Whats Your Secret Sauce?

Five ways I think I have Human Capital:

1. Good Listener: I genuinely feel that when someone is talking to me, I am listening. I learned once that proper communication is not to think of what your going to say next, before you've listened carefully to what the other person has to say. I think this is fairly important when it comes to learning about people and successfully communicating ideas. 
2. Empathetic: I think I am very understanding of people's feelings and emotions, and can see things from their perspective, helping me figure out ways I could help them if help is needed.
3. Open Minded: I am fairly open-minded when it comes to doing things. I tend to just do go with whatever comes up and if it doesn't work out, i'll either learn from the mistake or move on.
4. Patient: I think I am very patient with all things in life. While I grew up with a want for instant gratification, I have since learned to be realistic, and that there is no reason to rush things and stress over not being on-time. This is also where I become a procrastinator, but with many things, it is better to keep a steady pace.
5. Honest: I am honest about who I am, and what I am thinking. I don't believe I would lie to gain success, and while this may be naive, I think it is important. This also ties to the idea that I am loyal, and respectful of those who I am working for and with.

Interviews: Interviews

Dad: In short my dad says I am honest and empathetic, hardworking, and intelligent. In terms of things I should improve he believes I am a little lazy at times and a procrastinator.

Grandpa: My grandpa just in general believes that I have a lot of potential, but that I have not used my full potential. He doesn't say it explicitly, but he also thinks I am lazy.

Hannah (Cousin): My cousin can agree that I am honest and patient, and thinks am am intelligent when it comes to certain things such as math. She also says, however, that I am a procrastinator.

Mom: My mom says some of the same things as my dad including that I am empathetic and kind, but she believes I am disrespectful sometimes(mostly a mom thing), and also a procrastinator.

Noah (Brother): My brother sometimes struggles to say nice things about a person, so he has mostly bad things to say including that I am lazy, unreliable, and simply an average person. He doesn't exactly think I am honest, but he can at least agree that I am patient. 

Reflection: These interviews were somewhat difficult to acquire because both my brother and cousin don't take me seriously and they are only helpful at revealing what I'm bad at. They did agree that I was patient and honest. My grandpa has always taught me that I have a lot of potential, which he says is an aspect of human capital. However I don't utilize my full potential according to him, and while I think this is partially true, I am also still figuring out what I'm doing with my life. My parents obviously know me the best, because they have raised me since I was born. They are generous with praise, but I think one thing all of the people who know me can agree on is that I procrastinate a lot.

Overall I think they are slightly correct, but that my family doesn't know me as well as I know myself, or I just come off as different than I see myself. I would not correct my original list because I believe it is accurate.

Elevator Pitch No.2

Elevator Pitch 2

Reflection of Feedback: The feedback I was given was very helpful. The biggest thing I realized I needed to add was a more detailed explanation of what exactly my product was and how it would work.
What I changed, based off feedback: In my original pitch, I didn't really make any good points on what exactly my product would do and how it would work. In this pitch, I tried to add in some minor details about the product, however without actually creating my product and showing it it is somewhat difficult. I thought of doing my pitch in a car to point out my ideas, but this would simply not be an elevator pitch to my knowledge. I also am wearing a different, not professional shirt, cause i couldn't find the only nice shirt I own.

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My product can be sold to a wide range of people, and there are no specific details about a person that limit whether or not they will buy it. For my specific example, I will describe the perfect scenario.

His name is James. He is 22 years old. He has been playing football since he was 3. He is six feet two inches tall, and weighs 190 pounds. He and his family live in Miami, Florida. He got accepted to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, with a full scholarship for his incredible talent at playing football. His family is well off, but they do not wish to pay over $200 dollars a month for him to fly down and visit. James lives with a good friend of his, Bill, who also came from Miami to North Carolina on a football scholarship. The share an apartment near the university. Sometimes the both get homesick, so they both have agreed on traveling down to Miami to visit their families once a month, but they have to travel by car. James' car, a Ford Focus, was deemed to be safer and more economical for them to drive together in. To make the long drive, they alternate. While James is driving, he is perfectly comfortable, but when Bill drives, James prefers to lie down in the back seat  so his back can rest. After playing football for so long, he tends to get sore when he is sitting for a long time. He is also a stickler for safety and so he tries to lie down while keeping his seat belt on, which is not comfortable at all. Most of the time while a passenger, James feels confined and the urge to just get up and run around. Lying down tends to help comfort this impulse. While he know he is only 22, he can feel his body getting older and so he also strives to keep it in good shape. He even read somewhere online of the harmful effects of sitting for too long, and so when he and Bill make this drive, it is constantly going through his mind. Overall James is just like anyone else. He is a person who doesn't enjoy being uncomfortable, and he has a desire for a solution.

