Final Reflection

What stuck out to me the most was the buyer behavior and analyzing opportunities. I had never seen the world in this perspective nor did I know it was possible. As a pre-health professional I learned to analyze issues from a natural or physical perspective, while understanding what biological issue may have caused the problem; but I have never looked at them as a business opportunity. Now, as I walk around in my everyday life, I catch myself looking an issue and creating an opportunity belief. I have definitely developed an entrepreneurial mindset over the course of this semester.

One thing I recommend is to stay on top of your assignments. It is very easy to procrastinate and let your assignments pile up. This will not work as they require time and dedication. Also, I say this because you will not be given any make-ups no matter the excuse, so be on top of everything. When thinking about it this is exactly how a business works, there are no exams to be expected, but there are deadlines to meet and consistency is required for you to succeed. All are treats that foster an entrepreneur, in my opinion. Well, I leave you all with a few words “don’t wait for opportunity, create it”

Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity

There are a countless amount of people aging every day. This is something no one can avoid, even if you try real hard. So, we understand that the process is a never-ending event that will eventually catch us all. I want to take advantage of this sad but true circumstance. As time catches up with us we will all find ourselves suffering from loss and bodily injuries, or finding that technology has surpassed our understanding, or accompanied by a lack of nutritional clarity needed for a better life.

Currently my ideal customer is everyone who suffers from any of those symptoms. However, they do satisfy this need by visiting rehabilitation centers when injured, or attending an outreach program, or even working out at a local gym to quince the thrust for social interaction. Reaching out to all these different sources may prove difficult for some individuals, so why not bring them all together.    

The facility that I want to create not only will attend to the elderly needs of those ages 65 and above. I will be combining something new, well, I think it’s new. The idea is to bring two different structures of health together.

Innovation

Bringing these two together

1. The rehabilitation center; “a facility providing therapy and training for rehabilitation. The center may offer occupational therapy, physical therapy, vocational training” as defined by Medical-dictinary.com. These factors are all thing necessary for anyone recovering from an injury or fall. As we age, we are more susceptible to falls and other aging related injuries, sadly this is just the way of life. Time stops for no one and as we age, we will wither to its unforgivable grip. According to the CDC “Americans experienced 29 million falls causing seven million injuries and costing an estimated $31 billion in annual Medicare costs”.  So, it is clear that there will always be business.

2. The recreational center: according to dictionary.cambridge.org a recreational center is “a building that is open to the public where meetings are held, sports are played, and there are activities available for young and old people”. Obviously, my service will only be for the elderly. We will provide a structural unite of employees all trained in different fields. We will offer: swimming classes, dance classes, Pilates, and aerobic exercise, all to keep our patients physically active. Within this structure we will also offer community gardening. As a biology student I was explained in a plat course I attended that the University of Florida has researched the health benefits of community gardening in relations to mental health. They have found promising evidence that it helps fight depression in cancer patients. I will apply these same techniques to help those fighting depression. With age we will all come to know loss and suffer from depression. This will hopefully give them the tools they need to move past this and find comfort within our facility. If they find themselves alone, they can come join our family; well, that felt like a slogan.

Founding;

This is always the question to ask. Where will the money come from? Who will pay for all of this? I will admit startup capital will be nonetheless demanding but not impossible. We can start small with just a rehabilitation center providing primary care. This will be founded by Medicaid and Medicare:

Medicaid: As defined by HHS.gov is an “insurance program. Medical bills are paid from trust funds which those covered have paid into. It serves people over 65 primarily, whatever their income; and serves younger disabled people and dialysis patients.”

Medicare: As defined by HHS.gov “is an assistance program. It serves low-income people of every age. Patients usually pay no part of costs for covered medical expenses. A small co-payment is sometimes required.”

Both these government founded/controlled programs will fund the rehabilitation start-up allowing for the progression and build-up of the recreational center. Also, patients that attend the rehabilitation will be encouraged to continue their journey within the recreational sector.

