yzanjiiii

[yzanjiiii]

THE END OF BEGINNING

Time flies so fast. I can still remember the time, me and my girls were still thinking of concepts that we may propose to the panel. We were always visionary — we want to create an impact by changing the status quo of the environment. From lotus leaves to banana leaves until we came up with mahogany leaves. The thoughts of our journey as I write this blog instantly flash before me, I still cannot fathom that we have already successfully presented our product before the panel.

The assignment of tasks, defense, up to the creation of our product that we underestimated because we thought it was easy. Not until we have to segregate leaves one by one to remove the stalk. It was a real struggle because we have to be very careful and we only have little manpower because some were working on the solution but because of our commitment, we were able to create a paper. I guess the hardest task was to mold the leaves into the screen that we made because we have to make sure that the solution should not be thin enough or dry enough to be transferred hence, it requires a lot of patience and with girls who are impatient and have anger issues, it really was a real struggle.

Our advertisement on the other hand was also a struggle because I was the one who directed our video and Nhicka on the other hand was assigned to the documentation. The filming was fast-paced because I already thought of the concept. However, what drained us both of Nhicka was the energy/overactingness of Shaila and Donna, while we face their ka-OA in everyday life, the level of OA that day was too much (which was my fault because I was the one who told them to be as OA as barbie) but overall, it was fun, I was just exhausted and fell asleep immediately after I want home. I realized that creating a concept for promo videos for effective marketing is really essential and you have to squeeze every inch of your artistic juice.

Fast forward, it was already our defense, everyone was tense but at the same time, felt accomplished and proud because we were the only group who were able to produce a product. It felt nice because we successfully prove to the panel that we can make a difference as our concept came to life, our imagination came to reality. During the defense, I did not feel good because I had a fever so I told Donna to take over the pitching and she delivered. I strongly believe that our product can solve the mahogany invasiveness problem not just in the university but also to other places in the country who are facing the issue hence, we have full discretion on what to do with our product after our defense. I am open with the possibility of pitching it in government agencies like DTI or to the administration of CMU who are green advocates. Nonetheless, I believe that our instructor played a big role in influencing and inspiring us throughout our journey, without his guidance, I do not think we can make it this far.

LECTURE SERIES

In the lecture series, Eloisa and I helped in the seat arrangement in the UCC because it lacked manpower. There were problems along the way such as the missing attendance but I just thought, I have to focus on the lecture series, not on the problem.

The lecture series tackled the multidimensional concept of business and entrepreneurship. Anyone can do business but not all business is entrepreneurship, this was already discussed during our class but it was elaborated more in the lecture series. It highlighted a lot of important things to consider such as the protection of ideas and innovations through applying for patency and it also introduced the possible networks that we can join and apply if we want to push through our concept.

Well, to be honest, after the pitching I have come to a personal dilemma of leveling up the idea but I do not know where to start—how do I do this and what now? These are the two questions that remained in my mind. But through the lecture series, I was able to understand that first, I have to protect our idea. It is never good to steal other people's ideas and concepts because it is against the law, through applying for patency, you are also protecting your creation hence, it is important to know the legalities and implications of the law especially for a political science major such as the R.A. 8293, or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.

Another one is the pervasive problem of the network present in the Philippines, I believe that there is an issue because there is an insufficient presence of marketing of its existence. I, too am fascinated that there is an existing network linkages. Well, I am a political science major so I guess, it is understandable but I can tell with the reaction of the attendees that it is also a new information. Hence, I believe that the organization must thrive to extend their reach especially outside the academe. There are a lot of efforts already and widening the reach would also extend to the public who have the potential and who also do not know where to start.

Lastly, the fourth speaker actually showed us the realities of entrepreneurship. Profit may be good and enticing for others to do business but the realities do not reflect the entirety of experiences to be felt by the people. An entrepreneur must be strong hearted enough to face the consequences of failure. An entrepreneur must rise from the ashes and should be brave enough to try again. An entrepreneur must choose the right people to do business and lastly, an entrepreneur must know how to effectively market its product to extend their reach.

