My Secret Sauce

My human capital:

1. I’m really, really funny (in person, at least). A genuine dry sense of humor is a really great characteristic to possess because they are few and far between, and it really helps me to connect with people who I would otherwise have no angle of approach with. It is a good way to draw people in and keep them engaged in conversation.

2. My passion for animals. I know I’ve probably doted on this too much, but I really do think its a trait that sets me apart in the market that I’m trying to weasel my way into. It’s always a great selling tactic to evoke that pathos in customers, and when anyone sees a seller that seems truly emotionally invested in their product, it instantly makes it more appealing. Like, if it has the ability to make them so passionate, it could have that same effect on you.

3. The extreme pressure I’m always putting on myself. Not to pat myself on the back, but I am fully aware that I’m a crazy hard worker. However, whatever I do never feels like “enough” to me, even if it is to everyone else, and therefore I’m constantly pushing myself harder and further to do better or be smarter or work harder — sometimes to my own detriment. Being I’m the only one putting that kind of pressure on myself, I'm the only one who can take it away, and I just don’t know how to do that.

4. My cynicism. This may seem like a weird trait to embellish or put on a pedestal but I really think a strong sense of pessimism is necessary in business. If you’re always looking for the positive in things, you can sometimes miss signs of change that could be in your future, and you won’t be prepared for them, which can cause big problems. It’s important to doubt certain things and coin certain opportunities as “too good to be true” because sometimes, a little skepticism can take you a long way in a world where others are constantly trying to dupe you.

5. My extroverted introvertedness. It’s definitely an interesting combination, but helpful — I know how to work people, but also am happy to be left alone all day to get work done, and can easily recharge with some good alone time. Plus, possessing both kinds of personality helps me a lot to read people more easily and get an idea of how outgoing or shy they are.

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The five people that know me best all described me as hard working and relentless when it comes to giving myself even the slightest bit of credit, which is definitely true. I’m hard on myself and rarely give myself a pat on the back for doing all the things I do. They also mentioned my ability to connect with people through humor. Mostly everything they said I had already assumed about myself, so its good to know I’m projecting exactly what I’m thinking. Consistency is key.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior #2

After conducting the three interviews to assess buyer behavior, I concluded that most consumers prefer products that are not only convenient to obtain, but also provided at a reasonably low price. It seems that, even when taking measures to protect the environments around them, boaters don’t want to spend any exorbitant amount on something to make their boats safer to marine life. They care, but not if it takes too much cash out of their pocket. Additionally, it seems that the ability to purchase products online appeals the most to buyers because it is not only convenient, but they can evaluate that product based on the customer reviews provided. 

I presented the people I interviewed with either my boat propeller sleeve, an entirely internal boat propeller that doesn’t protrude from the frame of the boat at all (the safest option), or a metal cage-like feature to put around their boat propeller (what mostly exists on the market now). My product was the cheapest, but because of the wide popularity of the caged protector — that does its own special damage on the ecosystem surrounding it — they were likely to be interested in that product as well. Still, the cheaper option appealed to them, and with the novelty of my idea, that is what won them over. While the internal motor would eradicate the issue entirely, it is extremely expensive to buy and maintain, so it was the least popular option by far. All of these propeller options could be found online, which was seen as an upside, as it was the easiest method to get the product from business to front door. 

I would use basic human understanding to assume that consumers deem a purchase worthy if it appears similar enough to its online presence and holds up in the activity it was purchased for. For example, if they ordered my product and it did exactly what it promised to do without falling apart, they would be happy with their decision to try it. However, if it started to disintegrate after the first use and proved to be a pain to get on/off the propeller to clean, they would most likely be dissatisfied.

I would say overall that consumers are happiest when cheap products do the same job that more expensive products along the same strain would do. People love to feel like they scored a bargain on an effective product, and the ease that online ordering has brought to the consumer market is an important factor when considering which products buyers will invest their money in.

Halfway Reflection

1. The behaviors I’ve utilized the most in being successful in this course are diligence, responsiveness, and organization. It’s important to be diligent about doing the assignments every week, as they are almost 100% of the grade weight in this course since there are no tests or finals (aside from the cupcakes). It’s also important to remember to do the peer reviews even though they carry over into the beginning of the next week. Responsiveness is enacted when completing peer reviews, as you need to write comments on other’s posts that both respond to what they wrote and tie into your own post and the assignment overall. Organization is also definitely key- if you don’t plan out at the beginning of the week when you’ll take care of your assignments for this course- you’ll most likely forget and not get the grade.

