This class gave me a lot of excitement and A LOT of dread. Every time Friday rolled around I would get onto my laptop around 10pm and finally start doing some assignments. Every time Monday rolled around, I remembered I had to take the cupcake like 15 minutes before the cupcake was due, and then I would later at around 11pm start doing my peer reviews. Was this the smartest way to complete this course? Of course not. If I knew then what I know now about completing this course, would I change my habits? Of course not. I really enjoyed some of the assignments though. You had us talk about my 3 favorite things to talk about: failure, pet peeves, and books. But then there were moments where I just didn't do an assignment, which was very sad. So there were both good and bad times.
My favorite experiences for this class was recording my elevator pitches. First off, I really like attention so any time I am in front of a camera, I flourish. Second of all: I feel like these assignments brought me closer to my roommates. There was something really funny about being in front of a camera in a full on suit (and underwear but thanks to my roommates none of you knew that). It was really a fun experience and I would not change any bit of it. I think I will remember the recordings that my friends made for me talking about my human capital. That was actually an assignment that made me tear up. I asked my sister for a recording, and what she said for me was sincerely one of the sweetest things I've ever heard.
As lame as this sounds, I believe in the 21st century, there will be a lot of entrepreneurs. Often, entrepreneurs are looked down upon because it isn't as secure of a job as a doctor or engineer. But with the change of technology, it is becoming more and more important to become an entrepreneur of sorts and I believe I will be trying my hardest to tap into this mindset.
For students taking this course in the future: Take it relatively seriously. A lot of my friends saw it as an easy-a course. And in a way, it is. In a way, it doesn't take that much brainpower to do a lot of the assignments. But a lot of my friends also put zero effort into each of their posts. I do not recommend this. I believe it is very important to reflect upon the things that you find to be important. The venture concept should be an interpretation of something that YOU find important. I picked something that I found important. It wasn't a traditional idea, but I ran with it and had a blast.
So yeah. It is a simple recommendation, but a genuine one.
Also I would tell them not to pay attention to the percentage because it is a point based course, but that is a different story.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Venture Concept No. 2
1.
Here is the revised version of my venture concept:
Gainesville, Florida has the 4th largest financial equity gap in the nation. This is bad, but it gets much worse when you realize that the United states as the 9th largest financial equity gap in the world. Gainesville is small enough to where you, and individual, can make an impact and big enough to where your impact actually matters. So, Gainesville seems like the proper place to begin this venture if any. A venture to help make the odds of success more equal: a mentorship venture which will be called "Mentorship in Motion". The window for this opportunity is massive. There are people all over the city who have been waiting for the right moment to improve their lives and pick up the pieces.
Although I have already explained a few reasons why there is an opportunity "Mentorship with Motion", allow me to delve into more detail. Gainesville’s economy has improved substantially when looking at it from afar in the last century because of the University of Florida. But the problem with this is that you are looking from afar. The University of Florida is a land tax exempt institution like all public universities. It also doesn’t pay a PILOT tax. It also gets electricity from Duke Energy rather than the local Utility, GRU. Because of this, the University of Florida gives very little money back to the city, GRU rates are very high, and the city doesn’t have enough resources to give back to the community. There are many people east of 13th street who have just never seen the west side of town. They live paycheck to paycheck if they are so lucky to receive a paycheck. Many of them resort to taking drugs or settling in a less than adequate life because they believe they are destined for a life of lower quality. My venture will be created to give these people more of an opportunity. My venture will allow these people to realize that they have more opportunities than previously imagined. It will encourage some to go to a community college, and others to be trained for well-payed blue collared work such as electricians, linemen, and plumbers.
