30A – Final Reflection

1) I have to admit that some of these posts really did take a lot out of me and required me to really use some brain power. The lows that I experienced in this class was when I realized that I did not turn in an assignment or when I realized that I waited too long to begin an assignment. However, this got better when I started putting reminders on my phone. The highs of this class was reading all the feedback from my peers. I got to see what they actually took away from my posts and see what stuck out to them the most.

2) All the posts for this class really allowed me to display my creative side, which is not something I usually do. Creative thinking is extremely useful and important and this class taught me the benefits of it, so I think that is definitely something that I will cherish and take away from this class.

3) As I said before, we were really required to look at our business idea in a critical and creative manner, which is something that is required of entrepreneurs. I think this class really did help me to think and act more like an entrepreneur. Now, if I plan to be an entrepreneur in the future is a different question, but this class definitely helped me see that it is possible.

4) I would just encourage anyone who has the desire to be an entrepreneur to start planning now. Document and save everything down so you can see how your idea possible changed. Look to others for advice and feedback as different perspectives are necessary to develop the best idea. For this class, I would just advise students to take it seriously, start assignments early, and actually put some effort into it. The things you learn from yourself when doing these assignments are very rewarding so put your best foot forward when you are in this class.

29A – Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity: My business idea can completely eliminate long wait times in checkout lanes. This solution would be beneficial for the typical mother of two who is just trying to get their kids out of the store before they ask for about every candy on the shelf. It would also be great for the typical college student who is just trying to get home to finish studying for their three exams, or just about anyone who can't stand these long lines.
This would be a great opportunity as humans are only becoming busier in their lives. Checkout lanes are becoming longer than ever, especially now during this pandemic because everyone is trying to stock up on cleaning supplies and make home-cooked meals rather than eating out. Currently, people are attempting to bypass these long wait times by using self-checkout lanes. However, this is not always the best option for everyone because self-checkout was designed for people who have less than five items, not for the person who has a cart full of groceries and house supplies. This new situation we are facing in grocery stores will likely become our new normal so that is why the window of opportunity for my idea will probably be open for quite a while.

Innovation: My idea is that instead of all the checkout lanes, we equip our cashiers with smartphones that have scanning and paying ability. This can potentially save about five minutes per customer during their whole checkout process. This process also encourages customers to bag only the few necessary items. So not only would this solution help to cut down the long wait times, but it might also help to eliminate some of our plastic waste while keeping our customers happy and our cashiers employed. I would be selling this app to grocery stores and other stores who wish to get involved. This app can be downloaded on any smartphone or tablet, however a store must be registered to the app and the appropriate sign-in information (as created by the store admin) should be entered to verify everything and prevent fraud. I would probably sell this application for $15 per device as it allows for scanning and paying and requires large storage of data and accounts, however this price has not been declared yet.

Venture Concept: This is a good idea to implement into stores especially right now because people do not want to be standing in long checkout lanes for several minutes as they have other things to do and it might increase their risk of infectious contact. People are always looking for a faster alternative so I don't think it would be that hard to get the customers to switch. As for store owners, making that switch might be a little hard for them because they are the ones required to invest in this idea. The biggest competitor for me would be the self-checkout lanes, however one cannot really use these when they have a cart full of groceries, so it is not always the most convenient option. In creating this business idea, I do not plan to eliminate any employee positions. The utilization of my idea will require just as many cashiers as before as stores would need employees to operate these applications. Of course, a brief training and mastering of the application would be established prior to its use.

Minor Elements: 1) My secret sauce that will set my idea apart from others is my tenacity and perseverance.

2) What's next for my venture is to possibly venture out to clothing and appliance stores, which might be very useful during peak times of the year, such as for holidays and Black Friday.
3) In the next 5 years or so I plan to sell my idea to some company, which will allow me to focus on other possible ventures.

I didn't receive any critical feedback, but I was encouraged about the benefits of implementing my business idea into grocery stores during the situation right now. I was also encouraged about my idea to venture out into other stores, so I incorporated this more into my updated venture concept. I tried to clarify in this post what exactly I am selling to these store owners. This would allow people to see if my idea is actually worth investing in.

28A – Your Exit Strategy

For my exit strategy, I think it is best that I sell my business in the coming years to large company grocery stores. This might be the most lucrative option for my business and this way I would not have to deal with the individual store owners or managers. This particular exit strategy would possibly allow me to spend my time and efforts in other, bigger ventures such as expanding my business idea to maybe clothing and appliance stores. This isn't an idea that I was exploring prior to making this strategy. I was merely focusing on grocery stores because I thought that those checkout lanes were the only ones that could get as long. But I would profit off introducing my idea to these other stores because their lines can get crazy long especially during peak times of the year. So this strategy really helps me to continue aiming higher and bigger for my business.