The recreation sector funding:

The sector will be funded privately, based on a membership-based fee system. Just like you would expect at any local gym or whole food sales store. With monthly or yearly payments required. This allows for a wide range of charges giving our costumers flexibility in their payment plans. To assist our customers with the ability to pay an online-based membership charge, we will offer classes to teach our costumer how to use computers and how to make payments, not only for our facility but any other charges they might have to pay while using an online system. 

Venture Concept

Why Come to Me

Placing both recreational and physical rehabilitation centers together to create something new and cohesive could create a funnel effect. By funnel effect I mean, those who are undergoing physical rehabilitation can come to us just like those seeking recreational activities and more. This creates a funnel where all customers can fall into and end up in one place, my facility. Creating an all-in-one facility will give customers a peace of mind when spending their money.  

Creating a flexible payment system and teaching customer how to use our payment systems will allow my costumer to transition to my service with ease. This will only provide peace of mind and allow them to trust us with their money and memberships. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Teaching them will only allow me to charge fees more effectively and allow my costumer to continue payments.

Costumer First;

As I searched the web for reviews on elderly homes in the Gainesville area, I saw a pattern; bad costumer service. Countless of reviews stating the incompetence of workers in treating elderly individuals with respect and care. So, in order to gain reputation and hook my costumer in, I will adapt an already tested system. Customer support and any other costumer needs will be met with the Publix mentality. Structuring my work environment similar to the great supermarket, “where shopping is a pleasure”, will led to a happy employee which gives the drive and emotional tools to provide an excellent service. In conclusion, bring all these positive aspects together will make sure my demographic comes to me for an future service needs.

The three minor elements

 My most important resource will be me; my knowledge of the physical and natural world, my understanding of nutrition, and my future career. All will provide me with the tools necessary for an insight on what aging people need.  I don’t see anything that could be next except creating a hospital. Assuming I launch, I see myself in every major city with a high population percentage of retired individuals.  

My Feedback

I did not receive any constructive feed back nor any negative once. I have restructured my venture assignment and added more in-depth detail on my service. I added a more detailed pricing list to better give my viewer an idea of what payment systems I would be using. Hope you enjoy!  

Reading Reflection No. 3

The book I read was, The Art of social media by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick

1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?

The general theme of the book is to prepare you for proper use of your social media platforms. To equip you with the tools necessary for a successful profile and to create a growing fan base. To understand that what matters is net effect, what is happening overall and not who you’re pissing off. Offers a step and clear science to the amount of post required to make it casual and not overwhelming for followers that are viewing them.    

2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

              The book offered a new perspective on what social media is and what it could be. As a personal user of social media platforms, I had never seen how much work can actually go into one’s profile and what capabilities it has. Guy and Peg state that you must find out what people want to read. This immediately reminded me of our customer behavior assignments (Figuring Out Buyer Behavior series). It is incredible how important knowing your costumer is, not only when sell but when entertaining/advertising too. They emphasize on the importance of “feeding the content monster”, which basically means that on a day by day basses you must feed your viewers with the content they want to see. Also, Guy and Peg talk about how using Google docs and other online calendar sources to help you manage your schedule and to collaborate with other users. This way everyone can feed the content monster, which reminded me of social capital. When creating a public online calendar, you can use the social capital you’ve gained to assist you with growing your platform.   

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

              I would design an exercise based on a mock system. I would have students explain how they would run a social media platform and have them describe what content they would post. How they came across this content and what do they expect to gain from this. I do however, feel that this is already being implemented with our blog use and our peer comments, but we can always push this a little more.   

4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

My biggest surprise was when Guy and Peg state that likes and comments are basically meaningless. Liking and commenting are nice, but the true compliment on social media is sharing " Passing the reassuring test". Always ask yourself is my post Shareable, which can help you create a greater more relatable post. Also, they stress the importance of always sharing a friend's post. Watch what they share and pick the best if you can find and share it. This creates a trust between you and other platforms that can potentially increase your social capital.

