Julianna's Entrepreneurial Blog

1) What sticks out to you as the most formative experience? The experience that you'll remember years later? What was your most joyous experience? What experience are you most proud of yourself for accomplishing? The most formative experience in this class was coming up with the idea itself.  I thought for hours about what a good business idea would be, and even asked for input from my friends and family.  When I finally decided that my business idea would be nonprofit, I was worried that it would be hard to follow the assignments that were geared more towards for-profit companies offering a good, rather than a service.  But I also decided that sometimes it pays off to stand out.  I have also enjoyed interacting with my classmates and getting to hear other people's ideas as well. 2) At the beginning of the semester, I mentioned that I wanted each of you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Now, at the end, do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Do y...

Opportunity Who has the need?    Not only do the homeless population of Alachua county need better resources, but having a comprehensive facility could benefit everyone else in the community at large. What is the nature of the need?  The homeless population in Alachua county is alarmingly large, and only continues to grow.    Many people are in need, and could benefit from a program that helps them get back on their feet. Other Topics What are the forces or changes in the environment creating this opportunity? Although there are always people who are homeless, certain forces like an economic recession make the need for assistance more present. How is this market defined geographically and demographically? The people being aided by Homeward Bound Florida would be similar—out of a job, down on their luck, or in need of basic necessities.    Geographically, they would be in Alachua County. How are customers currently satisfying this need? ...

1) Identify the exit strategy you plan to make. Do you intend to sell your business in the next 5 years for a large return? Do you intend to stay with the business for several decades and retire? Do you intend to protect the venture as a family business, and pass it down to your children? I intend to have a family at some point, which may mean that I have to dial down my commitment to my career. At this point, I hope my business is successful enough that it can come under new management or that I can sell it.  2) Why have you selected this particular exit strategy? As a woman, you are often forced to choose between being wildly successful in your career, or making room for a family and dedicating less time to your job.  Although this is an unfortunate position to eventually be in, I don't mind eventually having to make the sacrifice in order to raise my kids and be a greater part of their lives. 3) How do you think your exit strategy has influenced the other decisions...

The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users, Guy Kawasaki        The theme of this book is about how you can grow your business through social media effectively. Well marketing through social media can increase a lot of profits with brand recognition as it can target a specific group of customers. It explains many methods to tackle in detail.       After you finish this book, you will understand a big picture of how social media roles in business, especially cross-promotion methods. This is essential because you can apply in different situations, it is not a fixed formula. So, as long as you get a concept and purpose, you will rock it.      The activity that I would come to must be advertising the opportunity in a previous assignment on social media in any platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. And let’s follow the numbers of customer reaching and interactions. Then, presenting s...

1) Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed -- whether in this class, or outside of this class. Don't spare any details! It'd be even better if there was something you tried several times this semester, and failed each time. A notable time that I failed was actually in this class.  It was the first week of assignments, and I had been putting off starting my work after syllabus week.  Finally, on the first Friday of classes, I went to the library and took a look at the assignments for my classes.  To my dismay, I had missed the first four ENT assignments because I didn't realize that they were due at noon on Fridays, instead of at midnight. I completely flipped out because I wasn't sure how many points they were worth or how they would impact my grade. 2) Tell us what you learned from it.   Thankfully, assignments are only worth a few points and I was able to make up for my losses relatively quickly.  However, I learned from that experience ...

Opportunity Who has the need?   Not only do the homeless population of Alachua county need better resources, but having a comprehensive facility could benefit everyone else in the community at large. What is the nature of the need? The homeless population in Alachua county is alarmingly large, and only continues to grow.   Many people are in need, and could benefit from a program that helps them get back on their feet. Other Topics What are the forces or changes in the environment creating this opportunity? Although there are always people who are homeless, certain forces like an economic recession make the need for assistance more present. How is this market defined geographically and demographically? The people being aided by Homeward Bound Florida would be similar—out of a job, down on their luck, or in need of basic necessities.   Geographically, they would be in Alachua County. How are customers currently satisfying...

