19A Idea Napkin No. 2

• I didn't actually get feedback so I just slightly changed my responses but they are basically the same as the last idea napkin. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated considering that some of the upcoming assignments will require more detail. 

1) You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

• My name is Daniel Tobar Santos, I am 21 and I am currently a Business Admin (general studies) major. I am a talented cook, gamer (yes this can be a talent), and wrestler. However, these talents don't necessarily have a place in my opportunity. I am prideful in my communication/people, organization, and overall cognitive skills. If I were to start this business, I believe that helping others form healthier eating habits would be a fulfilling experience. I absolutely believe that it would positively impact my life. 

2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 

• I am offering an app that provides customers (mainly college students) with healthier alternatives to what they regularly consume as well as valuable health advice. The app is subscription based and will be affordable for all college students in need of a service like this one. The app will provide customers with a variety of recipes to choose from, a delivery of already prepped grocery-fresh ingredients in the proper portions, related nutrition information, and an in-app health forum for individuals to go and gather healthy dietary information and advice. 

3) Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?

• I am specifically offering my product/service to college students, mainly UF students, from the ages of 18-24 who live in a college town/campus, are too lazy or don't have the time to cook themselves a proper meal, or who are not knowledgeable about proper health habits. 

4) Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

• I believe customers would be willing to pay for the product/service simply because it could potentially help them form healthy eating habits so they can lead a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, my product/service could help make it easier for those who do not have the time to go grocery shopping, prep, and cook. 

5) What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

• A couple core competencies would be excellent customer service and organization. Although there are plenty of similar companies in this particular industry, I believe that specifically servicing college students with unhealthy habits along with providing them with a platform where they can gather information and advice related to health is something that others may not have. 

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others. 

• I believe that these elements fit together. There are also certain aspects that may be out-of-joint with others. Like I stated in the first idea napkin, I myself am not a health nut or capable of software development. Having individuals with the particular skills and knowledge would help me drive this idea forward. 

For the "feedback memo" -- please summarize at least two main points that you took away from the feedback you received. Also, please describe how you incorporated the feedback into this idea napkin. 

• This is obviously difficult for me to answer because I did not get any feedback for Idea Napkin No. 1 (which is okay). I simply just revised my initial responses. Overall, however, there was not much of a change to my initial responses as I wasn't entirely sure of what to change or add.

18A Create a Customer Avatar

My customer avatar is between the ages of 19 and 22 who attends the University of Florida and lives on campus. He enjoys going out on Friday nights, watching movies with friends, and playing video games during his free time. He drives a black recent model sedan for long commutes and has a scooter for commuting around campus. This individual regularly attends classes throughout the week and typically spends a majority of his time at the library so that he can work on keeping up with his heavy workload. When he is not busy watching lectures or keeping up with his assignments, he is working a part-time retail job. Most of the time he is eating out or ordering food from delivery apps because he feels that he can't find the time to cook a nutritious meal he'll like or even go grocery shopping. When he finally does go grocery shopping, he is likely to buy foods like microwavable meals, an assortment of snacks, or anything that is easily prepared.

I believe that I have a lot in common with this customer. Additionally, I believe that this is not coincidental because I based my ideas on the personal experiences of others and of myself. 

16A What's Your Secret Sauce?

Five ways I think I have human capital

1. Reliability- I genuinely believe that anyone can rely on me in just about any situation. 
2. Organization- I keep an organized schedule so I can stay on top of anything I have to get done. 
3. Communication- I can be very social and good at conversation. I vocalize any thoughts or feelings I have.
4. Creativity- I may not be an artist but I highly value creativity. 
5. Hardworking- I keep working towards any goal/complete any task with max effort.

https://soundcloud.com/daniel-tobar-404244965/sets/16a-whats-your-secret-sauce

• G.P. - This person said that I take a direct and honest approach to everyday tasks. 
• C.M. - This person said that I was organized and productive. This aligns with what I stated above. 
• D.S. - This person said that I was reliable, responsive, present on time, and that I will always be there when needed. I would say that I wholeheartedly agree with his entire statement. I always try to be there when needed. 
• D.Z. This person said that I was creative. Like I stated above, I greatly value creativity. 
• J.L. - This person also said I was organized. 

Reflection

After interviewing all my friends who know me best, I realized that there aren't really any differences in how we all view myself. I believe this is the case because I try to be completely open about who I am. I try to be as transparent as possible so it doesn't surprise me that there are similarities in how I view myself and how everyone views me. 

15A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

The segment I chose was college students living on campus at UF. In each interview I learned that the two most important factors are price and quality. All three interviewees liked my business idea and shared similar thoughts on the solution I presented to them. They all believed that it is a great idea to specifically target college students but in order to succeed within this segment, my product/service would have to provide great quality for a fair price. However, they were focused more on price than overall quality considering that they are college students and the average college student tends to be in a tight financial situation. After I had spoken to each interviewee, I came to the conclusion that my segment would conduct transactions online (through a subscription via card or venmo/cashapp/etc.) since part of what I would be providing is meant to be shipped. I realized that, for my customers within this segment, the factors that would matter the most when thinking back on the 'rightness' of their purchase would be: great quality, fair price, if they feel that my product/service is helping them better themselves so that they can lead a healthy lifestyle.

Conclusion
After all three interviews, I came to the conclusion that the people within this segment make their decisions based on quality, price, online/convenient purchasing, and whether they believe it is the best option for them considering their current situation.

14A Halfway Reflection

1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course? 

• I learned to watch the lectures as they come out so that I don't fall behind as well as how to manage my time better.

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?

• There have been several instances throughout past semesters where I wanted to drop out but that's just college. Clearly that won't happen and I haven't given up on anything so far. That is obviously because I want to get my degree and graduate with a good gpa.

3) Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?

• Watch all your lectures as they come out
• Start as early as you can on assignments 
• Well before a due date, sacrifice an hour or even just 20-30 minutes a day to do any assigned readings

13A Reading Reflection No. 1

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

• What surprised you the most? Although I already knew a little about the waffle iron, reading about how such a random piece of cookware contributed to the creation of one of their most famous shoes in the words of Phil Knight was surprising. 

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? I greatly admired his adaptability, tenacity, and determination.

• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? I found it strange that he expressed his intimate interest for a student.

• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? Knight faced a lot of adversity but failure didn't seem like an option for him. He always looked for a solution for whatever problem he or his company faced. He encountered many issues with his suppliers in Japan which he ultimately switched from to Taiwan. Other times when he faced adversity or failure, he borrowed money form his parents, hired new people, or created new products. 

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? Knight was motivated and he wasn't afraid to compete with the other companies in the industry. He demonstrated that he had a real passion for what he was doing. 

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. The parts dealing with his issues with Japan and having to travel back and forth.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

• Out of all of the shoes Nike has released, which pair would you say is your personal favorite?
• Why: This would be very interesting to know coming from Phil Knight.
• What are your thoughts on the impact Nike has had on "streetwear" culture?
• I buy and wear a lot of streetwear and I almost always have to have a pair of Nike's on so the answer to this would be interesting to me.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? I think Knight undoubtedly valued hard work. Without all the hard work knight and his employees put forth, the business would not have succeeded as much as it has.

12A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

The segment that I chose was college students living on campus at UF.

Interviews
For this set of interviews, I went to campus and tried to target individuals at fast food joints with the assumption that they fit my criteria; lack of proper dietary knowledge/eating habits (uncertainty in what they should be eating or what nutrients need to be delivered to the body on a daily basis) or too lazy/busy to grocery shop and cook a decent meal. It took me several attempts but I was able to find three individuals who ended up having the problem I have explained thus far.

• Interview 1: The first interviewee, 22, said that they believe their need becomes the most salient the moment they wake up for classes and at random points throughout the day. They stated that since they wake up early enough to catch a bus and rush to class and considering that they have a busy schedule (classes, activities, hw) throughout the day, they rarely find the time to go grocery shopping for healthy ingredients and to cook a decent meal at home. As soon as they realize that they won't have the time to do so, they stated that they just go to whichever restaurant is closest to them. 

• Interview 2: This interviewee, 19, stated that even though they have a pretty flexible schedule they are simply too lazy to cook and lack the proper dietary/nutritional knowledge as well. They wish to further enhance their dietary knowledge. They said that their need becomes the most salient when they get hungry but don't want to cook. They also stated that their solution is buying frozen foods (both healthy and unhealthy) or settling for the nearest fast food restaurant. Often times they even google a plethora dietary information as well as recipes but decide not to follow through with the grocery shopping and cooking. Often times they seek the advice of their "fit" friends.

• Interview 3: This interviewee stated that their need becomes the most salient on the way to classes, after classes when they go straight to work, and after work when they have to sit down and do hw if they have any. Their solution is to heat up anything frozen or to go to any of their preferred restaurants.

Conclusion

Based on what I learned, many college students seemingly don't have the time to go grocery shopping and cook themselves something nourishing or they are uncertain of what to eat and what to stay away from. For many of these individuals, delivering the proper nutrients to their body isn't at the top of their list but there are some who want to change that in whichever way possible. 

11A Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

• My name is Daniel, I am 21 and I am a transfer student and Business Admin major who is currently deciding on a minor. Even though I am always learning and looking to add more talents to my list, I do have several talents that I currently take pride in. I am currently a talented cook, gamer, and folkstyle wrestler. I am prideful in my communication/people skills as well as my overall cognitive skills, thanks to my many years of gaming. Additionally, I am skillful with select industrialized cleaning equipment and I have some experience in the industrialized cleaning industry due to a brief stint working as a contractor alongside my father, but I don't wish to utilize those skills or experiences any further. As for aspirations, I hope to someday have my own business (not this) like my father and brother who respectively own their own company and gym. If I were to start this business, I believe that it would be a fulfilling experience helping people form healthier eating habits. Especially considering that I used to struggle with the specific need I have explained. I truly believe that it would impact my life in a very positive way.

2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs).

• The product/service that I am offering is an app that provides customers healthy foods and dietary information. The app will provide recipes of the customers choice, a delivery of grocery-fresh ingredients in the proper portions that pertain to the selected recipe(s) with related nutrition information, and an in-app health forum where individuals can go to gather healthy dietary information and advice.

3) Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?

• I am offering my product/service to college students, specifically UF students, from ages 18-24 who live in a college town/campus, are too lazy or don't have the time to cook themselves a proper meal, or who simply lack the proper dietary knowledge/skills.

4) Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service.

• Customers would be willing to pay for the product/service because it could potentially help them acquire relevant information as well as help them form better eating habits so that they can lead a healthier lifestyle. It may even make it easier for those who don't have the time to go to the grocery store, prep, and cook all at once. 

5) What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

• One of my core competencies would be excellent customer service. I believe that specifically servicing college students with unhealthy dietary habits as well as providing them with a platform where they can seek valuable information pertaining to dietary health sets me apart from others. Even though there are existing services similar to mine, I don't believe that there is a business that also includes a health based forum along with the services I have explained thus far. 

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others.

• So far, I believe that these elements fit together but there are aspects that are out-of-joint with others. For example, I am no health guru or software developing genius. Having someone who has substantial knowledge related to dietary health as well as someone who knows their way around software development would help me get this off the ground.