Beca's Blog

1. Read through old posts 2. Experiences I would say that the most formative assignment was the Secret Sauce (16A). Being able to really self reflect on what it is that makes me so unique and the little things that diversify me from everyone else was really inspiring. I also enjoyed being able to ask my friends what it was that they believed made me stand out. An experience I will remember years later will be the Growing Your Social Capital (20A). Being able to connect with and actually talk to people who are the best at what they do was very cool. I was able to add people to me network that I probably would not have otherwise. My most joyous experience was Create a Customer Avatar (18A). I loved this assignment because we were able to get really creative with who our perfect, ideal customer was. We had to use our imagination to create a life for them and that was pretty fun. I am most proud of myself for accomplishing the Venture Concept (24A). This assignment required a lot of har...

My Venture Concept: 1.      Opportunity: I first saw an opportunity to exploit my product and create something meaningful when I realized how much people of my same demographics who went to UF valued the environment and practices that supported the planet. The people who have the need are majority college females who tend to be more politically liberal and partake in daily practices that help reduce their carbon footprint on the Earth. The nature of the need is not urgent, but if it were available it would definitely be exploited. Creating the need for a retractable, reusable straw is the absence of straws that keep people happy without using plastic, taking up a lot of space, and provide satisfaction. This market is spread out as far as every college is spread out throughout the United States, so I would say a few separate segments every state. Currently, customers are using paper straws which 99% of people absolutely hate, or they are using reusable metal or ru...

1. My exit strategy Within a few years from now, it is my hope that my business will have grown into a large company known for its environmentally friendly practices. I have 2 full years left at the University of Florida, and after that I hope to go to graduate school somewhere. With that being said, I hope to be done with my studies in four years, at which point I will sell off my business to any of our partners. By that time, we will be in alliances with multiple retail stores and food shops, and I will sell off the business to one of those partners who will probably change the name and make it their own. 2. Why I have selected this because to me, this has always been a hobby of mine and not so much a life goal. I never intended to extend this business and dedicate my whole life to it. In fact, I only started it because I needed some extra money as a college student. When the four years are up, I will have enough money and education to find a steady job elsewhere that does not gi...

I chose to read  How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Scott Adams 1. What was the general theme or argument of the book? Overall, the book is pretty much a series of lessons that Scott Adams has been able to come up with and apply to his own life. Through experience, failures, and successes, he has bottled up everything that has helped him stay on track to create his life. A lot of the lessons were quite the opposite of what you would expect, but the more you think about it, the more they make sense. A few of my favorite lessons were the importance of acquiring skills and affirmations. Adams described how crucial it is to be able to constantly acquire new skills. Being able to do so roughly doubles your chance for success with whatever that may be. Furthermore, all skills, no matter in what context they are learned, can typically be applied to any sort of setting. The more we learn, the easier it will be to learn. Second, the affirmation lesson really interested m...

1. The time I failed As a freshman, I was eager to apply to a bunch of clubs and business organizations so that I could really get my foot in the door as I started my college career. There is a business organization called Florida Leadership Academy which is a great organization to be in and is pretty competitive. I applied to FLA at the end of my freshman year and ended up getting an interview. I went to see CAP mentors for a mock interview and even asked current members for any advice and tips that they could give me. After my interview, I was sure that I had done very well and that I would be selected. A few days went by when I finally received an email with an update. I did not get into FLA and I was very upset. At the time, it was pretty much the only organization I wanted to be in and the only one that, at the time, seemed to be of any interest to me. 2. What I learned It wasn't until a few weeks later that I learned that this was one of the best things that could have ha...

Existing Market 1. What's next Within my current market, I believe that what comes next is more products that aim at reducing the use of harmful materials and replacing them with more sustainable, environmentally friendly material. I hope to start moving from straws to cups or reusable grocery bags, and stray away from plastic and aim at producing these with recycled or organic material. 2. Interviews (Called people) The first interview was my roommate Carson who is a college sophomore female and moderately participated in environmentally friendly practices. When I asked Carson, she said that she believed a really good step for my venture would be to improve the designs of the reusable, retractable rubber straw that I currently have on the market. In other words, Carson says that she would love to see the same straw in a different design, and maybe made of a different material that is more similar to plastic. She also recommends creating straws with flashy designs such as sp...

