1. The biggest surprise to me in the reading was what SKS did and how they were able to help extremely poor people make some money. The story about Saryamma going from making $2 a week to having multiple buffalo and owning acres of land and getting her husband out of servitude just from a small loan is absolutely amazing.
2. I was slightly confused as to how the author was able to find the capital to sustain giving unsecured loans to poor people. Surely, many of them might not pay on time or at all and you have to take some losses.
3. The first question I have for the author is, "How do you plan on cutting your loan officer training time down to one month?" I ask this because training takes time and people learn at different speeds. The second question I have for the author is, "Do you plan on expanding outside of India?" I ask this because the company is successful there and it would be great to help other poor people in other countries.
4. There was nothing in the article that I disagreed with. I think what the author is doing is a wonderful thing and I wish them the best of luck and great growth in their business.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Final Reflection
1. It took me awhile to get into the hang of things with this class and the earlier weeks of my blog paid for it. Also, I did not do a lot of the interviewing of strangers or video taping people. I am pretty busy and sometimes I couldn't find time to do it or I did not want to do it. Towards the end of the semester I made more time for the class and my blog.
2. The most formative experience from this class was the first video I had to record of the Entrepreneur's Mantra. It was a new way for me to start a class and I enjoyed it. The part that will stick with me for years to come is the entire process of starting our own venture. Even though it isn't a real venture just all the assignments that we did to make it feel real will have a lasting impact on me. My most joyous part of the class was being able to put myself as the founder on my resume. It seems more likely that it could happen to actually see it on my resume. My experience that I am most proud of is that I didn't give up even after a rocky start. It helped me know that I do have some determination left!
3. I do not see myself as an entrepreneur.....yet. I definitely see the possibility of becoming one. This class has helped me progress towards becoming an entrepreneur immensely. I am much closer to becoming an entrepreneur than I was at the beginning of this course and I am thankful to have gotten a sense of accomplishment from this class.
4. A couple of recommendations I would give to future students is to do as many of the assignments as you can even if you don't want to and stick to your schedule that you make at the beginning of the class! To perform your best in this class you have to give it 100%. If you do the work you will get the grade you want and deserve. A go getter mindset is the best one to have in my opinion. Set a goal for yourself at the beginning of the course and go get that goal!
2. The most formative experience from this class was the first video I had to record of the Entrepreneur's Mantra. It was a new way for me to start a class and I enjoyed it. The part that will stick with me for years to come is the entire process of starting our own venture. Even though it isn't a real venture just all the assignments that we did to make it feel real will have a lasting impact on me. My most joyous part of the class was being able to put myself as the founder on my resume. It seems more likely that it could happen to actually see it on my resume. My experience that I am most proud of is that I didn't give up even after a rocky start. It helped me know that I do have some determination left!
3. I do not see myself as an entrepreneur.....yet. I definitely see the possibility of becoming one. This class has helped me progress towards becoming an entrepreneur immensely. I am much closer to becoming an entrepreneur than I was at the beginning of this course and I am thankful to have gotten a sense of accomplishment from this class.
4. A couple of recommendations I would give to future students is to do as many of the assignments as you can even if you don't want to and stick to your schedule that you make at the beginning of the class! To perform your best in this class you have to give it 100%. If you do the work you will get the grade you want and deserve. A go getter mindset is the best one to have in my opinion. Set a goal for yourself at the beginning of the course and go get that goal!
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Venture Concept No. 2
Opportunity
My business concept is a mobile laundry service that picks up your dirty clothes, takes them to be cleaned and folded at the brick and mortar location, and then delivered back to the customer's house. The group of customers that my business concept is targeting is college students and single parents. Both college students and single parents have a need for a business like this so they can have one less thing to take care of in their busy lives. Most college students spend their time in class, studying, or doing extra curricular activist boost their resume. Having a trusted laundry service to handle their dirty clothes would give them one less thing to take care of. Single parents have even more to deal with than college kids. They have to work and provide for a child all on their own. Having a affordable laundry service to handle their laundry chore would give them peace of mind and more time to spend with their child. Currently, my business will only be working in the Gainesville and surround communities areas so geographically it is relatively small but the demographics of the customers are limitless. Customers satisfy their current laundry needs by either A) Doing their laundry at their residence or B) Taking their clothes to a laundromat to do their laundry. Both options take a lot of time and effort and my business concept would cut back on both. I believe customers would gladly give up their laundry duties and have someone else do it for them if it was affordable so I don't believe they are very loyal to their laundry chore. The opportunity is as big as I make it. The more the business expands the greater potential for customers. I believe the opportunity will always be there for a mobile laundry service because people are always trying to find easier ways to do things in life.
Innovation
Like I stated previously, my business concept is a laundry service that comes to your house or apartment and picks up your dirty laundry. Once the laundry is picked up it is taken back to a warehouse where it is then washed, dried, and folded. Once your load or loads of laundry is complete it will be delivered back to your house. If you wish to have the laundry delivered at a specific time, then that is done to the best of our ability. Most loads of laundry will be completed within a few short hours. There would be two different fees involved in a laundry service. The first fee would be for the actual laundry. I would charge $0.75 per pound of laundry. This fee will cover the washing, drying, folding, and maintenance of the machines. The next fee would be a mileage fee for pick up and delivery. The fee would be $0.50 per mile one way. For example, if you had 10 pounds of laundry and you lived 5 miles away from the warehouse your total charge would be $10, $7.50 for the laundry and $2.50 for the picking up and delivering.
Venture Concept
I think customers will be willing to switch from doing their own laundry at home or at the laundromat because it is very affordable and it allows them to do something else with their time instead of doing laundry. The only competitors that I know of are laundromat services that wash, dry, and fold clothes for you. I used to take my clothes to a laundromat that did these services for you and it was $0.80 per pound so my laundry service would not only do it for less per pound but also pick up and deliver your clothes to your residence. My low price points and convenience play major roles in my business. Being the most affordable and the most convenient will be key for my business to be successful. To start out the business, I would have 5 employees. I would have 2 drivers and 3 warehouse workers not including myself. I would like all 5 employees to be cross trained to perform every task in the company so drivers could help with the actual laundry and warehouse workers could make deliveries if necessary.
My competitive advantage over other companies is my prices. I will be provide better service than other companies at a lower price. This will help me get a strong consumer base to branch out from. More people will be willing to try out my business if it costs less than the competitors and they will be willing to stay if I provide exceptional service. I also think I will be a big competitive advantage over other companies because I know I am a hard worker and I believe in myself.
My most important resource will be myself. I will make sure I hire trustworthy, hard working employees who embrace my vision. Also, I will be able to do every aspect of the job and will train all employees to make sure everything is done correctly. I am a firm believer in leading by doing instead of leading by telling. In my experiences in life, I am more willing to work for someone if they are doing just as much work or more than they are asking me to do than if they are doing nothing and asking me to do everything. After I get the laundry service up and running I would like to expand it to dry cleaning for business professionals and doing heavier items such as sheets, comforters, and blankets. After successful launch, I would expand my business to surrounding major cities like Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. All three of these cities have an abundance of my target demographic and would be a good stepping stone to making this a state-wide and potentially nationwide company.
Feedback
The feedback I received was very positive. All the students liked my idea and would at least consider using my business in the future. The one piece of feedback that I received that made me make changes to my venture concept was what would be my competitive advantage over other companies who offered the same services.
