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Business Model Presentation and Thesis

My original goal for this was to put everything I learned all together and present it.  My goal was accomplished and this is the one time I walked into the course knowing exactly what to expect.  This course was the equivalent of “Snakes on a Plane” if you don’t know what to expect, you are not paying attention.  Writing a end thesis and giving a presentation is all part of finishing a master’s program.

The goal was met in an organized fashion.  Meeting the instructors and going over the presentation multiple times helped narrow down what I needed to fix.  The suggestions where ones I would not have seen myself.  The Thesis was expected and outlined in such a way that followed the schedule of the masters program.  When it came to the presentation I was ready to present to the panel of instructors.  

I learned how to organize large projects better during this last month.  Learning how to organize is a very underestimated talent.  If one looks up the Parkinson’s law one can find out that the work will expand to the allowed time.  One can do a weeks job in a day if you are only given a day to do it.  I learned how to present online with Gotomeeting.  Before this program, I only used Skype and similar programs for fun.  

This whole last year has been packed full of useable knowledge.  Giving presentations is a skill everyone will need to have during their life.  Everyone will probably need to do a weeks work in a day or to manage their time better.  Everyone will need to learn how to summarize a large project, with tons of knowledge, into a shorter digestible segment.  

Overall, this month and this entire last year was a huge learning experience.  Breaking down how to be an entrepreneur into actionable and usable steps is a great idea.  Some of the months and classes had knowledge that everybody should know, yet only a few do, and even less use.  It is not the knowledge that will make a difference, but the ability to put it to use.  When you look at it, that is what an entrepreneur is, someone who actually gets what is needed done.   

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Business Model Management

As with most classes, I go into the class with an open mind.  I understand the basics of business management, but there is always more to learn on any subject.  The best way to learn is obviously experience, especially when it comes to management, but the second best way is to learn from the knowledge and experiences of leaders.

This month we learned how we can use key metrics, feedback loops, and different leadership styles.  With out knowing how these ideas can be implemented, you are flying blind.

Key metrics give you a look on how your business is doing.  If they are going up, you can make small touches and improvements.  If the statistics you are measuring, go down, than you investigate and figure out what to do so they go back up.  There is no reason key metrics should go down if management and promotions are going well.  

Feedback loops also gives you a look into what you need to do or fix to stay on top of your competition.  If you do not continuously get feedback from key customers and, well, everyone, you are not using all your resources.  Feedback from users is the most important info you can get.

Different leadership types work in different situations and with different types of people.  If a manager only has one type of leadership type, he or she is probably treating some situations wrong.  Some types of leadership are effective in the short, immediate time but alienates the staff in time.  

This course went over some valuable information that can be used in most businesses anyone would manage.  I intend on using stats and metrics to keep productivity always improving.  Changing leadership styles is going to be a little more difficult to implement.

Everything in this course is directly related to productivity and management.  Implementation is the main reason to study anything.  If something is not useful in the real world, it isn't useful.  I intend on using as much as I can in my job.  The resources in this course should be extremely useful as I am starting a new post in the company I work for this week

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Innovative Work Environments Course

he From the beginning of this course, I was enthralled.  Recently, I have been realizing how important one’s environment is.  The way someone treats their environment is a pretty good interpretation of how one’s mind works.  If someone constantly has a messy environment, it means they do not feel welcome, or their mind is a wash too.

I planned on this month digging into the history and future of work environments and was right on.  Businesses have gone far in how they treat their workers, and the working environment is just one of the many examples.  The environment is immensely important, and employers are realizing this, so they are making working spaces more intuitive and efficient.    

The course met all my goals.  I used real life experiences and related to the things I was reading.  Everything from the co-working environments to the flexibility of spaces made immediate sense if you look around you.  Sitting in your own cubicle all day does nothing if you are working in a business that focuses on people and knowledge.  You have to interact with your coworkers and have chemistry to get things done.  

