Week 4 Reading Reflection

Good Morning Everyone,

We are back with another week of Entrepreneur Weekly, and this week we are going to talk about the week 4 reading. I am going to dive right in so lets get started.

What Surprised Me:

I was really surprised how much goes into creativity. I never knew there are subconscious mental blocks, a creative climate, and exercises you can work on to improve your creativity. I always thought creativity is something that people were naturally born with.

What Confused Me:

One of the muddling mindsets is probability thinking, but the book mentions how entrepreneurs take calculated risks. I do not really understand how one takes calculated risks without probability thinking. Without using probability thinking, I feel like one is just taking random risks.

Questions for the Author:

1. Can people be better at certain types of creativity than others, or is it usually similar across the board?

2. Can people ever be equal with right and left hemisphere thinking, or is one always going to be naturally dominant?

Disagreements:

There is really nothing I disagreed with. The article seemed to make sense and had much logic behind the reasons given. Overall, well written and extremely insightful information to use further on down the road.

That is all we have for today folks. Be sure to tune in soon for my "Customer Interviews" article soon. Take care everyone!

Top 5 World Problems

Good Afternoon Folks,

Remember last week when we listed the top ten world's biggest problems? Well, now we are going to knock that list down to a top 5.

Problems:

1.  Recently, North Korea claimed to discover a method for creating a hydrogen bomb. Although this is unlikely, the number of countries developing nuclear weapons increases each and every year. More and more countries are able to destroy the earth with the click of a button.

2.  The Earth's natural resources are being used more every day and eventually we are going to run out. If we do not find an alternative energy source, not only will we have no fuel, but we will destroy the Earth we live on.

3. Cyberterrorism is becoming a serious worldwide issue. Cyberterrorist are able access files, steal classified information, and control networks all from behind a computer screen. All it takes is one breach to cause nationwide turmoil.

4.  Income inequality continues to and will continue to be a problem if we do not do anything about it. Every day, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer as the gap between the top and the bottom continues to drift.

5. Our prison system is a joke. Instead of "rehabilitating" individuals it just sets them up for a life full of crime. Not only are we sticking a bunch of criminals together, but we are also sticking innocent ones with law breakers. Furthermore, we are keeping them from getting a job once they are released and almost ensuring they will be back with over a 75% retention rate.

Justification:

The reason I have nuclear weapons as the number one problem is because this is the only problem that can end humanity in an instant. We need to ensure the safety of our planet along with our species with nuclear weapons. Any day, in the wrong hands, someone could end the world, and it scares me.

Solutions:

1. I believe the government should subsidize tech companies that can come up with products to protect ourselves from cyberterrorism. It allows the government to develop a positive relationship with the private sector and it allows the government to utilize the competition in the private sector to ensure our safety. (Problem 3)

2. I believe developing a way to harness nuclear energy more safely is the most practical and efficient way of solving this worldwide problem. Another possible solution is developing a method of using recycled garbage as a new fuel source. (Problem 2)

3. We could make treaties with everyone promising to disarm and not use any nuclear weapons but what happens when someone lies? I honestly believe we are past the point of no return. Although I agree with a treating banning nuclear weapons, developing a defense system that can safely disarm a nuclear bomb before it detonates is the most practical method of ensuring safety. (Problem 1)

4. Set up a proportional income tax that taxes the rich more than the poor. Each bracket receives a higher tax by 5% until we reach 75%. Now the only money taxed is the money earned between the bracket. So if one bracket was between $100,000 - $500,000 and the next is $500,000 - $1,000,000 then nothing would get taxed except for the money between 100k and 500k and then another percentage will be taken from 500k to 1 million. Then provide tax breaks for CEO's that raise wages for employees without releasing others to cut costs. Also, providing basic Finance courses in high school so students understand the importance of managing money and saving early. I believe the inequality comes mainly from strategic financing and informing more people on how to manage their money will prove huge down the road. (Problem 4)

5. Set up a mock city and let the prisoners survive for themselves. Only for nonviolent crimes of course. Bill gates once said he assigned lazy people the most difficult tasks because they will find the most efficient method of doing so. I am not saying prisoners are lazy by any means, but many of them committed nonviolent crimes by trying to cheat the system or just trying to survive. I think both us and the prisoners would learn a lot from watching them live in a society filled with other prisoners. If they all break laws then nothing will get done. Last time we allowed prisoners to run a city we ended up with Australia and they aren't doing too bad. (Problem 5)

