20A

 Domain Expert 

1) I spoke with Evan Specht, the head of Diadem Sports, a retail business company in Boynton Beach, Florida. 

2) He is a domain expert because he owns a retail business, just like my potential business. 

3) I found him because he used to be my tennis coach, and I worked with him on the company for years.

4) Since I have known him for years, he did not expect nothing in return for providing me with guidance and advice on how to run a business. 

5) Having Evan in my network will be beneficial because he started a business from the ground up, so his advice is extremely valuable and he is a good asset to have. 

Finally: Reflect. This will help shape my networking in the future because he would connect me to the people he knows that helped him get started with the company. This was different than past networking experiences because I had never started a retail business before, so a manufacturing connection was never experienced before. 

Market Expert 

1) I talked to Shayna Cohen, a co-owner of a small retail business that creates tailgating gear for college students. 

2) Shayna is a market expert because she is targeting a similar audience, college students, with a small retail business. 

3) I knew Shayna ran this particular business so I got her contact information to talk to her about it. 

4) Shayna gave me a lot of valuable input on my company, and how she currently manages her business and how it started. She didn’t expect anything in return.  

5) Including Shayna in my network will be valuable because it will make my network stronger. Shayna has the the knowledge of started a business from scratch, and her input is important to me. 

Finally: Reflect.  This would shape my networking future because I added an additional person the network. I had known Shayna for a long time before I knew she owned a retail business. I learned to take the time to get to know my networks. 

Supplier

1) I interviewed AJ, a co owner of another retail business; AJ is in charge of business manufacturing. 

2) AJ is a supplier because he is in charge of manufacturing in his company, and thus, can connect me to the right suppliers. 

3) The first person I interviewed works with AJ and gave me his contact information so I could call him. 

4) AJ gave me advice and offered to connect me with the outsourced supplier he has. He did not expect anything in return because of my relationship with his coworker. 

5) My company needs a supply/manufacturing middleman so AJ would definitely help my network. 

Finally: Reflect. This experience didn’t differ from previous ones, I used my current network to get to AJ and expand. AJ would be a great asset to my network and I hope to be able to help him in the future. 

19A

1) You. My name is Taylor Kogan. I'm a freshman Information Systems major at the University of Florida. I have been interested in Business since middle school, when I started a startup sports equipment company with my tennis coach. I became interested in the technology industry after interning for an app development company my senior year of high school. That being said, Information Systems is a perfect match for me. One day, I want to own my own tech startup company. But for now, this business of deodorant strips just exemplifies, and confirms, my passion for entrepreneurship.

2) What are you offering to customers? I am meeting the unmet customers through the idea of portable, dissolvable, deodorant strips. The packaging is going to be similar to the Listerine mouthwash strips, so the concept of putting them on is the same. This way, people will not show up smelling bad to events, especially in South Florida. I am offering the deodorant strips so people can take it on the go, and not have to carry gym bags or toiletry bags everywhere they go. 

3) Who are you offering it to? I am offering this product to athletes, college students in warm climates, anyone who engages in physical activity, or anyone who lives in warm climates. All of these customers are prone to sweating due to the physical movement or the weather they live in.

4) Why do they care? People care because they don't like being sweaty or smelling poorly. Many of the people I interviewed were self conscious of their body odor and the deodorant strips would solve that problem. Additionally, some are lazy and don't like carrying a toiletry bag everywhere they go; the strips could fit on the back of a phone wallet and are much more portable. 

5) What are your core competencies? What sets me apart from the competition is that there are no competitors. Although travel sized products exist, none exist with the same portability and ease as mine. I would even consider partnering with one of the existing deodorant companies like Dove to ease the transition into the retail industry and increase marketing profits. 

I believe that all of these elements work together. Many of the customers I am offering this product to are students, and having something so cheap and easy will definitely be successful. Going to school in Gainesville, the outreach and advertising of the product will not be difficult in a climate as such. Overall, the product has high potential for success.

I got two main takeaways from my feedback:
1. There is a high potential for success, and a lot of people can see themselves purchasing and using my product
2. Creating a partnership with an existing deodorant company would give me a lot of opportunities in the market as well as increase profit and make the industry transition easier than doing it on my own.

18A

My prototypical customer is a college student at the University of Florida who is very active. She loves to workout before and after class, but doesn’t have a car. She played tennis her whole life but doesn’t play in college because she got injured. She sweats very easily but doesn’t like carrying a bag with her when she goes to work out. 