I have learned that the most important part of the environment is the amount of work that it allows.  If there is a work place environment that inhibits productivity, it is harming everyone.  This could mean too much noise, no interaction between coworkers, or even too much of a hierarchy in the people that work there.  In contrast, a business place that has flow and enhances work will thrive.  Everyone working for the same purpose in the same direction will obviously create more valuable products.

 All of this will make me more conscious of my work environment.  I will take more responsibility for everything.  A clean place means happy people.  When people are happy and communicating well with one another, things will get done faster.

Th importance of the environment cannot be underestimated.  If someone messes his work place up, it will overflow to his real life.  If someone want to attract more customers, keep your area clean.

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Marketing Strategy

               My original goal for Marketing Strategy was to get a basic and overall understanding of different marketing strategies.  I have in the past tried to market a Kickstarter campaign to absolutely no avail.  I paid for press releases and shared it on all social media.  I had no strategy or plan.  I didn’t know what I was doing in general, so all my actions had no harmony.

               My original goal was reached and surpassed.  Before this course I had very little to no knowledge about marketing and marketing strategies.  Marketing strategies are constantly evolving into more and more effective ways to get your product to the masses.  Learning about SOSTAC gives one a planning model and a straight forward way to plan.  Learning about how different generations react to different stimuli should be a given, but it is important to know what they actually respond to.  There are many wrong beliefs about every generation, but the statistics do not lie.

               The course went over a significant amount of knowledge and content I had never studied before.  I have learned to trust numbers and studies about what different generations and people react do.  There are many untruths that if listened to will have you marketing to the wrong people or marketing the wrong content to your desired public.  

               I will use the knowledge and content to narrow my marketing strategy so my budget stretches further.  Creating a workable strategy with action steps is a hundred times more effective than going at marketing all willy-nilly.  Paying attention to the correct numbers and information will also let me correct my plan as I go.  If I watch the wrong stats, I will not know what I need to do to get back on track.  Having the right tactics and having the right connections will make promoting and marketing infinitely easier.  

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Entrepreneurial Finance

              My original goal for this course was to learn financial theory to use for upcoming theoretical ideas and hobbies.  I had no intention to actually use or apply the knowledge to a possible business opportunity.  Finance has never been my strong point and I have never wanted to confront the finance aspects of business.  If I kept things small, I could bootstrap them and not worry about losing my shirt.

               This course surpassed my original goal and more. I actually had an opportunity to apply the knowledge to my idea.  I had to think if Social Steps is actually financial viable or realistic.  If I was to create an app and treat it like a business. I had to think if it was a good enough idea that I could make a living off of.  I still got plenty of theory and financial knowledge, but mainly it was useable knowledge.

               I learned more than expected from this course. There are multiple different ways to value your start up or business.  I have never before thought of much an idea is worth.  I have thought of it, but never put much effort in pricing it out, as I never thought I would ever have a good enough idea or business to sell it to anyone.  I learned what metrics to measure to know if my app is growing at an appropriate rate. We went in depth on how to reach new customers and how to create a sales funnel that makes marketing pay for itself. Marketing should hardly be considered a cost as it is the only way to bring new eyes to your ideas.

               I will put these ideas to use while creating my app as well in other walk of life.  There are ways to see if an idea is viable and realistic.  If an idea is just going to constantly drain money and bring none in, it should be tossed.

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Legal Issues in Entrepreneurship

     The class, Legal Issues in Entrepreneurship, for Full Sail University was probably the most difficult class for me so far.  Going into the class, I did not expect such a deep dive into the different legal issues.  My knowledge of the matter was honestly skin deep beforehand.  It has always been a subject I never wanter to confront and will willing to let others handle.  I have created a LLC a few years ago, but did nothing with it, so it crumbled.

     The class explained the different types of negotiations and how to protect your assets.  As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  I know now a whole slew of different ways to protect my venture before I begin.  From all the research, I realized some types of negotations are best suited for different types of people and situations.  The class made me think on my venture through a different perspective as well.        

