Final Reflection

The most formative experience for me was the elevator pitches.  I consistently saw improvement with each one.  It wasn't just practicing memorizing lines, but it also helped me to formulate persuasive rhetoric, which I think is a great skill to have.  My third elevator pitch I was actually really proud of, and enjoyed that assignment the most.

I honestly don't really see myself as an entrepreneur.  I'm not salesmen type of guy, as you might be able to tell from me skipping all the interview assignments.  I don't have that drive to go "Hey stranger, check this great idea I have!"  That just isn't me.  I do have more of a mindset now for picking out "bugs" and saying "hey, there might be an opportunity here" but that's as far as it goes.  If I thought the idea were great enough, I might patent and sell it, but I doubt I'd pursue it unless I was super, super passionate about the idea.  It would have to really excite me on a personal level.

One recommendation I would make for future students is that you don't have to do all of the interview assignments to get an A, so if you hate talking to strangers don't sweat it too much.  I only did one or two and am still going to do fine in the course.  But if you want to perform the best, then I would simply say do every assignment.  As far as fostering the mindset, simply doing the assignments will do that.  The assignments themselves seem to have that goal in mind already.  Once you do that, you'll feel more confident to pursue a venture and take on the world...

like this guy.

My Exit Strategy

It's quite difficult to be thinking of an exit strategy when I'm still thinking of a way to get this venture started.  How I exit largely depends on many factors that are unforeseen.  However, if my application Athlete Finder is successful, then I see no reason why I wouldn't just grow old like Conan here and rake in the profits.  Ideally, I would hire a team that is constantly trying to update that app, making it more relevant as time goes on, and just oversee any big decisions.  If the app is doing well and continues to do well, then I grow old and eventually would probably sign it over to my future kids.  If the app is slowly going downhill, then I sell it off.  Like I said, how I exit largely depends on information I don't have yet, so it's difficult for me to give a concrete exit strategy.  This exit strategy hasn't influenced any decisions I have made while exploring this venture, and I imagine this is because I haven't even thought about it until this assignment.

Making It Real

Resume

Celebrating Failure

I've recently started playing golf and it's a very hard game.  So I continually fail at that every time I hop on the green.  I always fall short of what I want to do, whether it's hitting over what I expect to, or slicing the ball into the woods on my first drive.  This is expected though, because it's a learning experience.  You try, fail, adapt, try again, and gradually get better.  When I slice a ball, I say "Okay, what causes the ball the slice?, figure it out, fix it, see if it works, and so on.  Failure has never been emotionally draining to me.  I've never taken it bad, because I know it's completely nonsensical to be 100% successful in everything you do the first time you do it.  This class didn't really challenge my perception of failure at all.  I learned a lot, for sure, but my perception of failure being a positive thing, a learning experience, has remained the same.

Elevator Pitch No. 3

The only critique I had on my elevator pitch was more of a suggestion, and that was instead of making my app about finding other golfers to play with, it has now been updated to include many popular sports.  It was also suggested I explain more about how the app works, so I attempted to do that as well.

My Unfair Advantage

1) Creative
V: Valuable in the sense that I can make my app different and interesting, while also being familiar and relatable to the users.  I come from a family of musicians and I myself compose on a daily basis.  Granted, creating music is different from creating an app for athletes to find other athletes, but the same inherent ability to think outside the box is still there.
I: Creativity can be copied in a sense.  It's called plagiarism, copyright infringement, etc.
R: Somewhat rare.  Some people are creative, and some aren't.
N: No substitute for being creative.

2) I know a guy
V: This is very valuable.  I have a couple friends that are familiar with app designing, which is precisely what my service is.
I: Can be copied if you know the same guy, I suppose.
R: I don't really know if this is rare or not.  You either know the right people, or don't.
N: I don't think there is any substitute for knowing the right people. Networking is everything.

3) Education

V: There is value in being educated. There better be, this degree is expensive.
I: This can be copied.  Many people go to college.
R: Not that rare.  40% of Americans are college graduates.
N: There is a substitute: self-education. 

4) Determined

V: Very valuable. Instilled during my time in the Marines. Don't stop until the job is done.
I: Can't copy determination exactly, but it can be easily confused and conflated with motivation.
R: Somewhat rare.  I see people quit on a lot of things too quickly.
N: No substitute for embracing the grind and doing what needs to be done via sheer will.