27A – Reading Reflection No. 3

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance

1. What surprised me the most about Elon Musk is just the great number of business ventures he set out on and the notability of each one of them. It's just so surprising to me that one can have that many unique ideas and and see to that all of those ideas are successful.
2. Just as it surprised me the most, I also admired it the most. His sheer ability to pursue all these ideas that are so vastly different from each other, and the ideas that might have seemed so far fetched is what is most admiring.
3. The thing I admire the least seems to be common between most of these figures. Elon Musk was known to fire his employees impulsively, which I don't agree with. His employees are people that he should be establishing trust and respect with. So I think he needs to work on his relationships with people.
4. Musk has had several failures involving failed model rocket launches. But he learned from those failures and found what was wrong, and now several people are signing up to be the first ones on Musk's rocket to Mars.
5. I think Musk was extremely courageous in his business ventures. He thinks of ideas that no one has even thought of or thinks is possible.
6. The one question that I could think of asking Musk is: When do you think the rock to Mars will be set to launch?
7. Musk obviously valued hard work and dedication from a very young age and he continues to use that today. These are extremely important elements to have along with many others in order to gain success, so I think it's definitely great qualities to have.

26A – Celebrating Failure

1) This semester, even though my grades did not show it, I felt like I was failing at my classes. There were a lot of times that I just forgot to complete assignments. There were a lot of bonus and forgiveness opportunities offered for these classes, which was a relief, but still, it just created a lot more headache in the end. I do procrastinate a lot, but this semester it has been really bad especially after being home and not in the typical class environments. I tried using an agenda, but I eventually stopped using it because it seemed more like a chore to fill out. Hopefully, I can just say it's because of senioritis.

2) The main thing that I learned from this is that you should never ever procrastinate. You will just end up regretting all your decisions leading up to it and it just creates even more headache, so it's not worth it. I learned that putting reminders in my phone might be the best way to go since they can be set to go off at a specific time and will go off multiple times until you actually delete it.

3) Failure sucks but I think it's necessary because we need to learn from our mistakes. We need to see what we did wrong and how to change it so that we never make that mistake again. So it's ok to fail at something as long as you know that you need to fix it and you figure out how to fix it.

25A – What’s Next?

Existing Market:
What's next with my product in the existing market is not only implementing it in busy grocery stores, but also implementing it in shopping malls and busy clothing or appliance stores during peak shopping times of the year. My product is something that would be very useful during Black Friday when almost every store is filled to the brim with customers. So my idea would not just be limited to only certain types of stores. Since we were not able to conduct the customer interviews, I used three of my friends and family friends who work or have worked in retail. They all agreed that my idea and the manner in which I am going about it is reasonable and doable. They all liked that it would not eliminate the cashier position, however they were afraid that it might reduce the amount of cashier positions. However, I assured them that with the smartphone scanners and payers there would be just the same amount of cashiers hired and required to operate the technology as there once were with the original checkout lanes.


New Market:
I think a completely different market that I could sell my product to is clothing and appliance stores like I mentioned above. Before, I was thinking that my product would only be useful for grocery stores. However, these other stores also see that their lines can become very long and wait times during checkout are also unnecessarily long. This happens especially right before holidays and school reopenings. That is why a product like mine could easily benefit such shops and their customers.

24A – Venture Concept No. 1

We all hate waiting in long checkout lanes at the grocery store. We have things to do, places to be, people to see, so the checkout lane is the last place we would want to spend a good chuck of our free time in. We find ourselves constantly skipping from line to line in an attempt to secure the fastest-moving and shortest lane. But often the result of this skipping around just to save ourselves some time results in a facepalm when we notice the other line we were just in is actually moving faster and the person that was behind you has completely checked out. Customers become infuriated with long wait times in checkout lanes, especially when they see that only 2 out of the 12 lanes are actually open. We can no longer be forcing these customers to wait in these long lanes when they have other things stacked up on their busy schedule.

I have a great idea that can completely eliminate long wait times in checkout lanes. This solution would be beneficial for the typical mother of two who is just trying to get their kids out of the store before they ask for about every candy on the shelf. It would also be great for the typical college student who is just trying to get home to finish studying for their three exams. 

This would be a great opportunity as humans are only becoming busier in their lives. Checkout lanes are becoming longer than ever, especially now during this pandemic because everyone is trying to stock up on cleaning supplies and make home-cooked meals rather than eating out. This market might be defined more by parents as they are often the ones in a big rush to get home to their kids. Currently, people are attempting to bypass these long wait times by using self-checkout lanes. However, this is not always the best option for everyone because self-checkout was designed for people who have less than five items, not for the person who has a cart full of groceries and house supplies.

My idea is that instead of all the checkout lanes, we equip our cashiers with smartphones that have scanning and paying ability. This can potentially save about five minutes per customer during their whole checkout process. This process also encourages customers to bag only the few necessary items. So not only would this solution help to cut down the long wait times, but it might also help to eliminate some of our plastic waste while keeping our customers happier and our cashiers employed.

23A – Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

1. Business idea involves technology that already exists
VRIN: This is valuable because this opportunity would not be difficult to implement. Since it already exists it is not really rare. Other companies might be able to create something similar to what I am trying to create so it may be imitable and some stores may go with self-checkout option rather than my idea so it is not necessarily non-substitutable.

