30A

The most accomplishing point of this semester is when I brought my idea to my supervisor. He is the assistant director of business services at the University of Florida. I discussed with him my idea and plan and he thought it was a great idea. We talked about it and he said he liked my creativity and the amount of feedback I had already gotten from students. I was glad to have him hear my thoughts and it gave me the confidence and courage to share my ideas in the future. I do see myself as an entrepreneur after this class! I would recommend students trying to go down this path in the future to do as much developing to the idea as they can. There is always room for improvement, but you do what a strong foundation before launching an idea. To perform best in this course, pay attention to time management and deadlines! It is essential to succeed in the class. I would just prepare yourself mentally to start the work early to avoid missing assignments and points.  

29A

My opportunity can be described as the body of students who attend library west at UF. They have a need, which is to obtain an affordable and satisfying feel without having to leave the building. The need is highly discussed about and will satisfy a large amount of the student body.  I learned that individuals in other markets could also find value in my idea. What creates this opportunity is the lack of food choices in the building. The market is UF students from the ages 17-25 who study at library west. Customers are currently satisfying this need by ordering food through apps, leaving the library, vending machines, or Starbucks. After researching and observing my audience, I believe they are loyal to their current outlets. This is a great and wide spread opportunity that is highly desired. The window of opportunity will be open as long as this library is open or until students decide they no longer want to work there.

I believe customers would switch to this product because they would satisfy their need in a better way and also save money and time. It will not be difficult at all to make students switch to my product. The competitors are Starbucks, the vending machines, and delivery apps, although I don't see them as much of a threat. The branding, price and customer service will most definitely play a role when it comes to the long term success of the food vendor. I would organize the business by including professionals with experience and knowledge on the topic in my team. I would start off with a large amount of employees and reduce the amount of needed.

My most important resource will be connivence. What I have that others don't have is a satisfying meal, reasonable prices, and the ability to save students time and energy. The next opportunity I would like to tackle would to possibly open something similar in Marston. I would create an area with tables in both libraries where students could eat and enjoy their meal. In five years I would hope to have both of the food vendors successfully running and in the long run aiding students each day. I hope in ten years that I could implement this idea into other schools where this is also an opportunity.

Feedback:

1. To start off, connivance is such an important thing to every student who attend UF. Our generation is not about waiting for things and wants instant gratification. The only food source remotely close to Lib West is Krishna lunch, but even then they only serve meals from 11am-1:30pm. You could have a company similar to Au Bon Pain in that area, as it does so well in Pugh Hall. There are tables outside with umbrellas, where students do their homework. I hope something can be added soon!

2. I could see where building restrictions could come into play. The only space that cold be utilized could be the small section across from Starbucks that has a few round tables. Something other then Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Subway, Jamba Juice would be awesome! Asking an audience of Marston visitor would be good to see why they choose that library over West. There are more food options closer to Marston than Lib West.

Changes:

This feedback helped me so much! It is always a good thing to hear from others and gain their perspectives and ideas. I now have a great outlet for where people can eat. Like my classmate said we can add tables outside for additional seating. Also my other classmate advised me to ask students who attend Marston and newell. They could be library west attendees if there is a restaurant they like. 

28A

For my exit strategy I chose that the best route would be is to stay with the business.  I have selected this particular strategy because I have a unique idea that is not exactly something to tell as a business. My idea is targeted more at fulfilling an opportunity needed by a target audience, but the ones who have the power over this company would be the university. Unless I opened up my own restaurant inside the library It isn't something that I can own, but I could manage it. Through this assignment it has come to light exactly how many idea works and how I wont have ownership over it unless it it my own restaurant. I could pitch this idea to the university because this would benefit me and my idea more.

26A

Everyone faces obstacles and failure at one point in time of their lives. One way that I feel I have failed this semester is by doing the proper research and readings to understand my grade. I was confused about how the grading points worked and how to calculate my grade. Instead of reaching out to the professor or researching the question, I just sat back and assumed everything would be fine. I missed two assignments and two responses, this combined with some other lost cupcake quiz points has affected my final grade in the class. Unless any extra credit is offered in the remaining portion of the semester, I will most likely not end with the grade I hoped for in this class.

