Final Reflection

Sadly all great things will have to come to an end. This class was one of the ones that I will never forget. From creating a product idea to filming myself describing and marketing this product, It was all a great experience. The most difficult part of this class was just finding where to market and interview people that could benefit your product. Other than that, I found this class to be quite entertaining. I was able to read and watch many students interesting products and ideas, some new and some re-tooled for a different market. This class has helped me gain a hunger for creating my own empire when I am ready to jump off and start. I have gained various skills from this class and would highly recommend the next class to take these lessons seriously and put your all into it. 

Venture Concept No.2

"To begin, an opportunity is defined as a group of customers with unmet needs. When coming up with this product I had to carefully come up with who I thought would have this need. After careful consideration, I came up with the realization that an abundance of people had this need, not just a certain group. That is why I decided to propose a zero calorie cat and dog treat. For example, pet owners need it, dog trainers need it, and groomers. The nature of the need just depends on exactly how you live your day-to-day life with your pet. Some people are around their pets all throughout the day, others only a few times a day.  I would say the nature of the need just fully depends on how you live your life. This market is defined on how many pets are to a household plus the varying weights. See I am from a family that has had two overweight dogs, so I am always giving treats that have too many calories, a zero calorie treat could have helped me our pets weight tremendously.  Customers really are not currently satisfying this need since there is nothing to satisfy it. I would have to say that the closest thing to it would have to be a low 2 calorie treat that is on the market right now. Customers have proven to be rather loyal if they are treat givers, so I think with my product I would be perfectly fine in regards to loyalty.  This opportunity is really big in my opinion, I feel like customers would line up out the door to purchase my product.  The window of opportunity would be there for a while, I am sure some other company would try to copy my product but if I keep updating mine I would be fine. You can never get comfortable in a business; whenever you are satisfied that is when you get in trouble. The innovation that I am introducing is a completely calorie and fat-free treat. There is no product like mine on the market today. The closest thing out there is a “low-calorie" treat, which does not even compare to my product today. How it works is simple, it works like just any other treatments out there, just that it is a fully calorie-free treat. No longer will you need to waste your time and money buying those fatty filled treats. I have literally tried three different kinds of them and they all were fattening. That was another point in time when it hit me, and I wanted to find a solution to this problem. In regards to selling my product, it will all depend on what size box you want (60oz, 120oz, 500oz). The 60ozwill run you $12, the 120oz will run you $21, and the 500oz will run you $63. I think with the low prices and the product that you are getting I do not think that customers will have a problem paying this price for my treats. My innovation will solve the problem of not having a fully calorie-free treat on the market. The customers will buy my innovation due to the fact that the opportunity is there and the customers want it. Customers will switch to my product since there is nothing like it, it might be difficult to get them to switch out of their existing products. Once they get out of their product I’m confident they will make the switch. The competitors in this business are all of the other treat companies and how they choose to adapt to my product. Their weakness will be they will not have a treat with the capabilities like mine, so it will be hard for them to compete. Packaging, price points, distribution, customer support, the customer experience will play a big role in my business concept. I have learned you have to give the customers what they desire by figuring out what they want and adapting accordingly. I would support the ongoing production of my new product, pretty much on the demand of my new product. If it is doing really well I would obviously have to hire more employees to fulfill the demand for my product. Without a doubt my unfair advantage would be a fully calorie free cat treat, there is just nothing out there on the market that can compare at the moment right now. What I would like to tackle with my product next is to expand overseas; I think that would help my product grow even more. I would like to be sitting back very successful after 5 years. Working and thinking for my next new innovation, and hopefully will have way more resources to make that happen. This venture will help me realize what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur."

From my original Venture Post, I have taken feedback and believe that I have a great product that could possibly do well in the market. My main feedback was, that I need to focus greatly on marketing. Since this is a new product that is coming to the market, I will need to make sure I advertise greatly and keep people up to date on where my product is and how they can benefit and acquire it.

27A - Reading Reflection

The book I decided to read was “The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

1. The general theme of this book is to always be having a growing mindset. Never become stagnant in life and always strive for more.
2. This book closely connects with this class because it wants you to embrace the act of failure and turn it into something greater.
3. If I had to design an exercise, I would make it about failure. I would make people find an entrepreneur that failed greatly to get where he is and try to explain why he kept going.
4. Complimenting others on how they do despite whether it is bad or not was always deemed to be good in my mind. I didn’t think that it should be bad is what they explained in this reading.

