30A Final Reflection

First, I would like to reflect how fun, interesting, and overall great this class has been. I took this class because I needed to find a four credit class and had heard good things about this one. My degree is in education, but I thought it would be interesting to learn the basics of entrepreneurship. I found that while taking this class and I believe the struct of this class is perfect, especially for me. I really feel like you get out of this class what you put into it. Not that this class is the easiest thing, but if you do not do your work or watch the lectures, or even put effort into your work, then you will take nothing away from this class. I believe that is what sticks out to me the most because it directly represents the basis of entrepreneurship: you get what you put into it. All throughout the class we learned tips, tricks, and ways to build a business and there was always one common denominator for the successful ones: hard work and dedication, which is essentially how to succeed in this class. I will remember the elevator pitch the best because it was drilled into my head and I feel like having something like that in my back pocket can be beneficial when I least expect it. My favorite experience was reading about the successful entrepreneurs and their journey to build up companies we use everyday like Steve Jobs and Phil Knight. I really like biographies and learning peoples stories and I think it is important to know success stories were not always successful like we may think. I believe I am most proud of my venture concept and the way that I was able to create an entire business that I could start tomorrow if I wanted to. To have those concepts and understandings can really help in my future. 

I definitely see that my mindset has changed throughout this class. I do not have a background in this field, but as I learned about how entrepreneurship works, I have seen myself change the way I view things. I have moved a lot closer to the mindset and have begun to see the marketing side, as well as the selling side to a lot of things I did not see before. Of course I would not say I am an expert by any means, but I would say that my mindset had changed since the beginning of this semester. 

My one recommendation I would make is that you get what you put into this class, like I previously said. You can receive a good grade is put little effort into the assignments and fast-forward through the lectures, but you will not learn anything at all and just think this class is a waste of time. But if you put thought and effort into the product you create, the assignments, and take time to watch the lectures, then you will take away at least one thing (most likely more) from this class. This class also teaches you about life , whether you want to go into this field or not, so it is beneficial to WANT to take away something from it. I would recommend looking at the assignments early in the week and not to wait till the last second to do them. By doing this you will be putting in maximum effort and not just last minute work. I would also recommend setting aside certain days/times of the week to watch the lectures, kind of like if you went to the class. I think that will help you stay on top of the lectures, as well as the assignments. I think if you put effort into this class, and prioritize it, then the mindset will follow. 

29A Venture Concept No. 2

Within recent years videos surfaced on the Internet of turtles having plastic straws such in their noses from consumption. These videos blew up all over social media, launching what I refer to as "the straw epidemic." From this, restaurants all across the country have changed their products to be more environmentally-friendly and efficient. They have strayed away from the enjoyable, useful plastic straws that have been used for many years, and created an alternative: the paper straw. The plastic straws were looked at as harmful and unsafe for the environment. While people were still using plastic cups, plastic lids, and plastic containers, they focused their efforts on the straw: as it was not only harmful because it was plastic, but because the turtles were suffering from it. Because customers voiced their opinions for an alternative, companies' created the paper straw. As soon as it hit the market customers were happy that the restaurants and stores were listening to them and making an effort to save the sea turtles. However, as the paper straws hit the stores, customers quickly realized this was not the answer. They were becoming soft, malleable, and made their experience unsatisfactory. I know for a fact a Venti Caramel Iced Coffee from Starbucks tastes much different in a plastic straw than a paper straw, and for $4 a cup it better taste right, or an unhappy customer will result. People turned to buying their own metal straws and carrying them around with them to voice their impact, but also not have to suffer with the weak paper straw. Yet, this was not a sanitary solution.

Therefore, I present my business model: A 100% biodegradable straw made of plants, yet has the consistency of a plastic straw, but none of the effects. This product gives customers the ability to have a clean conscience on their impact on the environment, but also enjoy their drink through the straw. When the straw is done and thrown away into the world, the biodegradable material will give nutrients to the earth and dissolve within five years. I believe this opportunity is huge in a world that is focusing its efforts on earth-friendly products and doing away with the plastic straws. Cities from Gainesville, Florida all the way to Portland, Oregon and everywhere in-between have shifted product to paper straws, rather than plastic. Yet, I have never meet someone who is 100% satisfied with their paper straw. In fact, I know people who keep plastic ones handy for when they are in an area with only paper straws. People are willing to sacrifice satisfaction to save the Earth, but I am presenting a product where you can save the planet, but also be satisfied at the same time. This opportunity is huge in America right now, and I believe it will be for many years ahead, eventually phasing all plastic straws out and replacing them with 100% biodegradable ones.