What do I have In common with James? We are both college students who go to school away from home. We both travel home by car every once in a while, to see our families. We both have someone we know who we travel with. We both want to be as safe as possible when driving on the highway. We both prefer to lie down and are more comfortable doing so than sitting up.
The similarities are not a coincidence, because I designed James to be me, with very similar feelings and beliefs.. Except I don't and never will play football ever. Also I don't go to Duke, but I didn't want it to be too obvious.
This however, doesn't take away from the fact that the product I have an idea for, while it solves my own needs, can be used by many people with very different views towards the need to just lie down safety in a car.

Idea Napkin No.2

1. 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?

My name is Owen Melero. I am 20 years old and I am a student at UF currently working towards a Bachelors in Business Administration. My talents are limited, but I am good math, and figuring out solutions to problems. I am also good at thinking outside the box. My close family doesn't take me too seriously because I am not a very serious person and a I joke around a lot. I don't have much work experience at all, but I have created ideas for mobile apps and games that I am proud of. My aspirations are to be happy, healthy, and to make others happy. My lying down seat belt business, if I was to start it, would be the first idea I've had that I see through and also solve my personal need for such a seat belt.

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

This hasn't changed.The product is a backseat seat belt attachment, that will utilize the standard seat belt restraints on both sides, as well as the standard buckles. It will be two belts that come over the passengers body with padding for the head(almost like a pillow), as well as padding below to cover up the buckles underneath. Put simply, it is a car seat for adults, and adolescents, that will allow them to lie down in the backseat of a car comfortably, and safely. 

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?

Also hasn't changed. I am offering the product to anyone who is old enough to not be in a car seat, who mainly get around as a passenger of a vehicle, and who frequently make long trips in a car. People who find sitting too long uncomfortable, or who have medical issues that prevent long periods of sitting, or who just enjoy sleeping while on the road. It will appeal to children who don't like being in a standard seat belt, and parents who don't like their child being without a seat belt. All my customers are frequent passengers, who in one way or another prefer to lie down in a car, and who also care for their safety and would also adhere to road safety laws.

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.

My customers will pay money because the quality of life benefits will outweigh the price in their eyes. And if they don't see a need for my product, they wouldn't have been looking for it in the first place. The product will also be tested and approved by state safety laws, providing customers with assurance that if nothing else the product is safe and works properly.

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

To my knowledge, there is no product on the market that will do what my product will do. I personally have the need for my product, so that makes me understand better what it needs to be and also makes me passionate about it. There are people out there who make homemade solutions to this problem, but mine will be legal, and more comfortable. I am honest, patient, and open-minded to change which may also help in the becoming successful.

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others. 

I believe that these elements for the most part fit together. The one thing I think makes my concept weaker is my own personal technical/engineering abilities. I can picture what I want my product to do, but I don't know how to design it optimally myself, or if its even physically possible to create safety.

For the "feedback memo" -- please summarize at least two main points that you took away from the feedback you received. Also, please describe how you incorporated the feedback into this idea napkin. 

One thing I changed based on feedback was that I tried to add more details about who I am personally. I am not really great at describing myself, but this is really important in determining whether an idea is possible, and what areas I need to focus on.

Some of the feedback also related to making clear how my product will be legal and safer. To do this I added that I will preform tests on the product and hopefully be approved by state safety laws. 

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.2

Report findings and draw conclusions:

I interviewed three more UF students who live in Florida, but not in Gainesville. While I only interviewed UF students, this segment consists of any college student who has to travel a long distance from their home to school, during breaks, holidays, etc. I learned that my product is better done as an attachment rather than a replacement, so long as it is simple to install.

In my first interview I talked to Christian. He said that the quality of the seat belt attachment really is based on the comfort it provides, and that it doesn't need a particular style. He did however, make me think that it should probably have various color schemes for different vehicle interiors, or just for different individuals' tastes. He also does most of his shopping online already, because he is lazy and tends not to go out. While this is more of a personal scenario, I believe that my product isn't one that people find in stores, but something that is marketed online on its own, or through vehicle modification retailers.

In the second interview, I also learned that quality of material is more important, as well as style, over price. The interviewee, Jessica, said that if she were to add a modification to her vehicle, it is more important that it looks like it belongs, rather than be cheap and ugly. If she were to buy it, she would base whether it was a good purchase on how often the product was used, and this would be closely correlated to its quality as well as style.

In my last interview I spoke with another business student, David. We mainly focused on the subject of where my product will be sold, and how customers will find it. While my first thoughts were that online sales would be the only way to get my product to customers, as it is easier, cheaper, and more widely used by people looking for car accessories, he led me to believe that there may also be a possibility selling in auto part and repair shops, even if it may only be to get the idea to spread.

