Cara's Thoughts

This semester has been a whirlwind of events. I started off the semester kind of rough. I had recruitment the week of move in and the first week of school, so I couldn't really move into my apartment until the second week of school. On top of that, I was transferring this semester too so it just added a bunch of stress. However like I always do, I got my stuff together and got ready for the semester. I think my most formative experience was joining a sorority. I had a bunch of ideas about what a sorority was but it was nothing like I had imagined. I'm most proud of transferring to UF in only one year. It took a lot of work. I don't completely see myself as an entrepreneur, however I feel like I definitely have a better picture of them. I feel like I kind of know the thought process and everything that needs to get considered when developing an idea into a real thing. To students going down this path in the future, I think the most important thing is to be flexible. Jus...

The exit strategy I plan to take is most definitely stay with my business for as long as I can, I would love to expand into other green alternative markets and maybe have a bunch of companies, maybe sell some, but stick with innovation and eventually pass it down to my kids. I selected this exit strategy because I think that it is my best option for the future. I feel like if I worked this hard to create this company, I'm not going to sell it. I think that it helps me think about how to keep my company successful for the long term. I think it also reflects how most of my decisions are thought out about how to best benefit in the future. 

For this last reading reflection I chose   I read about Phil Knight in in book, Shoe Dog. I chose this book because Phil Knight is the founder of Nike. Nike is probably one of the most popular, well known brands in the world. I am personally a big fan of nike and everything it stands for, so I found this to be an easy read. What surprised me the most was how much failure effected is goals and life. I thought that this concept wouldn't have been so intensive. What I admire the most about Phil Knight was, just like most other entrepreneurs, was his determination and motivation to work hard to succeed. I also found it incredible how he was able to travel the world while doing it, that is one of my biggest dreams in life. I think what I least admired about Knight was how he reacted when facing failure. However I don't blame him and to a degree I would've done the same. It's easier said than done to get back up when you've gotten knocked down. And sometimes you just nee...

I think that I have failed at many things each semester whether it be goals or an actual test. However something that I have continuously failed doing is working ahead. It is a goal I begin every semester with. I start the semester ahead, and then life comes at me full force and I either lose my advantage or become behind. After the second exams in this semester I told myself I would keep up with my work. And that did happen however now that exams are approaching I am forced to work ahead which is a whole different strategy.   What I learned from this is to keep up with it for longer, and I feel like every semester I get better. I learned that it's okay to get behind a little as long as you just get back on track. I need to make school my #1 priority instead of sleep or relaxation time. I think that failure is essential to personal growth. Failure is hard, however it can be easy. I feel like it depends on mindset. You can let your failure get the best of you, and become d...

There is an opportunity for students to be able to buy coffee at the library or coffee shop and still be eco friendly and hydrated. My belief is that there is a way students can purchase coffee and/or water, without having to bring their own cup, and still be eco friendly. The unmet need is the need for water and coffee while not discarding plastic waste to landfill and not having to carry around a cup all day. This need only exists if the consumer cares about their environmental impact. Ideally, The typical concert either brings their own card for a while and then buy a plastic coffee cup only goes in buys a plastic coffee cups. It is very uncommon for students to carry around 2 cups one for water or one for coffee and it is also uncommon for students to only drink coffee without water. My opportunity is that there is a way students can purchase coffee and/or water, without having to bring their own cup, and still be eco friendly. The typical consumer either brings their own card fo...