The overall experiences of this subject made me realize that there is more to life than constitution books and republic acts. While we are already numb with the harsh realities and words from our department because of preparatory for law, empathy and strategies are needed in entrepreneurship. I am really happy that this was offered because it was a mind opening and mind blowing experience. It made me wander into the beauty of entrepreneurship. I guess, I got hooked into entrepreneurship but this was all possible due to our instructor who made the learning fun. I believe that the one teaching plays a big factor in the learning process of a student and I can say, our instructor really made a big impact on us, to me personally, who was able to include entrepreneurship as one of my interests.

Thank you so much sir for the learnings, rest assured that these will be amplified and resonated to other people as well.

[yzanjiiii]

BLOG #3 EVERLEAF REBRANDING

Business is never just about profit or innovating an income generating product that will persuade the target market and panel that your product is worth investing but it encompasses people, marketing, and coping strategies/mechanisms. I have come to realize that doing business is never for the faint-hearted. You have to come up with a lot of concept plan with a lot of options and strategies available for any situation—may be an expected or unexpected/unforeseen ones. Personality in terms of working with your group and intra personality in coping with difficulties, rejection, and success are important. One wrong move could falter the whole operations of the group hence, one must know how to carry one's self. As a leader, I must know how to handle inactive membership properly despite everyone's temper and impatience. Furthermore, I must also know how to carry the whole organization and make sure that it will not crumble due to minor and major setbacks. In other words, I must be dynamic with the changes that may surge whenever and wherever. 

Therefore, the rebranding of EverLeaf is not just changing the concept — main product from printable paper into scrapbook paper but it is also the rebranding of techniques, attitudes, and mechanisms.

EXPERIENCE

MIDTERM PITCHING

Group Photos before Midterm Pitching

Before Midterm Pitching

Before the midterm pitching, I was really tense and stressed as one of the members of the group went Missing In Action (MIA) during the night of final revision of the BMC. As the leader, I have to bridge the shortcomings of our members by filling out her task. I extended my patience because I know, she's an irregular student but the frequency of her being inactive is really frequent and the majority of the members are already mad because instead of being apologetic, she ghosted us and left the group which is a really disrespectful move. Nonetheless, we managed to complete the BMC at 4 AM. In the morning, after our class, I contacted the food resto for the lunch delivery of the panel and worked with the Physics class for the token. We then gathered and talked about the possible questions to be thrown at. We dolled ourselves to ease the tension and waited for the pitching.

During Midterm Pitching

With the midterm pitching, I can say that it is a nerve wracking experience. I would re-evaluate myself a lot given that I carried the most volumed pressure in pitching the idea to the panels. It eventually relied on my communication skills to persuade the panel that our concept is innovative, original, and worth the investment. My hands were shaking during the pitching, I was almost out of breath due to the nervousness on the time, and I cannot hear anything on the audience but the thump on my heart kept on getting louder and louder that I felt like there's a rope on my neck, ready to snap anytime if I make a mistake. A sound of relief and a deep breath were exuded after my pitching but I am fully aware that my pitching skills were still not enough and so, I pledged on to myself that I will be better in the next pitching. 

During Q and A, I have a lot to answer especially in terms of originality of concept. I can use Josh Mojica's Kangkong Chips as the baseline of our argument as to how, there were already an existing concept on other regions but due to his effective marketing, he was able to make the product as his trademark product. The fact that environmental friendly and sustainable products are needed as an alternative to the consumerism issues present in the university are badly needed by the administration, this means that our product itself is worth investing because it is relevant to the current status quo. However, I felt like I am tongue-tied during the Q and A as I was not able to open my mouth and be confident with our product despite it was my idea. 

This led me to numerous realizations. I have come to my senses that to venture the business world, I must not let my what ifs and thoughts on what I could have done prevail for a long time. I must not let it stick upon me as it will hinder my steps toward growth and development. As it may help in devising strategies. What I should do is focus on the present and not overthink my mistakes because mistakes are still milestones towards success. It brought lessons and open new dimensions on what to look at. It widen narrow perspectives that are vital in improving personalities, concepts, and techniques.

