Week 15 Reading Reflection

This article discussed the idea of micro-finance, specifically micro-finance in relation to women in India. The biggest surprise to me while reading this article was the concept of micro-finance as a whole. I was not aware that this was a thing, and hearing of this one businesses experiences when trying to supply loans to the impoverished in Nizamabad. If I could ask the author two questions they would be:

1. How did you get into the business of micro-finance? 
2. Did the issues in Nizamabad, specifically the fatwa, deter you from this business in anyway, or did it further support your reason to be in the business?

I would ask these two questions because I am unfamiliar with the field and these were the first questions I had when reading this article. This article did not leave much to disagree with and I am not well read on the concept, so I did not see anything that I thought the author was wrong about. 

Final Reflection

1) In reading through all my blog posts for this class i realized that my highs were things that required only written blogs. my lows were definitely anything that required me to interview people or record videos. I enjoyed writing comments because I got to see other people business concepts. My favorite posts to write were any ones that had us take about our concept. 

2) My most formative experience was the series of interviews we had to do at the beginning of the class. This is because it forced me to step out of my comfort zone. This aspect of the class has been the most useful because a career in business will force me to step out of my comfort zone eventually.

3) I definitely see myself as more of an entrepreneur now that i have finished this class. I have learned what it takes to start a business, and the obstacles you face trying to do so. 

4) I would definitely tell future students to do every assignment they can. It is easy to slack but it will definitely affect your grade, and it will effect what you get from the course overall. In order to foster this mindset you have to develop a business concept that you would actually want to pursue. 

Elevator Pitch No. 4

1) The pitch 

2) A reflection on the feedback 
In reading the feedback I received on my past blog posts, I have found a few common comments and found ways to clarify my concept in my responses above. The common comments include: "a service like this already exists in Gainesville", "this seems like it would be expensive", and "people do not eat healthy due to its cost". All of these are valid points. Delivery services like this do exist, but they tend to have slower delivery times, be expensive, and unhealthy. I have not found one that doesn't have a minimum amount for deliveries which is another constraint for my target audience. Honestly, all of these points only further prove my business concept. I have constructed my business plan to account for the reasons why people do not necessarily eat healthy now, and the solution is in fact my service.

3) What did you change, based on the feedback?

I did not make changes so much as I clarified my business idea. I made sure to address any concerns in my venture concept and idea napkin posts. 

Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity

I have identified an opportunity to bring affordable and healthy food to those who have the most need for it, busy young adults. More specifically, my business is meeting the unmet needs of college students in the local area of Gainesville. Focusing on one's health is such a big trend in today’s society. Juice cleanses, subscriptions to specified meal plans, and other health food trends are extremely popular ways to maintain ones health and manage weight. However, these plans all have one thing in common, their price. The price to be thin and healthy in today’s society tends to be on the high side. This high price makes these forms of healthy eating inaccessible to most college students who are on a tight budget. My target demographic is young adults, specifically college students, who do not have a lot of time or means to eat well. This demographic usually opts for quick options rather than healthy options, so I have begun to formulate a business concept to account for these unmet needs. I have determined, through a series of interviews, that my target demographic would be more than willing to use my service. The demographics loyalty to their current fixes is not so strong that they would not be willing to try my service at least once. My window of opportunity for this business does not appear to have a set time frame; people will always want quick, healthy, and affordable meals. The location of this business would begin in Gainesville solely, but this could change in the future according to the success of the business and the overall desire of potential clients. 

