Assignment 23A- Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

      1.Connections into the market: I have many connections with high up individuals in the apartment market that would be willing and ready to help me.

• Valuable: This is very valuable for my product. I would say the most valuable resources I have.
• Rare: The amount of connections I have in the apartment market is rather large which makes this a rare resource. 
• Inimitable: Connections are inimitable as they are a personal aspect and a relationship that I have built.
• Non-Substitutable: This resource can't be replaced in any way. It puts me far above anyone else entering into or currently in the market of my product.

      2. Connections with other individuals looking to get into the field of business:

• Valuable: This is valuable because I can have them check my plans for the business and give me advice on the business aspect of my product.
• Rare: This isn't as rare as some of my other resources because you can have someone who has a business degree give you advice. You don't have to know them personally.
• Inimitable: This can be imitated because you can go to a place to get consultation on your
• Non-Substitutable: This is possibly substitutable by someone else that has an understanding of business and even may have worked in this field.

      3. Connections to individuals who are able to create software and websites for my product:

• Valuable: This is incredibly valuable as it can allow me to make my product with people I know will do a good job.
• Rare: This can be quite rare as not too many people know someone or multiple people who are capable of creating code for such a product.
• Inimitable: It is technically imitable but I would have to pay someone a lot to do what my friends could for less. 
• Non-Substitutable: This is substitutable but as I said above it would be more beneficial for me to use my friends.

      4. Ability to create lasting relationships:

• Valuable: This is incredibly valuable as it will allow me to get companies to let me put their apartments into my product and keep my business alive.
• Rare: This is becoming increasingly more rare as many interactions now are through electronic communications that make everything more impersonal.
• Inimitable: This is not hard to imitate but many people still struggle with this and are incapable of understanding why they can't connect with people.
• Non-Substitutable: I do not believe that any other resource can replace this ability as it allows me to grow my resources further.

      5. Current connections at UF:

• Valuable: This incredibly valuable because they could be potential partners in business later or even potential customers.
• Rare: This is a pretty rare opportunity as most people don't have a potential customer base or partner pool around them and so easily accessible.
• Inimitable: This is not easily reproduced elsewhere. It is a very specific set of variables lining up in the right way. That makes this resource so hard to copy somewhere else.
• Non-Substitutable: I do think that this resource is unable to be replaced by another one because it provides many possible outcomes that can be beneficial.

      6. My ability to keep a calm head and think things through:

• Valuable: This is a very valuable skill as it allows me to think through a situation and not panic when things get difficult.
• Rare: This is, in my opinion, a rare skill since people tend to panic and lose control of themselves when things begin to get difficult. 
• Inimitable: This is an imitable skill but it goes against peoples nature so it is quite hard to use.
• Non-Substitutable: I don't believe any other resource could do what this skill can do. This skill allows me to make the best possible decisions under extreme stress, which will help my product be successful.

      7. My background in the apartment market:

• Value: This is very valuable because it gives me insight into how the market acts, which in turn allows me to adjust my product to better suit the users needs.
• Rare: This is quite rare. Not many people have a parent in a high up position in a company that handles apartments.
• Inimitable: This is impossible to copy. These are my own personal experiences and no one could analyze them like I do.
• Non-Substitutable: No other resource gives me the background and insight that this one does.

      8. Easy access to the market and their opinions:

• Valuable: This very valuable because it allows me to receive information on how to attract more customers and how to keep them.
• Rare: This isn't as rare as some of my other resources but it is rare enough that it will give me a leg up against competitors.
• Inimitable: This is a hard one to imitate since the needs of people vary so widely. This means without this resource it is very hard to obtain it.
• Non-Substitutable: I would say that this resource is not replaceable because it is nearly impossible to know exactly what people want.

