Your Venture's Unfair Advantage - Assignment 23A

1) Involved in Greek life at the University of Florida

• V- I know a lot of people on campus because of my involvement in greek life and many of these students are motivated to do well for themselves
• R- The greek life community is selective and I am blessed to be a part of a very big fraternity on campus
• I- This particular resource isn't unique because everyone else in my fraternity experiences it
• N- Other fraternities provide similar benefits, but my fraternity is the biggest at UF; therefore, the other fraternities can't exactly match it

2) Involved in various student-run academic clubs

• V- I know a lot of people in the business school at the University of Florida
• R- Not many students are involved in as many clubs as I am; therefore, being so involved is pretty rare
• I- It is hard to copy because a few of the clubs I am in are quite selective. You have to have a good resume to join.
• N- There are a few clubs that I am not in that offer great benefits, but I think the clubs I am involved with offer the greatest benefits the business school has to offer

3) Dating a girl that is very good with technology

• V- She can help me with the development of the app
• R- It is somewhat rare to have a girlfriend that is as good with technology as she is
• I- It is hard to find such a resource; therefore; it is hard to copy
• N- There are other people that could provide help, but my girlfriend will always be there to help when I need it

4) Very personable and willing to engage in conversation with strangers

• V- Yes, because marketing takes a friendly person to share the business idea
• R- I am extremely friendly and that level of friendliness is rare
• I- It is hard to copy my level of friendliness
• N- There is no other character trait that can provide quite the same benefits to me

5) Knowledgeable about social media platforms

• V- It is valuable to be knowledgeable of the industry my app caters to
• R- It isn't rare because most people my age are good with social media
• I- This resource is not hard to copy
• N- You can't imitate this skill; social media is unique

6) Care about school and the grades I get

• V- I am able to relate to the customers I am pitching my app to
• R- It is rare to reciprocate my level of dedication to school
• I- It is hard to copy the hard work I put in
• N- Caring for school is only one of the ways I can relate to my customers

7) Familiar with the competition

• V- It is valuable because knowing about competition will help me with my business
• R- Not many people have done both study edge and attended office hours because people normally choose to do one or the other 
• I- A tutoring subscription is expensive; therefore, not everyone thinks it's worth it
• N- No other resources provide the same benefit as knowing the competition

8) My sister runs a social media page for a company as a job

• V- My sister can provide me with direction on how to build my social media platform
• R- It is rare to have a close family member that works in the business
• I- It's hard to copy because people can't control what their family members decide to do with their careers
• N- Other professionals in the field can provide similar help, but I'm closer to my sister than I could be with a stranger

9) Saved up enough money to fund my business endeavors

• V- If I am in need of marketing (or something else that will cost money), I could utilize my financial resources
• R- Not many college students are financially stable
• I- It is hard to make money in this world because money doesn't grow on trees
• N- No other resources can pay for marketing expenses other than money

10) Independent as an individual in that I'm good at figuring stuff out on my own

• V- It is valuable to be independent because I can solve problems on my own without help
• R- A lot of people like to depend on resources of their; therefore, this resource is not common
• I- It is hard to copy my level of independence because it takes years to develop this skill
• N- No other character trait can match the benefits of being independent

Top Resource: My sister running the social media page for a business will enable her to serve as a valuable resource as I develop my own app. The resource of having her there to guide me along my endeavor to develop a social media app is priceless because she can serve as my mentor. We are very close and she would love to provide me with advice and steer me clear of any trouble I may encounter along the way.

Elevator Pitch No. 3 - Assignment 22A

The pitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUUxpPexSYw&feature=youtu.be
A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch.
The feedback I received on my last pitch was positive. My fellow classmates liked that I mentioned catering to high schools and also universities worldwide. What stood out to them the most, however, was the idea to link users' other social media platforms to their homepages on my app. Both things that I changed received positive feedback. Also, it surprised me that people were able to recognize how I was more comfortable as I delivered my elevator pitch the second time around. It was nice to hear that my hard work paid off.
What did you change, based on the feedback?
The third time around I was even more comfortable in front of the camera than the second. I was also able to memorize what I wanted to say which helped a lot. The pitch was more succinct and to the point since I was able to cut out some of the stuff that didn't matter a whole lot. The comments I received didn't include things to add or change; therefore, I simply focused on delivering my elevator pitch as confidently as possible.

