Entrepreneurship with Lahera: 2019

Monday, December 2, 2019

30. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk

This represents us as figures of the world and our immense ability to create a beneficial and lasting change for the world that we live in.

Let me start by saying that is has been a great pleasure to work with all of you this semester and I have really enjoyed reading all of the ideas/concepts that you presented. I am glad that I took this course and got to meet so many of you on a personal level through these posts.

If you want to keep in touch, here is my contact information:
Cell phone: (352) 634-2348
Email: nicholaslahera@gmail.com
Instagram: trickie_nicky
Twitter: Nick_Lahera
Snapchat: deloreanman1985

1. I have had a lot of growth and development over the semester and it is all for the best. Looking back, I have spoken on three different topics throughout the semester, one of them was only about public policy, one was an awful business concept on ice cream, and the other was my current idea. In terms of the high, I think I am experiencing that now, where my low was when I was working on the Creamed Gator. I know that I was not passionate about that and was not bringing any value to anyone by doing that. Sure it was a fun idea, but it was not for me. That transition period between that idea and what I am doing now probably had the most dread because I was so behind compared to everyone else and their ideas. Overall, I am excited with my current venture and cannot wait to see where it will take me.

2. One of the most formative experiences for me was the self-reflection and interviews assignment. I think that we get down on ourselves a lot and it was great to hear from the people that are truly in your corner and understand the strengths that you bring to any given situation. This found confidence really helped bring a better understanding of how I could contribute to a business. The most joyous and moments I will remember much later were the book reflections on Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. When starting a company it is easy to fall into a situation where you are just trying to make ends meet. However, the idealism of these two individuals is important to have as well. I was able to see that I can achieve much more than I truly thought I could. I am proud of having a greater plan for my company and the ability to start working with clients to create a difference and get moving with my company.

3. I would like to believe that I am closer to having an entrepreneurial mindset. I certainly know much more about business concepts, creating value, and working towards the needs of people. I think that before the semester I was stuck with the idea that this was a major risk and what if I lost all of my money in the process. It was scary to jump into something so big without any knowledge of the process. However, now I recognize the risk, and think the reward is greater because I have taken great lengths to understand the needs of the customer and I built a roadmap for success. There are issues all around us, and only people with entrepreneurial mindsets can create solutions. That is an incredible concept that I will definitely take with me.

4. For future students I would recommend that they enter this class with an open-mind. They shouldn't look at all of the assignments as a bunch of busy work, but something that will create value for them as they enter entrepreneurship. I think that as they begin the class that should largely forget everything that they are learning in the business college because all of that has too much structure, or that least that's what I perceived as someone who is an Economics and Political Science double major. I think the value from this class exceeds a lot of the structure of other business courses. Work ahead on all of the assignments so that you can spend the majority of the semester fostering your business mindset and actually beginning to sell product. The best way to become an entrepreneur is just to go out there and do it. Do not wait around for more information, dive right in.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

29. Time for Change

My hope for the future of Florida. Create an investment and business center that still holds our natural resources as important.

Part 1
Opportunity:

To start, this idea started from the knowledge that many people have ideas for companies that they want to start, but they have no idea about how to get the idea moving forward. The big companies like that because they can either sponsor their conception and use the knowledge or idea for their own benefit, or completely suppress their ability to enter the market. With all of that in mind, it is my idea to create a company dedicated to the needs of startups. I have seen over and over again companies that do not have the organization, branding, or development to get off the ground. Many people have seen those companies that post random pictures on Facebook that do not promote their brand or provide relevance for the audience. Some of it is not their fault to be honest. If you are an expert in your field people cannot expect you to perform at a high enough level to run the company without help or support. A great example is my own father. He does garage doors on the side, and I developed his social media, graphics, and advertising methods because that is not his expertise. He does a fantastic job with garage doors, but that does not do you any good unless you have a way to sell it to people in a professional manner. If he cannot effectively communicate with customers, he may not get the proper business even if he the best in the business.

Basically, the people that have the needs are those that are new to the business world and have a great idea, but very little business sense. Even though this is the group that I would like to specialize in and really help, I am not limited to these groups. My potential customer base is anyone that has branding/media/consultation needs for their company. For example, right now one of my best clients is in the political field and has had an established brand for almost a year. They have logos, and graphics in place, but when they expand (which they are currently do a lot of) they cannot figure out setting up a new Facebook page or accommodating the addition into their suite. I have been in charge of all of that expansion which has proven to be a great asset to their overall brand. So as I was saying, it does not need to be people that are just starting up, it can be any business that would like to take a new approach to how their business is managing their marketing or advertising.

Because most of my position is technology related rather than needing to get a product to a specific part of the country, there are little bounds to my work. Right now I am working with the following counties: Citrus, Alachua, Marion, Duval, Polk, Escambia, and several others. This to me is great because my work can spread around the state of Florida. This definitely helps a growing business. Not only do I not need to maintain a brick-and-mortar location, but I can work all around the state. If I had the opportunity to work across state lines, it may get hard for some of the aspects of what I am currently offering companies, but some of my services are easily accessible across state lines. For example, I may not be able to manage a campaign in North Carolina, but I can create LLC’s, develop logos, start/manage social media, create products (shirts, vinyls, hats, etc.) for these areas. Realistically, I will probably keep most of my work in Citrus, Marion, and Alachua counties because these are the most accessible in terms of having a place to stay and driving to. One of the areas that I need to consider with my boundaries is payment, which is obviously important, but with a greater ability to accept payment in our world, it shouldn't be too hard.

Innovation:

In terms of the field, it has been calling for change and innovation for a long time. People that have worked as consultants try to do what has been done by others and apply it to their clients, but as the demographics shift and people’s wants change the companies and consultants need to change as well. First looking at the business side of what I do, if you look at logos there is a big difference in how companies presented themselves in the 90’s compared to now in terms of their graphics. Looking at the trends, in recent years most companies have looked for simplicity in their logos. However, moving forward, there has been a big shift to including vintage elements in logos and combining them with the simplicity of today. What this translates to is bright colors, innovative ways to show shapes and symbols, but not over-stimulating the audience. This is just one example, but setting trends is a way to create dominance in the market. On the other side of the spectrum, politics has almost no innovation. This is something that I have experienced by paying attention to various campaigns and we have had in-depth discussions about how this field hasn’t changed in my Political Behavior class. From what I have witnessed first-hand is that many campaigns are dedicated to sending out mailers that do now actually produce votes for the candidate because they get thrown out so frequently.

I have already introduced innovation to the field by accepting payment from startups when they have the money to pay me. What I mean by that is that, we can set it up to pay me when they see and increase in revenue from my efforts. I need a clear method to collect payment, but this will be handled on a case-by-case basis and will work with each client to create the best fit for their company. I will need to figure out a way to consider risk analysis dependent upon the probability of each company's success. This creates clear value for them because their spreadsheets show it rather than just taking my word for it. Another way that may work with startups is taking stock in these new companies that cannot afford to pay me for my services. Even though I will not be paid in the beginning owning the company increases the value of my company and can have sustained long run returns.