After Midterm Pitching

After the midterm pitching, we had our Rejection Therapy which is a very embarrassing activity as we have to gather our courage to interview random students. It may be very humiliating but it was fun because I was able to step out from my comfort zone. It was a really tiring day. I had no sleep that night, went pitching then did our Rejection Therapy. It was nonetheless productive.

We then conducted an interview to consolidate our target market's perception.

INTERVIEW

Photos during Interview

Before Interview

We met at the Pateran at College Park for a short meeting with the agenda of: Timeline of Activities, Collection, Questions for the Interview, and the Final Product. We already plotted the necessary to-do list and we parted ways to do our interview.

During the Interview

It was really smooth because once we spread out, we were able to find our interviewees, both first year students and one outside the main gate. I can say, this was the smoothest interview activity we had so far because of the fast-paced interview.

After the Interview

We consolidated our reports for the creation of figures and revision of BMC.

FIGURES OF RESULTS

To completely rebrand EverLeaf, we have interviewed 10 students with regards to the 1) Marketability/Availability, (2) Price, and (3) Improvement.

Marketability/Availability

As for the question of "Would you buy our product if it is already available in the market?", 40 percent of the 10 interviewees answered depends on the price and quality since they are still skeptical if it is actually worth the price and if we can achieve our goal for the quality however, as long as the price justified the product quality, they said they will avail. 30 percent answered Yes while 20 percent on the possibly, and 20 percent on the seasonality of needs.

Yes - 3

Possibly - 1

Depends on the quality and price - 4

Depends on what project and design I'm working on - 2

Pie chart of availability/marketability

Price

As for the second question, "What are the justifiable prices for the following sizes of paper?"

The following are the results:

A4

Per Piece: 8.00 - 1

10.00 - 1

3.00 - 2

2.00 - 1

4.00 - 1

6.00 - 1

5.00 - 1

10-25 - 2

Per Pack:

70 - 1

95 - 1

25 - 2

17 - 1

35 - 1

80 - 1

200 - 2

39 - 1

Pie chart of A4 Preferred Price

A3

Per Piece:

6.00 - 2

20.00 - 1

5.09 - 2

6.00 - 1

9.00 - 1

5-10 - 2

2.50 - 1

Per Pack:

55 - 2

190 - 1

45 - 2

38 - 1

85 - 1

100 - 2

30 - 1

Pie chart of A3 Preferred Price

B4

Per Piece:

5.00 - 2

15.00 - 1

7.00 - 2

4.00 - 1

10.00 - 1

3-5 - 2

2. 00 - 1

Per Pack:

45 - 2

95 - 2

65 - 1

67 - 1

35 - 1

50 - 2

15 - 1

Pie chart of B4 Preferred Price

Improvements

As for the question "What are the aspects that need to be leveled up by the innovators to be able to compete in the market?" The following are the results:

Uniqueness - 2

Product quality & price - 4

Sustainability & Durability - 1

Packaging & marketing strategies - 3

Pie chart of Improvements

Special Question

During our Midterm Pitching, one of the questions being thrown at us was the "Dili ba ninyo mahurot ang leaves sa mga kahoy if ever mudako inyo scope and naa ba moy investors?" And so, we asked this as a bonus question towards our interviewees and they answered us with "NO". In fact, we could help save the environment more because we don't have to cut trees and wait for it to regrow for a lot of years to create paper.

REFLECTION

All in all, I can say that we are nearing the end of our entrepreneurial journey and it may be a new sphere of learning but through this subject, I was able to enter new borders of horizons for growth and learning especially in the corporate and business world. Through the dynamic and supportive guidance of our instructor, I was able to enhance my leadership, communication skills, and knowledge on business as I am also hinting an interest in making my own business in the future.

APPLICATION

In the real world, this entrepreneur experience is just the tip of an iceberg of how complex and stressful having a business especially, an innovation. You have to go through an up and down cycle of success and rejection and you need to have a solid, unwavering heart, and flaming passion for business. I was able to experience a glimpse of both rejection and success but it taught me to be strong and not doubt our capabilities. I have come to realize that you must believe in your creation first in order for you to persuade your buyers effectively. One lesson I also acquired is to seek support from people who truly believe in you.

