Half-Way Reflection

As someone who has been taking this course for half a semester now, I have developed some minor skills that have helped me to be able to do well in this course. I would definitely say that an important skill would be prioritizing, since the large amount of work in the course certainly calls for it. Along with that would be time management; many of the assignments take a decent amount of time to complete

Now a time I almost gave up on a task, was wen I was working on the "free money" assignment. I didn't want to do this assignment at all when I first looked at what it required. Part of me didn't want to give away my money, and another part of me didn't even want to go up to people. I was lucky enough to have someone help me with this assignment and keep me on track, while also recording the times I attempted to give away the money. While I may not have done the assignment 100% correctly, I still managed to be able to complete it.

A few tips I would have for anyone planning on taking this course would be to not be afraid to go completely out of your comfort zone and to make an effort to always come up with new ideas. Getting out of your comfort zone is what really helps you develop the skills you need to become an entrepreneur, and getting creative helps to develop that mindset

Not that the entrepreneurial mindset hinges upon having a tenacious mindset, which all of these skill and tips are a part of. The real aspect of tenacity is to not be discouraged or afraid of changes, and being able to maneuver around them.

Week 8 Reading Reflection

Surprises

I was a little surprised how the chapter jumped right into debt financing as a major. I like that the author did this though. This brings a lot of insight into the reality of how common going into debt is for a start-up company, and how important financing is.

Confusing

The initial start to the segment of venture capitalists was slightly confusing. I couldn't really understand what the author was trying to tell me in the first segments regarding recent developments.

Questions

Which investment methods would pair best with which types of start-ups?

Are there any other minor sources of capital for an entrepreneur to take advantage of?

Disagreements

I didn't have any disagreements with the author, mainly because of my lack of knowledge on the subject.

Free Money / What is Wrong With People!?!?

The Recordings

My (lack of) Strategy

I didn't really have a strategy going into this aside from trying to get UF students to take the dollar on campus in Turlington Plaza. I didn't even want to do this exercise to begin with considering the fact that I knew it was going to be difficult for me. Again, my main goal was to just get this over with; especially after the first woman I pitched to.

My Reflection of This Awful Experience

I absolutely hated doing this. I realized one of two things: that I need to plan much better for these types of assignments, and that I need a stronger anxiety medication (I had a mini rage moment at the person helping me film). I also found out that people are generally standoffish about being approached at all. I even had a few instances where I was either ignored or told flat-out no. I'm guessing it was either because they thought there was some catch, or they were just.....not so nice (I'm really tying to put this in a good way). Hopefully the next time I have to do this, if ever, my anxiety isn't as off the wall as it was.

Elevator Pitch No. 2 (Technically 1)

The Pitch

Now I wasn't able to really make the first elevator pitch unfortunately, because of prioritizing other things in a not-so-efficient way. I did, however, make a point to avoid sitting too still. Since this is technically my first elevator pitch post, feedback is hugely appreciated and I'd be glad to do the same.

Idea Napkin No.1

What About Me

I'm Cheyenne Maury; a UF Business student with a knack for general problem solving and just about anything that can go fast. In fact, my proposed business idea has a lot to do with both of these things.

What am I Offering

What I have come up with is a general maintenance app for a mobile phone. It would have stored data on vehicles' maintenance schedules, up to date recalls, and forums on common problems. Each user's page would be specific to their vehicle and have set reminders for maintenance, as well as shop recommendations for any occurring vehicle problems.

Who Would Use it and Why do They Care

Anyone who owns a car, and cares enough about it to keep it running, would be interested in this app. It would mainly target the forgetful people, who don't necessarily have a lot of knowledge on vehicles or repairs. It would make the whole process of remembering maintenance easier for them, and keep their vehicle in decent shape.

Core Competencies

I have access to many people who are able to program mobile apps. I myself also have a large amount of knowledge on vehicles, and know many local mechanics in shops who would help fact check anything in the app. 

I believe more or less, that all of these elements have the ability to come together as a business plan. Actually developing the app itself would be the difficult part, but finding the information to put into it would be a little bit easier.I also feel that my being in the Business school of UF will help me be able to manage the whole process a little bit more smoothly than if I wasn't.

Week 5 Reading Reflection

Surprised Me

I din't expect to see a full table on the process for obtaining a patent in the very first section of the chapter. It was helpful being able to see cost breakdowns of each piece of the process, and how long each part would take to accomplish on average.

Confusing

The small section on limited partnerships did confuse me. It honestly made no sense to me most likely because of how tired I was while doing this segment of the reading, but the entire concept went over my head,

Questions

How would someone actually go about getting a limited partnership, and in what situations would it be entirely beneficial?

Are there other chapters of bankruptcy other than those listed, and what entails them?

Disagreements

I don't really have any disagreements withe the author at this point in time.