Week 4 Reading Reflection

What surprised me during the reading was the many different types of innovation, invention, extension, duplication and synthesis. I never thought of there being multiple types of innovation, because essentially what one is doing is providing a solution to a problem. The different solutions can be classified into different classes but it's really unnecessary. 

As I was reading more the duplication innovation part confused me. Duplication is not innovation by any means. Putting a different touch on something does not mean that you created a whole new product but that you used the idea to your advantage. 

When Apple comes out with a new version of their products a few weeks later companies like Samsung, LG and Nokia come out with similar products, with the same gadgets and perks. They aren't creating something new but changing the shape and calling it their own. 

My question to the author would be why he thought that duplication could be a type of innovation. Also is there a need for the different classifications, and if so what is it? 

Customer Interviews No. 1

In the exercise I learned how to think ahead of possible questions. Having the camera recording made it much easier to think of the next question because I didn't have to listen and try write down notes but could think of the next question as they answered my previous. After getting the first interview out of the way the rest of the interviews were much easier and I already had an idea of what I would be asking the people I was talking to. Some of the people I talked to were strangers in the Ritz Food Court and the others were people from my neighborhood who I talked on my way back home and were nice enough to let me record them. I was nervous about going up to people and asking them about things but once I got started it was much easier.

The opportunity I identified was that many students wanted to travel but when they did they usually did it in small groups and it cost them too much money. My idea is a traveling agency for sudents so most of my questions pertained to students and their recent travels.
My main questions were where they went, how expensive it was and if it was too much and what they liked about the organization of the trip and what they didn't like. From there I altered the questions however the interview was going and sometimes I asked more sometimes they told me more on their own.

• Tell me about the last time you traveled somewhere with a group of friends...
• Do you think you could have spent less on that trip, tell me why. 
• Was it organized well? 
• What did you like about it? 
• What did you not like about it?

While doing these interviews I learned that students usually went on small group trips because they wanted to be with their friends but most times that proved very costly and somewhat disorganized. A way to fix this would be to make the trips larger and even thought students don't like this it would cut down the costs of the trip over all. Then when in large groups, friend groups can be broken down and they can still have that small trip feel. Also organization for trips is key so having someone go before hand make sure everything is in order and planed is very important, as an organizaion you have to be prepared for every possible situation. 

Top 5 World Problems

Top Five Problems 

1. Global Warming 
2. Extinction of Species  
3. Clean Drinking Water 
4. World Hunger 
5. Overpopulation 

Solutions

1. A solution for this would be to stop the use of gasoline, burning of natural gasses, burning of coal and even eating beef, because cows are one of the greatest pollutants we face today.
2. A solution would be to stop allowing companies to dump into oceans, lakes and rivers, to stop companies from cutting down entire forests and ruining ecosystems. 
3. A solution for this would be to crack down on companies which are destroying habitats and hunters who are hunting animals for sport.
4. Our food resources are very poorly distributed and if we were to distribute them better we could easily solve this issue.
5. Some parts of out planet are so over populated that the region can't sustain everyone, there isn't enough drinking water, enough food and soon enough there wont be enough oxygen for everyone. We currently don't have a solution for this.

Essentially all five of my top world problems result in extinction of humans on plant earth, but I placed global warming as the top one because it is the result of the others. Many species are facing extinction because of the rising temperatures, disappearing habitats, and poaching still being legal in many countries. Due to the lack of regulations in many countries companies are free to dispose of waste however they wish, which is polluting the water systems and killing many animals. Secondly the lack of clean water in creating even more irrigation issue in countries around the world because they can not water their plants with polluted water. And with this lack of food in countries around the world over population is the issue because there are just to many people on our planet for our planet to sustain us. We will be the creators of our own demise. 

All of the solutions point at one thing and that is the better regulation of companies who are polluting and killing off our chances of survival. Every government needs to admit that Global Warming is a real thing and that we need to all collectively do something to stop and counter its effects because it will kill us. 

