20A – Growing Your Social Capital

1. The first person I interviewed was the creator of an app that lets people sell parking. 

2. Domain expert.

3. I knew of the person through mutual friends; they are around my age. Because I knew them through mutual friends, I contacted them via Instagram direct message.

4. I talked to him about how he began his business and how he came up with the idea. The way he came up with the idea was the same as how I came up with mine: he saw a need, and tried to come up with a solution. He began his business by finding an investor that was able to help financially for him to be able to start his business. 

5. This connection would help me because he would be able to tell me how to go about starting my own app and how to market it to customers.

1. Next I interviewed someone who works for the City of Gainesville which sells neighborhood/city parking decals for street parking.

2. Market expert.

3. I found the person by calling the number I called last semester to purchase a decal. We communicated via phone call.

4. He told me that there are often complaints of people who purchased decals saying that they still can't find parking. He told me that an app like my idea would probably be beneficial to these people.

5. In the future, this person could possibly refer my app to people who have this complaint, which would grow my hypothetical business.

1. The last person I interviewed is an app developer.

2. Supplier.

3. I found this person by doing a google search for app developers and communicated with him via email.

4. He gave me a quote for how much he would charge for an app like mine because the actual application would be pretty simple. He also gave me a rundown of how the process would go if I were to have him create my app.

5. This is a valuable connection because if I wanted to actually create this app, now I know someone to help me with this process. I could hire him to create the actual app itself and help maintain the app.

I think that this experience was a very valuable one. Through this I learned how to contact people who I might need to contact for future business endeavors. I wasn't able to meet with all of them due to the pandemic, but I did ask each to call me/be called to be interviewed. The domain expert's preferred method of contact was Instagram direct message and the supplier's preferred method was email. I know now that it really is important to make connections with people in each of these three different groups. At first I thought that the market expert might not be helpful, but then I realized our businesses could potentially go hand and hand and benefit each other, so this connection would probably be one of the most helpful. I also wasn't sure how helpful the domain expert would be until I spoke to him and realized how knowledgable he is on this kind of thing and would be able to help me if I were to create this business. Before I spoke with him, I didn't even think to interview an app developer as my supplier, but he mentioned this was a key component in the process of creating his own app, and that finding a good one is essential. Each of these three people I interviewed could help my business out immensely, which I did not expect. 

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

**3/19 With permission from the professor I have changed my opportunity belief/idea:
My new opportunity is that finding free/lifted parking is difficult.
The solution would be an app that users could update themselves to display places that you can park on a map and how expensive it would be to park there.

1. I'm a student at the University of Florida studying music. I am able to pick up and learn music and other things quickly. I think that I am able to adapt to situations well and I'm a very responsible person. I am striving to do well in school and eventually work in some part of the music industry, even though I'm not 100% sure exactly what I want to do yet. I think that my business would play a role in my life because I live in Gainesville and parking is very difficult here. I would probably use the app multiple times a week because I can never find a parking spot whenever I get home from work.

2. My business idea is an app that would focus on parking. Users would download the app and be able to see where there is parking available and how expensive it is. Users would pay a small one-time fee to purchase the app, and then they would save so much money on parking. They could also update it themselves for other users to see so that the app can have the most accurate information possible.

3. I am offering my service to pretty much anyone who has problems with finding inexpensive parking. I think that students, people who attend big sports games/concerts, and people who live in larger cities are some of the groups of people that would be able to benefit from using this app. People who would benefit from using my app are probably also trying to save money and not spend a lot on parking, and this is the main thing all of my customers would have in common.

4. My customers would pay money to use my service because they want to save money. With using the app, they will save far more money than they spent on purchasing the app. My app will also make it easier for them so they won't have to drive around for a long time just to find a parking spot that is expensive. My app will save customers time, stress, and money.

5. I think that what sets me apart from everyone else is my ability to learn quickly. I am able to pick up music, for example, way more quickly than some. I also always take responsibility for my words and actions, and am always honest with myself and others. I think that I am always striving for perfection, which is something not everyone else does.