Innovation

My service would provide an extremely inexpensive and fast delivery of healthy/home cooked snacks and meals. Although this sounds like some services already provided in Gainesville, I have constructed this business to meet my personal unmet needs as well as the unmet needs of the people I have interviewed. Customers would pay money for my service because for the most part they have a desire to eat healthy and get food quickly, but they also have constraints like money, transportation, and time. My service would accommodate these needs leaving no reason not to utilize it. We would have a menu that includes snacks, drinks, full meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner between outlined hours), and healthy desserts. The snacks and drinks would include things like smoothies, juices, flavor infused waters, cut up fruits and veggies, healthy chips (i.e. kale chips, sweet potato chips, yucca chips), trail mixes and various yogurts. The meals would include a core set of meals along with a rotating specials menu to mix things up for repeat customers. The meal and dessert menu would also include items that accommodate certain food restrictions like lactose and gluten intolerance, vegetarian options, and vegan options. Although there are delivery services in place in Gainesville, what sets me apart is my variety of quality, healthy food options, as well as the quick and inexpensive delivery. One thing I have that nobody else has is the lack of a price minimum for deliveries.  This is something I have personally run into when ordering from delivery services; why can't I simply order a yogurt and a drink without purchasing and entire meal? The main focus for this business is providing inexpensive healthy options. The prices of snacks, drinks, and desserts would all be under five dollars and the prices of meals would be under ten dollars. One might look at this and say sure this is possible if the portions are small, but our meals and snacks would be adjusted to meet the recommended serving sizes. Another important aspect of my business concept is the focus on employing college-aged students with the inclusion of flexible work hours. In reading the feedback I received on my first idea napkin, I have found a few common comments and found ways to clarify my concept in my responses above. The common comments include: "a service like this already exists in Gainesville", "this seems like it would be expensive", and "people do not eat healthy due to its cost". All of these are valid points. Delivery services like this do exist, but they tend to have slower delivery times, be expensive, and unhealthy. I have not found one that doesn't have a minimum amount for deliveries which is another constraint for my target audience. Honestly, all of these points only further prove my business concept. I have constructed my business plan to account for the reasons why people do not necessarily eat healthy now, and the solution is in fact my service.

Venture Concept

• Reasons customers would utilize my service:
• Young adults have an overall desire to eat well
• College students tend to be on a tight food budget
• Some young adults do not have access to cars or forms of transportation
• Competitors
• The various delivery services in Gainesville (i.e. Gainesville 2 go, 352 delivery, 2 dollar delivery, and Jimmy Johns)
• The competitors supply a similar service to mine, but their services are not meeting all the needs of the target demographic. This is where my business venture comes into play. 
• The role of packaging, price, locations, etc.
• packaging definitely plays a big role because people love things that look cool, and logos and packaging that make artsy instagrams and photographs in general. This is a big part of marketing to my target demographic
• price is a big part of my business so this plays a rather large role in my concept and the unmet need of my target demographic
• thus far my location would be less important because it is meant mainly as a delivery service. However, this could change to adapt to the ever-changing needs of my clientele base. 
• Businesses ability to adapt to changing needs:
• this is an important aspect of my business concept because I need to be able to accommodate new food based needs such as intolerances and diet trends. 
• I would also need my business to have the ability to change location wise based on number of employees and orders each day.

Feedback

In reading through the comments on my first venture concept I noted how people really seemed to like my idea and they made a point of noting how the competition for this market is slim to none. Although this was nice to hear it did not lend much in terms of constructive criticism. However, some feedback I received through other posts helped me anticipate and acknowledge, in my venture concept, questions people may have had about the feasibility of my business as a whole. I completely get where these comments came from because if produce and eating well was this simple wouldn't everyone already be doing it already? This question was the most common by far, and I made sure to address it through out my updated venture concept (See "Innovation"). 

Week 14 Reading Reflection

Chapter three discussed the mind-set of entrepreneurs in organizations. The biggest surprise to me, while reading this chapter was the idea that two types of innovation exist. More specifically radical innovation and incremental innovation. Chapter four discussed social entrepreneurship and the global environment for entrepreneurship. The biggest surprise to me, while reading this chapter was the part about the many ways to enter the international market. I was not so much surprised as I was intrigued by this section because I was not aware of the many paths one could take. If I could ask the author two questions they would be:

1. Do the two types of innovation imply that their are two types of innovators? If so which type would you consider yourself? 
2. Do you have personal experience with entering the international market? If so which method did you utilize?

