Hey everyone,
In this post, I will describe probably the toughest task we have put to thus far. That task being that we had to interview 5 potential "customers" about an opportunity that we saw and ask them about what types of problems they had previously experienced and how they would like to see them resolved. As a student at UF, I know I can vouch for many when I say that that we are often over-charged for textbooks (some of which we will only open twice all semester), wait in tremendously long lines for these books, or buy the wrong books due to miscommunications with teachers and inadequate stocking at the UF Bookstore. In order to learn more about what other students thought of this problem, I went around campus asking different students about their own experiences.
For each student, I mainly asked them just two simple questions to get them talking. The first dealt with the types of experiences that they had already dealt with, and second question was about some of the solutions that they believed could make the most impact around campus.
As it turned out, everyone that I talked to experienced at least some level of difficulty or discontent with the way things are structured here at UF and would have liked to see a change. These problems went from simply buying the wrong book because it was not clearly distinguished on the shelfs, to another person that claimed he had over $2,000 of textbooks on his desk (most of which were barely used). To be blunt, this is a rather large issue at UF and I feel it could be solved simply.
I proposed to these "customers" a plan that would be a book recycling program here at UF, where students could buy and sell their books through a separate website dedicated to promoting fair prices and eliminating hassle. Most of them stated that they would enjoy seeing something of that sort because the re-sale value of many books is not that high in the eyes of the school. The links to the videos are all posted below. Take a look and see what they said, I guarantee you will be intrigued!
https://youtu.be/2ioBBMyOpbU <- Customer Interview #1
https://youtu.be/YD3WXqZlnVk <- Customer Interview #2
https://youtu.be/hK1cQ4Mhr_U <- Customer Interview #3-4
https://youtu.be/Bv90hFpTz-M <- Customer Interview #5
Although it was pretty nerve-racking and strange interviewing these customers, I found it very helpful and insightful to see that many students shared my same grievances. This exercise was difficult, yet extremely helpful at the same time. It'll be interesting to see what interviews 6-10 have in store for me!
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Week 4 Reading Reflection
Hey everyone,
This week's reading reflection was once again from our Entrepreneurship textbook written by Donald F. Kuratko. The specific reading came from Chapter 5, titled "Innovation: The Creative Pursuit of Ideas".
The biggest thing that surprised me in this week's reading was the fact that one can teach his or herself creativity. Kuratko stated that this creativity can be built through a variety of brain exercises that emphasize the forming relationships between both the left and right sides of the brain as well as creating relationships between everyday things that we see. This surprised me because I truly had no idea that there were exercises that I could work on everyday to improve my own creativity. Also, the fact that only between 2-10% of human adults use most of their creative capacity was very surprising and eye-opening.
One of the the reading that I found pretty confusing was the part about muddling mind-sets. The concepts such as "Security Hunting" and "Either/Or thinking" did not make much sense to me. Obviously being relatively new to entrepreneurship, I am still learning a lot of the technicalities and terms, but these concepts did not make too much sense to me and could be clarified further.
Two questions that I would like to ask the author:
#1. If I am in the evaluation stage of an idea and I test it on say 100 people; how will I know to carry forward if I great close to 50/50 mixed reviews?
#2. When you talking about developing creativity, which method has proven to be the most effective for you?
Finally, I agreed with everything Kuratko said in this portion of the textbook. I really liked a lot of his ideas on developing creativity as well finding hidden relationship amongst everyday things. Also, I enjoyed the fact that he clearly explained the numerous forms of creativity and innovation, many of which I had never heard of before.
This week's reading reflection was once again from our Entrepreneurship textbook written by Donald F. Kuratko. The specific reading came from Chapter 5, titled "Innovation: The Creative Pursuit of Ideas".
The biggest thing that surprised me in this week's reading was the fact that one can teach his or herself creativity. Kuratko stated that this creativity can be built through a variety of brain exercises that emphasize the forming relationships between both the left and right sides of the brain as well as creating relationships between everyday things that we see. This surprised me because I truly had no idea that there were exercises that I could work on everyday to improve my own creativity. Also, the fact that only between 2-10% of human adults use most of their creative capacity was very surprising and eye-opening.
One of the the reading that I found pretty confusing was the part about muddling mind-sets. The concepts such as "Security Hunting" and "Either/Or thinking" did not make much sense to me. Obviously being relatively new to entrepreneurship, I am still learning a lot of the technicalities and terms, but these concepts did not make too much sense to me and could be clarified further.
Two questions that I would like to ask the author:
#1. If I am in the evaluation stage of an idea and I test it on say 100 people; how will I know to carry forward if I great close to 50/50 mixed reviews?
#2. When you talking about developing creativity, which method has proven to be the most effective for you?
Finally, I agreed with everything Kuratko said in this portion of the textbook. I really liked a lot of his ideas on developing creativity as well finding hidden relationship amongst everyday things. Also, I enjoyed the fact that he clearly explained the numerous forms of creativity and innovation, many of which I had never heard of before.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Top 5 World Problems
Hey everyone,
Today I will be ranking both my Top 5 World Problems and the solutions to these problems based on their feasibility. So without further ado, here they are:
TOP 5 WORLD PROBLEMS:
#1. Global Financial Crisis: The global financial crisis is the top problem that I have on my list mainly due to the fact that many countries (including the U.S.) are in immense debt which will make life nearly impossible for future generations. Our current national debt is approximately $19 trillion and our total debt is approximately $64 trillion. With other countries around the globe experiencing some of the same setbacks as U.S, it is just a matter of time before the global economy is drastically affected and these countries self-implode. Who knows what will happen then?
#2. Rampant Poverty Across the Globe: This problem is #2 on the list due to the fact that it probably affects the most people on the planet out of any one of these problems. However, it does not have as harsh of implications as problem #1. Currently over 902 million people live on less than $2 a day, and over 80% of the world lives on less than $10 a day. Globally, this problem is enormous and affects people in every single country around the world. These staggering facts are enough to earn in the #2 spot.
#3. Global Terrorism: Global Terrorism takes the 3rd spot due to its recent significance in current world events. With strategically planned bombings taking place throughout numerous continents, ISIS has shaken the globe to its core. Cities such as Cairo, Los Angeles, and Paris have all been victims of either direct or ISIS related attacks, not to mention numerous other countries around the world that have experienced the same tragedies. The fear that global terrorism (especially ISIS) installs in millions across the world makes this issue good enough to crack the top 3.
#4. No found cure for Cancer: The only reason why the Cancer problem dropped to the #4 spot is due to the fact that we now have discovered treatments for many forms of cancer, making it less and less of a deadly disease as the years pass. However, this does not take away from the fact that cancer still claims the lives of millions each year globally. There are rumors of possible cure waiting in the wings, but it has not been confirmed. While there remains no released cure for this deadly disease, this problem will still be one of the world's largest issues to overcome.
#5. Global Drug Trade: The global drug trade, although #5 on this list, still remains a massive problem in today's world. Global drug trading is a multi-billion dollar industry and impacts nations worldwide. On top of that, crooks make huge profits over ruining the lives of millions, as well as arming dangerous men that are responsible for the deaths of many. This problem might be the hardest out of the five to solve because it is so underground and far from sight that many people are oblivious to it.
TOP 5 SOLUTIONS TO WORLD PROBLEMS:
#1. My most implementable solution revolves around aiding global poverty. I am not saying this will be an easy task by any means, but I do believe this could be the easiest solution to implement. This solution, as stated in my earlier post, consists of offering greater benefits towards non-profit organizations that help struggling countries abroad, as well as tax-write offs for individuals that donate a certain about to those said organizations. I also believe that partnering with third-world countries' governments in relief efforts for the poor will also look good nationally and globally from everyones' perspective.
