My Secret Sauce

1) Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique.

- Tenacity
I have always been the kind of person to not stop until I finish a project, even if it takes me well into the night to complete. I can't stand when I am not able to finish something, sometimes to a fault.

- Attention to detail
Every time I am working on something, I make sure that every detail is exactly like how I envisioned it. For example, I am into graphic design so I am very meticulous when it comes to my images.

- Empathy
I have a pretty fine-tuned ability to understand how someone else feels. I can put myself in their shoes and figure out how to help people based on that.

- Analyzer
I am and have always been an analyzer. I carefully look at all sides of an issue before I make any decision. I always find the need to seek out all possible outcomes before acting.

- Moral compass
I really try my best every day to make the ethical decision, no matter what I am doing. I try very hard to do whats right, even if it has bad repercussions.

2) Interview the five people that know you the best about what makes you different. 

My Mom:
My mom basically reaffirmed what I said in number 1. She told me that I've always been the kind of person to carefully work through problems in order to make the best decision I can. My takeaway would be that she seems to think I am good at carefully going through a process and not caring what other people think about it.
https://soundcloud.com/morgan-johnson-258439955/momrecording

Federico:
Federico, my roommate, said something pretty similar to what my mom said. He said that I have an ability to follow through on a project.
https://soundcloud.com/morgan-johnson-258439955/fed

Xenabeth:
Xena, my other roommate, focused on an emotional ability by saying I am a good listener. This plays into my ability to empathize with others and understand their problems.
https://soundcloud.com/morgan-johnson-258439955/what-makes-morgan-unique-different

Duncan: 
My brother, Duncan,  played into my ability to analyze things in a way that lets me think through problems. I always analyze something before I do anything.
https://soundcloud.com/morgan-johnson-258439955/duncanrecording-1

Arthur:
Arthur, one of my good friends, said I am good to get along with. This helps in any job market because I can work with others easily.
https://soundcloud.com/morgan-johnson-258439955/arthurrecording

3) Reflect

I think everything I said and everything my friends and relatives said was pretty close. Something that I didn't think of before was what Xena said about me being able to listen to people and give good advice that way. That can really help if I ever have a leadership position in the future. Other than that, everything was pretty close. It's good to know that how I view myself is similar t how others view me.

Week 9 Reading Reflection

Something that was especially interesting to me was the section on writing good survey questions. I think when you are trying to write a survey for customers, you need to take into account any kind of misinterpretations there could be out there. You also have to frame your questions in a way that will get people to respond honestly. I never really thought about surveys that much before, but after reading that section I can understand them a little better now.

Something that was confusing to me about the reading was the section on pricing strategies. It wasn't too clear to me how entrepreneurs set prices and for what reasons.

Two questions I would ask the author would be 1) How specifically do entrepreneurs set the prices for their products, and 2) What do you think the best way is to do research on a customer base? (i.e. surveys vs. interviews).

Again, I didn't really disagree with anything the author said. I think doing your research on your potential customers is critical when pursuing a new business venture because you can accurately get an idea for how to format your marketing techniques. For example, if you are creating a business for college students to get cheap textbooks, you need to understand the preferences of students across the board. You need to understand their points of view from that point in their life and consider how that might change over time. Over all, I thought the author did a great job in describing this to readers and it was very easy to understand.

Idea Napkin No. 2

1) Me

My name is Morgan Johnson and I am a second-year Journalism student the University of Florida. Some of my main skills include website writing, graphic design, and professional social media posting. One of my main goals in this world is to make a difference in some way. I am passionate about environmental issues and hope to one day become a communications specialist for an environmental nonprofit. However, I am also passionate about helping people with their stress. Being someone with clinical anxiety, I can definitely understand the pressure that school, work, and other commitments can have on one person. Because there is a surprising lack of services available to people with anxiety, I want to help people understand that they are not alone and there are ways to get better. My idea to create an app for people with anxiety would play into my life by providing me with an opportunity to educate society about this illness as well as help those who have this illness.

2) What am I offering to customers?

