Assignment 15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior #2

Alternative Evaluation

Looking at alternatives does depend on many aspects when it comes to attracting the general public to my organization. Price obviously isn't a deciding factor when a donation is completely optional and has no specific limits. The most important characteristic would definitely be quality. Right now, there aren't many options that specifically focus on the facilities of immigrant children. Sure, there may be organizations that try to improve or assist immigrants but none have taken direct action toward changing it like this. The style is also important. My facility isn't completely a prison. It is neither a luxurious resort either, which is what convinces those who are questioning if they should be better kept than middle class members.

Purchase

The general population transaction, I assume, will definitely come from online. I would have a website created where people from anywhere can donate at all times. Obviously, there will be events where open donations will take place but most traffic will definitely come from online. It makes it easily accessible and to share to as many people as they desire. Obviously, they will all be cash transactions because this is not the type of business that would able to finance to anyone.

Post-Purchase Evaluation

The only way anyone would regret this type of "purchase" would be if my organization did not go through with its word. People donate because it feels right. If the conditions promised just end up being as bad as the current, the entire organization would fall through.

Assignment 14A - Halfway Reflection

Tenaciousness is a Competency
   Before this summer semester, I was extremely bad at managing time and planing to do assignments. I no longer wait until the very last second of 11:59 to finish my assignments. I plan a day in my week around my work schedule to sit down and watch the lectures and the next to do the rest of the assignments. I've also used self-determination not to fail any classes this semester or come close to it.

Tenaciousness is also about Attitude
   Right before this summer semester, I was ready to just give up on school. I had been having a lot of trouble at UF my first 2 semesters, getting grades I had never seen or were used to. I feel I have definitely developed a tenacious attitude in the last couple of months I've been home. My parents were very important in this process, but also my coworkers. With this support system, I was able to start staying on top of my school work, get close to a promotion at work, and fix my sleep schedule almost completely. The appreciation and recognition I've been getting for my hard work both at home and at work has contributed to this turn around a lot.

Three Tips
   1. Stay on top of the work and plan ahead. Planning a week or even getting ahead in the assignment is extremely helpful and leaves less stress.
   2. Find a short term goal. If you find some type of purpose to your life whether it is the school work or something else, everything else will follow just based off your attitude.
   3. Take the class seriously, or at least pay attention to the lectures. The professor gives off a lot of cool tools that you can definitely use in real life to plan your future accordingly.

Assignment 13A - Reading Reflection #1

About the Entrepreneur
   
   Surprised the Most: I had no idea Elon Musk was the type of guy who had it hard when it came to his parents and being bullied in school. Every time I've seen him in videos he just had this very cocky and confident demeanor that didn't show an inch of pain within. You would've never thought he had this awfully disturbing and scarring childhood that still probably haunts him to this day.
   Most Admire: His determination to learn and continue learning. I have always wanted to be able to read at least a book a month, let alone 60. It is the best way to learn not from just things you experience, but from others experiences laid out in great detail. Not only that, but he took time out of his life (and continues to) to learn about the human life in the last a thousand years. This all takes place just so he can create this future he has envisioned for humankind.
   Least Admire: Stating the obvious that he is near genius, does not mean he knows everything. I am convinced he does think we can know everything, but it gives off a negative vibe to subordinates and probably hits the confidence within them. Not only that but to think of himself as nearly God is just not something I agree with. Sometimes it feels like if it isn'r his idea it is not as brilliant.
   Adversity and Failure: In 2008, he had to choose between the two companies he had put all of his time and effort into. Somehow, he was able to secure financing in some form for each of those. He didn't give up at all. It was almost as if everything hit him at once, and then Liftoff began.
Competencies
One of the most known skills and entrepreneur HAS to have is determination, and with that also comes commitment. Elon Musk had determination in whatever faced him. Whether it was learning and mastering a topic, reading a book within a specific window, or even getting the girl that had absolutely no interest. Secondly, he has imagination and a goal for innovation. He has come up with ideas inside of him that actually made people think he was mentally insane. Musk is also very good at putting the pieces together. Anything he has helped in developing, benefits another. The book spoke on the connection between the solar panels and the Tesla cars, for example. They almost seem like perfect counter parts.
Confusing
How Elon Musk dreams something and ultimately makes it a reality. We all know dreams and imaginations sometimes are purely that. So how does a literal INSANE dream always lead to some physical and tangible being. How does one say I want to be on Mars, and work their entire life on something the entire world feels is just impossible.
2 Questions to Elon Musk
   1. Why didn't you want to go through with the biography in the first place?
      Why? He's got so much knowledge to share and I don't understand what there would have been to hide. Was it that he did not want to talk about the failures so personally, was he afraid of having to deal with his inner being?
   2. Is there anything you believe you can't do?
      Why? As I previously had stated, I feel as though he truly believes he can and will do anything no matter what. But I also think any human his their limit. Musk is in fact not God himself, and he has to fail at something he really wants.


