Week 15 Reading Reflection

1) I actually read about micro-financing in my marketing class! The whole concept to me is shocking in a good way. It's a great process and it helps many many people in developing countries, especially women who aren't often given money. Microfinancing also has great repayment rates which is very reassuring to the whole process.

2) I was most confused by why the DDS (where the author worked before founding his company) wouldn't serve the extra village. And how was that company worse off than his own.

3) I would ask why did he learn from Starbucks and McDonalds and not other companies who have quality standards. I would also ask if he thinks that this is the best solution for helping the impoverished. I would also ask if he thinks this can be used in America to help the impoverished here.

4) He said the concept of microfinancing was created in 1976 however, google said similar practices of small credit loans have been a thing since the 1700s.

Final Reflection

1) I will most certainly always remember the assignment "Free Money" where we had to attempt to give money to people for free. It was quite the challenging assignment and I didn't expect to give all of the money out and I didn't. It was quite odd and the reactions were memorable for that I will never forget. The assignment I'm most proud of is the same "Free Money" assignment. I'm not always the best at talking to strangers so this assignment was quite difficult but I was still able to do it.

2) I don't really feel like an entrepreneur. But I feel like being an entrepreneur is like being a hero. No one ever says "I'm a hero" but they know when they are because other people will usually call them a hero, same for entrepreneur, it's not really a self-proclaimed title in my opinion.

3) I highly recommend you work ahead. It's very frustrating to have entrepreneur assignments on Sunday night due at 9pm so work ahead and get them done on Thursday or Friday, your future self will thank you. There's not really any way to get into the mindset, you just have to do. Start making good time management habits and eventually you will be very ahead in this class.

Venture Concept No. 2

1)

Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity: All throughout the country hundreds of parties are happening on and around universities every single night. They cause noise, they cause damage, and worst of all, they cause the host to spend all day cleaning up after everyone left. Currently, there are thousands of college students who don’t have the time to clean their apartments and houses, and they don’t have the money to hire professional cleaning companies. At the same time there are thousands of students who need money and are willing to make money by cleaning. Currently, whenever a college student throws a party they have to spend the entire morning hungover and picking up the disgusting sticky red cups while stale beer lingers in the air, maybe if they’re lucky a friend or two will show up and help but that’s only because he forgot his keys and had to get them back. And it’s not only kids who throw parties that need their apartments and houses or dorms cleaned, there are plenty of pre-med students or engineers or Over the years the cost of professional cleaning services has gone up so now only people with real jobs can afford to use them regularly.

Innovation: Many people don’t consider that many businesses sell directly to other businesses and they don’t deal with the general consumer. Ebay, the popular e-commerce website, is known for its forward auction style bidding where consumers bid higher than the highest bid. Meaning the buyers compete for a good from the seller. However, in the business side of trade it’s more common for a reverse auction style, where the sellers compete with other sellers to get the business from the buyer. This means the sellers will usually lower prices to entice the buyer. I want to bring this auction style to the mainstream consumer world. Whenever someone uses the ridesharing app, Uber, the Uber Company takes about one dollar and some change from the exchange. My mobile application would be very similar. The app would automatically deduct a small amount of money from each exchange. However, this would be common knowledge and it would be a very small amount, however, if there are hundreds or luckily thousands of exchanges each day it will be a very substantial payout. Let’s combine this idea with the opportunity.  

Venture Concept: Now imagine a student somewhere just threw a party or they spent 16 hours nose deep in a textbook at the library, when they wake up or when they get home from the library the last thing they want to do is clean their apartment. So using their phone, they would take a picture of the room or a video of the room showing the mess and they would post it on an app, Cleanrs. Students in the geographic area who want to make money as “cleaners” would see your picture or video and they would be able to reverse auction bid on the ability to the room. This means the student gets a price that is much lower than those of professional cleaning services. However, we don’t want “cleaners” pricing incredibly low and doing a horrible job so the user would be able to compare not only the bid price but also the “cleaners” rating. This will allow for users to compare all the competitors at once for price and overall skill. The “cleaners” would also rate the users of course, because we want the “cleaners” and users to both have expectations going into a cleaning job. And of course cleaners would have to go to a background check in order to sign-up and their first job would be for an existing “cleaner” so that they can watch them in action. I believe students will adopt to this idea for several reasons. First, it will save them both time and money. They don’t have to hire a professional cleaning service that costs $70 for one job and they don’t have to spend their entire morning and afternoon cleaning up a mess that only brings back embarrassing memories. They say that time is money, when in reality time is priceless. Second, I believe that students will be trusting of this service because it will be students cleaning for other students. But I do think that the switch will be gradual for a bit until it catches on. To advertise I would create fliers and put them at the cashiers of convenience stores, wholesale retailers, and other stores where cleaning supplies are commonly purchased. I would also run a promotion where I would cover a certain amount of the cost for a certain amount of time, this will get people to try the app. Customer service will be very important in this endeavor because we need to be vigilant if anyone causes issues.

My most important resource will be students willing to take a chance and try out the service. If no one will be the first to use the service the app will never take off. No amount of money can get people to try it.

Next the app could be slightly modified so instead of users wanting their house or apartment cleaned they can take a picture or video of their car and get their car washed at home, or people could come clean the user’s dogs.

In 5 years I would want this venture to be a household name. People enjoy being their own boss and something like this would help. I also think that the more these apps exist, the more that will follow. I know currently there’s Uber for taxi-ing, there’s knack for tutoring, my idea for cleaning. I think if this idea did well I would try to stay in the mobile application business. I just don’t really know where to go from here. Yes, I have a good idea (or I think) but I have next-to-zero coding experience and have no money to pay for someone to attempt to code it.

2) On my last venture project people said I had a good idea, however, safety is a concern. Running background checks on the "cleaners" will be mandatory, similar to Uber makes drivers submit their driving forms and they run a background check as well. Of course, we can't make everyone (like the regular users) do background checks, but Uber doesn't have too many issues with strangers putting themselves in tight spaces together. To make it better for both parties the users will have to have to enter information and of course any issues that arise will be taken care of by the corporation. Someone said my idea is like craigslist, but I suppose I could also use craigslist in place of uber too? There are enormous differences with my idea and posting a craigslist ad about cleaning a room. First, my app will handle the monetary transaction, for craigslist there is much more trust required. Also, my app will run the necessary background checks and gather a lot more information than craigslist does. Also, people use craigslist when time is important. If you want someone coming over to clean your apartment/dorm/house in 20 minutes, you will use my app. Someone also suggested that I learn coding, which is thoughtful but I feel like this type of app will require years of coding experience in knowledge.

