30A – Final Reflection

1) After reading most of my post in my blog, I could never imagine myself doing so many interviews and writing about them. This class was interesting because it made me get out of my comfort zone to do things, I do not like to do. For me, going out of my way to conduct interviews was a challenge because I do not like to talk to random people, and I got nervous discussing things related to my business concept.

2) Personally, my most formative experience is the elevator pitch. It is an assignment that I will always remember, I feel that my last pitch was my most joyful moment and an accomplishment that I feel proud of. The reason I feel such way is because I do not like to make videos of myself, for the first pitch there were many trials and fails, I expend hours trying to get a decent pitch. This assignment got me anxious. By the third pitch, it almost felt natural, I know it was not perfect, but I was not nervous at all.

3) This class has changed my mind and definition of what an entrepreneur is. I have always wanted to have my own business, now I can see that is something I can achieved, and it is not something that only wealthy people can do.

4) My one and only recommendation for future students is stay on top of the deadlines because you need time to do the interviews required to complete the weekly assignment.

29A – Venture Concept No. 2

1. Venture Concept

· Opportunity:

The opportunity exists in providing proper healthcare services using technology to people in need, without causing a financial strain.

High cost is the main reason U.S citizens have problems accessing health care. Insured and uninsured Americans with below-average incomes are much more likely not to visit a medical doctor when sick, not following with treatment recommendations, or filling out their prescriptions.

High administrative expenses, the cost prescription drugs, new technologies and the increase of chronic diseases, like obesity, are the main reasons health care cost in the United States are inflated.

The United States does not have a single-payer, or a multi-payer universal health insurance. Usually, health care spending comes from private insurances, or federal, state and local government programs.

Currently, customers with medical problems will visit the emergency room or pay out pocket under extreme circumstances.

· Innovation:

Virtual Primary Healthcare

Patients will access the clinic’s website, where they will apply for medical services by creating a personal secure account. During the registration process the client will be asked to provide their personal information, insurance information (if they have insurance), current health information, to upload any medical records, and provide supporting documents such as a license or valid identification card. After their initial set up, the client will schedule a video conference intake appointment. One of our supporting staff will get in touch with the client to verify all the information needed is complete, finalized the creation of the clients account, and schedule their first doctor appointment. When the appointment time arrives, the client will be logging in to their account, check in and one of supporting staff will process the client prior to seeing the doctor. Once, all the information required is gather, the client will be put in queue until the doctor is ready to see them. After the consultation is done, the doctor will send the patient back to one of the supporting staff, where any prescriptions will be sent to their pharmacy of choice, follow appointments will be schedule and laboratory orders or referrals will be email to the patient.

If the client has insurance, the cost per visit will depend on their coverage and deductibles. For uninsured clients, the initial visit will be $80, which is about half the average an office visit, and follow up appointments will cost $40, the average deductible for insured clients.

Profit will be made by cutting administrative cost and fix cost of having a large office. Doctors will work from their own home or office and will be contracted to be paid per client.

· Venture concept:

The concept will be to use existing technology to provide healthcare services to people that cannot afford the high cost of visiting a doctor, have busy lifestyles, or cannot find an office that meets their needs.

The main reason people will switch is affordability, and accessibility. At first, clients will be skeptical because the service is provided in an unconventional way.

The clinic’s competitors are conventional offices that provided in person services. Their weaknesses are price and the time it takes to visit a doctor’s office.

Technology provides the main role of providing virtual services to future patients.

The clinic will be set up like a call center, where supporting staff come in and act as a bridge between clients and doctors. Each supporting staff member will be assigned to a doctor under the supervision of an office manager.

· The three minor elements

The most important resources are having the background knowledge of working in a medical office and knowing quality people like Dr. A, who can provide her expertise and excellent services.

The next opportunity that I will tackle with my virtual clinic is offering specialized services such as psychiatry under the same roof, or virtual clinic.

Five years after launching my business venture, I would like to expand services to more than just one city, since there is only need for one physical location. As an entrepreneur, in the next decade I would to offer services using technology.

2) Summary of the feedback

The comments I receive from my classmates have mostly been positive because they see that online medical services could potentially be the next thing. I few comments talk about people being skeptic of not having that physical presence of a medical provider, but to my knowledge, some hospitals are already using such technology so they do not have to staff every hospital with different specialist. Rather, people are being treated remotely by doctors in emergency rooms. I believe that expanding to nursing homes might be easier because their residents have a care available from trained staff 24 hours a day, and when the client has a consultation, the nurse could be the person helping with any technology issues the patient might have.

3) Describe how you changed your venture concept.

Since I receive positive comments, I did not chance my concept.

28A – Your Exit Strategy

1) Identify the exit strategy you plan to make. Do you intend to sell your business in the next 5 years for a large return? Do you intend to stay with the business for several decades and retire? Do you intend to protect the venture as a family business, and pass it down to your children?

· In the next several decades I would like to stay with my business and make it grow by opening new facilities in different cities and regions where accessible healthcare is needed.

2) Why have you selected this particular exit strategy?

· The main reason that I would like to stay with my business and expand is because not many people see healthcare as a human right or necessity. they see it as a gateway to make money and business model to exploit only for profit. Unfortunately, I have meet people who are going through medical school with the vision only to become wealthy and have a good social status.

