30A- Final Reflection

Reading through the blog posts that I have made this semester, I believe the fun moments that I had were the original idea making we had at the beginning of the semester where we tested our hypothesis and formulated our venture. I also had a lot of fun creating my elevator pitches because I love speaking and believed it was a great way to practice and formulate my idea better in a more casual way than a blog post. The moments that I did not enjoy I will be honest were the reading reflection and this may be the fact that I procrastinated and did not approach it in the proper mindset. I will also say the end of this semester was not as enjoyable and I ended up not completing some assignments. 

I believe the most formative experience was the interviews that I had throughout this semester not just with peers but with industry leaders and professionals. The things that I learned from them I will no doubt carry on for years to come into my career and life. The most joyous experience I would say was increasing my social capital as this experience at first seemed daunting but once I completed it, I was extremely excited for the connections that I had made.

At the end of this class, I do see myself as having an entrepreneurial mindset more so than at the beginning. Before this semester began, I had no idea on where to begin in terms of being an entrepreneur. After this class, I may not classify myself as one but I definitely have a mindset that I could build on into the future.

The one recommendation I would have for students going down this path would be to approach this course/venture as if it was real. Even if your idea is just to fulfill this class, the effort you put into it will no doubt show and be beneficial for you moving through the class. I would also say to move ahead through the course instead of weekly. I found myself towards the end of the semester struggling to get things completed by waiting every week. 

29A- Venture Concept No. 2

 Opportunity:

Soccer is the one of the most popular sports in the world. About 4 out of 10 people consider themselves fans of soccer. Soccer has a stronghold on the global market and still has yet to capture one of the biggest markets in the world, The United States of America. The opportunity for us is to create a University of Florida sanctioned Men’s Soccer Team. In terms of opportunity, universities around the United States are havens for a diverse community who all have varying interests. The fact that this university does not cater to the most popular sport in the male variation presents a major opportunity that we can exploit considering our potential customers.

Our potential customers are those students, faculty, and surrounding Gainesville residents who are fans of Gator sports and have an interest in the sport of soccer. We currently have a women’s soccer program here but Men’s sports still garner a larger interest whether due to media coverage or other reasons. The nature of the need I believe when we talk about sports is that people have the need for community and sports allows fans to share a common interest and identity. This is important in a college atmosphere where many people come together from different walks of life and must mesh and the sense of community can be filled by cheering on a sports program.

People long to be a part of a community; it is in our DNA. Sports does a fantastic job of bringing people from all backgrounds together in a community. This market is mostly defined by the City of Gainesville and the diversity that runs in this city thanks in part to the University’s students. Potential customers currently solve this need through other sports that may not be of greatest interest to them which makes this opportunity big considering how popular soccer is. This window will be open for years to come because Soccer is still growing.

Innovation:

My service would be to provide a Men’s Soccer team sanctioned by the University of Florida. This service would be my team and I providing the resources through the University to create a program that can be sustainable and the necessary tools and actions needed to create a program at a university. I will spend a lot of time at the community level looking for ways to create fan buzz and identity. Soccer fans can be some of the most passionate fans in the world and our goal is to create that inclusive atmosphere with this program. The innovation comes in our marketing fan initiative which the University does a great job with already. Money will come from boosters, non-student ticket sales, merchandise, advertisement, etc… Tickets would range from 10-20 dollars depending on the game. Merchandise would follow standard Gator merchandise prices and advertisement would range from popularity. Our innovation has to be in how we can foster the market and not with things we cannot control such as team performance. Gator fans identify strongly and thus we want to cater to that.

Venture Concept:

Previously, the opportunity was that Gator fans need the sense of community in the sport that some of them enjoy the most, Soccer. By getting involved in fan involvement and interaction, we can create a sports community around our Men’s Soccer program similar to what we see in Football and Basketball here at the University. I believe being a part of the Gator brand will make customers more likely to buy into the innovation due to their identity to the brand already. I believe the reason customers would switch to this product is because it is an extension of an already well established brand if they root for Gator sports they could be inclined to also attend and be a party of Men’s Soccer. Also those who love soccer would also switch.

Competitors I see would also be Gator Sports because people may not attend every sporting event due to the volume of teams. The weaknesses would be competitiveness and the specific sport that it is.

I believe our customer experience is going to be the defining factor in our business concept. Creating a customer experience worthwhile will keep people coming back to root on our team and continue to support us.

To support this service, we would rely on the resources already put in the place of the University in terms of employees but would still need to hire people for specific roles such as coaching, communications, marketing, security, etc…

Three Minor Elements:

• Most Important resource: The Gator Brand
• Being a part of the Florida Gators gives us resources and advantages that other competitors will have a difficult time matching up to and competing with.
• What’s Next?
• I hope the venture creates the community that I dream of and can be as popular as some other sports here on campus. I hope we could compete with Basketball in popularity and revenue since Football is untouchable.
• What’s Next For Me?
• I want to move on to creating another program here at the University that has not been done such as Men’s Lacrosse. It would follow similar strategies should this venture be successful and bring another program and community here to thew University.

Since I did not complete the previous assignment I was unable to get student feedback but I still brought my concept to other peers in order to garner feedback and adjust my concept. The feedback I received was that I should focus more on fan engagement and involvement rather than team performance since it is more controllable and have more successful results. I also received feedback that I should be aware that a reason Men's sports could be more popular because of media's coverage of it and they can frame public opinion. The last feedback I received was that legislation issues are in the way of this venture such as Title IX.

I used the first two pieces of feedback in my venture concept and changed it because I believe I did not do a great job explaining that throughout the semester. The last piece of feedback regarding Title IX I had mentioned at the beginning as a major hurdle to overcome in this venture.

28A- Your Exit Strategy

My exit strategy would not be the same as a typical venture due to the fact that my venture is under an already established organization in the University of Florida. I do intend to stay growing the Men's Soccer team here at the University of Florida for at least three years as we try to establish our place in the market. After those three years, I believe I will move on to creating another athletic team here at the University or developing an underperforming venture here. Since this is operated by the University of Florida, this venture cannot be sold or transferred. I expect to continue working with the organization but in another capacity or venture. 

