Assignment 30A

The most formative experience I had with this class was having to create the idea napkins and the venture concepts. It was difficult for me to get my complete thoughts and ideas about my product onto paper, and try to explain simply what it was I wanted to do and what I am offering. The experience I’ll remember the most was having to call random professionals in the industry, trying to get them to talk to me about my product idea. My most joyous experience was when I would work really hard on an assignment and someone would comment that I had a well thought out idea, because it really felt like my work paid off. I am most proud of myself for accomplishing the elevator pitches, as I was super nervous and anxious to record them, so getting them done made me feel great.

I wouldn’t say that I see myself as an entrepreneur quite yet, because I think I still have a ways to go and learn before that. I do think I have developed the entrepreneurial spirit quite a bit, however, and I feel like I’ve learned how to continue developing myself in this way. After this class ends I’m going to continue with the skills I’ve learned from this class, and hopefully I will have success with any entrepreneurial endeavors I take on in the future.

For students who are going to start this journey int he future, I would say to do every assignment as each of them really reinforces the topics we are learning, and with practice you get better, making each next assignment easier. I would also recommend to set up a schedule, as many of the assignments do require a bit of thought or effort before the due date, so staying on top of your work is obviously crucial. To foster the mindset I would say to always be thinking of the assignments as real work, not just school. Think about how you would do it if your income depended on your success.

Assignment 29A

With so many students going to college now, it's easy to see why there is an opening in the market for a bag that would work for college students for many uses. College students are facing increasing costs of living, with increased importance on trying to save space and live in smaller areas. Many students live in very small apartments, or even in dorm rooms. These students do not have very much space and also very little extra money so even if they did have the space to store multiple bags it is unlikely that they would purchase them anyway.  Because of this many of today's college students find themselves without a proper bag for many overnight stays. geographically there's no real indication for where this market is, but rather it is with all of the college students we have no room for a bag or even business travelers who face unexpected conditions and never know how much stuff they need to pack. The market is definitely defined more to the younger people, due to the fact that they tend not to own homes and don't have the space that may be required to store multiple bags. There is very little in the market now to satisfy this need for the customer, so they have no loyalty if there were to be a better option I'm sure they would switch easily. Typically people in the situation now are trying to find ways to take up less space with storing more bags or simply use one bag for every purpose. I would not say that this opportunity is huge, as it is mostly selling to college students who have very little extra money. But this is a very real issue for many of these college students so I'm sure that many of them would be happy to purchase an item I would make things easier for them. I believe this window of opportunity will be opened for a while but not for much longer as someone else is sure to enter the market to begin selling these bags for multiple purposes to these college students and business travelers. It's a fairly simple opportunity but one that is relatively untouched so far in the market as many companies who create bags started to categorize their bags into how many nights they can carry worth of clothing.

The innovation in my product is the ability to change the dimensions of the bag to suit your needs exactly. This is achieved through a series of zippers and pockets that allow the bag to be unzipped and expanded in many different areas to change your company simply one or two nights to a full week. The bag is a relatively easy thing to manufacture and can be done by small local textile companies. The costs of production would increase a lot once sales exceed what can be done by a small supplier, but once the shift is made to a large manufacturer, the costs should start to decrease overall. I would like to be selling this bag for around $60 as I believe many people will find use from this bag, but I don't think it will be something that they purchased more than once. The innovation here really revolves around the understanding of constraints within the home in storage, and ideally college students like myself but no longer have to try and make do with one bag that's huge or way too small because we don't have the space to store multiple bags. The goal with this product is to allow customers to have one bag that they can zip up and make very small and easy to store, and when the need arises, expand the bag to fit their needs for that specific moment. I would like customers to see this bag as one bag to fit all their needs no matter how long the trip may be.

People who live in very small homes like college students will no longer have the issue of trying to store multiple bags for multiple occasions but instead will just have the one bag that they can use for all of their needs. I believe that customers will buy this innovation because it solves an issue that not many people really realize exists for them until the situation arises where they're trying to pack for a trip and realize they have only one bag and it does not suit their needs for this trip. This difficulty in identifying the issue means that people are not normally looking for solution as they would only really be interested in the solution during the same time as they’re experiencing the issue and this means that would marketing the product we will have to remind consumers of the issue in order to make them desire the solution that we provided. I don't think it will be very hard to get consumers to switch to this product due to the fact that there are very few solutions out there that do the same thing. As of now, it seems that the most prevalent solution is simply own one bag and try to make do with it whether it's cramming tons of stuff in it or caring one huge bag for one night away. I believe that college students and business travelers who have this issue will see that this product we have provided is very helpful and I think they will switch with great ease.

I received some positive feedback letting me know my idea was well thought out and detailed. The best feedback I got through was letting me know how helpful it would be to include some kind of cost structure or understanding. I used this and tried to explain how costs would work for creating these bags, but without solid numbers, I can't provide an exact cost structure. I hope that with some explanation of how costs would work for creating and selling these bags, people will have a better understanding of how it all works.

Assignment 27A

I read How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, by Scott Adams. The main theme of the book is that people will encounter numerous failures throughout their life, and you have to learn to take care of yourself so you can keep pushing forward and achieve your dreams. He believes that goals are inherently flawed and instead people should set forth systems that will help them achieve their dreams, rather than goals.