3) I haven't changed my venture concept.

4)

Elevator Pitch No. 4

1)

2-3) On the last video I received mostly good feedback. A few people said I appeared nervous and one suggested that I hold a script up behind the phone. However, in the event of a real elevator pitch I won't be able to hold a script behind the person's head, so I made do without it. I still rehearsed but not too many times as I don't want to seem robotic.

Week 14 Reading Reflection

1) I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that the United States changed their patent law has been changed. First to file is a lot easier for small businesses or inventors because they don't have to necessarily get the prototype out as soon as possible.

2) I'm still a little confused by the patent laws though and the differences between a patent and a trademark.

3) I would ask the author, when is the critical time to submit a patent? What is the worst time you have seen an entrepreneur cheated because of a trademark or patent?

4)I don't think the textbook author was wrong about anything.

Google Gold

1) To improve my SEO I would comment a link to my relevant blog on every comment I left during this semester.

2) I'm not sure what you mean by keywords. I assume you mean labels? If that is the case I just used the weekly labels we were told to and I did not refine them during the semester.

3) I didn't use social media to promote my blog. I like to keep my academia off of my social network sites and I will try to do the same with my careers when I am older and an adult.

4) My highest viewed blog post was Idea Napkin #2 with an enormous view count of 17 views. Perhaps people thought my idea was very solid so they shared it with a friend or two.

5) I don't have any keywords. But my blog comes up on the first page if I google my name.

Very Short Interview, Part 2

1) I think the first interview went well. I didn't have to prepare the questions so that made it quite easier, and I think now I am able to ask better questions on my own without being told what to ask.

2) Question: Did you consider yourself an entrepreneur when you were getting your first practice started?
Answer: No, I didn't. I was just trying to do as straightforward as a job as I possibly could. I was innovative but that was not my purpose, I was just being a doctor.

Question: What mistakes did you make when first starting?
Answer: If I could go back I would be more confident in my business decisions. I was a little too trepidatious at first.

Question: What are your plans for the future?
Answer: I hope to expand my practice enough that I can open a new location and hire another doctore to work full time.

3) I have come quite far in this class. Talking to entrepreneurs is a lot easier but talking to entrepreneurs wasn't my issue. Talking to strangers was the difficult part. I've done it many times now so this time was much easier. I realized that a lot of people enjoy spreading their advice so they don't mind being interviewed and asked questions. I was unable to sense if the entrepreneur I interviewed thought I had come far or not.

Week 13 Reading Reflection

1) I was surprised that about ecopreneurship. I never really thought about the idea of entrepreneurship in regards to conservation.

2) I am quite confused about what a social entrepreneur is. I don't see how it is any different. It includes government, private sector businesses so I'm not sure where the differences come from. Also confused about the licensing stuff.

3) Should entrepreneurs attempt to be social entrepreneurs if they can? Do social entrepreneurs do a lot to change the world?

4) According to google the European Union was founded in 1993, not 1992 like the book says.

Celebrating Failure

1) Last semester I was taking a science class that I thought was particularly difficult. The first test I did alright in, I got a 74. I was quite confident that I could do better on the next one, and I really wanted to do well in the class, and everyone else seemed to be doing really well. The second test came around and I had a test the night before. The timing couldn't have been much worse. I stayed up incredibly late for the next one studying much harder than I did for the first test. I got my grade back and I got a 65. When the teacher emailed us about the test grades she said 65 was the lowest.

2) So at this point, if I didn't do really well on the last test I wouldn't even pass the course. So I started studying early and I studied very efficiently for the final test. I ended up getting a 88 on the final which helped me pass the class. Not exactly the grade I wanted but I felt accomplished that I didn't give up after the second test.

3) Failure is hard. It can be incredibly hard to deal with depending on how much effort went into the action that failed. But to quote rapper Big Sean "No mistakes, only lessons" meaning when you make a mistake it's just learning a lesson the hard way. I don't think this class has changed me too much in regards to taking risks. I always felt that I take more risks than the average person. To quote Big Sean again "Look, what's life without risk? If you take none, that's probably what you gonna get." Which I think is very similar to what Thomas Edison so famously said. If you don't take any risks you can't succeed period.

Big Sean

My Exit Strategy

1) Since my venture is a mobile application I imagine I will sell it within the next 5 years. However, when exactly I sell it will depend on how much money I'm making from each transaction on the app.

2) I decided this exit strategy because I feel like mobile apps are very volatile and I think that every app can only last for so long. For example, some of the top apps from 5 years ago were Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Around Me, Google Earth, Epicurious, Zipcar, Mixology, Shop Savvy, Mog, and many others that may sound vaguely familiar but you most likely don't even have on your phone. So when I get an amazing offer I will sell, maybe after 2 or 3 years though so I can make money from the app transactions, hopefully which are plentiful.

3) I do believe this exit strategy is reflected on other decisions. Of course the app has room to grow, but I can only grow so much. I think after a few years most improvements will be very small and that will cause a stagnation which will eventually lead to a decline.

Week 12 Reading Reflection

1) I'm surprised that small businesses have issues because they are too general. I would imagine that they try to be too niche.

2) I am quite confused about all of the different types of planning. Of course I can understand it better if I continue to study the differences.

3) I would ask when do businesses fail with their planning. I would also ask what is the most effective way to know when to plan certain ways.

4) I don't think the author is wrong on anything.

What's Next

Existing Market:

1) Next I think that the app should include people being able to post their car to be washed. I know in Florida this is a huge deal because of the springtime when pollen becomes a big issue. And people would love to have a car hand washed without even having to leave their driveway. Rules would have to be established because I know some apartments don't want cars to be worked on in the parking lots. Not to mention the cleaners will need easy access to running water.

2) Interviews: 

3) To continue growing in the existing market I would definitely incorporate vehicle cleaning. Even if it is for something like cars, scooters or even bikes. I also really like the suggestion of the users including what cleaning products they already have. To be honest though, I'm more concerned of actually getting it started, not just theoretically but in reality. I think the idea has promise and the next step would be creating the app and dolling out the updates slowly to get people hooked. I would probably start with target markets in populated cities and several college towns

New Market:

1) My app is targeted towards college students or younger adults living at home, I'm going to try to find some working adults who have houses and kids and see how this app could appeal to them.

2) Instead of using the party aspect towards the adults I'm going to pitch the busy aspect of using the app. Lots of adults are very busy with both adults working 40 hour weeks and if they have kids or pets on top of that they may not have the time to clean or they may want to devote less time towards cleaning, understandably.