#2. Global Terrorism provides one of the easiest solutions to implement on this list. My solution is to tighten security at borders globally, especially Europe and the Middle East, as well as form an alliance against ISIS by the UN nations. By carrying out these two measures I believe that we could reduce terrorist attacks, as well as eliminate many ISIS agents across the world. Although this seems like it could be a stretch, tightening border security is a lot easier than busting a drug lord or curing cancer.
#3. The third solution that I believe would be most implementable is for the hindrance of global drug trade. This would also be accomplished by tightening border security, as well as increased funding for organizations such as the FBI, CIA, and DEA. Also, greater bounties will be on the heads of drug kingpins and rewards offered to those who can give their whereabouts. I feel as though these are relatively straightforward implementations that could really put a dent in the global drug trade.
#4. Limiting the global financial crisis would be my fourth most implementable solution on this list. Each day our debt grows larger and larger, and in order to solve this I plan on doing nothing. Yes, you heard that right. The only way to let the free market work itself out is to leave it alone. Without government interference, the economy will slowly start to work out its kinks. And this does not mean eliminate regulations; this simply means to allow free trade and capitalism. However, many countries do not allow this and it would be pretty difficult to implement.
#5. The hardest solution to implement would be the cure to cancer. Although the implementation of increased funding to the cancer research centers globally is simple in its roots, actually finding the cure is very complex and may require many more years of research. When there is a found cure, some medical professionals say it might not even be released to the public on account of ruining one of the largest industries known to man. This is by far the hardest out of the five to implement.
So there they are. Let me know what you guys think and leave some feedback in the comments section. Thanks!
Until next time,
-Bryce
Today I will be ranking both my Top 5 World Problems and the solutions to these problems based on their feasibility. So without further ado, here they are:
TOP 5 WORLD PROBLEMS:
#1. Global Financial Crisis: The global financial crisis is the top problem that I have on my list mainly due to the fact that many countries (including the U.S.) are in immense debt which will make life nearly impossible for future generations. Our current national debt is approximately $19 trillion and our total debt is approximately $64 trillion. With other countries around the globe experiencing some of the same setbacks as U.S, it is just a matter of time before the global economy is drastically affected and these countries self-implode. Who knows what will happen then?
#2. Rampant Poverty Across the Globe: This problem is #2 on the list due to the fact that it probably affects the most people on the planet out of any one of these problems. However, it does not have as harsh of implications as problem #1. Currently over 902 million people live on less than $2 a day, and over 80% of the world lives on less than $10 a day. Globally, this problem is enormous and affects people in every single country around the world. These staggering facts are enough to earn in the #2 spot.
#3. Global Terrorism: Global Terrorism takes the 3rd spot due to its recent significance in current world events. With strategically planned bombings taking place throughout numerous continents, ISIS has shaken the globe to its core. Cities such as Cairo, Los Angeles, and Paris have all been victims of either direct or ISIS related attacks, not to mention numerous other countries around the world that have experienced the same tragedies. The fear that global terrorism (especially ISIS) installs in millions across the world makes this issue good enough to crack the top 3.
#4. No found cure for Cancer: The only reason why the Cancer problem dropped to the #4 spot is due to the fact that we now have discovered treatments for many forms of cancer, making it less and less of a deadly disease as the years pass. However, this does not take away from the fact that cancer still claims the lives of millions each year globally. There are rumors of possible cure waiting in the wings, but it has not been confirmed. While there remains no released cure for this deadly disease, this problem will still be one of the world's largest issues to overcome.
#5. Global Drug Trade: The global drug trade, although #5 on this list, still remains a massive problem in today's world. Global drug trading is a multi-billion dollar industry and impacts nations worldwide. On top of that, crooks make huge profits over ruining the lives of millions, as well as arming dangerous men that are responsible for the deaths of many. This problem might be the hardest out of the five to solve because it is so underground and far from sight that many people are oblivious to it.
TOP 5 SOLUTIONS TO WORLD PROBLEMS:
#1. My most implementable solution revolves around aiding global poverty. I am not saying this will be an easy task by any means, but I do believe this could be the easiest solution to implement. This solution, as stated in my earlier post, consists of offering greater benefits towards non-profit organizations that help struggling countries abroad, as well as tax-write offs for individuals that donate a certain about to those said organizations. I also believe that partnering with third-world countries' governments in relief efforts for the poor will also look good nationally and globally from everyones' perspective.
#2. Global Terrorism provides one of the easiest solutions to implement on this list. My solution is to tighten security at borders globally, especially Europe and the Middle East, as well as form an alliance against ISIS by the UN nations. By carrying out these two measures I believe that we could reduce terrorist attacks, as well as eliminate many ISIS agents across the world. Although this seems like it could be a stretch, tightening border security is a lot easier than busting a drug lord or curing cancer.
#3. The third solution that I believe would be most implementable is for the hindrance of global drug trade. This would also be accomplished by tightening border security, as well as increased funding for organizations such as the FBI, CIA, and DEA. Also, greater bounties will be on the heads of drug kingpins and rewards offered to those who can give their whereabouts. I feel as though these are relatively straightforward implementations that could really put a dent in the global drug trade.
#4. Limiting the global financial crisis would be my fourth most implementable solution on this list. Each day our debt grows larger and larger, and in order to solve this I plan on doing nothing. Yes, you heard that right. The only way to let the free market work itself out is to leave it alone. Without government interference, the economy will slowly start to work out its kinks. And this does not mean eliminate regulations; this simply means to allow free trade and capitalism. However, many countries do not allow this and it would be pretty difficult to implement.
#5. The hardest solution to implement would be the cure to cancer. Although the implementation of increased funding to the cancer research centers globally is simple in its roots, actually finding the cure is very complex and may require many more years of research. When there is a found cure, some medical professionals say it might not even be released to the public on account of ruining one of the largest industries known to man. This is by far the hardest out of the five to implement.
So there they are. Let me know what you guys think and leave some feedback in the comments section. Thanks!
Until next time,
-Bryce
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Week 3 Reading Reflection
Hey everyone,
This post will be discussing our latest weekly reading from our Entrepreneurship book written by Donald F. Kuratko. This week, we were asked to read assess Chapter 2, "The Entrepreneurial Mind-set in Individuals".
The biggest surprise for me that came from this week's reading came in Table 2.1 on the 42 characteristics that are often attributed to entrepreneurs. The reason that this surprised me was mainly due to the fact that there were a lot more qualities that defined successful entrepreneurs then I could imagine. Traits such as "sense of power", "toleration for ambiguity", and "sensitivity to others" were three descriptions of entrepreneurs that I had not yet heard. I was also surprised that ethics played such a large role within the free market and in the entrepreneurial world. Many decisions are influenced by a variety of ethical factors that I did not take into account before, as well as financial factors.
One part of the reading that was confusing for me was the part that talked about ethics and entrepreneurship. The concepts of nonrole, role failure, role distortion, and role assertion are concepts that I have never study and hence were confusing. Also, the ethical strategies and responsibilities section was pretty confusing because I did not understand if these were to be regular guidelines to follow (a document) or if these were just ethical standards that people with the company need to abide by.
If I could ask the author two questions these would be the two:
#1. Although many entrepreneurs are known for overcoming failure, what do you believe would be a reasonable amount of failure to deter an entrepreneur from his/her venture?
