My Solution

After interviewing people and learning more about the problems associated with recycling, I have discovered that there definitely is an opportunity for a solution. To mitigate the frustrations and lack of motivation when it comes to recycling, I am proposing the creation of an app. This app would help people determine what is and is not recyclable and would offer rewards for every 50-100 items recycled, creating an incentive. The app could also provide basic recycling info such as where the nearest recycling centers are located. I think that people have placed less importance on recycling in modern times, and the system can be overly complicated in certain locations. Something needs to be done to "rebrand" recycling and get people excited to help the earth again.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

For this assignment, I am pursuing the opportunity that most Americans do not recycle as much as they should. I believe that oftentimes, it is a hassle to determine what is recyclable and what isn't, which makes it too tedious to take the time to recycle. In addition, recycling compartments/ rules may be too specific and tedious to follow.

To further delve into this potential opportunity, I am analyzing who, what and why it may exist.

The who: Americans
The what: They are not recycling at full capacity
The why: It can be confusing to determine what can or cannot be recycled, and some recycling methods may be overly complicated

...

After coming up with the basic boundaries of my opportunity, I came up with a hypothesis and questions I could ask people to either verify or disprove my notion.

Hypothesis: I believe that American consumers are not recycling to the best of their abilities.

Testing the who:
Do other people feel that they aren't recycling efficiently?
Do they care about recycling and conservation?

Testing the what:
What turns people off from recycling?
What aspects do they find confusing or complicated?
Is there a physical reason or are they just not motivated?

Testing the why: 
Why do you believe recycling is important?
Why do you think others aren't recycling as much as they should be?
Why do you not recycle?

...

To test my hypothesis, I conducted five interviews.
Interview 1
Interview 2
Interview 3
Interview 4
Interview 5

Looking for Opportunity

In this assignment, I am practicing my opportunity identification skills and applying them to the "big picture". I'll be analyzing two economic trends and two regulatory changes.

Economic Trends


1. The trend towards postponing retirement

a) Where I found this trend:
http://useconomy.about.com/od/criticalssues/a/Top_Five_Economic_Trends.htm
http://useconomy.about.com/od/suppl1/tp/retirement.htm

b) I believe several opportunities exist with people working longer and well into older years. With older employees holding out on retiring, they may face burnout. On the other hand, younger people may suffer from this because the older people are holding onto jobs for longer periods, reducing the number of jobs available for younger groups. This creates more competition.

c) This trend definitely affects both older and younger employees, but both in different ways.

d) I think that this opportunity would be relatively difficult to exploit. Younger people and older people are completely different target markets so you would have to focus on a solution for one group or the other.

e) I believe that an opportunity probably exists in this trend because both young and older age groups are such large markets. Each target market has its own demographics, characteristics and preferences, which allows for a multitude of ways to appeal to each group. I took Consumer Behavior last semester and that class exposed me to the differences between different age groups.


2. The trend of companies hiring more temp or part-time employees than full-time employees

a) Where I found this trend:
http://useconomy.about.com/od/criticalssues/a/Top_Five_Economic_Trends.htm

b) I think that an opportunity might exist in this situation to change how businesses try to cut costs. You could create your own business that places more emphasis on employee satisfaction and provides more opportunity for full-time employment. That being said, it may be difficult to stick to your guns when other companies are more successful with emphasizing part-time employment.

c) This trend may be more positive for companies than for employees because it may be harder for people to find full-time jobs as companies focus on cutting costs through using temporary and freelance workers.

d) I think this opportunity would be pretty hard to exploit because companies are trying to cut costs and employees can't do too much about that.

e) I formed an idea that an opportunity may exist in this situation because I believe that new opportunities are always uncovered with the introduction of change. Since companies are focusing more on part-time and freelance work, there has to be a way to come up with an idea that could benefit job-seekers that may suffer from this trend.

Regulatory Changes


3. Nutritional labeling regulatory changes

a) Where I found this regulation:
http://www.politico.com/agenda/agenda/story/2016/1/obama-regulations-2016
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/03/03/2014-04387/food-labeling-revision-of-the-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels#h-48

b) I believe an opportunity exists here because this regulation may change the way nutrition facts are displayed and change what is actually included on nutrition labels. This will require many food companies to change their packaging to include the updated information. It will also require customers to learn how to read new labels properly.

c) A prototypical customer would be anyone who purchases food and reads nutritional labels.

d) I think that this opportunity may be somewhat easy to exploit. It would be doable to come up with an app that assists customers in reading and understanding the new nutrition labels.

e) I was able to see this opportunity because I am trying to learn more about eating healthy. To do so, you really have to read what's in the food you're buying. A lot of the time foods include unnecessary additives such as corn syrup, and you wouldn't know if you didn't look. A new nutrition label would create more confusion in interpreting nutritional facts, so an app that helps clarify the labels would create an easier transition for consumers.


