Friday, March 29, 2019
21A - Reading Reflection no. 2
I read How to Fail At Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams. The general theme or argument of this book is that on the path to success one must experience failures, and it is how you react to those failures that will define your success. In life it is imperative that you try new things and take risks even if you might fail. There were 3 main opportunities that Adams really provided were living life around systems as opposed to finite goals that make you afraid to fail, test out career paths or jobs until you find what is truly right one, and lastly to find what keeps you motivated. This book connected to entrepreneurship in the way of connecting to the entrepreneurial-ship mindset, and what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. It helped me analyze the everyday tasks I was doing and how they were helping me towards the path I want to be on. This idea leads me to the experiment I would give to the class that relates the book; I would tell everyone to analyze the tasks they are doing on a daily basis, and try to turn them into things that they can learn from. And they also need to see what risks they are taking in their life and if they can reach farther and leap higher. The biggest aha when reading this book that differed from my expectations was the feeling it gave me when reading about Adams' idea of achievement and how it needs to be accomplished: I felt like I already knew what he was telling me and that I just needed to go out there and do it. So while this book was centered around Adams' life experiences and how his failures have translated into success, I felt more empowered by it than I did learned from it. I don't see that as a bad thing and I am happy I got the opportunity to read the book because I now feel ready to attack some things in my life I've been waiting for the chance to pounce on.
Friday, March 22, 2019
20A - Growing your social capital
1) Interviewee (Domain Expert) #1: Monsterdue otherwise known as Kyle. Kyle is a fitness instagram influencer who sells guides to his followers. I direct messaged Kyle and asked if I could ask him some questions about business. He does not have a large following but his content sells well enough to support him and his family so I was wondering how he differentiated from the numerous other fitness guides. He said you just gotta talk about what you truly believe and usually it will come out unique. I found this interesting as I believe it opens the door to creative solutions in the future. I talked to Kyle about my fitness journey and asked him if he could help me with giving me a recommendation on my product offering and he said sure. I asked how I could market my product or create a following for an online product when most of my consumers are older and not on social media as much. He recommended getting ads with google and other advertising locations on the internet. I think that was a great idea and it will surely help the success of my company.
2) Interviewee (Expert on Market) #2: I contacted my old friend Hannah Pate who studied at the University of Central Florida and now works in social care. I asked her if she knew anything about underage pregnancy and how prevalent she comes across that in her work. She said a lot of the children she cares for are being put into foster homes because of the fact that their parents are too young or too unprepared to care for them, not a majority of them but a lot. So in knowing that she had some knowledge in this field and dealing with these families, I told her about my product and asked for her opinion. She said she likes the idea as it can be very hard to cope in a situation where you're the parent of a pregnant teen and you may not have control over the situation. However, she doubts the viability of the product, wondering how it can be more in-depth and worth more than going to a real person like a therapist to help solve the problem. I will therefore have to make sure my product is of high enough quality and credibility to survive in this market. I asked Hannah if she would be there when I had an MVP ready or if I ever had any questions and she said she's there for me.
3) Interviewee (Important Supplier) #3: I could not think of a person that would sell products or services to other organizations in my industry to interview, but I thought of a person who sells advertising to other firms in my industry. My friend Alex Kenworthy currently works at Google in California and I still talk to him actively so contacting him was not a problem. I asked him what he knew about google ads and if I could ask him some questions that might relate to my business. He said his knowledge about google's ad program was pretty limited, but he said he could give it a shot. I first and foremost asked him if he would have a way for me to get involved with google and maybe they could provide lower-price ads for my potential company and he said that may be a possibility (jokingly as I will likely not pursue this product). However, I asked him how google chooses what ads people see and how firms get to choose what people see their ads. He answered in saying that they have a bunch of algorithms that decide what person may be most likely to click on the presented ad through information from search history, video history, and purchase histories. So, I learned from Alex that I might actually be able to target my market segment a little more directly than initially anticipated, and that's great news.
The one thing that really benefited me from doing this assignment was simply the act of reaching out to new people or people who just havent talked to in a while. It is important to take your shots especially when support is vital to any successful business. This gave me practice "hitting people up" if I simply want their help/support. Do not be afraid to take your shot.
