Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity: 

            Children and young adults today are becoming more fascinated with sports every year. America has a set of sports that people become obsessed with, therefore children go after those sports with passion, leaving the lesser known sports in the dust. Golf is an interesting game, and it has captured the lives of many people. Without young adults and children getting into the game, the sport itself will become stagnant, not able to keep up with the other sports around it. The potential customers are young adults and children, needing  to find a sport they like and enjoy as well as learn to become good at it. Golf isn’t like basketball or football, it doesn’t require you to be strong, tall, or fast. It is a kid friendly game that is open to anyone. The market isn’t defined by gender or age, and advertises itself by the pure beauty that is a golf course. The opportunity to open up a junior golf tour that gets kids addicted to the game, while also making it competitive for older young adults to pursue their dreams of one day playing golf in college is a window that can be open at all times. Customers need a cheap and discounted experience that is also fun and satisfying. Golf can be a hard game, and it is my job to make it less intimidating. 

Innovation: 

            This program is all about creativity and competition. Together, these two values make this program separate from other junior golf tours in that is brings young children up to play the game, and develops them into becoming a great competitor. This is similar to what could possibly be called a “school for golf”, in that young kids will learn the basics, play with equipment that makes the game much easier as well as as making a “par” that can show progress. The older kids will play a “golf tour” that is similar to the PGA tour, with “Majors” and “Tour Championships”. Once there are good golfers on the tour, this reputation will lead to colleges wanting to recruit from these specific tournaments. Membership in this tour would require money, but also get discounts at area golf courses as well as college recruiting tips and discounted equipment. Tournaments would cost a separate fee as well, and there would be exemptions for players who are past champions of tournaments or championship leaders. The young kids group would work almost like boy scouts, where you earn medals or skills to bring you to the next level. Once that child is ready to compete, he or she can choose what tournaments they want to play in, and they will be put with their certain age group. Tournaments would come in a package deal, making them cheaper that\n AJGA or SJGT tournaments. The average tournament(AJGA) would cost around $300, but with a package deal a golfer can pay $300 for 2 tournaments, and a lesson with a golf coach. Memberships would range based on what level a child is at.

Venture Concept:

            I believe the customer would switch to this program because junior golf tours can be extremely complicated to navigate and pay for. When I was a junior golfer, I played on three different tours, paid for three different memberships, and also paid for each tournament. I always wished there was a tour that could just do all of this in one, while also getting smaller kids into the game. One tour I was on was called The First Tee of Northwest Florida, that brought kids up and taught them golf. They would also go play on a separate tour where they were able to look up to the older kids like myself and get inspired to win tournaments. Kids are motivated by competition and kids that are older than them. Having a single program that streamlines a child from learning to play the game, to working their way up and spectating, to finally being able to compete for themselves is a great way to keep kids interest in golf throughout their childhood. The classes would also include lessons on the industry itself, so a young adult about to go to college can look into what field they may want to go into if competing doesn’t work out. The weaknesses of this would be in the very beginning, trying to convince parents that this tour is better and more streamlined than the others. Once the prestige of the tour is built, more and more colleges and great junior players will look into playing in tournaments. I would organize this business by having assistant tournament directors directing the different types of events. I would have photographers photographing the kids to post on social media. I would also hire rules officials to support any rules issues we had, and finally I would hire a few golf coaches from area courses to work with me in bringing the kids discounted lessons and clinics. All in all, I would need about 3-5full-time employees, and 4-6 part-time employees to run the program

Minor Elements: 

            I believe my most import resource in order to make this work would be to make this tour feel like a family rather than just a tour. A lot of times junior tours act like they don’t care enough about the growth of the game, rather just getting the best players to play their tournament. I would make sure every child and family feels welcome at every event. I would like for this tour to eventually work its way in helping high school athletes become collegiate athletes, and work on making this tour a Junior World Golf Rankings program. In 5 years, I would want for the best juniors in the nation to play my tournaments, to inspire the young kids to be as great as them. This will in term keep young kids excited about that game, and continuing to grow the sport I love.

Revisions: 
     I actually didn't get any feedback that would require me to change my concept. I really put thought into my venture and I'm very happy that I have come up with something that people respect and have good things to say about. One person said that this concept could work worldwide, which was something I hadn't thought about. However this would be something that would have to be attained if my business is really successful, and it may be out of my range as far as how long it may take to get to that point. Because of the good comments but not much feedback on change, I decided to keep it as is. I read though the venture once more and thought that it was a solid start, one that I could definitely get rolling if I ever decided to. This was a great project, and I enjoyed the development and steps it took to get to this point. 

