Ridgely McCleary ENT 3003 Blog

  I am a very financially savvy person. I manage my finances very well and make sure that I fully understand where each penny of my money goes. I am also very knowledgeable with computers. I spent my senior year in high school developing java code for a class. While I do not now Java fully, I have a good understanding of it and it helps me solve a number of computing issues that often come up.   I am a very end-game oriented person. I am good at looking at the big picture of something and not getting caught in the details. For example, I have a retirement account set up at the age of 19. I have a determination to finish important things in my life before they are due. Rather than waiting to do something important, I want to get it done now. I am a very clean and organized person. Seeing a mess stresses me out and therefore I have a desire to clean it. This helps me stay focused on my assignments. Interview Link:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UQ7X9Ld7QKaBij_VQDIeOwXcadQ

First interview – A single mom of 3 – She told me that as a single mom her primary choice when shopping for items is price. She has a relatively low monthly income and therefore she often finds herself shopping at Walmart and other budget based stores. She wants to make sure the things are quality and safe for her kids, so she looks at that too but her primary deciding factor is always price. She normally uses her debit card to purchase items however she says she has had to use a credit card for purchases when her paycheck has not come in yet. Second interview – wealthy government employed male – This man told me that because he was unmarried and had a very successful career, he focused on buying the best quality goods he could afford (He was in a freshly pressed suit when I interviewed him at Starbucks). This led him to shop at very expensive stores and mainly buy higher end goods. She said he often used his debit card or cash. Final interview – 3 rd year college female – A

1 In this class I have become accustomed to looking ahead at the assignments so I know if I can complete them in one day or if they take multiple days. For example, the interview assignments take multiple days and thus I have to plan that into my schedule. Most of the assignments I will do on Friday normally around noon. This gives me plenty of time to do them at a slow pace so I can learn as much as possible. 2 My first semester in college I took precalc and I struggled severely. In high school I never truly learned how to study. School came very easily for me. After my first exam I felt the pain of not knowing how to study. But, after a complete 180 in my studying habits, I was able to rally to get an A- in the class. What pulled me through was my dedication and willingness to succeed. These last two months have shown me how much entrepreneurship relies on perseverance. The constant interview-reevaluate-interview process contributed to this. Rather than fully understanding my i

1 The segment I have chosen within the market for people who want to get better sleep, is college students. College students specifically need every second of sleep they can get because of how little free time they have. 2 It took 5 people to finally find my group of people who were within the segment. 3/4 My first successful interviewee within my segment described to me they most often thought about the sleep they were getting, in the morning right after waking up, and right before going to bed. This time period led them to think about their past decisions and how they affected their quality of sleep. He specifically mentioned to me that he googled “ways to improve your sleep habits” in Google one morning. My second successful interview (4 th overall) mentioned to me that she often took naps. And it was after these naps that she realized she needed to do something to improve her sleep schedule. She googled “how can I sleep better” one time after her nap. My final interview

My name is Tucker McCleary and I am a Finance major at the University of Florida. I am interested in personal finance and investing. I would love the opportunity to start my own business. My product is a foam insert for windows that will block all light coming in. This allows users to fall asleep faster, and receive a better overall quality of sleep. There are multiple groups of people who could use this product. In general, the group would be anyone trying to achieve more quality sleep. Specifically, college students could be a user, they need every second of sleep they can get. All the customers specifically want to receive better sleep. Customers should care about this product because it will help them improve their sleep schedules which will in turn improve their everyday lives. I am a skilled communicator with a drive like no other.                I think that all of these elements do fit together. I am offering an opportunity for people to receive better sleep and improve the

Google Photos link to view it in case the upload does not work           https://photos.app.goo.gl/a4WFM5sb3oNUt61U7

My product from earlier was a foam insert that will keep all light from entering a room. Thus, helping people receive better quality sleep. People Outside my Solution Who: People who live in certain parts of the world that do not receive much daylight would have no need for this product. Also, people who say they are not affected by incoming daylight would be critics and would likely not purchase the product. What: The point where this product different from something also used to keep light out such as curtains is that this product fully blocks all light. It would be used in lieu or in tandem with already established light blocking objects. Why: People inside the boundary desire a better sense of sleep and are affected by daylight more. The people outside are naturally different. It is based on their biology. In Out Who is in: People who use curtains or blinds but still notice the light that comes in on them when sleeping during the day

Opportunity -  Blinds, curtains, and any other window covering still let in light. When our body senses this light it can wake us up and affect our circadian rhythm. This can have numerous harmful affects on our daily lives including tiredness, inefficiency, and stress. The majority of Americans are not receiving the amount of sleep they need to properly function. Now, light could be removed as a factor affecting that statistic. Solution - My solution to exploit the above opportunity would be a a company that creates and sells foam panels that can be inserted into a number of window sizes. These would be placed between the curtains or blinds already installed, and the windows. They would come with Velcro straps so they can be removed when natural light is desired. These foam inserts would fill all available space in the windows and thus would remove all natural light and  provide a much more natural sleep.

So You Have an Opportunity, Now What? 1 Opportunity – A club/group for Innovation Academy and Santa Fe transfer to feel more connected to UF 2 Who: Students in the UF Innovation Academy and the Santa Fe transfer system. What: these students don’t really have a way to feel more connected to campus. The IA students spend most of their time online so they never really meet anyone in person. The Santa Fe students are at an entirely different campus so they don’t interact with UF students either. This would help them all interact together and develop relations on the UF campus. Why: In college it is often the case that people are left to figure out their own way. Therefore, no one has tried including IA and Santa Fe students into UF events. 3 Testing the Who: I’m sure that there are a number of other groups on the UF campus who feel they are not included. Another group could also be developed for different sections of students who want to meet more people and become more i

1 Economic Trend – Gas Prices are increasing This trend was noticed by me naturally when I fill my car up with gas every week, But I also noticed it when I watched the news. Because of U.S. sanctions on Iran, gas prices are beginning to soar. People are limited on their spending by the income they accrue each and every pay period. Whenever people’s disposable income drops an opportunity exists. Alternative transportation provides ways for people to save money and thus they have more they can spend. The prototypical customer would be someone who has enough disposable money to buy an alternative form of transportation in order to save on gas in the long term. This opportunity would be rather difficult to exploit. Developing a different form of transportation will likely take considerable research and development. I’ve always been interested in U.S. Political actions and sanctioning another country is a big step for the U.S. to make. I realized that it would have major effects on ou

Title - Alachua County Opposes Coastal Connector Plan Link - http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C3F9EDCD260B08?p=WORLDNEWS Description – Florida legislature wants to build a large road called the Coastal Connector through Marion and Alachua counties. The counties have joined together in opposition. Problem – State officials want to build a road crossing the state but landowners fear it require some of their land to be taken from them. Who has the problem –Farm and landowners upon which the road will be built are some of the groups with this problem. Title – Cox Announces Faster Internet in City Link - http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C44C48DB374518?p=WORLDNEWS Description – Cox announced that it will be supporting gigabit download speeds in Gainesville. An example of the capability of this speed is that it can download a high definition movie in 60 seconds. Problem – In order for Cox to provide giga