30A – Final Reflection

  1  Read through your posts from this semester. Recall all of the experiences you've had along the way -- the highs, the lows -- the fun moments, and the moments of drudgery, and even the moments of dread.

I started poorly in the beginning of this classes having missed out on a lot assignment due to personal issue. This is best in explain in my blog post 26A Celebrating Failure” At such the beginning of the course was the worst experience I had this semester. For high it would be submitting my first assignment or getting 100 percent in one of the cupcake quests.

 2   What sticks out to you as the most formative experience? The experience that you'll remember years later? What was your most joyous experience? What experience are you most proud of yourself for accomplishing?

The horrible feeling of having failed many of the early assignment knowing how easy all of it could be avoided had I started with a better mentality in the beginning of this course, was my most formative experience along with one that I would most likely remember year later. That time I got a hundred in a cupcake quiz, as I usually missed one question in those quizzes. Once I started working hard in this course having not missed a single assignment from this course, as I not longer felt like a failure.

  3     At the beginning of the semester, I mentioned that I wanted each of you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Now, at the end, do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Do you think you have moved closer to developing an entrepreneurial mindset?

I don’t feel like entrepreneur yet as my idea was directive of another product. Rather than something completely innovative, along with the fact I still have trouble communicating with stranger and getting myself out there.  Still I feel move closer to an entrepreneur mindset, as I am known look into trying to get more experience from internship, along with researching and imagining what new technology will provide the most major change in our society.

4    What is the one recommendation you would make to the students who are going to journey down this path in the future? What would you recommend they do to perform best in this course? What would you recommend they do to foster that mindset?
 
 I personally recommend student should practice getting interview and doing interview, if one wishes to take this course or pursue career as an entrepreneur. For this course I would recommend picking something your either passionate or have deep understanding for your venture idea, as a lot of this assignment required you to elaborate on many aspects of the venture you chose. As while I got lucky and pick something that I know a lot about, and I am passionate on. I could easily imagine getting constant writer block every week, if pick something else. Thus, difficulty of this course I feel is determine by how compatible you are with the venture idea you pick. I feel for enterprising mindset development on this course could be done through reading a lot of student assignment, after you finish your own. As a lot this assignment are repeated and looking how differently people though on assignment compare to yourself would help develop a more openminded mindset necessary for being an entrepreneur. 

