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.