The book enhanced what I’ve learned in this class by really explaining how failure isn’t an issue, but we have to continue on and keep trying. It also reinforced what I’ve learned in the class about working on projects that you really care about. Adams says that if you have energy when doing a task, failure won’t stop you, because you’ll be enjoying the journey.

I would have people identify their ideal schedule, and identify when they work best. Some people work best in the morning and some work better in the afternoons or the evenings. FInding your proper schedule and lining it up with when you work best will provide the highest productivity.

I was really surprised about how Adams doesn’t think goals are effective, as I’d always thought having goals was the best way to progress in life. Adams says that goals have two main flaws, and that's why we should set up systems for ourselves so we can continue to grow. The flaws are that goals are too far in the future and bums you out working today to achieve in the future and that they are too specific and often leave people disappointed with minor deviations from the achieved goal.

Assignment 28A

I would like to sell the business in around a decade. I think this would give me plenty of time to build a well functioning and profitable business. I want to sell it because I don’t foresee myself doing this company for my entire life, and the money from the sale will allow me to finance my next venture. I think my exit strategy has influenced many things, like identifying an opportunity based on the profit to be made rather than a need a very much want to fill. I also think it influences how I plan to acquire resources. Since the goal is to sell the company in the end, we would want to acquire as many resources as possible to increase the worth and effectiveness of the company.

Assignment 26A

Throughout this semester I have been taking a class on public speaking and I’ve had to do many long speeches in front of many people. I got poor grades on the first four exams and only on the fifth did I finally receive a C. I spent hour and hours working on and practicing those speeches, and ultimately failed. Every time I learned feedback from my professor I did my best to incorporate it into the next speech, but with the increasing expectations, I was unable to get a decent grade.

I learned that just because you fail more than once doesn’t mean that you won’t succeed in the end. It took me 5 tries to get a decent grade but I’m so glad I didn’t give up or drop the class because I wouldn’t have finally earned this grade. I also learned that truth behind the quote “failure isn’t defined by falling down, but defined by not getting back up” meaning that it's really okay to fail as long as you don’t let it get to you, and you continue to push forward.

I got very embarrassed when I performed a poor speech in front of my class and would go home and sulk about it and be sad for a while. After the first few failed speeches I realized that sulking wasn’t helping and was silly to dwell on. I could only do better and work harder for the next speech and I’d get more done without being sad. This class has taught me that without risk there can be no reward and that everyone encounters failure. We can’t avoid risk to avoid failure but rather we must embrace it, and learn from our failures. I am much more likely to take risks now than I would have been at the start of the semester.

Assignment 23A

I am a student living on campus and as such have access to numerous college students who might be interested in my product.

This is very valuable but very easy to copy and substitutable, and not rare at all, as there are so many college students around the country.

I have made connections with people who work in the fields that will help me create and sell this product.

This is very rare and valuable and not easy to copy as it takes years to develop relationships like this. It’s hard to substitute for good help.

I am able to gather a lot of information on demand and the specifications that people might want from this product.

This is very valuable and hard to substitute for but isn't very rare. It is also fairly easily easy to copy and hold focus groups.

Starting to create my product will not take a lot of money to produce the first few, as it’s mostly sewing, which will allow me to get started without the large financial influx.

This isn’t super valuable but it is hard to copy as your materials depend on what you’re making. There are few substitutes for needing little money, and its a fairly rare thing.

I am a very friendly person, and very good at getting people to agree to have meetings or calls with me.

This is very valuable when trying to sell, and also hard to substitute for. It can be copied but it does take a decent amount of work, but unfortunately isn’t rare as many people are nice who are involved in selling.

I have a large network of business associates from my many years working many jobs, and I could call on these people when I first start to sell the product.

This is moderately valuable but not very rare. There are not many substitutes for a good selling network, and as such is fairly hard to copy.

Market testing is easy because all I have to do is show someone the bag and they can decide or not if they like it, it doesn’t take much time to decide.

This is not very valuable, but it is hard to copy. It’s easy to substitute a short market test for a longer one, so that's not a huge deal either. There are also multiple substitutes for market testing like this.

I have been in management positions because so once the company starts producing many bags and employees are needed, I will have no problem leading the team

This will be very valuable once the company gets bigger, but it’s not rare as many people have management experience. It’s hard to copy but can be substituted by simply hiring someone.

Because the bag is made of a plastic-based fabric, it's relatively cheap and doesn’t take anything fancy to find the materials.

This is hugely valuable because it means I can start producing very cheaply. This is hard to substitute or copy, but can not rare since many people are producing with cheap materials.

Many stores sell overnight bags so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a store willing to give our product some shelf space.

This isn’t very valuable, but it is hard to copy. Everyone wants their stuff in stores so its rare to have a product that would get in easier than others. There are not many substitutes for selling in stores.