I chose this particular exit strategy because it is the only option that is available since we cannot sell or transfer the venture and move on. It is the most practical option and exit strategy available.

I think the exit strategy changed how I approached the end of the concept. I know that the exit strategy is the only available option since the beginning of this venture and has influenced the entire venture since that has been known. It allowed me to realize that the resources will come from the University and thus allowed me to better understand my options.

26A- Celebrating Failure

I'd say that this semester I experienced failure the most when I was applying for internships for this coming semester for my major. This semester, I applied for several internships in the sports industry hoping to be accepted for a January start. I applied to Auburn University as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars among others. Despite applying for several internships, I received interviews and responses by only 2 out of the dozen I applied to. To say the least, this was a very disheartening experience when I experienced failure because it seemed as if I would not be able to succeed in my career. This lasted over 3 months this process and took a toll on me as I believed I was at my lowest.

I learned a lot through this experience. I learned to trust myself even throughout the adversity and failure. I believed enough in myself despite the discouraging responses and ended up securing an internship with the Miami Marlins in January.

I realized that despite failure, you must continue to push through the adversity. By quitting or giving up, you do yourself no favors and end up sulking and not getting anything done. How we respond to failure is the difference between greatness and weakness and I believe I handled that well.

I previously did not handle failure well due to lack of failure because I was not put in many stressful situations career wise and also I believe I was not mature enough to handle it appropriately. Recently though, I have handled failure in stride and been able to deal with it and turn it into positives and success.

23A- Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

1. Financial Capital
• UF has the financial capital to house a men's soccer team at the University. It is difficult to copy as many sports programs around the country cannot afford the sports programs to the extent that we can. It is rare to have the financial capital from the start.
2. Education
• UF contains the ability through their education to adapt to situations and find solutions.
• The resources at the University are invaluable and rare considering how prestigious this university is. We could outsource the research and capabilities but having it on campus is easier 
3. Brand Recognition
• The Gator Brand is so strong that it is valuable as the following that comes with it. It cannot be copied but it can be competed with by other strong school brands. 
4. Marketing
• Marketing becomes much easier when the brand is strong and this University does a great job marketing other sports programs. It is difficult to copy because of strong branding but is not rare to have good marketing for an organization.
5. Organizational stability
• Being able to already be a part of such a powerful organization/school is invaluable and rare. We have stability already in place and thus it is non-substitutable.
6. Labor Power
• The organization already has all the man power needed to succeed and thus that is rare to have. Yes, it can be copied and imitated but to have it right at the beginning is a positive 
7. Knowledge in Athletics
• The prestige this university has with athletic programs is rare and valuable and hard to be copied. It can be provided by other resources but difficult to sustain.
8. Knowledge in Business
• Similar to the last one, rare and valuable and hard to be copied because of the standing of the university. Other resources could provide this benefit
9. Infrastructure
• The infrastructure is built already, the stadium, athletic office, etc... as well. This is rare and invaluable because it saves money and provides much needed flexibility. 
10. Market Growth
• The market of sports here is incredibility vast and is rare and invaluable to our venture. If there was no market there is no venture.

My top resource I believe would be the Organizational Stability. I say this because being able to have a branch under a large organization opens so many doors to us that all the other resources cannot compare to and even file under. 

21A- Reading Reflection #2

Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky

1. The general theme of this book is that the internet allows us to become active members in creating great things that require multiple people collaborating. However in our society, we spend so many hours participating in passive activities that produce no growth like watching TV. Active participation by multiple people will allow us to take on tasks we never thought were possible and thus gives us a cognitive surplus.
2. I think this directly connects to what we are doing and learning in ENT3003 because I have learned not only in my idea but also through lectures at just how important the concept of active communities make in solving issues and creating great things. Not one person can accomplish these tasks and technology and the internet have done a great job bringing all of us together.
3. I believe the exercise that I would recommend would be to solve an issue or create a solution as a group without face to face interaction. Yes, it seems very unconventional but I believe our society has developed so much technologically that this exercise would show at our capabilities that we have come to.            
4. I think the thing that really stood out to me was the fact that we have no excuse for not connecting with others with our ideas or whatever we do. The world is at our fingertips and by participating in passive activities like watching TV or not being part of a connected community, the damage is done not only to ourselves but to our society.

22A- Elevator Pitch #3

In my feedback I received, I was very dynamic and engaging and I tried to stick to that as well. I think that boosted my confidence for this elevator pitch and showed that I can connect with an audience with my communication skills.

I definitely believe my hook has been memorized and allows me to reel in the audience. I have shortened my elevator pitch down to a minute in order to keep the audience interested as well as be concise. I am so much more comfortable in front of the camera than my first elevator pitch where I was told to be more fluent. I also decided to dress more professional in order to convey professionalism and confidence.

20A- Growing Your Social Capital

Will Pantages, Assistant Director of Digital Content for Football:

1. Will handles the communications side of the football program at the University of Florida and has a background with connecting and interacting with Florida Gator fans through social media. He works to engage fans and create buzz around the program as well as many other things. He has worked for the University of Florida for a few years so has a good idea on fans and Florida sports.
2. I am filling him in the expert on my market because he is engaged in the football at Florida which is similar to soccer and involves Gator sports. He knows a lot about the idea and market to give valuable insight.
3. I found Will through working at the UAA and contacted him through a meeting.
4. Will was able to give me information on how to market to Florida fans and create a buzz around the idea regardless of the on field performance. You have to know how to interact with fans in order to get a successful result. All Gator sports work can work cohesively to help each other so a successful soccer program can only help the association as well as allow us to share ideas on fan engagement.
5. He can enhance my opportunity to exploit an opportunity because his past experiences and knowledge can help us start our campaign with insider information on how to approach our market.

