This week we had to read "Innovation: The Creative Pursuit of Ideas" and reflect on it. The author talked about the relationship between creativity and entrepreneurship. Creativity is something that you learn, not something that you are born with, necessarily-just like entrepreneurship. Some people are more creative than other. They are talented and create things every day. However, this is not what it takes to be creative, which is to have a charisma. Creativity is a set of mind. You need to look the world in a way that others don't see it. As the text mentions, in order to develop a creative mind you need to try "perceiving things in a relational mode"; connecting things together and understanding how certain things can be interrelated. In other word, learn how things affect other things. In addition to this, the author mentioned "developing a functional perspective toward things and people" which means to understand how things work, so that you can easily adapt into certain conditions. For example, when you cannot open a can with the proper tool, use an alternative tool/solution than can do the same thing. Therefore, thinking alternatives is another thing that helps improve creativity. I can certainly say that I have become more creative with the above techniques and the exposure to creativity, in general. Last summer I took a course called "Innovation in Context" in which my classmates and I had to think creatively and create a product/idea/service that would be beneficial to the community, something that entrepreneurs also do. I really loved this course because we could synthesize all the available resources we had to create something new or even improve something that already existed.
Some things I do not agree with the writer in a large extent. For example, when the author differentiates adaptors and innovators. I don't believe that adaptors do not contribute into big innovations. Adaptors, in my view, make small changes to a product or service, which is why it takes them a longer time to get to the best solution. Innovators look at these changes, learn from the adaptor's problems and that's how they get to the best solution. So, I believe that in order for innovators to exist, there must be some people that don't think as hard as them, these being the adaptors. Adaptors find a solution to a problem that is most probably temporary till another problem pops up. That happens with innovators as well, though. If innovators develop something big, the creation is still vulnerable to failure. Innovators and adaptors have the same information available. How they'll exploit this information is their main difference.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Costumer Interviews No. 1
This week, I had to come up with an opportunity and interview potential customers on this opportunity. The opportunity I came up with was "On Campus Dining". I always was concerned about this topic because last year I had a meal plan and I had difficulty finding a place to go eat, that was cheap and healthy. The problem of on campus dining is that it is costly, its hours are sometimes not convenient for students, offers limited food options (eg. not many vegan or vegetarian options) and most of the times the food options are not healthy. People that have this problem are students that live and/or eat on campus. These students tend to eat only at one or two places on campus due to the lack of food diversity, they choose off campus dining places or cook for themselves. I went to interview students close to dining areas on campus in order to figure out what can be done to make dining halls more accessible and more appealing to students.
After interviewing 5 people that gave me some insight about their on campus dining experience, I realized that we were all on the same page and agreed that something has to be done about it. The opportunity still exists. What surprised me was that even students that live off campus and don't have much of an experience from eating on-campus, still have their own opinion to talk about it. That means that the problem of on campus dining is well-known, so people either ignore it or do something about it, like find alternative food options. My costumers had a basic idea on what has to be changed necessarily, but they didn't know how exactly. That's my job, I think.
I was certainly nervous about interviewing students but I was prepared for what I was about to ask them. I made sure of interviewing people with different experiences, like students that live on-campus/off-campus, had a meal plan before/never had a meal plan before, etc. That's why every interview took a different direction. My first attempt was not the best, as expected, so I made another plan and corrected the mistakes I though I made.
Question included but were not limited to:
"Do you live on campus or off campus?" If you live on campus, do you live close to dining halls?
"Do you often eat on campus?"If yes, where?
"Do you have a meal plan?"
"Are you satisfied with the quality of food/service/working hours/cost of on campus dining?"and "Why"
"Do you have any recommendations on how to improve gator dining?"
After interviewing 5 people that gave me some insight about their on campus dining experience, I realized that we were all on the same page and agreed that something has to be done about it. The opportunity still exists. What surprised me was that even students that live off campus and don't have much of an experience from eating on-campus, still have their own opinion to talk about it. That means that the problem of on campus dining is well-known, so people either ignore it or do something about it, like find alternative food options. My costumers had a basic idea on what has to be changed necessarily, but they didn't know how exactly. That's my job, I think.