Allow me to talk about money. If my target audience are people who cannot afford luxuries, how are they going to afford the luxury of being mentored? Well, if they are tax paying citizens, that is how they are paying for this service. If they are not tax paying citizens, then other people are paying for their service. This organization will be government funded and donation based. Being that we are attempting to give a lot to the community, we will also be tabling and putting on events in places like depot park, bo didley, first magnitude, and more. These will be areas that we will get funds to allow this program to thrive. Next, allow me to talk about this innovation. The reason that this is an innovation is because it continues to replenish itself. Alcoholics Anonymous is an organization that allows alcoholics to be surrounded by people like them and be helped by people who have gone through similar situations. That will be true with my organization as well. I will create a culture within this organization that encourages people to just give back once they feel that the organization has given a lot to them. People will tell their stories and lift each other up. Although there will be professionals working as volunteers, there will also be people who have gone through hell and back to change their lives. I will also be connected to a variety of different of organizations: a coalition of organizations if you will. That way, if people feel they aren’t getting enough out of "Mentorship in Motion", they can join a different organization that may attempt to improve their situation from a different perspective. Government funding, along with donations from the people around Gainesville who hear about us during events or through tabling will certainly be enough for funding.
There are many organizations who attempt to accomplish what I am trying to accomplish with this one. LEEP, reading pals, and the Reichert House Youth Academy are all organizations with the same goals as the one I am suggesting. That is why a coalition is necessary. A coalition will take away the competitive nature of these organizations and will bring in a feeling of community. If these organizations were to merge, then they could give tips to each other as well as give the clients that they are working with other opportunities. It isn’t that these mentorship opportunities aren’t enough for the people in Gainesville. But different people learn in different ways and need different perspectives. The truth of the matter is that although Gainesville’s situation is improving, there is still indeed a problem that is easy to see from afar.
There are many resources I have to help me with this opportunity, but I believe the most important one is my network. I know many people in Gainesville who would help me bring my idea to fruition and even volunteer for the organization regularly. It isn’t only about what you know. It is about who you know. After this organization takes off, I want to look into ways to solve problems across a bigger land mass, maybe Florida, maybe somewhere abroad. I want to be able to have the biggest impact possible.
Unfortunately, there are many problems in this city that have yet to be fixed. But with the help of people across the city, we might be able to make a different. Because although there is a financial equity gap in Gainesville, you will almost never meet someone who isn’t concerned about this problem. Gainesville cares. And we will change this city for the better with "Mentorship in Motion".
2.
I will start by saying that I had no comments on my last Venture Concept.
HOWEVER, since I didn't have any comments, I asked my roommate to provide feedback. My roommate happens to also be taking this class, so he knew what he was looking for. He also has more of a business-like mind that I do. So he told me that I needed to include my venture name in this description. I felt idiotic that I didn't include it in the first draft.
He also told me to give more of a pitch. He told me to go more into detail about why Gainesville needs this and how it will be funded. He told me that although it is a nonprofit, it still needs to be funded somehow.
3. I decided to put in the new name "Mentorship in Motion" (Inspiring, simple, and an alliteration) throughout the text so people would remember it.
I also expanded more in the 3rd paragraph. I added to the end of it and made a few edits in the middle of it to sound like it was more of a business pitch. I was talking about money, which is how this society is run. And I am trying to sell the idea of a nonprofit. That is very hard to do, so I believe spending more time on this paragraph was the right thing to do.
4. This program specifically targets Gainesville, so I included a picture that every acr will know.
Here is the revised version of my venture concept:
Gainesville, Florida has the 4th largest financial equity gap in the nation. This is bad, but it gets much worse when you realize that the United states as the 9th largest financial equity gap in the world. Gainesville is small enough to where you, and individual, can make an impact and big enough to where your impact actually matters. So, Gainesville seems like the proper place to begin this venture if any. A venture to help make the odds of success more equal: a mentorship venture which will be called "Mentorship in Motion". The window for this opportunity is massive. There are people all over the city who have been waiting for the right moment to improve their lives and pick up the pieces.
Although I have already explained a few reasons why there is an opportunity "Mentorship with Motion", allow me to delve into more detail. Gainesville’s economy has improved substantially when looking at it from afar in the last century because of the University of Florida. But the problem with this is that you are looking from afar. The University of Florida is a land tax exempt institution like all public universities. It also doesn’t pay a PILOT tax. It also gets electricity from Duke Energy rather than the local Utility, GRU. Because of this, the University of Florida gives very little money back to the city, GRU rates are very high, and the city doesn’t have enough resources to give back to the community. There are many people east of 13th street who have just never seen the west side of town. They live paycheck to paycheck if they are so lucky to receive a paycheck. Many of them resort to taking drugs or settling in a less than adequate life because they believe they are destined for a life of lower quality. My venture will be created to give these people more of an opportunity. My venture will allow these people to realize that they have more opportunities than previously imagined. It will encourage some to go to a community college, and others to be trained for well-payed blue collared work such as electricians, linemen, and plumbers.