Maureen Tartaglione, Cox Sponsorship Regional Contact:

1. Maureen handles approval of sponsorship for Cox cable Communications. She represents the Gainesville/Alachua county region and supports the community through sponsorship. Sponsorship is important because it can provide funds for giveaways, events, etc... to further our ideas.
2. I am putting her in the important supplier because Cox already sponsors football, volleyball, etc... so their partnership is no doubt important to us as we get started and must create a program. 
3. I found Maureen through research on their website and email.
4. Maureen was able to explain the approval process for sponsorship and funding for our organization. Obviously each situation is different but with an involvement to the University of Florida it may make it easier and more viable for them to help. We know what kind of service sponsorship is and thus the return will work both ways.
5. I think we can exploit the opportunity by using the sponsorship to create marketing events to get fans and students into the games like T-shirts, etc... Fans will come out with an extra incentive besides the game itself.

Jamie McCloskey, Senior Associate Athletic Director

1. Jamie oversees Athletics here at the University of Florida and assists Athletic Director Scott Stricklin and Jeremy Foley in approving budgets, sports, etc... He has represented the University of Florida for many years and can offer my insights on the logistics and policies surrounding a Men's Soccer team. 
2. I am putting him in the Domain expert in my industry because of his vast expertise and experience here. 
3. I found Jamie through a class as he was my professor previously and talked to him.
4. Jamie was able to lay out the reasons why a Men's soccer team has not been fielded here and it seems to be because of the Title IX legislation. Few SEC schools even have any sort of soccer program because of this and also budgeting. The information he gave me was eye opening but steps can be taken later to possibly field the team here. 
5. This person will enhance my ability to exploit the opportunity because his knowledge and insight will allow us to take the proper steps to follow protocol and make sure we are not breaking laws. 

This experience definitely shaped how I will participate in future networking events. I believe before I was too narrow minded in who can help me when the truth is almost anyone can help or knows somebody who can aid in steps towards the goal. This experience differed in the sense that I am use to only talking to people in the sports industry when there are people who participate in sponsors, etc... who have just as much knowledge to learn from.

19A- Idea Napkin #2

My name is Anthony Mozzott and I am a 4th year Sport Management major. Sports have been a major part of my life since I can remember which I believe can help me in this idea. I have a hard work ethic, communication skills as well as experience in the sports industry that I believe will help further this project. I work in the Athletic Association's Communications Department as of now and hope to someday work in the professional sports industry. I think by getting this business concept running would definitely play a role in my life as to be able to bring a functional sport model to a University such as Florida would no doubt be an accomplishment of great value.

I will be offering consumers the service of bringing a sanctioned NCAA Men's Soccer team to the University of Florida.

It will be offered to fans of the University of Florida and their sports teams. Some fans will show more interest than others based on their love for the sport of soccer in general. Besides people at the University of Florida, people who love soccer in the surrounding areas and of other school will show interest in the program.

I believe the brand of the Florida Gators is so strong and creates such a strong identity in their fans that it produces value to their fans. People consume sports on a daily basis and are willing to shell out money and time to see and support their favorite sport and team.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and though it will not be the most popular on our campus, people will come to the games and support the team because people have the need to consume soccer on this campus. Also, male sports do produce more popularity as we see in basketball and other sports. Though women's sports are popular, male soccer is seen as more popular for people to consume.

I believe these elements fit together very well. When you look at all the elements as a whole, you see interest generated as well as an already great foundation laid in a top sports program. Logistically work will need to be done to jump over hurdles but that is not to say that it is weak. I think the market and popularity for this idea make all the elements fit well together.

The two main points of feedback I got was that my credentials enhance the idea which I believe my work experience in the sports industry gives me some knowledge that I can take and translate it to this idea. The other feedback I got was on the popularity of men's sports and that women's are just as popular. I believe that at the end of the day, men's sports are more popular even though our population here is more female. When you look at all sports in general, male sports bring in more revenue and popularity even though women sports generate interest.

17A- Elevator Pitch #2

I believe the feedback I got back was very helpful and that I need to be more fluent when it comes to talking about my idea. I believe I did a little better this time but still believe towards the end I can continue to work on my fluency. The feedback told me that the idea was great and so was my hook. I did change my hook a little bit which I believe enhanced it even more. Between upgrading my hook and being more fluent, I believe I changed my elevator pitch for the better.

18A- Create a Customer Avatar

My prototypical customer based on the segment I have identified:

• Love for Sports/Gator Sports
• Age 10-35
• They feel young because when they root for their team it energizes them
• Passion fans
• Not just casual fans but instead eat, drink, breathe for their team.
• In their free time, they still follow the news and highlights of their team
• They participate in pick up sports or leagues
• They still attend school or work but use their disposable income on their favorite teams to buy merchandise or tickets
• Mostly males but not all
• Identify and live through the team
• I believe some may not have a car and many may even use a scooter to get around the Gainesville area

• If they do drive a car, it's blue for the Gators of course
• They probably watch Netflix or Hulu and if they watch TV, they watch ESPN or live sports
• I'd say their favorite politicians are democrats just based off the notion that many college towns lean blue
• They rarely read books unless it's for school but if they do it has to be about sports

I have a lot in common with what I just described as the prototypical customer that it is almost a spitting image. Since almost everything I listed describes me besides a couple minor things, I don't think it is acoincidence. The reason I chose this opportunity was because I felt a need and so did many of my friends who share the same interests. I think that is a reason I have passion for this idea because I identify so closely to it.

16A- What's Your Secret Sauce?

1. I believe I have the skill of thinking quick on my feet when a situation arises. This is a skill I believe helps me to stay cool under pressure and figure out the right path to take.
2. I have the skill of speaking and communication which allows me to effectively deliver information or instructions to the organization and others.
3. I think I am very knowledgeable in this field based on the fact of educational background as well as through experiences in the sport industry.
4. I believe I have the ability to sell to people whether it be tickets, experiences, ideas, etc...
5. I think I have the ability to accomplish tasks seen as extremely difficult or near improbable based on my hard work and determination.