One of the things that I would love to expand on is my exit plan. I plan on transferring the company into an investment firm that holds the management portion of companies as they expand. I think that creative and structural relations are a good niche to be in. Especially in an area like Florida. I think that a lot of the money from the epicenters, California, New York, Chicago, etc., is going to start spreading to Florida as we continue to grow. I hope to either be a catalyst for this transfer, or be among the innovators to develop it.

To be clear, here is what I am selling:

Logo design: $300

Graphics package (logo/cover photos, t-shirt/stickers/decal designs, business cards, letterhead): $1000

Social Media Development: $100 per account

Social Media Management: $50 per account, per month

Social Media Management Bundle (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, Youtube): $175 per month

Email Services: $14.95 monthly service fee and $10 to draft email

Website Development: $300

Website Management: $75 per month

LLC creation: $300

Campaign Management: $5,000-$10,000

Public Relations Campaign: Variable depending on time involvement/creativity/goods costs

Business Consultation on retainer (Bundle of all goods/services): $400 per month

Note: All of these can be paid using different methods (i.e. revenue sharing or stock sharing) and are negotiable based on difficulty of request.

Prices are negotiable after I was told that some of my prices may need more thought placed in them.
Down payments will be negotiated depending on the work being done. Or some other formal agreement for payment when possible.

Venture Concept:

Overall, there may be some convincing that needs to happen for customers to believe that they need what I am selling. They could very well think that what they have now is good enough. This is something that will need the word of mouth and presentation of success from prior projects. One of the clients that I previously mentioned, she has been a big component of my word-of-mouth growth. She has shown several people that I can do much better than they are doing, and that has aided me tremendously. Beyond that, I think that people are accepting the need for social media, so that is not the problem. It is mainly how I convince them that my way will be most beneficial for them. There are a lot of people in this area of work and there is very few barriers to enter the market. For goodness sake, I learned most of my skills from high school and volunteering and I own a $300 graphics program package. That to me doesn’t seem like it stops anyone else from entering. Now, I will say that I am unique because of my willingness to work with companies that do not have money. I think they you can develop long-term customers by helping them when they truly need help. These startups are scrambling to better their product, attract customers, pay the bills, and stay open. They do not need to care about branding and advertising. If you show that you genuinely want them to do well, they will be customers for a long time.

Employees for my venture may be best with like field offices in far and different locations. Since a majority of it is online and not needing a storefront, I think that I can have these offices that work closely with clients when they need them in person, but have the ability to share the work to different regions if needed.

Closing points:

Our advantage: Our ability to work with startups to build a brand and marketing/advertising strategy will help us build a foundation with these companies and create the flexibility they need as they are growing.

What’s Next: I have been focusing a lot with campaigns and politics recently, but I am passionate about starting businesses and want them to be my area of expertise.

Long-run: Rather than just working on branding, LLC creation, and marketing/advertising, I would like to build a parent company, Lahera Investment, that works with these companies to grow them where they need to be to compete with the current giants. This requires financial capital though also because these would be true investments in companies rather than just services provided to them. This is now mentioned more in the piece, for more information please see the innovation portion.

Part 2

It was recommended that I work on the pricing and money collection portion of my venture concept. They mentioned to me that these companies may fail before they get off the ground. This was something that I did put thought into, but not enough. With that being said, I think to work that out, I need to do it on a company by company basis. It is an area of concern, but something that I spoke about with Dr. Pryor and we discussed. I do not think it is too much of a concern, but it could become one quickly if I am not collecting money for a long period of time.

Part 3

Using that knowledge, I started to think about how I would price and collect payment. I need to pay the bills as Johnathan has mentioned to me in several comments and he is correct. I would like to still help these companies because I think that the reward in the long run could be greater than the risk. By helping these companies when they are small and developing, I can build brand loyalty. However, I don't want this loyalty to be known for free services. To prevent this I am suggesting a risk analysis done on my end to create a payment plan from the start. This will help with their and my organization.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

27. Elon

1. With Elon Musk, I knew some about him going into the novel, but I learned that he is like Steve Jobs in a lot of ways. This was one of the things that really got me most interested in him. He is always dedicated to his work and perfection. He is not as emotionally charged as Jobs, but the two's ability to look far beyond the realm of possibility is what truly makes the two unique. With Musk, I think that his upbringing was very interesting and he has built an alter ego with his professional life. Like it was mentioned with the visit from his friend, someone who started as shy and geeky always getting bullied by other children turned into a man that had confidence and swagger with an ability to push his weight around. I would love to be as much as a visionary as he is. He looks to the future dreams of the impossible and builds it into possibility. Like Jobs, I admire Musk's ability to not accept no as an answer. He only wants to hear when, and his goals for himself are far off the actual time needed to complete them. This is something to admire. With this though, there are times that you end of hurting the little people involved. However, I think that there is a balance that if achieved, could be quite effective.

2. The major competency that Elon has is his ability to be a visionary in every situation. I think that this is the primary reason that people do not think that he will make a great executive, but I think that visionaries serve a unique purpose as well. Without them, we fall into a world of realism, which is great for structure, but awful for the development. If we want to remain on our current path, great, but if we want to improve the world risk is necessary. Elon Musk and most entrepreneurs understand this. Also, his ability to convince people that his ideas are realistic by driving to see the finish product when people think his ideas are impossible. In my specialty, political campaigns, we have to hope for the best and work expecting the worst. I would love to escape this mold, because how Elon approaches his visions makes him much more effective.

3. I was not confused by the novel, but a greater understanding of some of his personal relationships would have been beneficial. You hear that he goes through PR personnel frequently, and you hear some of the reasoning. However, the Jobs novel was much more descriptive about his emotional range and quick temper and you could easily understand why his personal relationships were not as successful. I do not feel like I got the same level of depth with Elon.

4. What is advice that you can give to someone who wants to have a lasting impact on the trajectory of this world from the perspective of an entrepreneur?

What markets do you think are untapped or need drastic innovation in order to bring our STEAM back to its prior levels of development?

5. I just really want to find something that I am passionate about and can see its efforts affect humanity. I do not think that anyone is actually working if they enjoy what they are doing. When I first applied for my position at Publix, I told them that you never have to work a day in your life, if you love what you do. They then responded with, "well there will be days when you work here." That was a kind of disappointing response because I still live by the same optimism. I try every day to make things enjoyable, I try to learn something new, and work towards new goals. If we do not do that, then there is no point to work. If this is an activity that you are going to participate in for 40-60 years of your life, why be miserable. So getting back to the idea of hard work. I think that Elon is dedicated, but I doubt that he sees much of it as work. He is there to make a difference and do something that he is passionate about. If he saw any of it as work, I am sure that he would retire on his billions. I live the same way, the day that I feel I am working is the same day that I try to change where I am and work towards something that I enjoy.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

28. So long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

1. I do not see myself in the business for my entire life because I would hate to stunt my growth and development by only doing what I am doing know. I think that I still have a lot to learn, but at some point, the level that I will be learning on will stagnate. I would hate to reach that point. Because I always want to challenge myself, I would like to expand into different fields when I have the resources to do so.