Reading Reflection No. 2 - Assignment 21A

The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users, Guy Kawasaki

1. The general theme of the book is how to use social media in the business world more effectively. The book teaches individuals and businesses how to leverage their social media endeavors. The argument in the book is that most business owners and grownups today need help running the social media pages of their businesses since they didn't grow up with social media on their portable devices. Today's generation is growing up with social media being such a large part of their lives; therefore, the book points out that future generations probably won't need such a book as the one written by Kawasaki.
2. The book enhanced what I'm learning in ENT 3003 in that it pointed out the need for all business to have an effective social media page. Marketing is a large part of a business's success. Business owners need to be able to market their products and services to prototypical customers and this book highlighted the need for social media in the business world.
3. Based on the book I read, the exercise I would design for this class is one in which students would have to create a social media page on a popular social media platform for their business idea. Students would have to make their social media pages stand out and they would also have to stick to a common theme as they post content.
4. The biggest 'aha' moment that I experienced as I was reading the book was when I read that every post on a business's social media page should include some type of visual. Social media pages for businesses should be filled with graphics, pictures, and videos. People respond better to posts that include both written information and visuals to go along with it.

Growing Your Social Capital - Assignment 20A

Domain Expert

• The domain expert is actually a business student at the University of Florida going into his third year of college. He has a hobby of web and app development which means he is very well connected in the social media industry and very knowledgeable.
• What makes him qualified as a domain expert is that he has developed his own social media app and he is in the process of launching it. The app is like a virtual scrapbook for users.
• He is a friend of mine from high school and we have stayed in touch ever since. He told me about how he was working on developing his own social app a while back and I reached out to him to see how it was going after reading the instructions to this assignment.
• He listened to my elevator pitch and provided me with feedback on it. He likes the idea, but he provided me with useful information about what I was getting myself into with app development. He expects me to stay in touch with him and reach out whenever I need help or have any questions. He wants to be a part of my journey.
• Having him in my corner will allow me to refer to a mentor that has been through the hardships of developing his own app. He will be a great resource as I attempt to develop my social media app. 

Market Expert

• The market expert I reached out to works at the tutoring service, Study Edge. Study Edge would be a direct competitor of mine as we cater to the academic needs of college students, but I have used their services in the past and gotten to know this tutor well.
• He fills the slot of "market expert" because he works for a tutoring service that targets UF college students with academic services.
• He was my tutor all of freshman year and I had his email from previous interactions. I emailed him and setup a time to meet in person. He was happy to help.
• He read over my idea napkin and provided feedback regarding my business plan. The only expectation he has is that I contact him whenever I have questions about my target audience or business idea since he has so much experience working with students on campus.
• Including him in my network will provide me with more knowledge about marketing my app to potential customers considering he has marketed to the same target audience for years.

Supplier to Industry

• I got in touch with a marketer that helps Study Edge obtain and retain valuable customers. This person was a marketing major at the University of Florida and now she works for a local marketing firm.
• She fills the slot of a supplier to the industry in that she provides marketing services to companies that cater to the academic needs of students on campus.
• I found out that she offers marketing services to Study Edge through my old tutor at the business. Once he told me about her services, I asked him for her email and contacted her that way. We were able to set up a meeting at her firm's building.
• This woman provided me with feedback on how I can most effectively pitch my business to students at the University of Florida. Like the others, she didn't ask for anything in exchange except that I contact her when I need someone to refer to for help as I try to get my business started.
• The woman will expand my network in that she will provide me with helpful marketing advice as I try to tell people on campus about the benefits of downloading my app.

Reflection

• The experience of reaching out to the connections I already have and then reaching out to new connections, as a result of my interactions with existing connections, will definitely shape how I participate in future networking events in that I will be more confident as I approach complete strangers and people I haven't spoken to in a while. Yes, this experience differed from my past experiences because I had to utilize current connections to make new ones.

Elevator Pitch No. 2 - Assignment 17A

The pitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=370IFvIwxj0&feature=youtu.be

A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch.
One of my fellow students in the class really enjoyed my pitch, but he had a few suggestions on how I could make it better and that's exactly what I did. The classmate told me that I could extend my target audience to high school students and universities across the globe. The student also suggested that I link my users' other social media pages to their profiles on my app in order to expand connections. I thought the idea of offering high schoolers this app was odd at first, but the idea slowly grew on me as I began to think of how helpful such an app would've been to me in high school with hundreds of kids in my graduating class that I never got to know. I knew that linking people's other social media pages was a great idea from the beginning and I was happy to receive that feedback as well.