My exact product is a 100% biodegradable straw. It has the consistency of a plastic straw, the same feel, touch, and durability, but is actually good for the environment. These straws will be found everywhere: gas station fountain drinks, restaurants, coffee shops, and ice cream parlors. It is simply a familiar straw that everyone loves, yet when it is disposed of it does not go and float in the oceans and kill sea turtles; but instead gives back nutrients to the environment. I will be selling these straws to restaurants directly, typically those on a lower scale who buy their own products, as well as the distributors who supply large chain restaurants and shops, such as Aardavark.

I believe that my product will bring satisfaction back to the drinking world that has recently been taken over by the environmental movement. As someone who loves the environment, especially the sea turtles, I am all about making a better impact on the environment. However, I do not believe that the people need to be left unsatisfied with their drinks in order to make a postive impact on our environment. I believe that my straw will bring back happiness and pleasure in their drinking experience, while knowing they are making a good impact on the environment. I also know that this 100% biodegradable straw will be leaving a better impact on the environment than even the paper straws are. I believe that restaurants will want to give a product to their customers that will leave them satisfied and happy. Therefore, I believe they, the restaurants and stores I will distribute to, will want to invest in this product because they not only want have a satisfied customer, but also be known for the earth-friendly products they are investing in and giving out. By creating this product everyone will be left happy: the consumers, the restaurants, me, and most importantly, the planet. Therefore, I present the 100% biodegradable straw, ready to change your drinking experience to another level.

The feedback I received was mostly good, especially how adamant and focused I was on my goal. The one thing my feedback suggested was to state what my next move was in my business, I believe they were referring to who I would be selling this product to. I tried to state that in this venture concept more clearly, to give a better understanding of not only what my product was, but who exactly I was intending to sell to. From the feedback I chose to describe exactly who my goal was to sell to, but also state who the product was intended for, as they are a little difference since I am selling to a restaurant/store but the product is for the customer. Overall, I feel like I took the feedback and made a better, clearer vision.

27A Reading Reflection No. 3

For this assignment I read the book "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big" by Scott Adams. The theme of this book was failure, which I feel like really goes hand-in-hand with the other assignment from this week (28). Adams discusses how often he failed at creating his business and all the ideas he tried to have, yet did not workout. Adams really stressed how important failure is to succeed, and how often people forget that aspect of it. I really related to this point because I feel like failure is a good thing, as long as it is used to push you, and that is exactly the message that Adams conveyed in this book.

I really feel like this book connected with the 28 assignment on how to deal with failure in your business. I feel like it directly related because they both discussed failure, while the assignment talked about how you personally deal with failure, Adams wrote about his personal experience and how it helped him become successful. I think this book talked about the thing people are often afraid to admit, that they failed, and used it in a positive way. This class has discussed failure before and how to deal with it not only in business, but often in life as well. I feel like these two really went together and the fact that the other assignment this week dealt with failure was perfect.

If I had to create an exercise from this book I would give a scenario about a business and how it failed, and the assignment would be to fix this problem. I would give a scenario like a product, a location, etc. and then a reason why it failed. Then the assignment would be how to fix this failure and turn the business into a profit, while also making it realistic.

The biggest thing that stood out to me in this book was the way Adams' described how to reach goals, and how the road is not always a steady line. He went into depth about people who set goals all the time, and how easy those are to do. But accomplishing them is something very different, and things a lot of people do not achieve because they fail, and feel defeated. But he elaborated on those who learn from their failure often reach those goals. It is about the push and the driven from within that separates people who set goals, and those who accomplish them.

28A Your Exit Strategy

1) I intend to keep my business for many, many years and retire off of it. I see this as a never-ending market therefore I think that once it becomes big, it will pay for itself and a comfortable lifestyle. My product is the best of both worlds: something that everyone needs on a daily basis, as well as something new and edgy which is the fact it is environmentally-friendly. Once the business grows and I receive investments from people across the country, my goal would be to create regional locations that product the straws, therefore it is not only creating more jobs, but also less travel and wait time for straws to get places that are far from the distribution site.  My end goal would be to grow the business so large that all I did was really watch over all of them and have people below me running the true operations. 

2) I have selected this because I think it will be successful for so long and it is something I am passionate about. I do not want to create this and then sell it in five years for a profit, because that it not my goal behind this. My goal is to make money, yes, but it is also to create a daily product that is good for the environment, which this is. I think the pay off is wonderful, the work is not that time consuming, and it is a product I am passionate about and one that I want to be tied to. 

3) I think my exit strategy has influenced my growth concept. I want to grow the business to be regionally in certain parts of the US, which obviously has to deal with growth. I think that in the future every restaurant, regardless of location to our oceans, will want to switch to environmentally-friendly straws, which is exactly my product. Therefore, my market will be literally every restaurant, shop, gas station, and literally every place that has a need for a straw. That market is so large, therefore growth is the main priority in my vision. 

