Customer Interviews No. 1

1) Find an opportunity. 
I have an idea that there may be hidden opportunities around the daily user experiences around the UF campus, maybe it is about the options of food, leisure activities or transportation

2) Figure out who might have the unmet need. 
The students in UF campus might have the unmet need.

3) Come up with a list of questions. 

Tell me a story about the last time you try to find healthy food options around the campus. 
What may be some of the inconvenience experience that you have encountered around campus?
What was hardest?
Why was that hard? How do you solve it now?
What if there is other alternatives? 

4) Go talk to customers!
I have interviewed some students of UF and listened to them talking about their experiences. Some of the videos are shown below. 

5) Tell us what you learned about the opportunity.
Since many students mentioned that the existing healthy food stores are not widely accessible, I learnt that there may be hidden opportunity in providing cheap and convenient healthy food or hot food options for students. 

Also, during some interviews, students said that since the parking space in UF appears to be very limited, they tend to ride a bike to school. The majority of students thought that the buses are not frequent enough. So there may be opportunity in renting bikes to students. 

6) Tell us what you learned about interviewing customers.
I learnt that it is important to lead the customer into the right direction that you want them to go in the questions, otherwise they may go off track easily and provide you information that you may not need. But still it is crucial to be patient and know what questions to ask in order to get the answers you want to hear.

Week 4 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

The biggest surprise for me in the reading is that the specific objectives of any corporate vision should be set by the managers and employees of the company but not entirely by the top management. 

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I am confused in what exactly are the roles of manager in corporate entrepreneurship. 

3) If you were able to ask a question to the author, what would you ask? Why?

How to encourage communication between departments when they all have tight routine and schedules? Because I want to know the way to a flexible working environment.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I may not fully agree with putting one team to focus on innovation. Because every employee in a company can be creative and give their innovative idea to their company.

Top 5 World Problems

List 1 : Ranking the most serious world problems

1. Poverty 

Many developing countries are trapped in the cycle of constantly repaying debts that are impossible to pay off. That causes hunger and unhealthy body.

2. Water Crisis
The number the people lack of food and water are nearly the same. It is particularly serious in developing counties such as India where clean water is not easy to find. People will have diseases if they do not have adequate water consumption.

3. Food crisis 

The world needs to produce at least 50% more food to feed 9 billion people by 2050. But climate change could cut crop yields by more than 25%.

4.Disease control Many developing countries may suffer from a lot of diseases due to a poor sanitation in environment.   5. Climate Change that leads to global warming  It is responsible for the increase in sea level, raging storms, searing heat, severe drought, and punishing floods. It threatens our health, communities, economy, and national security. I choose poverty as the world most serious problem because once this problem is solved, many other world serious problems will be solved or at least get better such as lack of education resources, malnutrition, etc.   List 2: Ranking the most implementable solutions to world problems

1. Solution to water crisis: 

The first world countries should provide solar-powered water purifiers to developing countries. This invention uses zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in containers that expose it to ultraviolet radiation and cleanse the water, making it suitable to drink. 

2. Solution to food crisis:

Supplying the micro nutrients vitamin A and zinc to 80 percent of the 140 million children who lack them in developing countries.

3. Solution to disease control:

Expanding immunization coverage of children in developing countries such that they will not be exposed to diseases easily.

4. Solution to climate change:

Expand renewable power and use energy efficiently. For example, using sustainable energy such as solar energy, wind energy instead of non-renewable energy.

5. Solution to Poverty:

Cancelling impossible to repay world debts. If the developing countries do not have to pay for the debts, people can be more educated to get a better job opportunity.

I think that with the advanced technolgy from the first world countries, it is feasible to build this kind of purifiers at an affordable cost that can save millions of people and supply them with clean water. Fund raised from many charities should be used in building this kind of invention to solve the water crisis problem at once.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

To my surprise, I find that having a sense of humor is also one of the common characteristics of entrepreneurs. I expected that entrepreneurs may be more serious but it turns out that being agreeable with humor is also a key to success when building relationships in business. 

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

It is said that entrepreneurs usually have high internal locus of control, that means they believe they can control their outcomes. But one the other hand, it is said that they are high in tolerance for ambiguity, that means they accept surprises and even feel excited about ambiguous existence. These two sayings are quite confusing to me.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? 