4. Teacher preparation regulatory changes

a) Where I found this regulation:
http://www.politico.com/agenda/agenda/story/2016/1/obama-regulations-2016
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/12/03/2014-28218/teacher-preparation-issues

b) I believe an opportunity might exist in this situation. This regulation requires a higher quality of teacher preparation programs and threatens to cut off funding from for programs that are unsuccessful. This may make room for the creation of newer, more cost-efficient programs,

c) A prototypical customer may include school systems and teachers.

d) This opportunity would probably be hard to exploit because teaching programs are pretty much already established. It would be hard (and probably costly) to create a completely new teacher prep program and convince people to use the program.

e) I was able to see this regulation as an opportunity because I know how important training is and I think that good education is very important. We need great teachers to inspire our children.

Forming an Opportunity Belief

In this next assignment, I am exploring opportunity conceptualization. Since I was thirteen years old, I have always had issues finding jeans and pants that fit me properly. I could go a whole day shopping for bottoms and would be lucky to come back with one pair that fit well enough. Once I finally found a pair that fit, I would wear the heck out of them until they became too worn, and before I knew it, I would have to start the hunt all over again. Women have so many different body shapes, I can't imagine that I am the only one with this issue. Because I have such a hard time finding bottoms, I tend to steer towards dresses and skirts to avoid the hassle, and I'm sure many other women do the same.

I believe there is a huge opportunity in retail to create clothes for women customized to different body shapes and proportions. Perhaps I am overestimating the actuality of this opportunity existing because it is so relevant to me, but I would say I am around 70% confident that the opportunity exists.

To prove or disprove this belief, I interviewed three different women.

...

So who did I target?

The prototypical customer for this opportunity would be a woman who has difficulty finding clothes to fit them properly. She can be of any age, body shape and size.

The three women I interviewed were all different heights, ages, and sizes, which allowed me to determine if my belief is just specific to a singular body type.

...

The Interviews:

I've attached links to my audio recordings from SoundCloud. The interviews I conducted were fairly short because there are only so many questions you can ask people about their clothes not fitting. People don't usually have long, detailed stories about how their pants don't fit, and for many people, this topic may be a bit touchy. A lot of women have trouble coping with body image and finding clothes that make them feel beautiful, so it was hard for me to come up with questions that would not "cross any lines". For those reasons, I decided to keep the interviews minimal and the information I collected from them was enough to determine if my belief exists. 

1) Interview 1

For my first interview, I was still learning how to use my audio app, so part of the recording is cut off in the beginning. The part that was cut off just involved me giving a background of my belief and asking the prototypical customer if she had any similar experiences and struggles finding pants that fit well.

Going into this interview, I had expectations that this prototypical customer probably experienced similar difficulties. My expectations were met but I was a bit surprised when she said that did not have any specific brands she could rely on to find pants that fit a little bit better.

2) Interview 2

The second interview went a bit more smoothly. I thought that it was very informative when this next prototypical customer mentioned that she started to notice fitting issues after having kids. That totally made sense because oftentimes women gain weight after having kids. That made me think that maybe older women struggle more with this problem than younger women. The interviewee also showed me how she rigged her pants. It turns out she was using a paperclip in addition to the alterations she made!

3) Interview 3

After speaking to the second interviewee, I thought that maybe only women who have already had kids are suffering from this problem. As I interviewed my third prototypical customer, I realized that women of all ages, kids or no kids, had this issue. The third interviewee was younger than the other two and told me that she also had these issues since maturity in her teenage years. I also found it interesting that she was able to find a brand that was a bit more successful and consistent for her, and that the material the brand used was stretchier. It seems like stretchier material would allow for more contouring to different body shapes and curves.

...

What I discovered:

After going back and re-listening to my interviews, I realize that I could've gone into a little more depth with my questions without being too personal and invasive. I was afraid to ask questions that were too personal and I was on a bit of a time crunch, though. Since I was interviewing staff at my dentist's office after an appointment, these ladies did not have a lot of time to sit down and actually go into more details. That being said, the information I did collect from these interviews gave me some great insight.

