Assignment 14A - Halfway Reflection

1. Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?

• As with anything in life, especially an online college course, utilizing effective time-management skills is an absolute must to survive! All of the assignments require writing, and a few require interviews. All of which, when done correctly, take time. Also, the lectures are at least a good hour and a half and it’s important to be on top of listening to them in a timely manner. Especially, since they will assist you in performing well on the cupcakes. Other behaviors that are useful are being persistence, effectively communicating (when needing assistance or clarification), staying motivated, and grit.

2. Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this? 

• Honestly, at the start of the course I felt like giving up – haha! I had so many other things going on that I felt overwhelmed. I was busy in my personal life, in the midst of opening a new store, managing and training employees, etc… A LOT! However, I never quit something once I start it. I am highly motivated and driven to succeed. I knew that I just had to utilize my time wisely and figure out a good schedule to balance it all. I’ve always had a tenacious attitude, so for me it was all about maintaining it all.

3. Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset'?

• Time management – DON’T procrastinate! If you can work ahead, do so. It is helpful to look ahead at an assignment to access its’ level of difficulty or time requirement. In doing this, one can effectively schedule out the necessary time to complete the task on time. 
• Prioritize and communicate– Don’t allow other things that seem to be important at the moment get in the way of your academics. Also, make sure to prioritize your assignments within your classes. If you need assistance or clarification on something, reach out! Whether it is the professor, a TA, or another student, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
• Perseverance - DON'T GIVE UP! Keep pushing forward, step by step. You can do it!

Assignment 13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

Steve Jobs

1.     What surprised you the most?
- I think what surprised me the most about Steve Jobs is that he never really went to college. Although, I do know of many successful individuals whom never attended college. However, the level of success that Steve Jobs achieved is quite impressive.

2. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
   - I really admire Steve Jobs persistence and desire for greatness. He said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones, who do.” I admire his intensity, passion, commitment to success, his artistic mindset and expertise in design, his simplicity, and his vision. As brought out in the book, Friedland taught Jobs the “reality of distortion field.” This basically implied that perceived reality can become actual reality. For Steve, this was a personal refusal to accept anything that stood in the way of his ideas or what he wanted to accomplish. With this “field” he was able to convince others of his reality too.
   
3. What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
   - What I least admire about Steve Jobs was his denial of his daughter for the first few years of her life. Even after a test proved she was, he was still in denial. Things such as this I will never understand.
   
   
4. Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure?

- Steve Jobs certainly experienced his fair share of product failures and adversities to overcome. However, despite his failures and uncertainty at times, he persevered. In fact, it is those very failures and the lessons he learned from them that most of his success was based on.

5. What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

- Steve Jobs exhibited many competencies. He was an innovator, inventor, and talented designer. He was determined, driven, charming (when he wanted), fearless, passionate, challenging, and a risk-taker. He certainly had an entrepreneurial mindset and he was a perfectionist. More than that, his way of thinking and how he saw things was fascinating!

6. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
   - There was nothing about the book that was really confusing. I will say, the one part of the reading, and of his life, that I didn’t understand was why he didn’t accept the position of CEO once back at Apple. He was offered the position, yet he refused… Why?

7. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why- The following two questions I would ask because I have seen first-hand the sacrifice that is involved in being an entrepreneur. I would be curious to hear his personal thoughts on this.

·      What is your biggest regret?

·      Was all the hard work, time and commitment you put into your success worth the personal sacrifice?

** For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? 

It was clear that Steve Jobs understand the value of hard work and the benefits one could reap from it. I agree.

Assignment 12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Segment: 

My market segment would consist of individuals living in apartment complexes and rural residential areas, as well as, business owners. All of which, are either male or female, and are in their late 20’s or older. All three of my interviews were within the age range defined, either male or female, and were either recycling in some fashion currently or were not and in need of a way to do so.  

What I learned: 

From these interviews, my belief that this opportunity still exists is certain. The demand for such a service is needed. For two of the individuals I interviewed that are living in apartment complexes, they have this need daily. One of them, is not recycling but would want to and is frustrated by that fact that her current complex doesn’t offer recycling. The other interviewee is recycling although she doesn’t have the service available to her. She stated, at times, she will take her items to be recycled to her boyfriend’s house because he lives in a residential area where recycling is offered by the city. However, she also stated what an inconvenience it is to her and that she would pay for services such as mine. The last individual I interviewed was a business owner. He, like the other business owners I interviewed, would like to have a convenient recycling option/service. He stated that he felt it only right as it is related to his social responsibility of being a business owner. When searching for a solution to the problem all either would simply search online for recycling facilities or sought out friends/family to recycle through or ask where to go.

How I would describe this segment: 

I believe there are a lot of individuals who consider, want to, or are encouraged by others to recycle. I believe this segment would certainly invest in this type of service because most are doing so in one way or another now, are not and want to, and don’t have a convenient way to do so. Also, with the growing concern around the effects of climate change and other environmental issues directly related to not recycling the emerging need for another solution is clear.

Assignment 11A - Idea Napkin No. 1

1.    Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically, regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

• My name is Kellye. I’m an online in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in General Business. I also manage retail establishments and I am a Realtor. I have many years of experience in management and sales. I have excellent interpersonal skills. I enjoy people and new experiences. I am passionate about many things. I care greatly about health, well-being and our environment. If I were to start this business concept, it would directly relate to what I care about and help fulfill, what I believe, an unmet need that needs attention.

2.     What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 

• I am offering both individuals and businesses a valet recycling service. Especially, for individuals in apartment complexes who do not have an easily accessible and convenient way to recycle. This service would also be of benefit to those in rural residential communities would don’t have recycling services provided by the city. Businesses also have an unmet need for this service, as they do have a need to recycle more than just cardboard.
  
  

     3.   Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic
     and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question:
     what do your customers all have in common? 

• I am offering this service to two main groups: individuals and businesses. Individuals included in my target market are those who live in apartment complexes, rural residential areas and business owners, male or female, that are in their late 20’s and older (as concluded by interviews). My service would be available to individuals in apartment complexes at a low monthly fee of $15/month for a scheduled (1) weekly pickup. For businesses, $40/month for a scheduled (1) weekly pickup and $55/month for a pickup twice a week. For individuals who don’t want a recurring monthly cost or are in need of a one-time bulk pickup/specialty items I would charge a one-time fee of $60 per request.

4.     Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

• Most all individuals care about our environment and want to do their part to protect it. The issue is that easily accessible and convenient ways to recycle are not available to those in specific areas. For this reason, these individuals will be willing to pay for my service. They will do so because, as discovered in my interviews, they are already recycling in one way or another and would like to be able to do so more often, however, can’t or don’t because it is an inconvenience.
  
  

5.   What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has?  

• Although, I know this is not a new idea, there is a need for more services like this. Specifically, in Florida. I know in Central Florida this is a service I have never seen offered at an apartment complex. A statewide weight-based recycling goal of 75% was set by 2020, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. This goal has yet to be met in any years prior. In fact, the recycling rate for Florida was 49% in 2018. My service would include the pickup of glass, aluminum, cardboard/paper, plastic, and specialty items.

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others.  

• I believe that all of these elements work well together. Part of my business involves partnering with a nonprofit/charity to recycle specific items to. As well as, other facilities that offer a payout for certain recycled items. Connecting these pieces is important because a lot of those I interviewed, even though having this need, were more opt to pay for the service because it was for more than one good cause.