Ilana’s Entrepreneurship Blog

Halfway Reflection 1.      In order to keep up with the requirements of this course, I made sure to write down all the assignments that were going to be due in my planner at the beginning of the semester. I have always been organized and disciplined myself to keep track of the assignments.  I also make sure that I watch the lectures on time and take notes so that I will be prepared enough for the weekly quizzes. 2.      A time where I felt like giving up was when I applied for an internship that I really wanted and I did not end up getting it. I did not see the purpose in trying to apply for other internships because of the rejection. However, I realized that there were more opportunities out there for me and other companies that would be interested in what I have to offer so I continued to apply and eventually got an interview. I personally have always had a tenacious attitude so I do not think I have really developed it r...

Coco Chanel  Lisa Chaney 1.      I was surprised by Coco Chanel’s boldness in her fashion designs during the 20 th century. She introduced a more progressive style and influenced women to feel more liberating in the clothes they wore. Chanel’s rebellious approach contributed to the idea that women were more than just housewives and were just as capable as men to be assimilated into a working society. I really admired Coco Chanel’s fearlessness in introducing fashion as a unique empowerment for women and men. She defied the generally accepted clothing of the 20 th century by making designs that were wearable for both genders. During that time, women were expected to look pretty and delicate while men were intended to appear to be masculine and strong. However, Chanel wanted to change this fashion concept in society by creating designs that would highlight the elegance and powerfulness of women. The thing I least admired about the famed design...

Interviews: For the interviews, I focused my segment on UF students who drive cars in Gainesville. All three of the interviewees mentioned they had a difficult time trying to find available spots because there is restricted parking. The majority of the students said that it was most difficult to find parking mid-afternoon (12pm) to late afternoon (6pm) because that is when a lot of students have classes so they end up parking in areas on and around campus. One business student mentioned that he tries to park near Criser Hall because it is the closest parking area to the business school but he rarely finds parking in the afternoon when he has his classes. Another individual mentioned that they try parking in the Standard parking garage but the gate to exit is always closed so she is forced to pay when she leaves. If she does decide to park her car in the garage, she has to leave her car there until the exit gate opens up so she can leave without having to pay a fee. The only issu...

My name is Ilana Rodriguez and I am currently a second year Finance major at the University of Florida. Some of my talents include dancing and horseback riding. I have been dancing since I was three years old so I grew up in an environment in which artistry and freedom of expression were incorporated well into my life. Through my experiences with dance, I have learned to adapt into having an open mind and not being afraid of doing things that I may be intimidated to do. It has also allowed me to tap into creativity which has helped me with my minor in Innovation. My business concept will play a convenient and effective role in my life when I have to look for an available parking spot in a busy area. It is always a hassle looking for a free parking space when I am in a rush or late to a certain occasion. My idea will help prevent and eliminate the issue of frustration and inconvenience for myself and many others who experience this problem whenever they have to park in a parkin...

Who: Based on the interviews, the majority of people were able to relate in dealing with this opportunity. Many of them included college students who drive cars in Gainesville and have a difficult time finding parking spots in and around campus. Other interviewees suggested that numerous big-named companies would benefit from this solution to the opportunity as they have a lot of customers in busy cities. However, the people that would fall outside this boundary are the individuals who do not drive cars or do not live in big cities. Although a lot of my interviewees were from Miami (a highly populated metropolitan area), I was able to interview someone from a small town called Hilliard. The interviewee stated that parking was not an issue since it is mainly farmland and the population is only 35,939. What: Although finding parking in a highly populated area is a key issue, this opportunity does not compare to other needs that other people desire. The basic elements for survival ...

    In order to try and solve the inefficient process of finding a spot in parking garages, an idea that I decided to come up with is through an app called “Mark n’ Park”. This app (can be found on all smartphones) will already assign the driver a parking spot when they collect the ticket prior to entering the parking garage. The parking garage will have a built-in system that can detect which parking spots are available for the driver to station in. The system will also offer the available parking spots starting from the lower levels to the upper levels and choose the spots that are located closer to the elevators.   Once the driver parks at their designated spot, the individual downloads the “Mark n’ Park” app and inputs the parking spot location that they were given (e.g. 24C) and can go on to their next location. Not only does this allow the system to know which spots are available, but it also prevents the driver from forgetting the spot that ...

Opportunity: Parking garages that track open spots incorrectly which creates a time consuming and frustrating experience for drivers to find parking The who: The drivers finding parking spots (specifically in densely populated cities/locations in the US) The what: Drivers are unable to find a parking spot without it being a hassle and time consuming for them The why: The parking garage is nearly or completely full and there is not an effective process to determine which parking spaces are available in the parking garage Interviews Analysis:   Based on the feedback given by the interviewees, the people who are in the current “who” is the group of individuals that have this need. One interviewee mentioned that they lived in the heart of Miami and that they experienced the issue more often than a driver who did not live in such a populated city. People sometimes end up fighting for a parking spot because of how difficult or limited it can be to find one.   ...

Opportunities in Current Economic Trends: Opportunity: On February 14 th , China will cut half of their tariffs on US goods Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-to-cut-tariffs-on-75-billion-of-u-s-goods-11580967540   By cutting half of their tariffs on US goods, this serves as an opportunity for China to improve their country’s economic position. Since September of last year, the trade war between the two countries has impacted both of their economies and has increased the cost of goods. However, with the US lowering their tariffs on $120 billion dollars of Chinese goods, China had decided to lower their portion of the tariffs as well. Also, with the recent coronavirus outbreak, China has been suffering a “stand-still” economy as parts of China are on lockdown.   In this case, China and the US are the prototypical customers because it was an issue that included both countries and had affected their economies. However, China is mainly impact...