2. I have engineering and computer science friends that are knowledgeable about the technology involved in my business idea
VRIN: This is very valuable because their expertise will help me create the platform I am thinking of. This is rare because the expertise offered by my friends is unique, which also makes it imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable as well.

3. Friend's mom is a manager at Walmart, a popular and very busy grocery store
VRIN: This is extremely valuable because she can offer me her insight and advice on grocery stores like hers and may even be willing to implement my idea in her store to test it out. This is rare I think, because not many students know someone who is involved in the management of a big grocery store. For that reason it can also be considered somewhat imitable and non-substitutable.

4. Smartphones are used for almost every task now and are equipped with countless features
VRIN: This is valuable because people are becoming so technologically savvy and reliant on their phones these days. This is not really rare; since people are so reliant on their phones in general, other companies might benefit from this same aspect. Because of this, it is not imperfectly imitable. However, it is non-substitutable since people will refuse to have their phones replaced by anything.

5. Customer testimonies about long checkout lanes
VRIN: This is valuable because I can use this information to assess what customers really want. It is not rare, since most customers think the same way. It is not imperfectly imitable since customer testimonies can be generalized, however it cannot be substituted.

6. Helps to also eliminate some of our plastic waste
VRIN: This is valuable because eliminating plastic waste has been a big issue that many people are trying to reduce. This is not really rare because reusable grocery bags have been attempting to reduce our plastic waste from grocery bags for years now. Some stores already do this where they do not bag any of their item, so this could be perfect imitable and substitutable.

7. Ability to scan and pay for items all under one application
VRIN: This is valuable because one application provides ease. It is also rare, because these abilities are not currently present under one application. It is imitable as many companies can create similar things to it and it can also be substituted by self-checkout.

8. Helps attract customers and generate more revenue for grocery stores.
VRIN: This may not be as valuable for big, chain grocery stores, because they probably generate enough revenue. This is also not really rare and it can be imitable and substitutable as self-checkout might attract more customers to a store since it is quick.

9. Demand is high for a product that would shorten checkout lane wait times
VRIN: This is valuable because if demand is high for this, then a product that solves this will be beneficial. It is not really rare because several grocery store customer will agree with each other and have this high demand. This may however be substituted because there are now a lot of platforms that will deliver grocery store items to your door in order to bypass long lines.

10. Eliminates the need for so many checkout lanes, clearing up valuable space in stores
VRIN: This is valuable for grocery stores that sell a lot and a variety of items. It is rare because self-checkout even takes up a lot of space and cashiers can technically still be employed with my idea, therefore it is hard to imitate and substitute it.

22A – Elevator Pitch No. 3

Pitch No.3 link:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Xa_zbp3A7Kg3X8me7_OZx-LVHkG2fHtB

Reflection and change: All of the comments and feedback I received on my last two elevator pitches were positive ones. Everyone said that I had a good level of enthusiasm and good delivery. I was concerned if everyone would be able to understand my idea through my explaining during my pitch, but it seemed that it really helped to enhance my prior writings and blog posts about it. In this final pitch, I did not really change much. However, since my idea seems to be very relevant in this current pandemic we are in, I included this aspect in my pitch in order to explain how my product (smartphones equipped with scanning and paying abilities) would be extremely useful during a time like this.

21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Scott Adams

1) General theme/argument: Scott Adams focused much on personality traits throughout his book. He also focused on the various aspects and ideas which people strongly believe or support. He then noted that these beliefs are actually incorrect. He was a big proponent of the fact that minor losses from time to time are ok, as long as you learn to take care of yourself and be comfortable with who you are and what you are doing. If this is done, then your losses will eventually transform into big wins.

2) Connection with ENT3003: From reading his book, we can see that Adams placed great importance on human capital; it was the driving force behind his ideas. He claimed that every skill we have significantly increases our likelihood for success. We have learned in class that as we gain more skills and knowledge we are increasing our human capital. So, the lessons learned from this book are things that can be applied to what we are learning in class.

3) Class exercise: Adams talked a lot about planning throughout his book and how these plans should be obtained through systems and not goals as goals were too specific and time sensitive. So, an activity that I would design based off this book would entail requiring students to write a list of their plans in life. Then I would ask students to devise a system (rather then small goals) for each one of their plans which would allow them to reach their desired destination all while improving their personal skills.

4) Surprising aspect: The most surprising thing to me seemed to be the fact that Adams claimed that we should be devising systems instead of goals in order to reach a certain destination. He claimed that goofs use goals while winners use systems. All my life I have been told to plan my life around specific and timely goals, so I was very surprised that the author of this book said that goals are flawed. However, it makes sense because systems allow us to continuously work on improving and finding something better in everything.