Week 3 Reading Reflection

As I was reading I found things out about the psychological risk and thats what stood out the most to me. I was aware of it but I never thought it was such a great risk to an entrepreneur. I understand that loosing a house, and a marriage may be a huge stress but I never considered that a financial crisis may be even harder to bounce back from. I kinda feel that the author is wrong about this and it very much depends on the person. What they value more, their marriage or their finances or the material things they own. It may be harder to bounce back up from a family lose then from loosing their company it just depends on their outlook on life and basically priorities. 

What confused me were the "health effects of being an entrepreneur"because these are things that most people face with age. Insomnia, and headaches are the basic effects of stress that don't have anything to do with someone being an entrepreneur. College students have those same issues because of the stress they face, back problems and indigestion can be caused by hundreds of different things including a desk job which have nothing entrepreneurial in it. 

My questions to the author would be: 

Why are any of these side effects different from the stress that a normal person faces? Sense of time urgency, involvement in multiple projects subject to deadlines, neglect of all aspects of work and tendency to speak faster then most people are things a lot of people face. Once again people like college students fit all of these categories and even thought they are not all entrepreneurs they face deadlines, time limits, and focus on school work only. 

Identifying Local Opportunities

Deputies: Woman crashes car with baby inside after inhaling whippets

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/152949A3D3CFF1F8?p=AWNB

Description: A woman with a baby and her younger teenage sister in the car passed out while driving and crashed into a building. She was under the influence of drugs and was later arrested on the counts of child cruelty, inhaling dangerous drugs and destroying evidence. 

Problem: The problem presented here is that this woman was able to go to a store and buy a bottle of nitrous oxide cartridges and then completely misuse them. The problem is that there is no way to predict actions like this by consumers, there is always a way that a product can be used for other things then what it was intended for. It's very hard for producers to foresee this.    

How to get rid of old trees, lights

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A1A08C2CA02DD8?p=AWNB

Description: This article is basically a report on how people within the Gainesville community should dispose of their Christmas trees after the holidays. They describe the proper way to do so and what families must do when wanting to get rid of their tree. 

Problem: There are hundreds of trees purchased every season in Gainesville alone, and these trees are collected and then disposed off just as our trash is disposed. There could be a much more eco-friendly way to disposed of these trees. They could potentially be recycled or used for things as furniture or such.  

Putnam deputies give dog-fighting 
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A1A08C1C88CF40?p=AWNB

Description: Deputies broke up multiple dog fights and have been working on a huge case that could result in the capture of a large number of members of dog fighting rings around the state. Officers crashed a dog fight but everyone scattered as soon as they arrived, there were two dogs found on the scene and many more in the surrounding area.  

Problem: Even thought dog fights are both illegal and just ethically wrong many people see it as a sport to see animals fight for no apparent reason but entertainment. Officers have been working on this case for a few months but have been having a hard time keeping track of these groups because they move so much around the state. 

Cop on wrong side of line among year's top local crime stories

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A14DAAF8DAA060?p=AWNB

Description: "Former police officer Jeff McAdams was charged with stealing at least $56,000 from the local Fraternal Order of Police union chapter (also known as Gator Lodge No. 67)." McAdams was the president of the FOP chapter for fourteen years and over the years took charge of the chapters financials. His acquaintances described him as a man with very bad spending habits, and later proof was found of his spending of the union's money for private dinners, trips and hotel rooms.  

Problem: This is a man who was trusted with large amounts of money, he was entrusted with money that was not his and took over this responsibility of the Fraternal Order of Police and he was not able to handle it. The problem now is that the unit doesn't know who to trust of 14 years of a man lying to them and stealing money as he liked, when he liked. So the issue stands that its hard to entrust people with large quantities of money without any supervision. 

Adult, 5 teens injured when pickup hits tree in Levy County

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A0A46365EAA658?p=AWNB

Description: The driver was distracted while driving five teenagers and the car went of the road causing the two front passengers to hit the windshield and the other four who were in the  bed of the truck were thrown out. None of the passengers were wearing seat belts and were rushed to Shand's Hospital with serious injuries.  