2. I felt like giving up the most when I came across the assignment where we had to come up with a vague business idea. Before I had the idea to use one that I came up with in the past, I was trying to think of something completely new, and had absolutely nothing. There was nothing inspiring me to create, and I think the idea I came up with was pretty underdeveloped and awful- so I’m glad I’ve since changed it. But, when trying to come up with that “new” idea, I just couldn’t for a while- and really wanted to throw in the towel. What kept me going was the fact that I need a good grade in the class and knowing that giving up simply wasn’t an option.

3. Three tips I’d give a student taking this next semester would be:

1. Pay attention to when the cupcakes are due! Being due on Monday at noon has really thrown me for a loop as we’re so used to things being due at 11:59pm. Make sure you put reminders in your phone to complete them BY NOON on Monday!

2. Let the assignments build on each other as you go. At the beginning of the class I didn’t really feel like I knew what I was doing, but as the assignments go on, a lot of the past ones can help with the current and future ones, and you can use the skills you learned after completing those older assignments to help you through the process of completing the new ones.

3. Make your posts enjoyable to read. It’s easy to become monotonous and just complete the assignment for the sake of the grade, but other students have to read and reply to what you write, and you don’t want to make it so boring that it’s almost impossible to get through reading your posts. You want people to be able to relate to what you came up with, so put your own personal flair into each passage you write.

I wasn't sure what type of photo to include in this post, so here's a very enjoyable picture of my dog, Chloe:

Reading Reflection No. 1

1. What surprised me the most was how relatable Mary Kay was- I wouldn’t have known without reading the book that she experienced such hardship and adversity so close to the launch of, and during the running of, her business. It made her seem more like a real person who has dealt with issues similar to us all, and made me appreciate her work ethic much more. I really admire the fact that she did not let any of the hardships that came her way stop her from achieving the goal she set up for herself. Even after having sick family members, and losing her husband, she just reached out further than before for support to continue working hard despite what was happening in her personal life. Mostly- the fact that she never lost sight of her goal. I really couldn’t say what I least admire about her.

2. I noticed that Mary Kay has many, many competencies that she uses in her every day life and business to get her through. She discusses knowing how to balance both work and family, and where and when to draw lines between the two. She is able to market her “woman who has it all” public personality as attainable to her customers, and also brings amazing advice to the table, such as giving off great one liners like “the only difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is extraordinary determination”. It really makes it seem like she has it all together and that makes her and her brand much easier to market.

3. A part of the reading that confused me was the overarching message that Mary Kay was an “incurable optimist”, and that only those type of people stand a chance of succeeding in life. I disagree with that, and believe that possessing even a small amount of pessimism is necessary to handle reality and truly appreciate the good things that do come. I think it is important to see negatives in certain things to really put an emphasis on the positives. Also, being life is never without struggle, it’s crucial to have the emotional intelligence to deal with those problems, and a lot of times, you can’t just “happy” away your issues.

4. I would ask Mary Kay what exactly inspired her to pursue a make-up business, as in, what part of her saw that as being an attainable goal. To me, I would shy away from that market due to the extreme complications that can arise with chemical engineering of cosmetics. I would also want to ask her if there is anything she would go back and change now that she has amassed such a huge success and following.

5. I think the entrepreneur sees hard work as the number one thing that predicts success, and therefore wouldn’t have gotten to where she is without it. I agree with her- in the line of work I want to pursue, if you don’t work hard, you’ll very quickly be beat out by competition and by those who are willing to work circles around you to climb the ladder.

Buyer Behavior Part 1

The segment I chose was people who know a lot about the issue of manatee protection and endangerment, as they would be able to provide me with the most insight into what the true needs of the effort are. I was actually able to meet with a researcher within UF’s Large Animal Aquatics department, who conducts research on manatees and their migration habits. She was able to provide me with a lot of helpful information regarding what dangers they put themselves in when unable to move out of the way of incoming boats, and how it affects them long-term. The other people I interviewed were an animal rights activist and a boat owner. They came at the issue from very different angles, obviously, but both seemed to care about the wellbeing of aquatic animals- just to different degrees. 

After this, I realized that when these individuals are looking for options to reduce their impact on aquatic ecosystems, they look for alternative ways to do the activities they are already used to doing, or for products that will make it easier to be kind to the environment without truly impacting their day to day doings. 

I think that the awareness is relatively out there in the boating community and that people know manatees and other large aquatic animals are being affected by our activities, but there haven’t been solutions marketed to them that seem to make it “easy enough” to care more. People are looking for quick, effortless ways to be more worldly and aware, and I think my product offers that more than others do.

Idea Napkin

1. I am a college student hoping to go into veterinary medicine. I have an ungodly amount of compassion and love for animals and therefore think it will serve me well in the field I want to go into. I am also extremely funny (at least, I think so) and I think that helps me a lot to make connections with those who can help me reach my goal, as I can be seen as more relatable. I think my business concept kind of reflects what I want to do and my love for all things animal related (it’s literally a product to help preserve marine species) and I think working in the field of vet med would be an amazing platform to sell this product.

