Week 4 Reading Reflection

I loved the excerpt from “Think Big,” Developing Creativity. It includes several methods to unlock your mind’s creativity. What really caught my attention was method number 2: opposites attract. The concept of synectics is fascinating, putting two “nonsensical” things together. At first, this seems like just another farfetched idea that only artists and musicians would make the most sense of. “The brushstrokes of this painting are smooth and elegant, though the emotion of its contents are bold and enraged,” is what originally comes to mind. But the examples provided illustrate the concept in a real-world, never-looked-at-it-that-way angle. “Imagine a restaurant with no waiters, tables, or silverware (McDonald’s); imagine a bookstore with no books—and no store (Amazon.com); imagine moving trucks with no movers (U-Haul).” Wow. Mind officially blown.

I found myself having to reread the section titled The Process of Knowledge and Learning several times. Perhaps it was the wording that was confusing, or perhaps it was its dullness. Fortunately, the reading gets easier with the following subsections, Entrepreneurial Imagination and Creativity and The Role of Creative Thinking. Table 5.2 also helped with a T-table format for the Two Approaches to Creative Problem Solving.

I like to think I’m a creative individual but I find myself struggling with breaking the boundaries of what I know with certainty, or coloring outside the lines. The author explains a few exercises to help with expanding creativity. I would like to know more ways the author exercises creativity development. And I would also like to know how someone with an “adaptor” mindset can become an “innovator.”

 This chapter covers many processes and ideas that are generally accepted by professionals for creativity and innovation. The author does a good job of explaining most of these processes are general concepts that vary in order and structure, so he understands that not everything is the way always it happens. For example, I like to think the idea experience, phase 3 of the creative process, usually happens before the incubation process, phase 2, and then one might accumulate knowledge and research after, phase 1. Such innovator might come up with a great idea one day, sleep on it for a while or incubate, and finally research the industry.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

Wow! Richard Schulze is certainly a visionary and role model. When most of us think of Best Buy, we think about new devices, technical support and blue shirts, most of us aren’t aware of the fascinating story behind the founder’s venture to success. The third time proved to be a charm for the determined entrepreneur as he was hit hard financially, and probably spiritually, by a tornado that wiped out his most profitable store, and a holiday inventory disaster caused by new, emerging technology. To, not only improve his long-standing, seemingly cursed business, but also become the most recognizable electronic department store in the country – throw in a 1999 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award – Schulze could have a movie made about his life and people would certainly watch it.

“The Entrepreneurial Journey” section reminds me of a checks and balances system written out for country or business. The general idea can be understood, “the creation of a sustainable enterprise involves three parallel, interactive phenomena: emergence of the opportunity, emergence of the venture, and emergence of the entrepreneur… define and are defined by one another.” Once the author goes into further detail is when I began having trouble understanding.

This chapter of the book focuses on the mindset, traits, and characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. I would like to know about the author’s own experiences, especially failures, in his entrepreneurial journey, what led him to success, and what held him back. Also, there are many examples in the book about dealing and coping with stress. I would like to know his personal experiences in dealing with stress, some more specific examples for what worked and what worsened his stress.

It’s tough to disagree with a general study of traits and characteristics because there are an unlimited number of variables that contribute to the entrepreneurial mindset. One section in the chapter I’d like to modify, or improve, would be the “Common Characteristics Associated with Entrepreneurs” section. It may already be assumed by some readers, but I could see a majority of readers thinking “I know somebody who is an entrepreneur and has a lot of trouble receiving feedback,” or any other mentioned characteristic contradictions. The author should mention that these are traits of successful entrepreneurs with an entrepreneurial mindset, not just any small business owners.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Bice fined for New Year’s Eve event

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A92DE69662B680?p=AWNB

Palm Beach County restaurant Bice Ristorante was fined $1000 for seating more people than the 46 allowed at full capacity. The restaurant accepted full responsibility due to miscommunication with a new hostess.

The problem with this story is that the seating arrangements and capacity would cause a safety hazard for those exiting the building in case of an emergency. Other possibilities include lack of training for the staff, the size of the building, the popularity of the restaurant during New Year’s Eve, and the unpredictable length of time a party will occupy a table.