Reading Reflection No. 3

Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonalds by Ray Kroc

      This was a very interesting read, and it was actually my second choice behind Steve Jobs, which is what I wrote about for my first reflection. The making of McDonalds is a huge deal for America, and it is a place where all of us have gone to, or still go to as college students trying to save a little bit of money. It surprise me that the two titans of industry who created McDonalds didn't see eye to eye on many things, and that despite these issues the company continued to run like a well oiled machine. I admired that Ray Kroc was so driven to complete his goals, however I wasn't impressed with how he let it effect his personal life the way it did, especially with his business partner. This relationship between Ray and Harry was extremely controversial, however Ray was able to keep a sound mind through all of this, take control, and turn this company into what it is today.
     The core competencies that Ray showed were ones of determination. He was never afraid to go after something, whether it be a networking connection, a business idea, or a controversial decision he was forced to make. Because of this value, he was able to push away he competitors and people that were dragging him down so that the business would be the most successful he could make it. Although this came at a price, by loosing family members, close friends, and even his wife, whom he left for another married women. The point of this competency, whether it be good or bad, is that he didn't let anyone get in his way.
    Nothing was really confusing to me about this reading. The only thing that I could think of that made me raise my eyebrows were that fact that Ray and Harry were trying to work on two different aspects of the business, meaning hamburgers and real estate, but for some reason when they jumped the line to help each other their personalities didn't let them take advice from each other. This made for a very sticky situation for years to come.
      If I had two questions for Kroc, I would ask him if he would ever consider making these meals healthier for the general public so that we don't have an obesity crisis, and I would also ask how they found the supplier for their famous french fries. The fries are still delicious and I crave them every week. McDonalds actually announced this week that they were getting rid of their artificial preserves in their chicken nuggets. I would really like to ask him about this because I don't think the foresaw the issues with what their burgers would cause for people who sometimes don't have a lot of self control...... like myself.
    I would like to think Kroc worked so hard throughout his career that he may have forgotten what wasn't hard work. This is how I want to be someday with whatever I get myself into. I feel like the harder you work, the more normal it feels to have the drive that he had from day to day. College has really brought out this aspect in me, and I am looking forward to continue working hard when I earn my degree and start my career.

Final Reflection

      As I look at my blog, I found it really easy to figure out which project stuck out to me the most. We'll have to go way back to the second week of class, to the project titled "Bug List". The Bug List was a great project that really got me into the class while also getting my mind churning. It gave me a feel for how I had to critically think for this class throughout the year. It was extremely difficult to think about 20 different "Bugs" that I had in my life. Though most of my bugs were due to the fact that I was driving back home, and that I was dealing with some really bad drivers at the time. As far as my most proud accomplishment, I think that just completing my venture was a huge goal of mine. Really developing my ideas made me think more entrepreneurial.
     I do believe that I have developed more a mindset for this type of career. I feel like I was just going with the flow before this class, and now I realize that I am going to have to step it up and put myself out there in order to be successful in anything I do. I feel like I have moved one step closer in developing my personality so that way one day I will be able to have the skills to develop good business decisions and solid networking with whatever company I associate myself with.
     The one thing I would improve about this class is reduce the amount of interview projects. After a while, the experience gets a little repetitive. Though it is the most difficult part of this class, I think we could possibly think of some ways to replace the projects with different ideas that could make us more well rounded. Maybe instead of talking to people we don't know, we can talk to people we do know, or we could find peer reviewed articles from professionals that could replace some of the interviews. The interviews serve a great purpose and they are a great part of the class, but I don't think that there should be as many as there are now.
     This was a great class, and I had a great experience with all the projects. I feel like I learned more than I would have in a normal exam run class and I'm sure people feel the same way I do.

Making It Real

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DaTTj2jo6iP35BuJxbwT5pXfyDPSqVWQmUEUUKqU0wA/edit?usp=sharing

My Exit Strategy

1) I intend on staying with my Junior Golf Tour for decades to come. I believe that this business is not about selling to the highest bidder, but that I will have an influence on junior golf for the years to come. I would need to stay as long as possible to ensure that my program grows and reaches across the nation to the best junior golfers so that they can further their career.

2) As stated before, I believe I have a duty to grow the game. The easiest way to grow the game is to get more kids involved, and also keep them involved throughout their grade school career. I won't be able to grow the game in just a few years, and will need to stay in the program for decades to ensure the steady growth of my program and the game. I don't know what I would do if I let another person run the business I created.