My Venture Concept: 1.      Opportunity: I first saw an opportunity to exploit my product and create something meaningful when I realized how much people of my same demographics who went to UF valued the environment and practices that supported the planet. The people who have the need are majority college females who tend to be more politically liberal and partake in daily practices that help reduce their carbon footprint on the Earth. The nature of the need is not urgent, but if it were available it would definitely be exploited. Creating the need for a retractable, reusable straw is the absence of straws that keep people happy without using plastic, taking up a lot of space, and provide satisfaction. This market is spread out as far as every college is spread out throughout the United States, so I would say a few separate segments every state. Currently, customers are using paper straws which 99% of people absolutely hate, or they are using reusable metal or ru...

1. Resources in the venture and VRIN Analaysis 1. Me, the founder of the business, who is also within the target market Valuable- I am a valuable asset because I know my business better than anyone else does Rare- I am rare because there is no other person like me. We are all different so my expertise and experience will come a long way. Inimitable- Once again, every single person on the planet is different, so it is impossible for another business to have me as their founder and CEO unless I create it. Nonsubstitutable- There is no other way that I will offer myself up as the founder of another business, so no other business will have me 2. A great network of people who can help me promote my product Valuable- All of the people who I know have a unique insight into their personal experience with business which they can apply to my business Rare- The combination of all of these people into one network is very rare because I have built it up through many years of networking ...

1. Elevator Pitch 2. Reflection All of the feedback I received on my last elevator pitch said that starting off my pitch with a crazy statistic really drew them in and made them want to listen. So, for this last pitch I decided to find multiple even crazier statistics that I knew would catch the audience's attention. They all said that my pitch was very good and I knew it well, so it was comforting seeing how I was able to improve every time. I added more of what they liked and took out anything that was redundant in my pitch. 3. What did I change Looking at my first pitch and seeing my final pitch, I can confidently say that I have really improved it drastically. My first pitch wasn't bad, but it was a bit repetitive and I was not too confident in front of the camera. The second pitch was better, but I still needed to sum it all up into one shorter, stronger pitch. Finally, this last pitch was the best because I was the most confident. I had it pretty much memorized and...

I chose to read Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck 1. What was the general theme or argument in the book? Overall, this book went on to show and explain how someone's mindset can ultimately go on to become the main driving force in their life. In other words, Carol Dweck focuses on the distinction between the two main mindsets that people are born with: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Dweck explains how a fixed mindset is a primarily negative view that people are born with where they grow up thinking that they are only good at certain things and there is truly no point in exploiting other skills with which they were not born good at. People with a fixed mindset are quite unlikely to grow because they strongly believe that if they are not good at something, they can't learn to be good at it. They are narrow-minded and stick to doing things that they know they can do well. On the opposite end lies a growth mindset, which is much more flexible in terms ...

Person #1 1. Who they are I decided that my neighbor, who is also a good friend of my dad, would be the perfect person to choose as the domain expert within my industry. My industry, I would say, is primarily sustainable production of a variety of products. My neighbor works for 4ocean, which is a company that makes apparel and other merchandise primarily from recycled and environmentally friendly material. He is an expert within the sustainable industry which is primarily focused on reducing plastic waste that is thrown into the environment. 4ocean does not make reusable straws, but they do make bracelets, apparel, drinkware, cleanup gear, and a bunch of other products that are made from recycled and organic material. My neighbor, specifically, works in the Sales department, so he is really in charge of getting the products out and marketing them to a wide audience. 2. What slot do they fill My neighbor is the domain expert because he works at a company that is primarily focused...

1. You I am a second-year Finance major at the University of Florida and I hope to start my Master's in International Business this fall. Academically, I have taken a lot of courses that have given me unique insight on Business Finance, Marketing, Management, Information Systems, and a lot of other things that have given me skills that are applicable to any real-life situation. I am involved in a few business organizations where I have built up and strengthened my leadership skills, thus giving me transferable roles to really any sort of setting. I studied abroad and interned in Madrid, Spain last summer where I gained a unique insight into this global market. This is an experience that I would have never been able to get anywhere else. I am bilingual and I have certifications in a variety of different computer programs. As far as my business idea goes, I see my innovation of creating a retractable, reusable rubber straw as one that will blow up. In other words, I see this becomin...

