16A

1) My human capital

    1) I believe I am excellent at analyzing and reading people which helps when in conversations with            friends or family and I can understand them without hearing them.

    2) I am a very analytical and logical person. I like to look at the statistics of a situation more than go         with my gut or my heart. This often results in selecting the most beneficial option all around.

    3) I believe I am a very hard worker when I put my mind to something. If I believe I want something I        will move heaven and earth to go get that something and few obstacles could stop me.

    

    4) I know how to separate topics and opportunities. I am very able to compartmentalize various topics        and conversations as to not get them mixed up or twisted. This proves very useful when dealing with         multiple topics at once. 

    5) I am very open minded. Growing up outside the United States I have encountered various types of         people and situations which has led me to have a very open mind when encountering new situations. 

2) 

    1) Guillermo

     https://soundcloud.com/manuel-ucha-rodriguez/new-recording-12

    I found very comforting how he talked about my openness when approaching problems. I feel like this     is one of my main strong skills. It has proven to be beneficial throughout my life when approaching            situations. 

    2) Dino

    https://soundcloud.com/manuel-ucha-rodriguez/new-recording

    I found it very interesting how he talked about my relentlessness. I have never particularly thought of        myself as a particularly relentless person. But after giving it some careful thought I can see why he            said it, and I have to agree.

    

    3) Paloma

    https://soundcloud.com/manuel-ucha-rodriguez/new-recording-3

    I really like how she included that I'm a good listener, even when teenagers and young adults are not         really known for having this trait. I also liked how she went one step further to include how I am able to     identify what a person needs before they know it.

    4) Thomas

    https://soundcloud.com/manuel-ucha-rodriguez/thomass

    One of the traits my friends Thomas classified me as was open minded and having a good attitude. I            liked that because that is one of my favorite traits about about myself. I like that I have a very open            mind and I am able interact with different people and learn about situation.

    

    5) Pedro

    https://soundcloud.com/manuel-ucha-rodriguez/pedroo

    

    I really like how he highlighted my passion for sports. I have always grown up with a love of sports            and it has made me who I am. I am happy sports has made me and everything that comes with it, the         discipline, the health benefits. 

3) All in all, I feel like me and my peers have the same outlook and analysis. One difference I was able to pick out between me and my peers was how they talked about my encounters with problems and situations. Even though I wouldn't considered it to be my strongest skills I agree that it is a big part of my skills arsenal. Therefore I would add it to my list for question number 1.

15A

1-6) I again found myself interviewing three of my neighbors, different than last time. And I have gathered varied information on the alternatives the customers take into account. All three found that the quality of the repair job was much more important than the price, even though price was the second factor. This is probably because a good repair probably means seldom future repairs. And the third factor was overall service, how the repair people handled themselves with the customer. I also learned that these transactions are usually paid online through checks or transfers or even credit at times. So my business will have to offer extremely secure payment features so the customers can feel safe paying online for the service. And post-purchase behavior is key to keep my customer using my service because one slip and they could fall back to their previous system. The repair service men have to perform a spectacular job, treat the customer with respect and kindness all at a good price to keep the customer happy and reeled into the business. These three post-purchase evaluation factors will allow me to retain existing customers. If all three are met it will mean the customer will think they will have completed a good idea. However, if the service is unsatisfactory, the repair company is rude and at a higher than normal price the customer will think the purchase was a bad idea.

7) I would describe this segment as the one with the most alternative evaluation since they have the open field.  They will be easy in purchase decision since they will wish to get the service done and will be key in post-purchase evaluation since it will be the reason why they stay or go.

14A

1) If I was talking to somebody who was going o take this course next semester, I would tell them I have come up with a few behaviors to keep up with the coarse. I would tell them good scheduling is key to deal with the noon deadlines. Given that this time on deadlines is not the normal for classes good scheduling will help you adapt. I would also add to complete assignments truthfully. You will get out of the class what you put into it and completing the assignments  truthfully will ensure you succeed and enjoy the class.

