Week 4 Reading Reflection

 

I guess the biggest surprise for me during this week readings was the incubation process. The concept that rang a bell with me was “Sleep on it”. I have often been trying to solve a problem, but came up empty handed by the end of the day. However, I have found myself thinking deeply about the problem when I was a sleep and got up the next morning with a plan. I thought I was crazy to think that was possible but based on the author it must be true.

I guess the most confusing part of the readings for me this week was how they can determine right brain and left brain activities. I guess it really doesn’t matter which side you use because you really need to use both sides to get your entire basis covered. I guess you could always bring in a partner to your business that has most of the traits that you are weakest in to balance the creative process of a project.

I would like to ask the author why you think doing routine activities help during the incubation process.

Who or what organization actually did the research studies on  the incubation process?

I really had nothing in the readings this week that caused me to disagree with the author.

Interviewing Customers No. 1

Interviewing Customers No. 1

My idea for a new business venture is in Jacksonville Beach. Jacksonville Beach has a very large surf community. We have some of the best shapers in the world that live and shape surfboards right here in Jacksonville Beach. We also have several pro surfers who live and surf here daily. My idea for what I would call the “Drag & Drop” would be a zip-line that would drag the surfer out to the end of the pier past the breakers and drop them into the lineup. It may not sound like a big deal to you, but until you have paddled for forty five minutes straight without a break then you cannot understand what I am talking about. You have to get out past the breakers before you can even catch a wave to surf. Unfortunately, some people who might even be a good surfer sometimes cannot paddle through the onslaught of the relentless waves Mother Nature keeps sending towards you at about 6 to 7 second intervals.

So my questions to each of the surfers went like this.

 Tell me about the last time you surfed a big swell.

Did you find paddling out past the breakers was a difficult for you?

Would you surf more if you did not have to paddle out anymore? Would you consider that cheating?

Would you be willing to pay a daily fee to use the “Drag & Drop” zip line to take you to the lineup without having to paddle?

Opportunity: Install zip line at the pier for surfers. The zip line would take the surfers through the breakers without the exhausting efforts of paddling out.

I learned out of the 5 surfers that I interview only 2 would be willing to pay a fee for the service. However, these were much younger surfers that I am, so paddling out is not so hard for them. Most of the surfers did think it would be cheating by not having to paddle out. Most people think if you can’t paddle out through the rough waters then you probably shouldn’t be out there in the first place.

I would like to further my explorations with an older group of surfers to see what their thoughts are on this idea. I still think this could be an opportunity to be explored.

As far as interviewing the customers, they all seemed to have no problem talking about the very sport they love. Some people that I approached said they would talk to me but they were not surfers.

T
This photo would not load with my Top 5 Problems in the World.

Top 5 World Problems

Top 5 World Problems

1. Poverty- Almost half of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day. According to unicef 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.
2. World Hunger- I’m sure this has made it on each of our list. For some it’s just something you have heard about from a beauty pageant or a commercial with a b-list celebrity asking for donations, but others have seen it firsthand.
3. Clean Drinking Water- Hard to believe that this is really a problem unless you travel outside of the United States. 780 million people do not have access to clean drinking water.
4. Terrorism- Terrorism isn’t just something you hear about or see on the television anymore. It’s real and it is here where we live. So many senseless acts that are killing our friends and family’s needs to stop.
5. Cybersecurity- According to Reuters Cyber-crime cost global economy $445 billion a year. It’s one thing when people can hack into your bank account and clean you out, but what happens when they can control our computers in our armed forces? It would not be pretty if they somehow could gain access to controlling one of our unmanned drones?
    
    
   Solutions:
    

• Cyber Security-There are a few things that normal citizens can do to protect their selves from being a victim. I just took the ISM 3004 class here at UF and this was one of the topics that we covered. You can protect your computer by keeping your firewalls turned on. Install or update your Antivirus Software. Install Anti spyware. Always keep your operating system up to date, and turn your computer off.
• World Hunger-I can honestly say I have seen it firsthand up-close and personal.  Have made several trips to Haiti and it just breaks your heart to see people going without food for days on end. There are many reasons this happens. One is Governmental corruption. If you control the food you control the people. One way we have been able to help our friends in Haiti is by building relationships with people on the ground there and bypassing the ports and government agencies. Countries who are stable and have wealth should work together with programs to reach the people in need.
• Clean Water-I have been in different countries on mission trips that we couldn’t even brush our teeth in the water they were drinking.  We had to buy clean water or bring in elaborate filtration systems. This is a major problem that needs to be put to rest. It will need to begin with education to and for the people who live in these areas. They can be taught how to dig wells and treat the water properly. There are many organizations who have begun to fight this battle, but more organizations, people and funding will have to be brought together to win this fight.
• Terrorism-It used to be on foreign lands where these acts took place, but with the freedom to travel around the world with such ease we are susceptible to attacks. We must start at the top with our commander and chief and have a little bit of diplomacy. We could certainly do a better job on who we are letting into our country. We must make sure all agencies communicate with each other with open information.
  -Poverty-This is a problem so large that it will take all countries working together to figure out how to make sure that food is affordable to every person in every nation.
   