28A – Your Exit Strategy

I believe that the product I have will be able to survive past the initial 5 years and show a true profit. I don't believe that I will sell my company at this point. I intend to keep this company within my family business. This can be a product that might be able to have some copycats but if I always renew my patents and formulas, I will have a far superior product. Having this mindset has helped me be more aggressive when finding resources and capital investors\.

Celebrating Failure 26A

I am taking an operating systems class at UF and I am just getting beat up left and right by these projects. I am always struggling with each one because of the degree of difficulty that comes with the assignment. But as I bunker down and don't lose hope, I am able to finish each assignment within the allotted time. This has shown me that no matter how down I am feeling because of the difficulty, I am able to have faith and pull through each time.

This class has helped me understand my failure better and learn from it, either than let it tear me down. I understand that to get far in life, you must roll with the punches and always understand that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Venture Concept No. 1

To begin, an opportunity is defined as a group of customers with unmet needs. When coming up with this product I had to carefully come up with who I thought would have this need. After careful consideration, I came up with the realization that an abundance of people had this need, not just a certain group. That is why I decided to propose a zero calorie cat and dog treat. For example, pet owners need it, dog trainers need it, and groomers. The nature of the need just depends on exactly how you live your day-to-day life with your pet. Some people are around their pets all throughout the day, others only a few times a day.  I would say the nature of the need just fully depends on how you live your life. This market is defined on how many pets are to a household plus the varying weights. See I am from a family that has had two overweight dogs, so I am always giving treats that have too many calories, a zero calorie treat could have helped me our pets weight tremendously.  Customers really are not currently satisfying this need since there is nothing to satisfy it. I would have to say that the closet thing to it would have to be a low 2 calorie treat that is on the market right now. Customers have proven to be rather loyal if they are treat givers, so I think with my product I would be perfectly fine in regards to loyalty.  This opportunity is really big in my opinion, I feel like customers would line up out the door to purchase my product.  The window of opportunity would be there for a while, I am sure some other company would try to copy my product but if I keep updating mine I would be fine. You can never get comfortable in a business; whenever you are satisfied that is when you get in trouble. The innovation that I am introducing is a completely calorie and fat-free treat. There is no product like mine on the market today. The closesest thing out there is a “low-calorie" treat, which does not even compare to my product today. How it works is simple, it works like just any other treat out there, just that it is a fully calorie-free treat. No longer will you need to waste your time and money buying those fatty filled treats. I have literally tried three different kinds of them and they all were fattening. That was another point in time when it hit me, and I wanted to find a solution to this problem. In regards to selling my product, it will all depend on what size box you want (60oz, 120oz, 500oz). The 60ozwill run you $12, the 120oz will run you $21, and the 500oz will run you $63. I think with the low prices and the producrt that you are getting I do not think that customers will have a problem paying this price for my treats. My innovation will solve the problem of not having a fully calorie-free treat on the market. The customers will buy my innovation due to the fact that the opportunity is there and the customers want it. Customers will switch to my product since there is nothing like it, it might be difficult to get them to switch out of their existing products. Once they get out of their product I’m confident they will make the switch. The competitors in this business are all of the other treat companies and how they choose to adapt to my product. Their weakness will be they will not have a treat with the capabilities like mine, so it will be hard for them to compete. Packaging, price points, distribution, customer support, the customer experience will play a big role in my business concept. I have learned you have to give the customers what they desire by figuring out what they want and adapting accordingly. I would support the ongoing production of my new product, pretty much on the demand of my new product. If it is doing really well I would obviously have to hire more employees to fulfill the demand for my product. Without a doubt my unfair advantage would be a fully calorie free cat treat, there is just nothing out there on the market that can compare at the moment right now. What I would like to tackle with my product next is to expand overseas; I think that would help my product grow even more. I would like to be sitting back very successful after 5 years. Working and thinking for my next new innovation, and hopefully will have way more resources to make that happen. This venture will help me realize what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur.

Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

The resources that I possess, go as follows:
1. Great product that has not been done before and will not be repeated

2. Human Capital: Product developer skills
This is a valuable skill, but this human capital is not hard to acquire. 

3. Human Capital: market research analyst skills
Also a valuable skill, but still not hard to acquire.


4. Human Capital: extensive knowledge of the users of this product range 
It is valuable to understand your market, but this is common amongst entrepreneurs.


