Week 14 - Reading Reflection

1)     What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

I have never been aware of corporate entrepreneurship. It is a great strategy to implement for businesses that already have reputable brands. Working from within the company can make into an even more successful venture.

Social entrepreneurs is a new concept to me as well, quite surprising to read of individuals who specialize in addressing the root causes of social problems.

2)   Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

The idea of I – Teams was a little confusing to me, what is the need for both corporate entrepreneurs and I-teams within the same firm?

How do you correlate company success with social progress if we as a people, have different perspectives and beliefs of what right and wrong is?

3)   If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

Is there any research indicating that working from within the company, innovatively can result in growth?

When addressing needs and challenges, what makes a social entrepreneur “politically correct” with the topic they address with their own beliefs?

Does a neutral party have a better, less subjective, view of the of a firm’s logistics rather than someone that has been around all aspects of the venture?

4)    Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

There is nothing that I disagreed with, however, it was unusual to read about the prospective of the author. Interested how a new concept can bring all new ideas to mind.  

Week 14 - Google Gold

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

To be honest, I did not “share” my blog posts’ publicly, so I did not focus on the SEO to strategize the formation of my written blog(s).

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

I accidentally “share” one log post publicly, and I did realize that Google happened to pick up on a lot of my “search words” even though I did not preplan to incorporate these words in my post.

3)   How did you use social media to enhance your SEO efforts? What were 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?

I did not participate in the sharing of any blog posts on any of my social media platforms.

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

Just with the audience of ENT3003 I obtained 19 views (most amount of views) with two of my blog posts’, Identifying Local Opportunities and Bug List.

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?

Like I said before, I accidentally shared one post publicly, Very Short Interview No. 1, which shows up on the first page of Google when I search the words “Zoe & J Very Short Interview No.1.”

*Photo from Pinterest.com

Week 14 - Very Short Interview, Part 2

From where I stand now, my impression of my initial interview is quite “beginner” of me. While I conducted my first interview with Jeneil, I was very new to the information provided to me by Jeneil. It seemed very “easy” so to say, as in she seemed to have her business under control and to a science. I felt as if she went about her business in a very nonchalant way.

I scheduled my interview virtually with Jeneil, since I was unable to make it to Miami, so unfortunately I could not upload any footage. I spoke to Jeneil boardly about this new interview I needed to conduct, asking her three main question after the introduction of the assignment.

• Have you had any new ideas in terms of extending your product line and branching off into another product your audience would be wiling to buy?

“Well the last time we spoke, I mentioned that I was branching off into children’s wear: bracelets and accessories. I have been focusing more on that product, although I see how popular and trendy infant “sandals” have gotten. In the past month I have made a few prototypes and have even tried them on my daughter. They seem to be easy to make, with little cost and quite durable. Let’s see how it goes!”

• How would you describe failure, according to Zoe & J?

“Failure…...ummm, in a business?” Yes.

“Not reaching goals, giving up, not feeling satisfied, and experiencing a loss is what I would describe as failure when referencing Zoe & J.”

• Do you plan on having the business for a certain amount of time? Yes, or No? If Yes, please explain your exit strategy.

“Truly as long as I am meeting my goals and growing, I expect to keep Zoe & J. If it benefits my family and I, 100%.”

• Where do you see Zoe & J in the next 5 years?

“In the next 5 years….wow, a lot can happen in 5 years. I would love for Zoe & J to be famous, a famous brand with a story. I would love to be success and open many store fronts. So in 5 years, I hope to have multiple Zoe & J locations around the Miami area.”

After a quick chat with Jeneil, I asked her if it this interview seemed different than the first we had completed. She answered with knowledge. Jeneil expressed to me that it was obvious that throughout the last few months I had gained knowledge on the topic of entrepreneurship. “You seemed to ask more direct questions related to real life scenarios and questions I am glad I thought about for the sake of my business.”