I would ask these two questions because they were the questions I asked myself when reading the two chapters. These chapters did not leave much to disagree with, so I did not see anything that I thought the author was wrong about. 

Google Gold

1) A discussion of your general approach and strategy to search engine optimiation (SEO). What were some of the activities you did for each blog post to pursue SEO? 

In writing my blog posts I did not really consider what specifics things I should do and say to ensure it got views. However, I do try to include they words used in each question or prompt in order to ensure the clarity of the purpose of my post. Including a specific title is another way i have pursued search engine optimization or SEO.

2) What were your keywords. How did you select those keywords? Did you change or refine your keywords through the semester?

My key words include anything stated in the prompt as well as any terms that are important to my business and its market. So for this one my key words include things like "Google Gold", "search engine optimization", and "SEO".

3) How did you use social media to enhance your SEO efforts? What your your surprises or general impression of using social media to improve your blog's profile? Was social media generally receptive of your blog, or did it get ignored?

I honestly have not promoted my blog through social media in any way. However, if I were to pursue my business venture I would definitely utilize social media to promote both my blog an my business as a whole. 

4) What was your most "viral" post? In other words, which post obtained the most traffic? Why do you think?

My "Idea Napkin #2" post got the most views overall. I'm not too sure why this is, but it could be because this post clearly outlines my business venture which is the whole point of my blog. 

5) Finally, did you make it to the first page of Google results for your keywords? If not, what page of results did you make it to?

I did not make it to the first page, in fact I was not even in the top five pages. I kept looking for another five or so pages and still did not come across my blog post so I eventually gave up. I suppose I should reconsider my key words! 

Week 13 Reading Reflection

This chapter discussed the valuation of an entrepreneurial venture. More specifically how to determine how to value a venture to purchase or sell. The biggest surprise to me, while reading this chapter was that thought process that goes into the buying and selling of a business. If I could ask the author two questions the would be:

1. Do you have personal experience with buying or selling a business?
2. If so which method did you implement to determine the valuation of the business?

I would ask these two questions because it is easier to understand concepts like this when you can read a real life example. This chapter did not leave much to disagree with, so I did not see anything that I thought the author was wrong about. 

Celebrating Failure

One time that I have failed this semester was on my first calculus exam. I did not actually fail, but I could have done a lot better if I would have just dedicated the time necessary to study. This failure gave me the opportunity to learn a better study technique, and I have done increasing better on the exams since.

Failure is one of those things that everyone goes through, but no one has the same outlook on it. For some people failure makes them stronger, but for others it is debilitating. Failure comes in many different forms and in varying degrees of severity, but it forces you to reflect on why it happened and how to change it in the future. Personally I view failure as a chance to learn from a mistake. Now this is not to say I handle it well, but I have learned to move past my failures in order to succeed in the future. My perspective on failure has not been to changed by this class, but this class has allowed to me to consider different types of failure. I am a little more likely to take risks, however, because I have come to realize that some of the best things come out of a little risk.

My Exit Strategy

1) Although I really do like my business concept, it is not necessarily what I plan on doing for the rest of my working life. I do think that this is a great way to address a need I identified so I would like to see this business live on after my departure. Ideally I would only sell part of my business, once it reaches peak success, to a current employee or dedicated customer who would maintain the integrity of the business concept and its overall mission. I would like to maintain partial ownership in order to continue to have a say in its future.

2) I really do think that there is an unmet need in our community and possibly other college based communities like Gainesville. I chose this particular strategy because it would not get rid of this potentially successful service, it would merely be the way I transition out of it. I also think that by potentially selling the business and keeping a partial ownership would allow me to make sure the integrity is maintained.  

3) My exit strategy has not affected how I developed my business concept because I went into it thinking longterm not how to make it successful until I leave. In fact, my exit strategy is not even to fully exit, just to remove myself as the main decision maker. 

