Final Reflection

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Final Reflection
4/22/20

1. The experience that I will remember for years was creating a product. The product that I created was a set of required information for social media platforms in order to reduce and further stop the issue of data violation. This experience opened my eyes to all the factors that go into creating a product, finding a target market and how to go about marketing my product to that specific audience. I am most proud of this experience and my accomplishment because know I know that I can do this once I enter the real life business world.

2. After taking this course, I definitely feel like an entrepreneur. The many assignments in this class have taught me all the things that I would need to be an entrepreneur in the future and has let me closer to this mindset. Also after reading about all the famous entrepreneurs and their success as well as failures, I learned even more about what it takes to be in this business and made me more excited to pursue something like this in the future.

3. For the students entering this class in the future, there are many things that go into it. The most important factor, however, is time management. There are many assignments due on a weekly basis and if a student is not on top of them they will not get it done in time or done to the best of their ability. Poor time management will hinder students from succeeding in this course as well as in their future endeavors. In order to foster this mindset, students should look at every assignment like it for the real life business world and take them seriously as these are the skills they will need in the long run.

Venture Concept No. 2

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Venture Concept No. 2
4/19/20

Opportunity: Social media platforms are the leading thing in society at the moment, and they will just become even more popular as technology continues to enhance. With that being said, the ongoing issue of data privacy violation will only get worse. Unless we step in and change this; and that it was I am going to do. This is a big opportunity because so many people experience this when making accounts for these platforms and it is not okay. No one's privacy should be violated. With technology continuing to advance, new social media applications surface which means that I believe this opportunity will last for awhile.

Innovation: I am designing a product that will reduce this issue. When making accounts on the social media platforms, they require you to input a lot of personal information that is seemingly unnecessary. With that being said, what I am going to do is create a set of required personal information, but less than already required, that are in fact necessary in order to actually get the accounts started. Then I will market my product and explain all the benefits it will have on the platform’s business as well as the customers that use it. I will sell my product for 50 dollars and will ask for 10-15 percent commission for a certain amount of times my product is used. Once I have the social media businesses on board I will implement it into their platform so that this will be the new way to make an account.

Venture Concept: My product will make it not only easier to make an account but also safer. Implementing this will also make people feel safer when giving these social media platforms their personal information. Social media platforms will want to buy my product because it will make their customers want to use their product more. If consumers do not feel safe they will not make accounts with these social media apps. I do not think it will be hard to switch either, not only because it is in the best interest of their audience but also because with all the new technology, it will not be hard to implement. Additionally, packaging really does not have a big effect as it is technology, however, customer support could play a big role in customer experience and further affect the success of my product and the services provided by these social media platforms.

The Three Minor Elements:

1. My unfair advantage will be my hard work and determination. I strive to overcome all obstacles or any mistakes that might stand in my way and I will bring that with me into this business and into the real life business world overall. This quality will help me succeed as many obstacles may stand in my way in this industry as it is constantly changing.
2. After I sell and implement my product into one platform, I am hopeful that we will see great results. With that being said, I will strive to implement my product into all social media platforms so that they all will adopt this change.
3. In five years, I hope to have helped both the social media platforms with their businesses as well as the consumers in feeling safer when plugging in their information. This venture has given me the perspective of an entrepreneur and has taught me skills that I will be able to take with me in future endeavors.

Feedback: I got very good and positive feedback from my last venture concept. I realized from my feedback that my product is very much needed and will make many people feel safer. Additionally, due to my feedback and the interest already in my product after the previous one, there was not much I changed going into this one.

Your Exit Strategy

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Your Exit Strategy
4/13/20

1. I chose to enter the social media market. With that being said, I will probably sell the business in a few years, not necessarily because I want to but because I will most likely have to. Right now, all social media platforms are very popular but as time goes on and technology advances, it may become less popular. If that happens then my product will useless in the market. This type of product and this kind of market is not a business that is passed down. I hope to stay in this type of business but I believe this product will only last as long as the market.

2. I picked this strategy because my product and business follows the market of social media platforms. If new technology reaches the surface then new forms of social media or something we have not even seen yet, then my product will be useless.

3. After making my exit strategy, I realized that in the few many I should appeal to a market that will allow me keep going. Although this product will give me the maximum benefits it could give me during that time, it may be nice to have a business that I could pass down. On the other hand, I like that I chose this market because I can relate to so many people when addressing it and I am confident with my product. The exit strategy definitely geared me towards certain decisions but I would not change any of them.

Reading Reflection No. 3

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Reading Reflection No. 3
4/13/20

1. The general theme of Scott Adam's novel, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life, is failure. Adam's uses his experiences and his failures to give the audiences tips on failure and teach them how to move on and learn from these failures. One thing he stated was, "A combination of mediocre skills can make you surprisingly valuable", which to me, means that you can do anything with hard work and passion.

2. This book connected to this course because it focuses on failure. We just had an assignment that related to failure so I wanted to take a look at Adam's strategy and tips in this field. After reading this novel, I learned how to cope with failure in a better way than I already do. Both the book and the course taught me how to learn from my failures and be proud of my mistakes to encourage me to work harder in future endeavors.

3.   If I had to create an exercise, I would all the students pair up or get in groups and share with the group a time that they have failed.  Each group member will get a turn and they will also be giving feedback so that everyone will know that they are not alone.

4. What surprised me after doing this assignment was the author. The author made it sound so easy to admit to failure and was so easily able to use his experiences within his novel. He was also able to do this in a humorous manner which I also found very surprising and impressive. I can not talk about my failure proudly and he taught me that it is good to and make me feel more comfortable doing so.