     I learned that I need to be constantly on the watch to find ways to protect myself.  I am always torn between open content and free knowledge and wanting to make a living with my ideas.  The class also had a secondary effect of making me look into my schedule and rearrange it.  Looking into the matters of law leads some people into the art of organization.  Organized thought makes for easier policy.

     I am going to implement the lessons I learned from this class into my business life and entrepreneurial life.  When working for yourself, protecting your assets is as important as creation.  If what you make gets taken away from you, you lost time and money.

     One doesn’t need to be a lawyer to protect themselves, but it would be a good idea to have a good lawyer on your team.  Hire a reputable one to protect your assets.             

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Business Model

This last months has been a roller coaster.  I knew what to expect a little more than the previous months, or at least I thought I knew what to expect.  Learning about business models has changed significantly from just a few years ago while getting my bachelors degree.

Business is constantly upgrading itself.  The companies that do not stay on top of the evolution of business will get left behind.  Evolution is not easy to the losers, no matter what field you are in.  With companies such as Netflix and Clickfunnels coming with new content, one must be studying constantly. 

The class surpassed my expectations as usual.  Learning about Netflix and Cirque was fascinating.  It is of no surprise that some business pass their competition so quickly.  At least when you look at the past with the knowledge we know now there is no surprises.  That is the best way, study the past to the best of your ability and try to guess or create the future you want. 

I learned quite a few other ways I could plan out my business model.  This class made me look closer at some of the other additional features of my idea.  Social Steps is constantly going changes.  The MVP went from a full blown App (which is still in the works) to possibly just a one way bulletin board.  The SmartStart Canvas made me look at all my segments with a new perspective.  

I will be using the SmartStart Canvas on more of my ideas and projects now.  Even with my regular day job I am going to break down into segments to see how I can better help my clientele.  I am going to give the canvas to my girlfriend and have her fill it out for BeachBody. 

Business Models was a great class.  Looking at all the option through the perspective of the entrepreneur and not just a student was probably the difference.  I have learned about business models before, yet never really cared.  I did not think that they would be useful, now I have a different opinion.  

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Business Feasibility

at the beginning of the course, I was interested in which way we would figure out if a business is feasible.  I have since learned that there are many ways to figure out if your present idea is a good business venture.  Most importantly, I have learned how to kill my stubbornness and pride, and realize that some of my ideas are just bad business ideas.

My goal was met and surpassed.  I have learned that many versions of my idea are bad.  I am still learning some aspects of my business are bad ideas, and that is fine.  It is important to realize that it is better to figure out if something will work or not before putting a significant amount of money in it.  

I have learned a bunch of ways to figure out if business ideas are feasible.  Polls, questionnaires, and asking trusted confidents are all ways to find out blind spots in you ideas.  The most important thing I learned was that pride comes after feasibility.  I doesn’t help anyone to keep pushing a bad idea.

I am applying this knowledge and goal setting in order to save money now and the future.  It will be useful for all future ventures, both business and not.

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Good Morning,  

Shawn O'Brien with Full Sail here.

1.  I believe we have forgotten the most important skill, the skill to connect.  We settled for the lower common denominator of communication.  We need to use social media as a tool, and stopped being used as tools.

2.  My app would give small basic tasks to push you.  The would get a bit tougher as the user progresses.  Hopefully by adding small successes on each other, the user will be more and more confident.

3.  I will have a free version and a monthly pay option.  I will also do affiliate programs with people I like.  

4.  Luckily with click funnels and all the ways to target my customers, testing will be easy.  I will be able to target one group with the free version, and others with the pay version.

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Design Done Right

              My perspective of the importance of design has forever been changed after studying after going through the Product Design and Development Course from Full Sail University.  Before taking the class, I didn’t even know what a course like this would entail.  After going through it, I look at the world through “design” glasses.