3) 

4) I think the new market is quite attractive, especially because it is much larger than targeting college students. I also think it is quite likely that I can break into this market. I'm not surprised by what I heard. The new market (adults) want quality and they want safety, while the college students want more options and cheaper prices. 

      I think my biggest issue with these projects is I really don't know what to do next. I know how to keep adding onto the idea but I want to actually create the product but I have no idea where to start in that regard.

Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity: All throughout the country hundreds of parties are happening on and around universities every single night. They cause noise, they cause damage, and worst of all, they cause the host to spend all day cleaning up after everyone left. Currently, there are thousands of college students who don’t have the time to clean their apartments and houses, and they don’t have the money to hire professional cleaning companies. At the same time there are thousands of students who need money and are willing to make money by cleaning. Currently, whenever a college student throws a party they have to spend the entire morning hungover and picking up the disgusting sticky red cups while stale beer lingers in the air, maybe if they’re lucky a friend or two will show up and help but that’s only because he forgot his keys and had to get them back. And it’s not only kids who throw parties that need their apartments and houses or dorms cleaned, there are plenty of pre-med students or engineers or Over the years the cost of professional cleaning services has gone up so now only people with real jobs can afford to use them regularly.

Innovation: Many people don’t consider that many businesses sell directly to other businesses and they don’t deal with the general consumer. Ebay, the popular e-commerce website, is known for its forward auction style bidding where consumers bid higher than the highest bid. Meaning the buyers compete for a good from the seller. However, in the business side of trade it’s more common for a reverse auction style, where the sellers compete with other sellers to get the business from the buyer. This means the sellers will usually lower prices to entice the buyer. I want to bring this auction style to the mainstream consumer world. Whenever someone uses the ridesharing app, Uber, the Uber Company takes about one dollar and some change from the exchange. My mobile application would be very similar. The app would automatically deduct a small amount of money from each exchange. However, this would be common knowledge and it would be a very small amount, however, if there are hundreds or luckily thousands of exchanges each day it will be a very substantial payout. Let’s combine this idea with the opportunity.  

Venture Concept: Now imagine a student somewhere just threw a party or they spent 16 hours nose deep in a textbook at the library, when they wake up or when they get home from the library the last thing they want to do is clean their apartment. So using their phone, they would take a picture of the room or a video of the room showing the mess and they would post it on an app, Cleanrs. Students in the geographic area who want to make money as “cleaners” would see your picture or video and they would be able to reverse auction bid on the ability to the room. This means the student gets a price that is much lower than those of professional cleaning services. However, we don’t want “cleaners” pricing incredibly low and doing a horrible job so the user would be able to compare not only the bid price but also the “cleaners” rating. This will allow for users to compare all the competitors at once for price and overall skill. The “cleaners” would also rate the users of course, because we want the “cleaners” and users to both have expectations going into a cleaning job. And of course cleaners would have to go to a background check in order to sign-up and their first job would be for an existing “cleaner” so that they can watch them in action. I believe students will adopt to this idea for several reasons. First, it will save them both time and money. They don’t have to hire a professional cleaning service that costs $70 for one job and they don’t have to spend their entire morning and afternoon cleaning up a mess that only brings back embarrassing memories. They say that time is money, when in reality time is priceless. Second, I believe that students will be trusting of this service because it will be students cleaning for other students. But I do think that the switch will be gradual for a bit until it catches on. To advertise I would create fliers and put them at the cashiers of convenience stores, wholesale retailers, and other stores where cleaning supplies are commonly purchased. I would also run a promotion where I would cover a certain amount of the cost for a certain amount of time, this will get people to try the app. Customer service will be very important in this endeavor because we need to be vigilant if anyone causes issues.

My most important resource will be students willing to take a chance and try out the service. If no one will be the first to use the service the app will never take off. No amount of money can get people to try it.

Next the app could be slightly modified so instead of users wanting their house or apartment cleaned they can take a picture or video of their car and get their car washed at home, or people could come clean the user’s dogs.

In 5 years I would want this venture to be a household name. People enjoy being their own boss and something like this would help. I also think that the more these apps exist, the more that will follow. I know currently there’s Uber for taxi-ing, there’s knack for tutoring, my idea for cleaning. I think if this idea did well I would try to stay in the mobile application business. I just don’t really know where to go from here. Yes, I have a good idea (or I think) but I have next-to-zero coding experience and have no money to pay for someone to attempt to code it.

Week 11 Reading Reflection

1) I think the biggest shock to me was the entire premise of the article. That business need to have an innovation strategy. That never occurred to me, I just assumed that businesses would have brainstorming round tables where people thought of new items/services for the customers to provide.

2) I was confused on how Corning was considered as a good example for innovation strategy. I understand that they provide components and must be a front runner in tech but how does that show their superior innovation strategy?

3) I would ask the author what companies he thinks have the best innovation strategies and who had the worst. I would also ask if companies should plan an innovation strategy specifically or if the company should have their own idea but keep strategy in their mind in case their plan goes too far off path.

4) I think the author was wrong about innovation not creating value. Innovation has driven all forms of technology and each makes our lives easier and better than generation before.

Amazon Whisperer

My idea in the making is a mobile application that I have named SqueakyClean, name not final. If someone needs their room cleaned, they take a picture or video of it and people nearby who signed up as cleaners could see pictures/video and bid on the ability to clean the room. This will make the cleaners use lower prices to be competitive.

1) How would the app make money? It would be similar to Uber. For every cleaning that my app creates, I would make a certain percentage. I would wait several months though before I implemented this, so the app gains traction without people claiming that the company is skimming too much off the payments. Even 5% would make the company a tremendous amount of money if the app got large enough. 

2) Maybe the app could have a section specific to cleaning animals. I know many dog owners in the world where mobile grooming would be very convenient.

3) I think the addition would make the app more inclusive. The more people are on my app the better likelihood they'll use the cleaning services.

4) Since my business idea is an application, my product will be related but obviously different. Included is a "Woof Washer Dog Cleaner." The item is a hose attachment that creates a circular loop that blasts water AND soap from many spouts. You basically thread your dog through a hose needle. 

5) There aren't many reviews so I will use reviews from copycat products as well. Some say that the product doesn't work as intended, mean soap and water isn't coming out properly. Some people also complain that the ring is too small and they need different breed sizes.

6) To improve the product I would improve the quality first. I would also make 2 sizes. One for medium dogs like the one picture and one for large dogs and I would research what breeds needed the large size so customers didn't improperly order.