26A Celebrating Failure

Something I failed at this semester was quizzes in my photography class. It seems that this class would easier, as I am taking it as an elective for graduation requirements, but the quizzes are tremendously hard. I watch the lectures for hours, read throughout the book, and even do additional readings on certain photographers that are discussed in each chapter. Yet, I continued to struggle on the quizzes and I could not figure out why. It was extremely frustrating to put in so much work to learn the material, and then when the quizzes came, the questions were so detailed and it would be so frustrating to not remember the one extremely specific detail about the lectures/readings and I would get the question wrong. I would try even harder on the other assignments in the class, yet always struggled with the quizzes, which was ultimately bringing my grade down even more. It was very frustrating, as well, as this class is an elective, therefore it should be on the easier side of a class, not necessarily one of my toughest. 

From this I learned that even if somethings seem easy, they still require hard work, time, and dedication. After I put in a lot of work and studied for the first few quizzes I easily could have just stopped because it clearly was not working. But instead I just studied hard, paid more attention to detail, and figured out the types of questions being asked, and then recalling information in that way. I learned that not all things come easy, and honestly, when I did good (which cam eventually) I was proud of my hard work and the time I spent because I felt like it paid off. 

I think failure can be hard if you do not learn from it. I think we go through many things in life for a reason, and how we react to those things is what defines us. Change is the only constant thing in our lives, yet it is something almost everyone fears in their life. Yet, change is inevitable. You grow up at home, go off to college, which is one of the biggest changes you face in your life until that moment. Then you get comfortable at college, and then change happens again and you go out into the real world. Failure produces change, and change makes people uncomfortable, therefore this only equates to failure being uncomfortable. Yet, if you face failure, learn from failure, then you will be successful in the end, because failure teaches things that success can never. If you never failed, you would never know what it feels like to overcome something, or try really, really hard at something, or change because of something. 

Personally, I handle failure in a unique way. I think that in the moment, failure can really eat you up. Whether it be a hard break up, a job you did not get, or a test you failed, we all literally fail. But I personally look at failure in the mindset of "how can I become better from this." How can I grow and learn from the break up, how can I get a different job, how can I study better for the next test, that is how I look at failure. I think we are all human beings so it is normal to be emotional directly after failure, but it is how we react to that in the long run that will show us exactly how we, personally, deal with failure. I think this class as taught me more than ever to do something if that is what you are passionate about. And if you truly want something, you can make it happen because usually it is not the product, the money, or the place that is the problem, its the drive, the work ethic, and the sacrifices that people lack to accomplish their goal. 

That is what this class has taught me. 

24A Venture Concept no. 1

Within recent years videos surfaced on the Internet of turtles having plastic straws such in their noses from consumption. These videos blew up all over social media, launching what I refer to as "the straw epidemic." From this, restaurants all across the country have changed their products to be more environmentally-friendly and efficient. They have strayed away from the enjoyable, useful plastic straws that have been used for many years, and created an alternative: the paper straw. The plastic straws were looked at as harmful and unsafe for the environment. While people were still using plastic cups, plastic lids, and plastic containers, they focused their efforts on the straw: as it was not only harmful because it was plastic, but because the turtles were suffering from it. Because customers voiced their opinions for an alternative, companies' created the paper straw. As soon as it hit the market customers were happy that the restaurants and stores were listening to them and making an effort to save the sea turtles. However, as the paper straws hit the stores, customers quickly realized this was not the answer. They were becoming soft, malleable, and made their experience unsatisfactory. I know for a fact a Venti Caramel Iced Coffee from Starbucks tastes much different in a plastic straw than a paper straw, and for $4 a cup it better taste right, or an unhappy customer will result. People turned to buying their own metal straws and carrying them around with them to voice their impact, but also not have to suffer with the weak paper straw. Yet, this was not a sanitary solution.

Therefore, I present my business model: A 100% biodegradable straw made of plants, yet has the consistency of a plastic straw, but none of the effects. This product gives customers the ability to have a clean conscience on their impact on the environment, but also enjoy their drink through the straw. When the straw is done and thrown away into the world, the biodegradable material will give nutrients to the earth and dissolve within five years. I believe this opportunity is huge in a world that is focusing its efforts on earth-friendly products and doing away with the plastic straws. Cities from Gainesville, Florida all the way to Portland, Oregon and everywhere in-between have shifted product to paper straws, rather than plastic. Yet, I have never meet someone who is 100% satisfied with their paper straw. In fact, I know people who keep plastic ones handy for when they are in an area with only paper straws. People are willing to sacrifice satisfaction to save the Earth, but I am presenting a product where you can save the planet, but also be satisfied at the same time. This opportunity is huge in America right now, and I believe it will be for many years ahead, eventually phasing all plastic straws out and replacing them with 100% biodegradable ones.

