14A - Halfway Reflection

1) The behaviors I have used to keep up with the requirements for this course are: setting up a schedule for this course, review others' work, communicating my ideas to other people and analyzing their responses. Planning out times for you to focus on this course will guide you in making sure you get assignments completed and you are able to correctly answer the weekly cupcakes. Being able to seek out unfulfilled needs and explaining how you would solve these problems is another skill used in the class. And lastly, being able to not only review your own work, but those of your group members as well, so that you are able to learn different methods and add them to your own work to improve your ideas.

2) I believe I have developed a more tenacious attitude in the past two months. As a new student to UF, juggling coursework has felt a bit overwhelming at times; one week in particular was when we were assigned three assignments for this class and I had an exam I was reviewing for in another class due the night before those assignments were due. But through time-management, I was able to dedicate time to each course and divide my workload into days.

3) Tips for next semester's students:

• Follow along with the class lectures every week, as the content provided is critical when completing those assignments associated with the lectures, as well as the cupcakes. Playing catch-up is harder than it sounds. 
• Plan and write out a schedule for yourself for this class, and other classes as well. This should help you develop your time management skills and so that you can make a habit out of the times you do school work and get the most out of your time. It is best to divide your workload up into sections, rather than do everything all at once and you prevent last-minute submissions. 
• Make sure to read directions carefully and follow along with the course syllabus if you have any doubts. This will clarify any hiccups you may have with assignments or cupcakes, and allow you to trust in yourself and work confidently so that you may execute effectively. 

12A - Figuring out buyer behavior no. 1

Segment: The segment I chose for this assignment is UF students who participate in the intramural co-rec season of soccer.

Interview & Summary: For my interviews, I conducted them at Southwest Rec's soccer fields once players were done with their games throughout the week as there a lot of games scheduled weekly, and this gave me an advantage in finding suitable interviewees. I actually found a lot more people than I required so I will sum up their collective answers. For the most part, people's needs become most salient when they want to play soccer but they can't. An example which was popular among the interviewees was when their intramural games get canceled due to inclement weather. Another factor that exposes their need to play is when they get home from school and have free time on their hands, since games can be planned out, are not that expensive per person, and are something fun to do during the day. I found that days that best suit the need are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. My explanation for this is that a lot of these people watch soccer whenever they can and a lot of games are played on these days; the Champions league is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which is the second most viewed international soccer tournament after the world cup, and the popular clubs also play their league games on the weekends. Therefore, soccer fans watch these games and feel inspired to go and play soccer as well. Thursdays and Fridays were seen as the more popular days of going out at night so they do no fit soccer into those days. When the interviewees were asked if they googled indoor soccer in Gainesville, nothing popped up on the search results and the nearest facilities were in Orlando, an hour and 30 minutes away. Most have indeed expressed their disappointment to their friends - friends that they used to play indoor soccer with - about there not being a place to play indoor soccer here.

Conclusion: Based on the information gathered from this segment, I can conclude that there is definitely a desire/ need for indoor soccer among those in the intramural co-rec community. People have searched for an answer to their need, but there simply is no current method of fulfilling that need locally. Most, if not all of the interviewees had excellent need awareness, I did not have to try to convince them that indoor soccer was a need they did not know they were missing. In fact, they expressed their frustration to me during our conversations and this conveys how this segment was a good selection for this assignment.

11C Idea Napkin

1) You: I am a 19 year old student at UF from Miami living in Gainesville. This is my first semester as a Gator majoring in general business online. I was born in Venezuela, and my upbringing was multicultural, considering my household is Latino and my surrounding culture is American. I am a fan of movies, superheroes, and sports including: football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and swimming, but soccer is the one I am most passionate for. My talents and skills are working and communicating with other people, my proficiency in social sciences and writing, and my determination and eagerness for expanding my knowledge on subjects that interest me. My aspirations are to become a business professional and to work for a private company back home in Miami. Additionally, I would love to be involved in the sports world, whether it be to work for a baseball, or football franchise, or even a soccer club. This business idea is something that I would be passionate about since it focuses on my love for soccer and I would be helping the local community connect with one another while we enjoy the sport. If I were to start this business, I would probably be working full-time for another company at first, so I would most likely be delegating a lot of work to a partner or subordinate, but as time goes by, I could even see myself putting all my time and effort into my business.

2) What are you offering to customers? The service I am providing to customers is the rental of an indoor soccer field at my facilities. I am solving the lack thereof indoor soccer fields in Gainesville, FL and fulfilling the need of indoor soccer enthusiasts and players by providing them with the means of playing.

3) Who are you offering it to? I am offering my services to people who like playing indoor soccer, but anyone is welcome to come play. My prototypical customer is one who likes the sport and likes playing this form of soccer and preferably has some experience playing in indoor locations so they know what to expect.

4) Why do they care? Customers care about my service because with my business concept active, I will become the sole provider of indoor soccer fields in the city and control the supply of them. Customers will finally be able to experience the game in Gainesville and this will allow them to schedule games for: corporation events, birthday parties, blowing off steam, or just for entertainment. They will also care about this opportunity because it also fulfills the need of something to do during the day, since Gainesville is stronger suited for nightlife activity.