I was certainly nervous about interviewing students but I was prepared for what I was about to ask them. I made sure of interviewing people with different experiences, like students that live on-campus/off-campus, had a meal plan before/never had a meal plan before, etc. That's why every interview took a different direction. My first attempt was not the best, as expected, so I made another plan and corrected the mistakes I though I made.
Question included but were not limited to:
"Do you live on campus or off campus?" If you live on campus, do you live close to dining halls?
"Do you often eat on campus?"If yes, where?
"Do you have a meal plan?"
"Are you satisfied with the quality of food/service/working hours/cost of on campus dining?"and "Why"
"Do you have any recommendations on how to improve gator dining?"
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Top 5 World Problems
1) Syria's refugees fleeing from ISIS to Greece, Turkey and other countries. The countries they are fleeing to don't provide them with enough food and housing. In Greece, especially, where the economy is devastating, mostly volunteers and NPOs are trying to help the refugees by providing them with the basics (food, shelter, clothes, job, etc).
2) Jihad terrorism. Jihad terrorists take parts of the Quran and Hadith and misinterpret them to justify their anger and terrorist attacks. These people usually suffer from mental problems, economic distress and/or feelings of humiliation.
3) Hunger problems in underdeveloped countries. Countries in power take advantage of the resources poor countries have and exploit the residents by hiring them for cheap labor. Then the residents cannot find a decent job because of their limited resources and are almost entirely dependent on the countries in power.
4) Illiteracy in underdeveloped countries.
5) Environmental problems with greenhouse gases emitted from cars. Excessive amount of driving in major cities. These gases increase the earth's temperature, which in turn results in climate change.
I picked these five problems as the most serious problems because I think they are the ones that should be solved as soon as possible. The first two have to be solved immediately since they happened very recently and a lot of people have died because of these problems. The last three have been problems for a long time. Actions have been taken to solve them, but progress still needs to be made. I believe hunger is the first thing that has to be solved, so that more people live and thus, more people get educated. The fifth problem is all about the environment, which is still a very serious problem, even if I ranked it as the fifth.
1) Environmental problems with greenhouse gases emitted from cars. Solution: Environmentally-friendly cars should be marketed and advertised more. People should start using cars only for shorts distances, and use bikes and public transportation more often. Public transportation tickets should become cheaper.
2) Illiteracy in underdeveloped countries. Solution: Create a student exchange program for universities around the world in which students can tutor and/or Education majors can teach people in countries where neither enough schools are constructed nor enough teachers are hired.
3) Hunger problems in underdeveloped countries. Solution: First and foremost educate them. Countries from all over the world can send representatives to teach the residents of underdeveloped countries how to grow their own food and livestock and how to become economically independent.
4) Syria's refugees fleeing from ISIS to Greece, Turkey and other countries. Solution: All EU countries make a contract to help out the refugees. This way they can be sent to countries where economic and basic support would be easier to find.
5) Jihad terrorism. Solution: Teach them the right interpretation of Quran and Hadith and solve their problems by providing them with more benefits, including psychological support.
My ranking of my most implementable solutions is almost the reverse of my previous list. The reason why I ordered the list like this is because some problems that seem to be "less important problems" are probably more possible to solve. I am pretty sure the first problem can be easily solved if people become less lazy. In Singapore, they have already limited most of the driving by encouraging public transportation to a large extent. The reason for this is partly because of the high cost of cars and party because of the environmental-friendly regulations they have. The second solution can also be implemented since universities are paying more attention and offering more funding into innovative ideas. That's why I think creating a student exchange program is feasible. The last two problems are less likely to be solved soon, due to financial and political interests that get in the way. It is also pretty difficult to track down the Jihad terrorists and especially to stop them by "unbrainwashing" them from their religious beliefs.
2) Jihad terrorism. Jihad terrorists take parts of the Quran and Hadith and misinterpret them to justify their anger and terrorist attacks. These people usually suffer from mental problems, economic distress and/or feelings of humiliation.
3) Hunger problems in underdeveloped countries. Countries in power take advantage of the resources poor countries have and exploit the residents by hiring them for cheap labor. Then the residents cannot find a decent job because of their limited resources and are almost entirely dependent on the countries in power.
4) Illiteracy in underdeveloped countries.
5) Environmental problems with greenhouse gases emitted from cars. Excessive amount of driving in major cities. These gases increase the earth's temperature, which in turn results in climate change.
