21A - Reading Reflection No. 2

I read "The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users" by Guy Kawasaki. What I found to be riveting was his choice to mainly focus on the importance of social media in relation to business. This confirms my preexisting concepts about social media presence and its heavy influence on business success. In this fashion, putting all of your best assets forward will prove to be beneficial in the long run. The book truly encapsulates this concept, even going so far as to improve my overall conceptions about strategies and business concepts demonstrated through this class. A potential idea for a class-related exercise would be to have the students create a social media page and pitch said business in order to use the same strategies and practices presented in the book. This way you can surely grow you business in real time and see real-world results. Lastly, the biggest moment of clarity I had in the book was the idea that all aspects of life connect and that although social media appears to be a casual aspect of life, it also has professional application as well.

20A – Growing Your Social Capital

1: The first person I interviewed is a UF service person (John Koshank) who is familiar with the laundry machines in campus. I found this person by actively going to the dormitories and seeking out this person specifically. The favor that this person did for me was share insight into the school's laundry services free of charge. Including this person into my network allowed for me to have valuable outreach into the specific market aspects that I will eventually need to understand to grow my service.

2: The second person I interviewed works for Bed Bath and Beyond in managing as an expert market supplier, Mr. David Aldrich. I found this person by going to Bed Bath and Beyond stores near my area until one person was willing to speak with me for a moment. The favor that this person did for me was share insight into the way the supply chain system is set up in order to deliver and maintain proper laundry products also free of charge. Including this person into my network allowed for me to better understand laundry supply systems and how to better my product with more proper answers to specific questions my market may have.

3. The third person I interviewed is a Moocho application representative, Julian Rodriguez as an expert in being in the market.  I found him at the corner of Chipotle. The favor that this person did for me was share insight into the service application industry in exchange for me using his application. Including this person into my network allowed for me to be more prepared in my marketing approach for future networking events.

Reflection: This experience shaped my ability to participate in future networking events for the better in that I now understand varying aspects of the industry that I had not before. This was different from my past networking experiences because I have a specific goal in attempting to grow my network.

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

1) My name is Brandon Gin and I am a fourth year telecommunication: production major. My skills include leadership, efficiency, and creativity. I also come with a number of experiences that include four various part-time positions such as a server, bus boy, student assistant, and customer service representative. With these facets in place, I have aspirations of becoming a writer for a television show, more specifically something in animation. I see this business as a possible venture that I may decide to pursue if I have enough capital to commit to this entrepreneurial endeavor.

2) The service that I am offering is a more efficient way to save customers time when doing laundry duties around campus. With my product, people will be able to have a productive way to perform their laundry duties through incentive tactics of offering a point based system for use that users accrue and eventually use for free laundry. This also include status updates to laundry cycles as well as any errors.

3) I am offering this to university students, however there is potential for expansion to other users worldwide. All of these customers share the common trait of owning clothes.

4) This product is valuable as your time is valuable. By purchasing my service, users will be able to more efficiently control this seemingly chaotic and inconsistent aspect of their lives so that they may better put forth their efforts into more productive aspects of life.

5) What sets me apart from all others is a novel product under a creative format that gives back to its users.

I believe that my business concept is solid. I firmly stand with my product as it is mutually beneficial to users as it is for business. Not only this, but I believe that it will soon be a paramount feature for all laundry-users. Because of this large demographic, I can see this product gaining power and eventually becoming commonplace. With this, I find that my product is strong and does not hold any weak aspects.

Feedback Memo: With the overall positive reception I have received for my last napkin idea, I decided that perhaps it would be best to keep a majority of the information and remove a few grammatical inconsistencies! I also took off a few sentences that felt unnecessary. I am now ready and more certain with my concept and the success that that will bring about!

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B53flIcsrU

Reflection: The feedback from my last video was astronomically profound! I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the little notes made and critiques, but especially all of the wonderful positivity I received. It definitely bolstered my confidence! I was surprised the most by the pure admiration for my stage presence. Clarity, and conciseness was surely critiques that I took to heart this time around.