[yzanjiiii]

Blog #2 Into the VentureVerse: My Giant Leap into the Corporate Cosmos

V-Day, the most awaited day of everyone. Everywhere I go—virtually or in real life, I can see hearts and the color red signifying that it is already the day of love ladies and gentlemen!

Everyone is obviously lovestruck with a reeking excitement of showing how lovable they were. I can see students carrying guitars on their back with a love letter on their left hand and a flower on their right. What a sight! Sighed heavily by AB Political Science majors who have an entrepreneurial mind subject that day. Instead of receiving flowers, sweet messages, and chocolates early in the morning, we were greeted with "Naa pay isa ka section sa business proposal nga wala nahuman" which made the vein in our heads twitch. But because it was a collective output, we multi-tasked our way during our first subject that day.

While everybody else was really blooming early in the morning, due to our busy preparation of our venture proposal, we were like walking zombies in the campus (obviously not jowable). Our eyes were not heart shaped just like the other students roaming around with their bouquets and presents but are dark circles due to staying up all night, polishing our papers. Additionally, we were not lovestruck, acting lovey dovey so early in the morning, our heads were steaming hot due to some unforeseen circumstances that made our paper incomplete added by corny couples along the hallway that made us curse at the back of our head.

Cupid obviously failed and will not strike arrows at us as we were like a human-form toros, ready to take down anything red within our sight (ofc, another implication would be the red flag enjoyer members of ours). I thought V-Day stands for Valentine's Day but I was wrong, it was our Venture Proposal Day, still close enough with the letter V. And honestly, the ecstatic feeling of being excited and nervous was filling up my system, creating butterflies in my stomach—not the butterflies I was expecting but still good enough (Do I have a choice?)

EXPERIENCE

BEFORE THE VENTURE PROPOSAL

Despite my complete lack of expertise in what was occurring, I already planned to step onto the stage with confidence, grace, and wit, while at the same time, tried to focus on what I could brought to the table. The thought of charging onto a battlefield unprepared with an unfamiliar weapon fills me with dread. The proposal, video, and PowerPoint are all ready to go, but I was not because I am terrified of not succeeding as well as being too focused on what could happen and not at the present. Nevertheless, I know that I must confront this fear head-on and seize the opportunity to experience and explore this new realm, even though I am unsure of what could be a proper pitch. I am fully aware that everyone is a player, and I, too, should play the game the best way I can. The pressure to carry the group and be a beginner is nothing new, but I'm aware that I'm not the greatest speaker in the class and that everyone else is clenching their jaws and giving it their all therefore, I should do the same despite the fact that I am really scared at that time.

DURING THE VENTURE PROPOSAL

"Do it scared"

Despite my shaky hands, my shaky knees, and a racing heartbeat, I turned the doorknob and we faced the stage. I was able to present the proposal confidently but not aware with the time due to my "talks a lot moment" because I was already in my element, therefore, we ended up exceeding with the time. I felt like my mouth has a mind of its own because I say whatever I want not knowing I have to speak for less then 2 minutes as agreed. After I heard the alarm, everything went black and I was panicking again as I felt like I failed my members. But due to the encouragement of sir Reymark, complimenting us on how good we are with our oral presentation, the clouds in my mind slowly started to clear. Initially, I thought I was not a good speaker but I was wrong, we actually exceeded with our expectations but as a political science majors who are always corrected with our tone of voice by our instructors and maintain a formal presentation, the comment of sir with regards to energy requirement was a shock for us as we never knew that it was like a hosting-type of presentation.

"You set the bar/standards. Good thing you did not present first" after heading out, this statement of sir stayed in my head. I felt like it consoled me, a reminder not to be hard on myself as I was starting to feel a little disappointed for not perfecting the venture proposal. But it cannot be denied that it opened doors for realizations and identified doors for improvements therefore, my mind was surging with learnings at that time. The positive comments we received from sir made us motivated on strategizing what to do next, what aspects we need to improve, identify our weaknesses, and use our lapses as our strength for our next pitching. I went home daydreaming on possible scenarios on how to properly present our proposal. It actually drained me to the point that I sent some tips to our groupmates and schedule our next urgent meeting before going to sleep. After that, I asked our secretary to prepare the agenda and require everyone to prepare a possible impromptu salestalk to assess each one's capabilities to pitch.

