Week 4 Reading Reflection

1. One thing that surprised me in the reading was that there were four types of innovation, including duplication, invention, synthesis, and extension. I always that thought of innovation as one single thing without realizing there were different types of innovation.

2. Something I found confusing was the Critical Thinking Process chart. Looking at the chart alone, I couldn't understand how each piece went together but everything became easier to understand when I read the text a couple times.

3. The first question I would ask the author is which type of innovation, in his opinion, is more important. The second question is in addition to the four types of innovation listed if there are any other types of innovation that were not covered. I would ask these two questions out of curiosity.

4. I am starting to realize that there is nothing that I really disagree with in these chapters. Most of the text was thought out considerably before it was published.

Top 5 World Problems

1. Rapid worldwide population growth
2. Pollution of our water, air, and land
3. Worldwide terrorism
4. Lack of drinking water
5. Hunger worldwide

I feel that population growth is a result of three of these problems. If there weren't so many people in different parts of the globe, we would not have as much pollution that we do now and we would have less mouths to fill. If we could somehow control the population of our planet, some of these issues would be far less severe than they are today. Right now I have terrorism listed at number three, but if terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda are not contained soon, terrorism could quickly rise to the top of my list.

1. Worldwide terrorism- sending more troops to fight terrorist groups
2. Racism/Discrimination- accepting everyone for who they are
3.Pollution of our water, air, and land- educating people about recycling and the environment

4. Infectious diseases- educating/helping third world countries

5. Species extinction- stop pollution, cutting down trees, etc.

Defeating terrorist groups would be easier if we had more troops over there fighting them instead of pulling troops out before the mission is over. This solution is at the top of my list because with one call we can have troops sent to fight ISIS immediately instead of coming up with meaningless tactics that ultimately will not work. All of these solutions will take time but this solution could be done quickly compared to the other solutions on my list. 

Week 3 Reading Reflection

1. Something that really surprised me was how many characteristics of entrepreneurs were listed. I think there are always a couple of characteristics that everyone associates entrepreneurs with, but people don't always go in-depth when describing entrepreneurs.

2. At first, the metacognitive perspective was somewhat confusing. But after rereading that part a few more times, it made more sense.

3a. The first question I would ask is out of all the characteristics mentioned, which ones he thought described an entrepreneur the best and why.

3b. The second question I would ask is why did they come up with the nickname "Skunk Works". Is a skunk somehow involved or was it just catchy?