Celebrating Failure

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Celebrating Failure
4/13/20

1. This past semester, I failed to get grade I wanted on my first finance exam. I worked really hard at this class, watching all the videos and taking all the practice exams because I knew the difficulty of the course. Each time I took the practice exams I would get the same concepts wrong so I would always go back to look over where I am a mistake. Although I did all these things to prepare for the exam, I was still unhappy with the grade I received and therefore "failed" in my book.

2. From this failure, I learned how to adjust my studying for the next exam. I realized that the Study Edge was not the only material I should be studying. I started to watch all the lectures and do all the problems he posted to the Canvas additionally to the Study Edge ones. As a result of this, I did so much better on the second exam. I learned how to approach the next exam and how I can take this lesson with me to my other courses in the future.

3. Failure is hard. Failure is embarrassing. Failure is painful. When I fail, in my eyes and through other peoples eyes, it is really hard for me to cope with and it increases my level of anxiety. However, this failure and this courses taught me that it is okay to fail and you need to learn to just get up and try again. Know that you did the best you could. This lesson will help me in future courses as well as in the real world. I am definitely more likely to take risks now than I was.

What's Next?

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
What’s Next?
4/9/20

Existing Market:

Step 1: In terms of product/service, the next step in my venture would be to find a reputable social media platform and sell them my idea. They would most likely test the product and see the amount of people who make accounts using this change, before all social media platforms make this change as well. They would need to determine if making this adjustment will further benefit their business enough.

Step 2:
Interview 1: (female, 18) This young teenager uses social media on a daily basis in order to communicate with friends and family as well as sharing pictures. With college coming up she now uses social media platforms to meet and connect with new people who will also be attending her chosen college, Mount Saint Mary’s College in New York. She never thought about the problem of data violation, but after I explained my product to her she agreed that she would feel a lot safer if not as much personal information was required when making these accounts.

Interview 2: (male, 24) This young adult just graduated from the University of Florida after getting his masters in business administration. With that being said, he is moving to New York City in search of a job in that field. He stated that social media plays a very big role in both the job search and the search for an apartment as it makes it easier to communicate with possible employers as well as apartment building managers. After hearing about my product, he stated that we should be coming up with a way to encourage all platforms to make this change.

Interview 3: (female, 50 children 14,16) This woman not only uses social media herself but she also watched her two children use it all the time, many hours of the day. She liked hearing about my product and believes it should be implemented immediately as it made it feel more comfortable especially regarding the safety of her kids. She believed that we need to somehow get this idea out there and get the attention of the social media platforms.

Step 3: In terms of growing my existing market, I will need to find investors. It will cost money to make the product as well as implement it into each platform. Additionally, in order for existing businesses to support me, they need to know that other people believe in the benefits of the new product. As a result, I need to do some research on the different social media platforms and their importance for customer safety and start pitching them my idea.


New Market:

Step 1: This target market is one that is unaware of what social media even is and would not even think about using it.

Step 2: My product does not need to only be implemented in social media platforms but it any types of forms that may require certain information that may be unnecessary. To appeal to my chosen new target audience, my set of required information can be implemented anywhere in order to make all people feel safer when sharing certain information and be aware of where this information will be kept.

Step 3: It was hard to find people in this target market because social media has become such a huge aspect of people’s lives and very few people refrain from using it. However, I was able to find a few people to interview and they greatly helped me build on my idea. My first interviewee was my dad who does not have any form of social media. Although he does not use it personally, he sees people around his use it and feels safety should be these business’ first priority. He also said that this product could be implemented in many places for instance applying colleges.

My second interview was with my grandmother who never had social media and would never think of having it. However safety has always been a big priority to her especially now that privacy violation has become a growing issue. She loves my idea and thinks it should be implemented everywhere in order to appeal to all audiences rather than just people who use social media.

Step 4: After taking a look at this new market, it does not seem to be as attractive as my existing market however it was good to research and see the affects my product would have on different people. A large amount of revenue would not come from this new market. After receiving feedback, it was brought to my attention that although social media is a large aspect of society today, it is not the only thing that experiences violation of privacy and I need to take that into consideration as I enter my product into the market.  

Venture Concept No. 1

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Venture Concept No. 1
4/9/20

Opportunity:
With social media platforms continuously growing, the problem of data privacy violation is also growing. With that being said, the changing environment of these platforms is what creates this opportunity and the individuals who use any form of social media are the people who have the need. These people are the potential customers for the product that I have created in order to increase the safety of people’s privacy within these platforms. Demographically this product will make users of social media apps including instagram, facebook, snapchat, etc., feel safer when they make their accounts. Geographically speaking, the location will not have much of an affect. Customers are very loyal to their social media accounts as it is now what most people rely on to communicate and keep in touch with friends and family. This is a big opportunity, therefore, the “window of opportunity” will be open for a very long time as the popularity of all social media platforms is still growing.

Innovation:
When making an account on these social media accounts, they require a lot of personal information; information that is not always necessary. I am creating a set of required information that will be implemented into all social media platforms. This set of information will require less personal information that will hopefully make people feel safer when they create these accounts. By setting one set of standard requirements that all social media apps will use, will not only increase security in the industry but will also increase the amount of individuals that use these platforms. I would like to create a partnership with these different apps, as well. I will sell my product for 50 dollars and will ask for 10-15 percent commission for a certain amount of times my product is used.