Based on the responses from my interviewees, it appears that most of my original opportunity is still there. Women still have issues with finding good quality pants and jeans that fit right, regardless of their age or size. This issue could easily be solved by creating some system to produce custom pants with specialized measurements.

After interviewing the second woman, I noticed that there was also another opportunity. Instead of tailoring the pants to fit the women, a solution could be to create an easier way for women to alter the pants they already have.

What I've learned from this exercise is that it is so important for entrepreneurs to listen to their prototypical customers, since these are the people they market to. If the customers have different needs that don't align with the opportunity, I think that it is extremely important to adapt. Customer feedback is so crucial because it is them essentially telling us what their needs are, and as entrepreneurs, our goal is to meet those needs. Adaptation is key. If you choose to ignore customer feedback, you shouldn't be surprised when customers aren't as receptive to your ideas and inventions.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Hello, hello! I'm back again with my next assignment. This task involved identifying local opportunities (hence the blog post title) based on my local newspaper. Local newspapers are an excellent way to get to know the vibes of an area, learn about what's going on, find out the juicy details...

I searched through the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Bradenton Herald for five issues/opportunities. Surprisingly, I had trouble finding articles that actually talked about local problems. Instead, the majority of the articles talked about positive events that recently occurred. Others discussed random topics, not necessarily locally-related. I also noticed that the articles I used for this assignment all seemed to stem back to the structural set-up of the Bradenton/Sarasota area. The area is tourism-based with a wide span of residential areas, a large population mainly consisting of retired elders, and a large number of low-paying jobs, which no doubt causes problems for some locals. I've listed the five articles below.

Opportunity 1:

Poverty numbers paint 'bleak picture' in Manatee
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20160517/ARTICLE/160519682/2055/NEWS?Title=Poverty-numbers-paint-bleak-picture-in-Manatee-


Summary: 

Up to 43% of Manatee county's population is struggling to live off of what they make. The county is home to several low-wage jobs and not as many higher paying jobs. Residents struggling with poverty seldom have the opportunity to advance to a higher paying job due to the sheer fact that there aren't as many of those jobs available. People are struggling to even afford their living arrangements, consequently hurting the housing market. In addition, the vastness of Manatee county makes access to resources difficult for some.


Problem: 

The problem presented in this article is that low-wage jobs are not providing people with enough money to survive off of. Manatee county features many low-wage jobs and residents do not have many opportunities to earn a higher wage because of that. Also, Manatee county contains several pockets of neighborhoods spread out over a vast area, and many people do not even have a grocery store nearby where they live.


Who the problem affects: 

Manatee county residents that have low-wage jobs and facing poverty.



Opportunity 2:

Palmetto Officials Decline to Participate in Manatee County's Noise Ordinance
Bradenton Herald

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CEC90148FDF0E0?p=AWNB


Summary: 

Manatee County's new noise ordinance calls for a steep $250 fine when violated, as well as a potential arrest. Palmetto officials refuse to adhere to the ordinance and will develop their own noise ordinance. This action may be affected by zoning restrictions.


Problem: 

Manatee County's new noise ordinance is rather harsh and strict, which can cause issues when applied to mixed-use environments (ie. residential areas above commercial spaces). In mixed-use environments, there is a conflict between lifestyles. The residential patrons seek a more quiet experience, while the commercial patrons want the noise and crowds.


Who the problem affects: 

Manatee county and Palmetto residents, especially those living above commercial areas.



Opportunity 3:

New Bradenton Planner says Affordable Housing a 'must' within the city
Bradenton Herald

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CE203DF29E86D0?p=AWNB


Summary:

Catherine Hartley is Bradenton's new Planning and Community Director and is aware that affordable housing is hard to come across in Manatee County. Bradenton does not necessarily have the fiscal capacity to create more residential areas but has potential to fill vacancies in already-standing locations.


Problem:

Affordable housing in Bradenton is hard to find at the moment.


Who the problem affects:

Locals struggling to afford housing and people seeking to move to Bradenton.



Opportunity 4:

Sunshine State can't shake the No. 1 foreclosure spot
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20160516/NEWS/160519736/2107/BUSINESS?Title=Sunshine-State-can-t-shake-the-No-1-foreclosure-spot


Summary:

Florida still is ranked number one in foreclosures despite the fact that the number was down by 37% percent from the previous year. Although Florida's foreclosure inventory and serious delinquency rates are lower, they are still well above the national average.