How do entrepreneurs calculate their risks before taking any?

How do entrepreneurs develop a constructive team before he is successful or well known?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I doubt if a holiday break would be possible or feasible solution to solve the stress of entrepreneurs. Take my uncle as an example, he is an entrepreneur that runs his own store on his own. He told me that he does not even have the time to think about getting away from his business for a while. Because he is simply not confident in leaving his business to another person.

Identifying Local Opportunities

5 Opportunities

1. Students from Hong Kong's poorer families get a helping hand from outstanding university undergraduates - A handful of top university graduates are going back to school to lend underprivileged pupils a helping hand

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A761CCD88F79C0?p=AWNB

There are a number of students in Hong Kong from low income families that may not be able to get as many learning resources as others. This may hinder their study progress and academic performance in general. 

2. The problems

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A1C81646460888?p=AWNB

Hong Kong does not have Chinese as a second language curriculum, making it hard for ethnic minority children to catch up to local standards of Chinese. Inadequate translation services means ethnic minorities often find it hard to get the help they need in schools, hospitals and social welfare services.

3. Hong Kong home prices may not bottom for two to three years, analyst says - Overhang of new homes will peak in two years as projects near completion, setting up what could be some bad years for the city's property prices

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A761CC26EDE1A0?p=AWNB

The supply overhang of new homes will peak in two years as projects launched in recent years mature to completion, lining up what could be a bad string of years for Hong Kong property prices

The problem is that there are too many people applying for public housing but there are too few supply for it. Many Hong Kong citizens cannot afford to buy a flat because the price of housing is way too high for an average income family. 

4.  Hong Kong's street sleepers need help, not unnecessary distress

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8090719AC9220?p=AWNB

The homeless population is an all-time high in Hong Kong. During this winter, though Social Welfare Department provides blankets and warm clothing to them, many of their personal belongings were thrown away by the cleaner of Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. They may feel sad and live without dignity as they lost their personal belongings. Also, there are still many of them suffer because of the cold weather. 

5. Hong Kong leader reveals details of the city's game plan for One Belt, One Road strategy - Special office will be set up in city to coordinate trade and tourism efforts as Hong Kong gets aboard Beijing's global strategy of 'One Belt, One Road'

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A5BB6B698A4700?p=AWNB

While Hong Kong is planning to follow the one belt one road policy, it seems that the resources put on education on local student is insufficient to train them to have a more diversified overseas profile. Hong Kong students need to have more experience in adopting to cultural diversity in order to become competitive in the future job market. 

Very Short Interview No. 1

The entrepreneur I have interviewed was Mr. Thomas Leung,the founder and owner of Green Refreshment, a private company selling different household products in Hong Kong. 

Being the one who was able to make good use of the resources from the mainland China, create value to Hong Kong customers and seize the opportunity to serve the needs of many households of small or limited size makes him a successful entrepreneur. 

Question 1: What habits helped make you successful?

Answer:  Hard working is my habit. Well, actually I have a habit of waking up early at 6am everyday. Since everyday I will be facing many new challenges and things to be done, I have to be of high self disciplined in order to finish as much as I can. I know that I may not be able to deal with all the issues that pop up in a day, but at least I will try my best to handle all the most important things. 



Question 2: How did you distinguish yourself from your competitors?


Answer: That's a very good question Wendy! It is really a competitive market we have out there in Hong Kong. And it is really important, especially for entrepreneurs to keep on finding ways to out perform our competitors. So what I do is first go through a thorough research to understand the market demand and what kind of products do the potential customers need. For example, some days earlier the small fans were very popular in the market. 

As an entrepreneur, what I do is to offer an easily accessible platform for customers with different kinds of household products. On the other hand, since Hong Kong is located very close geographically with the mainland China, it is also crucial that I capitalize the resources I can get from the wholesalers in the mainland China. 

And through a very useful online platform called Alibaba, we can contact with the wholesalers and producers easily and introduce new products into the market.

As a retailer of various household products, it is essential to distinguish our products through multiple ways. First, we can ensure our customer that all products selling in this company must be 100% genuine goods. Second, we keep on finding new and unique products with special features or multiple functions that suit our customer's wants and needs. We do not copy what our competitors are selling. For example, we do not sell those small fans. That's basically how we stand out from our competitors.

