Customer Interviews No.2

This week we had the "pleasure" of interviewing potential customers and this is how my experience went:

The opportunity: Restaurants are often busy and ask you to wait for a table. This wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours. Possible idea for an app that tells you the current wait time for your favorite resteraunts.

Targeted Customer: Young adults + , anyone that likes to eat out.

Questions:
1. How do you feel about waiting for a table at restaurants?
2. Would you benefit from an app that tells you the current wait time for your favorite restaurants?

How my process changed: Since the first round of interviews I relaxed a little. I wasn't as nervous about going up to random people and asking them questions. I also refined my interviewees by only interviewing people at a sandwich shop where alot of young adults eat out.

Hit the Streets:

Advice for future ENT3003 students:
1. Know what you are asking before you ask to interview someone.
2. Make sure your recording equipment works and know how to use it prior to your interviews.
3. Take a deep breath and count to three. Interviewing people might be scary but in the end all the interviews combined is less than ten minutes, which is less than 1% of the day, which less than 0.000025% of your life. You can do it!

Reading Reflection: Week 4

    Chapter 5 "Innovation:The Creative Pursuit of Ideas" was this weeks reading assignment. As a part of the innovation academy with a minor in innovation I found this chapter to be the most informative yet. Even after a year of taking classes towards my innovation minor I was surprised to learn that there are four different types of innovation. I was under the impression that all four types were all under the same umbrella of innovation. After reading the authors distinction though, it gave me a better understanding of what it means to be an innovator. The list of misconceptions of innovations on pg.168 was particularly helpful. In past classes the main focus has been on technology in innovation. I can barley understand how to use my computer half the time let alone developing an app or new high tech product. I would like to ask the author his opinion of the innovation minor at UF and if he had any advice for succeeding in the classes?
    As much as I agreed with the content of this chapter, I did disagree with the section called Developing Creativity on pg.163. I believe that everyone is born with an infinite amount of creativity but it is hindered by elders telling them no. Everyone has the ability to be creative, it is how we are born, and I don't believe that it makes more sense for people to develop their creativity.

Top 5 World Problems

Problems:
1. Lack of equality between, races, gender, ages, etc.
2. Lack of encouragement of children
3. Diseases like AIDS, HIV, etc.
4. Orphaned children of war.
5. Disappearance of native tribes

Solutions:
1. Building and staffing of more orphanages with greater funding.
2. Increased funding for AIDS, HIV, etc. research
3. Laws passed to protect the homelands of the native tribes.
4. Encouragement programs for children to help them believe in themselves
5. Pressing a reset button on the planet

Justification:
I chose lack of equality as the biggest problem in the world because I believe it is the basis for all of the worlds problems. If everyone was seen as equal than we wouldn't have the superiority complexes which lead to arguments and disagreements. But I also believe that this has the hardest solution. On the other hand I believe that the solution to the orphaned children of war is attainable. Thousands of children a year are left without a home. By increasing the number of orphanages and the funding for orphanages we can increase the homes and safety for all of these children.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

     For this weeks reading reflection we had to read Chapter 2, The Entrepreneurial Mind-Set in Individuals, of our textbook. This chapters main focus is to discuss the characteristics of entrepreneurs as well as the the ethics involved in the business aspect of entrepreneurship. Much like the first chapter this chapter was very straightforward. There weren't many confusing or surprising points made. Some of the charts clarify the topics but I found table 2 a bit confusing. The different types of morally questionable acts is a controversial  concept in all forms of business. I found this surprising because I believe all these actions to be immoral, where as the chapter seems to justify the actions listed in the chart.
      The section on unethical vs illegal confused me a little. I believe that in some cases there is overlap of these two categories and I didn't feel like that was emphasized enough. If I could ask the author a question I would ask him to add a venn diagram helping to explain this concept a bit more. I would also like to ask the author his opinion on the best collection of characteristics that make an entrepreneurshp, since I found the table used in the chapter had a few contradictory traits.

Identifying Local Oppurtunities: Palm Beach County

So far in this blog we have looked into peronsal issues, world issues, and now it is time to turn our focus to local problems. I grew up in Lake Worth, Florida so I decided to search issues facing my local community in South Florida.