5) What are your core competencies? My core competencies would be in finding my prototypical customers and having good communication with them. Despite soccer being its own language, connecting people all over the world together, I believe my ability to speak two languages will help me connect with a broader target group and bring more customers in to my business. Additionally, my connections with the university will aid me in advertising my business to those I have found to be most available and willing to use my services.

I believe that these five elements fit together well, and would prove to be a successful business concept. Additionally, I would point out that the who element is a bit open-ended because at the end of the day, just about anyone can come play recreationally if they wanted to.

Testing the hypothesis part 2

Opportunity: Indoor soccer facility in Gainesville, FL

Who: Although they share similarities with those within my boundary, those who fall out of it for this need would be people who also actively play sports, but do not play soccer and people who play soccer but do not play indoor soccer or do not like it.
What: The need differs when a person does not like indoor soccer or would prefer futsal or outdoor soccer instead.
Why: Yes, those who are inside the boundary are hoping to play indoor soccer if the opportunity arises, while those who are outside would be indifferent to the opportunity.

Interview #1: My first interview was with a pre-med student I met on campus. He said that he doesn't have the need because he spends too much time with his academics or volunteering at the hospital. This person would prioritize his other needs instead of the one I have identified.

Interview #2: My second interview was with a mechanical engineer I met playing intramural soccer at Southwest rec. He told me that he doesn't share my need because he is already fulfilling a broader need of playing soccer by participating in the school's league. This person substitutes my need with a more general soccer need.

Interview #3: My third interview was with a biology major I met in my community. She said that she doesn't have this need because she doesn't play soccer at all. Instead, she plays volleyball. Therefore, this person substitutes my need with a preferred one - her sport.

Interview #4: My fourth interview was with a criminology major I met in a class. She told me that she doesn't have this need because she doesn't care much for soccer anymore. She used to play when she was younger, but would now rather spend her free time working out at the gym or watching Netflix. This person is not interested in my need at all.

Interview #5: My fifth interview was with a public relations major I met while playing intramural soccer at Southwest rec. She said to me that she doesn't have the need because she feels she is satisfied with playing in the co-rec league. This person, like the second interviewee, is substituting my need with a more general soccer need.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is in? People who like to play soccer and are fans of playing indoor soccer as well.	Who is not? People who like playing soccer but do not care much for indoor soccer, people who play other sports, people who don’t like soccer in general.
What the need is? The lack of indoor soccer options in Gainesville, FL.	What the need is not? The need differs when the person would rather play some other form of soccer or sport.
Why the need exists? The need exists because there are no indoor soccer facilities in the city instead, there are options for 11v11, 8v8, and even futsal.	Alternative explanations? Some people would rather play other sports, are preoccupied with other matters to be focusing on soccer, have multiple jobs and/or work a lot of hours per week, do not play at all.

8A - Solving the Problem

The opportunity I selected is the lack of an indoor soccer facility in the city of Gainesville. This is an opportunity with major potential and I also believe will be successful given the strong soccer community present on campus and the city in general. In my opinion, it is the most fun type of soccer to play as well.

One solution towards this issue is to rent out a location - a warehouse would be most adequate - and then comes the process of remodeling the inside to suit the specifications of an indoor soccer facility. This includes netting, boards, turf, etc. I believe that a soccer facility should have a minimum of two 5v5 fields, but if the possibility exists, including a third field would maximize service and profit. Given my experience with indoor soccer facilities, I believe that an owner should charge no more than $100 for the rental of one field per hour. Additionally, playing-wise, I believe that 90 minutes is the optimum amount of time for playing in a 5v5 field because players usually take a grace period beforehand to stretch and warm-up. One is also able to take water breaks and feel less pressured by time to select teams. Specific pricing for a 90-minute rental would depend on the leasing of the warehouses and other expenses but I'd say $140 is fair. To raise awareness for my business, I would create an account on social media platforms: Instagram and Facebook. Additionally, I would distribute flyers with deals for the grand opening around the Santa Fe and UF campuses and in various social hubs of the city.

My other solution towards the issue if a warehouse or existing location does not exist, is to build it from the ground up. The idea is to build a standard-sized building that would support two or three 5v5 fields and this would be built more towards my design and preferences since it is a brand new construction. I would hope to find an area of land for sale that is fairly centralized in the city so it is ideally, equally as close no matter where you live. If not, I would find a location closer towards midtown and downtown because these are the areas with the most activity both in the day and night. In a perfect world, I would give the same prices for services as I did in the previous solution but that depends on the expenses taken on in this scenario. My marketing strategy would be the same as the one above.

7A - Testing the hypothesis pt. 1

1. The opportunity I'd like to pursue is the start-up of indoor soccer fields in Gainesville, Florida. The lack of indoor fields is unacceptable considering the large soccer community present not only in the university but in the city as well. There needs to be a method of playing when there are poor weather conditions or even just to serve the purpose of playing at night since local pitches have terrible lighting if any.
The who: Residents in Gainesville of all age groups that enjoy and play soccer.
The what: There are no indoor soccer fields in the city.
The why: This is due to there being solely open fields in the city and little spaces available for establishing indoor soccer fields.