My anxiety-relieving app called MyCalm is designed to help those with anxiety manage their panic attacks and build strong connections that will ultimately help them though their illness. Once you open the app, there will be several options for the user, one of which is a 5 step calming process when one is having a panic attack. There is also a 24-hour help line for those who need a real person to talk to. The app also features nature scenes, classical music, and meditation techniques if one is feeling unusually anxious during that time. Game features allow the user to challenge their mind, which can be very therapeutic. The app also features a separate social media function that allows people to connect with others who have anxiety and build a support group. My biggest issue with my anxiety is that I feel like the people who are closest to me still don't fully understand anxiety and how to help. Therefore, I want to provide others with a chance to build supportive relationships through MyCalm.

3) Who am I offering it to?

I am offering this app not only to anyone who may have some kind of anxiety or depression disorder, but to anyone who feels as though their life is being ruled by the stress they bear. Everyone is expected to go to school, have a job, build a family, and worry about finances all the while being happy about it. This is not the reality, especially to those who have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Even those customers who do not have this disorder still expressed to me that they would benefit from some kind of stress-relieving app. Essentially, this app is for everyone because everyone experiences stress in everyday life.

4) Why do they care?

Customers will pay to use my app because there really isn't another app out there with the same kind of services that I am providing. Anxiety is one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses out there, and because of that there has been a surprising lack of services available to people with anxiety who experience panic attacks. MyCalm provides this very opportunity to let people who have an anxiety disorder know that they aren't alone, and help is just a tap away.

5) What are my core competencies?

Even though there are a couple of apps out there that aim to help people relieve stress, MyCalm is created specifically for those who have been diagnosed with some kind of anxiety or depression disorder. No other app has a social media function that allows people with these illnesses to connect with others or a 5-step process that has proven to calm people down in the midst of a panic attack.

I think over all, these elements do fit together pretty well. Because of my background with having an anxiety disorder, I think I am able to connect with people about what they are experiencing. I also know that I can share my best tactics to manage my anxiety with others. Something I may need to work on, however, is expanding my app to cater to those who do not have an anxiety disorder. For example, I may want to include people who are just stressed in general. I can also expand it to include people who knows someone with an anxiety disorder, but may not know much about it and want to learn more. Other than this, I think my intentions and the effects on customers marry very well together because it will provide the assistance that people with anxiety need in order to manage their disorder.

Feedback Memo:
From my first Idea Napkin, over all I received pretty positive comments, so I really didn't change much in my second try. However, something that really stood out to me that I changed was to add a 24 hour help line for those who are really struggling and the 5 step process doesn't work. I really liked this idea because sometimes talking to a real person is the best therapy. 

I also decided to add games to the app because I have found that challenging my brain on a game during times of stress can distract me from my panic and calm me down in the process. 

After talking to customers, I also realized that I need to make my app applicable to anyone who experiences stress, not just people who have anxiety. Though I would essentially like to specifically target those with anxiety, I think expanding it to others would make my app more beneficial on a larger scale. In order to do this, I have changed the app so that when the user opens it, it doesn't automatically bring you through the 5 step process. Instead, it will bring up a menu page with the different options available to the user. I think this is more effective because if someone doesn't necessarily need the 5 step process, they can go straight to whatever function they need. 

Week 8 Reading Reflection

The section that was most interesting and surprising to me in the reading was the highlight box about social lending sites on page 212. I had no idea there were such sites out there specifically designed for individuals to lend money to each other for new business ventures. I think this is a wonderful idea. Often, it can be very difficult to get a loan from the bank because it is ver hard to et them to believe in your idea. They may not see things they way you do or see the possible future implications of the project in the future. These social lending sites can get rid of this by providing the entrepreneur with many options around the world to gain finding for their business venture. This kind of reminds me of crowdfunding sites where charities can get donations from ordinary people. Crowdfunding sites have proven to be extremely popular among the public, so I think these social lending sites would do just as well. 

Something that was confusing to me in the reading was the "Trade Credit" term. The way it is explained in the book was pretty confusing to me. I would like to know exactly how the process works to get trade credit and what specifically it does for the entrepreneur. 

If I were to ask the author two questions, they would be 1) What does trade credit do for the entrepreneur specifically, and 2) What are some tips you would give an entrepreneur who is trying to convince the bank that they can safely loan him money for his business venture?

