Figuring Out Behavior 2 -15A

In each of my interviews, I learned that one option to make my product more desirable or approachable would be more customization features. 

My first interview was with Evan (a classmate at UF) and he gave me more direction and very valuable insight with my product. He told me that while he does enjoy coffee he prefers to cutsomize his specific order rather than get the same thing every time. I never thought to offer mass customization such as levels of milk/foam, just warm beverages with a variety of flavors.

My next interview was with Andrew (a co-worker) and he gave me little to insight. He simply told me he doesn't drink coffee or tea. When I asked him if he would reconsider or explain his stance he explained to me he prefers energy shots. While this could be an opening in the future for my product to sell those as well at this point in time I fear that would be too ambitious and should focus on what drinks I can make with hot water.

My final interview of this assignment was with Chris (my roommate) who drinks coffee regularly despite this he offered little help. He claimed that if he had no alternatives (such as them being closed or sold out) to his established brand loyalty he would consider this. When I asked and explained that the product is a 24/7 vendor he stated that he only operates when the shops are open and thus doesn't need specialized coffee /tea vendors.

Overall I learned that my product can add customization to help entice customers, and that not everyone falls into the group of possible clients.

Halfway Reflection 14A

1) Over the course of this class so far I have learned how to overcome my procrastination (mostly) and it has been replaced with many drafts. I learned through the first interview assignment that you should never put off at least looking at the assignments and that you should never assume that they will be quick or easy.

2) I once wanted to give up when I was planting my first garden, I was tired, it was hot and muggy, and overall I was just frustrated. But I never did because I saw this as an opportunity to grow (literally) and the work I'd put in then would pay off in the future. It did and now every year I have plenty of lemons, blueberries, squash, tomatoes, and corn. All of which I enjoy and are delicious.

3) The three tips I would give to a new student would be,

1. Look ahead in the assignments they aren't as daunting as they may seem. They are (at times) time consuming but all of them are doable.
2. Watch the lectures, and if you can go to the recordings.
3. If you are having trouble ask or email the instructors now rather than later so that they actually have time to respond.

Reading Reflection -13A

I will be reflecting on The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.

1) What surprised me the most had to be the humble beginnings of the two inventors, simple bike makers, who viewed a problem differently than others.

What I admired most about the brothers was how they never let anything keep them down, the continued to improve and theorize which in my mind just adds truth to the phrase a good idea can come from anyone, anywhere, and at anytime.

What I hold contempt or disdain for (least admired trait) the brothers was that they used underhanded tactics to secure the funding they needed, so that they could protect their idea. This included attempting to fix a bicycle race that they financed which also increased their funding through the sale of said bicycles. Which while ingenious is still underhanded.

They encountered few major failures but mostly success, they never let anything even the small successes slow down their process of improving, and the failures were also meet with more determination.

2) They showed their competence in their work, that their idea for a flying machine that was not self righting (like a boat) but human (like a bike) was the way to go, they showed their competence in their building skills as they created bicycle after bike and ultimately the first flying machine or airplane.

3) What was confusing in the reading to me was the sentence structure, it didn't seem to flow well in my opinion.

4) What made you strive for the sky, and what made you so sure of yourselves? I would ask these as I want to know the motivation, was is fame, fortune, or just scientific curiosity? As for the second question I wonder what makes people confident in the face of the brave unknown, when the world failed to find the answer what made two bike makers so certain they had? I want that level of confidence.

5) I believe that their opinion of hard work was one that should be admired, they stuck to their guns and always faced challenges with more work. I don't know if I do, I believe adversity isn't the end or a point where you should give up, but I would perhaps rethink how I was attacking the problem then go again in what I would believe be the best action. I would rather work smarter not harder.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior 1 -12A

The segment that I am choosing to focus on in my ventures market is the college students as I believe that they may make up the most of my market and are the easiest to receive feedback from at this point. More specifically those who spend late nights studying on a regular or semi regular basis.