Venture:
My product will make creating on an account on these social media platforms easier and safer as well as making users feel safer when sharing certain information. All social media should buy and implement my product for many reasons, however, the most important one is in order to stay in business and to make sure that people are still using their services. If customers do not feel safe with a social media platform and are scared of data privacy violation, they will not want to continue using it. I do not think that it will be hard for them to switch to this set of required information becuase it what is best for their market audience and will all the new technology it will not be hard to implement. Packaging really does not have a big affect as it is technology, however, customer support could play a big role in customer experience and further affect the success of my product and the services provided by these social media platforms.


Three Minor Elements: 

1. My most important resource or my “unfair advantage” would be my confidence. In order to be successful in the business I have to be confident in my product and believe that my product will help not only the social media platforms in their industry but also the customers making these accounts feel safer.

2. After I sell and implement my product into one social media platform, I strive to implement it into all platforms. I believe that all apps should to adopt this upgrade in order to keep thier loyal customers.

3. In five years I want this venture to have helped as many people as possible feel safer and more aware of where their personal information is going. I want people to feel comfortable and not be scared to make accounts. This venture has allowed me to understand the perspective and steps of becoming an entrepreneur and I hope to use these skills to continue to create products and services that will benefit large populations worldwide.

Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Your Venture's Unfair Advantage
4/6/20

1. Strong Support System:

Valuable: Yes! Having a strong support system not only makes completing tasks easier and faster but also is a motivating factor 

Rare: Yes this is rare because not everyone is as fortunate enough to have people in their life to act as that support system for them 

Inimitable: Yes it is possible that not everyone has a support system however, it is hard to create one if it does not already exist 

Non-sustainable: A strong support system is definitely not substitutable but is a very important thing in life 

2. Perseverance: 

Valuable: Yes, not everyone is able to overcome the obstacles that may get in their way

Rare: Yes, because when things get rough many people just choose to give up

Inimitable: Perseverance is not something that people gain overnight. It takes experience, failure and even more, motivation

Non-Sustainable: Yet many people may exhibit this characteristic, it is different with every individual

3. Strong Network: 

Valuable: In order to be successful in any part of business, it is important to have strong connections 

Rare: Yes, not everybody have the ability to reach out or have the resources to do so in order to obtain those strong connections 

Inimitable: Creating these connections requires individuals to step outside of their comfort zone which is not easy for everyone 

Non-Sustainable: Older and more experienced people will have stronger connections than me as they have had more time to make them 

4. Sales Experience: 

Valuable: To be successful, it will help to have experience 

Rare: Not necessarily, as most job applications and companies ask that their employees have sales experience  

Inimitable: It is easy to learn how to be a good salesperson from watching and following how someone else does it 

Non-Sustainable: If you do not have good sales skills you may not succeed in the business 

5. Good Work Ethic: 

Valuable: Yes, extremely! In order to get everything done on time and organized you must have a good work ethic 

Rare: Not necessarily but everyone has different work ethics 

Inimitable: You can not copy someones work ethic. You can watch someone and strive to work as hard but it takes time 

Non-Sustainable: Some people may have stronger work ethics but I always try to work hard when I am completing my tasks 

6. Confidence: 

Valuable: Yes, in order to succeed you must be confident in your product and in your business as a whole 

Rare: Yes, not everyone is confident in what they do and that can be a cause of not having a strong support system

Inimitable: Yes other people have confidence also but you can not necessarily learn to be confident from them

Non-Sustainable: Confidence is an important aspect in the business world and can not be substituted 

7. Experience with Rejection: 

Valuable: Being able to accept rejection and move forward from it is the key to success

Rare: No, rejection happens very often in life and only very few people have not experienced this 

Inimitable: You can learn from rejection and take advice on how to deal with it in order to move forward 

Non-Sustainable: Rejection can not be substituted with incurring a loss 

8. Research on Target Market: 

Valuable: In order to successfully market a product you must first understand the audience that your are targeting 

Rare: Every business has a target audience, however, not everyone is equally devoted to doing the proper research 

Inimitable: The research that I have done myself is inimitable but someone will not be able to arrive at the same conclusions as me 

Non-Sustainable: Every individual has different research although it could be similar 

9. Connection with Investors: 

Valuable: Yes, in order to be successful in the market you need to connect to people who would be interested in a companies product

Rare: It is rare for people at a young age, however, everyone needs these connections 

Inimitable: You can not fake connections but you can always make new ones 

Non-Sustainable: There are many different connections and not all are the same 

10. Ability to overcome challenges: 

Valuable: Introducing a new product can be challenging and you must be able to move past those challenges to succeed 

Rare: Very few people are able to come up with solutions to the problems that arise 

Inimitable: It is good to take advice from someone on how to overcome challenge but everyone has to find their way 

Non-Sustainable: No it can not be substituted 

My top resource is confidence. Creating and selling a product is difficult. However if you are not confident in your product or in yourself, no one else will be confident in you or take you seriously in the real world. Confidence in one product can lead to the creation of many others and make you further successful in the market. 

 

Elevator Pitch No. 3

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Elevator Pitch No. 3
4/2/20


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJcoBclKuxc

Based on my feedback, I did not change much of my product features, however based on personal experience with the violation of data privacy, it has further opened my eyes to the importance of fixing this issue.

Reading Reflection No. 2

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Reading Reflection No. 2
3/31/20

Book: The Art of Social Media: Power Tips by Power Users by Guy Kawasaki

1. General Theme: With social media on high rise in today's society, it is near the top of what determines a company or products success versus failure. The author provides his readers with useful tips in order to help entrepreneurs use social media to their benefit.