I interviewed the five people who know me best and summarized each interview:

• Mother, Isabel Mozzott: 
• I have believed from day one that you are one of the most determined people I have ever seen. No is not an answer you and you find a way to work around issues. 
• Neighbor, Wes Lockard:
• I have known you since you were a little boy until now and the growth I have seen in not only your personality and demeanor is great. You are a bright kid with a great future ahead of you and your mindset will no doubt propel you. 
• Best Friend, Heather Baldwin:
• You are one of the most caring people I have ever met in my life. You know how to connect to people emotionally which is a trait that not many people have.
• Best Friend, Jeff Ellis:
• Dependable. I know I can count on you no matter what the circumstance. You are the first call I make when I need assistance.
• Cousin, Stephen Borges:
• Knowing you my whole life, I think you are able to convey your ideas, emotions, etc... very fluently that many others cannot. You also are very dependable and someone people can lean on.

I believe the way I see myself and the way others see me are very similar. The main difference I saw came from my friend Heather who considered my someone who can connect emotionally to people in ways no one else can. Though I had not thought of things in that way I believe when looking at it closer that they are all correct. I would change my list and add that I can connect emotionally or beyond a superficial level with others which can be very useful in life. I would add it to my #2 as it can play along with communication.

15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior #2

I decided for this portion of figuring out buyer behavior to choose 3 additional students who attend UF on their Gainesville campus as they are a main segment in my market. These interviews were based around different questions and probes to continue to paint a picture on buyer behavior.

My first interview was of a freshman male student here at the University of Florida. When asking this respondent on how they choose among alternatives, it was no surprise that price was a major factor considering that they are a college student struggling to pay for expenses. He had said that he looks to do things that are cheap and entertaining. When posed about sporting events, he did make the remark that the performance of the team plays a factor. If there are more successful then he will be more likely to attend. As of now, he purchases most tickets and merchandise online which fits into our strategy. Most transactions he puts on his credit card to pay off at a later date. When he looks back on the purchase, he looks for the value he got out of it to himself. In sports, it could be the outcome for his team that makes him fell good or bad or even the enjoyment he had during the event or what came from going to the event.

The next interview was a senior female student at the university. Price was a major factor which was expected. When asked about sporting events, she did mention that she does not frequently attend sporting events and mostly only goes if friends or her boyfriend convinces her to go. She did say that she does everything online and very few things with cash or in person. When she thinks back on the purchase, she usually looks at the enjoyment factor that she had with her friends which is the main reason she went. The game, team performance does not matter to her and instead what matters is spending quality time with her friends.

The last interview I conducted was with another male student at the University of Florida. Considering I am a Sport Management major I came in contact with a person who has a passion for sports. These answers varied away from the previous two respondents in the fact that this person did not care about price as he values sports so highly that price would not be an issue and also that sports are so entertaining to him that the outcome does not matter and the thrill of sports will be enough for him to attend the event. He purchases all tickets and merchandise online and when he looks at the post-purchase, he looks at the enjoyment he had at the event which is usually high because of his passion for sports.

In summary, I believe we can be certain that price is a definite factor in this segment because of college and the fact that people attending events and purchasing merchandise is dependent on the fact of disposable income. Gladly, entry into the sporting will be free but obviously merchandise will not. We also learned that online is king nowadays thus we will need to utilize the Gator resources to push online sales and tickets. We got all different answers or reasons to choose this but I think we can see performance will play a factor in attendance and obviously a competitive team will play into the enjoyment of the game.

14A- Halfway Reflection

I believe this course has made me use time management a lot more than I have in any of my other courses here at the University of Florida. If you are not able to manage your time well and cannot organize your thoughts and time well, this course can be a challenge. I think something this course has taught me however is creativity. In order to come up with these opportunities and to market it correctly, you must be creative or learn to be it and I think this course has developed that skill for me.

Every person in their life has a moment in life in which they feel like giving up. For me, I believe it was the summer before Freshman year at UF when my father passed away. It was a trying time for my family and I had to contemplate withdrawing from school and working at home. Thankfully, I continued to go through with school and was able to conquer my fears and worries and continue on. I think this course has allowed me to develop a tenacious attitude because I take control of the situations and assignments. I believe the course setup is the reason for this.

Three tips I would offer would be:

1. Stay on top of yourself and manage your time well because assignments will come and pass quickly. 
2. Don't get discouraged. With all these assignments on your opportunity, it is easy to lose interest in your opportunity or believe it is not good enough.
3. My last tip is that you get out what you put in. If you only care about turning in assignments for credit, this class will be fine but you will not get much out of it. If you put time and research into this class, you will gain a bunch of knowledge and use this in the future. 

12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

For this assignment, I have decided to pick the segment of University of Florida who attend classes at the main Gainesville campus. This is a main segment of the market we would like to corner and target.

To find interviewees, I had to go to my peers because I too am a University of Florida student. I chose three students to conduct an interview with so that I could get a better understanding of how to move forward. These interviewees are all 21-22 years old and attend the University of Florida.

In my first interview, the student was 21 and very passionate about Gator sports and the sport of soccer. When posing the question of when he begins to have the need, he reported that it occurs when he finds a lack of soccer that interest him going on. This means the offseason of soccer leagues but also when his national team of Peru is not competing. He finds that during the Fall, Gator Sports is filled with football and thus he doesn't have a need then to fill that because there is no void. He also mentioned that when he feels down or upset, sports are the way that he fills that space. He finds himself trying to actively participate in sport or events in order to fill the need. If heir is a sporting event on campus, he will attend if he is not busy. The sport of soccer is important to him and he believes that the men's team would fit well with his interests and could see himself participating. He finds soccer as a bond not only to his family but to strangers. He follows fan pages and joins discussions to keep up to date with the team and their happenings.