I picked these five problems as the most serious problems because I think they are the ones that should be solved as soon as possible. The first two have to be solved immediately since they happened very recently and a lot of people have died because of these problems. The last three have been problems for a long time. Actions have been taken to solve them, but progress still needs to be made. I believe hunger is the first thing that has to be solved, so that more people live and thus, more people get educated. The fifth problem is all about the environment, which is still a very serious problem, even if I ranked it as the fifth.
1) Environmental problems with greenhouse gases emitted from cars. Solution: Environmentally-friendly cars should be marketed and advertised more. People should start using cars only for shorts distances, and use bikes and public transportation more often. Public transportation tickets should become cheaper.
2) Illiteracy in underdeveloped countries. Solution: Create a student exchange program for universities around the world in which students can tutor and/or Education majors can teach people in countries where neither enough schools are constructed nor enough teachers are hired.
3) Hunger problems in underdeveloped countries. Solution: First and foremost educate them. Countries from all over the world can send representatives to teach the residents of underdeveloped countries how to grow their own food and livestock and how to become economically independent.
4) Syria's refugees fleeing from ISIS to Greece, Turkey and other countries. Solution: All EU countries make a contract to help out the refugees. This way they can be sent to countries where economic and basic support would be easier to find.
5) Jihad terrorism. Solution: Teach them the right interpretation of Quran and Hadith and solve their problems by providing them with more benefits, including psychological support.
My ranking of my most implementable solutions is almost the reverse of my previous list. The reason why I ordered the list like this is because some problems that seem to be "less important problems" are probably more possible to solve. I am pretty sure the first problem can be easily solved if people become less lazy. In Singapore, they have already limited most of the driving by encouraging public transportation to a large extent. The reason for this is partly because of the high cost of cars and party because of the environmental-friendly regulations they have. The second solution can also be implemented since universities are paying more attention and offering more funding into innovative ideas. That's why I think creating a student exchange program is feasible. The last two problems are less likely to be solved soon, due to financial and political interests that get in the way. It is also pretty difficult to track down the Jihad terrorists and especially to stop them by "unbrainwashing" them from their religious beliefs.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Week 3 Reading Reflection
In this reading, called the "The Entrepreneurial Mind-Set in Individuals", the thing that surprised me the most is the large amount of time entrepreneurs have to spend in order to keep their company "in shape". They work long hours to achieve their tasks, since they have multiple roles to serve. Thus, they end up with limited time for leisure and important people like family and friends. It is sad when a job becomes the barrier in one's social life. However, a lot of times when entrepreneurs are very passionate about their ventures, they love working with others.Work is something that fulfills them, despite the challenges that come across their career. Something that was difficult for me to realize was the way entrepreneurs decrease their stress levels; they maintain a high enthusiasm about their work by "passing it out" to their colleagues and employees. This creates an external optimism that allows others to believe in the entrepreneur during difficult times. This is something that I usually do and it happens as mentioned above. People trust me better when I show them a deep passion for something. It probably happens subconsciously due to my hidden stress. Another issue mentioned are the types of risks entrepreneurs take. These are grouped into: financial risks, career risks, family and social risks, and psychic risks. Something that was not elaborated by the author is the way the risks are linked to each other. Financial risks can influence family risks. If, for example, someones goes bankrupt he will automatically risk his family's financial state, because the money that will be lost from his business is the same money that supports his family. Financial risk may also influence social risk, because if someone loses money, then their friends may not believe in their capabilities anymore and start underestimating them. In addition to this, psychic risk is supposed to be the greatest risk according to the writer. I, however, don't think this is true, because a combination of these risks can bring substantial grief to an individual and influence their psychological state dramatically. It usually depends on the severeness of the circumstances that they are working in. Finally, it looks like becoming an entrepreneur is not an easy task to complete, since entrepreneurship involves a lot of stress management and competition. Being an owner of a company is a big responsibility in someone's shoulders and one has to make sure everything is operating well in order to take another step towards their success. The only question I would ask the author regarding the above information would be, What would he be willing to sacrifice in return for his company's success?
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Very Short Interview No. 1
For week 3, I had to interview an entrepreneur. I attended a speech last Monday, in which the Founder of Gainesville's Health&Fitness (center) talked through the Entrepreneurship club about his story. I was inspired by his story so I chose to interview him later that week.