2. This book and their idea for writing this book enhanced many things that I have learned within this course; ENT3003.  It reinforced the many mediums that go into promoting a product, which in their case they focus on social media. Social media is a very easy and popular way for consumers to find and like a product and can set a company up for great success.

3. An exercise that I would create would be for each student to try and promote their individual product on certain social media platforms. They must use the tips that Kawasaki presented in his book to see if this medium would be beneficial to them and to their product. 

4. What surprised me most when reading this book was how many things actually go into using social media as a platform for your company or product. Being from a time that revolves solely on social media, I thought that I knew all the ins and outs of each platform and how I could use it to my benefit, however, after reading this book I realized it is not all that simple.

Growing Your Social Capital

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
3/24/20
Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert:

1. An IT expert at a company located in Manhattan, New York. 
2. This person is constantly helping business's implement different technological aspects into their company. 
3. This person is my uncle. After I read this assignment he immediately came to mind so I called him one day to ask if he had a few minutes to answer a few of my questions. 
4. I explained my idea to him and he loved it and thought it would be very helpful especially in today's world. He gave me a few tips on how to go about working with the social media platforms to implement my product while also informing me he will help me to do this once the time comes. 
5. By including my uncle into my networking, I will be able to not only encourage the use of my product but also learn from him so I will be able to do it on my own in the future. 

Market Expert: 

1. My cousin who is a digital marketer for MSG located in Manhattan
2. He markets all different aspects of his business getting customers aware and excited to use their services. 
3. I went to my cousins apartment one afternoon to meet with him and discuss ideas for my target audience and how to go about making my product known to these platforms. 
4. He gave me many tips as he works with a similar target audience and helped me to come up with ideas as to how to address each consumer. 
5. By including this person in my networking, I will be able to learn about my specific market with a little guidance from an expert.  

Supplier: 

1. A family friend 
2. He sells new technologies to different companies around the world. His company is based out of Switzerland. 
3. He lives in California at the moment so I called him the other day to see if he could answer some questions I had regarding the technology business and how I could succeed within it. 
4. He loved my idea and things it is great in order to reduce the issue of data privacy violation. He also informed me that based on his experience and the different technology platforms that he has sold, he sees much potential in my product. 
5. By including him I will be able to learn and further improve on my business.

Reflect: 

This exercise opened my eyes to the different types of people I should be networking with. It also opened the doors to establish many different relationships that will help me as I move along with my product and in this industry as a whole. 

Idea Napkin No. 2

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
3/24/20
Idea Napkin No. 2

1. I am a sophomore at UF and I am very involved on campus including Greek Life and multiple business clubs. I am a dancer and before coming to the University of Florida, I actually competed in dance. Although I did not continue at school by joining a dane team here, I still do some things on my own. I see this business playing a big role in my life as it relates to not only my life but many because majority of the world today revolves their lives around social media.

2. I will create a guide of specific required questions that each social media platform must follow when someone is creating an account. The questions that I will ask will be less personal as to prevent private information from being exposed or stolen.

3. I am offering it to all social media platforms as a form of security for the people using theses social media sites.

4. They care because if they do not start to implement this people will become more scared of data privacy invasion and therefore stop using their site or app, further hurting them.

5. As a college student, I believe I have more experience in the field of social media compared to someone maybe in their 50's. I believe I can use my experience to prevent data privacy violation from occurring and make more people feel safer when providing certain information to these platforms.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ7JOht4gNE&feature=youtu.be

Create a Customer Avatar

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
3/19/20
Create a Customer Avatar



My avatar is a 50 year old woman with two teenage girls, both at a college level. She works full time as an interior designer and when not at works she spends her days shopping with her sisters or getting coffee with her friends at the local coffee shop. She spends her nights on the couch with a glass of wine and watches her favorite shows with her husband. She uses social media often to not only see her daughters posts but also her friends; as a way to catch up with old friends she has not seen in a while.

The avatar and I have the use of social media in common. I do not believe this is a coincidence because social media is widely used across the world today and there are many different platforms available.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
3/9/20
Figuring Buyer Behavior No. 2

1. Segment: For my segment I chose, once again, people of all ages that use social media daily and may experience this issue. I interviewed a male at the age of 22 who mainly uses Facebook. I interviewed a 16 year old girl and a mother who not only uses social media herself but so do her kids.

2. Begin with Alternative Evaluation: With many social media platforms in the world today, there are many alternatives for customers to choose from. I asked my interviewees what helped them make their final decision on a certain social media app and all of them said that the quality and style is what essentially made their decision. Along with that, it was the app that all their friends were using. Most of these social media platforms are free for download so the price was never really a factor in the decision process.

3. How/Where Do They Buy?: My segment purchases these apps online or on smartphones. No cash is used in the transaction but rather a credit card or some other form of electronic payment.

4. Post-Purchase Evaluation: My interviewees stated to me that they knew it was a good idea when they were able to successfully post pictures and get to communicate with their friends.

5. Summarize: My interviewees gave me three different insights, aside from own, on how people really make their decision to download and join a social media platform. The amount of other people, friends or not, who are using this app plays a very bigger factor in the decision. I was not surprised that none of interviewees mentioned the privacy policy however, that may need to be something customers look at, as more and more of these platforms have in invaded data privacy.