Group Photos after our Venture Proposal

AFTER THE VENTURE PROPOSAL

Feeling not satisfied with my last performance, the passion in me to do better and exceed my expectations is raging like a violent storm in the sea.

"A boat never sinks because of the deadly waves and current around it, it sinks because the water entered the boat"

Instead of being depressed and punishing myself with something I cannot alter, I held a meeting after our class to have everyone showcase their ability to salestalk on their respective phone, make me be persuaded to buy that brand. Everyone did their best I let them have the liberty to assess themselves and most comments would be about the lack of confidence, consistency of energy pitch, and the persuasiveness of their voice because of voice quality. I actually went last to perform as I do not want to bear the pressure of presenting our product anymore because I felt like I was not good enough but it would be unfair if I will not try as I was the one who initiated this to assess everyone's capabilities. After I did my salestalk, I was chosen as the pitcher again for our midterm pitching despite my resistance and they assured me that they will help me improve. I just have to limit what I say to not exceed the time limit and so, I agreed later one after a series of persuasion. After that, we went on with our next agenda on the creation of our business plan proposal and the assignment of the following tasks as well as the deadlines. We also had a Q and A activity with the class and we were able to devise possible answers on possible questions such as one of the question being posed by our classmate which is the possible market competition and how we can stand out as well as the marketability. Not only that, I have also learned how to ethically address my answers and be on our best behavior during the pitching.

One of the task was the customer validation which requires a number of 25 interviewees per group. This activity is needed to assess the marketability of our innovative product and to meet the demands of the customers.

Group Photos after our Urgent Meeting

BEFORE THE CUSTOMER VALIDATION ACTIVITY

Before starting the interview, I formulated the questions to be thrown to the interviewees. To make the interview efficient, I assigned a solo, pair, and group interviewers. The solo interviewee is Ivy because of her status as an irregular student because I do not want to disturb her academic responsibilities due to her hectic schedule. For the pair, we have two: Eloisa and I, Donna and Shaila. For the group, it consisted of Fatima, Jann, and Nhicka. Each person is assigned with three quota of interviewees. We then prepared a Google docs for the interview consolidation and a Google drive for the documentation to ensure the validity and accuracy of the gathered data. Each were then assigned with a responsibility and had a consensus with the date of the deadline.

DURING THE CUSTOMER VALIDITY ACTIVITY

After the dismissal of our Entrep subject, Eloisa and I went to work. We first helped Shaila and Donna to gather two respondents from the College of Business and Management, then we went to CAS Main and had our interview. It was smooth for us as we were able to look for our interviewees right away. I can see that my confidence is improving as approaching potential interviewees is not difficult anymore. Then, I also assisted Nhicka, Fatima, and Jann in looking for potential interviewees as I believe that a leader must assist their members if they need help.

Group Photo with my Interviewees

AFTER THE CUSTOMER VALIDITY ACTIVITY

After gathering the data, we consolidated the acquired data, transcribed the video, and created central themes for easier identification. We then created both a qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis through thematic and pie charts. Despite pur busy schedule this week, we were able to get our part done without any lagging.

RESULT OF THE SURVEY

Individual Report

Pie Chart of the Individual Report

The data above shows that all three interviewees answered yes on the marketability of our product, signifying that they will purchase our product if it is already available in the market. Second, beneficiality, eco-friendly alternative for micro plastic packaging, and environmental sustainability were the identified reasons for their purchase. Lastly, for the preferred characteristic of our product, cheap, eco-friendly, and purposeful were the identified answers.

Consolidated Report

Pie chart of the Consolidated Report

The data above shows that all 25 interviewees answered "Yes" for the purchasing of our innovative product if it is already available in the market. For the reasons of purchase and desired qualities bears the same results with environmental sustainability as the top in rank, followed by cheapness as all of the interviewees are students hence, they expect that the price range is student friendly, third in rank is the quality such as the durability, smoothness, and water solubility. Lastly, convenience and support lokal with 8 percent.