As a whole, interviewing this segment opened my eyes to all the different factors that come into play when designing a product. It must be fairly simple to install, so that people who order it online can just do it themselves at home. There have to be different styles to adhere to multiple tastes and car designs. Online shopping is definitely the easier way to go, but I shouldn't rule out in person sales, which could be useful in getting the product out there at the beginning. And when these buyers look back to see whether it was a good purchase or not, they look mainly to how much it is used, and so quality and comfort is most important, while the product must also remain affordable for what it is.

Reading Reflection No.1

I read David McCullough's The Wright Brothers. Here are my thoughts.

• What surprised me the most?
  I think what surprised me the most was how the brothers, Wilbur Wright specifically, were about to leave to college which may have prevented them from accomplishing what they eventually did. And what stopped him was a horrible accident that prevented him from leaving and left him to rest and think. Also, I was surprised that they discovered aviation here in the U.S. but no one here cared to support them, so they left for France. Also, their awards and sales amassed them 200,000 dollars, which is nothing in today's world for an invention that would change the world. 
• What about the entrepreneur did I most admire?
  The thing that I most admired about the Wright Brothers was their complete dedication, curiosity, and passion, towards aviation. And this was before aviation by humans was possible, which is inconceivable because it would have been like developing the cure for cancer now in today's world. 
• What about the entrepreneur did I least admire?
  I guess if I had to have a critique or something that I least admired of the Wright Brothers, it would be the fact that they took their invention to another country, instead of pushing harder to have their own country realize its importance.
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity or failure? If so, what did they do about it?
  The Wright Brothers, like most entrepreneurs, encountered many events of adversity and failure. It was adversity in the first place, Wilbur's injury, that led them to go down the path that they did. While building and designing the machine, they had multiple failure, but they learned from each of them to improve the design. They also faced adversity in gaining support for their idea, and eventually left to France to reveal it to the world.
• What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
  The Wright Brothers were extremely hard working and determined. They didn't let failure bring them down, but rather learned from it and improved. They were extremely passionate about their endeavor, and did what they believed in. 
• Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
  I personally am fascinated by aviation and so the reading was something I really enjoyed. There was nothing that confused me in terms of the reading, however I was confused by the differences between our time period and the Wright Brothers. So many things were different, especially the value of innovation. 
• If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
  I would ask them what it felt like when they flew for the first time, because I love flying and can not even comprehend or incredible it must have been.
  I would also ask how they first were inspired by aviation and when they first realized it might be possible for humans. In today's world, everything seems possible, and yet its hard to think of something that hasn't been done, which I guess is what entrepreneurship is all about. 
• For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
  I believe that the Wright Brothers didn't really see hard work, as "hard work". They were passionate about aviation and what they were trying to do, and when your passionate and determined about something, it is not work, but purpose.

Halfway Reflection

1. Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?
   
   I think for the most part, my time management behavior or skill has been used and even developed (I tend to have poor time management) to keep up with this course. While the work is fairly doable, it does take some planning when it comes to what day to work on which assignment, and when to do interviews to prevent running out of time. In order to complete assignment in time, I have to put in work throughout the week rather than at the last minute, which is usually what I tend to do. I have also developed my ability to gather information. This course requires outside information from multiple sources, and the ability to quickly and efficiently gather and summarize it is key.
   
2. Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?
   
   I usually feel like giving up on a day to day basis because I'm just really lazy, but when it comes to school, I know that at some point I have to get the work done and make an effort. While I've been doing decent keeping up with this course, when Hurricane Irma hit Miami where I'm living, I lost power around 10 days. When power came back and I saw all the work that had piled up from my three classes, I really felt like giving up. It was extremely difficult to catch up because all three classes basically doubled the workload, but I forced myself to push harder and make it back to a point of stability.
   
3. Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?
   
1. Develop a routine with your classes. Basically just work on good time management. Most students have multiple classes at once, and at the start of a semester I usually experience an overflow of information and work which stresses me out. I tend to develop a routine for each class within a week, and most classes are designed well such as this one, so they are fairly straightforward in terms of when you should be doing things.
2. Remember why you're at UF. I have a few friends who are struggling because they like to part all the time and not focus on what they should be doing. Your in school to study and learn so that when you graduate you can have time to waste. Keep this mentality and it will help develop a tenacious mindset.
3. Make sure your reading. Read everything that is posted on each of your classes website on Canvas. Read emails even if they don't pertain to you. Make sure your on top of everything you need to be doing, especially if there is an event such as a hurricane that throws off everyone. This will help you from feeling like giving up during the semester, even when things get tough.

