Elevator Pitch No. 2

https://youtu.be/xhkmFK-PjgA


Reflection: I did not get much feedback regarding my first Elevator Pitch. For this one, I focused on improving the information that I was giving and tried to paint my idea in attractive way to attract any potential investors. I think I did a good job with the content of my elevator pitch but I need to improve the delivery in the future.

Create a Customer Avatar

My typical customer would be a University of Florida student who is focused on planning for their future career. They will be mostly Juniors and Seniors as job hunting and career resources become more important as you get closer to graduating. The age range of my typical customer would be 20-24 years old. My typical customer has an entrepreneurial mind and is constantly thinking about possible opportunities in the market which is why my product is so great for them. They watch TV shows such as Shark Tank and they enjoy being pushed to the limit of their abilities. My typical customer would not have kids as they are career orientated and focused.

I have a lot in common with my customer avatar as I fit into most of the groups and descriptions that I created. I am currently a Junior actively looking for job and internship opportunities. I am in the age range of the typical customer and I have an entrepreneurial mind and attitude when approaching problems. Because I have thought of the solution to this problem, then I also experience it like the custom avatar that I described.

What's Your Secret Sauce?

1) 

• I think that one of my greatest attributes is that I am an analytical thinker and a great problem solver. 
• I also think that I am a great communicator which helps in many situations. 
• I think that I am a compassionate person and because of this I am good at listening. 
• I am also a great planner and use all available information to make a detailed plan. 
• I think I am also a good leader which I do by motivating those around me and leading by example. 

2) 

• https://soundcloud.com/user-345014567/maxaudio
• My key takeaway is that Max thinks I am a good listener and a nice person. This relates to my second and third bullet above. 
• https://soundcloud.com/user-345034897/benaudio
• My takeaway from this interview is that Ben thinks I am a great thinker and that this ability allows me to solve problems easier. He also mentioned how I was good at planning. 
• https://soundcloud.com/user-345015893/kevinaudio
• Kevin told me that he thinks I am great at communicating and being on the same page with everyone. 
• https://soundcloud.com/user-345012856/markaudio
• Key takeaway is that Mark thinks I am a trustworthy friend and he thinks that is an important attribute of a leader. 
• https://soundcloud.com/user-345018248/keithaudio
• Key takeaway is that Keith thinks I am a great thinker and problem-solver. 

3) I see myself very similarly to all the people that I interviewed. They all mentioned attributes that I mentioned about myself which was good to hear.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Interview Findings/Alternative Evaluation

I interviewed three people who met the criteria of the segment that I had chosen which was college students looking for information about careers and future job opportunities. As with the last people I interviewed, these students all said that in order to try and find a solution to their problems they would search Google, buy books on the topics, and ask guidance counselors in order to find out about their future career and necessary qualifications were. They also said that the most important quality they were looking for that allowed them to make their choice was the price of the service and the wealth of information that was provided. One of the people I interviewed also said that the style and usability of a product would also affect his willingness to buy. What I gathered from this is that the price of my platform and the information that I provide with it will be the most important thing to focus on as well as the usability.

How/where do they buy?

Everyone I interviewed said that they would only purchase a product like this online which makes since as the product I am offering would be an app. Because of this, cash would not be an option and customers would have to pay with either a debit or credit card. My service would work very well with card purchases and make it very convenient as you can download the app whenever you want. 

Post-purchase evaluation

The main thing that I gathered from my interviews is that they want the product to be useful and provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions. This means that they will realize the benefit of their purchase when they start using my platform to meet all of their career planning and research needs. As long as my platform does what I advertised it does then consumers should be happy with their purchase.

Conclusions

Describing this segment, I would say that consumers have relatively similar opinions on what is important to them with regards to my platform, Job-pedia. Most consumers in this segments are focused on the price of the product and how much information it offers them. Having a low-cost platform with a plethora of information about jobs and careers would satisfy this segments requirements. Consumers will evaluate the platform and they will be happy if the product is useful and provides them with the information they need. 

Halfway Reflection

1) Behaviors that I have used to keep up with the requirements of this course have been time management and focusing on the assignment at hand. This course has been challenging at times due to the 2+ assignment due each week. However, I have combated the heavy workload with a dispersion of work and by working ahead of schedule. I start a Google Docs page at the start of each week so that I can constantly work on the assignments due that week. This allows me to begin thinking about and working on these assignments 4+ days before they are due. I will type out rough drafts and then have the rest of the week to proof read and edit. By doing this I produce better content because I do not have the stress of a deadline looming over me and make sure that I will finish the assignment before it is due. I also make sure that whenever I am working on an assignment in this class, or any subject for that matter, that I focus on the task at hand with a tenacious spirit. By using time management and focusing on the task at hand I have been able to keep up with the requirements of this course.
2) Sure, there have been moments when working on assignments for this class that I have wanted to give up. What helped me pull through is taking breaks and working on something else for a little while. Many times when doing this it would allow my brain to wander and subconsciously answer a question that I was stuck on. When working on a project or job you must have a tenacious attitude and never be willing to give up. However, this does not mean that you must continuously work on something until it is done. It is perfectly fine to take breaks and accomplish other tasks or rest. Coming back to a problem with a fresh viewpoint can lead to the solution many times.
3)