20A – Growing Your Social Capital

1) Azim (Domain Expert) - This is one my family friends. He owns his own cellphone repair shop in my hometown. This is helpful for me because my business idea involves utilizing smartphones equipped with scanning and paying abilities. He is one of my family friends so it wasn't too hard to get in contact with him and ask him for his advice and since we are friends, he doesn't expect anything in return. I showed him my napkin idea and he told me I had a good and easily implementable idea since the app used to scan and pay already exists. Having him in my social network will allow me to obtain advice and a good direction for my business idea since he is technologically savvy.

2) Zach (Market Expert) - This is one of my friends that I have grown up with. We have gone to the same school our entire lives. He used to work at Publix when we were in high school, so his expertise is useful to me as my idea is to be implemented in grocery stores. He also doesn't really expect anything in return from me since we are pretty close friends. I shared my elevator pitch with him and he said that this idea could be really useful during peak times of the day and year, such as when prepping for hurricanes or when the new school year starts.

3) David (Supplier) - This is one of my neighbors back home. David was the best person that I could get a hold of that had some sort of relation to my idea. He was a computer science major in college and he is a developer of an app that allows you to scan a barcode to see what the price is of an item. He explained to me that my idea of scanning a barcode and paying for items using a smartphone and all under one interface might result in some technical issues, but overtime, these bugs can be fixed with updates.

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

1) I am a senior at the University of Florida, graduating this spring. I am a Biology major on the pre-med track and I hope to eventually become a physician, for which I will be applying to medical school this summer. Next year, I will be spending my gap year at home in South Florida working and doing research. I hope that my business idea to speed up the checkout process at grocery store might make the process a little more convenient for me and allow me to focus my time in other important tasks, such as studying.

2) I plan to have cashiers posted with smartphones that are equipped with scanning and paying abilities. This will minimize the time spent in checkout lines. This will be especially useful during a time like this when customers are lining up outside of stores to stock up on groceries for the crisis we are in. And it might even be helpful to promote some aspects of the concept of social distancing.

3) My customers will be college students and working adults especially parents (male or female), because these are the customers that I encountered that go grocery shopping and often complain about the long checkout lines.

4) Customers find this product of mine valuable, because it will save them a lot of time in the grocery store and allow them to spend time doing other tasks in their busy schedule.

5) This solution can help to tackle two issues at once, which not many can do. It not only minimizes the time spent at the grocery store, but also minimizes some of our plastic waste by encouraging customer to not bag certain items.
Now that I look at it, and given the current state of the ongoing pandemic, my solution can also help tackle another issue, which is fighting against COVID-19 by promoting social distancing during checkout.

I think all 5 elements that I proposed in this post really do fit together. At first, I thought the first element regarding who I am was the most out-of-joint with the others, but then I realized that this element serves to explain why the solution I am proposing would cater to me and people like me.

The one feedback I received for my first napkin idea post wrote that I had a great solution and agreed that speeding up the checkout process would indeed help us accomplish more of our other daily tasks. I used this feedback to reflect on the current situation of COVID-19. I feel like now more than ever people are really in need of more efficiency during the checkout process and a method that would promote healthy interactions and proper social distancing.

18A – Create a Customer Avatar

My grocery store innovation would benefit all grocery shoppers. I believe the biggest benefit would go to mothers and fathers that are in a rush to get back to their family. Thus for my customer avatar, I have created middle aged parents, who have children that they need to get back to. They watch Seinfeld, the office, and are lovers of food network. They feel older than they are because of their hectic lives. Their children all play sports and they are constantly running around between work. They have no real days "off," not even the weekends. My mobile checkout idea would benefit them as they will be saving valuable time that they can now allocate elsewhere.

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

1) Elevator pitch link:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=16CXzy0j2jsA5m3JLa8oSY435z6cPHd_i

2) From the feedback that I was given for my first elevator pitch, everyone seemed to have enjoyed it and said I did well. What surprised me the most was that I was told that I was very enthusiastic in my pitch, which was always hard for me to do when I had to perform other speeches such as for my public speaking class. I tried to be as enthusiastic as I could in this new pitch, but it was very late and I was tired, so I'm sorry in advance. I was also a little concerned as to whether I was talking at a fast pace or not. However, from the feedback, I was told that I was going at a good pace when delivering my pitch.

3) I didn't really change anything in my pitch since no one said that there was anything wrong with my first one.

16A -- What's Your Secret Sauce?

Curious - I naturally find myself always asking questions about why things happen. I think
this curiosity has led to my love of learning and always pushing myself in my classes.

Self-belief - I do not believe that there is a “right” path to get you to your goal. I believe that
as long as you are motivated you will be able to achieve what you desire. I may not be the
traditional entrepreneur, but I know that I will be able to sell my idea.

People Person - I am concerned about others and their emotions. I am good at sensing my
surroundings and guiding my conversations with others accordingly. I like making people laugh,
but am also good at consoling individuals during hard times.

Organized - I am very particular on how I get things done. I use my planner and follow my plans
to a tee. It helps me meet my goals in a timely fashion.

I am not a follower - I try and do my own thing as much as I can. This allows me to think in ways
others would not and potentially. I am able to think with a critical eye and see things that others
do not necessarily see.