Image of myself October 2019

                                                      Image of myself December 2019

29A – Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity 
My customer base come from the growing size of student deciding to take online class rather than going to university physically. This is due to preference or financial reason that make it too expensive to live in dorm or must constantly drive to their university to take classes.  This group has lot of potential customer that would go for this app for variety reason. Some are diligent student who are looking for any tool that will help them further improve, so while some feature like lock down of phone may not be necessary to them. They will still be attracted to feature like calendar integration with phone to help them make better study plan. They’re those who are adjusted to doing self-study do to taking physical class that constantly remind you to study and do your assignment in time. At such this app will help them get adjusted with university online life by providing constant reminder for due date and locking distraction away in order to set up a more class like setting for them to study or work in. As during physical class, you would not be allowed to play gamer or get distracted browsing the internet. This app will also help those struggling with online classes I general by use providing a lot of tool that could help turn their life around by giving them a way to develop more hard-working diligent style of doing online classes. There is time-window for this opportunity that come in two form. First are that customer would only use the app during their university life at such once they graduate this app will become useless to them, after they have graduated. The other time-windowed is the newness of the concept of online class. This time window is harder to measure due to the fact online class are still slowly getting adopted by more university over the years. At such their a lot less competition for this niche but growing market meaning you have a lot less competition for the attention of online student. Another group this app could be used for that is, also growing in number would be for those who take online high school classes. As they have very similar structure to university online classes, at such not much work will be required to modify my app to fit those high school student need.
Innovation
Productivity app is already an establish group of market that specialized on different thing ranging from general app that are made to prevent procrastination and help people achieve their goal through help with scheduling too more specialized app that focus as example thing like living healthier lifestyle. That provide tool to schedule exercise time along with way to record your calories intake and give advice on preparing dish that would help meet you get in shape. This app specialized for university student and provide tool specifically for them. Such as canvas calendar integration with the calendar provider in your phone. At such having constant access to due date for your assignment at all time without having to login to your online class account. Along with alarm set up to remind you ahead of time as the assignment due date approaches you.  Other feature consider would providing access to resources link for studying purpose along with forum communication to give recommendation on picking your classes better and giving you good idea what to expect for each semester. The pricing would be a onetime two-dollar purchase that provide additional source of revenue from cosmetic feature to customize thing like calendar provided. Along with a donation button for those who are really benefited from app and wish to further pay us to improve the app through update. I feel like adding a suggestion section to write and submit idea would make my app read my customer better thus allowing to prioritize improvement implemented in the app.  I also planning to find online high school to partner with, along with just making the app general compatible to those online class as well due to fact that I feel beside the class difficulty itself both university and online class don’t differ too much.
Venture Concept
Customer would come for my app for variety reason. Such as low price providing low barrier of entry in desired to try this app to see how it improve their performance in online class. This two-dollar price will be specially attracted due to many productivity app being similar priced. Along with the fact that taking university class cost a lot more than my app. At such someone taking class will see two dollar as very small price to help make sure you get everything out of the cost already paid for taking online classes. At such between failing or not doing well in those classes and paying two dollars will be a no brainier payment to make sure you get value out of your previous much costly investment. This app will also provide community for those just starting to take online classes that will help them do well in them like website that help guide student who were taking physical university classes. The main feature would direct integration with partner online school such that they will provide more benefit for online student choosing our app over a more generic productivity app. The fact few app is specializing to online class combine with newness of experience of taking online class a lot of student would experience. Would make them more curious to trying out my app do to having a lot less competition from other app along with less advice for them being available.  Along with that if their widespread use of this app specially in particular online school I would like to find some partnership with that school to offer the app for free to all student enrolled in that school for a decent fee from the university. This idea is inspired from partnership that UF has with many companies that allowed their student to access purchase program like PowerPoint and Microsoft excel through the power of the UF cloud service that is free to UF student. So, I know that university like to do this kind of thing, an that such partnership would be a win for both the partner university and my business.
Three Minor Element
Besides your actual innovative product, service, or process, what will you have that will make it hard for competitors to copy your success?
The hardest feature to copy based on the resource I have available would be my connection to a university online school of UF. This give me firsthand experience to how online student function in their classes. Along with possible access to being able to get permission to integrate my app officially with an online university of Florida. This type of connection is harder to obtain as they’re not as simple to purchase at such it much harder to copy. At the same time a lot of company due to have connection to university so it not impossible for competitor to copy this advantage it would still serve as something that will limit the ability of other company without this connection to compete against me.
  Describe either the next opportunity you want to tackle with your current innovation, or describe the next new product, service, or process that may be aimed at your existing customers.
I would like to add a lot more feature to my app in order to being able to differentiate myself from other competitor. Also, I would like to find not intrusive extra payment option that not hamper user experience in order to get a steady stream source of revenue that will continue to improve my app at a much quicker rate thus increased my market shared.
Assuming you launched, where do you want to be in five years with this venture? Where do you want to be, as an entrepreneur, in the next decade, and how does this first venture help you achieve your vision?
I would like to focus mainly in improving my app for the first five year of the app life. After that I would slowdown support of my app unless it is providing a large amount of profit a start focusing a new business idea.  Specially if this venture is successful as my next idea could be more ambitious due to being able to get a lot more investor for my idea due to having an example that my idea has been successful before. Of course, during those last few years, I would be picking and training my successor in order to make sure that my business is being hand over to someone trustworthy.


Feedback
I did not receive any feedback from fellow student in my blog, so I will use the feedback receive from the “What Next?” Assignment. The feedback receive from interview could be summarized to making my app more specialized in aspect related to online class and it’s ever evolving nature. The other feedback I receive is took look for alternative payment method or even way to make my app. As there were curious but wary do it not being free to tryout. This assignment also gave me feedback to investigate expanding my market into closely related region that have been neglected.
Improvement
From the feedback I receive I decide to invest in some innovation that will make product much more desirable and better. This came mainly from interview number one in the form of including a support section to my app to collect suggestion from user in order to improve the app and make it more specialized for doing online classes. From interview two and three I investigate more idea of making my app free for some people while still being profitable. This led me to idea with partner with certain university to be able to offer my app for free to online universities student in return for a reduce bulk payment from university itself. Also, from looking into unseen venture based on feedback receive I came up with the idea to expand my app business to online high school classes as that market is nearly identical university online class but in a smaller scale.