7) I think these additions would be good because they would expand the market and it would help more dog owners.

My Unfair Advantage

Resources:

1) Social capital - I know a decent amount of people. I am VP of a fraternity, involved in Growl and DM among other organizations. I also know several people in the industry.

2) Financial Capital - I come from a wealthy family and they would be willing to invest

3) Financial understanding - I have been investing my entire life and have taken several finance and accounting courses.

4) My venture is in a niche market

5) Realistic goals - I want to start small at first before expanding

6) I possess dedication

7) I'm IN the target market - I have inside knowledge

8) Education - I go to University of Florida

9) Social Media capabilities - I know how social media works and could use it to help me.

10) Physical Capabilities - I could demonstrate the cleaning capabilities to show the abilities of the app.

VRIN (Value, Rare, Inimitable, Non-substitutable):

1) This is incredibly valuable. It's all about who you know. It can also be quite rare in this day and age. To have my exact social circle is not imititable. There are no substitutions to who you know.

2) This is very valuable for getting the company started. It is somewhat rare, but not incredibly rare. Other wealthy people can imitate. There is no substitution.

3) This is also very valuable. It is also rare. It can be imitated. There are no substitutions.

4) This is valuable, non-niche goods usually don't do as well as the counterpart. It is not rare. It can be imitated, many items have niche markets. There is no substitution I can think of.

5) Very valuable, starting too big causes many failures. It is somewhat rare for new ventures. It can be imitated. There can be substitutions.

6) Very valuable. Not that rare. Can not be imitated to my degree. No substitution for dedication.

7) Being part of the target market gives me a valuable insight. Somewhat rare. It can be imitated. There are substitutions, for example hiring someone in the target market for ideas.

8) Education is very valuable. Not rare. It can be imitated. There are substitutions.

9) This is very valuable in today's world. It is not that rare. It can be imitated. There are no substitutions.

10) This is somewhat valuable for my idea. Not that rare. It can be imitated. It can be substituted.

Numero Uno:

My great asset is either social network or my financial capabilities. To pick one, I'd say the financial capabilities. Having money will make starting a business much much easier. However, it must go along with my other assets.

Week 10 Reading Reflection

1) I think the biggest surprise was what constituted a vertical analysis and the purpose of an analysis. I never knew it was to find mistakes.

2) I'm still quite confused on developing an expense budget.

3) I would ask him the most important cash flow, and I would also ask him more about pro forma statements.

4) I really don't think the author was wrong on anything.

Growing My Social Capital

1) First, an acquaintance of mine that I met named Jonathan. Jonathan is responsible for coding an app that is popular in the area. I would need someone with technical coding skills to help me code my app, squeakyclean. Another acquantince of mine who works with Jonathan, Ben, is targeting a very similar audience that squeakyclean would target, young college students. Finally the last person who works on this app with Jon and Ben, his name is Richard. He works with companies that process debit card and credit card transactions through their app. This would be very important for app because there will be money exchanged.

2) Jonathan is the domain expert, he knows phone applications.
Ben is the expert in the market because we both have similar audeince targets.
Richard is the supply expert because he knows how to work money exchange with is necessary in making my app function.

3) I actually met the app crew through using their app. They eventually contacted me to tell me that I was using the app more than anyone and we had several discussions since then and they often ask me questions on improving their app. The haven't done me any favors per se but I enjoy their app and I appreciate that they want my feedback. Makes me feel like a very valuable customer.

4) Having this team in my network pool is incredibly helpful. Besides a few aspects are applications are quite similar in their underlying functions.

5) This networking instance was very random and unplanned. Just goes to show that anyone you met can be very important later on.

Elevator Pitch No. 3

2) Biggest and most common critique last time was that I needed to practice more because my last pitch lacked a certain professional attitude. I rehearsed many times before recording this one, however, I am a little sick and I think it sounded a tad more robotic this time. I agree my last pitch was too ill prepared, however, I did it in an elevator and had to be quicker because elevators are fast,a and in the event of a literal elevator pitch you aren't going to be able to bust out a scripted version of your idea. Some people also said my app was good which I agree with.

3) I rehearsed a ton this time. I wrote out a script and read it and tried repeated it many times without looking. I also changed some words to help my speech flow better. However, to me, this pitch sounded a little too much like I was reading off of a script so I need to find a balance.

Week 9 Reading Reflection

1) I was quite surprised to learn how much went into the marketing process. They make surveys and do early market testing which is quite surprising. I thought that marketers would just create ads that they thought we good.

2) I was most confused by the social media marketing and what it really is.

3) I would ask the author if he thinks market research is useful or if he thinks that it's irrelevant and already known. I would also ask what the most successful marketing strategy he thinks is.

4) I don't believe the author was wrong on anything.

My Secret Sauce

5 things about me that are different:

1) I'm very resourceful. For example, I needed index cards to study but I couldn't find the 3x5in cards in the 50 pack, and I needed several. So I just bought bigger cards and cut them in half and they worked great.

2)I'm ambitious.

3) I get things done. Not only am I ambitious and set my sites high, I also achieve my goals.

4) I'm creative. I love thinking of new things and how to improve how things currently are.

5) I speak my mind.

1) He said I was a good communicator, and confident.

2) He said I was a good problem solver and was able to multitask well.












3) She said I was flexible. I was able to make light of situations and a was caring/dedicated.

4) She said I was ambitious and she also said I was a risk taker.

5) She said I was a great problem solver, I'm a good communicator and I'm outgoing.

I would say what I thought aligned well with what my friends caring thoughts. If I could go back and change my list I would add I'm a skilled communicator to the list. I would also add risk taker.

Idea Napkin No. 2

Unfortunately, for the first assignment I was not given any critiquing feedback, I was told my idea was good though.

1) My name is Collin Dieffenbach, I am an Applied Physiology and Kinesiology major, so my idea doesn't really pertain to my major or current aspirations, however, I wouldn't mind changing my aspirations and focusing on becoming an entrepreneur if I felt my idea had real substance and could potentially make it. I enjoy partying and I've had many issues where I was left having to clean up after a party and it was miserable and almost made me regret throwing the party in the first place. Or frankly, I am too busy to make time to clean my room and it will take several days before I can get to it.

2) I am offering a mobile application that will match users to a nearby cleaner, one that is much cheaper than professional services. Users will share a video of their mess and nearby cleaners can bid on the ability to clean it. It will be reverse auction style so the user gets the cheapest price. The cleaners will have ratings so the user can keep that in mind when he picks his cleaner. Cleaners will have to give enough personal information if they want to be registered to clean, that way if there's an incident the cleaner can be located, and background checks will be good to stop most incidents proactively.

