Venture Concept No. 1

In today’s society, we have evolved into the world of health and fitness. Now a days, many people follow on social media fitness fanatics and healthy food gurus. This transition of incorporating health and fitness into our every day lives is a positive turn out, especially due to the amount of financial costs the realm of healthcare, the government, and people in society have to pay and fund. Eating healthy and exercising consistently will help reduce that burden on the system of healthcare, but that is only if everyone contributed to keeping that promise to themselves. Lots of people who try and get into the routine often end up falling out of it. That is why my product Evos provides people with no excuses and a safe and organized way to keep their personal belongings at the gym or wherever they are practicing their healthy lifestyle. 

Evas is a 12 ounce water bottle that I have created. This water has a detachable bottom portion that is 3.75 inches long. In this detachable bottom, there is a mold that will be custom made for the phone the customer has and will also hold the individual’s credit cards, debit cards, keys, and ID’s. The water bottle will be able to hold 7 ounces of water and is quite aesthetically good looking. The water bottle is heavy, which is why I have a specific customer demographic. The water bottle can be used as a weight, since it will hold the material, the water, and their personal belongings. 

The purpose of the detachable bottom is to be able to remove it from the actual water part of the water bottle and place it in a secure place like a locker or safe, that way your belongings will remain in one place and do not distract you or inconvenience your work out. There have been some questions about people being able to identify the water bottle for having valuables and having them stolen, but the detachable bottom was a 4 digit code before anyone can have access to it AND also has a GPS location like Find My iPhone has for Apple products. The service will be able to notify and tell the person exactly where the water bottle is, so if there is someone who takes your valuables from you, you know where they are headed to. 

This water bottle was designed to fit and make the lives of gym goers more at ease and organized. I know I am one to misplace and lose things at the gym, such as my phone. I am also one to use a water bottle, and if I were to this water bottle, it would be a 2 in 1, since I always have my phone on me AND I always have a water bottle with me. The reason for the name Evas is the purpose of the water bottle. Evans means “one” in Greek. One for being two in one product. I know this product would improve the lives of many, such as organization and optimization of space and having your valuables in one place. 

If we are getting into specifics, I am targeting muscle heads who carry their protein shakes with them in their hands. I would consider a person as dedicated to their fitness somewhere around the age of 26-37. For women, it would be a little younger, from 24-34. I know this because I used to work in a facility where there would be older men and women working out around those ages. I also go to the gym a lot with people around these ages, and they are super passionate about their bodies, staying healthy and fit, and staying hydrated. I know with this product, their lives would be easier to handle and maintain their passions and goals. 

This product means a lot to me, because it is a solution to a careless act to one self; which is loosing valuables. If you pay a lot of money for a well made water bottle that is basically carrying your wallet, keys and phone… there is a very low percentage of misplacing or loosing this water bottle. Even if it does get misplaces, you know where to find it due to the app created like thinned My iPhone one, to retrieve your valuables. It also has the 4 digit code as an extra form of protection. So if your water bottle is misplaced, no one can have access to your belongings without knowing your code. 

So far, the only competitors would be the company Contigo, since they have a place to hold your phone, but ONLY your phone. Also the water bottle holds more water than Evas, but is not as aesthetically good looking as Evas is destined to be. It would be hard for customers to switch to my product, since people are not used to having all their valuables out in the open in one place out there like that. But the switch would be revolutionary and change the way people create ordinary water bottles. We need to get people into drinking more water and getting more physically active in order to have an over healthier population. My water bottle keeps people who already dedicated people to health, dedicated to health. People who are not as dedicated might get influenced and buy one and start to live the lives of fitness fanatics, and might be considered one by the time they consistently are seen at the gym and see improvements in the way they feel and their body. 

This water bottle sets mine apart from every other water bottle because it actually has a separate compartment made for person values. No other water bottle on the market has the separate entity. I have received great feedback from my fellow peers. The only suggestions I have gotten are about creating the actual model, which I have done, and having actual dimensions for the water bottle to be created and measured for. With all this feedback, I know Evas would be a new way of using a water bottle and advocating for healthy lifestyles. 