Interviews:

Shawn Gulgule: Shawn is one of my boyfriends best friends. He believes I am very caring and always
will be there for them. My bad quality is that sometimes I may be too nice and people may take advantage
of me.

Julia Prakash: Julia is one of my best friends at UF. It turns out she grew up less than a mile from where
I live, but I only met her here at UF. Julia says that I am the type of person that thinks before they speak.
She also thinks I can work on standing up for myself and standing my ground in an argument.

Nilan Bhakta: Nilan is my boyfriend. He says that I am very strong and motivated, especially in the
academic setting. He knows me well and knows that I procrastinate often.

Uma Kumar: Uma is one of my friends from UF. She says I am always motivated and have a positive
attitude that can pick others up. She thinks at times I have too much on my plate and spread myself too
thin.

Rifa Ali: Rifa is one of my friends that I met through Julia Prakash. Rifa says that I am very welcoming
and easy to talk to. Her constructive feedback was that I do not hang out with her enough, likely because
I am so busy at times.

Reflect on the Differences:

I think my friends described me very well. Nothing that they said came out of left field. I accept the flaws
that they mentioned and will continue to work on them. I do think that the strengths that were mentioned
make me a great person to pursue my entrepreneurship idea.

Links to Interviews:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15ZDJwnBDxxYg7hBqwGndE1q-n9yK16vf

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jdwApbAmgzFca7fa1suBlH0-DmRvnz9a

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15ZDJwnBDxxYg7hBqwGndE1q-n9yK16vf

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wZ6ekyX2LrgoL8lS2NnJHxwhswTVfLmR

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Nv--GZ2q34nopZqCxZea9I_NWRzu7l56

15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior, No. 2

Segment: Students at UF who go to the grocery store at least once a week

My Findings:

From my interviews I discovered that people are willing to go to other grocery stores
if (1)  the prices are cheaper (without sacrificing quality) and if (2) the checkout lines
were less busy. In these three interviews, it is still unclear which of these 2 factors
determine if the consumer is willing to switch grocery stores. It seems to depend person
to person, and also their income and time that they go to the grocery store. One thing
that was consistent in all the interviews is that everyone would prefer shorter and
quicker checkouts. An interesting point that one interviewee brought up was the cost
of having my mobile checkout system. Employees would need to have a mobile device
provided by the grocery store to scan items and also take payments from the consumer.
This obviously would add costs and also will require additional employees during peak
hours. I would argue that the cost of my idea would be minuscule in comparison to the
profits that a grocery store sees.

My product (the mobile checkout system) would have to be bought by the individual
grocery stores, not the grocery store consumer. However, for the purposes of these
assignments, I am focusing on the actual consumer at the grocery store because they
are the ones directly impacted by my product.

Conclusion:

Grocery store consumers have a variety of preferences depending on their economic
status and time that they go grocery shopping. Everyone would like faster checkouts,
but it is not something that will attract a considerable amount of shoppers from one
grocery store to another. Price, variety of products, quality of products all seem to
attract shoppers more than speed at checkout.

14A – Halfway Reflection

1) I learned to not only work ahead, but also plan out my work ahead of time, so that it would be easier for me to go back and just edit and complete what was missing. This really allowed me to stay on top of all the assignments due in this class and not feel too overwhelmed. Prior to this class, I did not feel confident enough to go up to random people and interview them about my entrepreneurship idea. However, having to do this for this class, really sharpened this skill and I can say that I now know how to professionally approach someone and ask them the right questions that would evoke the most noteworthy answers.

2) Out of all the assignments so far, I feel like I struggled the most with my Bug List. There was a moment where I thought I could not come up with the last 5 bugs and was just about to give up and ask others what they thought I should write. But after taking a little break, and then returning to the assignment, I was able to write out the rest of the bugs almost instantly. This showed me that sometimes you really just need to take a break and experience the different perspectives that life has to offer before you can continue to work on anything else.

3) Work ahead on the assignments and don't just try to crank it out all in one go. If you start a little bit of an assignment one day, you can go back and edit it the next day. Your best ideas will come out if you've given yourself a few moments to sit and think about it.

Really try to put the effort into those interviews. Plan a few questions ahead of time, then allow the conversation to take its course. Do this by asking questions that are thought-provoking and don't require just simple, one-word responses.

Start going out of your comfort zone and talking to larger crowds than what you are normally comfortable with. This will really help you when it comes time to conduct your interviews and deliver your elevator pitch.

Two more months till graduation :'(

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

The Wright Brothers, David McCullough

1) About the entrepreneurs:

• I was most surprised at the fact that the Wright Brothers received very little attention and fame even during their most groundbreaking discoveries. This was due to the Wright Brothers intentionally avoiding the limelight whenever possible, this was not something I would expect from people that created such a life-changing invention.
• I admired the Wright Brothers' determination the most out of everything. They were continuously mocked and laughed at, even called "bluffers," yet they did not let the doubt of the public get to them. They worked long and hard to show the world what they were capable of and with their innovative discovery, they helped change the world forever.
• To me, there wasn't much to dislike about the brothers after reading about their lives. The only thing that I could possibly think of is the fact that the Wright Brothers worked in harsh conditions and did not really allow themselves to participate in any other "fun" activities, which I think they really deserved to do.
• There were several occasions during which the Wright Brothers experienced mechanical failures, specifically when the brothers were attempting to follow the findings of other aviators. The brothers later learned that they could not follow those previous findings, so they decided that the best way to go about this was to conduct their own experiments and make their own findings. This would eventually lead to their successful innovation.