                   

                                                  

                       Image of competitor app called Forest. This is a general  productivity app

                                            

28A – Your Exit Strategy

1)

     My exit strategy five year in the future would be mostly likely to keep a large share of the company and pass the leadership position to a trustworthy successor that I have personally either train or have work with during those five year.

2)

     I will pick this strategy because I felt that this market of productivity app for online university class start having limited growth over the years. Do to be an offshoot of bigger market attempt to expand would put into much harsher competition, if were to make directive app. An if I add feature to help user for example with fitness it will cause more confusion and not attract new customer. As people would prefer to keep the app for doing online class and for experience separate to prevent an information overlord. At such while it will keep a loyal customer base, to move onto bigger thing I would need to put my attention elsewhere. At such leaving direct leadership, while retaining some influence in the company is best of both worlds. As could keep it as a steady stream of revenue while allowing me to focus my attention on a new venture. Given mixed that is almost the best of both worlds, by providing both opportunity and stability to me.

3)

     This exit strategy made realize while a lot of major corporation like google, apple, sony and amazon invest in so many unrelated ventures. As all marketplace has limited when it come to growth and expanding their business. This exit strategy made realize have stability can led to stagnation, if one put all their egg in one basket. This exist strategy would also through stock allowed to me generate revenue that would help lessen the amount of investment money needy to be gathered to start a new venture. So, it made realize if I wish to perform multiple venture that thing become easier, as even if tool of previous venture would serve not used if one move something like software much for making movie. The capital provide from previous venture would allow you to invest on yourself with a decent amount of money making it easier to reach funding goal, along with providing more control in your entrepreneur venture due to major investor in your own idea.

27A Reading Reflection No. 3

Book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman

1 What was the general theme or argument of the book?

            The general argument of the book is there are two system of thinking automatic thinking and effortful thinking. These two-type thinking both serve a purpose, but a major problem when it comes to making decision is that this system of thinking can get mixed up in decision making. At such situation that require quick thinking and instant action could fail due to a person subconsciously using effortful thinking in that situation. While a situation that require careful thinking could be ruin due to making a rash decision from using automatic thinking. Most of the book deal with the problem cause by the automatic thinking process, but the book said both have problem 

2 How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

            This book help enforce the importance taking immediate action to achieve one goal, a lesson that has constantly been repeated in this class. With assignment of calling company related to entrepreneur idea in order to get an interview. As for that assignment one needed to make many calls, which required an automatic mindset. At the same time book, also teach that this type of mindset should not used for everything thus teaching people that something people need to slow down,

3 If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

           I would make an assignment that involve writing three time you felt regret from not doing something you wanted and three time you felt messed up from not thinking something through. From this situation I would like you to think how for future situation you will make sure your using the proper thinking method for those situations.

4 What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

           Based on the fact this class has constantly been encouraging a mindset reminiscing the automatic thinking system. I though this book would have mainly dealt with the effortful thinking system, an it’s fault rather than the automatic thinking system. As it would have fit in more with the general theme this class tries to teach you instead it shows fault of this system while at the same time stating it still necessary to achieve one’s goal.

26A Celebrating Failure

       This semester I miss a lot of assignment in the beginning of this semester. I was slightly depressed about few things in my life like my second grandma having died during the beginning of this semester. In made me felt regret that I never call or talk to her a lot thinking I will have time for it in the future. It made me self-conscious about making sure to talk to my distant relative as much as possible along with dedicating spending more time with my mom and dad. This has made me feel discourage, when I fail to spend time with them, when I am free. This make me discourage thus feeling less likely to talk to them. This tangent relates to this first part in that I started ignoring my class, in the beginning semester due similar logic of missing deadline making me feel like I should not even bother thus making delay work on future assignment. Eventually I started not being able to sleep at night due to guilt from not doing my assignment, which made me do an assignment in time in order to be able sleep at night. This success made me able to start work schedule that allowed me to finish all the assignment in time. I also was able to get myself to watch each lecture video at least twice in order to do well in the quizzes. From this experience I learn how horrible completely giving up feel. I also learn it take a long time for you to reach a breaking point when it comes to guilt, at such that it serves as horrible warning system for doing anything in your life. As it took me a long time for me to get to the sleepless state, where not amount time being awake would allow me to go to sleep unless I did my assignment.  I think this failure is important in helping regain my willpower to work hard in my classes again. From this class I learn this willpower to keep trying and putting effort regardless how hopeless situation is something important more than just working in class. This cause as I learn in this class, in real world their no rigid timeline when it come to the first step of starting something. As the teacher said in lecture unlike class where you only get one try in an exam or assignment, when it comes to entrepreneurship as due to the fact their endless opportunity to try again. With example being presenting your idea to other company, try to gather self-funding for a test model or even submit your idea again to the same company with improvement. Meaning you always have an opportunity in this field unlike class where you limited range of time to put effort in. At such the willpower to attempt something regardless of how much your fail in the pass is important.

