C.R.E.A.T.E

In phase one, my group and I have made our decision to continue developing UV-Utensils. As exciting as this is we have started to develop the foundation of our business canvas model. The business canvas model helps my group organize our business plan so that there is a perfect match between our customers and the product. As of now, we have a rough draft of our value proposition and customer segment but are still working on it. To improve our value proposition we have conducted in-person interviews attempting to discover who our customers are. These interviews are attempting to highlight the habits of our customers in order to understand their daily routines. We can then use this data to reflect on their intentions and adapt our value proposition to match our customer segment.

While my group has experienced great achievements in the past 3 weeks we have also hit some mental walls. Our class hours have been designed for learning and presentations so far which has left us with minimal time to discuss objectives for that week. Along with busy schedules, we have struggled with communication and voicing our concerns which have resulted in decreased morale. This is something that I expected would happen as it happens with almost every group. However, I look at this mental block as a moment to grow and learn from this experience. In my eyes, this is a positive situation because I rather hit this wall now then later in our business development. In order to fix this situation, I think we need to first address our frustrations so that everything is out on the table. This will allow us to discuss each frustration and develop plans so that we can correct these issues before they develop into any major issues. Also, we need to work on improving communication by being more direct and concise with each other.

Overall, I think phase one has been a learning experience for all of us. We have established roles and are improving our value proposition and customer segment. I think our next phase will have to focus on our product development. This will include product design, materials, and planned marketing strategies. While this is a very exciting phase it also comes with a lot of concerns. We will have to go to the drawing board this week and start sketching up some design ideas to ensure that our customers are pleased with the quality of our product.

Greenhouse gases or GHG levels have been increasing gradually in recent years. These gases trap heat in our atmosphere by absorbing and emitting radiation through thermal energy. While there are many GHG’s some of the most common ones are water vapor,carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides and fluorinated gases. Nearly 60% of carbon dioxide is produced from small vehicles and 23% is produced from larger transportation vehicles. These high levels of GHG’s can negative impact our environment. Observable changes that occur included increase  in temperature and an increase water temperature. Thus, all of these changes modify existing ecosystems that then become non-adaptable for some species. With relatively recent news about the impacts of GHG’s companies have been developing new methods to minimize the GHG pollutants.

One of the main companies that has been involved in this movement is Elon Musk company Tesla. Musk focuses his company around developing electric cars to minimize the release of toxic pollutants into our atmosphere. However, one thing that separates Tesla from other electric companies is that Musk has develop Luxurious cars with a modern tone. Recently, Tesla has released a sneak peek of their semi-truck line. This semi-truck isn’t like any other diesel powered truck, it’s 100% electric. At first some truck drivers were concerned about the horsepower and torque produced by Tesla model. Tesla has made a huge evolutionary change to the way that we transport goods. People never thought that an electric semi-truck would suit the needs of transportation vehicles. They thought that Tesla model wouldn’t be able to tow enough weight. However, Musk made sure to make performance was his top priority. The performance of semi-trucks is very important because it allows transportation of greater amounts of material. Additionally, people wonder how far would this semi-truck be able to travel on one charge. It turns out that 80% of the transportation routes are less then 250 miles one way. This is critical information because Tesla semi-truck are able to travel 500 miles on just one charge. Thus, you’re able to travel to your destination and back on just one charge. The range of this battery eliminates the tendency to stop and charge up again. While the performance of this semi-truck is top of the line it also allows increases the efficiency of the drivers.

Something that I will be taking away from this article is that Tesla always creates new things with the world in mind in first. What I mean by this is that Tesla incorporates pieces of the environment into their products. They hope that by introducing their latest technologies to world that other companies will jump onto board with them. The world is slowly suffocating from the toxic pollutants that some our unaware of. I think about introducing new technologies to the world people will become more aware of the impacts of our daily actives that destroy the atmosphere. Personally, I wouldn’t mind driving a luxurious tesla that saves me money and helps the environment.

 

Please comment your input on Tesla new semi-truck

 

Whether we realize it or not, our ability to succeed develops through the relationships that we form in life. None of our ideas are original. Most of entrepreneurs find success when they network with other individuals and share their ideas with each other. If you think about it, Elon Musk wouldn’t of been able to launch of his successful companies without the help from others. Musk’s ability to network and develop a spiderweb of relationships allowed him to expand his horizon.

In an article about Elon Musk’s networking skills, it breaks down his skills into three strategies. The first being, “cold calling still works.” In general a cold call is when someone makes and unsolicited call whether it be in person or by telephone to sell goods or a service. Elon Musk said that this is how he landed his first internship with the head of strategy for the Bank of Nova Scotia, Peter Nicholson. By reaching out and pursuing what Musk wanted, he was able to navigate his way into an internship. Additionally, Musk wouldn’t of been able to get his internship  without taking a risk. Failure comes in many forms, some big and some small. However, whether we succeed or not, everyone will still learn something from that situation to better them self and others. Another element that allowed Musk to network successfully was his ability to “be in the right zip code.”What this means is that in order to expand and grow your network you have to place yourself in the right incubation. Musk noticed in order for him to accomplish his goals in life, he has to moved to the growing petri of Silicon Valley. This allowed Musk to network with the “BigDogs” spread his spiderweb. I feel that a lot of people struggle with this networking strategy because they feel that they don’t need to work with others to succeed. The “I can do it by myself” saying is what separates success from failure. Our ability to recognize and accept  these situations will in the end allow us to succeed. In most instances, two brains are better than one. The last strategy Musk expanded on was his ability to override his fears. Fear is something that we all share. It’s a common ground that allow one another to connect and share. This connection from the things that we fear is what allows to to influence others. Fear is normal.