2) The Wright Brothers were extremely competent at working with their hands. They were mechanics in addition to their aviator jobs. They often repaired bicycles prior to their innovation. This allowed them to develop a great skill at constructing and putting things together with their bare hands.

3) Something confusing to me was that the Wright Brothers really struggled to sell flyers, which I don't really understand why this was an issue when they had so many potential buyers that seemed interested.

4) I would like to ask the Wright Brothers these questions: "How many crashes have you guys experienced?" and "When did you come up with the first thought of creating the airplane and what influenced it?"

5) The Wright Brothers worked extremely hard to make their ultimate discovery. They had several failures, yet continued to work tirelessly. So I would think they definitely valued hard work. This goes along with my beliefs and work ethic, because just like the Wright Brothers, I too have one big goal in mind and I am trying to work as hard as I can to reach it, despite the frequent mishaps.

12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

My Segment:
For my interviews, I chose three students at UF that shopped at the grocery store at least once a week.

My Findings:
From my first two interviews, my interviewees expressed that they find themselves often complaining about the length of checkout lines and the time. They even expressed that there are times where they forego getting what they came to the grocery store for as soon as they see how long the lines are. They stated that they could benefit from shorter wait times in checkout lines as they could be spending that time studying, going to the gym, or just hanging out with friends. So they expressed that my business idea was something they wished to see in grocery stores. My last interviewee expressed that he did not really find an issue with the current state of the checkout lines, as he rarely went grocery shopping and instead buys most of his meals out. Because of this specific finding, I may have to analyze the customer demographics a bit more and incorporate my business idea accordingly.

My Conclusions:
From my findings, I can conclude that my business idea would actually benefit customers that frequently shop at grocery stores. I may have to adjust this product availability based off customer demographics and also analyze the times of the day and year for which this product might actually be the most beneficial. After these adjustments, this product can have the potential to be very successful.

11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

1) I am a senior at the University of Florida, graduating this spring. I am a Biology major on the pre-med track and I hope to eventually become a physician, for which I will be applying to medical school this summer. Next year, I will be spending my gap year at home in South Florida working and doing research. I hope that my business idea to speed up the checkout process at grocery store might make the process a little more convenient for me and allow me to focus my time in other important tasks, such as studying.

2) I plan to have cashiers posted with smartphones that are equipped with scanning and paying ability. This will minimize the time spent in checkout lines.

3) My customers will be college students and working adults especially parents (male or female), because these are the customers that I encountered that go grocery shopping and often complain about the long checkout lines.

4) Customers find this product of mine valuable, because it will save them a lot of time in the grocery store and allow them to spend time doing other tasks in their busy schedule.

5) This solution can help to tackle two issues at once, which not many can do. It not only minimizes the time spent at the grocery store, but also minimizes some of our plastic waste by encouraging customer to not bag certain items.

10A – Elevator Pitch No. 1

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1B7MycCILogPaasdT1jTs4Te7JTHyyHFL

9A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who: After conducting my interviews, I have found that my solution to putting an end to long wait times in checkout lanes can really only be implemented during peak times of the day and year. This means that more cashiers will be staffed during each shift and equipped with smartphones with scanning and paying ability only during peak hours of the day, during the weekends, and during holidays. Those that I interviewed all agreed that this could solve the issue with long-checkout lanes. The individuals that I interviewed that are or have been cashiers at retail stores have expressed that this could eliminate the long lines and also allow companies to schedule more cashiers when actually needed. Some people that I interviewed expressed that this solution might actually frustrate the customers that want to bag some of their items, as they would have to wait to get to the front for them to be bagged.
What: The current and past cashiers that I interviewed have expressed to me that bagging is what can make the checkout process longer than it needs to be. So by having only some of the items be bagged, we can reduce our plastic waste and have shorter checkout lines. This differs from stores that do not bag any of your items at all and stores that bag absolutely everything.
Why: If stores do not implement this solution, then it may be because they do not have the resources to invest in the technology, the funds needed to pay additional cashiers, or they simply are not busy enough.

            Inside the Boundary:                              Outside the Boundary:
Who: Busy retail stores (Walmart)                 Companies that do not have enough
                                                                            capital to invest in this solution

What: Can reduce wait times in                         Can make the wait time longer
           checkout lanes and make them            for customers wanting items bagged.
                            shorter.       

Why: Retail stores are not staffing                Some stores are not busy enough to be
          enough cashiers during shifts             staffing more cashiers, making it unprofitable
          creating long checkout lines and                    to add them to the payroll.
                        wait times.         