5. Social Capital: Niche-community with growth by word-of-mouth
Since pet owners are the market, pet store presence and word-of-mouth will be easy tools to grow this company.


6. Social Capital: Ambassadors that promote the product at stores and on social media platforms
This is a new marketing tools businesses that are social-media savvy have been using, it is easy to imitate. 


7. Social Capital: Partnerships with and support from organizations across the nation, such as Petsmart and Petco.
This is valuable and rare. Having these connections provide credibility to this company. 


8. Financial Capital: Funds raised by sponsors and investors (Pet treat enthusiasts).
This is not as rare to acquire, another company can easily obtain loans for financing.


9. Financial Capital: Funds granted through start-up business idea competitions.
This is a bit more challenging to acquire a normal competitor. 


10.Culture: Aspire to create a culture centered around pet treat enthusiasts, creating a special form of network.
This is a unique resource. Must work hard to align goals and actions to the vision we have created. 

Elevator Pitch No. 3

https://youtu.be/lLU469S4cQk

21A Reading Reflections Post 2

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

I chose to read "How to Fail at Everything and Still Win Big" by Scott Adams. The overall theme for the book was to always put yourself in front of everything. He wants to stress the idea that you need to take time for yourself and everything in your life that can affect your well-being.

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

This book relates to ENT3003 because it is all about self-improvement. It all about giving yourself the best chances in life.

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

 If I had to design an exercise for this class, I would make it about self-reflection. To look at yourself and make sure you are doing the best you can with everything in your life.

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?

"Passion about something does not mean success" This was an aha for me because it showed me that passion does not always go hand in hand with success like I was always taught.

Idea Napkin No.2

I am currently a senior at UF, about to get my bachelors degree in Business Administration. I also work part-time as a salesman at a local boat store. I have gained a lot of people skills and entrepreneurship skills while working there. When asked to create a business opportunity this seemed to come to me quite easily. I was able to use my personal experience to assist me in coming up with this idea.

The business opportunity I am offering to the consumer is a healthy alternative to treats for cats and dogs. This treat is no-calorie and fat-free, as opposed to the calorie ridden treats on the market today.

I am offering this product to all consumers with an overweight pet or a consumer would like to fit his pet as many treats as they would like without any consequences.

I believe consumers would like to have this product compared to the treats that are on the market now. Consumers will love to have this product because they would be able to feed as many treats as possible.

My product is set apart from other companies because there is nothing like it on the market. This will be the first absolutely no calorie treat on the market. This is a super grain that has just been discovered and I am the only one with the patent to use it.

I believe that all of these components can work well together. My entrepreneurship skills will help me take this product and market it correctly and effectively.

I believe the feedback that I have received on my first idea napkin has given me insight into what I can bring to the market.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

Elevator Pitch No.2

Create a Customer Avatar

My prototypical customer, I believe would be middle-aged men and women who have a moderate to an active lifestyle. They have hobbies that would include fitness or painting. They like to drive environmentally friendly vehicles that can run on electricity or eco-boosted engines. The cars would be red or light blue. They like to watch "The Office" on Netflix or home improvement shows. They might have one child or one on the way. They are less likely to be adopted. They have a close group of friends that they keep in touch with. They don't read a lot, but if they were to read it would be fan-fiction. They are typically neutral on politics and like to keep it personal.

I feel like I can relate to this prototypical customer in some ways. I like to keep up with my fitness and my shows on Netflix. I do enjoy the thought of eco-friendly cars as well.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

I decided to interview people at PetSmart who were either in the dog aisle or cat aisle. When in the dog aisle, I was able to talk to people about their buying behaviors. One interviewee based their buying off of price and not so much quality. They preferred online shopping more than in-store and always paid with a card. They think they sometimes receive a poor product compared to the higher end products because of the price of the treat. They stated that this was not always the case, though. The second dog owner was shopping for quality and price. Not afraid to spend a little more to get a better quality product, but did not want to go overboard. They prefer to shop in store so they are able to physically touch the product and examine. This customer preferred cash. They were likely to check online reviews before making a purchase to rid themselves of any poor choices. The third interviewee was in the cat aisle. This consumer was a bargain shopper and cared mostly about price. They did not have a preference for where they liked to shop more, either online or in-store. They mixed it up with cash and card and did not check many reviews before making purchases so sometimes would make a poor decision in their choice.