5) Cultured

V: I have lived in 10 different countries. Valuable in regards to international user compatibility.
I: You can't copy an understanding of the cultures and customs of a region.
R: Somewhat rare. Many apps are region specific.
N: There is no substitute for having a high sense of cultural awareness and perspective.

6) Computer/Technology savvy

V: Very valuable, considering my service is an app for Apple and Android devices.
I: This can't be copied, but learned. Although, I've spent my whole life around games, computers, and electronics so this is second-nature to me.
R: Somewhat rare, maybe.  I know plenty of people that still don't know how to drag files to their desktop, or even copy and paste.  Seriously.  Cntrl+C Cntrl+V.
N: The only substitute for this is if you have a partner going into the business that can handle all the techno stuff.  But if your idea is an app, you should be familiar computers, phones, internet, etc.

7) Original Idea?
V: I put the question mark because while there is no app on the market like mine, it can be said that no idea is truly original any more.  Originality can sometimes be valuable.  But original does not always mean good.
I: The idea can be copied.  Heck, I sort of got this idea from Tinder.  Just replace the local singles with athletes, and you have a new app.
R: If every idea is based upon someone else's idea, I'm not entirely sure how rare it is.
N: Your idea can't be substituted because that's what your business adventure is based on.  Without it, you couldn't move forward.  Unless, of course, you substitute it with a new idea entirely.

8) Financial Capital

V: Very valuable.  I have a grandfather that loves helping family that want to help themselves.  If I pitched him this idea and he thought it could be successful, he would fund it in a heartbeat.  I wonder how many great services or products never made it to the market because the entrepreneur didn't have the resources to get it started.
I: You can't copy money... I mean you can, but then the FBI would come after you.
R: Somewhat rare.  Everyone has money troubles in some form or another.
N: No substitute for access to financial resources.

9) Work well under stress

V: Extremely valuable.
I: It would be difficult to copy this behavior. You could, however, grow accustomed to it.
R: I think this is somewhat rare.  I witness too often people buckling under pressure.
N: I don't think there is a substitute for working well when s*** is hitting the fan.

10) Social Support

V: I have a family of very smart people: doctors, physicists, writers, etc. Sometimes just having smart people offer advice and support can be very valuable.
I: I suppose you could hire a group of advisors from various backgrounds, but there is no personal commitment there like there is with a family.
R: Who knows, every family is different.
N: Each individual is unique and offers their own unique perspective, so this isn't substitutable to me.


I think the most important resource I have is my grandfather's financial support.  So many great ideas can't even get out there because the originator doesn't have the funds to get it going.  I mean, I can be educated, cultured, and work well under stress all I want, but if I don't have the funds to kick-start this idea into motion, it simply isn't going to happen.

Amazon Whisperer

Since I'm offering a service instead of a product, this exercise will be difficult to complete (as Dr. Pryor himself noted), but I will attempt it nonetheless.  The current revenue drivers for my Athlete Finder phone app are ads, like they are for most apps.  If the customer doesn't want ads and desires more use from the app, they can pay a small monthly fee which is another revenue driver.  As far as the "next" thing my customers want, again, this hard to answer because I'm not actually providing a tangible product to begin with.  The only thing I can think of to enhance the service is to continually improve the app, poll customers, read reviews, add services, and constantly update the app making it continually relevant.  Since I can't go to Amazon and pick out a similar product, the best I can come up with is to find a similar app.  If I had to pick one, I would say Tinder.  Tinder is typically used to find local singles, but the idea is essentially the same with my app.  You select your sport, browse profiles of other athletes or weekend warriors, and if both people indicate a desire to play a game of golf, tennis, basketball, etc., then a text window pops up and you can talk about meeting up to play ball.  This app is essentially Tinder, except for athletes.  But this comparison goes off the exercise a little bit, because I can't exactly align Tinder with my existing business.  As expected, it was difficult to answer some of the questions because what I'm selling is a service and not a product.