This is my dog Buddy again. He is getting old but remains tenacious.

Elevator Pitch No.1

                                                                     

Elevator Pitch

Idea Napkin No.1

1. 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?

My name is Owen Melero. I am 20 years old and I am a student at UF currently working towards a Bachelors in Business Administration. I don't really have any specific talents that I know of. I am good at thinking outside the box. I don't have much work experience at all, but I have created ideas for mobile apps and games that I am proud of. My aspirations are to be happy, healthy, and to make others happy. My lying down seat belt business, if I was to start it, would be the first idea I've had that I see through and also solve my personal need for such a seat belt.

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

The product is a backseat seat belt attachment, that will utilize the standard seat belt restraints on both sides, as well as the standard buckles. It will be two belts that come over the passengers body with padding for the head(almost like a pillow), as well as padding below to cover up the buckles underneath. Put simply, it is a car seat for adults, and adolescents, that will allow them to lie down in the backseat of a car comfortably, and safely. 

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 the product to anyone who is old enough to not be in a car seat, who mainly get around as a passenger of a vehicle, and who frequently make long trips in a car. People who find sitting too long uncomfortable, or who have medical issues that prevent long periods of sitting, or who just enjoy sleeping while on the road. It will appeal to children who don't like being in a standard seat belt, and parents who don't like their child being without a seat belt. All my customers are frequent passengers, who in one way or another prefer to lie down in a car, and who also care for their safety and would also adhere to road safety laws.

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.

My customers will pay money because the quality of life benefits will outweigh the price in their eyes. And if they don't see a need for my product, they wouldn't have been looking for it in the first place.

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

To my knowledge, there is no product on the market that will do what my product will do. I personally have the need for my product, so that makes me understand better what it needs to be and also makes me passionate about it. There are people out there who make homemade solutions to this problem, but mine will be legal, and more comfortable. 

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.1

Choosing a segment:
For this assignment, I choose a segment of UF students who live in Florida, but not in Gainesville. Therefore they make the trip to and from their home frequently.  I conducted 3 interviews of people in this segment. The first, Noah is a political science major at UF, and he travels with his brother from Gainesville to their home in Ft. Lauderdale. The second student, Hannah, is a marketing major at UF, and travels to her home in Orlando during breaks and holidays. The last interview was with Michael, a digital arts and sciences major, who lives in Miami and travels home every other weekend with his brother.

Interviews: 

In my two interviews with Noah and Michael, both of whom happen to have brothers who also go to school at UF, they explained to me that they really dislike the drive.

• For Noah, it takes around 5 hours on the road, during which his brother is driving and he is the passenger. He usually sits in the front passenger seat, but sometimes cant seem to rest at all during the drive, so he'll move to the back seat to lie down. Of course, he cant easily or comfortably lie down with a seat belt on. They drive a Volvo XC90, which is an SUV, so he has plenty of room to lie down. He just gets worried when he is not harnessed, because his brother is not the greatest driver and it is a risk.
• Michael, on the other hand, alternates drives with his brother. They drive a Mini Cooper, which is a rather compact car. When he is driving, he notices he is not usually uncomfortable sitting upright, but when he is a passenger and his brother is driving, he sometimes gets restless. He has tried putting pillows and blankets in the back seat and lying across the seats, but when he does and also buckles his seat belt, the seat belt practically wraps around his neck and chokes him. 
• In my interview with Hannah, who drives home to Orlando, usually drives by herself, so she doesn't feel the need to lie down as a passenger. Some weekends however, some of her friends will join her to visit Orlando and go to the parks. She still drives her car, a Honda CR-V, but her friends ride as passengers, one in the front seat, and one in the back row. While her friend in the front seat sits with her seat belt fine, her other friend likes to lie down without a seat belt. While it doesn't seem to bother her friend, it does bother Hannah, who would prefer if all her passengers had seat belts on. Shes tried to ask her friend to sit up but her friend says that she trusts Hannah and doesn't mind the risk.

What I learned:
I learned that students are definitely one of my target customer groups. More importantly, however,  I learned that its is not always the passenger that has the problem, but sometimes the driver. When a driver has a passenger who doesn't want to wear their seat belt in order to lie down or stretch out, it makes them worried of what could happen if they were to crash. I also learned that in smaller vehicles, it is much more difficult to get comfortably lying down, even if you have padding and pillows around you.

How Would I describe this segment:
This segment would buy the product for themselves if the had the need as a passenger, but could also buy it for their passengers if they were the designated driver. They tend to travel a lot as well, so while to some students it may be unnecessary, for those who live close enough to go home during breaks, but far enough that the drive for over an hour, it eventually is considered.