Allow me to talk about money. If my target audience are people who cannot afford luxuries, how are they going to afford the luxury of being mentored? Well, if they are tax paying citizens, that is how they are paying for this service. If they are not tax paying citizens, then other people are paying for their service. This organization will be government funded and donation based. Being that we are attempting to give a lot to the community, we will also be tabling and putting on events in places like depot park, bo didley, first magnitude, and more. These will be areas that we will get funds to allow this program to thrive. Next, allow me to talk about this innovation. The reason that this is an innovation is because it continues to replenish itself. Alcoholics Anonymous is an organization that allows alcoholics to be surrounded by people like them and be helped by people who have gone through similar situations. That will be true with my organization as well. I will create a culture within this organization that encourages people to just give back once they feel that the organization has given a lot to them. People will tell their stories and lift each other up. Although there will be professionals working as volunteers, there will also be people who have gone through hell and back to change their lives. I will also be connected to a variety of different of organizations: a coalition of organizations if you will. That way, if people feel they aren’t getting enough out of "Mentorship in Motion", they can join a different organization that may attempt to improve their situation from a different perspective. Government funding, along with donations from the people around Gainesville who hear about us during events or through tabling will certainly be enough for funding.
There are many organizations who attempt to accomplish what I am trying to accomplish with this one. LEEP, reading pals, and the Reichert House Youth Academy are all organizations with the same goals as the one I am suggesting. That is why a coalition is necessary. A coalition will take away the competitive nature of these organizations and will bring in a feeling of community. If these organizations were to merge, then they could give tips to each other as well as give the clients that they are working with other opportunities. It isn’t that these mentorship opportunities aren’t enough for the people in Gainesville. But different people learn in different ways and need different perspectives. The truth of the matter is that although Gainesville’s situation is improving, there is still indeed a problem that is easy to see from afar.
There are many resources I have to help me with this opportunity, but I believe the most important one is my network. I know many people in Gainesville who would help me bring my idea to fruition and even volunteer for the organization regularly. It isn’t only about what you know. It is about who you know. After this organization takes off, I want to look into ways to solve problems across a bigger land mass, maybe Florida, maybe somewhere abroad. I want to be able to have the biggest impact possible.
Unfortunately, there are many problems in this city that have yet to be fixed. But with the help of people across the city, we might be able to make a different. Because although there is a financial equity gap in Gainesville, you will almost never meet someone who isn’t concerned about this problem. Gainesville cares. And we will change this city for the better with "Mentorship in Motion".
2.
I will start by saying that I had no comments on my last Venture Concept.
HOWEVER, since I didn't have any comments, I asked my roommate to provide feedback. My roommate happens to also be taking this class, so he knew what he was looking for. He also has more of a business-like mind that I do. So he told me that I needed to include my venture name in this description. I felt idiotic that I didn't include it in the first draft.
He also told me to give more of a pitch. He told me to go more into detail about why Gainesville needs this and how it will be funded. He told me that although it is a nonprofit, it still needs to be funded somehow.
3. I decided to put in the new name "Mentorship in Motion" (Inspiring, simple, and an alliteration) throughout the text so people would remember it.
I also expanded more in the 3rd paragraph. I added to the end of it and made a few edits in the middle of it to sound like it was more of a business pitch. I was talking about money, which is how this society is run. And I am trying to sell the idea of a nonprofit. That is very hard to do, so I believe spending more time on this paragraph was the right thing to do.
4. This program specifically targets Gainesville, so I included a picture that every acr will know.
Friday, April 12, 2019
Exit Strategy
1. In the area of nonprofit, success of the nonprofit is often determined by whether or not it is self-sustaining. If everything goes right, I would be able to leave my venture and the people that I leave it to would be able to continue the venture as I would have wanted it. Not only will there be mentorship for the purposes of finding employment, there would be mentorship to help run the venture itself.
