Assignment 16A - What's Your Secret Sauce

• For starters, I believe that I am a very analytical person who can dissect certain things or even people and figure out why they work the way in which they do.
• I am also very ambitious, and although I can be lazy I am ambitious enough to overcome it. A lot of what I am currently doing involves overcoming my laziness so I can try to achieve the lofty goals and expectations that I have set for myself.
• I can be very idealistic. Although some can view that as a negative (I did too), I think I have the ability to reconcile that with the reality of whatever situation that I am in. That is to say that I can manipulate my ideals and hopes to succeed within the confines of reality and my current limits.
• I can convince myself to do a lot of things knowing that I will probably fail because of how much I am now starting to value experience. I believe that the best and most efficient way to learn is to gain experience which is why I am a staunch supporter of performing new activities to gain experience.
• I think that I am emotionally very resilient precisely because I was once extremely sensitive and basically thought myself how to have a thicker skin. I feel that this will eventually help me get over my fear of failure because that is something that I am not used to and I know that I can't always be succeeding.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoHXItN7N1cBXjaeffZn8lk3uBNZ34Kdl

The consensus among my friends seems to be that I am motivated and mostly self reliant. I was also told that I am very analytical and am able to emotionally distance myself from certain situations so that I may be able to make the correct decision. I was surprised to hear that I am not afraid to take criticism, it is something which I would say about myself but I did not realize that other people felt the same way. Another surprising thing to hear was that I am not as affected by peer pressure as other people may be. Growing up, I would always try and resist doing something just because everyone else was doing it but I had not realized that this became clear to everyone else. I think the list is accurate with the exception that people are more perceptive of me than I would think.

Assignment 15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.2

For this assignment, I found three local clubs which had started around 2-3 years ago in the general area of my hometown to interview and discovered far more than my previous interviews. This is hard to imagine now, especially for me, but there is a lot that I did not know which goes into starting a club.

• When it comes to getting sponsors, a lot of it depends on the national affiliate which the club joins at its inception. National affiliates are organizations presiding over clubs and each club has to join one or they cannot play against other clubs. Clubs do not have to be part of the same national affiliate to play against one another or to start tournaments, but it can make the process easier. The national affiliate which they pick then depends on the purpose of the club and which benefit they value most. Additional sponsors are then usually local ones which management of the club personally reaches out to.
• Upon discovering all of this information, my business model becomes kind of blurry or at least not as clear as it was before. I cannot start another national affiliate because the ones which currently exist take up most of the market and I am sure that the process is very difficult. I still think there exists a need for a middle man to help clubs get other sponsors; national, local, or even international ones seeking to establish a culture in a new area. 
• The clubs seem to gain sponsors on a "best available" basis that relies on those that other clubs have or the ones most readily available. Thus, I still think that there is an untapped market of businesses that would be willing to sponsor these clubs and management is simply unaware of them. There is a lot of attorney work involved in founding a club and establishing sponsorship, and transactions are usually done with the help of banks and setting up specific accounts for the club. Post-purchase evaluation is done once the club is up and running, and measured by financial and competitive success.

This segment made me push beyond the surface level of information and get to the foundations of how clubs are run and financed. It was a lot of investigating into the legal workings of soccer clubs and how simple they may seem, but are actually very tedious and (unnecessarily) complicated. A lot of decisions regarding sponsorship would also be made before my business gets involved so I would have to either convince the club of the benefits of my business, or get some sponsors interested beforehand to help influence the clubs' decisions. Overall, at tournaments especially I feel the impacts of my business can be visible as they will be more of them sponsored by more brands.

Assignment 14A - Halfway Reflection

• To succeed in this class, you definitely need a level of consistency and planning different from other classes. I say this because there are some assignments which you can do at the last minute, and there are others that you have to start probably around a week before the due date. That is why I have gotten in the habit of checking the next week's assignments on the Friday which the actual week's assignments are due.

• I almost did not do the reading reflection because I realized that I had several other assignments due for my other classes and I knew that the reflection would take up most of my time. This was compounded by the fact that I had the book sitting on my desk and just never picked it up, and I knew about the assignment since the previous week but I simply forgot about it. Thus, I only had a couple of days to do it and I persevered, eventually finishing it.