These interviews helped me get an idea of how I should base my marketing. When it's online I should make sure I have a great rating and no poor reviews. In-store should have easy to find and easy to read labels to draw peoples attention and inform them of the better choice.

Halfway Reflection

1. When preparing for this course, constantly be checking the calendar or make a very detailed reminder board. There are a lot of assignments and you do not want to wait last minute to get them done or finish them. Try to work ahead if possible to eliminate the opportunity of missing due dates.

2. I have developed a very driven mindset from taking this class. It is very tough having so many assignments due per week plus other class requirements. This class has taught me great time management skills and to be harder on myself.

3. My three tips would be to always stay on top of your work, always push yourself to do more than asked, and as always, have fun when you are taking this class. Have time to breathe once in a while and realize this class is here to mold and shape you into a successful entrepreneur in the future.

Reading Reflection #1

Wright Brothers


1. What surprised me the most is that of their seclusion from the limelight. Despite their great feat, they chose to stay out of fame. I admired most, their ambition. They never gave up despite many failed attempts. On the other hand, they took a two-year hiatus, which I least admired. They faced great adversity with each and every prototype that failed.

2. The Wright Brothers exhibited many entrepreneurship attributes such as Admiration, perseverance, innovativeness, and undying dedication.

3. What confused me the most about the Wright Brothers, was Orville's anxious feeling towards his brother after the meeting in Paris with businessman Hart O' Berg.

4. If I could ask the Wright Brothers any question, I would ask them how we're able to just one day come up with the idea of flight. I would also ask them how they feel about their applications of planes on the scale they are used today.

5. I think their opinion of hard work is never giving up and giving it your all, no matter how many times you fail.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

My segment is owners with overweight cats or dogs.


Interviewee #1

Do you have an overweight cat or dog?
- I have both a cat and a dog. The cat is a little more on the heftier side.

Do you feed them treats often?
-All the time. I am always rewarding them for going out to the bathroom and doing tricks.

Do you feel any remorse when giving them many treats?
- When my cat starting getting fat, I felt terrible. My dog is not as fat.

Have you ever tried to find an alternative?
-I have looked on Amazon before and I have never found anything.

Interviewee #2

Do you have an overweight cat or dog?
-Just one chunky kitty.

Do you feed her/him treats often?
-Yes, I love to give him treats even when he's just hanging out.

Do you feel any remorse when giving him many treats?
- Yes, I feel so bad but I love giving him treats.

Have you ever tried to find an alternative?
- Yes, I have looked all over google but there is no company that offers a calorie-free treat.

Interviewee #3

Do you have an overweight cat or dog?
- Yes, I have a labrador that is quite overweight.

Do you feed her/him treats often?
- Yes. Besides him eating more often than usual. I will give him treats after walks and using the restroom. I also give him treats when he is just doing nothing as well, I can't help it.

Do you feel any remorse when giving him many treats?
-Yes, because he doesn't understand that is making him very fat. He will always eat them if I am offering.

Have you ever tried to find an alternative?
-I actually have not even tried. I just expected that there is not anything healthier out there.

 I believe every time I do these interviews, I gain more insight into my consumer base. It allows me to see that there is actually a need for this product. I believe that my product could thrive in a market like this.

Idea Napkin No.1

I am currently a senior at UF, about to get my bachelors degree in Business Administration. I also work part-time as a salesman at a local boat store. I have gained a lot of people skills and entrepreneurship skills while working there. When asked to create a business opportunity this seemed to come to me quite easily. I was able to use my personal experience to assist me in coming up with this idea.

The business opportunity I am offering to the consumer is a healthy alternative to treats for cats and dogs. This treat is no-calorie and fat-free, as opposed to the calorie ridden treats on the market today.

I am offering this product to all consumers with an overweight pet or a consumer would like to fit his pet as many treats as they would like without any consequences.

I believe consumers would like to have this product compared to the treats that are on the market now. Consumers will love to have this product because they would be able to feed as many treats as possible.

My product is set apart from other companies because there is nothing like it on the market. This will be the first absolutely no calorie treat on the market. This is a super grain that has just been discovered and I am the only one with the patent to use it.

I believe that all of these components can work well together. My entrepreneurship skills will help me take this product and market it correctly and effectively. 