2. I chose this strategy because I know my strengths. Right now, I have a lot of strength in the field of consultation and my ability to effectively communicate. Like Dr. Pryor what can you sell right now. I have realized that these are skills that I can sell right now and have been for the last few month. In the future, when I may have more money to invest in a startup I would love to do something that has a greater impact. In all honesty, I don't think my form of consultation will make a huge impact on the trajectory of this world. Because of that, it is a stepping stone for me to be able to do greater things that will help a larger audience. That is why I chose this strategy. I want to innovate on a large scale and see my efforts make great changes in the world.

3. It has had some influence on my plans for my current concept. I have thought about how I can bridge this idea with greater ideas in the future. I would like to see great changes in STEAM. Like I heard in the Elon Musk book, we have killed innovation with the rise of the ".com" industry. Because of this, we need more people that are willing to get into this field and drive change. I think that there are many monopolies today that need to be challenged and have someone willing to stand up against them. For most startups getting bought by a larger company is the dream because it means security, but in reality it is stunting our growth as a world. We need someone willing to prevent these companies from falling to the giants and be able to prop them up.

Yes, I included a picture of Coruscant to represent the future. Don't @ me.

This is my blog; I don't care that Star Wars takes place in the past.

26. It's Not All Roses

1. To be honest, I have had a great semester and I have been reflecting on that quite a bit recently. Coming from the semester before where my truck burned down, I applied to several extra-curricular organizations and was denied to all of them, I was not performing as well as I wanted in school, I was still quite defeated on a personal level from losing my election the August before, and basically I just did not know what I wanted to do with my life. All of these factors combined together and forced me to reevaluate where I was. So, to be frank, I know that I was in a very deep rut personally last semester and have been very successful at digging myself out. Because I feel that I am doing much better physically, emotionally, and mentally, I hate to call anything that happened this semester failures. Last semester, I probably would have have a whole book to write, but now all of that seems meaningless because of my current success.

For the sake not using the word failure, we'll use setbacks as my perception of things happening currently. For starters, there is one class that I feel that I am doing great in, but the professor is on a different wavelength. Considering that every grade we have is subjective, it has bothered me that he is not giving me the grades I feel I deserve. I will not name any names, but the class is Political Behavior. Every essay that I have gotten back has been below expectation, one B and the rest A-'s. The A-'s bother me more than the B because it really shows an intolerance on his part to score me in the upper bracket. There is something always that does not meet his standards with my writing and it has become infuriating. I hope to have this issue resolved by the end of the week though.

The next biggest thing, and probably the only other thing that comes to mind, is not receiving another campaign management position that I applied for. It really is not a big deal because I already have one that I am working, but with this one I was offered the Deputy Campaign Manager position unpaid. That too has gotten to me a little bit because it is like, well, I was almost to the paid position that I know I have the skills to complete successfully. Also, for the candidate to even offer me that position, it shows that he too recognizes my ability to perform better than all but one of the other applicants. I let God allow everything to sort itself out though, so I am not worried about this in the long run.

2. From these experiences, I have gained a greater sense of humility. However, I think that this is a very tacky response to how I learned from failure. Everyone says that as the first thing, so it really has become a mute point. In reality, I think that I have gained a greater motivation to keep going with these setbacks. I have realized that in some instances these setbacks are put in front of me on purpose to allow to find the perfect avenue that I need to take. I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason even if I do not quite understand why that is. With that being said, I have learned to trust the process and build a patience around trying to get ahead. I have also been working on my ability to be persistent and work to ensure I get what I want. This has been a common theme in all of the books that I have read. Those people who were persistent got what they wanted and were able to make a lasting difference. It isn't even about the fame and fortune, but the ability to do what you know is right.

3. Both of my parents are not risk-takers at all. In fact, in a conversation that I just had with them, they both said that I have become a shyster who is always looking for the next thing to expand into and become. Just growing up in a middle-class family, I have had a great childhood. I have always had security, and have never struggled for much. However, I see that working for someone in a 9-5 job just isn't fulfilling for me. They probably chose that because it was the most secure for their family. I know that my mom fears that I will not use my degree because she has a degree in Criminal Justice but is an elementary teacher. All of these factors are things that I think about frequently. After that rant, the root of my argument is that all of these failures are not failures, but experience to keep driving forward and working towards my goals. I cannot set myself fall behind on my big goals because of a few setbacks. That is probably the biggest of my takeaway from all of this.

Friday, November 15, 2019

25. Where Now?

Existing Market:

1. Next for me would be to increase my involvement in businesses rather than campaigns or political organizations. Right now they are paying the bills, so I cannot abandon them and I would be stupid to do it, but I just do not want to get stuck in politics for the entire company.

2. All three of the customers who need their social media updated or built have now come back to me for website development. I have limited experience in this area, but they all trust me to do that, so I am going to expand my knowledge of that. I have Dreamweaver downloaded and have created simple webpages in the past, so this seems like a great next move. They have already guaranteed they will pay me for doing this for them. The way that I see it, you would be dumb not to learn a skill that people are willing to pay for you to learn.

3. When I started working with these customers I never expected that I would be developing websites for them. I figured that I would primarily manage their social media accounts and possibly create merchandise or setup a store for them. This was a big step because it is much less user-friendly than social media. Regardless, if I can do this, I create a full and more meaningful package for people that want my services. I would imagine that most customers who want a full social media suite also want a website. Because of this, I am basically throwing out a revenue driver by not being able to do it.

I was surprised, but now that I think about it more, it makes a lot of sense. I am thankful for my customers giving me the opportunity to learn this skill. Businesses are going to have an easier time getting their customers to a website where they can be more free with how the content is laid out. Keeping this in mind, I need to be able to be flexible enough to accommodate their needs.

New Market:

1. So for this because I am a B2B, let's go with the idea that was presented in the instructions. A B2C service. With this, keeping to what my company is about, I think that we could act as an "agent" if you will for people entering the entertainment industry. This may seem far-fetched but with influencers being on the rise. Knowing this, I could do the same branding, social media, and product development that I would do with a business. Essentially, most of these influencers go on to own companies, but in the meantime, I would be helping them sell their personalities/looks to an audience.

2. I could tie my connections with businesses to my contacts that want to become influencers. Both of them would kind of be partnering together. It is a total win-win for each. Brand ambassadors are on the rise because it is cheaper than placing products in stores or hiring professional salespeople. All you have to do with ambassadors or influencers is give them product and part of the revenue for what they sell. The influencer is getting free things, money, and clout, while the companies that I am working with get to keep developing their brand. If I am wrong, please correct me because I know almost nothing about this unique market.

3. I have seen ambassadors and influencers and used this as a basis. From speaking to them, this is a very popular course for people my age that want to do something they are passionate about. Considering that most of us are on social media for a majority of our lives, why wouldn't we want to make money from it. I personally do not have clout, but people that I have spoken to are developing it. I would imagine, that helping influencers gain clout and followers will be a new market for those that want to grow themselves in the market.