      9. The fact that the market is so expansive:

• Valuable: This isn't as valuable as some of my other resources but it means that there is almost an infinite amount of opportunityfor me.
• Rare: This isn't all that rare. Most markets are usually very large.
• Inimitable: This is very imitable and is something that many companies take advantage of.
• Non-Substitutable: I do believe that no other resource can take its place since it is the customers.

      10. The ability to adapt and learn new traits quickly:

• Valuable: This is a very valuable skill to have in a market that is constantly fluctuating and changing.
• Rare: This is a rare trait because most people try to become comfortable and stay comfortable.
• Inimitable: Many people could do this but it is very difficult because they would rather stay with what they are comfortable with.
• Non-Substitutable: This isn't substitutable because it allows me to succeed in not only this market but almost every other aspect of my life.

The most valuable resource I have is my connections into the apartment market. It allows me to enter the market with an advantage most people don't have. It also helps me to have information streamlined to me when I need it. Many people don't have the kind of connections that I have and that is why I see this resource as my most valuable.

Assignment 22A- Elevator pitch 3

Link to pitch:
https://youtu.be/MVDPr6u199k Reflection on feedback:
One of the things that I thought that was important was keeping the viewers interested in the pitch. I tried to do this by doing the same thing I had done in the past pitches which is put the viewer in the situation. I believe this engages and makes viewers more likely to internalize what your saying. The part of the feedback that was most surprising was how much people seemed to find it intriguing. The product I am pitching is not the most interesting but people seem to look past that and focus on the pitch. There wasn't any feedback that I would say is wrong or incorrect. I believe that all the feedback I received was well thought out and was truly meant as valid criticism.
What I changed:
With this being my third pitch I felt much more comfortable in front of the camera and I tried showing this by being less stiff and static. I also tried changing the tone of my voice to sound less panicked or uncomfortable. To this point I had to rehearse multiple times in order to somewhat memorize my pitch. After all the pitches I pretty much had the script I had thought up memorized. I do believe that my pitch has gotten better throughout all of the ones I have done. I believe this because I constantly felt more comfortable and was able to do minor tweaks throughout. I think that all of these things made the pitch better.

Assignment 21A- Reading reflection 2

• What was the general theme or argument of the book?
• The general theme of the book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is how we operate on not only a natural level but how we act through past experiences and memories and how these can affect our decisions later. He focuses on the two "systems" of thinking in the book. These are System 1: fast thinking and System 2: slow thinking. He explains how we go through the process of making decisions and how both systems play into these decisions. He also talks about how these systems are affected and how that in turn changes the things these systems can control. He also talks about the way we handle risks and how the idea of risk is created by us and that we will do almost anything to avoid it.
• How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
• I believe that it helps to show us the thought processes of people in general which can help us to understand how they will perceive our products and how we can manipulate our products to make them more desirable for possible customers. It also helps to show us how the thought process of entrepreneurs is different to that of normal individuals. This allows us to read the ways in which individuals overcome the fear of risk and failure and turn that into successful ventures, which we can take and apply to our own journey with our products. 
•  If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
• If I had to create an exercise for this class it would be to interview an entrepreneur and someone who has a comfortable job that will be in that position for the foreseeable future. When they are interviewing them they should focus on there thought processes when it came to making the decision of what to do. They should ask questions like "What was your initial thoughts on your decision?", "How did you feel about your decision when you thought on it more?", and "How did you manage your fear of risk when making this decision?" just as examples. This allows them to not only see how entrepreneurs minds differ from a normal individuals mind for making decisions, but also allows them to see how the two systems of thinking differ.
• What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
• The biggest aha moment for me was when it was stated that system one was the real front runner out of the two systems. This surprised me the most because system one is the quick decision making system that is used more often. This surprised me the most because I assumed that the system that can handle the harder work would be the dominant one but it is actually the opposite. Thinking about it more it makes sense seeing as it is used for almost everything we do. It is just hard to see it before it is pointed out to you because it just something that you do, you never actually think about it.