Plan for growing in the existing market My plan for growing in my existing market (Alachua County) is to first start the business right here in Gainesville.  During this stage, I will create brand awareness and expand only into the local area/market.  Once the business has success in Gainesville and we have some recurrent donors, we will expand into new markets. Plan for growing into a new market Before we tackle new markets outside of Alachua county, I must make sure that the business is stable enough in the original area that it was created.  Then, we can move to cities outside of Gainesville that are dealing with a large homeless population.  If the business is sustainable in those new locations, then we can continue expanding across Florida.  We can aid in this expansion by effective marketing strategies. How my concept can create value in the market The concept of Homeward Bound Florida is simple:  Help homeless people get back on th...

10 Resources in My Venture/VRIN Analyses Financial Capital (gov't aid) Valuable - Money to buy needed goods Rare - Money is not rare, according to Professor Pryor! Inimitable - Most other businesses are not government funded Non-substitutable - can only be substituted with money donations Fundraising Power Valuable - special team of fundraisers that will reach out to collect donations Rare - People can only donate to so many charities before reaching their limit Inimitable - people will want to support a good-doing business Non-substitutable - my fundraisers can only work for one business at a time Corporate Social Responsibility Valuable - We are helping the community Rare - Most businesses are not solely dedicated to helping the homeless Inimitable - the organization will continue to have the same mission statement Non-substitutable - there are not many organizations that focus on this single cause. Donation resources Valuable - every donated item counts...

1) The book I read was Mindset: How to fulfill your potential by Carol Dweck and the general theme was unsurprisingly about mindsets. She specifically focused on two types of mindsets fixed and growth and the theme of the book is how the growth mindset can help you achieve your goals and leaves you more satisfied. Whereas the fixed mindset keeps you in a place of being stagnant and under a lot of pressure. 2) I think the book connects to what I am learning because the growth mindset is all about taking full advantage of learning opportunities and not focusing on failure and I feel like that is a consistent theme in this course. 3) Something that the author did during her research on this topic was to interview kids and give them puzzles that were hard to see how they responded and to see what mindset they had. I think a similar concept could be applied in this class by giving students a difficult assignment to see how they respond. I think this could be helpful because we woul...

The pitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl16Goe-f98&t=1s A reflection on the feedback of my last pitch: After my first pitch, I showed it to a few of my friends and family members, and they noted that I should give a few more details about what specific services will be offered at Homeward Bound Florida.  They said that I was a little vague, and could make my pitch a tad longer. What did I change, based on the feedback? For the second pitch, I made sure to include specific services that Homeward Bound Florida would offer--specifically, cooking classes, Microsoft office lessons, and financial literacy classes.

Person 1 1) Who they are and what their background is. My grandfather, Howard. 2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot. He is filling the spot of "Domain Expert" 3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person. My grandfather frequently volunteers at Boca Helping Hands, a local soup kitchen with two locations around Florida.  Since he has been volunteering there for such a long time, he has become an expert in cooking mass quantities of food and getting to know the business of helping the less fortunate. 4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation?  If I needed help in my business of Homeward Bound Florida providing for the homeless of Alachua County, Howard would help me with the food aspect, helping to make mass quantities of food for the people at the facility. ...

1)  You.  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? I am a second year business student at the University of Florida trying to figure out what my passions are in life.  My talents include being sympathetic to the needs of others, organization, good writing skills, and creativity.  I have experience working for small companies and working with others through team sports and my sorority.  My aspirations are to be happy in life and find a career that I will be passionate doing.  If I were to follow through with my business concept (Comprehensive facility for the homeless called Homeward Bound Florida), I would be CEO and chief strategist.  I could see myself overseeing all parts of the business, looking to improve it, and energizing employees to do their best. ...

The pitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl16Goe-f98 A reflection on the feedback of my last pitch: After my first pitch, I showed it to a few of my friends and family members, and they noted that I should give a few more details about what specific services will be offered at Homeward Bound Florida.  They said that I was a little vague, and could make my pitch a tad longer. What did I change, based on the feedback? For the second pitch, I made sure to include specific services that Homeward Bound Florida would offer--specifically, cooking classes, Microsoft office lessons, and financial literacy classes.