4. I am not very popular on youth social media platforms. I have almost 900 likes on my Facebook page, but that is in a very professional capacity. My Instagram only has about 400 likes, my Twitter less than that, and don't even ask about my TikTok which I should be famous on by now (Go follow me @trickie_nicky). For these reasons, I do not think that I am qualified to be in this market. I just really do not know how people just promote themselves without a product or service to show for it. I am probably missing out on a big opportunity, but as it stands today, I do not have the resources to properly take advantage of this market.

One of the people who I look up to in this field is Gary Vee. If you have TikTok, you may have seen him. I think that his media company is experimenting how they can monetize this by experimenting with his own brand. Now this is speculatory, but I would imagine that those thoughts are going through his head. He is all about the sale and personal entrepreneurship, so I could see him using methods like this to expand his brand and aid in the development of more influencers in the market. I think this would make a great discussion so please contribute.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

24. Let's Get This Show On the Road

Lahera Consultation and Media

Opportunity:

To start, this idea started from the knowledge that many people have ideas for companies that they want to start, but they have no idea about how to get the idea moving forward. The big companies like that because they can either sponsor their conception and use the knowledge or idea for their own benefit, or completely suppress their ability to enter the market. With all of that in mind, it is my idea to create a company dedicated to the needs of startups. I have seen over and over again companies that do not have the organization, branding, or development to get off the ground. Some of it is not their fault to be honest. If you are an expert in your field people cannot expect you to perform at a high enough level to run the company without help or support. A great example is my own father. He does garage doors on the side, and I developed his social media, graphics, and advertising methods because that is not his expertise. He does a fantastic job with garage doors, but that does not do you any good unless you have a way to sell it to people in a professional manner.

Innovation:

I have already introduced innovation to the field by accepting payment from startups when they have the money to pay me. What I mean by that is that, we can set it up to pay me when they see and increase in revenue from my efforts. This creates clear value for them because their spreadsheets show it rather than just taking my word for it. Another way that may work with startups is taking stock in these new companies that cannot afford to pay me for my services. Even though I will not be paid in the beginning owning the company increases the value of my company and can have sustained long run returns.

To be clear, here is what I am selling:

Logo design: $300

Graphics package (logo/cover photos, t-shirt/stickers/decal designs, business cards, letterhead): $1000

Social Media Development: $100 per account

Social Media Management: $50 per account, per month

Social Media Management Bundle (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok): $175 per month

Email Services: $14.95 monthly service fee and $10 to draft email

Website Development: $300

Website Management: $75 per month

LLC creation: $300

Campaign Management: $5,000-$10,000

Public Relations Campaign: Variable depending on time involvement/creativity/goods costs

Business Consultation on retainer (Bundle of all goods/services): $400 per month

Note: All of these can be paid using different methods (i.e. revenue sharing or stock sharing) and are negotiable based on difficulty of request.

Venture Concept:

Overall, there may be some convincing that needs to happen for customers to believe that they need what I am selling. They could very well think that what they have now is good enough. This is something that will need the word of mouth and presentation of success from prior projects. One of the clients that I previously mentioned, she has been a big component of my word-of-mouth growth. She has shown several people that I can do much better than they are doing, and that has aided me tremendously. Beyond that, I think that people are accepting the need for social media, so that is not the problem. It is mainly how I convince them that my way will be most beneficial for them. There are a lot of people in this area of work and there is very few barriers to enter the market. For goodness sake, I learned most of my skills from highschool and volunteering and I own a $300 graphics program package. That to me doesn’t seem like it stops anyone else from entering. Now, I will say that I am unique because of my willingness to work with companies that do not have money. I think they you can develop long-term customers by helping them when they truly need help. These startups are scrambling to better their product, attract customers, pay the bills, and stay open. They do not need to care about branding and advertising. If you show that you genuinely want them to do well, they will be customers for a long time.

Closing points:

What’s Next: I have been focusing a lot with campaigns and politics recently, but I am passionate about starting businesses and want them to be my area of expertise.

23. My Mom Says I'm Special

1. Graphic Design abilities:
V: This skill is valuable because so many people do not know how to properly use or have access to the expensive programs that I use to complete my work. I mean anyone could create logos using Word or paint, but someone who actually knows how to create these things, I know that the quality and customization is unmatched to the Adobe applications I use or other high market products.
R: Because of the digital age, and I touched on this previously, it's not really rare for people anymore and I have seen graphic artists insulted because people think they can match their quality.
I: This is not hard to imitate at all. If you give me a logo, I can recreate it pretty quickly. Even large corporations are using basic fonts that anyone has access to.
N: There are other resources that can produce lesser results, but having a good graphic artist can really make a precedent for the brand.

2. Having an extensive campaign background as a candidate:
V: This skill is valuable because a majority of consultants have not run for office or taken on an advertising campaign of their own and seen the effects on their business or candidacy. I have been in the spotlight and understand what candidates/businesses are going through.
R: I would say that in my field it is rare for consultants to have run for office. There are not many that come to mind, unless they are retired.
I: I think having a personal experience as a candidate can only be replicated if you are a candidate at some point. There is no way to understand the rigor unless you have done it before.
N: Having a lot of campaign experience may come close because if you have been doing it for a long time, you may have seen the toll it takes on candidates, but that is probably it.

3. Having a great background in social media and branding:
V: It is valuable in today's society because it is hard to flourish as a company without a good social media presence. I know that is how I consider businesses and services.
R: This is not rare at all because everyone today has a social media and some understanding of how to use it. Especially Millennials and the iGen, they have had these tools for most of their lives.
I: I think that everyone has their own opinions and form of social media involvement, so replication may be hard, just like communication in general.
N: Even though it cannot be imitated, similar ideas and methods are common so there are definitely other resources that can provide similar results.

4. Customer Service skills developed by Publix:
V: Creating customer value is something that we discuss in detail in class, so it is definitely a valuable skill to have.
R: Considering that Publix is a leader in customer service and have been so successful because of it, I would call some if it almost trade secrets because nobody can replicate our dedication to service.
I: Like I said, nobody can imitate the degree of customer service that we have as a company.
N: There are other forms of customer service that other companies have that are similar, but we are known for it, so I think Publix has something special.

5. Being an Economics and Political Science major:
V: I would not call these valuable because of the way that college is going. So many more people are going that these degrees are almost worthless but necessary to have any level of competition in the job market.
R: Like I alluded to, there are so many people in the same degrees as me that they are not rare at all.
I: Yes it is imitated, for everyone going to UF pursuing the same degrees.
N: Other schools offer the same degree, some do it better than UF, but most do it worse.

