Every person should eventually be thinking about their exit strategy in any place in their career or at any job. it's a lot tougher to think of an exit strategy when it is considering your own business. If I were to think of an exit strategy for my food service app I would genuinely think about selling it off when it got a big following.
I decided this because it would kick me off for my next venture with a hefty check and it would allow the employees under me to either join me for my next venture or stay with the company I sold to. I love the idea of having a family bond and staying with something til I retire but I fear I would get bored at some point and want to try something different. Apps are an ever changing thing and sometimes it's better to let other people take over and try something new with your ideas.
This exit strategy actually came up in my prior thoughts for making an app. I thought about how other apps are made like for example a mobile scanning service app that got bought by Snapchat for 54 million. I thought like that thinking about how my app could eventually be bought out by Apple or any big name company and be integrated with their systems like that one app. This definitely could go into the category of how I identified an opportunity because I wondered why something like that wasn't already made. I want this app to grow through Facebook or word of mouth so that eventually I could attract the attention of big competitors.
Friday, July 27, 2018
26A – Celebrating Failure
We all hate failure. Failure can sting, it can damage our pride, failure isn't something many people want to talk about.
Ever since I was a kid I always watched people create content on Youtube. I would say that is my one of my big addictions is to just get lost on Youtube. So one day I decided to try my hand at making Youtube videos when I was younger. It was an ongoing battle for a year where I would make one video and get discouraged because I wouldn't get very many views even if I pushed it out to all my friends and on my social media.
Here recently during the spring and fall semester I did album reviews on my channel where I wouldn't leave my room all night when an artist that I liked put out an album and I would take notes. I really liked doing that type of content just because of how much I love music and have my own personal opinions about everything. Again throughout the semester I never got any views. It was very discouraging but looking back I got really good at using video editing software and I really enjoyed sitting in the library working on content or just brainstorming and making scripts on what to say in the video. Although I got discouraged and haven't made anything this summer this class has really made me rethink getting back into it just because it's something I love to do and even if I fail I should just keep trying and changing up my formula until I succeed. Failure can really hurt. I spent a lot of sleepless nights just coming up with crazy ideas of how to succeed on Youtube and a lot of nights doubting if I could do it. I think the biggest thing about being an entrepreneur is just trying. You have to put yourself out there on what you want to do because if you don't you might ask the question what if later on in life and I definitely don't want that to be me.
Ever since I was a kid I always watched people create content on Youtube. I would say that is my one of my big addictions is to just get lost on Youtube. So one day I decided to try my hand at making Youtube videos when I was younger. It was an ongoing battle for a year where I would make one video and get discouraged because I wouldn't get very many views even if I pushed it out to all my friends and on my social media.
Here recently during the spring and fall semester I did album reviews on my channel where I wouldn't leave my room all night when an artist that I liked put out an album and I would take notes. I really liked doing that type of content just because of how much I love music and have my own personal opinions about everything. Again throughout the semester I never got any views. It was very discouraging but looking back I got really good at using video editing software and I really enjoyed sitting in the library working on content or just brainstorming and making scripts on what to say in the video. Although I got discouraged and haven't made anything this summer this class has really made me rethink getting back into it just because it's something I love to do and even if I fail I should just keep trying and changing up my formula until I succeed. Failure can really hurt. I spent a lot of sleepless nights just coming up with crazy ideas of how to succeed on Youtube and a lot of nights doubting if I could do it. I think the biggest thing about being an entrepreneur is just trying. You have to put yourself out there on what you want to do because if you don't you might ask the question what if later on in life and I definitely don't want that to be me.
Friday, July 20, 2018
25A – What’s Next?
Existing Market:
What is potentially next in my service is allowing you to be able to set reservations at restaraunts through the use of the rate foods app. This would allow you to see what is at the top of the list and book throug the app.
I interviewed three different people all in my ideal customer market. My first interviewee was a college girl at my work who frequently looks for new places to eat with friends. Second was my neighbor who has said he likes to frequently tries new foods. Lastly was my brother who orders take out on a weekly basis.
Suprisingly, my idea for the ability to set reservations wasn't in high demand. Because all of my interviwees were younger as in just getting out of college or still in high school many of them didn't see when they would use that feature very often with the app. Even though what I assumed was important ended up not being held in high regard, I recieved very awesome feedback instead.
One of the major ideas that someone offered was allowing the abilty to see coupons and potential specialty days of fast food like for example Chickfila's Cow Appreciation days so they know to attend. I like this idea a lot because it can kind of show what's going on in the community and allow you to get free or discounted food depending on the event. This was totally out of what I was thinking about and extermly valuable to me.