2. The reason I have selected this route is because, when you are creating a humanitarian nonprofit, you need to be able to understand that the problem will never completely go away. There will always be people who need to have a mentor and I believe that this is the proper way to move on. I need to be able to train people and keep this venture going. I don't need to sell it. I will simply move on to something.
3. This venture will always be necessary. But hopefully it will become less necessary in the future. Gainesville has an enormous income and equality gap. This will never completely go away, but it can shrink substantially. Mentorship is always necessary. There might be a point where the customer switches and the problems change. The problems will hopefully become less dramatic in the future, but one can only hope. But I believe if my venture goes on that there will at least be another group of kindhearted individuals who want to do good.
2. The reason I have selected this route is because, when you are creating a humanitarian nonprofit, you need to be able to understand that the problem will never completely go away. There will always be people who need to have a mentor and I believe that this is the proper way to move on. I need to be able to train people and keep this venture going. I don't need to sell it. I will simply move on to something.
3. This venture will always be necessary. But hopefully it will become less necessary in the future. Gainesville has an enormous income and equality gap. This will never completely go away, but it can shrink substantially. Mentorship is always necessary. There might be a point where the customer switches and the problems change. The problems will hopefully become less dramatic in the future, but one can only hope. But I believe if my venture goes on that there will at least be another group of kindhearted individuals who want to do good.
Reading Reflection No. 3
I decided to choose "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. I chose this book because I had previously read "Leonardo Divinci" by Isaacson and was incredibly impressed. Isaacson is not only an incredible author/biographer, he is also the former CEO of CNN and a managing editor at Times, and he really lives up to his name.
1. As I mentioned above, Isaacson also wrote "Leonardo Da Vinci". What surprised me most about Steve Jobs is the influence that Da Vinci had on him. Da Vinci said that "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". This is ultimately how he came up with the the name "Apple". He was on an apple farm at the time, and Jobs ultimately knew that people like simple, and simple is what sells. It is what gets stuck in our brains. So he picked Apple as the name.
2. Although it may be a little taboo to say this, Steve Jobs was delusional, but it really worked for him. Jobs was able to bend reality so and made it his own. He talked up his product until his product no longer needed to be talked up. He convinced members of the team to work until they no longer could. He was truly a genius.
3. The very beginning of the book confused me, but it was about a confusing subject. Steve Jobs was put up for adoption by his biological parents, because his biological mother's family didn't approve of her relationship with the father. It seemed to me that putting the child into foster care could have been avoided, but it worked out for Jobs in the end.
4. These both might be very corny questions, but I would ask the following:
- Do you believe that all of your professional success has given you a sense of fulfillment?
- What are some tips that you wish you would have gotten when you first began pursuing entrepreneurship?
Steve Jobs is one of the most respected people in our nation. He's gone now, but he was a mind to be admired. I want to know if he believes he made a positive impact and if he has achieved fulfillment because of it.
5. Steve Jobs believed in working until you cannot physically work any more. In America, I don't think enough emphasis is put on being a human first and there is an epidemic of workaholic-ism and we should take more breaks.
1. As I mentioned above, Isaacson also wrote "Leonardo Da Vinci". What surprised me most about Steve Jobs is the influence that Da Vinci had on him. Da Vinci said that "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". This is ultimately how he came up with the the name "Apple". He was on an apple farm at the time, and Jobs ultimately knew that people like simple, and simple is what sells. It is what gets stuck in our brains. So he picked Apple as the name.
2. Although it may be a little taboo to say this, Steve Jobs was delusional, but it really worked for him. Jobs was able to bend reality so and made it his own. He talked up his product until his product no longer needed to be talked up. He convinced members of the team to work until they no longer could. He was truly a genius.
3. The very beginning of the book confused me, but it was about a confusing subject. Steve Jobs was put up for adoption by his biological parents, because his biological mother's family didn't approve of her relationship with the father. It seemed to me that putting the child into foster care could have been avoided, but it worked out for Jobs in the end.
4. These both might be very corny questions, but I would ask the following:
- Do you believe that all of your professional success has given you a sense of fulfillment?