25A – What’s Next?

Existing Market

1 After finishing app my next step would be to listen to feedback for my customer on how to improve my app to be more helpful to them. Along with looking for feature that feasible for the app that help the user do better in classes that they have not though off. This will be done through more market research.

2

Interviewer # 1

This interviewer say they used app like forest to help them focus in the classes. They said that my app needs more feature or further specialization to get them move to my product. They suggest thing like making app give recommendation to website to study for exam or classes along with the feature that I had already plan

Interviewer # 2

This interviewer has not used a productivity app but have used their phone alarmed system to try set up scheduling for study. Though they occasionally get distracted and fail to meet their goal with this app. They were willing to try the app if it was cheaply price.

Interviewer # 3

This interviewer was already satisfied with their productivity app and was already graduating so she said they were not interested. Though they personally only pay for the initial fee of app. They did suggest looking for way to add in app purchase that have not function like different wall screen for phone lock-down method. As it will give extra payment revenue while keeping customer who wish for one-time payment still attracted as all functional feature would be giving to them with the one-time payment at such, they will not feel like they have been given an incomplete product.

3

I was surprise that two out of my three interviewers were already diligent worker even before using the app. As I expect most consumer would be people who are doing bad in their class.  Also, for the first interviewer I always had idea to add more feature to my productivity app specialized in online class, so I was already planning for that. But I never though of adding feature to help guide student to website that provide study material due to my focus on app being set on developing a diligent work ethic for the user to help do well in their online classes.

 For the last interviewer I was surprise to be given suggestion on finding an extra payment method. But they said it was due to fact that this kind of app would require constant improvement that are free to their already existing consumer base to get more publicity and grow it market share. At such way to get a little bit extra money for minor cosmetic thing or from more supportive consumer who want to give out money to help development of this app. While not pissing off those who only want one-time purchase for this kind of app. They also suggest donation option in the app with note saying money goes to improving the app.

New Market

1

Another Market to considering going after though it a lot more competitive would be productive app specialized for those who wish to get fit.

2

 My new take on the app will work with integration with local community gym, along with reusing feature from my previous app that are more neutral. I could also make it have integration with my university online app to make it so that time schedule for schoolwork and for exercise collide with each other making you must choose one over the other due to poor planning.

3

 Interview 1

They were not online student, so they did not see value for the app integration aspect with my other app. He did say that integration with the local gym will be helpful, if it could tell him how fill the gym is to know the chances that certain machine is available.

Interview 2

They were not online student so saw not benefit with the integration aspect of this app. They were interested with general feature of the app due to not being a constant gym goer. They said would pick the app if had integration with the community gym due convenience. But he does no know much about exercising productivity app, so he does know how my app compare to them.

4

I am surprise there were not a lot of exercise app productivity user in the local gym though that may be due to limited number of people at the gym. At such I had to used interview of people who where interested in the app. This gave a lot more limited information regarding how this market function.

I was also surprised with how different the attitude of gym goer is to those of UF online student. In that UF student were more willing to used productivity app. Through this analysis I could guess that exercise productive app may be used more by those who do not want to go to gym, but still get fit and live a healthier lifestyle.  I feel due to lack of market information along with more intense competition for this market based on how many exercises on app store are available. This market is much less attractive compare to the market I am aiming for.