#2. If an entrepreneur was met with an unethical, yet legal dilemma regarding their business, do you believe they would fix this issue or merely turn a blind eye towards it because it is really not breaking any laws.
Finally, there was not anything that I did not agree with. However, I thought more should have been written on what molds the character and mindset of the entrepreneur rather than the ethical issues that entrepreneurs might face. Having said that, I still agreed with everything Kuratko had to say about ethics and entrepreneurs.
This post will be discussing our latest weekly reading from our Entrepreneurship book written by Donald F. Kuratko. This week, we were asked to read assess Chapter 2, "The Entrepreneurial Mind-set in Individuals".
The biggest surprise for me that came from this week's reading came in Table 2.1 on the 42 characteristics that are often attributed to entrepreneurs. The reason that this surprised me was mainly due to the fact that there were a lot more qualities that defined successful entrepreneurs then I could imagine. Traits such as "sense of power", "toleration for ambiguity", and "sensitivity to others" were three descriptions of entrepreneurs that I had not yet heard. I was also surprised that ethics played such a large role within the free market and in the entrepreneurial world. Many decisions are influenced by a variety of ethical factors that I did not take into account before, as well as financial factors.
One part of the reading that was confusing for me was the part that talked about ethics and entrepreneurship. The concepts of nonrole, role failure, role distortion, and role assertion are concepts that I have never study and hence were confusing. Also, the ethical strategies and responsibilities section was pretty confusing because I did not understand if these were to be regular guidelines to follow (a document) or if these were just ethical standards that people with the company need to abide by.
If I could ask the author two questions these would be the two:
#1. Although many entrepreneurs are known for overcoming failure, what do you believe would be a reasonable amount of failure to deter an entrepreneur from his/her venture?
#2. If an entrepreneur was met with an unethical, yet legal dilemma regarding their business, do you believe they would fix this issue or merely turn a blind eye towards it because it is really not breaking any laws.
Finally, there was not anything that I did not agree with. However, I thought more should have been written on what molds the character and mindset of the entrepreneur rather than the ethical issues that entrepreneurs might face. Having said that, I still agreed with everything Kuratko had to say about ethics and entrepreneurs.
Identifying Local Opportunities
Hey everyone,
Today I will be talking about five different "local opportunities" that I have observed from my local newspaper back home, the Sun-Sentinel. The Sun-Sentinel is a newspaper based out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida but covers news anywhere from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
#1. "Jobless claims hit 6-month high"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E37879B1BEB0?p=AWNB
This article spoke about how the number of people who sought after jobless benefits rose to its highest point since last July. The article states how the number jumped 10,000 jobs higher to an astounding 293,000. This could be because extra holiday staffers have been laid off, but nonetheless it still creates a rather large problem.
The problem presented in the story is that the number of jobless claims and need for aid rose at a significant rate over the month of December. This poses a problem specifically for both the thousands of people who are now jobless as well as the local government, who now is responsible for providing benefits to an extra 10,000 people.
#2. "Miramar man is convicted of $56 million Medicare scam"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E379C1C53388?p=AWNB
A man by the name of Khaled Elbeblawy, who was in charge of numerous health car agencies in the Miami-Dade area was finally convicted of stealing $56 million from Medicare programs. He did these things through bribing doctors and recruiters to supply patients "who did not need or receive" any of the benefits. He basically created countless false reports of patients that needed the aid of Medicare such as: insulin injections, nursing and physical therapy. Once Medicare had been billed and he received the money for these "patients", he would pay kickbacks to those who conspired with him.
The problem that this creates is the fact that millions of dollars, which in fact are tax-payer and publicly funded dollars, have been wasted on numerous false accounts when it reality there are thousands of people that could have used this money for real health issues. The people that will specifically be affected by this problem are those that have not been able to receive proper health care due to this as well as us taxpayers who have basically been robbed of our money.
#3. "Snowstorm disrupts flights in S. Florida"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E37AB077C6A0?p=AWNB
This article stated that due to the large series of blizzards and snowstorms to hit the east over the past week have delayed a substantial number of flights throughout Broward, Palm-Beach, and Miami-Dade counties. Yesterday, close to 300 flights flights in the tri-county area were delayed on top of another 150 flights that were cancelled altogether. Nationally, over 3,000 flights were cancelled and another 2,500 were delayed.
The main problem here is that thousands of flights nationally and hundreds locally have been suspended or cancelled. Those who are specifically affected by this problem are both the airline industry who will be forced to reimburse and rearrange flights for thousands of people, as well as the thousands of people who will be forced to alter their schedules and travel plans because of these delays.
#4. "Guns on campus will be costly - Security needed, school officials say"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7E6F685D70A78?p=AWNB
This article revolves around the possibility of Congress passing a law that makes it possible to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. However, many local police departments around the state are scared that if it is passed, it would cost millions to allocate new salaries and funding for the need for increased forces. For example, the head of police at UCF estimates it would cost their department 1.1 million within the first year alone to adequately staff and fund their department. This is only one out of many schools in Florida and this could cost the state millions. Not to mention the safety of some campuses could be comprised when disagreements or arguments among students occur.
The main problem presented in the article revolves around the millions that the state would need to spend on adjusting to this passed legislature. It also presents a safety issue for campuses statewide as this act could create crime just as well as it could stop it. Specifically, this problem affects the state as well as police departments around the state that would be forced to adjust and deal with the numerous problems attached with that.
#5. "Power outages affect thousands in South Florida"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7E6F6042B90E0?p=AWNB
Last Sunday, over 6000 homes in the South Florida area were without power due to large wind gusts (over 55 MPH) during a series of bad thunderstorms. There was even record of a tornado at 90 MPH touching down around the Hobe Sound area. However, aside from that, there were minimal damages and injuries which is the silver lining in this story.
This obviously causes a major problem due to the fact that around 6000 people were without power. Those directly affected by this problem are those who lost their power, as well as FPL, the largest electricity provider in South Florida. FPL now has to assess and fix this issue, while thousands deal with the struggle of living without electricity, AC, water and so on.
Today I will be talking about five different "local opportunities" that I have observed from my local newspaper back home, the Sun-Sentinel. The Sun-Sentinel is a newspaper based out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida but covers news anywhere from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
#1. "Jobless claims hit 6-month high"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E37879B1BEB0?p=AWNB
This article spoke about how the number of people who sought after jobless benefits rose to its highest point since last July. The article states how the number jumped 10,000 jobs higher to an astounding 293,000. This could be because extra holiday staffers have been laid off, but nonetheless it still creates a rather large problem.
The problem presented in the story is that the number of jobless claims and need for aid rose at a significant rate over the month of December. This poses a problem specifically for both the thousands of people who are now jobless as well as the local government, who now is responsible for providing benefits to an extra 10,000 people.
#2. "Miramar man is convicted of $56 million Medicare scam"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E379C1C53388?p=AWNB
A man by the name of Khaled Elbeblawy, who was in charge of numerous health car agencies in the Miami-Dade area was finally convicted of stealing $56 million from Medicare programs. He did these things through bribing doctors and recruiters to supply patients "who did not need or receive" any of the benefits. He basically created countless false reports of patients that needed the aid of Medicare such as: insulin injections, nursing and physical therapy. Once Medicare had been billed and he received the money for these "patients", he would pay kickbacks to those who conspired with him.