In order for your ideas to become reality you must accept the become familiar  that networking has on your ideas. Whether it be cold calling, being in the right zip code, or overriding your fears all of these strategies are core building blocks to networking. Just like my as blog post, I would like to leave you guys with a couple of things to brainstorm about.

1) Are there any opportunities that you’ve missed out on recently because you feared failing.

2) What is one step that you can take everyday to develop/build your networking web

This week I’ve been struggling to find something to write about. Of course, I’m going to continue my topic but finding something to add was difficult. Hours went by and I kept pondering about what to write, but I was still lost. Lost in a cloud of confusion. However, a light bulb went off and all of sudden I navigated my way to ted talk. I clicked on a video labeled, “Elon Musk : How to Build the Future” which consisted of several key points.

1) If you doing something that is helpful to the rest of society, no matter how big of an effect it’s going to have, you should continue with it. It doesn’t have to change the world in a massive way.

2) A person who wants to see a change in the world must see the wave before it passes. For instance, Elon Musk dropped out of Stanford because he noticed a rising in the technology wave. He said that he to put a hold on Stanford “start an Internet company in ’95 because there does seem to be a time for particular technologies when they’re at a steep point in the inflection curve” (ycombinator.com).

3)Another key point that stood out because it is something that I can relate to is that success is something we all fear. When we as human beings encounter fear we instantly turn away. Our first reaction is to run surrender. However, what matters the most is our second reaction. Our second reaction gives us the ability to prosper or regress. We must face our fears and see the light that accomplishing our fears will bring.

4)For our Future to continue we must have people that will obsess about their passions. There must be this inching desire to finish what we’ve started at work. That when you’re not at work you’re still continually thinking about how you can do better.

Although these key points might sound like a motivational video there much more than that. I believe that these are key things that we as a society need to strive for. The world has a limit and we’re drying up every last bit of it. If everyone focused on these key points and did their part we would be better off. Ultimately, every one of the key points made above deals with risk. Earlier this semester we talked about how entrepreneurs are not extreme risk takers, rather risk is relative. Risk varies with everyone because everyone has a different skill set and is willing to lose more than others. Thus, in a way risk is beneficial to society when it manage properly. With the absence of risk our future will slowly come to a standstill. Technology will coagulate into a sticky situation and the world will end.

Just like last post I want to leave you guys with something to reflect on. What do you think would happen if all of sudden technology came to a standstill. How would people react and what would you do as a citizen to change this standstill?

For the past several weeks, I’ve been searching and analyzing key things that make someone a entrepreneur. During my research I often found myself wondering if children can be entrepreneurs and not just adults. Are people born as entrepreneurs or do they develop into entrepreneurs from life lessons? In particular, I focused on Elon Musk’s life. I tried to identify whether Musk always showed traits of an entrepreneur or did he learn from life lessons.

First, I’m going to give you guys a little back ground information on Musk to set the scene of where he grew up. He was born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa and grew up with his brother and sister. At a very young age Musk knew that he had limited resources to pull from, but this never restricted his thinking. For instance, at the age of 10 Musk started to teach “himself” the skills of computer programming. This is extraordinary. Musk had limited opportunities but was still able to see the future. This relates to two things that we’ve learned in class so far. First, the idea of effectuation plays a role in how Musk taught himself computer programming. If you take steps in life to better your opportunities it will help you develop a sense of control. This goes for anything that you learn. By learning something new you gain a key tool that allows you to control more of your future, but it’s still unpredictable. Secondly, Musk also developed his “skill of creativity” at a very young age which allowed him to innovate. When Musk became familiar with computer programming it opened his mind to new ideas. It amplified his sense of creativity and opportunity. For instance, at the age of 12 Elon Musk developed and sold his first computer game called “Blastar”. This moment was the foundation to Musk’s success in life.

More importantly, I feel that it is hard to tell whether someone is born an entrepreneur or its something they learn. While Musk is a very intelligent individual I think it was his creative and curious spirit that allowed him to bloom. In this situation, I like to think of Musk as a flower seed. If I give the seed miracle grow and water, the seed will grow faster than just off of natural nutrients. If someone is given the tools of creativity and curiosity they will bloom quicker and faster in life. That’s just what Musk did. He developed those two working skills and made them apart of his everyday life.

All in all, being a success entrepreneur has nothing to do with what you have at that moment. It often has to do with what you make of that moment. Also, I feel that there is an opportunity in every moment in life. Having the tools of creativity and curiously allow you unravel and sculpt those opportunities. Ideas are made of opportunities and opportunities make new ideas. It’s a cycle that never ends.

Something that I like to do at the end of every post is to leave an idea for everyone.

1) Think back to a moment in life when you had a great opportunity but didn’t make it an idea. Why? What stopped you from developing that idea? Please comment your reaction and share.