Here, the problem is mainly the general manager’s, Jose Gonzalez, who was charged the $1000 fine. The problem could have been the customers’ if there was an emergency that night and they were unable to evacuate the building in time.

Ex-tenant starts Playhouse petition - Playhouse advocate continues quest

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8DB4B6A86C3B8?p=AWNB

After losing the building to lack of funds, Playhouse advocate group, The Palm Beach Performing Arts Center, aka National Arts Institute, starts a petition to raise interest in the Royal Poinciana Playhouse and have the theater reopened.

The building was lost due to failure of meeting a fundraising goal.

The problem is inducing enough “support to regenerate Palm Beach’s iconic legendary Playhouse Theater.”

The problem belongs to the advocate group, The Palm Beach Arts Center, or National Arts Institute.

Sprucing up a must with new utilities - Boxes for utilities may need mandate - Mandate may join boxes for utilities

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8DB4B5F7D2C28?p=AWNB

In a March 15 referendum, voters will either approve or deny a new residential electric transformer boxes below-ground system. The town will provide initial landscaping for the boxes that will need to be placed on residents’ front lawns, but property owners must maintain the landscaping in the future. The Town Council wants to make this a legal requirement to ensure the transformer boxes are maintained properly.

The problem here is that all of the town’s residents may not be aware of the major electric transformer boxes system change, and approval or denial of the movement may not reflect true public opinion.

The problem belongs to the Town Council, who looks to please the public and improve the current utilities’ system. The town’s residents also face the issue of awareness of the motion and the future landscaping responsibilities.

Goal: Harder-to-hack phones phones harder to hack hack

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A92D7B0563DE18?p=AWNB

Palm Beach Gardens-based tech security company, Sonavation, is looking to improve current fingerprint readers’ easily hackable technology found in iPhone and Android devices. The 70-man startup has spent a decade and tens of millions of dollars developing “the world’s smallest ultrasound imaging sensor.”

Sonavation is 10 years old, tens of millions of dollars deep in R & D, and has yet to make a single sale. The problem is that current fingerprint reading technology in iPhone and Android devices can be hacked easily, Sonavation looks to take advantage of this opportunity. Scalability is their biggest concern.

These problems concern Sonavation and smartphone owners. Sonavation is stretching its limits on how long it can survive without making a sale. Smartphone owners need to worry about the weaknesses in their fingerprint reader security.

Doctor: Mold problem widespread

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A92D7B287139C8?p=AWNB

Two Port St. Lucie fire stations were closed due to mold and mice and rodent issues, they have now been cleaned and reopened. Firefighters who have slept at the stations were offered testing by the city and directed to Dr. Mark Pamer. Some results have found elevated amounts of antibodies against feces, feathers, and mold. Pamer suggests this is a widespread issue that should be examined in other connected buildings, but the majority of individuals should be unharmed.

Sick building syndrome is the issue brought to light by Dr. Pamer. He suggests, “In order to save money, the building codes are pretty tight now and there's fewer windows and the air systems are enclosed and it's all about saving money, so what we've seen in the decades is an increase in these work-related respiratory issues.”

This problem affects the firefighter of the “sick” fire stations, and may be affecting several other buildings that are unaware of this issue.

Very Short Interview No. 1

Nicole Heaton is a regular customer at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center, where I work. She spends a few days a week taking classes and playing in her Division 3 Ladies’ Team, which is how we’ve developed a relationship since I started almost 7 months ago now. Nicole co-owns and runs the local burger joint, Burger Bar. Her family business, Heaton Companies, developed and owns over 100 properties around the country, including residential, commercial, hotel, and restaurant enterprises.

Me: “I’m going to be interviewing today for my University of Florida Online course, Principles of Entrepreneurship. What should my expectations be for this course?”

Heaton: “Well, it’s been a long time since I was in college. I think the most valuable qualities you can learn are time management, and the ability to get all of your most important tasks done while also making sure you make time for yourself.”

Me: “What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?”