Reading Reflection No. 2

The book I read was The Art of Social Media - Power Tips for Power Users by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick.  The book is pretty straight forward, and describes how someone can use social media to their advantage when it comes to networking, promoting, business, and the like.  I didn't find it all THAT insightful if I'm being honest, but that's probably because I'm very social media and computer savvy.  And before I took this class, I knew with high confidence that if you want to succeed in business you need to network, and right now social media is quite obviously the easiest way to do that.  It almost reads like a DUMMIES book, because it seems like it's for people who aren't familiar with social media.  Just like in this class, the book also talks about how you can use social media to gain insight into what customers want.  Different social media outlets allow you to test ideas in a certain area, demographic, etc., and see how people respond.  It's similar to what we do in class, except in the class we actually physically go out and talk to people.  If I had to design an exercise for this class that relates to the book and the power of social media in general, I'd say that in addition to the ideas that we've been formulating and pitching all semester, we also have to create a Facebook page in order to try to get our idea out there.  To make it fun, whoever's page gets the most "likes" can get 3 extra credit points, or something like that.  There weren't really any "aha" moments per say, because this isn't really a typical book.  It was more general tips and advice than anything, a lot of which I already knew or were things that as soon as you read it you go "oh, well yeah, that makes sense".  A lot of what I know or have learned already came a lot from trial and error, actually.  A few years ago I started YouTube channel that combines comedy and fitness.  It took many videos before we realized a few things, what worked and what didn't as far as promoting content.  That process could have been more fluid though if I had read this book ahead of time.  Even for people already familiar with social media, it's always good to reinforce good ideas and the book contains many.  One in particular that I learned a long time ago was to state your point clearly, and nothing else.  Filler words and unnecessary jabber just detracts from the focus of your rhetoric, your product, your idea, etc., which isn't a good thing.  Keeps things short and sweet. 

Idea Napkin No. 2

*Items in bold are edits to the original.  Instead of the purpose of the app being to connect golfers, now the app connects athletes in any desired sport.  Changes are reflected below.*

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'm Kyle Harris. I'm personable, determined, possess leadership qualities, and am good at reading people. I'm good at making processes more efficient, troubleshooting, and problem-solving. I have lived in many different countries all over the world, so I've learned a lot from different peoples and cultures. I'm aspiring to launch an application that connects golfers with other golfers. This business, hopefully, would help me connect with other golfers, help others connect with other golfers, and I'd be making money from it. 


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

Many athletes have the unmet need of wanting to play a particular sport and not having anyone they know to play with. Instead of playing with some random person you know nothing about, I'm offering an application that allows you to select a desired sport, displays information about other athletes in the area such as skill level, places they frequently play, and character traits and behaviors. This will increase one's pool of friends that play your sport, and now your chances of finding someone to play with that you actually like increases. 


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? 

Athletes, or anyone who just wants to play a particular sport, whether recreational or competitive. I really don't know how to give much more detail than that. Literally, anyone who plays sports and owns a smart phone can benefit from this application. 


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. 

Well, the app is free but if they want to use more features or use unlimited services, they'd have to pay a fee. This is what is commonly referred to as "freemium". The people I've talked to are typically people just starting out with sports. They enthusiastically want to play their sport, but don't know many other athletes and they are not comfortable enough to play with randoms due to a potential embarrassing skill difference. But this is just not for beginners. For instance, if a female tennis player wants to play with other female tennis players, this app can help. Or senior bowlers find other senior bowlers.  People will also care because sports isn't just for fun, but for networking. The more people you know, the better. 


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

To both questions: this idea. I have an idea that no one else has implemented yet: an application-based social network of athletes. 

If I had to evaluate these concepts myself and do a little introspection, I see some bad and good in this. The good is that the idea is original and have received lots of positive feedback from it, and I truly am a hard worker that could try to get this off the ground. But that's not good enough on its own. I have no idea on how to create an application, and I have no idea how to market it. I would need to do some recruiting to make this happen.

I'm supposed to summarize five main points I received from the feedback from the original idea napkin, but I don't have five.  I only have one, but it is the only constant critique I have received while I've been promoting this idea.  I think I have heard "why not include other sports too?" many, many times.  It's a fair point, and while people keep telling me golf might be too narrow of a market, I've just been worried that if I include all sports perhaps that is too wide of a market?  Regardless, I implemented the feedback into this idea napkin quite easily.  For the most part, I just took out the words "golf" and "golfers" and replaced them with "sports" and "athletes".