My exact product is a 100% biodegradable straw. It has the consistency of a plastic straw, the same feel, touch, and durability, but is actually good for the environment. These straws will be found everywhere: gas station fountain drinks, restaurants, coffee shops, and ice cream parlors. It is simply a familiar straw that everyone loves, yet when it is disposed of it does not go and float in the oceans and kill sea turtles; but instead gives back nutrients to the environment. I will be selling these straws to restaurants directly, typically those on a lower scale who buy their own products, as well as the distributors who supply large chain restaurants and shops, such as Aardavark.

I believe that my product will bring satisfaction back to the drinking world that has recently been taken over by the environmental movement. As someone who loves the environment, especially the sea turtles, I am all about making a better impact on the environment. However, I do not believe that the people need to be left unsatisfied with their drinks in order to make a postive impact on our environment. I believe that my straw will bring back happiness and pleasure in their drinking experience, while knowing they are making a good impact on the environment. I also know that this 100% biodegradable straw will be leaving a better impact on the environment than even the paper straws are. I believe that restaurants will want to give a product to their customers that will leave them satisfied and happy. Therefore, I believe they will want to invest in this product because they not only want have a satisfied customer, but also be known for the earth-friendly products they are investing in and giving out. By creating this product everyone will be left happy: the consumers, the restaurants, me, and most importantly, the planet. Therefore, I present the 100% biodegradable straw, ready to change your drinking experience to another level. 

25A What's Next?

Existing Market

In growing in an existing market, I would be adding a new product to a busy market. As the straws have shifted from plastic to paper across the country, I will be bringing a better model of an existing product. My goal would be to phase out the paper straws because they do not work and are not liked by their customers. With my product I will incorporate the idea of the plastic straw, yet I am still making a postive impact on the environment. 

The existing market really has two competitors: The plastic straw, and the paper straw. The plastic straw exists because it has been around for a long time, as well as it is comfortable and works well. The paper straw exists now because people decided plastic straws were the worst thing for the environment and needed to get rid of immediately. However, the paper straws are almost useless because you need multiple of them to even finish a drink. They become soft and do not work overtime. Therefore my product will take a spin off of the better option, but will provide customers with the comfortable and effective feeling of the plastic straw. 

New Market 

A new market I would have to focus on would be places in landlocked states, as the straw epidemic has not really hit there yet. In places like Florida and California and Oregon, they have turned to the paper straws because they are located near the oceans. However, a new market for me would be cities in states such as Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky as they all are landlocked and are not known for focusing their efforts on the environment. Not saying that they do not, but a landlocked state like Colorado or Arizona focuses their efforts on the environment and the natural beauty it possesses rather than those other states. 

Therefore, a new market might exist in Jefferson, Missouri for me as I can pitch them my idea there. I would tell them about my product and try to get into their market by challenging them to be environmentally friendly. It is such a simple change they can make, and then proclaim themselves to be such. I think it is easy to change the people who have been impacted by the paper straws, but harder for people who are not affected. This new market would challenge me but I would stick with my platform of wanting to save the environment and by making a small change, can make a huge impact,and then continue to target places like this to change different cities and make them more environmentally-friendly. 

23A Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

•  List of a resources:
• hardworking
• Valuable: helps you product the product
• Rare: not necessarily, it is just something you possess inside you
• Inimitable: yes, this can trickle down if someone is above you or next to you
• Non-substitutable: yes, depending on the person
• environmentally-friendly product:
• Valuable: Yes, a lot of people today want to be associated with this term
• Rare: Yes, because it costs more to be this, therefore people are not willing to do it
• Inimitable: Somewhat, but people are lazy and do not want to go the extra mile to do so 
• Non-substitutable: Yes, but those are not to the quality this product is (like paper straws)
• maintenance product (do not need a lot of space/equipment):
• Valuable: Yes, low costs result from it
• Rare: Yes, because a lot of businesses need a lot of space, machines, trucks, etc. 
• Inimitable: Depends on what the product is, if it is small and easy to make then yes
• Non-substitutable: Yes if it works for their business model
• casual atmosphere:
• Valuable: Yes because people want to work for you
• Rare: no depending on the field of business
• Inimitable: Yes extremely
• Non-substitutable: Yes because anyone can make up their business culture
• goal to change the world:
• Valuable: Yes extremely, because people want to say they are making an impact
• Rare: Yes, because not a lot of people actually do
• Inimitable: Technically yes, although it would take research to see if it really is. 
• Non-substitutable: Yes, but they are much poorer quality than my product
• organized
• Valuable: Yes, without it a business could not run
• Rare: No because other places can have this 
• Inimitable: Yes, very
• Non-substitutable: Yes, if it is ran by the correct people
• low-cost inventory:
• Valuable: yes, makes for a higher profit margin
• Rare: Depending on the product yes/no
• Inimitable: No because it directly pertains to the product, you cannot just change this because you want to, it has to do with the product market
• Non-substitutable: No, because it deals with the product directly, and you cannot just go and change your product. 
• mobile:
• Valuable: Yes, you can work from a lot of places, easy to move and reach more people
• Rare: Depending on the product, yes
• Inimitable: no because of the product
• Non-substitutable: no because of the product 
• relatable product:
• Valuable: Yes, people want to invest in this because it is used everyday, as well as a big market right now
• Rare: No because the product is used so much
• Inimitable: Yes, because it is not hard to make a straw technically, but with my plant-based method it is harder
• Non-substitutable: technically yes with paper straws, but that is who I am trying to combat
• convenient product:
• Valuable: Yes, people will use it everyday
• Rare: No, because people use it everyday
• Inimitable: Yes, because there are already a lot of these out there, but no because mine is different than the average guy
• Non-substitutable: Yes, but not as well (ie: Paper straws)
•  simple
• Valuable: Yes, easy to use
• Rare: No because all straws are simple
• Inimitable: Yes, as it already is done, I am just making it better
• Non-substitutable: Yes because the product is already simple to begin with 
• affordable:
• Valuable: Yes, makes it easier for people to purchase (restaurants)
• Rare: Depending on the product, yes, as most things labeled "environmentally-friendly" are more expensive
• Inimitable: Depending on the product, yes, but often you cannot make it affordable due to constraints
• Non-substitutable: Yes as long as their prices are the same
• I feel like my top resource is that it is environmentally-friendly because so many people want to describe their business as such. As plastic straws are going away and even being outlawed in certain cities, it is forcing companies to be environmentally-friendly, specific in their use of paper straws. Yet, so many people hate paper straws, so I am there to product a better alternative. I feel like this is my best asset because it works better than other environmentally-friendly options, yet it is still good for the environment, even better actually. I feel like the people who are forced to use a product like mine due to the outlaw of plastic straws will enjoy my product, but also the companies that simply want to show they CHOSE not to use plastic and are trying to be more environmentally friendly. This allows me to reach so many more customers, and also saving the environment at the same time.

