14A – Halfway Reflection

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

Given that I am halfway through this course, I think it is extremely important to pick an idea that you are actually passionate about to develop throughout the course. When you are passionate about your idea it makes all of these assignments much more effective and enjoyable than if you didn't care about your idea. Throughout this course I have seen my idea develop which shows me how beneficial this course really is. 

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude. 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?

There are always times that I face adversity, but quitting just isn't an option for me personally. The last time I thought about quitting was when I was running a 5k and half way through my calves started cramping up but really they were just sore. Whenever things get tough it is natural for our bodies to want to stop and take the easy way out. It is our job to take control of our feelings and learn to embrace tough times. Personally I see tough times as a test to see whether we are good enough to achieve great things or if we are just dreamers.

3) Three tips. 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' ?

If I had to offer three tips I would first say to make sure you think long and hard about the problem that you want to solve and make sure it is something that interests you. Secondly, take pride in your peer reviews and make an effort to help other people out because giving feedback opens your mind to new ideas. Lastly, make sure to stay focused and motivated on the task at hand because if you do that anything is possible. 

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

• What surprised you the most?

Elon Musk is mostly known for Tesla and SpaceX but most people don't know the journey of entrepreneurship ventures that it took for him to get there. He first created a company with his brother Called Zip2 which he founded when he was quite young. After this he created PayPal which was on oof the first ways for people to complete transactions through the web. He then sold PayPal to eBay which up until this time, eBay was one of his biggest competitors because they had a similar functionality on their website. Shortly after he created SpaceX and Tesla which are growing rapidly with huge plans for the future. Lastly what most people don't know is he also started a solar panel company known as Solarcity. Solarcity is one of the largest solar panel companies in the world.

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

One of the things that I admire most about Elon Musk is his work ethic and his creativity. These are both great factors to have especially in business but what makes Elon so powerful is how he is always thinking about how he envisions the future and when he gets a great idea, he does everything in his power to make it a reality. For example, SpaceX almost went out of business multiple times because they couldn't successfully put a rocket into orbit but Elon musk used his own capital to fund them out of bankruptcy multiple times until they finally put a rocket into orbit. When Elon faced failure in this situation he did not let it cause him to stop but instead he allowed this to drive him forward and eventually reach success.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

Musk exhibited many competencies such as being a successful self taught entrepreneur. HE created multiple company's by teaching himself what he needs tom know to develop and grow his company. For example, when Elon created PayPal he actually typed the code all by himself and learned how to code. In addition, Elon was exceptional at reading so he spent the majority of his time learning about new things. This ultimately is what makes Elon so unique is his desire to learn and change the world.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

The most confusing part of the reading was really how Elon managed multiple company's at once which thrive to such a high level.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

- What is the most important trait to have to be a successful entrepreneur?

- Did your entrepreneurship ventures help or hurt your relationship with your brother?

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

Elon makes it very clear that hard work is the key to being successful in addition to having a vision. Elon is always thinking about how he can change the world and he is never not working to do that successfully. I am a big believer in hard work. I know that if an individual sets his or her mind to something, the possibilities are endless of what he or she can achieve.

12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Interview 1: 

He said that when he goes out to a bar he usually just talks to the people that he already knows. He loves when he meets new people at a bar but the main reason he doesn't meet as many people as he could is because he is too nervous to walk up to someone he doesn't know. In addition he doesn't know what to say to them because he knows nothing about them which most likely makes it an awkward conversation. He then goes to his friends, and asks them what he should say to the girl but he ends up being too shy to say it because he doesn't want to be seen as creepy.

Interview 2: 

The second person I interviewed said that when they are out at a bar they make an exceptional effort to try and meet new people but often they face many roadblocks. The biggest roadblock that he faces when walking up to a girl is not knowing if she is single or has a boyfriend. In addition, he also sometimes has awkward conversations because he doesn't know if they share mutual friends or hobbies so it is hard to engage in a quality conversation. He said every once in awhile he will click with someone and have a quality conversation but it is a hit or miss because he can't tell if someone is out just to hangout with their friends or if they are out to meet new people.

Interview 3: 

The third person I interviewed said that she often has guys come up to talk to her with nothing genuine to say. She said that they are usually very nervous and ask her questions like "whats up?" which she finds very boring. She said that she usually hangs out with her friends and meets new people through them but she said the chances are low that she has a genuine conversation with someone new. She usually asks her friends to introduce hereto new guys but she said it is a hit or miss because they could be in a relationship or the guy is just caught from surprise so the conversation is very nerve racking.

