Venture Concept No. 1

Our society is built upon the success of the pioneers and legends who came before us. Moving forward it is important that we move to give all people the platform’s necessary to make their voices heard.
In the words of one Sir Isaac Newton:
"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Each of us owe our individual success to a collective that came before and made our journey to being great far smoother than it would have been otherwise. That inherent value in being the future as well as actively paying tribute to the past is what will push the website to be successful. The website but more importantly this idea will move forward its survival will partially depend on you. The ability to move society forward, to really define and exemplify progress is what will move this website and the conversations it facilitates forward. Up until this point most websites and publications just focus on producing a superior product: Progress is focused on trying to fixate itself as a part of the lexicon.
            I believe that in life the biggest indicator of success is the level of hard work. What separates people who have the ability to change the world from everybody else having the opportunity, but just as importantly, having the work ethic. My work ethic I believe is unmatched, especially when it comes to delivering performances and .
I believe someone who is effective in tapping into the conscience of the people can interface with them on the same subject in different ways. For example, Kanye West in many respects has become an archetype for hip-hop culture because he's been effective in communicating what hip-hop culture should be in music through revolutionizing hip-hop with soul samples, in fashion with his Yeezy fashion line and shoe collection and business. Likewise with me, I've had times where people have seen me give speeches and lectures and thought that I incorporated spoken word and vice-versa, or looked at my writing as a means to bring two sides of an issue together. As I mature, I only look to further to blur that line.
You can never know where you're going until you understand where you come from. For me, understanding the rich heritage I have in being the son of Haitian parents and being born as a black man in the United States gives me a view of life that most people don't get to have. It is up to me to utilize that origin to understand what in this society needs to be fixed and who and how it will be accomplished.
The most valuable resource is people. None of this, the organizing, any of the art or spoken word or music can't happen with people. Human capital is the most important thing in any society and its the most important thing about Progress.
I am among the furthest things from perfect. However, in order to fulfill the promise of the United States and the credo of wanting to form "a More Perfect Union," has to come people willing to lead towards that goal. This belief is what motivates me to utilize my abilities, because of the more equitable world that I would like to see. With my business concept, the website progress.sitey.me works to increase levels of civic engagement and social consciousness. For me, this website is the first sustained opportunity that I've taken to use a platform to make my voice heard.
At my age, my experience in involving myself not only into the political discussion on my campus but also my community gives me a unique breadth of information that most young people don't have. Not just personal and political experience, but social experience has come a long way in what you are able to achieve with those experiences and the experiences of others.
One of the biggest criticisms that I've seen regarding the website is that starting out it has to produce content more. Despite myself having an audience before and real life through politics and performing, I have to be able to consolidate that base onto the website. Solidifying a loyal audience will be dependent on giving them a constant stream of content to enjoy and analyze. Another is involve other writers. I cannot be the sole producer of content, regardless of whether its through poetry or essays/articles, I have to be able to incorporate more conservative and more liberal viewpoints than my own. Another key factor was how I can incorporate other platforms, and making sure that I have platform-specific marketing, meaning that I can't use the same marketing that I use on FB or Twitter that I use on Instagram. I've tried to incorporate this into a more holistic approach on how I create marketing, which involves using tools like Canva for Instagram in particular. I tried to incorporate a playlist on the website as well, which allows for potential artists to have a platform to receive different levels of rotation on their music. I incorporated it into my "napkin" by making sure that I can incorporate all people into my outreach platform.

Week 11 Reading Reflection

1. One aspect of the reading this week that I found to be interesting is how products actually come to fruition, and whether or not they reach the market. More so what I found to be interesting is how many products don't come to fruition or how many different interpretations of the same products it takes to bring to market.

2. Nothing about the reading this week really confused me

3. A question I would have for the author is are evaluation of trade-offs alter based on industry and if so, how?

4. I did not disagree with the author this week.

Amazon Whisperer

http://www.amazon.com/New-Engagement-Political-Participation-Changing/dp/0195183177/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459107009&sr=8-1&keywords=civic+engagement


Business Drivers
One of the biggest economic drivers of Progress will be paid performances that contributors will be able to give as well as work that they are able to sell. Since there are so many places that produce articles to read, the articles will serve as promotional tools that will lead to more events and outreach.


