22A – Elevator Pitch No. 3

"Have you ever forgot about your keys, or wallet while walking out to your car? Have your kids ever whined that they can’t find their stuffed animal? The stuffed animal that they take everywhere with them. My name is Zac Hoeper and my idea is a hardware device that will allow you to never lose or forget about your keys, wallet, or personal belonging ever again. It works off a Bluetooth signal that identifies exactly where the object last was. It makes it easy for you to understand that you are about to forget about your belonging. The app that comes with the hardware will push notifications to your phone when you get too far from belongings. This will help in reminding you not to forget about it. It is for those people who always misplace their things. it is easily installable to all objects, it will have a hole for key chains, it is small and thin enough for wallets and lightweight enough to not weigh your personal belongings down. Other competitors have noises that let you know exactly where your hardware devices are but my idea it will just give you simple notification with a location that doesn’t disrupt or make inconvenience. My idea is the best way to bring back the things you love."

I changed some of the wording that felt lengthened my pitch and also gave it more depth. The comments on my last last pitch was all positive and so nothing really changed from that. Even though I still feel a little nervous while making these, I do feel more confident in speaking in this last pitch than the others.

https://youtu.be/0ps0EHuU4sw

23A – Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

1.       Coding experience

a.       Need it for operation of programs

b.       Not rare and inimitable

c.       Non-substitutable

2.       GIS experience

a.       Need it for operation of device

b.       Not Inimitable and not rare

c.       Non-substitutable

3.       Computer parts experience

a.       Need it for operation of device

b.       Not rare and not inimitable

c.       Non-substitutable

4.       Money for parts to prototype device

a.       Need it for starting point

b.       Not rare and not inimitable

c.       Substitute with loans or investments

5.       A college full of people to test prototype

a.       Will help with production of device

b.       Not rare or inimitable

c.       Substitute with other groups of people

6.       Professors who could help make the device

a.       Help fine tune the ideas and concept

b.       Not rare or inimitable

c.       Substitute with any higher educated people

7.       Opportunity for research grant from school

a.       Help fund making of device and labor

b.       Not rare or inimitable

c.       Non-substitutable since it is free money

8.       Engineering club that would help design / create

a.       Help with labor and ideas

b.       Not rare or imitable

c.       Substitutable for any engineering club

9.       Inventors I know can help

a.       Help with ideas and patenting

b.       Not rare or imitable

c.       Substitute with any inventor

10.   Friends and family that can invest

a.       Fund product

b.       Rare but not imitable

c.       Substitute with any money source

After conducting my VRIN analysis, I have determined that my coding experience is the most valuable and my top resource. It is my top resource because it is different for all coders depending on what coding languages they are familiar with and the style of coding they prefer.

21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users by Guy Kawasaki

The general theme or argument that the two authors make is that if you want to be a successful person in the day and age of social media then you need to follow their rules on making your content attractive enough for others to follow you and for them to want more of you.

The book connected with ENC 3003 by talking about what social media can do for someone's success in not only showcasing a product but also themselves. It also enhances the idea of new age ideas that come from being connected to people online and mass communication to an audience that listens to people they follow on social media.

An exercise I would create based off this book would be about how to start a successful and dominant social media profile. It would involve the major steps that are throughout the book on how to optimize your profile, how to make content for a wanting audience, how to respond to your followers' comments, and how to get more followers.

The biggest surprise I found while reading this book was the content curation section. So instead of creating your own content just go to a more popular or higher quality social media profile and then summarize their content.onto your page.

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

Me

I am a Geography major with a focus in Geographical Information Systems. I have skills in basic engineering and coding out into experience with a coding internship and building robots. My aspirations are to use GIS in correlation with hardware to make new opportunities in not only geography but in other areas as well. If I started this business, it would make a great introductory for me in the information systems and prepare me for other companies that deal with geographical technologies. 

What I am offering to customers

My product is a hardware device that is small enough to be on a key-chain, fit in a wallet or place in a belonging that reminds you where they last were and when you are about to leave them behind. This product will make it so no one will ever lose their keys or wallet again, with just having to look at their phone with the app that comes along with the hardware device. The app will show you the last place your keys or wallet was and send you a notification when leaving without either one.

Who am I offering this product to

The people who I am making this product for are the people who are forgetful or lazy about the management of their keys and wallet. These people don’t feel like keeping track of their things and would want an easier way to know where their belongings are at anytime they need to know.

Why they care

They care about my product because personal belongings especially keys and a wallet are things we need for everyday activities from driving, riding the bus, or paying for food. Most people who need their belongings are in a hurry and have to look for them in a rush before they leave their home and it causes people to be late.

Who are my core competencies

My main competitor would be the company tile who shares most of my idea; however, theirs does not notify you when you have gone away from your belongings reminding you to not forget them.

These five elements fit together with my background and future in coding hardware with this company that will make geographical readings that then interpreted for the user to know where their keys and wallet were last. People need this kind product because we are selling to humans who are forgetful and not perfect. This device helps in small aspect of finding lost things and notifies the user before they ever lose said items. The only weaker aspect of my company compared to tile is that I did not think of a community to help with lost and found because I was thinking of this as a more personal product.

Feedback Memo

I did not receive feedback on my original idea napkin post so I changed two things that I thought needed improvement. I first improved the "what I am offering" section by changing the wording of how it is designed. Secondly, I i made it more clear on why my customers care about my product in the "why they care" section.