Justification:

The reason I believe preventing cyberterrorism through the usage of the private sector is because the private sector already has the technology, it is just a matter of the government paying for it. There is a ton of talent in silicon valley and simple subsidy could prevent a lot of major problems down the road. In summary, we have the resources it is just a matter of using them.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

Good Afternoon Folks,

This week we are going to talk about the Week 3 reading: "The Entrepreneurial: Mindset in Individuals"

Most Surprising: I was really surprised to hear that there are four types of risk for entrepreneurs, and that psychic risk is the greatest risk for entrepreneurs.Whenever I think about risks for entrepreneurs, financial risk is the first thing to come to mind. Until reading about it, I did not even think about the toll it takes on your confidence.

What Was Confusing to Me: In the text it said one of the common characteristics of entrepreneur's is low need for status and power while one of the traits for the "entrepreneurial ego" is overbearing need for control. I personally feel like the two contradict each other, and that they could have used different words to get their point across. Other than that, everything seemed to be pretty straightforward.

Questions for Author: My first question to author would be what are some characteristics or examples of unsuccessful entrepreneur's. Now that I understand what to do right, how do I know what to avoid. Some information on things to avoid would be nice. My second question would be are most of the characteristics of entrepreneurs innate or learned?

Disagreements: I do not have any real disagreements with the author. Everything he said seems to make sense to me. He covered a lot and did an excellent job.

Overall, very well written article. Definitely gave me a good perspective on entrepreneurship.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Good Afternoon Everyone,

We are back and better than ever! This week we are going to discuss five local opportunities from newspapers around the state of Florida. Lets get started.

1. Title: "OBAMACARE FALLS SHORT FOR SOME; Middle-income families make too much for aid, but still are hit with high deductibles"

Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sort=DA-SORT&docType=Article&tabID=T004&prodId=GPS&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&contentSegment=&currentPosition=2&searchResultsType=SingleTab&inPS=true&userGroupName=gain40375&docId=GALE%7CA440457869&contentSet=GALE%7CA440457869

The story talks about the Affordable Care Act and some issues regarding middle income families. The article uses a middle income couple as an example to show how some families who make too much for aid under the Affordable Care Act, are paying outrageous amounts for health insurance. Furthermore, the article also talks about how the family has to give up things like fixing a car or putting off retirement, just to afford health care for the family. Although the article only cites one specific family, this is a problem for many families around the country who lie just above the line to receive aid through Obamacare.

2. Title: "MENTAL HOSPITALS LACK RESOURCES, OFFICIAL SAYS; Senators hear testimony about the failings"

Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sort=DA-SORT&docType=Article&tabID=T004&prodId=GPS&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&contentSegment=&currentPosition=5&searchResultsType=SingleTab&inPS=true&userGroupName=gain40375&docId=GALE%7CA439966145&contentSet=GALE%7CA439966145

The story discusses budget cuts affecting the amount of resources at mental hospitals. Recently, several mental hospitals reported an increase in the amount of incidents including violence because of the lack of funding. It discusses the argument of a senate member for cutting the funding. The Senate member believes there is no exact amount of funding to fix the problem in mental hospitals and that there needs to be an organize plan versus solely throwing money towards something. The lack of funding not only affects the patients but the people caring for the patients. The people caring for the patients at mental hospitals always face the possibility of being the recipient of a violent outbreak. 

3. Title: A FUNDAMENTAL FAILURE

Link: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sort=DA-SORT&docType=Article&tabID=T004&prodId=GPS&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&contentSegment=&currentPosition=4&searchResultsType=SingleTab&inPS=true&userGroupName=gain40375&docId=GALE%7CA438767906&contentSet=GALE%7CA438767906

The article talks about fundamental schools, and how they are failing to do what they were originally made to do. Many are disappointed that fundamental schools are changing from opportunities in lower income african american communities to upper class white communities. Many argue that fundamental schools are now allowing students in based on politics as opposed to need. The problem is that the new schools are taking away opportunities from lower income african americans. It is difficult for many of these students to succeed coming from a poor background, and fundamental schools were made to help solve that problem. Unfortunately, it appears that fundamental schools are drifting away from their primary purpose.