New Market:
I decided with my new market to dive into a different demographic. My ideal demographic has always been younger college students looking to experience new foods but now I will be diving more into expanding my usage for married couples and older less active people with technology.
I interviewed two different people. A married mom and my grandma.
After getting through my pitch and my concept of my app I was extremely suprised at their answers. I was feeling purely against my idea of making reservations at restaruants because of lack of support but the married mother was totally into the idea of setting up reservations for a date night with her husband and the access of seeing what kind of fancy highly rated restaraunt was appealing to her because of the usage of the app. My grandma too said she would use the app because of the abilty to travel and see what is around her. She frequently is in new areas and having the ability to order food before getting to where she wants to go makes her fast paced lifestyle much easier.
I was overwhelmed that people I had said where out of my demographic showing interest in my app. Also it shows a lot about making personalization very important with the app because younger people wanted more of the ability to see fast food and cheap places to eat whereas my mom interviewee wanted more of the abilty to plan out date nights with her husband. This suprisingly makes this market more appealing as well. I think there could be a lot to improve on and even though I thought I had lost it with my exisitng market due to them disagreeing with my idea my new market found it to be very useful. Because of what was said in New markets I think it is important to focus on your exisiting market because you want them to stay with you and loyal but also branching out will be a secondary point for the service.
What is potentially next in my service is allowing you to be able to set reservations at restaraunts through the use of the rate foods app. This would allow you to see what is at the top of the list and book throug the app.
I interviewed three different people all in my ideal customer market. My first interviewee was a college girl at my work who frequently looks for new places to eat with friends. Second was my neighbor who has said he likes to frequently tries new foods. Lastly was my brother who orders take out on a weekly basis.
Suprisingly, my idea for the ability to set reservations wasn't in high demand. Because all of my interviwees were younger as in just getting out of college or still in high school many of them didn't see when they would use that feature very often with the app. Even though what I assumed was important ended up not being held in high regard, I recieved very awesome feedback instead.
One of the major ideas that someone offered was allowing the abilty to see coupons and potential specialty days of fast food like for example Chickfila's Cow Appreciation days so they know to attend. I like this idea a lot because it can kind of show what's going on in the community and allow you to get free or discounted food depending on the event. This was totally out of what I was thinking about and extermly valuable to me.
New Market:
I decided with my new market to dive into a different demographic. My ideal demographic has always been younger college students looking to experience new foods but now I will be diving more into expanding my usage for married couples and older less active people with technology.
I interviewed two different people. A married mom and my grandma.
After getting through my pitch and my concept of my app I was extremely suprised at their answers. I was feeling purely against my idea of making reservations at restaruants because of lack of support but the married mother was totally into the idea of setting up reservations for a date night with her husband and the access of seeing what kind of fancy highly rated restaraunt was appealing to her because of the usage of the app. My grandma too said she would use the app because of the abilty to travel and see what is around her. She frequently is in new areas and having the ability to order food before getting to where she wants to go makes her fast paced lifestyle much easier.
I was overwhelmed that people I had said where out of my demographic showing interest in my app. Also it shows a lot about making personalization very important with the app because younger people wanted more of the ability to see fast food and cheap places to eat whereas my mom interviewee wanted more of the abilty to plan out date nights with her husband. This suprisingly makes this market more appealing as well. I think there could be a lot to improve on and even though I thought I had lost it with my exisitng market due to them disagreeing with my idea my new market found it to be very useful. Because of what was said in New markets I think it is important to focus on your exisiting market because you want them to stay with you and loyal but also branching out will be a secondary point for the service.
24A – Venture Concept No. 1 - Quick Bite
Quick Bite - Venture Concept
My new business venture that I would like to get into would be to answer one of the biggest questions couples and friends might ask each other. That question would be “What should we get to eat?”
Opportunity:
1. Who has the need?
I think the need is very big for people that may want to grab something super quick because they are on break at work or for people that are traveling to find out what’s close to them and for the highest quality food.
2. Nature of the need
People will always have the need to eat but I think this will help up the competitiveness of restaurants making whoever the fastest and most high quality restaurant more prevalent in the market. This wouldn’t be a need that could be satisfied once and could build a good following with “foodies”
3. Forces to create this opportunity
I think a major force in my community is that there are a lot of places that are newly being built. So the options for food is growing rapidly and it’s getting harder to weed out what is good and what is not. Making my app a good place to go to and easily accessible on your phone when you want to see what kind of food is around you.