3) I believe that my exit strategy definitely influences most decisions I've made on this particular venture. With my goal in growing the game the program is based upon, I would have dedicated my life to making sure this program is successful. Making sure that I am able to watch these young kids grow not only in height and age, but with their passion for the game would be something that would obviously take me more than a few years. With that, having a long career, retiring at a decent age, and running the program I created with help from many people over the years, this is an exit strategy I firmly stand behind in order to achieve my goals .

Celebrating Failure

1) This semester I attempted to practice as hard as I could to qualify for the state golf tournaments. I decided that I needed to stop seeing a golf instructor, and work on my golf swing on my own. At first, it worked very well, as I was able to qualify for the first two tournaments I entered. However, due to the fact that I wasn't taking care of my body, and I was swinging incorrectly, I ended up hurting my back, causing me to miss out on the remainder of the season. I am still recovering as I am writing this, and I can't wait to get back to swinging the club again!

2) I learned that I have a great self motivation skill when I want something really bad, however a little guidance can really help me in the long run and stop me if I'm making mistakes.

3) I believe failure is very humbling. One moment you could be on top of the world, the next you can be down in the dirt. It teaches you more life lessons than any type of success could give you. The most successful people in this world use failure as a tool to move ahead and let it open new doors in their future. When I get back to hiting golf balls, I will have learned a lot more about my game and physical ability. This past year I've had some pretty big failures, ones that I expected not to happen. I feel like I handle failure a lot better than most, in that Ive already been through a lot in my childhood and realize that the clouds will clear eventually if you keep blowing them away. I feel as if I have always been about taking risks throughout my life, and this class definitely validated that.

Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity:

            Children and young adults today are becoming more fascinated with sports every year. America has a set of sports that people become obsessed with, therefore children go after those sports with passion, leaving the lesser known sports in the dust. Golf is an interesting game, and it has captured the lives of many people. Without young adults and children getting into the game, the sport itself will become stagnant, not able to keep up with the other sports around it. The potential customers are young adults and children, needing  to find a sport they like and enjoy as well as learn to become good at it. Golf isn’t like basketball or football, it doesn’t require you to be strong, tall, or fast. It is a kid friendly game that is open to anyone. The market isn’t defined by gender or age, and advertises itself by the pure beauty that is a golf course. The opportunity to open up a junior golf tour that gets kids addicted to the game, while also making it competitive for older young adults to pursue their dreams of one day playing golf in college is a window that can be open at all times. Customers need a cheap and discounted experience that is also fun and satisfying. Golf can be a hard game, and it is my job to make it less intimidating.

Innovation:

            This program is all about creativity and competition. Together, these two values make this program separate from other junior golf tours in that is brings young children up to play the game, and develops them into becoming a great competitor. This is similar to what could possibly be called a “school for golf”, in that young kids will learn the basics, play with equipment that makes the game much easier as well as as making a “par” that can show progress. The older kids will play a “golf tour” that is similar to the PGA tour, with “Majors” and “Tour Championships”. Once there are good golfers on the tour, this reputation will lead to colleges wanting to recruit from these specific tournaments. Membership in this tour would require money, but also get discounts at area golf courses as well as college recruiting tips and discounted equipment. Tournaments would cost a separate fee as well, and there would be exemptions for players who are past champions of tournaments or championship leaders. The young kids group would work almost like boy scouts, where you earn medals or skills to bring you to the next level. Once that child is ready to compete, he or she can choose what tournaments they want to play in, and they will be put with their certain age group. Tournaments would come in a package deal, making them cheaper that\n AJGA or SJGT tournaments. The average tournament(AJGA) would cost around $300, but with a package deal a golfer can pay $300 for 2 tournaments, and a lesson with a golf coach. Memberships would range based on what level a child is at.

Venture Concept:

            I believe the customer would switch to this program because junior golf tours can be extremely complicated to navigate and pay for. When I was a junior golfer, I played on three different tours, paid for three different memberships, and also paid for each tournament. I always wished there was a tour that could just do all of this in one, while also getting smaller kids into the game. One tour I was on was called The First Tee of Northwest Florida, that brought kids up and taught them golf. They would also go play on a separate tour where they were able to look up to the older kids like myself and get inspired to win tournaments. Kids are motivated by competition and kids that are older than them. Having a single program that streamlines a child from learning to play the game, to working their way up and spectating, to finally being able to compete for themselves is a great way to keep kids interest in golf throughout their childhood. The classes would also include lessons on the industry itself, so a young adult about to go to college can look into what field they may want to go into if competing doesn’t work out. The weaknesses of this would be in the very beginning, trying to convince parents that this tour is better and more streamlined than the others. Once the prestige of the tour is built, more and more colleges and great junior players will look into playing in tournaments. I would organize this business by having assistant tournament directors directing the different types of events. I would have photographers photographing the kids to post on social media. I would also hire rules officials to support any rules issues we had, and finally I would hire a few golf coaches from area courses to work with me in bringing the kids discounted lessons and clinics. All in all, I would need about 3-5full-time employees, and 4-6 part-time employees to run the program