3) I think this app is aimed at young people, college age, that enjoy throwing house parties or are extremely busy. The cheap price and convenience also makes the app enticing to college students. Based on feedback the app should also be aimed at the elderly because they aren't always able to clean-up after themselves. However, there might be a technology disconnect.

4) People will pay money for this app because they find that their time is more valuable than spending the time cleaning up. Imaging all of the school work that can be done on Sunday morning that gets wasted (pun intended) by cleaning up the damage from a rager the night before? Based on the feedback I got, there needs to be a very effective rating system. That way people will not only be able to select lower prices for their cleaning service but also know who has cleaning experience, who is trustworthy, and who is skilled. 

5) Several things make this system original. 1) reverse auctioning - reverse auction lets cleaners bid for the job, so they will offer lower prices to stay competitive. 2) local - people won't have to schedule appointments they can get the cleaning done quickly. 3) Saturated workforce - there will be a high amount of cleaners so more jobs can be done simultaneously, this is where the companies lack.

I believe these elements do fit together quite nicely, however, I'm not sure how the app would work in the real world. One reason Uber succeeds is because so many people need rides and some people need rides multiple times a week. However, how many people need their apartment/house cleaned multiple times a week? I'm unsure of how successful it could really be.

Feedback Memo:

I didn't receive enough points of feedback to have 5 points. However, one that people mentioned was to make sure the rating system is effective which I completely agree with. The rating would be based on satisfactory of the time it took, the job and other factors. We could also make this college based so you have to have a ufl.edu email to sign-up that way students are doing the work which might make some students feel more inclined to using the app.

The Twenty Percent

For this assignment I will be interviewing a local doctor I know who has established his own practice and made a living through hard-work and perseverance. He specializes in internal medicine. He does not feel comfortable giving his name out or being in a video, because he's talking about his customers.

1) He thinks his customers are people who need medical advice or treatment.
He says his customers unmet needs are doctors who take time with them while other doctors want the appointment to be as quick as possible. He says that he cares about his patients concerns and wants to help answer any of their questions.
His customers typically find him, though he does use some marketing strategies.
His customers are around early 20s to anything older. He says that the media they consume most would be television while his younger target customers use internet, he gets a majority of his customers through his reputation and word-of-mouth.

2) Customer videos:

3) I think he does understand his customers. He knows what they want and need and he is able to fulfill that need.  However, from the interviews it doesn't seem apparent that the customers understand the time he takes for them compared to other doctors.

Week 8 Reading Reflection

1) I was most surprised by the fact that it isn't in the best interest of the company to go public. I assumed that would help increase revenue and profits.

2) I don't think I fully understand what debt financing is.

3) I would ask the author about the best approach of finding investors for a new venture is. I would also ask the author if they had any interesting stories from a time when they may have needed to find an investor.

4) I don't think the author was wrong on anything.

Half-way Reflection

1) I have created many skills for this course. First, I check my canvas regularly every day now much before the hour of 9pm so I can make sure everything is done for this class. I also have had to break out of my shell for several of the assignments, like interviewing customers or "free money." I have also had to practice good time management.

2) Not related to this course, I can think of a few times I felt like giving up. Usually do to overwhelming from tests or when my job was asking a lot of me. I felt like giving up but I realized that it would be difficult only temporary but I would be better off if I didn't give up and I persevered.

3) Three skills I would offer: 1) Work ahead, 2) Remember this class is about improving you, and to improve you must do things that are harder than what you've done before 3) Pain is only temporary.

Week 7 Reading Reflection

1) I'm surprised that companies started using ideal people for advertisements in the 1970s. I guess I assumed that spokespeople or just using beautiful people for advertisements was a thing for much longer than that.

2) I'm confused by why companies continue to use marketing segmentation even though the studies reveal that it is not the most effective thing.

3) What demographic is the least effective to market to, if any? Who should be in control of the segmentation studies and who uses the results most effectively?

4) I don't disagree with anything or think they were wrong, I'm just surprised by how much goes into the marketing of some products. You would think that marketers just trying to think of the most receptive advertisements but it can be so much more complicated.

Free Money

1) For this exercise I'm going to outside my apartment complex where there is almost a constant flow of people entering and exiting the building, and easy place to find someone to interrupt.

2) I am going to approach people who are typical college age. These kids are usually tight on cash and would likely take money more willingly.

3) I'm going to start this out by asking people if they want a dollar. I'm trying to think of this from my perspective and I think I would probably be weirded and and reject the money.

4) I'm going to say that I'm trying to do something nice.

5) Out of the 5 attempts, I think I will be able to give 4/5 away. After: I actually only gave 2 away. I think the people who rejected it were suspicious of the camera, thinking I was 'pranking' them or something.

2 interactions: 

This exercise was more difficult than first anticipated. I was kind of upset when reading about this assignment because I didn't want to lose $5, in the end I only lost $2. I think that the camera made it more difficult because people thought it was fishy. If I wanted to make it easier I would have approached homeless people because I could have given $5 away. I did suspect that people would be hesitant, people don't give out money for no reason!

Elevator Pitch No. 2

1) The Pitch:


2) A lot of people commented saying that the idea was feasible and might do well. One issue that several people have mentioned from the pitch and from my interviews is to make sure the cost stays low. Of course, if people didn't want to clean themselves they would hire a cleaning service but those can be very expensive this would be cheaper hopefully. That is why the bidding system is implemented too.

3) I need to aim the idea at several demographics, first is students who party and hate cleaning the mess, the second is students who are so busy they are unable to clean the mess. Sometimes I actually find myself in both demographics. Someone I interviewed the other day also mentioned that the elderly could use this because cleaning can be strenuous at times, which I thought was a good idea.

Customer Interviews No. 3

These interviews are for the mobile application idea I had called Squeaky Clean. The app is like uber, but instead of being for taxis it's for cleaning your apartment, especially if it's after a party or something similar. The user would videotape their environment and people who work as cleaners for the app would see it and would bid in a reverse auction style. That way, the user gets the cheapest price.

1) I will be asking 3 questions per interview.

1. What are your first thoughts about the app?
2. Anything that you would change or include?
3. Anything that would stop you from using the app?

2) Video interviews: 

3) I learned quite a bit from these interviews. I learned that I am not capable of thinking of every single problem that my idea might have, perspective is an amazing thing. I also learned that feedback is one of the best ways to improve and I learned that complete strangers give great feedback.