               How little thought that most people put into the design of their product is embarrassing.  When a well-designed product might not even take that much more effort.  I know I am guilty of over looking design since now too. Good Design means that thought and soul went into the process.  I, like everyone else always overlooked design.  I took good design for granted and thought that design was for snobby people.

               The course made me look at design in a drastically different way, and for the better.  Also, the course is making me think out me social app more in depth and now with the importance of design in mind.  If someone is going to use my app, they need a good experience.  Good experiences are designed through intention.

               I have already been implementing the ideas of design into my life.  Good design can create emotions with the end user.  If one plans, they can design almost anything.  I see it in my travels and now understand what is happening.  I appreciate beauty and well-designed environments more nowadays.  

               After saying how important design is, the course also taught me getting a product out into the public is often more important that perfection (Ries, 2014).  Getting to monetization as quickly as possible is of the utmost importance. Once you get customers, you can implement their ideas into the design to create a better customer experience.  If you never get to the part where you make money, perfection does not really matter.

 References

Ries, E. (2014). The lean startup: how todays entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically

successful businesses. New York: Crown Business.

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Business Venture Research

     This last month had me digging deep into research with my Full Sail class, Business Venture Research.  At the beginning of the month I had no clue what to expect because I was looking at research incorrectly.  Research does not need to be daunting or boring.  Researching something that you are genuinely interested in can actually be fun.  Consider research the wine and dine part of business.

        Business Venture Research blew past all my expectations.  I have been enrolled in Grant Cardone’s Mentorship program this month as well, and the synergy is phenomenal.  With all the research I have done this last month, I have narrowed my possible creations to two.  At the beginning of the month I had many more ideas circulating my mind.  Real world application is more important that writing a 5-page paper in my mind.

     I learned a significant amount, but a few ideas stood out over the rest.  Money invested into research is not money wasted.  Research your project more than you expected to and you will reap the benefits.  When you actually start your business, you should know that it will be ten times more difficult than you ever thought it would be.  The last thought is that implementation is much more important than the innovation part.  You can have the best idea ever, but if you ‘cannot make it happen than the idea does not matter.   

     Everyone starting a business or making something happen should be ferocious when learning and studying.  My favorite mentors are Grant Cardone and Vishen Lakhiani.  They will make you step out of your comfort zones.  Another research resource are mastermind group interviews such as the ones on Full sail’s YouTube channel.  A good book to read to succeed is “The Science of Getting Rich,” by Wallace D. Wattles.  You must watch what you take in.     

     I am implementing these ideas personally and professionally as I learn them.  I went from a slew of ideas at the beginning of the month to only a few well though ideas presently.  I have made the mistake of acting before researching and have spent thousands of dollars unnecessarily.  I am surrounding myself with like-minded people who have their own special abilities that work well with my talents.  Lastly, I am invested in my ideas and am taking action.   

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Hey guys. Read the new story of the prodigal son.

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My 2017 was excellent. I started on a friend's couch and ended in a house I bought. I started in one job and ended with two jobs I love. I enrolled in two universities. I started and finished writing a book. I enjoyed and love my friends and family. I learned and grew a ton.

My 2018 will be better. I will improve my house and maybe even buy another one. I will thrive in my jobs and business. I will finished my masters program and become sales certified. I will publish my book and grew its fan base. I will grow my relationships with my loved ones.

I will continue to grow.

Read 1 book a week.

Take more classes I'm interested in.

Travel more.

Its my responsibility to make this happen.

Shawn O'Brien

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Grant Cardone 10XMentor Program.  The next two months will will a blur

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If you're an engineer, you make a product that is unique and valuable. If your a salesman, you communicate to the world that your product is unique and valuable.

Guy kawasaki

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Experience life

Once you realize you have more responsibility than you think, you realize you can handle it.

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Chaos. Enjoy it

Those who can see and recognize the patterns of chaos can capitalize on chaos.