4. How is this market defined geographically and demographically?
I don’t expect this app to blow up with older people I would say my average user would be a college student in a new place with a plethora of options and no idea what to eat. Also, just because technologically younger people are more likely to trend set up and coming apps to see if it is any good. Geographically it would be more for cities and areas with high populations to weed out all the places that are packed and wait times being in the extreme.
5. What are my consumers alternatives?
Consumers of my app could use the app called “Around me” which is fine! I use it all the time to know what’s available in my area. But, My app offers the alternative of ranking whats around you and making it more personalized to fit your criteria of satisfaction. People I know like me are very loyal to the “Around Me” app because it is provided by Apple.
6. How big is the opportunity and how long is the window of it?
Technically the window has always been there and it is slowly closing. There are many people who have had the idea of mobile ordering but I don’t think they have ever considered having places rated. This opportunity could be huge due to the sheer mass of people who have smartphones
Innovation:
My Product would be an app that offers full functionality allowing access to see food in genres. By clicking on a genre of food it will go in detail and show you what is offered around you in a 20 mile radius and rate each place in a system that will tell you what is the best place to eat at due to quality of food, cleanliness, how fast the wait time is, and service in general. It will also include reviews along with graphs of their busy hours and price points compared to other places. For it to be fully functional you will have to make an account with our app that is a one time login on your phone. By making an account you will be able to personalize that account by saying what you like food wise and ask you a series of questions that could help us personalize the rankings of restaurants to you. Our app will not be taking money to endorse about certain food places to get it higher rankings. Instead we will be offering our service to members for a $5 monthly fee and for free members of our service we won’t be using personalized services and just give general rankings. All members of this service will be able to place orders online and be able to see rankings around them. Subscribed members will be allowed to use this service to set where they plan to go like for example Atlanta allowing them to plan out what kind of food is in that area along with graphs of wait time and other personalized features.
Venture Concept:
My app would be beneficial for businesses that have high quality goods but are having a hard time getting off the ground. This would allow them a bit of spotlight if they make the rating list. Consumers would potentially buy into this app because of the ability to use one app to do all for their food concerns. Right now people only have access to apps like “around me” that just tell you very general details. It might be hard to get people into this app at first because around me tells you not just about food but this will be the essential app you would need to have as a traveling person or newcomer in town trying to figure what’s good without locals telling you. Like I have been saying there are competitors but with the growing trend of subscription based content and personalized service this could go into the vulnerabilities of other apps giving only general details and not a fully detailed list of rated restaurants. If I were to organize this as a business I would have a building of 30-40 people that splits into different teams. I would have 4 different roles for the group of employees. customer service branch, marketing, research and development, and a App quality group. Each playing into making sure the app has the most functionality while maintaining high quality standards.
My unfair advantage:
My skills are that I fully understand how to market to consumers and through having a mentor to help with my ideas and by using clever twitter following builders and getting up recognition of the brand I can bring people to the app.
What’s next for me and my venture?
Eventually I want my app to be able to become compatible with major food industries allowing the access to place orders with say pizza places instead of having to go through their own website. That way you don’t have to enter information in a ton of different websites and you can just use your phone to place those orders. This app would help me start of the venture of trying out other ideas. Through subscription based content I can have a steady flow of money that could allow me to try new Ideas with my team and eventually tackle owning my own International foods store that could receive quality goods from all over.
My new business venture that I would like to get into would be to answer one of the biggest questions couples and friends might ask each other. That question would be “What should we get to eat?”
Opportunity:
1. Who has the need?
I think the need is very big for people that may want to grab something super quick because they are on break at work or for people that are traveling to find out what’s close to them and for the highest quality food.
2. Nature of the need
People will always have the need to eat but I think this will help up the competitiveness of restaurants making whoever the fastest and most high quality restaurant more prevalent in the market. This wouldn’t be a need that could be satisfied once and could build a good following with “foodies”
3. Forces to create this opportunity
I think a major force in my community is that there are a lot of places that are newly being built. So the options for food is growing rapidly and it’s getting harder to weed out what is good and what is not. Making my app a good place to go to and easily accessible on your phone when you want to see what kind of food is around you.
4. How is this market defined geographically and demographically?
I don’t expect this app to blow up with older people I would say my average user would be a college student in a new place with a plethora of options and no idea what to eat. Also, just because technologically younger people are more likely to trend set up and coming apps to see if it is any good. Geographically it would be more for cities and areas with high populations to weed out all the places that are packed and wait times being in the extreme.