4. Surprisingly, I agreed with just about everything that the author talked about. In this chapter, the author described every aspect very clearly and in a way that was easy to understand.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. "Mandating recess isn't the right play"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8D0EEE01FD0E0?p=AWNB
This article talks about how mandating recess will only make things worse for elementary school students. Kids need the time to go outside and play and interact with one another in a way that does not include teachers being shadows. It has also been proven that when kids have free time to play, they do a better job in school. The Pinellas County School Board considered a resolution that would encourage elementary schools to offer recess. In addition, Linda Lerner, a board member, believes that recess should be a policy throughout the U.S. and not just a recommendation. The opportunity here is to allow teachers to handle recess the way it should be handled as well as giving kids time to just relax and play. Teachers and students have problems as a result of this issue. The teachers have a problem because they are not given the authority to allow their students to have recess. The students have a problem because they are locked up in a classroom all day with no escape from their academics even if is for a short period of time.
2. "Reason Won't Win This Battle Over Guns" http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8A9E9B6B42A68?p=AWNB
This article talks about people who have concealed-weapons permits getting arrested for ridiculous reasons. For example, one gun-carrying citizen was arrested when the wind lifted up their shirt, which exposed their gun. People are being arrested because of not so fortunate circumstances and they are not given a chance to explain the situation. A proposal was sent to Tallahassee to protect gun-carrying citizens when an incident like this happens, but it is not looking very good. The people who have a problem is citizens who have a concealed-weapons permit who are arrested over unfortunate events. They are given a chance to explain what happened and are taken to jail because of this. The opportunity here is to pass some kind of law that allows gun-carrying citizens the right to explain their story in case something goes wrong so that no one is improperly arrested.
3. "Auto Thefts By Teens At Crisis Point In Pinellas"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8A7269E5B0AB8?p=AWNB
This article talks about how auto thefts by youths in Pinellas county are continuing to increase at an alarming rate. During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, there were 337 arrests involving teenagers and auto theft charges. Tampa, that has close to double the number of youths, had only 69 arrests in the same time period. In fact, if you add the total arrests between the counties that include Tampa, Jacksonville, and Orlando, Pinellas county would still have more arrests. More and more teens are being drawn down the wrong path and this needs to change. The people that have a problem include the teens being arrested and those who are the victims of these crimes. The opportunity presented here is the chance to find a way to steer these teens in the right direction and to keep them off the streets.
4. 62 To Lose Jobs With Closing Of Kmart In Lutz; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A604B306434968?p=AWNB This article talks about a company that has been hit hard in recent years, Kmart. In addition to this Kmart store in Lutz, dozens more nationwide are set to close its doors for good in the coming months. Sears, the company that owns most of Kmart stores, have struggled over the past few years and Kmart is taking a big hit as a result. More and more companies are closing their doors, leaving many people without jobs to provide for themselves or their families. The people that have a problem are those that are being laid off as a result of these businesses closing.
5. "As Ranks Of Drivers Fall, Mass Transit Needs Surge"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8445B9C882360?p=AWNB
This article talks about the following topic: since less people are learning to drive cars, the demand for mass transit, such as city buses, is to increase. Over the past thirty years, the number of 16 year olds that have a driver's license has dropped by about 47 percent. For those aged from 20-24, there has been a 16 percent decrease, while people between the ages of 30 and 34 have seen a decrease of 10 percent who have not learned how to drive. If these numbers continue in the direction they are headed, more and more people will be forced to use mass transit to get around. Mass transit expansion has not been something that the Tampa Bay area has been concerned with. If these numbers are a glimpse into the future of how our workforce will get around, the Tampa Bay area will have to expand its mass transit or people will leave to find work in areas where there is far more mass transit available. The people that have a problem if Tampa Bay does not expand its mass transit are the people who do not have a driver's license, thereby limiting how they can get around.

Very Short Interview No. 1

The entrepreneur I chose to interview is Franc Reeves. Franc is actually the person who brought me into the company I work for now. Franc has been an entrepreneur for about 30 years now and he left a good paying job as a microbiologist. He always wanted a better life for himself and his family. He met his wife, Terry, through being an entrepreneur and now they are a power couple.

1)    What does it mean to be an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is an individual that has an overwhelming desire to accomplish more than the average person by taking advantage of the free enterprise system. This person will find an objective, or end point of success and work hard and long to succeed at this selected task. An entrepreneur always thinks outside of the box in order to accomplish his goals, and is always working with a business partner, or partners, in order to take advantage of multiple thought patterns (brainstorming). Unlike the vast majority of the population, the entrepreneur is driven to work hard, sacrifice recreational time, and commit to his or her one goal in order to eventually reap the rewards of life that most Americans never experience. Contrary to popular belief, you can not be taught how to become an entrepreneur, you must learn how to be an entrepreneur by identifying your life's dream and  jumping into it and pursuing the dream with all of your energy.   

2)     What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneurship course?  One aspect that should be a big part of an entrepreneurship curriculum is the requirement to read an array of  books written by entrepreneurs starting with Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. All entrepreneurs concentrate of self improvement, and the best sources are books, audio and video material that convey the principles, habits and lifestyles of the successful individuals that you would emulate. The second part of the curriculum is the psychology of communication which describes human character and skills of reading body language. In the majority of cases, entrepreneurs must be masters of listening to others and conveying information in a simple yet comprehensive manner in order to accomplish the cooperation of individuals within your inner and outer circles. The third part of the course should encompass the skills of research through various avenues such as social network sources, online governmental records, institutional hierarchical structure, etc. An entrepreneur must maximize his efficiency of time, and thus mastering the ability to acquire information through various networks is invaluable. 