Amazon Whisperer

• Describe the revenue drivers you currently include in your business concept for this class. Revenue drivers are the different ways you make money.
  
  The way I would make money off my water bottle would be to sell it in certain stores that target my specific demographic of customers. These stores would be Sports Authority, Vitamin Shoppe, FootLocker, etc. I could even sell it at book stores on campus, which is where a lot of parents and students buy things to take home.  
• Describe what kind of product offering you believe should be next. What's the next thing your customers want?
  
  The next thing my customers would want, after my water bottle, would be a modification/upgrade in protein shakers. I always see committed people in the gym with their protein shaker and a water bottle because they are both used for different purposes.
• Describe how this "next" thing will enhance your existing product/service offering. Does it improve the user experience, does it increase customer switching costs, does it foster customer loyalty, etc.?
  
  My "next" thing would enhance the loyalty of the customers to my company's line. They know how well my water bottle is built and what type of conveniences it offers, so a modification in a protein shaker would enhance their experience at the gym, which is my target audience. 
• Go to Amazon and try to find a product that is similar to the one you want to offer next. Describe the product. Include a picture of the product.
  
  This is similar just because all the protein shakers on amazon used the generic metal ball to separate their protein thoroughly. This one does NOT use a metal ball, which I would modify because the metal ball does and bottle start to smell bad. 

• What are the customer reviews for the product? What, exactly, do customers not like about the product? What do they like about it?
  
  Two consistent flaws that customers rated about the product was "no airflow which makes drinking out of the small mouthpiece difficult" and the batteries are drained if you use the bottle often. They love how professional looking the bottle is and how it is geared for USE of professionals. 
• Describe what design/usability changes you'd make to the product.
  
  Changes I would make to this product is the change of battery life, straw size, and the blade to be easier to clean. There were some complaints of cleaning the blade and how it affected the taste of the protein after a couple of weeks. Overall, the design according to customers and experts is "professional" looking. 
• Describe why you think this product would make a good addition to your current product/service offering.
  
  This product would make a great addition to my current product because it goes a long with the theme of my first product, which is to stay healthy and live a healthy life style. Both these products are made for people to maintain their shape or get back into shape. This offers the best of both worlds for two different people with common goals; their health.
  
  

Week 11 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

What surprised me the most in this reading was the definition of strategy. I loved the way the author of this article stated it and said that it was a "commitment of behaviors and policies that one chooses and plans to abide. Some people in this day in age, do not know the true definition of what a strategy is. Pisano describes it perfectly.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I understood everything in this article. Well written and lots of pictures and timelines helped!

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

The first question I would the author is what are good steps to creating and building a strategy? The second one would be, what advice who he give to someone who has fallen off track of their strategy and commitments?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

For this article, Pisano stated both views and shared evidence against claims. I do not disagree with any of his points.

Growing My Social Capital

1) Who they are and what their background is.

My business is the world of fitness. I interviewed one of my good friends Devin Goodkin, who recently earned a certification in Fitness Training. He is a huge advocate for weight lifting, eating healthy, and living a healthy life style. My product and him go hand in hand, where he can sue my water bottle for this personal belongings at the gym, and still live his passion through weight lifting as well. 

The second person I interviewed was my other good friend Kenzie Conol. She is another gym fanatic and goes to UF with me. She is currently taking classes in health and nutrition. 

The third person I interviewed coincidentally was Kenzie's sister, Savannah Conol. Savannah actually works for a protein company and of course, enjoys the gym just like her sister does.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

Devin is an expert on the market, since he not only is taking classes in health education, but also trains people at the gym and on their diet. He also is a huge water bottle and protein user. So he would definitely use my water bottle, since it keeps everything together and can also be used as a weight. 