Testing the who: Not everyone in my 'who' would have this need. People have different preferences regarding where they play and what type of games they play.
Testing the what: The boundaries of this need are that many people are satisfied with the resources offered to play soccer.
Testing the why: This could be that the rent for a warehouse is expensive in Gainesville or there simply aren't spaces that would suit the conditions required for indoor soccer.

Interview 1: My first interview was with an intramural teammate. He said that intramural is great but it is only one day out of the week. As a soccer player growing up, he would have two or up to three games per week in his season. To him, having indoor soccer available would mean being able to spontaneously set up games whenever he has the feeling of playing, day or night.

Interview 2: My second interview was with my friend's girlfriend. She told me that she would use indoor soccer as a place to practice her skills more effectively than anywhere else. Due to the nature of the field dimensions being a lot smaller and the style of play more close quarters, one must be more precise with their passes and dribbling. This, in turn, grants players an environment with an even greater margin of error and thus become better.

Interview 3: My third interview was with a Sunday league player. He was older than the previous two interviewees. He tells me that he plays soccer really only on the weekends and that is with his Sunday league team. In his case, he would like to have the option of indoor soccer available for him and his friends when the league is out of season or a game is canceled to bad weather, but his longing for indoor soccer wasn't to par with the other two interviewees.

Interview 4: My fourth interview was with my classmate who happens to be Spanish. He would tell me that back in his home, he would play a lot of indoor soccer after school, whether it be with his friends or play pick-up games. It was a routine habit of his and he expressed that he misses it here in Gainesville. If the option was available, he would take advantage of it.

Interview 5: My final interview was with my neighbor. He told me that Gainesville needs an indoor soccer place for its residents. He said it is his favorite form of soccer (as opposed to a real field or futsal) and wishes that there was one available. He also mentioned that Gainesville lacks a lot of recreational activities in the daytime despite a large focus on the nightlife. It would be another thing available for its residents.

Summary: After concluding my interviews, I realized that overall, there is a strong feeling of approval and longing for an indoor soccer place. There is some apathy towards the idea, and I see that it comes from older people, which would make sense because they are focused on other matters but there is approval nonetheless towards bringing indoor soccer to Gainesville. I would probably alter my 'who' to make the prototypical customer closer to my age group and children, who have more free time on their hands. 

6A - Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

• Economic Trend
• I found this trend through Forbes magazine online https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2020/02/06/an-ipo-of-spacexs-starlink-business-would-let-investors-bet-on-elon-musk-disrupting-another-industry/#22ca716b7b78
• I believe that there is an opportunity because as mentioned in the article, Elon Musk's Starlink internet satellite business is looking to go public in the stock market in the near future. The company - SpaceX - is growing rapidly, competing with the preexisting space industries at a cheaper cost. 
• The prototypical customer will be investors hoping to own a piece of Musk's company to make a profit.
• The opportunity, once it presents itself, should not be difficult to exploit not accounting for the IPO price. Investors will be able to purchase shares through whatever investing platform they use after the company's gone public.
• I saw this opportunity because of my interest in the topic of space exploration, and the rapid growth of the industry and development of new technology has set major business potential in the near future.
• Economic Trend
• I found this trend through the New York Times online https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/business/china-trade-tariffs-coronavirus.html
• I believe that an opportunity exists because the mutual agreement of China and the U.S. to reduce tariffs on each side would mean that U.S. companies are able to import more goods for resale here and also, the U.S. would be allowed to export more goods to China. Tariffs limit the number of imports allowed in a country, which ultimately makes those goods more expensive for the consumer. 
• The prototypical customers, in this case, are both U.S. and Chinese corporations trading with one another, since they can take advantage of the lower costs of commerce.
• The opportunity, which kicks in Feb. 14, should not be difficult to exploit and would be more than encouraged due to the fall in prices for imports. 
• I saw this opportunity because of my other class, principles of management. We recently covered imports and tariffs and other content of a similar nature. 
• Regulation Trend
• I found this trend through the New York Times online https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/health/vaping-flavors-disposable.html
• I believe that an opportunity exists given the nature of the ban, which states that flavored refillable vaping products are banned, not all flavored vaping products. Since not all flavors products are banned, companies can keep producing these one-use products and consumers can keep on buying them without any hassle. 
• The prototypical customers are the wholesalers, retail stores, and consumers of vaping products.
• The opportunity is not difficult to exploit because as seen in the article, the only current regulation on flavored vaping products is that they must be one-use. 
• I saw this opportunity because of the way these vape products rose to fame in what seems to be overnight not too long ago. A lot of people in my age group consume these products which just so happens to be the industry's target audience. 
• Regulation trend
• I found this trend through the New York Times online https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/business/economy/volcker-rule-banks-venture-capital.html?searchResultPosition=6
• I believe that an opportunity exists because the deregulation of banking institutions regarding venture capital would assist more businesses in those beginning stages. 
• The prototypical customers would be entrepreneurs seeking investments in their ideas and their projects. 
• The opportunity exists but those featured possess high risk, but even higher growth potential. 
• I saw this opportunity because it tied into the content we've discussed in class.