3)    What do I wish I had been taught in school before setting out on a path as an entrepreneur?  For the most part, we are not prepared through the educational system to become entrepreneurs, but instead we are programmed to become employees of the entrepreneurs. I definitely did not need to learn how to dissect a frog, but I could have used a course in how capitalism works within the world system, and "no", civics class did not qualify in that respect. I still look back on my first 12 years of education and realize that my personal typing class did more to prepare me for life than any other subject prior to college. Many entrepreneurs like Sam Walton never finished high school but went on to create dynasties which employ thousands of individuals with college degrees. The entrepreneur prepares themselves through the school of "hard knocks" and the university of persistence. I do not regret obtaining a college degree, and I enjoyed the field that it prepared me for, but learning to be an entrepreneur is the most valuable, and rewarding journey that I have ever undertaken. 

This interview was a great experience. I had never picked Franc's brain about entrepreneurship and his answers were very in-depth which helped me get a clearer picture of how he portrays entrepreneurship. It is important that you self-educate yourself and that dissecting a frog does not prepare you for the real world. Being an entrepreneur also requires interacting people while also paying attention to their body language. These things are only a couple of things out of countless things that a good entrepreneur needs to become successful. 

World's Biggest Problems

1. Racism/Discrimination in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. Like I mentioned in my "Bug List", there is no place for racism in society anymore (there should have been none to begin with). A simple solution, although it will take some time, is to just except everyone for who they are and not judging them.
2. Worldwide terrorism. Terrorism is not just war and fighting anymore. Terrorism now involves cyber attacks and chemical warfare. As time goes on, more new ideas will flood the minds of those who are trying to hurt us. Sending more troops overseas to fight organizations like ISIS and Al-Quada is one of several solutions that could prove to be the defining point in the global battle against terrorism.
3. Pollution of our water, air, and land. Pollution is not a new topic in problems that our world faces every day. Our waters are getting dirtier. Our atmosphere is becoming more toxic. If things do not change after a while, it might get harder to live on Earth. A solution to fix this problem is to educate more people about recycling and how to better take care of our planet so that it can take better care of us.
4. Rapid worldwide population growth. Our worldwide population is continuing to grow year after year and there has been a lot of discussion as to whether the Earth can support all of these people. I don't think there is a simple solution to this. The only solution I can see working, while also making a lot of people very upset, is to set a maximum number of kids a family or a person can produce. But I do not see a lot of people supporting this idea, especially in places like China and India.
5. Untrustworthy nations having nuclear weapons. With a deal being made with Iran and north Korea saying they have tested an H-bomb, talks of nuclear weapons is becoming a popular and scary topic. A solution to fix this problem would be to regulate how much raw material a country can have that would allow them to create nuclear weapons, especially countries who have had interest in making nuclear weapons to use against the U.S.
6. Infectious diseases. Ebola has been the recent health epidemic to put the world on its heals. Some people believe that biological warfare is the way that the world will end. A way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases is to educate countries where a lot of these diseases are more common. Also, the U.S should work with organizations and countries to help third world countries who are not capable of treating infectious diseases.
7. Economic collapse. Even though some people say that our economy is getting better, the same cannot be said for other countries like Greece, who are in economic turmoil right now. I think that it is hard enough trying to fix our own economy that we need to worry about everyone else's economies. I feel that some things that can be done is encourage other countries and offer assistance if we are able to help.
8. Lack of drinking water. There are still millions if not billions of people around the world who don't have a path to drinking water. A solution to this is continue our efforts with other countries to find more ways to get drinking water to those who have no way of getting it.
9. Hunger worldwide. Just like drinking water, it is just as hard to find sources of food for some countries. My solution for this problem is basically the same as #8, join together with other countries and organizations to get food to places that don't have a lot of available food.
10. Species extinction. As we continue to invade more areas and pollute the environment, more and more species are dying out. While most species we can live without, there are a few that we can't afford to lose or we could be well on our way also. A solution to fix this is to stop cutting down trees, stop polluting the environment and leave large areas of land alone that are known to be homes to a variety of species.

