13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance

1)     Growing up, Elon Musk has always been an ideal for me. When I first read this book I was surprised by Elon’s erratic and obstinate behavior. I always knew that he was an eccentric character with unconventional ways; however, I was really surprised from the extent of his behaviors. I think what I most admired about him was his tenacity and persistence. He always got back up on his feet even after falling to his knees and having everyone turning their backs on him. I least admired his communication skills, which I believe have a long way to go. He seemed to not be able to take social clues even from the start of the book when he was conversing with the author of it. He also seemed to yell and expect a lot from his employees even when his expectations were unattainable. According the book, he also encountered a lot of failure and adversity jumping from company to company and clashing with different people in each venture. I believe that his mind and creativity were always his key to fighting when failing and getting back on his feet, like when he tried buying rockets of Russians and the price was too high so he decided to build his own rockets parts. 2) His brain was definitely his biggest competency, along with his creativity and tenacity. 3) I believe that the reading was relatively straight and I understood everything that I read. 4) If I could ask Elon 2 questions they would be a) What fuels his tenacity and b) how does he feel about his childhood now that it is way past him. The reason I would ask these question would be because I have always been intrigued by his persistence and tenacity and don’t understand how someone could have so much determination in one mind. I would ask the second question because, according to the book, it was very rough on him, due to his father. 5) I believe that hard work is one of his biggest standards. I can tell from his unrealistic number of achievements and, also, expectations. I share that opinion with my passions. I love DJing and could spend hours in a room working on the perfect song and perfecting it.

14A – Halfway Reflection

1) What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?

Throughout the semester I have used a few of my innate behaviors while, simultaneously, developing a few to keep up with the requirements of the course. I have used my social behaviors and ambition to establish social skills and a ambitious behavior towards the class. I also manipulated them to become develop an enterperneurship agenda. However, in order to be able to develop such agenda, I had to enhance some further abilities and attitudes that had never been part of my life, such as determination and persistence. Falling and having the ability to get back up, is a big part of this course and I believe that these past 2 months have contributed in doing so.

2) Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?

I believe that a moment I felt like “giving up” was during my interviews. I had a hard time finding subjects that had similar passions to mine and could relate to my product. I felt like giving up but I was able to use my new-found behaviors and get back up on my feet and conduct all the necessary interviews. As mentioned in the previous question, the course has helped me become more tenacious and improve my persistency and determination by milestones. I believe that this experience has helped me a lot with tenacity.

3) What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?

I think it would be adopting a certain kind of mindset and focusing on being optimistic. I believe that concentrating on the positive helps a lot with tenacity and persistency. When one is down and only focuses on the negative, he/she can’t see what’s ahead developing a tunnel vision mindset. This disables one’s ability to get back on their feet and practice tenacity in situations where it is most required. I believe the key to developing the “tenacious mindset” would be directing one’s attention to the positive when found in a tricky situation.

12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1) Segment: My segment is college students with a strong passion and admiration for music.

2) Interviewees:

Vincent: 18 year old male DJ
Peter: 20 year old male passionate for music
Nikita: 21 year old female DJ

3)  Need Awareness:

My interviews presented a similar need to past interviews but with further detail. Vincent and Nikita stated that they both had been DJing for sometime now, however, Peter has been looking to get into it. Vincent hasn't been satisfied with school but has been looking for DJ opportunities in Gainesville for sometime now without any luck. He's been wanting to follow his passion but doesn't have a solid way of reaching out to other DJs. He feels uncomfortable asking managers to provide him with opportunities as he feels he will be rejected. Nikita has been DJing for 2 years in Gainesville and she is relatively satisfied. She has been DJing for some bars around town but is looking to branch out more. She also loves electronic music and wants to spread her knowledge of disc jockeying that type of music to other people. Peter, on the other hand, has been looking to start DJing for a long time but can't find anyone to teach him how to begin his DJ journey.

4) Information Search

When confronting the interviewees about what they have done to face their problem they all said the same thing which was putting it off and avoiding branching out and putting in the effort required due to its difficulty and lack of rising opportunities. Both Vince and Nikita admitted to feeling lazy and "content" with their current situation even though it seemed to me that they both wanted a lot more from their passion. Peter said that even though he did love the idea of DJing and even though he did buy a brand new mini-board to practice on, he didn't know anyone with the skills to help him learn the basics (software, hardware, music installation, transitions etc.).

5) Findings

I found out that a lot of people that have passion for music and that are dedicated to using it to their advantage through DJing, are not satisfied with their current situation and that even though they have high expectations, they are scared and/or lazy to pursue their dreams.

6)

I believe this segment have need awareness and is something that is worth investing in. All my customers presented a need even though they might not have expressed it very clearly. The information search could've portrayed a bigger desire and ambition for success but I believe that. through my product, the solution to the need will get easier thus allowing more people to pursure their passion.

11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

Who am I? My name is Dimitrios Karellos-Gleoudis. I am from Greece but I've lived in Miami for the past 6 years. I am currently studying at the University of Florida. My major is general business and I'm minoring in Spanish. My talents are being social and fitting in well. I'm also very determined and ambitious when I set my eyes on a goal. I have worked at a couple of places around the country including an internship for a non-profit company in Peru, a cell phone company and a hotel in Greece, and a few jobs in Miami. I also have a strong passion for disc jockeying and would like it to be a part of my future. I believe this business will contribute a lot in doing so as it combines an entrepreneurship concept with my passion.

What am I offering to customers? I am offering an electronic page that will allow people with a strong passion for disc jockeying to post, receive feedback, and connect with other DJs in their area. My product will satisfy the unmet need of DJs feeling a lack of support and ambition towards achieving their goals.

Who am I offering it to? My customers have a strong passion for music and an attraction to finding creative ways to work with it and create it. My customers usually include a younger age but also a few older, more experienced customers. They are located in different areas, starting with Gainesville and expanding to different parts of Florida.

Why do they care? I believe that my customers care because my product will allow them to receive opportunities and skills that have yet to be met in their lives.

What are my core competencies? I have been a disc jockey for 4 years now and believe that my background knowledge and skillset, along with my experience as a starting DJ will help build a solid foundation for my business as I know the "game" and how its played. I have been in the shoes of my customers and I wasn't satisfied. It took a lot for me to get where I am and believe that there should be easier ways for DJs to branch out and receive more opportunities allowing them to follow their ambition.

Reflect: I believe that my "napkin" business concept can work well together as my background, experience, customer demographic, customer need, and competencies all have similar aspects to them that can work as a puzzle, one supporting the other. I am confident in my idea and its building blocks.