How did you become an entrepreneur? How did you come so far?
By continual growth. I never stopped working on my goal. I renew the features of my company often, because I always have the feeling that I can do better, that I am not good enough for my customers or not as good as the other companies. I would always look at what my competitors did and applied the same in my own company. For example, I once read in a book that some companies had a meeting room only for creative thinking, and I did the same for my company when I read this. As the saying goes, "Success is a journey, not a destination".
Did you wish that you had the opportunity to be taught about entrepreneurship when you were a student? If yes, what would you have wished to be taught about?
I know that a lot of entrepreneurs had not been taught of how to become an entrepreneur when they were in school and some of them may not have even finished high school. I know that an entrepreneurship class gives you the opportunity to gain awareness on what are your possibilities if you want to become an entrepreneur. In my view, books are a very good tool for becoming an entrepreneur. I have read a lot of books about creative thinking, positive thinking, and marketing techniques, and all of them have helped me improve myself and my company.
When obstacles occur throughout your career, how do you deal with them?
I never look at them as obstacles. I always focus on my target. For instance, I was flying my plane one day when it caught on fire and exploded. I was stranded in the ocean for a very long time with a flashlight in my mouth trying to find a coast. I never gave up, because I didn't see this event as an obstacle. I kept thinking of my target. It was a matter of life and death and I was thinking this is not what I want to be (dead). I can do better than this. And I finally did it... I found the coast, the airport runway I was supposed to land on. As another saying goes, "Circumstance doesn't make the man, it reveals him." In this case, and most other cases, this is what I had... I had no option but to move on.
Throughout the interview, I admired Cirulli's persistence on becoming continuously better. From his stories, I understood that he's a real fighter and that he never gave up on his dreams. He always worked hard to become what he always wanted to, even when others didn't support him. That's what inspired me.
How did you become an entrepreneur? How did you come so far?
By continual growth. I never stopped working on my goal. I renew the features of my company often, because I always have the feeling that I can do better, that I am not good enough for my customers or not as good as the other companies. I would always look at what my competitors did and applied the same in my own company. For example, I once read in a book that some companies had a meeting room only for creative thinking, and I did the same for my company when I read this. As the saying goes, "Success is a journey, not a destination".
Did you wish that you had the opportunity to be taught about entrepreneurship when you were a student? If yes, what would you have wished to be taught about?
I know that a lot of entrepreneurs had not been taught of how to become an entrepreneur when they were in school and some of them may not have even finished high school. I know that an entrepreneurship class gives you the opportunity to gain awareness on what are your possibilities if you want to become an entrepreneur. In my view, books are a very good tool for becoming an entrepreneur. I have read a lot of books about creative thinking, positive thinking, and marketing techniques, and all of them have helped me improve myself and my company.
When obstacles occur throughout your career, how do you deal with them?
I never look at them as obstacles. I always focus on my target. For instance, I was flying my plane one day when it caught on fire and exploded. I was stranded in the ocean for a very long time with a flashlight in my mouth trying to find a coast. I never gave up, because I didn't see this event as an obstacle. I kept thinking of my target. It was a matter of life and death and I was thinking this is not what I want to be (dead). I can do better than this. And I finally did it... I found the coast, the airport runway I was supposed to land on. As another saying goes, "Circumstance doesn't make the man, it reveals him." In this case, and most other cases, this is what I had... I had no option but to move on.
Throughout the interview, I admired Cirulli's persistence on becoming continuously better. From his stories, I understood that he's a real fighter and that he never gave up on his dreams. He always worked hard to become what he always wanted to, even when others didn't support him. That's what inspired me.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
World's biggest problems
This is my list of one of World's Biggest Problems and solutions for them.
1) Syria's refugees fleeing from ISIS to Greece, Turkey and other countries. The countries they are fleeing to don't provide them with enough food and housing. In Greece, especially, where the economy is devastating, mostly volunteers and NPOs are trying to help the refugees by providing them with the basics (food, shelter, clothes, job, etc). Solution: All EU countries make a contract to help out the refugees. This way they can be sent to countries where economic and basic support would be easier to find.