Kenzie is a domain expert, since she values the gym so highly and is someone who is strongly engaged in the activity of fitness and.. using water bottles and protein shakes. 

Savannah is my supplier of the industry, since her company also distributes water bottles, protein shakes, and is well known in the state of Florida. Her company is called Lenny and Larry's! 

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I actually first met Devin at the gym back at home. At the gym, he really helped everyone with weights and how to properly do certain exercises correctly, without too much strain on joints and muscles. I stay in contact with him since he is a really good friend of mine and we both like to workout together. 

I met Kenzie during my freshman year of college and I met her sister recently. 

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

Devin spoke to his gym junkies at his university in St. Louis and got a lot of friends interested in my product. The return expectation is just to get Devin's name out there as a certified trainer. 

There was no favor to return to Savannah and Kenzie. 

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Keeping Devin in my network, keeps future customers close and in reach, since Devin is a good friend of mine and is strongly dedicated and passionate for fitness. He also keeps friends with similar interests very close to him as well. 

Keeping both Kenzie and Savannah in my network will keep my supplier and my future users of my product near me and on good terms. 

Reflect: This network experience was a personal one, only because I am a part of the fitness world as well, so my friends are also strongly connected. This experience differs from experiences in the past because this field is something I created and chose, while other experiences of interviewing were assignments I had to complete. 

Week 10 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

The most shocking thing that I encountered during this reading was all the financial explaining and documents entrepreneurs had to not only understand, but explain and figure out. Before, I would have thought that entrepreneurs in this department just hired someone to do the financial work for them. But, in actuality it does make sense for entrepreneurs to do their own financial statements as mentioned in the chapter because they have to understand everything that incorporates their business. 

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

To this day, it is still confusing to me about what exactly the liability of accounts payable is. I know that the goods are purchased on credit, but I still do not udnerstand what the 30 day net means. 

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

The first question I would ask the author is if he has ever met any entrepreneurs that do not do their own financial recordings? And if so, does Kuratko think they are just as successful as someone who is responsible for their own financial records? I want to know if there is an advantage or disadvantage to doing your own financial statements.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I do not disagree with anything in this chapter because in this chapter there was a lot of information given, especially on financial methods and accounting terms, which I am not as knowledgable as someone who is studying accounting. 

Elevator Pitch No. 3

1. Here is my 3rd Pitch on my product!

https://youtu.be/lRclXVREoo4

2. Feedback from classmates: I received a lot of positive reinforcement from my peers. Especially on how I started my videos with questions and tried to make them entertaining. I think everyone can relate to humor, and I am glad I have that ability and incorporate that in my pitch.

3. I changed the background and this time wore work out clothes! In the other videos I was wearing my regular clothes for school that day. No one ever commented on my outfit, but I decided to go with the scene of my product.

My Secret Sauce

1) Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique. What is it about you, exactly, that makes you different? Write this up in a detailed list. 

I believe what sets myself apart from others is my determination and my loyalty to my decisions, friends, family, organizations, and most importantly myself. What I believe in, is what I reflect. I believe in making things happen, not just spitting out ideas. I am the person that executes events and lives at the library studying for my classes. Without my inner determination, I would not be the successful, happy person that has the most special friend group. You can see I am a loyal person as well, because of the trust my friends, family, co workers, and past bosses have in me would speak for itself. 

The third quality that makes me different is how caring I am for everything I believe in. When I see my friends throw a water bottle on the street, I tell them that is not right. Pick it up and throw it away in a trash bin/recycling bin. That no matter what my friends do, I have to stand up for what I believe in and educate them.

My fourth and last quality would be my connections and how I am a great influence on people. My friends who work at a news paper station in Gainesville always come to me to find people in different majors and colleges. I always provide them with great connections because I have lots of friends in different areas. I am in a sorority, I am in Student Government, I am involved in lots of organizations on campus, and know a lot of people around the world. Last is my influence. Its not that I get people to do what I want, which is a horrible thing to do, but I know how to teach, educate, and get people to understand certain issues and stories that they can not seem to grasp. 