Heaton: “Being an entrepreneur means having trouble sleeping at night. Sometimes because you’re so excited about a project that’s finally finished or doing well. Sometimes because you wonder if you made the right decision. Making decisions and being confident about them is about the best you can do.”

Me: “What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneur course?”

Heaton: “Learn how to manage your time. Learn how to see things before they happen. Do your homework early and you’ll be rewarded with good grades. The same thing is true in the real world.”

Nicole is one of the most cheerful and positive people I know. I’ve learned the reason she is this way is because she very good at managing her life and taking control of most situations. I certainly could improve my time management skills, and with the layout of this entrepreneurship course, the development of those skills will be obvious. I hold a lot of respect for Nicole as she always comes into the tennis center with a great, big smile on her face and an uplifting attitude, even with the heavy load on her shoulders she must be carrying. I hope to learn a lot more throughout this course and aspire to be more like her!

Bug List

While at work at the tennis center, the men’s doubles group that comes in right when we open at 7:30 am all rush in at the same time and make my job difficult, which is to sign them all in before they go to the courts.

The men all show up early and by 7:30, there’s a crowd by the door. There is also a couple seconds delay between signing each person in on the system, making the whole process a lengthy one.

I need to get in contact with the instructor for a USPTA certification exam and he won’t answer his phone or call back.

He needs to answer his phone or call me back.

The wait time at Westside Bagels between being seated and greeted by our waitress and receiving our waters.

The restaurant was very busy, so everyone was preoccupied.

When driving on the highway, a car drives on the left lane very slowly and will not move over for those trying to pass.

The driver must not know that the left lane of a highway is the fast lane.

The PlayStation Network signs me out of my account while I’m playing Call of Duty and I have to start a new game.

Network connection must not be strong, or the game has some bugs that need to be fixed.

On rainy days at the tennis center, we don’t know the exact time the courts will be dry and ready for use, so we can’t give anybody definite answers, making my job more difficult.

Weather is unfortunately unpredictable, we don’t know if it will rain again.

When replying to a skim board ad on Facebook, it was infuriating that the seller was taking days in between his messages.

I want to buy the skim board before it’s gone and I want answers to my questions.

My orthodontist is 4 hours away, the drive back and forth is a pain, but the worst is when I have an issue with my braces shortly after getting home from the trip.

Either I’m doing something wrong, or my orthodontist is.

My guitar strings have trouble staying in tune. Often, I have to tune them initially, and then a few times more into playing.

I’m either stringing my guitar incorrectly or I need better tuning pegs.

My room gets no air circulation, so whenever I spend a couple of hours or more in my room, it can get annoyingly hot and stuffy.

My door is usually left shut, but the air conditioner is also usually set to a high temperature.

I work with a James, who often talks just to hear himself speak. We get into the tennis center at 7:30 am and it’s too early to have a conversation with anybody, but a conversation with James never seems to have an ending.

If he were able to read the emotions of others, he would know when talking isn’t appropriate.

My MacBook Pro starts up like the battery has died, even though the charger was never unplugged. This makes startup extremely sluggish.

The problem is I don’t know how to fix it.

I’m 22 years old and still get pimples on a weekly basis.

Must be genetics.

I washed my car and it rained the next day so I’d have to wash it again.

After driving in the rain, the car gets dirty again.

When visiting my friend, it took half an hour to get through the gate of his community backed up to the street from the gate guard.

The authenticating entry process takes up to 5 minutes.

When I clock in to work at the tennis center, the fingerprint scanner doesn’t read my finger correctly and the process to clock in takes a whole awkward minute longer.

The time clock is located right by the door where there are a lot of people walking by, making the situation all the more awkward.

My phone battery doesn’t last through the day and there’s nothing worse than having a dead phone during an emergency.

I would either need a portable charger or a better battery.

My desk, bed and dresser take up most of the space in my room and then my keyboard, amp and guitars fill the rest. Getting from one side of the room to other can be a process.

My room is too small.

Apple Maps took me to the wrong location when on my way to my employer’s Holiday Party and made me show up half an hour late.

Apple Maps needs to be updated.

This list was difficult to complete because I’m generally understanding when it comes to difficulties.