Bug List

1. During lunch and dinner hours at the Chick-fil-a I work at, it is so jam packed that the drive-thru becomes double wrapped around the building and we need someone to go outside and direct traffic. I know why this problem exists: we have only one drive-thru and we are in a lot that is extremely tight.
2. When the Internet starts acting up when I need it most. For example, there have been a couple of times where I was working on an assignment for a class and I was ready to save and submit it when all of a sudden the Internet freezes or turns off completely, leaving me to scramble or wait for the power to come back on. There are number o reasons why this would happen, whether it is a storm or maybe I start a little later than I should have.
3. When people do not show up when they say they will. I am that kind of person that is always on time and it really bugs me when some one tells me they will be at my house or meet me somewhere at a specific time and they end up being a few minutes late because of some late excuse. If you set the time and place to meet up and I am the only one that follows through that is saying something about yourself. I think either some people just have trouble keeping their word sometimes or they have a legitimate excuse for being late.
4. Clothes for pets. Is this a little weird? Yes. But I hate idea of putting clothes on your pet when they obviously do not like it or if it makes them look ridiculous.
5. People who walk slowly. If it is an older person I can understand why they are a little slower, but if it is a younger person please get out of the way because I have somewhere to be or I have people to see. Simple as that.
6. People who drive slowly. This is tricky because it is not as easy to go around someone if they are driving. It gets very annoying if no one is even in front of them. If a car was 20 feet in front, that would be a little different.
7. Bandwagon sports fans. Arguably the worst sports fans in history. These people can't help but bounce around from team to team because all they want to do is cheer for a winning team. But the second that team loses they become fans of the team that beat the other team. I have seen a lot of pictures lately of people wearing a Seattle jersey six months ago and least week they are wearing a Panthers jersey at a Carolina game.
8. Racists. We are not in the Civil War era anymore. It is not right to judge people over something that is completely out of their control. It might have been the norm during the 1800's, but it is the 21st century and it is time we grow up.
9. Advertisements. On both the Internet and TV. I came to watch either a show or video, not to find information on flooring, shampoo or lawyers. I realize this is how the networks and websites make money but please do not overdue it.
10. Hypocrites who do what they say is bad. What do people gain by being hypocrites? I personally don't get it. Don't say something is bad and then do it 10 minutes later. Your making yourself look like an idiot.
11. Waking up in the morning. It is never easy to wake up in the morning for most people. You just want to stay in bed all day and hit the snooze button continuously.
12. Getting stuck in traffic. Getting stuck in traffic for a few hours is not a fun way to spend your afternoon.
13. Being constantly bothered by solicitors. If I wanted to buy something, I would do it on my own, not if someone is bothering every other day to buy what their trying to sell.
14. People who don't text back when you have been texting each other for the past hour and they leave you on "Read". Please do not talk to me non-stop for an extended period of time and suddenly stop. And don't read my message and not respond.
15. Buffering of every possible kind. Why isn't the whole video ready to go? Why make the consumer suffer?
16. People who are indecisive when they order food, leaving everyone else behind them waiting. I wish people knew what they wanted before they get to an eating establishment, whether it is Starbucks, McDonald's, or Wendy's.
17. When you get kept waiting in a doctor's office when you are on time. I realize a doctor's office is a busy place but I did my part and show when the appointment was supposed to be so it would be polite if the doctor or nurse was ready when I show up on the dot.
18. People who think they know more than you when it comes to everything. I don't care if you knew what the capital of Zimbabwe is. Even if it makes you feel better about yourself it is not going to change my view on you as a person.
19. PDA. I understand that you love your girlfriend and you want to give her a kiss but please get a room if you want a full blown make-out session.
20. Spam email. I don't even know how I get so much spam in my email. It is ridiculous. I don't want information on life insurance. I don't care if a clothing store is having a sale. It is a waste of my time.