The problem that this creates is the fact that millions of dollars, which in fact are tax-payer and publicly funded dollars, have been wasted on numerous false accounts when it reality there are thousands of people that could have used this money for real health issues. The people that will specifically be affected by this problem are those that have not been able to receive proper health care due to this as well as us taxpayers who have basically been robbed of our money.
#3. "Snowstorm disrupts flights in S. Florida"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E37AB077C6A0?p=AWNB
This article stated that due to the large series of blizzards and snowstorms to hit the east over the past week have delayed a substantial number of flights throughout Broward, Palm-Beach, and Miami-Dade counties. Yesterday, close to 300 flights flights in the tri-county area were delayed on top of another 150 flights that were cancelled altogether. Nationally, over 3,000 flights were cancelled and another 2,500 were delayed.
The main problem here is that thousands of flights nationally and hundreds locally have been suspended or cancelled. Those who are specifically affected by this problem are both the airline industry who will be forced to reimburse and rearrange flights for thousands of people, as well as the thousands of people who will be forced to alter their schedules and travel plans because of these delays.
#4. "Guns on campus will be costly - Security needed, school officials say"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7E6F685D70A78?p=AWNB
This article revolves around the possibility of Congress passing a law that makes it possible to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. However, many local police departments around the state are scared that if it is passed, it would cost millions to allocate new salaries and funding for the need for increased forces. For example, the head of police at UCF estimates it would cost their department 1.1 million within the first year alone to adequately staff and fund their department. This is only one out of many schools in Florida and this could cost the state millions. Not to mention the safety of some campuses could be comprised when disagreements or arguments among students occur.
The main problem presented in the article revolves around the millions that the state would need to spend on adjusting to this passed legislature. It also presents a safety issue for campuses statewide as this act could create crime just as well as it could stop it. Specifically, this problem affects the state as well as police departments around the state that would be forced to adjust and deal with the numerous problems attached with that.
#5. "Power outages affect thousands in South Florida"
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7E6F6042B90E0?p=AWNB
Last Sunday, over 6000 homes in the South Florida area were without power due to large wind gusts (over 55 MPH) during a series of bad thunderstorms. There was even record of a tornado at 90 MPH touching down around the Hobe Sound area. However, aside from that, there were minimal damages and injuries which is the silver lining in this story.
This obviously causes a major problem due to the fact that around 6000 people were without power. Those directly affected by this problem are those who lost their power, as well as FPL, the largest electricity provider in South Florida. FPL now has to assess and fix this issue, while thousands deal with the struggle of living without electricity, AC, water and so on.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Very Short Interview No.1
Hey guys,
for this post I will be talking about my first very short interview with a entrepreneur.
For my interview, I chose to interview a longtime family friend of mine, Van Saliba. Before I talk about my interview with Mr. Saliba I am going to give you a little bit of background about him. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1979 with a bachelor's of finance and soon after went to work as a CPA for Deloitte Consulting until 1982. From there, he was able to start up his own company named Lumbermen's LLC in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area of Florida. This company is a private equality investment firm that specializes in acquisitions of other companies. Mr. Saliba been the president of Lumbermen's LLC for nearly 34 years now and has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success. Other than running his own company, he often engages with multiple other investments that we did not talk about in great detail. He is truly the definition of an entrepreneur in every sense of the word. So, without further ado, lets get into the interview.
Q1: What do you believe is the most important characteristic for an entrepreneur to possess?
A: "One word, perseverance"
Q2: What has been the greatest difficulty you have faced in growing and expanding your business/company?
A: "Bryce, I have five letters for you. M-O-N-E-Y. The hardest thing about starting a new company is acquiring capital. After that, everything else will fall into place and be a little bit easier on you."
Q3:What do you believe is the first important step in turning an idea into a company?
A: "The first step would be to do a test run. You might have a really great idea, but you will not know for sure unless you test the market first. A lot of people falsely dive head first into a business or new idea that they think is good but have no idea if it will actually work. You need to be certain that you will be successful and not lose money before any initial actions can be taken."
Overall, the interview was a large success and he was able to give me precise, yet very effective answers to some pretty tough questions. I really enjoyed his answer on #3 about testing the waters. Many people often mistake entrepreneurs for extreme risk takers when they are in reality excellent planners. This experience was great because it afforded me the opportunity to explore the mind of a very successful entrepreneur!
Until next time,
-Bryce
for this post I will be talking about my first very short interview with a entrepreneur.
For my interview, I chose to interview a longtime family friend of mine, Van Saliba. Before I talk about my interview with Mr. Saliba I am going to give you a little bit of background about him. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1979 with a bachelor's of finance and soon after went to work as a CPA for Deloitte Consulting until 1982. From there, he was able to start up his own company named Lumbermen's LLC in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area of Florida. This company is a private equality investment firm that specializes in acquisitions of other companies. Mr. Saliba been the president of Lumbermen's LLC for nearly 34 years now and has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success. Other than running his own company, he often engages with multiple other investments that we did not talk about in great detail. He is truly the definition of an entrepreneur in every sense of the word. So, without further ado, lets get into the interview.
Q1: What do you believe is the most important characteristic for an entrepreneur to possess?
A: "One word, perseverance"
Q2: What has been the greatest difficulty you have faced in growing and expanding your business/company?
A: "Bryce, I have five letters for you. M-O-N-E-Y. The hardest thing about starting a new company is acquiring capital. After that, everything else will fall into place and be a little bit easier on you."
Q3:What do you believe is the first important step in turning an idea into a company?
A: "The first step would be to do a test run. You might have a really great idea, but you will not know for sure unless you test the market first. A lot of people falsely dive head first into a business or new idea that they think is good but have no idea if it will actually work. You need to be certain that you will be successful and not lose money before any initial actions can be taken."
Overall, the interview was a large success and he was able to give me precise, yet very effective answers to some pretty tough questions. I really enjoyed his answer on #3 about testing the waters. Many people often mistake entrepreneurs for extreme risk takers when they are in reality excellent planners. This experience was great because it afforded me the opportunity to explore the mind of a very successful entrepreneur!
Until next time,
-Bryce
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
The World's 10 Biggest Problems
Hey everyone,
Today I am going to give you my list of what I believe to be the 10 biggest global issues at this current point in time.
#1. This problem mainly deals with the U.S, but it is also a problem that numerous other countries are facing and that is large numbers of unemployment. Although the unemployment has improved over the last couple of years, there are still 7.9 million Americans today that are jobless. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this trend is set to continue throughout the year, which simply is a huge problem for our nation.
Solution: Although it would be nearly impossible to completely eliminate unemployment across the country, we can limit it by continuing to support small business owners and corporations alike who supply the majority of the jobs in our country. The government could even implement numerous civil projects (such as building highways) that could provide thousands of jobs nationwide. These are just a couple simple solutions to the problem, but obviously there could be many ways of attacking this issue.
#2. Global Terrorism (ISIS): Over the past couple of years, ISIS has terrorized the world with multiple series of planned attacks, massacres, and gruesome propaganda. According to the New York Times, these attacks have been widespread and have affected the following areas: Paris, Cairo, Libya, Turkey, and even here at home in the U.S.. These sick human beings have wrongly massacred men, women, and children around the world for the sake of their radical beliefs, and they still remain one of the world's biggest problems today.
Solution: We choose to take action against ISIS, just as France did, with coordinated attacks, planned bombings, and possibly even troops. I would even suggest discussing this with the U.N. as measures need to be taken to prevent these wrongdoings. This is very controversial for many, but the U.S. has never been known to sit around when people are being wrongly killed, even those on their home-front.