1. 'Empty Bowls' event aims to reduce local hunger; Minestrone for the soul benefits Food Bank;donors get soup, bowls. link:http://www.lexisnexis.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=144576               This article covers a fundraiser being held in Palm Beach County to raise money               for local food banks. The fundraiser entails selling handmade soup bowls for $25               a bowl. These bowls are made by local potters and then are filled with soup                     made by local chefs.                                                                                               Although this article chooses to focus on a solution for the problem, it also                       makes specific reference to the population of people going hungry in Palm                       Beach County.                                                                                                       According to the article "1 in 6 local residents do not know where their next                     meal will come from."
2. Prove law is anti-homeless: Get arrested                                                                    link:http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A898F056417AB0?p=AWNB                                                                                                                       There was recently an ordinance passed which tuned all public outdoor areas                   into public parks. On top of this public curfews have been set for the local public               parks, therefore making it illegal for anyone to be in the parks past a certain                   time. Currently a large portion of the homeless population in Palm Beach                         County is using the park for shelter at night. These two new laws would make it               illegal for them to sleep there.                                                                                 The real problem here is that there is a large population of people who don't                   don't have a home. Instead of trying to fix that problem the community is                       focusing on making it illegal to be homeless.
3. Harbourside suit goes to meditation                                                                            link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A883E877BB1AE8?p=AWNB                                                                                                                     One of the most popular places to be on a Friday night in Jupiter is the                           Harbourside. Frequented by bands and music events the Harbourside is a great               to spend the evening with family and friends. Recently though there has been a               lawsuit filed by Harbourside place againest the town of Jupiter claiming that                     Jupiters noise restrictions are unlawful. At present the lawsuit has gone to                       meditation and will hopefully be resolved without going to trial.                                     I believe that the problem here lies in the communities inability to find a                         compromise.
4. County: Try using trains, bicycles, buses                                                                      link:http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A883E86C4FCBB8?p=AWNB                                                                                                                       If you have ever been on I-95 during rush hour you will know that traffic and                   transportation is a huge issue in Palm Beach County. Residents are being                         encouraged to turn to other forms of transportation including the train, buses,                 and bikes.                                                                                                             The focus of this article is the problem of traffic and air pollution. It offers a                   few solutions to both problems including alternate forms of transportation.
5. Schools deal with rash of threats                                                                                link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7DB8F50AD2270?p=AWNB                                                                                                                     This article discusses a string of threats against public schools in Wellington. It                 goes into specific detail of the recent threats against these schools.                               This problem hits very close to home for me as the article specifically refrences               a middle school less than two miles from my house which my sister use to                     attend. These threats are effecting the education of the schools students and                   frankly making alot of the student population afraid to go to school.

A Very Short Interview No. 1: Cathy Vick

  This past week I had the pleasure of interviewing Cathy Vick. Cathy Vick is a owner of a small company which sells HP products. She and her partner have owned Integtech for ten years. She is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters and lives on the west coast of Florida. Our interview was very short and consisted of a short phone call. Here's how it went:

Niamh: Hi Mrs. Vick. How are you?

Mrs. Vick: I am well, how are you?

N: I am doing well as well. I was wondering if you would mind if I asked you a few questions about your business and your life as an entrepreneur?

MV: Go for it!

N: Ok, first of all could you tell me what it means to you to be an entrepreneur?

MV: I think many people have different definitions of what it means to be an entrepreneur. To me being an entrepreneur is part of how I define myself. I am a mother, wife, worker, and I consider all of the positions to better me as an entrepreneur.

N: Do you have any advice for me as I continue my education to become a better entrepreneur?

MV; Make it something you are passionate about. For me I wanted to work in education because I wanted to improve the minds of children. I feel like i can make a difference through the selling of HP products. And make goals for yourself, it can be hard being an entrepreneur, you are your own boss and you really have to motivate yourself.

N: So for me I would focus on working with children and medicine?

MV: Exaclty!

N: Ok, My last question is why did you become an entrepreneur?

MV: For me it was primarily a financial decision. When the market turned I lost my job and it forced me to change my lifestyle. I went into business for myslef and it was the best decision I every made. Instead of traveling for work I got to see my girls grow up and spend time with them everyday. I love my job and I love my family.

N: Thats a great answer! Thankyou so much Mrs. Vick for your time and your participation.

MV: No problem Niamh. Thankyou for considering me for your project.

   Interviewing Mrs.Vick was very informative! She really showed me that you can have it all. I know Mrs.Vick via her daughter and this is the first time I have really gotten to know her in depth. This interview was short and simple and I look forward to asking her some more questions in the future.