My Customer's Avatar

My idea is an app called ParPal.  My customers need two things: a desire to play golf, and the ability to use a smart phone.  If someone meets those two criteria, then they are a potential customer.  I get the idea of creating a specific customer avatar, but golf doesn't cater to a specific person.  Anyone can play.  It doesn't matter what they watch on TV, whether they have kids, or what the color of their car is.  If I had to get absolutely specific, I would say those newer to golf would benefit the most from the app, that way they can expand their pool of friends to play golf with.  They'll have to be fluent with technology, so my customer avatar would be someone young/middle-aged since most seniors I know have trouble keeping up with technology (my grandpa still doesn't know how to text).  Also, if you're new to golf, chances are you'll be bad.  You'll also be frustrated a lot.  So I think this avatar sums those qualities up nicely: a youngish new golfer that gets easily frustrated since golf is hard...which I can totally relate to.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

I didn't find any of the feedback I received as either surprising or silly,  In fact, I actually expected it. When I posted the first video I was in a rush and said to myself "I didn't speak up or speak confidently", so I wasn't surprised at all when that was the major critique I received form others.  So I made it a point to speak up in this one.  

Textfacing

My portmanwho is "textfacing".  It's a combination of texting and Facebook.  I've been home a few weeks, and go swimming with my mom, sisters, and their girl friends practically every day.  But every so often, one of them will get out of the pool just to check their phone, either to text someone or check their Facebook.  Eventually I started saying "will you grab a beer, get back in the pool, and stop textfacing?"  They all clearly knew what I meant, but it didn't really catch on.  They would laugh it off as me being a typical goofball.  A couple of times my mom or sister would get out of the pool, and I'd say "where are you going?" and they would occasionally reply "textfacing" with a sarcastic and funny tone, but it wasn't often.  I think they were just trolling me.  It's a silly word, but hey, this is a silly assignment.

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? 

I've never been a shy person or one to be nervous in front of a crowd.  So talking to strangers isn't a problem for me.  Something I have done though that is particularly useful in this course is time management.  Planning ahead of time what you need to do and then executing it is very critical, especially because many of these assignments take an unknown amount of time.  Finding people to interview can take 2 hours or 8 hours.  It all depends.  So setting enough allotted time to do the tasks is crucial.  In summary, time management and proper planning.

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?

In moments where I feel like giving up, sheer will keeps me going because I have high standards for myself.  If I fail to meet them, my own disappointment will probably be worse than whatever it is I feel like giving up on.  I've always felt like I've had a tenacious attitude, and that was reinforced even more so during my time in the Marine Corps.  This course is definitely nowhere near as tough as the Marines, so I haven't developed tenacity during my time but it does have its arduous moments.

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' ?

Plan ahead - as I said above, setting aside enough time is crucial in this course.  It's important in every course really, but some of these assignments can take an unknown amount of time.

Don't be afraid to fail - In most courses, you study and study in order to not fail, but this course rewards it because failure is a learning experience.  So don't be afraid to get creative, fail, learn, adapt, and try again. 

Practice public speaking - You'll be speaking with strangers a lot in this course, so you need learn how to be okay with that.  Pitch ideas, ask questions, etc., in front of friends or family at first. Practice being personable and speaking articulately.  Slowly but surely, you'll get better.

Idea Napkin No. 1

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'm Kyle Harris. I'm personable, determined, possess leadership qualities, and am good at reading people. I'm good at making processes more efficient, troubleshooting, and problem-solving. I have lived in many different countries all over the world, so I've learned a lot from different peoples and cultures. I'm aspiring to launch an application that connects golfers with other golfers. This business, hopefully, would help me connect with other golfers, help others connect with other golfers, and I'd be making money from it.


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

Many golfers have the unmet need of wanting to play and not having anyone they know to play with. Instead of teeing off with some random person you know nothing about, I'm offering an application that displays information about other local golfers in the area such as skill level, courses they frequent, and character traits and behaviors. This will increase one's pool of friends that play golf, and now your chances of finding someone to play with that you actually like increases.


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?

Golfers. I really don't know how to give much more detail than that. Literally, anyone who plays golf and owns a smart phone.


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.

