30A Final Reflection

30A Final reflection



The class was an enjoyable experience. The part I disliked the most were the elevator pitch videos. I was glad the class focused more on the entrepreneurial mindset and not on memorizing terms for exams. I started the class off very nervous about using a blog and new technology, but the instructions were thorough, and everything went well.  



The experience that I will remember years later is that as I completed the projects the idea that I really thought was just an idea, took on a more realistic opportunity to become a venture. I was surprised that it was starting to become more attainable and I was considering stepping up and taking it on.
 My most joyous experience were the lectures; Professor Pryor is funny and entertaining. The experience that I am most proud of accomplishing were the elevator pitch videos. The first one took me like 5 hours to complete, and the last took me like two minutes. It really showed me that practicing anything can significantly improve how well I do the task.



I believe I moved closer to an entrepreneurial mindset because of this class. Even though I have been running a business for the last 23 years, this class encouraged me to look for opportunities and focus them down to a place where they can be executed.



My recommendation for students that are going to take this class is to manage their time effectively. Watch the lectures and use your brain. Take the assignments seriously so you develop a better understanding of the entrepreneurial process and learn how to execute it.

 

29A Venture concept 2

29A Venture concept 2

My revised venture concept is very similar but change due to a couple of my interviews. My original concept was to get a small group of people with different areas of expertise in to the school system to evaluate and design a more secure location. The opportunity was the lack of safety in the school system and the trend of kids wanting to inflict carnage on their peers. Currently customers are not satisfying the need and it is only currently being used as a push to limit access to firearms to law abiding citizens. The opportunity is big and very bureaucratic. It is filled with politics and is an inefficient market place for implementing solutions.  

The innovation is implementing the security measures to use modern day technology and training to eliminate weapons from making it through the doors of the school. My team would identify the weak areas and propose solutions using metal detectors, camera systems, double entrances and trained volunteers to accomplish hardening the target.

My most important resource will be my contacts. Specifically, the ones that have been able to get products and services in to schools.  What’s next for the venture is to get a contact to get us in to a school to do an evaluation and proposal. In 5 years I would like it to be a common process and an expectation when building or remodeling a school. Competition will arise between the schools when people start sending their kid to the school that they know is safer. 

My revised concept would be to skip to small businesses and get the measures implemented there first. Eventually people would start to question why it isn’t being done in their schools. Small businesses are more efficient, and it is easier to reach the decision maker. They will make the decision if they know it will help their business.