Halfway Reflection

1. In order to be successful in the course, it is important to establish a schedule of completing coursework. It can get pushed to the back of your mind since the content is online, but by establishing a routine, it will be easier to complete every assignment on time. I also think becoming open to others' work and ideas will allow you to learn from the lectures, and gain insight while reading and responding to blog posts.
2. It can be really intimidating interviewing people about your business idea. This nervousness can become exhausting at times, and make you want to give up. However, it is important to develop this skill so that you learn to persevere when promoting your ideas. I think doing multiple rounds of interviews has built up by tenaciousness over the past 2 months.
3. Three tips I would offer include: 
1. Don't be afraid of failure. This is a learning process, and it is important to go out of your comfort zone.
2. Stay organized! If you don't know what assignments are coming up then you won't remember to complete them. Stay on top of your work!
3. Be excited to learn. There is some really interesting and impactful material, and the experiences we have in the class add to this. Take advantage of it!

Reading Reflection 1

I chose to read Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash for the first class reading.

1. I think what surprised me the most about Mary Kay Ash's story is how committed she remained to her religion. I think we all need something empowering and motivating us, whether it be religion or something else, and I find it inspiring that she was able to become such as successful business woman while staying true to her values. I admire that she lived her life following role models such as Jackie Kennedy, and tried to become someone others could model themselves after. I suppose the quality I least admire is her encouragement to hide your feelings and put on a happy face no matter the circumstances. I think this can be a dangerous way to live, and encouraging perfection from others by putting on a facade can lead to despair and emotions of dissatisfaction. Mary Kay Ash had plenty of experience with adversity on her road to success. Her first marriage ended in divorce when he began seeing another woman, and shortly before opening her business, her second husband passed away. She also spent much of her life caring for family members. This had to have been challenging with her strong value of family, yet she was able to persevere in her career.
2. I think positivity and perseverance are Mary Kay Ash's greatest competencies. She didn't back down in the face of adversity, allowing her faith to guide her through. She also emphasized the importance of joy and spreading happiness. Organization was also one of her strengths. She stressed that we should plan our daily lives in the way we plan our vacations, leading to higher productivity.
3. One thing that confused me about the book is Mary Kay Ash's decision to use pink Cadillacs as bonuses for her sales representatives. Iconic as it may be, I wonder if a different type of reward may have been a more appealing incentive.
4. One question I would ask Mary Kay Ash is "What did you find more challenging in entrepreneurship: being a woman or sticking firm to your values?" Another question I would ask would be "What aspect of your career did you find the most fulfilling, and is there anything about it you would change?"
5. I think, according to Mary Kay Ash, hard work means putting others above yourself. She fought for her family, God, and women around the world in everything she did. She made an impact larger than herself, while also boosting herself up as a successful career woman. I agree that this is a definition of hard work to some, although others may argue that putting her career above all else would have been the right way to do things. I think Mary Kay Ash did everything in her power to live the life she wanted, and that is what I find most inspiring about her story.

Beginning of Buyer Behavior Process

Interview 1: The first person I talked to was a middle-aged cashier at a fast food restaurant. She does feel the need to get more money through promotion, because she currently has trouble paying for her current lifestyle. This becomes apparent when trying to plan for the future. She has the aspiration of moving into management at the same establishment, but doesn't know what kind of skills she needs to develop, and doesn't have a plan other than talking to her supervisor.
Interview 2: The second person I talked to was an eighteen year-old grocery store bagger that has decided not to go to college. She wants to be able to work in customer service, and eventually become an assistant manager since this grocery chain is known for hiring from within. She goes about learning about the necessary skills for this promotion by speaking with people currently working in this position, but could use some guidance in developing the presentation of her skills. She could also use help in lining up exact objectives with her career path in order to make sure she doesn't lose track of her goals. There is a lot of pressure from her family because they are really of her and what she can accomplish in the organization.
Interview 3: The last person I interviewed was a young smoothie employee who makes minimum wage. She really wants another job, but doesn't feel like she has the qualifications to leave. She finds she becomes bored in the middle of her shifts, and this triggers the desire to search for a new job. She googles new jobs, but can't find anything appealing that she has experience in, and doesn't have a resume. She also doesn't have a clear path because she doesn't know what kind of job she wants.

Conclusions: I think needs awareness already exists, and with some advertisements of our services can be brought to the forefront of potential customers' minds. However, it will be important to point out the parts of our services that will benefit them most. For example, some customers know what they want and we should show we can help them get there. Others don't know where they want to go, but know they want a change, and we should help them make a plan.