2. I am offering to customers a product that will have little to no impact on their boating experiences while helping to save close-to or already endangered species from being put in harm’s way. 

3. I’m offering this product to the boating community, and/or anybody who participates in activities that exist out on the water. All of my customers have in common that they make an impact on the aquatic world that they exploit for these activities.

4. I would hope that those who use the water for their own personal gain would care a little about the species that live underneath, therefore, they would want to take measures to make sure they aren’t harming the aquatic ecosystem. It would most likely give them more peace of mind.

5. I think what I have that sets me apart is an idea that isn’t technology-based. It seems like the majority of innovations these days have something to do surrounding computers or tech, and that always creates a large gap and learning curve for those who may not use the product because they do not understand this. My product is just a tangible, non-digital thing that everyone can understand how to use.

I think these elements fit together in the sense that there isn’t a better field to go into, other than marketing, where I could reach the community of animal lovers. Those who care about the wellbeing of aquatic animals would then be able to spread the word to people who boat and do other water-related activities, and could come at it from an angle of compassion.

My napkin:

Elevator Pitch No. 1

I took a bit of a different approach to this assignment, and changed my "business idea" entirely (from what I've been talking about in previous assignments. I realized that a previous project I worked on, boat propeller sleeves to protect marine life, was a passion project, and that it deserves more attention than I gave it. Therefore, that idea is what I'm pitching.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who: People who may semi rely on food banks for resource support, but can still afford to buy their own groceries when banks run low on resources/those who do not rely on food pantries and can always afford to buy their own groceries.

What: The need may differ for those who are completely reliant on food banks to support themselves or their families, and for those who can financially support themselves when it comes to food sustainability.

Why: The underlying reason that divides the line between those entirely dependent on resource pantries and those that are not is socioeconomic standing and income status, or lack thereof.

After conducting my interviews, I learned that a lot of people who don't rely on banks/pantries as a source of food don't realize how many people in their community do, nor do they understand how pressing of an issue it is. I think this is why it is so important to spread awareness of this issue, as I think a big part of it is lack of education to the entire community.

Who is in: Those who are reliant on food banks to provide their families with groceries in times of need.	Who is not: Those who can financially support themselves enough to purchase their own groceries enough to feed their families.
What the need is: A basic resource that every human needs to survive: food. Down to the very bare definition.	What the need is not: Excess foods that are organic/expensive/unnecessary to sustain the human body.
Why the need exists: Many people in areas of low socioeconomic status do not have enough money to purchase food and other necessities, outside of those that are provided cheaper to them in food banks, to survive.	Alternative explanations: There are obviously large amounts of populations everywhere that don’t need to rely on these types of pantries to obtain food and other necessary items. Then, there are parts of every community that do.

My Proposition

A solution I came up with to solve this problem is the expansion of food bank drives/drop off locations so that more people can donate to the cause. As getting money from organizations isn’t necessarily the job of a business, this could be a public outreach and education service whose goal is to spread the word about food banks, how important they are to sustaining parts of the community, and how donating food or other provisions to these banks and pantries would make citizens local heroes. It is smart to start in schools, as young kids are very impressionable, and will grow up to be more compassionate and empathetic members of the community. My proposition is just a bigger organization who sees over all of the operations in schools and community centers when it comes to donations from the public. I think raising public awareness is always a great place to start when solving any problem.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

The opportunity I chose to pursue was the issue that food banks face when running out of supplies to provide the many people that rely on them in times of crisis, like when natural disasters strike, or governments shut down.

The who: Food banks in the United States that are non-federally funded (all of them)

The what: Food banks are unable to sustain themselves while providing provisions to large numbers of people in a very short time period, or in times of need.

The why: It is not feasible to obtain that much food at such a low cost that it will not put the food banks out of commission.

I believe that this problem may be solved by either the government or private organizations sanctioning larger portions of money for these types of banks.

Testing the who: Is the amount already allotted for this higher than I’m thinking?

Testing the what: How much food is considered “the bare minimum” to survive for a given family size, and how is that gauged?

Testing the why: Is there a way to obtain more food that we aren’t already doing?

After interviewing a select few, I came to the conclusion that there are large strides we can make in solving this issue, such as getting more private organizations to allocate more of their budgets towards keeping these pantries alive. Additionally, we could try to get some of the food banks in low-income areas with large populations federally subsidized. Some advocate to raise the minimum gross monthly income that qualifies individuals for food bank assistance, however, this seems like it would only cause more people who need food to go hungry. I learned during my research that food banks aren’t funded by the government at all, which I didn’t know before. They are all privately funded.