22A Elevator Pitch no. 3

https://youtu.be/5l0V1OTx-3w


After this pitch I really felt like I perfected my pitch to the point where I was able to have a hook, an explanation, and people wanting more. I changed my content most from pitch no. 1 to pitch no. 2, so in this pitch I really just tried to make it as concise and to the point as possible, while also providing the hook and as much detail as possible about my product. I feel like the comments about how good the outdoors made my pitch stuck well with me, which is why I also did this pitch outside again because I really feel like it sets the mood for my product and gives it extra context. All in all I took the comments made to me about my pitch and really tried to make it the best version yet, which I feel like I accomplished in this one. I did not really change much from the second to third pitch, as I just focused on being clearer, louder, and straight to the point better, because those are the comments I was seeing from my previous ones. In conclusion from my previous comments and feedback, I feel like this is my best one yet as I made the changes people left for me. From here on out I will definitely have this pitch memorized if I ever need it again.

21A- Reading Reflection No. 2

I chose to read the boo, The Art of Social Media by Guy Kawasaki. The general theme of this book was about using social media for your personal development or business, as well as different tools, tactics, and techniques that could set you apart from the rest. Each chapter discusses different aspects that people look at and he gives the reader insight and tips on how to use each tool. He even provides hyperlinks (if you have the online version of the book) to make it as simple and as easy as possible. 

This book really allowed me to see a different side of entrepreneurship than what Pryor is typically discussing in class. For example, we are usually learning about how to run a business fundamentally, or how to sell a business to investors, or even how to sell a product to a market. Yet we do not really discuss the outside tools we can use to help reach our market, which is what this book does. Even more specifically, this book discusses how a business can reach its market for free, and how to use different tactics on social media to really draw in its customers. Of course this class talks about selling to the market, but I really feel as if this book gives more in-depth, real life examples and guides on how to do this. I feel as if this book is like another branch that is not gone into deep discussion about in this class, which is extremely helpful, especially for people our age who use social media everyday. 

Based on this book, I would create an exercise where you are to create a social media account for your business/product, and then use a set number of things that the book mentions. For example, making a post a way they describe how to, posting the numbers of times they say to, or just using the tools that the book mentions in order to help promote your business. This would be an assignment that would be worked on all year long, I feel like, and then it will allow you to see how your page/ social media grows from the beginning to the end. I feel like this assignment will not only get the page up and running, but also will allow you to be in a good position to sell your product once the class is over. 

What I learned throughout this book is how you can 'trick' your followers on your social media pages. For example, they mention how if you post certain colors, or a certain picture, or a certain title then the viewer's are much more likely to click on it and read it. Even if they do not buy the product or subscribe, or whatever the case may be, they are at least spending time on your site. This was the most interesting part to me to learn because I have found myself doing this, and did not even realize that this was their tactic. 

