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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.  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.

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.

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.

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.