3) How do you think your exit strategy has influenced the other decisions you've made in your concept? For instance, has it influenced how you have identified an opportunity? Has it influenced your growth intentions or how you plan to acquire and use resources?

· My exist strategy has definitely influenced my decisions for my business idea. The main reason is because in the United States, there still millions of people without getting proper healthcare. According to statistics, people of low incomes prefer not to go see a physician for the simple reason that they cannot pay for it, even when they have insurance. My plan to grow in the future is influence by need of people who cannot access medical services.

27A – Reading Reflection No. 3

The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users, Guy Kawasaki


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


This book is about practical tips, tricks, and insights strategies of the most popular social-media platforms. The book is easy to understand and guides you through different steps to build a foundation, collect digital assets, enhance your profile, engage more followers, and successfully mix social media and blogging. This book offers a great amount of concise instructions.


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

In my opinion this book connects with a lesson professor Pryor gave about marketing yourself. He explained that most people do not use social media correctly and overpay for advertisement services. I think that social media is a powerful tool that entrepreneurs can use to get their product or service to their target market, so one must understand how it works first to utilized correctly.


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


If I had to design an exercise for this class, I will have the students practice for a period of time the techniques and tips provided in the book in reference to perfecting posts, getting more followers, responding to comments, socializing and blogging and then I will gather data to see the difference in the results from before and after implementing the tips.


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

Learning about “Feeding the Content Monster” was definitely my biggest surprise moment after reading the book. I had no idea about this concept but I am glad I read this book as I know now how to deal with the biggest daily challenge of social media which is finding enough content to share and also known as “Feeding the Content Monster”. Also, I learned that through content creation and content curation this daily challenge or content monster can be feed. Content creation is the conventional perspective: writing copy, taking pictures and/or creating videos, and posting them. The issue with this perspective is that it takes times and makes it harder to attach more than two pieces of content per week to the page. Therefore, the authors suggest that the better perspective is the content curation as is made up of finding high quality content from other people’s social media, then summarizing and sharing it on your page.

26A – Celebrating Failure

1) My most recent failure was an exam I took on Tuesday. The reason I called it a failure is because I did not get the grade I wanted nor expected. This test was the second one for the class and since I did well in the first test, I felt confident, so I did not dedicate the appropriate time to study.

2) There are a few things I have learned from Tuesday’s failure. The first one is that I must prepare myself and study for any upcoming exams. The second one is to listen to the professor because she did say the second exam was much harder.

3) I believed that failure is good, but only if that person can accept and learn from experience. I think the best way I can handle my recent failure is by trying my hardest in the next assignments coming up and always taking time to prepare for future exams. Before ENT3003 failure was not an option, still not, but I know that is not the end and that valuable lessons come from failure.

25A – What’s Next?

Existing Market

What is next for your venture? 

I think that what is next for Virtual Primary Care is to extend to specialized services such as cardiology, neurology and psychiatry. One of doctors’ biggest challenges is to keep up to date on patients’ current treatment provided by other physicians. My virtual clinic ultimate goal is to provide proper healthcare and it can be better achieved by servicing clients with a treatment team that can provide multiple specialized services under one roof.

Feedback

The feedback I received after conducting the interviews was positive. At first, when I talk about my business concept, people look skeptical because they are used to seeing a doctor face to face and specialized doctors always need physical interactions with their patients. In reality, some specialists have to mostly relay in test results and how they interpret them to properly diagnose the patient.

After explaining in detail the concept of the business, potential customers like the idea of not having visit different medical offices to meet their need and filling out the same paperwork multiple times. Since the referral is done internally, the client does not have to find the new doctor or request and bring medical records.

New Market. 

New target market

My business venture is currently set up to serve customers, but a radical new market will be to other facilities that provide healthcare such as nursing homes. All nursing homes have professional staff caring for the residents, but lack in providing medical care. A primary care doctor usually visits the facility and attends its residents, but for specialized services the patient must be transported to the office.

Feedback

For this interviews I was not able to talk to potential clients living in nursing homes, I conducted an interview with a coworker who worked in nursing home and a medical provider that currently works for a medical company that visits nursing homes.

After pitching asking questions about the work environment of nursing homes and pitching my idea, I received different opinions. My coworker was not enthusiastic about it because of the lack of person to person interaction. While the medical provider’s view was positive, she explained that her day will be more productive by actually attending to her client needs instead of driving and wasting time in traffic.

I believed that nursing home residents are a great new market because they can benefit from the blanket of services that my virtual clinic could offer them, and all of them will have insurance coverage.

24B – Venture Concept No. 1

· Opportunity:


The opportunity exists in providing proper healthcare services using technology to people in need, without causing a financial strain.



High cost is the main reason U.S citizens have problems accessing health care. Insured and uninsured Americans with below-average incomes are much more likely not to visit a medical doctor when sick, not following with treatment recommendations, or filling out their prescriptions.



High administrative expenses, the cost prescription drugs, new technologies and the increase of chronic diseases, like obesity, are the main reasons health care cost in the United States are inflated.



The United States does not have a single-payer, or a multi-payer universal health insurance. Usually, health care spending comes from private insurances, or federal, state and local government programs.



Currently, customers with medical problems will visit the emergency room or pay out pocket under extreme circumstances.