Week 12 Reading Reflection

This chapter discussed the idea of strategic planning and growth. It details the numerous benefits to strategic planning, as well as, the challenges that arise when managing entrepreneurial growth. The biggest surprise to me, while reading this chapter, was how a lot of strategic planning seems to be common sense but unless you actually plan you can miss some very important steps. If I could ask the author two questions the would be:

1. What are the best ways to approach strategic planning?
2. Do you have personal experience with the a business that has used strategic planning and or a business that has not?

I would ask these two questions because they are things that I thought about in reading this chapter. This chapter did not leave much to disagree with, so I did not see anything that I thought the author was wrong about. 

Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity

I have identified an opportunity to bring affordable and healthy food to those who have the most need for it, busy young adults. More specifically, my business is meeting the unmet needs of college students in the local area of Gainesville. Focusing on one's health is such a big trend in today’s society. Juice cleanses, subscriptions to specified meal plans, and other health food trends are extremely popular ways to maintain ones health and manage weight. However, these plans all have one thing in common, their price. The price to be thin and healthy in today’s society tends to be on the high side. This high price makes these forms of healthy eating inaccessible to most college students who are on a tight budget. My target demographic is young adults, specifically college students, who do not have a lot of time or means to eat well. This demographic usually opts for quick options rather than healthy options, so I have begun to formulate a business concept to account for these unmet needs. I have determined, through a series of interviews, that my target demographic would be more than willing to use my service. The demographics loyalty to their current fixes is not so strong that they would not be willing to try my service at least once. My window of opportunity for this business does not appear to have a set time frame; people will always want quick, healthy, and affordable meals. The location of this business would begin in Gainesville solely, but this could change in the future according to the success of the business and the overall desire of potential clients. 

Innovation

My service would provide an extremely inexpensive and fast delivery of healthy/home cooked snacks and meals. Although this sounds like some services already provided in Gainesville, I have constructed this business to meet my personal unmet needs as well as the unmet needs of the people I have interviewed. Customers would pay money for my service because for the most part they have a desire to eat healthy and get food quickly, but they also have constraints like money, transportation, and time. My service would accommodate these needs leaving no reason not to utilize it. We would have a menu that includes snacks, drinks, full meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner between outlined hours), and healthy desserts. The snacks and drinks would include things like smoothies, juices, flavor infused waters, cut up fruits and veggies, healthy chips (i.e. kale chips, sweet potato chips, yucca chips), trail mixes and various yogurts. The meals would include a core set of meals along with a rotating specials menu to mix things up for repeat customers. The meal and dessert menu would also include items that accommodate certain food restrictions like lactose and gluten intolerance, vegetarian options, and vegan options. Although there are delivery services in place in Gainesville, what sets me apart is my variety of quality, healthy food options, as well as the quick and inexpensive delivery. One thing I have that nobody else has is the lack of a price minimum for deliveries.  This is something I have personally run into when ordering from delivery services; why can't I simply order a yogurt and a drink without purchasing and entire meal? The main focus for this business is providing inexpensive healthy options. The prices of snacks, drinks, and desserts would all be under five dollars and the prices of meals would be under ten dollars. One might look at this and say sure this is possible if the portions are small, but our meals and snacks would be adjusted to meet the recommended serving sizes. Another important aspect of my business concept is the focus on employing college-aged students with the inclusion of flexible work hours. In reading the feedback I received on my first idea napkin, I have found a few common comments and found ways to clarify my concept in my responses above. The common comments include: "a service like this already exists in Gainesville", "this seems like it would be expensive", and "people do not eat healthy due to its cost". All of these are valid points. Delivery services like this do exist, but they tend to have slower delivery times, be expensive, and unhealthy. I have not found one that doesn't have a minimum amount for deliveries which is another constraint for my target audience. Honestly, all of these points only further prove my business concept. I have constructed my business plan to account for the reasons why people do not necessarily eat healthy now, and the solution is in fact my service.