What's Next?
I believe that it is time for the website to diversify and begin incorporating the artists necessary to bring in new audiences. I understand that people don't always focus on making change through politics or civic engagement alone. Some want to make progress through art or music, and the website has to accommodate for that.


How Will this Enhance the Product?
I believe that this will include new people in on the discussion on how to move people forward. One of the many beautiful things of the Civil Rights Movement was that people could make progress through sports, entertainment, social engagement, litigation and politics and that the success of the movement depended on all of those people being able to break down barriers.

Product Name: A New Engagement: Political Participation, Civic Life and the Changing American Citizen

The product is essentially a book version of part of the intention that my website has, which is to increase political engagement and social consciousness in hopes that people would think more critically of society. I believe at some point I could publish a book similar to this to supplement the work that the website has engaged in with this book serving as a model for how to do it.

My Unfair Advantage

VRIN (Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, Non-substitutable 

People

Valuable: Invaluable

Rare: Extremely Common

Inimitable: Yes

Non-Substitutable: No

Articles

Valuable:

Rare:

Inimitable:

Non-Substitutable

Spoken Word:

Valuable:

Rare:

Inimitable:

Non-Substitutable

Artwork

Valuable:

Rare:

Inimitable:

Non-Substitutable

Website:

Valuable:

Rare:

Inimitable:

Non-Substitutable

Community

Valuable: Invaluable

Rare: Common

Inimitable: No

Non-Substitutable: Yes

Social Media

Valuable: Valuable

Rare: Common

Inimitable: Yes

Non-Substitutable: Yes

Music 

Valuable: Valuable

Rare: Extremely Common

Inimitable: Yes

Non-Substitutable: No

Interviews

Valuable: Valuable

Rare: Extremely Common

Inimitable: No

Non-Substitutable: No

Organizing 

Valuable: Invaluable 

Rare: Somewhat Rare

Inimitable: Yes

Non-Substitutable: No

The most valuable resource is people. None of this, the organizing, any of the art or spoken word or music can't happen with people. Human capital is the most important thing in any society and its the most important thing about Progress.

Week 10 Reading Reflection

1. The most interesting aspect of the reading this week was the discussion about financial planning. As someone who is interested in investing and diversifying my sources of wealth, I believe being able to accurately map and plan how to where to increase wealth is imperative.
2. Nothing really confused me about the reading this week.
3. I would ask the author to clarify about pro forma statements and when are they best applicable.
4. I did not disagree with the author on anything this week

Idea Napkin No. 3

The feedback that I received was pretty much consistent with what I received after the second elevator pitch. The biggest concern I've received from people now is the color scheme, and I should change it from just black, white and gray to something that encourages the website to be a little more dynamic. As I move forward I want to not only change the color scheme but also the logo. To me there is something I can use that has more meaning to the idea of making progress than a lion.


Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQGIXgHloNg

My Secret Sauce

1) Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique:

• My work ethic: I believe that in life, hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. What separates people who have the ability to change the world from everybody else having the opportunity, but just as importantly, having the work ethic. I pride myself on having an unmatched work ethic that has allowed me to enjoy the successes that I've enjoyed so far in my life.
• Intersections of Talents: I believe someone who is effective in tapping into the conscience of the people can interface with them on the same subject in different ways. For example, Jay Z in many respects has become an archetype for hip-hop culture because he's been effective in communicating what hip-hop culture should be in music, in fashion and business. Likewise with me, I've had times where people have seen me give speeches and lectures and thought that I incorporated spoken word and vice-versa, or looked at my writing as a means to bring two sides of an issue together. As I mature, I only look to further to blur that line. 
• Compassion: Any great leader has to be compassionate. It is an indispensable trait that I believe can go from solving the issue of poverty to ending military conflicts. Having compassion not only for your people but for others is imperative to understanding solutions.
• Sense of Humor: I don't try to take myself too seriously all the time. Being able to stand back and really lighten up is a stress-relieving mechanism that I've adopted and that has helped me navigate more stressful periods in my life.
• Understanding my Origins: You can never know where you're going until you understand where you come from. For me, understanding the rich heritage I have in being the son of Haitian parents and being born as a black man in the United States gives me a view of life that most people don't get to have. It is up to me to utilize that origin to understand what in this society needs to be fixed and who and how it will be accomplished.