- What are some tips that you wish you would have gotten when you first began pursuing entrepreneurship?
Steve Jobs is one of the most respected people in our nation. He's gone now, but he was a mind to be admired. I want to know if he believes he made a positive impact and if he has achieved fulfillment because of it.
5. Steve Jobs believed in working until you cannot physically work any more. In America, I don't think enough emphasis is put on being a human first and there is an epidemic of workaholic-ism and we should take more breaks.
Celebrating Failure
Allow me to talk about several small failures that I believe has shaped me this semester. I know that this assignment wants me to pick one, but all of these failures are interconnected.
My Failures
I have had several small failures that put my life into perspective for me. A lot of the failures were due to laziness. But I have learned a lot about myself through these failures. Let's talk about the first one. Every semester, I come up with a semester goal. This semester, I failed to not only achieve a goal, but also even come up with a goal.
My course load this semester was rather small. Which brings me to my next failure. Not only was my course load small. I also didn't do terrific in the classes that I DID have. I didn't fail any of my classes, but I got more B's than I had wanted and now I will have to make it up in more rigorous semesters.
Now I will talk about my personal life. Without delving too much into detail, I will say that I have not been surrounding myself with the people that I should have been. There are a lot of people that I have been friends with simply because it made me more comfortable. I failed to surround myself with new people who could help shape me further.
.
None of these may sound like "failures". But to me, they were a result of laziness. I have been far too lazy this semester. I haven't been eating the best, I have been frivolously spending, and I haven't been feeling like I have been at my A game because of this.
So if I were to fit my failures into one word, it would have to been "laziness".
What I Learned
I learned a lot from my failures. A lot of what I learned was lifestyle changes. I now have a dry erase calendar in my room to make sure I am true to my commitments. I gave away the things in my room that I couldn't justify having and been living a more organized life. I have been writing in a journal more because I want to be able to organize my thoughts - as lame as that might sound. In general, I feel like I have set myself up better for next semester.
My Thoughts on Failure
My thoughts on failure aren't original. But I genuinely believe they are a part of life. It is completely outrageous to believe that you will just walk through life constantly thriving. Failure shapes the qualities in a person that a lot of people admire: tenacity, modesty, resolve, and patience. If it weren't for failure, the successes wouldn't be as sweet. We would just re-calibrate our thoughts on what success is.Friday, April 5, 2019
What's Next?
Current Venture
It is time to find the right people for my organization. Although there are a few, I really need to get the word out for this organization to grow and in order to have the kind of impact that I truly want. In order to do so, I must be able to advertise to my target audience.
Here are three potential customers and what I got out of interviews with them.
Makai Lovett
Makai told me that although he liked the spirit of my idea, there are many flaws. One of these flaws is that I am disregarding an important part of what's keeping a lot of people in these unfortunate situations. One of my flaws is that there are many who self medicate with substances and these substances keep them down. Makai told me that my organization would have no control over how these substances affect the people in the neighborhoods he grew up in.
Jonathan Parks
Jonathan has lived in Gainesville for 30 years and moved here because of the support systems that Gainesville has to offer. Jonathan told me that in order to stand out, I would have to include something drastically innovative with my organization rather than it is "self rejuvenating". He said that many organizations are like this and mine would not be the first especially in Gainesville.
Lola Johnson
Lola just turned 19 and she believes that I have a lot going for me with my mentorship program. But she said there must be an appeal to younger people. From what I have included in my mentorship program so far, it wouldn't appeal to my target audience. I need to do a better job motivating potential customers.
Because of what these potential customers told me, there is still a lot that I need to think about in order to improve this venture. The first of which is the need to rebrand in order to appeal to a younger audience. I must also find a way to make the organization for innovative. I believe I will be able to think of more innovations for the organization as my hands get dirtier.
I also understand that drugs are a problem in Gainesville that is next to impossible to solve on my own. Because of this, I will try to use rehabilitation centers as recommended resources and also help the organization know that some of the problems that we are attempting to deal with are very much out of our control.