Assignment 24A - The MultiBag

With so many students going to college now, it's easy to see why there is an opening in the market for a bag that would work for college students for many uses. College students are facing increasing costs of living, with increased importance on trying to save space and live in smaller areas. Many students live in very small apartments, or even in dorm rooms. These students do not have very much space and also very little extra money so even if they did have the space to store multiple bags it is unlikely that they would purchase them anyway.  Because of this many of today's college students find themselves without a proper bag for many overnight stays. geographically there's no real indication for where this market is, but rather it is with all of the college students we have no room for a bag or even business travelers who face unexpected conditions and never know how much stuff they need to pack. The market is definitely defined more to the younger people, due to the fact that they tend not to own homes and don't have the space that may be required to store multiple bags. There is very little in the market now to satisfy this need for the customer, so they have no loyalty if there were to be a better option I'm sure they would switch easily. Typically people in the situation now are trying to find ways to take up less space with storing more bags or simply use one bag for every purpose. I would not say that this opportunity is huge, as it is mostly selling to college students who have very little extra money. But this is a very real issue for many of these college students so I'm sure that many of them would be happy to purchase an item I would make things easier for them. I believe this window of opportunity will be opened for a while but not for much longer as someone else is sure to enter the market to begin selling these bags for multiple purposes to these college students and business travelers. It's a fairly simple opportunity but one that is relatively untouched so far in the market as many companies who create bags started to categorize their bags into how many nights they can carry worth of clothing.

The innovation in my product is the ability to change the dimensions of the bag to suit your needs exactly. This is achieved through a series of zippers and pockets that allow the bag to be unzipped and expanded in many different areas to change your company simply one or two nights to a full week. I would like to be selling this bag for around $60 as I believe many people will find use from this bag, but I don't think it will be something that they purchased more than once. The innovation here really revolves around the understanding of constraints within the home in storage, and ideally college students like myself but no longer have to try and make do with one bag that's huge or way too small because we don't have the space to store multiple bags. The goal with this product is to allow customers to have one bag that they can zip up and make very small and easy to store, and when the need arises, expand the bag to fit their needs for that specific moment. I would like customers to see this bag as one bag to fit all their needs no matter how long the trip may be.

People who live in very small homes like college students will no longer have the issue of trying to store multiple bags for multiple occasions but instead will just have the one bag that they can use for all of their needs. I believe that customers will buy this innovation because it solves an issue that not many people really realize exists for them until the situation arises where they're trying to pack for a trip and realize they have only one bag and it does not suit their needs for this trip. This difficulty in identifying the issue means that people are not normally looking for solution as they would only really be interested in the solution during the same time as they’re experiencing the issue and this means that would marketing the product we will have to remind consumers of the issue in order to make them desire the solution that we provided. I don't think it will be very hard to get consumers to switch to this product due to the fact that there are very few solutions out there that do the same thing. As of now, it seems that the most prevalent solution is simply own one bag and try to make do with it whether it's cramming tons of stuff in it or caring one huge bag for one night away. I believe that college students and business travelers who have this issue will see that this product we have provided is very helpful and I think they will switch with great ease.

Assignment 21A

I read The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users, by Guy Kawasaki.

The general theme of the book is about doing more online than just existing like everyone else, but using the internet and your social media to cultivate a personal brand and extend business opportunities. People make many decisions when they’re online, from who to follow and which posts to like, and in order to be relevant to consumers, it takes work.

It really connected with what I’ve learned in ENT3003 because it’s not just about the product, but being able to sell yourself too. In this class, I’ve already learned so much how you have to be able to show a customer that you are the right person for them to buy from, or to invest in. I feel like the book really enforced the concept that you have to be personable in all areas, even over the internet.

An exercise I would design is thinking about what you’d want to see from a business owner or business on social media. I would ask students to think about the types of posts they would want/expect to see. They should also consider the language and format they would expect to see from businesses on social media and try to create some sample posts that might come from a businesses’ social media.

One of the biggest aha moments for me was when the book discussed how it’s not vital to have a presence on every single social media platform, as there are so many and having all of them can take up too much time. It is better to focus on the few that you have most reach for, or perhaps the bigger social media sites.

Assignment 20A

The first person I met with was a family friend that I’d been out of touch with for years, his name is Rahul. Rahul has worked in textile manufacturing for numerous years, both working with the materials directly and as a coordinator of supply. He is an industry supplier because he has worked with numerous companies who make products very similar to the bag I want to sell. I contacted Rahul by calling him from the number I’d had for him years ago, and I was lucky enough that he hadn’t changed it in the years we’ve been out of contact. I agreed to look over my elevator pitch video at lunch. I didn’t have to do anything in exchange for Rahul’s help since he was an old family friend, but I offered to lend him a hand in his office as a volunteer for a few days. Rahul will help me exploit opportunities because he has decades of experience with the materials I will be using and can provide valuable insight as to what I should use.

For my second person, I had to call around to various bag/luggage companies in an attempt to get someone to talk to me. Unfortunately, I was unable to secure a meeting with Liam, he was willing to look over my idea napkin and send me back feedback. Liam works as product director for a medium-sized luggage company and is an expert on my market. When Liam returned my idea napkin with feedback I offered to come and assist him, like I did for Rahul, however Liam didn’t need any help, but instead asked that send him more about my product because he wanted to see how it developed further, so I will be sending him more about my potential product in the coming weeks. Liam will help me exploit opportunities by being someone that I can discuss market concepts with, to make sure I’m headed in the right direction.