• To succeed in this class I think that for one, you must maintain some sort of calendar and check it consistently, even if it the one on canvas. Two, you have to complete the small assignments in any pocket of free time in your day where you're feeling lazy and just want to lay down. That way, later on when you check your calendar, it will be one less assignment for you to worry about. Three, whenever you check ahead on an assignment and it seems overwhelming, break it down into parts which you can complete on different days. Some of the assignments can be somewhat challenging with all the people which you have to interview, doing it one part at a time significantly reduces the stress that you feel.

Assignment 13A - Reading Reflection No.1

For this assignment, I read Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance.

Post-reading

• Learning about the sheer level of brutality that Musk endured in his childhood was honestly shocking to me. One of my friends is a very big fan of Elon Musk and he was the first one to tell me this. When he did so, I thought that maybe he was exaggerating or that he had simply falsely heard or interpreted the information. Additionally, whenever I hear about Elon Musk in the media, they always make it seem that he had almost a comic book like upbringing where he was constantly overcoming adversities. I always thought that for a genius like himself, these must have been small obstacles that barely bothered him and that the media was maybe exaggerating things to build him up as this larger than life figure. After reading this book, I realize that I was underestimating the difficulties that Musk went through. He was constantly beaten to a pulp as a child so much that I question how he was able to handle it and make it to where he is today. This also makes me think about the psychological implications of these beatings and how mentally resolute of a person he must be.
• I think that Elon Musk's mental toughness is his most admirable trait. Reading the book made me think if this is an attribute that came along with his intelligence or was it something that was developed because of the environment that he grew up in. Sometimes, it is almost difficult to fathom how someone can be that intelligent and it can also make you disconnect with that person when you think that you guys are nothing alike. But perhaps his level of mental fortitude is something that can be replicated. I feel that Musk deals with more public scrutiny than his contemporaries since he is one of the few billionaires and entrepreneurs that is constantly in the limelight. When he was founding SpaceX, many astronauts and scientists said that he was undertaking a dangerous and needlessly risky venture when there are other problems on Earth that he could be paying attention to. Several of those doubters include his childhood heroes such as Buzz Aldrin. There is also the case of the constant scrutiny that he deals with Tesla and the company losing money. Many people think that he is foolish to challenge the norm of oil run cars and that the concept of electric or self driving cars will never be as successful as he hopes. I can only imagine the level of mental strain that he must deal with.
• I do not think that Elon Musk is as fair and honest as some people try to claim him to be. He is always battling his Tesla workers and refusing their right to unionize. I know that keeping these workers from unionizing is part of him working in that business but he is sometimes painted by his supporters as this kind and generous man when it has been reported several times that his workers are overworked. This not only extends to Tesla but also SpaceX. In order to meet the deadlines which he himself establishes, these people often barely have time to see their families and are expected to follow his lead and he does not seem to understand that not everyone has that ability.
• I see adversity and failure as a consistent part of Elon Musk's world and something which he must always overcome. There will always be legislation and government restrictions which he must battle and lobby against. This is something which I am not often a fan of because of the implications that a single man or corporation can have so much influence and power over a government, but its nonetheless something which he must battle against. Musk also encounters public criticism for his failures since he is so often in the limelight and is controversial. For example, his losses running Tesla are a major topic in public discourse and he must fight that and produce results to show that the company is developing and progressing according to his plans. A lot of times, he is forced into investing his own money and some people use that as proof that he is stubborn and cannot accept his failures. I choose to see it as a man who believes in his dreams and abilities, and is willing to bet his own money and livelihood on it.

Competencies

• I think Elon Musk has a lot of intuition when it comes to knowing if a market exists and how he can exploit that market. Paypal for example, who would have thought that it would be such a successful business venture. Elon Musk did, and it was one of his most successful and innovative ventures and in a lot of ways, it propelled him into his current position. It surprises me when I think of how much he must believe in himself and the plans which he undertakes, especially since he is such an innovator.

