Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Guest Speaker: Brian Forth

I really enjoyed Brian's talk. I like the fact that his software company is located in Tacoma. I hope that the trend of software companies moving to Tacoma picks up because I would love to be able to just live with my mom and save money on rent and food. Honestly I would save so much money on food and I would be stress free not having to drive in Seattle traffic.

Brian's company SiteCrafting is relevant to me. I can see myself working for a consulting company and also starting one of my own. His company is really focused on the customer and I like that one of his ads was a simple "We pick up the phone" which goes to illustrate the type of relationship his company has with their customers. His story he told us of how his dad got fired after working for 40 years with the same company really stuck a chord with me. Companies are only loyal to you when it is convenient. Which makes sense and I accepted the fact not to trust in companies to look out for my best interest. But the way Brian set up his company culture to watch out for one another is refreshing and I could see myself working in this environment. Too bad he hasn't hit me up even though I took a leap out of my comfort zone to ask if his company was hiring. Maybe I should hit him up with a follow up email. I could really use a job.


Guest Speaker: Erik Hanberg

It has been a while since Erik has given his talk and I am now just getting to writing a blog post about him. One of the things that really stood out to me from his presentation was the moment where an epiphany dawned upon him in the area of entrepreneurship. While he was running a non profit theater, getting paid hourly, he realized that the there was a potential to earn a lot more money if he were to own the business and run it himself. This change in mindset is what sparked Erik on his life journey to be self employed. While Erik did take the initiative to set up his own theater, the business ended not doing so great but still, his determination to make it as an entrepreneur was not undermined.

Erik started to write and wanted to be a published author. I remember clearly the story he told us about how as a child, he wanted to write a book and so he did. He had a lot of troubles trying to finish the book but once he did he was proud of the fact that he could finish something he started. As a kid, it is really hard to stay focused so I applaud his ability from such a young age. That really struck a chord with me because learning to finish something I started is a skill that I am working on right now. When I wanted to build an iPhone app, I would start it but would not see it to completion either because I get bored or unmotivated. The traits that Erik exhibited as a kid is the kind of traits that all successful people share and I need to change this about myself. The fact that he invested lots of time into perfecting his craft is admirable. I can relate to practicing something to get better. Ever since I started coding in college, I have been putting so much time into my craft in order to obtain mastery. And I am no where near where I would like to be but its motivating too see someone keep writing.

His writing pays off too. While he invested a lot of time into writing, he is earning money from the first book that he published to this day. I would love to have passive income coming in every month. I need to figure out how I can do that with my skill.

Monday, January 9, 2017

3 Business Ideas

This post will be about 3 potential business ideas that we would like to develop a business plan for.

My first idea has to do with a new technology that just came to market: virtual reality. I had the chance to try my first pair of VR headset the HTC Vive just recently. The experience is indescribable. It feels so immersive and playing the games got me feeling like a kid again. I am seriously considering buying a VR headset and learning game development so that I can be at the fore front of a new technology. I just need to get my hands on 1700 bucks. :(

Something I would love to develop would be a VR dating app. It would work a lot like Tinder where you would swipe right or left on people from all over the world. And if two people match with each other, they can go on dates in VR. They could go to places like a carnival and just spend some one one one quality time with each other, without having to commit to going somewhere real for a date. The advantages I see to this is that the user can feel more comfortable being in their own house and you can be yourself. It can even take the awkwardness out of a first date since you kind of already know how that person acts.

One of the disadvantages of a VR dating app is that in the dating world, appearances matter and your VR avatar might not reflect how you really look.

My second idea is based off VR as well. A VR girlfriend. The user would pay for sessions to hang out with a girlfriend (or boyfriend) in VR and play all sorts of mini games such as mini golf, bowling, going through a haunted house together. It would be catered to people who are lonely and willing to pay for affection. The girlfriend is paid to be really nice and get the user to come back for more. This idea came to me when I was browsing my Facebook feed and how people in Japan are willing to pay for girls to cuddle them. I figured there is a huge market for this since there are a lot of lonely people out there.

My third idea has to do with my love for cannabis. I have always wanted drive thru dispensaries to exist that were totally automated. You would scan your ID and face and use a touch screen to choose what kind of weed you want. And then product will be dispensed to you. These kinds of things are perfect for me since I am anti-social. It would be a lot like those drive thru expressos that take up a very small space. Also, it could be open 24/7 since I would love to get weed at crazy hours of the night (I think most people do). There are probably a lot of legal ramifications to this since it hasn't been done in Washington yet.

Well that's it for my crazy business ideas.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

What I want out of my Entrepreneurship and Technology Class

Today was the first day of winter quarter. I only had one class to go to, which was my Entrepreneurship and Technology class. Our instructor gave us homework, asking us to create a blog and to create a blog post on what we want out of his class.

I'm not a picky guy so my wants will be easy to accommodate. A 4.0 would be nice. Just kidding, I'm down for anything above a 2.5. But for real though, anything above a 2.0 and I will be okay with. From what I can take away from syllabus day, the class doesn't seem difficult. I'd probably have to try really hard to get anything below a 2.0. At least, that was vibe I was getting from our instructor, Andrew Fry.

Besides the passing grades, I would like to learn as much as I can about entrepreneurship. I plan on taking the plunge to be an entrepreneur at some point in my life. The wisdom bestowed upon Andrew Fry and the people he brings in will be worth their weight in gold. I really like the fact that he actually has a lot of experience in founding and selling startups. It makes what he says a lot more legitimate.

Extra brownie points for not putting to me to sleep during lectures. So if my instructor can deliver on on a passing grade and not putting me to sleep, I'll be a happy camper. Judging based off the first lecture, my wants will be accommodated in this department. The instructor is a great public speaker and he got jokes too.

Oh! And one more thing. This might be asking for too much but I also want to be inspired. I basically want to be brain washed into thinking that even I can have the courage to break away from the herd and do something others only dream of. To be able to break away from a 9-5 and live my life on my own terms. I feel like such a cliche millennial for saying that, but it's what I want. And I am willing to put in the work.