Week 15 reading reflection

- The biggest surprise to me was the business model of SKS. How they put the poorer consumers first it is very unique

- Nothing was confusing.

- If your goal is to lower poverty then is that not causing a conflict of interest since that is the market segment you also target?

If you are targeting poor people how do you decide which poor person gets the loan?

-I did not disagree with anything written in the article.

Final Reflection

- The thing that stands out to me the most is how my idea changed over the semester. It started kind of vague and changed gradually into a very solid thing. That is what I will remeber the most because I have considered that if one day I have the resources I would love to build a gym like the one I have been describing this whole semester. I am most proud of myself for sticking through this class. I honestly thought this was going to be some easy credits but this class really pushed me out of my comfort zone.
-Honestly I do not see myself as an entrepreneur I think I have moved closer to that mindset but would not go as far as saying I am an entrepreneur.
- I would recommend that they get ready to feel awkward and just push through it and the class will be very easy if you can just step outside of your comfort zone.

Elevator Pitch #4

The main criticism I got from my last elevator pitch is that "so many people use cardio equipment everyday." That made me realize how uneducated the general population is on fitness. If all you do for your health is get on an elliptical, treadmill, or stairstepper for 30min to an hour you are not doing that much for your health. Long slow cardio, while better than sitting on the couch, is one of the worst things you can do to get into shape. Things like taking little rest in between exercises while lifting, no more than 90 seconds, or taking no rest with circuit style training are much more effective and efficient. To help with those concerns I came up with the idea of a simple website to have some basic information are fitness. This website would have a few videos and some articles to show that you do not absolutely need those cardio machines. Another thing is I changed it from zero cardio equipment to no big cardio equipment. The reason behind this is there are many bikes and rowers that are self powered using the motion of the machine to power the machine itself so in terms of cutting electricity cost having those machines would not have any effect. Bikes and rowers are also much simpler machines mechanically and do not break nearly as often as the big treadmills and ellipticals. At my gym there is always at least one treadmill and elliptical that is broken or needs maintenance. Used the same description because all most of the feedback is positive but some people stil cannot grasp the fact that ellipticals and treadmills are not necessary for fitness.

Venture Concept No. 2

The Opportunity: My target market would be people in small towns or low population areas that want to workout but have no serious gym near them. Only about 20% of Americans get the daily recommended amount of activity. The #1 excuse for not working out is lack of time. This could be alleviated if we could get gyms that are closer to people therefore, being more convenient and taking less time to drive to and from. The way this need is being filled now is in small fitness centers that a lot of these towns have. I do not think that people are loyal to these types of facilities and getting them to switch to a better equipped gym should not be hard. The other thing is some people are just not getting this need met at all by not going to a gym. I feel that this opportunity is huge. The area I grew up in, north west Florida, is littered with small towns and rural areas that would benefit from having a good gym.

The Innovation:

• Convenient locations
• Roll up doors/Skylights
• Educational website linked to memberships
• No big cardio equipment
• Pricing

*My gyms would be smaller but look at how this gym utilizes natural light

The Venture Concept: The basic concept in one sentence is this: A small gym in every small town. I developed this concept by seeing how Dollar General and Family Dollar compete with places like Wal-Mart and Target and that is that they put small stores in convenient locations and people are willing to pay a litter more in exchange for not having to drive to one of the bigger chain stores.  As I said in the opening portion the main reason this is a need that could be met is that there just are not these types of facilities available for people to use. To make it cost efficient to attack such a small market we would have to keep the cost of operating the gym as low as possible. Therefore all of my gyms would be big warehouse garage style buildings with roll up doors and huge skylights. This would keep the cost of utilities as low as possible. We would also not have big treadmills or ellipticals in my gyms. This also keeps the operations cost low. Buying and running power to those big cardio machines cost a lot of money and they also cost a lot for maintenance and they need maintenance often. By keeping those cost down we could translate that into lower membership costs. Over the past few years we have seen Planet Fitness become huge because the membership costs are so low. The other innovation would be a easy to use website that would be free with the memberships but also available to anyone who doesn't go to one our gyms with a subscription fee.. This website would have some tutorials on basic methods of training. Teaching people ways to train would help draw in some of the customers that would turn away due to the lack of cardio equipment. This website could also have other subscriptions for training guides or diets plans. By opening our website up to people other than members it could bring in more money and alleviate some the pressure of getting members. If I am going after small markets to be profitable I need to capture a huge percentage of that market but if I can get website subscriptions from people from anywhere around the world then that could be an effective revenue stream.

I did not change anything about my concept because the feedback was positive except some people still want to say I need to have treadmills and ellipticals. As I explained those pieces of equipment cost a lot to buy and cost a lot to maintain because they break a lot so I would keep those out of my gym using the website I talked about to post videos on better, more efficient forms of cardio. 

Google Gold

1. The activities I did were things like linking my blog when I commented on others I also used labels and some keywords.

2. The keywords I used were things like gym and Gainer for posts about my business and for other post I do not think I really used any other than the ones we were supposed to like the labels.

3.The only Social media I used we Youtube for the video recordings. This class was the first time I actually posted on Youtube so my account grew a little in that way.

4. Elevator Pitch #1 had the most views while Elevator Pitch #2 had the most comments. I think those were the most popular because they contained videos that made the post ore dynamic than just reading bulletted blog posts.

5. No I did not and I couldn't find where I made it. I think this is because the term gym is very basic and has a lot of results and also the term Gainer, while it is my last name there are thousands of supplements that are marketed as Gainers.

* Key word "Gainer" search.

Week 14 Reading Reflection

Biggest Surprise: Did not really find anything surprising. The chapters were earlier in the book and seemed simpler in content.

