14 A- Halfway Reflection

1) In order to keep up with the requirements of this course, I have made sure to schedule time each week to work on the assignments. I have also spent time studying the course material with my peers to make sure I am up to date on what has been covered in class.

2) There have been moments when I was having trouble balancing the workload between this course and my other courses. In order to keep myself motivated and on track, I had to remember why I wanted to study at UF and how I got here in the first place. I remembered that I got here by staying focused in school and balancing my time well. I remembered that I had to find a reason to be motivated and to hold myself to the same standard I had in the past.

3) I'd recommend to other students that they imagine what they want to do with their future and then ask themselves if their current behavior is reflective of what someone in their dream job would show. I'd recommend that they plan out time each week for theses assignment and course material and also to consult other students in the class if they find any of the material to be confusing. I'd also recommend that the student evaluate their effort consistently so that they don't develop bad habits or become complacent.

13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

Steve Jobs- Walter Isaacson

1)

I was most surprised by Jobs' decision to attend a less prestigious university instead of attending Berkeley or other recognized schools. I admired his tenacity and ability to take what he learned from his previous jobs and apply it to his Mac computer. I least admired Jobs' addiction to LSD. I think that having an addiction or a part of your life that you cannot control is unhealthy and can get in the way of your goals. Jobs' ability to come back to Apple after having been kicked out and improve it to a better state than while he was gone shows Jobs' ability to overcome adversity.

2)

Jobs was skilled in developing technology and learning how to apply his skills developed from other work to his Mac computer. He was successful in identifying who would benefit his work and bringing them with him. He was also good at designing and appreciating simplicity that is elegant. This is what helped make the Mac so popular. 

3)

I was confused by Jobs ability to work with other team members despite his RDF. I wondered how someone so delusional could relate to and motivate his employees. 

4)

I would ask Steve Jobs when he realized it was time to leave his current jobs and start Apple. To me, that seems like a risk that must take a lot of thought to make. I would also ask him how he was able to work with his employees despite his RDF and narcissistic attitude.

5) 

I don't think that Jobs was concerned with how hard people were working. I think he expected results and if they were not met, then that meant more work was required. 

12-A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Segment: I decided to pick students who own scooters on Fraternity Drive in Gainesville, FL.

When the need is present: After conducting the interviews, I found that the need came up at random, unexpected times. Students can't always predict when their scooter will need repair. They often realize that they need a repair when they try to start it on their way to class or when a tire goes flat on their drive to the library. These issues happen wherever the scooter is parked or wherever the scooter is being driven.

Information search: When my potential customers experience this issue, they first try to find a way to drive the scooter despite the issue. They then go online or ask their friends which repair shop is best. They ask the repair shops how long they'll be without their scooter and often pick the ones with the shortest repair time.

Summary: I found that the people who I interviewed cannot predict when their scooter will fail and that they also value the amount of time it takes to get the repair done.

Conclusions: I found that in order to meet these customers needs, I would need to be very efficient and quick to repair their scooters. I would need to be able to repair them before a competitor could.
These customers use word of mouth to find solutions and I would need to have a good reputation in order to have their business.

11A- Idea Napkin No. 1

You- I think that my past experience in founding a lawn service business has prepared me to start this scooter repair business. I am an organized person who is skilled in recognizing problems and finding effective solutions to them. I think I also work well with customers and can balance their wants and needs with the needs of the business. My aspiration would be to have the greatest market share and highest customer service. With that accomplished, the profits are more likely to increase.

What are you offering to customers?
I am offering a convenient scooter repair service that will allow customers to use their scooters up until the moment they are repaired. This will prevent them from being without transportation for extended periods of time. By repairing scooters on site, I will be the most convenient option.

Who are you offering it to?
I'm offering this service to UF students who own scooters and need a repair. All of my customers value convenience and time.

Why do they care?
They care because as students, they need to transport themselves to classes, work, meetings, etc. If their scooters spend days or weeks in the repair shop, they are without their normal mode of transportation and have to find other ways to get around.