Problem: None of the passengers were wearing seat belts, and there were four teenagers sitting in the bed of a truck while the truck was on the highway and the driver only received a citation. Five kids were in the hospital because he got distracted while driving them and he will only have to pay a fine for it? The problem is that he needs to have a much higher fine and for him to be a further example for the future. 

Very Short Interview No. 1

David Nassau started a nonprofit organization called Hopping 4 A Cure which has been raising money to fund research of multiple sclerosis, as well as to bring awareness to the existence of this disease. David started this program when he was only in high school and has been working on it ever since expanding to different universities including Florida State University. He hopes to expand even further and to be able to make a difference in the lives of those who are affected by multiple sclerosis. 

Q: What does it mean to you, to be an entrepreneur?

A: My favorite definition of entrepreneurship is from Phoebe Miles, the daughter of the guy who invented Gatorade. She says entrepreneurship is a French word that means 'taker of what's in between' and I interpret that as a creator of value where none exists. To me being an entrepreneur is simply adding value to society or individuals where there was not before. Hopping 4 A Cure creates value for families and individuals who are affected by multiple sclerosis through the game of hopscotch and other recess activities.

Q: Is there anything you wish you would have known before starting your organisation? 

A: There are a few things that I wish I new but the experience of starting the organization would not have been the same. That said, I was guided heavily by my mom who helps file paperwork and official documents for the organization and friends and family have been very supportive. The two main things I wish I knew or how to become A better, more motivating leader who can leave behind a legacy of sorts vs something that stops or dies after I leave. This is something I'm continuing to work on. The book refers to this type of leadership as a level 5 leader. Second would be better ways to use social media as a means to expand my organization beyond our existing chapters. Another area of knowledge I wish I had a few years ago would be to code a website.

Q: What has being an entrepreneur taught you? 

A: More than anything else I've become more persistent and less willing to give up when something is not going as planned.

During this interview, what surprised me the most was the fact that David started when he was only in high school and by just using recess games like hopscotch and such. Such a simple idea created such a huge impact on not only his life but the life of participants in Hopping 4 A Cure events. Also the support he got from family and friends was extraordinary and I think thats very important when starting any new project, being supported is not necessary but is a huge confidence boost for many including myself. 

World's Biggest Problems

Global Warming 

• Climate change is a huge issue today, and even thought many politicians still wont admit to it due to their own private agendas. We face many problems with global warming, like the rising water levels, many animals becoming endangered and many others going extinct. A solution for this would be to stop the use of gasoline, burning of natural gasses, burning of coal and even eating beef, because cows are one of the greatest pollutants are the cows we eat. 

Clean Drinking Water 

• Clean drinking water has become so scarce because we either pollute the water we drink or dry out the springs and lakes that were given to us by nature. It's like biting the hand that feeds you. There are cities around the US without clean drinking water, countries around the world who don't have a consistent water supply let alone a clean water supply. A solution would be to stop allowing companies to dump into oceans, lakes and rivers, to stop companies from cutting down entire forests and ruining ecosystems. 

World Hunger 

• Much like water food is a scarce resource in some parts of the world. While many people indulge in all the food they can fit into their mouth others are very malnourished and starving. Our food resources are very poorly distributed and if we were to distribute them better we could easily solve this issue.

Overpopulation 

• Some parts of out planet are so over populated that the region can't sustain everyone, there isn't enough drinking water, enough food and soon enough there wont be enough oxygen for everyone. We currently don't have a solution for this.

Child Labour 

• Child labour has become a huge issue because children are easy to come by, can do the work faster and have smaller hands for tedious jobs. Many employers take advantage of the low wage they can pay them and use this as much as possible. Only way to stop this would be to boycott products whose firms use children for the creation of their products. 

Donald Trump 

• It's not Donald Trump, but I didn't have another way to describe it, but its the animosity he is creating not even in the US anymore, but around the world. He has shown people that it's okay to hate a whole religion for the actions of a few and people who were on the fence about what to think are now accepting that it's okay to do so. What he's doing in reality is only making the situation worse. 

