Customer Interviews No. 1

Although I could not figure out how to get my video on my iphone uploaded to youtube I interviewed 5 people at random with an opportunity.

Opportunity/Question:
If every restaurant you went to had a vegetarian/vegan substitute for your meal of choice, would you choose that option?

1st Person: "Never, I love meat way too much haha"
me: Even if it were cheaper/healthier/better for the environment?"
1st Person: No sorry.


2nd: Probably not if the place has chicken. But ive gone vegetarian before, but I missed meat too much

3rd Person: Yes Im vegetarian, I wish every place had that kind of substitute. People have no idea what theyre eating, its pretty sad. It would be a great idea to make a soy option on all menus

4th Person (friend of the 3rd person): Absolutely. I hardly trust food from restaurants so I would feel better if I knew I was eating something plantbased.

5th Person: No sorry. I really never understood the whole "vegetarian" thing.

I learned that alot of people dont want to try something that is more natural and healthier for them. We are stuck in routines of eating meat because thats how weve been fed our whole lives.

Week 4 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

Something that stood out to me in the reading was how successful people follow a milestone calendar. I think this is a really excellent idea. To set realistic goals.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

One part that was confusing to me was the synthesis type of innovation. The factors into a new formulation didnt really enter my mind. It was a bit confusing.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I would ask the author how to make  milestone calendar and How to practice each arena of creativity. I would ask him this because it was interesting to see the vast areas of creativity and how they differ from each other.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I agreed with everything the author wrote about. 

Top 5 World Problems

PROBLEMS

1. Turmoil and tension between the countries of the world
2. Human Trafficking

3. Women are not paid as much as men for the same job

4. Girls in India, Nepal and Cambodia are still not accepted into pursuing a higher level education.

5. Corn grain being fed to animals

I believe that all 5 problems are the greatest problems we face in the world. All problems give a direct disadvantage to the world, and those who live in it. Turmoil in the countries of the world is instilling fear in everyone, causing them to rebel and not be the kind of citizen that society needs. As stress increases in a human's daily life, our decisions become poorer and weaker.

SOLUTIONS

 1. Create awareness for where young women can find free birth control and be discrete about it

2. Create a stronger awareness of human trafficking so people can report it when they see it. Often it happens right in front of us and we do not understand what is going on.

3. Create programs to desensitize police officers. These programs should not only be in officer training, but carry throughout their career.

4.  banning animal testing by creating a bill.

5: Creating an equal pay bill

I believe that creating awarness is an easier task than passing a bill through congress, which is why it is at the top of the list. To create programs for desensitizing officers is challenging but also possible to implement.

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Identifying Local Opportunities

Police say unnamed man flashed genitals on Sorority Row

http://www.alligator.org/news/crime/article_b0e6afbc-c0c7-11e5-a026-5f1c1c6e1789.html
This story is about a man in is 30s-40s who hangs around Norman Hall exposing himself in the parking garage.
Problem? Public indecency and along the lines of sexual assault.
Who has the problem? Anyone who parks in that garage and is there at night.

Court sentences man for animal cruelty

http://www.alligator.org/news/crime/article_8ad66f08-c0c5-11e5-907b-23753e6dc1a5.html
This story is about a man who adopted a puppy from Alachua Animal Services where he later beat it to death. He was sentenced to only 270 days in prison
Problem? Animal abuse and lack of background check for people wanting to adopt animals. Many animals who come from shelters are adopted and put into fighting rings to kill each other or are given to bad homes.
Who has the problem? Innocent animals, animal shelters

Woman wields machete

http://www.alligator.org/news/crime/article_36bf5c78-b377-11e5-9858-338202a227dd.html
This story is about a roomate who lost her temper and weiled a machete at her roomate and thankfully missed.
Problem? How people cant use words instead of violence to communicate their problems
Who? Anyone who is upset with their roomate

Community looks to save rock gym

http://www.alligator.org/news/local/article_c93b077c-bffd-11e5-badc-eb05fe339931.html
This story is about a local rock gym that has gone under and was forced to close down. Despite their efforts to raise money with a GoFundMe campaign, they are still short
Problem? Local businesses continue to be unsuccessful thanks to corporate operations.
Who? This affects every small business owner

Cold weather shelter program houses homeless

http://www.alligator.org/news/local/article_42dd9a7c-bb44-11e5-8aaa-2b8f4774dbac.html
This story is about how Gainesville’s Cold Night Shelter Program opened their doors to the homesless in response to the cold weather. 169 people were able to stay but it did not fit as many as they wanted to. With someone explaining it was "like a palace" for them, but only open for when the temperature drops below 45 degrees.
Problem? The cold weather is making homelessness, an already awful situtation into a worse one. People are not warm enough and have nowhere to go
Who? Homeless people, homeless shelters

Week 3 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

I did not know how important ethics were to entrepreneurs. It seems that there are many parameters in which they must follow in order to succeed in a corporate work place. I also liked how it shows you how to solve ethical dilemmas.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

What confused me a bit was the section on "exuding passion from failure" I did not really understand if he was trying to say to follow your passion, or to supress them.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I would ask if he used John Greenes 48 Laws of Power as inspiratio for this chapter, and if social cognition theory applies to entrepreneural ethics and how. 