The three people I have chosen to interview are self evaluated as late night study students from three different colleges. The college of Law, Advertising, and Telecommunications.

What I learned from the interviews was that they all as students value their time and when it is late most crave some source of caffeine. However when being sold on a new product the easiest way to ensure their loyalty to a brand is simply to offer them something no one else has. If their needs are being met they seek three things from the provider (company). They are price first and foremost for two of the three, where as the third asked for environmental footprint. They second was what all three choose with convenience being agreed by all of the subjects. The final most important thing was brand recognition/trust that two of the three subjects claimed was important, where as the final subject had satisfaction (taste) being a key feature.

So in closing if I wish to succeed in this market I need to position myself as a cheap, quick, reliable, and tasty brand, with the possibility of green marketing playing a role as well.

Idea Napkin 11A

You: I am Connor Colson I am a student at the University of Florida. The skills and experiences that I posses allow me to see things from varying points of views, due to my understanding of late night early morning or graveyard shift jobs. I hope to bring a new market the option to enjoy drinks that are usually not available to them. By bringing this to them I  hope to exploit their desires such as the morning coffee drinkers and make a profit with my concept. Should I start this business I hope to bring joy to others and well profit to myself.

WHAT: I am offering caffeinated drinks (coffee and tea) made fresh that taste good to those who don't have the normal time or means to enjoy them regularly.

WHO: I am offering my service to those who cannot make it to a normal coffee shop due to time or convince constants. This means college students who are late to class, those who are up super early or late who need caffeine, or just anyone who wants a good cheap cup of coffee fast.

WHY: It allows the users to have access to coffee and other drinks that they may not have access to normally, I am selling convince and caffeine to those who need it.

WHAT: Vending machines, this allows me to have 24/7 service while keeping costs low, this allows me to have on average 12 or so more hours of potential sales over my opponents.

I believe that these elements go together on paper in practice however more testing is required. On paper I have a captive target audience, a means, a gimmick, and a competitive advantage to serve them, however I do not know what the average understanding and desire for coffee machines is. This is why if  I had to pick a single one of the aforementioned reasons to be the weakest I would have to say the first WHAT is where I have to draw the line due to not having enough data to confidently step forward with my idea.

Elevator Pictch

Testing My Hypothesis 2

For this post I will be revisiting my hypothesis that students and faculty have an unmet need for coffee.  

Who: The people that I am attempting to serve are the students and faculty who either have no time to go to a coffee shop or those (ex: news room and radio workers) who's hours are not in sync with their waking and working hours.

What: The need for coffee here is different as it is a specialized need for coffee where time and convenience are important to the point where customers are willing to pay for it. 

Why: This group of people are outside the normal range of coffee drinkers as they are fast, and in need of 24/7 access to coffee. 

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Early risers,late night owls, and those in a hurry	Those who have their own coffee or have the time to wait for coffee
The need is speedy constant access to coffee.	The need isn't just coffee it's the  convenience of the machine.
This need exists as students and faculty are overworked and on a strict schedule.	They simply don't want coffee of any kind.

My interviews

For my interviews I stopped and asked many of the students and faculty I work with/for throughout my day for their insight into a coffee vending machine. I interviewed 5 people (3 students 2 faculty) and 3 of the 5 would like a coffee vending machine for its convenience. The ones that were not interested were a student who doesn't drink coffee and a faculty member who's boss buys them coffee anyway and thus has no need. Overall my feed back on the concept was well received but made me realize just how niche this product could be. 

Solving the Campus Coffee Problem

The problem that I will be solving in this post is the coffee on campus problem I highlighted in a previous post. This is of course the problem where coffee on campus is hard to access due to long lines, and nonworking vending machines.

My solution to this problem is to simply install a group of working vending machines that have regular maintenance to ensure that they always are in operating order. This would cut down on wait times and could serve as a solid source of income. 