Idea Napkin

1. My talents include reading, writing, and planning, and problem solving. I have experience in job searching and mentoring others. I want to have a career that will allow me to help others solve their problems. I think this business will allow me to combine these strengths and aspirations, as I will be able to provide a way for them to solve their career problems.
2. I'll solve customers' unmet needs by setting up a career search workshop service that will allow them to receive advice and help with career planning and obtaining their professional goals.
3. The people that need these services are people who have unfulfilled career aspirations, and the lack of knowledge to fulfill them. These people will be low-wage workers that have the desire to move up in their career path and make more money.
4. Customers will care about this service because it will help them make more money. Furthermore, for many it will give them the kind of career-oriented achievement they have lacked.
5. Using college students as the workshop facilitators will set us apart since they are currently receiving this career planning and job search advice. They have the most current knowledge in this area of expertise.
I think these elements fit together nicely. I think the main challenge will be getting already working employees to find the time and money to take advantage of these service, and scheduling the mentors with their busy college schedules. It also may be difficult for some customers to put their trust in a college-aged student.

Pitch 1

https://youtu.be/7med1HlhE4w

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

1. Interview 1: While the homeless population would obviously benefit significantly from these kinds of services, there are serious barriers that make them fall outside our boundaries. The biggest barrier is the cost of the classes, which is not money readily spared by people who can't afford food and shelter. While their shared need is the need for a better career path, there are other steps that should be taken before spending money on career advancement courses. These steps may include addiction or other health challenges currently preventing them from getting work.
2. Interview 2: Students don't necessarily fall inside this category, because at universities like UF, they are provided these services as part of their educational experience. This could be challenging, since students at a University, especially in a city like Gainesville, make up a large group of people making little to no money, and having the drive to advance.
3. Interview 3: A taco bell employee doesn't necessarily have the desire to change jobs, because the steady income is better than a lot of previous jobs held, and he doesn't have a lot of direct skills he feels would be worth developing for a different career path. He feels that his need for advancement will be satisfied by working hard in his current position.
4. Interview 4: Someone who appears to be the perfect candidate, but simply doesn't want to spend the time or money to be educated on how to advance her career. Time is valuable, and so is the money made in low-wage jobs, so it can be difficult to ask people to dedicate themselves to professional growth. Therefore, the basic qualifications are met, but the underlying desire to invest in improvement doesn't line up.
5. Interview 5: An older person working at a small business doesn't want to change jobs, because they've been satisfied with their job for a long time. They don't want to invest in a complete change of course, and they find the stability of their current job and employer attractive. They seem to be a good candidate for this service, but don't share the need of job advancement.

6. Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
   People who not only are in a paying, but low-wage job, but that have the skills, time, and desire to invest professional development.	People who don’t have the time or money to take the classes, or who simply don’t see the value in using them for advancement.
   The need to learn the skills to help advance your professional career.	A “fix-it-all” for anyone who wants to make more money.
   People don’t have the knowledge to pursue a different career path.	Some people are satisfied with their current path, or have deeper needs that cannot be satisfied by these courses.

My Solution

To alleviate the persisting income gap, I plan to elevate the skills and knowledge of lower-income workers by providing career advancement services. Blue-collar workers, workers who want to enter a management track, people with a GED or incomplete college education, or people who were unable to attend college due to finances or extenuating circumstances will be targeted. The customer will pay a fee to attend classes. Similar to an exercise class, the services can be bought on a class-by-class basis or by a monthly subscription for unlimited classes. The classes would include one-on-one career planning meetings, resume-building sessions, mock interviews, group workshops on special topics, and a professional attire closet. The sessions could take place at community centers and public libraries. The classes will be advertised on facebook, and by joining the facebook group the customers will be able to view upcoming events. Providing disadvantaged people with better resources will allow them to learn how to better articulate their skillset, and leverage their skills into getting higher paying jobs.

My Opportunity (Testing the Hypothesis)