Reading Confusion

• A lot of Elon Musk's relationship with his father remains confusing to me. I read that his father was often distant and treated him poorly. I felt that Musk did not elaborate much on this relationship or why he felt that his father treated him the way which he did. I think that this has more influence in how Elon Musk carries himself now than he would like to admit but I do not think this is something he will share with the public anytime soon, if ever.

Two Questions

• Do you truly believe that humans can escape the boundaries of the Earth and become an interplanetary species? How much is ego fulfillment and building a lasting legacy responsible for your innovative pursuits?

Opinion of Hard Work

• I feel like Elon Musk partial believes cheesy things such as "hard work doesn't feel much like hard work if you really like and believe in what you're doing." I say this because he often talks about pulling 80 plus hour work weeks when he has to meet deadlines for either Tesla or SpaceX and that he often has to split his time working for these two companies. I do not think that anyone would devote that much time to any project unless they actually found personal enjoyment and satisfaction from it, so on some level, he must believe that what he is doing is not really work but creating and innovating.

Assignment 12A - Figuring out Buyer Behavior

Segment: My business will focus on soccer clubs in lower-income neighborhoods but there are a variety of said clubs which exist. For this assignment, I will focus on clubs with low membership costs, which means that anyone can join them but the quality of player development and management work is low. They would be in most need of sponsors to help with lowering operational costs so that they can devote more time to player development and getting them exposure.

Interviews: I interviewed an old club which I played in and then got access to interview some sister clubs. I found out that these clubs all suffer from a lack of adequate revenue generation and that the coaches all have to work other jobs. I also had an opportunity to talk with the players and learned that they often have to carpool with one another to tournaments and that they have to pay travel expenses themselves. When accounting for the fact that these players get little to no exposure, playing soccer then basically becomes an expensive and mostly unaffordable hobby for them. In addition, the players whom are able to gain exposure are often scouted by bigger clubs and receive scholarships to play for those clubs, leaving the smaller ones with less talent. This means that these smaller clubs serve as the first stepping stone for some players and raises the question, "what of the players who wish to play soccer but can't afford to play for a bigger club nor get scouted by one?" These kids eventually give up on their dreams to play soccer and often get minimum wage jobs and struggle to elevate themselves out of their current situation. The clubs are unable to help fund their dreams because they have already made travel costs as inexpensive as they can be.

Conclusions: From what I can tell, these clubs know they exist as a stepping stone for certain players and have accepted that they cannot help to elevate most of their players. Thus, they are basically a constantly revolving door of players coming and going and never truly establishing a culture. They would probably need the assistance of my business the most, and I feel like this only exists because of their current location. Sponsors might be wary of establishing connections with smaller clubs in lower-income neighborhoods because of the negative publicity that might be associated with them if something goes wrong. An alternative explanation might be that they feel they will not get any significant brand exposure by sponsoring clubs in lower-income neighborhoods. That would mean that my issue is more of a socio-economic one than I realize.

Assignment 11A - Idea Napkin

My idea concerns smaller and more local soccer clubs in lower-income neighborhoods who either struggle to get players to join because of high membership costs, or cannot elevate players because the clubs themselves get no recognition.

• I am from South Florida and have been playing soccer all my life. When I was trying to play club soccer, I realized that my parents could not afford to send me to any elite clubs and the ones that they could afford were of poor quality. Managers and coaches could not show up because they had other jobs to tend to and the players were often left underdeveloped as a result. I see this business as me exploring my people skills and how I am able to overcome my more introverted nature and work with others to establish something big. At the very least, If I fail; I would have at least tested those skills and see where I need to improve.
• These small clubs or even fairly big clubs in lower-income neighborhoods all tend to struggle with gathering sponsors to help keep membership costs low for players and organize competitions for exposure. Ideally, this business could start a coalition of organization among the smaller clubs in South Florida where they share resources and arrange competitions between themselves to gather more attention for the players. My business would also help them gain more attention from sponsors which could help lower costs and as a whole, change the culture of these teams.
• My business would focus on non-academy type clubs located in neighborhoods were the median annual family income falls below $30,000. I would then do further research on the costs of memberships to only include those whose annual fees (membership only, i.e. not including travel expenses, etc.) fall under $500. The list of clubs would also have to be narrowed down to those without a major sponsor (i.e. Walmart, Dick's, etc.) and who's coaches work a job unrelated to that which they perform at the club.
• These clubs know that they are currently not getting all of the talented players out of the availability pool because of economical barriers. They also know that they are not harnessing and developing players to their full potential because they lack the capacity to do so. I'm sure they would welcome any attempt to change that and increase their current status.
• Most people see the existence of these small clubs as a necessity because they provide an activity for kids in lower-income neighborhoods to do. I see it as something of a tragedy but not quite as dramatic because not everyone who has the potential to go pro or do better does so because of the economic barriers. I see that something needs to be changed and am willing to do so.