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I did not agree with the extensive list of ethics he demonstrated. It would be almost hypocritical to apply them all in a parallel motion.

Very Short Interview No. 1

I took the opportunity to interview my old boss Demetrio. He is the owner of one of the most famous European styled cafes in Miami, Florida. His cafe is known famously throughout the city and I've served famous politicians and actors as a waitress/barista. He recently renovated his cafe with an expansion making it 3 times larger than it originally was. Demetrio and his wife both own this cafe and run it with their 4 sons.

Did you expect to have so much success as a first time restaurant owner?
Not so quickly. I obviously dreamed of owning a famous restaurant with my family, and I am so happy that we are still here 25 years later. I just knew that having high quality coffee and a calming ambience were the ingredients to sucesss.

What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneurship course?
You should be learning what people like, how to read the market, and especially to read people. Charisma is everything when starting a new business. People need to find you charming, but not overbearingly friendly.

What do you wish you had been taught in school before setting out on your own path as an entrepreneur? 
I wish I knew that this is what i've always wanted to do. It look alot of exploring in different areas to realize that my passion was coffee. So I guess I would have wanted to be taught to explore different areas. Think outside the box.


Interviewing Demetrio was inspiring and I learned alot from what he said. I agree with "exploring" because as a business major, I can go into any field since everything is a "business". It made me think if I could open up my own restaurant or family business.

World's Biggest Problems

1. there are many dogs in the shelter and are being euthanized each day.
-With so many puppy mills breeding high end and expensive dogs, there are not enough people wanting to save lives at the pound or humane societies. Thus killing thousands of innocent animals each day, whereas they could have loving homes Solution: Ban puppy mills
2. Human trafficking
- Millions of teenage girls are being kidnapped into sex trafficking when they go abroad or even right here in the United States. Children are being sold to be used as toys and property. Solution: Create a stronger awareness so people can report it when they see it
3.  Animal testing
- Many cosmetic companies have still gone "cruelty-free" when testing new products. Rabbits lose their eyes for us to have eyeliner and its ridiculous. Solution: ban animal testing
4. Corn grain being fed to animals
-All of the grain we feed livestock to make them fat could be used to end world hunger (5 times). The meat industry wants to make all these animals as large as possible to slaughter them and make profit in the end. Solution: Higher regulation on what we feed animals, minimize the meat industry
5. Societies influence on young people
-With models, athletes and celebrities, we are brainwashed into believing that lifestyle is all the matters. There is not enough talk about real issues and problems. America is too sexualised while it could be more educated. Solution: Ban negative advertisements that hold unrealistic expectations
6. Awareness of birth control and negative connotation it brings
-Young woman are still having a large amount of unwanted pregnancies because they either don't know how to receive birth control or are afraid of what their family and friends may think if they found out they went on the pill. Solution: Create awareness for where young women can find birth control
7. Turmoil and tension between the countries of the world
-This causes a lot of fear instilled of individuals. Where we are afraid to trust those who look different from us because we are so sensitized by the news and social media. Solution: World peace would be a solution, but there is no solution for this. Only an individual can end turmoil within their own life
8. Women are not paid as much as men for the same job
-Women to this day are STILL being paid unfairly compared to their male coworkers. Woman only make 77 cents from the dollar. This is both unjust and should change. Solution: Equal pay (voting for Hillary Clinton)
9. 1 in 5 black males will be pulled over, and have a greater chance of being searched for no apparent reason.
- This is instilled racism for police officers. Although they protect us, they are still affected by society and have the tendency to nor overlook color of skin. (Desensitize police officers)
10. Girls in India, Nepal and Cambodia are still not accepted into pursuing a higher level education.
- There are very strong beliefs that women are not capable of learning and should not educate themselves. Male dominance is very strong in countries that show poverty and obsoleteness. (Create awareness for this injustice + help girls overseas to go to school)

Week 2 Reading Reflection

I very much enjoyed this weeks assigned reading and found it to be very enlightening. A few things that stood out to me in the text were the "myths about entrepreneurs". I agreed to many of these misconceptions especially the one describing that all sucessfull entrepreneurs were college dropouts. I found it surprising that not all entrepreneurs need alot of venture capital to start a new business. It emphasized that many entrepreneurs overcame not having enough money and/or didnt did not have a strong financial background. I enjoyed the topic about Gazelles and how they are responsible for many innovations and economic growth.
I was confused by micro vs macro views of entreprenuership and the schools of thought. I only understood the gist but I feel the author could have done a better way of explaining this theory. I think what made it confusing was all of the business jargon used. I would ask the author to give some more examples of real life entrepreneurs when they explained the entrepreneural revolution and give specific companies. It spoke more on a macro level and I would have preferred for it to be explained in a micro level.
I felt that the author did alot of research for the text and is very well informed. I did not disagree with any of the information he provided but I was confused at some points during my reading

