Weelk 4 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

The biggest surprise for me in this reading is that the author said you can practice and develop creativity. I know there are creative things you can do and get better at but creativity is normally thought of as a trait one is born and raised with.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I was slightly confused by the difference in extension and duplication innovations. They were just very similar and hard to differentiate.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

Would you say that people with different levels of creativity and innovativeness are better or worse at specific types of entrepreneurship, such as making new products or extending a service company?

Do you believe a person can create and grow a company successfully without practicing their creativity?


4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?


I do not disagree with anything the author stated in this chapter. The reading made me question many things and wonder if he was right or wrong, but nothing was blatantly wrong that he wrote.

Top 5 World Problems

Top 5 most serious world problems ranked with 1 being the most serious:

1. Climate Change
• This issue is the most serious because it affects the balance of the planet. Not only are humans affected but every animal and plant in the world is affected too. 
2. Destruction of Environment
• This comes from rising populations. Destroying the environment leads to the extinction of animal species and ruins the beauty of the earth. This also involves depletion of food sources because of things like over fishing and over hunting.
3. Human Population
• There are already so many problems regarding feeding starving people and yet the population is rising very quickly. More population just leads to more destruction of the environment.
4. Wealth Inequality 
• there is more separation of wealth than ever before in the history of the world. Keeping money away from the majority of the population leaves people with lives stricken by poverty and lowers there incentive to work hard and develop. This affects the efficiency of the world economy
5. Limited Internet Access
• 2/3 of the world does not have regular access to the internet. This leads to billions of people with inadequate ways of accessing education and spreading knowledge. Connecting everyone will only increase efficiency of the economy.

Most possible solutions to the 5 problems with 1 being most-possible to implement:

1. Bringing internet to the entire world (5)
• This solution is already in the works. Satellites created by Facebook can now spread wireless internet over vast areas of the globe. 
2. Controlling population growth through strict policies(3)
• This solution is as simple as creating new laws for child births and passing those laws. Passing those laws can be very hard and take a lot of time for people to get on board.
3. Raise wages for workers and enact strict tax laws that close loopholes(4)
• Its is not hard to write new tax laws that close loopholes, but it is hard to pass those laws when the people with them money are lobbying against them and are the ones boring for them to pass.
4. With technological innovations, find new ways to house and sustain populations in smaller areas. Enforce strict laws on hunting, fishing, and farming(2)
• Companies will always want to grow and build more so they can make more money. It will be hard to enforce laws for them to stop construction with the amount of power they have over governments. It is also hard to regulate fishing and people will always cheat the system.
5. Enact laws that force companies to use clean energy and to invest in clean technologies. Reduce dependence on oil and natural gas. (1)
• This is definitely possible, but the energy companies have so much lobbying power right now. They control entire regions and enforcing strict solution laws will be hard to do. There is also already so many bad things humans have done to the environment that will be hard to reverse.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1.) Florida's driving rules aren't ready for changes coming to marijuana laws

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/romano-floridas-driving-rules-arent-ready-for-changes-coming-to-marijuana/2262533\

With marijuana becoming legal in more and more states, Florida is expected to pass the law in the near future. Since marijuana is an illegal drug testing with it is also illegal. There are no tests for officers to use on citizens to see how much marijuana they have used. Like breathalyzers for alcohol, devices will be needed in the future so officers know what to do with impaired drivers.

The problem in this article is that marijuana will most likely become legal in the state of Florida before there are concrete laws on marijuana impairment. Police officers will not have a way to see if a driver was legally impaired.

The problem lies on the state and police departments that will have to deal with marijuana impairment situations in the near future.

2.) Kriseman touts city, promises sustained attention to poverty south of Central in annual speech

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/local/kriseman-touts-st-petersburg-promises-sustained-attention-to-poverty-on/2262544

Mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, Rick Kriseman goes over the improvements and problems in his state of the city address. While there is a lot of good going on in St. Pete, the city is facing problems with regards to its poorer mostly black neighborhoods. A lot innovation and building projects have taken place in the past, but not much attention has been given to the citizens of the city. Kriseman introduced plans to develop struggling neighborhoods.

The problem is that the poorer people of St. Pete are not getting enough attention from the city and too much money and resources is being spent on more expensive and luxurious parts of the city. 

