20A- Growing social capital

What’s up blog,

For this post, I contacted three individuals who also have deal with private parking around UF campus. I was able to do this because I have started working at the Standard Gainesville, which has a 10 story parking facility with public parking. 

The Domain Expert I chose for this is named Rick W. He is the maintenance supervisor at the Standard. He is an expert on our parking garage, and all of the technical details that go in to it. He has worked in facility maintenance for a long time, and is very knowledgeable about the building and parking facility. He can tell you the right square foot for a spot size, and can tell you the inner workings of a gate system. I met Rick through my work, and we have a professional relationship where I assist him and he assists me on tasks needing to be done. He could offer me advice on the technical aspects of parking and provide mechanical insight vs. business insight. 

The Market Expert I chose for this is Rob M. He is the general manager of the Standard, and has transformed our parking situation. He is knowledgeable of the student market here, and knows what it takes to get revenue traffic in the garage. He has worked in student housing for many years, which is directly related to student parking. I also work with him on a daily basis, and we have a similar professional relationship to Rick and myself. He could provide me market insight and or suggestions on generating traffic. 

The supplier I chose is John at HD Supply. John is our facilities maintenance rep at the Standard, and he allows are maintenance team to keep the apartments and parking garage in top shape. Any kind of technical or mechanical product, he has and will provide. I met him during this spring  when we were renovating the building, and he was on sight many days. We have a working relationship and The Standard does a lot of business with HD. He could definitely supply me with the mechanical products needed to maintain any parking facility that I have. 

This experience for me was different than traditional networking events, as I was able to created professional relationships with these people in a hands on, real world environment. This is not professional development, but rather actual business contacts that I have. Furthermore, I receive advice from these people on a daily basis, rather than having to ask for it as a favor. 

19A- Idea Napkin #2

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Here is my idea napkin #2 about parking at UF.

In the napkin I discuss who I am, what I am offering, who I'm offering it to, why they care, and what sets me apart.

The feedback for my previous napkin was mainly that it needed more words. For this napkin, I tried to incorporate that suggestion. I had words for each sections.

Another feedback I got was that I should show how my connection to my customer base was strong. Thus, I explained on the new napkin that I was once a student who struggled with parking, and I know how many students are in need of a solution!

18A- My avatar

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Heres a description of my prototypical customer:

• Female UF undergrad student
• Drives a volkswagen sedan
• Live in apartment 3-4 miles from campus
• Is a straight A student
• Participates in a club sport and is a SGA Senator 
• Attends every home basketball game

This description is an accurate representation of my customer base. Female students are less likely to park illegally on the street near campus, and will try to find a spot where their car won't get towed. Guys however, will likely not want to pay a meter and take their chances. They drive a regular sedan because they are middle class, and may not able to afford living right by campus, and must commute. They are determined to better themselves, and commute to campus everyday for various amounts of time, as they are focused on studying and being involved. They are also a passionate gator fan and make sure not to miss any home games. All of these things require a commute to campus in an efficient amount of time, which my parking solution will allow her to accomplish. 

While I am a guy, this customer and I have a lot in common. We both try to be involved as much as possible, and before I lived in midtown, I had a lot of issues with parking. The reason I know so much about this parking need is because I used to have it myself, with no solution available. As a result, I can connect with my customers on a personal level.

Here's an avatar of someone fitting my description 

17A- Elevator Pitch #2

Whats up blog,

Here is my second elevator pitch. It discusses my parking solution proposal.

In my previous pitch, I received feedback regarding my solution. People asked how I was going to charge, if I would tailor solutions to students, etc. These are all questions I attempted to answer in this pitch now. Overall, the constructive feedback allowed me to grow. 

This pitch is much better than the last one because I prepared more extensively, and also I laid out my exact plans, and discussed 3 ways parking will be improved over the current situation at UF. Furthermore, the pitch was more organized and my thoughts were more concise. 

16A- My secret sauce

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My secret sauce, or what makes me different, is that I am persistent on achieving my goals until I succeed, no matter what happens in between. 5 ways of my human capital that reflect this are:

1.     I am a communicator. I am upfront with everyone, I let them know what my intentions are from the start, and what I expect from them

2.    I am a task manager. From a young age, I have always prioritized different things according to what my current goal is. 