I changed my venture concept by adding a paragraph about what competitive advantages I would have over companies. This was the only feedback I could respond to because everyone else loved my idea!
My business concept is a mobile laundry service that picks up your dirty clothes, takes them to be cleaned and folded at the brick and mortar location, and then delivered back to the customer's house. The group of customers that my business concept is targeting is college students and single parents. Both college students and single parents have a need for a business like this so they can have one less thing to take care of in their busy lives. Most college students spend their time in class, studying, or doing extra curricular activist boost their resume. Having a trusted laundry service to handle their dirty clothes would give them one less thing to take care of. Single parents have even more to deal with than college kids. They have to work and provide for a child all on their own. Having a affordable laundry service to handle their laundry chore would give them peace of mind and more time to spend with their child. Currently, my business will only be working in the Gainesville and surround communities areas so geographically it is relatively small but the demographics of the customers are limitless. Customers satisfy their current laundry needs by either A) Doing their laundry at their residence or B) Taking their clothes to a laundromat to do their laundry. Both options take a lot of time and effort and my business concept would cut back on both. I believe customers would gladly give up their laundry duties and have someone else do it for them if it was affordable so I don't believe they are very loyal to their laundry chore. The opportunity is as big as I make it. The more the business expands the greater potential for customers. I believe the opportunity will always be there for a mobile laundry service because people are always trying to find easier ways to do things in life.
Innovation
Like I stated previously, my business concept is a laundry service that comes to your house or apartment and picks up your dirty laundry. Once the laundry is picked up it is taken back to a warehouse where it is then washed, dried, and folded. Once your load or loads of laundry is complete it will be delivered back to your house. If you wish to have the laundry delivered at a specific time, then that is done to the best of our ability. Most loads of laundry will be completed within a few short hours. There would be two different fees involved in a laundry service. The first fee would be for the actual laundry. I would charge $0.75 per pound of laundry. This fee will cover the washing, drying, folding, and maintenance of the machines. The next fee would be a mileage fee for pick up and delivery. The fee would be $0.50 per mile one way. For example, if you had 10 pounds of laundry and you lived 5 miles away from the warehouse your total charge would be $10, $7.50 for the laundry and $2.50 for the picking up and delivering.
Venture Concept
I think customers will be willing to switch from doing their own laundry at home or at the laundromat because it is very affordable and it allows them to do something else with their time instead of doing laundry. The only competitors that I know of are laundromat services that wash, dry, and fold clothes for you. I used to take my clothes to a laundromat that did these services for you and it was $0.80 per pound so my laundry service would not only do it for less per pound but also pick up and deliver your clothes to your residence. My low price points and convenience play major roles in my business. Being the most affordable and the most convenient will be key for my business to be successful. To start out the business, I would have 5 employees. I would have 2 drivers and 3 warehouse workers not including myself. I would like all 5 employees to be cross trained to perform every task in the company so drivers could help with the actual laundry and warehouse workers could make deliveries if necessary.
My competitive advantage over other companies is my prices. I will be provide better service than other companies at a lower price. This will help me get a strong consumer base to branch out from. More people will be willing to try out my business if it costs less than the competitors and they will be willing to stay if I provide exceptional service. I also think I will be a big competitive advantage over other companies because I know I am a hard worker and I believe in myself.
My most important resource will be myself. I will make sure I hire trustworthy, hard working employees who embrace my vision. Also, I will be able to do every aspect of the job and will train all employees to make sure everything is done correctly. I am a firm believer in leading by doing instead of leading by telling. In my experiences in life, I am more willing to work for someone if they are doing just as much work or more than they are asking me to do than if they are doing nothing and asking me to do everything. After I get the laundry service up and running I would like to expand it to dry cleaning for business professionals and doing heavier items such as sheets, comforters, and blankets. After successful launch, I would expand my business to surrounding major cities like Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. All three of these cities have an abundance of my target demographic and would be a good stepping stone to making this a state-wide and potentially nationwide company.
Feedback
The feedback I received was very positive. All the students liked my idea and would at least consider using my business in the future. The one piece of feedback that I received that made me make changes to my venture concept was what would be my competitive advantage over other companies who offered the same services.
I changed my venture concept by adding a paragraph about what competitive advantages I would have over companies. This was the only feedback I could respond to because everyone else loved my idea!
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Week 14 Reading Reflection
1. The part of the reading that was most interesting to me was the amount of decisions that go into doing things ethically right as a small business owner. It can be difficult to make the ethically correct decisions when they could potentially lose you money. I liked the quote from Chilon, "That a merchant does better to take a loss than make a dishonest profit."
2. A part of the reading that was confusing to me was the conceptualizing the corporate entrepreneurship strategy. The model was what was most confusing to me. There was a lot of intricate parts and it was hard to follow. Reading the paragraph cleared it up somewhat but I was still a bit confused.
3. The first question I would like to ask the author is, "Can a large corporation sustain profits without having an entrepreunerial mindset?" and the second question I would like to ask the author is, "Is it more important for a company to be innovative or ethical in the long run?"
4. I had a slight disagreement with the author in the paragraph about organizational boundaries in chapter 3. I understand that employees should think about more than just their part in the organization but I also think that some employees could end up spending too much time thinking about things that don't necessarily concern them. I think people should worry about themselves and their areas of work before they start worrying about others.
2. A part of the reading that was confusing to me was the conceptualizing the corporate entrepreneurship strategy. The model was what was most confusing to me. There was a lot of intricate parts and it was hard to follow. Reading the paragraph cleared it up somewhat but I was still a bit confused.
3. The first question I would like to ask the author is, "Can a large corporation sustain profits without having an entrepreunerial mindset?" and the second question I would like to ask the author is, "Is it more important for a company to be innovative or ethical in the long run?"
4. I had a slight disagreement with the author in the paragraph about organizational boundaries in chapter 3. I understand that employees should think about more than just their part in the organization but I also think that some employees could end up spending too much time thinking about things that don't necessarily concern them. I think people should worry about themselves and their areas of work before they start worrying about others.
Google Gold
1. My biggest strategy for search engine optimization was to post as many things on my blog as I could. The more blogpost, the easier it would be to find my blog on Google. One activity that I used was keyword placement.
2. Some of my key words work "entrepreneur" "consumer" and "profits" I chose these words as key words because I thought they would be used throughout the semester and they all described what was important to my business venture idea. My keywords did not change throughout the semester.
3. At the beginning of the semester I would put my blogposts on my social media sites to see if any of my friends would be interested in what I was doing in class. My posts were generally ignored by my social media friends so I stopped posting my blogposts.
4. My most viral post was my "exit strategy" post. I had a total of 8 views which was 2 more than any other post. I do not know why this post was my most viral. I did not expect this post to be the most viewed post that I had.
5. No, my blog post did not make the first page for my key words. My keywords are fairly popular so there are many other pages that showed up before mine. Although, my blog did show up on the first page when I searched my name. Half way through the semester it did not so thats pretty cool!
2. Some of my key words work "entrepreneur" "consumer" and "profits" I chose these words as key words because I thought they would be used throughout the semester and they all described what was important to my business venture idea. My keywords did not change throughout the semester.