  Rank – Order of Problem Justification
  I chose poverty as I number one problem in the world. The reason I ranked that particular problem as number one is because if poverty was not an issue for you then you could afford to buy clean water, and food for your family. Money does not fix everything, but it can sure help change your circumstances.
   
  Rank – Order of Solution Justification
  Honestly out of all the problems that I listed this one seems to be the easiest one to fix. I am basing my info on the fact of Moore’s law. It states the power of computers actually double every two years. I think with that kind of technology advancing so quickly we should be able to stay ahead of the cyber-attacks. However, I also realize the cyber-attacks will also get more sophisticated.
   
   
   
   
   

Week 3 Reading Reflection

Week 3 Reading Reflection

I guess the biggest surprise for me was really more of a revelation than anything.  As I was reading all of the characteristics that are often attributed to Entrepreneurs I couldn’t help but think that there were no characteristics listed there that would not also describe a good manager. The only one I would exclude from the list is possibly number 30 which was egotism; however I have known some managers as well as entrepreneurs who also have that characteristic. When the company that I work is hiring we look for prospective team members with these characteristics.

I am confused by the stress and the entrepreneur section of the chapter. I think many managers and employees in today’s working environment are under a lot of stress. I would have thought that the author would have mentioned that entrepreneurs are not the only people that have stressful lives. I will agree that the entrepreneur has to bear the entire cost of their mistakes.

I would ask the author, how many people out in the workplace are really entrepreneurs, but never had the capital to actually start a business.

I would also ask the author where does a person who has all the characteristics of being an entrepreneur and maybe already has a business plan even begin to find funding for a new venture.

I didn’t really disagree with anything the author had written, but I would say that a lot of things were written about entrepreneurs could also describe some managers and employees. I guess the main difference between some entrepreneurs and someone who works for someone else that he entrepreneur works for himself.

"Identifying Local Opportunities"

"Identifying Local Opportunities"

1. Female resident of Gainesville group home charged with battery after biting off male resident's fingers.
   -http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2016-01-24/story/resident-gainesville-group-home-charged-battery-after-biting-another
   -An 89 year old man who lives in a group home in Gainesville was attacked by another woman who also lives in the group home. The attack was unprovoked and after punching him several times she bit the ends off of a couple of his fingers.
   - The problem is he was an elderly man living in a group home with a person who is obviously mentally unstable.
   -The elderly man in this story was certainly the victim here and he has the problem. The real fact is there needs to be more attention paid to someone’s mental state when being allowed to be in a group home.
    
2. Hyde Park business struck by gunfire.
   -http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2016-01-24/story/hyde-park-business-struck-gunfire
   -Shots were fired by an individual at an apartment complex in a low income area of town.
   -The problem here is one that is played out way to often in Jacksonville especially in this area of town. Everybody seems to buy and sell drugs here and provide their own justice that usually ends in gunfire.
   -This is a problem that affects everyone in this immediate area.
    
3. 74-year-old Jacksonville Beach man convicted of sexual battery on a teenage girl.
   -http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2016-01-14/story/74-year-old-jacksonville-beach-man-convicted-sex-battery-teenage-girl?utm_source=Recommendation_Widget&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=qrec&utm_content=image
   -This is a terrible story to even talk about, but another story of an adult preying on minor girls. This man is 74 years old and in a wheelchair. He probably used the fact that he was in a wheel chair to appeal to a person’s sympathy.
   -The problem in this story is the fact that this man was able to be with this young girl alone. How did this happen? Was she a family friend and they trusted him? I just know how this keeps happening.
   -The 74 year-old man has a problem of facing a prison sentence of up to 90 years.  The young girl will have a problem dealing with this terrible experience for the rest of her life.
    
4. Creekside High evacuated after bomb threat on bathroom wall.
   -http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2016-01-14/story/creekside-high-evacuated-after-bomb-threat-bathroom-wall
   -Someone had written a threatening note on the mirror in the girls bathroom about a bomb threat.
   -The problem was there could have possibly been a real bomb somewhere in the school.
   -The student who did the bomb threat is facing a huge problem. The other problem is that all the other kids and faculty at the school had to sit outside in the football stadium for about three hours. I also had a problem of worry, because my son goes to school there.
    
5. Sales tax for pensions wouldn't send any money to the Beaches or Baldwin.
   -http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2016-01-23/story/sales-tax-pensions-wouldnt-send-any-money-beaches-or-baldwin?utm_source=Recommendation_Widget&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=qrec&utm_content=image
   - The city of Jacksonville has what they call the Better Jacksonville Plan. They have collected taxes under is called an “infrastructure sales tax”. This type of tax is required by state laws to be divvied up between all the cities within the county.
   -The problem the City of Jacksonville faces is by law they should be splitting up the taxes between the different cities.
   - The three cities being left out of the tax revenues have the problem of getting what is due to them.