1. Elevator Pitch 2. All of the feedback I received on my last elevator pitch was all positive things. The comments all said I was very captivating and engaging with my audience, so I tried to add a little bit more expression and passion into my pitch in order to engage my audience more. One particular feedback which I found very interesting was to also offer making a case for the reusable, rubber straw. I think this is a brilliant idea because this would make people want to carry the straw out with them, especially if they see that they can put it in its very own case. That way, it won't get dirty or lost. They gave me very valuable feedback. 3. I changed a few things. In order to make sure that my audience remained engaged and interested, I decided to change my intro. Instead of asking a question, I threw out a memorable number at them. How large this number was and the mind-blowing nature of the fact was why I decided to start my pitch like this. I gave my audience a clea...

My Customer Avatar: I previously said how my ideal customer for this class was a college female. More specifically, I imagine my ideal customer being a female student at a college that is historically more liberal than conservative. This student would be between the ages of 20 and 22. This student would most likely be a brunette who enjoys a lot of environmentally friendly activities. She loves to do hot yoga and pilates, and her yoga mat is probably green or blue and made from 100% recycled material. She drives an eco-friendly vehicle, most likely a Toyota Prius or another car similar to that one. It is white or silver, and lucky for her she gets to park in the spots in parking lots that are eco-friendly, and usually closer to the entrance of any store. As for TV shows, she is just like any other college student. She loves Gossip Girl , You , Greys Anatomy , and gets together with her friends on Monday nights to watch The Bachelor . Occasionally, when she's really bored she'l...

1. Five ways in which I have unique human capital I have a very strong desire to reach all of my goals, no matter how big or out of reach they may seem. I would say that my dedication is something that is often unseen. I was raised in a Hispanic Jewish household, and I have visited over 30 countries at only 19 years old. I believe this has made me into an extremely versatile and adaptable individual. I get along very well with any type of personality, and I think that is due to all of the things I have seen and been exposed to throughout my life. I am very good at prioritizing everything that goes on in my life to where I have a healthy balance of everything that I like. I try to workout 3-5 times a week and I like to plan out my day so that I complete all of my responsibilities. I am extremely disciplined. I have a very good sense of the most important things in my life and I hold myself accountable to high standards that I work every day to uphold. I am a great listener and co...

Segment: My target segment is females between the ages of 18 and 25. Interview 1: My good friend who is a Sophomore, 20 years old I decided to interview one of my closest friends who I haven't interviewed before. For her, she says that the main factor in making a purchase decision is price. The price of something is always the top priority for her, and she says that being in college and being on a budget heavily contributes to that. For my friend, she admits that the price is the first thing she notices, and if it is way out of her budget, she won't even bother picking it up because she knows that she won't end up purchasing it. She is also more likely to purchase online, and in fact does most of her shopping from online boutiques. The reason for this is because there is a very large variety of clothes and other things for her to choose from online. Another reason is that it is way cheaper to find and purchase certain things online or through Amazon than it is to do so...

1. This is not an easy course. This is a course that is very demanding and requires a great deal of thought, time, and effort. In order to keep up with the requirements of this course, I have dedicated a few hours a week every week and set out certain days of the week that I allow myself to work on the class. Having previously taken a bunch of online courses, I can safely say that this is a class like no other. Aside from heavy time commitment, the class requires that you really think about the world around you in order to complete assignments. 2. A moment when I felt like giving up was the last time we had to interview people for an assignment and the people had to be outside our boundary. This assignment was made extremely difficult for me because it required me to actually sit down with people and take time to interview them. I had done this a bunch of times before, but for some reason this last time was made extremely tough for me. I felt that all of the information I was gatheri...

I chose to read Coco Chanel  by Lisa Chaney. 1. Everyone knows the name Coco Chanel. Chanel was a fashion icon born in France in 1883 who went on to create an empire known by millions of people around the world. I would say that reading this book about Chanel really opened up my eyes to her life and her upbringing, making me appreciate and admire her even more than I already did. One thing that really surprised me was that her first name was Gabrielle, not Coco. The way she got the name Coco was actually very interesting. She used to be a Cabaret singer and performed at a wide variety of clubs where her stage name was Coco. She was referred to as Coco by everyone, so she decided to keep the name since it stuck easily. Something about Coco Chanel that I most admired was her constant desire to break the status quo of male domination over females. She repeatedly tried to make products and clothing that would show people that boundaries are made to be broken. For example, the first p...