20A Growing Your Social Capital

1) One person must be a domain expert in your industry:

Aardvark "sales" representative:

This company is a large paper-straw distributor for various restaurants and stores across the United States. I found them simply by looking for other people who are in the business that I am looking to get into, straw distribution. I simply emailed the email on their website, and was connected to a person who worked for them giving me the answers I was looking for as far as their specific business as well as the distribution business. They helped me by giving me the background of their business and telling me how the distribution process works, especially with other companies and the contracts that they ensue.  Including this person in my network will help me have a partner, although they might also be considered competition. I will be able to learn from them and possibly make connections with the smaller businesses they have to turn away due to the high demand that the business entails. 

2) One person must be an expert on your market

Steve M. Owner of small business coffee shop:

Steve is a good family friend of mine for as long as I can remember. He recently opened a coffee shop in downtown St. Petersburg, a city that prides itself on paper straw usage. I asked him many questions on his customers response to the paper straw, and how it is affecting their experience. He described how he wishes he could find an alternative to the paper straw, simply because he has not yet gotten a postive review about it. In fact, while I was communicating with him, he even mentioned how bad the straws are and how he realized it was an unsolved problem when so many people were going out of their way to complain about such a minimal thing. He talked about how people go to coffee shops for the coffee, catch up with a friend, or a simple outing. They never go to review the straw content at the shop, so he knew there was a large problem. This connect is really good for me because it could give me my first potential customer. 

3) One person must be an important supplier to your industry:

Starbucks Manager: 

I talked to the local Starbucks manager to see how the industry worked, how their straws were made, etc. They have a distinct, green straw with Starbucks wrapping, therefore you know their straws are made in house and made for them specifically, rather than buying in bulk from a larger distributor. I simply contacted them by going to the local Starbucks and asking for the manager and getting a glimpse of what their straw situation is like. I asked them how their products worked, how they enjoyed the paper straw, and how it is affecting the people's experience. Talking about this with the manager really helped me with the understanding of how it works at a large-scale company. This interacting was good for me and my business and helped me make good connections and contacts . 

This experience helped me because it really made me get out of my comfort zone and go out and talk to people in my industry. I really learned about how it works, and was able to make contacts with people I would not really have the opportunity to do so. I enjoyed learning about the industries and figured out the networking and the distribution and how it all works for each restaurant. Although I only learned about a few specific places, I was able to understand how it typically works in the restaurant setting and I would approach entering the industry. This is different than what I did before because before it was more about interviewing, rather than understanding and trying to enter the market, potentially. Before I was just asking about specific places and how their customers reacted to the unsolved problem, but through this I am almost presenting my product to them and creating contacts to enter the market with my product. 

19A- Idea Napkin No.2

1) My name is Danielle Romanello and I am from the state of Florida. I pride myself on being a hardworking, organized person who is wanting to make a mark on the world. I love to travel around and appreciate the pure beauty that the world has to offer. My aspirations are to make a mark on the world because I feel like we, as human beings, abuse the beauty we have been given by nature. I want to start my business because I want to make my mark on saving the world. I think this biodegradable straw business will allow me to feel like I make my mark. I want to phase out the plastic straw, and create the norm of plant-based straws in every place that contains straws, and get rid of plastic straws in all.

2)  I will be solving the customer's unmet needs with a straw that is functional, easy to use, and good for the environment. This straw will provide a better drinking experience for the customer, while also being good for the environment so they can feel good about their impact on the world. I will be selling this product to restaurants and businesses that offer drinks and use straws, but it will impact both the company and the company's customers, resulting in both parties being happy. I am offering a 100% plant-based straw that has the consistency of a plastic straw, yet is also 100% biodegradable.   

3) I am offering this product to restaurants who want to make a postive impact on their environment, whether by choice or by law. My marketing target for my product are local, smaller businesses in cities where plastic straws are outlawed, selling my biodegradable straws to them. From their I will try to market to the bigger companies, and distribution centers who supply products for larger corporations. This market is in the restaurant and tourism industry, where I will supply these conservative straws that leave a postive impact on our environment. 

4) My market cares about this product for two main reasons. One, they want to make their customers happy and at the moment, the paper straw is not doing it for their customers, leaving them unsatisfied with their drinks. They also care about my product because it will give them a better option for their paper straw, while making a good impact on the environment. My market can now claim to be "Environmental friendly" as they use my postive- impact straw that leaves them and their customers happy. 

5) What separates me from everyone else is that I make a product that gives you the best of both worlds, its good for the environment, yet it has the consistency of plastic. Right now, the issue is that paper straws are not liked by the customer. Yet, they are forced to be used because plastic straws are looked down upon, and even illegal in some places in the United States. My product gives you a content customer and a clean footprint on the world, truly the best of both worlds. 

I feel like all these aspects fit together perfectly. As someone who loves the outdoors and the environment, I hate paper straws more than anything. I also know I am not the only one who does. I do not believe that paper straws are the answer to this, therefore I created a biodegradable straw that leaves the Earth better after use. I feel that the restaurant industry has their hands cuffed, in a way, because they cannot use plastic straws, yet are not happy giving their customers the flimsy paper straws. I feel like my straw will make everyone happy and it will bring people together, as they are drinking from it!

