugged me. Primarily because I like to think that I am a positive person and brainstorming things that bugged me would create negativity and not only that but once I thought of them I figured I would notice them all the time! The second reason this assignment gave me pause was because I really genuinely thought I wouldn't be able to think of 20 things that truly bugged me on a regular basis. But I have to admit that once I committed to finishing the assignment I honestly was forgetting some of the bugs that came to mind because they came fast and furious! I had to start jotting them down and then explaining why they bugged me afterwards because I couldn't keep up! Overall this assignment was eye opening to the little things that can irk me with little justification and rationale behind it.

Week 2 Reading Reflection

In this chapter I learned lots of new information about the concept of entrepreneurship. But I think one of the biggest parts that stood out actually was on the first page of the text, when the author distinguished the difference between an entrepreneur and a small-business owner. Before this class I believed that these two terms could be used interchangeably, one of the same. But the author points out in this section of the text that there are differences between the two, differences that I hadn’t put much thought into before. For example one of the items discussed was the different perspective on the development of their firms. An entrepreneur maintains the objectives of innovation, profitability and growth. Small-businesses on the other hand usually aren’t innovative in their practice and some owners prefer a more stable and less aggressive approach to their business, wanting to maintain stability.

I believe that the most confusing aspect of this chapter was in the Schools -of-Thought Approaches to entrepreneurship. Separating these approaches based on macro and micro seemed to be a tad bit confusing because sometimes the lines seemed blurred between what was defined as an external locus of control versus an internal locus of control. For example in the Environmental School of Thought which is classified as a macro view it discusses the entrepreneurs’ lifestyle. In my opinion that sounds more like an internal locus of control in terms of how someone chooses to live their life, or the desires which someone has, yet being classified as macro and external is confusing.

Towards the end of the chapter the author defines a new term to me called a “gazelle”. This is an interesting concept and I enjoyed reading about and although the text did a great job defining the term and explaining the concept, it didn’t give many real life examples of companies that would fit in this terms category. What are some companies or businesses that are around present day and fit this mold at some point in its lifespan? Are they successful today? Are they still at the same pace? If so, how did they achieve this?

When talking about the costs of free trade in the text the author cites NAFTA (The North American Free Trade Agreement) as a source of job loss in the United States because of outsourcing. I’m curious as to what options the US really has in addressing this problem? The author discusses a movement of fair trade rather than free trade, but how would look in the real world? How would the US go about honoring their trade agreement with Canada and Mexico and at the same time try to edge towards this change in trade?

This chapter was pretty straightforward in terms of the content and had a lot of definitions and explaining theories and approaches to entrepreneurship, so there wasn’t a lot of information to potentially disagree upon with the author. 

My Entrepreneurship Story

Christmas on Church Street - Dade City 

December 22nd, 2015 was a night that I will always remember. It was the night that I had the opportunity and privilege to play music at an event called Christmas on Church Street. It is a little quaint street located in Dade City, to the north of Tampa. It is an event that has taken place for many years and is usually during the three night span prior to Christmas Day. This street is closed off from traffic and the street is flooded with people of all ages. All of the residents decorate their homes with Christmas lights on this cobble stone road and there are a variety of bands and shows that span throughout the entire street. There are three churches that are located on this street where different musical guests play each night, and this year my church and I had the honor of being one of the guests at one of these churches.

The reason why I selected this as my entrepreneur story is because unlike previous events we have done at my church this event solely rested on my shoulders. I was the planner, the executioner and the head honcho of the event. I would not be honest if I didn’t admit this was a lot of responsibility and something that was accompanied with some stress. I was representing my church and its members and I wanted to do them justice along with humbly and honorably representing God with the music and planning of the event. I approached the youth pastor at my church about this idea around October with the idea of doing a collaborative effort with the youth band and the young adult band for the event, which he was extremely excited about. The next step was to check the availability of all the musicians to insure everyone would be able to participate and be in town for the event, which thankfully they were. Then came the longest step which was the setup and design of how the night would run. Dividing the two hour time window into several sets of music proved to be difficult because of selecting the songs and timing how long each of the sets would last. Getting the framework was pretty simple but finalizing it was much more time consuming and took place up until the night before the event. The night before the event we had a three hour practice in which we did a run through of the night. The day we were set to perform was not as hectic as I had anticipated with set up because I had some awesome friends and support that helped the process run as smooth as possible without allowing the process to overwhelm me. But honestly when the lights dimmed and it was time to begin all of the preparation process completely faded and it was awesome to be in the moment and enjoy being able to praise and worship God with some of the best musicians I have ever been blessed to play with and know.  Being able to play a mixture of traditional Christmas songs, such as ‘Away in a Manger’ or ‘O Holy Night’, along with some contemporary worship songs, like ‘Oceans’ or ‘The Stand’, was a great blend for the night of music. I’m still in awe of how the night went and the people that joined us in welcoming the Saviors' birth through song. This event I hope is the first of many that we are able to do at this venue and I look forward to the event in 2016!

As a Business Administration major I’m sure many people would select enrolling in this class out of obligation in order to graduate. Although this is a required course when I chose this major I was so excited for this particular course. Desiring to one day pursue the adventure of opening my own business I knew this class would provide me tools to put me in an entrepreneur mindset. I hope that through this course I am able to truly learn how an entrepreneur tackles challenges and deals with difficulties that can arise along the journey of being an entrepreneur. My entrepreneurship journey doesn’t begin the day I open the doors of my future business, but begins now as I create the mindset and learn the tools needed to one day make my dream a reality. 

All About Me! - Introduction

Ignite Conference at Church 

Hey everyone! My name is Skylar and I am a UF online student that is taking this class from Tampa, Florida. I’m majoring in Business Administration and transferred to UF in the fall of 2015. I previously attended USF down here in Tampa but really wanted to be a Gator and when this opportunity arose I jumped at the chance. I am the oldest child of three, my brother attends UCF in Orlando and is majoring in Criminal Justice and my sister attends St. Leo University and is majoring in Religious Studies. 

One word that defines who I am is Christian. I love my church and my church family and more importantly Jesus Christ! It is more than just a part of who I am but really defines who I am. My favorite Bible verse is John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” I have the privilege of serving in a few ministries in my church the largest one being the music ministry. I learned how to play the acoustic guitar as a high school senior project and have been playing for 5 years now. I try to use this gift to help in various groups of my church including the youth group, the young adult group and the Sunday morning worship services. I’ve recently tried my hand at learning the piano, a very difficult instrument to learn, and some percussion instruments as well. I absolutely love all facets of music and because of this passion this leads to my biggest personal career aspiration! One day being able to open my own music store!!!

Teaching others is something that really brings joy to my life and I really hope to join this with my love of music and be able to teach all kinds of musical instruments to kids. In the location where I live we have very few stores where you are able to purchase musical equipment and instruments not to mention even fewer stores that offer individual music lessons. I truly believe that music is a creative outlet that people of all ages can get involved in and really benefit from. Music is a tool that can reach everyone since there are so many genres and so many artists in the world today. Whether you are a fan of classical opera or are a hardcore metal listener, or anything in between, there is music out there for you to consume as a listener. This also means there is plenty of opportunity to make or play music for everyone which is one of the many reasons this dream is so important to me! 

I am an Entrepreneur! - Entrepreneur's Mantra

First Blog Post

This is a test message to insure I know how to properly create a post. This is a very boring post to begin with, but stay tuned for more posts soon!