• Show a commitment to time management.
• These assignments are not extremely difficult however they require a lot of thought and preparation to do. Consistently starting the assignments early each week and working on them throughout the week will put you on the path to success in this class.
• Having a tenacious spirit when approaching the class and assignments.
• Entrepreneurship is about identifying problems and attempting to solve them. You must have a tenacious approach to this and persistently try to find solutions to things as well as trying to identify problems. 
• Being engaged when studying and reviewing the materials.
• Oftentimes, we will read things yet not engage with them. It is important to engage with the material and really give it deep thought. Doing this will also help develop the tenacious mindset and constantly viewing things with the fervor and tenacity that is necessary. 

I included this image because it reminds me of the legend of Sisyphus which represents the tenacity that is necessary each day in order to become successful. Sisyphus was punished by Hades and forced to push a rock up a hill each day just to have it roll back to the bottom every night. Sisyphus displayed persistence and tenacity by completing his role even if he never made progress. 

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Reading Reflection No. 1

1) I read Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc. 

• I was surprised by how many times Ray Kroc experienced adversity and fought through it. Throughout all of his adversities he was constantly trying to learn and find new opportunities. It was surprising that he never gave up or showed doubt that his career would work. He was relentless and never lost faith in himself and his abilities despite continuous struggles. 
• I admired his drive and passion for working constantly to be as successful as possible. He worked hard his entire life and was eventually rewarded. His tenacity and constant ability to learn and adapt to become successful in the end. He is a truly remarkable entrepreneur to study and learn from.
• Ray Kroc had an amazing business sense and it is what allowed him to become so successful. However, he used his business sense in every aspect of his life which led to him hurting the people closest to him. His relentless drive to succeed hurt his first marriage and led to a divorce. He also did not hesitate to take advantage of other people in order for him to gain power. He took advantage of Mac and Dick McDonald who founded the original McDonald’s. He eventually bought them out of the company and reneged on a handshake deal to give them 0.5% of royalties which was evaluated at $305 million in 2012. 
• Kroc encountered many adversities throughout his life. He was a door to door salesman for 17 years of his life before he became involved with McDonald’s. Kroc had to hang in even when sales were down and this allowed him to view adverse situations as mere roadblocks on the pathway to success. Experiencing failure over and over again is what gave Ray Kroc the resolve to work as hard as he needed to in order to be successful. 

2) Ray Kroc was an extremely hard-working man who believed that working hard and persistence would lead to success. His perseverance and relentlessness is what caused him to be successful rather than any innate talents or skills. Giving up was not something that Ray Kroc did or understood and it is what allowed him to power through the hardships he endured. Ray was also good in social situations and learning from his peers to imitate them and even improve upon what they taught him.

3)  One part of the reading that was confusing to me was when Ray Kroc started 18 franchises in his first year of business with McDonald’s yet he was barely making enough money to cover expenses. While 1.9% of the gross sales seems like a good deal, it isn’t so much when you realize that 15 cent hamburgers are being sold. While starting 18 franchises would seem like a large cash flow it was not, and Kroc had to adapt in order to stay afloat. By buying the real estate upon which the franchises were eventually built, Kroc was able to get a steady cash flow which allowed him to expand across the world.  

4)

(1) Do you regret having to sacrifice past relationships in your life in order to be successful?

• Getting a divorce as a result of working too hard on his career must have been difficult for him to live with. While his passion to be successful was his main drive, he certainly loved his wife and leaving her behind must have been a painful experience. 

(2) What would you say is the key to success?

• Ray Kroc was an extremely successful man and if I could ask him questions one of them would have to be what he thinks the key to success is. He worked hard his whole life and accomplished what everyone dreams of and I wonder what he attributes the success to.

5) Ray Kroc’s opinion of hard work would be waking up at dawn and working until you went to bed exhausted from a long day of fruitful labor. Ray put everything into his work and his persistence and dedication is what made him successful in the end. Because of this, Ray Kroc would put a high emphasis on hard work and work ethic. He was always thinking about work and would believe that one needs to be completely consumed with the job at hand in order to be considered hard work. 

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior Number 1

Segment: My segment is college students looking for information about careers and future job opportunities.

