Friday, December 7, 2018

30A Final Reflection

1) There were a lot of things that I had to think about after reading through all of my posts from this semester. The first thing that came to mind was the true reflection work that I had to put in. I felt like this class helped me truly think about and recognize my best and worst strengths and weaknesses, and helped me mold those characteristics into an idea that could help me become a successful entrepreneur. Another interesting thing I noticed was the staple of failure that was present throughout this course, and these assignments. The consistent notion, that everyone fails, but it is what people do as a result of that failure that truly makes them a more or less successful human being.

2) The experience that I am most proud of, and the exercise that I am most proud of, would have to be my business plan, and my venture concept. The fact that I was able to stick to a concrete idea, and continue to build on it, and gain confidence with it, was truly amazing to me. I researched day and night on my topic, why it should work, why there is opportunity and need there, and when it came time to put all those ideas together into one cohesive venture concept, I found that I succeeded and put together a solid piece of work. I feel that at the beginning of the semester, if we were to do the same assignment at the start, that mine would have been mediocre at best, that I would not have been happy with the product I produced, but as I worked through assignments that prepared me for the venture concept, I feel that I delivered a great idea.

3) I do see myself as more of an entrepreneur, after taking this class. The reason is that I now find myself reading up on more scholarly and academic articles and papers, and looking for different trends and opportunities that are starting to pop up throughout our society. I am continually amazed and obsessed with some of the new ideas and inventions that are consistently coming to market, and I am more ready and willing to chase after the different needs and opportunities that are presenting themselves.

4) What I recommend to students taking this course in the future, is to take it seriously, and do all the exercises to the best of the ability. The reason being is because each exercise comes with a lesson, and can help you build skills to become a better entrepreneur, a better business person, and a better human being. The class builds real life skills, and can help you build a vision and a path for your future, but only if you are willing to work and take the class seriously.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

29A Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity 
Those who have the need for my opportunity include people, families, companies, and government agencies that reside in cities in the southern portion of the United States. More specifically these people and corporations reside in areas that are at risk of devastation, that comes as a result of hurricanes and flooding. The reason an opportunity exists here is because of the fact that hurricanes and flooding are continuing to become increasingly powerful, and are occurring more and more frequently. There is also the fact that there are no increased protections provided to cities and devastated areas, that will help offer further protection from future hurricanes and floods. The market is defined in the southern area of the U.S. where hurricanes and flooding occur most frequently, and the opportunity will be sought out by by businessmen and women, government agencies, and families that are looking to purchase further protection for their homes and businesses. Right now, people affected by such natural disasters are simply rebuilding their homes, businesses, and cities in the same exact way they were constructed before any major storms or disasters affected their way of life. It is this exact reason why I feel like there is an opportunity out there, and when people were presented that opportunity, they should be very willing to take advantage of it. That is why I don't think that people in this area will remain loyal to those companies that assist in the relief effort for a profit. I feel like this opportunity is fairly large, considering the fact that floods and hurricanes are occurring more frequently and have the power to affect a vast majority of the southern region of the United States. That is a lot of need for business. Finally, I really only think that this opportunity will remain open for a year or two, because I feel that as these natural disasters continue to occur, people will continue to try and find new way to protect their homes and livelihoods from said storms.

Innovation 
I believe that my innovation is a moderate one, but very necessary nonetheless. I am creating a company that will build parklands in cities that have been affected, or could be affected by hurricanes and flooding. The reason I have targeted this opportunity, is because parklands can soak up excess water and moisture that comes with hurricanes and flooding, and there is little to no parkland area in cities, which is why cities can be at risk of a lot of destruction when it comes to these natural disasters. I would install parkland areas throughout the city, both large and small, because the more parkland and greenland area present, the more protected the city would be. As a result of size differences, there would also be price differences. For example, I would charge $3.75 per square foot of parkland built, so the bigger the park, the more expensive the price. That being said, tearing up and removing gravel, when necessary, would add more cost to the project. To remove concrete would come at an extra cost of $3.50 per square foot.


Venture Concept
Customers will buy my product and service, because it will add extra protections for their families, homes, businesses, cities, and all around way of life, in case of a natural disaster. The added parkland area that I plan to build in cities will soak up some of the excess water and moisture that comes with flooding and hurricanes. All the excess water is simply too much for simple storm drains, and without the presence of parklands, that excess water just continues to build up in city streets and destroy blocks, homes, and businesses. Because my product and service offers added protection, I feel like customers in areas that could be affected would be very interested in my product, and would not have much of a problem leaving other businesses for mine. As of right now, my competitors are basic construction companies, who do help with the rebuilding effort, but who's weakness is the fact that they do not offer the added protections that come with doing business with my firm. I also feel like I offer very genuine prices, and am looking to offer a strong customer service sector to my business, so that clients see just how important they are, and show just how much their business means to me. That is why customer service will be one of the bigger aspects of my firm, right alongside the hiring of construction crews and workers. I also feel the need to add a partner to my organization, as well as a various number of accountants, to make sure that my business is running smoothly and soundly.

3 Minor Elements 
What will make it difficult for competitors to company what my business offers, will be my business plan. My firm will take any form of business, and develop any size of parkland area, ranging from as small as a simple square foot, to as big as thousand upon thousands of square feet. My duty to my clients will outlast that of any competing company, as there will be no relief effort to small.

I would like to expand my venture either to the non-profit areas of the relief effort, in order to help build more goodwill, which will help generate more profit in the future for my country, or help those affected by natural disasters around the world. Natural disasters are becoming more and more prevalent all over the world, so I don't see a reason why my firm couldn't go global.

Finally, I simply see this business as being what is next for me. If I could make this business work, and help this business grow, I do not see myself leaving it. The reasons behind that are the fact that I would be doing a lot of good and helping a lot of people, as well as the fact that this business could provide a lot of income for my future, whether it is starting a family and having something to pass down to my kids, or simply living a comfortable, happy life. I see this business as my future.