Assignment 20A- Growing your social capital

• Domain Expert
• The person I made contact with is named Brian (I will not include the last name to comply with the wishes of the individual. This applies to all of the people I talked to). He is the President of CED Holdings, which is the company my mother works for. He has been with the company for many years now. However before joining the company he was a stock broker on wall street. He is incredibly intelligent and is a great resource. He fills the role of a domain expert because he works very closely with the prices and charges of the apartment industry. He also is very familiar with the laws and limitations that are involved with the market. I have met him many times before and have even had him at my house before to have dinner with. I contacted him by calling him and asked him to listen to my pitch for my product and give me feedback on the product. He gave me some great feedback and ways to adjust the product to better fit the market. He expects me to use him as a resource again and wants me to keep him updated on how I would develop the product further. He will be able to help me exploit an opportunity in many ways. First he gives me honest feedback on ways to improve the product and ways to make the product fit better into the market. He also tells me the way the market works and how people react to many various changes in the market.
• Expert on the Market
• The second person I contacted is Johnathan and he is the President of Concord Management. He has been with this company since I have known him. He has a lot of insight into the market as well. He knows a lot about the customers that I am targeting considering he is the supplier of apartments. I have also met him multiple times just like my previous contact. I contacted him with a phone call and did the same thing as I did with my last contact. I had him listen to my pitch and give feedback as an expert. He gave me some great feedback and also expects me to stay in contact. Including him in my network will be a great advantage for many of the same reasons that having Brian in my network will benefit me. 
•  Important Supplier
• The last person I contacted is named Sally. She is the Vice President of Operations at Concord Management. For as long as I have known her she has worked with my mother in the company. She handles many of the interactions with other companies, such as selling apartment properties to other companies, and management of apartment properties. She is an important supplier in that she manages a large number of apartments across the United States that could end up being places that end up working with my product. I have known Sally for many years and she has seen me grow up. I contacted her with a phone call and asked her to listen to my pitch and tell me whether or not she would have her properties listed on my product and if not why. She wants me to stay in contact and let her know how I continue to develop this product so she can continue to provide me with feedback. Having her in my network is a huge advantage since I could have places to put into my product and get my business underway.
• Reflection
• This experience will have me reach out to people that I already know in order to grow the connections I have and maybe reach out to people that they know. This experience definitely differed from past experiences since it required me to pitch to professionals in the market I intend to go into. This was nerve racking even though I already knew these people. It also required me to build a little confidence in order to effectively pitch and try to develop this product as far as I could.    