Problem:

Foreclosures are still extremely prevalent in Florida which may indicate local economic instabilities.The large number of foreclosures  indicates that there is an issue with Florida's economy in that people are having trouble finding jobs and supporting themselves financially.

Who the problem affects:

Foreclosures affect those who cannot afford to pay off their debts.



Opportunity 5:

Creating the livable communities all of us, young and old, want
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CD8E03A0DFAE10?p=AWNB


Summary:

AARP has released a ratings list in which locations are ranked on "livibility". Sarasota County was ranked 53 and could attribute its low ranking due to the lack of diversity and acceptance of diversity in its population. Sarasota is known for its older population and if the county focuses mainly on solely meeting their needs, its ranking could slide even lower.


Problem:

Sarasota County is home to a wide range of people from young kids to millennials to the elderly and retired. The county saw low ratings when it came to diversity because the groups are so segregated based on needs and accommodations. The elderly population receives more attention and has more needs met than other age groups.


Who the problem affects:

This issue really affects all of the population of Sarasota County. In order to raise the county's ranking, something's got to give. County officials will have to come up with a plan to balance out everyone's needs collectively. This might mean that the elderly may have to compromise to satisfy the younger population and vice versa.

Bug List

Hello everyone! My next assignment required me to write a list of 20 "bugs", or unmet needs. I have to say, this task was NOT as easy as I expected. I thought I would be able to blow through this assignment because heck, I can be quite the complainer sometimes and complaints indicate unmet needs! Boy was I wrong. I guess I should probably be relieved that this was a challenge though...

So, I started collecting my "bugs" on Wednesday and would jot down things that were minor annoyances as I went through my day. What I've learned from this assignment is that a lot of my "bugs" already had existing solutions. I'm not sure if other people noticed that in this assignment too. Come Thursday, I hit lucky number 10 on my list and my ideas began slowing down. The last ten were a bit of a stretch. I tried asking my parents what annoys them, and they found it difficult to come up with a list on the spot as well. On Friday, I was able to come up with "bugs" much more easily. In fact, I was able to think of more than were required for this assignment.

I've realized, when going through the motions of life, we often notice things that annoy us in passing, consciously or subconsciously. The difference between entrepreneurs and others is that they pay full attention to these little annoyances and look for a deeper explanation of them. What I've also noticed during this exercise is that some "bugs" would seem to have easier, more practical solutions than others. I suppose that is a common problem entrepreneurs face when deciding which idea to more forward with. 

...

As you go through my list below, I am including a "why" portion for each "bug". I couldn't help but think of this Vine as I wrote this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sluHwh3hJhI. 

For maximum enjoyment, I would suggest watching the 4 second clip before reading my list and then reading the word "why" in that voice as you make your way through all of my "bugs"! 

...

Bug List:

1. It is dangerous and frustrating to try to change a song on your device when you are using an AUX cord in your car because your car doesn't have Bluetooth.

Why?  

This bug exists if your car does not have Bluetooth. If your car does not have Bluetooth, you'll need an AUX cord to play music. Because the AUX cord is manually connected to both the car and the phone, you have to manually change the song on your phone. This can cause a distraction while you're driving, putting yourself and others on the road at risk.

2. I have a hard time finding jeans and pants that fit right. They're usually too big around the waist and too tight everywhere else.

Why? 

I suppose that clothing designers typically have a set of body types that they tailor their clothes to. Not all women are proportional. Some women have skinny waists and larger thighs. Others have larger hips and thinner thighs. Unfortunately it's a bit easier to find pants that fit right if your waist is larger than if your waist is smaller and everything else is bigger. I have a slim waist but muscular thighs (shout out to dance), and I have the most difficult time finding bottoms that fit. Either they fit around the thighs and butt but are giant around the waist or they fit around the waist and are too tight everywhere else.

3. Carrying around a water bottle while running is chunky and gets in the way of the workout.

Why? 

When you go for a run, it is important to stay hydrated. It makes sense to bring a water bottle with you, but water bottles are bulky therefore annoying to carry. They typically don't fit in fanny packs because they're too large, and running with them in a backpack is uncomfortable because the bottle hits you.

4. When watching TV, often the commercials will be so much louder than the actual TV shows.

Why? 