· Innovation:

Virtual Primary Healthcare 

Patients will access the clinic’s website, where they will apply for medical services by creating a personal secure account. During the registration process the client will be asked to provide their personal information, insurance information (if they have insurance), current health information, to upload any medical records, and provide supporting documents such as a license or valid identification card. After their initial set up, the client will schedule a video conference intake appointment. One of our supporting staff will get in touch with the client to verify all the information needed is complete, finalized the creation of the clients account, and schedule their first doctor appointment. When the appointment time arrives, the client will be logging in to their account, check in and one of supporting staff will process the client prior to seeing the doctor. Once, all the information required is gather, the client will be put in queue until the doctor is ready to see them. After the consultation is done, the doctor will send the patient back to one of the supporting staff, where any prescriptions will be sent to their pharmacy of choice, follow appointments will be schedule and laboratory orders or referrals will be email to the patient.

If the client has insurance, the cost per visit will depend on their coverage and deductibles. For uninsured clients, the initial visit will be $80, which is about half the average an office visit, and follow up appointments will cost $40, the average deductible for insured clients.

Profit will be made by cutting administrative cost and fix cost of having a large office. Doctors will work from their own home or office and will be contracted to be paid per client.



· Venture concept:



The concept will be to use existing technology to provide healthcare services to people that cannot afford the high cost of visiting a doctor, have busy lifestyles, or cannot find an office that meets their needs.



The main reason people will switch is affordability, and accessibility. At first, clients will be skeptical because the service is provided in an unconventional way.



The clinic’s competitors are conventional offices that provided in person services. Their weaknesses are price and the time it takes to visit a doctor’s office.



Technology to provides the main role of providing virtual services to future patients.



The clinic will be set up like a call center, where supporting staff come in and act as a bridge between clients and doctors. Each supporting staff member will be assigned to a doctor under the supervision of an office manager.





· The three minor elements



The most important resources are having the background knowledge of working in a medical office and knowing quality people like Dr. A, who can provide her expertise and excellent services.



The next opportunity that I will tackle with my virtual clinic is offering specialized services such as psychiatry under the same roof, or virtual clinic.

Five years after launching my business venture, I would like to expand services to more than just one city, since there is only need for one physical location. As an entrepreneur, in the next decade I would to offer services using technology.

23A – Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

1. Experience in customer service.

Valuable: Knowing how to interact with a customer a valuable personal asset.

Rare: It is not rare, but not everyone knows how to deal people.

Inimitable: No, it is a quality that could learn through experience.

Substitutable: It cannot be substitute; customers are the base of every business.



2. Working as a nurse assistant.

Valuable: It give me background knowledge of the health business.

Rare: No.

Inimitable: No

Substitutable: Yes, by keeping up to date.



3. Bilingual

Valuable: Yes, I can speak, write and read two different languages.

Rare: Depends on location.

Inimitable: Yes, people can learn multiple languages.

Substitutable: Yes, by expanding my vocabulary.



4. Having a close relationship with Dr. A.

Valuable: Yes, she is the director of the clinic and she has 30 plus years of experience.

Rare: Yes, her social circle is small.

Inimitable: No, other people can befriend her.

Substitutable: Yes, by working closely with her.



5. Knowing people who work at assisted living facilities.

Valuable: Yes, they are part of my target segment.

Rare: Yes, they have busy schedules.

Inimitable: No, more people could get to know them.

Substitutable: Yes, by helping their clients with their medical needs



6. Knowledge of medications.

Valuable: Yes, it helps clients with their treatment plan.

Rare: Yes, most people do not find interest in such information unless it is the prescribing provider.

Inimitable: Yes, the information is public.

Substitutable: Yes, by keeping up to date with the latest information on medications.



7. Pharmacy Reps.

Valuable: Yes, they can provide help to clients on how to access certain medications, and free samples.

Rare: Yes, most people find them annoying because they could be pushy.

Inimitable: No, they visit multiple practices.

Substitutable: Yes, by keeping an open mind about new medications.



8. Knowledge of health insurances.

Valuable: Yes, it is the information about the patients’ coverage.

Rare: No, it is public information.

Inimitable: No, it is information that can learn.

Substitutable: Yes, by keeping up to date with coverage of different insurance companies.



9. Medical terminology.

Valuable: Yes, medical conditions, symptoms and illnesses have peculiar names.

Rare: No, it is information that can be learn.

Inimitable: no, it can learn.

Substitutable: Yes, by learning and keeping up to date.



10. Helping set up telehealth services.

Valuable: Yes, it is the basis of my idea.

Rare: Yes, it is a new type of health service.

Inimitable: No, more medical offices can offer the same services.

Substitutable: Yes, by learning and keeping ahead with the latest trends in technology.



I believe that my most valuable resource is having a close relationship with Dr. A. She is currently the medical director of the clinic I work at, so her experience can be extremely helpful. Also, she can the medical director of my virtual clinic.

22A – Elevator Pitch No. 3

Reflection

I only received one feedback on my last pitch and it was positive, so I did not do any changes to the content.


What did you change, based on the feedback?


This time around I dress up in a business suit , making my pitch look more professional. The reason I did this change was base on my reading reflection, Scott Adams said that always dressing properly makes a big impact. He told a story of how he decided to dress in a suit on his flight to California, and meet a CEO in the plane.

21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Scott Adams

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

The general theme or argument of the book is how the writer, Scott Adams, talks about his life experiences and how failure has been a learning experience for him. In the book he talks about his many of his entrepreneur adventures, how timing, and having a great social capital is important to succeed in life.