REFLECTIONS

Through these activities, I have come to realize and understand that it is not always your winning season, you tend to lose against your own expectations and despite the feeling of being pressured by everybody else, you are stuck with the realization that it has always been yourself who added weight on your back and you have to be accountable of that. While it is easy to make excuses to comfort yourself by blaming the people around you, one way of actually growing is accepting that you cannot have it all. That was the hardest pill that I have to swallow in the venture proposal. There will always be someone better than me at speaking, at persuading, and justifying but there will never be someone like me who can bravely take the challenge of possibly losing because there is no person who grows who doesn't lose. I have to lose to identify what I need to improve and what I have to do. Being humble by starting at the bottom and using that as a wielding sword for my advantage is what I am good at. For the customer validation activity, I have come to reflect that I tend to not notice my small wins because I am too fixated with what I want to do and what I want to be. I have come to realize that my improvement in speaking and how I approach the people around me despite not being affiliated to them is what I should celebrate because progress is never linear but the visibility of my progress is getting clearer honed by each activity we do in this subject.

LEARNINGS

Furthermore, to be a successful entrepreneur means to have the bravery in climbing the mountain of success with never-ending trials and a least percentage of probability of success rate. One step forward, three steps back, life will always test your patience to persevere and stand up against any obstacles that may come in your way. In my self, I have come to learn that the building of character is a must. You have to be tough if you want to stay in this world. Small wins are often overlooked but if you step back and look at it properly, it's a big step for a small man. For inter learnings, I have come to reflect and understand that for starting entrepreneurs, a motivating coach is needed for us to continue our ideas and I am grateful that sir Reymark is our instructor in this subject as his positive attitude in guiding us in the business world helped us in the continuation of venturing our dreams intro reality while having a competitive spirit.

Therefore, we should not confine ourselves to the things we are already comfortable with, we must be brave enough to take the challenge of uncertainty and be comfortable with losing. Hence, our group will always strive for excellence by not seeing other groups as our competitors but ourselves that we must conquer. I believe that through that, we will be able to reach higher horizons of success.

"Malayo pa pero malayo na"

[yzanjiiii]

𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴 #𝟭 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲

I've always been attracted by the beauty of politics in business. How people can settle and manage their financial transactions through efficient communication, proficiency, and the development of plans using scientific methods in research to patch up gaps and establish projects based on solvency. Selling your business necessitate you to be able to speak persuasively, and I admit that it was still challenging for me to gather my thoughts and be confident enough to approach people and persuade them about something, despite the fact that I am a Political Science major and thus expected to be good at public speaking. However, our interview activity gave me the opportunity to venture outside of my comfort zone. In a larger perspective, it made the realm of politics and entrepreneurship converge in a sense that I was able to practice the art of identifying grassroot problems to provide solutions for the betterment of learning and quality education, which is entirely the definition of politics, and to make it income generating, we have to devise a product or services to cater the needs of the people, which is in the business realm, and for me to be able to show my innovative skills, I have to also link the realm of entrepreneurship hence, I believe that I can pour out all the learning application of my three years residency in political science in this subject.

EXPERIENCE

The encounter itself was enjoyable. During our preparation phase, I was able to demonstrate my leadership skills by devising techniques to make our workload more efficient by assigning ourselves quotas to meet. Personally, I wanted our data to exceed 100, but owing to forthcoming requirements, we opted to limit the quota at 50-60 interviewees. I assigned the deadlines, responsibilities, and established a bureaucratic framework to guarantee that each of us fulfilled our tasks; thus, before the interview, I ensured that the Google Drive was available for the uploading of our documentation, specifically images, videos, and recordings. Google Docs is also ready for the consolidated report, which includes both the quantitative and qualitative data. To avoid delays, I have also assigned the secretary to monitor task completion.

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW/D-DAY

During the interview, it became increasingly difficult to identify students who are not shy in front of the camera and are willing to participate. Fortunately, I know a lot of people at the university, which gave me an edge in finding interviewers. An individual interview was initially conducted, but I later realized that it was time consuming and made the interviewee more shy due to the pressure and tension of becoming embarrassed, so I have to make small talk with the interviewee first to ensure that I will be able to break the ice and allow comfort to kick in. We experimented with combined interviews, team interviews, and partner interviews alongside Eloisa. As a result, we were able to troubleshoot problems during the interview by devising plans and trying out different techniques. Regardless of the outcome, I believe it gave me confidence to take risks and become resilient, both of which are essential in entrepreneurship, especially since one major challenge is dealing with people with different tastes, preferences, and attitudes.