6. Young and motivated:
V: Being young and motivated are always valuable; we have a limited time to be in this state of our lives and we need to capitalize on our abilities now.
R: This is not rare, in fact, the Millennials now outnumber (even though I'm an iGen) the Baby Boomers. Now, those capitalizing on this time, that may be rare.
I: You can only imitate being young and motivated if you are in this stage of your life. However, once you leave your prime it is impossible to get it back, so some people cannot imitate it.
N: There are some older people that have more energy than young people and I applaud them and say that they cannot definitely have similar results. They may not be able to replicate a young person's ability to enter situations with an openness though.

7. almost 6 years of political experience:
V: It is probably not as valuable as people that have longer and better experience in the field than my limited capacity in these last 6 years.
R: Adding to the last note, it is not rare for anyone that works in politics.
I: Anyone can get involved in politics by volunteering for a campaign, interning in a political office, running for office, and a number of other ways to get involved in politics.
N: Like I said, there are many ways to garner these skills.

8. Strong communication skills:
V: I have noticed that in person communication skills are on the decline because of the rise of technology, so I would consider it of increasing valuable.
R: However, even if you are not born with the ability to have good communication skills, you can easily develop them and there are several courses that can help you.
I: I already kind of made the point, you can easily imitate the skills if you really want to.
N: The only substitute for this having a position or role that does not require much communication to be completed successfully.

9. Being well-connected with individuals in politics:
V: Considering that I work in politics it is crucial that I am in good standing and contact with these individuals.
R: Other than people that also work in the field, I would say that it is rare because most politicians do not give out their personal phone number to anyone. I have a lot of their phone numbers and have several meetings with them when I get the chance.
I: Like any other social capital, mine is not replicable specifically, so this is definitely something that aids in the value of this resource.
N: Obviously, people can create a web of contacts that are similar to mine, probably even better in some respects. So, that being said, this may make the resource not as valuable.

10. Not having a lot of financial capital:
V: It has its value because I have nothing to lose. I do not have a family to support, a lot of bills to pay, and responsibilities to uphold. If I really needed more financial support, I am still at a time where I have my parents as a resource.
R: It is not rare to be poor without a lot of assets.
I: Like I said, anyone can be poor without assets, but people typically prefer not to be. It only serves as an advantage to take that plunge into a business.
N: There are different ways to be poor, but I think a lot of people that are poor have large bills and debt to worry about. This is an even worse position to be in and probably harder to plunge into business in this condition.

The Best Resource: I think being young and motivated is my best resource. Because nobody can just become young, you need to work hard when you have the chance. I also feel that it is hard for people to learn work ethic. You are either born with it, or you are are not. The drive that someone has is hard to be taught once in the workforce. As a trainer for Publix, I can immediately tell the employees that are learning and will be great once they get used to it, and those that will always stay where they are. This class is all about working to build a business now, but to have the knowledge at such a young age is rare, so it is something that I want to use to my advantage. Also, not being in the field too long allows me to be creative and be able to expand on new ways to get our targets.

Friday, November 8, 2019

22. The Grand Finale

1. Here is the link to my video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGd8BDE_LAs

2. My last business pitch was my first one for my new company. I think it went very well and my feedback also mentioned this. I am happy to be doing something that I am passionate about rather than some novelty for a small section of Gainesville. After my book reflection, I had started thinking about how I could make my concept greater. How could I do something that creates real value. I took this book as feedback as well. I used it to think bigger about my company and realized that I need to market it as a community effort for the better of producers and consumers in our economy. I tried to capture that this time.

3. I knew that I did not have an ethos section last time and so I added that. I showed that I had a customer base and have done this before. I did not change much other than that from the second one. I still do not think that it is perfect, but it portrays much more passion than my first pitch. That one was awful and was in a market that I want nothing to do with. I would still like to develop this one into more of an investment/think tank company. I think that there is not enough creativity and innovation happening and so I think that this is a good foundation to achieve that. This is basically just feedback for myself and thoughts about my current progress.

Overall, I think that having a rehearsed elevator pitch is useful when you are trying to sell your company. Because mine is based on a service, I really have to be able to portray that I am competent and I think that my elevator pitch does that. I am excited to continue on this journey because I have improved how I sell myself. This has resulted in me selling decals to one client, reworking another's social media and website, continuing social media development for my original client, and increasing my abilities for the campaign that I am managing. Word of mouth is already spreading the work that I do which is how I was able to get the client's media/website, so I am excited about that. Using this framework, I am going to try to push myself and my company to some new markets using different tactics.

21. The Makers

Makers: The New Industrial Revolution

1. The general theme of the book was how we are currently in a time when anyone can be a part of the "making" in society. One of the primary examples that the author uses is his grandfather who invented the automatic sprinkler unit. He describes how he needed to patent it, license it to a manufacturer, and play by the terms of development and creation of the 20th century. However, he uses this anecdote to contrast it to contemporary society when anyone can do. There are fewer barriers to entry today than ever before. The digital age, 3D printers, and open sources have made it possible to compete with large manufacturers. Not to mention, the old analog version is only profitable in large sums. Today, we can serve niche markets that only require a few hundred. We are living in a time when children now have the opportunity to build in a new way. They are going to be swept into this digital age. Rather than learning shop or home economics. They are going to be coding, creating design, and developing products that they can see the fruition of. Overall, there is still time to be one of the pioneers of this period that will ultimately drastically change how we consume.

2. A lot of the book speaks to many of the topics that Dr. Pryor has spoken about. For example, the idea that we no longer live in the time of patents. There is a community to technology now and these open sources are ways that you can promote what you are doing. There are still ways to protect what you are doing without the expensive processes of the past. Another one of the things that I will speak about later is our ability to solve the issues that are bigger. I think that many of us fall into a belief that we do not have the resources to do something grand for many people. I think the novel and Dr. Pryor have argued the opposite. Especially in this time, we are at an advantage to be a maker. We need to just go out and do it. Rather than talk about what we can do or what we should do, we NEED TO DO. There are other topics such as a companies ability to use social capital to your advantage, use open innovation to get feedback and better develop your product, or how you thrive as you develop.

3. I think that this activity is far from possible with the amount of people who take the class, but I think that it would be incredible to partner with the 3D printers on campus and create something. The exercise would require looking at these open sources and based on what you see create something. From the idea, to the plans, to the design, to the final development and creation. After that, the final step could be the sale. I think an exercise like this would show how easy it is to enter markets today. Not only is is promoting a new skill, but it is getting us out of a small-growth mindset. There is something empowering about an exercise like this. It also promotes the DO IT attitude.

4. What I learned from the book is that I need to think on a greater scale. Where I am now is stuck. Business does not need to be about the profit (well it does eventually), but I think there is something about a business that is close to what Steve Jobs believed. We need to be worried about creating value for consumers. The book speaks about being committed to the open source and how with some items you should let others manufacture them cheaper. The example the book uses was a commodities design. If you're not passionate about it, let it go. Do something that has a greater value for people. I think that any of us can change the way the world functions, but we need to think bigger. We need to look for ideas that are crazy and impossible to many. We like comfort, and unfortunately, this is not how you change the world. That needs to be the underlying driver. We are at a time when punctuated innovation is due. The last revolutionary device was the iPhone and things haven't changed since.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

20. It's About Who You Know

Domain Expert in the Industry:

This person is someone who is in the market as well and owns a company doing similar work. However, since you cannot run every single campaign in a county, there is a large enough market to where we are not competitors. He has been in business for a few years now and have a pretty good record in the field. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and have a doctorate in political science. He also teaches at USF, so his education also makes him an expert in the field.