I have a lot in common with my customer avatar. I share all of these traits actually because I based the prototypical customer on myself. I did so because that’s how I came up with the product idea. 

17A

My feedback was very positive. The commends made on my pitch were very uplifting and someone even told me that it was the best pitch they had ever seen due to the clear outline. I am very analytical and saw some things that I can improve on, so I hope this one is better than the prior. 

16A

1) Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique.

Intelligent: I’m very quick on my feet and can grasp concepts unfamiliar to me very quickly.

Creative: I always try to come up with solutions outside of the box to problems. I like doing things different than the norm and always try to stay unique with my solutions.

Confident: I’m very secure and independent and let other people’s actions or words affect my decisions. 

Humble: I never brag about myself and don’t often share accomplishments with people.

Determined: When I set my mind on something, I don’t stop until I achieve it. For example, I study for exams nonstop until I understand the material perfectly and can ace the test. 

2) Interview the five people who know you the best. 

My mom thinks 5 traits that set me apart are my time management skills, my intelligence, loyalty, kindness, and empathy. This is especially special to me because I try to carry these traits with me wherever I go, and my mom, who knows me best, sees it too.

My best friend Brooke described me as Intelligent, determined, creative, innovative, and resilient. I became friends with Brooke only a year ago, yet she is still one of the people that know me best, so her opinion matters a lot to me.

My best friend Julie described me as charismatic, humble, funny, clever, and helpful. I was satisfied by this because those are all traits I aspire to maintain, and Julie was my roommate last year so she knows me especially well. 

My best friend Josh’s opinion is important to me because we also became friends only a year ago and have gotten very close in that short period of time. He described me as strong, resilient, caring, humble, and ambitious. 

Finally, Hannah called me determined, technological saavy, caring, creative, and logical. Hannah and I’s friendship is relatively new so I was very intrigued on her opinion. 

3) Reflect on the differences. The traits I thought best described myself aligned greatly with how others saw me. Although there were a few differences, I think they can be attributed to the fact that the people I interviewed have only known my college self. I think my interviewees were correct about me, as in they all know me in slightly different ways and settings. I would not make any corrections to the list in part 1, as the opinions of my friends do not affect my own. 

15A

1) Find three people who would fit that segment and arrange to interview them. I interviewed three people that fit my segment: Jillian Melinek, Arielle Fritz, and Hayley Landman. They are all students that attend the University of Florida, and none of them are in the business school so they all have in person classes. 

3) Begin with alternative evaluation. We began discussing alternative evaluation and how they make their buying decisions. They all agreed that price wasn’t their main priority, but if a product were exceedingly expensive, then they would keep that in mind. Quality matters the most to Jillian and Hayley; they would spend more money on a higher quality product, rather than Arielle, who would rather have a lesser quality product if she could spend less money. Style matters to Hayley, but Jillian and Arielle said comfort is more important. I’m sure all of these factors affect buying decisions so I don’t think one in particular stands out. This affects my product in certain ways because I know that the quality and price are the most important things to emphasize. If I could make my deodorant strips as cheap as possible, they would be most successful. 

4) How/where do they buy? All three of the girls I interviewed like online purchases more. However, when I described my product, they all agreed that they would like to test the strips before purchasing because they don’t know if they work or not. They are more likely to finance this purchase because now a days cash is just inconvenient to carry around. 

5) Post-purchase evaluation. What matters most to your customers when they think back on the 'rightness' of the purchase? What helps them determine the purchase was a good idea? What sorts of things make them think a purchase was a bad idea? They base the rightness on the purchase on whether or not they use the product and how often they do. If they buy a product and find themselves rarely using it they would consider it a bad purchase. 

6) Report the findings. Overall, all three interviewees were basically on the same page. They all prefer price and quantity to style, and my product only has to do with convenience so it works out perfectly. 

7) Draw conclusions. This segment would respond well to my business idea because they don’t put much thought, time, and effort into their buying decision making. Their main goal is price, quality, and convenience, and I think my product hits all 3. 

14A

1) Tenaciousness is a competency.  I have used my time management skills to stay successful in this course. There are a lot of assignments to keep up with to remain on top of the class. Although it is possible to get ahead early in the semester with the actual assignments, the Cupcake quizzes and discussion posts can only be done during the week it is due, so you really have to stay organized and on top of things. I have developed the desire to learn and grow in the business world having taken this course. Although a lot of the assignments are tedious, you get out of this class what you put into it. This class encourages useful skills that should be learned, and its up to you what you do with that information or skills. 