Finally, for my third person, I found Linda from my research into local companies who sell bags and luggage. She is actually one of the designers for their small luggage company, but also one of their salespeople. She is a domain expert for my industry because she directly understands what customers want out of a bag, as well as the challenges that would be faced in designing a bag. She agreed to meet with me very early one morning, before work. We met in her office at 7:00am one morning and discussed product details and feasibility. I also showed her my idea napkin, as she seemed very interested in my idea. As a return for her advice and guidance, I stayed until noon that day sorting and filing paperwork for her, to help her get caught up. Including Linda in my network will give me access to someone who knows the products extremely well, as well as the best ways to go about selling directly to customers.

This experience was slightly different in that I had to find people with specific roles within the industry, and getting them to agree to talk to me or see me was very difficult. I feel like I learned a lot about networking though because now I understand the work that goes into finding people like this. It will also change how I participate in future networking events because I am much less nervous and uncomfortable about the idea of networking, and also because I understand how much effort and work goes into networking on your own and will take full advantage of any networking situation I am presented.

Assignment 19A

1. My name is Joe Sanders and I am a fourth-year food and resource economics major here at UF. I think I am pretty good at interacting with people. I like to think I’m someone people are comfortable talking to and somebody who can talk to anyone about anything with ease. This helps me during interviews when I am trying to gather information about the needs and situations of those who might be interested in my product. With my experience in both customer service and as a supervisor, I know that not always are people aware of the true nature of their needs. One day I would really like to own and operate my own business, but that’s not something that absolutely has to happen. If this business were to take off and become something real, I could see myself spending the time to develop this into a full-blown business. I think the bag is something that could really benefit a lot of people and a business based on that would be interesting.
2. The unmet need I am looking to solve is the need for a bag that can double as both a small overnight bag and a large out-of-the-country bag. The bag I have come up with has zippers along the edges so that it can be unzipped and expanded. This allows the bag to be either small or large, depending on the needs of the consumer. The adaptability provides ease of storage and space if somebody buys items on a vacation and are coming home with more than they started.
3. Many people have small homes or apartments and don’t have the space to store two bags, or even just a large one. This will allow people with not much storage space to own just one bag for all their traveling needs. This bag would also be very helpful to people who travel a lot and bring back souvenirs. The bag would be small enough on the flight there that it could be carried on, and on the way home when it’s full of souvenirs (and been expanded) it could be checked. These potential customers all have a common need of being unable to have multiple bags for a trip, with different restrictions as to why.
4. In my interviews, I have found that people like the bag because it gives them an option for having just one bag and not needing to worry about trying to store two of them or finding the right bag to cater to each trip. Being a college student I know that many of us live in small living spaces, and personally, I don’t have a large bag because I have nowhere to keep it and because I am normally traveling for a weekend maximum. This bag would allow college students to use the same bag that they use to go home a visit parents, to take a trip abroad with their friends over spring break. The bag would also have removable wheels (think along the lines of Heely’s) so the bag could easily be moved and wheeled around when it is in the expanded (and most likely heavier) state.
5. What sets me apart from others is my ability to communicate and gather information. I was able to refine my understanding of the target market because the people I interviewed gave me good answers to the questions I was asking, but if I wasn’t able to ask the right questions I wouldn’t be getting helpful information.

I believe these elements all work well together because it allows me to understand who exactly might be interested in my product. It also works well because with a relatively simple concept for a product, understanding the need exactly is extremely important. My position as a college student helps me find other college students to interview and with that, I am able to specifically identify what might make somebody interested in the bag, as well as what would turn them away.

I really didn’t receive much feedback on my first idea napkin, but I was suggested that wheels on the bag would make it much easier to move around. I really liked this idea because the bag is all about being easy for the consumer and helping them by being adaptable for every situation, so wheels really would help those times when the bag is just too heavy. Since I had no other feedback I decided to take the idea of wheels further with removable wheels, that way the wheels won’t be in the way while they aren’t needed. I know wheels can be clunky so being able to remove them allows the bag to be small and lightweight when it's just being used for the small size.

Assignment 17A

https://youtu.be/G8FQpjxZiYA

The feedback I received made it clear that people liked how I understood the specific demand for this product. I believed that I had a good idea of how people felt about it, and getting the confirmation was nice. It was also helpful to know where people thought I was most passionate, so I could to and be more passionate all over.

I tried to be more enthusiastic and positive throughout the whole presentation because I got feedback about how I seemed more passionate in specific areas. I believed this helped the presentation overall because I was generally more enthused to be talking about it. I also tried to focus in on specific factor I know about my potential client base and the market segment as a whole.

Assignment 18A

The ‘customer avatar’ that I envision for my adaptable-size bag product is a college student. They are not someone with much extra money so the idea of having one bag for all their needs would be ideal. This person would be young and most likely 18-25. They have a close relationship with their parents and friends and would have to be living close enough to them that visits are common but not too lengthy, from 2-4 days. They drive an old car, 10-15 years old, most likely in a more muted color like gray or brown. It's clear that they have no extra money, and it is reflected in every bit of their life and appearance. Their clothes aren’t ragged but it's clear not many of them are new at all.

The customer avatar is similar in that we are both college students with little money. I think this is no coincidence at all because since I am a college student and spend a lot of time with college students,  I am very aware of the needs that my bag might fill for college students. Even though I do not usually have this same need, it is clear to me that it exists to those around me.