3. At the beginning of the semester I would put my blogposts on my social media sites to see if any of my friends would be interested in what I was doing in class. My posts were generally ignored by my social media friends so I stopped posting my blogposts.
4. My most viral post was my "exit strategy" post. I had a total of 8 views which was 2 more than any other post. I do not know why this post was my most viral. I did not expect this post to be the most viewed post that I had.
5. No, my blog post did not make the first page for my key words. My keywords are fairly popular so there are many other pages that showed up before mine. Although, my blog did show up on the first page when I searched my name. Half way through the semester it did not so thats pretty cool!
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Very Short Interview With Entrepreneur Part 2
In my first interview, which I did not post due to time differences while on vacation, I interviewed my step father. He started his own Acupuncture practice. He no longer runs a practice and doesn't have his license anymore due to his age but I thought he would be a good person to ask about entrepreneurship since he has been there and done that. The questions I asked him during the first interview were:
Q: Why did you choose the medical field, specifically acupuncture?
A: I chose the medical field because I enjoy helping people. The reason I chose acupuncture was it is a natural way of helping someone, potentially healing someone. Acupuncture isn't just used to treat someone with a sickness or an injury but it can also help people quit smoking or relieve stress.
Q: Why did you stop practicing acupuncture?
A: I stopped practicing acupuncture because the VA stopped covering acupuncture as a medical expense. Most of my patience were veterans and without them as patience it was not financially smart to continue to have my business open.
Q: What was the most difficult thing about starting your practice?
A: At first it was finding a location to have my practice at but once I found the right location it was getting along with my business partner. We did not see eye to eye on many things and eventually I had to leave and start my practice on my own at another location. Most of my patiences followed me to my new location so the second time starting up wasn't nearly as difficult.
My first impression of the initial interview was there are so many obstacles to start a business and keep it running. It was discouraging knowing that your business could shut down because of something you couldn't control yourself.
For my second interview I was unable to record my step father due to distance.
Q: Have you ever considered obtaining your Acupuncture license again and restarting your company?
A: Yes I have considered it but I doubt it will ever happen. As you know, I am getting a little up there in age and I don't want to spend the time or the effort it takes to start it back up. Although, I do miss my practice I am still able to use acupuncture on your mom and brother so in a sense I never really stopped. I just stopped getting paid for it.
Q: When you first started you business, how successful was the business plan you drew up and what speed bumps did you hit along the way?
A: I had a lot of help from your mother starting my business. She had the capital which made it much easier to start. When you are starting something new, especially a business there are always unsuspecting things that come up. The biggest for me was the falling out I had with my partner, who I was sharing an office with. This made it difficult in the beginning but I overcame it and was better for it.
Q: How financially successful was your business?
A: Wow, getting right to it? Before we moved from down south I was definitely making more money because of the amount of people that lived in the area. Once we moved here, having the office out of our home was a tax break and helped lower our mortgage payment every month so that almost made up for the lack of business I was receiving. Your mom or I was never putting money back into the business so I would say it was definitely successful until the end.
Since I knew the entrepreneur fairly well I was confident during my first interview but not about what to ask because I didn't have a good sense of entrepreneurship. After my second interview, I felt much more prepared and thought I had better questions to ask due to my newfound knowledge of entrepreneurship. My step father believed that I had made steps towards becoming an entrepreneur since my first interview but I still had a long way to go.
Q: Why did you choose the medical field, specifically acupuncture?
A: I chose the medical field because I enjoy helping people. The reason I chose acupuncture was it is a natural way of helping someone, potentially healing someone. Acupuncture isn't just used to treat someone with a sickness or an injury but it can also help people quit smoking or relieve stress.
Q: Why did you stop practicing acupuncture?
A: I stopped practicing acupuncture because the VA stopped covering acupuncture as a medical expense. Most of my patience were veterans and without them as patience it was not financially smart to continue to have my business open.
Q: What was the most difficult thing about starting your practice?
A: At first it was finding a location to have my practice at but once I found the right location it was getting along with my business partner. We did not see eye to eye on many things and eventually I had to leave and start my practice on my own at another location. Most of my patiences followed me to my new location so the second time starting up wasn't nearly as difficult.
My first impression of the initial interview was there are so many obstacles to start a business and keep it running. It was discouraging knowing that your business could shut down because of something you couldn't control yourself.
For my second interview I was unable to record my step father due to distance.
Q: Have you ever considered obtaining your Acupuncture license again and restarting your company?
A: Yes I have considered it but I doubt it will ever happen. As you know, I am getting a little up there in age and I don't want to spend the time or the effort it takes to start it back up. Although, I do miss my practice I am still able to use acupuncture on your mom and brother so in a sense I never really stopped. I just stopped getting paid for it.
Q: When you first started you business, how successful was the business plan you drew up and what speed bumps did you hit along the way?
A: I had a lot of help from your mother starting my business. She had the capital which made it much easier to start. When you are starting something new, especially a business there are always unsuspecting things that come up. The biggest for me was the falling out I had with my partner, who I was sharing an office with. This made it difficult in the beginning but I overcame it and was better for it.
Q: How financially successful was your business?
A: Wow, getting right to it? Before we moved from down south I was definitely making more money because of the amount of people that lived in the area. Once we moved here, having the office out of our home was a tax break and helped lower our mortgage payment every month so that almost made up for the lack of business I was receiving. Your mom or I was never putting money back into the business so I would say it was definitely successful until the end.
Since I knew the entrepreneur fairly well I was confident during my first interview but not about what to ask because I didn't have a good sense of entrepreneurship. After my second interview, I felt much more prepared and thought I had better questions to ask due to my newfound knowledge of entrepreneurship. My step father believed that I had made steps towards becoming an entrepreneur since my first interview but I still had a long way to go.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Week 13 Reading Reflection
1. The biggest surprise in the reading for me was the depth of analyzing a business. It goes more in depth than just the monetary assets and liabilities but also considers the employees when analyzing a business. I thought it would have been more cut and dry and easy to determine.
2. The part of the reading that confused me was that there wasn't a formula or a by the book way to determine the value of a business. The value of a business considers opinions that can differ from each person, therefore, the value will be more for some people and less for others. I thought a business would be x amount of dollars to everyone.
3. The first question I would like to ask the author is, "When selling your own business that you have invested a lot of time and money into, how can you determine the actual price of the business without having your emotional attachment to the business affect what you thing the business is worth?" The second question I would like to ask the author is, "What do you consider the most important part of the valuation process?"
4. One thing that I disagree with the author on is the use of Wikipedia.com. The definition the author uses to start the chapter is from Wikipedia.com. I do not think anything from that website should be used in a textbook. We are told as students to not use wikipedia as a source when writing a paper because anyone can edit the pages.
2. The part of the reading that confused me was that there wasn't a formula or a by the book way to determine the value of a business. The value of a business considers opinions that can differ from each person, therefore, the value will be more for some people and less for others. I thought a business would be x amount of dollars to everyone.
3. The first question I would like to ask the author is, "When selling your own business that you have invested a lot of time and money into, how can you determine the actual price of the business without having your emotional attachment to the business affect what you thing the business is worth?" The second question I would like to ask the author is, "What do you consider the most important part of the valuation process?"
4. One thing that I disagree with the author on is the use of Wikipedia.com. The definition the author uses to start the chapter is from Wikipedia.com. I do not think anything from that website should be used in a textbook. We are told as students to not use wikipedia as a source when writing a paper because anyone can edit the pages.