I took away that my idea napkin was easy to follow and read, as well as the fact that there is a market out there for my product. A lot of the comments I received described how they too hated paper straws and thus I felt like I really had a good, useful product. In this post I focused on being more details on who exactly I was selling my product to and how it was going to impact various people, not just one specific group. 

17A Elevator Pitch #2

https://youtu.be/H09RHMNs_l0

What feedback that stood out to me most was to just be more dynamic and have a better opening statement, which I tried to do in this elevator pitch, as opposed to my last one. I tried to be more dynamic and bright, which is why I performed it outside this time in an environment that best represented my product. I also used tools and props for this elevator pitch which allowed me to not only be more dynamic, but also have examples of what problem my product solved. Overall, I took the comments I had from before and made a better pitch for this assignment. I feel like I really improved my pitch and made it much more inviting and a better hook. 

18A Create a Customer Avatar

My Custom Avatar: A small business owner who values her customers just as much as she loves the environment. 

My prototypical customer is a young, millennial who has recently opened up their dream coffee shop, that is not just a coffee shop, but a destination point of the people of her small town in Oregon. My customer loves people, animals, and the planet, which is why she is so invested in making a restaurant that is so dedicated to recycled materials, little to no waste, and biodegradable straws. When my customer isn't working, she can be seen out by the ocean or hiking up a mountain to a waterfall. She is also obsessed with yoga and will do yoga anywhere, anytime. They drive a gray Toyota Prius with a "coexist" bumpersticker. My customer does not really enjoy television and only watches shows on Netflix because she does not even have cable at her house. My customer is not married and does not have any children, because she is young and does not want to be tied down, yet at least, because she has many thing to accomplish before that happens. My customer loves to read books of all different genres, but she finds to be her favorite ones are bibliographies because she is interested in learning people and figuring them out, especially who they really are rather than what people think of them as. My customer is a well known liberal who chooses to voice her opinions. She would often be found fighting for peoples rights and in the front of any rally. My customer is 27 years old, but if you ask her she claims to be a past 21. She lives in a small, cute house outside of Portland. It is not a tiny house, but it is by no means big either. My customer believes that simplicity is key to appreciate things in life. She also describes how every night before bed she mediates and reflects on the day. She describes this as "keeping sane in a world that is so busy." 

Something that I find I have in common is our love for the outdoors and appreciation for the beautiful Earth we are blessed to live on. I have visited Oregon before and loved it there, so I understand why her hobbies are what they are. I would love to hike waterfalls everyday if I had the opportunity to do so. I think we differed a lot in some aspects, but we were the same when it came to our love for the environment and going on cool adventures. I think we shared this passion because that is somewhat the objective behind my product: a better, well functioning use of a straw, but that is better for the environment. Because we both had the same goal of keeping our planet safe and healthy, it is no shock that we share the same trait for the love of the environment. 

16A What's Your Secret Sauce

1) To describe myself in five ways I would say: Caring, driven, passionate, hard-working, and organized. I would describe these words for myself because I feel like I possess them in all facets of life, rather than one specific thing.  I believe that these things set me apart from everyone else because not every has all five of these traits and actually mean it. I feel like my maturity, drive, and overall life experience allows me to be the person I am. 

2)  https://youtu.be/jWl9OUXzKiQ 

3) After these interviews I have learned that others see me a little different, yet also the same as I see myself. Everything them mentioned about me I would use to describe myself, yet I feel like they were nicer, and more poistive about myself than I would be when describing my own traits. I feel like our views aligned when comparing myself and how I see myself to the things they said about me. I think the only differences would be their viewpoint as a friend of mine versus how I see myself in the world because I do not necessarily view myself as a friend. One person in particular described me as someone who is caring and always reaches out, yet that is something I do not necessarily think about because it is just, well, me. I do think my interviewees are correct about me and described me in a way that I enjoyed being talked about. I would not change my list from part 1 simply because they were mentioned by my interviewees and really describe who I am. 

15A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior

Interviewees:

Owner of a small restaurant in Gainesville, FL

            In this interview, we really focused on the problem at hand, the fact that they had to buy all new paper straws and get rid of their plastic ones. They described how it was very hard for them to start this new investment because they had such a deep supply of plastic straws, which really hurt their monthly budget. This owner described how price was the biggest thing they had to focus on, simply because they could not afford to purchase the “higher end” paper straws, they purchase just the cheapest, easiest available product for them. They described how they buy through a supplier that also supplies them with napkins, paper towels, and other such products. In reference to post-purchase evaluation, they said how they did not like the paper straws they give to their customers, yet they feel like they have no other choice due to the plastic straw ban.