2) Hunger problems in underdeveloped countries. Countries in power take advantage of the resources poor countries have and exploit the residents by hiring them for cheap labor. Then the residents cannot find a decent job because of their limited resources and are almost entirely dependent on the countries in power. Solution: First and foremost educate them. Countries from all over the world can send representatives to teach the residents of underdeveloped countries how to grow their own food and livestock and becoming economically independent.
3) Environmental problems with greenhouse gases emitted from cars. Excessive amount of driving in major cities. These gases increase the earth's temperature, which in turn results in climate change. Solution: Environmentally-friendly cars should be marketed and advertised more. People should start using cars only for shorts distances, and use bikes and public transportation more often. Public transportation tickets should become cheaper.
4) Jihad terrorism. Jihad terrorists take parts of the Quran and Hadith and misinterpret them to justify their anger and terrorist attacks. These people usually suffer from mental problems, economic distress and/or feelings of humiliation. Solution: Teach them the right interpretation of Quran and Hadith and solve their problems by providing them with more benefits, including psychological support.
5) Job inequality. Men get payed more than women, even if they are completing the same amount of work. Solution: Payments should be merit-based, which means they should be payed in terms of how much they work and how well they do their job, regardless of sex.
6) Domestic Violence. Educate women/men how to identify signs of domestic violence and how to prevent it by speaking up. Teach optional self-defense classes in school. Train lawyers specialized in domestic violence cases.
7) Unemployment due to jobs that become out of date. Create new, creative and innovative jobs that will be customer-need based.
8) Illiteracy in underdeveloped countries. Create a student exchange program for universities around the world in which students can tutor and/or Education majors can teach people in countries where neither enough schools are constructed nor enough teachers are hired.
9) Technological gap between developed and underdeveloped countries. People do not know how to use computes and therefore do not have access in technological advances which are nowadays the primary mean of communication and information. All people, rich and poor, should have equal (moral) rights. Solution: IT-literate people or professionals should be hired at schools in underdeveloped countries in exchange for housing, food, and basic needs. The special equipments can be provided by donations from universities and other resources.
10) Donald Trump running for president. Has anti-Muslim ideology, which he promotes to get more votes. Is often compared to Hitler, who had anti-Jew ideology. Attempts to brainwash people with wrong ideals. Solution: Young people can campaign against him to prevent him from getting voted and show Trump's true intentions of his political ideas.
1) Syria's refugees fleeing from ISIS to Greece, Turkey and other countries. The countries they are fleeing to don't provide them with enough food and housing. In Greece, especially, where the economy is devastating, mostly volunteers and NPOs are trying to help the refugees by providing them with the basics (food, shelter, clothes, job, etc). Solution: All EU countries make a contract to help out the refugees. This way they can be sent to countries where economic and basic support would be easier to find.
2) Hunger problems in underdeveloped countries. Countries in power take advantage of the resources poor countries have and exploit the residents by hiring them for cheap labor. Then the residents cannot find a decent job because of their limited resources and are almost entirely dependent on the countries in power. Solution: First and foremost educate them. Countries from all over the world can send representatives to teach the residents of underdeveloped countries how to grow their own food and livestock and becoming economically independent.
3) Environmental problems with greenhouse gases emitted from cars. Excessive amount of driving in major cities. These gases increase the earth's temperature, which in turn results in climate change. Solution: Environmentally-friendly cars should be marketed and advertised more. People should start using cars only for shorts distances, and use bikes and public transportation more often. Public transportation tickets should become cheaper.
4) Jihad terrorism. Jihad terrorists take parts of the Quran and Hadith and misinterpret them to justify their anger and terrorist attacks. These people usually suffer from mental problems, economic distress and/or feelings of humiliation. Solution: Teach them the right interpretation of Quran and Hadith and solve their problems by providing them with more benefits, including psychological support.
5) Job inequality. Men get payed more than women, even if they are completing the same amount of work. Solution: Payments should be merit-based, which means they should be payed in terms of how much they work and how well they do their job, regardless of sex.
6) Domestic Violence. Educate women/men how to identify signs of domestic violence and how to prevent it by speaking up. Teach optional self-defense classes in school. Train lawyers specialized in domestic violence cases.
7) Unemployment due to jobs that become out of date. Create new, creative and innovative jobs that will be customer-need based.
