Your Venture's Unfair Advantage 23A

1. My education at UF and learning the different processes to recognize and exploit opportunities.

i) This is a valuable resource as it has helped me to identify opportunities and problems that I would not have need otherwise. This is not rare as many people have a similar education. It is fairly easy to imitate, and education is abundant. There are other substitutes including work experience that could act as education.

2. My social capital specifically focused on the organizations I am connected with in Ocala through the different service projects I have been a part of will be valuable to start the venture locally.

ii) This is a valuable resource since Ocala is a growing community and contains many different organizations that could be interested in participating in this venture. The connections are fairly rare as I know many different people across multiple organization in the community. It is not very hard to imitate as someone could seek to grow those connections if they so desired. The only substitutes for this would be to grow the connections in other cities that could act as a network in a different area that could grow to the Ocala market as well.

3. I have been on 4 different international missions’ trips that have included distributing goods to those in need, so I have experience with this process and how it works.

iii) This is a valuable experience as not many people have been on multiple international service projects, although the experience does not directly relate to my market. This is rare as again not many people have done this. The imitability is not very high, and it would take time and resources to replicate the experiences I have had. It is substitutable in the idea that international work experience could be used as a replacement as well.

4. I have over $10,000 in financial capital in savings that I am continuing to grow in hopes of using that to contribute to starting a venture.

iv) This is not very valuable as $10,000 is not a lot of money in relation to starting a company. It is not rare as many people have money for startups. It is very easy to imitate, and it is easily substitutable through investments and loans.

5. My capabilities involving HR and my experience in that will help me identify key contributors to the organization and help me lead others effectively when needed.

v) This is a valuable resource as HR skills are transferable to many different parts of the organization and starting a venture. It is not very rare as many people have HR experience. It is fairly easy to imitate and can be learned. It is not very easily substituted as HR and people skills must be developed and cultivated to be effective.

6. Technology has paved the way with other services that will make it easier for a concept such as mine to be developed and launched rapidly. This will include app development and communication on the platform.

vi) This is a valuable resource as most people are familiar with how to use technology and the platform will not require a learning curve or user difficulty. This is not a rare resource as it is available to anyone. It is easy to imitate as anyone can use the current state of society as their advantage. It is also easily imitable as there are many different realms that this could be applicable in how technology is used to a company’s advantage.

7. The culture of the organization will be of humility and the joy that comes from helping others. It will be a thriving workplace that others will want to be a part of and will feel fulfilled in their work.

vii) This would be a very valuable resource as millennials especially care about satisfying work and a positive culture. This would be a fairly rare culture in my area as there are not a lot of businesses with that focus currently. This would be imitable in the fact that if a company prioritized this culture and had a business that fostered the culture it could be done. It is not very imitable as culture is a hard thing to fake for long periods of time.

8. The network of the company will grow because of the convenience factor that allows others to contribute to their community in a way that brings them satisfaction while not costing them much of their time.

viii) This platform will be an asset as it provides a better way to do things than ever before. It is rare currently as I have not seen another platform for organizations that would be able to accomplish what this would offer. This would be fairly easy to imitate but it would require a network of companies and organizations willing to work together for the community. This platform would not be easily substitutable and would require someone to copy the platform and the process.

9. The support that I have from extended family and friends that believe in doing good and helping others will be a great resource that will help me start the venture while holding true to the values I want to grow.

ix) This is a valuable resource as I need the support and advice from others as I begin to start a company without prior experience. This is not very rare as other people have teams that can help them as well. This is easily imitable as firms and employees and can be hired instead of friends and family. This is also substitutable for the same reasons.

10. My energy and passion for this concept and helping others combined with a driven work ethic will help me to persevere through adversity and grow this venture doing whatever it takes to succeed.

x) This is something that will be valuable and is necessary to starting any company. It is not very rare as most entrepreneurs possess these traits. Additionally, it is fairly easy to imitate if someone has the passion and drive to make something happen. Conversely, it can be hard to substitute as grit and determination are traits that take perseverance and time to develop.



It was hard for me to choose on specific resource that is the most valuable. I think that a lot of them are imitable and I do not have a specific ability that sets me apart. However, I do believe that the most important resource is the convenience of the platform that will allow others to be involved quickly and easily and grow the network with relative ease. I think that this resource will be key to protect and something that will be important to the success of the organization.