2. The persisting income gap continues to worsen as lower income workers are unable to improve their own situations, and continuously receive fewer resources than higher income workers.
Who- Lower income workers in the US
What- They are unable to advance their careers
Why- They receive less resources than higher income workers
3. Testing:
Who else could we target? Almost everyone has the need of career advancement, but I am specifically targeting low-income workers in the US, because their need is not addressed. People with a partial college education, for example, obviously have career aspirations but were unable to complete their degree, and now have the opportunity to further their abilities. Recovering addicts or teen moms may also have this need, since they may have had goals that they were temporarily unable to achieve.
What can we do to start/ where should we target people? Low income areas would obviously be a good start, but do we target all people in these areas equally?
Are there other "whys". What are some other solutions to the problem? Maybe there's something else to blame. For example, providing them resources doesn't necessarily help them in their current situations, especially if they can't provide their own families with care. Maybe looking at cheaper child-care would be a better alternative.
4. Interviewee 1: Homeless people may also need help in advancing their skills to try and gain employment. They could use help in career workshops or getting interview attire. If these people gain skills and have higher paying jobs this should help to decrease the gap. Notoriously low income areas, or areas with government housing should be targeted. Some of these people are better off than others. Our government also segments people by stereotyping and allowing them to "mooch" off the government. In this way, the government could be the blame.
Interviewee 2: Lower income students could also benefit from these resources. For example, students who have completed the GED or didn't receive a four-year degree could use this. Although this may help the problem, an income gap will never be fully fixed, because lower-income people can't afford the same resources. Areas where 30% or more of the population are below the poverty line should be targeted.
Interviewee 3: Any blue-collard worker, regardless of income, because those jobs are disappearing. Also, people who can't afford college and have to go straight into the workforce could benefit. Working with temp agencies could allow you to access different groups of peoples. There is an inconsistent growth between how much things cost and how much money people make, which causes the income gap to grow. Targeting this side could be a better approach.
Interviewee 4: Unemployed people and people who want to change jobs could also use these services. Community centers could be places to address the problem, including hosting resume workshops. This also may not solve the problem of hopelessness, so maybe working to offer counseling to these groups could benefit them more.
Interviewee 5: Everyone is affected by the income gap, and there's always someone in a worse financial position than you so there will be a large market involved in this opportunity. The minimum wage could be adjusted to tackle this issue. There is an opportunity on the low end of the wage gap to increase their lives. People with low wages should be incorporated into a solution.

By conducting these interviews, I discovered that there is a lot of consensus about which population of people should be targeted to solve this problem, so an opportunity involving people with low or no wages would be ideal.

Economic & Regulatory Trend Opportunities

• Economic Trend: Income inequality gap is increasing
• Opportunity: Career Advancement courses for lower-income workers, teaching them how to advance in their current jobs & improving their resumes/interview skills in order to get new jobs
• Source: https://www.thebalance.com/income-inequality-in-america-3306190 (the rich are getting richer)
• Instead of taking money away from the wealthy, let's try to bring lower incomes up by increasing their skills and knowledge of the workforce.
• The prototypical customer is someone in a low paying job, with a relatively skilled background or a passion to move up in a specific role or organization
• This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit because there is a large market, but it will be difficult to make money since the target population is low-income earners.
• I have received these types of services as a university student, and it seems relevant to extend these services to others looking for career advancement.
• Economic Trend: US is the UK's largest single-country trading partner, and trade is expected to increase post-Brexit
• Opportunity: App for importers/exporters to communicate and trade on a shared platform between the US and the UK
• Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/world/europe/after-brexit.html New trade deals means more traders doing business between the two nations.
• Traders will look for an expedited process of doing business together on a larger scale.
• The prototypical customer is an importer or exporter in the US or UK.
• This opportunity will be relatively easy to exploit since there will be a drastic and sudden increase in demand, but it could be tricky to meet all legal regulations.
• My experience in London led me to believe people there are excited about the possibility of increasing trade with the US.
• Regulatory Change: Legalizing medical marijuana in Florida (and possible future legalization of recreational marijuana)
• Opportunity: Dispensary delivery service similar to Amazon but for marijuana
• Source: https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(2020) Medical marijuana is legal in FL, and recreational legalization may follow soon
• Start now delivering medical marijuana, similar to a prescription drug delivery service, and you will already be ahead of competitors when recreational legalization occurs.
• Current prototypical customer is medical marijuana patient, but this will expand in the future.
• This opportunity will only be easy to exploit if taken advantage of before competitors enter the market.
• As a Florida voter, I keep up to date on the passage of different bills in the state, and since medical marijuana passed semi-recently I believe there is a market to be taken advantage of.
• Regulatory Change: All single-use packaging becoming fully recyclable (specific bill rejected but many states are trending towards eliminating single-use plastic to eliminate waste)
• Opportunity: Produce plant-based compostable packaging materials
• Source: https://therevelator.org/california-plastic-legislation/ Many states and cities are trying to pass regulations on single-use plastic.
• Plastic bans are becoming more common, and companies will soon need solutions.
• The prototypical customer is a packaging company that currently uses single-use plastic.
• This opportunity will be difficult to produce in a cost-efficient way, but should be easy to exploit if successfully manufactured because the demand will be high.
• The recent laws in Gainesville regarding plastic have made me think about the direction regulations have been progressing towards, and what companies will do to adjust.