Well, the app is free but if they want to use more features or use unlimited services, they'd have to pay a fee. This is what is commonly referred to as "freemium". The people I've talked to are typically people just starting out with golf. They enthusiastically want to play golf, but don't know many golfers and they are not comfortable enough to play with randoms due to a potential embarrassing skill difference. But this is just not for beginners. For instance, if a female golfer wants to play with other female golfers. Or senior golfers find other seniors. People will also care because golf isn't just for fun, but for networking. The more people you know, the better.


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

To both questions: this idea. I have an idea that no one else has implemented yet: an application-based social network of golfers.



If I had to evaluate these concepts myself and do a little introspection, I see some bad and good in this. The good is that the idea is original and have received lots of positive feedback from it, and I truly am a hard worker that could try to get this off the ground. But that's not good enough on its own. I have no idea on how to create an application, and I have no idea how to market it. I would need to do some recruiting to make this happen.

Reading Reflection No.1

My first reading reflection is on "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest For a Fantastic Future".

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

• What surprised you the most?  I like reading about all the popular scientists out there: Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Richard Dawkins, etc., including Elon Musk.  So I already knew quite a bit of information about the guy, because I'm a big astronomy and science enthusiast.  But I had no idea that he had such a difficult childhood.  Apparently his dad was a real jerk and he was bullied so bad that he was even hospitalized.  Bullying is common, but getting thrown down flights of stairs and beaten?  That's crazy.
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?  I admire his vision of the future and his imagination.  He's a risk-taker.  Ultimately that can be your undoing, but it's worked out for him so far.  I also share his passion for getting off this planet.  Like him, we need boots on the ground in Mars.  Life is fragile and our planet is no exception.  All it takes is one meteor and our race is gone.  I admire how he thinks of human beings as a whole.  
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?  According to his coworkers, he's not a very nice guy.  Seems to lack empathy.  This trait seems to be common though with successful genius entrepreneurs, so it's not that surprising as I also heard the same thing about Steve Jobs.  I guess if you're so focused on your goals, you don't care if you hurt people's feelings in the process and won't let anything get in your way.  I guess it helps, but at the cost of your social life?  I wouldn't want that for myself. 
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?  He definitely encountered adversity as most entrepreneurs do.  Living at work, divorce, bad economy, space program losing money, etc., these are all things that are hard and challenging to deal with.  But I'm not sure he ever outright failed.  His father gave him some money which he invested in one company, merged with another, got bought out, made more money, invested in another, and so on and so forth until you see the man he is now: a billionaire in charge of SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity, Hyperloop, etc., and will probably take humans to Mars.  One thing is for sure, he persisted.  He just never stopped and did whatever it took.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?  Risk-taking, determination, and scientific literacy.  He was going to get a PhD in applied physics.  I mean, it sort of helps to be smart.  He may take risks, but they seem to be extremely calculated.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.  Just all the initial companies he was part of, founder vs co-founder, the merging of companies, the renaming of companies, it was all just a little much.  

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?  Would you consider yourself narcissistic, egotistical, or an elitist?  If so, where exactly does your drive come from to help all of humanity?  Why not just take your money and live a relaxing stress-free life?  I would ask these questions because I'm interested in the conflict, if there is any, between success and empathy.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?  I would imagine hard work to Elon Musk is going against the grain, thinking outside the box, and being so creative that you shun the naysayers and produce something truly noteworthy, respectable, and successful.

Elevator Pitch No. 1

My first elevator pitch

Lots of people like playing golf, but finding friends that can always play is hard, especially if you're just starting out and don't know many golfers yet.  Playing by yourself and teeing up with a random player can be embarrassing if there is a big skill difference.  I want to create an app called Golf Buddy that allows you to create a profile with your skill level, favorite courses, and other character information.  You can also book tee times straight from the app.  Revenue will come from ads, golf courses that want to display coupons and deals, and user fees for unlimited service. 

Tweaking the Innovation

My idea is having an application where you can connect with golfers in the same style of Tinder.  You can look at a person's skill level, what courses they like to play at, common interests, and if all of that looks good, you "match" and can book a tee-time together.