Celebrating Failure
1. Recently, my wife and I have been doing home renovations.
The toughest project during our renovations have been doing the bathroom. We
have run into many problems and failures throughout the process. The first
failure I had was not being able to turn off the water due to a broken shut off
valve. I didn’t know it was broken and I thought I turned off the water to the
sink and then took off the supply line. Water started spraying everywhere! I
ended up having to shut off all the water to the house and replace the shut off
valve. Once we got the shut off valve replaced and the old vanity out we turned
the water back on. I didn’t know you had to put the P trap back on but I found
out! My wife was in our other bathroom washing her face and I walked by the
bathroom and I heard water hitting the floor. I walked into a flooded bathroom
and the water ended up in our bedroom. This was our biggest failure. The next
failure I ran across was after I took out the old sink and realized the tile
stopped at the vanity and didn’t go underneath so I had a big hole where the
vanity once was so I had to either finish the tile or re do the flooring
entirely. My wife decided we would put new flooring down. Once we decided on
the flooring we had to figure out how to make the hole even with the rest of
the floor. Luckily, we had old flooring left over from our recent laundry room
renovation, which worked perfectly. The next failure we came across was finding
flooring that matched. We bought two boxes of washed oak dove flooring from Lowe’s
without realizing one was much lighter than the other. The employee at Lowe’s
said that’s how those boxes were. Some were light some were dark. We returned
the dark one in hopes of getting another light box but they were all out and
weren’t going to get a shipment for a week. When the shipment came in someone
bought all the boxes before we could buy one so I had to search all over town
for the right box. After I got the correct boxes I had to take up the flooring
I had already laid to get all the same colors. Once I got to the toilet I
approached another failure. I couldn’t cut the flooring around the toilet and
make it look nice so I had to remove the toilet and place the flooring
underneath. Currently in this project the failures I am working on are getting
the trim on the walls and putting in the new vanity. I didn’t prepare so my
drill is being charged.
2. From this experience I have learned many handyman skills
such has how to lay flooring, basic plumbing, and how to replace a toilet. I
also learned that I should be prepared to do this better. Having my drill die
would have never happened if I was more prepared. I have learned how to do
things myself and the joy you get from completing something even if it is
something small.
3. I think failure is necessary to grow as a person. It is
much easier to learn from failure or a mistake than it is to learn from
something that goes perfectly. It is definitely embarrassing to fail but it is
more embarrassing to not try something you aren’t sure you can do. Normally,
when I encounter failure I get really down on myself then I try to do better
the next time. This class has helped me
with failure because it has shown me everyone fails but what matters is how you
react to it and if you give up after you fail. Also, this class has made me do
things that aren’t in my comfort zone, which I am thankful for.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Exit Strategy
Exit Strategy
1. My exit strategy would be to sell the company, hopefully, to one of my employees to help better both of our lives. I would like to make the exit after about 10 years of running the business myself. I think this gives the business enough time to have a good foundation and reputation and also allows me to make a good amount of money to live off of and travel the country.
2. I have selected this exit strategy because I feel like it gives me and the business enough time to establish ourselves and expand but also isn’t so long where I could possibly get burnt out. The reason I would like to sell the company to one of my employees is in hopes that they continue the tradition that we built together.
Picture of me at Fenway Park.Sunday, April 3, 2016
Week 12 Reading Reflection
1. The biggest surprise in the reading for me was
the complexity of strategic planning, specifically, the continuous feedback.
Based on the reading, strategic planning seems to be a never-ending process
that must be worked on tirelessly. Once the plan is completed you can start
over in the process to better your plan.
2.
The part of the reading that was a bit confusing
to me was the paragraph about the entrepreneurial strategy matrix model. The
specific aspect that confused me was how something could be high risk and low
innovation or low risk and high innovation. To me, risk and innovation should
go hand in hand.
3.
My first question I would ask the author is, “Should
an entrepreneur find a happy medium between an entrepreneurial mind-set and a
managerial mind-set to become successful?” I would ask this because an
entrepreneur could have the best idea but need help executing the idea but
unable to manage people and the idea become unsuccessful. The second question I
would ask the author is, “Is there a time table as to how long the first four
steps of strategic plan should take?” I ask this just to get an idea of how
long the process should take.
4.
Since I was so unfamiliar with the strategic
planning process prior to reading the chapter there isn’t anything I could
disagree with because I had no prior knowledge. For the most part the author
was very descriptive as to what strategic planning was and what it entailed.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Venture Concept No.1
Opportunity
My business concept is a mobile laundry service that picks up your dirty clothes, takes them to be cleaned and folded at the brick and mortar location, and then delivered back to the customer's house. The group of customers that my business concept is targeting is college students and single parents. Both college students and single parents have a need for a business like this so they can have one less thing to take care of in their busy lives. Most college students spend their time in class, studying, or doing extra curricular activist boost their resume. Having a trusted laundry service to handle their dirty clothes would give them one less thing to take care of. Single parents have even more to deal with than college kids. They have to work and provide for a child all on their own. Having a affordable laundry service to handle their laundry chore would give them peace of mind and more time to spend with their child. Currently, my business will only be working in the Gainesville and surround communities areas so geographically it is relatively small but the demographics of the customers are limitless. Customers satisfy their current laundry needs by either A) Doing their laundry at their residence or B) Taking their clothes to a laundromat to do their laundry. Both options take a lot of time and effort and my business concept would cut back on both. I believe customers would gladly give up their laundry duties and have someone else do it for them if it was affordable so I don't believe they are very loyal to their laundry chore. The opportunity is as big as I make it. The more the business expands the greater potential for customers. I believe the opportunity will always be there for a mobile laundry service because people are always trying to find easier ways to do things in life.
Innovation
Like I stated previously, my business concept is a laundry service that comes to your house or apartment and picks up your dirty laundry. Once the laundry is picked up it is taken back to a warehouse where it is then washed, dried, and folded. Once your load or loads of laundry is complete it will be delivered back to your house. If you wish to have the laundry delivered at a specific time, then that is done to the best of our ability. Most loads of laundry will be completed within a few short hours. There would be two different fees involved in a laundry service. The first fee would be for the actual laundry. I would charge $0.75 per pound of laundry. This fee will cover the washing, drying, folding, and maintenance of the machines. The next fee would be a mileage fee for pick up and delivery. The fee would be $0.50 per mile one way. For example, if you had 10 pounds of laundry and you lived 5 miles away from the warehouse your total charge would be $10, $7.50 for the laundry and $2.50 for the picking up and delivering.
Venture Concept
I think customers will be willing to switch from doing their own laundry at home or at the laundromat because it is very affordable and it allows them to do something else with their time instead of doing laundry. The only competitors that I know of are laundromat services that wash, dry, and fold clothes for you. I used to take my clothes to a laundromat that did these services for you and it was $0.80 per pound so my laundry service would not only do it for less per pound but also pick up and deliver your clothes to your residence. My low price points and convenience play major roles in my business. Being the most affordable and the most convenient will be key for my business to be successful. To start out the business, I would have 5 employees. I would have 2 drivers and 3 warehouse workers not including myself. I would like all 5 employees to be cross trained to perform every task in the company so drivers could help with the actual laundry and warehouse workers could make deliveries if necessary.