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

I did not receive feedback on my first elevator pitch so I tried to make adjustments how I saw fit when trying to make it better. I used props to make it a little bit clearer on what my product would help solve. I tried to sway less while on camera since I noticed I tend to do that a lot when nervous.
https://youtu.be/pKtQanN6g1I

16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

Five Truly unique ways that makes me have human capitol

I have a very broad and wide knowledge of things in general

I am very reserved until I need to speak

I have a lot of experience with computers and coding

I am very good at almost any video game I play

I have watched way too many shows and movies

Interview 1

She thinks that I treat everyone fair even if I don’t know the person. She also believes that anyone we know that has technical issues asks me for help.

Interview 2

She thinks that I am intelligent individual who is open to learning new things to further myself. I am also very driven and have great determination when I decide I want to get something done.

Interview 3

He talks about how I am open to other critiques and opinions when given them. However, I am still confident in my own abilities to be great at what I am doing.

Interview 4

He says that I have a good background in many aspects of technology. That experience seems to help with my patience when trying to solve technological issues.

Interview 5

She makes the point that I have a level head when obstacles in my way. I also continue to work through any hardships that may hinder on what I am working on.

Differences

I see myself in more of the knowledge and skills aspects while others that I know see more of the emotions and abilities I have. The main difference between how I see myself than others is that I see less seriousness and others focus on my more serious qualities. I think that these differences are caused by me being more serious around others than I truly think I am and I believe these interviews are correct about me. I think I may change some of the less serious things like the movies and video games into a more serious quality of mine.

18A – Create a Customer Avatar

My customer avatar is a college male student who loves to go out at night to hangout with friends. My customer avatar’s hobbies would probably be video games, participating in their school club, going out with their friends, and watching Netflix. They would tend to drive either young adult styled car like a sports car like a mustang. With their car being neutral colors like black or blue. They do not have children. Their favorite book would be 1984 by George Orwell and their favorite politician is Bernie Sanders. They would feel as old as a college student or still feel like they are transitioning to college age.

I am a male student in college and I feel as if I am college age. All the hobbies I gave to my avatar are like the ones I have. I do not drive a mustang, I have a jeep, but it is colored blue like my customer avatar. I do not have children and my favorite book is Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. I do not have a favorite politician as right now the popular ones are too one sided on most issues. I feel as though these connections are not coincident since when I was coming up with my idea I was thinking of something that would better help me in my day to day life.

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

My segment is made up of people who are unorganized and forgetful with their belongings but can also understand a tracking app. The age to fit this would be young adults to middle aged people (18-50).

The three people I interviewed: 20-year-old male, 21-year-old female, 18-year-old male

All three interviewees talk about how the price is the most important aspect of alternatives to this type of product. However, the older people thought that buying the more expensive alternatives would be the best solution and the youngest would rather a cheaper product. For the 21-year-old and 20-year-old, quality was needed to buy an expensive alternative while the 19-year-old said they would only buy cheaper ones, so the quality didn’t need to be the best. 21-year-old and the 18-year-old were very keen on having the product look nice and a style they want since it will always be with them or something they will always have when out.

All three buys mostly online and have things shipped to them but if they find it is in stores will take the time to go get it locally. Most of them don’t carry cash and only the 20-year-old would pay for a moderately priced product with cash for security reasons.

When the 20 and 21-year-old interviewees try and buy products they first think if they need it. They then try to estimate whether the product will be worth the cost in how much the product will help their lives. The 18-year-old doesn’t really think that way, he only thinks about if he can afford the product and still buy other things he wanted while shopping. Once they buy products they say that if they use the product the intended amount of time or more then they feel as if the buy was a good idea. As well, they all said if they very rarely or never use the product then it was a bad idea to purchase that said product in the first place.

This segment would like a quality object and a slightly lower quality version for a cheaper but still have style so that when out in public it will look good for the person using it and my company for advertisement. Most will buy electronically online and want it shipped but if they see it in a store they would buy it. If they use the product the amount of times for the intended usage and it helps their quality of life, then they would feel it was a good idea to buy the said product.

14A – Halfway Reflection

The behaviors that I have had to use to keep up with the requirements of the class are perseverance, tenaciousness, and calmness. I have had to push through the assignments I did not feel ready or prepared to make with stopping and thinking about what I could answer right away and figure out while completing the assignment. I had to push my self to make interviews that I do not usually need to do for other classes nor was I comfortable questioning people on things about a fake product.

I felt like giving up when I had to come up with five different interviews for a product that I barely had a concept for and did not feel like having to receive almost an hour worth of material from interviews to then write about in a long a precise blog post. What pulled me through was knowing that even if I scored low on an assignment or two that I was still going to be able to achieve a reasonably well grade in the class. I feel as if it has become easier to do the assignments given from my tenaciousness that I have refined during the first half of this of this semester. These experiences of hardship are the contributors to my growth in tenacity while learning in this course.

These three tips will help future semester students hone in on their tenacity and help support that behavior throughout their semester in this course:

Look at assignments a week in advance to plan for what you need to do the following week

Once you have time to do these assignments, split them into easy sections to work with

Finally, look how others in your group have done their assignment and compare the quality of yours

http://www.keepcalmstudio.com/gallery/poster/kcs_246e6f9e