My Exit Strategy

My exit strategy is simple, create an empire. I have no intention of selling my venture in any time span, not in 5 years and not in 10. I will stay with my business and see it through till the end. Once every major National City is filled with several of my facilities and I’ve created a conglomerate, I will take my company global. Hey, there are old people everywhere in the world so, why not take this opportunity to expand beyond our borders. I have no intention on forcing anything onto my family, whether they choose to follow my footsteps or not is up to them. If no one decides to take over the company than I would simply sell, or go public assuming I have gained investors over the years. I will use the initial public offering (IPO) to remove myself from the company, or keep the majority of shares but remove myself from any management position. The reason I have selected this exist strategy is because keeping shares and removing myself from the board will keep a heavy steady paycheck that I will use to expand my humanitarian interest. Also, the shares could be passed down to upcoming generations assuming they are not degenerates. My exit strategy has clearly influenced my growth intensions. This is something I have yet to consider since all my efforts have gone towards strengthening my opportunity belief and perfecting my service. I had not considered a long term plan or an exit strategy until now.

Celebrating Failure

I have failed time and time again with time management; however, now it doesn’t feel as if it was time management but that I spread myself too thin. At the beginning of my academic career I was faced with this silly thing called responsibility, look it up it’s a pretty crazy thing, and I was unprepared to handle such a beast. Late submission, missing assignments, late night cramming sessions were all a reality that keep taking their toll. This couldn’t continue as this was a track that only had one path; failure. As a result, I did what any sane person would do, I adapted! Adapt or die, is something we learn in biology. A species can either adapt to their environment or face extinction and I refuse to wither. I perfected my time management skill while under fire, learning from every mismanaged moment and accepting it as a lesion. Now, looking back I see that I would never have made it this far without change, and it is that change that will allow me to move forward.  

  

A friend once told me “take one bite of the elephant at a time, and bite the most important parts”, in simple term; take thing one step at a time and make sure to prioritize. I currently own and help run a family business, have a full-time class schedule, conduct research, volunteer, apply to medical schools, and maintain a high intensity workout regimen on a regular basis. You would say that this is too much, but what choice do I have. It is a “doggy dog world” out there and to be considered competitive within the medical field it must be done. So, I have no choice but to confront this monster head on and come out victories. With that said, I’m sure you understand that without making those changes I would have never reached this point.

This course has only reinforced my perception. Failure is only but a lesion, we can choose to accept that or fall under its heavy grasp. Every instant that I failed in only made me stronger and showed me what not to do next. Yes, it was hard to stare failure in the face but, once the tears clear up and my heart returned from my gut, I got back up and said “never again”. It’s okay to show what many perceive as weakness as they could not be more wrong, moments like these only help you recover. “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”, these are words from one of my many favorite films, Batman Begins, and they could not be more true. As we fail we shouldn’t see it as an end but only as the beginning to a new and better you.   

What’s Next?

Existing Markets

What I think is next for my service facility is for me to finish school. Getting my medical degree is the first step I need to take in order to consider anything else. Once that is done, I can create the rehab center and then create my image. The medical degree will give my patients the peace of mind needed to continue service. It will also allow me to create a name for myself which will let me to advertise myself as a brand. My interviewees stated that they feel comfortable and safe in the hands of a medical professional. That this creates an environment where they feel safe. What they want next is to have someone they trust. They expressed that with technology growing the world seems to get lonelier and more franchised. Giving my business a face and someone to talk to will create something of a dying brand.

New Market

 A new market to go after is becoming a secondary facility as an extension of a hospital. Allowing for all ages to attend the facilities while continuing my programs. This will change my business to a B2B with hospitals sending patients when they find necessary. Providing classes to all ages can help a greater amount of people. Also, with hospitals outsourcing their rehabilitation needs we can help them reduce cost and increase budgets for other needs. My interviewees stated that this is already being done but without the recreational side. Hospital use outside independent rehab centers to provide patient care. The only way I could seem to make this work is if I had an inside source that would be willing to change their “go-to” rehab centers.

I learned that this could prove to be difficult. There are already companies with a head start and they seem to have a better grip on the situations. I would definitely be starting behind the curve and in a position, I would not want to be in.

Increasing my age range does seem helpful as stated by a young interviewee. He attends a local gym but wouldn’t mind having a place to go to that offers more than just fitness. This seems helpful but would increase the need for a bigger facility for a weight room to satisfy his fitness needs.