The TV commercials are louder than the TV shows to grasp the audience's attention and so that they can still be heard even if the person watching TV leaves the room. For me, I personally find the drastic change in volume between show and commercial to be jarring, especially at night when I am trying to watch TV quietly. 

5. When I go for a run and use my Apple headphones that come with the iPhone, they usually fall out of my ears.

Why? 

The Apple headphones fall out of  my ears because they don't fit inside properly. They also get sweaty throughout a workout and thus slide out more easily and frequently. 

6. AUX cord won't fit through my phone case.

Why? 

My nice, high-quality AUX cord won't fit through my phone case because the plastic ridge around the rim is too wide and the plastic hole for the insertion in the case is not large enough. I'm guessing that phone case companies make the holes just large enough so that the basic Apple headphones will fit in.

7. My keys always fall to the bottom of my purse and are hard to find.

Why? 

I have a bunch of keys attached to my key chain and my car keys are bulky. The weight of the keys causes the key chain to sink to the bottom. I have trouble finding my keys at the bottom of my purse when I have a lot of other things in it.

8. I live in a golf course country club and when the lawn crews all come to cut the grass, there is so much noise pollution.

Why? 

There is a lot of noise pollution because there is a lot of grass acreage for the lawn crews to cover. They use large riding mowers, blowers and edgers. All of these tools emit loud sounds. When the loud sounds go on for a long time due to the large acreage, it gets really annoying and I get headaches. 

9. I can't take my computer to places without easily accessible outlets for an extended amount of time because I'll need to plug in my Asus laptop.

Why? 

My laptop is approaching its fourth year of age now. The battery typically lasts about two hours unplugged. If I am going somewhere with my laptop, I typically plan on using it for extended amounts of time. If there is not an outlet that is easily accessible, I cannot use my laptop as I want because it will die and I won't be able to plug it in.

10. The rush hour traffic on I75 from Venice to Bradenton is really slow.

Why? 

There is a ton of construction on I75. The Venice-Sarasota-Bradenton area has a very large population and people also commute to, from, and through the area.

11. The construction on I75 is still incomplete and the road is more torn up than ever.

Why? 

I wish I knew why the construction was taking so long... I75 roads are pretty horrible to drive on because of the construction and all of the cones. Add in thousands of tourists, locals commuting, and the elderly and that drive becomes quite the headache.

12. I get pretty bad sinus headaches but do not like to take all of these medicines for it because they make my stomach feel weird. 

Why? 

I'm not exactly sure why my sinus headaches are persistent, but I imagine it has something to do with undiagnosed allergies. I don't like taking pills for allergy relief because they either do nothing, are not long-lasting or are too strong and make me sick. 

13. Smaller food packaging with smaller portion sizes.

Why? 

Companies are trying to cut product portions and packaging sizes to cut costs while keeping the price the same. This causes the consumer to lose out because they don't get as much "bang for their buck".

14. People who don't use their directionals while driving.

Why? 

I also wish I knew why people don't use their directionals for turning or switching lanes... In Florida, it is very common for people to just cut across all lanes with absolutely no warning. I have no idea why! It's not that difficult to turn the directional on! Prevent an accident by letting everyone else on the road know that you're switching lanes. Rant over. 

15. People who don't realize that they are driving with their brights on at night.

Why? 

It's a bit easier to accidentally leave your brights on and not notice because you don't see the lights head on. Driving with your brights on when unnecessary can blind other drives and create a dangerous driving situation. 

16. My cat's white fur gets on everything! I can't wear black clothes around him.

Why? 

My cat sheds a ton, even after we brush him. His fur gets everywhere and once its on your clothes, it's pretty hard to get off. 

17. When I microwave my bowls and plates for a certain amount of time, they're too hot to take out.

Why? 

I'm assuming this has something to do with the material the bowls and plates are made out of, as well as what you are heating up. 

18. Because some parking spots are tight and not accommodating to larger cars, when the car doors are opened, they can leave dents on neighboring cars.

Why? 

Because the parking spots are tight and cars may be large, this leaves little room for passengers to get out of their cars with plenty of space. Sometimes you don't realize how close you are to the car next to you and you ding the other car while opening your door. 

19. When you can't tell how hot your coffee is.

Why? 

When I make coffee, I usually let it sit so it can cool down. When it stops steaming, I assume it's cool enough to drink and oftentimes I end up burning my tongue. On the other hand, sometimes I let my coffee sit too long and then it's cold to drink.

20. When Word grammar and spell-check gives you incorrect corrections. 

Why? 