Product Service Mix

(for an application)

Advertising	Course Deals	Service/Data
Interrupted Advertising	Course Suggestions	Ad-Free
Continuous Advertising	Coupons Notifications	Unlimited Matching
	Notification of Tee-time Vacancies	Instant Match Recognition
		Book Tee Times
		Full Service

Advertising - These are tangible.  For the interrupted ad, you can be swiping through and have no choice but to look at new driver on sale, or maybe another application like a golf fame.  For the continuous ad, this would be on display all the time.  If clicked, the ad will open a webpage where you can get more information.  Each time an ad is viewed or clicked, revenue is generated.

Course Deals - These are core benefits of using the application.  You get suggestions on nearby courses you may not know about, receive notifications about deals going on at said courses, and receive notifications of available tee times.  So say you've done some swiping and have about 8 "matches".  You and your new golf buddy get a notification that says "available tee time for 2:04 pm at a discount price of only $14.99 + cart and range balls" and so you can message the person and see if they're interested and book the tee time.  Every time a suggestion is taken, a coupon used, or a tee-time booked, I generate revenue from the course by receiving a cut.

Service/Data - These are augmented.  They are additions to the service that are limited with the free edition.  For instance, to use the app without ads for 1 month would be $2.99.  To be able to swipe through matches without a limit, that would be $2.99.  To let someone know immediately that you're interested in playing golf with them (sort of like the "super-like" function on Tinder), that would be $2.99.  If you want to be able to book tee times through the app, that would be $2.99.  Altogether that would be $11.99.  But if you want all of these services exclusively, it's $9.99.  I could also tweak the prices to represent 6 months, 1 year, and lifetime use. 

My Solution

This solution is in relation to the problem I mention in the Opportunity Hypothesis about connecting new golfers.  I think it'd be great to have an app in the same style as Tinder, except just for people looking to play golf.  In the app, you could state your skill level by inputting your average score you usually receive when you play.  For instance, if you consistently score a 120 +/- 5, then you match with other people that usually score between 115 and 125.  That way everyone is around the same skill level, you can make friends, and progress together.  It would also be nice to see what the person is like, if they drink while playing, what courses they typically play at, etc.  So it wouldn't JUST be about skill level alone.  As I stated in my previous post, when you're playing a sport with other people, you generally want to play with other people around the same skill level.  Golf is also a social game, and it's a game that needs to progress forward.  No one likes to hold anyone else up.  If there was an app that could connect golfers around the same skill level, that would help.  No one likes to hold people up, and no likes to slow people down.

Testing the Opportunity Hypothesis, Part 1

For many new golfers starting out, it's difficult to play with others golfers sometimes because...well, you're bad.  Golf is hard.  And it's embarrassing to get matched up with players who are better than you because everyone is waiting for you to hit the ball more than 10 feet so the game can getting moving.  Also, playing by yourself is no fun.   I think there is an opportunity to connect new golfers together.  Golfers that have been playing a long time and frequent the same club will have undoubtedly already made friends that they typically play with, and are good enough to be paired with whoever.  But for someone like me that only started playing a few months ago, I want to play a lot.  But as with most sports, you don't want to play by yourself all the time and you don't want to do terrible in front of better players.  Every time I go play golf with myself, I inevitably get paired up with someone because the course gets backed up because people are playing slow in front of me, or people behind me are playing fast.  And I always have to say something to the effect of "Are you sure?  I just started and am not great at all.  I don't want to hold you back."  It's just awkward because my golf game is so inconsistent.  One second I'm driving it 200 yards, and the next I slice it right into the water.  Woohoo!

Who: New golfers
What: Unable to find golf buddies around same skill level
Why: New to the game, new to the environment, don't know other new golfers

I believe there is an opportunity here to create something that would help new golfers connect.

Interviews: https://soundcloud.com/kyle-harris-19/sets/testing-the-hypothesis-interviews

These interviews went surprisingly well.  Everyone I spoke to either just started playing golf, had played golf briefly at one point, or has been playing less than a year.  All of the interviewees related to the problems I listed above, and agreed that having an opportunity to connect with other new golfers at similar skills levels (or lack of skill) would be beneficial in the sense that it would make them want to play more.