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

I think this book is a great example of perseverance and what it is reality of being an entrepreneur. He talks about his social network and how knowing people that have experience and knowledges in areas unknown to you can help you be successful. One example is how he began doing conference speeches, and how at the beginning he felt like it was something he could not do, he didn’t know how to market himself and how much to charge. But thanks to his social capital, someone he knew gave him valuable help. He says that in the business world, the product or does not have to be perfect from the start and how important is to adapt to good and bad criticism in order to make it better and profitable.

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

If I was to create an exercise for class, I would ask students to list three things they are good at and write business idea. The reason behind this exercise is that he talks about Dilbert been his most successful idea, even though he has an MBA from the University of California, drawing has always been something he has done since he was a child.

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

The biggest surprise or ‘aha” moment while reading this book is when he says that talent is not necessary to have success in what you want to do and that goals are for losers. I learned from his experiences that perseverance, getting the timing right, know when to quit, having a great capital network are the keys to succeed and how he emphasizes that many failures have made him successful.

20A – Growing Your Social Capital

1) Expert in your industry.

This week I meet a new psychiatrist who is both certify to treat adults and children. I meet Dr. C this week because she joined our clinic from another community mental health facility. I am currently working with her by teaching her the software used at our facility and how the clinics system is set up to see patients. The return expectation is the possibility of learning how other facilities work with my target segment. Dr. C is a great addition to my network because in the future she could potentially see patients in my virtual clinic.

2) expert on your market.

This week I spoke to the director of substance abuse program, which is offer at our inpatient facility. The reason I spoke to him is because he has implemented a system which clients are seen through video conference calls during the weekend and this was offer to one of the medical providers I worked with. The favor he did for me is giving me information on how to properly procced with this type of services and that he told me which insurance companies do pay for such services. He plans to expand such services to our outpatient clinic, so I most likely will help him set up. Including this person will help me find out what kind of services might get approved by insurance companies in the future.

3) One person must be an important supplier to your industry.

As new patients are always coming to get services to our clinic, I meet a group home worker who brought a client to his first appointment. As he did not do anything specific for me, while processing the patient before he met with the medical provider support my believe that the need is there. Having people who work closely with my target segment will increase the number of potential clients.

Reflection. This experience has greatly help me understand the need for such services and how technology is already entering the healthcare business.

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

1) You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

My name Is Herzen Vallejo, I am an online UF student, currently enrolled in General Business and a full-time medical assistant at a mental health facility. After talking to friends and some family members, they emphasize greatly my willingness to help other people, my positive attitude towards change and how I try to stay positive. The aspirations for my business are to make quality healthcare available and accessible to people with mental and intellectual disabilities. If I was to start my business concept today, it will be demanding, stressful, time consuming and key investments.

2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs).

Based on the positive feedback I received, the services I will be offering have not change, the clinic will be offering online doctors’ visits. The client will log in to a secure online platform, such as skype or zoom, there a medical assistant will take the information needed for the appointment, like vital signs, reason for the visit, and any documentation. After the client’s information is process, the online meeting will be sent to the medical provider, where the patient will have a one on one consultation like if they were both seating across each other. After the appointment, the client will meet a check out coordinator, so any prescription medications or laboratory orders will be sent electronically, and a follow up appointment is schedule.

3) Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?
I will be offering the services to people in need of accessible healthcare. I narrow to the specific segment I would like to approach first, because I believe people with intellectual or mental health disabilities will benefit the most. A perfect example is patients with autism, the time it takes to drive and wait to be seen by a doctor creates a big stress, and destructive behavior could escalate, or anxiety will increase.

4) Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service.

I believe that people would be skeptical at first, but they will see the value of saving their love ones unnecessary stress and how they could attend their appointments from the comfort of their home

5) What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has?
My main competition has not change, because stablished clinics that offer traditional services is what patients are accustomed to. What will set my clinic apart is the convenience and accessibility to quality health care from the comfort of your home.

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others.

Based on the feedback I have received I still belief that these five elements fit well together, because the need for proper healthcare to the market segment. The two weakness in my concept still exist such as getting approval from healthcare regulators and insurance companies. The second will be to get people to at least try the services we offer because they are unconventional.

For the "feedback memo" -- please summarize at least two main points that you took away from the feedback you received. Also, please describe how you incorporated the feedback into this idea napkin.

Two points I was able to take away from the feedback I received, is that my classmates identify the need for accessible healthcare and how one of them mention that time is a big issue when it comes to visit the doctor. I incorporated in the positive feedback I received and how my business could even help people out of my target segment.

18A – Create a Customer Avatar

My prototypical customer is a male in his early thirties. He was born with an intellectual disability and schizophrenia, which prevents him to be able to take care of himself. He currently lives in a group home where there are people who help him on his everyday needs, like personal hygiene, proper nutrition and his healthcare. His favorite hobby is watching monster truck videos on YouTube, coloring and eating chocolate. His favorite toy is a Hot Wheels monster truck that his mother bought him for his birthday. Even though he likes cars, he doesn’t like to ride one because it is out of his comfort zone. Due to his condition, he must follow a strict schedule because any changes might create unwanted anxiety and his behavior could become violent.

What do you have in common with the customer avatar?

The customer avatar and I have two things in common, we are males and have the same age. I do not think is a coincidence because certain conditions are more predominant in males.

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch.