Employee at Chick-Fil-A on Archer

They describe how they changed their straws due to the ban, but get theirs through a supplier they have a contract with. Their straws are wrapped in paper wrappings that also say “Chick-Fil-A” on them, making them special and unique to their restaurant. While they know that customers are unhappy, they do not really have a choice due to the ban, along with their supplying contract. They did mention, however, that their goal is to make customers happy and they would definitely be open to an alternative if that promised a happier, more satisfied customer.

Owner of successful coffee shop in Gainesville, FL

In this interview I learned how they have been looking for an alternative solution, exactly what I am trying to produce and sell. They mentioned that they buy their straws in bulk and through various companies, having so real ties to any specific company. In fact, they mentioned how they have used various people/ companies for the straws and have not found one they are happy with. They mentioned that their goal is to give their customers a happy and positive experience and have been mad about the ban because they feel like it handcuffs them and does not allow them to give their customers the product they want to. They also described how on their post-purchase evaluation they have just been left unhappy with each paper straw company they purchase from. Their biggest complaint is how soft the straws get, regardless of what company they purchases from.

After these interviews I have learned to change who I need to pitch two. First, I would pitch to the small businesses that buy local and do not get their products from suppliers. I would need to make relationships with them and feel like that would be really beneficial for them and myself as well. After that, I would go and discuss the straw issue with local restaurants in the Gainesville area, along with other places that have a plastic straw ban, and would get them on my side of the “biodegradable straw” and then pitch my ideas their suppliers, since that is where their product comes from, rather than the restaurants buying the straws themselves. I would really focus on the post-purchase evaluation, which is what I feel like my product focuses on. The customer experience is the focus on my product, which would definitely have to deal with my products.

13A Reading Reflection

You read about an entrepreneur:

Shoe Dog By: Phil Knight

·       What surprised me the most was how long it took for him to get the company off and running. As an outsider, and someone who knows who Phil Knight is and what Nike is to date, I would not have imagined that the company would have taken so long to take off. I was surprised that it took so long for people to invest in a company that was selling shoes, especially because back then the only other competitor was Adidas, and now Nike is arguably better than Adidas. I was surprised that it took so long for people to invest and for Nike to officially take off.

·       What I most admired about Phil Knight was his passion for selling shoes. Throughout the book he writes from year to year, and what each year possessed. I admired his determination from year to year and how he never gave up on his dream, regardless how no one believed in him and his business. From when the bank told him he would not make it, to his father not signing as his guarantor, he never gave up on his business. I admired this because he was passionate about his dream, and regardless of what other people believed, he had so much passion for his company and that is what I most admired.

·       The thing I least admired about Knight was his relaxed demeanor about his company. I enjoyed that he stuck with it, but I did not like how he did not live and breathe for his company, much like his first full-time employee did. He described how much he felt like Nike, or Blue Ribbon, would make it, yet he got annoyed with the one person who lived and breathed for his product, Johnson.

·       Knight definitely faced adversity, much like almost every entrepreneur does. The bank told him that he was not welcomed, did not get money from his father, and stopped receiving letters from his partners in Japan. Yet, he did not let any of these things dissuade him from following his dreams and making shoes for everyone. He did not listen to anything anyone said, especially when it would have been so easy for him to quit and use his education to make a solid career for himself. Rather, he stuck with his passion and pushed through it.

2) Knight’s biggest competency he displayed was his drive for selling his shoes. He showed passion, along with lifestyle for his company, because he refused to let anyone tell him no. Even though he goes on to get another job while also working for Nike, he never quits. He shows how his passion is the driving force for him selling shoes, especially when he compares to selling shoes to selling encyclopedias. He shows that he loves to sell shoes for people, and that was what made him so successful.

3) One thing that was confusing was his timeline. I understood that he wanted to go to Japan and travel the world while giving his pitch, yet the beginning when he discusses his timeline really confuses me, mostly because he is all over the country, yet doing nothing pertaining to Nike.

4) Why did you think that your idea of a Japanese style shoe, especially during a time so close to war, was something that would make it in the world? And allow you to make money? Now that you know what your business today is (one of the greatest, well-known companies in the world) did you ever know/ imagine what it would be today? What was the “aha” moment for you when you realized it would be what it is?

5) I think Knight’s idea of hard work aligned directly with passion. Throughout the book he often describes how he did not like selling things, and was not good at it, but this shoe thing came easy and he accredits it to passion. The shoes, following the entire company, were driven behind Knight’s passion of running and he often references this throughout the book. He viewed his company and job more as a hobby, and something that did not require work because it was fun to him and this I believe is what his idea of hard work was: finding something you are so passionate about it does not seem like work. I too share this opinion because I feel like it is important to find something you are passionate it about and then making a career out of it. I feel like if you do this, then you will change the world. Things come easy when you care about them, and you are often willing to go above and beyond when you are passionate about something, which is the ultimate driving force for hard work.