Assignment 15A

In my interviews, I spoke to two more college students and a businesswoman. First I asked questions about their alternatives and how these potential customers might make their selections. The style seemed to be a relatively unimportant factor overall, mostly due to the bag simply serving as a travel function, and not really going to be carried during times when appearance is important. All of the people I interviewed said that price was an important factor, but the most crucial factor as the function of the bag, and its ability to adapt to multiple situations and needs. It seems that to them a bag is a bag, so it doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Their purchasing is evenly split between finding novelty ideas online because they were looking for a specific item, or they would just wander across it in a store, only to realize that they need it. It seemed physical location would be better for those who didn’t already know they wanted the item, and online was easier for those to find the item when they already knew they wanted it. When discussing the ‘rightness’ of a purchase like this, my interviewees all said that they evaluate based on how well the product worked for their needs when traveling. If the bag they’ve purchased turns out to work exactly as they needed it to or better, they consider their purchase a good one. They feel like a purchase is bad if they end up not being able to use it for the intended purpose, or if it doesn’t last as long as they had hoped.

This segment chooses alternatives based on how functional they believe it will be, while still keeping the price in mind. Customers in my segment seem to be willing to purchase once they are made aware of the product and how it could fulfill their needs. Finally, they decide if they’ve made a good decision based on their actual experiences using the products, and how well they suited the needs the item was purchased to fulfill.

Assignment 14A - Halfway Reflection

1. Initially, I had a great deal of trouble keeping up with this course. In the beginning, I missed an assignment or peer review or two, and generally just felt rushed for time when completing things. I learned to start looking at the assignments early in the week, around Monday, and then by Wednesday I would start the assignments, so by Friday, I would have an easy time completing and turning them in.

2. I certainly felt like giving up a few times but when I got to that point I knew that the assignments I was working on would end up having an impact on the future assignments. I knew that each assignment would teach me valuable skills that would help me with each of the assignments to come, as well as in life and my career. I’ve become a lot more tenacious during this course, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that this class focuses around the real world, so I know that putting in the work here while having guidance will only help me when the time comes to do these things for real.

3. The first tip I would give is to try and complete every assignment a day early, that way when you need more time to work on it or think about, you have it. The second tip I would give is to try and put as much effort as you can into each assignment, even if it’s not required so that when you get to the next assignment you’ve already been thinking about the next step. The final tip I would give is to leave time for breaks between work and make sure you have time to enjoy yourself while still getting your work done.

Assignment 13A - Reading Reflection 1

1. The book I read was Wright Brothers by David McCullough. What surprised me the most was how well the brothers worked together. Going into the reading I knew that they accomplished a lot together but I did not realize how well they worked as a pair, with each having their own strengths to draw upon. The thing about the Wright Brothers that I most admired was their dedication to achieving their goals in their own way. Throughout it all, they kept their standards and ideals, even when the competition was starting to replicate their work, and quickly. One thing that I least admired about the Wright Brother was their secrecy during their work and testing. I understand that they were worried about people taking their ideas or copying them, but they had very little recognition when they started and rarely invited anyone besides friends and family to witness the miracle of flight. The Wright Brothers repeatedly encountered adversity and failure with their designs. The book quotes a period of three months where the brothers weren’t able to accomplish anything, due to repeated issues with their plane. They never gave up and continued to fix each issue and try again, even if only to be met with a bigger problem.

2. The Wright brothers had a background in bicycles which provided them with some prior knowledge about how to get moving in the right direction with their designs for their airplane and frame. They used this competency along with their ability to methodically solve problems and create inventive solutions to issues, such as using a catapult-like system to get a better launch than with a motor by itself.

3. One part of the reading I found confusing was the technical descriptions. The book describes certain parts of their designs or plans in great detail, which can be hard to follow. Their designs are very different from the planes we know today, so when they are described in the book it can be hard to imagine. It important to understand the designs they’re working with and testing so that their feats can be appreciated and properly understood.

4. The first question I would like to ask the Wright Brothers would be for their total cost to achieve flight, meaning what was the R&D investment to invent flight? The second question I would ask the Wright Brothers is if our current air travel technology is where they saw the future of flight headed? Meaning did they foresee us being able to take hundreds of people into the air at a time, and transport them across the globe?

5. The Wright Brothers were never afraid to get their hands dirty and do the work themselves. I think to them, hard work means not only a lot of work but putting in the work even if you don’t entirely want to. Many times the brothers headed into a test knowing something would break and have to be fixed again, but it was the hard work they needed to do if they wanted to learn and make progress. I think this is a great way to look at hard work, because if you’re working on something really hard but it’s not helping the end cause, what’s the point?

Assignment 12A

I interviewed three college students around campus because college students seem to be the most prevalent segment to my product. In my interviews I found that college students are most aware of the issue when they are preparing for a long trip, only to realize that they don’t have a large enough bag. Most college students live in small spaces so having stored a huge bag for long trips really isn’t an option. The typical solution is to borrow a bag from a friend or go out and buy another small bag that they can keep in their small homes. Not much research goes into it, as people are generally are of their options are far as bags go. Most of the discussion goes on within close friends and family because these are the people who would be willing to lend a bag when needed.