6. Draw Conclusions: After my interviews, and even from my own experience, being in this segment, I have realized that they follow the social trend at the time. This goes along with post-purchase evaluation as well because customers like and dislike an app based on the ability to communicate and connect with friends. I realized after my interviews that social media is such a major aspect of peoples lives and it made me want to create this product even more.

Halfway Reflection

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
2/26/20
Halfway Reflection:

1. This course has not only taught me time management but also taught me how to think like an entrepreneur. It takes me some time to think like this as I am not an entrepreneur, so now I give myself ample time to read and really understand each assignment before I begin. This allows me to provide the best response for each question and help others understand my take on something.

2. When coming with an elevator pitch, there was a point I wanted to give up. It took me many tries to get the right thing to say and I was getting very frustrated. However, when I finally was able to get my message across I felt great that I was able to push through that because this exercise is something that I will most likely see in my career and I can't just give up. For the next one, I will give myself more time to write out what I want to say before I start the video in order for me to have everything I want to say in my head and I can do it in one take.

3. Tips:

1. Read the syllabus and each assignment very carefully. You can easily miss important information if you don't. 
2. Manage your time efficiently giving yourself ample time to do each assignment. 
3. If you are confused on any part of the assignment or course as a whole, don't be afraid to reach out to the professor or a fellow classmate for help. 

Reading Reflection No. 1

Samantha Twohig 
ENT3003 
2/25/20 
Reading Reflection No. 1 

1. 
What surprised you the most? 
What surprised me the most was Steve Jobs' use of LSD, saying it was a profound experience for him. He also stated that is helped to reinforce his sense of what was important. 

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
I admired how persistent Steve Jobs was about having his bibliography written. I also admired that he didn't want any control over the book and trusted the author. 
  
What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
What I least admired about Steve Jobs is the amount of time he put aside for family. Family is a very important aspect in my life so I didn't like to read that about him. He focused more on reinventing our technological world than he did on his family and having a support system. 

Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
When the Macintosh was first introduced to the market, sales skyrocketed fairly quickly. However, as time went on and new technology came about, people started to notice the product's limitations and stopped purchasing it. Although he faced this issue within his company, he didn't give up but rather took the lesson he learned from this mistake and used it create a new and better product. 

2. What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 
Steve Jobs was hard working and determined. He had a drive in him from the very beginning to start his own business, for example when he asked to borrow $50,000 from friend, Ron Wayne in order to do so.

3. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
One part of the reading that confused me was the section where they spoke about his partnership with Pixar. I was confused as to if he used their technology to enhance is and if so did he and his company benefit from this partnership decision?

4. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
1. Is there any decision in your personal or work life that you regret?
2. Why did you take credit for your employees ideas? Was it a way to motivate them in some way?

5. What do you think the entrepreneurs opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
I think that Steve Jobs valued hard work the most in his life which is what made his so successful. I personally agree with this opinion because nothing is ever just handed to you, you have to work for it and that is what he did leading him to be one of the most celebrated entrepreneurs today.

Figuring out Buyer Behavior No.1

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 1
2/19/20

Segment: The segment I chose is people of all ages that use social media daily. Although each social media platform is what is gonna use this product overall, being in college it is easier to find people to interview in my area rather than contacting top people from different social media applications.

Interviews: 

1. Person 1: Female age 20; She uses social media in her every day life in order to keep in touch with friends and see what is going on in society today. However, she is aware of the possibility of invasion of privacy that comes along with social media use. She worries that certain information like her full name or phone number will be taken and shared, which is why she feels that a smaller set of required data is necessary for each platform.
2. Person 2: Male age 15; He uses social media apps like Snapchat more than he uses Facebook due to his age. As the years go on, the use of Facebook decreases in the younger generations. Being so young, he did not realize how serious of a problem the violation of data privacy really was and how often it occurs. However, now that he is aware and has this idea in his head that it could possibly happen to him, he is on board with my idea and product. 
3. Person 3: Female age 50; Not only does she use social media but so do her children. The idea of invasion of data privacy is huge concern for her because of her kids constant use of these platforms. She sees a need for this product and the decrease of required information in order to protect herself and even more to protect her kids from this issue. 

I decided to conduct three interviews with people of three different ages to illustrate how many people are involved with social media platforms and how many people could be affected by this issue. Each interviewee demonstrated a concern for privacy when it comes to these applications and all showed interest in my product and the need to regulate certain information that is required when making an account. 

Idea Napkin No. 1

Samantha Twohig
ENT 3003
Idea Napkin No. 1
2/17/20

1. I am a sophomore majoring in Marketing. I am involved in many things on campus including greek life. I aspire to create a single software that all social media platforms use when customers are creating accounts. In my business, I will foresee all activities and make sure that all social media platforms are implementing this tool. 
2. My product is a set of required information that social media platforms can ask when consumers are creating their accounts. However, the difference between my idea and what is already being used is that I will make less information required in order to prevent data privacy invasion and all platforms will be required to use the same one in order to strengthen security all around. 
3. I am offering this mainly to social media platforms to implement into their service. I am also appealing to people who frequently use social media because they are the ones that need their data protected.  
4. Social media platforms care because their users care. If customers know that their data and their privacy is safe they will continue to use these social media applications. 
5. All social media applications have a set of required data but nothing like this. With less information required and will all social media platforms requiring all the same information, customers will feel more safe and more eager to use these platforms. 

These elements fit together because as technology advances, security needs to also advance. By implementing my idea into all platforms, customers will feel more comfortable about giving over personal information and will not fear that their privacy will be violated. 