EDIT: It looks like I screwed up the video when I saved it. I am trying to fix it, I'm not very good at video stuff like this.

Edit: Having a lot of issues editing the interviews together so I'm going to post them 1 at a time.

Week 6 Reading Reflection

1) I was surprised from the reading that new entrants are big threats to businesses but now it makes total sense. I'm sure sometimes new businesses don't stand a chance because the businesses are so established but if we look at Uber for example we can see that new businesses can totally surpass established businesses, if the new business is revolutionary enough.

2) I'm a little confused that customers are considered competition. I think it means that because customers always want the cheapest price you must compete internally to give them the cheaper price.

3) I would ask the author, what are the best ways to deal with each form of competition and I would ask him what the biggest threat of competition is.

4) I don't think the author was wrong per se, but I'm sure lots of consumers don't want only the cheapest good, but they want a certain amount of quality for the cheapest price.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1) My name is Collin Dieffenbach, I am an Applied Physiology and Kinesiology major, so my idea doesn't really pertain to my major or current aspirations, however, I wouldn't mind changing my aspirations and focusing on becoming an entrepreneur if I felt my idea had real substance and could potentially make it. I enjoy partying and I've had many issues where I was left having to clean up after a party and it was miserable and almost made me regret throwing the party in the first place. Or frankly, I am too busy to make time to clean my room and it will take several days before I can get to it.

2) I am offering a mobile application that will match users to a nearby cleaner, one that is much cheaper than professional services. Users will share a video of their mess and nearby cleaners can bid on the ability to clean it. It will be reverse auction style so the user gets the cheapest price. The cleaners will have ratings so the user can keep that in mind when he picks his cleaner. Cleaners will have to give enough personal information if they want to be registered to clean, that way if there's an incident the cleaner can be located, and background checks will be good to stop most incidents proactively.

3) I think this app is aimed at young people, college age, that enjoy throwing house parties or are extremely busy. The cheap price and convenience also makes the app enticing to college students.

4) People will pay money for this app because they find that their time is more valuable than spending the time cleaning up. Imaging all of the school work that can be done on Sunday morning that gets wasted (pun intended) by cleaning up the damage from a rager the night before?

5) This idea is different because it's original. Uber pioneered this system of matching those who demand to suppliers and it worked well for taxis and it has worked for other systems, like a tutoring service I know.

I think the idea has some merit. Not sure how well it would work in the real world. People are not incredibly trusting so I can see issues with that. If the price is good enough I'm sure it will work for a lot of people, that is how uber became so popular.

Week 5 Reading Reflection

1) I am a little surprised by lack of objective evaluation being a notable pitfall. I am not surprised at all that lack of technical knowledge is one and I'm not surpised that lack of market knowledge is one but I am surprised that so many entrepreneurs don't ask for feedback. That is extremely crucial to the whole process.

2) I'm confused at what point a company has uniqueness. For example, how unique is Facebook when compared to Myspace? Both are very similar but Facebook won the social media game, so where is Facebook unique?  That's just an example but you could look at many products and ask where the line is drawn as well.

3) I would ask the author how one could go about getting investments for an idea, and I would also ask where does uniqueness come into play for similar products, like Coke vs. Pepsi?

4) I don't think the author made any mistakes. 

Interviewing Customers No. 2

I was caught off guard by this assignment, though I suppose I shouldn't have. Unfortunately, I went out of town and I really have no way to find 5 people to interview. So I apologize to whoever has to comment on my blog. Though I didn't interview anyone I did talk to a few people about the idea and I have thought about it over the week and did my elevator pitch on it, that being said I think I can write what's needed.

1) When I wrote the first Interviewing Customer No. 1, I wrote about the first idea that came to my mind. It was silly but pretty feasible, an application that matches the user with the cheapest cleaner in the area, similar to Uber. I have thought of a few additions and I will break them down.

•            Squeaky Clean
• Rating system - user can rate the cleaners on several areas. Speed, satisfaction, price, and a few other factors. This will help users pick good cleaners.
• Bidding system - The cleaners will be able to bid on jobs, this will keep the prices lower for the users.
• Customer satisfaction - We would make sure to alert the authorities if any items went missing during a clean-up.

2) This idea is aimed at college kids mostly. Assuming they are too busy or too lazy to clean up, either after a party or because they are unable to find the time to clean. Last time I approached college kids but they said they didn't party enough. Perhaps I could aim this towards the Greek community on campus?

3) I think my questions were pretty solid last week. Perhaps, I would ask for any ideas they would have to improve it, that way I can hear different perspectives.

4)  Sorry, no video.

5) I think I benefited slightly from No. 1 but doing this assignment makes me wonder in about a year or so how many f the people taking this class will have actually gone the extra mile to make their ideas real. That would be quite amazing.

6) I have several tips for the kids taking this class next semester about interviewing kids.
         1) Make sure you stay in Gainesville around the time of the assignment. Turlington is probably              the best place to meet people.
         2) Make sure you do all of your assignments ahead of time.
         3) Make sure you have good questions written out, that helps the people you are interviewing if              they understand the question.
I hope people actually create the ideas they are interviewing about. That would be so amazing to think that a professor made them come up with a profitable idea.

Elevator Pitch No. 1

My opportunity is a matching service that matches the user with cleaners in the area and the user gets to choose the lowest price option, I call the app Squeaky Clean. Here is the video:

Week 4 Reading Reflection

1) I was quite surprised by reading about the brain having two hemispheres that are used for different processes. I thought that was disproved and the brain isn't as divided as previous thought.

2)I was confused by the definition of appositional relationship. I don't think I understand the author. If I understand correctly, the relationship is good for each member?

3) I would ask the author what the most important aspect of the creative process was and what the best way to improve the creative process would be.

4) During this reading I did not think the author was wrong about anything.

Customer Interviews No. 1

1) Potential Opportunity - A service that's like Uber but instead of giving rides, they clean houses and apartments after parties. The customer would send a video and uber would match the customer with someone in the area and they would estimate how much it would cost to clean.

2) Interviews: Unfortunately, I waited too long to do this assignment so I wasn't able to find 5 people to interview and those I interviewed were not filmed. That being said, I do have transcripts.