Something that was confusing: Nothing was confusing in these chapters.

Questions: Of the factors mentioned in chapter 3 which one do you think is the most important? Which one is the least important?

Something the author was wrong about: I did not disagree with the author on anything

Very Short Interview Part 2

For the first interview I talked to Jimmie Jennings of trainharderfitness.com. With the questions I asked I learned that Jimmie wished he had an education in marketing. I also asked what he attributed to his success and his answer was character. He thinks being well liked in the community is what has helped him sell his brand.

Question #1: Since our last interview what is the most significant thing to happen with your business?
Jimmie: "The Total Nutrition deal that I talked about last time. It has been very profitable and I am hoping to expand to more stores soon.

Question #2: Any new additions to the trainharder brand?
Jimmie:"Yes actually, I have a water bottle in Impulse Nutrition which is right up the side walk from Alter Ego Fitness (the gym he works in). I also have started making Ball Harder and Drink Harder shirts.

Question #3: Drink harder? Ball harder is still within the fitness industry but how can you be a fitness brand and condone drinking?
Jimmie, laughing: "Well it is just the town we are in. It is no secret Gainesville is a college town and a lot of college kids like to drink and workout so I thought it would be a good way to capitalize on the local market."

I already knew Jimmie from before this class but even with that the first interview felt a little awkward. This time I felt more relaxed and it seemed like he did as well.

Week 13 Reading Reflection

1) Biggest Surprise: Not a surprise but I just wanted to mention the emotional bias. I am assuming most of you have at least seen Shark Tank. The entrepreneurs that go on there and throw out crazy evaluations always blow me away. I understand them because you put so much hard work into something you are going to value you that thing more than anyone else.

2)Part that was confusing: Nothing was really confusing

3)Two questions:When doing valuations how do you get the numbers from other companies to know what percentage of the market your company is? Or how much other companies make compare to yours?

4) Did not disagree with the author on anything.

Week 12 Reading Reflection

1) Biggest Surprise: The fatal visions section was the most surprising part. Not the reasons listed but what surprised me was that these things are well known enough to be in a text book but I could probably think of at least one company and/or product for each.

2) Part that was confusing: Non of the reading was very confusing.

3) Two questions: Has the author been involved with a company who succumbed to one of the Fatal Visions? If so how did that happen? How did the company not see the problem early on? Just seems like most of those fatal visions are kind of obvious.

4) I do not disagree with the author on anything

Celebrating Failure

1) This semester in this class I have failed to do video submissions. . . a lot. Every time I tried to make myself do them I just had a hundred excuses as to why I could not. I did not have enough time or I was going to be out of town even though interviewing random people does not require you to be in town.

2) I learned that I have a weakness. That weakness comes from not wanting to step outside of my comfort zone. I do not like talking to people that I do not know and it is hard for me to make myself do it.

3) My reflection on it is that it is embarrassing as the assignment states. It is just a cowardly thing to not want to talk to people or put my self out there. This is something I will definitely need to improve upon moving forward. Talking to people you do not know and getting outside of your comfort zone is a key factor in marketing for a business or marketing yourself as a professional. The thing this class taught me about that is that I have to make a change. Everything is not going to be handed to me the way I want it to be I may have to go outside of my comfort zone to really achieve what I want.

Your Exit Strategy

1. If Gainer's Gym became a successful franchise I would pass it down in my family.

2. I selected this strategy because if my concept got big it could make a lot of money and as a parent you want to give your children every advantage you can. My kids would go to school get their degrees and immediately have a business to work for if that is what they were interested in doing.

3. I do not think the exit strategy influenced me very much because I never thought of having one. If this concept blew up like I said I would just ride it for as long as possible and hopefully retired and pass it on.


*Hopefully I would look like this when I retire.

Venture Concept No.1

The Opportunity: My target market would be people in small towns or low population areas that want to workout but have no serious gym near them. Only about 20% of Americans get the daily recommended amount of activity. The #1 excuse for not working out is lack of time. This could be alleviated if we could get gyms that are closer to people therefore, being more convenient and taking less time to drive to and from. The way this need is being filled now is in small fitness centers that a lot of these towns have. I do not think that people are loyal to these types of facilities and getting them to switch to a better equipped gym should not be hard. The other thing is some people are just not getting this need met at all by not going to a gym. I feel that this opportunity is huge. The area I grew up in, north west Florida, is littered with small towns and rural areas that would benefit from having a good gym.

The Innovation:

• Convenient locations
• Roll up doors/Skylights
• Educational website linked to memberships
• No big cardio equipment
• Pricing

*My gyms would be smaller but look at how this gym utilizes natural light

The Venture Concept: The basic concept in one sentence is this: A small gym in every small town. I developed this concept by seeing how Dollar General and Family Dollar compete with places like Wal-Mart and Target and that is that they put small stores in convenient locations and people are willing to pay a litter more in exchange for not having to drive to one of the bigger chain stores.  As I said in the opening portion the main reason this is a need that could be met is that there just are not these types of facilities available for people to use. To make it cost efficient to attack such a small market we would have to keep the cost of operating the gym as low as possible. Therefore all of my gyms would be big warehouse garage style buildings with roll up doors and huge skylights. This would keep the cost of utilities as low as possible. We would also not have big treadmills or ellipticals in my gyms. This also keeps the operations cost low. Buying and running power to those big cardio machines cost a lot of money and they also cost a lot for maintenance and they need maintenance often. By keeping those cost down we could translate that into lower membership costs. Over the past few years we have seen Planet Fitness become huge because the membership costs are so low. The other innovation would be a easy to use website that would be free with the memberships but also available to anyone who doesn't go to one our gyms with a subscription fee.. This website would have some tutorials on basic methods of training. Teaching people ways to train would help draw in some of the customers that would turn away due to the lack of cardio equipment. This website could also have other subscriptions for training guides or diets plans. By opening our website up to people other than members it could bring in more money and alleviate some the pressure of getting members. If I am going after small markets to be profitable I need to capture a huge percentage of that market but if I can get website subscriptions from people from anywhere around the world then that could be an effective revenue stream.