Conclusion/summary:

In these three interviews I gained a lot of very useful information and feedback. I need to help people feel comfortable to use the app by making it very user friendly, and most importantly giving the software a good reputation. If people start using this software, there is no doubt in my mind that it will start solving their problems. This software has the ability to give people the information they need to know to make the right decision when walking up to someone they don't know. It tells them just enough information to know what to talk about and most importantly it tells them if the person is single and interested.

11A - Idea Napkin No.1

1) You: Hi my name is Matthew Mainzer and I am a first year finance student at the University of Florida. I am talented at technical analysis and trading foreign currency's. My goals and aspirations are to get a job doing tech/software sales which will teach me the skills to start my own business. My goals with this company are to develop the software to make it exists and perfect it through trial and error.



2) What are you offering to customers? The product that I am selling is an app called Icebreakers. The point of the icebreakers app is to help meet new people in a social setting such as a bar or club. This app allows people to walk into a bar and know who is in the bar, who is single, and even request to meet them before aimlessly walking up to them.



3) Who are you offering it to? I am offering this service to college students aging between 18 and 23. These students are the ones that are actively going to bars and trying to socialize with other students to help them meet new people. These users can be male or female but



4) Why do they care? They care about this product because it makes it less risky to walk up to someone you don't know because before hand you will know if they are interested in meeting you, if they are single, and if you share interests or friends.



5) What are your core competencies? One of my biggest competitors with this product is tinder. What sets me apart from Tinder is the fact that my software is specialized and specific to each bar. The point of this app is to allow you to meet new people that are standing in the same bar as you. The point of tinder is to allow you to meet people that live in the same city as you.

First, id like to start off by saying that I think this company has a lot of potential but that there are definitely some roadblocks that I am going to face along the way. I think that the idea is there but that marketing is going to be a huge factor with this product. There needs to be people using the product at every bar for it to actively work. Overall, I think all of the five factors above tie together quite well but implementation is going to be very important with this product.

9A – Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

	Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
WHO:	College students between the age of 18-24	People under the age of 18
WHAT:	Help people meet new friends out at a bar	This app is not meant to be a hookup app
WHY:	Many people are to nervous to walk up to a stranger so this app is meant to make it just a little bit easier.	This app does not make it more dangerous for people to meet because they have to pass the other persons verification.

Interview 1:

-She said that my main focus should be on college students because the wider the age range, the more liability there is for this app. She said this seems like an effective way to meet people out at a bar. She agrees with the why and said that most people are either shy or they just prefer hanging out with their friends but for those who want to meet new people, this app would be very effective.

Interview 2:

He agrees that the main focus should be on people between the age of 18-24. He thinks this would definitely make it easier for people to walk up to strangers because they could see that they have mutual friends and immediately have a topic of conversation. He agrees that this app would make it a little less nerve racking for others.

Interview 3:

She thinks the age minimum for this app should be 21. She thinks that this app would work great but the biggest problem will be getting enough people on the app for it to work. She said this app would make it a little less scary because you can see that they have mutual friends with you.

Interview 4:

He agrees that this app should be strictly for college students. He thinks that the app will be a great way to meet new people and also make it safer because if you don't want someone to come up to you then you can decline their request. He said this would definitely make it easier to walk up to a girl because you know you share friends with her and you have easy talking points.

Interview 5:

She says that the age range should be 21 and up. She says this would be a good way to meet new people at a bar but that you have to have active users for it to work. As long as the app builds a good reputation then it would probably be less scary to meet new people.

Summary:

After interviewing 5 different people, I am confident that this app will be effective in helping people make new friends, but there are definitely some parts of the app that will require some thought and critiquing. I realized that the app makes it easier to have a conversation with the other person because you can see if you share mutual friends with them which is a great topic to start off with when talking to a stranger. Overall, I am glad to see the idea of this app progressing, and I look forward to seeing what the final product is.

10A – Elevator Pitch No. 1

8A – Solving The Problem

Solving the Problem

The opportunity that I would like to solve is helping people connect with new people when they are out at a social setting. After interviewing multiple people, it is clear that most people struggle to walk up to strangers at a bar because they are either too shy or they don't know if they are single or not. With that being said, I have visioned an app that solves this problem. This app is going to be called IceBreaker and its job is to break the ice for people who are too shy to walkup to someone they don't know. It does this by first checking people into the bar where they are then added into a pool where they can see everyone who is in the bar and is single. They can then view the other persons Facebook to see if they are interested in meeting that person. If they are interested, they can then send a request to that person to connect. If the person accepts that request, they then get put in a private message where they can text and then plan to link up. Obviously, there are going to besoms roadblocks with developing this app/software, but I believe that creating this app will connect people.