This segment has the need for a specific moment where they are going on a longer trip which is abnormal for most college students. The need is for a bag that can be small when stored but could be expanded to accommodate a longer trip.

Assignment 11A

1. My name is Joe Sanders and I am a fourth-year food and resource economics major here at UF. I think I am pretty good at interacting with people. I like to think I’m someone people are comfortable talking to and somebody who can talk to anyone about anything with ease. This helps me during interviews when I am trying to gather information about the needs and situations of those who might be interested in my product. With my experience in both customer service and as a supervisor, I know that not always are people aware of the true nature of their needs. One day I would really like to own and operate my own business, but that’s not something that absolutely has to happen. If this business were to take off and become something real, I could see myself spending the time to develop this into a full-blown business. I think the bag is something that could really benefit a lot of people and a business based on that would be interesting.
2. The unmet need I am looking to solve is the need for a bag that can double as both a small overnight bag and a large out-of-the-country bag. The bag I have come up with has zippers along the edges so that it can be unzipped and expanded. This allows the bag to be either small or large, depending on the needs of the consumer. The adaptability provides ease of storage and space if somebody buys items on a vacation and are coming home with more than they started.
3. Many people have small homes or apartments and don’t have the space to store two bags, or even just a large one. This will allow people with not much storage space to own just one bag for all their traveling needs. This bag would also be very helpful to people who travel a lot and bring back souvenirs. The bag would be small enough on the flight there that it could be carried on, and on the way home when it’s full of souvenirs (and been expanded) it could be checked. These potential customers all have a common need of being unable to have multiple bags for a trip, with different restrictions as to why.
4. In my interviews, I have found that people like the bag because it gives them an option for having just one bag and not needing to worry about trying to store two of them or finding the right bag to cater to each trip. Being a college student I know that many of us live in small living spaces, and personally, I don’t have a large bag because I have nowhere to keep it and because I am normally traveling for a weekend maximum. This bag would allow college students to use the same bag that they use to go home a visit parents, to take a trip abroad with their friends over spring break.
5. What sets me apart from others is my ability to communicate and gather information. I was able to refine my understanding of the target market because the people I interviewed gave me good answers to the questions I was asking, but if I wasn’t able to ask the right questions I wouldn’t be getting helpful information.

I believe these elements all work well together because it allows me to understand who exactly might be interested in my product. It also works well because with a relatively simple concept for a product, understanding the need exactly is extremely important. My position as a college student helps me find other college students to interview and with that I am able to specifically identify what might make somebody interested in the bag, as well as what would turn them away.

Assignment 10A - Elevator Pitch 1

Link to Assignment 10A

Assignment 9A - Testing the Hypothesis

My product is a travel bag that has zippers and pockets to expand and carry more, depending on the situational need.

Who: Of the 5 people I interviewed, most were college students. They were not interested in the product because either they didn’t travel or had a home in which keeping a small bag and a large bag was not an issue. One of the people I interviewed as a businesswoman who told me she would not use the bag because she felt it was too silly for her traveling. She was worried about running into potential customers and having them look oddly on her for having an adjustable bag.

What: The need for an adjustable bag differs from the need for simply another travel bag because while they both do serve the same purpose of helping people easily get around and hold their things, the adjustable bag serves the need for minimizing the space bags are taking up as well. This specification is what defines the need for this bag.

Why: These outsiders need is different because they do not have the same space constrictions. These people see it simply as another bag, not as a bag to help them save the storage room in their homes. These people in the boundary are much more concerned about having a bag with multiple uses.

	Inside	Outside
Who	College students in small living spaces, business people with differing travel schedules, and travelers who would use the bag to bring home souvenirs	People with homes having enough space for two different bags. People who don’t travel or stay overnight.
What	The need for a small bag that can take up a small amount of space when being stored, but expands to be larger and carry more when needed	The need is not simply a need for another travel bag, but for a bag that can save space.
Why	The need exists because college students have small homes and have very little space to store things. Business people sometimes go on short trips and only need a small bag, but this bag expands and also allows for those larger trips, without having to own a second bag.	The bag isn’t anything that’s going to change peoples lives, but it could make travel easier and save space in homes.

8A Solving the Problem

The product I would sell to the people I have identified in my opportunity is an app that will slowly lock-up parts of your phone to prevent you from using it at night. Many phones have a minimal version of this built in, but without the option for customizing the controls specifically. The opportunity is that many people use screens before bed and that either causes issues with melatonin production and falling asleep or serves as a distraction and people forget to sleep. I would like to address this opportunity by locking people out of specific apps and functions of their phones late at night, so they have to get off and fall asleep. The app would allow people to create specific restrictions for each app, including when the effects take place, and the type restrictions (time allotment, or simply a lock-out). I would also include the option for lock-out that you can not get around. I know some phones will alert you when you’ve hit your bedtime time restriction, but you can still override and do what you want, but I would like an option in my app that you can’t override it. I think the main purpose of the app/product would be to have lots of customizability with how and when the restrictions take place. 

Assignment 7A Testing the Hypothesis

Many children in recent years have been having difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, and focusing in school. Much of this is due to the use of electronic screens in children’s lives.

Who: Children in schools having trouble sleeping

What: They are having troubles in school because of the overuse of screens, causing issues with sleep and concentration.