What did you change, based on the feedback?
After I read these comments, I thought about the unlimited potential for this app and I got really excited. My app may start at the University of Florida, but when I get enough funds to expand, I'd love to reach out to various high schools and universities around the world. Also, I now see that I can include users' Facebook profile links on their homepages along with their phone numbers and email addresses. Considering apps like Instagram have been successful in doing such a thing, I decided to include that in my pitch as well.

Idea Napkin No. 2 - Assignment 19A

You.
I am a hard-working individual and my determination will help me overcome adversity when it hits. Any time I have ever faced potential failure, I have gone the extra mile to avoid impending doom. Ever since I was a child, my parents haven't had to motivate me to do my school work or bribe me to get it done. I've always been self-motivated and I am also my own biggest critic. My goal is to become an investment banker for a large corporation and I have taken the steps necessary to achieve this throughout college. I see this business playing a significant role in my life because I'll be motivated to help fellow gators find the most efficient way to study.

What are you offering to customers?
I am offering customers an app that can be downloaded straight from the app store on their mobile devices for free. The app will connect students to fellow classmates that are enrolled in the same classes as them. It will provide students with a platform to connect with other individuals looking to share their studying habits and personal knowledge with them.

Who are you offering it to?
I am offering the app to all students at the University of Florida, but the prototypical customer is a unique individual with specific character traits. My prototypical customer is an incoming freshman that is about 18 years old. This student is on a budget and cares about his grades in school more than anything else. The customer also knows that college is the place where he can further his career aspirations instead of just party.

Why do they care?
Students will actually download my app because it will provide them with the connections they need to succeed in school. Since every student seeks guidance from fellow classmates at some point in their college experience, the app will expand their reach as they search for the most helpful people.

What are your core competencies?
My core competencies include determination and diligence. The fact that I am self-motivated to further my academic and professional goals shows great determination on my end. Also, I don't rely on people to instill this drive in me. I hold myself to the highest standard and I don't sell myself short. While others tend to settle for comfortability, I strive for perfection in everything I do. I have a will to win/succeed like no other.

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker/out-of-joint with the others.
Once again, I feel as if these five elements fit together perfectly because my prototypical customers are similar to me in that they care about their grades. The app I have come up with serves the needs of such individuals like myself and the prototypical customer since it will serve as an academic resource. My personal self-motivation will push me to successfully develop the app so that students at the University of Florida will be more connected with one another.



Feedback Memo
After speaking with friends and family members, it is clear that they believe I am self-motivated and hard-working. Originally, I talked about my communication and leadership skills as defining features, but everyone seemed to mention the fact that I've been determined my whole life to be successful without the help of others. Being self-motivated has helped me develop my communication and leadership skills, but this wouldn't have happened without a relentless drive to be great from a young age. I incorporated the feedback I received into this post by focusing more on my inner desire to be great which has ultimately led to the development of unique skills. Without my desire to be great as a child, I wouldn't be the same driven individual I am today.

Create a Customer Avatar - Assignment 18A

The prototypical customer for the app I want to develop is an incoming freshman at the University of Florida who isn't involved in any clubs, teams, or organizations on campus. This student also takes his/her classes online; therefore, the student doesn't get to meet people in the same classes. The reason the customer is a freshman is because freshmen don't know as many people on campus as older students do. A student that needs to make connections with other students for help in school is ideal. My prototypical customer enjoys to read and do things that further his/her academic standing. The customer enjoys working hard to make himself/herself a better candidate for professional opportunities as well. This person drives an old Honda Accord because he/she is on a budget and can't afford to make payments on a new car. The app would serve this student well because it is free. The person's favorite show would be Jeopardy because it furthers the student's intellectuality. The student is motivated to make his/her parents proud since he/she is an only child. The student's favorite books are educational just like the TV shows he/she watches. The favorite politicians of this person are those that invest funds in the educational system since the student believes this is what makes America great. He/She is 18 and the student feels young because he/she understands that there is a lot of maturing that needs to be done before his/her goals for the future can be achieved.

The thing that stands out to me when comparing myself to my prototypical customer is that school is important because it sets people up for success in their future careers. Many freshmen going into college are excited to meet new people and party, but the prototypical customer and myself have prioritized school over everything else. It is not a coincidence that I have similar priorities to my prototypical customer because I developed an app that I deem necessary. It was highly probable that the student I developed such an app for had similar aspirations.