In my second interview, I interviewed a 21 year old female student at the University of Florida. She has a need for Gator sports that include community she responded because it allows her to have entertainment and enjoy herself. She admitted she is not a sports fan but enjoys all the happenings around it including tailgating and the sense of community that surrounds it. She notices this need throughout the semester as a way to unwind from classes and meet new people. To fix the problem, she normally finds an event to attend which bodes well for us since we hope to make soccer games enjoyable and community based. She does not know about the sports side so her needs begins and ends with the event and that is it. She does not follow up on the team, etc...

In my last interview, I interviewed a 22 year old male student who is currently a student. He mentioned he had played soccer all through his years up until college and loves the sport. Though he doesn't follow soccer intently or follow many other teams, as a Gator student he identifies with all Gator sports. He said that Florida sports is a community and by attending the university he identifies with the teams. Though he cannot attend many events due to his busy work schedule and school schedule but still follows along with news and scores. When he finds the need for community in sports, he decides to talk to his buddies who also follow the sport or even just read up on news. He has multiple apps that feed him updates, scores, etc... Though he can't physically attend the games, he still is able to fill his need.

All 3 students fit into our segment and have a need for community of Gator sports. Each student fills and approaches their need differently which I learned through the interviews. Though some students in the segment will fill their need physically, not all will. I also learned that passion is not the same across the board and my goal of filling the stadium may not be as easy as anticipated due to people's different ways of filling the void. I believe the segment has the need as we see currently with Gator football and basketball and their need to fill it however is different. People may be more likely to attend a football game than a soccer game based on many factors. Though we see the segment has the need, our execution may not be as easy as we once thought.

11A- Idea Napkin No. 1

My name is Anthony Mozzott and I am a 4th year Sport Management major here at the University of Florida. I have all my life, not only been interested in sport but have followed along with it closely. Along the way of my life, I believe I have learned and acquired certain skills and experiences that will better prepare me to take the next step into entrepreneurship. Through sports, school, and work, I believe I have acquired skills such as communication, determination, marketing, time management that will propel me along this path. I have also worked for sports organization such as the University of Florida's Athletic Association that has prepared me. My aspirations are to one day work for a professional sports organization and contribute to everyday operations of running a sports franchise. This business concept would play a role in my life as it is directly related to the field I am pursuing.

I will be offering the customer's the service of a NCAA Men's Soccer Team here at the University of Florida with help from the University itself.

I am offering this service to people who associate with the University of Florida first and foremost. This will be one of the most deciding factors because people who associate with Gator sports will be the thing they all have in common. Besides the other demographics, this is the thing that is most likely. Some people will have interest because they love the sport of soccer but that is only a small number.

People care about a Men's Soccer team because it is the most popular sport in the world and it is under the Florida Gator's umbrella. Sports generates a lot of money not only for this university but also the world and fans who identify with a team will shell out money for tickets, merchandise, etc...

Obviously there are many sports at the University of Florida so we must set ourselves apart. Men's Soccer will be very important part of the program as it is a popular sport and Men's team generally garner more interest. To set ourselves apart, I believe we must create a community around the team that is inclusive and allows people to identify closely to the team like we see with football and basketball.

I believe all these elements fit closely with one another. All of them go closely into not only creating a team here in Gainesville but also creating a community around them that will buy into the service. There are things that will factor into it such as team performance, facility management, etc... but the idea and service offering can be done. These answers all can fit into the grand plan.

10A- Elevator Pitch

9A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

For my next round of five interviews, I decided to dive a little deeper into my interviews and find people who may be the exception in order to find out more information about my opportunity. These interviews lead me to find people who play the game of soccer, follow the game of soccer and/or have an interest in sports in general. In these interviews, I found out more information on the who, what and why. I think an important thing I realized was that just because you have an interest in the sport of soccer does not translate into a passion for a University of Florida Men's Soccer team. There are people who love soccer but yet have no interest in the team because they have no interest in the University of Florida or in collegiate sports. That is something I had not realized and that is that some people only follow international soccer or the world cup and not collegiate. This lowers the target market and some people will not spend time on our team. Even people who like sports may have no interest because they may like soccer, but not enough to watch a game or be associated with a team. I believe that is where the need differs. Not only do people want a sense of community or entertainment in the form of a men's soccer team but they need the team to fit their interests as well and a team alone will not suffice the need. The college they associate with also plays a factor. I also believe the outsider's cause for their need is skewed by the abundance of soccer teams in the world. The amount of teams causes a need for soccer in people who follow the sport but their needs are specific and a certain team is not enough to garner interest.

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Who?: Interested in Gator Sports Interested in Soccer Interested in a sports community in Gainesville	Who?: Interested in Soccer but not collegiate Do not associate with Gators but still like Soccer Only a minor interest in the sports
What?: The need for a soccer community at the University of Florida The need for a Gator Standard men’s team at the University The need for entertainment and competition	What?: The need for just a team Must fit their interests Cannot be broad thus outside the boundary
Why?: Because people desire a sense of community Sports is popular including soccer	Why? Soccer is so vast that it is already filled by other means Our opportunity thus must fit needs perfectly Women’s team on campus fills void

8A- Solving the Problem

In my previous exercises, I have stressed the need for community for people that I have seen through interviews and also looking at my own personal needs. After searching around, I believe the perfect opportunity arises here at the University of Florida and that is the unmet need in the community for people who love soccer. Yes, we have a women's soccer program but trends show that it is not sufficient to satisfy the need many people have. I believe creating a men's soccer program here at the University would be able to facilitate a community that people could rally around.

Besides the service of creating the soccer team for the community and people, I believe we can also combine ideas that we see around the world in soccer to increase fan community, involvement, passion, etc... The main service is bringing a team to the University but we can capitalize in other ventures surrounding the team such as fan clubs, merchandise, etc...

7A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1) The Opportunity: There is a need for a Men's Soccer team at the University of Florida.
2) At the University of Florida, there are many collegiate sports that they compete in such as football, baseball, basketball, etc... One sport that seems to be missing is Men's soccer. There is women's soccer but the absence of a men's soccer team is felt by the community.