In conclusion, these changes do not seem to be the right choice. Expanding too much too quick can be detrimental and offering more with less only seems negative. Offering a wide age rang can be helpful, but expansions are to great for the small market. Also, becoming an extension of a hospital will be impossible with competition booming and with a start behind the curve. I would rather stay in my niche and grow there.     

Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity

My thoughts are that without a doubt we have an opportunity belief within the field. There are a countless amount of people aging every day. This is something no one can avoid, even if you try real hard. So, we understand that the process is a never-ending event that will eventually catch us all. I want to take advantage of this sad but true circumstance.

The facility that I want to create not only will attend to the elderly needs of those ages 65 and above. I will be combining something new, well, I think its new. I idea is to bring two different structures of health together.

Innovation

Bringing these two together

1. The rehabilitation center; “a facility providing therapy and training for rehabilitation. The center may offer occupational therapy, physical therapy, vocational training” as defined by Medical-dictinary.com. These factors are all thing necessary for anyone recovering from an injury or fall. As we age, we are more susceptible to falls and other aging related injuries, sadly this is just the way of life. Time stops for no one and as we age, we will wither to its unforgivable grip. According to the CDC “Americans experienced 29 million falls causing seven million injuries and costing an estimated $31 billion in annual Medicare costs”.  So, it is clear that there will always be business.

2. The recreational center: according to dictionary.cambridge.org a recreational center is “a building that is open to the public where meetings are held, sports are played, and there are activities available for young and old people”. Obviously, my service will only be for the elderly. We will provide a structural unite of employees all trained in different fields. We will offer: swimming classes, dance classes, pilates, and aerobic excursive, all to keep our patients physically active. Within this structure we will also offer community gardening. As a biology student I was explained in a plat course I attended that the University of Florida has researched the health benefits of community gardening in relations to mental health. They have found promising evidence that it helps fight depression in cancer patients. I will apply these same techniques to help those fighting depression. With age we will all come to know loss and suffer from depression. This will hopefully give them the tools they need to move past this and find comfort within our facility. If they find themselves alone, they can come join our family, well that feels like a slogan.

Venture Concept

Founding, this is always the question to ask where will the money come from? Who will pay for all of this? I will admit start up capital will be nonetheless demanding but not impossible. We can start small with just a rehabilitation center providing primary care.

This will be founded by Medicaid and Medicare:

Medicaid: As defined by HHS.gov is a “insurance program. Medical bills are paid from trust funds which those covered have paid into. It serves people over 65 primarily, whatever their income; and serves younger disabled people and dialysis patients.”

Medicare: As defined by HHS.gov “is an assistance program. It serves low-income people of every age. Patients usually pay no part of costs for covered medical expenses. A small co-payment is sometimes required.”

Both these government founded/controlled programs will fund the rehabilitation start-up allowing for the progression and build-up of the recreational center. Also, patients that attend the rehabilitation will be encouraged to continue their journey within the recreational sector.

The recreation sector funding:

The sector will be funded privately will a membership-based fee. Just like you would expect at any local gym or whole food sales store. With monthly or yearly payments required. This allows for a wide range of charges giving our costumers flexibility in their payment plans. To assist our costumers with the ability to pay an online-based membership charge we will offer classes to teach or costumer how to use computers and how to make payments, not only for our facility but any other charges hay might have t pay using an online system.

Creating a flexible payment system will allow my costumer to transition to my service with ease. This will only provide peace of mind and allow them to trust us with their money and memberships. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Teaching them will only allow me to charge fees more effectively and allow my costumer to continue payments.

Costumer support and any other costumer needs will be met with the Publix mentality. Structuring my work environment similar to the great supermarket, “where shopping is a pleasure”, will led to a happy employee which gives the drive and emotional tools to provide an excellent service.  

The three minor elements

 My most important resource will be me; my knowledge of the physical and natural world, my understanding of nutrition, and my future career. All will provide me with the tools necessary for an insight on what aging people need.  I don’t see anything that could be next except creating a hospital. Assuming I launch, I see myself in every major city with a high population percentage of retired individuals.