I didn't really disagree with the author on anything in the reading. I am a Journalism major, so these business terms and processes are sometimes a little confusing to me, however. Over all, I think the author did a good job in describing these processes. It seems like everything he is saying is straight facts about how this system works, so I agree with basically everything he said. 

Half-way Reflection

Here is my reflection of the past two months in this course. It hasn't been easy, but I got through it and I learned so much about how to be a successful entrepreneur!

1) Tenaciousness is a skill.

This course does have a lot of assignments, but they are all geared towards helping us in our journey to fine-tune our entrepreneurship skills. Some techniques I have used to keep up with the course's requirements include making a schedule, writing a to-do list every day, and setting aside time during the day to devote to my assignments. I first make a schedule for the week so that I can plan which assignments I'll work on each day. Then, at the beginning of each day I make a to-do list so I can see exactly what I have to accomplish that day. I set aside a set amount of time to work on it, which really helps me pace myself. I find that this process really helps me in organizing my work load as well as balance other things I have to get done.

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude

There were a couple of times during this semester when I felt like my work load from all of my classes was really weighing me down, one night especially. I had two assignments due for Entrepreneurship, 2 other exams to study for, work the next morning, and a hurt neck and rib from a car accident I was in recently. I felt like giving up and blowing everything off, but I told myself that if I wanted to fulfill my passion to change the world someday, I would have to start small and get my work done. So I persevered and finished everything I needed to, and still had time to rest and take care of my injuries. I think this was the moment that inspired me to be tenacious throughout the rest of the semester. I realized that every little assignment counts towards my goal, and I would do anything to reach it.

3) Three tips

Three tips I would give about surviving this course and creating a tenacious mentality would be 1) organize your schedule, 2) when you feel like you have too much on your plate, back off for a second and realize your long-term goal, and 3) realize that you are in control of your own work ethic. Organizing a schedule is the first step to becoming tenacious. If you work a little bit every day, you'll eventually reach your goal. The other two tips are a little more difficult to achieve. Realizing that everything you are doing right now contributes to the rest of your life and realizing you are the sole person in control of that can be hard. However, I promise that once you realize this, your tenaciousness and determination will propel you into your bright future.

Week 7 Reading Reflection

Something that really stood out to me in the reading was the section describing consumer habits in the 1960s. During the 60s, it was very surprising to me to learn that consumer habits were basically going in reverse. For example, people with less education were becoming more affluent and therefore demanding better goods. Then, due to lack of creativity in marketing, advertising became boring and monotonous. This dramatically changed in the 70s, which was interesting to me because I don't really know much about the history of advertising.

Something that did confuse me about the reading, though, was why consumer patterns changed so dramatically in the 60s. This doesn't make much sense to me.

Two questions I would ask the author would be 1) Why did consumer patterns change in the 60s and 2) What marketing tactic such as color, music, etc. have the greatest success with consumers?

There wasn't really anything in the reading that I disagreed with. Though I do not have a strong background in marketing, I can definitely understand the logic behind certain marketing tactics in business. A business has to pay special attention to consumer patterns so that they know what is working and what isn't. There is a lot of psychology involved in marketing a product. One has to take into account the tendencies of people's mind and what grabs their attention the best. This article explained very well the process in which businesses study the mind of the consumer and how they can persuade them to buy their product or service in the best way.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

A couple of the main critiques people had about my last pitch was that I was messing with my hair too much and I kept reading off of my notes. I was told that this is distracting, and I definitely agree. I guess I didn't realize it because playing with my hair is a nervous habit and I thought I wasn't being too obvious about reading my notes. However, after I looked back at it I realized it was very distracting from what I was trying to say. This time, I made a conscious effort to not play with my hair and I completely memorized my script.

Another suggestion I received that I thought was a very good point was that there should be a contact line just in case the 5-step process doesn't work in calming the user down. I thought this was a wonderful idea so I adapted it and put it in my service as well as my sales pitch.

Over all, my feedback was very good about my concept and what I am trying to do with my product. Thanks to everyone who gave me such great suggestions! I think everyone can relate in some way to feeling ridiculously stressed, and this app could be expanded to so many more people. I'm hoping to make a difference in the world in some way, and maybe MyCalm will allow me to do that.