This problem is affecting the poor black neighborhoods in St. Pete and all the children who are growing up in those neighborhoods.

3.)Uber drivers plan another work stoppage at midnight Saturday to protest Uber's low rates

http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/uber-drivers-plan-another-work-stoppage-at-midnight-saturday-to-protest/2262480

Uber cut their prices earlier in January down to 65 cents a mile. The lower prices were used to attract new riders but the drivers are not happy with the prices because they will not make enough for themselves. The drivers will turn off their uber apps and drive around with signs saying they cannot drive for such low costs. With other driving services asking for more money per mile, uber drivers want competitive rates that will also bring a profit.

The problem here is that the uber drivers cannot make a profit on their rides with such low rates. The can not support them selves and their family members making only 65 cents a mile.

This problem  definitely affects the uber drivers, but it also affects uber because the work stoppage will hurt business and no money will be coming in from that location.

4.)Nuisance property Mosley Motel heads for Friday auction

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/nuisance-property-mosley-motel-heads-for-friday-auction/2262473

A very seedy motel that has caused problems fro surrounding areas is finally going up for court auction. The motel has been a place where crime and drug deals have taken place and the city has tried to get the owner of the motel to upgrade the  building for years. The owner has racked up over $40,000 in nuisance abatement fines over the years. The are will be redeveloped once the nuisance is taken care of.

The problem here is that the owner and landlord of the motel did not run a good business and the building became a spot for crime. the crime has bothered the people that live near the motel.

This problem mostly affects the entire community that surrounds this motel. 

5.)Disney loved its no-fly zone, until it wanted to fly its own drones

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/disney-loved-its-no-fly-zone-until-it-wanted-to-fly-its-own-drones/2262406

Disney has had a no-fly zone over their amusement park for over ten year now. It was very hard for Disney to get this and is actually the only amusement park in the country with a no-fly zone. Now Disney wants the FAA to allow them to fly drones over the park. With drones more popular than ever,  Disney believes they should be able to fly these in their own park, but their no-fly zone is already not necessary and it will be hard for them to get this passed.

The problem here is that Disney's own no-fly zone is stopping them from flying their own drones. It took a lot of lobbying to get the no-fly zone and will now be very hard to get it amended.

This problem is all on Disney. They made this problem for themselves and must figure it out themselves too.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

The most surprising thing for me in this chapter was the amount of stress and grief that comes with being an entrepreneur. When i have failed in the past, I just moved on but when something as big and important as your own business fails, there must be a lot of grief after that.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I did not find anything confusing about this chapter. The authors made their points clear and easy to read.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

What is the best way to prepare yourself and emotions when you know your business is likely to fail?

What are the best steps to take after your business has failed to stay in entrepreneurial mindset?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

There was nothing in particular in this reading that i disagreed with. The author explained his ideas very well and made points that I could not find any flaws in.

Very Short Interview No. 1

The entrepreneur that I interviewed was Frank Howell. I have known Frank for a while now and he has been running his own fencing business for 13 years now. he started off working for another landscaping and fencing company, then decided he could run and his own business and left to start his own. Here are some questions I asked him about being an entrepreneur.

Me: If there was one piece of advice you could give a young entrepreneur what would it be?

Frank (paraphrased): Take risks. When I was working for the landscaping and fencing company I was comfortable and making enough money for me at that time. I realized that even though I was comfortable then, I might want more in the future so I took a big risk and left my only job. I didn't have paychecks for a while but the fear of being broke made me get my business up and running as quickly as possible. It took being very uncomfortable to be where I am now. So take risks and you will be rewarded.

Me: What should I expect to learn in an entrepreneurship course?

Frank: You should be learning that everything you do is a learning experience. At first my business was slow and customer were not always exceptionally pleased at our work  but we learned what customers needed ands wanted and progressed. You should also be learning how to reach out customers. Reaching new customers is a lot harder than you may think. It takes a lot of marketing and networking within the field. It took us a long time to reach a high number of customers. One last thing that I think would be important for you to learn is management. Once my business was off the ground I had to trust my employees and train them to keep the companies goal in mind.

Me: What do you wish you had learned in school before starting your career?

