23A - Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

• Consulting experience - Not everyone has business consulting experience by the age of 21. I think that this is something very unique that is hard to replicate by the average entrepreneur. Consulting allowed me to study and analyze different kinds of businesses which allows me to be adaptable to different situations.
• Open-mindedness - Not everything is always going to go my way. My open-mindedness is definitely one of my favorite qualities. I always listen to all sides of a situation before making a decision. This is especially useful whenever making a decision at a new venture.
• Patience - I have extreme patience. New entrepreneurial ventures are almost never an overnight success so they demand a lot of patience. Many entrepreneurs are too rushed and impatient which causes them to leave the business before the success comes in.
• Tenacity - Once I start something, it's very difficult for me to stop. I will stop at nothing until it is completed. This is great for starting a business because I won't let anything be unfinished.
• EESA participation - My consulting experience in South Africa not only served as experience in business consulting, but also connected me to other entrepreneurs around UF and the country. I know can ask my colleagues and old professors for advice on a new venture.
• GEAP participation - Along with my EESA experience, consulting in Gainesville gained my consulting experience and also connected me to more entrepreneurs at UF.
• Perfectionism - Being a perfectionist can be good and bad but I like to think of it as a positive quality. Not sending something until it is perfect can show great effort and attention to detail.
• School connection - Since my venture is centered at Library West, I have a huge advantage of being a student here. I have connections to other students that can try out and test the product for quality and I get to survey people to find out their needs.
• Student Government connection - I have some close friends that have a high position in Student Government. This is definitely to my advantage when it comes to promotion since I am creating a product to improve the students' experiences at the library.
• Possible Student Government funding - Because of my close connection to Student Government, it could be easier for me to get funding from Student Government, instead of out-of-pocket. 

Top resource: Patience

I think that the rush of creating a business is great because you're excited and ready for everyone to experience your new product. But I definitely think that an entrepreneur's lack of patience is what can ultimately kill the business.

21A - Reading Reflection No. 2

1) What was the general theme of argument of the book?
This book gave a lot of tips on social media and how to use it to your advantage. The idea of the book is to get your brand more well-known on social media.

2) How did the book connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
This book definitely enhances what we're learning in ENT 3003. It shows how to create a bigger social media presence for your product. Social media is a huge part of marketing now. And without marketing, no one would buy the product.

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
I would design an exercise where the students would have to create a social media post that would receive a lot of engagement by incorporating the tips mentioned in the book.

4) 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?
Social media is something that comes so easy to college students nowadays so we don't really think much of it but social media is a huge part of a business. It is the primary way that marketing is done for many businesses and I never really thought about its importance. There are so many ways to get better known in the world of social media and this book helped me discover them.

19A - Idea Napkin No. 2

1) You.
My name is Michelle Martinez. I am a junior studying public relations at UF. I am very detail-oriented and am very determined when I have a goal in mind. I consider myself very open-minded and kind. I hope to run my own activewear fashion company one day soon. I could see this business concept really grow and spread out to other libraries and universities.

2) What are you offering to customers?
I am offering to rent a large portable battery, enough to charge a laptop, to students and staff at UF in Library West.

3) Who are you offering it to?
I am offering the product to busy undergraduate and graduate students at UF. This will be males and females mostly between the ages of 18 and 25.

4) Why do they care?
Library West is known for not having enough outlets for its visitors. I intend to solve this problem by offering this portable battery so that they can stay a longer time at the library.

5) What are your core competencies?
It is a product that hasn't been made yet (or at least at a mass scale) and can be very useful for students that study for a long time at the library. I also have a passion for technology that can allow me to get more into the specifics of the product.

I think that these elements definitely fit together. They are all necessary for the product to work.

I'm more thorough with my product and who I intend to sell to. I explained the aspects in greater detail.

18A - Create a Custom Avatar

Meet Sarah

Sarah is a 21-year-old computer science senior. She is heavily involved in school and is currently taking 18 credit hours. She studies a lot for her classes at Library West. She does not have a car or scooter so she spends most of her day on campus. She likes to hang out with her friends, but prefers to study and do homework first. It's rare that you'll see her relaxed because she's always up to something. As a senior, she is pretty stressed with her schoolwork.

Sarah and I are of the same age. We also care very much for our school work. I think that is not a coincidence because we put ourselves in the problem we are trying to solve. We try to see the root of the problem from the point of view of who is affected.

16A - What's Your Secret Sauce

1)

• Consulting experience - I went on the Entrepreneurship & Empowerment in South Africa (EESA) program in Cape Town over the summer where I was put into a group and provided consulting for two entrepreneur clients. I continued consulting this semester locally with two entrepreneurs.
• Patience - Having three years of customer service has helped me deal with angry people without getting angry myself.
• Open-mindedness - I hear all sides of a story and try to understand other people's points of view.
• Loyal - I think that loyalty is one of my best qualities.
• Bilingual - Being able to speak Spanish and English allows me to communicate with others.

2)

• Catherine: "As a compulsive talker and Michi’s best friend, I can attest to how she is a great listener. Some might mistake her quietness for shyness, and while that is in the mix, it is also because she is constantly observing her surroundings and taking in information about everyone, from their words, to their expressions, to their feelings. This, I believe, is the reason why Michi can connect with anyone at an emotional and intellectual level. Additionally, she’s extremely tenacious and resilient. Whether it is climbing 300 meters in Peru, or fighting an argument over what show to watch, Michi will go for the gold, and nothing will stop her. Lastly, she is a very strong individual, even as this sometimes leads her into stubbornness and to refuse help when needed. Michi is completely independent and unapologetic about her personality, values, and cultural roots all of which show her great strength of character."
• Patricia: "Michi’s human capital for me entitles a lot of things. As her roommate I have gotten to experience the good, the bad, and the ugly. But mostly with her is always the good. She radiates love and support when it comes to hard situations. Whenever I have a bad day at work she makes sure I feel reassured and supported by her. She is a good listener and always is willing to pay attention to my problems. Her positive attitude could change everyone’s day for the better. And lastly, her patience towards any kind of situation or person is out of this world. I always tell her she gives more than what people deserve but that is what makes her beautiful and that is her true essence."
• Nicole: "Michi doesn't really show her emotions unless she wants too. It doesn't allow people to advantage of her because of it. She's also very firm on her knowledge. No one can tell her otherwise. If Michi is wrong, she will do everything to figure out the right answer."
• Gabrielle: "Michelle has a very kind heart and does not lose her connections with friends. We've been friends for about 8 years now even though we barely talk. When we hang out, she makes it sound like we hung out last night."
• Will: "Michelle loves doing her own thing. It doesn't matter whether or not you're with her on whatever task, she'll do it anyway. She's very independent."

3) I looked at my own experience more than my traits while my interviewees focused more on my interpersonal skills. I'd say that my interviewees are very correct. I haven't really thought about some of the traits that they stated. If I were to make any corrections to part 1, I'd include more interpersonal skills and not something like me being bilingual.