3.    I am a problem solver. Give me any problem, and if its something that interests me or requires me to solve, I will work tirelessly until I complete it. 

4.    I am compassionate. I have always and will always try to put myself in others positions before I make a decision that affects them

5.    I am a winner. I work to be the best at everything I do. If I cant be the best, I sit down and figure what I need to do to be the best. 

I interviewed 5 people regarding my human capital.

1.    My mother. I asked her about my personality and how I relate to those traits that I stated above. She stated that even from a young age, I was always able to communicate what I wanted to her. Additionally, she stated that I liked to play with Legos, because I could build multiple projects at one time, and solve the puzzles without using the directions. Furthermore, I was always nice to others, and I worked to be the best at swimming. This interview was important to me because my mother provides a unique perspective. She knows me better than anyone and can accurately describe my traits. 

2.    The second person I interviewed was my grandfather. He talked about the times when all my cousins were together. I was always the loudest, and I always wanted to win any game we played and to be the “best”. I appreciate this interview because my grandfather was able to compare me to my peers from an early age. Whereas for my mother, I was an only child so there was no constant comparison.

3.    The third person I interviewed was my girlfriend. She discussed times when we argued, how I would sometimes be upset until I won the argument. However, she also stated that I wanted to be a good partner, and would work to correct my mistakes if I made them. This is important because she gives me her honest opinion every time. She will be the first person to call me out if I make a mistake. 

4.    The fourth person I interviewed was my Aunt. She described me as one of her only relatives that reaches out on a regular basis to check in on her. She said this emphasizes my passion and communication skills. This perspective was important because it comes from a person I only see twice per year. They must rely on their impressions of me, because they don’t see me on a daily basis.

5.    The final person I interviewed was my father. He compared my traits to those of his colleagues in his industry. He talked about how my communication skills will assist me in business and that my drive will make me successful. I put a high value on this interview as my dad is the person I am closest to. I always can go to him for advice and I know he will give me his honest opinion without judgement. 

In these interviews, I really tried to accomplish getting a true perspective about myself from others. It seems that there is a general consensus about my communication, problem solving, and desire-to-win traits. With that said, the main benefit of this exercise was to realize what traits I can use to my advantage in the future. 

15A- Buyer Behavior #2

What’s up blog, 

This week, I interviewed three different people, to evaluate potential alternatives to my solution. This will allow me to evaluate 

The first individual is named Jenny. She is a friend of mine who commutes to campus and works as a teaching assistant. She has to commute to campus for her personal classes, for the lectures she assists teaching with, and for various meetings/other events. As she is still an undergrad, she has issues with parking on campus as well. She currently uses UF’s park and ride system, but is unhappy with it. I asked her what solution she would use if parking near campus wasn’t an option. She complained about using public transportation, especially because she teaches at night, and often feels unsafe about the bus. Furthermore, she has to walk 1 mile to the bus stop from her apartment, which makes her feel very uncomfortable at night. She said her best option would to uber from her apartment, but it is not cost effective, and she is already struggling with student loans.

The next person I talked to was Jared. He is in my fraternity, but lives down 13^thstreet 2 miles from Shand’s. When I asked him about his commute, he also tries to park near or on campus, but doesn’t have a permanent solution. He claims that he has a UF Park and Ride decal, but doesn’t like using the system as he has to go way out of his way to get to class. He tries to find parking on the street near sorority row and mid town, but often gets tickets and has been towed 3 times. I asked him what he would do if he could no longer park near campus. He said he would probably commute via bike to campus, however he did that over the summer and would often have to ride through heavy rain, which is unsafe and inconvenient. 

The final person I interviewed was Joe. Joe works at a restaurant in downtown Gainesville. However, his shift starts just 30 minutes after he has class. Additionally, he currently walked 1.5 miles to class. He stated that if he could drive to campus, he would save a ton of time, as he could keep his work clothes in his car and just drive to work. However, at the moment, he must walk home then scramble to get to work. I asked him if there was another solution he could use. He stated he could ride his bike as well, but that the streets he has to ride on have heavy traffic and a small shoulder, making him feel unsafe. 

Overall, there are not many solutions to the campus parking situation. Students do not have the financial means to ride share everywhere, nor are all the streets and weather conducive for bike riding. Even with the alternatives presented, none seemed like a viable solution and the people I interviewed were not enthusiastic about them.