Looking for Opportunity

1 - 2 - 3) My first economic trend and two regulatory trends go hand-in-hand, so I'll just mention them together in one big entry.  The first regulatory trend has to do with Obama wanting to tax carbon in order to combat climate change of which he spoke about during the Climate Summit last December, the economic trend has to do with oil prices dropping, and the second regulatory trend is companies getting tax incentives for going green in an attempt to regulate waste.  With these trends in mind, I believe there is great opportunity for many things to arise, primarily, cleaner/greener sources of fuel and energy that would eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels (i.e. wind, solar, nuclear, etc.).  If businesses will lose money for emitting carbon, keep my money by going green, and oil is already in a state of little to no profit, this makes me think an opportunity exists for, obviously, green sources of energy to rise up.  This may sound like a bit of a stretch and perhaps a bit dramatic, but I think the resulting prototypical customer would be the human race in the sense that relying on energy that doesn't slowly cook the planet will benefit us and generations to come.  This will be very hard to exploit though, since so much of the global economy is wrapped up in oil.  I think it's possible, but it won't happen overnight.  I'm a science nerd not an economist though, so I really have no idea how the process of change works on a global/macro economic scale.  I saw this opportunity because, like many people, I care about the condition we leave our planet it for future generations.

4)  Another economic trend I have noticed is how popular virtual reality is becoming.  Companies like Google and Samsung are pouring lots of money into it, and it's just now starting to become mainstream.  People are very interested in virtual reality and the sales indicate that.  I have a VR headset myself.  Right now, most of the market associated with virtual reality is video games and adult content.  But I think there is an opportunity here for almost any company or business to incorporate VR into their business, and have other markets grow.  Just off the top of my head, ummm.... okay, how about a dance club.  Imagine going to a club to dance with a friend, but instead of dancing on the dance floor, you're dancing on the moon.  Or wherever, doesn't matter.  Point is, I think there is a lot of appeal in changing the environment of where you're doing something fun.  I think an opportunity exists here since VR is gaining so much popularity.  A prototypical customer is basically anyone that wants to have fun in a place other than where they are currently.  As long as a company has the funds and innovation to incorporate VR into their business to make it more interesting, I don't think it would be that hard to do.  The technology is already here, and it's steadily improving.  I saw this opportunity because I was so impressed with VR that I just thought it would be cool if it were incorporated into other aspects of life.  Like, what if a vehicle at VR incorporated into the backseat windows.  That way while driving, your kids or guests or whoever can look out the window and see something different, like...I don't know, dinosaurs walking around or something.  I really think VR will take off and the possibilities will be endless.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1) Truck driver's trailer hit by train in Lake City
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CDC7F7523CDA90?p=AWNB
In this story, a man decided that he didn't want to stop for a train and thought he had time to go around the barriers and make it across the tracks before the train struck.  He thought wrong, and his trailer was destroyed.  He walk away unharmed.  I'm almost certain this trucker will not make the same mistake again.  But since this is not the first person to think that they're faster than a train, perhaps we need to use this as an opportunity to put up barriers than cannot be so easily avoided.

2) Alachua County policy protects transgender students
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CDC7F745008098?p=AWNB
The U.S. departments of Justice and Education sent a letter to school districts informing them that transgender students' rights are to be protected, or they risk losing federal funding.  While Alachua County District Spokeswoman stated that this wouldn't be a problem for her county since there are always protections in place, Marion County Public Schools said that they will not comply and that students will continue to be banned from using the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity and must use their identity assigned at birth.  Obviously, this is a problem for trans students.  This is an opportunity for everyone to be more empathetic, and recognize that discrimination in all its forms, especially school sanction discrimination, is vile.

3) County looks for flexibility on bike lanes in repaving projects
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CDC7F74EBBA310?p=AWNB
Alachua County has many roads that need to be paved.  Many roads have extended sides that allow room for bike lanes.  The problem that has arisen is that the county only has so much money to repave roads, and many more roads can be repaved if they don't have bike lanes.  If you repave roads with bike lanes, more resources need to be used and less roads overall can be resurfaced.  This is a problem for anyone that uses roads.  Now we have an opportunity for bikers and drivers to come together and discover a solution.

4) With gym still closed, local climbers left hanging
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CDC7F718C0D678?p=AWNB
The rocking climbing gym off Main Street has been shut down due to safety hazards.  The owners need to find a new gym to build or buy, as the Gainesville rock climbing community grows restless.  Bills are still accruing from the old place.  This is an obvious opportunity to start anew, but in a place that can withstand time.  Challenges will do doubt lie ahead.