2) I would say that I've only considered giving up one time, when an assignment required us to complete interviews with strangers. I've never been confident socially and even less with strangers, but muscled through it and got the interview done. This activity definitely got me out of my comfort zone and made me more tenacious.

3) 1) To foster skills that support tenacity you should give your all in the assignments. Each assignments will get you more investing in the opportunity and the project and therefore you will develop more tenacity and eagerness to move forward.

2) Second tip would be to find a way to schedule in your work time. This is a course with different deadline times and it will take some getting used to. Also you will never know how much an assignment may require of you until you do it. So therefore it it always beneficial to work in advance.

3) And finally, I would say to be open to feedback and constructive criticism. Your idea and opportunity will never be perfect because there will always be room for improvement. And the interviews and student feedback is the time to learn and grow on your opportunity.

13A

1) I have chosen to read "Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald’s" by Ray Kroc.

• What has easily surprised me the most about Ray Kroc's story was the timing. He has been selling plastic cups for years once he came across the multi-mixer which after also a couple of years led him to his opportunity. And by that time he was at the ripe age of 52.
• I most admired his perseverance and as he puts it, "ability to grind it out". After years of selling the same plastic cups he saw a new opportunity to sell milkshake makers, but his old company forced him to pay them 60% of his new salary selling the mixers if he wanted to get out of the paper cup business. So he was forced to survive working almost 19 hours a day for 6 days a week on the road, while keeping only 40% of his salary.
• I could argue that what I least admired about him would be his lack of business savvy. Given that he could have probably maneuvered his transfer to the milkshake mixer business without it costing him 60% of his profits.
• Yes he did. Ray had multiple problems when opening up a second franchise, mainly with the food quality. He had major troubles gettin the fries to taste the same as the original franchise so he brought in spud experts and walked them through the process to pinpoint where the problems where. Because he believed the key to McDonald's was the food quality and consistency.

2) Ray Kroc exemplified the hard work mentality. Whenever he saw a problem he did not stop until it was fixed. He also proved to have a good vision for the company by setting up franchises and not just second owned locations. He also proved to have great people skills since he set up important parameters when choosing and meeting new franchisees.

3) The part that was the most confusing to me was the ending to his relationship with the McDonald brothers. How he went from a kid at a candy story when first visiting their store to a business shark taking all their ideas and processes and cutting them off from the future of the company. Ray Kroc decided that they were not doing anything to help him so he wanted to buy them out or cut them off.

4) 1) What were your beginning requirements to meet when first becoming a franchisee? Because I would want to know what he values in a business partner.

    2) Why did you initially decide to go with franchisees and how did that idea come about? Because I would want to know hoe his great business vision works.

5) I think Ray Kroc's opinion of hard work has to be on the highest standard. Having "grinding out", as he would say for more that 30 years of his life, selling things, working 19 hours a day for 6 days a week on the road. This level of hard work was probably commonplace for a man with a drive and motivation such as himself.

12A

1) The segment I chose was regular homeowner who have regular broken appliances and have a hard time dealing with the repairs.

2) Given that this type of customer could be anywhere I thought it was a good time to met my neighbors. And after walking in my neighborhood for about 25 minutes I found my three people who could fit in the segment.

3) By asking questions such as; do you sometimes have a hard time when trying to get a home appliance fixed? Does it sometimes add stress in your day-today? What specific parts of the problem causes the most problems or stress? I was able to find out that their need was most salient either when they were in a rush or the repair company was not being professional or was not vetted by a friend or relative.

4) I also found out that when they become aware of their need they look for alternative solutions; ex. tutorial on youtube or ask friends and family and Google for another much better and reputable company. I mostly end up being the second option given that learning the tutorial would probably cause triple the amount of stress on any regular human being.

5) From my interview I have learned that not all homeowner will experience the need at the same level and that some have a harder time in dealign with the needs. I have also learned that many customers will give different importance to different parts of the service, the reputation of the company, the customer support, and the price. 

6) I would describe this segment in the bread and butter of my service. This segment has the highest need awareness so they will be alert on what they need, however I have found out that many ask friends and family for advice on these matters so I will have to push hard on the information search side and promotion. 