Elevator Pitch No.1

Elevator Pitch No. 1

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

In this assignment, I am going to continue my exploration in the unmet need of no-calorie treats for pets. This time I will try and narrow down my interviewees to people who do not have a cat or dog and see if this will be an opportunity they can see as being lucrative and innovative.

Interviewee #1

You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
- That is right. My family used to have a dog but since a long time ago. I actually have a few guinea pigs.

Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
- I do believe they would. Dogs not so much because of their crazy active lifestyle, but cats definitely. Cats, in my opinion, are much lazier animals and could get overweight more rapidly.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?
- I think they should be sold at the same price, at least in the beginning to help them enter the market.

Interviewee #2

You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
-No, I do not.

Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
- It all depends on the breed. Most dogs are very active and some are more laid back. I think for the more active dogs this would not affect them as much but could allow them to eat as much as they want. The lazier dogs would absolutely benefit from this. Cats, for sure. I've only seen people with fat cats. This could benefit them because they don't burn as many calories as dogs.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?

I believe they should be more expensive because this would be the premier product compared to what is out there now.

Interviewee #3

You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
- Severely allergic to dander actually. It's not fair because I love all animals, but I can't pet them.


Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
- I'm not sure. I have seen both very skinny dogs and very big dogs. I don't necessarily believe this has to do with treat consumption or just the way their bodies are. With cats, maybe. Cats are very relaxed animals and don't show much energy like dogs.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?
- I believe it should be sold at lower prices because it could help people with lower budgets get the treats they want for their animals.

Interviewee #4

You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
- No, never owned one actually. I have always wanted a cat but I still live in the dorms and I am not allowed.

Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
-  I could very much see this be beneficial to pets health and overall happiness. I couldn't see a pet resisting treats so why not make them healthier.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?
- I think they could have different size packs for all kinds of pricing. It could allow you to buy more at cheaper prices as you go up.

Interviewee #5


You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
- No, but very ironically I work at Petsmart.

Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
- Absolutely. I see way too many obese pets come in and its always their owners telling me, " I can't stop feeding them treats!". Granted this is not the same with every type of cat or dog. Each animal has its own unique system and different digestive ways which could affect the way treats are registered. But overall, a zero-calorie treat would be very beneficial.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?
- I believe for this product to gain some buzz, it would have to start out at a cheaper price than other treats. This will give them a competitive advantage, then, in the long run, be able to bump their pricing accordingly.

Overall, every time I conduct interviews I gain a little more insight into how this product could affect or be used in everyday markets and households. Even with non-pet owners, I can see that this still could be an effective product from other points of view.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is In: Pet Owners	Who is Not: Non-pet owners
What the Need Is: Lower calorie treats	What the Need Is Not: No need for treats
Why the Need Exists: Pets are becoming overweight

8A – Solving The Problem

The problem I want to help out is obese cats who loves treats. The opportunity I want to create is a calorie-free treat. These could be done by using a new type of super-grain that has virtually no calories or fat. It can come in multiple flavors so your cat will enjoy all different types. This will be able to be given to multiple different types of cats.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1 #7a

The opportunity I would like to pursue will be a calorie-free cat treat. I personally have this problem because my cat has recently been marked as obese. Fat cats and high-calorie treats affect cat owners everywhere because people love to feed their cats endlessly, cats are also very vocal about being fed. Cats love treats but unfortunately, they are super lazy so it turns right into fat. Every cat treats on the market has calories and are unhealthy.

Atypical Interviewee #1

Do you own a cat?
-Yes.

Do you regularly feed your cat treats?
- Not a lot, but from time to time.

Would your cat benefit from calorie-free treats?
- My cat is not large at all. He is a very thin cat but I would love to be able to feed him as many treats as I could without him gaining any weight.

Atypical Interviewee #2

Do you own a cat?
- Yes, I own two.

Do you regularly feed your cat treats?
- Yes, I have terrible self-control when I am giving my cats treats!

Would your cat benefit from calorie-free treats?
- Absolutely. My cats are not big yet but they are getting bigger. If I was able to give them treats all the time without any consequences, I would definitely like that.

Atypical Interviewee #3

Do you own a cat?
-No, I do not.

Do you think people that own cats would benefit from calorie-free treats?
- I think cat owners could benefit from this. I have a couple friends with very fat cats and I am sure they would benefit from this cat treat.


Atypical Interviewee #4

Do you own a cat?
- Yes, I have a baby calico.