5. What are my consumers alternatives?
Consumers of my app could use the app called “Around me” which is fine! I use it all the time to know what’s available in my area. But, My app offers the alternative of ranking whats around you and making it more personalized to fit your criteria of satisfaction. People I know like me are very loyal to the “Around Me” app because it is provided by Apple.
6. How big is the opportunity and how long is the window of it?
Technically the window has always been there and it is slowly closing. There are many people who have had the idea of mobile ordering but I don’t think they have ever considered having places rated. This opportunity could be huge due to the sheer mass of people who have smartphones
Innovation:
My Product would be an app that offers full functionality allowing access to see food in genres. By clicking on a genre of food it will go in detail and show you what is offered around you in a 20 mile radius and rate each place in a system that will tell you what is the best place to eat at due to quality of food, cleanliness, how fast the wait time is, and service in general. It will also include reviews along with graphs of their busy hours and price points compared to other places. For it to be fully functional you will have to make an account with our app that is a one time login on your phone. By making an account you will be able to personalize that account by saying what you like food wise and ask you a series of questions that could help us personalize the rankings of restaurants to you. Our app will not be taking money to endorse about certain food places to get it higher rankings. Instead we will be offering our service to members for a $5 monthly fee and for free members of our service we won’t be using personalized services and just give general rankings. All members of this service will be able to place orders online and be able to see rankings around them. Subscribed members will be allowed to use this service to set where they plan to go like for example Atlanta allowing them to plan out what kind of food is in that area along with graphs of wait time and other personalized features.
Venture Concept:
My app would be beneficial for businesses that have high quality goods but are having a hard time getting off the ground. This would allow them a bit of spotlight if they make the rating list. Consumers would potentially buy into this app because of the ability to use one app to do all for their food concerns. Right now people only have access to apps like “around me” that just tell you very general details. It might be hard to get people into this app at first because around me tells you not just about food but this will be the essential app you would need to have as a traveling person or newcomer in town trying to figure what’s good without locals telling you. Like I have been saying there are competitors but with the growing trend of subscription based content and personalized service this could go into the vulnerabilities of other apps giving only general details and not a fully detailed list of rated restaurants. If I were to organize this as a business I would have a building of 30-40 people that splits into different teams. I would have 4 different roles for the group of employees. customer service branch, marketing, research and development, and a App quality group. Each playing into making sure the app has the most functionality while maintaining high quality standards.
My unfair advantage:
My skills are that I fully understand how to market to consumers and through having a mentor to help with my ideas and by using clever twitter following builders and getting up recognition of the brand I can bring people to the app.
What’s next for me and my venture?
Eventually I want my app to be able to become compatible with major food industries allowing the access to place orders with say pizza places instead of having to go through their own website. That way you don’t have to enter information in a ton of different websites and you can just use your phone to place those orders. This app would help me start of the venture of trying out other ideas. Through subscription based content I can have a steady flow of money that could allow me to try new Ideas with my team and eventually tackle owning my own International foods store that could receive quality goods from all over.
Thursday, July 19, 2018
23A – Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage
1. I am technologically proficient.
2. Innovative Website along with Server Maintenance team
3. Marketing Consultant
4. Supply chain for overseas
5. Innovative Ideas
6. Family enviroment
7. Excellent communications skills
8. Financial Capital and Investors
9. I am very motivated when I am invested in something
10. I have a large network of friends
My unfair advantage would definitely have to be my motivation. It truly is valued over all else because even if I fail I can just find the motivation to try something else. Everything that I have listed is very valuable and needed but having the motivation to run a business and push yourself towards success is truly special.
- I gained this skill when I built my first computer when I was 15 and learned photoshop and premiere. I don't think this skill is super rare in this day and age since everyone uses their phones for everything. It's a very valuable resource none the less. Anybody can learn how to become tech savvy if they took classes or used a computer often.
2. Innovative Website along with Server Maintenance team
- I know Adrian is replaceable but I find his ability to make a website and maintain the servers and problems on the internet side of the company making him very valuable. There are plenty of web designers out there.
3. Marketing Consultant
- Janelle Dennis's advice is very valuable to me and the on going processes of starting a business. I think it is very rare to have someone know so much and know how to resolve problems before they become problems like her. I could potentially replace her if I needed to but her advice and ideas are a genuine asset to the growth of the business.
4. Supply chain for overseas
- Having a supply and person to ship to you is very important. Luckily through my connections with Mrs. Dennis I was able to find Derick. I don't think he is irreplaceable as I could just find someone with better rates eventually. I think it is rare to find someone that could get everything to you. None the less his help is very valuable.