Venture Concept

• Reasons customers would utilize my service:
• Young adults have an overall desire to eat well
• College students tend to be on a tight food budget
• Some young adults do not have access to cars or forms of transportation
• Competitors
• The various delivery services in Gainesville (i.e. Gainesville 2 go, 352 delivery, 2 dollar delivery, and Jimmy Johns)
• The competitors supply a similar service to mine, but their services are not meeting all the needs of the target demographic. This is where my business venture comes into play. 
• The role of packaging, price, locations, etc.
• packaging definitely plays a big role because people love things that look cool, and logos and packaging that make artsy instagrams and photographs in general. This is a big part of marketing to my target demographic
• price is a big part of my business so this plays a rather large role in my concept and the unmet need of my target demographic
• thus far my location would be less important because it is meant mainly as a delivery service. However, this could change to adapt to the ever-changing needs of my clientele base. 
• Businesses ability to adapt to changing needs:
• this is an important aspect of my business concept because I need to be able to accommodate new food based needs such as intolerances and diet trends. 
• I would also need my business to have the ability to change location wise based on number of employees and orders each day.

Week 11 Reading Reflection

This article discussed the importance of having and innovation strategy and the difficulty that is maintaining innovation. The biggest surprise to me was how difficult it is to constantly enhance ones products and how detrimental this can be to a company. It also surprised me how many big companies have had issues with innovation. If I could ask the author two questions the would be:

1. How would to propose a company maintain their innovative power? 
2. Is innovation always the answer, or are there cases where the tried and true product is best?

I would ask these two questions because of how Pisano stresses the importance of innovation. I did not really see anything that I thought was "wrong" per se with what the author said. I think he did a good job explaining the importance of innovation and how a business must have an innovation strategy. 

Amazon Whisperer

• Revenue Drivers:
• inexpensive healthy snack/meal options
• fast delivery service of different food items 
• Next Product Offering:
• The next product that I could offer is a cookbook including some of our current recipes and many new ones. The recipes in this book would adhere to our mission of providing inexpensive and healthy meals. This cook book would also include a list of restaurants in the general and the local area that adhere to our mission. This list would be marked to show which eating restrictions they accommodate (i.e. gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, etc.)
• How this will enhance my current service:
• This cookbook will definitely appeal to those who do not want to constantly order food, but still want to eat healthy on a budget. When they use my service they will see how it is possible to eat well for very little money, and when I introduce my cookbook they will be able to continue this lifestyle at home. This would ideally foster customer loyalty because they would refer their friends to try the service then consider purchasing the cookbook.

• Similar Product - Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day:
• This product offers a ton of healthy recipes for those on a tight budget
• This cookbook is also relatively inexpensive ($10) which is important considering its for those on a budget. 
• 

• Customer Reviews:
• Pros
• "This cookbook is truly a book of inspirations and ideas, not hard and fast prescribed recipes. I have yet to find a recipe in here that my family, including my 2 year old, doesn't like. To make it all even better, this cookbook is dedicated to the low-income community and helping those with limited income learn to cook healthfully - and more importantly- enjoyably, without being preachy or condescending. For any copy you buy, one gets donated to someone who needs it. I bought 4 copies which I'm sending to my siblings and friends. Buy it- it's a great cookbook and a great cause." -Lisa
• This cookbooks recipes are enjoyed by all and it has a good message in the fact that it gives back to the less fortunate.
• This was the most descriptive and top rated 5 star review. The other positive reviews praised the way the healthy meals tasted and how cheap they were to make.
• Cons
• "The math just doesn't work. Not for people on SNAP. Not $4 a day per person. I have read the recipes, came up with meal plans and there are too many missing pieces. Besides the food deserts in poor communities where it is costly and hard to find veggies and fruit and homemade bread (which is costly) and a bunch of other ingredients it is just too expensive." -Karen Rachel
• The recipes are not actually as inexpensive as they are advertised
• This was the top rated critique, and after reading other critiques they all said basically the same thing. 
• Design/usability changes to the product:
• The cover is nice to look at so i would not really change the way it looks. However, one critique it got more than once was that it seemed that certain steps/ingredients were missing from the recipes, so I would definitely make sure to clarify the recipes.
• Why this product would make a good addition;
• This product promotes my businesses mission so it would make a good addition. My costomers would appreciate the way it accommodates those on strict budgets with the desire to eat well. 