Future Venture:
Here is my radically different market: Those who have good jobs, but in areas that are easily automated. Unfortunately there are 3.5 million truckers, 1.3 million accountants, and many many other workers whether they be white collared or blue collared who are at risk for being unemployed due to automation. Because of this, my mentorship program will be targeting a more affluent group of people in order to train them for other fields that are less likely to be automated such as electricians, linemen, and plumbers.
Jackson Blakely:
Jackson, or as others call him, Jacks is a trucker. The moment I began talking about my opportunity, he told me he completely understands what I am doing and told me more that I can do with the opportunity. Jacks says that he spends most of his time on the road and hasn't had the time to get a college education or any other skill sets and he believe he will probably be seeking out other opportunities in the future in order to provide for his family.
Jill Goslinga
I appraoched Professor Goslinga, knowing she wasn't at risk for having her job taken, but because she may be able to give me more insight about this topic. She is a CPA, a lawyer, and a professor of Financial Accounting. But she does understand that some people at entry level jobs who deal with things such as bookkeeping may be at risk of having their job taken. But she also believes that others will be able to do more with their career with the help of machines. She does support me because accounting will get more competitive in the future and those who may have put all their eggs in one basket may need mentorship to decide what they will do with their life.
This market is radically different and my venture would need to adapt substantially in order to better suit it. I do however believe that it is the right thing to do. The economy is in drastic times which call for drastic measures. Adapting people to that economy should be priority.
It is time to find the right people for my organization. Although there are a few, I really need to get the word out for this organization to grow and in order to have the kind of impact that I truly want. In order to do so, I must be able to advertise to my target audience.
Here are three potential customers and what I got out of interviews with them.
Makai Lovett
Makai told me that although he liked the spirit of my idea, there are many flaws. One of these flaws is that I am disregarding an important part of what's keeping a lot of people in these unfortunate situations. One of my flaws is that there are many who self medicate with substances and these substances keep them down. Makai told me that my organization would have no control over how these substances affect the people in the neighborhoods he grew up in.
Jonathan Parks
Jonathan has lived in Gainesville for 30 years and moved here because of the support systems that Gainesville has to offer. Jonathan told me that in order to stand out, I would have to include something drastically innovative with my organization rather than it is "self rejuvenating". He said that many organizations are like this and mine would not be the first especially in Gainesville.
Lola Johnson
Lola just turned 19 and she believes that I have a lot going for me with my mentorship program. But she said there must be an appeal to younger people. From what I have included in my mentorship program so far, it wouldn't appeal to my target audience. I need to do a better job motivating potential customers.
Because of what these potential customers told me, there is still a lot that I need to think about in order to improve this venture. The first of which is the need to rebrand in order to appeal to a younger audience. I must also find a way to make the organization for innovative. I believe I will be able to think of more innovations for the organization as my hands get dirtier.
I also understand that drugs are a problem in Gainesville that is next to impossible to solve on my own. Because of this, I will try to use rehabilitation centers as recommended resources and also help the organization know that some of the problems that we are attempting to deal with are very much out of our control.
Future Venture:
Here is my radically different market: Those who have good jobs, but in areas that are easily automated. Unfortunately there are 3.5 million truckers, 1.3 million accountants, and many many other workers whether they be white collared or blue collared who are at risk for being unemployed due to automation. Because of this, my mentorship program will be targeting a more affluent group of people in order to train them for other fields that are less likely to be automated such as electricians, linemen, and plumbers.
Jackson Blakely:
Jackson, or as others call him, Jacks is a trucker. The moment I began talking about my opportunity, he told me he completely understands what I am doing and told me more that I can do with the opportunity. Jacks says that he spends most of his time on the road and hasn't had the time to get a college education or any other skill sets and he believe he will probably be seeking out other opportunities in the future in order to provide for his family.
Jill Goslinga
I appraoched Professor Goslinga, knowing she wasn't at risk for having her job taken, but because she may be able to give me more insight about this topic. She is a CPA, a lawyer, and a professor of Financial Accounting. But she does understand that some people at entry level jobs who deal with things such as bookkeeping may be at risk of having their job taken. But she also believes that others will be able to do more with their career with the help of machines. She does support me because accounting will get more competitive in the future and those who may have put all their eggs in one basket may need mentorship to decide what they will do with their life.