Frank: I wish I had learned how to deal with other business people. In school we learned a lot from text books but when it came to actually doing business with other people, it took a lot more than knowledge. I think it is very hard to teach people how to in conduct business matters in person and it can only really be learned by experience. When I started my business I always seemed advice from others and it wasn't until many years in that I truly became comfortable working with customers and my employees on an everyday basis. Working with others and speaking with customers is now my favorite part of this business.

During this interview, I learned that it is okay to be scared at the beginning of your career. Frank made it clear to me that it was not only his willingness to succeed but fear that pushed him to keep going. I also realized that there is no rush in starting your own company. If you just take your time and do things right and learn along the way it will most likely work out. 

World's Biggest Problems

1. Wealth Inequality
• The amount of money the top 1% of people own is absolutely incredible and is growing. With incomes stagnant for most of the workforce, CEOs and Executives are earning more than ever. Many other problems stem from the terrible distribution of wealth and a change can start to occur if wages can be raised for them lower and middle class work force.
2. Limited Internet Access
• To think that 2/3 of the world's population does not have access to the internet is crazy! This entire class is online, and we take that for granted. New ideas and innovations are being lost by not connecting the entire world. Facebook is working on this problem now with internet.org and support for programs like theirs can help fix the problem in the future
3. Water shortages
• A big part of this problem has to do with weather and geography but, millions of people around the world still suffer from not having access to clean water. Many organizations work toward providing clean water to people in need and with newer technology new ideas will eventually lead to success.
4. Climate Change
• Pollution to the atmosphere and destructive activities are causes for climate change. With fossil fuels being burned every day, trees being cut down, and animal agriculture out of control, the impact humans are having on the planet are increasingly dangerous. Rises in temperatures around the globe impact human health, animal health, and many other things. Harnessing clean energy and combatting deforestation are the major ways to keep the planet safe.
5. Religious/Ideological conflict
• Conflicting indeaologies are the root causes for almost all wars and conflicts in the world. Humans have very strong feeling towards their religions and the only way to fix this problem is to teach people to be accepting of other peoples' customs or to disprove all religions and support science. Neither of these things will ever happen.
6. Energy creation
• The creation of energy for human use creates many harmful byproducts and results in the destruction of resources. Clean energy sources are a must to sustain human activity and should be the number one concern in the years to come.
7. War
• War results in death, poverty, destruction, and many more terrible things. War has always been a part of human interaction and will always be, but tactics used in war are can be made safer and more controlled with technology.
8. Population
• The population of the world is out of control. To sustain more and more humans, more resources are needed but there is only one Earth. More and more people will be in poverty if population continues to rise at the current rate. To combat this, societies can teach people at young ages about the impact of more children and even strict rules should be put in place regarding how many children people can have.
9. Extinction of Species
• The destruction of rainforests, oceans, and nature for human consumption is having an ill affect on the world as a whole. As more and more animals are becoming extinct, thousands of ecosystems are being disrupted and the fate of millions of animals is at stake. Humans need to start giving back tp the earth what they take out.
10. Destruction of Nature
• This is directly connected to the extinction of animal species and sustainability. Destroying forests leads to a  more polluted atmosphere and the beauty of the earth to disappear. Humans have to find new ways to sustain ourselves and keep the environment clean.

Week 2 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations?

It surprised me to hear that during the past ten years new business start-ups numbered nearly 600,00 per year. I expected there to be more than previous decades because of the rise in technology, but not that many per year.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

So is it better to have educational development of entrepreneurs or is it not because it could inhibit the creative and challenging nature of entrepreneurship. Researchers have argued over which approach is better, but which one, from research, actually is?

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

If i could ask the author any two questions, one would be: "What is your definition of entrepreneurship?" He states many definitions of the word that have been used in the past by many different people, but I would like to hear his own. 

My second question would be: "Do you believe entrepreneurs are born or can they be made?" It states in the chapter that entrepreneurs are born and not made, but I believe ones ability to become an entrepreneurship has everything to do with how they were raised and taught, and not how they were born.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

 The Author states that America is "currently in the midst of a new wave of business and economic development, and entrepreneurship is its catalyst." Now, the author is correct in saying that America is in the midst of a new wave of business and development, but he is wring in saying that entrepreneurship is the catalyst. Entrepreneurship has always been a part of American economy and will always be, but recent changes we have seen in the business world have come mainly from the increased amount and complexity of technology. Technology is the major catalyst to the new work of business and it is technology that allows new entrepreneurs to chase their dreams.