A lot of these involve people being either inconsiderate, ignorant, or clueless of what they are even doing.



At first, I had a really hard time coming up with things, but as my day kept moving along I started to take note of things that were bugging me. I never really thought about what bugged me so I really had to open my eyes and take a good look around. This exercise really helped me become more observant of what bugs me and what makes me happy because of how aware this exercise made me.

Week 2 Reading Reflection

1. The biggest surprise for me in the reading was that there are two different viewpoints of entrepreneurship, micro and macro. I also was surprised to see that these two views have schools of entrepreneurial thought. I always thought there was only one broad way of thinking about entrepreneurship, but it goes much deeper than I expected.

2. Since we are at the beginning of the text, my first question to the author would be why he got involved in entrepreneurship in the first place mainly because I am curious. My second question would be which view of entrepreneurship he thought was most important. I would ask this because I am curious to know if he finds the external locus of control more important than the internal locus of control or vice versa.

3. At first, one thing that I was confused about was the two views of entrepreneurship and their schools of thought. But after reading over each one in detail, they became much clearer and easier to understand.

4. If there was anything that I somewhat disagreed with, it was the myth that entrepreneurs are extreme risk takers.  While entrepreneurs do take "calculated" risk, this is not always the case. There have been a few time on Shark Tank where these entrepreneurs have left very good paying jobs on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley to start their business. There have also been a few entrepreneurs on the show that have their parents' money tied up or have taken out a second mortgage on their homes to start their business as well. So while some entrepreneurs are not extreme risk takers, I have seen several that go beyond extreme.

My Entrepreneurship Story

I actually know several entrepreneurs. One is my aunt and uncle who have their own chocolate business. I asked my aunt why she would want to leave a good paying job to start her own business. Her answer was that she had a passion for making chocolates so she used that passion to open her own business ( she also went to a fashion school in Europe for a while when she was younger). Even though they are barely getting by right now, my aunt still possesses a passion for making chocolates and she will probably never give up. I also know a few entrepreneurs through a company I hope to work with more of in the future. This company is in the financial services business and these entrepreneurs are some of the most genuine, good-hearted people I have ever met. The passion they have to better their own lives, their families' lives and other people's' lives amazes me. Seeing passion  like this really inspires me to be an entrepreneur and better my own life and my families as well. Also, I love watching Shark Tank and seeing young entrepreneurs try and get their big break. Some of the entrepreneurs on the show are younger than I am and it really encourages me to do better in my everyday life, whether that is school, work, self-educating myself. Now onto why I decided to take this class. My course advisor actually recommended I take this course and once I saw it was an entrepreneurship class I did not hesitate. I have always been fascinated with entrepreneurship because of how much I have been exposed to it in over the last couple years. I hope to gain anything possible to help me become a better entrepreneur and to properly understand the  entrepreneurship process. Entrepreneurship is constantly floating around my everyday life and one day I hope to be as big as one of the sharks on Shark Tank if not bigger!

Introduction Post

Hey guys! This is my introductory post. For starters, my name is Brandon Boyko and I live in New Port Richey, FL. I have a brother and sister that live with myself, my mom and my stepdad. I also have a dog named Axel and my sister has a dog named Lincoln. A fun fact about the dogs is that they are brothers. My major is Sport Management and this is my first year at UF, second semester. My favorite teams are the Buccaneers, Rays, Lightning, Magic and most importantly the GATORS. Once I have my degree, I do not know what I want to do with it yet but I have several ideas. I consider myself an avid traveler since I have been on numerous cruises while visiting multiple parts of Mexico, Belize, Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Honduras. I also visited Italy this past spring break which was hands down the best trip ever (not to mention I received 3 credit hours towards my AA degree)! I am looking forward to this semester and I already can't wait for fall semester to start so that football season can start!

Entrepreneur's Mantra

My first post

Here is my first blog post.

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
-Benjamin Franklin