My most important resource will be myself. I will make sure I hire trustworthy, hard working employees who embrace my vision. Also, I will be able to do every aspect of the job and will train all employees to make sure everything is done correctly. I am a firm believer in leading by doing instead of leading by telling. In my experiences in life, I am more willing to work for someone if they are doing just as much work or more than they are asking me to do than if they are doing nothing and asking me to do everything. After I get the laundry service up and running I would like to expand it to dry cleaning for business professionals and doing heavier items such as sheets, comforters, and blankets. After successful launch, I would expand my business to surrounding major cities like Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. All three of these cities have an abundance of my target demographic and would be a good stepping stone to making this a state-wide and potentially nationwide company.
My business concept is a mobile laundry service that picks up your dirty clothes, takes them to be cleaned and folded at the brick and mortar location, and then delivered back to the customer's house. The group of customers that my business concept is targeting is college students and single parents. Both college students and single parents have a need for a business like this so they can have one less thing to take care of in their busy lives. Most college students spend their time in class, studying, or doing extra curricular activist boost their resume. Having a trusted laundry service to handle their dirty clothes would give them one less thing to take care of. Single parents have even more to deal with than college kids. They have to work and provide for a child all on their own. Having a affordable laundry service to handle their laundry chore would give them peace of mind and more time to spend with their child. Currently, my business will only be working in the Gainesville and surround communities areas so geographically it is relatively small but the demographics of the customers are limitless. Customers satisfy their current laundry needs by either A) Doing their laundry at their residence or B) Taking their clothes to a laundromat to do their laundry. Both options take a lot of time and effort and my business concept would cut back on both. I believe customers would gladly give up their laundry duties and have someone else do it for them if it was affordable so I don't believe they are very loyal to their laundry chore. The opportunity is as big as I make it. The more the business expands the greater potential for customers. I believe the opportunity will always be there for a mobile laundry service because people are always trying to find easier ways to do things in life.
Innovation
Like I stated previously, my business concept is a laundry service that comes to your house or apartment and picks up your dirty laundry. Once the laundry is picked up it is taken back to a warehouse where it is then washed, dried, and folded. Once your load or loads of laundry is complete it will be delivered back to your house. If you wish to have the laundry delivered at a specific time, then that is done to the best of our ability. Most loads of laundry will be completed within a few short hours. There would be two different fees involved in a laundry service. The first fee would be for the actual laundry. I would charge $0.75 per pound of laundry. This fee will cover the washing, drying, folding, and maintenance of the machines. The next fee would be a mileage fee for pick up and delivery. The fee would be $0.50 per mile one way. For example, if you had 10 pounds of laundry and you lived 5 miles away from the warehouse your total charge would be $10, $7.50 for the laundry and $2.50 for the picking up and delivering.
Venture Concept
I think customers will be willing to switch from doing their own laundry at home or at the laundromat because it is very affordable and it allows them to do something else with their time instead of doing laundry. The only competitors that I know of are laundromat services that wash, dry, and fold clothes for you. I used to take my clothes to a laundromat that did these services for you and it was $0.80 per pound so my laundry service would not only do it for less per pound but also pick up and deliver your clothes to your residence. My low price points and convenience play major roles in my business. Being the most affordable and the most convenient will be key for my business to be successful. To start out the business, I would have 5 employees. I would have 2 drivers and 3 warehouse workers not including myself. I would like all 5 employees to be cross trained to perform every task in the company so drivers could help with the actual laundry and warehouse workers could make deliveries if necessary.
My most important resource will be myself. I will make sure I hire trustworthy, hard working employees who embrace my vision. Also, I will be able to do every aspect of the job and will train all employees to make sure everything is done correctly. I am a firm believer in leading by doing instead of leading by telling. In my experiences in life, I am more willing to work for someone if they are doing just as much work or more than they are asking me to do than if they are doing nothing and asking me to do everything. After I get the laundry service up and running I would like to expand it to dry cleaning for business professionals and doing heavier items such as sheets, comforters, and blankets. After successful launch, I would expand my business to surrounding major cities like Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. All three of these cities have an abundance of my target demographic and would be a good stepping stone to making this a state-wide and potentially nationwide company.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Week 11 Reading Reflection
1. The biggest surprise in the reading for me was the fact that many companies don't focus on innovation. Innovation seems like it would be a key focus for businesses to keep up with the change of times and try to find the new "it" product or service.
2. The author explained innovation strategy and its components very well. I understood the article in its entirety.
3. The first question I would ask the author is, "Why don't more businesses focus on innovation, especially, when companies like Google and Apple always seem to be innovating and are extremely successful?" The second question I would ask the author is, "Why do so many companies try to copy other company's successful innovations instead of coming up with a great innovation themselves?"
4. I really enjoyed this article. I did not know much about innovation or innovation strategy before reading this so there isn't anything that I would disagree with or say the author was wrong about.
2. The author explained innovation strategy and its components very well. I understood the article in its entirety.
3. The first question I would ask the author is, "Why don't more businesses focus on innovation, especially, when companies like Google and Apple always seem to be innovating and are extremely successful?" The second question I would ask the author is, "Why do so many companies try to copy other company's successful innovations instead of coming up with a great innovation themselves?"
4. I really enjoyed this article. I did not know much about innovation or innovation strategy before reading this so there isn't anything that I would disagree with or say the author was wrong about.
The Amazon Whisperer
The revenue drivers for my business concept are the machines and vehicles I have to wash and dry the clothes and deliver them back to the customers. The more efficient I am in doing this the more money I will make.
I believe the next service I should include is dry cleaning clothes and washing sheets and comforters. I think both of these services are things customers will also want to have washed for them.
Dry cleaning will be the next service that I include in my business. Having the option to have your nice suits and dresses dry cleaned would beneficial to customers because it would reduce the risk of shrinking items and some clothing must be dry cleaned or it will be ruined. This service would enhance customer satisfaction and user experience.
Here is a picture of a dry cleaner called the SWASH system I found on Amazon. I had to screen shot it from my phone because I couldn't get Amazon to work on my computer for some reason. The reviews for this product were 3.6 stars out of 5 stars. The customers said that this machine doesn't get all stains out of clothes and requires pods for cleaning. Each pod is $0.60. Some of the other negatives is it is a big machine and hard to maneuver. Some positives of the machine are it is very easy to use and only takes about 15 minutes per cycle.
It is a large machine, about 50 inches tall and about 36 inches deep and around 80 pounds. It is a sturdy metal machine. To use the machine you hang the article of clothing on the hanger inside, then load the swash pod and choose a cycle and it takes about 10 to 15 minutes for a cycle to complete.
I think the SWASH system would be a good product to add to my business because it would allow me to also dry clean clothes for relatively cheap. The machine was only $399.00 on Amazon so after a couple of months of dry cleaning it would pay for itself. Also, adding dry cleaning to my business could lead to more customers.
I believe the next service I should include is dry cleaning clothes and washing sheets and comforters. I think both of these services are things customers will also want to have washed for them.
Dry cleaning will be the next service that I include in my business. Having the option to have your nice suits and dresses dry cleaned would beneficial to customers because it would reduce the risk of shrinking items and some clothing must be dry cleaned or it will be ruined. This service would enhance customer satisfaction and user experience.