What stood out the most is that my idea connected with some of my classmates. Overall the feedback I receive was positive, but I did get some pointers on how to make my elevator pitch better.

What did you change, based on the feedback?

This time I tried to be more dynamic and stood up to do my pitch, I also dressed different so I could make a better impact.

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Report the findings.

For this assignment I chose to interview three case managers, who work closely with intellectual or severed mental disable clients. The reason is because they work together with the client’s family or the caretakers. Yolanda only works with kids, she gave me details of how complicated is to manage the well being of her clients and how most of the appointments must be done after lunch hours because getting everything ready for some of her kids can easily take an hour or more, depending on their mood and what is required to drive the client to their appointment. Esther and Carolina work with adults who have been place in group homes because they required 24-hour care by professional staff. They both said that the biggest challenge is with transportation, because it has to be schedule three days in advanced, due to traffic, the driver does not always arrived on time to pick up the client or the doctors office, and the after the appointment some client have to wait a couple hours before being pick up.

Draw conclusions.

Based on my interviews, I truly belief that virtual health care could be a good option for this segment. It can reduce the time, planning, resources and most important the stress that the clients must go through when they must visit a doctor’s office.

14A – Halfway Reflection

1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?

· The behaviors I have used to keep up with the work has been making a schedule of when assignments are due and read what is required for the week on Monday, that way I can start putting ideas and making plans to complete the requirements. I also do all my work in Microsoft word so I can proofread my work and keep an accurate word count.

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?

· The one assignment that I almost gave up on was the elevator pitch, the reason is because I do not like taking videos of myself and I get nervous. What pulled me through is the though of conquering a task that I have always struggle with and how professor Pryor encourages you. He said, your first elevator pitch will be bad, but by the next ones you will be better.

· I think my attitude has change, because I have a new concept of what an entrepreneur is.

· The lectures contributed to this change.

3) Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset’?

· Create a detail schedule, because you will be doing two or three assignments and peer reviews.

· Always read your assignments on Monday, it will help you gather ideas and conduct interviews.

· Keep up to date with lectures, they will help you with your weekly assignments, cupcakes are bit tricky and you only get five minutes.

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

Miracles Happen, Mary Kay Ash


1) You read about an entrepreneur:

· What surprise me the most about Mary Kay Ash was how she talks about putting her family first and always being home by 7.

· The most admirable thing about Mary Kay Ash was how she was able to be successful during a time when women were not seen as equals.

· Mary Kay did encounter many adversities that made her become a successful businesswoman. Her first husband divorced her making her a single mom to raise three kids. She was discriminated against because she was a woman and did not get a promotion she deserved. This made her decide to start her own business adventure. Her second husband pass right before she was going to open her store.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

· Mary Kay was a forward driven person, she was task oriented and never gave up on her goal, even when tragedy happened.

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

· One confusing part were her reference to her religious believes because she attributes her success on being a Christian follower, but religion has always been sexist.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

· If I could ask her two questions it would be, how did you manage to overcome when tragedy hit you? And how were you able to balance your time between her business and her family?

· The reason I would ask these questions is because I personally know what is like to lose a love one and time management is one of my weaknesses.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

· Mary Kays opinion of hard work is admirable because she was able to raise three kids and grow a multimillion-dollar business. She was very committed to her ideas and cared for her employees.

· I do share her opinion, I just think is amazing how much she was able to accomplished.

12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1) Pick a segment.


The segment I picked are the caretakers, legal guardians or parents and case managers of clients who have severe mental and learning disabilities. The reason I chose this segment is because I have experienced the difficulties they encounter while taking the clients to visit the doctor.


2) Interviews.


Employee of a group home: while talking to the caretaker of a client, he described the steps he must follow when bringing the client to the office and how difficult it is. Sometimes just the simple task of getting them in the car could take up to 20 minutes.


Parents of a 30-year-old client with intellectual disabilities: when talking to them, they described their daughter as easy going and easy to manage at home. But when it comes to leave their house, they got to have special precautions as she easily gets anxious and irritated. So, they try to avoid crowded places and doctors’ appointments must be done at early so they can be in and out.


Case manager with the mother of a child with autism: when speaking to them, they talk about a routine that must be follow daily, from always eating and going to the bathroom at the same times. One interesting detail they discussed was that they must avoid other children, because the client becomes violent.


5) Summary of what I learned in the interviews.


As someone who works in healthcare, I realized that there is a great need for an alternative to conventional medical services. People who are involved taking care of people with special needs, struggle daily to meet the client’s needs. Also, because the way medical offices are run, they often cannot accommodate to their needs like giving them a grace period or having rooms where the client won’t be under so much stress.


6) Conclusion.


After conducting the interviews and talking to others who might benefit from the services I proposed. This alternative will give caretakers time flexibility to complete the responsibilities it takes to care for a patient with mental disabilities.  

11A. Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically, regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

My name Is Herzen Vallejo, I am an online UF student, currently enrolled in General Business and a full-time medical assistant at a mental health facility. Some of my talents are good customer service, helping and understanding people with special needs and finding solutions using technology. The aspirations for my business are to make quality healthcare available and accessible to people. If I was to start my business concept today, it will be demanding, stressful, and time consuming.



2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs).