Part 1: My Avatar My customer avatar is name Jessica.  Jessica is a UF senior journalism student who lives in the standard.  She is not in a sorority, but is in a few honors societies and religious organizations.  In fact, Jessica already has a well-paying job lined up for next year where she will be managing a small team of people in a publishing firm. Her favorite hobbies include art, yoga, and listening to Taylor swift.  Since Jessica doesn't have a car, she relies on walking and taking the bus as her main mode of transportation.  Jessica often has to walk to the corner of University Ave. and 13th street to go to class, but she is faced with a recurring issue: the homeless population of Alachua County.  Jessica feels pity for the people who must loiter around the Standard and ask passing college students for money.  She also knows that they are a disruption for many of the people that frequently pass by.  Jessica would be a prime custome...

F ive ways in which I have human capital that is truly unique.   1.  I'm very neat and organized:  I make my bed every day, fold my clothes neatly, keep a planner, and am concerned with aesthetics.  This part of me speaks to my creative side.  Everything must look a certain way. 2.  I'm very thorough with my work:  Sometimes I take longer to finish a task because I am a perfectionist and want to make sure that it's just right. 3.  I have excellent writing and grammar skills:  I was a big reader when I was little, which gifted me with a big vocabulary and natural talent to write well. 4.  I am extremely loyal and reliable: If someone asks me to do something for them, I will always make sure it gets done in a timely manner because I don't want to let anyone down. 5.  I put others before myself:  This can prove to be more of a flaw than an asset, because sometimes I am so much of a people-pleaser that I end up unhappy....

Findings             Alternative choices would not be based on money since I am running a non-profit organization to help the homeless.  Rather, the "alternatives" might be different services I would offer the people taking advantage of my organization, how to go about providing those services, and who to solicit for money (since a portion of our capital will come from donations).  The people that I interviewed all agreed that an important part of patronizing a nonprofit would be transparency, and making sure that their money is going to an honest place.            The people donating to the organization would most likely be donating with checks, but there would be a way to donate on our website as well.  One incentive to donating to Homeward Bound Florida, besides being altruistic of course, would be a tax-deductible donation.  This would save people money while also having the opportunity to be c...

1) You read about an entrepreneur: The entrepreneur that I read about was Ray Kroc in his book "Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald's."  This was an interesting read, but most interestingly, Kroc's success didn't occur until he was older, at 52 years old.  This is when he met the McDonald's brothers and they began to form a business.   Although Kroc tended to make hasty decisions and took risks, what made him successful and admirable was that he didn't let failure scare him or get him down. 2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?  Kroc was a risk-taker who didn't succumb to the fear of failure.  He had a tremendous work ethic which is necessary in an entrepreneur, and was extremely tenacious. 3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. One part of the reading that I didn't quite understand was what his real estate work concerned.  The text didn't explicitly say whether he h...

1)  Tenaciousness is a competency.  What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?  One behavior that I have used to keep up with this course is to look ahead and see how much time each blog post will take.  Some posts only take a few minutes, so I wait until the night before they're due to write them.  Other posts, like the ones that require interviews, will take me more than one day to complete.  Since I have looked ahead, I know if I need to allocate more time to completing a post. 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? A moment when I felt like giving up was when I was trying to find an internship for the 2019 fall semester.  I had applied to about 3...

1)  Pick a segment. The segment that I chose to focus on was people living in the Standard who were affected by homeless people loitering around that area. 2)  Find three people who would fit that segment and arrange to interview them.  My three friends Molly, Sarah, and Raegan who all live in the standard and frequently walk around that area. 3)  Begin with need awareness.  All three girls have demonstrated their grievances with the homeless population loitering around the Standard. 4)  Move to information search.  The girls that I interviewed said that they always knew about the growing homeless population in Gainesville, but that it started affecting them more significantly once they moved into the Standard.  This is when they became aware that the need existed. 5)  Report the findings of your research.  These interviews confirmed what I had already expected:  That almost every student living in the Standard ha...

1)  You.  I am a second year business student at the University of Florida trying to figure out what my passions are in life.  My talents include being sympathetic to the needs of others, organization, good writing skills, and creativity.  I have experience working for small companies and working with others through team sports and my sorority.  My aspirations are to be happy in life and find a career that I will be passionate doing.  If I were to follow through with my business concept (Comprehensive facility for the homeless called Homeward Bound Florida), I would be CEO and chief strategist.  I could see myself overseeing all parts of the business, looking to improve it, and energizing employees to do their best. 2)  What are you offering to customers? I am offering a comprehensive facility for the homeless of Alachua County, and way to get them back on their feet with the tools they need to be successful.  I am solving an unmet nee...