5. Innovative Ideas
- Personally I find my brain overactive. I think of the stupidest things sometimes but then sometimes it just clicks and I think why hasn't that been made yet. This is something I find rare. Not everyone has a creative mind and I think to be entreprenaurs in this class you have to be able to come up with ideas. It's valuable to be able to come up with new ways to do something ro improve a service. Not something you are able to copy.
6. Family enviroment
- What I really want is for people who join in on my business venture to feel at home. To be able to come talk to me about their concerns or if anything is going on. This isn't something I have now but this is something I will push for in my company. Too many companies get lost in the money aspect and forget about their employees.
7. Excellent communications skills
- Being able to communicate well with others is most certainly valuable. This however is a skill that many people have so I don't see it as extremely rare. Many people can potentially copy this skill.
8. Financial Capital and Investors
- Finding people to invest into your product is not impossible. It is rare to find people that give fully into your ideas and through well practiced elevator pitches and napkin ideas we could potentially find a handful. It can be easily copied by others but being financially able to run a company is a must.
9. I am very motivated when I am invested in something
- Motivation isn't something you can fake you have to be all in something or nothing. I am huge about being motivated and for a company I can find that to be a very valuable thing. It is rare for someone to want to work at something even when he should be relaxing. This can be attempted to copy but hard to master.
10. I have a large network of friends
- I have made a lot of friends in college, everyone I have met has been ultra talented and they themselves have a web of friends. Through their networks and my network there isn't really anyone I couldn't potentially find. This is very valuable but could be copied if someone to have social skills.
My unfair advantage would definitely have to be my motivation. It truly is valued over all else because even if I fail I can just find the motivation to try something else. Everything that I have listed is very valuable and needed but having the motivation to run a business and push yourself towards success is truly special.
Friday, July 13, 2018
22A – Elevator Pitch No. 3
My third elevator pitch is unlisted on Youtube right here: https://youtu.be/OWD2AJD58mU
I went back through and reviewed my old elevator pitches and the comments and kind of fine tuned this video into what I liked from both. In my last elevator pitch someone recommended going through the benefits for consumers and businesses so I made sure to address that and I consciously watched my use of saying "uh" I still need to work on it but this third time I only used it like three times as a place holder and eventually it will be totally eliminated. I found anything that someone stated I should change or work on as impactful because it's things that I had not seen at first but know it will improve my future elevator pitches that I do.
I found by this third time I didn't have to retry my elevator pitch an absurd number of times. I really only had to film it three times because I had most everything memorized. I stumbled once just to regain my thoughts but I eventually finished out strong. I felt way more comfortable as well because I have done it a few more times and honestly wouldn't mind doing it again for the class.
I went back through and reviewed my old elevator pitches and the comments and kind of fine tuned this video into what I liked from both. In my last elevator pitch someone recommended going through the benefits for consumers and businesses so I made sure to address that and I consciously watched my use of saying "uh" I still need to work on it but this third time I only used it like three times as a place holder and eventually it will be totally eliminated. I found anything that someone stated I should change or work on as impactful because it's things that I had not seen at first but know it will improve my future elevator pitches that I do.
I found by this third time I didn't have to retry my elevator pitch an absurd number of times. I really only had to film it three times because I had most everything memorized. I stumbled once just to regain my thoughts but I eventually finished out strong. I felt way more comfortable as well because I have done it a few more times and honestly wouldn't mind doing it again for the class.
Thursday, July 12, 2018
21A – Reading Reflection No. 2
I read, How to Fail At Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams and I found it surprising how much I connected with it and how inspiring it was to pursue my own projects. I found that the general theme of this book was a lot about time management. You have to look after yourself, your things you own and your family before pursuing another dream. You can't let one thing fall out of whack or you could crumble due to losing drive and low energy. The book really drives the point of success just doesn't happen you have to pursue it. Sometimes fail, maybe fail a lot but eventually you can succeed. Just like in our class all of our assignments prove that in our head ideas may be good but when asking other people we develop other ideas and fine tune our own. It proves even if you think you are a genius and your product would have to be successful you still need to have help from others like in interviews or you could still fail potentially.
If I had to create an exercise for this class from this book I would probably make a fun assignment that basically focuses on ourselves. It would revolve around not eating fast food once the whole week and to write yourself up a agenda. Do shopping for foods early on in the week and have a list of healthy foods for yourself throughout the week. It would also include exercising and going to sleep for solid a solid 8-9 hours. At the end of the week write up if you feel better about yourself or feel with more energy. I feel like it would be genuinely a good assignment because I have a hard time making my own schedule and working on myself and it would kind of force me to reset myself. I think it could be surprising because some people might like how they feel so much or be so good that they can create new ideas.