Assignment 19A- Idea Napkin 2

1.Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?
My name is Cameron Matos and I am a second year general chemistry major. One of my talents is to talk to people and provide them with honest feedback and information. I rarely sugar coat things, so when people talk to me they know they can get my honest opinion and won't have to read between the lines to find what I mean. I also have a talent to approach people who may be in a delicate situation and help them to figure it out. This is due to many experiences in my life. Many people that have been around me have needed someone to help them in a difficult situation and this has helped me to develop characteristics to cater to this need. My aspirations are to simply live a comfortable and sustainable life. I don't want to make billions of dollars and buy expensive things, I simply want to make enough money to live the lifestyle I desire and maintain it. If I was to start this business I would invest a large majority of my time into it and have it grow to it's fullest potential. If this hope is achieved I would use the profits to branch off into different areas in order to create more profit to either put into the other ventures or back into the business. 
2.What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs).   
The product that I am offering to potential customers is a more accurate and convenient way of finding an apartment to live in. The product will be offered primarily online but will also have a physical location for those who are not trusting of an online product such as this. The physical location will also be for anyone who may need help with the product or help with their search in general. The primary unmet need that I am filling is the ability to find accurate information in a convenient and quick manner. Many products like mine today have information available but it is often times inaccurate, which forces you to go to the source and find out what the prices and other key factors are in person.
3.Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?
The people this product is being offered to is those looking to live in an apartment. This happens to be a very wide range of people from all different backgrounds. People of all different incomes, backgrounds, and dispositions will want to use this product to save themselves precious time and patience. The one thing that all of these people will have in common is their belief that finding an apartment to move into will be a long and harrowing process.
4.Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service.   
People will use this product because of the fact that wasting time and resources is against their nature. What I mean by this is that people don't do things that are counter productive for them when they have a choice to streamline what they are doing. My product will be the best possible option for them because other products like mine aren't accurate in a lot of cases. This causes unneeded work after using them by having to recheck the information and make sure that is completely accurate, which wastes time.
5.What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 
I know for a fact that there are many products out there now that are very similar to my product. However these products are not as accurate as mine since many give you a range of prices or a price at the end of a leasing period. These prices do not help people who are considering moving somewhere as they will more likely than not change when they go to move in. That is why my product will have day to day updates to ensure that when someone decides where they want to go they exactly what they are getting into. The primary thing that sets my product apart from the rest is the constant updates to information and the accuracy of the information.
In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others.
I still believe that these elements blend very well together and help to strengthen my business. I do still have concern on how to make the product stand out in order to draw customers in originally. My concerns with limiting my market have been solved and I am happy with the target that I have. My thoughts on using this product to search for houses as well was put to rest after an interview I had in a past assignment. The apartment market is a better place for this product since it is much more fluid and harder for people themselves to keep up with. Other than my one concern I believe that this product has come along quite well and I hope it continues to come together.
Summarize at least two main points that you took away from the feedback you received. Also, please describe how you incorporated the feedback into this idea napkin.
 The first take away that I had from my feedback was that my original was well put together and well thought out. So from this point I tried to further think out my product and organize it better so that it is even easier to see where I want to go with my product. Another piece of feedback I got was that the use of day to day updates were a very desirable feature of the product. I have started to think more about how to apply this feature and how to make it more convenient for my product to obtain this information. These two points of feedback primarily made me think more about the product and develop a more well thought out plan for the product. I applied this new plan into the napkin in order to better showcase what this product will be like and how it will help my potential customers. 

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Assignment 17A- Elevator pitch 2

Second pitch Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfYLyR4bpg Reflection on past feedback:
Based on many of the comments on my last pitch one thing that stood out as important was the way I put the viewer in the situation I was describing. It seemed like it made the viewer care more about the product because it wasn't as if I was purely selling them something. One of the comments that surprised me the most was one where they told me that they found the way in which I presented the product to be interesting. This surprised me because  I felt very stiff and uncomfortable while doing the pitch. However, if that is the way people want to see a pitch I can get used to it. There were no comments that I thought were outright unfair or silly. They all seemed to be thought out and truthful comments. The most useful comment was most certainly the one where they told me that putting people into the situation to make them care for the product was intriguing. This is because it helped to give me a clear strategy of what I need to do during my pitches.
What I changed this time:
Based on the previous feedback I tried to keep the strategy of putting the viewer into the situation in order to make them care about the product. I also tried to be a little more animated and lively so that people don't get bored of the pitch. I kept many the things the same from the last pitch because a lot of the feedback I received was what people thought I had done right. There were very few comments on what I did wrong or what could be improved. One thing I tired working on with this pitch was feeling more comfortable and less stiff in order to make the pitch seem more organic and natural.