Do you regularly feed your cat treats?
- Not a lot since she is so small still.

Would your cat benefit from calorie-free treats?
- I believe I would. It would be nice to be able to give my cat treats without having to worry about her gaining a lot of fat while she is still so young.

Atypical Interviewee #5


Do you own a cat?
- No, I do not but my parents have two cats.

Do they regularly feed them their cats treats?

- Yes. One of our cats is so huge! The other one is perfectly normal.

Would your parent's cats benefit from calorie-free treats?
-  The big cat would benefit greatly. He loves treats but desperately needs to lose weight.

I enjoyed doing these interviews because it helped me understand that a lot of people also have this problem. I realize that a lot of cats get fat easily because of treats. I believe a calorie-free treat would be a great product for these owners.

Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

The Complexity of Taxes in 2019

This year, the IRS has revamped their way of filing taxes and how it will affect different tax brackets. I learned about this when I began to think about filing my taxes. I was able to read up on this in multiple publications. The IRS decided to rid of multiple different tax forms and simplify into one. They have also ramped up deduction costs in many different areas of the tax returns. This opportunity rises for many joint households, adults with children, and the elderly. If they file correctly and swiftly they will be able to maximize their chances of receiving the max amount from their returns. Some people can exploit this easily, some may come by it more difficult. I saw this opportunity arise because of my parents, I would love for them to be able to get back as much as they possibly can. As well as my grandparents.

Federal Raising of Property Interest Rates

The interest rates have been climbing on property rates which means a more secure housing market. My friend and I were talking, who is a real estate agent, about how this is happening. This is a telltale sign for investors to eat up as much property as they can. This allows them to have easier resale because of better approval rates on mortgages or loans. Any future homeowner or investor will benefit from this exploit of this property takeover. This can be possibly difficult for consumers with lower tier credit and rough credit history. This happened to appeal to me because I have a few friends who are looking to become homeowners in the near future.

Cities Pushing for Plastic Bans

I was recently reading about how Gainesville is planning to completely rid the city of plastic by 2040. This was in the Gainesville Sun not too long ago. This will benefit not only the residents of Gainesville but the planet. We can all help to exploit this trend by doing our own parts and using re-usable bags and refusing plastic straws. This is something that can be easily done and would just take repetition to make it a habit. This appealed to me because I love to be a part of making this world a more habitable and cleaner place.

Pollution Problems

There is a growing problem with pollution because of environmental regulation cutbacks. This was in a recent article in the NY Times that my buddy studying at New York Law School told me about. We have always had a recurring problem with pollution, but this has been on the rise since recently regulatory changes. Anyone in big city areas and heavily industrialized areas have been affected the most. This would be a very difficult opportunity to exploit because of the mass scale of this problem. This drew me in because of how damaging this is on the earth and we all need to take small steps to help this problem.

5A Identifying Local Opportunities

Here's one way to stop living paycheck to paycheck

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1712811927B008C0

This article highlights ways to help save money from check to check, while still being able to spend money on necessities. It gives a glimpse into a book that is written about budgeting and touches briefly on not spending money on unnecessary things and saving towards important things.

This article highlights incomes being affected by the government shutdown.

In this article, mainly federal workers are who are being affected.

Girl, 10, critically injured in ATV crash

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1711D6039A0C2AC8

This article is stating how a 10 year old girl was injured in a ATV "All Terrain Vehicle" accident. It gives the essence of the accident and what happened.

This article highlights the problem that a child as young as 10 was allowed to operate a motor vehicle with a high chance of tipping points.

The youth are affected because of injury, pedestrians are affected because they have to worry about underage children operating motor vehicles. 

The plastic ban: Gainesville will be 100 percent waste free by 2040

https://www.alligator.org/news/the-plastic-ban-gainesville-will-be-percent-waste-free-by/article_4be9d1d4-1aec-11e9-9b28-dfc39205fdd9.html

This story outlines how Gainesville plans to rid its plastic waste completely by 2040. This highlights Gainesville progressive take to become a great example for cities around.

This article articulates the problem with having a unreasonable amount of waste that cant be broken down by nature for 100's of years. It needs to be dealt with.

This particular problem affects Gainesville residents directly, as well as every and any human on earth if we dont radicate this problem.

Sheriff: Need for 911 operators continues

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F17108DC9E8A81C90

This article is about a 911 Operator who was on the force for 22 years. This article highlights the needs for nore applicants for the job position. 