2) Interview the five people who know you the best.
Listen to Elyssa Kelly Interview.wav by Oliver Telusma #np on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/oliver-telusma/elyssa-kelly-interview-wav

Listen to Yulie Choi interview.wav by Oliver Telusma #np on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/oliver-telusma/yulie-choi-interview-wav

Listen to Jordan Dozier.wav by Oliver Telusma #np on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/oliver-telusma/jordan-dozier-wav

Listen to Phillip Augustin.wav by Oliver Telusma #np on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/oliver-telusma/phillip-augustin-wav

Listen to Jacof Teran Interview.wav by Oliver Telusma #np on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/oliver-telusma/jacof-teran-interview-wav


3) Reflect on the differences.

To be completely candid I was very surprised at the responses that people gave me. I found them to very accurate, but they wouldn't be the first characteristics that I would point out about myself. Also I noticed that people focused more on the nuances in my personality than I did, which to me indicates that I keep good company that pays attention to even the smallest of details. I am curious to hear people's first impression of me and how they feel it compares to people that know me well. 

Week 9 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

Easily the most interesting thing that stood out to me this week was studying consumer spending habits. This information has lead search engines to collaborate with other companies to study your search patterns to try to convince you to buy things, why companies spend so much money on commercials during highly-watched TV events like the Super Bowl, World Cup Final and the World Series and why intermediary companies like Ali Baba and Uber, despite not owning a specific product or the rights to a specific service have taken up so much of the market.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

There wasn't really anything that gave me too much difficulty with the reading this week. This is one of my favorite things to study about business.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I would ask the author how were the nuances in consumer spending tracked before the proliferation of technology that can track this information minute-to-minute, because I want to understand the speed in which the market operated at. Another question I would ask is how easy or how difficult was it for companies to influence consumer spending habits?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

There is nothing that I really disagree with, usually I just would like the author to elaborate on certain points that they try to make. This week I would have like to have seen the author give more concrete instances of consumer spending habits.

Idea Napkin No. 2

1) You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

I am among the furthest things from perfect. However, in order to fulfill the promise of the United States and the credo of wanting to form "a More Perfect Union," has to come people willing to lead towards that goal. This belief is what motivates me to utilize my abilities, because of the more equitable world that I would like to see. With my business concept, the website progress.sitey.me works to increase levels of civic engagement and social consciousness. For me, this website is the first sustained opportunity that I've taken to use a platform to make my voice heard. 

2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs).

The website will allow for people to have their voices heard, a platform to make their voice heard. The internet and social media have allowed for increased interconnection between millennials and younger people. Largely what people want is to have a chance to amplify their voices.

3) Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?

I am offering the website to anyone who wants a platform to make their voices heard. Traditionally in the United States, marginalized communities have been PoC's (people of color), gender minorities (women, trans, gender neutral/gender fluid), and the economically disadvantaged.

4) Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

They care because government is not the only means to make your voice heard in a society. The most critical aspect in delivering a message is the platform in which you deliver it on, and it will serve well to amplify that message through conventional and progressive means.

5) What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

At my age, my experience in involving myself not only into the political discussion on my campus but also my community gives me a unique breadth of information that most young people don't have. Not just personal and political experience, but social experience has come a long way in what you are able to achieve with those experiences and the experiences of others. 

One of the biggest criticisms that I've seen regarding the website is that starting out it has to produce content more. Despite myself having an audience before and real life through politics and performing, I have to be able to consolidate that base onto the website. Another is involve other writers. I cannot be the sole producer of content, regardless of whether its through poetry or essays/articles, I have to be able to incorporate more conservative and more liberal viewpoints than my own. Another key factor was how I can incorporate other platforms, and making sure that I have platform-specific marketing, meaning that I can't use the same marketing that I use on FB or Twitter that I use on Instagram. I've tried to incorporate this into a more holistic approach on how I create marketing, which involves using tools like Canva for Instagram in particular. I tried to incorporate a playlist on the website as well, which allows for potential artists to have a platform to receive different levels of rotation on their music. I incorporated it into my "napkin" by making sure that I can incorporate all people into my outreach platform.