Elevator Pitch 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn6JbbqraVk&feature=youtu.be

Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

Samantha Twohig 

ENT3003
2/13/20
Testing the Hypothesis


Person 1: A mother of two girls; She felt that this was a very serious issue as her girls spend most of their time on social media. She likes my idea of having social media platforms require less personal information because it makes her feel safer when her kids are using these applications.

Person 2: A 16 year old; Her favorite app is Snapchat and she believes they do not require as much personal information as something like Facebook so she feels she will not face this problem or opportunity.

Person 3: A 22 year old; He used social media often not only for pleasure but also as a way to find a job as he gets closer to graduation. Due to this, much of his personal information is located on these social media platforms so he does get nervous about the common issue of violation of data privacy.

Person 4: A father of a boy and a girl; With his children always on social media, he agrees that these apps need to require less information in order to prevent people from stealing or releasing personal data.

Person 5: A 70 year old; Technology and social media has changed very much over the years so she has never experienced this problem of privacy violations. She agrees that personal information should not be shared, however, she is not really first hand aware of this growing issue.


Inside the Boundary:

Who is in it: All people that use social media platforms

What is the Need: For stronger security

Why the Need Exists: Personal data is being taken from social media sites and shared


Outside the Boundary:

Who is not: Social media companies and the people that are actually violating customers privacy

What the Need is Not: Don’t show concern for data privacy

Alternative Explanations: Only care about the fun part of social media rather than the safety aspect

Solving the Problem

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
2/6/20
Solving the Problem

One of the main issues in society today is that information is too readily available for anyone to misuse and exploit. The specific problem that I am focusing on is social media because it has become apparent that these platforms are not secure with personal information. Recently, hackers were stealing personal information off of Facebook to use for research for advertisements. Although this situation is basically harmless, these hackers could have used the information for other more detrimental purposes. I feel that social media platforms need to take more responsibility for these bypasses in their systems and find a way to combat hacking to ensure that people feel safe being active on social media. One way in which these platforms could improve their security is to require less information to have an account because without them having access to personal information, hackers won't have anything to search for. Also, they should make security a priority before they improve their applications. If social media platforms don't take action against this issue they are going to lose users and popularity so it is in their best interest as well.

Testing the Hypothesis

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
2/6/20
Testing the Hypothesis


Opportunity: Apple and Facebook have been violating customer’s privacy making it apparent that higher level cybersecurity is necessary.

• The who: Customers that use products to store data and personal information
• The what: Need higher level cybersecurity
• The why: Facebook has been taking personal information from teenagers to use for advertising

Hypothesis:

• Testing the who: People need their privacy and company’s that people trust with their information should respect that the most.
• Testing the what: We need to try and find a way to increase the levels of security and stop Facebook from doing what they are doing
• Testing the why: Facebook may not see this as a problem because some of people’s information is on their profile but they should not be taking people’s information without their consent

Summary of Interviews:
After interviewing five people I can conclude that they also believe privacy is important and measures should be taken so that we can attain that. They recognized the dangers that can come from other people having their personal information and the untrustworthiness of these applications that house this information. All interviewees agreed that this was a problem for our own safety.

Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
2/4/20
Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends


Economic Trends:
Opportunity #1: Johns Hopkins Doctor Says New Coronavirus is Here to Stay, Expects ‘Seasonal’ Outbreaks

• I found this on CNBC under the Health and News section
• If this is true and the Coronavirus is here, then this gives opportunities for scientists and doctors to work on possible ways to cure this disease.
• The prototypical customer for this opportunity would be doctors and scientists as they will be able to see the symptoms first hand and find ways to cure it before it gets worse.
• I believe that this is difficult to exploit because this virus is continuing to grow and each patient is experiencing different levels of each symptom.
• Someone may not see this as an opportunity but rather a bad thing as this virus has now spread to us. However, I see it as an opportunity to cure it while also an opportunity to help those who may already be experiencing the symptoms.

Opportunity #2: Restaurants become card only

• I found this in an article on the business sector of BBC News
• Many restaurants have started to take cards only, similar to the restaurant in New York City mentioned in this article. This shows multiple opportunities; one being the prevention of robberies at stores. Also it gives people the opportunity to carry less things around when shopping or getting food.
• The prototypical customer is both the customers and the stores or restaurants that make this change.
• I feel like this may be difficult because it is going to be hard to make sure that everyone starts to always carry their credit card around.
• I see this as an opportunity from my own experiences. For me it is easier to just have my credit card on me rather than having cash.

Regulatory Changes:
Opportunity #1: Privacy Regulations

• This was found in an article on internetsociety.com
• Privacy statements are a very important part of an organization. It is a way for consumers to get quickly informed about the organizations policies, however they are fined if it is hard to understand. This is an opportunity for the consumers to be fully aware of how and where their data is being handled.
• The customers are the consumers because with these regulations they are told specifically, about how their data is being handled by the organization.
• I think this will be relatively easy to exploit because all consumers want to make sure that their information is being protected.
• I see this as an opportunity because if it were me, I would like my data to be protected as well.

Opportunity #2: Apple and Facebook are hypocrites regarding privacy

• I found this on the atlantic.com
• Apple made a statement saying that privacy is one of their most valued aspects. However, it was seen that Facebook paid teenagers to install an app that was able to collect personal data from their phones. This is an opportunity because it implies that privacy regulations are necessary and we have an opportunity for that new regulation to happen.
• The customers of this opportunity are the consumers because their data will be more protected.
• I think this will be a little hard to exploit but it is definitely necessary
• I see this as an opportunity because I use Facebook and I have Apple products so what is that was me? I like my privacy...We all should!