The problem here is that people, as time goes on, do not want to be a 911 Operator. They would rather work in a prison or a detention center.

The people directly affected by this are police officers and firefighters. They need to make sure they have an adequate amount of operators so they are able to be assisted properly in emergency situations.

Recall is expanded for heart, blood-pressure and kidney drug over possible carcinogen

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1712A48DC8487BC0

This article is about the unfortunate recall for a heart, blood pressure, and kidney prescription. 

The probem here is that so many people have already taken this prescription and it could have had deadly side effects. These things should not have been able to make it out of quality control.

The people affected by this problem are whoever needed this medicine to live a better life.

Entrepreneurship Story 3A

My Father is a huge influence in my life. He has a strong work ethic and drive. When he was in his 20's he created a contracting company. He has owned and operated this company for over 30 years. He is always the first one on the job and always the last one to leave. He practically built his company from the ground up and is now one of the top premier builders in Palm Beach. It was always a pleasure to be able to work for him and I hope to eventually take over his company.

I chose to take this course to better my abilities and knowledge in the workforce and using my skills correctly. I believe this class will be a great lesson for me and it will be something I can use every day.

Bug List Assignment 2A

1. Driving around Gainesville terrifies me. Students on scooters everywhere that act like they don’t care to live.

WHY? Students are coming to college for the first time and have never driven scooters before.

2. The pollen in Gainesville drives my sinuses crazy.

WHY? I am from South Florida by the ocean, so the pollen does not settle like it does in Gainesville.

3. I hate that I have to refill my tires more often in the spring time up in Gainesville because of the weather.

WHY? The cold air shrinks the tires and allows air to escape

4. Gainesville’s traffic is really bad, and it drives my blood pressure through the roof.

WHY? Gainesville’s infrastructure did not plan on the overflow of students.

5. It bugs me when I buy an XL t shirt and it shrinks down to a large size.

WHY? Because I am too lazy to air dry

6. It bugs me that I have to vacuum my house every other day because of my dog’s hair.

WHY? They are a heavy shedding breed, but I love them with all my heart

7. It bugs me that my Electricity bill is so high every month.

WHY? My A/C unit is from the 70’s so I believe it works harder

8. It bugs me that I have to pay for trash bags to throw trash into that end up getting thrown into the trash

WHY? There is no other way to keep trash in a compact form but still bugs me

9. It bugs me that there is no right turn on red on university and 13^th.

WHY? This is in place for the safety of students, but they still use it on Saturdays and Sundays

10. It bugs me that there are only 2 cashiers working at big stores and 18 unopen lanes

WHY? There might be too much overhead to pay more workers

11. It bugs me that I have to use hairspray to tame the frizz

WHY? I have short trimmed hair but curly when long

12. It bugs me that Netflix charges $15 a month and all you get is one streaming app when Hulu gives you 3

WHY? I am brand loyal to Netflix and this might be something they capitalize on

13. It bugs me that people try to finance boats at my job knowing they have terrible credit

WHY? People think banks want them to take on more loans to get a better standing

14. It bugs me when I am the only one up early in the morning on the weekends

WHY? I work 9-5 through the week so I have an internal clock to wake up early

15. It bugs me that I have to go to an orthodontist again after having braces when I was younger

WHY? I neglected using my retainer and my bite shifted

16. It bugs me when I have to constantly fill my car up with gas

WHY? After having aftermarket work done, my cars MPG dropped way down

17. It bugs me that we still have daylight savings and it messes up sleep schedule

WHY? This is an outdated farming technique that should be dealt with

18. It bugs me that even on overcast days, I get a sunburn

WHY? This is due to reflection of UV rays in water molecules, I should wear more sunscreen

19. It bugs me that a weather reporter can report rain all day, and not one raindrop falls

WHY? Weather can shift dramatically in an instant

20. It bugs me that I pay Cox a good amount of money for internet and sometimes its so terrible

WHY? Their service just isn’t a top of the line communication

REFLECTION:

This was extremely fluid at first and then I hit a wall. Thinking of things that bug me is tough, but also thinking of why is even more challenging. This was a good insight for me to understand what I let bother me.

Hello Everyone!

Hello There,

This is my first blog post! I would like to introduce myself, My name is Blake Janssen and I am a senior at the University of Florida.