These 5 qualities are what make me different.

2) Interview the five people who know you the best. Ask them what they think makes you different -- remember, focus on your knowledge, skills, abilities, emotions -- in other words, your human capital. Try to stay away from discussing your other types of capital (such as who you know). Record each interview. In your blog post, please post each interview, as well as a two-three sentence summary of each interview, explaining what your key takeaways are.

1. https://youtu.be/9gXPzrKU4ao
My very close friend Yaima. Known her for 6 years.

2. https://youtu.be/qg4riWxTFQI
My best friend who I only met last year at UF, Thomas.
3.https://youtu.be/JslfwAXJVXg
My friend Miguel. Met him last year at UF.
4. https://youtu.be/WkPsHeOUiUc
My first friend Olivia in my sorority.
5. https://youtu.be/izpSLLyG9ko
My big Bianca!!!

3) Reflect on the differences. How do you see yourself, and how do others see you? Are there differences in how you assess yourself compared to others? What do you think causes these differences? Do you think your interviewees are correct about you? Finally, going back to your list from part 1, would you make any corrections to the list? How? 

The way I see myself, is similar to what my friends say about me and I am content. My interviewees are correct about how they view me. I am caring, I love to volunteer, and I love to stand up for what I believe in. 

I would not make any corrections, I stand by what I say because it is all very similar of what my friends said about me. 

Week 9 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

The biggest surprise in this reading for me was how important social media is for marketing companies. It all seems very simple, but this tactic can make it or break it for a company and in this chapter, Kuratko makes that clear by listening what a marketer has to incorporate in his idea. 

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

In this chapter, nothing was confusing to me because it was all about social media and I am a very tech savy person. I understood everything very well. Mostly because most of my friends are marketing majors and have explained all of their topics discussed in class. 

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

The first question I would ask the author is when was a time he had to come up with a marketing idea for anything? I want to see what approach he took and what his idea was. The second question would be what is his favorite type of marketing tactic? Just curious!

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How? 

I agree with everything the author wrote about in this chapter. He is write about how entrepreneurs should price their idea, service, etc and the information and advice he speaks about is something I would follow. 

Idea Napkin No. 2

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?

Well, incorporating my business of my water bottle that holds your valuables, I think this would help my skills of being organized and not loosing my personal valuables. My aspirations are is to be a healthy person (physically and diet wise). My water bottle would help me in doing so as a constant reminder of drinking plenty of water and going to the gym daily.

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

To customers, I am offering a motivational piece that also serves as a container for water and their personal values such as their phone, credit cards, keys, and ID's. The product is the water bottle that has a removable mold that fits their phone and has space for their valuables. 

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 this product to students who go to the gym often, ages 18-24. Students can be undergrad and graduate. This will most probably be males and females who share the same aspirations of body building. They all care about having everything with them at the gym.

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 care about this problem because I know how it is to lose cell phones, ear phones, water bottles, and money at the gym and have it lost forever. This water bottle has a removable bottom and can be safely put in a locker, but the other half is your water bottle. The water bottle also acts as a weight. Two in one!

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

Water bottles now a days do not have a removable mold that can contain your phone, credit cards, ID's, and keys. Also, this water bottle is a weight, and not all water bottle are that heavy to be considered that heavy. 

From all these 5 points, I think the main thing that ties everything together is the fact that everything is in one place and has to be valued, because all the person's valuables are in the container. These aspects are not weaker joints, and not out-siders, but just components into a product that make it what it is and attracts customers. 

The feedback I received was to show a picture of my model, which I do have and created on a program called AutoCAD (engineering/architecture program). The water bottle looks aesthetically in the image as a voss water bottle, but is made out of stainless steel. The removable bottom is a mold, that would be chosen under what phone the person has. So they would chose a water bottle with a mold for an iPhone5, not an iPhone6, because the 6 is bigger than the iPhone5.