8A – Solving The Problem

1) The opportunity that I am attempting to exploit is the checkout lanes at grocery stores. The checkout process has become really inefficient and time-consuming. This is due to too few cashiers being scheduled at a time. As a result, only a few checkout lanes are open and available for customers to access. Many stores have implemented self-checkout registers, however, these machines often malfunction and require employee assistance. In addition, these registers are only efficient if customers have less than 10 items and is not meant for a large grocery haul. Frustrated customers are demanding that this checkout process be changed and improved.

2) The product that I am hoping to implement to solve this issue is smartphone scanners.

Employees of grocery stores would be equipped with smartphones that have scanning and paying abilities (via car). This would be in addition to the existing self-checkout lines and cashier lanes. Similar to the Chick-fil-A drive thru, there would be 1 or 2 floating cashiers for each lane that would essentially just go through and check out card-paying customers using a smartphone provided to them by the company. And once the customer gets to the front of the lane, the items that need bagging or boxing will be brought to the cashier at the register and they will bag them. If implemented, this product will speed up the checkout process and keep customers a lot happier.

7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1)    Smartphone scanners

2)    Opportunity: A vast majority of working Americans get off of work at 5pm. This mass exodus of individuals is what causes rush hour. This is also the only time that most people are able to go to the grocery store, or during the weekend. As a result, grocery stores also experience rush hours during the early evening on weekdays and during the weekends. If you have ever been to the grocery store during these times, checkout lines can be extremely long and frustrating. I see an opportunity to have extra grocery store employees checkout individuals via smartphone scanners or even possibly having an app for the customer to scan it themselves as they put the item from the shelf to their cart. This reduces wait times and frustration levels during a time where everyone is just trying to get home.

-       Who: Grocery store consumers

-       What: Unable to efficiently check out customers during peak hours

-       Why: Not enough employees at the grocery store or unable to design a secure scanning app

3)    Hypothesis:

-       Testing the who:

a.     All grocery store customers would like to get in and out as fast as possible. 

b.     Quicker check out lines may also entice customers to come in more often as they will not view going to the grocery store as a “burden.”

-       Testing the what:

a.     Major grocery store chains are the ones that would benefit the most from this opportunity. Smaller stores often do not get as many customers and checkout lines are not an issue.

-       Testing the why:

a.     Individuals go to the grocery store because they have plans outside if the grocery store. Having customers wait in line is not a good business practice, especially if it can be reduced for minimal cost.

b.     https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/customers-waiting-hardest-part

c.     This article shows that customers are willing to switch grocery stores if it means they will be checking out faster.

4)    Interview summary:

a.     All 5 of my interviewees agreed that a faster checkout will make their grocery shopping experience much more enjoyable.

b.     Several interviewees also mentioned that they would be willing to make more small trips to the grocery store, rather than a weekly trip. This way they could enjoy fresher produce.

c.     All 5 of my interviewees preferred the app idea where the customer can scan the barcode as they shop. This way they can walk out of the grocery store when they are done. 

                                               i.     One suggested having several employees near the exit checking to ensure that the customers actually paid for their food as stealing could become an issue with this idea. The employee can randomly scan one of the customers items and see if they actually paid for it.

d.     One interviewee said that the idea with additional employees having mobile scanners would be hectic because there would not be a designated checkout lane for them.

6A – Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1. Malls are taking a big hit and struggling to stay "relevant" as brick-and-mortar stores are closing faster than ever before.
a) https://biztimes.com/economic-trends-malls-seek-right-mix-of-relevant-retail/
b) Many stores are failing and closing due to the rise of big e-retail landscapes causing malls to suffer in the process. Part of this is due to the fact that many of these stores offer only one thing instead of combining "relevant retail."
c) Prototypical customer - Store owners and worker; mall corporations and worker
d) This may be difficult to exploit since Amazon is huge competition, as they provide a variety of products that can be delivered in as soon as a day.
I see that this opportunity exists because I am seeing that several of the stores I once used to shop at are now closing and now I can never find anything I like at the mall, so I just resort to online shopping.

2. In just one day, Elon Musk lost $6 billion due to a 17% drop in Tesla shares.
a) https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-slip-cost-elon-musk-nearly-billions-lose-2020-2-1028881542
b) Although very expensive, the demand for a Tesla has been increasing. Many people are purchasing a Tesla now because of the advanced technology and futuristic look it gives off, also because it is highly energy efficient. However, at the moment, demand is exceeding supply and due to the recent outbreak, production at Tesla plants particularly in China has declined.
c) Prototypical customer - This is directly affecting Elon Musk, but may indirectly affect Tesla employees as they may start to experience a pay cut.
d) This may be difficult to exploit as there is a hefty price that goes into manufacturing a Tesla.
I see many people are driving Teslas now than ever before, because they have released a more affordable line, so it was a surprise to me that shares have sank to this extent.