My Bug List

My Bug List:

1. Phone (iPhone) dying with 10% or more battery remaining
• I believe this happens because after the phone battery has been in use for a long time, the battery gets weak and when apps that require a lot of data and energy, like snapchat, are running the phone cant keep up with the necessary energy consumption and crashes.
2. SW Rec. gym is too crowded in the afternoon
• There can be many reasons for this. One being that many students do not have parking decals and wait until 3:30pm to go so they can park without being ticketed. Also many students wake up late or have classes in the morning and want to workout before they eat dinner, so they go in the early afternoon.
3. ATM withdrawal fees
• They banks take your money because they can. Simply as that.
4. Lack of scooter parking near Heavener Hall
• The closest scooter parking is near library west, even though most every business class takes place in Heavener Hall. There is room for a scooter parking lot, but I guess the university doesn't see this as a necessity.
5. The amount of "expert" sports commentators
• If there were two people labeled experts in a subject, then you would think they should have all the necessary knowledge and come to the same conclusion and answers, yet everyday "expert" analysts argue with each other and have totally different conclusions to games and players. There cannot be an expert in a field that is surrounded by opinions. 
6. The National Anthem - most overplayed song ever!
• The national anthem is played at the beginning of almost every professional sporting event in the US. That means it is played tens of thousands of times a year. There is nothing special about it anymore at sporting events and a lot of meaning has been taken away from the song. Is it really an honor to sing the national anthem at the beginning of a sporting event when there are thousands of people that do it every day. I believe the National Anthem is overplayed because it has sadly become some kind of tradition in the sports world and it is a constant reminder to have some patriotism, even when there is no need for it at a sporting event. And... does everyone really want to be forced to stand up and listen to some random person poorly sing a song every time they are trying to have a good time. I know I don't. 
7. 48 hr. deodorant... whats the point?
• The reason this exists is purely to make customers think the product is superior to other brands and can stop sweating for even longer. Unless you have one stick of deodorant to last you months and you are hiking and have no access to a shower there is no point in these products. When is the last time you didn't shower and could not access your deodorant for two days straight. Just reapply!
8. Line for subs at Publix on 34th and University is always long
• This is because this Publix is closest to the university and Publix subs are the best subs around.
9. Seeing ads on Facebook, Amazon, etc. for things I just bought...so I don't need anymore.
• I really don't mind seeing ads on sights for products I have been shopping for, but these sights and ads should know when you have purchased the item. The programs and algorithms used for tracking ads just cannot identify when the user does not need the items they have searched for anymore.
10. DJ Khalids's snapchats are the same thing over and over. He says the same thing, in the same place, wearing the same clothes.
• DJ Khalid's snapchats are a big hit right now and many people quote him all the time. I stopped watching them though because he says the same thing every day. There is nothing original to his snaps. He does the same thing over and over because he id getting attention from it and is making money from it.
11. Printers not printing black and white even when only one color is low on ink.
• There can only be one explanation for this. The companies that make the printers want you to buy more ink.
12. Ads still play even with a hulu subscription
• If I am paying for a subscription (I'm using my sisters account, so I'm not), then why do I still have to watch ads? hulu is just trying to make as much money as they can.
13. Bathrooms not having paper towels and only having dryers
• The reason for bathrooms not having paper towels is obvious. It is more eco friendly to not use paper products. The hand dryers are just terrible though.
14. Buffering videos on the internet
• High internet traffic and slow network speeds are the main case for this.
15. Burgers automatically come with pickles, relish, mayo, mustard, etc at McDonalds.
• They do this because it makes it easier fro the workers to make the burgers. they do not have to think about what the customer wants and just do the same thing every time. It just sucks when you forget to tell them that you wanted your mcdouble with only ketchup.
16. Standard iPhone charging cables are too short
• Short cables are useless. It is so annoying when you can't use your phone because it is charging and the closest wall outlet is too far from your bed. I guess it is just cheaper for apple to make the cables short. And it makes customers go out buy more if they want a longer cable.
17. Still getting emails from websites you have unsubscribed to
• It takes less than a minute to get an email from a website after signing up but for some reason when you wan to unsubscribe it takes days or weeks. Companies do this just so you they can keep putting their name in from of you.
18. Seemingly never ending construction on campus
• I get that the university is trying to constantly better itself, but when is it ever going to end. The university cares more about its image and prestigious ranking among other colleges than anything else, so that is where the money goes.
19. Service fees when buying tickets for sporting events online
• What service is being rendered when i buy a ticket online. The computer does all the work and costs the companies almost nothing. Companies just input these fees because they can.
20. Cover fees for bars/clubs even when you are 21 years old or older
• Why do I have to pay just to get into a place where I am going to spend money. Just another fee that has no purpose besides making more money.