My biggest surprise was that he states quantity over quality is important when it comes to skills. Holding a ton of eggs in your basket is better than having a golden egg which made me rethink a ton of things. Even if I keep practicing editing over and over and I get really good at it I still need to know how to produce write and even market my ideas. He said getting good at something is important but being decent at a lot of things is better. It's an interesting concept that I hope to explore more.
If I had to create an exercise for this class from this book I would probably make a fun assignment that basically focuses on ourselves. It would revolve around not eating fast food once the whole week and to write yourself up a agenda. Do shopping for foods early on in the week and have a list of healthy foods for yourself throughout the week. It would also include exercising and going to sleep for solid a solid 8-9 hours. At the end of the week write up if you feel better about yourself or feel with more energy. I feel like it would be genuinely a good assignment because I have a hard time making my own schedule and working on myself and it would kind of force me to reset myself. I think it could be surprising because some people might like how they feel so much or be so good that they can create new ideas.
My biggest surprise was that he states quantity over quality is important when it comes to skills. Holding a ton of eggs in your basket is better than having a golden egg which made me rethink a ton of things. Even if I keep practicing editing over and over and I get really good at it I still need to know how to produce write and even market my ideas. He said getting good at something is important but being decent at a lot of things is better. It's an interesting concept that I hope to explore more.
20A – Growing Your Social Capital
I really wanted to do well this assignment so I looked a lot for potential people to add to my social capital, I met three awesome influences who could potentially give great advice to get my company off the ground and to get successful on International foods in a giant domain.
Adrian Jackson, He works at the Omni Resorts where I am working at for the summer and is a IT guy that we had come in and work on our computers that we use to handle excel and a few other marketing spreadsheets. I was talking to him about website building and processes to make sure internet servers could handle traffic and he said that he is very adapt at creating websites and apps through getting a degree as a programmer with a minor in graphic design. He even knows how to maintain servers because of his job as an IT guy. He would be a great domain expert since I could bounce off questions on building my own website and how to create traffic. I talked to him a lot about my idea and even went through my elevator pitch to get him on board and he totally bought it when he realized that the US is a mixing pot and that tons of people would want to get goods from their home country.
Janelle Dennis, I work in the marketing branch at my work and luckily my boss is one of the coolest ladies with a ton of experience in chain stores and marketing said stores. She has been apart of marketing teams for Sams club and how to conduct customer research and build interest through the results into products. I contacted her early on in the course when I was first coming up with an idea of how I would make a business and asked her opinion on whether it would be manageable and she helped fine tune my ideas because of all of her experience at running other stores and even owning a few coffee shops. She just in return asks that I focus hard at work while I work on this idea. Including Mrs. Dennis will be important because she has boundless knowledge on the subject of how stores are run and building your own business.
Derick Thomas, I struggled a lot with finding a supplier who has connections overseas and could potentially get goods over for a cheap rate. So I went through asking Mrs. Dennis if she knew anybody like that and she talked about Derick because when she owned a coffee shop he could always send her coffee beans from other countries. I reached out to him over twitter DM giving him first my elevator pitch for my idea and asking him if that's something that him and his group could handle. Mr. Thomas was very big into finding out if I was serious about what I wanted to do but after talking to him for a few hours he finally agreed and he even has other suppliers who he could reach out to so I could have more options. I just had to agree to let him into my processes when I get started and use him for the first few months.
This experience of reaching out to people really got me out of my zone. I was used to giving off my ideas online and asking people questions in public but this was different because I had to give off my ideas and see if I could bring someone into my fold. This differed a lot from past networking because these people all had genuine experience in these fields the rest of my networking was with other UF students and a few News station managers that I had worked with. None had a ton of experience in their fields unlike these guys.
Adrian Jackson, He works at the Omni Resorts where I am working at for the summer and is a IT guy that we had come in and work on our computers that we use to handle excel and a few other marketing spreadsheets. I was talking to him about website building and processes to make sure internet servers could handle traffic and he said that he is very adapt at creating websites and apps through getting a degree as a programmer with a minor in graphic design. He even knows how to maintain servers because of his job as an IT guy. He would be a great domain expert since I could bounce off questions on building my own website and how to create traffic. I talked to him a lot about my idea and even went through my elevator pitch to get him on board and he totally bought it when he realized that the US is a mixing pot and that tons of people would want to get goods from their home country.