Here is a picture of a dry cleaner called the SWASH system I found on Amazon. I had to screen shot it from my phone because I couldn't get Amazon to work on my computer for some reason. The reviews for this product were 3.6 stars out of 5 stars. The customers said that this machine doesn't get all stains out of clothes and requires pods for cleaning. Each pod is $0.60. Some of the other negatives is it is a big machine and hard to maneuver. Some positives of the machine are it is very easy to use and only takes about 15 minutes per cycle.
It is a large machine, about 50 inches tall and about 36 inches deep and around 80 pounds. It is a sturdy metal machine. To use the machine you hang the article of clothing on the hanger inside, then load the swash pod and choose a cycle and it takes about 10 to 15 minutes for a cycle to complete.
I think the SWASH system would be a good product to add to my business because it would allow me to also dry clean clothes for relatively cheap. The machine was only $399.00 on Amazon so after a couple of months of dry cleaning it would pay for itself. Also, adding dry cleaning to my business could lead to more customers.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Week 10 Reading Reflection
1. The part of the reading that stuck out to me the most was the cash-flow budget. I thought cash-flow was just the sales that the company made but the paragraph on cash-flow budget taught me that it also includes cash payments and loan proceeds. This tells me that there is more to making money in a business than just cash sales.
2. The portion of the reading that confused me the most was the paragraph on contributed capital. In the paragraph, there never was a definition of contributed capital so that is what confused me the most.
3. The first question I would ask the author is, "Which portion of financial preparation is the most important for an entrepreneur in your opinion?" I would ask this to get their prospective on which they though was the most important. The second question I would ask the author is, "Why would an entrepreneur use the internal rate of return method if it is so complex?" I would ask this because if I was starting a business I would like to use the easiest way possible.
4. I took financial accounting last summer and everything in this chapter was the same as what I learned in class so there is nothing that I disagree with the author on.
2. The portion of the reading that confused me the most was the paragraph on contributed capital. In the paragraph, there never was a definition of contributed capital so that is what confused me the most.
3. The first question I would ask the author is, "Which portion of financial preparation is the most important for an entrepreneur in your opinion?" I would ask this to get their prospective on which they though was the most important. The second question I would ask the author is, "Why would an entrepreneur use the internal rate of return method if it is so complex?" I would ask this because if I was starting a business I would like to use the easiest way possible.
4. I took financial accounting last summer and everything in this chapter was the same as what I learned in class so there is nothing that I disagree with the author on.
Growing My Social Capital
The first person I met was Jason Ballance. He is a ticket salesmen for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He works in the same industry that I would like to work in one day. He is a recent graduate from West Virginia University. He fills the first slot as a domain expert. He deals with season ticket holders for a professional sports team and that is what I wish to do after I graduate. Jason and I came in contact on a golf course by chance. The ranger of the course paired us up together to golf a round of 18 and we hit it off. Jason has recently been helping me send out my resume to other sport companies trying to help me find a job before I graduate. Including Jason in my network will enhance my opportunity to exploit an opportunity because he knows multiple sources in the industry.
The second person in my growing social capital is Dennis Langston. He is a long-time salesmen for Lozier. At Lozier, Dennis sells everything from automotive, pharmacy, and wine. He deals with a wide range of products. Dennis is filling the market expert portion of this assignment because he has a hand in so many different aspects of a corporation and he has been doing it for such a long time. I found Dennis through my father and we have each other's phone number for contacting each other. The nature of exchange I have with Dennis is he is sort of a mentor to me. He has shown me vital skills as to how to be a good salesmen. Including Dennis in my network will enhance my opportunity to exploit an opportunity because he will increase my ability as a salesmen.
The third person in my growing social capital is Frank Stanley. Frank is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and also a supervisor in a technology company. Frank constitutes as a supplier to my industry since he deals with U.S. Soldiers who enjoy sporting events and high end CEOs who use his technology company for services. I met Frank a few years ago while caring for my ailing aunt. He is married to my cousin and we have kept in contact ever since. Frank has offered me a place to stay and the opportunity to meet new people whether it be through the military or civilian work. Including Frank in my network will enhance my opportunity to exploit an opportunity because he knows so many people.
This experience will make me focus on people who are more seasoned in the working field, and more specifically the sales field. I think this is the most important aspect to my career field. This has differed from previous networking experiences because I used to just focus on people who had the same vision as me not people from all aspects of jobs in general.
The second person in my growing social capital is Dennis Langston. He is a long-time salesmen for Lozier. At Lozier, Dennis sells everything from automotive, pharmacy, and wine. He deals with a wide range of products. Dennis is filling the market expert portion of this assignment because he has a hand in so many different aspects of a corporation and he has been doing it for such a long time. I found Dennis through my father and we have each other's phone number for contacting each other. The nature of exchange I have with Dennis is he is sort of a mentor to me. He has shown me vital skills as to how to be a good salesmen. Including Dennis in my network will enhance my opportunity to exploit an opportunity because he will increase my ability as a salesmen.
The third person in my growing social capital is Frank Stanley. Frank is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and also a supervisor in a technology company. Frank constitutes as a supplier to my industry since he deals with U.S. Soldiers who enjoy sporting events and high end CEOs who use his technology company for services. I met Frank a few years ago while caring for my ailing aunt. He is married to my cousin and we have kept in contact ever since. Frank has offered me a place to stay and the opportunity to meet new people whether it be through the military or civilian work. Including Frank in my network will enhance my opportunity to exploit an opportunity because he knows so many people.
This experience will make me focus on people who are more seasoned in the working field, and more specifically the sales field. I think this is the most important aspect to my career field. This has differed from previous networking experiences because I used to just focus on people who had the same vision as me not people from all aspects of jobs in general.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Week 9 Reading Reflection
1. The biggest surprise to me was that entrepreneurs make decisions based solely off of secondary data. I thought they would include some primary data in their decisions because the research would be based off of what they want instead of other's research.
2. The part of the reading that confused me the most was the paragraph about marketing philosophy. The author said all 3 could be successful but consumer-driven philosophy was the most successful. I was confused about whether or not to change your philosophy throughout your business and eventually end up as a consumer-driven philosophy business.
3. If I could ask the author two questions about the reading, my first question would be, "What is the best program to collect and analyze the data?" I would ask this question because I would want to know his opinion on collecting and analyzing data. The second question I would ask would be, "Would you prefer secondary or primary data for your research?" I would ask this question because I think primary data would be more useful but I would like the authors opinion.
4. I took a research class last semester so everything the author has said in this chapter was fairly familiar. I do not disagree with anything they have said.
2. The part of the reading that confused me the most was the paragraph about marketing philosophy. The author said all 3 could be successful but consumer-driven philosophy was the most successful. I was confused about whether or not to change your philosophy throughout your business and eventually end up as a consumer-driven philosophy business.
3. If I could ask the author two questions about the reading, my first question would be, "What is the best program to collect and analyze the data?" I would ask this question because I would want to know his opinion on collecting and analyzing data. The second question I would ask would be, "Would you prefer secondary or primary data for your research?" I would ask this question because I think primary data would be more useful but I would like the authors opinion.