The service I will be offering is virtual medical appointments. The client will log in to a secure online platform, such as skype or zoom, there a medical assistant will take the information needed for the appointment, like vital signs, reason for the visit, and any documentation. After the client’s information is process, the online meeting will be sent to the medical provider, where the patient will have a one on one consultation like if they were both seating across each other. After the appointment, the client will meet a check out coordinator, so any prescription medications or laboratory orders will be sent electronically, and a follow up appointment is schedule.



3) Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?

I will be offering the services to people in need of accessible healthcare. Since the services will be offer through the internet, my customers will be people who have difficulties traveling to a doctor’s office because of distance, traffic, busy schedules, low income or disabilities. A perfect example is patients with autism, the time it takes to drive and wait to be seen by a doctor creates a big stress, and destructive behavior could escalate, or anxiety will increase.



4) Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service.

People care about being healthy and taking care of their love ones. People at first could be skeptical and may not feel comfortable using technology to meet this need but is just like when online shopping first began.



5) What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has?

My main competition will be already stablished clinic that offer traditional services. What will set my clinic apart is the convenience and accessibility to quality health care from the comfort of your home. My virtual clinic will make it possible for patients to see specialist that do not required physical contact, such as psychiatrist.



In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others.

I truly belief that these five elements fit well together, because currently there are hundreds of thousands of United States citizens that do not have access to health care, whether is because of where they live, busy lifestyles, or low income. There are two weakness in my concept. First would be to get approval from healthcare regulators and insurance companies. The second will be to get people to at least try the services we offer because they are unconventional. Overall, the clinic could provide quality services to clients in a convenient way, but will not be a solution for all, emergency rooms or specialized doctors like gynecologist are not services that can be provided over a virtual visit.

10A – Elevator Pitch No. 1

9A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who:

The people who seen to fall outside the need for a virtual clinic are the older generation. The reason is because they prefer traditional doctors’ visit, they want an in person medical visit and do not like the idea of seen a doctor through a screen.  Also, most of them are already retired or have grown kids, so time is not an issue either

What:

The need that I have identify differs at the age groups.  For younger people or parents of young kids, a visit to the doctor could take a whole day of work, while for older folks it does not seen to be an issue.

Why:

While conducting the interviews, I noticed that older people did not mind taking time off to visit the doctor or the drive to the clinic.  This means accessibility was not an issue for them.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is in: People who need access to medical services that have a busy schedule or live in rural areas	Who is not: People that have easy access to a doctor and can take time off to visit the doctor
What the need is: The need to be able to provide medical services	What the need Is not: The is not an option for people that prefer traditional doctor visits
Why the need exists: The need exists because healthcare should be a human right, and for some people is not accessible due to their current lifestyle or place of residence	Alternative Explanations: Even though, the same quality services could be provided by a virtual clinic, some people either prefer the good old fashion way or do not believe the same service will be delivered.

8A – Solving The Problem

Accessible and Affordable healthcare



The service I would like to create is a clinic that offers regular medical visits and virtual consultations, by offering a virtual service I can cut many expenses like that are normally involved in running a clinic and people without insurance can be offer a quality service at a lower price. A patient can log in using their computer or smart phone to talk to a medical provider, so I would not need to have a big facility with large waiting rooms. Vital signs could be monitor by using technology that is already available to patients, laboratory test could be order electronically if needed and medications prescriptions will be sent to the patient’s pharmacy of choice.

The virtual services provide at the clinic are similar to what some medical offices and even emergency clinics are already providing, the difference is that in this facilities they cost still high and the patient have to visit the office.

7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

The opportunity I would like to pursue is the creation of accessible healthcare.



The who: people in need of medical services

The what: Introduce new ways for people to take care of their health

The why: People can afford medical services or do not have access.



Hypothesis. I believe healthcare should be a human right not a privilege.

· Patients would be able to access healthcare

· Bringing healthcare to people in need without making causing a financial strain

· By offering a variety of services using technology, that could be easier to afford and access



While interviewing fellow coworkers and people about our current healthcare system, I come to realized that insurances are expensive for some people. Some decide to go without coverage because they cannot afford it and for other it does not make sense to have one because after paying their monthly premiums, the copay and deductibles are high. I asked the reimbursement that insurances pay for patients seeing at the clinic and they range from $0 to $60 per visit, while patients are responsible for a copay of $25 to $55. While a client who does not have insurance first visit is $240 and follow ups are $120. When it comes to prescribed medications, most insurances will only cover for generic ones and make it difficult for patients to access new ones.



I believe this opportunity exists because no matter the age, at one point or another every human will need medical care in their lifetime. If prices for medical services are reasonable, people could take care of their health and their love ones.

6A – Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Economic Trend Opportunities

The Battle Over Fish Farming In The Open Ocean Heats Up, As EPA Permit Looms


· https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/09/18/761978683/the-battle-over-fish-farming-in-the-open-ocean-heats-up-as-epa-permit-looms

· I believe this article is opening an opportunity for fish farmers to extend their capabilities of producing a better and cheaper product by using natural resources.

· Fish farmers and seafood producers.

· I think this opportunity will be difficult to exploit because new technology and logistics will be involved, but at the same its relatively easy because it’s a new market that has not been exploit.

· I saw an opportunity because healthy and organic food is become very popular among newer generations. While using natural resources to produce fish could be challenging, it is something that has not been done in great scales.



CBD oil price likely factor in $100 million payoff predicted for Ventura County hemp crop
· https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/09/18/cbd-oil-hemp-crop-ventura-county-predicted-to-bring-100-million-payoff/2237319001/

· I believe there is an opportunity for farmers in many other states that have already legalized hemp because the legalization has created an economic growth in states like California.