I asked a 20 year old male, who hosts a lot of parties and is familiar with Uber.
 - Would you use this application?
  Answer: That would depend on a lot of factors, like one how much would they cost. There would have to be some sort of way that the cleaning people don't charge too much. Like if when you posted the video, 10 cleaners could see it and then bid on prices, that way the customer will choose cheaper and the cleaners wouldn't charge too much.
-Do you think that this app is aimed at your demographic?
Answer: Of course, one of the most annoying aspects of parties is the clean-up afterward and it usually takes up my whole day. Getting someone else to do the work for me would be really convenient.
-What issues could arise from this application?
Answer: I would be afraid of the cleaners stealing stuff, so the app would have to warn the users to hide valuables and of course there would be a rating system similar to Ubers. Plus the app could require a lot of information if you want to be a cleaner that way if they steal something the application can give their information to the police.

I also asked a 19 year old female student who doesn't party often but hates cleaning their room
-Would you use this application?
answer: Possibly, depending on how much it cost and how it would be controlled. But it would help my room stay clean which would help me be less stressed so I would probably use it.
-Do you think this app is aimed at your demographic?
answer: I think it is aimed at college kids in general. Lots of college kids are used to having their parents more in control so when they go to college their rooms become messy or they are just too busy to clean it.
-What issues could arise from this application?
answer: I wouldn't want a cleaner to say they were coming and me be charged just to find out they don't show up. If there was a rating system similar to Uber then that would dissuade them because they would get a lower rating. Also, if the customer service worked with the customer and helped I would trust it.

3) I actually learned a lot from this opportunity, and it actually makes for a great idea. If anyone reads this and thinks I might be onto something you should message me.

4) I was not too nervous interviewing people. However, if I knew earlier that these needed to be filmed I would have been much more nervous because I hate being filmed and I hate my voice on camera.

Top 5 World Problems

Most Serious
1) Climate Change
2) Impure Water
3) Fossil Fuel Usage
4) Racism
5) Terrorism

The list is in this order because of the amount of  damaged caused by each problem. For example, climate change is hurting our entire world and destroying our world. It effects everyone. Then impure water kills millions and millions of people all over the world. Fossil fuel usage was tough because it is a huge factor in climate change but only some countries are consumers causing the damage.

Most Possible to Implement Solutions:
1) Impure Water
2) Fossil Usage
3) Climate Change
4) Terrorism
5) Racism

I think it would be possible for the United States to help developing nations implement systems to clean their water or to transport clean water that isn't close to their community. The hardest to implement would be the solution to racism. We have been having issues with racism since the history of the world and I do believe that it has gotten better over the years we still have a long way to go so I'm not sure how possible implementing a plan would be, because entire generations must have their current thinking changed.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

1) I am quite surprised how much the author wrote about morality and ethics. When someone thinks of an entrepreneur they usually think of someone ruthless and cutthroat. Like how Zuckerburg stole the idea for facebook from the Winklevoss twins. It's surprising and refreshing to see such an important focus on ethics.

2) I am quite confused by the idea of Opportunity Orientation.
3) If I could ask the author two questions my first question would be what the most important characteristic of an entrepreneur is, if any are more important than the others. I think he would say willingness to accept risk. I would also ask the author if the Dark sides of entrepreneurship ever weighed him down enough to consider a life of less stress.
4) I really don't see anything that I disagree with the author on.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1) Chipotle to Start Push to Win Back Customers in February
2) http://jacksonville.com/breaking-news/2016-01-15/story/chipotle-start-push-win-back-customers-february
3) Chipotle is going to start advertising very actively in February to win back some customers lost during the E Coli scare.
4) The problem is the company had many food scares that hurt their business.
5) Chipotle and Chipotle's executives have the problem

1) Hyde Park Business Struck Gunfire
2)http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2016-01-24/story/hyde-park-business-struck-gunfire
3) Four bullets were fired and hit the business on Sunday. No injuries reported though. The gunmen fled.
4) The problem is that the business got shot, this is bad for business as some customers might be afraid to go there.
5) This is the problem of the business, they need to clean up their image.

1) Duval School Nurses Stretched Thin
2) http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2016-01-12/story/duval-school-nurses-stretched-thin
3) Duval schools hire 1/3 of the nurses that the federal agency says it needs. However, they won't be able to discuss hiring more nurses until later in the year when discussing budget changes.
4) There is a problem for the nurses since they are getting worked too hard and it is harming the kids because they can't get the medical attetion they might require.
5) The nurses have the problem because they have to work much harder, the kids have a problem because they can't get the necessary medical attention and the school board has a problem because they are unable to hire more nurses.

1) Flagler Estates Meeting is Response to Accident, Parties
2) http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2016-01-19/story/flagler-estates-meeting-response-accident-parties
3) Following a wreck in the area that killed a 19 and a 20 year old, representatives from the area want better patrol in the area. Because of a detour in the area, the patch of road is quite hard to patrol for cops, as a result lots of teenagers take their ATVs to the area making it like a "rolling party."
4) There is a problem because teenagers are taking advantage of the lack of patrolling and many are getting injured and hurt or breaking the law.
5) This is a problem for the JSO. They need to find a way to patrol the area and keep the youth safe.

1) Vandals drain 400k Gallons from Flagler Drinking Supply
2) http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2016-01-18/story/vandals-drain-400k-gallons-flagler-drinking-water-supply
3) Someone opened about 20 water lines in a developing area which lowered the water pressure enough that about 1,700 citizens had to boil their water for some time.
4) This is a problem for the citizens and home owners because they had to boil their water for some time until it was fixed. This is also a problem for the authorities because they need to find who vandalized the development.
5) It was a problem for the community who had to boil their water.

Very Short Interview No. 1

I decided to interview a family friend who is a practicing doctor and opened his own practice. He is an Internist who focuses on internal medicine. He offers other test and services which have made him more money than if he only focused on his specialty.
1. What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?
Answer: Being an entrepreneur means thinking outside what you were trained to do in school and applying your practical skills for financial gain. To be a true entrepreneur you truly have to think outside the box and not make mistakes.
2. What should I try to learn in this course?
Answer. To be as creative as you possibly can. You will never be a successful entrepreneur if you never learn the skill of creativity and trusting yourself to take risks.
3. What do you wish you were taught in school?
Answer: I wish I had been taught more about social media and computers because these two aspects have proven essential in my business and I had to teach the skills to myself.

Interviewing an entrepreneur was a great experience. I have learned the value of creativity and I feel like I will make the most out of the course knowing what I now know.

World's Biggest Problems

These are what I think the world's biggest problem are (in no particular order)

1) Fossil Usage - As humans we rely to strongly on fossil fuel which is harming our climate and will be detrimental in the long run. I think we need to find more efficient and effective solar and wind power options until a better solution comes along, probably nuclear energy.