This market is radically different and my venture would need to adapt substantially in order to better suit it. I do however believe that it is the right thing to do. The economy is in drastic times which call for drastic measures. Adapting people to that economy should be priority.
Putting It All Together
Gainesville, Florida has the 4th largest financial
equity gap in the nation. This is bad, but it gets much worse when you realize
that the United states as the 9th largest financial equity gap in
the world. Gainesville is small enough to where you, and individual, can make
an impact and big enough to where your impact actually matters. So, Gainesville
seems like the proper place to begin this venture if any. A venture to help make
the odds of success more equal: a mentorship venture. The window for this
opportunity is massive. There are people all over the city who have been
waiting for the right moment to improve their lives and pick up the pieces.
Although I have already explained a few reasons why there is
an opportunity for this, allow me to delve into more detail. Gainesville’s
economy has improved substantially when looking at it from afar in the last
century because of the University of Florida. But the problem with this is that
you are looking from afar. The University of Florida is a land tax exempt institution
like all public universities. It also doesn’t pay a PILOT tax. It also gets electricity
from Duke Energy rather than the local Utility, GRU. Because of this, the University
of Florida gives very little money back to the city, GRU rates are very high,
and the city doesn’t have enough resources to give back to the community. There
are many people east of 13th street who have just never seen the
west side of town. They live paycheck to paycheck if they are so lucky to
receive a paycheck. Many of them resort to taking drugs or settling in a less
than adequate life because they believe they are destined for a life of lower
quality. My venture will be created to give these people more of an opportunity.
My venture will allow these people to realize that they have more opportunities
than previously imagined. It will encourage some to go to a community college,
and others to be trained for well-payed blue collared work such as
electricians, linemen, and plumbers.
Allow me to talk about money. If my target audience are
people who cannot afford luxuries, how are they going to afford their luxuries?
Well, if they are tax paying citizens, that is how they are paying for this
service. If they are not tax paying citizens, then other people are paying for
their service. This organization will be government funded and donation based.
Being that we are attempting to give a lot to the community, we will also be
tabling and putting on events in places like depot park, bo didley, first
magnitude, and more. These will be areas that we will get funds to allow this
program to thrive. Next, allow me to talk about this innovation. The reason
that this is an innovation is because it continues to replenish itself. Alcoholics
Anonymous is an organization that allows alcoholics to be surrounded by people like
them and be helped by people who have gone through similar situations. That will
be true with my organization as well. I will create a culture within this organization
that encourages people to just give back once they feel that the organization
has given a lot to them. People will tell their stories and lift each other up.
Although there will be professionals working as volunteers, there will also be people
who have gone through hell and back to change their lives. I will also be
connected to a variety of different of organizations: a coalition of organizations
if you will. That way, if people feel they aren’t getting enough out of the
mentorship program, they can join a different organization that may attempt to
improve their situation from a different perspective.
There are many organizations who attempt to accomplish what
I am trying to accomplish with this one. LEEP, reading pals, and the Reichert
House Youth Academy are all organizations with the same goals as the one I am
suggesting. That is why a coalition is necessary. A coalition will take away
the competitive nature of these organizations and will bring in a feeling of
community. If these organizations were to merge, then they could give tips to
each other as well as give the clients that they are working with other
opportunities. It isn’t that these mentorship opportunities aren’t enough for
the people in Gainesville. But different people learn in different ways and
need different perspectives. The truth of the matter is that although
Gainesville’s situation is improving, there is still indeed a problem that is
easy to see from afar.
There are many resources I have to help me with this
opportunity, but I believe the most important one is my network. I know many
people in Gainesville who would help me bring my idea to fruition and even
volunteer for the organization regularly. It isn’t only about what you know. It
is about who you know. After this organization takes off, I want to look into
ways to solve problems across a bigger land mass, maybe Florida, maybe
somewhere abroad. I want to be able to have the biggest impact possible.
Unfortunately, there are many problems in this city that
have yet to be fixed. But with the help of people across the city, we might be
able to make a different. Because although there is a financial equity gap in
Gainesville, you will almost never meet someone who isn’t concerned about this
problem. Gainesville cares. And we will change this city for the better.
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