27A- Reading Reflection #3

Coco Chanel: Lisa Chaney

I love fashion and have always followed the story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and her business. The thing that surprised me the most is her childhood story. This surprised me because the "Chanel" business is built on sophistication and wealth. She endured many hardships when she was younger and it all shaped her into the woman she became. I admire this because she could have used her experiences as a crutch but rather she used them as motivation. Even though she embarrassed to tell people about her upbringing, I think it was what her main source of motivation to achieve so much. This was one thing I least admired because I feel she should have told her story to more people and been more of a role model. There is beauty in struggle and she exemplified this with grace. One of the things I least admired about Gabrielle Chanel was her connection to Nazi affiliates. This section of the book also confused me. However, I feel this was also a confusing period for Gabrielle as well. Gabrielle encountered a lot of adversity and failures throughout her life and career, from being a woman to an entrepreneur. She struggled to make connections within the luxury fashion industry and gain respect from her peers. Another adversity she faced was the death of her lover, Arthur Chapel.

Some competencies I noticed in "Coco" was her dedication, perseverance, and sophistication. There was such a grace about her that set her apart from most women which is something I admire. If I could ask her two questions, I would ask: How did you benefit from your relationship with the Nazis? What is one item within your business you would like to change with societies trends and developments?

I think Gabrielle valued hard work. This is something I also value because I want to live an expensive life. I enjoy treating myself to the finer things in life, but it is hard to do that when you do not have the means to do so.

28A Your Exit Strategy

I do not intend to sell my business for profit. My mother is an entrepreneur and prides herself on hard work. I do the same, and if I worked hard enough to have my business be implemented in my local communities I would want to see it through in full. I would also want to preserve my original ideas and values that I built the company on which is one of the main reasons I would not want to sell the company. The company could be passed on from generation to generation. However, I would not pressure my children to take over the business like most people do.

I would want to make sure the company keeps a positive relationship with the various police departments and the schools that the program is implemented in. This was one of the resources in my venture's unfair advantage. Therefore, it directly affects how I proceed with my company.

26A Celebrating Failure

I have endured a lot this past semester. I definitely am not where I want to be mentally or emotionally, but I push through. The thought of graduation in May definitely helps me work through any obstacles I have and continue on even after failing many times. Over time, I have grown to be more open to taking risks and taking a leap of faith. I feel it has made me grow not only as a student, but also as a woman.

One thing I failed at this semester is coding for one of my classes. We had a coding project due that involved creating a blogging website completely through code. I had tried doing the assignment when the module first started. I immediately got frustrated with the assignment and decided to come back to it over time. I would try to work on it whenever I had free time. However, the codes never would work how I planned them to. I couldn't get pictures to correctly format themselves as an image on the blog. I did not think the project would be this hard so I did not go through the tutorial videos as in depth as I should have. By the time I tried to look again, the project deadline was quickly approaching. In the end I did not finish the project, did not meet any of the requirements, and I got a 30% on it. Depressing. I know. 

I learned, for projects I am not familiar with at all, I need to take the tutorials and help I am given more seriously. I also realized even after failing multiple times, you still may not get that spur of luck in the end if you don't deviate from actions that made you fail in the first place. 

This class has changed my perspective on failing. I am not doing well AT ALL and will most likely finish the class with a less than perfect grade. However, I have learned a lot from this course. I need to take deadlines more seriously. I need to stay more up-to-date with my assignments. Even when I think I know what I am doing, it is okay to ask questions to be more sure of myself. Also, the little things count. I failed myself this semester because I promised myself I wouldn't miss any assignments in any of my classes, and I did just that. I have a lot of work to do towards reaching my goals. The work will only help me exceed in my journey towards being successful.

25A- What's Next?

What you need to do. Again, you'll need to hit the pavement and talk to potential customers. This time, you'll be armed with your "venture concept" description. Break your post into two pieces:

• Existing Market 
• New Market

Existing Market. 

Step 1: Talk about what you think is what's next in terms of products and services for your venture.

Step 2: Interview three customers who are already part of the market you have identified, and ask them what they believe is next for a venture like yours. Describe to them your business, and simply ask "What should we be doing that we aren't planning to do?" Next, ask them about your ideas of what customers might want next. 

Step 3: Based on your own expectations and the feedback you received from customers, set a path for the future. In two to three paragraphs, describe what makes the most sense for your venture in terms of growing in your existing market.

New Market.

Step 1: Identify a radically different market from what you're currently planning to target. If you're currently targeting B2B, think about going after a B2C market. If you're currently targeting an affluent part of society, think about targeting a very poor part of society.

Step 2: Once you have identified a radically different market, describe how you think your venture concept might be able to create value for people in that market. You may have to get creative with this -- that's OK -- and perfectly welcome!

Step 3: Interview two people from this new market. Again, describe to each interviewee what your concept is. Then, ask them how they think your business might be help to meet customers like them. What kinds of adaptations to the product/service mix do they think you should make to be successful in this new market? 

Step 4:  Reflect, in two to three paragraphs, on what you learned about this new market. What surprised you the most? Were any of your expectations/assumptions correct? Does this new market, on second thought, appear to be as attractive as your existing market? And so on. 

24A- Venture Concept No.1

Opportunity:

The changes in the environment that create this opportunity include the increase in the amount of abductions and assault cases in the United States.

Geographically, the market is defined as the East Coast for now. It would be ideal to have my business idea/program spread across the country. Demographically, the market is defined as high school and college-aged young adults.

Customers currently are not satisfying this need to my knowledge. I do not know of any self-defense programs in place in schools to help combat this problem. Therefore, there is no loyalty to anything.

I believe the "window of opportunity" will be open for some time. The amount of abductions and assaults are continuously rising.