The Amazon Whisper

The revenue drivers for my business, Gainer's Gym, would be memberships, classes, and personal training.
The "next" product would be a Gainer's supplement brand. The name is still awesome for marketing purposes. For those of you outside the fitness industry or that do not workout the term "making gains" means that you are building muscle or having some other success from your workouts. There are also different workout out methodologies one of them being a "Hard Gainer". This means you are always trying to build and gain muscle and you never go on weight loss diets your sole interest is getting bigger.
The way Gainer's supplement brand could enhance the experience by having supplements that members could purchase right at the gym. The supplements would be protein shakes for post work out support and a pre-workout stimulant.
-I know personally I have allowed myself to run out of supplements then after a workout you are not taking full advantage of the workout because you are not getting the right supplements. Also for the pre-workout some people do not use pre-workout every time they go to the gym but some days they need that extra boost so selling that on site would be a great convenience to them.



-ON- Gold Standard Whey. Most of the reviews are positive because they talk about the flavor or that they have been using this product a long time but the negative ones all say the same thing, they changed the formula. I have personally done some research on the product before and it is true the formula has changed and in a negative way. It says right on the front in huge letters 100% Whey Isolate, but just by simply looking at the ingredients you see that it is no longer an isolate and has switched to a protein blend. This is a HUGE deal. See the reason you want an isolate, to keep it simple, is that it absorbs into your muscles more efficiently and effectively.
If I were to make any changes it would be to use the isolate and keep the formula true to make sure you keep brand loyalty.

-Nitraflex-All the reviews for this product were good. I personally just purchased this product and love it.
I wouldn't change anything. I would try to emulate that product and use it as the standard.
  

Week 11 reading reflection

Nothing was very surprising. In every marketing or business class I have taken there has been at least some mention of innovation and its necessity.

Also nothing confused me too much as I said I have read on this subject a few times before.

Has the author ever came up with a successful innovation? If so how did he come up with the idea and implement it successfully?

I did not disagree with the author on any of his points

My Unfair Advantage

 
1. Fitness knowledge- (V-Y)  (R-N) (I-Y) (N-N)

2.Market Knowledge- (V-Y) (R-N.) (I-Y) (N-N)

3. Contacts within the market- (V-Y) (R-N) (I-Y) (N-N)

4. Business Idea- (V-Y) (R-Y) (I-Y) (N-N)

5. Experience in customer service- (V-Y) (R-N) (I-Y) (N-N)

6. Great Credit- (V-Y) (R-Y) (I-N) (N-N)

7. Passion for the business- (V-Y) (R-N) (I-Y) (N-N)

8. Connection the location of my business - (V-Y) (R-Y) (I-N) (N-N)

9. I know people with similar businesses - (V-Y) (R-N) (I-Y) (N-N)

10. A hate for all things Planet Fitness or any fitness fads- (V-Y) (R-N) (I-Y) (N-N)

In conclusion, I do not possess many thing that are rare right now or anything that could not be easily copied by someone else. I do know people that own gyms and could go to them for advice. I also have a lot of work experience in the fitness industry and in customer service.

Week 10 Reading Reflection

- Nothing was very surprising about the material. The material itself was surprising. I have taken a few accounting classes and I do not like accounting so I was surprised I had to see more accounting than I thought I would today.

- Nothing confused me because I have seen it all before

- What makes accounting so important for entrepreneurs?
Should an entrepreneur hire accountants a soon as possible or handle the accounting themselves.

- The author was not wrong about anything.

Elevator pitch #3

The main criticism I got from my last elevator pitch is that "so many people use cardio equipment everyday." That made me realize how uneducated the general population is on fitness. If all you do for your health is get on an elliptical, treadmill, or stairstepper for 30min to an hour you are not doing that much for your health. Long slow cardio, while better than sitting on the couch, is one of the worst things you can do to get into shape. Things like taking little rest in between exercises while lifting, no more than 90 seconds, or taking no rest with circuit style training are much more effective and efficient. To help with those concerns I came up with the idea of a simple website to have some basic information are fitness. This website would have a few videos and some articles to show that you do not absolutely need those cardio machines. Another thing is I changed it from zero cardio equipment to no big cardio equipment. The reason behind this is there are many bikes and rowers that are self powered using the motion of the machine to power the machine itself so in terms of cutting electricity cost having those machines would not have any effect. Bikes and rowers are also much simpler machines mechanically and do not break nearly as often as the big treadmills and ellipticals. At my gym there is always at least one treadmill and elliptical that is broken or needs maintenance.

My Secret Sauce

1. I have what I call a diverse personality. This means I can usually identify with almost anyone. I am a fitness addict I love the gym but I am also a huge nerd in that I love to play video games, read comics and watch anime. I am also very much at home in the woods hunting or on the water fishing. You may see me wearing a t shirt and some dirty jeans one day and in a dress shirt and slacks the next. My Pandora has Motzart, Tupac, George Strait, and Metallica.
2. I am also strong willed some call it stubborn. This is a two pronged trait because it means when I set my mind to something I will get it done. The negative side of that is it is very hard to get me to step out of my comfort zone.
3. I am also extremely easy going. Again this is positive and negative. On one hand I can keep a level head in most situations no matter what is going on. I often find myself to be the least stressed out person at work. The other side of that is that it translates to procrastinating sometimes. The fact that I am even doing this assignment the day before it is due is a small miracle.
4. I have always been a leader. From playing sports in high school, to being a Marine, to just going to work everyday I always find myself in a leadership role or have people looking to me for some type of guidance.
5.I am very passionate about fitness which is unique compared to most. That is where my passion and it is different because even other people who workout do not understand how I am so motivated to go to the gym 6 days a week. I just love it to the point where it is has started to define me.