2) Climate Change - Studies have shown that human's impact on the environment is changing the climate overall. This will eventually end life on Earth. Some solutions would be more sustainable agriculture and livestock cultivation, more electric cars on the road then gas models, better fuel usage and other solutions.

3)Impure water - Most developing nations face huge issues with water contamination which leads to the spread of diseases that destroy communities. Perhaps the United States should spend some money to send the proper machinery and pumps to help clean contaminated water or to transport clean water from somewhere else, though it isn't really the US's problem.

4) Racism - Racism is tearing apart communities and hurting the United States as a whole. Not sure how to fix it but I'm sure it starts with educating the youth of all races that we are equal.

5) War on Drugs - The war on drugs is a big issue and leads to what some would call a unnecessary filling of America's prisons. One way to help alleviate this would be to decriminalize drugs and treat addicts like mental patients that need help instead of criminals.

6)Antibiotic abuse - Many doctors prescribe unnecessary antibiotics for things like the flu. Doing this is harmful because abusing antibiotics will cause strains to adapt and become resistant. If doctors only prescribed when necessary and if patients understood the importance of finishing your antibiotic dosage that would help.

7)Terrorism - Terrorism is a huge issue in America and most of the world lately. ISIS members are attacking civilians only to promote a message of hate. Not sure exactly how to destroy ISIS but keep attacking until we take care of the right people in charge.

8) Obesity - Obesity is becoming a huge problem all over the world, especially in America though. Thirty percent of people are obese. To fix this we need to educate the general populace on healthy eating habits and calorie control.

 9) Food shortage - Many parts of the world are full of people who are hungry and not getting proper nutrition. The United States could spend some money to set up farmland where it is possible or we could simply ship the nonperishable food.

10) Inequality of women - In most countries, women are treated horribly, like second class citizens. Even in America women are often treated as inferiors to men. We should give women equal wages and opportunities as men in America and around the world we need to abolish the idea that women should be treated as object.

Of course some of my ideas to fix these problems wouldn't be the best solution. But if the world leaders can't fix them how can a 20 something year old college student?

Reading reflection

Reading Reflection:

1) I was most surprised that there were different definitions for social and business entrepreneurs. I would assume that all entrepreneurs were doing what they do for money but I assume some do it for social purposes.
2) I am confused by the MDG. How are they held responsible. How did they achieve these goals? How did they do?
3) I would ask the author why they decided to write about this topic and I would ask why they wanted to share their knowledge with the world.
4) I don't think the author was wrong per se, I just think he fixated too much on climate change and entrepreneurs.

Bug List

Things that bug me

1. I don't like it when the plug of one object is so big it covers the second outlet.
2. Cars should have a sensor when headlights, blinkers, or taillights stop working.
3. Cars should also monitor the levels of the oil and other liquids, that way I don't have to manually check once in a while to make sure the levels are good.
4. I hate when plugs have lights on them. Makes my room very bright at night. Specifically my TV has a light in the plug which seems incredibly unnecessary.
5. When you're almost out of peanut butter (or any jar of smearable stuff) and you can't scrap whats left without making your hands or knife very messy.
6. I wish bathroom stalls had no gap on the side. They could add a strip of bristles that block view and could be added to existing stalls.
7. The knobs for showers/baths should have an analog thermastat that tells you approximately what temperature that degree of turnage will give you.
8. Toothpaste should come in a pump container similar to soap, I hate having to pick it up and using both hands to push the toothpaste out.
9. Hand dryers are incredibly inefficient at their job.
10. The rings in ringed binders are too easily misaligned and eventually become useless.
11. I wish USB drives could be plugged in either way so you wouldn't have to keep flipping them over and trying.
12. The teeth on saran wrap containers cut the wrap horribly.
13. Door locks should be designed so you can put the key at the top and it will be funneled into the key hole. You won't have to worry about missing the lock and fumbling for it.
14. I hate when bathroom stalls open inward and I have to climb over the toilet so I can open the door to get out.
15. Phones should easily be able to block numbers so they can't call you. Earlier today I got multiple phone calls from a loan collection agency that had the wrong name and number. 
16. Washers and dryers should be made into one machine. You won't have to load both and you don't have to worry about moving clothes from one to another. Plus a lot of space would be saved.
17. Some microwaves make you press a cook button before you press the amount of time you desire. I wish I could just press the numbers right away and get rid of that step.
18. When I buy a new protein powder it takes forever to find the scoop buried in the powder. Instead they could find a way to lock it to the top so it's always there even after transit.
19. I recently got a pair of apple headphones and they are awful at staying in my ear. They always fall out and are rarely comfortable.
20. I wish you could share stuff on instagram in a similar fashion to twitter or vine. Where you could still host the original poster's post that way they still can the traffic and likes. 

Of course there are many other things that bug me, but I cannot think of them right now. This was quite difficult because I don't really think about flaws and remember them. But this was also very helpful because I feel that necessity drives ingenuity. People create products where there is need, so thinking about products or services that can be improved give us potential ideas for improving said products and services.

My Entrepreneurship Story

         

  When I first got to college, I was very interested in advertising and marketing, and at one time my major was Advertising (now my major is APK). I was very interested in spreading information and helping companies grow, I also think I can be quite creative to boot. One day, I stumbled upon a Kickstarter for light-up wristband that was rechargeable and customizable. In the description of the product the author of the Kickstarter said he was looking for people to help market the product. So I messaged him telling him who the product should be aimed at and how we can contact them. He liked my ideas and contacted me and put me in charge of the twitter and outreach. I emailed several tech companies to write articles about the product. After a few weeks and lots of hard work the product sold the necessary amount. It was a great experience to work with someone so passionate about their own invention and have a hand it making it become a reality. I also made some money out of it which made it even more rewarding.
             I chose to take this class because I am tired of having ideas that never come to fruition. I have many valuable ideas, but I always give up because what is a twenty-something to do? I'm hoping from this class I will learn the skills to take my ideas from ideas into real products or services.

Introduction

Hi everyone,

My name is Collin Dieffenbach. I am from Jacksonville, Florida, where I have lived my entire life and where my mother was born. However, my father is from Indiana and met my mom while he was in the Navy. I am a third year Applied Physiology and Kinesiology major. Hopefully one day I will become a Physician's Assistant or a Physical Therapist.

 
  Here is a list to the countries I have traveled to:

1. France
2. Italy
3. Spain
4. Germany
5. Monaco
6. Ireland
7. Ecuador
8. Canada
9. The Bahamas

I have been to France the most by far. My grandparents from my mother's side are both from France.
I look forward to this semester and blogging.

Entrepreneur's Mantra

In all it's glory

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