Assignment 10A - Elevator Pitch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FITNpZZIMMI&t=5s

Assignment 9A - Testing the Boundaries

• Who: While conducting my previous interviews and more specifically the very first interview, I came to the realization that not every club needs more sponsors. In fact, almost all of the clubs situated in higher-income neighborhoods are already sponsored by major brands yet their prices remain high. That is because they have the best quality equipment and facilities and the members can actually afford those costs. It would make no sense for my business to target those clubs since everyone is content with their current situation.
• To summarize my new five interviews, I contacted academy-like clubs and other clubs situated in higher-income neighborhoods. Surprisingly, most of them said that they would be in favor of getting sponsors from more international businesses rather than local ones. I assume this is because if there are big clubs in those neighborhoods, then they are already supported by a good amount of the local businesses. All of the interviewees stated that it would be beneficial to them to gain more funding so that they can lower membership costs and other associated fees. I do not want to assume anything, but I feel like this also has to do with management of those clubs perhaps getting higher pay if they have more sponsors.

Inside the Boundary

• Who: Clubs in lower-income neighborhoods; Smaller clubs in higher-income neighborhoods who do not receive as much attention and support as the bigger clubs
• What: Membership fees for those clubs are often too expensive for players from minority or lower-income households. My business would work as a middle man to facilitate relationships between sponsors and the clubs who need them.
• Why: This would help lower membership costs in those clubs, allowing more lower-income players to participate and grow. The lowered membership costs and increased participation will lead those clubs to further grow and compete with those in higher-incomes. This would also give those players extra-curricular activities to participate in and keep them out of more dangerous or unproductive activities.

Outside the Boundary

• Who: Academies with high level facilities and major sponsors whose players content with current membership costs; Bigger clubs in higher-income neighborhoods who also have already have good sponsorship
• What: These academies and clubs do not need additional sponsors because they already have plenty of those to the point of giving scholarships to talented players whom they feel could help the club succeed.
• Why: Their customer base is content with current membership costs and they already have plenty of sponsors. This means that additional sponsors would be extra funds that perhaps they would use to give more scholarships to players, but the needs of smaller clubs and others in lower-income neighborhoods can use the sponsorship more. 

Assignment 8A - Solving the Problem

My business idea deals with helping soccer clubs in lower-income neighborhoods find sponsors so that they can lower the prices of memberships, and organize better tournaments which provide more exposure to the players.

Club teams currently have sponsors, but those are not usually enough to cover membership costs to the point of actually making a difference to those who want to play. The teams that have enough sponsors to lower their membership costs are usually located in high income neighborhoods which is not really the point of my business. One can argue that these teams should be able to get their own sponsors, but jobs at those club teams do not usually pay much so management has no time to pursue other sponsors.

I would fulfill the role of helping cut membership costs in three ways:

1. Work as a middle man to bring major sponsors to work with smaller clubs based in lower-income neighborhoods.
2. Gather equipment from sporting goods stores as a direct sponsorship method to give the clubs materials to provide the players. This would mean that players no longer have to spend money purchasing equipment and would then have more capital to spend on membership payments.
3. Get in touch with local and incoming international companies to organize more tournaments situated in or out of lower-income neighborhoods. These tournaments would need to be fully sponsored so that the clubs do not have to pay any fees which would then lead to lower membership costs for the players.

My business would essentially be a non-profit because the operating CEO and employees would be paid based on how the finances are organized beforehand. This capital would need to be gathered through a middle man fee paid to the business on the basis of it working to establish the tournaments, setting up the contracts, and giving the equipment to the clubs.