 Waste Disposal

• With over populations come unimaginable amounts of waste which we still don't know what to do with. Some things can be recycled, reused, renewed but most people don't take the time do so. So in different parts of the world there are literally islands of trash floating around stuck between currents. There is one in the Pacific Ocean, the size of New York city. Solution to this would be to increase incentives for recycling, we can't expect people to do things just because it's right, they have to get something out of it otherwise people wont take the time to do so.  

Cancer 

• Cancer is one of the few diseases in the world to which we have not found a definite cure yet. Hundreds of thousands have died from it and many more suffer through it. Everyone is effected, we all know someone who, knows someone affected by this horrible disease. Only way to stop is to increase the research going into it, trying out every possible solution. 

Illiteracy

• "The cure to cancer could be stuck inside the mind of someone who can't read." We have so many different problems in our world today but if we can not use our full potential then we will only get part of the solution, and this is why we need to improve the educational system and make sure that every child gets an education. 

Extinction of Species  

• It's sad to be able to say that a majestic animal has gone from safe, to endangered, to extinct in the matter of a few years. So many habitats are being destroyed as we make room for factories, farms, and expansions of cities. A solution for this would be to crack down on companies which are destroying habitats and hunters who are hunting animals for sport.

Week 2 Reading Reflection

The myth about entrepreneurs not needing luck, and I've always known that subconsciously but I still keep thinking that you do need some luck to get your idea out there, for someone to notice it, you do sometimes have to be at the right place in the right time.

The part that confused me was the different schools of entrepreneurship. It makes sense that there are different types of entrepreneurship and that each person has a different aim when working on their idea but I thought it was pointless to have different schools into which the entrepreneurs had to fit themselves into. As if there weren't enough berries and boxes and they had to perfectly fit into. 

My question to the author would be how can entrepreneurship be taught? It's an idea of basically thinking outside the box and trying to solve a problem how can a professor teach someone to do so? I understand that a professor could teach their students the idea but not how to think about it. 

The only part I would have disagreed was the myths Dr. Kurako was trying to debunk. He said that it was a myth that entrepreneurs are risk takers and I completely disagree with that. I feel that no matter how sure you are of your idea you still have to take a risk when telling people about it and trying to make it a reality. Most entrepreneurs put everything they have into their idea and take major risks both financially and socially. 

Bug List

1. Having to speak to an automated machine for 10 minutes when you try to contact any bank.
• There are too many costumers and this allows them to be sent to the right customer support person. 
2. The RTS App not giving the right time for the busses.
• During rush hours it's hard to predict how long it will take for the bus to get to the stop, so they estimate the time and it is not always correct. 
3. The UPS not delivering a package on time that it was scheduled. 
• There being too much to be delivered at the same time and not enough dispatchers. 
4. The UF Campus having only one Ride and Park, parking lot, that is always full. 
• There is not enough room to create another parking lot and also they earn a lot more money from fines then they would from creating more parking lots. 
5. UF selling three times the amount of decals to students then there are parking spots. 
• Not all students that purchase decals need to park on campus everyday. 
6. Lux13 Apartments only having one large trash bin in the entire neighborhood. 
• It is cheaper for them to only pay for one to be emptied instead of multiple ones all around the neighborhood. 
7. The traffic around Gainesville High School at 2 p.m. blocks most of that part of 13th street.
• The high school doesn't have much room so most of the pick-up cars block 13th street to pick up students. 
8. Between classes the line to the Starbucks at Library West seems so slow that sometimes it goes out into the hall of the library.
• Everyone wants the caffeine fix before the next class and there aren't enough baristas working to meet the needs of costumers at a fast rate. 
9. The cost of college textbooks is greater then the tuition for classes. (over exaggeration) 
• It costs a lot of money for research to publish a textbook.
10. Having to purchase headphones every few months because they constantly keep breaking.
• The wires are so thin that they break frequently but if they were any thicker we wouldn't carry them around as much. 
11. Receiving Facebook notifications on every single synced device. 
• Sometimes Facebook glitches so notifications are sent out to every device regardless if you have seen it or not mainly because of the internet connection.
12. Pandora Music only being available in the United States. 
• Many websites are only available 
13. Lufthansa Airlines cancelling a flight without letting their costumers know in advance. 
• Sometimes there are weather issues and there is nothing the airline can do but accommodate their costumers. 
14. UF registrar's office constantly placing callers on hold and transferring them about to dozens of people until they can get a proper answer. 
• There are so many different departments and no single person has all of the answers. 
15. Never being able to find the right shade of makeup foundation. 
• The package usually due to printing problems never gets the right shade.
16. Not being able to trust Ebay to deliver what you ordered in working condition. 
• Sellers only use Ebay to sell items and Ebay does not promise that it will be the same item you have ordered.
17. Cars with leather seats in the summer being impossible to get into for the first 15 minutes.
• Leather seats just get warmer quicker and keep heat much more then regular fabric seats would.
18. Delta Airlines sending out 10 consecutive emails to warn costumers that the flight departure time has been changed by one minute.
• They could incur a lot of financial costs if they did not tell their costumers and it's probably an automatic email sent out to everyone to avoid issues. 
19. Not being able to reserve seats in a movie theater. 
• It would take many theaters new equipment to allow their costumers to be able to pick the seats they want to sit in.
20. Unreliable WiFi on the UF campus. 
• There are just too many people connected all on the same wifi for it to be as fast as we want it. 

