Week 2 Reading Reflection

I never knew the difference between entrepreneurs and economists. It is clearly a broad term, and they connect with each other. I’ve  also never taken an economy class so this book has a lot to offer me in terms of knowledge and important terms to know.  I also enjoyed reading  the “ Hot Trends to Watch” because it seemed like a reflection on what society is beginning to look like, such as many people becoming more “green” and gluten free. I would like to ask the author if he considers himself an entrepreneur, and what inspired him to write this book. I do not necessarily agree with him when he says that anyone can be an entrepreneur. I definitely think there are characteristics that are essential to be a successful one. Not everyone is a risk taker, and not everyone has the confidence to go into a career that is self-initiated. A fact that surprised me was that about half of all startups last between 5 and 7 years. Why does this happen and how much does a background in business and economics help with sustaining a startup for a longer period of time? I was confused as to what makes a gazelle different from a small business, as well as a business startup. At what point can these become corporations? 

Bug List

1.     Some bike racks around campus make it super inconvenient to securely lock your bike at the optimal place (through the back wheel and frame). WHY: poor design.

2.     My bike brakes will wear out to the point where they don’t slow me down at all. WHY: over usage causes them to lose its friction on the wheel.

3.     I have had so many pairs of headphones break on me for no apparent reason, whether it’s one of the sides not working or the cable needing to be in a specific position to work. WHY: either the companies are using cheap materials or they are just not made well.

4.     I hate when I put a poster up using some sort of tape or sticky material meant for hanging things and it falls down when a breeze comes in the door. WHY: perhaps the adhesive isn’t strong enough to hold the weight or it loses strength over time.

5.     When I’m playing a vinyl on my record player and it will start skipping back to the row before due to a speck of dust in the crevice. WHY: the record isn’t clean.

6.     When I’m showering and someone uses the faucet or flushes the toilet, the strength of the water gets much weaker. WHY: either a limited amount of water available or uneven distribution among the appliances.

7.     My laptop charger will slowly inch out of the outlet until I have to plug it in again because it’s so far out. WHY: the adapter that connects to the wall is too heavy. 

8.     Some AUX cords wont fit in my headphone port because my case blocks it. WHY: the case or the AUX is too bulky.

9.     When my bracelets get caught on a door handle or something protruding out like that and it breaks and the beads fly everywhere WHY: the elastic is too stretchy and thin.

10. When I’m finishing a bottle of toothpaste and there is a little left but it is impossible to get. WHY: there is too little left to push out.

11. When I try to charge my laptop and I have to flip it to the other side to work even though both sides should work. WHY: malfunctions with the chord.

12. When I send a video on my android to someone with an Iphone it comes out really blurry. WHY: the two operating systems aren’t very compatible.

13. When I’m sharpening my pencil in a manual sharpener and the point breaks off and gets stuck inside. WHY: the tip fits too tightly so when you take out the pencil the tip stays inside.

14. When I try to put my hair in a bun and my ponytail breaks. WHY: the elastic is weak.

15. Its really hard to wrap my bike light around my handle bars and it’s I have to redo the process every night I ride my bike because I’m afraid someone will steal it. WHY: the elastic is not stretchy or long enough.

16. I have notebooks that come with pockets for loose papers but its too small to fit any. WHY: it is only meant for the ripped out sheets from the notebook and not for the average 8x11 sheet.

17. When I turn on the garbage disposal, sometimes the food will shoot up out of the other side and dirty the clean dishes that are drying. WHY: The garbage disposal is too full.

18. The stoplight will signal the pedestrians to go but it also is green for the turning lane sometimes, so this will lead to drivers not paying attention to the people walking/riding and come very close to hitting them. WHY: they are supposed to wait for the people to cross but they aren’t focused on what’s around them.

19. I’ll make frozen food in my oven and follow the instructions exactly but it will still come out cold sometimes. WHY: the oven in my apartment doesn’t have a lot of power.

20. Ironically, certain types of deodorant will make my armpits sweat more so I am forced to buy a special brand. WHY: the ingredients affect people differently.

I enjoyed this exercise because it made me look at my daily life in a more critical way especially when I was figuring out why the “bugs” would happen. At first I found it easy but after I flushed out the main things that bothered me I had trouble finishing off the list.  I was coming up with a lot of them when I would choose a general topic (like my bike) and stem off of that. When I was out of ideas I found myself just walking around my apartment, looking for problems with any little thing.  This method eventually gave me enough ideas to complete the assignment.

My Entrepreneurship Story

I took an American government class in high school and one of our projects involved starting a business. Each group had to create a pitch, a commercial, and estimate the expenses needed among other things.  Because I already had an interest in starting my own clothing company, I chose to base our project on a similar idea. It was to be a clothing brand that had a style that was simple yet distinct.  One without the in-you-face branding that most companies use but still distinguished enough to be recognizable. The store was also supposed to sell records, as I am huge fan of music. The company Urban Outfitters has a similar business plan, but rather than purchasing clothes from an array of different brands, it would be a singular brand that designed the clothes (me). I really enjoyed this project so for once I didn’t mind doing most of the work. I came up with all of the ideas for the scenes in the commercial and I single handedly presented the pitch because ultimately it was my idea for a business. Even though starting a company doesn’t really have anything to do with American government, I’m definitely glad it was assigned. That experience gave me so much more determination to be an entrepreneur and it still holds true to this day.

ENT 3003 is part of my innovation minor that was given to me upon arrival in the Innovation Academy but I could easily see myself taking this class regardless. I’m hoping this class will give me insight on what the mindset of an entrepreneur should be and how to apply it in my own life.

Introduction

My names Derek Baltar and I grew up in a suburb in South Florida called Pembroke Pines. Since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in art. I have been drawing since elementary school but it was in middle school where I realized what interested me most was clothing design. Aside from that I’ve always been a good student but have had trouble applying myself. I was fortunate enough to be brought up by parents who didn’t impose their beliefs on me and supported me through every decision I made. Oddly enough they are polar opposites; my dad is strict, calculated, and reserved while my mom is easy going, improvisational, and outgoing. He’s book smart while she’s street smart. I like to think this contrast gave me the best of both of their personalities. I also have an older brother who I’ve been getting closer with since I’ve left the house. We’ve all gone on some amazing trips, the most notable being London and Paris in 2014. I was also able to travel with my girlfriend to New York and Boston this past fall and it was definitely a learning experience being my first time traveling alone. Another “learning” experience was when I arrived at UF in the spring last year. At the time, I considered pursuing an art major but ended up deciding on the engineering major, Digital Arts and Sciences, because it incorporated design in a degree that would give me a lot more opportunities out of college. Despite my major, I still want to pursue a job in fashion design, specifically starting my own clothing company. I’m sure this class will take me closer to that goal and I’m excited to start that journey.

These are some doodles I did over a year ago.

Entrepreneur's Mantra