8) Illiteracy in underdeveloped countries. Create a student exchange program for universities around the world in which students can tutor and/or Education majors can teach people in countries where neither enough schools are constructed nor enough teachers are hired.
9) Technological gap between developed and underdeveloped countries. People do not know how to use computes and therefore do not have access in technological advances which are nowadays the primary mean of communication and information. All people, rich and poor, should have equal (moral) rights. Solution: IT-literate people or professionals should be hired at schools in underdeveloped countries in exchange for housing, food, and basic needs. The special equipments can be provided by donations from universities and other resources.
10) Donald Trump running for president. Has anti-Muslim ideology, which he promotes to get more votes. Is often compared to Hitler, who had anti-Jew ideology. Attempts to brainwash people with wrong ideals. Solution: Young people can campaign against him to prevent him from getting voted and show Trump's true intentions of his political ideas.
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| Daraa(Syria)- Before and after rebel attacks |
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Week 2 Reading Reflection
On this post, I will talk about a chapter of a book I read, called "Entrepreneurship: Evolutionary Development –
Revolutionary Impact". To start with, entrepreneurs, in this text, are presented as the "heroes of today's marketplace" or in other words, the heroes of the economy. That is, because entrepreneurs act and serve other people in need. Of course, they get into becoming entrepreneurs, due to a challenge they face, an external motive or an innate will to make change.
What I liked in this text was the distinction between small business owners and entrepreneurs. These two are quite different from each other. Entrepreneurs initiate a business plan, in which more than one people cooperate into making the business successful. So, in addition to working in the business, they also work on the business. As a result, we got many different people, with different skills and talents (entrepreneur, manager, technician), but with the same goal and mind-set, which is to successfully make a business work. All of these entrepreneurs that work for a business are working in terms of basic entrepreneurial principles, such as innovation, profitability and constant growth. In contrast, small business owners are not characterized by such principles. They are ,therefore, less aggressive and more settled in what they already have, since their businesses are already bought as established businesses or franchises. These people are not risk-takers and just expect stable sales and profit. They work in the business serving others. As mentioned in the reading, small business owners are just managers or technicians who create a job to serve their own needs, without contributing into economic growth. This distinction made me understand more about what it means to be an entrepreneur and how important he/she is within a working environment.
Another part that surprised me was that there are too many situations in life that can lead one to become an entrepreneur. These can be considered as fortunate or unfortunate opportunities that appear from mostly external factors. These factors can be either positive or negative.The author separates them into "Environmental School of Thought" and the "Displacement School of Thought" respectively. On the one side, the work and direct social environment is a major contributor in a potential entrepreneur's career. The freedom and support to develop ideas, initiate contracts, create or institute new methods, provide a new entrepreneur the motive to change things. In addition to that, the support from family and friends is also important to a new entrepreneur. On the other hand, when one feels psychologically or is physically displaced from their own group, they are prevented a lot of times from many activities. In order to find a solution to their problem, these individuals find a way to stand on their feet again by putting all their energy in creating something new. They are somehow forced to think in a way that no one has thought of before, leading them to "open windows". The only thing I would change in the text is just incorporate every factor, positive or negative, into one category, because they are basically formed by external factors. I would differentiate the displacement factor only from the others. The difference would be the inner force that drives the entrepreneur to pursuit an entrepreneurship career. Finally, the part that confused me was the "Strategic Formulation School of Thought". How can a company survive when combining unique elements? I wouldn't think that would be sufficient for a company to be successful. Using, however, these resources properly is certainly important.
What I liked in this text was the distinction between small business owners and entrepreneurs. These two are quite different from each other. Entrepreneurs initiate a business plan, in which more than one people cooperate into making the business successful. So, in addition to working in the business, they also work on the business. As a result, we got many different people, with different skills and talents (entrepreneur, manager, technician), but with the same goal and mind-set, which is to successfully make a business work. All of these entrepreneurs that work for a business are working in terms of basic entrepreneurial principles, such as innovation, profitability and constant growth. In contrast, small business owners are not characterized by such principles. They are ,therefore, less aggressive and more settled in what they already have, since their businesses are already bought as established businesses or franchises. These people are not risk-takers and just expect stable sales and profit. They work in the business serving others. As mentioned in the reading, small business owners are just managers or technicians who create a job to serve their own needs, without contributing into economic growth. This distinction made me understand more about what it means to be an entrepreneur and how important he/she is within a working environment.