4. I took a research class last semester so everything the author has said in this chapter was fairly familiar. I do not disagree with anything they have said.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Idea Napkin No. 2
1. I am the sole proprietor of All Bubble, No Trouble. My talents include being very personable, hard-worker, organized, and proficient. My skills include clerical work, sales, handling large amounts of money, being able to diffuse hostile situations. My experiences include being an assistant manager at Sonic Drive-In, being a paralegal for the United States Army, being a security guard at University Park Country Club, and a bank teller at Sunstate Federal Credit Union. My aspirations at All Bubble, No Trouble are to provide a cheap, fast, and efficient laundry service for the residents of Gainesville, FL so they can spend their time doing other various activities of their choice. I would like to become the go to laundry service for residents and businesses. All Bubble, No Trouble will likely consume most of my life in the beginning stages of the business until it becomes an established company. Once it becomes established, I hope to hire a good crew to run the day to day operations and focus solely on the big picture portion of the business.
2. At All Bubble, No Trouble I will be offering a laundry service that comes to your home or business and picks up your laundry. After pick up, I will wash, dry, and fold your laundry at my laundromat. After the cleaning, drying, and folding of the clothes is complete, I will deliver the clothes back to your home or business at the time you desire.
3. The main demographic that I will be my services too is college students and single parents who work multiple jobs. I will be focusing on college students because they live such a busy life with class, homework, volunteer work, and sometimes work that household chores sometimes get left on the back burner. Having a laundry service that takes care of one of those back burner chores can make their lives a little less stressful. Next, I will be focusing on single parents who work multiple jobs or put in long hours at one job. Single parents have a lot on their plate in providing for a household at work then coming home to raise children on their own. My laundry service will allow them to spend a little more time with their children that they wouldn’t normally get to spend while they are doing laundry.
4. Customers will pay money for me to take care of their laundry for them because it takes one less thing off their plate and lets them devote the time they previously spent doing laundry on something more important in their life. I plan to set up a mobile app for customers to be able to pay via the app and have a card swipe for my phone for customers who wish to pay for the services in person. Knowing that they will always have clean clothes without having to do it themselves will make their lives a little less stressful.
5. What sets All Bubble, No Trouble apart from other laundry services is the personal relationship we build together. I will treat every customer as if they are my only customer and their laundry is my laundry, not as if they are just another load. Building long, trusting relationships with my customers will be very important to me at All Bubble, No Trouble. What will set me apart from my competition is my low prices, my convenient pick up and drop off times, my attention to detail in their order, and most important the relationship I build with every customer.
I believe these aspects fit well in my business into my business concept. My biggest weakness for my business would be finding a location to actually do the washing, drying, and folding of the clothes and finding a vehicle to transport the clothes. Right now, my house and my vehicle would not work so I would have to find other avenues to make the business work.
Feedback Memo:
The biggest feedback I received from fellow students was the addition of a mobile app for my business. I think this is a wonderful idea once the business becomes more proficient and bigger. As a small business, I think an app would only make the business better.
Also, the price of the services were brought to my attention. All Bubble, No Trouble's services would be based off of weight of the clothes and distance of the pick up location to the wash location. Wash, dry, and fold services for $0.75 per pound of clothes and $0.15 per mile to and from the wash location. I feel like these are reasonable prices given I have paid $0.80 for wash, dry, and fold services previously in my life so I think $0.90 for the wash, dry, and fold services and delivery is very reasonable.
I have incorporated the feedback I received from my peers by establishing a price model for my services and accepting the idea of having a mobile app once the business is established and making money. I think both of these ideas are very beneficial to help my business become successful.
I didn't receive any other feedback from my peers. They supported my idea and were impressed with what I have done in my life so far!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Week 8 Reading Reflection
1. What I found most interesting is the amount of money that venture capitalist have invested in companies. I also thought it was interesting that they don't typically invest in start up companies and new companies but invest in later-stage companies.
2. One part of the reading that confused me was the paragraph about private placement. I was confused as to who the company could sell their stock too, whether they were allowed to sell it to friends, family, and employees or they were not allow to sell it to them.
3. The first question I would ask the author is "Which is the best way to produce capital as a start up company?" I would ask this because I would want to know which method they thought was best. The second question I would ask the author is "Why don't venture capitalist typically invest in start up companies?" I understand there is greater risk in a start up company than in a later stage company but wouldn't investing in the right start up company at the beginning be a better investment than in a later stage company?
4. There was nothing that I would disagree with that the author wrote. They covered all areas of sources of capital that I could thing of and then some. I learned a lot in this chapter.
2. One part of the reading that confused me was the paragraph about private placement. I was confused as to who the company could sell their stock too, whether they were allowed to sell it to friends, family, and employees or they were not allow to sell it to them.
3. The first question I would ask the author is "Which is the best way to produce capital as a start up company?" I would ask this because I would want to know which method they thought was best. The second question I would ask the author is "Why don't venture capitalist typically invest in start up companies?" I understand there is greater risk in a start up company than in a later stage company but wouldn't investing in the right start up company at the beginning be a better investment than in a later stage company?
4. There was nothing that I would disagree with that the author wrote. They covered all areas of sources of capital that I could thing of and then some. I learned a lot in this chapter.
Half-way Reflection
1. One way I have been able to keep up with the assignments for this course relatively well is to have a set time each day to work on my assignments. Having a designated period to work on assignments has helped because I am not rushing to do them or I forget about less assignments because I am always checking what is up next.
2. When I first started the class I didn't quite understand the share and declare aspect of the class. Also, I was not a fan of having my own blog. Both of these things made me not want to take the class from the beginning because I don't like to try new things sometimes. Once I got the hang of how the class worked it was much easier for me to pull through and continue on with the class. I feel like this class has made me more tenacious because I have stepped out of my comfort zone of keeping to myself and made videos and posted them online for assignments. This isn't something I would typically do.
3. The first tip I would offer to future students is to be very organized. Organization makes the assignments run smoother.
The second tip I would offer is to do as many of the assignments as you can, especially the ones that will make you uncomfortable. It is a great learning opportunity and helps you grow as a person.
The third tip I would offer is to set your own schedule for the class and stick to it. Setting a specific time to do your assignments makes them easier to complete and remember.
2. When I first started the class I didn't quite understand the share and declare aspect of the class. Also, I was not a fan of having my own blog. Both of these things made me not want to take the class from the beginning because I don't like to try new things sometimes. Once I got the hang of how the class worked it was much easier for me to pull through and continue on with the class. I feel like this class has made me more tenacious because I have stepped out of my comfort zone of keeping to myself and made videos and posted them online for assignments. This isn't something I would typically do.
3. The first tip I would offer to future students is to be very organized. Organization makes the assignments run smoother.
The second tip I would offer is to do as many of the assignments as you can, especially the ones that will make you uncomfortable. It is a great learning opportunity and helps you grow as a person.
The third tip I would offer is to set your own schedule for the class and stick to it. Setting a specific time to do your assignments makes them easier to complete and remember.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Week 7 Reading Reflection
1. The biggest surprise to me was how marketing isn't based off of demographics as much as it used to be. Marketing also focuses on values of customers now.
2. The paragraph labelled "Can our segmentation register change?" was confusing for me. I didn't understand if the same segmentation was used throughout or did they change the segmentation to register the change.