So this was the hard part of this assignment because all of my friends are, to keep it PG, buttholes. I could not make them take this seriously. I talked to them at work and we are not allowed to have phones so there is no video not that it would have made it any better.

I asked what makes me different from other people and they said things like "Biceps" Eyebrows" (apparently I have Jack Nicholson-esque eyebrows).
The only one who would give me a decent answer was my manger and he said my strength. Recently I went through a break-up recently and he said the way I carried myself through that adverse situation was different in that I was able to compartmentalize and still come to work and do what I had to do. The criticism for me was that when I like something I will kill it whatever it is it will get done and there is no worries but, I have the extreme opposite of that too when I do not like something I don't care and will not put effort into it.

So the one good answer I actually got lined up with my #2 on the list. The criticism is fair and is something I already knew about myself. From this exercise I kinda feel like I did not learn much. Which hopefully means I know myself pretty well which is a great thing.  

Week 9 Reading Reflection

- To be honest nothing was really all that surprising I have had a couple of marketing classes already and it was just more of the same. It is amazing the number of ways there is to segment the market for any given product and all the different strategies that can be used.

- I did not find anything confusing

- Two questions would be : What is the most significant change to happen in marketing strategy in recent memory?
How has that change effected the way you would market a product?

-I did not disagree with anything from the reading

Idea Napkin #2

You: I am Josh Gainer. I have been into fitness since I was 12 years old. I started working at a gym almost two years ago and have been a personal trainer for a little less than 2 years. If I started my business of Gainer's gym it would be a huge part of my life, hopefully. I say hopefully because if it were to succeed then it would become my career and a source of income.
What I offer to customers: I offer the anti-Planet Fitness. To the general public everyone loves PF but to people in the fitness industry they are a joke. They serve pizza and bagels on certain days and have rates so low that you do not feel bad about not going to the gym. Planet fitness does these things because their favorite customers are the ones that pay for memberships and never workout. I have actually researched a few articles on this and they do this on purpose to subconsciously make you feel like you get your money's with without exercising. That is why they give you a free shirt to join. Subconsciously you think I paid $10 and got a shirt that's worth it. Then the pizza and bagels if you get those most people would pay $10 for some pizza, again in your mind you just made that $10 worth spending without having touched a weight or cardio machine.
Who I am offering it to: I offer it to people that are serious about getting in shape. I offer it to people who are in shape that want to stay in shape or make even more progress. They will pay because it will be a great fitness environment, no ridiculous colors, no pizza, no hunk alarms. You wanna do some power lifting and bang some weights around? Go ahead. You wanna grunt because you are pushing yourself to the limit? Do it! Wear your stringers or sports bras it is not gymtimidation its motivation.
Core Competencies: What would set this environment apart is that we would make it all about fitness. We are not here to hold your hand and tell you that being 40% body fat is ok. We are here to make sure you have the things available to be a better person physically. I would encourage my members to help each other. Like I said no gymtimidation just motivation. See someone that looks bigger or better than you and you want to get to the level of fitness they are at? Just ask them. I would want my gym to be a hardcore fitness environment but also a family type bond between the customers.

The feedback I got was mostly positive. The only negative I would need to address is how to attract people who are not as serious about fitness into a gym of this kind. That part would be the hardest and yet most important part because as we know gyms like Planet Fitness are successful because they attract the "casual" fitness crowd. This would all come in the marketing aspect. We would have to craft a campaign that would show people that casual is not how you should look at fitness it is your life and health we are talking about. Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in America. Being overweight can cause all kinds of problems not just cardiovascular but joint and back pain as well. Working out properly can greatly decrease those risks. Things like the Adkins diet have made huge waves because people love to believe that fitness can be reached just by eating right and will always look for a way to put forth minimal effort. We would have to carefully show people that there is no shortcut to fitness and health in a positive to way.

Half-Way Reflection

1. The behaviors that you have to use and develop for this class is the ability to speak to people. Many of the assignments require you talking to random people. For me that is hard I am not as out going and that takes me out of my comfort zone so I have struggled with some assignments.
2.Have never felt like giving up but have skipped some assignments.
3. First tip work ahead, I have let a lot of assignments creep up on me and end up missing them.
Tip 2, be willing to go outside or your comfort zone. Tip 3, never take yourself too seriously that will help you get through some of these assignments more easily.


 

Week 7 reading reflection

Nothing was surprising or confusing because I have taken two marketing classes already and have seen most of this material before.

Do not have any questions for the author as it is a subject I have dealt with a lot prior to the reading.

The author was also not wrong about anything in the article

Elevator Pitch #2

The feedback I got was to be a little more passionate and engaging. I attempted to accomplish this by using some statistics that would grab people's attention.

Week 6 reading reflections

One thing that surprised me about the article is how much information was in this article and how easy it was to understand.

Nothing was really confusing which is a testament to how well written this article was.

One question I would have would be: Are any of the five forces more important or are they all equal?
I would also ask about exploiting industry change he only gave one example so it would be nice to see how to use that in other cases.

I did not disagree on any of the points in this article.