Another part that surprised me was that there are too many situations in life that can lead one to become an entrepreneur. These can be considered as fortunate or unfortunate opportunities that appear from mostly external factors. These factors can be either positive or negative.The author separates them into "Environmental School of Thought" and the "Displacement School of Thought" respectively. On the one side, the work and direct social environment is a major contributor in a potential entrepreneur's career. The freedom and support to develop ideas, initiate contracts, create or institute new methods, provide a new entrepreneur the motive to change things. In addition to that, the support from family and friends is also important to a new entrepreneur. On the other hand, when one feels psychologically or is physically displaced from their own group, they are prevented a lot of times from many activities. In order to find a solution to their problem, these individuals find a way to stand on their feet again by putting all their energy in creating something new. They are somehow forced to think in a way that no one has thought of before, leading them to "open windows". The only thing I would change in the text is just incorporate every factor, positive or negative, into one category, because they are basically formed by external factors. I would differentiate the displacement factor only from the others. The difference would be the inner force that drives the entrepreneur to pursuit an entrepreneurship career. Finally, the part that confused me was the "Strategic Formulation School of Thought". How can a company survive when combining unique elements? I wouldn't think that would be sufficient for a company to be successful. Using, however, these resources properly is certainly important.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
My Entrepreneurship story
So, I've had a great experience learning about entrepreneurship, as well as innovation, this past year. I'm enrolled in this program called "Innovation Academy" at UF, in which we spend our first two semesters on classes, such as Creativity in Context and Creativity in Action. During the first semester we learned how to think creatively, while in the second semester we put our "fresh knowledge" into action. This means that we would have to think "out of the box" and come with a solution to a problem that is of big importance to people. This "idea or product" would have to be presented in an actual showcase, called the Catalyst Showcase at UF. My team and I had an idea relating to the food industry & mass consumption in the US. An enormous amount of fast food chains have taken over the US and a lot of ready-made or processed food are being promoted as the best solution when people don't have time and money to cook. As a result, we came up with the idea of making an app ("FoodBudds") that would help people buy their own groceries and make their own food in limited time and cost. It is an app that consists of a recipe database, one that anyone can personalize in terms of their own needs (availability, budget, health issues, food preferences, etc.), thus making the recipes customer oriented. The challenge in this project was to figure out the main problem, in which people chose convenience over health, and then to present a solution that sounded applicable to today's reality. From my experience, I have learned that in order to find a solution one needs to find out the facts of a certain phenomenon, by asking about all the possible "whys" and then finding all the possible solutions. As we already mentioned in class, ALWAYS think about the costumer's need when making a business plan, instead of making something innovative, yet useless, in the long run.
ENT 303 is a great course for people that want to lead their own company and put their ideas into action. I enrolled into this class because it is mandatory for the Innovation Academy course schedule. Despite that, I find this course very useful and mind-opening, because we are being taught to think in ways that we haven't though about before. I hope I learn ways to confidently promote my own ideas online and mostly in person.
PS. My team and I won the "Make It Happen" award, which was presented in recognition of the prototype or idea with the greatest potential for implementation.
ENT 303 is a great course for people that want to lead their own company and put their ideas into action. I enrolled into this class because it is mandatory for the Innovation Academy course schedule. Despite that, I find this course very useful and mind-opening, because we are being taught to think in ways that we haven't though about before. I hope I learn ways to confidently promote my own ideas online and mostly in person.
PS. My team and I won the "Make It Happen" award, which was presented in recognition of the prototype or idea with the greatest potential for implementation.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Introduction
Hello everyone! My name is Artemis. I was born in Greece and lived there my whole life until last year, when I decided to study at UF. I study Chemistry and my goal is to do research in Food Chemistry. I want to improve the quality of the food we eat outside, as well as, inside of our home - make it healthier and safer. I love cooking and I like playing the guitar. At the moment, me and my family live far apart from each other. My mother just moved in New York with my aunt, my father works at Saudi Arabia and my brother studies IT in Greece. I hope we all get back together soon in the future.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
To all Gators
Hello UF Entrepreneurs! Hope everyone is having a great start this semester. Good luck :)
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