As far as changes go, I attempted to be more of a dynamic presence. I also attempted to be more clear and consistent with my message. This was a challenge, but I believe that I rose to the occasion!

18A - Create a Custom Avatar

My avatar depicts the ideal customer for my service. He is a low maintenance, academically hard working, but overall lazy college student who wishes to efficiently manage his time. His hobbies include going to midtown, going to downtown, and white water rafting. He drives a black 2014 Chevy Cruze. In his free time he prefers to watch South Park over Lego Ninjago if he has the choice. Children are not his favorite. He doesn't know why, but people can take a few guesses. His favorite books are War and Peace, and the Art of War. Politically he is ambiguous, but he claims he would not vote for Trump when he is around his liberal friends. Although he is only 20, he feels more in touch with 80 year olds. He is cool, but sometimes he is not.

I really loved creating this avatar because he and I are nearly identical. As a  college student with the same car I feel that we already have a fairly solid ground base. From there, I plan on expanding those commonalities until I am the avatar. This is especially important to understand the mind of my customer. The customer is always right.

15A: Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

For my interviews I chose again a current student as well as two recent graduates that live off campus.The interviews proved that price was the largest factor in determining whether or not to purchase the product. Quality is also important, yet can be less important depending on price. The purchase will most likely be made electronically. The righteousness of the product is largely determined by the cost in consideration to the effectiveness of the product. If the product is not costly and remains effective then it will certainly be a good idea in the eyes of the customer. A bad purchase will have a high price and/or low return on investment.

Conclusion: All three interviewees, though different in backgrounds, gave relatively similar answers. The second interviewee was unique in that she believed that a well-made product will also be one that gives the appears of the being the highest quality, not necessarily the most effective. With this, I believe that a more user-friendly look is the way to go with this service. With this, I do not believe that there will be an issue as the price of the service should be relatively low, but I will certainly consider constructing a more appealing product to further reach the target audience.

16A: What's Your Secret Sauce

Five Human Capital Traits:

1. Heart: I believe that I have a compassionate and understanding heart.
2. Open-Mindedness: I believe that I can be very understanding and open minded to a myriad of perspectives. I get that I do not get certain things.
3. Artistic: I am very creative and am able to sketch cartoons and people as well as graphic design.
4. Humor: I pride myself in bringing humor to the world, especially when I'm with good friends.
5. Philosophical: I find that I tend to be very philosophical about life and take great heed to the wisdom of others and apply that knowledge to my life and subsequently give that back to those that need it.

Interview 1: My mother believes that I am the smartest person she knows, not unlike that of my Uncle. She also believes that I am extremely creative and funny and that I have a bright future ahead of me.

Assessment: I find this to mainly be true. At times I can be uncertain as to my intelligence as I make many mistakes and can be very forgetful, but I like the positive outlook.

Interview 2: My father believes that I am very artistic and intelligent. He feels very proud of me and believes that I will be more successful than he has been.

Assessment: Again, wary of the intelligence aspect. As far as success goes, I  believe that that is defined by the individual. To me, he has it all: a good family and a good time go a long way.

Interview 3: My sister believes that I am the smartest person she knows and can be very wise for my age. According to her I provide good advice.

Assessment: I truly appreciate the intelligence aspect and at times I do feel that I may think like an "old soul". As far as advice goes, as long as she takes something out of my past experiences and allows for those anecdotes to help her, I am grateful.

Interview 4: My brother believes that I am a strong leader and am good at finding a middle ground.

Assessment: I also take pride in attempting to be a good role model for my siblings. In regard to finding a middle ground, I always say compromise is key.

Interview 5: My Uncle believes that I have natural talent in art and writing.

Assessment: Coming from my Uncle that means a tremendous deal as he is a producer in New York. Hopefully these skills can be translated to the workforce and can allow for me to use my creativity productively.

Reflection: All 5 of my interviews were over the phone and my recording was not working so I have simply transcribed the gist of the interviews. I have found that while I may not have always had a positive self-esteem, I have come to believe in all the attributes that they believe me to retain. Thus, they are correct and I would not make any corrections to my list.