I think that all of these elements do fit together. My customers have a need: they need to be able to park quickly and inexpensively. My solution is an app that can help them do exactly that. What all of my customers have in common is that they are trying to save money, which my app can do for them. I do believe that customers would buy my app because there is value in it for them because they have the needs listed above that my app can solve.

The main thing I did differently in this post is change my business idea. Other than that, however, I did not change the way I approached this assignment and I did it in a similar way to how I had done it before.

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

1.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIr0AcxkijY&t=1s

2.) One of the things that a person said when giving me feedback on my last elevator pitch was that it was good that I related the issue back to my personal experience. Another thing that they said is I should try to be more dynamic with my hand movements and should include moving around the space a little bit more. Another point I was given is that it was good that I was speaking clearly to get my point across.

3.) I still related the issue back to my personal experience and tried to make it even more personal by connecting and relating the audience to me and my family. In this pitch, I tried to be more dynamic with my hand movements and tried harder to move around the space a bit more. I continued to speak slowly enough and clearly enough that my message could be understood.

18A – Create a Customer Avatar

**With permission from professor I have changed my opportunity belief/idea:
My new opportunity is that finding free/lifted parking is difficult.
The solution would be an app that users could update themselves to display places that you can park on a map and how expensive it would be to park there.

My prototypical customer is a father in his 40s who enjoys college football. He likes to travel to Gainesville with his family (wife and two sons) in his white Chevy truck on the weekends, an hour or two away from his house, to watch Gator football. When he's not working at his office job, he loves to watch sports, any sports, on TV and yell at the players through the television. He wants his sons (aged 10 and 13) to have this passion, too, and they do. They love to watch sports with their dad. Even the father's wife has gotten into sports. No one loves them as much as him, though. When he travels to Gainesville on gameday, he'll need to find a place to park before the game. Parking on gameday in Gainesville is absolutely chaotic, so my app would help him find cheaper/free parking, so he doesn't have to waste his money on overpriced parking.

One of the only things I have in common with this football-loving dad is that I enjoy watching Gator football, too. I would probably use my app for the same reasons he would. I don't necessarily think this is a coincidence because there are a lot of people around here that enjoy it. My app isn't just for sports lovers, it's for many different types of people. 

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Interviews:

My friend who is a junior in high school:
3. He says that when he is faced with the issue of not having good enough teachers or feeling he is not getting the best education he could possibly get, he asks his teachers for help. This has worked the best for him in the past. He doesn't want to have to pay to hire a tutor to teach him what his teachers can't, so money is an important factor for him.

4. Because my idea is a program for schools and not really as much a product, the school district and the county will be the one paying for the program. This is where either funding would need to be cut from other areas of the school to be able to pay for the program, or more money would have to be given to the school. He says that this alteration in funding would be worth it for a program like this.

5. He says that what would make him know that the school implementing this program is a good idea is seeing actual change within his school. If there was no change in the teachers and the incentives aren't worth it to them to actually do better, this program wouldn't be worth it. He agrees, though, that it would be worth it to give the program a shot.

A sophomore in high school:
3. She says that when she is faced with the issue of not being taught enough or in a way she can understand, her mother hires a tutor. This is because the quality of her education is the most important thing to her and money isn't as important in this decision. Using a tutor has worked well for her in the past.

4. Again the school district will be paying for the program. She agrees that funding would have to be either moved from one area, or that more funding would have to come to the school. She says that this might be worth it for a program like this if it worked.

5. Because she already uses a tutor, she doesn't know if this program would be worth it to her. She does say, however, that it might help with other students if the program worked. She says that even if this program was implemented and it worked, she would still probably use a tutor just because she knows she has successful results with one.

A senior in high school:
3. She says that when she is faced with the issue of not having good enough teachers or feeling he is not getting the best education possible, she likes to research and learn the material on her own. She knows that she could ask the teacher for help, but she much more prefers a more independent way of learning. Style is the most important thing to her in this situation, because this has worked for her in the past.