I have known him for a couple years now and have developed a relationship with him because he is the Chair of the Young Republicans in Citrus County. Because we have worked on things through that, I have added him to my social capital. We met going to the Citrus REC meetings and working on campaigns in the 2016 race.

We have not done any favors for each other yet, but I know that either of us could call and ask something of the other. I do not think that you need to do any favor for a person to solidify your relationship and use them as social capital. I know that if I ever needed information on starting they would be able to help me navigate the process.

Having this person in my social capital helps me because it is literally politics that we are working in. That is the most social networked industry that I can think of. This goes for donations, votes, development, and having a greater social capital. Knowing him will possibly help me gain a partner on some projects in the future or work different avenues to be most effective.

Expert in the Market:

This person is the Regional Coordinator for the Trump Victory team (including both Alachua County and my home county of Citrus). He worked with the campaign in the 2016 election and has a bigger role now. He graduated from a college in New York and is now trying to get into law school.

I met this person this year while at a Citrus REC meeting. That night I gave him my phone number because he wanted me to work with his team in Alachua County. We have now been working together for almost two months and have been developing a solid relationship that way.

Like I said, I have been working with him for the last two months. Because of this exchange, I have gained a lot of social capital with him. By volunteering to do voter registration, door knocking, events coordination, and other various tasks, not only am I gaining skills, but I am building value for him. As we get bigger and more prominent in the campaign, I would think this comes with benefits from them. Their recognition of our efforts would be incredible and I suspect that is what may happen.

Working with a national campaign rather than just local campaigns will help me build different relationships that I may need in the future. If I can get a few national contacts, I can build myself up behind the scenes and work for the right people. If I could exploit this I think that it would greatly benefit me in my aspirations.

Supplier to the Industry:

This person is a state-wide consultant who does not manage campaigns, but does a lot of graphic work, scripting, emails, letters, palm cards, and mailers. He has a much more extensive knowledge in these areas than I do. I know that he has been working in the industry for years and manages several PACs around the state. He has a large social capital that could benefit me in the future.

I actually just met him during this election cycle because the campaign that I am managing contracted him to do some of our consultation. He has helped me complete the palm card and we will be working on a personal letter to members of the community soon. I met him once at a meeting in Citrus so that we could establish contact. He has been working with my client for almost 10 years now, so they have a pretty good relationship and I am working on having one with him. We text, call, and email frequently which is helping us develop a better relationship.

Once again, because he is getting paid, I do not think that we have done favors necessarily, but we have done work for the campaign. So, we understand the reason we are working together to get projects done and I suspect that we will work even closer together for future campaigns. The better we develop our relationship this election cycle the easier time we will have on future campaigns.

Because he has a network around the entire state, he is a valuable resource to have. My opportunity would be expanding to different areas in the state. Because he does not do much of the hands-on work with campaigns, he may pass my contact along to help people with a more readily available boots on the ground contact and still use him for other consultation purposes. Knowing him may help me grow in the market and learn different aspects of what clients are looking for when they run in these races.

Reflection:

I really like networking, but I think that a lot of it is superficial. There is not much that actually leads to real connections. Over the years, I have probably handed out around 400-500 business cards, but do not consider everyone I have given them to as part of my social network. So this experience has been unique because I got to reflect on the relationships that I have and how I can use them to my advantage as I expand in the future. If you know how valuable your assets are then you can better work with them and utilize them. Like Dr. Pryor said, we neglect our social network which does not make sense because it is probably one of the most valuable things that we have. With that being said, I am curious how networking like this could be done on a greater scale. Rather than just developing contact with three people, why not develop an entire rolodex using this method. I may have to do that because it will help me expand faster and really learn the industry.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

19. New Business, New Napkin

Bare with me as I continue to try to learn how do draw using my iPad and Apple Pencil. I learned how to use some new tools as I went along in making this, I tried different opacities and textures in places, so I had a great time with it. Realize, "Lahera" was the first thing written, so I think it got better after that. This skill could actually help me with my business because of the basis of the business. As you can see my caricature made a reappearance in this Idea Napkin.

1. I think that this portion is not really changed for me because I started maneuvering towards this business while writing my last napkin idea. I knew that I did not want to be in the ice cream business and so I started talking about how I could use the skills that I do have to make a business that would flourish. I knew that through my involvement in political campaigns and running for office myself that I had a public relations/campaigning background. And at the end of the day, all a campaign is is one big public relations project. With that being said, I knew that I excelled at social media, graphics, and vinyl work. Now that I have shifted to this business, I would like to see it develop into something that aids small businesses in their pursuit for brand awareness. Eventually, I would like to transfer into investment where we work side by side with small organizations, particularly STEM, and help them compete with the current giants. The current system allows the giant companies to invest in small firms and then absorb them when they get what they want. I feel this limits the development of the market, and I think I have the avenues through this to correct that.

2. I am sure that we have all seen the companies who either start their business page on a profile on Facebook or if they can figure out how to make a business page, they don't have a good brand to make the profile or cover photo. They also may not have used it since starting their business, which I understand because they are probably busy selling product. However, there is so much potential with social media or any form of advertising campaign that will help them get where they want to be as a company. So, I'll solve customer needs by creating a brand for them, logos, cover photos, graphics, t-shirts, decals, etc. and run their social media accounts, email, and direct mail lists. We will revenue share all of the increases that they see from new sales. I will even try to help them set up a shop on Facebook to help expand even more.

3. I am selling to small business, startups, entrepreneurs across the state of Florida. Because this is a primarily media-based I can work with people that may not be geographically close. For example, right now I manage a campaign in Citrus County which is about an hour and a half SW of Gainesville. Because of technology today, I think that I can pretty much stretch my business out pretty far. I also do not see myself starting a brick-and-mortar for this concept because of the decline they are seeing. It is much harder to be profitable when you have so many extra, unnecessary costs. My customers will all be people so busy to handle their marketing or not media knowledgable enough to do it on their own. As someone who frequently creates graphic art, I can tell you that people are either trying to figure out how to do these things themselves or they are finding someone with little skill to do it for them. I'm no expert, but there are just some logos that I look at and cringe because of the quality. Personality wise, I think all of my customers are eager to expand and build themselves up and place themselves behind a brand that they can be proud of.

4. Customers will not have to pay me right off the bat. They can pay me once they are getting paid. With that being said, I am valuable to them, once they start seeing some value added to their company. People recognizing the brand and shopping there because of it, people going on and using their online platform to order products, or seeing an advertising and buying goods through that. This concept for my business will help me also because it makes the customer feel like there is little risk involved and they can work to pay me without having to break the bank. I know graphics/advertising tends to be expensive, but this is an affordable way to attain them.