I learned through this that if you have a question or concern, take and action and find the answer. This could create and great impact and will change certain perspectives and expectations. I obviously do not like experiencing failure, nor do I enjoy watching others fail, but I do believe people can grow as a person and broaden their mindsets after facing failure. When I fail I normally evaluate the situation and determine where I went wrong. From there on,  I work on avoiding a certain habit or step that I took which caused failure. While I feel I do grow from failure I prefer succeeding and learning lessons through observing others actions around me and people from the past.

27A

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

For this weeks assignment, I chose to read, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck. The general argument made in this is that the mindset and ideas you have about yourself can in turn reflect and affect your future and how you live.

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

In the book she shared about fixed growth and learning growth. This is a concept I learned about in another one of my classes so it was interesting to hear about it again and additional information about the concept. I identified my natural growth style and have now realized exactly how to incorporate the two styles into my life.

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

Based off the book I read I think an interesting exercise would be to have an assignment where students need to identify for themselves what kind of mindset they have naturally and then explain how this mindset has hindered and helped you when trying to achieve a goal.

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?

The moment that most shocked me and differed most from my expectations is when I was evaluating my mindset and how my daily actions and ideas reflect that. 

24A

My opportunity can be described as the body of students who attend library west at UF. They have a need, which is to obtain an affordable and satisfying feel without having to leave the building. The need is highly discussed about and will satisfy a large amount of the student body.  I learned that individuals in other markets could also find value in my idea. What creates this opportunity is the lack of food choices in the building. The market is UF students from the ages 17-25 who study at library west. Customers are currently satisfying this need by ordering food through apps, leaving the library, vending machines, or Starbucks. After researching and observing my audience, I believe they are loyal to their current outlets. This is a great and wide spread opportunity that is highly desired. The window of opportunity will be open as long as this library is open or until students decide they no longer want to work there.

I believe customers would switch to this product because they would satisfy their need in a better way and also save money and time. It will not be difficult at all to make students switch to my product. The competitors are Starbucks, the vending machines, and delivery apps, although I don't see them as much of a threat. The branding, price and customer service will most definitely play a role when it comes to the long term success of the food vendor. I would organize the business by including professionals with experience and knowledge on the topic in my team. I would start off with a large amount of employees and reduce the amount of needed.

My most important resource will be connivence. What I have that others don't have is a satisfying meal, reasonable prices, and the ability to save students time and energy. The next opportunity I would like to tackle would to possibly open something similar in Marston. I would create an area with tables in both libraries where students could eat and enjoy their meal. In five years I would hope to have both of the food vendors successfully running and in the long run aiding students each day. I hope in ten years that I could implement this idea into other schools where this is also an opportunity.

25A

In terms of future products and services in my venture I am a little confused about this question, but if I understand correctly I believe what's next will consist of new food products and the services will stay the same. I interviewed three people in this market and they offered me information that can help me will my business and aid in its success. The first person I interviewed explained how I should think about any restriction involved with the building and policies. The second person suggested I narrow down my idea to exactly what food company will be put into place. The third person I interviewed shared how he believed I should continue to further my knowledge on the target customer.

I took all the feedback and advice given to me from the interviewees and made a plan for my venture. The first thing I plan on doing is learning if there are any boundaries to enter and whether my idea is even possible. I never thought about this until it was brought to my attention. If I got the green light I would continue to research m target audience and learn as much as I can about them. Lastly, I would survey my target audience and determine what would be the ideal food company choice to put into place. I feel by adding these steps to my plan, the idea will be most efficient and effective.

A totally different market would be students who do not attend library west. If you aren't someone who attends this library, my idea may not be too valuable to you. It may still be of value to people who are in the area of library west or pass it on their way to a class or a building. I interviewed two students who do not attend this library. The first person said they prefer Marston to west, but that they could see themselves stopping into library west to grab a bite while walking home. The second person I interviewed suggested putting in a popular restaurant that would draw students in even if they don't study at library west often.

After my interviews I learned a lot about my market and other markets that are not my main target audience. I learned ways to improve my plan and ultimately lead to higher success. I also learned that I can create value for customers who are even outside of my target market. I did not expect to be able to market my product to students who don't attend this library, but my assumption has changed.