3. My first question to the author would be, "Why do you think companies continue to use market segmentation if they don't get positive results?" I would ask this because it confuses me as to why a company would continue to do something if they aren't getting good results and research shows it isn't an affective process. My second question to the author would be, "Is it more important to retain the loyal customers you already have or to seek out potential new customers?" I would ask this because I think they are both equally important. On one hand, if you ignore your loyal customer and focus on new customers they may leave your business and tell their friends how poorly they were treated but if you don't look for new customers your business will become stagnant.
4. One part of the reading I disagree with is the table describing the gravity of decision spectrum. I think there are individuals make very important decisions based in the shallow decision portion and vice versa. Also, I think brand loyalty runs deeper to some people than others.
2. The paragraph labelled "Can our segmentation register change?" was confusing for me. I didn't understand if the same segmentation was used throughout or did they change the segmentation to register the change.
3. My first question to the author would be, "Why do you think companies continue to use market segmentation if they don't get positive results?" I would ask this because it confuses me as to why a company would continue to do something if they aren't getting good results and research shows it isn't an affective process. My second question to the author would be, "Is it more important to retain the loyal customers you already have or to seek out potential new customers?" I would ask this because I think they are both equally important. On one hand, if you ignore your loyal customer and focus on new customers they may leave your business and tell their friends how poorly they were treated but if you don't look for new customers your business will become stagnant.
4. One part of the reading I disagree with is the table describing the gravity of decision spectrum. I think there are individuals make very important decisions based in the shallow decision portion and vice versa. Also, I think brand loyalty runs deeper to some people than others.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Elevator Pitch No. 2
Here is the link to my second elevator pitch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rB1e8x_HRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rB1e8x_HRM
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Interviewing Customers No. 3
After having my potential customers read my business concept, the most common response I got was how much is it going to cost and is there discounts for multiple washes.
1. The questions I asked were:
"Do you enjoy doing laundry for yourself or would you prefer someone do it for you?"
"Would a laundry service that picks up the clothes and drops them off at your residence appeal to you?
"How much would you actually pay to have a laundry service do your laundry?"
"How important is a personal, friendly relationship with a business to you?"
"What would you do with the free time you have if you allow All Bubble, No Trouble take care of your laundry needs?"
2. I could not get my videos to upload.
3. From the interviews I learned that people are would be willing to have a laundry service if it wasn't too expensive. Also, a customer loyalty program for re-occuring customers was a point of interest from the interviewees. The biggest surprise from the interviews that I got was what people would do with their free time that had from not having to do laundry. Most said relax or do their homework. i expect to some type of product discount for customers who continue to come to All Bubble, No Trouble for their laundry needs. I think it is a wonderful idea and keeps the customers coming back.
1. The questions I asked were:
"Do you enjoy doing laundry for yourself or would you prefer someone do it for you?"
"Would a laundry service that picks up the clothes and drops them off at your residence appeal to you?
"How much would you actually pay to have a laundry service do your laundry?"
"How important is a personal, friendly relationship with a business to you?"
"What would you do with the free time you have if you allow All Bubble, No Trouble take care of your laundry needs?"
2. I could not get my videos to upload.
3. From the interviews I learned that people are would be willing to have a laundry service if it wasn't too expensive. Also, a customer loyalty program for re-occuring customers was a point of interest from the interviewees. The biggest surprise from the interviews that I got was what people would do with their free time that had from not having to do laundry. Most said relax or do their homework. i expect to some type of product discount for customers who continue to come to All Bubble, No Trouble for their laundry needs. I think it is a wonderful idea and keeps the customers coming back.
Week 6 Reading Reflection
1. The biggest surprise of the reading for me was about how your competition isn't just businesses you are directly competing against in the same field but could be other businesses that occupy your consumers time and money in other ways.
2. One part of the reading that confused me was why a fast growing company isn't always a profitable one. I thought a fast growing company went hand in hand with a profitable company.
3. The first question I would ask the author is "Which of the 5 forces do you think is the most important to focus on?" I would ask this question because I feel like your buyers would be the most important but I would like his point of view. The second question I would ask would be, "Are there any other forces that can affect profit structure in a business?" I would ask this question because I feel like there is probably more aspects that could affect profit.
4. There was nothing that the author talked about that I could disagree with. Everything he wrote about made good sense to me and he didn't leave any room for interpretation. He was very clear with his points.
2. One part of the reading that confused me was why a fast growing company isn't always a profitable one. I thought a fast growing company went hand in hand with a profitable company.
3. The first question I would ask the author is "Which of the 5 forces do you think is the most important to focus on?" I would ask this question because I feel like your buyers would be the most important but I would like his point of view. The second question I would ask would be, "Are there any other forces that can affect profit structure in a business?" I would ask this question because I feel like there is probably more aspects that could affect profit.
4. There was nothing that the author talked about that I could disagree with. Everything he wrote about made good sense to me and he didn't leave any room for interpretation. He was very clear with his points.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Idea Napkin No. 1
1. I am the sole proprietor of All Bubble, No Trouble. My talents include being very personable, hard-worker, organized, and proficient. My skills include clerical work, sales, handling large amounts of money, being able to diffuse hostile situations. My experiences include being an assistant manager at Sonic Drive-In, being a paralegal for the United States Army, being a security guard at University Park Country Club, and a bank teller at Sunstate Federal Credit Union. My aspirations at All Bubble, No Trouble are to provide a cheap, fast, and efficient laundry service for the residents of Gainesville, FL so they can spend their time doing other various activities of their choice. I would like to become the go to laundry service for residents and businesses. All Bubble, No Trouble will likely consume most of my life in the beginning stages of the business until it becomes an established company. Once it becomes established, I hope to hire a good crew to run the day to day operations and focus solely on the big picture portion of the business.
2. At All Bubble, No Trouble I will be offering a laundry service that comes to your home or business and picks up your laundry. After pick up, I will wash, dry, and fold your laundry at my laundromat. After the cleaning, drying, and folding of the clothes is complete, I will deliver the clothes back to your home or business at the time you desire.
3. The main demographic that I will be my services too is college students and single parents who work multiple jobs. I will be focusing on college students because they live such a busy life with class, homework, volunteer work, and sometimes work that household chores sometimes get left on the back burner. Having a laundry service that takes care of one of those back burner chores can make their lives a little less stressful. Next, I will be focusing on single parents who work multiple jobs or put in long hours at one job. Single parents have a lot on their plate in providing for a household at work then coming home to raise children on their own. My laundry service will allow them to spend a little more time with their children that they wouldn’t normally get to spend while they are doing laundry.
4. Customers will pay money for me to take care of their laundry for them because it takes one less thing off their plate and lets them devote the time they previously spent doing laundry on something more important in their life. Knowing that they will always have clean clothes without having to do it themselves will make their lives a little less stressful.
5. What sets All Bubble, No Trouble apart from other laundry services is the personal relationship we build together. I will treat every customer as if they are my only customer and their laundry is my laundry, not as if they are just another load. Building long, trusting relationships with my customers will be very important to me at All Bubble, No Trouble. What will set me apart from my competition is my low prices, my convenient pick up and drop off times, my attention to detail in their order, and most important the relationship I build with every customer.
I believe these aspects fit well in my business into my business concept. My biggest weakness for my business would be finding a location to actually do the washing, drying, and folding of the clothes and finding a vehicle to transport the clothes. Right now, my house and my vehicle would not work so I would have to find other avenues to make the business work.
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