Question 3: What were some of the difficulties along the way to starting up your own business?

Um... at first, I faced a serious financial problem in setting up my own business. So I just borrowed money from some of my friends and family members. And at that time, I believed that if I worked hard enough, I can make a profit and repay the debts. And so I did. But what I found more difficult is how to maintain a business as I am facing countless ups and downs along the way. There is never a guarantee that I can make a profit this year, and I admit that there are certain risks that I need to take. But still, I think it is better to become my own boss and be an entrepreneur rather than being an employee and work for someone else. It is the level of control, flexibility and freedom that allows me to do what I want. 

Well, after all I feel that sometimes it is the environmental factors that motivated me to become an entrepreneur. 

Reflection on what I learned during the interview
It is really an inspiring interview with Mr. Leung. I learned that in order to become a succesful entrepreneur, there are several important things. First, keep a good habit of having a highly disciplined lifestyle. Second, knowing the market needs and reach out for all available resources are crucial. Third, bringing something unique to add value to the company is what makes a business competitive. Fourth, being brave to take risks in the first place is crucial. 

Week 2 Reading Reflection

1)  The biggest surprise for me when I read chapter 1 is that entrepreneur's main focus is actually not on profits and sales but one innovation, profitability and sustainable growth. At first I thought that making a business is all about profits but it is actually the innovative thinking that leads the business to be profitable and sustainable. So it is really important to look for innovative ideas that can improve people lives and provide real value to the community. 

2) One part of the reading that was confusing to me is regarding the Entrepreneurship intensity (EI). I am wondering if it is necessary to have a high level of in all three areas including pro-activeness, risk taking and innovation to have success in entrepreneurship.

3) If I were able to ask a question to the author, I would ask her why entrepreneur still make the first move even if they know that they are going to earn less than if they work for someone else?

4) I think the author was wrong about the rate of failure in small start-up firms. In the book, it says only 85% OF them fails but according to forbes.com, 90% of them fails in the first year.

World's Biggest Problems

1. Climate Change that leads to global warming 

It is responsible for the increase in sea level, raging storms, searing heat, severe drought, and punishing floods. It threatens our health, communities, economy, and national security.

Solution: Expand renewable power and use energy efficiently. For example, using sustainable energy such as solar energy, wind energy instead of non renewable energy.


2. Green house gases deplete the ozone layer


Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide released into the ozone layer is going to destroy the layer. Without the protection of ozone layer, UV light can penetrate the globe easily and pose threats to organisms on earth.

Solution: Reduce carbon pollution. Such as consuming less electricity or use more public transportation to reduce the amount the fuel that need to be burnt. This can reduce the carbon dioxide emission.

3. Poverty 

Many developing countries are trapped in the cycle of constantly repaying debts that are impossible to pay off. That causes hunger and unhealthy body.

Solution: Cancelling impossible to repay world debts. If the developing countries do not have to pay for the debts, people can be more educated to get a better job opportunity.


4. Lack of Education opportunities

Illiteracy especially among women in many counties. That leads to poverty.

Solution: Reducing the price of schooling faced by poor parents who have to choose between sending their kids to school and having them work to supply household income.


5. Water Crisis


The number the people lack of food and water are nearly the same. It is particularly serious in developing counties such as India where clean water is not easy to find. People will have diseases if they do not have adequate water consumption.

Solution: The first world countries should provide solar-powered water purifiers to developing countries. This invention uses zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in containers that expose it to ultraviolet radiation and cleanse the water, making it suitable to drink. 

6. Gender Inequality


Women have considerably fewer opportunities that hurts the country to progress economically without a fully educated workforce.


Solution: Promote gender equality and provide equal opportunity for both man and women to be educated and to be treated equally in work settings. 