Worlds BIGGEST Problems

    There are many problems facing the world today, big, small, and everywhere in between. We often only focus on the problems that affect us, but the world does not revolve around a sole person. It is time that we as a society open our eyes to the problems of others.

The Worlds 10 Biggest Problems:

1.  Children are becoming orphans in war torn countries. Presently the war in Somalia is leaving more and more children without parents. These children are left to fend for themselves and often they have siblings that they must take care of. Children are becoming adults far too young. There really is no simple solution to this problem. More orphanages need to be built to give these children a place to go and live.
2. AIDS, HIV, and other diseases are being passed from mother to child, increasing the population of affected people. While these autoimmune diseases are passed in several different ways the passage from mother to child is harder to avoid. More research needs to go into finding a cure for these diseases.
3. Alcoholism and underage drinking is one of the greatest killers in the world. Alcohol is one of the most common ways to rebel in teenagers. By making alcohol such a mysterious thing, society is making it more intriguing to younger teens. Countries in Europe where the drinking age is lower have lower rates of alcoholism and underage drinking. It will take time to break the idea that alcohol is mysterious and "cool" but I believe by lowering the drinking age younger children will not turn to binge drinking.
4. Obesity is a major problem in the United States. The cheap food is the crap food. It can be
   
   expensive to feed a family for cheap but fast food industries like McDonald's and Burger King are often the easiest, fastest, and cheapest options. Reverse the price. Increase the price of bad quality foods and decrease the price of vegetables, fruits, and natural foods.
5. Air pollution is affecting the ozone and the environment as a whole. The fumes from our everyday motions, driving cars, working factories, and more are permeating the ozone.  This in turn is heating up the planet and affecting us all. Alternative fuel sources or a filter for the air could decrease the affect of air pollution but not fixing the damage already done.
6. As a society we tend to look for the differences but lack the common sense to see what we all have in common. Race, age, sex, nationality, heritage, salary, and other categories should not define us. It would be an easy solution if there was a reset button on the planet but there isn't and I am afraid that many people are just to set in their ways to change their thinking.
7. Celebrities have more power over the population than most people believe. Unfortunately while some are using this power to make a change in the world for the better, there are many who use there power to boost there own confidence. Young girls look up to these celebrities and see bodies, faces, and beauty that they feel like they cant achieve. Move the focus from celebrities like the Kardashians and Amber Rose. Instead focus on celebrities with a message like Emma Roberts and Angelina Jolie.
8. Mental diseases are not believed to be myth and legend in many countries. There are certain countries where mental diseases are seen as the work of the devil and instead of treating people with these diseases, they are left for nothing or sometimes even killed. Education is key in helping these people.
9. There are several tribes around the world that are being forced from their homes where they have lived for hundreds of years because the rest of the world is expanding onto their territory. They are losing a piece of their heritage and therefore we are losing a part of the worlds history. The should be rules and laws put into place to secure these tribes homelands.
10. One thing that I believe all cultures have in common is the lack of encouragement of children. Instead of inspiring the kids of today we are telling them they are not good enough, putting more and more pressure on them, and driving them to unbelievable odds. Children are innocent and deserve to continue believing that anything is possible. Maybe if they truly believe that they will create a world where anything and everything is possible.
    
    
    
    
    
    

Week 2 Reading Reflection

     This week in ENT3003 we were assigned to read the first chapter of our entrepreneurship textbook. As in most textbooks the first chapter was very broad and didn't go into very specific details. It was more of an introduction to the idea entrepreneurship as a whole.There were parts where I agreed with the author, and other sections surprised me. My opinions did not always align with the author but after reading I can understand where he was coming from.
    For the most part the reading was alot of common sense information or information that I had learned in previous classes. However some of the text did catch me off guard. For instance the author makes a point of differentiating small business owners and entrepreneurs. It had always been my belief that small business owners were the foundation of the entrepreneur society. They saw opportunities and they put them into action, a reason I admire small business owners. The author made a good point though that while small business owners can be entrepreneurs it is not always a given role of a small business owner. This brings up my first question to the author, is it possible to be a small business owner and develop into a successful entrepreneur or do you first have to be a entrepreneur to be a successful small business owner?
    The most confusing part of the reading was the section about the different models of entrepreneurship. Personally I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't economics and while the names were similar the concepts of the models were very different. That is something that I will just have to reread to fully comprehend all the diverse aspects of entrepreneurship.
    I am not typically a person who disagrees vehemently with textbooks, because for the most part I believe that the authors of textbooks are alot smarter than me and have alot more knowledge of the information presented in the text, but in this case the author made a comment about how all business die out and fail. I believe that this negative outlook on a businesses life is what makes it hard for alot of people to even begin to start their own business. Not all businesses will fail, take company's like McDonalds, Coca Cola, and Google. While there focus may not always be the same they are constantly molding to the social and economic environment around them. So my second question to the author would be, what makes you think that all companies and business have a definitive
lifespan?
   