11A

1) I'm Manuel Ucha Rodriguez, a rising junior at the University of Florida, majoring in Information Systems. Being an immigrant in this country I have learned many skills through my journey of adaptation in the greatest country in the world. It has made me who I am and also who I aspire to be. I would describe my talents as hard working, analytical and a great sense for vision. I have multiple skills, although most include computer skills, that I have mastered over the years. I have taken public speaking classes and more creative classes to get out of my comfort zone and improve. I aspire to be an independent investor before having a strong corporate career and being a business owner and retiring early. Making my money work for me. And this opportunity is one of the ideas I have for when I leave the corporate life.

2) Many homeowners and property managers have a tougher than normal time when something breaks down on their property. Wether it be finding the right repair company, setting up an appointment, and agreeing on a quote. My service will solve all the problems by making a streamlined process from the moment there is a need to the moment that need is met, on both sides of the spectrum.

3) My main customers would be regular homeowners and property managers as well as their tenants, who have a repair need on their property. This does not include people who choose to fix the problem themselves or have long-standing contracts with repair companies. 

4) My customers will care about the service because it will relieve very much unnecessary stress from their lives. Fixing an home appliance should not add stress and more problems to a homeowners live and also they will not be paying any more for the service since my fee will be a percentage of what the vendor or service repair company earns.

5) What will set my service apart from everybody else will be my market penetration strategy and my customer support I will provide. I will become partners with multiple real estate brokerages so my service will get inputted into thousands of homes almost instantly which will increase my reach. I will also provide 24/7 customer support before, during and after the service is provided.

I believe all 5 elements fit somewhat seamlessly together and almost build off each other. I do believe however I should filter my customer base more as there may be something I have not thought of heard off from my interviews yet.  

10 A

https://youtu.be/Hq1IMalrNuY

9A

Who: From my interviews I can devise that the people that share a lot of commonalities but fall outside the boundaries are: 

1. Building or apartment complexes with in-house repairmen; since they can provide the services in-house there is no need for my opportunity.
2. Complexes with already long-standing service companies; They are unable to use service due to standing contracts.
3. Homeowners who wish to know the company that will be providing the service beforehand; that will not always be possible with my opportunity.

What: My need differs at the point of facilitation from regular repair needs. Every homeowner or property manager has to go through repairs of their properties but some will want to fight for every cent and know exactly who they are dealing with while other might rather have comfortability when going through this process. Both will require different needs. Might will be the latter.

Why: The cause of those potentially within the boundary are people who want the repairs on their home to get over as effectively and quickly and seemingly as possible. The cause for the people outside the boundary will be they want to know specifically what went wrong so they can fix it next time, or will want to establish a relationship with the vendor.

    The interviews provided me with much needed feedback and data to get back to the workshop and brainstorm more aspects of my opportunity.

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Who is in: Property managers and homeowners who will need repairs on their property	Who is out: Property managers and homeowners who are unable to pursue outside repair service contractors.
What the need is: Property managers and homeowners who want the repairs on their home to get over as effectively and quickly and seemingly as possible. And are legally able to chose services.	What the need is not: Property managers and homeowners who will want to establish a personal relationship with the service company.
Why the need exists: Some property managers and homeowners find repairs on their homes a hassle and a pain the you know what. And they wish to effectively get the problem fixed	Alternative Explanations: Some property managers and homeowners are fine with dealing with the whole operation of getting a home repair and wish to keep the status quo.

8A

The opportunity I have selected is to the alleviate the problem of service management for the property manager and tenants of the world. More often that not, property manager and tenants are left to tussle with keeping in contact with multiple repair services as well as arranging an appointment schedule which can often also turn in a problem if both sides are busy. My solution will be to provide these property manager and tenants with a service that automates service contacts and ratings as well as help set up an appointment after. Once the property manager and tenants agree on a repair one will enter the need on the platform and repair service company that specialized in the type requested by customer will agree to work the job. Then then after the client provides possible appointments the vendor will select a time. This solution will help property manager and tenants as well as the small vendors that are trying to break into the business.