5. Having run for office, I know what it is like to manage all of your self-promotion by yourself. It is very difficult and you do not have a lot of people that can do it for you. Because I have been in a similar place I think that helps in the process. I am also young which allows me to possibly see things from a different perspective than most business owners and show them the value of increasing their web of connections at a low cost. Today, everything is about the brand that you put forward, it has always been important, but I think that fact is more so today. With my current connections and ability to communicate, I have the energy to see people grow and the drive. You really cannot fake passion, and if you try, I think you'll fail. I truly want to help small businesses and I think that is what sets me apart.

Overall, I think that with this business concept I am much more put together and able to execute it to its fullest potential. Not to mention, I am much more passionate about helping small businesses grow rather than selling ice cream to people on the street corner. There are still some weak points that I want to work out. For example, I want to also create merchandise for these people (i.e. shirts, stickers, decals, etc.). Do I clump it in with my consultation and media, or do I start a separate subsidiary LLC that deals with that. In the long run, the latter option might be better, just so that I can focus more on the holistic idea of building the brand for people, and allow someone to manage the merchandising portion of the company. In reality, I think the focus of the company would get muddled if I attempt to link both together on all projects. Also, if the merchandising side only deals with clients of the brand side, it may not be a profitable revenue driver. This is the biggest thing that I can think of that I need to sort out as I move along in the process, but I am much happier with where I am now.

Because I had a different idea for the last napkin, there is not much feedback to compare. The Creamed Gator was a terrible idea even if nobody was willing to tell me. That's the feedback that I can give myself. I did, however, this time include a picture that I think brings more elements together and allows the audience to visualize what I am referring to. I am glad that idea is far behind me and will not ever be considered again. If someone wants to try it and take it, more power to you. I am much more satisfied doing consultation in an area that I am comfortable. Maybe that's the feedback that I needed from myself, more of a realization if you will.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

18. I Don't Know What I Drew

In honor of the Catalina Macbook OS update, I decided I would use my extended screen to attempt to draw using my Apple Pencil. The guy I drew looks crazy, but I think he is because I am targeting starting entrepreneurs. These are pretty crazy folks and I think my drawing captures that.

Let me start by describing my creation. He looks crazy because he is a young entrepreneur who has not slept in days. His shirt looks wrinkled and disheveled. His hair is out of sorts because he does not have time to think about personal appearances, he has a company to run. Now he does want to come off as professional which is why he is wearing a polo, but you'll notice he gave up a corporate lifestyle to be much more comfortable. This is why he adopted cargo shorts (He needs the extra pockets) and tennis shoes. He thinks that this presents a more personable persona to his customers. Not that he has many customers yet, but he's optimistic. You'll see that he is giving a thumbs up and a smile because he knows his idea will be the one to change not only his life, but that of all of this customers. You may also notice his smartphone, it shows his want to interact with this market using the internet, but he needs help with that. His phone is clearly 4 model years old, and he has never considered social media as a tool. As for his shirt, because his business is new (and he doesn't have any money), he does not have a logo, he'll need someone for that too. Now the money sticking out of his pocket, is from his first sale. He is so proud of it that he wants the world to know that he is a force to reckon with.

With his 16 hour days dedicated to his business, he does not have time for hobbies. He used to enjoy going to the movies with his girlfriend, but she left him after he quit his job to start a business. He still loves her, but knows that his business needs to come first. As for his car, you can see that below:

He drives a 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass. I don't know why other than the fact that it was a car that I don't like. I just think this car is something that has like 250K miles on it. It is missing a headliner and the steering wheel is ripping. The seats are not comfortable and the spring is sticking out of the back seat. He is probably a Chevy guy even though Oldsmobile dissipated in the early 2000's. He appreciated the fact that Chevrolet used Oldsmobile to be innovative and try new products for the Cadillac. Other than that, he drives the car because all of his money goes to his business. He cannot think about a new car when he needs his new business to grow. He doesn't watch TV anymore because of the business of course, but he enjoyed Shark Tank. He thinks that a very good show for business, but what does he know, he's never run a business before.

I do not know where politics come into play with this, so let's call him a moderate that does not care about Presidential elections but is friends with some of the city commissioners. He does not like some of the policies being put in place in this country to help big businesses and wants to be able to pay ZERO taxes for YEARS like Amazon. That infuriates him because he is working hard and pays taxes and feel betrayed by the government for giving all of his money to big corporations. Good thing he does not know that the government bailed out GM during the recession or he may be a proud Ford owner. Maybe, as his consultant, I should tell him and then we can get him into one of these beautiful trucks.

This is a 2004 Ford Ranger, one of the most reliable cars that anyone could drive. I just had to make a personal plug because that was my truck until it burned down on Hwy. 200. It was part of my sound system, but that besides the point.

Back to the guy, I think that he can be any age, but he will always feel young because of his drive and want to work.

As for my personal relation to the customer avatar. I can say that I feel for him and want him to be successful at that what he is doing. However, if you really want to know, this is how I see myself.

I do not think that the avatar and myself have much in common in terms of looks. I am a bigger guy, that tries to keep myself put together and does not really like to appear disheveled. Professionalism is very important for me. However, it seems as though we both portray the same level of enthusiasm for what we are doing. We are just trying to be happy and not get stuck in a corporate structure. In terms of my car, I currently drive a 2011 Ford Mustang Convertible all black, but if my truck had not burned down, I would still probably be in that. I can see the pride between the avatar and myself and the want to do great things. Overall, I do not think these are coincidences because we want to help and serve people that are like us. In many instances, we think of solutions for problems that heavily affect us. In this case, I am a young entrepreneur who wants to help other young entrepreneurs succeed and build their market.

I do not know how accurate this assignment is, but it was fun being able to build on some spontaneity. Promote where we think that we can build a market and see it come to fruition in our mind.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

17. Take 2

Here is a business pitch with my new idea, so I am looking forward to your feedback.

If video playback doesn't work this is the link: https://youtu.be/4EVg0UgM3e4

2. Well last time, I realized that there were other elements to include and to use to keep the audience interested and listening to your pitch. This time I tried to encompass all of those elements in the video and get to my point quicker. I do not think that this one was as enthusiastic, but that is primarily because this is a much more serious topic to talk about. I still liked the props because that was very popular last time. I also think I looked a little too stiff last time, so I decided to go with a brighter more open outfit. Please let me know if that affected my professionalism.

