Final Reflection

2) What sticks out to you as the most formative experience? The experience that you'll remember years later? What was your most joyous experience? What experience are you most proud of yourself for accomplishing?

Easily the most formative experience and the experience I appreciated the most was moving my website to Wix from Sitey. At first I was very disappointed that I would have to rebuild a website from scratch, especially because I don't feel I'm the best at utilizing technology.

3) At the beginning of the semester, I mentioned that I wanted each of you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. And we repeated the mantra -- I am an entrepreneur. Now, at the end, do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Do you think you have moved closer to developing an entrepreneurial mindset?

I always saw myself as an entrepreneur, but I really believe this is the first class that forced me to hone those skills so I could better define how I want to make a difference in the world as an entrepreneur.

4) What is the one recommendation you would make to the students who are going to journey down this path in the future? What would you recommend they do to perform best in this course? What would you recommend they do to foster that mindset?

Set a schedule! In this class, because assignments are due practically every other day, it is easy to skip two or three assignments in a row, because it could only amount to two or three days (especially if multiple assignments are due on one day). Set a schedule, set an hour aside so you can thoroughly both do the assignment and do any readings, as well as post on Yellowdig. 

Elevator Pitch No. 4

Here is the link to the 4th elevator pitch,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZLPU_w5WIo

Venture Concept No. 2

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qw1RavNq5SXfAyGY9ziXjh5mNRj6bJy5VufR7vPdZyo/edit?usp=sharing

Comments are through the link.

Week 14 Reading Reflection

1. The most interesting thing that I learned as we near the end of the class is the potential of the individual trying to make an impact in the world through their venture. Everyone has the potential to make a very big difference in the world.

2. I wasn't confused by any part of the reading this week. For the most part of readings this semester were extremely straightforward.

3. If I could ask the author two questions one would be how does he feel like he could make a difference through a venture in particular?

4. I agreed with the author during this week's reading.

Google Gold

1) A discussion of your general approach and strategy to search engine optimiation (SEO). What were some of the activities you did for each blog post to pursue SEO? 

I wanted tags that would also serve as promotional slogans. On my instagram page (IG: _oliver_telusma_) I would do promotional flyers before releasing an article. 

2) What were your keywords. How did you select those keywords? Did you change or refine your keywords through the semester?

My key words were "next up" and "make progress" because I wanted key phrases that would also serve as branding. 

3) How did you use social media to enhance your SEO efforts? What your your surprises or general impression of using social media to improve your blog's profile? Was social media generally receptive of your blog, or did it get ignored?

The company that I focused on was the website I launched called Progress. Social media for my blog had a negligible effect on the blog, but did have a positive effect on my website.  

4) What was your most "viral" post? In other words, which post obtained the most traffic? Why do you think?

The most viral post on my blog was "my Entrepreneurship Story." It received the most traffic I believe because it was the inaugural story on my page and was an honest look about how entrepreneurship has affected my life and my success. 

5) Finally, did you make it to the first page of Google results for your keywords? If not, what page of results did you make it to?

I did not make it to the first page of Google results, it was actually very difficult to find my blog unless I typed out my first and last name. 

Promotional Flyer for President Obama: Legend

Very Short Interview With Entrepreneur, Part 2

The similarities between my first entrepreneur, Vivian Filer and my second entrepreneur are striking because they both have an overwhelming passion for people. Even though both deal with different aspects of oratory, both combine their love of preserving under-served voices in the Gainesville community with the concept of speaking out against certain injustices.

Here is the interview: https://soundcloud.com/oliver-telusma/brittney-mejia-interview-2

Week 13 Reading Reflection

1. It is an old adage that stocks are largely decided based on emotion, but when discussing the microeconomics of running a small business, I was unaware of how much ethos plays a role in decision making. Especially for a smaller business, it would make sense to take logical, and rational risks.

2. Nothing confused me about the reading this week.

3. A question that I would ask the author is how can emotional reaction be measured in an unbiased manner? The whole point of measuring statistics is to take emotions out of it, so it would be interesting to understand how emotional decision making can be quantified.

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

Celebrating Failure

A time where I failed this semester was actually attempting to launch my website called Progress. Originally I planned on connecting with other people via Sitey, and the launch of the website, with the first article already published. However, shortly after a lot of users were complaining regarding difficulties with seeing the website and constantly getting “404 error: page not found.” As someone who prides themselves on trying to make the inroads necessary to make systemic reforms in society, I was embarrassed for myself because I worked hard to get the website to be functional. The wavering in functionality persisted (partially because I let it) for a month and a half, including when the second article was released. Eventually I became fed up with the progress that Progress was making on Sitey, so I decided to rebuild a brand new website on Wix. The launch was a lot more successful on Wix, as the website functions well, and the potential for growth on Wix is very high.

Progress homepage while on sitey.com

Progress currently on Wix

My Exit Strategy

1. I fully expect to retire with the idea of making Progress. Even though the product will evolve as I get older, the concept of trying to push the boundaries of what it means to live in a just and equitable society. I also look to further evolve the mediums that the website can use to voice its concerns, including hosting conferences and developing programs for disadvantaged communities to get back on their feet.

2. I selected this exit strategy because this venture isn't the traditional type of venture. Most people wait until it is valuable enough to sell it. I want this venture to become a public good and something that people depend on as a sustainable platform to make their voices heard.

3. Because I don't plan on exiting from the venture, I can't say that "exiting" has influenced my decision. What influences my decision is how I best believe that I can serve the public, especially disadvantaged communities.

otelusma96.wix.com/progress

Week 12 Reading Reflection

1. For companies that are considering starting a venture it is really interesting to the amount of companies that either don't plan at all or don't plan enough. A business is the sum of opportunity, planning and execution. Any prospective business owner has to account for that.

2. I had no questions regarding the reading this week.

3. One question I would have for the author is "is there a 'textbook' way to begin planning out a venture," because a lot of startups just want advice from people who have experience doing this type of work. A follow up I would ask is how far out should you begin planning for the launch of the venture.

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