Idea Napkin No.1

You: I am Josh Gainer. I have been into fitness since I was 12 years old. I started working at a gym almost two years ago and have been a personal trainer for a little less than 2 years. If I started my business of Gainer's gym it would be a huge part of my life, hopefully. I say hopefully because if it were to succeed then it would become my career and a source of income.
What I offer to customers: I offer the anti-Planet Fitness. To the general public everyone loves PF but to people in the fitness industry they are a joke. They serve pizza and bagels on certain days and have rates so low that you do not feel bad about not going to the gym. Planet fitness does these things because their favorite customers are the ones that pay for memberships and never workout.
Who I am offering it to: I offer it to people that are serious about getting in shape. I offer it to people who are in shape that want to stay in shape or make even more progress. They will pay because it will be a great fitness environment, no ridiculous colors, no pizza, no hunk alarms. You wanna do some power lifting and bang some weights around? Go ahead. You wanna grunt because you are pushing yourself to the limit? Do it! Wear your stringers or sports bras it is not gymtimidation its motivation.
Core Competencies: What would set this environment apart is that we would make it all about fitness. We are not here to hold your hand and tell you that being 40% body fat is ok. We are here to make sure you have the things available to be a better person physically. I would encourage my members to help each other. Like I said no gymtimidation just motivation. See someone that looks bigger or better than you and you want to get to the level of fitness they are at? Just ask them. I would want my gym to be a hardcore fitness environment but also a family type bond between the customers.

I think all of these elements add up to my personal dream gym. I hate that the fitness industry is now starting to cater to the casual lifting people. There should be no such thing you either want to get in shape or you don't. If you only go once or twice a month you are wasting time and money and doing yourself no good. If I could take that hardcore mentality but also make the customers feel comfortable enough to have conversations with each other that would be awesome.

Week 5 reading reflections

One thing that surprised me is how hard it is to get a patent.

The fair use doctrine was pretty confusing I thought that copyrights and patents absolutely protected you from anyone reproducing your product.

I would ask if he had any experience with patents or trademarks? I would ask this to learn more on the subject.

I would ask which one out of trademarks, patents, and copyrights is the most effective or are they all about the same just protecting different types of things?

I did not disagree with the author about anything.

Elevator pitch

My idea is for small gyms that can be cost efficient and put anywhere. To make it cost efficient we would have no A/C, no cardio machines, and the whole gym would be in a "cage" to cut down on light usage. This way memberships could be cheap because power bills at big gyms cost thousands of dollars a month. I know personally I would prefer a gym like this to anything that they have today. All you would need is a couple of sets of dumbbells and a bunch of utility racks that you can use for squat, bench, overhead press, or almost anything else. This idea came to me because when I was younger the closest gym was a 30 minute drive from my house. So you have an hour worth of driving and an hour or hour and a half of working out. Not many people have two and a half hours to dedicate to getting to the gym everyday. Like I said in the video we could use a similar strategy to Family Dollar and the smaller grocery chains where we focus on the smaller population areas. The name of these gyms would be Gainer's which is my last name but also a common lifting term when people talk about "making gains" it means getting more muscular.

Week 4 reading reflections

The biggest surprise from the reading was the developing a functional perspective part. It said to be more creative you need to visualize how you compliment things in the world. To me creativity has never been about being complementary I always thought that creativity meant being on your own.

Nothing was particularly confusing to me.

I would ask the author what kinds of creativity correlate to which side of the brain?
Would also ask what kind of creativity or area of creativity he consider to be good at?

Do not disagree with anything that was written.

Customer Interviews #1

So for this my idea is about what type of gym people want. I am really into working out but I have a hard time finding a gym that suits me. I do not want to workout at a Planet Fitness type environment and even gyms that are not Planet Fitness do not have exactly what I want. The opportunity that I have in my head is a gym where there are zero cardio machines. The people that this effects are lifters because there is never enough benches or squat racks or dumbells in any gym. This way you could fill a relatively small space with enough equipment to get a great workout in while also cutting down on the power bill. I work at a gym and the power bill is a huge deal it costs thousands of dollars a month to run the treadmills, bikes, ellipticals and the lights. Plus, if you want to do cardio there are thousands of miles of roads in the United States that you can run, bike, or whatever you choose to do. I went to Sports Authority to interview customers. I went there because I felt like if I had picked a gym most of the customers would have had the same likes and dislikes. I also did have a fifth interviewee he just did not want to be recorded for some reason. It was a Sunday morning at Sports Authority there is not a lot of people in there next time I won't wait til the last minute.

So the way I approached the interview was I looked for people who seemed like they work out, which is why most of the interview were done in or close to the fitness are in Sports Authority. I introduced myself and told them that I would like to interview them and that I was just going to ask a few questions and record it for a class. All but the one guy agreed. Then I went over what the questions would be before I started recording that way it was already in their mind and that would cut down on them just standing there thinking of what to say.

My questions were:
-Do you workout regularly?
-If the answer to the first question was yes then I would ask: Where do you workout? Have to ask this because not everyone works out and even people that do workout some do not work out at a gym.
-Next question would be are you satisfied with the hours of the gym you attend?
-Finally, are you satisfied with the equipment?
-If the answer to the first question was no I would ask: Why not? I ask this to see a few things first can they not afford it or maybe its that there is not a gym that is in a convenient location for them.
- Then I asked if there was anything a gym could do to get them to join.

As far as what I learned I honestly do not think I learned a whole lot about the opportunity I had in mind. I think this was because my questions were a little too broad. If I do another one I would ask if gym members would be willing to sacrifice cardio equipment for cheaper rates. Also I had yes or no answer questions that I could have followed up with better. I did learn that the hours are pretty important people like being able to go anytime like they can at Powerhouse. Also people want to be able to do what they want when they want to by that I mean there needs to be enough equipment that will accommodate everyone.