Assignment 18A- Create a customer avatar

My product is almost exclusively for individuals. The individual I imagine using this product is an individual that is anywhere in the age range of 18 to 30. This is my most likely age range as they are less likely to be looking for a house to live in and more likely to be looking for an apartment. They live in Gainseville, Florida and attend the University of Florida. They currently live in a dorm on the campus and are tired of having to deal with the dorms. They do not have kids or family within the area. Their family lives in Cocoa, Florida and are in the middle class and can afford to pay for the apartment so that the individual can pay for school. They often visit their family in order to get home made meals and do laundry so they don't have to pay to do it. On the few occasions they have free time they enjoy reading and taking naps since they don't sleep much at night. They are constantly doing school work and hardly anything else.
The individual drives a red Nissan Altima to and from their house to campus and back. They enjoy listening to music while in the car at loud volumes. They do this because they tend to get tired while driving. They are constantly frowning and thinking about all the things they still need to accomplish that day. They rarely smile and when they do its because they have finished their work for the day. With their patience quickly running out due to all their work and late nights they are starting to resent their current living situation. They finally make the decision to move into an apartment for a more private setting so they can do their work in peace without any interruptions from their roommate. Now they face the insurmountable task of sifting through a nearly unlimited amount of apartment information in order to find their perfect place to live.
 

What do you have in common with the customer avatar? 
I have a lot in common with my customer avatar. Their mannerisms, their look, and their situation. I do not think that this is a coincidence at all. I believe this is because I believe that solving issues that I have can help many others because I am a very average person. I have talked to many people and a lot of the issues they have in their life I also have. So I came up with a product that would solve an issue I was currently having.

Assignment 16A- What's your secret sauce?

• The five ways in which I am unique:

1. I would say my one the things that makes me unique is my ability to shut out unnecessary emotions in times of stress so that I can keep a cool head. It helps me to make the best possible decision in the moment.
2. Another thing that makes me unique is my ability to create a mood of calm around me. This helps people to feel less stressed and more comfortable interacting with me. I think this is a very important skill of mine as it helps me in many situations. 
3. One of my greatest attributes in my mind is my lack of apprehension to say whats on my mind. This is because I believe that people appreciate it when they are told the truth, even if it may seem harmful or malicious at the time. The truth is something hard to come by when you are dealing with people so I believe being someone who tells the truth is a very important resource.
4. Another thing that makes me unique is my affinity for listening to others. I am constantly someone that people come to talk to because I will listen to them and give them the feedback I believe they need.
5. Another of my attributes that I believe makes me unique is my humor. I have always found that making someone smile or laugh is a great way to become closer to them and diffuse any animosity that they may have. I always strive to make things less tense by cracking a couple of jokes and poking fun at sometimes serious situations just to make people laugh.

• Interviews

All of my interviews were conducted with people who live on my floor and are constantly around me.

1. https://soundcloud.com/user-803243324/assignment-16a-interview-1

This interview showed me that some people see me in ways that I don't see myself. Some people see me as more than what I think of myself and that I can be more than what they already experience. They also seem to think that I am way more confident than what I actually am.
       2.https://soundcloud.com/user-803243324/assignment-16a-interview-2
This interview showed me many of the same things that the others did as well. Many people see me as confident and ready to tackle any challenge that comes my way. In reality I think I am confident but not to the extent that may of the people I interviewed seem to think.
      3.https://soundcloud.com/user-803243324/assignment-16a-interview-3
In this interview I noticed a pattern that I actually find myself agreeing with. This interview showed me that people do notice when I keep a cool head and think things through. I never thought people would notice because of when I have to have a cool head, primarily when they are mostly panicking.
      4.https://soundcloud.com/user-803243324/assignment-16a-interview-4
In this interview what others have been saying has been reinforced. Many people seem to see me as a calm and collected individual that can help others by listening to them and providing them with the information that I believe will help them.
      5.https://soundcloud.com/user-803243324/recording-5
In this interview more of my previous thoughts are supported. Many people seem to think that I am an individual that they can count on and use as support. They also seem to think that I am a very hard worker that does not stop until I reach my goal.

• Reflection:

In general people seem to see me in a much better light than I see myself. Many people find me to be a calm and collected person whom they can talk to and feel comfortable around. While I agree with this part of the way people see me I don't agree with the extent they see it too. I generally feel that I am more subdued and that leads people to assume that I am not as present as most others. What these interviews have showed me is that people do still take notice of me even though I think I have faded into the background.