Why: Screens have become commonplace in homes and lives, and children have grown up with them as a big part of their lives, and as such have difficulty separating themselves.

Testing the who: Not everyone in my ‘who’ has the need for assistance with better sleep and being away from screens, and I’m sure there are many outside the current ‘who’ that need the help. Lots of people besides kids have sleep issues and need to separate from screens.

Testing the what: Are all types of screen activities a problem? Are there certain groups who are more likely to have these issues with screens?

Testing the why: Some people have screen issues where they will get distracted and watch too much tv. Others have identified that their screen issues come from the blue light in modern screens, causing a decrease in production of melatonin, and causing issues sleep.

In my interviews, I focused on asking questions centered around who specifically has the issues and what was causing their issues with sleep. For the ‘who’s it seems that pretty much any type of person could have these issues, but not everyone in the group will. In this year, pretty much everyone has constant access to screens and is always connected, so it’s no surprise that these issues are common. For the ‘what’s it seems that the issue of screens causing melatonin production was more prevalent than the issue of people getting distracted by their screens. Everyone seemed to have their own way to explain how the screens were affecting their sleep, with one interviewer saying they had no problems, but mostly they all said they just couldn’t fall asleep at night, even though they’d felt tired all day. For the ‘why’s I identified, they seem to hold true. Most people either simply have trouble falling asleep because they’ve been using a screen too recently before bed, or that they get too invested in the screen activities and don’t think about sleeping.

I know that this opportunity stretches over more people than I had originally expected, with 4/5 people I interviewed told me that they’d had experience with this issue when I thought it would mostly be children affected. I learned that the reasons for this issue could be a variety of things, and maybe even more than one happening at a time. Many people simply are not aware of what they can do to help themselves or are not capable of changing their habits to that point.

Assignment 4A Forming an Opportunity Belief

1. I believe there exists an opportunity for an overnight bag that transforms from large to small.
2. This bag would be small enough to accommodate on or two night’s worth of clothing, but also be able to be un-zipped and would yield a much larger bag capable of taking items for up to a week. I believe college students would benefit from having a bag like this, because they don’t often travel for many days at a time, and they have little storage space for a large bag for the occasional long trip. I believe this need is not new but has been around a while, and college students are being forced to seek leaner accommodations as inflation rises. I am 25% sure this opportunity exists.
3. College students living in my dorm
4. Customer 1 (C1) told me that her apartment was too small to have a large bag, and that she needs a small bag she can pack away. C1 said they have the need whenever they are packing for a trip. They are an over-packer, so a small bag is troublesome, even if its only a few days. It also is a problem for bringing back souvenirs, because there’s no space left in the bag. C1 is currently meeting the need by bringing extra bags on trips. C1 is not satisfied, multiple bags are a strain on her physically when travelling. C1 also said its annoying to have to store multiple bags at home for her trips.
5. I learned that it is a very real opportunity and people do need this bag. I was most surprised at how when needing to find more space people were willing to bring extra bags rather than a larger bag, due to issues with storing a large bag.

3.    Travelling Businesspeople

4.    Customer (C2) needs a bag she can bring for a carry-on for flights. The bags she brings are only allowed to be so big, but when she goes for other trips she needs a larger bag, so she is able to bring things back from the places she visits in her free time. C2 is constantly traveling so they are aware of their need always, and doing her best to keep conscious of size restrictions. First became aware of the need when they started travelling. C2 is currently unable to address their need, and is simply limited by the amount of items they are able to bring back from their leisure trips. They are unhappy they don’t have a better way to transport items home.

5.    I learned that there are multiple reasons that a person might want this bag, despite demographic. I learned of a use for the bag outside what I had expected. I didn’t think people would be wanting a bag that they could carry-on for the flight there and check for the flight back once they’ve filled it up with souvenirs.

3.    A guy who lives down the road from my parent’s house.

4.    Customer 3 (C3) doesn’t have much of a need for the bag. He said he doesn’t travel much so he doesn’t have a problem with simply just owning a large bag for all purposes. They are slightly aware when they go on short trip because they don’t own a small bag. But he said the issue isn’t a big deal because he goes on few trips and most are for an extended period. They haven’t had the need for very long because they only just started going on short trips to visit friends. They are currently addressing their need by using their large bag and just carrying around a bag that’s half-empty. He isn’t too upset with his solution but acknowledges that it is not ideal.

5.    I learned that many people are fine with their simple solutions, and don’t have a need for a complicated bag that has zippers to expand and resize. I also learned that even if they don’t have the need, they still understand how it could be useful for some people.

7.    My original opportunity still remains but it’s clear that it’s a small window of opportunity. People don’t necessarily need a bag that can change sizes, but many would find use for it.

        I believe my opportunity is more accurate because I know understand that not everyone thinks that they need the bag. I think that I now have a better grasp of who could use it, and how, so I might more accurately cater to them.

I think entrepreneurs should adapt a great deal to fit customers, because without customers there can be no business. Although an entrepreneur should not completely change idea if they truly believe the opportunity exists. Ideas should be adapted but not completely abandoned, unless its clear the opportunity doesn’t exist. 

