1. Connection with a fellow business owner that owns a business similar to my idea
- It is valuable because he can teach me many things about starting a business.
- I think it's somewhat rare because not everyone has a connection with someone who has a business that is so similar to their idea.
- I don't think it's hard to copy because you can simply contact the owner of a business similar to your idea.
- I don't think any other resources could provide the same benefits.
2. Connection with an app developer
- It is valuable because he could help design and develop my app if I actually decided to create it.
- It's not rare because you can find them very easily.
- It's not hard to copy because you can do a quick google search to find them.
- I could make a connection with a different app developer and this could provide the same benefits.
3. Experience with the problem I am trying to solve by creating this business
- It's valuable because it can help me develop my business to be as helpful as possible. Because I have experienced this need, I can cater to it better.
- It might be somewhat rare because not everyone has experienced the need that they are trying to satisfy.
- It would be hard to copy because it's not an experience that you can recreate on purpose.
- I don't think anything else could provide the same benefits. Maybe knowing someone who has experienced this might help, but it still wouldn't be the same.
4. This class is a resource because it is teaching me things that could help in beginning this business.
- It's valuable because it's teaching me things that I could apply in starting a business.
- It's not very rare because many people take this class.
- It's not hard to copy because many people are able to take this class.
- I think similar classes could provide similar knowledge/benefits.
5. Contact with someone who works for the City of Gainesville and deals with parking
- It's valuable because they can recommend to people who buy decals to also download my app.
- It might be rare because not many people have the connection with someone who can refer your product or service to their customers.
- It's not hard to copy because anyone could call and speak with this person.
- I don't think many other connections could provide this same benefit.
6. I know several people who struggle with parking who would download and recommend my app to other people
- It's valuable because they would become my customers and also refer my service to their friends to get it circulating more.
- It's probably not rare because most business-owners have friends who experience the need they're trying to solve.
- It's not hard to copy because many people have this resource anyway, but it would be hard to get if you didn't already have it. You'd have to get connected with people who experience the need you are trying to satisfy.
- This is similar to #5 because they can both provide more customers by referring people to my business.
7. I have money saved up
- It's valuable because it can help pay for the things necessary to start my business.
- It's not rare because most people starting a business have saved up for it.
- It's not hard to copy because many people can save money, it just takes time.
- No other resources can provide this same benefit other than getting investors and loans. The only alternative would be to get things for free, which wouldn't happen.
8. In an area where my business idea would work very well
- It's valuable because parking in Gainesville is difficult, and my app would help with that. Because parking it so bad here, more people would be likely to download my app.
- It's not rare because many people live in an area where the need is very prevalent.
- It might be hard to copy because if you don't live in an area where your need is prevalent, you'd have to move in order to change this.
- No other resources could provide this benefit other than visiting the area.
9. Family to invest in my business
- It's valuable because it would provide money to pay for things I need to start my business.
- It's probably not rare because many other people have this resource too.
- It's not hard to copy because if they are willing, all you would have to do is ask.
- Money in savings could provide this same benefit.
10. Connections with people who could help me with my business/be my business partners.
- It's valuable because they can contribute their own resources and money to the business.
- It's might be rare because many people might not have friends willing to take the risk of starting a business with someone.
- It's not hard to copy because you can ask many people in your life if they are willing to join you.
- The only other things that could provide the same financial benefits are my savings, loans, and investors.
I think my top resource is number 10. Having someone be a parter in my business would be the most beneficial. They bring their own multiple resources to the table. They wouldn't just help my business in one area, they would help in many. They would be contributing money to help fund the business. They would be contributing ideas to help better the business. They could have connections with people that could help get our business out there. We could also both contribute our time to it, so it doesn't have to be one person doing all the work.
Friday, April 10, 2020
Friday, April 3, 2020
22A – Elevator Pitch No. 3
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzpjI_xo2vA&t=4s
2. The feedback I got on my last post is that I did a much better job with hand gestures and being dynamic. Both of these things are important in getting the audiences attention. I also think both of these things make you seem less like you're just trying to get people's money, and more like you're trying to make a connection with them.