#3. Rampant poverty across the globe: Poverty levels across the globe today are astounding as over 902 million people across the globe live on less than $1.90 a day, and over 80% of the world lives in less than $10 a day. Another eye-opening fact according to globalissues.com states that 1 in 2 children live in poverty, something that needs to be fixed.
Solution: Offer greater benefits towards non-profit organizations that help these people in need, as well as work with foreign nations to funnel goods and relief into their borders. We should also continue to support organizations who travel abroad, and perhaps provide tax-write offs for those who donate a certain amount of money to those said organizations.
#4. Racism and Religious Prejudice: In the world today, there is a whole of religious prejudice. This is especially true as Americas as both the Christian and Muslim communities are heavily persecuted for their beliefs. However, these beliefs (such as ISIS) have also cost many people their lives, and a war between Israel and Palestine as been going on for almost 1000 years due to different sets of religious beliefs.
Solution: There is no amount of money or planning that can truly fix this problem. It is on us as humans to foster a planet that is open to all types of beliefs and does not persecute. This will never fully happen due to human nature and the evil that constantly occurs, but it is definitely something we should strive towards.
#5. Global Financial Crisis: Currently, the United States is over 19 trillion in debt and counting. Last year, Greece went bankrupt and had to be bailed out by a coalition of European nations, and recently Puerto Rico has defaulted on over $150 million in loans. While it is not yet an all out crisis, nations going bankrupt certainly poses a huge problem to the rest of the globe.
Solution: Although many people would say offer more bailouts and financial aid, I am saying that we let capitalism run its course and leave the economy alone. If we just let the market run its course, it will over a long period of time, fix itself. Simply raising taxes and reducing spending as well as printing more money will simply send us into an inflationary spiral.
#6. Global Warming Crisis: It is certain that we are not treating the earth how it is supposed to be treated. Whether one believes in global warming or not, is has become clear that we need to search for alternatives to fossil fuels because it is harming our atmosphere, and in the case of BP we saw how it can harm the environment.
Solution: Governments worldwide should subsidize research into cleaner forms of usable and renewable energy, and we should increase the amount of wind turbines, solar panels, and water turbines in areas where they can be easily built, placed, and monitored.
#7. Drastic income inequality across the world: This comes to no surprise, but the income inequality across the globe is enormous. In fact, the overall GDP of over 41 countries is less than the wealth of the 7 richest people in the world (according to globalissues.com). Also, the top 20% of the wealthiest people in the world, own over 3/4 of the entire wealth on the planet. Clearly something is wrong.
Solution:Although there is no way to truly end this issue, a good start would be by working with foreign governments to create jobs, and subsidize certain industries that are crucial to their country as a way of getting large numbers of people working and on their feet.
#8. There still is not a cure for cancer: Cancer is the world's deadliest disease and has been for some time now. Millions of lives and families are affected each year by numerous types of cancer, including my own. This is global problem that is exactly the same for all nations as anyone could easily be subject to the disease.
Solution: We need to continue to support research and cancer treatments such as the cancer research here at Shands in Gainesville. Also, it is possible that the cure to cancer is out there yet not released mainly due to the fact that it would destroy a huge portion of the medical industry causing losses of millions of dollars. This situation in itself needs to be diffused because it could save millions of lives.
#9. Global human trafficking: Across the globe each year, many women, children, and even some men are sold as sex slaves, held captive, and forced to perform sexual acts on many people each day. According to equalitynow.com, 20.9 million women and children are trafficked each year, with 2 million of those being children. This a a disgusting act that needs to be put to rest.
Solution: Increase international surveillance on human trafficking. This could happen through increased awareness and funding all over the globe. This also needs to be an increased focus for organizations such as the CIA and FBI because human trafficking organizations are some of the largest illegal organizations in the world.
#10. Global Drug Trade: Global drug trade is definitely one of the largest problems we face today. Drugs are traded and acquired illegally in every nation worldwide, and it is a multi-billion dollar industry consisting of hundreds of millions of users worldwide. These drugs include marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroine, etc..
Solution: Increase border patrol across country borders (air, water, and land), as well as increased action from government organizations and special forces across the globe. Even bounties for large drug king-pins should be posted for those who successfully capture them.
Well, that concludes my pretty extensive list of world problems and some simple ideas that maybe help fix them. I hope you all found these interesting and maybe even found some of these problems on your own!
Until next time,
-Bryce
Today I am going to give you my list of what I believe to be the 10 biggest global issues at this current point in time.
#1. This problem mainly deals with the U.S, but it is also a problem that numerous other countries are facing and that is large numbers of unemployment. Although the unemployment has improved over the last couple of years, there are still 7.9 million Americans today that are jobless. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this trend is set to continue throughout the year, which simply is a huge problem for our nation.
Solution: Although it would be nearly impossible to completely eliminate unemployment across the country, we can limit it by continuing to support small business owners and corporations alike who supply the majority of the jobs in our country. The government could even implement numerous civil projects (such as building highways) that could provide thousands of jobs nationwide. These are just a couple simple solutions to the problem, but obviously there could be many ways of attacking this issue.
#2. Global Terrorism (ISIS): Over the past couple of years, ISIS has terrorized the world with multiple series of planned attacks, massacres, and gruesome propaganda. According to the New York Times, these attacks have been widespread and have affected the following areas: Paris, Cairo, Libya, Turkey, and even here at home in the U.S.. These sick human beings have wrongly massacred men, women, and children around the world for the sake of their radical beliefs, and they still remain one of the world's biggest problems today.
Solution: We choose to take action against ISIS, just as France did, with coordinated attacks, planned bombings, and possibly even troops. I would even suggest discussing this with the U.N. as measures need to be taken to prevent these wrongdoings. This is very controversial for many, but the U.S. has never been known to sit around when people are being wrongly killed, even those on their home-front.
#3. Rampant poverty across the globe: Poverty levels across the globe today are astounding as over 902 million people across the globe live on less than $1.90 a day, and over 80% of the world lives in less than $10 a day. Another eye-opening fact according to globalissues.com states that 1 in 2 children live in poverty, something that needs to be fixed.
Solution: Offer greater benefits towards non-profit organizations that help these people in need, as well as work with foreign nations to funnel goods and relief into their borders. We should also continue to support organizations who travel abroad, and perhaps provide tax-write offs for those who donate a certain amount of money to those said organizations.
#4. Racism and Religious Prejudice: In the world today, there is a whole of religious prejudice. This is especially true as Americas as both the Christian and Muslim communities are heavily persecuted for their beliefs. However, these beliefs (such as ISIS) have also cost many people their lives, and a war between Israel and Palestine as been going on for almost 1000 years due to different sets of religious beliefs.
Solution: There is no amount of money or planning that can truly fix this problem. It is on us as humans to foster a planet that is open to all types of beliefs and does not persecute. This will never fully happen due to human nature and the evil that constantly occurs, but it is definitely something we should strive towards.
#5. Global Financial Crisis: Currently, the United States is over 19 trillion in debt and counting. Last year, Greece went bankrupt and had to be bailed out by a coalition of European nations, and recently Puerto Rico has defaulted on over $150 million in loans. While it is not yet an all out crisis, nations going bankrupt certainly poses a huge problem to the rest of the globe.
Solution: Although many people would say offer more bailouts and financial aid, I am saying that we let capitalism run its course and leave the economy alone. If we just let the market run its course, it will over a long period of time, fix itself. Simply raising taxes and reducing spending as well as printing more money will simply send us into an inflationary spiral.