The following is the interviewee that did not wish to be recorded.
Me: Do you workout regularly?
Mike: Yeah whenever I have time.
Me: Where at?
Mike: YouFit
Me: Are you satisfied with their hours?
Mike: Yeah, mostly I can usually go if I want.
Me:Are you satisfied with the equipment there?
Mike: Yeah its a new gym so everything is good.

Top 5 World Problems

1. Terrorism. ISIS or ISIL or whatever you want to call them has effectively erased any and all progress The War on Terrorism made in the Middle East. The U.S. has been coordinating airstrikes against them but it is not enough. The problem with fighting terrorists is that they are not organized in the traditional military sense. There are no bases and normal storage facilities to attack
.
2.There is also a water crisis. There are 4-5 billion people who do not have access to clean water. With the growing world population the use of water will need to increase to keep enough crops and livestock to feed everyone. To solve this we need to find a way to utilize salt water from the oceans scientist have been experimenting for years attempting to figure out a solution.
3. Unemployment. Projections say that about 210 million people will be jobless this year and this number is increasing with every new technology. For example, McDonald's is experimenting with self service computers in response to the demand that minimum age be raised again. Companies need to understand that automation is hurting the economy has a whole even if it is cheaper on them.
4.Income inequality. Basically the rich are getting richer than ever and poor are getting poorer.
5.Climate change. Some say it does not exist but it was just 80 degrees on Christmas Day so I think the global climate change is real, There has also been an increase in severe weather events like flooding, earthquakes, and hurricanes.


1. Companies need to understand that automation is hurting the economy has a whole even if it is cheaper on them. Keeping people in jobs instead of machines could help solve the unemployment problem.
2 To solve the water crisis we need to find a way to utilize salt water from the oceans scientist have been experimenting for years attempting to figure out a solution.
3.The problem with fighting terrorists is that they are not organized in the traditional military sense. There are no bases and normal storage facilities to attack. The only way to end this kind of terrorism is do exactly what the Marines did in Fallujah in the early 2000s during the War in Iraq. That is going door to door house to house gathering intelligence and killing anyone connected to ISIS.
4. The way to solve income inequality is to redistribute the wealth but it is hard to do that without crossing the line into communism.
5. I do not know how we can solve climate change.

Week 3 reading reflection

The most surprising thing in the reading to me was that Generation X is the most entrepreneurial This surprises me because I am in the age group described in the text and I feel as though people have been getting lazier over the years and especially in my generation. Maybe what I think is lazy is just people being more creative and trying to make money in less traditional ways.

The whole concept of metacognition was pretty confusing

The first question I would ask is, Does the Dark side of entrepreneurship come with force lightning and red light sabers?
Also,What does the author feel like the biggest form of risk is?
How has the author dealt with stress?

Did not disagree with the author on any points.

Very Short Interview #1

I did my very short interview with Jimmie Jennings of Body by Jimmie. He has been in the fitness industry and running his own personal training business for over 15 years. He has innovative ways of training his clients using little to no weights and getting great results. He takes on any kind of client but has down most of his work with the sororities at the University of Florida.That in itself is innovative he found a niche target market and has used to make a living for years. What really makes him an entrepreneur though is the clothing line he has been developing for the last 4 years "redarh niart." Backwards that says train harder this has been trade marked by Jimmie. The design's purpose is so that when you are looking into the mirror at the gym, which you often to do to make sure your form is correct, you can read the text plainly. You can buy these products at trainharderfitness.com. Jimmie has also received his first order from a store and his products will be available in a few Total Nutrition stores throughout central Florida including the one here in Gainesville.

*this is me sporting one of his shirts that has                                            
 Jimmie himself on the shirt wearing the "Train Harder"
 logo. It is a shirt that features a shirt it is "Shirtception"

Question #1: What do you wish you would have been taught before starting your latest entrepreneurial pursuit in "Train Harder?
Jimmie: "Well, I did not have any formal business education so in the beginning I really struggled with the marketing aspect. Knowing how to market or who to market to."

Question #2: In an Entrepreneur class what do you think should be taught?
Jimmie: "Like I said in my first answer the whole marketing aspect was very tough for me so that would be what I would focus on. Creating a product, deciding who would want that product, and then learning how to reach those people."

Question #3: What is the one thing you attribute your success to the most?
Jimmie: "I think having good character has been an advantage for me. People in the community know me and see my products all the time and I am a pretty out going guy. It is like if you talk to someone who owns a business or sells a product and you see that they are actually a real person you want to buy from them, so that has been an advantage for just being in the community."

The first thing that I learned that surprised me was Jimmie came up with this concept on his own and has been marketing and trying to make it profitable with no formal business or marketing education that in itself is impressive. His last answer on good character was really interesting because when you think of Nike you do not think of Phil Knight, or I don't at least, you think of the swoosh and the brand but people around Gainesville don't think of "Train Harder" when they see the shirt they think of Jimmie Jennings the person cause they know him personally.