• Who? The student body of the University of Florida as well as Florida Gator fans
• What? They have the absence of a Men's Soccer team to play for, cheer for, and have a community for.
• Why? People have the need for community

3) Testing the Hypothesis

• Testing the Who?
• After looking at the who, I think we can expand this. It is not just limited to the student body and fans of the Gators, but it also extends to the future Gators that will attend. It also extends to soccer players that would like to play at University of Florida but must go elsewhere because they do not hold a Men's soccer program. It also can extend past Florida Gator fans because opposing fans needs will be met in games, experiences, rivalries, etc...
• Testing the What?
• I do believe there is a boundary for the what because obviously one particular sport program of the university will have its limits but it will provide a community that attends, cheers, rallies around a program like we see in football, basketball, softball, etc... Though this will not transcend the most popular sports on campus it will no doubt be able to satisfy the needs of many people.
• Testing the Why?
• Many people have this need because they long to join a community or group like we see with other organizations and sports around the country and world. Others have this need because soccer is their favorite sport and perhaps our women's program is not sufficient for them. Others may have the need because they need something to do around campus. 

4) For my five interviewees, I choose a couple University of Florida students, a die hard Gator fan, a casual Gator fan and a University of Florida alumni.

In a summary of all these interviews, I found that there is a need for a Men's soccer program at the University of Florida. The students that I had interviewed expressed interest in attending soccer games even though they had never attended a Women's soccer game on campus. I believe this runs parallel with a trend we see where men's sports are much more popular than women's. The die hard gator fan likes to attend almost all sporting events because of entertainment and passion for the school which helps to answer some of the why. The casual gator fan did not live in Gainesville but did make it known that if he happened to travel to visit the school and men's soccer was playing that he would most likely not attend because soccer is not interesting to him as well as the alumni. I believe though that in my interview I gleaned a piece of information that people who enjoy soccer believe they lack the fill of the void here at the University and that community would be formed should the University create a men's soccer team. Popularity would not be as extreme as football, but nonetheless be there.

5) I learned that this opportunity is narrow because even though the need for community is universal, the need is narrowed down to our University and more specifically a single sport. This will limit the individuals but the point here is that when you try to fill the need for community, you must be narrow in order to attract people who have common interest to form a community in the first place. 

6A – Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Opportunity 1: An Economic Recession is Inevitable

• I found this information in a magazine that is catered to small businesses and startup companies called Inc. Right now, the yield curve is shrinking and once it becomes inverted they say a recession is sure to follow. This is more of a framework for an opportunity as I believe before the recession would hit I believe we can take advantage of a short term opportunity such as a product idea or service idea that will be able to make results in the next few years before being able to sell and wipe our hands clean without dealing with the recession. I believe right now, the economy is under solid shape which leads to opportunity to make money or a difference and this time in between can be the perfect situation before a recession hits. If we did a service then I believe an organization would be the best fit as our prototypical customer because our idea early on could be focused on designing a strategy to cut costs or time efficiency which frees up money. However, this opportunity to come up with a service idea in a limited amount of time as well as rid our hands of it would be extremely difficult because even with the data you cannot determine an exact time for a recession.
• I think I formed this idea opportunity because I see myself as more of a risk taker and this would be a major risk to get involved in because of the amount of steps involved and uncertainty. I think taking chances has been a thing for me and this plays into that.

Opportunity 2: Wages are rising which means the workforce will get fewer.

• This came from the New York Times and focuses on the wages rising and the costs are increasing to retain or attract good help. I believe that an opportunity exists because of this economic trend in the sense that we can revolve an opportunity around the fact that manpower is expensive which means the costs of assembly lines and supplies is rising. We can take advantage of an opportunity to create a technology service or even a manpower service that requires less people such as software or coding and stay away from ideas that require much manpower and also much supplies. I believe the prototypical customer would still have to be organizations because we cannot operate a high operational cost business and if in software, our product would be for distribution to organizations. I think this idea isn't difficult to exploit because we are taking common knowledge of increasing wages and making it beneficial to us to have the most success.
• I think I see this opportunity because I have always been one to find a situation that may affect some and turn it into a positive for me in this sense taking wages increasing and making it fit a mold that can improve and be beneficial to my opportunity.

Opportunity 3: US vs. China

• This came from PriceWaterCoopers and examines the ongoing dilemma between the Trump Administration and their stance on China. I believe an opportunity exists in China even if administration wants to back away. In general, I believe the Asian market is an untapped market and since it is fast growing and continues in development, there is an opportunity to cater a service to the people of China should there be a way in. I believe we can take advantage because of a saturated USA market and if we are fine with no support from the government and dealing in international business, this opportunity to provide services to the Asian market such as travel agencies or entertainment is growing and well beneficial to us. This is difficult to exploit however because China does not allow much access to its people or outside businesses which will take work.
• I think I see this opportunity because I came in contact with a luxury travel planner this year who explained a similar example and I believe that it was a brilliant idea if accomplished as it will target a market that hasn't been tapped yet.

Opportunity 4: Deregulation

• This came from PriceWaterCoopers as well and focuses on the deregulation on multiple industries in America. I believe an opportunity exists with the deregulation for more investment opportunities. More regulation leads to less investments so it is difficult to raise capital or start ideas. I believe this deregulation allows more ideas and opportunities to go and even if there is not a clear cut prototypical customer for an idea, the concept is still relevant. It is easier to exploit due to the fact that deregulation benefits investment and thus provides capital to opportunities and ideas.
• I think I see this opportunity because I always have had the belief that capital is required and necessary to get an idea off the ground and thus it is always a factor in my thinking and actions.

5A- Identifying Local Opportunities

• Sun-Sentinel: Layover at Fort Lauderdale? - Things to do nearby instead of being bored at the airport
• http://www.southflorida.com/events/sf-fort-lauderdale-things-to-do-layover-airport-20180826-story.html 
• The article is about things to do while in Ft. Lauderdale during a layover at an airport. It gives many different types of advice such as a tattoo shop, parks, etc... This is more of an article meant to inform the reader on things to do in Fort Lauderdale if only there for a short time.
• The problem presented in the story is that people who are flying into Fort Lauderdale airport or any airport in general have the unmet need of occupying their time and need things to do to pass the time.
• The people who have the problem is travelers to South Florida. It doesn't just have to be people on layovers but can be anyone who passes the time at the airport. Could be businessmen or typical tourists.