#6. Global Warming Crisis: It is certain that we are not treating the earth how it is supposed to be treated. Whether one believes in global warming or not, is has become clear that we need to search for alternatives to fossil fuels because it is harming our atmosphere, and in the case of BP we saw how it can harm the environment.
Solution: Governments worldwide should subsidize research into cleaner forms of usable and renewable energy, and we should increase the amount of wind turbines, solar panels, and water turbines in areas where they can be easily built, placed, and monitored.
#7. Drastic income inequality across the world: This comes to no surprise, but the income inequality across the globe is enormous. In fact, the overall GDP of over 41 countries is less than the wealth of the 7 richest people in the world (according to globalissues.com). Also, the top 20% of the wealthiest people in the world, own over 3/4 of the entire wealth on the planet. Clearly something is wrong.
Solution:Although there is no way to truly end this issue, a good start would be by working with foreign governments to create jobs, and subsidize certain industries that are crucial to their country as a way of getting large numbers of people working and on their feet.
#8. There still is not a cure for cancer: Cancer is the world's deadliest disease and has been for some time now. Millions of lives and families are affected each year by numerous types of cancer, including my own. This is global problem that is exactly the same for all nations as anyone could easily be subject to the disease.
Solution: We need to continue to support research and cancer treatments such as the cancer research here at Shands in Gainesville. Also, it is possible that the cure to cancer is out there yet not released mainly due to the fact that it would destroy a huge portion of the medical industry causing losses of millions of dollars. This situation in itself needs to be diffused because it could save millions of lives.
#9. Global human trafficking: Across the globe each year, many women, children, and even some men are sold as sex slaves, held captive, and forced to perform sexual acts on many people each day. According to equalitynow.com, 20.9 million women and children are trafficked each year, with 2 million of those being children. This a a disgusting act that needs to be put to rest.
Solution: Increase international surveillance on human trafficking. This could happen through increased awareness and funding all over the globe. This also needs to be an increased focus for organizations such as the CIA and FBI because human trafficking organizations are some of the largest illegal organizations in the world.
#10. Global Drug Trade: Global drug trade is definitely one of the largest problems we face today. Drugs are traded and acquired illegally in every nation worldwide, and it is a multi-billion dollar industry consisting of hundreds of millions of users worldwide. These drugs include marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroine, etc..
Solution: Increase border patrol across country borders (air, water, and land), as well as increased action from government organizations and special forces across the globe. Even bounties for large drug king-pins should be posted for those who successfully capture them.
Well, that concludes my pretty extensive list of world problems and some simple ideas that maybe help fix them. I hope you all found these interesting and maybe even found some of these problems on your own!
Until next time,
-Bryce
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Bug List
Hey everyone,
This is my Bug List post, which is comprised of 20 things in my daily life that just really seem to bug me! These are in no particular order, just in the order that they came to my head. Some of these things are pretty random and wide-ranging but they all somehow managed to find a way onto this list! Check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks!
#1. Setting out daily events such as workouts, homework, or other things to attend, and not fully
accomplishing those things
Why?
Distractions throughout the day such as friends, sleep, and video games can get in the way, as well as failure to effectively plan my day out.
#2. The lack of study spots on campus at UF during midterms and finals really annoys me.
Why?
Two libraries are not enough for 30,000 students, and UF does not open up many of its other halls for study purposes.
#3. Poor wi-fi connection on-campus that prohibits me from fully being able to study or complete my work.
Why?
Too many people are possibly connected at once, or maybe I should seek a different study area, or any area with less web traffic.
#4. The Heavener School of Business offers only one live lecture for most of its classes, making scheduling difficult and inconvenient.
Why?
It might cost more money to have multiple teachers or live sections to teach and administer the course.
#5. Facebook friends that post politically biased articles all over their news feed without any knowledge of what they are posting.
Why?
They are not properly educated in modern day politics, or are so biased that only their opinion is what matters to them.
#6. LifeProof phone cases are not compatible with many different forms of ear buds.
Why?
This is possibly a new way to get more money from people by making them buy a separate part to be compatible with ear buds.
#7. Rush hour traffic on Archer Road makes in nearly impossible to navigate around Gainesville during crucial parts of the day.
Why?
Archer Road and Southwest 34th Street are really the only main roads in Gainesville, forcing everyone to use them, clogging the streets and causing large amounts of delays and traffic.
#8. The UF student recreational centers are often too crowded to get an effective workout in.
Why?
Once again, only two gyms for a student body of around 30,000 is minimal at best, and one of those gyms is barely a gym at all.
#9. Multiple exams that fall on the same day during finals week, causing a blow in one's GPA.
Why?
This one is close to my heart, this could have happened for one of two reasons or possibly both. The first being poor coordination among departments at UF, or two, poor planning or time management on my part.
#10. Price inflation, causing Nike basketball shoes to run upwards of $250 or more.
Why?
Maybe this is what keeps them competitive in the shoe market, or perhaps their shoes offer advantages that other shoe brands cannot.
#11. The lack of knowledge many people have on tipping employees such as waiters, valet attendants, and others in the service industry.
Why?
Perhaps they do know and are just greedy with their money, or perhaps we have failed on educating society on how to properly tip those who provide a service. (I know this, I have worked valet for years)
#12. This is more personal, but it really bugs when I see a friend struggling and they are offered help, but would rather sit around and let life kick them to the curb.
Why?
They do not have a true belief in their own strength or abilities. They also might not be willing to wait for the successes and results that they are working towards.
#13. The length of the entrance lines at the Swamp, forcing me to miss kickoff multiple times throughout the season.
Why?
Most of the time I wait until 5 minutes before kickoff to go into the stadium, so it is possibly a time management issue on my part.
#14. UF scheduling exam times 8:20 at night and in chairs that are extremely small and do not offer much space for work while one is taking a test!!
Why?
There is probably not enough open classrooms during the daytime for over 1000 students to take the exam at once. However, I am not sure why they cannot provide better seating. Possibly more expensive?
#15. The expensive UF parking permits handed out by UF TAPS that make parking extremely inconvenient for students all across campus, especially freshman by making them obtain Red 3 decals, or paying more for a different decal.
Why?
This is most likely an extra way to earn money for the school. However, there are probably other motives which I still have trouble understanding.
#16. The immense racial and religious tension found in modern day America really bugs me.
Why?
This stems from a number of reasons, but we are too often intolerant to the needs and world-views of others, and most people believe that other peoples' ways of lives are wrong if they do not share the same world-view.
#17. The Chipotle on University Ave is always packed and the line tends to get slow during the crucial lunch and dinner hours.
Why?
Chipotle might not be scheduling enough employees, or they have not allocated proper resources to fully fulfill customer needs.
#18. Failing to do as well as I should have or planned on, on a test or presentation.
Why?
Maybe I did not seek the advice or help of others, or possibly I am not studying properly, or in a way that best suits my needs.
#19. The fact that most people want minimum wage to be raised to $15 annoys me.
Why?
A lot of people do not understand basic economic principles, and how one should only get paid what one's worth, not some arbitrary number that they think is high enough.
#20. People (friends) that give you help or aid out of goodwill, and turn around and expect something back.
Why?
Maybe they think it is only right that after they help someone that they receive the same help back.