5) Lane Ranger: Traffic jams common in once-rural area
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CE71BE5E0A6E00?p=AWNB
Population growth in Jonesville at County Rd 241 and 39th has caused traffic to swell at peak commute times.  This is causing traffic jams, and delaying folks going to and from work.  This is an opportunity for the county to decide if the light at the intersection is at the most efficient red/green cycle that would allow the most flow of traffic.  

Bug List

1) Finding a golf buddy - I'm new at golf, so having an app that helped me meet other golfers to play with would be helpful.
2) Finding a dart buddy - Not so new to darts, but I find myself playing by myself a lot.  Having a social network of dart players, just like golf, would help me meet up with others for games.
3)  Coffee cools down too fast - Happens because I don't drink fast enough.  Maybe a heated pad that keeps it warm?
4)  My fan always makes noise when it's on - faulty design?  Off and hot, or on and loud.  Frustrating.
5)  Protein powder clumps together - maybe I'm not shaking it hard enough, or maybe the powder is of poor quality.
6)  Finding out how hot a hot sauce is in scoville units - Many popular brands list exactly how hot their sauce is via this scale, but many brands do not.  Perhaps some don't report, or maybe the information just isn't obvious and needs some digging.  It would be interesting if there is an app that could scan a bar code and tell you how hot exactly the sauce is.
7)  Finding a gym buddy - Not so new to lifting, but I find myself lifting by myself a lot.  Having a social network of lifters, just like with darts and golf, would help me meet up with others for workouts.
8)  When using a lighter sometimes I burn my hand because the flame reaches the metal igniter - this happens because metal conducts heat really well.
9)  Apps constantly crashing for no fault of my own - faulty code.
10)  Difficult locating an item in a grocery store - sometimes they move items, or sometimes the item is specific and doesn't really match the descriptions on the aisle.
11) Getting into a line that isn't moving at the store - this is usually because the cashier is out of a particular coin or dollar bill.  Having this displayed would be nice.
12)  Getting into a movie only to realize it is so packed you cannot sit next to your friends - this happens because movies are popular and many people want to see them.  Knowing how many seats are available ahead of time would be nice.
13)  I wish the AI on smart phones were smart enough for me to indicate that I want to drive from point A to point B while avoiding tolls - maybe some smart phones can do this, but mine doesn't and it is fairly new.
14) It bugs me when I ask for a medium rare steak, and I get a medium - I imagine this is because the restaurants are afraid of their customers getting food poisoning.
15) It bugs me how easily sunscreen washes off - salt, sweat, and water washes it away.
16) It bugs me how long it takes clothes to dry in the dryer - different materials dry at different rates.
17) It bugs me when gyms aren't strict about members putting their weights away - this is just laziness.
18) It bugs me when people curl in the squat rack - gym workers not noticing, don't want to scold customers
19) It bugs me that a hot shower can turn cold based on what your roommate is doing in his/her bathroom - it's hard for me to say why this happens because I'm not a plumber/pipe person, but I would really love if this didn't happen anymore
20) It bugs me that there is only one lane on SW 20th Ave when it is so busy with traffic and buses - whoever designed the road did not anticipate the high volume of traffic.

I comprised this list in a few hours.  It really wasn't difficult at all for me to think of things that annoy me.  Lots of things annoy me, but putting them all in a list was a little weird but not terribly difficult.

My Entrepreneurship Story

Last summer I volunteered for a company called Youth Combine.  It's a non-profit after-school exercise program from children.  We basically led the kids through different fun exercise routines in attempt to get them more active.  I didn't get much insight into specific details of what it took exactly to get this start-up company off the ground, but one thing I did notice from the entrepreneur who started the company was that he was extremely passionate about what he started.  He was always promoting it with a smile, and always looking for ways to improve it.  It was almost as if he needed the company to happen.  I could tell he loved it.  So I suppose you could say that my first experience with an entrepreneur taught me that if you're going to do it, live and breathe it, and give it your all.

I enrolled in ENT 3003 because it is an approved elective worth 4 credits, and I need 4 credits of electives in order to graduate.  I know that isn't an outstanding reason to enroll in a course; however, already within the first week I can tell that I will get some valuable information out of this course that I can hopefully use to my advantage in the future.  Looks like I got lucky!

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