My Venture's Unfair Advantage

List of resources for my venture

1. I have an education from the University of Florida

• V- This is valuable because it is one of the top ranked universities in the U.S.
• R- This is rare because the acceptance rate of UF is under 40% making it hard to get into.
• I- This could be copied by others if they are intelligent enough to get into UF.
• N- This is substitutable with any other school that is ranked higher than UF. 

2. I have over 2 years of investing experience

• V- This is valuable because it means i have a basic knowledge of the stock market.
• R- This is rare among college students because many people don't invest until they are older.
• I- This can be copied by others if they are willing to invest their own money.
• N- This isn't substitutable because investing in the stock market provides a unique experience.

3. I have my own website about investing

• V- This is valuable because it adds to my investing knowledge and ability to build social capital.
• R- This is rare because not many people own and manage their own website.
• I- This can be copied by anyone if they put in the effort to create their own website.
• N- This isn't substitutable because having a website grants unique benefits.

4. I had a short internship at BlackRock

• V- This is valuable because BlackRock is the largest Asset manager in the world so I learned a lot about finance and made great connections.
• R- This is very rare because only a select amount of people have had a similar opportunity.
• I- This is very difficult to copy because it is a hard opportunity to land.
• N- This is not substitutable because there is no better company to learn from in the asset management field.

5. I have many connections in two different states (NJ and FL)

• V- This is valuable because I have a strong network in two very different geographic locations.
• R- This is somewhat rare because it only applies to out of state students.
• I- This can be copied by anybody who chooses to attend school in a different state from where they grew up.
• N- This could be substituted by a very strong network in one location.

6.  I have a passion for investing

• V- This is valuable because it means I will love my work if it is related to investing.
• R- This is not very rare since a ton of people are passionate about this.
• I- This can be copied by anyone who has a love for investing.
• N- This cannot be substituted because passion plays a big factor in success and happiness.

7. I was a member of the Florida Wealth Management Association

• V- This is valuable because it taught me a lot about wealth management.
• R- This is rare because there were only 30 members in the FWMA.
• I- This can be copied by anybody who has an interest in joining the club.
• N- This can be substituted with any other club that teaches you about wealth management.

8. My Dad works in banking

• V- This is valuable because banking is closely related to the field I am interested in and my Dad has a lot of connections.
• R- This is somewhat rare because not the majority of people do not have an immediate family member that works in banking.
• I- This can be copied by anybody that has a parent that works in banking.
• N- This is not substitutable because a career in banking gives you unique skills and connections.

9. I live less than an hour away from New York City

• V- This is valuable because I am very close to the financial capital of the world, which has allowed me to witness and connect to people in the finance industry.
• R- This is rare because only a small portion of the U.S population lives near New York City.
• I- This can be copied by anybody willing to move to the NYC area.
• N- This can be substituted to a lesser extent by living near other large cities.

10. I care about the mission behind my business not just the money

• V- This is valuable because it means I will do whats best for the students not only what makes me the most money.
• R- This is rare because many people put money as their top priority.
• I- This can be copied by anybody who has a genuine care for their business.
• N- This is not substitutable because if you don't care about the people receiving your product, they will not be as satisfied with the product. 

I think my most important resource is my short internship at BlackRock. Not only did a learn a ton about asset management, but i made great connections that will come in handy in the future. I found that this resource was the most valuable after conducting a VRIN analysis on all 10 of my resources. It seems to be the hardest to copy or substitute.