World's Biggest Problems

World's Biggest Problems (in no particular order)
1. Terrorism. ISIS or ISIL or whatever you want to call them has effectively erased any and all progress The War on Terrorism made in the Middle East. The U.S. has been coordinating airstrikes against them but it is not enough. The problem with fighting terrorists is that they are not organized in the traditional military sense. There are no bases and normal storage facilities to attack. The only way to end this kind of terrorism is do exactly what the Marines did in Fallujah in the early 2000s during the War in Iraq. That is going door to door house to house gathering intelligence and killing anyone connected to ISIS. I am not saying this lightly cause being in the Marine Corps Reserve I am fully aware that I will be one of the ones doing these things or at the very least in country supporting.
2.There is also a water crisis. There are 4-5 billion people who do not have access to clean water. With the growing world population the use of water will need to increase to keep enough crops and livestock to feed everyone. To solve this we need to find a way to utilize salt water from the oceans scientist have been experimenting for years attempting to figure out a solution.
3. Unemployment. Projections say that about 210 million people will be jobless this year and this number is increasing with every new technology. For example, McDonald's is experimenting with self service computers in response to the demand that minimum age be raised again. Companies need to understand that automation is hurting the economy has a whole even if it is cheaper on them.
4.Income inequality. Basically the rich are getting richer than ever and poor are getting poorer.
5.Climate change. Some say it does not exist but it was just 80 degrees on Christmas Day so I think the global climate change is real, There has also been an increase in severe weather events like flooding, earthquakes, and hurricanes.

*Floods in Texas
6. A lack or cooperation between world powers. Specifically the U.S. and Russia have not seen eye to eye on many events recently and generally speaking our nations want a lot of the same things. Hopefully with a new president this will change.
7. Pollution levels are on the rise. As the people of Earth we need to find cleaner energy options. Pollution is killing 1.5 million people a year in China.

*Taken on the streets of China
8. This generation's attitude that someone owes them something. I do not know if this is worldwide or just an American problem but it seems that the majority of the population from 25 and under all think that they are owed something. Part of this is because the American economy has went from manual labor economy to a service economy. The pride in hard work seems to be gone and replaced with the belief that good things will just happen one day and you will be fine even if you are not putting forth any effort to make progress.
9. Hate. By hate I mean any form of racism or segregation based on skin color or religious views. The more people that cooperate the more things we could accomplish.
10. World hunger.1 in 9 people suffer from some kinda of malnutrition. With the amount of waste and obesity in the United States an other places no one should be hungry while others get fat.

Bug List

1. As I am leaving my apartment complex on 34th street almost getting into a wreck because Gainesville driver's do not know the concept of right of way.
Cause: This problem exists because most Gainesville driver's are college students who are always rushing around and not paying attention.
2. When people in the gym grunt/make excessive noise while lifting weights. On your last rep or even last few reps some grunting is to be expected but, if you have to yell like Tarzan when you pick the weight up it is either too heavy or you just want an audience to watch you.
Cause: As mentioned either using too heavy weights or just want attention.
3.People who do excessive amounts of cardio and do not lift any weights when their goal is to lose weight.
Cause: Lack of knowledge. They think cardio is the only solution to losing weight when it is proven that high intensity weight training is far superior to long slow cardio for burning calories an overall fitness.
4. Unwarranted lifting advice meaning I am working out by myself when some random guy decides he needs to tell me that he used to be a personal trainer and this is how you should do this movement or that this exercise is better for that muscle.
Cause: Probably genuinely think that they are helping but in reality they are just interrupting my workout.
5.When some uses workout equipment and does not wipe it down afterwords.
Cause:Laziness.
6.When someone is shopping in a store and decides not to get an item they picked up but instead of returning it they just put it on a random shelf.
Cause: Again seems to be just laziness. They probably do not even consider the fact that someone is going to have to go behind them and clean it up.
7.When a video game is released but has very little content specifically Star Wars:Battlefront. You pay $60 for a game then they expect another $50 for the season pass and if you do not buy the season pass so you can get all the downloadable content (dlc) the game is not very fun and feels incomplete so basically you have to pay twice as much to get a complete game.
Cause:Video game companies trying to get as much money as possible with as little effort.
8. When  I have a shirt on that says Sports Authority and a radio attached to me and someone comes up and asks me "Do you work here?" Why else would I be in Sports Authority with a Sports Authority shirt on and wearing an ear piece that all employees have on for the radios?
Cause: I honestly have have no idea why people do this. I think it is just a way to start conversation but I don't know why they can't just say "Excuse me" then ask their question.
9. My girlfriend borrows money from me but instead of returning money she just offers to pay for more when we go grocery shopping or something else when I would rather her just give me the cash back.
Cause: Technically it is the same as giving me the money back since I am saving whatever money I would have spent when she makes up for the cost but I would just rather have the money,
10. People who are overweight but not doing anything to get fix it knowing how much their health will suffer and uncomfortable life will be. I honestly do not believe anyone who says they are happy with how they look when they are overweight.
Cause: I think it is a fear of failure they do not want to try and then fail to get better or they do not want to put in the effort required.
11. People that think body shaming is a thing. Being overweight is just as unhealthy as smoking and we have anti-smoking campaigns all over the place but for some reason if you tell someone being fat is bad you are a bully.
Cause: The world telling people that being different is OK and then these overweight people thinking that that applies to them. Being blind, deaf, an amputee, or having some physical deformity you should never be made fun of or told you are weird but being fat is a choice that people make when they decide to eat poorly and be physically inactive.
12.When people post everything they do on social media.
Cause:This generation's need to be connected and feeling of self importance.
13.Selfies. The entire concept of the selfie.
Cause: Again this generation's need to share and to feel like they are important. When I was in high school I took my share of selfies but looking back its embarrassing. I think pictures should be of some significant event or something interesting cause no one really cares what you are wearing to class or out to the bar from the view of a bathroom mirror.
14. When someone is leaving the gym I work at and I say "Have a nice day" and they just walk on by without acknowledging or replying when I know they heard me.
Cause: Another one that I have no idea on. Are they in such a hurry that they can't say "thanks" or even "you too" that is two words even better only two syllables.
15.How accommodating America has become towards immigrants. Specifically with language and culture. To quote my brother, "I wouldn't go to Germany and wonder why everything is written in German." Make no mistakes I think immigration is fine that is how this country started after all but I also think that as immigrants they should adapt to our culture and language and not expect us to change for them.
Cause: The need America feels to be the "good guys" about everything and how we are so afraid of offending others we will comprise our own country to better suit people that were not originally born here.
16.When my girlfriend does not pay attention when watching Game of Thrones then the next episode she has to ask who everyone is and why they are doing that.
Cause: She thinks the show is boring so she does not pay attention then when something exciting happens she needs to be filled in on everything that lead up to that event.
17. People that advertise Herbalife and Thrive on Facebook. Both of which are essentially pyramid schemes, How effective the product is I do not know but the people that push it onto my Facebook feed everyday annoy me.
Cause:They are promoters and trying to make money of the product.
18.Rude customers. Whether it is at the gym or Sports Authority there are always people who are rude for no reason at all or maybe they are having a bad day but even if they are it is not my fault.
Cause: Different things usually bad experiences in the past or maybe they are just having a bad day.
19.My girlfriend also complains that she is fat (she is not) but she will buy cookies and ice cream.
Cause: That one week a month where girls loose all sense and eat sweets.
20.People who do not rack their weights in the gym.
Cause laziness.