Bug List

1. there are many dogs in the shelter and are being euthanized each day
-people do not want to neuter/spay their pets
2. There are broken glass bottles in my neighborhood and my dog cuts his paws
-People are not responsible enough to throw them away or recycle
3. There are always sales for junk food at the supermarket and not for healthy food
-there is a great demand for cheap fattening food
4. The cruelty to cows and chickens in the dairy and meat industry (slaughter, rape, kill their babies)
- there is a high demand for meat and dairy
5. When my facebook friends talk about politics on facebook, but dont care about other peoples opinions
-some people are ignorant and small minded, they believe they are right
6. When my neighbors are loud when having a party (and im not invited)
-They dont realise how loud they are being
7.People smoking cigarettes arounf children or animals, or in front of alot of people
-although there is a negative connection is tabacco products, people still smoke and are addicted
8. Derragoroty phrases in rap music towards women
-lack of respect for women, even in todays age
9. Lack of empathy for homeless people, pretending homeless people are invisible
-People use generalizations to describe homeless people without understanding that each individual is different
10. Negative connotations with immigrants, especially with Donald Trump
-Many people who are not from an immigrant family have negative views and want to keep them out of the united states
11.When people talk in my statistics class while the TA is lecturing
-Some people lack respect for the person who is teaching them something
12. How long is takes to do laundry in my duplex
-3 other girls want to do their laundry on the weekend
13. When I have to wash my hair again because I worked out when I just washed it the day before
-I have to schedule my workout around my hair
14. How affected people are by society and care so much about what society thinks of them
-With reality TV and magazines in our sigh everyday, more and more people are susceptible to societies poison
15. There are not enough women in my major. In the business world, we need more woman in higher level positions
-Women are discouraged to study hard majors and many opt out
16. When mental illness is not taken seriously, especially from young people
-Mental illness still is not taken seriously from older generations and discourages those to come forward
17. The exploitation of workers clothing factories in bangladesh who work in terrible conditions and are paid next to nothing
-there is a high demand for cheap clothing from forever 21 and H&M that are made in sweatshops
18. How social media is all about numbers, not the person
-all we care about is the number of followers or likes, not the message we are sending out into the world
19. When people complain about anything, they find something to complain about and make it known to everyone
-some people dont like thungs, but its important to not come across as rude either
20. Spousal abuse and child abuse
-people still believe tha if they can dignify abusing someone, then it is okay


I did not have that much of a challenge coming up with a "bug list". I am an activist so I see many things that are wrong with the world around me and ways it can be changed. I know some people will not agree with the things that bother me, or even think that they are too extreme, but I believe that the world would be a better place if everyone was more open minded and aware of the terrible things happening every day.

My Entrepreneurship Story

My real entrepreneurship story began during my second semester at the University of Florida. I decided to sign up for The Warrington Business Schools "Big Idea" competition. I did not know how big the start up community was here in Gainesville and was surprised when over 100 teams participated in this competition. Although I did not have my own team, I requested to join one. Daniel from Lazy Delivery approached me for the amazing opportunity to join his team. Lazy Delivery was a grocery delivery service that started in Gainesville and spread to Jacksonville and Orlando. I was in charge of website design and promotions for increased sales. A lot of my ideas were executed and successful. One example was to have a Valentines Day special where we would deliver Publix flowers and candy as well as anything else the client desired. Another idea I came up with was to shoot a commercial, one where I ended up directing. I was in charge of the Facebook page and the leader for any creative projects.
I learned how to do intense graphic design and direct a startup video for the company. I loved the startup community and wish to be part of it again in the near future. The connections I made with Lazy Delivery remain with me as good friends. Unfortunately, we did not win the competition but I feel that all of the experience I gained was itself a victory.

My Introduction

          Hello my name is Isabella Silverio and I am sophomore at the University of Florida studying business administration general studies.  I worked very hard in high school to get into the University of Florida and have only been working harder since my first semester as a freshman. I am originally from Miami, Florida where I was raised in a Spanish-speaking household that was filled with art. My mother had Cuban artists paintings on the walls and all types of music playing on her vintage gramophone.  She would show me famous Cuban ballerinas and musicians religiously in hope to make me a more worldly person. My father was a huge movie buff. While some kids watched Sesame Street, my father had me watching Charlie Chaplin and Vittorio De Sica. My parents were never artists but I believe that in another life they were directors, painters or musicians.
 I on the other hand dream to open up my own business in San Francisco or New York City. I am not sure what kind of business I would like to create but I just want to enjoy my work and be fulfilled. I love practicing graphic design and photography. I wish to become more known for my skills but it is difficult as a full time student.

I have been to Europe four different times as well as did a study abroad program in Ireland. The countries I found most beautiful were Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. I backpacked through Europe after my father passed away last June. I visited Dante’s grave in Florence, a man my father had a lot of admiration for and Madrid where my father was originally from. I hope to one-day travel to Cuba to connect with my heritage even further and see my family’s roots for myself.

Entrepreneur's Mantra

Testing !

Testing one two three!