3. Possibility regulations to emerge as FDA warns consumers of the possible risks of consuming CBD products.
a) https://www.wsj.com/articles/cloudy-regulation-slows-cbds-seep-into-food-and-drinks-11578574807
b) Many companies are producing and selling large amounts of CBD products because of the apparent healing properties CBD provides, however, due to the lack of research, the FDA is now urging consumers to consider the risks that are associated with consuming these products.
c) Prototypical customer - Consumers of CBD products and CBD production companies
d) Depending on how you look at it, this might be easy to exploit, as these regulatory changes may force consumers to find other, safer alternatives to CBD and companies will then shift their production to reflect that.
I see many food and drink products containing CBD being sold at several stores, so I'm interested to see how this may change if the FDA issues new regulations that would ban these products.

4. Unregulated commercial fishing is destroying the shorelines
a) https://www.gastongazette.com/news/20200206/paws-urges-support-for-coastal-fishing-regulation
b) Over-fishing of coastal areas is damaging the shorelines and ruining the ocean ecosystem. Because of this, conservationists are urging for state regulations that would keep commercial fishing to a minimum. This is necessary to preserve the ocean ecosystems and to prevent any drastic environmental changes.
c) Prototypical customer - Large-scale fisheries
d) This may be easy to exploit because the ocean has an extensive ecosystem that is vital for all life on earth, so regulations may emerge to preserve the oceans.
I have seen first-hand the damage to shorelines caused by over-fishing, so I recognize that this is an important regulation to enforce.

5A-Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Local vape shops lose profits due to recent tobacco law
1. https://www.alligator.org/news/local-vape-shops-lose-profits-due-to-recent-tobacco-law/article_6033000a-42d4-11ea-bd9f-4f3ed2b963e4.html
2. President Trump issued a law in December that would raise the minimum age to purchase vape products to 21. However, Gainesville has enforced this such law since October. Due to this new law, vape shops have lost a large amount of their profits and their customers, most of them ranging from 18-20 years of age. However, many of the vape shop owners argue that introducing this new law, does not prevent kids from purchasing these vape products at all, it just directs the business to online or overseas suppliers.They also argue that this law may be detrimental for people who truly are looking to quit cigarettes.
3. Problem: Local vape shops are struggling as the new law takes away all their younger customers.
4. Who: The owners of the local vape shops who are losing business
2. UF implements two-factor authentication to combat cybercrime
1. https://www.alligator.org/news/uf-implements-two-factor-authentication-to-combat-cybercrime/article_70230c50-4246-11ea-bf84-03d618ab4326.html
2. After the end of this semester, UF will introduce a new two-factor authentication process into students’ accounts in order to prevent cybercrime from taking place. This comes after many students have been reporting an increase in scam emails and hackings. This new process will require the student to authenticate access through his/her smartphone.
3. Problem: There has been a large increase in hackings and scam emails being sent to students.
4. Who: UF students who are being hacked and scammed
3. GPD continues use of highly-criticised facial recognition program
1. https://www.alligator.org/news/gpd-continues-use-of-highly-criticized-facial-recognition-program/article_fda52c94-424a-11ea-a379-5f6e784062d8.html
2. The GPD is beginning to use a program called Clearview AI which uses the profile or partial image of a person to match to their social media pictures or mugshots. The GPD and this program are receiving great backlash as people believe that their privacy is being violated. However, GPD urges that the majority of matches that are obtained are with mugshots rather than social media pictures. They also claim that they will continue to use this program as long as it works properly and allows them to ensure safety throughout the community.
3. Problem: People’s “private” social media pictures are being stored and used, to which they are not so private after all.
4. Who: Anyone who opposes a program storing pictures of them in its database to help solve crimes.
4. Future of Gainesville Lucky’s Market remains unclear
1. https://www.alligator.org/news/future-of-gainesville-lucky-s-market-remains-unclear/article_158d3cc4-426f-11ea-9004-cffc3a103c6e.html
2. Lucky's Market recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and nearly all their stores are expected to close within the next month. There has been some talk that Aldi is purchasing many of the Lucky’s Market spaces, which may also be a possibility for the Gainesville location. However, the staff are just as unaware as the rest of the public, and they are being let go from their current positions and forced to find jobs elsewhere.
3. Problem: An Aldi may or may not replace the Lucky’s Market space in Gainesville, but employees and staff still have no choice but to search for new jobs.
4. Who: Employees of Lucky’s Market
5. New food market and Starbucks to open in Norman Hall Monday
1. https://www.alligator.org/news/new-food-market-and-starbucks-to-open-in-norman-hall/article_34fe1914-43d9-11ea-a457-fb58aac8f509.html
2. For several years now, Norman Hall has just been deteriorating and has been turning into a condition unfit to promote student learning and teaching. Many upgrades have been made throughout the hall over the past two years. The newest upgrade would be the availability of food and coffee directly from the hall.
3. Problem: Students did not have access to food or coffee in Norman and had to walk across the street (or under the tunnel) to the main campus to obtain this.
4. Who: Students and teachers who had class in Norman Hall