· Farmers who would like to venture into growing a new product like in Florida.

· I think this opportunity is easy to exploit because the technology to grow hemp is already available and it has been proven to be profitable in other states.

· I saw this as an opportunity because hemp products are very popular among people who are seeking alternatives. Many people would not see this as an opportunity because of the bad name this plant has and how is just becoming legal in states like Florida.

Regulatory Changes Opportunities.
Barr-authored gun control draft lands in Congress

· https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/barr-authored-gun-control-draft-lands-in-congress

· I believe there is an opportunity because there is a big market for guns.

· Gun retailers that are willing to adhered to the regulations and created a plan for their customers to meet all the necessary steps at their shop.

· I believe this could be a hard opportunity because more resources will be need it to create a one stop gun shop.

· I saw this opportunity because people love guns. People would not be able to see the opportunity ahead because it will be involved better trained staff and do not see any law being pass anytime soon.

Flavored vapes are facing a ban. What does that mean for vapers?
· https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/9/18/20872295/flavored-vape-ban-what-it-means-vapers

· I believed there is an opportunity because there is a market for flavored vape.

· People who vape

· I think this opportunity is easy because the market for flavored vapes already exist and not all vape will be ban.

· I believed there is an opportunity because a new way to deliver the product could be developed. People believe that when something is ban is gone forever.

5A – Identifying Local Opportunities

Osceola may face 20 percent increase to Lynx, officials say

http://www.aroundosceola.com/news/osceola-may-face-percent-increase-to-lynx-officials-say/article_74b0038c-5c9f-11e9-9009-2b56e7254307.html

This article talks about a propose increase in county-based funding. Currently Lynx is the only bus transportation in Osceola and other near by counties. The company is currently having financial difficulties because of the subsidized services it provides to the community and competitors like uber and lyft. Their board of directors are asking for a 20 percent payment increase from the counties it serves, to avoid service cuts. They have also proposed a bus fare increment of 25 cents.

The problem is that services currently available will no longer be offered.

The people that take advantage of this subsidized programs, usually low in come or disable.



Package Thefts Arrest

https://scinthenews.com/package-thefts-arrest/

This article talks about a recent arrest made in Orlando. Mr. Elin Fernando Salas was caught on camera stealing packages from Saint Cloud community. His arrest was possible because of doorbell cameras.

The problem is the rise of this type of criminal activity.

All the citizens of Saint Cloud and nearby towns.



LYNX Will Make August Service Changes

https://scinthenews.com/lynx-will-make-august-service-changes/

This article is more like a community announcement. Due to the financial problems Lynx is facing they have either eliminated, or done route, bus stops and schedule adjustments.

The problem is that services are no longer available.

People who rely on bus transportation.



Here's what it's actually like to get your medical marijuana card in Florida

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/heres-what-its-actually-like-to-get-your-medical-marijuana-card-in-florida/Content?oid=25146720

This article is about an interview of the process and how someone got her medical marijuana. After a referral from her primary care provider and a fairly shot consultation from the marijuana-recommending doctor she was able to apply and get her marijuana card. It also provides some information about the dispensary she buys from and their lack of knowledge.

The problem is that some providers are just exploding this new law to make money and are not providing a good service.

This affects people who suffer from chronic medical conditions and are being misled.



The clock is running out on human civilization; it's time to take the climate crisis seriously

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/the-clock-is-running-out-on-human-civilization-its-time-to-take-climate-change-seriously/Content?oid=25457921

This article takes an approach into a big problem we are currently facing in our country and the world. Its talks how our current government it is taking a stance of non-believers of climate change. How the white house is trying to block vital information on where we stand. Its also gives some details of what the possible future consequences like the coastal cities flooding, probable unhabitable places due to extreme heat and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

The problem presented is climate change

The problem affects everyone in the world.

4A – Forming An Opportunity Belief

I believe there is an opportunity for online health care.

Health care is one of the basic human necessity that everyone in the world at one point in their lifetime will need, from a newborn to an older person. This a need that has always existed but unfortunately for people with low incomes or that lives in remote areas do not have access like people who live in the city or close by. At this moment this need is not currently been meet because of outrageous price of consultations or the lack of a medical provider where they reside.



I conducted my interviews at the medical clinic where I work and may not have been very lengthy because some information cannot be disclosed, but I was able to get opinions of different clients and from medical provider.



Single mother of two children in her early thirties.



Where do you live and how long does it take you to get here?

“I live in Haines city, which is an approximate drive of 45 minutes to an hour.”

Who is the client being seeing today?

“My two children, age 10 and 8.

Why do you drive so far?

“Where I live there isn’t a psychiatrist that sees children or take their insurance”

What is the biggest problem you face when you take your kids to their appointment?

“In all honesty, is time. I must take off from work, either pick them up from school or not send them at all. Another issue is traffic on the way here, because if I don’t make it in time my kids will not be seen, or I have to wait so they can be put back in the schedule.”

Would you be ok, if the consultation could be done from your home through a videoconference call?

“Yes, it would save me a ton of time and they usually spend about 15 minutes with their doctor.”

What could be a concern about an online medical consultation?

“My two concerns are whether my kids are actually going to be seen by a medical provider and if they can send the medications to the pharmacy.”