3. I made sure that I was speaking faster to get more in. I think that I was clearer this time and had a good hook to keep the audience interested. Not necessarily feedback, but listening to other business pitches I was glad to take what they did and incorporate it into my video. Like I said in the last paragraph, I felt stiff personally, and I think this outfit makes me seem more open-minded and welcoming. I tried to keep the same use of hands, but that is just more normal speaking mannerisms. I am very happy to have implemented every portion of a business pitch into this idea, but I would like to see even more last time. After several takes that came to this same length and depth, so that is definitely something I want to improve on last time.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

16. You NEVER Truly "Know" Yourself

Part 1: Let me start of by getting a little philosophical with all of you. I think that it is hard to understand yourself until you look back on your life at an old age. We as humans are constantly changing and becoming a new person, one that is foreign to our previous forms. I came this realization after reading the Steve Jobs novel where we did not start about until he was close to 30 years old. That is 10 years older than me. He tried to find himself, and even lived in his veil of deception into late in his life. He recalled events differently than everyone else and was not something that he was always proud of. These are natural feelings as humans which is why I hate to put myself on a pedestal with this assignment. I literally know very little about myself and there are people in my lives who have known me before my memories allow me to remember myself. Even these individuals only know about 19 years of my story. Realistically, I only know maybe 13-14 years. If I live for 85 years, I only know about 15% of my development, life, story, and human capital.

With my point made, let me begin to try to describe my human capital:

1. I think that my presence is unique in a room. I have always been a very enthusiastic person. If you have been in class with me, you know that I laugh and smile a lot. I see people who use this as an act, but I genuinely find that I am just happy to be around other people. It is hard to articulate, but I like seeing joy and humor in most situations. I remember the night my car burned down the fireman said to me, "We don't suspect foul play". I quickly responded with, "Well, I hope not, I just put in a new sound system" and I laughed. Other emotions were displayed that night, but in that moment, it felt most appropriate to laugh about something. I don't consider this optimism because I am very pessimistic, but maybe I display myself in a satirist fashion.

2. Everything I do in life, I think I display a larger than life presence. There are many times that I think this world is much smaller than it actually is. Frequently, I think people try to pull me back to reality, but I truly think rationality has destroyed our evolutionary development. I have such an idealism that I have had since I was a kid. I knew in 5th grade that I wanted to be THE President of the United States. Most people give up on dreams like that by probably the end of middle school beginning of high school. I ask myself frequently why I did not give up on that dream. I think that part of it is my faith in God providing for me in life. However, I also think that it is because I have a why not attitude. Even if it doesn't happen, I can die trying and build myself into something else just as respectable.

3. There are times that I think I am too cold and withdrawn especially in situations that require empathy. Maybe its because I have not had to deal with any form of traumatic experience in my life (i.e. losing a close family member) or it is because I don't like being in a state that require the use of that range of emotions. I do not know if this is an pro or con in terms of attributes, but I find it interesting. I can see where this could be to my benefit, but I could also see where this hurts my relationships with my peers. I would have to ask other people if they see this in me as well.

4. I feel like I have undiagnosed ADHD. This is in no way to be taking as insulting towards those who are diagnosed, but I find that I cannot clearly remain on a certain task. This has proven to my benefit because I can show creativity in many different ways. If anyone were to see how I work, I truly think they would be confused. I hardly work on assignments in one piece without getting sidetracked by something much less important. I could be writing an email to go out to an entire list, but if I want to develop a nice graphic that will pair with it, I will stop everything to pursue that next task. Until, like all other work I do, I get frustrated. I will quit something temporarily if it does not meet my standards in that moment. This mostly results in forcing my concentration under the stress of procrastination, but I cannot work in any other way. There are times when I have hyper-focus and ignore everything around me and times, I don't have any. I do not know if it is my idealism or lack of focus, but it definitely affects my work habits.

5. Finally, I think that I am an old soul that is stuck in this young body. Something I came up with while listening to AC/DC and Metallica Dr. Pryor mentioned this on the first day I was in class, but I have always looked at myself this way as well. I find it hard to identify with contemporary culture because of my love and appreciation for what was in the past. Even in my previous post I have complained about America losing its coolness and ability to do awesome things the rest of the world wishes they could have. My entire life I have found myself more able to connect with the adults around me than those my age. I do not know what the root of this is, but I know its creates bias on how I think and connect with people. I need to either find how that personality trait is useful our society or find a way to drop it. I have always acted much older than I am, but as someone once told me, my skills are not their yet. They are 100% right when they say that. How do I get the two to interact and work harmoniously with each other.

Part 2: Link to Interviews: https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-lahera/sets/ent-3003-assignment-16

Interview #1 (https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-lahera/interview-1-my-grandmother) My first interview was with my grandmother who will always have everything nice to say about you. However, in reality, if there is anyone who knows me it is this wonderful women who I call my grandmother. After I was born and my parents went back to work she raised me until I went to preschool. Even since then she has been my rock and the one that I turn to in difficult situations. I know that she wants to see me to my best in this world and do things that she would have never imagined could be done by someone stemming from her and her family as Italian immigrants.

Interview #2 (https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-lahera/interview-2-my-mother): While on the phone with my grandmother, I did an interview with my mom, another person who knows me the best. This interview is funny because I think that our personalities are very similar in that we can fight and be stubborn for causes that we believe are critical. With that being said, I think that she had been honest to me my entire life even if I do not want to hear the truth which is why I value her opinion so greatly.

Interview #3 (https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-lahera/interview-3): This was from someone who I have only known for about a year and a half, but I have developed such a bond with them that I feel they could accurately describe me. He is an entrepreneur who I have been following and working with for the past year and a half. He has given me a lot of advice and watched me mature, grow, and develop on the campaign trail. He wanted to add a comment to his interview about how I always listen to those older than me for their wealth of knowledge so that I can continue to expand my skills.

Interview #4 (https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-lahera/interview-4-commissioner-jimmie-t-smith): I have worked with Jimmie for 5 years and started as a Messenger in Tallahassee for him, then as an intern in his office, later as a youth coordinator for this 2016 campaign, and now his campaign manager for 2020. He too has had the opportunity for me to work with my human capital and master its abilities when dealing with government officials and the general public. I have developed a deep bond with him, and we have a great understanding of each other at this point which is why I selected him.

Interview #5 (https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-lahera/interview-5-my-father): Not because I thought about him last minute, but because he has been busy, I used my dad as my last interview. He mentions that we have not gotten along in terms of politics, but I have persuaded him and now we still have discussions with critical thinking. He has helped me expand my human capital through his abilities in how competent he is with his hands. I have worked with him as we fix cars, renovate portions of the house, do garage doors, and many other tasks. I have learned a lot from him and he too has really added to my capabilities as an individual.

Part 3: There are parts of their lists that I think are very accurate and then there I things that I do not view myself as. I am glad that people see the attributes that they mentioned because they are very noble, but I don't know they seem very idealistic and place me on some sort of pedestal. As much as I like the spotlight, I do like to have some level of realism when it comes to how I regard myself. With that being said, I am always growing and want to try to remain humble. If that is how they see me great, it means that I am striving and working on where I need to be later in life. I do not want to let what they said affect me in any way. That is how ego develops and that is something that is hard to get rid of once established. I have seen it develop in people and I think that is not true happiness or satisfaction in ones self. All that does is set you up for a greater, INEVITABLE failure. The similarities that I can appreciate was my ability to work under pressure, my kind nature towards others, and my want to learn and grow. If we are not trying to learn and grow at every stage of our life, we are letting the American Dream die and allowing evolution to come to a halt.