30A- Final Reflection

I feel like my final reflection post is also basically my post on celebrating failure. I had a lot of lows this semester with me not performing as well as I would have wanted to in this class. I do not aspire to be an entrepreneur nor did I want to do a lot of the assignments, but I see they did have an impact on me this semester. I have realized different things about myself, my work ethic and my ideas.

One of the highs is the fact that I turned in all my assignments for this class for the past 3 weeks. I know that may seem like a small, remedial accomplishment. Nonetheless, it is an accomplishment in itself. I struggled with various things this semester, and I had no motivation to get any work done for a long period of time. This affected me tremendously in this course being as you cannot submit parts two and three if you do not submit the first.

Some of the fun moments and a highlight of mine was interacting with the various people within the Gainesville community when conducting my interviews. This made the experience a bit more enjoyable for me. The experiences I am most proud of are actually creating a business venture and following through on plans for it. This was a different experience for me, but I do see the benefit of it now.

I realize I have the competencies to become an entrepreneur but I do not aspire to be one. I now see that is okay. Everyone does not have to be in business for themselves. Sometimes, others need the help of hard work from a motivated individual to get the ball rolling for their own business.

The one recommendation I would make to students is to stay up-to-date in the work or simply try to get it done early. Also, take the assignments seriously because they do bring benefit once you see the outcome to your business ventures in the end. One way to foster an entrepreneurial mindset is to think of it to be happening. This is your idea that you are bringing to life in real time.
Overall, the main thing to have in this class is grit and perseverance.

29A- Venture Concept #2

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.
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. This would be in collaboration with the police department in that city/state.

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.

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.

Changes
I need to be more specific about how I am actually going to market myself to school boards. I need to steer it away from being a normal defense class that can be given at a local boys and girls club but rather a direct need for students and college-aged adults. I also need to come up with a price point for the training and what I will be specifically selling in terms of the program. Can anyone just go through the training or will I run it as an extension with the police departments. Will the police departments do the training?