Reflection on creating this list:

It was not hard to think of the first ten things on list. After the first ten though, it was extremely difficult to think of things that bug me. I was surprised at how hard it was to think of these, because it seems like I am annoyed a lot but I guess I am not. When trying to think of things that bugged me, I kept going through products, then companies, then apps, then people. I thought of some things that annoy me a lot about society in general but I tried to stick with products or companies. I will definitely keep my eyes open for things that bug me in the future.

My Entrepreneurship Story

Today, I am going to talk about one of my very first entrepreneurship experiences.

I was about 10 years old, and with the help from my dad, I recognized a problem in the neighborhood I was living in. Every time I would drive in or out of the neighborhood, I would notice that there were plenty of mailboxes that were either dirty, covered in mold, or had faded or chipped paint. Since every house has a mailbox and since they are close to the road, the look and cleanliness of mailboxes is very important for the appearance of the neighborhood and house in which it is in front of. After noticing this problem, I thought of a way to fix it. I gathered supplies that were already in my garage that I could use to clean and paint the mailboxes. I collected white paint, paint brushes, towels, and bleach spray. I didn't even have to buy a thing to solve this problem. With the supplies and a recycle bin to carry them in, I went door to door to every house that had a mailbox that needed fixing and asked them if I could clean it up for them. I had two options and prices for the customer. I set a price of $5.00 to clean their mailbox of mold and dirt and a price of $10.00 to clean and paint their mailbox. When asking the customers whether they wanted to clean their mailbox, I brought up how it would help their curb appeal and how the new paint would last a long time, so there was no need to reappoint again any time soon.

In one weekend, after knocking on about 50+ doors, I earned over $120. The work was not too hard, and in just one weekend, I was able to make the neighborhood look more appealing. That weekend, I learned that there are problems that need to be solved every where around us and sometimes it does not take much to fix them. It just takes an entrepreneur.

Why I enrolled in ENT3003:

The main reason why I enrolled in ENT3003 is because I want to start and run my own business one day, and a class like this can teach me some of the skills I will need to achieve this goal. Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes and I want to find out what type of entrepreneur I am. Over the course of this semester, I look forward to learning more about myself and how I can become a better entrepreneur for the future.

Introduction - Week 2

Hello Everyone,

My name isThomas Murphy and I am currently a third year student majoring in finance. I am from Tampa, Florida and attended Alonso High School. I have one older sister who also attended UF and now she is following her dreams and working in Washington D.C. Growing up, my life revolved around school and baseball. I played baseball practically my whole life up until I came to UF. I started playing when i was about 5 years old and for most all the years i played, i played in the same park and with the same kids. Most all of my best friends have come from baseball, and that is why i live the game so much. Unlike many of my friends though, I decided to attend a school where I could focus on academics and that is what led me to UF. As I stated before, my sister went to UF before me, so my family were already Gator fans and I wanted to go to the same school where my sister had so much fun.

I came into UF wanting to study engineering but after exploring my options in that field and taking several engineering focused classes my freshman year, I decided to switch my major to Finance. I have been interested in finance for a while now and I want to work in investment banking or wealth management after college. My long term goal is to run my own company, because after all, that is the only way to became very wealthy. I am willing to work in any location when I graduate, but would love to be in New York City.

Speaking of New York, my entire family is from New York except for me and I go up there to visit a couple times a year. I love New York and would definitely consider living there when I am a little older. I love to travel, but I have yet to experience any country across the pond. I have traveled to Mexico and a few other central america countries but I would love to visit Asia one day, especially China, Japan, and Singapore.

With a goal of mine to own my own company one day, I am trying to gain as much from this course as possible and look forward to rest of the semester.

Entrepreneur's Mantra - Week 2

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