Entrepreneur's Opinion
Elon Musk's opinion on hard work is simple. He practiced it his ENTIRE life and carries it into his children. He was at his last drop, yet continued forward anyways. Musk knew from the very beginning that good and astonishing ideas wasn't at all what it was going to take. He studied, he learned, he stayed up, he graphed, he did all the things himself. I share this with him in that I know I can't just start something and not finish it. It would have to be done by any means necessary and I truly believe it.

Assignment 12A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior #1

There are 3 segments that are most significant to this non-profit facility organization: the big investors, the general public, and families of immigrants. Sure, the business will need a few hefty and substantial investors, but in the end a lot of nonprofits rely on donations from the public. For this reason, I decided to focus on the general public segment.
Segment: General Public (Donation)

Need Awareness: Unfortunately, the need for this type of business is only made aware to the public when some type of devastating or regrettable event occurs.
- A death to a child - Stories about the suffering - A new immigration policy put in place
- Footage/Pictures of the suffering or aftermath - Media attention toward the situation
- Stats put out about the facilities
Information Search: A lot of this search begins with social media nowadays. A multitude of postings about the lost lives or the suffering of innocent children spread all over several platforms and people begin to repost. They google organizations that assist these types of problems or fund the facilities. They may look for direct links to use and spread to donate to this type of issue. These events do spread and spread by word of mouth especially to close friends and family who share the same hurt from the circumstances.

Assignment 11A - Idea Napkin #1

You:

I am someone who has always been known to help others. Even when I have nothing, I still attempt to you give whatever I can to those I care about that are in need. I may not completely know the full process of building a nonprofit type of business to create these facilities, but I do have the drive. Once I begin something, I always make it to the end no matter what it takes. In looking into what it takes to begin a nonprofit, I've found that the key to its success is SUPPORT. Support from the general public, big time investors, and individuals who are impacted is what will make this type of business go round. I aspire to help these children even if it may not be a total change. I've spoken to those in prison, those who know people from  the facilities now, and even one who has worked inside of a prison. I try to combine everything I've heard and find some middle ground to create the facility I envisioned.

Offering to Customers:

In one of the prior assignments, I discussed the solution I was striving for. In short, I look to find that gray area in between the terrible conditions now and something that would be too appealing. I hope to grow into the nation's chain of immigrant facilities that will be in tolerable and habitable conditions. A place where they can be held captive, yet still be nourished and hygienic. These are the needs that aren't being met in the current state of the immigrant detention facilities.

Who Offering To:

Every single person invested in this will have to some kind of care or sympathy for the immigrants. My facilities are to be specifically to those immigrant children being held between the ages of being babies to 21. Those investors will come from the average individual who would like to provide donations and wealthy investors who would like to participate in some kind of charitable assistance. The families of the immigrant themselves will be easiest to gain the support of. This movement would need to capture the attention of all of these nationwide.

Why They Care:

The connection between the investors and funding the organization will lie in compassion. Caring for those who can't help themselves, who didn't make this decision on their own, and who are dying because of the current conditions. 