What are your core competencies?
The fact that students can have their repair done without having to worry about dropping off or picking up their scooters is what sets me apart. Student won't be without their transportation for long and won't worry about when they'll get it back.

Summary:
I think that all of my components fit together well. The service matches the fast paced life that many students have and many of the customers want the service for the same reason. I believe that I understand the customers well enough to provide this service and that the desire for this service is strong enough to have a company run off of it.

10A- Elevator Pitch No. 1

https://youtu.be/Bu8X5gybTkQ

9A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

WHO: Many students were in favor of a mobile scooter repair service. They mentioned how inconvenient it was to bring the scooter in themselves and that they would appreciate it if they didn't have to do that. The students who I spoke to said that the only reason they wouldn't mind taking their scooter in themselves was in a situation where they weren't as pressed on time.
WHAT: The main reason that students have a problem with bringing their scooters in themselves is that it is time consuming. The act is not necessarily difficult or tiring, but it can be time consuming. Waiting for you scooter to return is also an issue. Repairs where the scooter is makes the process more simple for the customer. The people who may lie outside the boundary may find the need to be transportation though, but this was not usually the case.
WHY: For those inside the boundary, this issue is important because it saves them time in transportation and with the availability of their scooter. Those outside the boundary may simply find transporting their scooter to the repair store a hassle.

INSIDE THE BOUNDARY	OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARY
Who: Those who find the time without their scooter to be inconvenient	Who: Those who find the transportation process of their scooter to be a hassle
What: Students are without their scooter for days or weeks when it goes in for repair	What: Transportation may take energy that the customer does not want to exert
Why: Students have classes multiple days a week and other reasons for needing transportation. They have to find alternatives when their scooter is being repaired.	Why: Repair shops may be further away than the customer is willing to travel. The customer may rather the repair come to them.

8A- Solving the Problem

There is an opportunity to provide students in Gainesville with a scooter repair service that doesn’t hassle its customers when it comes to getting the scooter to the repair shop. Finding a way to transport the scooter to and from repair can be inconvenient for students and the current providers of this transportation are not as efficient as they could be. This could be solved by providing the majority of small repairs on-site, where the scooter is parked. This eliminates the need for transportation and can shorten the amount of time a student is without their scooter. Ideally, a repair man would fill up a van full of the necessary tools and parts and the customer could call the repair shop, describe the problem to the repair man, and they could bring the necessary tools or products to do the job. This would allow the scooter to stay where it is or be used until the time of the repair; rather than sitting in a shop for days or weeks.

7A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Students are inconvenienced when they have minor scooter issues because they are required to have their scooter transported to a repair shop.

The who: students whose scooters require repair

The what: the need to transport the scooter to the repair shop increases the repair time

The why: because finding a time to use your own truck or the repair company’s truck to transport the scooter is difficult

Testing the who:

-After interviewing 5 fellow students, both the students and I concluded that students who own scooters are the only market in Gainesville. I am unaware of many staff members or local adults in the Gainesville area who own scooters.

Testing the what:

-After my interviews, I found that most students had trouble with getting their student to repair. Not many students have trucks that they can use themselves to transport the scooter, and the repair companies do not have many available time slots for pickup. This makes it so that you may need to schedule pickup many days after you experience issues, which would mean you need to find other transportation for a longer period of time. Some of the larger repairs may not be able to be done where the scooter is parked, but small ones such as a battery replacement or replacing a tire could be.

Testing the why:

-This difficulty in transporting the scooter to repair is usually because the student cannot do it themselves and they rely on repair companies to pick them up. There is not much availability for pickup, so this makes scheduling difficult. If the company could perform some repairs on the spot of where the scooter is parked or offer more options for transporting the scooter, this problem could be solved for some people.

Summary:

I learned that many students have the same problem I do when it comes to scooter repair. They also find the process inconvenient. Much of the information I received from the interviews I already assumed was true. The only new information I received was that there may be current providers of the service I already listed above.