4. Title: Concerns grow over Charter Com­mu­ni­ca­tions' planned purchase of Bright House

Link: http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/concerns-grow-over-charter-communications-planned-purchase-of-bright-house/2262387

The article talks about the possibility charter communications acquiring Bright House Networks. Many fear that this will cause a monopoly of TV and cable service in the Tampa Bay area. Competitors fear the merger will give them the power to pressure programmers to keep their content off of online video services. Also, the merger would give Charter Communications over half of the internet speed market and the cable market in the Tampa Bay area. The merger would give them a large control over other tv service providers. The immediate problem is for competitors of Charter Communications in the Tampa Bay area, but the merger could leave to further problems for customers down the road.

5. Title: Florida leads U.S. in new HIV cases after years of cuts in public health

Link: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/florida-leads-us-in-new-hiv-cases-after-years-of-cuts-in-public-health/2262471

The story discusses potential reasons as why Florida leads the nation in HIV infections. Politicians wonder whether spending has increased the risk of infection as it has risen in Florida while dropping everywhere else in the country. There are two main problems given after reading the story. One is that the HIV infection rate is rising in Florida, the other are the policies taken by our local government to fix it. Many others believe top leadership do not believe the HIV problem to be a top priority, as it is rarely talked about. Instead, talk about other problems like child obesity. This problem is one for all Florida residents, as the increase in HIV infection increases the chances of any one person contracting the disease. 

Very Short Interview No. 1

Good Morning Everyone,

Today I am going to talk about an interview I had with an entrepreneur. Before I post the questions and answers let me tell you a little bit about Mr. Burgeson. Mr. Burgeson is one of my best friends father, who earned a Finance degree from DePaul University. He worked as a stock broker for about 10 years until he built up the courage to start his own company. Mr. Burgeson always has loved sports and has been around sports his whole life. He now currently is the co-founder with his wife (Mrs. Burgeson) of a small little company named Hallmark Emblems that makes patches used on jersey's of many professional sports teams.

Now that you know a little bit about Mr. Burgeson, lets get started.

Question 1: What is something you wish you knew about entrepreneurship before deciding to start your own company?

Answer 1: "Well, I wish knew more about marketing and how to inform people about my company. It took me a long time and a lot of luck to be able to work with the NFL, NHL, and NBA. When I first started Hallmark Emblems with my wife, we did not necessarily know how to get our product on the market."

Question 2: What is it like being an entrepreneur?

Answer 2: "Being an entrepreneur means that your work becomes your life. There is no punching in and punching out, you are always on the job. If you don't get any sales then you don't get paid that month. A lot of people know about the glory and fun side of entrepreneurship, but it comes with a lot of hard work."

Question 3: As you know, I am currently taking Principles of Entrepreneurship. What should my mindset be going into this class?

Answer 3: "Do not think of this class or text book as the bible. There is no one way or method making a successful company. Use this class to learn different strategies, and then combine them together to do what is best for you. Entrepreneur's are known for being innovative, so do not think there is a set formula for a successful startup."

Mr. Burgeson gave me a different perspective on entrepreneurship. I never really thought about the marketing aspect until he said something. Also, people do tend to avoid the bad parts of being an entrepreneur. Although it can be extremely rewarding, a lot of stress and hard work go into running a company. There are a lot of challenges in becoming an entrepreneur, especially finding that work life balance. I have learned a lot from Mr. and Mrs. Burgeson about entrepreneurship, but it was really nice to sit down and really discuss the logistics of it. I am really glad I had the chance to talk with Mr. Burgeson and I look forward to the next interview.

World's Biggest Problem's

Good Afternoon everyone,

This week we are going to discuss 10 of the world's biggest problems with some practical solutions.

1.  The Earth's natural resources are being used more every day and eventually we are going to run out. If we do not find an alternative energy source, not only will we have no fuel, but we will destroy the Earth we live on.

Solution: I believe developing a way to harness nuclear energy more safely is the most practical and efficient way of solving this worldwide problem. Another possible solution is developing a method of using recycled garbage as a new fuel source.

