My Unfair Advantage

• Expert Connections - Ron Hosey, domain expert, and Allen Decker, supplier, both in my industry. These connections are unique, cannot be acquired by others, and are important to the set-up of my venture.

• Personal Understanding - As a public bus system user myself, I have an insider understanding of the issues people have as riders. Not everyone has as much experience as I do with their intended field, and I feel it gives me a "one-up" on them.

• Bus Driver/Employee Connections -  I have made connections with several of my bus drivers in Gainesville, and I know they would be open to helping me with any questions I had with my app development. These are relationships I have established outside of a business context, and I feel that those are often the most valuable as they are founded on more than just needing someone's help at the time.

• Use/Understanding of Competitor - I consistently use an existing bus app and so I am aware of its issues and what it lacks. I think it is good that I have so much experience with a competitor's product, as it almost served as a trial run for my product and I can then develop my app with the necessary adjustments right away. It was because of my understanding of the competitor that I even realized the need to begin with.

• People Skills - I am very good at connecting with people and can get their inputs on how to make the app the best possible it can be. Not everyone is able to approach people comfortably and strike up a conversation, and in being able to do so I have greater access to a wider range of potential customers.

• Access to Users - My access to a large pool of people (students) who use public transportation on a daily basis. This gives me an immediate advantage over someone who does not have easy access to their target customers.

 
 

• Location - Living in Gainesville gives me an advantage over someone trying to start an app in a small town with little need for its services. I would be able to implement my idea locally and immediately with probable success before considering expansion.

• Field of Study - As I study travel and tourism, I have a good understanding of the industry and what it demands of public transportation. There is so much more to the industry than many people realize or give it credit for, and this unique knowledge helps me to better tailor my idea to what is best for the industry and its customers.

• Knowledge - This course has taught me a lot about what it means to be an entrepreneur and how to be successful, and I would certainly apply this knowledge to my venture. While there are other students who have taken this course as well, it is unique to UF and so the vast majority of entrepreneurs in the world will not have taken this exact course. They will not have the same knowledge that I do, nor will they have had the same experiences as me.

• Personal Connection - Alex Solarino, a friend and manager at a technology company. This connection could prove very useful to me in the future set-up of my app and is not available to anyone else. 

I believe that my most valuable resource is the fact that I am a daily user of the public bus system as well as a regular user of a "competitor's" product. I  have a personal connection and understanding of what it is like to depend on the bus and to not have one available when you need it most. I have also used the existing bus app so frequently that I am very aware of how it works and what its flaws are. Judging by the feedback I have received on my previous assignments, other students share my opinions and also see the need for my venture.