This Bug List was tremendously hard to come up with and actually took me a lot of time to form. This is due to the fact that I am not used to looking at the world, or my everyday life in a negative outlook. Some of these problems are much more broad than others, but I feel that these twenty problems were the most immediate in my experience here at UF over the past semester. Writing out the answers to why these problems occur did help me understand my problems a little better; however I could've kept asking why and why repeatedly for some of these issues and still not have a clear-cut answers. Overall, I loved this exercise for the purpose of being aware of everyday problems that I see occurring around me and how I can go about fixing them.
This is my Bug List post, which is comprised of 20 things in my daily life that just really seem to bug me! These are in no particular order, just in the order that they came to my head. Some of these things are pretty random and wide-ranging but they all somehow managed to find a way onto this list! Check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks!
#1. Setting out daily events such as workouts, homework, or other things to attend, and not fully
accomplishing those things
Why?
Distractions throughout the day such as friends, sleep, and video games can get in the way, as well as failure to effectively plan my day out.
#2. The lack of study spots on campus at UF during midterms and finals really annoys me.
Why?
Two libraries are not enough for 30,000 students, and UF does not open up many of its other halls for study purposes.
#3. Poor wi-fi connection on-campus that prohibits me from fully being able to study or complete my work.
Why?
Too many people are possibly connected at once, or maybe I should seek a different study area, or any area with less web traffic.
#4. The Heavener School of Business offers only one live lecture for most of its classes, making scheduling difficult and inconvenient.
Why?
It might cost more money to have multiple teachers or live sections to teach and administer the course.
#5. Facebook friends that post politically biased articles all over their news feed without any knowledge of what they are posting.
Why?
They are not properly educated in modern day politics, or are so biased that only their opinion is what matters to them.
#6. LifeProof phone cases are not compatible with many different forms of ear buds.
Why?
This is possibly a new way to get more money from people by making them buy a separate part to be compatible with ear buds.
#7. Rush hour traffic on Archer Road makes in nearly impossible to navigate around Gainesville during crucial parts of the day.
Why?
Archer Road and Southwest 34th Street are really the only main roads in Gainesville, forcing everyone to use them, clogging the streets and causing large amounts of delays and traffic.
#8. The UF student recreational centers are often too crowded to get an effective workout in.
Why?
Once again, only two gyms for a student body of around 30,000 is minimal at best, and one of those gyms is barely a gym at all.
#9. Multiple exams that fall on the same day during finals week, causing a blow in one's GPA.
Why?
This one is close to my heart, this could have happened for one of two reasons or possibly both. The first being poor coordination among departments at UF, or two, poor planning or time management on my part.
#10. Price inflation, causing Nike basketball shoes to run upwards of $250 or more.
Why?
Maybe this is what keeps them competitive in the shoe market, or perhaps their shoes offer advantages that other shoe brands cannot.
#11. The lack of knowledge many people have on tipping employees such as waiters, valet attendants, and others in the service industry.
Why?
Perhaps they do know and are just greedy with their money, or perhaps we have failed on educating society on how to properly tip those who provide a service. (I know this, I have worked valet for years)
#12. This is more personal, but it really bugs when I see a friend struggling and they are offered help, but would rather sit around and let life kick them to the curb.
Why?
They do not have a true belief in their own strength or abilities. They also might not be willing to wait for the successes and results that they are working towards.
#13. The length of the entrance lines at the Swamp, forcing me to miss kickoff multiple times throughout the season.
Why?
Most of the time I wait until 5 minutes before kickoff to go into the stadium, so it is possibly a time management issue on my part.
#14. UF scheduling exam times 8:20 at night and in chairs that are extremely small and do not offer much space for work while one is taking a test!!
Why?
There is probably not enough open classrooms during the daytime for over 1000 students to take the exam at once. However, I am not sure why they cannot provide better seating. Possibly more expensive?
#15. The expensive UF parking permits handed out by UF TAPS that make parking extremely inconvenient for students all across campus, especially freshman by making them obtain Red 3 decals, or paying more for a different decal.
Why?
This is most likely an extra way to earn money for the school. However, there are probably other motives which I still have trouble understanding.
#16. The immense racial and religious tension found in modern day America really bugs me.
Why?
This stems from a number of reasons, but we are too often intolerant to the needs and world-views of others, and most people believe that other peoples' ways of lives are wrong if they do not share the same world-view.
#17. The Chipotle on University Ave is always packed and the line tends to get slow during the crucial lunch and dinner hours.
Why?
Chipotle might not be scheduling enough employees, or they have not allocated proper resources to fully fulfill customer needs.
#18. Failing to do as well as I should have or planned on, on a test or presentation.
Why?
Maybe I did not seek the advice or help of others, or possibly I am not studying properly, or in a way that best suits my needs.
#19. The fact that most people want minimum wage to be raised to $15 annoys me.
Why?
A lot of people do not understand basic economic principles, and how one should only get paid what one's worth, not some arbitrary number that they think is high enough.
#20. People (friends) that give you help or aid out of goodwill, and turn around and expect something back.
Why?
Maybe they think it is only right that after they help someone that they receive the same help back.
This Bug List was tremendously hard to come up with and actually took me a lot of time to form. This is due to the fact that I am not used to looking at the world, or my everyday life in a negative outlook. Some of these problems are much more broad than others, but I feel that these twenty problems were the most immediate in my experience here at UF over the past semester. Writing out the answers to why these problems occur did help me understand my problems a little better; however I could've kept asking why and why repeatedly for some of these issues and still not have a clear-cut answers. Overall, I loved this exercise for the purpose of being aware of everyday problems that I see occurring around me and how I can go about fixing them.
Week 2 Reading Reflection
Hey everyone,
This week's reading reflection came out of Entrepreneurship, by Donald F. Kuratko (our textbook for the semester), and it was from Chapter 1 titled "Entrepreneurship: Evolutionary Development - Revolutionary Impact", and while this was practically an "intro" chapter in the book, I felt that there were a lot of useful things to take away from this reading.
The thing that really surprised me the most, or stood out to me, was that fact that there are so many types of entrepreneurship, along with numerous scenarios that can take place throughout an entrepreneurial venture. For example, I was unaware of the numerous entrepreneurial concepts within the macro and micro views of entrepreneurship such as the environmental, financial, and displacement schools of thought. I merely assumed all entrepreneurs operated under the same overlying set of beliefs that tended to guide them through their ventures or undertakings. Another thing that stood out to me was the advanced planning that most entrepreneurs go through before starting on a project or start-up. They are by no means just taking a "shot in the dark" with their ideas, businesses, or products, and most of them have mapped out at least some type of blueprint about how they are going to make their venture effective in their respective markets. Finally, the discussion on the growth of gazelles truly showed me how these innovative start-ups can have a massive effect on our economy. My favorite statistic that Kuratko used showed how gazelles, which account for only 4% of total businesses, created 10.7 million new jobs, compared the entire U.S economy, which created 11.1 million new jobs. That is truly an eye-opening stat that shows the invaluable effect of successful entrepreneurs here in the U.S..
The section of this reading that I felt was most confusing had to be the section titled: "Process Approaches to Entrepreneurship". In this section, Kuratko talked about concepts such as the "integrative approach" as well as the "dynamic states approach". These concepts were foreign to me so that could explain why I had some trouble understanding them. For example, terms such as "opportunity tension" and "value creation" are not yet fully established in my vocabulary making it difficult to fully grasp these concepts. This section was definitely the most confusing part of the reading in my opinion.