3. I tried including being dynamic with hand gestures again because it is clearly an important part of getting the audience's attention and seeming more natural while talking, so that I don't just look like I'm reciting or reading something. I also tried memorizing my pitch a little bit more, again so that I won't sound like I am just reading off a piece of paper. I think the more natural the pitch sounds, the more likely potential customers will find it more personable and want to try your product or service.
2. The feedback I got on my last post is that I did a much better job with hand gestures and being dynamic. Both of these things are important in getting the audiences attention. I also think both of these things make you seem less like you're just trying to get people's money, and more like you're trying to make a connection with them.
3. I tried including being dynamic with hand gestures again because it is clearly an important part of getting the audience's attention and seeming more natural while talking, so that I don't just look like I'm reciting or reading something. I also tried memorizing my pitch a little bit more, again so that I won't sound like I am just reading off a piece of paper. I think the more natural the pitch sounds, the more likely potential customers will find it more personable and want to try your product or service.
21A – Reading Reflection No. 2
I chose to read Chris Anderson's Makers: The New Industrial Revolution
1. Anderson talks about how there have been three revolutions. The first one was the industrial revolution, the second one was the digital revolution, and now it's digital manufacturing. Nowadays you can have robots produce products instead of having people do it.
2. I think that this book connected with what we're learning in this class because it talks about innovation. The revolution Anderson says we're in currently is pretty much all about making things more efficient. Inventors are seeing a need and an opportunity, and inventing things that satisfy the need. People who invent robots to help speed up and standardize production saw that production was less efficient, and thought of an idea to help make it more efficient.
3. If I had to design an exercise based on this book, it would be to research a recent inventor of their choosing that has contributed to the digital manufacturing revolution. Next students would answer questions about this inventor and relate them back to the book and the class. For example: How do you think this person has helped contribute to the digital manufacturing revolution? What opportunity did this person see, and how did they decide to take advantage of it?
4. I never really realized that revolutions like the industrial revolutions have happened and are happening since the Industrial Revolution. We always think of the Industrial Revolution as a huge boom and how it was a huge deal, which it was. But now, we have come such a long way with technology just in the past 25 years. Cell phones made just 15 years ago are almost unrecognizable compared to today's cell phones. It's amazing how far we've come with technology in such a short amount of time, and I'm sure people years from now will look back on this time as a revolution, just as we look back on the Industrial Revolution.
1. Anderson talks about how there have been three revolutions. The first one was the industrial revolution, the second one was the digital revolution, and now it's digital manufacturing. Nowadays you can have robots produce products instead of having people do it.
2. I think that this book connected with what we're learning in this class because it talks about innovation. The revolution Anderson says we're in currently is pretty much all about making things more efficient. Inventors are seeing a need and an opportunity, and inventing things that satisfy the need. People who invent robots to help speed up and standardize production saw that production was less efficient, and thought of an idea to help make it more efficient.
3. If I had to design an exercise based on this book, it would be to research a recent inventor of their choosing that has contributed to the digital manufacturing revolution. Next students would answer questions about this inventor and relate them back to the book and the class. For example: How do you think this person has helped contribute to the digital manufacturing revolution? What opportunity did this person see, and how did they decide to take advantage of it?
4. I never really realized that revolutions like the industrial revolutions have happened and are happening since the Industrial Revolution. We always think of the Industrial Revolution as a huge boom and how it was a huge deal, which it was. But now, we have come such a long way with technology just in the past 25 years. Cell phones made just 15 years ago are almost unrecognizable compared to today's cell phones. It's amazing how far we've come with technology in such a short amount of time, and I'm sure people years from now will look back on this time as a revolution, just as we look back on the Industrial Revolution.
Friday, March 27, 2020
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.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
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.
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.
Friday, March 20, 2020
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.
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.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
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.
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