Very Short Interview No.1

Very Short Interview No.1

The entrepreneur that I have chosen for this assignment is David Herrold, otherwise known around North East Florida as the “Ding King”. If you are not a surfer then you may not even know what that means. David has been doing surfboard repairs since 1979. He holds an Administration in Business degree for the University of North Florida. He is making a very comfortable living while doing something that he loves to do. I think he has several competitive advantages over his competition. He is without a doubt a genius in is craft. He is the best in the business in all of North East Florida. His turnaround service is unbelievably fast.  He knows when there is a swell out there people want and need their boards. Of course he would know that because he is a surfer too. And lastly, I do not know how he keeps his prices so low unless it’s just by the sheer volume that he pumps through his factory.  His prices are as good as or better than his competition. Surfboards are expensive, some over $1,000 and if you use them they will get dinged up. Just knowing he can fix anything that I could mess-up gives me a great sense of security.

P.S. He surfs whenever he wants to if we get a swell.

It was interesting to hear his take on how his education and real life business aligned. We all know that everything you learn in school is not going to be directly used in your field, but we can learn from those who have experienced both school and the working environment. I know that a lot of cities and municipalities all have different regulations, but surely there is enough info out there now that this too can be integrated into our studies.

 

World's Biggest Problems

World’s Biggest Problems

Okay where do we even begin with exercise? I believe that question alone answers why some major problems have never been solved. Everyone’s biggest problems are different making it very hard to concentrate on and solving one issue at a time. With that being said, let me tell you what I think are major issues the world faces today.

1. Cybersecurity- According to Reuters Cyber-crime cost global economy $445 billion a year. Its one thing when people can hack into your bank account and clean you out, but what happens when they can control our computers in our armed forces? It would not be pretty if they somehow could gain access to controlling one of our unmanned drones?

• There are a few things as normal citizens that we can do to protect ourselves from being a victim. I just took the ISM 3004 class here at UF and this was one of the topics that we covered. You can protect your computer by keeping your firewalls turned on. Install or update your Antivirus Software. Install Anti spyware. Always keep your operating system up to date, and turn your computer off.

1. World Hunger- I’m sure this has made it on each of our list. For some it’s just something you have heard about from a beauty pageant or a commercial with a b-list celebrity asking for donations, but others have seen it firsthand.

• I can honestly say I have seen it firsthand up-close and personal.  Have made several trips to Haiti and it just breaks your heart to see people going without food for days on end. There are many reasons this happens. One is Governmental corruption. If you control the food you control the people. One way we have been able to help our friends in Haiti is by building relationships with people on the ground there and bypassing the ports and government agencies. Countries who are stable and have wealth should work together with programs to reach the people in need.
• 

1. Clean Drinking Water- Hard to believe that this is really a problem unless you travel outside of the United States. 780 million people do not have access to clean drinking water.

• I have been in different countries on mission trips that we couldn’t even brush our teeth in the water they were drinking.  We had to buy clean water or bring in elaborate filtration systems. This is a major problem that needs to be put to rest. It will need to begin with education to and for the people who live in these areas. They can be taught how to dig wells and treat the water properly. There are many organizations who have begun to fight this battle, but more organizations, people and funding will have to be brought together to win this fight.

1. Terrorism- Terrorism isn’t just something you hear about or see on the television anymore. It’s real and it is here where we live. So many senseless acts that are killing our friends and family’s needs to stop.

• It used to be on foreign lands where these acts took place, but with the freedom to travel around the world with such ease we are susceptible to attacks. We must start at the top with our commander and chief and have a little bit of diplomacy. We could certainly do a better job on who we are letting into our country. We must make sure all agencies communicate with each other with open information.

1. Pollution- The world’s pollution problem is rising to epic proportions. China’s air quality is so bad that scientists estimate the health problems associated with it claim 1.6 million lives a year, or about 4,000 people a day.

• Solution hmm could be a tough one. They could at least start playing by the same rules a lot of the rest of the world does. They do not seem to police their selves and do not let anyone else interfere either. Hopefully that country will come to the realization that they are hurting their selves and be more responsible.

1. Scarcity of Natural Resources- We are using and wasting a lot of the worlds natural resources.

• There are many different ways we can conserve our natural resources starting by simply recycling. Spend more money and researching efficiencies on many of our everyday appliances and cars.

1. Unemployment- This is a problem not only in emerging economies but also in advanced economies. Studies show that young people are especially vulnerable.

• I think the major reason for this is lack of education or being proficient in a particular trade or field. I think each student should be taught how to complete a resume that is suitable in today’s working environment.

1. Healthcare- it is estimated that more than 800 million people have no access to healthcare.

• That number is astounding. That means many people die each day of a common cold or some very simple illness just like that. I think countries who can afford to help out with this epidemic should pull together and send simple inexpensive drugs to emerging countries.

1. Human trafficking-the number of victims of this crime is astounding. There is an estimated 29.8 million in this slavery 50% of them being children.
   -The people in control of these sex rings should be prosecute to the extent of the law. One strike and you’re out should be the fine for anyone doing this to the children of the world.
2.  Poverty- Almost half of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day. According to unicef 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.
   -This is a problem so large that it will take all countries working together to figure out how to make sure that food is affordable to every person in every nation.
    

 

Reuters.com

Unwater.org

Businessinsider.com