A couple of questions that I would like to ask Kuratko:
1. What do you think is the most important mental aspect of an entrepreneur? And why?
2. What is the best piece of advice you could offer to a young entrepreneur, fresh out of college?
Overall, I agreed with pretty much everything Kuratko said during this chapter, mainly because most of it is objective material. However, his explanation of entrepreneurship in general seemed to fit with the definitions that I had already had in my mind. Maybe in future chapters I won't find his writing appealing or accurate, who knows?
Until next time,
- Bryce
This week's reading reflection came out of Entrepreneurship, by Donald F. Kuratko (our textbook for the semester), and it was from Chapter 1 titled "Entrepreneurship: Evolutionary Development - Revolutionary Impact", and while this was practically an "intro" chapter in the book, I felt that there were a lot of useful things to take away from this reading.
The thing that really surprised me the most, or stood out to me, was that fact that there are so many types of entrepreneurship, along with numerous scenarios that can take place throughout an entrepreneurial venture. For example, I was unaware of the numerous entrepreneurial concepts within the macro and micro views of entrepreneurship such as the environmental, financial, and displacement schools of thought. I merely assumed all entrepreneurs operated under the same overlying set of beliefs that tended to guide them through their ventures or undertakings. Another thing that stood out to me was the advanced planning that most entrepreneurs go through before starting on a project or start-up. They are by no means just taking a "shot in the dark" with their ideas, businesses, or products, and most of them have mapped out at least some type of blueprint about how they are going to make their venture effective in their respective markets. Finally, the discussion on the growth of gazelles truly showed me how these innovative start-ups can have a massive effect on our economy. My favorite statistic that Kuratko used showed how gazelles, which account for only 4% of total businesses, created 10.7 million new jobs, compared the entire U.S economy, which created 11.1 million new jobs. That is truly an eye-opening stat that shows the invaluable effect of successful entrepreneurs here in the U.S..
The section of this reading that I felt was most confusing had to be the section titled: "Process Approaches to Entrepreneurship". In this section, Kuratko talked about concepts such as the "integrative approach" as well as the "dynamic states approach". These concepts were foreign to me so that could explain why I had some trouble understanding them. For example, terms such as "opportunity tension" and "value creation" are not yet fully established in my vocabulary making it difficult to fully grasp these concepts. This section was definitely the most confusing part of the reading in my opinion.
A couple of questions that I would like to ask Kuratko:
1. What do you think is the most important mental aspect of an entrepreneur? And why?
2. What is the best piece of advice you could offer to a young entrepreneur, fresh out of college?
Overall, I agreed with pretty much everything Kuratko said during this chapter, mainly because most of it is objective material. However, his explanation of entrepreneurship in general seemed to fit with the definitions that I had already had in my mind. Maybe in future chapters I won't find his writing appealing or accurate, who knows?
Until next time,
- Bryce
Thursday, January 14, 2016
My Entrepreneurship Story
Throughout the entirety of my young life, I have been exposed to entrepreneurship principles mainly through watching my father. From the the time I was born until about the age of 8 or 9, my father owned a large statuary in Pompano Beach called Artistic Statuary. I watched him manage his business from top to bottom, and saw him expand his business to numerous locations throughout South Florida. However, he sold this business and went to pursue real estate in what looked to be a promising market. Throughout the next six months, my father obtained both his real estate license and his general contracting license, and eventually was able to open up his own real estate company called Coral Reef Homebuilders. This company, like the one before it, showed promising signs of success. However, when the real estate market crashed, he was forced to look elsewhere for the time being. This then led him to then earn his insurance license where he worked for a number of months only to find out that he preferred to work for himself and not someone else. Taking advice from a successful friend, he started his own scrap-metal business that grew rapidly and was bought out by investors within his first year or so of operation. He then turned back to the housing market where he remodeling numerous homes around the South Florida region and is still selling and renting them out to families in need. On top of this, he has started his own towing company within the past year called Diamond Towing. He is able to serve Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties with this business and he has seen great success with this company so far. Watching my father have an entrepreneur's mindset, and adapt so many work environments has inspired me to do much of the same. I enrolled in ENT 3003 to mainly get an idea of what the mind of an entrepreneur is like and to obtain this mindset. I know everyone's story to success is different, but I would like to take bits and pieces of the minds of many successful businessmen and women in order to perhaps own my own businesses and become an entrepreneur myself one day. I am hoping this class will challenge me to go outside of my comfort zone and think outside of the box. This class so far is unlike any other that I have taken, and I am hoping that this will lead to a different way of thinking for me.
-Bryce
-Bryce
Introduction
Hi everyone,
In this post I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. First off, my name is Bryce Harrold and I am currently a Finance major here at the University of Florida. I was born and raised in Pompano Beach, FL and for those of you who do not know where that is, it is practically Fort Lauderdale. I come from a family of four which includes: me, my mother and father, and my younger brother who is about to graduate from high school. I grew up going to a small Christian private school with about 400 kids, so coming to UF was definitely a culture shock, however I have loved my time here and would never trade my experiences thus far for anything.
As a I have gone through college, I have changed my career interests multiple times. I am currently a sophomore, but when I originally arrived at UF, I was a biology major on the pre-med track. I thought that I was destined to be the next great orthopedic surgeon to come out of UF medical school, but quickly realized that the sciences were not my true passion as I assumed they would be. This summer I switched my major to Finance to pursue things that I felt much more passionate about and currently I am interesting in becoming either a business analyst or a business consultant. I have learned that the business world has ample opportunities for me, and that has been the most exciting part of my switch to the Heavener Business School.
However enough of the boring stuff and a little bit more about me. First and foremost, I love absolutely love sports. I was a four-year varsity basketball player and the team captain in high school, and nothing gets me more excited then seeing the Gators play on Saturdays at the Swamp, as well as watching the basketball team at the O'Dome. Also, I love being boating, being on the water, and water sports in general. Coming from South Florida, it has been a really strange seeing all these trees and no real bodies of water, but I'm getting used to it slowly. Other than that I'm a pretty laid back person who is always down to have a good time with friends. That about sums up everything that you'd need to know about me; comment if you'd like to know anything else!
-Bryce
In this post I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. First off, my name is Bryce Harrold and I am currently a Finance major here at the University of Florida. I was born and raised in Pompano Beach, FL and for those of you who do not know where that is, it is practically Fort Lauderdale. I come from a family of four which includes: me, my mother and father, and my younger brother who is about to graduate from high school. I grew up going to a small Christian private school with about 400 kids, so coming to UF was definitely a culture shock, however I have loved my time here and would never trade my experiences thus far for anything.
As a I have gone through college, I have changed my career interests multiple times. I am currently a sophomore, but when I originally arrived at UF, I was a biology major on the pre-med track. I thought that I was destined to be the next great orthopedic surgeon to come out of UF medical school, but quickly realized that the sciences were not my true passion as I assumed they would be. This summer I switched my major to Finance to pursue things that I felt much more passionate about and currently I am interesting in becoming either a business analyst or a business consultant. I have learned that the business world has ample opportunities for me, and that has been the most exciting part of my switch to the Heavener Business School.
However enough of the boring stuff and a little bit more about me. First and foremost, I love absolutely love sports. I was a four-year varsity basketball player and the team captain in high school, and nothing gets me more excited then seeing the Gators play on Saturdays at the Swamp, as well as watching the basketball team at the O'Dome. Also, I love being boating, being on the water, and water sports in general. Coming from South Florida, it has been a really strange seeing all these trees and no real bodies of water, but I'm getting used to it slowly. Other than that I'm a pretty laid back person who is always down to have a good time with friends. That about sums up everything that you'd need to know about me; comment if you'd like to know anything else!
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
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