D-DAY

INTERVIEWEES #1 and #2

Eloisa and I with our first interviewee from the program of Sociology. The problem identified was the absence of comfortable tambayan with good food.

Our second respondent is from BSED PE and the problem identified was waste problems.

INTERVIEWEES #3 and #4

The third interviewee is also from BSED PE and the problem identified was mental health issues due to the pressure being felt by students.

The fourth interviewee is from the College of Business and Management major in Finance. The problem identified was ventilation due to poor budgeting of the university.

INTERVIEWEES #5 & #6 and #8 & #9

The fifth and sixth interviewees are from the program of BS Bio. The problems identified are transportation and printing problems due to the location of printing services.

The 8th and 9th interviewees are both from the program of AB Political Science. The problem identified is waste problems.

Bonus GIF

Caught on 4K: Ma'am Butalid, the program coordinator

INTERVIEWEES #10 & #11 and #11, #12, #13, & #14

The tenth and eleventh interviewees are both from the College of Education. The problem that was identified is also the prevalent waste problem.

All four interviewees (11-14) are from the program of AB Political Science and the problems identified were insufficiency of educational tools, transportation, waste problems, and illegal business (no permit).

INTERVIEWEES #15 & #16

Our fifteenth interviewee is from the program of BS Math and the problem identified was waste problem.

The last interviewee is from BSED PE and the problem identified was waste problem.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Following the interview and consultation with the instructor, we were able to share our views, suggestions, and data results, so with waste management being the most pressing issue at the university based on our data gathered from the series of interview, we looked for potential products and services that would be the greatest solution. We had a lot of prospects for the proposal because I came prepared, and I had already researched sustainable products online through various platforms to make our decision process easier. Following the deliberation, it was decided to proceed with the conversion of leaves into paper, with modifications such as colour classification and scented option.

RESULTS OF THE INTERVIEW

The first pie chart shows the result of our joint interview. It has been revealed that there are 8 identified problems and the top three are the following: (1) Waste problems, (2) Transportation, and (3) Ventilation. Meanwhile, for the consolidated result, it was revealed that waste problems still hold the top issue that the CMUans are currently facing and have been posing grave concerns weighing 53.8 percent out of 55 respondents being interviewed. Therefore, we have decided to go with a visionary EcoVenture product called "EVERLEAF" which means everlasting leaf which aims to stop deforestation and degradation of the environment 🌿

REFLECTION

Through this dialogue, I have come to understand that that, despite the fact that we are in a micro level setting, the problem that we are facing in the university is ubiquitous since corporations do nothing about it because they just care about profit. Sustainable practices are difficult to implement since they may inhibit economic growth, which is something every businessman avoids. The ongoing problem of deforestation, erosion, and forest fires will exist unless we begin to develop regulations and sanction big industries. Thus, this subject is an excellent way to enter the VentureVerse because anyone may be a businessman, but not everyone can sustain their business owing to the ups and downs of business hence, it needs strong mentality.

LEARNINGS

Furthermore, this interview helped me identify my strengths, such as strategic leadership, critical thinking, resiliency to troubleshoot unforeseen problems that require immediate solutions, adaptability, time management skills, and the ability to remain rational at all times in order to manage the team. While I accept my inadequacies, such as my public speaking abilities and approaching strangers, it has provided me with opportunities to identify areas for improvement. It taught me that mistakes and failures are inevitable and necessary for learning and growth. Every master was once a beginner in their chosen industry. As a result, I feel that by constantly improving and allowing oneself to admit mistakes, I will be able to recognise threats that are critical for mitigating macro consequences on the endeavour.

To summarise everything, I am excited for the thrills of this rollercoaster journey. The uncertainty makes me rosier about the future. Risks are what keep me alive. It piques my interest in exploring new horizons. I am challenged to venture beyond of my comfort zone in order to try new things and discover more about myself.