2) Interviewee (Expert on Market) #2: I contacted my old friend Hannah Pate who studied at the University of Central Florida and now works in social care. I asked her if she knew anything about underage pregnancy and how prevalent she comes across that in her work. She said a lot of the children she cares for are being put into foster homes because of the fact that their parents are too young or too unprepared to care for them, not a majority of them but a lot. So in knowing that she had some knowledge in this field and dealing with these families, I told her about my product and asked for her opinion. She said she likes the idea as it can be very hard to cope in a situation where you're the parent of a pregnant teen and you may not have control over the situation. However, she doubts the viability of the product, wondering how it can be more in-depth and worth more than going to a real person like a therapist to help solve the problem. I will therefore have to make sure my product is of high enough quality and credibility to survive in this market. I asked Hannah if she would be there when I had an MVP ready or if I ever had any questions and she said she's there for me.
3) Interviewee (Important Supplier) #3: I could not think of a person that would sell products or services to other organizations in my industry to interview, but I thought of a person who sells advertising to other firms in my industry. My friend Alex Kenworthy currently works at Google in California and I still talk to him actively so contacting him was not a problem. I asked him what he knew about google ads and if I could ask him some questions that might relate to my business. He said his knowledge about google's ad program was pretty limited, but he said he could give it a shot. I first and foremost asked him if he would have a way for me to get involved with google and maybe they could provide lower-price ads for my potential company and he said that may be a possibility (jokingly as I will likely not pursue this product). However, I asked him how google chooses what ads people see and how firms get to choose what people see their ads. He answered in saying that they have a bunch of algorithms that decide what person may be most likely to click on the presented ad through information from search history, video history, and purchase histories. So, I learned from Alex that I might actually be able to target my market segment a little more directly than initially anticipated, and that's great news.
The one thing that really benefited me from doing this assignment was simply the act of reaching out to new people or people who just havent talked to in a while. It is important to take your shots especially when support is vital to any successful business. This gave me practice "hitting people up" if I simply want their help/support. Do not be afraid to take your shot.
Idea Napkin 19 A - Griffin Goldstein
Idea Napkin:
My name is Griffin Goldstein, and my experiences as a math tutor, student, friend, and family member are mostly responsible for my talents. These talents include strong academics, kindness, communication, and perspective. It's these qualities that I believe will be the main drivers in my future success. These qualities have led me to want my future company to be defined in similar ways: informative, responsible, helpful, and caring.
My company will be offering a series of in-depth guides to help mothers in particular situations that they may not be fully equipped to deal with, such as if your teen child were to become pregnant or impregnate another. These potential customers would likely be parents or new grand parents between the ages of 40-100. These customers also must actively use internet applications to become aware of my product as it will advertised almost entirely online. This product is for people who need support in a very tough situation in their lives, so they must all not be fully prepared or competent enough to handle a situation like teen pregnancy. I will use my ability to perform under pressure and to perform in high intensity situations to drive the success of the company.
I think these attributes match well with each other and can work harmoniously and create a better, more-successful business. What I got from the feedback is that I need to find ways to differentiate my product, and I think the route to do this is to release an innovative interactive guide that will be in-depth enough to satisfy broader needs of customers. I plan to extend this business outward with new products but this is the first product my company will attempt to sell, not necessarily the last.
My name is Griffin Goldstein, and my experiences as a math tutor, student, friend, and family member are mostly responsible for my talents. These talents include strong academics, kindness, communication, and perspective. It's these qualities that I believe will be the main drivers in my future success. These qualities have led me to want my future company to be defined in similar ways: informative, responsible, helpful, and caring.
My company will be offering a series of in-depth guides to help mothers in particular situations that they may not be fully equipped to deal with, such as if your teen child were to become pregnant or impregnate another. These potential customers would likely be parents or new grand parents between the ages of 40-100. These customers also must actively use internet applications to become aware of my product as it will advertised almost entirely online. This product is for people who need support in a very tough situation in their lives, so they must all not be fully prepared or competent enough to handle a situation like teen pregnancy. I will use my ability to perform under pressure and to perform in high intensity situations to drive the success of the company.
I think these attributes match well with each other and can work harmoniously and create a better, more-successful business. What I got from the feedback is that I need to find ways to differentiate my product, and I think the route to do this is to release an innovative interactive guide that will be in-depth enough to satisfy broader needs of customers. I plan to extend this business outward with new products but this is the first product my company will attempt to sell, not necessarily the last.
Friday, March 1, 2019
16A - What's your secret sauce?
Five ways in which I believe I am different:
1) Ability to think outside the box. I am a born skeptic and that helps me stay out of the current when it comes to commonly believed thought.
2) Ability to perform in the clutch. My ability to perform under pressure and in clutch scenarios are why some of my friends say I am a "Hall of fame clutch performer".