Janelle Dennis, I work in the marketing branch at my work and luckily my boss is one of the coolest ladies with a ton of experience in chain stores and marketing said stores. She has been apart of marketing teams for Sams club and how to conduct customer research and build interest through the results into products. I contacted her early on in the course when I was first coming up with an idea of how I would make a business and asked her opinion on whether it would be manageable and she helped fine tune my ideas because of all of her experience at running other stores and even owning a few coffee shops. She just in return asks that I focus hard at work while I work on this idea. Including Mrs. Dennis will be important because she has boundless knowledge on the subject of how stores are run and building your own business.
Derick Thomas, I struggled a lot with finding a supplier who has connections overseas and could potentially get goods over for a cheap rate. So I went through asking Mrs. Dennis if she knew anybody like that and she talked about Derick because when she owned a coffee shop he could always send her coffee beans from other countries. I reached out to him over twitter DM giving him first my elevator pitch for my idea and asking him if that's something that him and his group could handle. Mr. Thomas was very big into finding out if I was serious about what I wanted to do but after talking to him for a few hours he finally agreed and he even has other suppliers who he could reach out to so I could have more options. I just had to agree to let him into my processes when I get started and use him for the first few months.
This experience of reaching out to people really got me out of my zone. I was used to giving off my ideas online and asking people questions in public but this was different because I had to give off my ideas and see if I could bring someone into my fold. This differed a lot from past networking because these people all had genuine experience in these fields the rest of my networking was with other UF students and a few News station managers that I had worked with. None had a ton of experience in their fields unlike these guys.
Friday, July 6, 2018
17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2
My link to my very fun elevator pitch..
https://youtu.be/y2POilE3-lM
The feedback I got last time really helped me fine craft this speech. I still think there is a lot to improve and also this was filmed after working for 12 hours so I was feeling a bit delirious. One thing I really took hard from my last elevator pitch was the amount of Uh's I said in my speech. It felt awkward watching back so I tried to consciously not use that word at all. It may have slipped out once or twice but a definite improvement. I think it was just used as a replacement because I was trying to gather my thoughts for that next sentence and I don't want it to be a complete pause. So you fill that void with a word like "alright" or in my case "uh". I look forward to seeing the feedback for this video even though I never feel comfortable about posting anything about myself online! Anyways enjoy.
https://youtu.be/y2POilE3-lM
The feedback I got last time really helped me fine craft this speech. I still think there is a lot to improve and also this was filmed after working for 12 hours so I was feeling a bit delirious. One thing I really took hard from my last elevator pitch was the amount of Uh's I said in my speech. It felt awkward watching back so I tried to consciously not use that word at all. It may have slipped out once or twice but a definite improvement. I think it was just used as a replacement because I was trying to gather my thoughts for that next sentence and I don't want it to be a complete pause. So you fill that void with a word like "alright" or in my case "uh". I look forward to seeing the feedback for this video even though I never feel comfortable about posting anything about myself online! Anyways enjoy.
Thursday, July 5, 2018
19A – Idea Napkin No. 2
I will admit I am not usually the greatest at taking feedback. I find it hard to get my head around my own stubborn thoughts of being able to do it myself and not needing help. With all that being said I got really great feedback on my last idea napkin and I will do my best to work it into this one.
Like in my last idea napkin, I stated how I am a telecommunications major and have been in management at my first ever job. I talked a lot about how I had my hands in all things like dabbling in marketing and managing a business. But in the feedback I got they stated it's okay to outsource and get help from others like in making a website which I have little experience in how to do. This got me into thinking about trusting others and maybe bringing in a small team to help me with my idea.
My service that I would offer is a store that deals in international goods. Almost like a Sams club or Costco but instead dealing with different countries in each sector. This would meet unmet needs because there aren't places like that besides the foreign foods aisles in grocery stores but they don't cover nearly as much stock as I would have. Along with this store I would like to have a online website that deals in similar goods that can be shipped to peoples houses.
My customers would be people with different ethnic backgrounds. They might find it hard to ship goods from other countries so having a location that they can go to and potentially have goods shipped to in a steady supply would be beneficial. This could also help foreign companies get more publicity in the states with the potential to compete with our own markets. Another type of consumer is people want to just try different stuff out.
People would pay money here because a lot of people I have interviewed find it hard to have their families ship goods to them without insane trade costs. We not only would buy it in wholesale bulk but could have a steady source for customers to reliably come back to through membership deals with us.
As stated in feedback as a telecommunications major we have a head start in having the ability to market our products. I have the skills to produce videos and build my own social media sites so being able to bring that into the business world would be very beneficial.