Minor Elements:

            I believe my most import resource in order to make this work would be to make this tour feel like a family rather than just a tour. A lot of times junior tours act like they don’t care enough about the growth of the game, rather just getting the best players to play their tournament. I would make sure every child and family feels welcome at every event. I would like for this tour to eventually work its way in helping high school athletes become collegiate athletes, and work on making this tour a Junior World Golf Rankings program. In 5 years, I would want for the best juniors in the nation to play my tournaments, to inspire the young kids to be as great as them. This will in term keep young kids excited about that game, and continuing to grow the sport I love.

Reading Reflection No. 2

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - by Scott Adams

1) The general theme of the book was about what the book called "systems". Systems are the key in accomplishing long term goals. In fact the book even says that goals are for losers. When reaching for a goal your passion and success rate are acting on each other. When you succeed, your passion grows, and when you fail you passion diminishes. The only way the continue reaching for your goal is to create a system that allows you to focus on the short term, then achieve the achievement. It also gave me a lot of tips and tricks to living a happier lifestyle, starting with achieving my personal goals first, being more selfish (but not in an egotistical kind of way), then worry about the world around me. 

2) The book is further keeping my knowledge into having more of an entrepreneurial mindset. The mindset can be valuable anywhere, and this book screams and pounds your head into learning this mindset. It allows you to think as if you are a leader, and that you are one step ahead of everyone else. This definitely goes hand and hand with what we are learning in this class.

3) Creating a system or step by step procedure on how to fulfill the eventual achievement. Almost like a blueprint for your ideas.

4) The biggest "aha" moment for me is when the book said that successful people are inherently selfish, but good successful people can use what they have accomplished by being "selfish" into helping other people. People such as Ellen Degeneres, who worked her whole life in show business to work her way up, to now being one of the most charitable talk show hosts in the history of television. I hope that I could be that successful one day.

Growing My Social Capital

1: John Stevens - West End Golf Course, First Tee of Gainesville Coach
2: Domain Expert- He is a domain expert because understands how important junior golf is. If I could not start a junior golf tour, being a coach would be another great option for me.
3: I found him by talking to him on the putting green of the Mark Bostick Golf Course. He used to be a ranger for the course but I hadn't really talked to him until this point.
4: He actually gave me some help with my putting. This was a big help because I had a tournament that it really helped me in. This is the sort of thing I would love to have the opportunity to do in my career. I did not have to do anything for him in return for this exchange. It was just a friendly gesture.
5: It would benefit me in getting more experience in the junior golf industry. Yesterday he even asked if I would possibly like to help out in the fall with their classes.

1: Pete Marino - Assistant Golf Course Director at the Mark Bostick Golf Course
2: Market Expert - Pete handles the inventory at the course, including purchasing inventory to sell in the pro shop. He meets with certain brand representatives and makes deals with these companies to sell their product.
3: I know Pete because he is one of our overseeing managers at the Mark Bostick Golf Course where I am a pro shop manager.
4: Pete is another branch of golf that I could get into. I asked him many questions on how of what his job entails, and gave him some ideas of how I could handle some of the work load, as well as increasing activity in the pro shop and golf course. He has since given me more responsibility in handling some of the books in keeping track of certain discounts and inventory.
5: Working in the pro shop and learning some of the nuances of being a manager at a golf course could further benefit me in both my goal of creating a junior golf tour, or also if I decide to manage a golf course one day.

1: Steve Bobe - Srixon/Cleveland Golf Ambassador
2: Supplier - Sold Srixon/Cleveland Golf supplies to club golf teams including UF's.
3: Steve is our supplier for the UF Club Golf team, as well as the North Florida Region. Being the club golf vice president I do business with him in getting the team the apparel we need.
4: Golf equipment is something that interests me so much that I physically can't stop buying the next best club year after year. With Steve, I am able to sell his product after purchasing them in bulk (Polos, Hats, T-Shirts, etc) so that he can make money, as well as help with club golf fundraising.
5: Working with suppliers would be something that benefits me with any branch I go in. With a junior golf tour, you always need sponsors and suppliers. The tour I worked on last year was supplied by Nike, and the tour a played on as a junior golfer was supplied by adidas and TaylorMade. Running a golf course would also yield similar circumstances.