• Sun-Sentinel: 'Space Coast Town Center' planned
• https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/07/space-coast-town-center-melbourne/1189186002/
• This article centers around a proposed plan to build a massive town center in West Melbourne in undeveloped land. We have seen town centers before around the country but it hasn't been done in this area before. Similar plans have failed in the past but this area of Florida is developing and growing and thus needs a community center.
• The problem presented here is that the people of Melbourne do not have a place to gather that we see other cities have. This unmet need of entertainment, community, etc... is working to be filled by this town center. 
• The people who have the problem are the people of Melbourne which is made up of a wide variety of individuals. They need entertainment like all individuals as a break from reality.

• Miami Herald: Baptist Health South Florida has a new CFO
• https://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article218184485.html
• This article explains the new hire by Baptist Health after the retirement of their old CFO. It explains the tasks of the new CFO as well as detailing the huge role that the organization plays in South Florida Health. 
• The problem in this story is that now, a huge company must take a step forward with a new executive and the future is uncertain for them to see how they will respond which can open the door for another similar company to take a share of the market.
• Right now, Baptist Health as an organization has the problem which creates the opportunity for other companies if handled poorly.

• Gainesville Sun: Hunger in Alachua County is real, but groups work to help
• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20180912/hunger-in-alachua-county-is-real-but-groups-work-to-help
• This article describes the problem with hunger Alachua county faces. It affects a lot of communities and is not just limited to our community. It also describes that people you know may be effected as well which could be a reason why its such an issue. It describes an organization helping as well but the article works to bring it to light.
• The problem is that people are effected by hunger yet it is not the shortage of food but instead the access to it whether it be price or number of food banks, etc...
• Nobody is safe from hunger so it affects many people. They do not have to be the homeless or those in poverty and can include our fellow classmates.

• Palm Beach Post: Wellington seeks to pass smell test on manure issue
• https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-palm-beach-post/20180910/281848644494465
• The article focuses on Palm Beach county and their issue with the amount of horse manure that they have to deal with. The county holds over 28,000 horses which produces excess manure that has to be either distributed for use or disposed of. It causes a smell and also a problem in how to deal with it.
• The problem is that because Palm Beach County is a horse owner county and is responsible for many races, etc... they must deal with an issue that isn't commonly thought of, how to deal with waste. There are facilities now that dispose of the waste but they must show proof of buyers or proper management of the waste. Also the problem of illegal dumping is apparent because of the number of horses and so few sites.
• The people with the problem are not only the horse owners that must deal with the manure but also the facilities responsible for disposing or selling. We also know that all palm beach county residents must deal with the smell so also have an issue.

4A- Forming An Opportunity Belief

After giving some thought to this assignment, it takes more than just sitting around and thinking about an unmet need and instead requires some sort of research and observation of other people to determine an unmet need. After paneling some fellow peers and other people, I have determined an unmet need that needs to be addressed in some way.

My belief is that there is an unmet need of community as of now. By community, I mean the feeling of belonging in a group that shares the same interests, etc... The reason I came up with this as my unmet need was as I looked at myself, I realized that I myself regardless of the certain communities I was a part of such as sports communities, clubs, etc... still had a desire to belong to more community and others expressed that same idea. I believe that most people with the exception of just very few individuals have the need to join a community or have a sense of belonging to one. I believe this need has always existed as it is nothing new because people long for the need to belong to a group as we see when people identify with sports teams, organizations, Churches, etc... Like I said, most people as of now join these groups to meet this need as of now but people still have problems finding a group to belong. Some people also have to urge to be a part of many communities that even the ones they are in now are not enough to suffice. After all this information, I believe that an opportunity exists in some capacity even though right now all that I have gotten to so far is the unmet need and no tangible idea. I would say about 85-90% that this need can make an opportunity.

I believe the prototypical customer is very broad as most people have the need for community. the customer may not fit an actual mold of an age group, demographic, etc... but the prototypical customer may have the same set of interests in order to make a community. Our unmet need is broad which makes our prototypical customer broad until we can narrow it down. Because of this, our three prototypical customers are from different walks of life.

Iteration #1: Male, Age 21

For this interview, I asked my roommate some of the basic questions to get a gauge of a sense of his understanding on the need of community. When posing the need to him, his response was one that did not immediately recognize this as a need but once he thought about it in a sense of his needs, he saw where it is a necessary need to be met for humans. He believes all humans are social beings that long to be a part of a group whether it be nationalism, organizations on campus, friendship groups, etc... He said that this need has been with him since as long as he can remember and that the need needs to be met occasionally but not at all times of the day. To address his need, he currently follows many sports teams which allow him to have a sense of community with others who like the same team and he also has a community at his current place of employment. He is satisfied as of now because he has some sense of community yet did mention that more community would not be a bad thing and wouldn't mind more.

Iteration #2: Female, Age 54

For this interview, I asked an older woman to get a differing opinion on what her thoughts were on the subject. When asking her about the need of community, she was not entirely sold on the idea that it was a need for her specifically but she could relate to the need in other people as a reason for the many communities and groups we see today. She said that she does not experience a need or longing for community now but when she was younger, she had a longing to be a part of communities. She realized that as she got older, there is a less need in her eyes for community. To address this need, she still has family and work and friends, but she does not look to belong to community as my roommate does. She is satisfied with her solution to it.

Iteration #3: Male, Age 61

For my last interview, I asked my neighbor who is part of many communities to find the reasoning behind his extreme involvement to fill this need. He believes that community is one of the most important things in his life as it gives his life purpose as well as meaning to meet new people and also stay busy as you progress later in life. Ever since he was young, he noticed this need of community and has done whatever he can to be an active participant in community throughout his life. HE has always been aware of this need and has done things such as participating in Church, basketball groups, college friendship groups, volunteering, etc... He stays busy and believes this is the right solution of meeting his community need and he has no regrets of it.