24A Venture Concept No. 1

Business Title : University Online Class Productivity App ( UOCP App  )

Opportunity  

My customer base come from the growing size of student deciding to take online class rather than going to university physically. This is due to preference or financial reason that make it too expensive to live in dorm or must constantly drive to their university to take classes.  This group has lot of potential customer that would go for this app for variety reason. Some are diligent student who are looking for any tool that will help them further improve, so while some feature like lockdown of phone may not be necessary to them. They will still be attracted to feature like calendar integration with phone to help them make better study plan. They’re those who are adjusted to doing self-study do to taking physical class that constantly remind you to study and do your assignment in time. At such this app will help them get adjusted with university online life by providing constant reminder for due date and locking distraction away in order to set up a more class like setting for them to study or work in. As during physical class, you would not be allowed to play gamer or get distracted browsing the internet. This app will also help those struggling with online classes I general by use providing a lot of tool that could help turn their life around by giving them a way to develop more hard-working diligent style of doing online classes. There is time-window for this opportunity that come in two form. First are that customer would only use the app during their university life at such once they graduate this app will become useless to them, after they have graduated. The other time-windowed is the newness of the concept of online class. This time window is harder to measure due to the fact online class are still slowly getting adopted by more university over the years. At such their a lot less competition for this niche but growing market meaning you have a lot less competition for the attention of online student.

Innovation

Productivity app is already an establish group of market that specialized on different thing ranging from general app that are made to prevent procrastination and help people achieve their goal through help with scheduling too more specialized app that focus as example thing like living healthier lifestyle. That provide tool to schedule exercise time along with way to record your calories intake and give advice on preparing dish that would help meet you get in shape. This app specialized for university student and provide tool specifically for them. Such as canvas calendar integration with the calendar provider in your phone. At such having constant access to due date for your assignment at all time without having to login to your online class account. Along with alarm set up to remind you ahead of time as the assignment due date approaches you.  Other feature consider would providing access to resources link for studying purpose along with forum communication to give recommendation on picking your classes better and giving you good idea what to expect for each semester. The pricing would be a onetime two-dollar purchase that provide additional source of revenue from cosmetic feature to customize thing like calendar provided. Along with a donation button for those who are really benefited from app and wish to further pay us to improve the app through update.

Venture Concept

Customer would come for my app for variety reason. Such as low price providing low barrier of entry in desired to try this app to see how it improve their performance in online class. This two-dollar price will be specially attracted due to many productivity app being similar priced. Along with the fact that taking university class cost a lot more than my app. At such someone taking class will see two dollar as very small price to help make sure you get everything out of the cost already paid for taking online classes. At such between failing or not doing well in those classes and paying two dollars will be a no brainer payment to make sure you get value out of your previous much costly investment. This app will also provide community for those just starting to take online classes that will help them do well in them like website that help guide student who were taking physical university classes. The main feature would direct integration with partner online school such that they will provide more benefit for online student choosing our app over a more generic productivity app. The fact few app is specializing to online class combine with newness of experience of taking online class a lot of student would experience. Would make them more curious to trying out my app do to having a lot less competition from other app along with less advices for them being available.

Three Minor Element

Besides your actual innovative product, service, or process, what will you have that will make it hard for competitors to copy your success?

The hardest feature to copy based on the resource I have available would be my connection to a university online school of UF. This give me firsthand experience to how online student function in their classes. Along with possible access to being able to get permission to integrate my app officially with an online university of Florida. This type of connection is harder to obtain as they’re not as simple to purchase at such it much harder to copy. At the same time a lot of company due to have connection to university so it not impossible for competitor to copy this advantage it would still serve as something that will limit the ability of other company without this connection to compete against me.

  Describe either the next opportunity you want to tackle with your current innovation, or describe the next new product, service, or process that may be aimed at your existing customers.

I would like to add a lot more feature to my app in order to being able to differentiate myself from other competitor. Also, I would like to find not intrusive extra payment option that not hamper user experience in order to get a steady stream source of revenue that will continue to improve my app at a much quicker rate thus increased my market shared.

Assuming you launched, where do you want to be in five years with this venture? Where do you want to be, as an entrepreneur, in the next decade, and how does this first venture help you achieve your vision?

I would like to focus mainly in improving my app for the first five year of the app life. After that I would slowdown support of my app unless it is providing a large amount of profit a start focusing a new business idea.  Specially if this venture is successful as my next idea could be more ambitious due to being able to get a lot more investor for my idea due to having an example that my idea has been successful before.