My Unfair Advantage

1. Being part of the demographic 
-Being a part of the demographic that I'm targeting allows me to understand the needs of my audience better than someone not in the demographic.

 2. The employees would mainly consist of college students

-This is an important aspect of the company because providing jobs to my target demographic would allow for dedicated workers who would then be able to potentially utilize the service with the money they made. 

3. I have friends willing to assist me 

-This is a valuable resource because my friends would be able to spread the word about my business.

4. My involvement in organizations consisting of those in my target demographic

-I would be able to work with my organization to promote the use of my service at discounted prices when one uses a specific code

5. My university and sorority events

-Much like the one resource above this is a valuable one because I can gain exposure through discount codes that benefit certain fundraisers like DM or greek philanthropies 

6. My businesses ability to evolve easily to accommodate my users

-My business has the ability to adapt to changing health food trends which is a resource that most other businesses do not

7. My ability to handle criticism well

-Criticism is a huge part of starting a business, and my ability to handle it well and channel it into improving my business is a resource unique to me.

8. My business won't "break the bank" of the users 

-It has been noted that my concept could be costly, but that is actually one of the things that makes my company different it wouldn't. I would buy in bulk and be able to 

9. My car

-My car allows to me to get a start on my own without having to pay employees for deliveries at first.

10. My personal financial capital

-This is a valuable resource because I have a starting ground financially to get my business running. 

My top resource would be my connections to organizations that can promote my business (#4 & 5). 

Week 10 Reading Reflection

This chapter discussed the financial side to entrepreneurship. It talks about the different budgets you need to create and projections you need to achieve in order to have a viable business.The biggest surprise to me, while reading this chapter, was the sheer amount of financial planning that is required too start a business. If I could ask the author two questions the would be:

1. Do you think the break even analysis is a better decision making tool as apposed to the common methods of the payback period, the NPV method, or the IRR method?
2. If not which method do you think is the best? Why do you think it is the best method?

I would ask these two questions because the tool you use to project the feasibility of your business is an import factor in staring a business. I did not really see anything that I thought was "wrong" per se with what the author said because it was pretty factually based, and did not appear to be incorrect in my eyes. 

My Secret Sauce

1) At first glance I am no different than any other 20 year old. I was raised into a wonderful family with a comfortable living situation. I attended great schools, and I attend a well known university. However, the things that set me apart are my personal experiences, and the opportunities I have had throughout the years. Some of the things that set me apart are the fact that I attended an all girls high school. Although this does not seem too unique, this experience has given me certain opportunities and allowed me to grow in an empowering environment. Some others things that set me apart are my work ethic and dedication to finishing out things I have started. 

2) Interviews
Interview 1: "I think what makes you different, Grace, is your resilience.  You don't give up on things easily.  If you're going through a rough time, you don't give up on it.  You maintain your determination even if you appear to be panicking on the outside. You know how to focus and get things done when it's important regardless of your emotions. "

Interview 2: "What makes you different is your keen ability to break down problems at their source, and try to fix them directly."

Interview 3: "I think Grace is different because she is someone that I consider to be very genuine and caring. You could call her anytime and she'll be there for you. It's hard to find people like that and she's someone that will be my friend for life."

Interview 4: "Grace's main skill is that she is able to work well with others in the sense that she can formulate large, cohesive ideas from several different people. In a way she is able to take large amounts of information and create a clear message. 