Innovation:


Boards of Education across the United States will require students to go through self-defense and weapons training courses in high schools and colleges. Students must renew their training every 2 years. If you are not a student, you can pay for these classes at the local Boys and Girls Clubs. This not only brings in money for the facilities but also raises awareness about Boys and Girls clubs and the various opportunities for individuals to get involved in their communities. By doing this, we keep more areas safe and build a sense of family among the general body. Every 3 months, local businesses would offer grants for those in the community who cannot afford to pay for the classes but still want to learn how to defend themselves. A community day would be held on a Sunday in partnership with the local police department to offer these courses and basic training. This gives the businesses the opportunity to showcase their services and products offered while helping the community. 

My business would train the professionals and place them in the various schools. 

Venture Concept:

Customers would use my product because it would be required in various schools districts across the country. Major competitors would be boxing gyms providing classes or karate instruction classes. This is a service and the level of training for the professionals plays a major role in the progression of my business. The instructors must train and change their course materials with the times.


Three minor elements:

My "secret sauce" is the amount of connections I already have in various police departments and school boards and my background in karate.

In five years, I want my program to be implemented in at least 4 school districts across the East Coast. I could start small and work my way across coasts to reach a larger audience.

23A- Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

Resources:

1) I already have contacts in both the Gainesville Police Department, UFPD, and Prince George's County Police Department in Maryland. 

VRIN: This is valuable because I will need the cooperation of various departments to make the program successful in the communities I serve. Rare because not too many people have contacts in police departments in various states. Not hard to copy by others if they network properly. Non-substitute because the self-defense courses would need to be taught by trained professionals.

2) The increase in human trafficking cases and abductions is causing more people to take action into their own hands. I would have the support of the general public. 

VRIN: Valuable resource because I need the support of the community to make the community day events a success. Rare because no one is currently doing any community  to combat these unfortunate events on the surface as far as personal safety. Others could copy this by gaining the support of the community first and having them back their program. Non-substitute because I need the support for the program to be implemented.

3) My mom is an event/meeting planner and can help coordinate the various events for the community day that would happen every 3 months. 

VRIN: Valuable because my mom knows how to coordinate events and what goes into planning a successful event. Rare because she is my mother and would help me over someone else. Able to be copied by others if they can find an event planner to be on their team of supporters. I am able to substitute this by keeping this venture strictly business and not working with family.

4) I have a lot of skills and qualities that set me apart from most people. I am hard-working, determined, and passionate. 

VRIN: valuable because my skills can help me be successful in my venture. not necessarily rare because all types of people have these same qualities. It is about how you use them to your advantage. Able to be copied by others because of the same reasons. Substitute because I may need to dive into other strengths for my venture to work out.

5) I have a team of supporters backing me in my ventures. 



6) Implementing this program in schools will create more jobs across the country

7) Support of county school boards
VRIN: Valuable because in order for the program to be implemented in schools, the board has to approve it.

8) Have financial supporters or people in my network who could be sponsors for the program and community events for the first year.


9) 


Top resource: 

22A- Elevator pitch no. 3

1) The pitch. Same as last time, 1-minute long. No Web cams. No sitting. Be dynamic! Upload the video to YouTube (as you do with all of your videos) and post the link.

2) A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch. Describe what stood out to you as important, what feedback surprised you the most, what feedback you think was outright wrong or silly or amazing and inciteful. 

I did not upload my video on time. No feedback I received was completely outrageous or outright silly. People commented that they liked how I was professionally dressed and commanded the space. The feedback I found most inciteful was to strengthen my tone. I believe a firm tone strengthens your argument because it makes people really believe in what you are saying.

3) What did you change, based on the feedback?

Third time's the charm, as they say. I bet you find a few things different from the first time, including (a) it's almost memorized, (b) you're far more comfortable in front of the camera, and (c) the pitch itself is better. If this is or isn't true for you, please include this in your reflection!

The elevator pitch came a lot easier this time. I did not have to use on-screen notes to remember topics or ideas. It wasn't fully memorized but the flow of my words also came to me a lot easier. I enjoyed doing the pitch because I felt comfortable behind the camera. Doing things like this has also helped me in the real world. I feel more capable of talking in front of people or large audiences. I am also able to communicate my ideas and thoughts better.

21A- Reading Reflection 2

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Carol Dweck

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

The general theme or argument of the book is that our mindset on a day-to-day basis is what controls who we are and what we do. Carol Dweck highlights a spectrum of our mindset that emphasizes various key ideas. Individuals either have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. In a fixed mindset intelligence is static while in a growth mindset, intelligence can be developed. Where you fall on the spectrum affects your behavior.

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

The book directly connects to what we are learning in ENT3003 because it talks about how your mindset affects your amount of success. How you think either limits your potential or enhances your success. Individuals with a growth mindset do not take well to criticism which could hinder success for most. It is important to get feedback from others when starting a business or implementing a business plan. Critiques can help the growth of a business or idea. Individuals with a growth mindset are more open-minded and encourage learning and effort. How you respond to the opinions and thoughts of others directly affects how successful you can be a business owner.

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

The exercise for this class would be like Shark Tank. Both mindsets involve reflecting on the challenges, obstacles, effort, criticism, and success of others. I believe this exercise would be able to test all of these things. The class would present business ideas, people would give feedback, they would go through a two-week period of implementing their business idea, then others would offer feedback following the case study.

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?

I did not think the book would list so many ideas or tools you can use to expand your mindset. I thought it would simply explain each mindset type then elaborate on how each mindset thinks and what they do. I like how the author offered alternatives for how to change your way of thinking. I thought it would give point-blank answers. However, the book more so gives you tools and you have to use them to your benefit to learn how to fulfill your potential.