I imagine that the Word spell-check function has some bugs and was programmed to address certain mistakes. When you are writing an essay and use grammar and spell-check to check it one last time, the program can offer incorrect solutions to grammar problems that don't exist. Also I find it very annoying when the little squiggly lines appear under words that are correct.

Thanks for reading!

My Entrepreneurship Story

For my first ENT3003 assignment, I am writing about my previous exposure to entrepreneurship. As much as I wish I had an extravagant story to share with you all, (you guessed it!) my interest in entrepreneurship really peaked after I discovered the television show, Shark Tank.

Before I discovered Shark Tank, I had been exposed to entrepreneurship as an intern for a local start-up based in the Innovation Hub. As a data science intern, my main role was to collect demographic information and to determine the potential target market. At the time, I was naive and knew little about entrepreneurship, so I didn't quite understand the importance of my role and how difficult it is to be an entrepreneur. 

...

The start-up was run by two partners who largely relied on interns to help accomplish tasks. Unfortunately, having college students as unpaid interns is difficult because oftentimes schoolwork and extracurricular activities take precedence. In the beginning of the internship, a group of ten or so interns would have bi-weekly meetings with the partners to discuss tasks and progress. In addition, some of the interns would come into the hub multiple times a week to do work. By the end of semester, only two of us remained and one of the partners pulled out of the venture. Shortly after, the start-up folded. This experience made me realize how volatile the environment is for entrepreneurs. So many factors play a role in the success of a start-up, ranging from forming a functional idea, to collecting resources to set the idea in motion, to even managing partner relationships. Looking back at my experience now, I realize the difficulty of coming up with an idea and turning it into a successful business.

...

Although I gained great exposure to entrepreneurship, my start-up internship experience wasn't the main spark that lit my interest in entrepreneurship. 

...

It all began when I went home for a weekend during my sophomore year. My parents had Shark Tank on while they were cooking dinner and curiosity led me to give the show a chance. Within less than 5 minutes of watching it, I was hooked. It amazed me how all of these seemingly ordinary people were able to come up with such creative ideas and put these ideas to action. I have always been a creative and imaginative person. When I was a child, I had a little pink journal full of "inventions", which included an underwater scuba-diving backpack that released balloons to raise you to the surface and some ground-breaking skin tone matching band-aids! Although my ideas weren't always practical, I loved and still do love coming up with fun ideas and solutions to problems. Watching Shark Tank really proved to me that ideas are more than just intangible thoughts and can actually be transformed into reality. Shark Tank serves as an inspiration for me, and only after watching several episodes did the importance of my start-up experience really click in my head.

...

In this past year, I have taken advantage of many opportunities to expose myself to local entrepreneurship. My involvement with the Florida Business Leadership Society has given me so much insight. We have weekly speakers come in to talk to our members about various topics, and this past year we have had several local entrepreneurs speak to us about their journeys and the struggles they have faced along the way. Some of these speakers included Collin Austin from NS4L,  Ethan Feldman from Study Edge and Matt Hintze from TutoringZone. Outside of FBLS, I also recently attended the Women's Entrepreneurship Symposium at UF where I had the opportunity to listen to successful women entrepreneurs, including Kim Kaupe and Kathy Fields, speak. I found it so eye-opening and motivational to listen to these successful entrepreneurs talk about their history and found that despite obvious differences between them, they all had some commonalities. They all mentioned how being an entrepreneur was one of the hardest things they've ever done. That being said, they all mentioned how happy they are that they persevered with their ideas and followed their passions. The end certainly justified the means!

...

Recently, I decided to pursue the entrepreneurship minor, hence why I am taking this course. I feel like the minor offers a selection of classes that teach pertinent skills important in any profession, entrepreneurial or not. I am really looking forward to this class because I want to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur. The notion of creating your own business fascinates me and one day I hope to create my own start-up. I am a creative person and would love bring my ideas to life. It would be amazing to develop an idea that benefits many people.  Also, I really want to be pushed out of my comfort zone. I am a firm believer that you cannot improve if you do not challenge yourself. Overall, I am eager for an exciting summer with this course and can't wait to learn more about entrepreneurship!

...

Thanks for reading my entrepreneurship story! 

Test Post

Hey everyone, Carolyn here! I'm currently writing my first blog post EVER! That being said, I'm just starting to learn the ropes of blogging so please bear with me. This first post is just a tester. :)