Assignment #3A Entrepreneurship Story

Two years ago I was working at a summer camper and it was my job as the manager to make sure that all the children safely go home, and go home with who they’re supposed to.  But this summer we had a large, external air conditioner for the building that was in the street in parking spots that we would normally use for drop-off/pick-up of campers. I came up with a new way to do our drop-off/pick-up, by having the parents park across the street. We had to be careful that we had staff there to walk all the campers across the street and only in the crosswalk when the lights were permitting. It wasn’t great initially, in the beginning, we had long waits to cross the street sometimes because we didn’t have the right staff in the right places, but by the second week we had worked out many of the kinks and created an efficient process for camper safety.

I enrolled in ENT3003 because I want to learn the process that is entrepreneurship so I can include that as a potential career option for myself. I don’t want to feel trapped in a job and forced to work for others, so learning how to be an entrepreneur will give me the skills I need to be able to make it in my own small company. I know entrepreneurship is more than that though, I want the ability to improve and change, and I want to see the world in a way that allows me to make things better for myself and those around me. I hope to understand what it takes to and how to go about creating a business and innovating within a business. 

Assignment #2A Bug List

1a My roommate turning lights on at 4am to wash his face and waking me up.

1b This bug exists because my roommate studies in the library late into the night, so when he comes home to get ready for bed, he turns the lights on, waking me up.

2a The portion of Reitz lawn being closed making it difficult for me to get to class.

2b This bug exists because there is construction on one of the buildings connected to the lawn there.

3a No parking options on campus so I have to park far away from my dorm and walk a while.

3b This bug exists because UF doesn’t have many parking garages for on-campus students, so it’s a battle to get into the lots.

4a My dorm room doesn’t have ethernet ports.

4b This bug exists because my dorm is a “world-class wireless” residence hall, meaning its meant for students with laptops to get a good connection, and not focusing on the few students with desktop PCs.

5a My fridge is tiny, and I can’t fit much in there.

5b This bug exists because I live in a dorm and don’t have access to a full-size fridge.

6a Too much traffic on Archer road around 6pm.

6b This bug exists because many people are leaving work as well as trying to get dinner from the many restaurants on Archer road.

7a My AC unit will sometimes not do anything for a while and then blow freezing air for 3 hours, seeming to do it most when I’m working at my desk beneath the vent.

7b This bug exists because its set to “auto mode”.

8a Door close button for the elevator doesn’t work.

8b This bug exists because most “door close” buttons don’t actually work at all but are intended to give the button pusher a sense that they’re advancing things along.

9a Apple iPhone chargers are made poorly and break frequently.

9b This bug exists because I take my charger everywhere and apple sells chargers for a decent amount, so they design them to break more often than they should.

10a Takes a long time for delivery of textbooks to my dorm.

10b This bug exists because in order to find the cheapest books, it often comes with a longer shipping time.

11a Laptop charging port is on the right side of my laptop, but the wall outlet is to the left of my desk, making it difficult to charge there.

11b This bug exists because I have bad luck and got the wrong side of the room that would have worked well with my laptop.

12a People ride their bikes on the sidewalks and almost knock me over.

12b This bug exists because everyone is in a rush trying to get to class, and riding in the road can be dangerous because people drive terribly.

13a My showerhead is low pressure and doesn’t come off the wall either.

13b This bug exists because I live in a dorm that has minimal features, so the showerhead is meant to conserve water and be hard to break.

14a The water fountain on my floor is all the way down the hall and around the corner.

14b This bug exists because the water fountain is outside the lounge, which is in the middle of the floor, but I happen to live on the end of one side, so it’s far.

15a My overnight bag is relatively small compared to most, and I can’t fit much in it.

15b This bug exists because I rarely stay overnight for multiple nights in a row, so when I am going out of town for an extended period, it’s hard to find a bag to fit all my stuff.

16a It’s hard to find places to eat that aren’t much work to get to.

16b This bug exists because I live on campus and not in an area that’s near many food options, so I tend to cook in my dorm.

17a I am limited to two things plugged into an extension cord at a time.

17b This bug exists because I live on campus and have to follow a strict fire-safety code.

18a The lock on my door doesn’t work well with my key and will get stuck often so I have to wiggle it.

18b This bug exists because they make many keys in the key-shop at a time, so sometimes each key doesn’t get the individual attention it needs and they’re a little off.

19a I get spam calls a lot and they seem to be coming from different people every time.

19b This bug exists because I registered for something online and now my cell number is out there

for the world, so until I can get people to stop contacting me, I will receive calls.

20a My PS4’s heat exhaust makes my desk very warm.

20b This bug exists because I only have one surface for all my things so my PS4 is right next to my mousepad on my desk.

Reflection

I found it very difficult to come up with the list of 20 bugs. Initially, it was easy, and I was doing them slowly throughout the days, but around 10-13 I started to slow down. The last 5 especially were difficult to come up with, and it took me a lot longer. I had difficulty in separating things that were just annoying to me and actual bugs, and stuff I might be able to do something about. I really wasn’t used to thinking of the world as fixable problems, and it took a few days to get adjusted and used to thinking like that. There’s a lot of things in my life that I can do something about and improve, and this exercise really showed me that. I am going to do my best to keep this up and continue identifying bugs in my life.

Test post

Test post to see how it all works.