My Unfair Advantage

1.       Experience of going through public education system first hand.

a.       This is very valuable since this experience will help shape the program, and will point out what is needed from the program.

b.      This resource is not rare, since most US students have a lot of experience in the public school system.

c.       However, this is an experience that you cannot imitate unless you have gone through it yourself.

d.      You cannot substitute this resource because the value of it comes from it being first hand.

2.       Personal relationships with principals and teachers.

a.       This is very valuable because these people have a lot of experience and connections in the public education system.

b.      This is not rare since there are plenty of students who develop relationships with teachers and principals.

c.       You cannot copy the personal relationship that someone has so it is not very imitatable.

d.      I don’t think you can substitute the valuable experience or the connections these people have, unless you have it yourself.

3.       Connections to families with kids for feedback and ideas.

a.       It is very valuable since this feedback will guide the program.

b.      This is probably the most common resource. Everyone has this resource available to them.

c.       You cannot really imitate this, maybe with surveys but the genuine personal connection that will get you honest answers is hard to imitate.

d.      You could maybe substitute this with surveys but it might not yield the same results.

4.       Written and oral communication skill.

a.       This might be the most valuable or one of the most valuable resources. These skills are crucial to being able to connect with others and push this project forward.

b.      These skills in general are not rare but having these skills really developed and really sharp is rare.

c.       These are skills that you either have or you don’t have. They cannot be copied.

d.      You can hire someone that has these skills but you cannot substitute it another way if you don’t have it.

5.       Personal relationships with business owners and professionals

a.       This is the counterpart to the personal relationships with teachers and parents. It is highly valuable because I will get feedback from the professionals that would be shadowed by the students.

b.      This is not rare if you have had good experiences with former bosses or other professionals.

c.       Once again this is not easy to copy because it is personal relationships.

d.      This cannot be substituted unless you pay someone for their feedback and opinions and connections.

6.       Work experience in different industries.

a.       This is valuable because of the skills attained from the experiences and the personal connections made.

b.      This is not rare because most people have worked very different jobs.

c.       This is not hard to copy because most people already have that.

d.      Work experience cannot be substituted but is probably the most common resource.

7.       Access to college students for feedback and first hand experiences.

a.       This is the most valuable source of information for the venture since it centers around students and their experiences.

b.      This is not rare at all since there are college students everywhere.

c.       This could be hard to copy but not hard to obtain.

d.      You can gather information online or through surveys if you don’t have direct access to students.

8.       Professional connections to executives in HSF (Hispanic Scholarship Fund) and Coca-Cola.

a.       This could be valuable if I have to reach out to organizations or corporations to fund the venture.

b.      This is somewhat rare but if you look hard enough and are persistent enough you can reach the right people.

c.       You cannot copy these relationships but it is not too hard to create them.

d.      You can look for financial support somewhere else so you could imitate these relationships.

9.       Creative thinking skills because of experience and talent in visual arts and design.

a.       This might be the most valuable skill, not only for this venture but in general. These creative thinking skills separates me from most of the other people that might have the same idea. This skill will create new, original ideas and will help me solve problems others cannot solve.

b.      This is a rare skill since because not many people have it, let alone develop it.

c.       You cannot copy these skills, which is one of the reasons it is so valuable.

d.      You can hire someone who has this skill but it cannot be imitated otherwise.

10.   Fluent in spanish and english.

a.       This is valuable in order to communicate with others and be able to reach out to other markets.

b.      This is somewhat rare because not everyone has them but they are not hard to find.

c.       You cannot copy these skills but you can hire someone that has them.

d.      You can imitate it by hiring someone else.

My top resource is the creative thinking skills I have because it helps be solve complex problems by thinking about it in a different way than others. If you don’t have this skill you cannot imitate it or copy it. Which gives me a clear advantage since the skill is already rare to begin with, especially when it is combined with the business knowledge I have acquired through college education.