Identifying Local Opportunities

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
Identifying Local Opportunities
1/30/19


Title: UF Student Dies after Being Struck by Vehicle
Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/uf-student-dies-days-after-being-struck-by-vehicle/article_069afbb6-42ce-11ea-b438-d76df92018c9.html
Opportunity: Provide more traffic lights and officers on the streets.
Story: A senior at the University of Florida was walking across the street along the crosswalk when she was struck by a car. After two days in critical condition, Denise Griffith was pronounced dead after suffering injuries to her spine and brain.
Problem: The problem is that cars are not being careful and not looking out for the students and other pedestrians that are crossing. This is a problem as many students cross the street to go to and from school and this could happen to anyone at any time.
Who has this problem: Denise unfortunately experienced this problem but so do most UF students that need to cross the street when going to class.


Title: UF Health Monitors Rumors of Coronavirus Spreading to Gainesville
Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/uf-health-monitors-rumors-of-coronavirus-spreading-to-gainesville/article_69a9b1a0-426c-11ea-86b2-87354e5a2a4e.html
Opportunity: Warn people to stay healthy as a new virus starts to arise.
Story: UF received word that a student’s family had traveled from China to Gainesville prior to the quarantine. As of right now, there are no students that are showing symptoms and the threat level is still relatively low however, precautions are still being taken.
Problem: The problem is how quickly the virus is spreading through China and how quickly it can reach here.
Who has this problem: As of right now, all of China is experiencing this problem but if we are not cautious, we can experience this problem as well.

Title: Man, Juvenile Gang Members Flee Police in Stolen Vehicle
Link: https://mycbs4.com/news/local/man-juvenile-gang-members-flee-police-in-stolen-vehicle
Opportunity: More authorities should be on this case and will hopefully prevent things like this from happening again.
Story: A 19 year old man stole to escape police authority. Malik Clark proceeded to hit a parked car causes damage to both the vehicles. The suspect was previously arrested for burglary and is a gang member.
Problem: The problem is that they were so easily able to steal and get away with it. Another reason this is a problem is because it is a recurring issue that happens everywhere.
Who has this problem: The individuals that do the crime along with society.


Title: Police: Missing 14-year-old Student in Danger
Link: https://mycbs4.com/news/local/police-missing-14-year-old-student-in-danger
Opportunity: Get more authorities and search parties on the case in order to have a better shot at finding her. Also hopefully coming with ways to prevent this in the future.
Story: 14 year old Kasey Jernigan went missing Monday morning, being last seen at her middle school. She apparently walks with crutches, which authorities believe put her in danger due to lack of mobility.
Problem: You hear many cases like this and yet nothing has been done to prevent it.
Who has this problem: Anyone can experience this issue however in this story Kasey and her family are experiencing this terror and tragedy.


Title: Two Florida Springs Will Soon be Opened for Public Access
Link: https://www.wcjb.com/content/news/Two-Florida-springs-to-soon-be-opened-for-public-enjoyment-567401401.html
Opportunity: A fun way for students to get away from studying
Story: The two springs are located along the Santa Fe River. The land will be purchased in Mid-February and they are still doing everything they can to fundraise and raise as much money as they can in order to add more features to these sites.
Problem: Students have easy access to these new sites and will spend more time here then they will in the library studying.
Who has this problem: All students, and maybe even teachers too.

Forming An Opportunity Belief

Samantha Twohig
ENT3003
1/28/20
Forming an Opportunity Belief

Beginning Point: Getting a manicure or pedicure is a common thing among women and young girls. However, after about a week, the nail polish begins to chip, causing many people to have to return to the salon and get them redone. I believe that there is an opportunity to create a nail polish or top coat that could prevent this from happening, leaving long lasting manicures and pedicures.

Describe Your Belief:

• Unmet need: To enjoy your nice nails for a long period of time and without them chipping.
• Who has the need: Anyone who has gotten their nails done and experienced this; mainly females.
• Where the need came from: This need has always existed no matter which nail place someone attends.
• What people are doing to meet this need: They are getting gel polish or powder dip which is more expensive and not as healthy as regular nail polish.
• I am 90% sure this is an opportunity that exists

Prototypical Customer: Females - all ages

Iteration #1: Female age 50
For her, keeping her nails from chipping is very hard. When she started working at West Elm doing manual labor, she realized this need and that this is the reason her nails chip even faster than usual. Normally when she gets her nails done, she gets just a clear coat on her nails as a way to prevent the paint from chipping and from her nails looking gross. If there was a product that could stop the chipping of the nail polish, she would be able to get a color on her nails rather than a clear coat.

Iteration #2: Female age 19
She experiences this need often. She uses her hands everyday and it causes her nails to chip. She began to notice this need back in middle school, however she did not start using gel or powder polish due to the great difference in price. She gets her nails done every week or every other depending on how bad they actually get. For her, a nail polish or top coat that will prevent this will greatly help her with this need.

Iteration #3: Female age 16 

She does not experience this need because she only gets the gel polish when she gets a manicure or pedicure. She does this as a way to avoid this need and a way to keep her nails looking good for a long period of time. However, this is very expensive, especially when she does it constantly. She is not that into my idea as she does not experience this need as often as others, however she is keeping an open mind to it because of how expensive the other solutions are.