7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1. The opportunity I would like to pursue is a software that helps people get connected when in a social setting.

2. A lot of people go out to bars with the intention of meeting new people but often find themselves too shy to talk to people that they don't already know. With that being said, I want to develop an app that tells you everyone in the bar who is single and is looking to meet new people. The app starts by checking you into the bar and putting you into a group message that shares your Facebook. The app then lets you choose who you want to connect with and then sends them a request to talk in a message. If the other person accepts the request, you can text or call and figure out where to meet up in the bar to introduce yourselves.

Interview #1
- She said she would definitely use this. She often finds herself only talking to her friends when she really wants to meet new people. She said that this could be something that girls could do as a group to get connected with a whole new group of people. Also since they could see a Facebook profile before, they could then understand a little what the person is like or if they have any mutual friends.
Interview #2
- He would use this. He will often go talk to girls he doesn't know but he has been in situations where girls ended up having a boyfriend and he didn't know until he went up to talk to the girl. This app would allow him to know which girls are single and wanting to meet new people and he would get their approval before meeting up which would make the girl less uncomfortable.
Interview #3
- He said that if someone is shy they wouldn't be any less shy through an app. He said this would be challenging because when he is shy, the only thing that makes him less shy is talking to people he already knows and meeting their friends.
Interview #4
- She said she would use this because it would allow her to go out by herself and easily meet new people in a bar. As soon as she checks into a bar she could match with someone and get a drink with them.
Interview #5
- She said that she is always super shy to go up and talk to new people but if there was an app that could break the ice a little bit, then it would be a lot easier. Some girls will have guys walk up to them who they are not interested in so this app would weed out those people and allow for her approval before hand.

Summary:

Overall, I still think this is a great opportunity. Creating this app with all the right functionality would make it possible to make any shy person comfortable to meet new people. The most important aspect in this app is that before people met up, he or she would have to accept the request before even talking to each other. This would weed out all the people that he or she is not interested in.

6A - Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

1st Economic Trend

1. There seems to be more natural disasters occurring in the United States in the past couple years. The source of the information is LiveScience.com and also through personal experience.
2. It seems like due to climate change occurring, the winters have been colder, the summers have been hotter, and the storms have been a lot more intense. For example, in the last 2 years there have been multiple hurricanes that have struck Florida, 2 of which have reached a label of category 5.
3. I believe that if we find out what is everything that is causing climate change and work as a nation to help decrease the use of those factors, then we can in fact slow down the rate at which climate change is occurring.
4. This opportunity would be extremely difficult to exploit but with the right people in charge, it is possible.
5. I saw this opportunity through experience. The past couple years I have heard about climate change all over the news, even in class. In addition, I noticed that the winters have been colder, summers have been hotter, and there have been a lot more intense storms.

2nd Regulatory Trends

1. I found an opportunity with cybersecurity through Deloitte.com where they identified 2020 regulatory outlooks. 
2. I believe an opportunity exists in cyber security because as each month passes, people are becoming more and more reliant on technology for basically everything that we do. With most of our assets and private information being saved in the cloud, this creates more risk of our information being hacked or breached by hackers.
3. Cyber Security is something that many businesses are at risk with so this opportunity could be appealing to businesses and corporations.
4. This opportunity would not be hard to exploit.
5. The reason I saw this opportunity is because I see the world becoming a lot more tech based which means our security is something that is very important for all of us.

3rd Regulatory Trend

1. I found an opportunity with the regulating the water that people use for irrigation. State water management districts and local municipalities have enacted ordinances to regulate the usage of water for lawn and landscape irrigation purposed
2. Some municipalities have contracted with businesses to provide code enforcement for these irrigation conservation programs. However, many municipalities do not have current enforcement programs. I believe there is an opportunity to expand private enforcement contracting opportunities. The benefit to the municipalities would be enhanced water conservation, and revenue generation. 
3. The state and local government water departments.
4. This opportunity would be easy to implement.
5. My dad works with water 

4th Economic Trend

1. Artificial Intelligence is a huge rising economic trend. I found this trend through a famous entrepreneur that I follow named Elon Musk. In addition I read about some of the problems with Artificial Intelligence on Towardsdatascience.com
2. People don't fully understand how decisions are made with artificial intelligence which means it is hard for us to really trust the decision of AI. This means that there has to be an algorithms that better explains the decision process of AI.
3. This opportunity could apply to any company that is working to implement AI or who already has.
4. This opportunity would be hard to create but if it is developed, I am sure that there would not be a problem implementing it.
5. I saw this opportunity through Elon Musk when he discussed AI on the Joe Rogan podcast.