3) Ability to learn. I learn quickly and can apply what I've learned to different situations.
4) Ability to think critically. I am good at using my different perspective to give productive feedback to groups or to work that I am analyzing.
5) Ability to lead. I believe that I am a natural leader and it happens a lot in my life that I will be chosen to lead a group.
5 Interviewees and the access links to their interviews:
carlie: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-goldstein/carlie-interview/s-qhTFk
jackson: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-goldstein/jackson-interview/s-GXpGK
travis: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-goldstein/travis/s-G7kIX
tyler: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-goldstein/tyler/s-cZfXl
tomer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9DStj63sjQ
Conclusion:
In general, a lot of the interviewees agreed with the things I said about myself. However, I was surprised by a few things that were said. For example, I was surprised by how I am thought of as someone who connects to people in the ways that were mentioned. I always thought my ability to connect with others was not a strong suit, but I guess I have been working on it and it's been paying off. I think I would revise my list and add caring for others which is something I think I have improved greatly and I also believe it is a vital skill when dealing in business. One needs passion to succeed.
1) Ability to think outside the box. I am a born skeptic and that helps me stay out of the current when it comes to commonly believed thought.
2) Ability to perform in the clutch. My ability to perform under pressure and in clutch scenarios are why some of my friends say I am a "Hall of fame clutch performer".
3) Ability to learn. I learn quickly and can apply what I've learned to different situations.
4) Ability to think critically. I am good at using my different perspective to give productive feedback to groups or to work that I am analyzing.
5) Ability to lead. I believe that I am a natural leader and it happens a lot in my life that I will be chosen to lead a group.
5 Interviewees and the access links to their interviews:
carlie: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-goldstein/carlie-interview/s-qhTFk
jackson: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-goldstein/jackson-interview/s-GXpGK
travis: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-goldstein/travis/s-G7kIX
tyler: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-goldstein/tyler/s-cZfXl
tomer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9DStj63sjQ
Conclusion:
In general, a lot of the interviewees agreed with the things I said about myself. However, I was surprised by a few things that were said. For example, I was surprised by how I am thought of as someone who connects to people in the ways that were mentioned. I always thought my ability to connect with others was not a strong suit, but I guess I have been working on it and it's been paying off. I think I would revise my list and add caring for others which is something I think I have improved greatly and I also believe it is a vital skill when dealing in business. One needs passion to succeed.
15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior
In this blog post, I will reconcile the information received from three interviews. These interviewees were all in the segment of mothers in Gainesville. I spoke two 3 different moms in the Gainesville area to analyze their buyer behavior because I am expecting most of the people buying my product to be moms from the age-range 40-60. Overwhelmingly, these women all preferenced money as their main factor when it comes to purchasing an item like mine. They also mentioned that it would matter how they came about the product; for instance, one would likely purchase it if it was recommended to them from but would be less likely to purchase if they saw it advertised. Also, I realized that I am more targeting a growing age of moms, as opposed to the current generation of them. This is because my product will be likely purchased online. And because the price was a heavy factor, my product will not be expensive enough to necessitate financing. There was something that two interviewees mentioned when it came to an evaluation of the product. They said that the product needs to provide information that isn't common sense, so they aren't reading it and saying to themselves "well I already know this". The other thing emphasized by the interviewees was that they all wondered how a 19-year old male college student would be able to provide credible information relating to teen pregnancy. Therefore, I have to address the issue of credibility with my product and ensure that I have qualified sources for my information.
When I first told these moms what the product my company would offer was, they almost didn't take it seriously. I think this was for two different reasons: first, they were curious about how I could have anything to tell them about this weird unprecedented situation in people's lives; and second, it came out of nowhere and they might have not thought it pertinent to their current lives.
This sample of moms from Gainesville exhibited characteristics that favored cheap pricing for an informational product that they had to read, credibility, creative solutions to difficult problems, and accessibility. As long as my product can retain all these qualities, then I should be able to market effectively to this segment.
When I first told these moms what the product my company would offer was, they almost didn't take it seriously. I think this was for two different reasons: first, they were curious about how I could have anything to tell them about this weird unprecedented situation in people's lives; and second, it came out of nowhere and they might have not thought it pertinent to their current lives.
This sample of moms from Gainesville exhibited characteristics that favored cheap pricing for an informational product that they had to read, credibility, creative solutions to difficult problems, and accessibility. As long as my product can retain all these qualities, then I should be able to market effectively to this segment.
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