It was hard to come up with the 20 bugs because even thought it is things that are an issue every day we have learned to live with it. For instance we are okay with having to wait for five minutes on hold because we have to get an answer from the other side and there isn't really another way to do so. Also the bus system, RTS, we have no control over that and can't really blame the bus driver so we sit and wait for the bus because we don't really have another choice. 

My Entrepreneurship Story

Since I am an Innovation Academy student, we had a show case last summer called Catalyst. During this time we basically we had to come up with a solution to a problem. My group and I started up a student travel company that was concentrated on large bulk trips, which assured cheap prices for students. The process of making everything, figuring out small details on the business plan, budget plan, creating the logo and the website taught me a lot about what it takes to successfully start a company and run it. 

My Catalyst Team 

The reason I'm taking this course is to learn more about entrepreneurship and learn to think outside the box. The class set up is unlike any I have seen and seemed very contemporary, and even thought it is an online class it somehow brings the whole class together through the blogs and posts. 

Introduction

Hello! 

My name is Adna Brkanic and I am a Business Management major with a minor in Innovation. Originally, I come from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where I lived until I was ten. Since then my family has lived in Sarasota, Florida where I went to the International Baccalaureate Program at Riverview High School. While in high school I used my summers to travel back home, to Sarajevo, where I worked at the Sarajevo Film Festival, and then later was invited to Serbia to work at the Exit Music Festival. Through my work there I had the opportunity to meet some of the most important people in my life and create some life long connections. 

Graduating from Riverview in 2014, I was accepted into the Innovation Academy program at UF which allowed me to have classes spring and summer, allowing me even more time to travel. The summer and fall of 2014, I spent traveling to Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia, Italy and Croatia. I used this time to work on some online classes but also to just explore Europe. Also since I'm very passionate about photography, I used this time to also improve my skills and get some amazing pictures of cities around Europe. 

Coming in Spring of 2015, I felt very disoriented and lost but with time I met a lot of new people and got used to the new system. Once again I used my fall to travel, talking a study abroad in Bosnia and see my family and friends. This limited somewhat because I couldn't travel as much to neighboring countries but I still had the chance to visit Germany, Czech Republic and Croatia. 

I'm currently finishing up my study abroad classes because the semesters here and there overlap for about a month and then I plan to apply for an internship I've been waiting for. 

I'm still not sure what I want to do in my life but I know I want to continue on traveling and I hope to find a job that will allow me to do so.

Buna, Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Berlin, Germany

Berlin, Germany

Berlin, Germany

Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Zagreb, Croatia 

Makarska, Croatia

Entrepreneur's Mantra

Hello

I'm Adna! :)