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude.There have been times in this class when I felt like giving up. For example, in the first week of class I missed the deadline for a quiz. As someone who always stays on top of things, this was very hard for me to deal with, and I thought that if I missed one quiz (1% of the grade), why deal with the pressure of only missing 4 more points to not keep an A? However, I realized that this negative attitude would lead to regret. I bought a planner to stay on top of deadlines, and became extremely motivated in not only this class but determined in my others too. I feel like I’ve developed a tenacious attitude in the past two months, and think my experiences in high School and this summer contribute to this. I started a business with my tennis coach in high school, and interned for an app development company. I traveled this summer and after coming home, I realized that I am more motivated now than ever to not only make money but figure out a career path. 

3) Three tips.  I would first encourage everyone to work on their time management skills. This not only applies to school but in all aspects in life. Next, I would encourage everyone to dip their toes in as many things as possible. Every experience brings you one step closer to the one you wish to pursue for the rest of your life. Though some may be negative, that only helps you rule out options. I believe you learn more from your failures than your successes. Lastly, I would try to find one motivator for the semester. Motivation is integral to success. Challenges and obstacles come up all the time, and someone can easily fall victim to those without motivation. 

13A

1)  What surprised me the most about Coco Chanel is her background. Her presence both as a person and a luxury brand bring false expectations about her past. That being said, I most admire her ability to turn that around, and not let anything hold her back. Her determination speaks for itself, as she created an empire that represents the opposite of what she came from. I least admire her state of remaining self conscious. She clearly broke expectations and proved herself, yet continues to stay self conscious of her background, even though I believe it was her past that motivated her to push limits with her brand. Overall, though Coco Chanel definitely encountered adversity and failure, she did not let her past define her future, and broke boundaries. 

2) Her determination and motivation are unmatched.  She recognized the many hardships in her life and let them make her into the independent woman she became. She never gave up nor let adversity stand in her way. 

3) The passages on the backgrounds of her lovers were confusing because I felt they were unnecessary, and didn’t see how their pasts effect Chanel’s. 

4) I would ask: 

Did anything in particular keep you motivated in your times of adversity? 

If you could give one piece of advice on facing adversity, what would it be? 

Though the adversity in my life doesn’t compare to that of her’s, I would still like to know how to overcome obstacles of such, and apply that to lesser/different challenges. 

5)  I think Chanel places a great emphasis on hard work. She came from nothing and still made a name for herself, which wouldn’t have happened without hard work. I think talent helps, but it doesn’t compare to hard work, so I would have to share this opinion with Chanel. 

12A

1) Pick a segment. The segment I chose is college students at the University of Florida.  

2) Find three people who would fit that segment and arrange to interview them. I chose to interview three students at the University of Florida, that all live on different spots on campus. All three of these students have expressed a need for a product like the deodorant strips because they dislike sweating when they arrive to class, or they are uncomfortable walking across campus for events and showing up smelling poorly. 

3) Begin with need awareness. All three of the people I interviewed said that their need occurred once they arrive at their destination. The first person I interviewed was walking to an interview, and showed up with huge sweat stains on his shirt. Not only does this look bad, but it also lowered his confidence right before the interview. The next person I interviewed walked to class from Jennings Hall and became very insecure and uncomfortable once she realized how sweaty she was. Lastly, the final person I interviewed was on her way to an exam when she realized her need. She showed up smelling poorly and sweating profusely, and it made it hard for her to concentrate on her exam. Once I asked why they don’t bring deodorant with them, they tell me that they don’t want to carry a bag with them all the time, and it’s not realistic to bring deodorant everywhere you go. 

4) Move to information search. Overall, the first thing they did once becoming aware of the need was to find a travel sized perfume or deodorant. They look for bags or easy ways to carry them but they aren’t reliable. They talk to friends and family about the problem, because going to a school like UF, a lot of people have the same issue.  

5) Report the findings of your research. I knew that the boundaries of this product included students at college campuses in warm climates, and Gainesville is a perfect example of this. That being said, I was not surprised to find that all 3 interviewees expressed the need for  portable, dissolvable, deodorant strips.

6) Draw conclusions. Based on this assignment and the data I’ve gathered from interviews, I found that the need is greater on campuses like UF and other colleges in warm weather. This need would be easily spread through marketing because of the portability of the product. Additionally, even adults living in warm weather, or active people in cold weather, would also enjoy the product, although it may not be a bigger need. Overall, the potential for success for this product is expected to be very high.