Interview 5: "I think you're different because of your enthusiasm for the things you love. You bring creativity to everything you do and always try to make things beautiful. 

3) After hearing what others think of me I feel like I sometimes see things differently because there are things I do not tell my friends, no matter how close they are. That being said, my friends see the things that I either choose not to see or are completely unaware of. My friends consistently commented on my ability to solve problems or preserver despite setbacks, which was really nice to hear because I do not always feel like I have a handle on things. After completing the interviews I have definitely become aware of new things, but I would not change what I said in the first part.

Week 9 Reading Reflection

This chapter discussed the idea of re-envisioning old rules in order to better approach the current market. The biggest surprise to me, while reading this chapter, was the idea of guerrilla marketing. If I could ask the author two questions the would be:

1. Which is your preferred marketing tactic? 
2. In which situations would you suggest using each tactic?

I would ask these two questions because they are things that seem to affect how well your marketing works. I did not really see anything that I thought was "wrong" per se with what the author said. In fact I agree with the things he said and his evidence backing up his statements. 

Idea Napkin No. 2

1) You.

-My skills and experiences revolve around me being the age of those in the target demographic as well as understanding how to get people of my age enticed by something. In regard to my business idea, it would definitely play a role in how I appropriate my food money for the month. 

2) What are you offering to customers? 

- My service would provide extremely inexpensive and fast delivery of healthy/home cooked snacks and meals. Although this sounds like some services already provided in Gainesville, I have constructed this business to meet my personal unmet needs as well as those of the people I have interviewed. 

3) Who are you offering it to? 

-The demographic I am trying to reach range from college aged to young adult. The thing all of these consumers have in common are that they need to eat and they do not have a lot of time to spare.

4) Why do they care?

-Customers would pay money for my service because for the most part they have a desire to eat healthy and get food quickly, but they also have constraints like money, transportation, and time. My service would accommodate these needs leaving no reason not to utilize it. In addition, getting and staying healthy when you are busy proves very difficult when you factor in transportation, money, and time. people are always interested in a quick solution to be healthy and this would do exactly that. 

5) What are your core competencies? 

-Although there are delivery services in place in Gainesville, what sets me apart is my variety of quality, healthy food options, as well as the quick and inexpensive delivery. One thing I have that nobody else has is the lack of a price minimum for deliveries.  This is something I have personally run into when ordering from delivery services; why can't I simply order a yogurt and a drink without purchasing and entire meal?

I believe that my business concept is viable because of personal experience as well as from what I heard during my interviews. I don't think my concept is disjointed so I don't necessarily think there are weaker or stronger aspects of my concept. 

Feedback Memo:
In reading the feedback I received on my first idea napkin, I have found a few common comments and found ways to clarify my concept in my responses above. The common comments include: "a service like this already exists in Gainesville", "this seems like it would be expensive", and "people do not eat healthy due to its cost". All of these are valid points. Delivery services like this do exist, but they tend to be timely, expensive, and unhealthy. I have not found one that doesn't have a minimum amount for deliveries. Honestly, all of these points only further prove my business concept. I have constructed my business plan to account for the reasons why people do not necessarily eat healthy now, and the solution is in fact my service.

Week 8 Reading Reflection

I found this reading to be one of the most interesting thus far, mostly because at a glance the concepts discussed go right over my head. Upon further reading it actually clarified a few points, but I am still a tad confused on the different types of capital and their uses. If I were able to ask the author two questions they would be:

1. Can you further explain venture capital and why the venture capital market has grown?

2. Why has informal risk capital begun to play an important role in new-venture financing?

I would ask these questions because I still am a little lost on the concept. I did not disagree with anything the author said because I'm still a little lost. 