Core Competencies:

My secret sauce is within the idea that immigrant facilities for children could be more like shelters for those young ones who are helpless. Most of the facilities in America are either at capacity or unknowingly over it. This is what has caused the deaths of SEVERAL children. My facility will be proven casualty free for years and years. It will not force them to fend from themselves as much. If prisons can feed their own and allow hygienic conditions (within reach), these children should be provided the same.

Piecing it TOGETHER: I feel that the only flaw in my business would truly be the lack in support. With that being said, I cannot believe as many Americans as there are in the country, there wouldn't be an abundance of people jumping at the opportunity to assist children in need from death. With support, it should be smooth sailing. 

Assignment 10A - Elevator Pitch #1

Link

Assignment 9A - Testing the Hypothesis Pt 2

Prior to the assignment, I had the opportunity to interview and converse with a couple different kinds of people. I talked to family members who have immigrant members and support Trump's policies. I spoke to a stranger who was of Hispanic decent and related to the topic. I spoke to conservatives. And I spoke to those struggling to get through this tough time. Below is just a small summary, a gist if you will, of what I got and learned from them altogether. I was able to get opinions from both sides which was interesting, but also slightly surprising.

Who: Although even those who aren't personally affected would still support the business, they do not fall completely in line with the boundaries this business will pull in. The obvious outsiders would be those who completely support President Trump's immigration policies. The immigrants who are adults, say above the age of 21, may desire this type of institution but for now would not be able to enjoy the benefits. Those under 21 who have committed any crimes aside from their immigrant status will not be allowed in the facility. Those who have immigrant family members, but still continue to agree with the new policies will not support the opportunity.
 
What: The need I satisfy, in the beginning, will only toward children or those people under 21. This would be because of their, for the most part, inability to survive completely alone and unable to clean or eat to stay alive. I want to prevent serious illnesses and death among the somewhat innocent children that are put into this predicament that was not their decision to begin with.

Why: The underlying cause for the boundary is mostly due to political opinions and age differences. To some it may be common sense to help children in need, but to others there are always excuses and different reasoning not to assist others.

Inside the Boundary                                                              Outside the Boundary

Who is In: Families with immigrant children,                       Who is Not: Immigrants over 21,
The children themselves, Those who choose to serve             Immigration policy supporters

What the Need Is: Save the children from disease                What the Need is Not: A resort, a high
and being malnourished                                                           class facility, a hideaway, a reward

Why the Need Exists:                                                             Alternative Explanations: Immigrants
Trump's policies have ruined the lives of many more             are criminals who deserve some type of
immigrants, which in turn shoved them into tiny rooms in     harsh imprisonment, immigrants do not
detention facilities in which they are not treated with care      deserve or improve the country, the
or  clean areas.                                                                          facility is no longer a punishment/too                                                                                                        easy

Assignment 8A - Solving the Problem

The Problem: Although migrating into the US without the right documents is illegal, most cases include people running away from their home country in hopes of a better life. Nonetheless, many of them are detained in put into facilities where they are packed in and not taken care of. This only exposes most of those imprisoned to dangerous environments and illnesses. Although still terrible, it may not be as difficult for the adults as it is for the poor, helpless children that have gone through this. Survival has become so hard for them which has not only caused severe illnesses but death as well.

The Solution: Beginning a chain of immigrant facilities that keep these children confined and secure, but also don't put them in danger. Surely, it was not the decision of these kids to illegally attempt to move across the border. My facility will be a fair solution to the problem. It is not necessarily  a profitable product, but more toward a nonprofit type of organization. The services provided would be cleaning crews for bathrooms, bedroom, and some kind of kitchen. Daily meals would be provided, but of course nothing of gourmet fashion. The meals would be traditional and simple courses that would be enough to keep the children nourished at the least. The facilities will also provide running water for bathing. All of this will reduce illnesses and deaths altogether.

Assignment 7A - Testing Hypothesis, P1

There is an obvious deficit in "detention" facilities for those immigrants who have been detained. Most importantly, helpless children have suffered in those facilities that are not up to the standards to contain so many of them.

   The WHO: Immigrant families and children

   The WHAT: Cramped and unsafe facility conditions

   The WHY: The government does not find it important enough to give it more funding