Reflection: After interviewing three different people, all different ages, it was interesting to see how many people really do experience this need and how frustrated they get when the paint does chip. Although not all of them experience this on the same level, they all have experienced this at one point and believe that if there was a way to prevent this, it would make their lives so much easier, also helping them avoid going to the nail salon every week.

Summary: I believe that my opportunity is still there especially after talking to three different people about this. I think that almost everyone that has gotten their nails done at one point has experienced this. After talking to person #3, I may have to narrow my market down to people who only invest in regular nail polish but other than that I feel this opportunity is a good one.

My Entrepreneurship Story

Samantha Twohig 

ENT 3003 

1/27/20 

My Entrepreneurship Story 

This past summer I was exposed to entrepreneurship when I began working at a local boutique called ZANNZA Couture. ZANNZA Couture is an international wholesale clothing company with their warehouse located in New York. I had many responsibilities for both the local store and the international aspect. Within the store my job was to organize the clothes along the racks while also making sure the customers were able to find everything okay. With regards to the international part of this company, I was in charge of taking orders via phone and email as well as shipping out each order. My job was also to add new inventory to both the website and the catalog for that specific season’s line. Working for such a large company and doing such a wide array of tasks, I was able to learn more about the industry, what it is like to be an entrepreneur and make decisions on the career path I would like to take.

I decided to enroll in ENT3003 because I feel that this class will broaden my horizons regarding business and teach me aspects of entrepreneurship that I am unaware of. I hope to get more information on this part of the business world and get an idea of where I want to take my career post graduation.

Bug List

Samantha Twohig 

ENT3003 

1/22/20 

Bug List 

1. When teachers are trying to get the students' attention by scratching their nails on the chalkboard 
1. WHY: This is a way of punishing the students for not listening during their class or they are out of other options to getting their attention 
2. When you are drinking something through a straw and you get to the very end so it makes a slurping noise
1. WHY: There is no other way to get the last sip without making that noise, especially when drinking through a straw 
3. When my roommate does not move her pillows and bags from the doorway after entering the room causing me to not be able to enter 
1. WHY: Maybe she was in a rush and could not put her belongings away so she just threw them in for the time being 
4. Walking behind someone that is walking slow when I am in a rush to get somewhere 
1. WHY: They do not realize that I am in a rush or even behind them or they are not paying attention, maybe looking at their phone, and not focused on their speed 
5. When I am sitting at a nice restaurant with my family and the person next to me is chewing loud 
1. WHY: People should chew with their mouth open, especially in a public or social setting as to not bother the people around them 
6. When I am in the library trying to study quietly and someone is cracking their knuckles at the desk next to me 
1. WHY: Everyone in the library is trying to do their work peacefully and with this person cracking their knuckles so loud it is hard to concentrate 
7. Trying to pay attention in class and the person sitting near me is clicking their pen 
1. WHY: Because everyone in class is trying to listen to the teacher speak but it is hard when there is a loud clicking noise echoing through the room, while also being disrespectful to the teacher 
8. Having a conversation with someone, however that person is not keeping eye contact with me and is always getting distracted 
1. WHY: It is hard to keep a conversation going when the person you are talking to is seemingly not paying attention and makes it hard to even want to continue talking 
9. When I am out with a big group of people and someone is eating really slow and I am ready to leave 
1. WHY: It is annoying to have to have to wait if I am already done and ready to go 
10. Trying to watch a movie and the person I am watching with keeps asking a million questions 
1. WHY: I am also trying to watch the movie so it is hard to concentrate on both the movie and the questions that are being asked 
11. Listening and singing along to music in the car and my one friend who can actually sing is singing way too loud so I can not hear the song 
1. WHY: I also want to sing so it is annoying when I can’t hear the song over her voice 
12. Sitting at a table with someone and the table keeps moving because the person keeps fidgeting 
1. WHY: it is hard to write and do my work when the table keeps shaking 
13. When I make a plan to meet someone at a certain time and they show up late 
1. WHY: I made these plans at this time for a reason and it is frustrating when they come late because I may have other things going on 
14. When I make plans with someone and they cancel at the last minute 
1. WHY: If they told me in advance I would have been able to make new plans but since it was so late, everyone else is already busy 
15. When I'm in the middle of a conversation with someone and someone else continuously calls my name, trying to get my attention, yet sees that I am busy at the moment 
1. WHY: It is hard to focus on the conversation I am already in when someone is yelling my name at me. It is also disrespectful to interrupt, I will answer when I am done 
16. Having a conversation with someone and someone else comes over and tries to join the conversation 
1. WHY: Sometimes people should mind their own business and not try to make other people’s problems their own 
17. When me and my roommate have different temperature preferences and she turns the air conditioner off in the middle of the night 
1. WHY: She could ask me to turn it off rather than doing it behind my back. Also we should be able to come up with a compromise as grown adults 
18. When someone is wearing mix matched socks 
1. WHY: It does not look good when wearing two different colored socks and I don’t think it is hard to find the same colored socks 
19. When I say I want to see a movie and someone spoils the ending for you 
1. WHY: I want to be able to see the whole movie myself and don't want it ruined before I can do that 
20. When I am in a fight with someone and they don’t know how to confront me in person so they wait until we aren’t together and they text me 
1. WHY: We are grown adults, we should be able to be mature and handle situations face-to-face 

I found this assignment difficult because it was hard to think of all the things that bug me. When these things present themselves, I know that they bother me but when trying to think about them in this way it is much harder. The first few “bugs” were easy to think of but once I got to the end of the list, it was harder to come up with so many.