2. Syrian refugees are attempting to flea from a dangerous war zone and no country is willing to let them in because of fear of potential terrorist threats.

Solution: Set up safe camps armed and protected with military from several countries while governments run thorough background checks on refugees. Then slowly begin sending families to different countries around the world to prevent any possible communication between potential terrorist threats.

3. Recently, North Korea claimed to discover a method for creating a hydrogen bomb. Although this is unlikely, the number of countries developing nuclear weapons increases each and every year. More and more countries are able to destroy the earth with the click of a button.

Solution: We could make treaties with everyone promising to disarm and not use any nuclear weapons but what happens when someone lies? I honestly believe we are past the point of no return. Although I agree with a treating banning nuclear weapons, developing a defense system that can safely disarm a nuclear bomb before it detonates is the most practical method of ensuring safety.

4. Cyberterrorism is becoming a serious worldwide issue. Cyberterrorist are able access files, steal classified information, and control networks all from behind a computer screen. All it takes is one breach to cause nationwide turmoil.

Solution: I believe the government should subsidize tech companies that can come up with products to protect ourselves from cyberterrorism. It allows the government to develop a positive relationship with the private sector and it allows the government to utilize the competition in the private sector to ensure our safety.

5. Our prison system is a joke. Instead of "rehabilitating" individuals it just sets them up for a life full of crime. Not only are we sticking a bunch of criminals together, but we are also sticking innocent ones with law breakers. Furthermore, we are keeping them from getting a job once they are released and almost ensuring they will be back with over a 75% retention rate.

Solution: Set up a mock city and let the prisoners survive for themselves. Only for nonviolent crimes of course. Bill gates once said he assigned lazy people the most difficult tasks because they will find the most efficient method of doing so. I am not saying prisoners are lazy by any means, but many of them committed nonviolent crimes by trying to cheat the system or just trying to survive. I think both us and the prisoners would learn a lot from watching them live in a society filled with other prisoners. If they all break laws then nothing will get done. Last time we allowed prisoners to run a city we ended up with Australia and they aren't doing too bad.

6. Income inequality continues to and will continue to be a problem if we do not do anything about it. Every day, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer as the gap between the top and the bottom continues to drift.

Solution: Set up a proportional income tax that taxes the rich more than the poor. Each bracket receives a higher tax by 5% until we reach 75%. Now the only money taxed is the money earned between the bracket. So if one bracket was between $100,000 - $500,000 and the next is $500,000 - $1,000,000 then nothing would get taxed except for the money between 100k and 500k and then another percentage will be taken from 500k to 1 million. Then provide tax breaks for CEO's that raise wages for employees without releasing others to cut costs. Also, providing basic Finance courses in high school so students understand the importance of managing money and saving early. I believe the inequality comes mainly from strategic financing and informing more people on how to manage their money will prove huge down the road.

7. The unhealthiness of food sold (Mainly the United States) is embarrassing. Companies are putting chemicals and other man-made substances in foods to make them taste better at a cheaper price. Making unhealthy foods more affordable. Healthy items are unable to compete with companies adding preservatives to enhance food quality.

Solution: The government should set more regulations on what companies are allowed to put in their foods. Also, subsidies should be provided to companies that are able to meet certain health requirements in their foods.

8. The amount of homeless people continues to rise throughout the world.

Solution: Allow the homeless to work for food on government infrastructure projects. Provide 3 free meals a day and allow them to work with construction companies on basic projects. Gives them experience, keeps them out of trouble, quickens how fast things get built, and gives the homeless and OPPORTUNITY.

9. We can't seem to find a good presidential candidate. Every election people constantly complain about how bad the presidential candidates are.

 Solution: Each candidate should have a cap on the amount of money they spend on campaigning. Also, allowing equal representation for political parties within the government. So if the Democratic party receives 54% of the votes and the republican party receives 42% and the independent party receives 4% then each party should get as much representation as the percentage of votes received. More often than not, a presidential candidate gets elected with half of the country hating him or her.

10. Worldwide war never seems to stop. I cannot remember the last time there was not a major war going on. Innocent people and countries are often getting caught in the crossfire of two other countries disputes. I am not saying completely stopping war, but at least minimizing it.