Gentlemen in his late forties.



Where do you live and how long does it take you to get here?

“I live in BVL (a closed by neighborhood in Kissimmee), and it takes me about 15 minutes to get here.

Who is the client being seeing today?

“Myself.”

Do you have any issues to attend your appointment?

“No”

Would you be ok, if the consultation could be done from your home through a videoconference call?

“No, I really like my doctor and I prefer to see her in person and I really don’t understand technology.”



Board certified psychiatrist in her early sixties.



What do you think of medical consultations through the internet?

“I think is something that could be done, I know some practices do offer that type of service.”

Do you know how it works?

“Yes, the patient comes to the practice, they are process by a medical assistant, and they see the doctor in an office. The only difference is that the doctor is not physically present.”

Would you feel comfortable providing this type of services?

“Yes, as long as I can talk to them and help them.”

Do you think is there any problems with the service being provided?

“My only issue would be that it could be a lengthy process for me, because is not something I am familiar with and some patients may not be comfortable.”



I think that the opportunity still there, we are currently transitioning in a way that everything and anything can be done by means of internet. We do our shopping, watch TV, and communicate online. The younger generations would probably see it, as a new convenient trend. I think the opportunity is accurate because some people live far from medical doctor that provide specific services. Non-emergency health conditions can be asset remotely by a medical provider, such as the flu. By cutting many expenses, like having a facility that can accommodate many patients, supporting staff and other cost and the middleman (insurance companies), health care could become affordable for many people who currently can’t even afford the copays of their health insurances. An entrepreneur would have to adapt greatly, because is not a type of service that is very common so many people will be skeptical and will not be ok. Also, not all type of medical services could be provided this way, the market does have limitations.

3A – Entrepreneurship Story

The family business

After a quick intro into the principles of entrepreneurship, I realized that my grandfather was a pretty good one. Last winter, while on vacation, my uncles told me more details of how my mom, and they were raised and the many struggles they encounter during their childhood. My family comes from a poor background in Colombia, and during my grandfather’s life he had many business adventures that failed for many reasons. The one that succeed he had was having a shop where they build dining sets out of raw material, most of the time recycle materials because they couldn’t afford high quality stuff ready to be use. They told me how they will bring steel bars that were usually bend or used for other purposes before and they had to straighten out with hammers and techniques use by people that work with heavy metals. My grandfather and them learn how weld the pieces together, mom would do the upholstery for the chairs and together they would bring this beautiful dining sets. The shop help raised a family of eight kids, help my mom go through college and my uncle to venture into different paths in life. The shop did close in the early 1990's due to my grandfather getting old and health issues. Many of this set, or only the chairs made by grandpa’s shop are still being used by family or people who purchased them.

2A **Bug List

2A **Bug List

1. Irresponsible parents.

· This happens because people do not care how their kids behave, and thing that “they are just being kids.”

2. When people hide things from me.

· This happens because certain people do not want to face the consequences or hurt my feelings.

3. When I want to help someone, and that person misunderstands things.

· This happens because people thing just because I am friendly and might share a snack (unless its donuts), I am flirting with you.

4. When people do not show their real emotions.

· This happens because people want to act tough or believed they will be or judge.

5. When people judge me, without knowing me.

· This happens because we still live in a world full of stereotypes, judge people based on religion or no religion, race, gender.

6. Not using my time properly.

· This happens because sleep is for the weak and I’ll procrastinated until really late at night.

7. When people do not accept my gifts.

· This happens because people think I am trying to buy them, or I want something in return.

8. When people do not trust me.

· This happens because as a friend I will tell you my opinion when your doing something wrong or like to help you, just because.

9. People who become useless on purpose.

· This probably sounds wrong, but this happens because people do not like to do or deal with their workload or current situation.

10. Disrespectful people.

· This happens because people lack empathy and believed that by screaming and cursing, they can get away with everything.

11. When people hide the reason why they are upset with me.

· This happens because I did or said something wrong, but something that is ok for it might not be ok for that other person. Just tell me, I like to fix small issues before they get big.

12. Injustices.

· This happens because people get away with things just because their gender, social status or because they make a show.

13. Living with nearby neighbors.

· This happens because some people do not care about others and make living arrangements a war zone.

14. Bathing with cold water.

· This happens just because I hate cold water.

15. Doing someone else work,

· This happens because people do not like to do their job.

16. Drivers that constantly change lanes and speed up through traffic.

· This happens because people are late and think that they will make it in time by driving careless. This usually ends in a traffic accident and them I am going to be late.

17. The call center at my job.

· This happens because they make mistakes but are not held accountable by their supervisor, while I have a screaming client in front of me.

18. Motorcycle drivers that cut through the middle of lanes at a red light.

· I honestly do not understand why they do that; I love riding my motorcycle and just because I fit in the middle of two cars doesn’t make it right.

19. Stereotypes.

· This happens because people are closed minded and believe that because one person did something or act a certain way, all people from that country, race or religion are the same.

20. My sister’s dog.

· This happens because he is little and annoying. Big dogs are better.

Reflection:

No one in this life is perfect, therefore recognizing one’s weaknesses is the first step into obtaining great things as weaknesses can stop us from achieving our goals and fulfilling our dreams.  Recognizing our weaknesses is as important as recognizing our strengths so hopefully by recognizing our weakness we can improve them.

Test Post

This is my first blog.