Bug List

Warning the following list might you cause unreasonable stress and frustration. Read at your own risk:

1. Shower heads are positioned at an angle, no matter how you stand in the water there is always a part of your body which isn't getting water at any point in time. 
1.   This isn't such a bad thing except when its cold in the morning and all you want is the warmth of a hot shower over every inch of your body
2. No matter how perfect the fit of your shoe is, the first few times you wear a new pair of shoes they always give you blisters.
1. Why: The shoe material rubs against the surface of the skin and it takes a while to break in and for the shoes to be comfortable.
3. Waiting in long lines to go to the bathroom. 
1. Why: I wouldn’t be in the line in the first place if I wasn’t desperate to pee, waiting in the line makes me have to go to the bathroom even more! Its really not fair that men don’t have to wait in lines.
4. Parking on campus at anytime of day.
1. Why: The parking rules on campus are very confusing. It isn’t always clear what cars are allowed to park in each section and the rules and regulations are different for each area.
5. The flow of traffic at busy gas stations.
1. Why: Because the gas tank on cars differs from side to side cars enter from opposing directions which causes more problems and more traffic.
6. Wanting to wear socks to keep your toes cozy but falling flat on your face because you keep slipping on the tile.
1. Why: The same material that gives you comfort also lacks traction to stop you from slipping and sliding.
7. Running leggings that start falling and slipping after five minutes of running and you have to stop to fix them before they end up around your ankles. 
1. Why: I dont like to stop when I am running because once I stop its hard to get going again.
8. Slow walkers.
1. Why: I have places to be and people to see.
9. People who don't offer up their seats on the bus for other people, who typically need it more than them.
1. Why: Some people cannot stand while the bus is in motion and it is impolite to not offer your seat to others.
10. Sales representatives that are too pushy.
1. Why: I have eyes, i have a brain, if I want to buy something I am going to buy it I don't need you to tell me what to buy.
11. Hangers get stuck together and it makes it hard to pull them out of your closet. 
1. Why: The wire material gets entangled in each other. Spaghetti straps and sweaters fall off easily. Basically your attempt at organizing your clothes fails completely.
12. Wanting to listen to music while in the shower but not wanting to disturb your neighbors and roommates.
1. Why: I like to sing in the shower and listen to music. Because of the running water the music has to be at a pretty high volume for you to hear it but that also tends to be a volume which is disturbing to others.
13. Waking up to sheets falling off your bed and pillows on the floor.
1. Why: Making your bed is bad enough as it is, having to redo the whole thing every morning adds 5 minutes to my morning routine.
14. When a person suggests that they have something to tell you but then doesn't tell you!
1. Why: It is in my personality to be curios and this is a habit of alot of my friends which drives me crazy.
15. Deodorant marks on your clothing.
1. Why: It is impossible to get deodorant stains out of your shirt at 8 in the morning when you are in a rush. I'm just trying to smell nice and do the public a favor and it bites me in the a** everytime.
16. Clothing made by different companies and designers use different sizing charts. So when you think you are a medium in shirts you could actually be an extra small in another store.
1. Why: Let alone it being annoying to try on clothes, it is also a blow to alot of womens confidence when they are not the size they think they are.
17. When you hair gets stuck on everything: car seats, desk chairs, benches, shelves, door handles.
1. Why: It is painful!
18. Loud upstair neighbors stomping around their apartment at the wee hours of the morning.
1. Why: The disturbance to my sleep pattern is not appreciated.
19. Sharing a fridge with roomates and they dont share the space evenly. 
1. Why: Food spoils easily, a jammed pack fridge does not keep food as cold as well.
20. During the winter the change in temperature from going inside to outside makes my eyes water and puts pressure on my head.
1. In south Florida we do not have cold weather, so this is really a new thing that bugs me. Counting down the days till the weather goes from warm to warm.

I found this exercise quite difficult. Overall I try to be a positive person and don't like focusing on the things in life that aggravate me.I also found it difficult to explain why these things bother me, for the most part I would just explain it as "it just does!!"