Reflect: Networking is something that I seem to be very good at. Especially being in the golf industry and working at a golf course, there are plenty of people who have strong connections to the field I want to get into. I have learned that there are numerous routes and opportunities to make new connections every day, and that one connection can change the path of your career for the better.

Idea Napkin No. 2

1: You

     I am David McCaskill, and I am very passionate about the aspects of my career field and confident in my learning ability and work ethic. Sports have been my life long passion ever since I could remember, and I have competed in a few sports, mainly Swimming and Golf. Golf is the sport that swept me off my feet six years ago, and ever since then I have been keen in making sure I get on path to get my into the golf world. I would like to eventually work on the PGA tour, or assist in bringing up the future stars of our game by either working with junior golfers or becoming a golf coach. Junior golfers, including at the middle school and high school levels are the basis for growing the game. I experienced this in high school, as many of my friends quit the game for being too hard, or feeling like they didn't have a chance in the industry. I would like to change that going forward. 

2: What are you offering to customers

     I am offering a unique golfing experience to junior golfers. One that bring kids up believe that golf can actually be fun for the younger kids, and making it competitive for the older ones. This golf program will help junior golf grow, and also keep kids in the game longer to develop their skills, or aspire to work in the golf industry. I would make sure that each junior golfer is tended to, and that nobody gets overlooked. I would also like to give these golfers addition options other than playing competitively, such as volunteering and internships to get into the industry. 

3: Who are you offering this to

    I am offering this to anyone and everyone. Anyone whose family wants to give golf a try, or a family that has known and played golf for generations. Everyone is welcomed to get their children involved in the game.

4: Why do they care?

    The families who are already into golf want to find a completive environment for their children to polish their skills. Families will care because it is important for junior golfers to gain experience in tournaments if they would like to make it to the next level, which would be college golf. As far as the newer families, making golf fun is the most important aspect. Once kids get into the game, and are able to stick with it through my program, families will realize how much the game brings people together just as Football and Basketball do so well. 

5: What are your core competencies?

      I believe that I am offering a platform that no other golf tour can match. With the advantage of big hole golf for the younger kids, and a tournament schedule that mimics the PGA tour itself, golfers will be very interested in testing their skills. Also, being a junior golfer in the modern golf era, and also from experience working on previous golf tours, I know exactly what junior golfers want, and what they need to become successful. My enthusiasm for the game is what sets me apart more than most. I have experienced kids leaving the game, and I have also experienced my friends succeed in the industry in a variety of ways. This is the main difference between myself and others. 

Evaluation: I feel like this concepts work together very well. I feel like this concept is different from other golf tours in a good way, while also retaining and enhancing the amount of fun junior golfers can have. If there are any weaknesses in this concept, it would be the advertisement for the older kids. Though have a PGA tour style tour may attract customers, it takes a while to build a strong field for junior golfers to compete in order to get ready for college golf. All in all this I feel like this concept would take time to develop, but once developed it gain being in serious results. 

Feedback Memo

      I received a few important feedback notes that made me slightly change my idea napkin. It was not enough feedback for me to change the entire thing all together, rather I added more to my original napkin with elaborated my main goal for this junior golf tour. I added more personal experiences to my napkin to give me more core competencies. I also made sure that I addressed the fact that this tour could take off really fast, and that no matter how successful or unsuccessful this program could be, no child or young adult will be overlooked, and each of them would be given options to go further in the industry. 

Elevator Pitch No. 2

1) The Pitch: https://youtu.be/xbNH3YqcILk

2) My last video didn't get much feedback. I made sure that I didn't write anything down, and that I spoke from the heart to show my passion for junior golf. I know that I should have a template or some broad ideas on a notecard to prepare myself for an elevator pitch, but in this video I wanted to see how I would do in the moment with not much preparation. In future videos I will organize my ideas first and then attempt a speech to see with method worked better.

3) In the first video, It took many attempts to get the elevator pitch "perfect". In this video, I attempted to do my speech in as little attempts as possible to make it feel more real and on the spot.