It was not that hard to come up with 20 things to complain about since I work in retail and in a gym so I have a lot to complain about.

Week 2 Reading Reflection

      The biggest surprise to me from this week's reading was some of the myths that are false. For example, I just assumed like a lot of people apparently that most entrepreneurial initiatives fail. Learning that only 18% actually fail was interesting. Some of the other untrue myths that were surprising to me were that entrepreneurs are not extreme risk takers and that they do not necessarily have to start with a lot of money. Both of those myths were things I was certain were true.
      I did not find anything from this reading to be too confusing as it was a general introduction into the topic it was pretty straightforward.
     One question I would ask the author is: At what point does a business owner become and entrepreneur? I would ask this because it seems that if a small business is innovative enough even if its market is rather small that at some point the owner would cross the line between entrepreneur and small business owner.
     Other question for the author would be: Have you ever partaken in a entrepreneurial venture and if so which approach did you use and why was this approach appropriate for you? I would ask that just to further clarify the two approaches and how they differ.
      I also found nothing to disagree with in this chapter. I have very limited knowledge and experience in the field of entrepreneurship hopefully as I learn more and become more involved in the study I will form my own opinions and be able to have informed arguments against points brought up in the book.  

My Entrepreneurship Story

       My entrepreneurship story is about me and cantaloupes. When I was twelve years old me and my best friend, who lived on a farm, had an opportunity to make some money. My friend's dad set aside some land for us and thought it would be a good idea if we planted cantaloupes to make a little money. So, my friend's dad, Gerald, went and bought us cantaloupe seed and told us he would get his money back whenever we grew the cantaloupes and sold them. I went over to his house one weekend and we spent two days digging and planting these cantaloupe seeds. We made a fence out of some rope and stakes to try an keep the animals out. After a few weeks the seeds began to take and things were looking good. Then about a month in disaster struck the cantaloupe patch in the form of cows. See my friend also kept cows in the same field with the cantaloupes. One day the cows got into our patch and just destroyed our crop. The cantaloupes stopped growing and they were not near big enough to sell to the fruit stands like we had planned on doing.

 

*This was about as big as our cantaloupes got

All was not lost though. Mr. Gerald called some friends of his who were farmers and convinced them to buy the little cantaloupes that had turned out for pig feed. So, when the buyers came me and Jared, my friend, loaded the truck with the cantaloupes. At the end of the day after we paid Mr. Gerald for the seeds we ended up with about $50 a piece for three days worth of work. That was my first and last experience as a farmer.

     As for the reason I enrolled in this class, the main reason is it is an elective credit for my major in Sports Management. I also hoped that it would help me learn how to be more entrepreneurial because I am a certified personal trainer but, I have had some trouble attracting clients. I thought this class may teach me more about running a business and how to better present myself and promote myself to potential clients.

Introduction

Hey everyone, my name is Josh Gainer I am from Cottondale, which is in Jackson County Florida (pictured below), it is about one hour north of Panama City and forty-five minutes west of Tallahassee.

I was born and raised there and lived there until I was 22 when I moved to Gainesville. I played football and baseball for Cottondale high for all four years. I have two older siblings a brother (28) and a sister (26). My parents are still married and have been together since they were juniors in high school. They have been married almost 30 years now I think. My brother got a degree in Criminal justice and is in the United States Marine Corps. I also joined the Marines but elected to go the reserve route.
As far as my travels go I haven't been to many places. Through the Marine Corps I got to see beautiful Parris Island, SC where recruit training takes place. If there was a sarcasm font it would have been used there. Paris Island has two temperatures, hot and humid and freezing. I was also in North Carolina for training after that for about a month. Between those two experiences I really have no desire to ever see any of the Carolinas again. Two years ago I traveled to Oklahoma for a two week field exercise. That was pretty good experience I got to operate a lot of different weapons like a M240 and the  beloved M2 .50 cal machine gun. The best experience so far from my time in the Marine Corps was last summer when I traveled to California to do training at Camp Pendleton, which is close to San Diego. Stayed there for two weeks go to go to the beach a little on our free time but the most amazing thing was the weather. Being from Florida where it humid all the time to California where it was 80 degrees but zero humidity and a breeze coming off the ocean. 
My life goals are to get into coaching. Whether is be football or maybe strength and conditioning. I am currently a personal trainer at Alter Ego Fitness in downtown Gainesville. Another possibility would be opening a gym. I just love the fitness industry. It is fun watching and helping people change their lives

.*My Personal Training Picture

Entrepreneur's mantra

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