4. She also agrees that funding would have to be either moved from one area, or that more funding would have to come to the school. She also brought up the idea that students could do fundraisers.

5. She says that she thinks this program would do good things in schools, so she thinks that it would be worth it. However, she does think there is a possibility that it might not work for some, and in that case it would be a waste of money when the money could be spent somewhere else. She says, though, it would definitely be worth it to try it out.

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6. In my interviews, each person had different priorities when it comes to solving this issue. The first interviewee said that his priority was money, the second said that her priority was quality, and the third said her priority was style. They all also had different methods of dealing with this issue. Overall, they all agreed that if the program worked, it would be worth it, but if it didn't, it would be a waste. The first and last interviewees both said it would be worth it to give the program a try.

7. I would say that many people in this segment have different priorities when it comes to this issue. However, I think all of the priorities mentioned above would be addressed through the program. Everyone agreed on how the program would be paid for, and they all said it would be worth these changes. Based on all of this, I think this program would be beneficial to all of the people I interviewed, and I think that they would all like to see this program be implemented.

16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

1. Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique.

- I think that as a person I stand up for myself so much. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. I don't let people walk all over me, but I also probably confront situations that could've been left alone. I am still proud of this trait because I will never accept someone talking down to me or putting me down.

- Another thing that I think is unique about me is that I take responsibility for my actions and words. When I realize I'm wrong, I admit it right away. When I make a mistake, I do whatever I can to fix it. I feel like I am always the first to admit my faults.

- I think that I am also a very understanding person. I am very accepting of people of all kinds, and I would never look down on or turn away someone just because they're different. I think that I can also put myself in peoples' shoes and try to understand where they were coming from in all kinds of situations.

- I am also someone who is brutally honest, which again, can be a good thing and a bad thing. Sometimes I tell people the things they want to hear, but I don't think I ever go too far. I'm always honest with how I'm feeling in friendships and relationship and I always make my feelings known.

- The last thing I'll mention is that I'm very passionate about my interests. I'm a musician and I'm studying music here at UF and I am able to put my all into it because of how much I love it. My passion for it drives me and motivates me to do the best I can in it and become as successful as I can.

2. Interviews

- My mom:
https://soundcloud.com/user-483072295/mom/s-njRSE

My mom says that I take responsibility for my actions. She also says that I'm strong and don't dwell on things.

- My best friend and roommate:
https://soundcloud.com/user-483072295/kate/s-jEiBQ

My friend Kate thinks that I am good at balancing things in my life. She says that I have a good work ethic and don't let anything interfere with my responsibilities.

- My friend and roommate:
https://soundcloud.com/user-483072295/shannon/s-ufo15

Shannon says that she sees my passion in what I do. She also says that I adapt well to situations.

- My close friend from high school:
https://soundcloud.com/user-483072295/cheyanne/s-bJuQP

Cheyanne says that I always try to make myself better and that I don't accept anything less than the best. She says that I stand up for what I believe in.

- Another close friend from high school:
https://soundcloud.com/user-483072295/trinity/s-pGTkl

Trinity says that I'm hardworking and determined. She says that I always find a way to make things work.


3. I think that I see myself in a similar way to how others see me. A lot of the things I said before I conducted the interviews were the same things that the people in my interviews said about me. I honestly don't think there are really any differences in how I assessed myself compared to how others assessed me. A lot of them brought up traits about myself that I wouldn't have thought of off the top of my head, like when Shannon said I adapt well. I think that what caused the fact that people brought up things I wouldn't have thought of is that other see things that I never really noticed. I didn't notice that I adapted well, but I guess because Shannon is different from me and would've handled the situation I was in differently, she takes extra notice in how I handled it. I do think that the people I interviewed are correct about me, because like I said, we said a lot of the same things. Going back to my list from part 1, I don't think I'd change it. I don't think I'd change it because the people I interviewed confirmed basically everything I said about myself.