Solution: Electing officials from each country to serve as mediators between two countries having a dispute. More often than not, wars could be prevented if a third party helped the two talk out the differences. The countries do not always have to listen, but at least having a third party of individuals to mediate would save a lot of innocent lives.

Well those are my ten biggest worldwide problems.

Until next time folks I am signing off,

Travis Bowen

Bug List

Good Afternoon everyone,

You know those things that grind your gears? Well, today I am going to discuss 20 things that bug me.

1. The light at the intersection of hull road and archer road often fails to recognize scooters and other smaller vehicles waiting on hull road. Because it fails to recognize any vehicles, the light often skips the cycle repeatedly.

2. The shower head in my apartment has an extremely low pressure and it makes it very difficult to wash myself.

3. My apartment complex requires a key fob to enter all doors, including the gate leading to the parking garage. This drives me crazy because my key fob is on my key chain and I have to turn off my car to enter my parking garage every day.

4. My glasses get fogged up every single time I go through extreme temperature changes. For example: My glasses will fog up if it is hot outside when I leave a building. This causes me to stop and clean them very frequently.

5. My phone charger does not reach to my bed, so I have to lean over my bed to use my phone and turn off my alarms.

6. I have not found headphones that stay in my ear when I run, and it is very annoying.

7. Furthermore, I often am in a rush and shove my headphones in my pocket or backpack without even thinking. Almost always, this leaves me with tangled headphones that take forever to fix.

8. Whenever I cook rice in my "Nonstick Pot" a good portion gets stuck to the bottom and it takes forever to clean out.

9. The wifi in my apartment is slower than molasses. I have my own router and it is supposed to be very good, but for some reason it is still always slow.

10. My nicer polo shirts collars tend to stretch over time because of every time I put them on and take them off of the hangars.

11. Commuting to campus without a scooter is the largest hassle I can think of. I have to drive my car to the commuter lot to take a bus to drop me off a 1/2 mile away from my class. There has to be a better system.

12. The Publix off of 34th street does not have anywhere to put your carts after you unload groceries in your car so there are carts placed in random parking spaces.

My Entrepreneurship Story

Hello Everyone,

This week I am going to share a story about the first time I was exposed to Entrepreneurship and why I enrolled in "Principles of Entrepreneurship.

During one summer break in Middle School, I picked up an obsession with buying and selling baseball cards. My friend and I would either trade with our friends or go to local Flea Market's to buy valuable cards and resell them on E-bay for a profit. We would spend countless hours on the internet searching for the value of specific cards. Afterwards, we would find the card for a lower price either through our friends or at a flea market. Finally, we would list the item on E-bay for bid at a price just below the market price but above the price we paid for it. During the course of one summer we made around $300 in profit between the both of us.

The reason I enrolled in ENT 3003 is because I want to start my own company one day. One of my closest friends parents are Entrepreneurs, and they have both really inspired myself to pursue my dreams. Tony Gaskins once said "If you don't build your dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs."

Some things I would like to learn from this class are how to raise capital for startup, the process of turning an idea into a company, and how to effectively market and grow a company. I would also like to learn habits of successful entrepreneurs and what differentiates a good one from a bad one.

Signing off yours truly,

Travis Bowen

Introdcution

Good Afternoon aspiring Entrepreneur's,

My name is Travis Bowen, the genius behind Entrepreneur Weekly. I am a second year Finance major from Clearwater, Florida. I come from a divorced family of two very loving parents. They both were collegiate athletes and graduated with Mechanical Engineering Degrees from USF. My hobbies include wasting my friends time, playing basketball, and cooking. Two fun facts about me are that I work as a Personal Trainer and I am a Chilis Enthusiast.

Now let me tell you about my both my career plan and aspirations in life. I plant to start off as an Investment Banker for a couple of years, attain an MBA, and then finally start my own private equity firm. After my career in Private Equity, I plan to move somewhere out west and coach basketball for a local high until I retire. My top bucket list items are to go skydiving,  see the northern lights, travel Europe, own my own company, and to own a BMW.

I hope this post let you all get to know me a little better.

Until next time my friends,

Travis Bowen

Entrepreneur's Mantra

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