After interviewing all three people, I learned a lot of things that I had not known previously about my opportunity to meet the need of community. The first thing I learned is that there is an opportunity as even the people who do not think that there is a need of community still have some communities they are a part of. I also learned that people even in the same age group have differing opinions as we saw in two of my interviews. I also learned that younger individuals tend to be in more communities as we saw that as you get older some believe that community isn't as important as when you are younger.

I believe at the beginning of this I thought that the prototypical customer was so broad that almost everyone was encompassed in it. Through these three interviews however I recognize that the opportunity is diminished a little as not everyone longs for community. I think the original opportunity is definitely still there of meeting this need but just needs more focus and concentration. I believe the opportunity is more accurate because we now have a little clearer view of our customer and what people want. I think entrepreneurs should adapt opportunities to their customers feedback because as we have learned, you cannot create a need in people and if your belief is incorrect then you must adapt to people's needs.

3A- My Entrepreneurship Story

When I think back to a time where I was exposed to entrepreneurship, the best memory I can think of was last year in my facilities operations class here at the University of Florida. For a group project that we had in our class, we had to create a facility for a need in the community of our choosing. This project gave us the opportunity to use our creativity to not only identify a need for the community but also secure land and create a budget and plan to bring the service to the community. Our group ended up creating a kid's water park in San Antonio, Texas because we determined a need for a water park exclusively for kids. The entire project was a huge learning experience and allowed our entire group to learn skills not only in operating facilities but also in an entrepreneurial sense. It was a difficult project/venture but in the end to watch the development of a facility that we created from start to finish get completed was a great accomplishment. You don't realize how much goes into building a facility or coming up with an idea that when it comes time to actual practice it, it becomes a great learning experience.

I enrolled into ENT3003 because I needed a four credit class in order to graduate on time. However, I also picked this class because entrepreneurship to me is such an interesting topic and venture that I wanted to also take a class that was not boring and had no value to me as I progress through my career. Now being in the class, I am glad I am taking it because the structure is very suitable for my schedule and also the value I can take out of this class is being catered to me and how I approach the class. 

2A-Bug List

Bug List

1. The Drive-Thru line at almost every Chick-fil-A restaurant is always wrapped around the building.
• Chick-fil-A is a popular and thus busy restaurant and possibly the limited space it is in causes backups and long lines.
2. My apartment complex's fitness center only has one set of free weights for each increment of weight.
• The complex may not have the funds in the budget in order to purchase more free weights for the gym considering all the properties they own.
3. In my softball league, the park only assigns one umpire to each game which leads to missed calls.
• There may not be enough umpires on the staff in order to accommodate having two at each game 
4. On school days, the places to eat along Midtown open at 11am instead of 10:30am.
• It may not be economically feasible for them to be open for those 30 minutes that I want them to be open.
5. The price of coffee and food at Starbucks.
• They have the market and their customers are willing to pay the price for their quality and service.
6. In pickup basketball, the person who dresses and acts like they know how to play but in actuality, is not very good.
• They may want to dress well and look the part no matter what their skill is in the sport.
7. In pickup basketball, the person who takes whatever happened during the game to heart.
• They may actually believe the actions during the game were meaningful and not done because of the competitive nature of the game. 
8. At the gym, the person who does heavy weights, doesn't re-rack them and force someone else to do it. 
• They could forget to or believe they are above others and their payment to the gym should exclude themselves from re-racking weights.
9. The traffic on Archer Road during the week especially during rush hour.
• Many restaurants and stores are on this road and it is also one of the main roads of the Gainesville area that connects to highways, campus, etc...
10. When you order food at a restaurant or drive thru, they repeat the order back to you for confirmation, yet the food still comes out wrong.
• It may be a communication issue on the cooks end and not the person who took the order.
11. Every start to the semester, my computer always has trouble connecting to the UF WiFi on campus.
• I may not have the proper updates on my computer and for security issues the WiFi is secure.
12. In Turlington Plaza, even though I am wearing headphones, the people passing out pamphlets still think to stop me.
• They are doing their job and they will do whatever to get the word out about their cause no matter my thoughts.
13. Right when you are about to be productive and get your homework done, someone decides it's the perfect time to call you.
• For them, it is a good time. They also do not know my schedule or what I am doing and perhaps I procrastinated too long.
14. At my apartment complex, the gate to enter our community sometimes will not work, making it more difficult to get home after a long day.
• Technology can have malfunctions and even an amenity as security can have issues without a physical person at the gate.
15. At Publix, when I order something online for pickup at a certain time and it is not ready on time and I must wait for them to start my order.
• They may not have seen the order or were dealing with a rush that caused the issue with my order.
16. The amount of money that you have to pay to park at a sporting event or concert after already paying a lot of money to just attend the event.
• To park close to the event is a privilege and not a right and thus the extra money must be paid for convenience.
17. When you move into a new apartment yet there are still issues and things left from the previous tenants.
• The complex may not see the issues I have as their responsibility and thus left them as is.
18. When you text somebody a question and they do not respond but then you see them active on social media later in the day.
• They possibly forgot to respond or do not want to deal with my question at that moment in time as they view it as a nuisance.
19. When your favorite team plays in a big game yet looks unprepared and undisciplined and gets blown out by the other team.
• The other team may simply just be better. The team also may not have had proper game plan or coaching or did not execute like anticipated.
20. People who are playing video games and when something sub-par happens to them, they blame the game and not themselves.
• They want to deflect blame to something that does not diminish themselves.

I found coming up with this list as extremely difficult because even though these are not the only bugs that I have in my life, it took a lot of observing, thinking and experiencing to come up with these 20. I found it difficult as well because we are quick to have these bugs but never express them which almost puts them in the back of our memory. This exercise allowed me to really see my bugs and also see more and notice things that I did not previously realize bothered me.

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