7. Resources Inequality 

Countries like Namibia see only a few thousand white landowners owning almost half of the country’s agricultural land for a population of more than 2 million. Solution: 8. Malnutrition Two billion people do not have enough iron in their diets which results in energy sapping anemia and cognitive deficits in children and adults. Solution: Using an integrated nutrition strategy. This approach combines the assessment of nutritional status of children, treatment of acute malnutrition, and prevention of all forms of malnutrition. 9.Disease control Many developing countries may suffer from a lot of diseases due to a poor sanitation in environment.   Solution: Expanding immunization coverage of children in developing countries such that they will not be exposed to diseases easily. 10. Food crisis  The world needs to produce at least 50% more food to feed 9 billion people by 2050. But climate change could cut crop yields by more than 25%. Solution: Supplying the micro nutrients vitamin A and zinc to 80 percent of the 140 million children who lack them in developing countries.

Bug List

1. There are not enough buses around Gainesville during weekends such that it is very inconvenient to go out without waiting for a long time. Because the bus company try to cut cost.

2. The convenient stores cannot be found inside of campus.
There may not be space for them.

3. The supermarkets are not located near residential area such that people have to take a bus or  drive to get there. Since it is costly.

4. There are few shops for small furniture so people have to drive to far place to get them. Since it is costly.

5. There is not enough shopping malls in Gainesville such that shopping can be difficult sometimes. Since it is costly.

6. USB do not have enough capacity of storage to save all information. Since technology is not available at the moment.

7. Printing service should be free to all students without a quota limitation. Since it is costly.

8. There is no vending machines for food such as pizza. Since it may not be able to keep the goods for a long time.

9. The convenient store do not sell hot food. Since it may be costly.

10. There is no app that can show the available parking space for any parking lot. Since system should be installed.

11. There is no way to charge your desktop computer if you do not have the charger. Since the technology is limited.

12. There is no mute button on the microwave.Since the technology is limited.

13. Earphone cannot sense when they are removed from the ears. Since the technology is limited.

14. Not all textbooks have ebook that can be read online. Since the publisher wants to earn profit.

15. There is no instant message that tells you when your mail has arrived. Since the technology is limited.

16. There is sometimes lost mail that delay your schedule. Since there is time limit.

17. There are often delays in flight that cause people trouble. Since it has to make sure of the aircraft is safe to fly.

18. The airport is not operating for 24 hours in Orlando that causes people inconvenience. Since it may be costly to run overnight.

19. It is not fully safe to use credit card to pay.
Because some shops are dishonest and there may be a privacy leak.

20. It is not convenient to use small coins in daily transaction.
 Because it is heavy but of little value.

Reflection
I found it difficult to come up with the bug list because I seldom look at the world in this way and  usually I do not realize the reason behind those bugs. But it is an interesting experience to practice to see things in this way.

Introduction

Hello everyone!

This is Wendy Leung from Hong Kong.

I am an exchange student from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. I am currently a junior student major in Management. I am a mix, half Chinese and half British. 

I love traveling a lot! Two years ago I have been to Prague, Czech Republic and stayed there for 6 weeks. I have also been to Poland, Hungary, Italy, Austria and Germany. And last summer I been to Nanjing in the Mainland China. I am really interested in learning and experiencing different cultures. So now here I am in the US. 

I like making new friends from all over the world. And I believe that wherever I go, building relationships with the people around me is actually the most meaningful and important thing. 

My Entrepreneurship Story

I have once met a cool entrepreneur. 

Her name is Lee. She is the owner of a high-end fashion store. She shared with me her view in entrepreneurship when I asked her about how she set up her company in the first place. She said that being brave to take the first step without doing too much calculation on the profit or loss was the key that made her business start running at first. " After simple analysis on the situation, if you find that the business idea you have should be feasible, then you should just go ahead and try! Don't always sit there and hesitate because of the initial costs. Everything has a cost but if you are dare to try, you may just end up being successful. Even if you fail, you can still learn from the mistakes you have made. The most important thing is you must keep trying until it works." she explained. I was deeply inspired by her. 

I enrolled in ENT 3003 because I want to gain an entrepreneur mindset. Similar to Lee's, I want to gain more knowledge through a step by step course to get there. I hope to learn how to develop this mindset and become a more confident person to try out different possibilities in the future. 

ENT3003 Entrepreneur's Mantra (week 2)

My first blogging experience!

Hello everyone!

This is Wendy. I am writing my first blog today for the class ENT3003.
Nice to meet all you!

Hope we all enjoy blogging~