My Customer's Avatar

       The customer I would picture in my head when thinking about my junior golf program would be children to young adults. This includes males and females, however because junior golf in more male percentage wise, a young man was the first customer that popped into my head. I was also a junior golfer once, not knowing what to do as far as tournaments and preparation for big events goes. This is the kind of junior golfer I am looking for, and I would hope that these customers see the difference in my junior golf tour compared to the others. I don't think it's a coincidence that I have this similarity with my avatar. I see myself, and the many problems I had to deal with when thinking about what tournaments and programs to enter as a middle school and high school student as far as my golf game went.

"Snook"

Snook is my portmanteau which stands for "Snap Hook". Snap hook is a golf term for when a right handed players hits a golf ball to the left in the shape of a hook (vice versa for lefties). I came up with the idea after playing a round with some members of my golf team.

After using the word, my teammates laughed at first, but really began to start using the word pretty regularly, especially one member of my team. When I told them it was a part of a project I was doing for my class, they started laughing and it has become an inside joke for the last couple of days. 

Halfway Reflection

1) Tenaciousness and Competency - At points, this class can seem really busy. But just push through and do all the projects. You'll find that it is very beneficial to you not only from a grade standpoint, but from a learning standpoint as well. I found this blog to be very different than what I am used to, in a good way. It requires a little more work, but it really lets you personalize your page, which reflects yourself as a person. Don't be afraid to talk to strangers, and push through some of the times where a project may not seem worth it.

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude- I had a few times where I didn't do a project because I didn't feel like it. But it cost me points in the long run. Its really important that you do the projects week in and week out so you can get the most out of this class. Getting through some of these rough moments where I didn't feel like giving that little but of extra effort made it much easier to push through in other aspects of my life. These experiences were mostly due to the interview projects. At first it seems impossible, but you will definitely get the hang of it.

3) Three Tips
      First- Don't feel like talking to strangers is awkward. Be confident and honest, and most of them will open up.
      Second- Do all the extra credit! Take a moment to really review some of the lectures, and do the extra credit quizzes. These help you solidify your knowledge and gain you a few points along the way.
      Third- Think with an open mind. Don't restrict yourself from coming up with an out of the box idea. This is a class for a reason. It's to test your limits to see what you are capable of.

     

Reading Reflection No. 1 (Week 7)

Week 7 Reading Reflection

1: Steve Jobs
      What surprised me the most about Steve Jobs was that he was not a very good student, and that he experimented with a variety of drugs and diets. I also didn't know he was involved in the making of Pixar.
     I admire is sheer addiction to perfection. It always seems as if he wanted his products to be royalty in the tech world, and obviously it worked out for the best.
     I least admired how he didn't treat many people with respect, and often angered a lot of people by in narcissistic personality.
     Of course Jobs encounter many failures throughout his career, such as the failure of the Lisa and being fired from apple to start neXT.

2: Steve Jobs was one of the best public speakers in the entire world. Not only was he an incredible speaker, but he was great at getting people excited about the launch of a new product. He knew how to bring people together to one large event to announce products such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He was funny on stage, he wore the same clothes, he frequently made fun of the competition , and he made Apple products seem like the luxury piece of technology the world always wanted. Not only did he speak the words that made these things seem appealing, he backed it up by offering a revolution product every few years with astounding results.

3: I wasn't quite sure what the book meant by "Working for $1 a year at some points". I wasn't sure if that was his salary or if it was some other monetary value. Either way, it didn't really matter what or how much he was getting paid. The only thing that mattered was that he was in control.

4: I would have asked him how long it took him to plan the iPhone from the drawing board to the launch. I would also ask him if he was working on future revolutionary products right now and when we would expect to see them.

5: I think Steve Jobs really didn't think his hard work was actually "hard work". Steve Jobs enjoyed so much what he did that it didn't matter who he hurt, or who he made angry. He wanted to change the world of technology so that our lives would be more simple. Of course he believes hard work is always a good way to motivate an entrepreneur, but he would most likely tell that person that the real key is to fully love what you do and what you create.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1: You

     I am David McCaskill, and I am very passionate about the aspects of my career field and confident in my learning ability and work ethic. Sports have been my life long passion ever since I could remember, and I have competed in a few sports, mainly Swimming and Golf. Golf is the sport that swept me off my feet six years ago, and ever since then I have been keen in making sure I get on path to get my into the golf world. I would like to eventually work on the PGA tour, or assist in bringing up the future stars of our game by either working with junior golfers or becoming a golf coach.

2: What are you offering to customers

     I am offering a unique golfing experience to junior golfers. One that bring kids up believe that golf can actually be fun for the younger kids, and making it competitive for the older ones. This golf program will help junior golf grow, and also keep kids in the game longer to develop their skills, or aspire to work in the golf industry 

3: Who are you offering this to

    I am offering this to anyone and everyone. Anyone whose family wants to give golf a try, or a family that has known and played golf for generations. Everyone is welcomed to get their children involved in the game.