Half-way Reflection

Dear Future ENT3003 Students,

You may be taking this course as a requirement for your major or minor or maybe you thought this would be an easy bs class. Well I'm here to tell you that this class requires a fair bit of attention. You have to be organized and responsible in order to achieve success in this class. This class requires you to talk to and interview strangers which, for myself, is way outside of my comfort zone. However, if you are like me and are on the reserve side to will need to either step outside of your comfort zone, or weight the cost of not completing your assignment. These moments are the ones that have made me want to give up and not complete an assignment, but you just have to tell yourself that in the end its worth doing it in order to get he points. Three tips I have that will help you foster a tenacious mindset and skills are:
1. Always be polite when asking people for their feed back. The way you present yourself and your goal affects the way a person responds and their willingness to help.
2. Do not get discouraged just because certain things won't go your way.
3. Lastly, you should always find a way to believe what you are asking and saying. People can see your passion or lack there of when you are talking about something.

Sincerely,
Future You

Week 7 Reading Reflection

In this reading I found it surprising that marketing based on demographic was not necessarily how companies approached their technique. I thought the whole concept of non demographic segmentation a little confusing. I am a little lost as to how one would market if not to a specific demographic. If i were able to ask the Yankelovich two questions they would be:

1. Can you describe your thought process in believing in the success of non demographic segmentation?

2. If neither demographic segmentation nor nondemographic segmentation can accurate predict the market for a product, what do you propose is the best alternative?

I would ask these questions because I want the whole concept of demographic segmentation to be made more clear. I personally believe that demographic segmentation is a valid way to predict marketing trends, so on this front i would have to disagree with Yankelovich.

Week 6 Reading Reflection

The biggest surprise to me in this reading was how a simple model can be applied to a more complicated concept. There was not anything that really confused me in this reading. If I could ask Michael Porter two questions they would be:

1. Do you think the five competitive forces are always true? More specifically do you think they can always be applied to a situation?

2. After putting your five forces into practice did you find them to be as successful as you expected?

I did not find anything that I thought Porter was particularly incorrect about.

Customer Interviews No. 3

1) Before I give the person I am interviewing the notecard with my business concept on it, I will briefly go over what I have asked in the past interviews. I will also give them a brief idea of the answers I received to further support my business idea. Then after they read my notecard I will ask them how they reacted to the business concept. 

2)

3) From the interviews, I have learned whether or not my business will be successful and well received by my target demographic (young adults/college students) I was not particularly surprised by the results because there are not too many cons to a fast, healthy, and inexpensive food option. As a result of my interviews, I have gained a new perspective on the points of my business plan people made a point of saying they liked and the ones they simply thought were okay. 

Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You.

-My skills and experiences revolve around me being the age of those in the target demographic as well as understanding how to get people of my age enticed by something. 

2) What are you offering to customers? 

- I am offering an inexpensive delivery service that provides healthy options for young adults with busy schedules.

3) Who are you offering it to? 

-The demographic I am trying to reach range from college aged to young adult. The thing all of these consumers have in common are that they need to eat. 

4) Why do they care?

-Customers would pay money for my service because for the most part they have a desire to eat healthy and get food quickly, but they also have constraints like money, transportation, and time. My service would accommodate these needs leaving no reason not to utilize it. 

5) What are your core competencies? 

-What sets me apart is my variety of quality, healthy food options, as well as the quick order response time. 

I believe that my business concept is viable because of personal experience as well as from what I heard during my interviews. I don't think my concept is too disjointed so i don't necessarily think there are weaker or stronger aspects of my concept. 

Week 5 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? 

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

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

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

In reading chapter nine of our text book I was not necessarily surprised by anything, but I did find the parts about copywriting and patents to be very interesting. However, one part of the reading I found rather confusing was the part about LLLP, LLP, and LLCs. It was not so much what they were but differentiating the three. I do understand the differences discussed in the reading, but I still feel as if they are extremely similar. If I were able to ask the author two questions they would be:

   1. What are your thoughts on bankruptcy, specifically how it should be dealt with?
   2. Are you a patent holder? If so what was it for?
There was not anything i thought the author was really wrong about in this particular reading.