I interviewed three people who all agreed that my platform would meet an unmet need of theirs. They all said that a platform like Job-pedia would be extremely useful in researching jobs and careers for the future. Being able to have access to a database of careers seemed intriguing to all of the people I interviewed. From the three people I interviewed I gathered that this need did not occur at a certain time, place, or situation but rather whenever they were actively planning for their future jobs/careers. So this awareness of need does not necessarily arouse from a time or situation but instead from planning for the future. They told me that whenever they were planning for their future career that they did not have somewhere with all of the information they needed in one place.  In order to try and find a solution to their problems these interviewees would search Google, buy books on the topics, and ask guidance counselors in order to find out about their future career and necessary qualifications were. What I found from these interviews was that the awareness of the need occurred while thinking and planning for the future instead of being caused by a specific situation or time. When these people became aware of this need then they acted upon it by attempting to gather information on their own. They did this through Google, books, and guidance counselors but it became obvious that my platform, Job-pedia, would provide the solution to their needs that none of their methods could.

Conclusion

I think the segment I interviewed was very aware and represents the larger segment and their combined unmet needs. The segment would be open to a new platform which would meet their job and career needs. They are very aware of the need because people constantly think about their future and plan for their career. Because of this, people will constantly information search to learn about their careers and Job-pedia would be the perfect platform for these consumers to use.

Idea Napkin, Number 1

1) You.
My name is Sam. I am a third year business management major. I love sports, books, learning, and management. Skills that I have include being a great communicator, listener, and decision maker. My aspirations for my career are to take the skills and foundations in management that I have learned through college and apply them to a job/career in the professional field. However, I would also be interested in pursuing my revolutionary platform, Job-pedia, which would allow workers around the world to stay educated on their constantly evolving job fields. This platform would be a major part of my life if I pursued it but it would give me fulfillment in helping people stay up to date in our changing world.

2) What are you offering to customers?
My platform would offer users a one-stop place for all of the data relevant to their careers. Users could access details on the future of their career field and see how it is evolving and what skills they must develop in order to not be left behind. Users would have access to training courses online so that they may stay relevant in their workforce. The platform would also act as a learning place that serves as an encyclopedia of ever-evolving jobs and skill sets. That is what Job-pedia could be. It would allow users to keep up with the information gap and the constantly evolving job market in modern times.

3) Who are you offering it to?
The beautiful part of this platform is that the target consumers of this product will be millions of workers from various industries around the world. Not only the current workers but also anyone looking to start a job in a new field. Job-pedia would offer services useful to anyone working in today's modern world. The only demographic which would not have a use for Job-pedia would be people not working and not looking for work such as children and retired adults.

4) Why do they care?
People will care about this platform because people care about having a competitive advantage. Being a user of this platform would allow workers access to value information regarding their career field and how it is evolving. Knowledge is power and workers will be interested in a platform that can provide them with job opportunities and job security.

5) What are your core competencies?
The thing that sets us apart is that the idea for this platform is unique and would provide a service that no one else is providing. The platform would not be like anything else on the market because it would be a database of information on careers, training, and skills needed in today's job market. There has always been miscommunication between jobs and institutions (colleges) that are supposed to be preparing students to work at these jobs. This platform would solve that miscommunication and allow workers to see what their job entails which no one else is providing currently.

I believe that these elements do fit together well and show a product that could have a promising future. The idea of this business concept is great but the hardest part would be in designing the actual platform and making it user friendly. The concepts would need to be integrated into the user interface to provide efficient training/learning for any industry in the world. If done properly, the platform could reach a large audience by offering a service that no one else is.

Elevator Pitch

My name is Sam Redden and I am a student in Principles of Entrepreneurship. I am here today to talk about my platform, Job-pedia, that will be at the forefront of educating workers in constantly evolving job markets of the present and future. ~10 seconds

•        Technological globalization is changing the market place constantly and businesses must adapt. Technology is already disrupting existing jobs, and creating new jobs that never existed. Change is happening so rapidly that 65 percent of today’s grade school kids in the U.S. will end up at jobs that haven’t even been invented yet.~14 seconds
•        Learning on the job will never stop as technology and jobs continue to evolve. The skills gap in our workforce is actually an information gap. ~15 seconds
•       This provides an opportunity! There is currently a disconnect between education providers and employers. Let me get to the point. ~9 seconds.
• I want to solve this disconnect and improve the education of people so that they are relevant in transforming job markets. This will be done through my platform, Job-pedia, which will help workers across every industry in the modern world. ~12 seconds
•      This platform would be focused on allowing access to training and courses online, so that workers can be informed of skill updates while they work. By providing this service, my platform will allow the users to remain relevant in their workforce. ~13 seconds
•      The beautiful part about this platform is that the target consumers of this product will be millions of workers from different industries across the world. Imagine a learning place for workers that also serves as an Encyclopedia of ever-evolving jobs and skill sets. That is what Job-pedia could be. It would allow users to keep up with the information gap and the constantly evolving job market in modern times. ~27 seconds

·       Job-pedia, the Encyclopedia of Evolving Careers

·       Thank you.

Total: ~105 seconds