4: Why do they care?

    The families who are already into golf want to find a completive environment for their children to polish their skills. Families will care because it is important for junior golfers to gain experience in tournaments if they would like to make it to the next level, which would be college golf. As far as the newer families, making golf fun is the most important aspect. Right now they may not care, but after giving it a try, and seeing that golf can be fun way change their mind. 

5: What are your core competencies?

      I believe that I am offering a platform that no other golf tour can match. With the advantage of big hole golf for the younger kids, and a tournament schedule that mimics the PGA tour itself, golfers will be very interested in testing their skills. Also, being a junior golfer in the modern golf era, and also from experience working on previous golf tours, I know exactly what junior golfers want, and what they need to become successful. My enthusiasm for the game is what sets me apart more than most. 

Evaluation: I feel like this concepts work together very well. I feel like this concept is different from other golf tours in a good way, while also retaining and enhancing the amount of fun junior golfers can have. If there are any weaknesses in this concept, it would be the advertisement for the older kids. Though have a PGA tour style tour may attract customers, it takes a while to build a strong field for junior golfers to compete in order to get ready for college golf. All in all this I feel like this concept would take time to develop, but once developed it gain being in serious results. 

    

Elevator Pitch No. 1

Here is my pitch for a more fun and less stressful Junior Golf experience. Golf is becoming less fun for kids at a young age, and it is my job to instill the same passion that I and many other people have for this great game into these kids so the game can continue to grow.

https://youtu.be/wi4MW32xhIA

Tweaking the Innovation

Product: Create a junior golf program that keeps golf fun for young children, while also keeping it more competitive for teens and high schoolers.

1: Product Service Mix

Revenue Drivers

• Big Hole Golf: Create golf tournament for younger golfers where the actual hole is much bigger to promote positive attitudes.
• Discounted Rates for Juniors: This would include cheaper lessons and clinics from the head professional
• Junior Golf Tour: Older kids would compete similar to professional golfers
• Kids Par: Create a score to par in which kids can shoot under to promote improvement. 

2: Mapping Each Item

• Big Hole Golf
• Core: The larger golf hole will make it much easier to get the ball into the hole.
• Tangible: Golfers will be able to physically see, putt, and chip their golf balls into this larger hole.
• Augmented: This makes the game much more fun and less stressful. The easier is it to make putts, the easier it is to get kids to like golf more
• Discounted Rates for Juniors
• Core: Cheaper prices for families to get their kids involved.
• Tangible: More money to spend on other items such as lessons, and golf clubs.
• Augmented: Cheap rates mean less barriers of entry. 
• Junior Golf Tour Tournaments:
• Core: Kids will get a chance to compete similar to PGA golfers
• Tangible: Kids will get trophies, receive tee gifts and prizes.
• Augmented: Added benefit of giving kids golf etiquette and competitive spirit.
• Kids Par:
• Core: Kids will learn how to shoot under par and gain improvement in a fun way.
• Tangible: Par will be higher for less experiences kids.
• Augmented: These divisions have an additional benefit of separating skills levels. 

3: Innovations

• Big Hole Golf
• The innovation in this is that kids get frustrated when they can't make their putts and chips inside that little hole. The goal for this program is to get kids to stay in golf at a young age to develop a talent and love for the game. Most kids quit golf because of its difficult nature, so making the game appear easier is an enormous trait.
• Discounted Rates for Juniors
• This innovation is self explanatory and is implemented in various golf courses. Though the discounted rates may be good, there still needs to be more lessons and clinics given by the PGA professional as well as benefits such as one free drink from the snack bar or a discount in the pro shop. This will reduce barriers of entry for parents in a normally expensive sports world. 
• Junior Golf Tour Tournaments:
• Creating a tour that is similar to the PGA tour would be something that definitely keeps teens and high schoolers in the game. Having Four "Majors" as well as a tour championship would be something every junior golfer would love to see. The innovation is that local golf tours become stale after a while, feeling as if each tournament feels the same. This divisional level would keep more young completive golfers in the game.
• Kids Par
• Creating a "Par" for beginners and improving young golfers would be another incentive in keeping kids in the sport. For example, a young beginner golfer usually hits the ball about 120 times around a golf course that has a par of 72. Making a handicap junior system, and making golf appear easier to up and coming golfers will keep them in the game. Once again, the big idea here is to make golf seem less stressful and intimidating. 