I believe with that being able to get goods at the start will be weak. Time will help build relationships with companies and being able to settle on a teamwork with companies that want to get their foods overseas will drive competitiveness with other businesses. I think my background works well with this field because it will allow me to use my managing skills to help steer my team. I just think it will be very pricey in the beginning. I used feedback into two ways, using the ideas of sourcing my ideas to get a grander picture and to help make my website and the second by rethinking how I would get the goods shipped to my Sams club esque store. I think with more feedback on my ideas will help me further fine tune my company into what I want.
Like in my last idea napkin, I stated how I am a telecommunications major and have been in management at my first ever job. I talked a lot about how I had my hands in all things like dabbling in marketing and managing a business. But in the feedback I got they stated it's okay to outsource and get help from others like in making a website which I have little experience in how to do. This got me into thinking about trusting others and maybe bringing in a small team to help me with my idea.
My service that I would offer is a store that deals in international goods. Almost like a Sams club or Costco but instead dealing with different countries in each sector. This would meet unmet needs because there aren't places like that besides the foreign foods aisles in grocery stores but they don't cover nearly as much stock as I would have. Along with this store I would like to have a online website that deals in similar goods that can be shipped to peoples houses.
My customers would be people with different ethnic backgrounds. They might find it hard to ship goods from other countries so having a location that they can go to and potentially have goods shipped to in a steady supply would be beneficial. This could also help foreign companies get more publicity in the states with the potential to compete with our own markets. Another type of consumer is people want to just try different stuff out.
People would pay money here because a lot of people I have interviewed find it hard to have their families ship goods to them without insane trade costs. We not only would buy it in wholesale bulk but could have a steady source for customers to reliably come back to through membership deals with us.
As stated in feedback as a telecommunications major we have a head start in having the ability to market our products. I have the skills to produce videos and build my own social media sites so being able to bring that into the business world would be very beneficial.
I believe with that being able to get goods at the start will be weak. Time will help build relationships with companies and being able to settle on a teamwork with companies that want to get their foods overseas will drive competitiveness with other businesses. I think my background works well with this field because it will allow me to use my managing skills to help steer my team. I just think it will be very pricey in the beginning. I used feedback into two ways, using the ideas of sourcing my ideas to get a grander picture and to help make my website and the second by rethinking how I would get the goods shipped to my Sams club esque store. I think with more feedback on my ideas will help me further fine tune my company into what I want.
18A – Create a Customer Avatar
When thinking of what my prototypical customer would look like I'd have to place him as an international traveler. It's interesting thinking in depth about someone you've never met. It's very easy to think of a product that you would like to be made so it's very easy to just make yourself the customer of your own product but making someone else as your customer is a bit different. If he were an international traveler he would have backpacked in Norway, given up a year of his life to dive into other cultures and live spontaneously and always on the move. He would have lived with different people from all over having experiences that some people dream of. Not afraid to try something new. My customer likes soccer and has been to a world cup. They prefer to read in a cafe rather then read at home. They always take up their friends requests to do a road trip. My customer has a tattoo on his arm that he got through a dare from his friends. He likes to go hiking and takes up the opportunity every spring to go into the Appalachian mountains for a week traveling from one peak on foot to the next. He dabbles in photography and only takes shots of what he likes when he's out and about and collects them all into a collage that he hangs up in his room. He drives an all terrain Jeep that he takes out onto the beach then lights campfires with his friends. This person doesn't watch very much TV they don't like to be inside much. This person dreams to make a difference in the world but doesn't know where to start so they keep traveling to find inspiration. He has a good paying job but it doesn't allow him along with his traveling habits to lock down a relationship or start a family. His favorite color is green because it reminds him of being relaxed and the color of leaves. He's in his mid 20's and he continually keeps in contact with his friends from overseas consistently asking when he can come back to visit. He feels like a toddler sometimes due to not knowing what he wants to do and never being able to stay locked up in one place. His favorite book is a Sci Fi Novel called Consider Phelbas because of how in detail other planets could be in the future with space travel and the thought of how their could be even more out there that he doesn't know. He isn't very patient that's why he prefers to go to my store to get goods from overseas rather than ordering them off online websites and waiting for them to ship.
I don't have a lot in common with this person. I have lived in other countries but traveling is something I've always wanted to do. I really don't have many things in common with this customer besides reading. Who this customer is, is basically an outline of who I want to be in the future. Being spontaneous and carefree. I think this is a perfect outlook on being obsessed with your customer because this customer is someone I aspire to be and through taking care of his needs with international goods and a place for him to shop is a step to getting to know him.
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