My Entrepreneurship Story

    As part of the Innovation Academy we have to take several classes which force us to think outside the box and look at the world in new ways. This past summer we were required to take a course called Creativity in Context and for our final we had to come up with an original product in the transportation field. It was a group activity, which had its positives and negatives. Much like how going into business with a partner can have its pros and cons. The hardest part was coming up with an original idea, even thoughts and products that we thought no one else would ever come up with popped up as the first hit on google. Part of being an entrepreneur is not giving up and we just had to push through until finally we came up with a new and inventive product. Long story short we made Gary the Giraffe, a suitcase for children which doubles as a scooter, stuffed animal, and educational toy. There were several stages we had to complete before presenting our product to a series of judges and our peers. Our teacher gave us feedback as well as other students in the same course. We bounced ideas off each other on how to make Gary better. In the end our product wasn't as successful as others but we learned alot in the process and I for one was proud of what we had created.
   To be perfectly honest I registered for ENT3003 because I was required to as part of the Innovation Academy. Since joining the class and reading the syllabus I have become more excited by the course. I like the idea of creating a blog and updating it often. Although I am not the biggest fan of the video aspect I know it will push me out of my comfort zone and I believe I need to do that to become a better entrepreneur overall. The biggest thing I hope to get out of this course is to be able to spell entrepreneur correctly without having to think about how many e's there are. Joking (partially). I would however like to give my ideas more substance. I am a big shower thinker and sometimes I wish I could actually produce some of the thoughts I have.

Introduction: Me, Myself, and the wonderful people that make me ME

      Hi! My name is Niamh Clancy and if you read my first post you will know that its pronounced Neve, confusing I know but try growing up with it. In case you couldn't tell by the title this blog is a weekly activity feed reflecting what I and about 500 other students are learning in ENT3003: Principles of Entrepreneurship. This class is different from most and I am still getting use to the blogging aspect, so try and stick with me.
     As i previously stated my name is Niamh, it is Gaelic (Irish) and is pronounced differently because I was born in England. My family moved to America when I was just three and what was supposed to be a two year trip has turned into the past sixteen years of my life. At the time of our move it was just my parents, my baby sister (8 months at the time), and me. Two years later my baby baby sister arrived and bringing with her our only chance at one day having Christmas in the white house, unfortunately she has no desire to become president and itll just have to be up to my future children to get me a place at the presidents table. Since being in Florida we have added onto our family with dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, and hamsters. At current we have a dog named Tucker, a cat named FCAT (i was in third grade at the time!), and a rabbit named bear. All adding up to one crazy family called The Clancy s.
     It is my second year as a part of the Innovation Academy at University of Florida. I am a Biology major and on the pre-med tract, surviving thanks to Starbucks, my amazing friends, baking (and eating everything I bake) and Hip hop fitness classes at the gym (to work off the baked goods). I hope to one day be a Pediatrician and help kids all around the world live the best life possible. Children make me smile and I enjoy being around them, maybe because I still feel like a kid myself most of the time. I want to be able to help them in anyway that I can because a happy healthy child is one of the greatest gifts in life.
     I told a mini lie at the beginning of this post, I said I was still getting use to blogging. The truth is I have written a blog before. I kept it while spending five months in Africa. I should really say "while spending the best five months of my life in Africa." It was life changing in so many ways. I traveled, taught at schools, worked in clinics, lived in an orphanage, went on safari, was attacked by monkeys, rode a donkey, motorcycle, and bush taxi, broke a toe, burst my eardrum, learned three new languages, and met people along the way who will be in my heart forever. If you really want to read more about it the link is here: http://africaadventure2014.blogspot.com/ Feel free to read it, it might make you laugh and it will definitely help you understand me a bit better. There aren't too many posts because as you might guess its pretty difficult to get a good internet connection in parts of Africa, sometimes I even had to stand in the donkeys pen just to get a signal to call my mom. Take my word for it pregnant donkeys do not like sharing their space.
     Well that is probably more than you ever wanted to know about me but thanks for reading. Ill be back again soon with another assignment I am sure. But until then remember The Entrepreneur's Mantra, "Entrepreneurs thirst for negative feedback," so please leave a comment on this post and let me know how I can improve. :)

   

The Entrepreneur's Mantra

About Me

My name is Niamh and unlike what the spelling suggests it is pronounced Neve. The best way I can explain it is "Christmas Eve with an N in front of it."