       

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1. Opportunity 
1. The opportunity I would like to pursue is enhancing the participation of junior golfers at local golf courses to grow the game of golf. Golf courses could give special lower rates like they do now, but include other incentives to make the game of golf more fun and enjoyable. 
2. The What, The Who, The Why- 5 Interviews
1. Christian Bosso- UWF College Golfer   https://soundcloud.com/david-mccaskill-210502474/20160528-221228a
1. Who-Junior Golfers around the region.
2. What-Enahcning the abilities of junior golfers in our local communities
3. Why- Golf needs to grow, and the only way to do that is by getting more kids involved in the game
2. Parker Remig-Emory College Golfer    https://soundcloud.com/david-mccaskill-210502474/test-hypothesis2
1. Who-Families of Junior golfers, as well as junior golfers themselves
2. What-Making sure that kids like golf and stay with it.
3. Why-Junior golfers are key in growing the game
3. Peter Joe Calegerro     https://soundcloud.com/david-mccaskill-210502474/20160521-163129a
1. Who-Golf Courses can benefit
2. What- Golf courses could get more memberships by enhancing and welcoming junior golfers.
3. Why-Growing the amount of people on the golf courses and growing junior golf
4. Daniel Schaz-https://soundcloud.com/david-mccaskill-210502474/testing-hypothesis4
1. Who-Junior golfers
2. What-Making junior golf more completive so they can develop a mental game
3. Why-Growing the game of golf is important. Junior golfers will eventually grow to become the new professionals of the game. 
5. Izy Carrithers- 5th audio recording had audio issues. 
1. Who- People like her brother who players junior golf
2. What-Local golf courses as well as junior golfers and parents
3. Why-Golf is fun, but a lot of kids don't really know how to keep their kids involved 

My Solution

My solution to make more junior golfers interested in the game, as well as keeping with it and also developing their skills not only as players but as young men and women has a variety of factors. I believe that we need to change the way golf courses look at the junior golf industry, and offer them deals on memberships and lessons with the PGA instructor. I think there should be more clinics given to young people, and we should also create golf games that keep them interested. The combination of lower prices, and more activities will help junior golfer stay in the game longer, and grow the economy of golf courses.

Looking for Opportunity

Economic Trends

1. The Economic Report on Climate Change- Environmental efforts can help the economy.
1. http://2014.newclimateeconomy.report/economics-of-change/
2. I believe that an opportunity exists by spreading the word on environmental conservation, and how spreading multiple uses of low carbon policies could offset the costs of climate action.
3. The customer could be students entering in fields pertaining to the environment.
4. I believe it could be relatively easy to spread knowledge around about this report, however it might be more difficult to get everyone on board in implementing proposals. 
2. The Economic Impact on Illegal Immigration- Taking out political views, are immigrants affecting the economy positively or negatively?
1. http://www.umich.edu/~ac213/student_projects07/global/economicimpact.html 
2. I believe an opportunity exists by enhancing the viewpoints of businessmen to business leaders to become educated on illegal immigrants and how it really affects our economy. This would maybe help businessmen and women figure out ways to save money while hiring legal American workers.
3. Businesses would be the primary customer here.
4. I believe it would be extremely difficult to implement changes to systems such as this one as Americans are split by political views. Though nobody wants illegal immigrants in the US, we struggle with policies of regulation on this matter.

Regulatory Trends

1. Apple iPhone Will Have Full Glass Casing
1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2016/05/27/apple-news-digest-glass-iphone-8-leak-prototype-ios-10/#6bd06ae33cce
2. I believe an opportunity exists here because people either want luxury, or they want protection. I think if people were to buy this new product, protective case manufactures would be allowed to provide more competition to customers.
3. People with iPhones would be the primary customer.
4. This would be hard to implement, due to the fact that people will NEED cases for this fragile iPhone. This may prompt manufactures to hike up prices as customers will be willing to protect their phones at all costs. However, if more case manufactures enter the market, it could drive down prices allowing more opportunities for customers with iPhones.
2. Regulatory Changes in Retirement Plans
1. http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html
2. The opportunity exists by allowing more competition in retirement plans across the board, which would in term help customers who need it.Though it will be scrutinized for a lack of selection, allowing more products on the market would eventually help customers.
3. People who are in need for retirement plans would be the primary customer. 
4. This would be a very hard opportunity to go after, as regulatory changes such as this one usually drive customers and workers crazy. It would be difficult to get the customer to agree to the new terms of a selective plan. 

-Dave