Testing the Hypothesis

The opportunity that I would like to talk about is the prebuilt dinner/lunch box in the same vein as blue apron but sponsored and directed to colleges and universities.  I came upon this idea when I tried to order a ready meal service but they failed to deliver to my apartment complex. I took the idea that the school could generate good PR by offering healthy home cooked food at a premium to those who subscribed to the service. Where users on a schedule plan of their choosing could pick up or have delivered to them a ready to cook meal, with simple directions (may include pictures). This would allow users to learn how to cook for themselves and benefit the users through good food, as many if not all nutritionists agree that a healthy diet is key to a healthy person.

I had my hypothesis questioned by those I interviewed and while they agreed that my idea showed promise they pointed out flaws that I quickly adapted into my product. Originally I had this marketed towards students only through a school login, but they reminded me of faculty and the parents of the students may also wish to purchase this product. So I added a school ID system that included everyone with access to the service. They also pointed out that delivery would be tough for those who live on campus dorms so I added the drop boxes where you can redeem your box with a valid ID. Finally the most common flaw was that some students may not cook their food right away to which I found (through research) a box with a cooler lining that allows the food to be kept fresh up to one week. Those were the main criticism I came across but overall the idea was well received by most of them (4/5 would be interested in this service).

Who: Colleges and Universities

What: Pre-built cook yourself meals

 Why: The fear and desire to eat healthy or home cooked meals at school.

Who tested: (4 students 1 faculty) 4/5 of those questioned responded to wanting a service similar to this.

What tested: The boundaries of the need only spread as far as students as they are using disposable income and are in situations that make marketing an easy to cook and healthy meal easy as they simply have to open the box and follow the easy recipe.

Why Tested: The set of whys was rather large for this ranging from “I want to eat home cooked meals” to “I don’t have the time to go shopping”, but the most common which was mentioned in all 5 was that “I want to eat healthier”.

Practicing Opportunity Identification 6A

1.      The first opportunity I will talk about is the coffee vending machines on campus. I believe that this opportunity exists as when I went to purchase coffee from one such machine it was broken. This makes me believe that there is a want for such a product on campuses across the nation. The typical costumer or this would be students and faculty if placed on or within schools. I believe that this would easy to exploit as the only barrier to entry is that of the machine and the upkeep. I saw this opportunity because I was unable to get my coffee and wished that there was an alternative and that if I experienced this than many others have most likely as well.

2.      The second opportunity that I would like to talk about is the possible economic gain in a prebuilt dinner/lunch box in the same vein as blue apron but sponsored by the school. I came upon this idea when I tried to order a ready meal service but they failed to deliver to my apartment complex. I believe that the opportunity exists as everyone wishes to eat healthy and parents of students hope to buy their child adequate food. This would take the guess work and worry out of it. By offering meals from the school for a premium (possible discount for students) we can ensure and monitor what the students are eating. I believe the prototypical customer will not be the students themselves (though many may purchase) but the parents and relatives who hope to secure their child a healthy and well fed time at the university. This may be easy to exploit as the infrastructure and information is already being held by the universities and a simple drop off point or shipping charge would ensure delivery. I saw this opportunity because I couldn’t purchase or receive packages from other services.

3.      The first regulatory possibility I will talk about is the possible market for recreational marijuana. With many states lifting the federal ban in the news and it being a multimillion dollar industry already it is only natural to try and be the first to cash in on this should the ban be lifted. The prototypical customer would be anyone who is looking for a recreational use drug so most likely college students or people aged 18-34 (similar demo to smoking during its height). This would be more difficult to exploit due to the large barrier of entry and the most likely gargantuan amount of competitors you would face, however if you should set up and survive you will most likely easily exploit the customers. I saw this opportunity because I have kept up with the news and can see this trend being replicated by others and it is successful.

4.      The Final possibility I will talk about is cybercafé with fast internet speeds. With the removal of net neutrality the possibility of throttling those who don’t pay top dollar for internet (most people) the need or desire to achieve faster speeds may arise. This may be due to the fact that people have grown used to the speeds that they have and should they be throttled they may seek out places that have what they once lost or better. The prototypical customer would most likely be self-employed people, students, or business owners who need faster rates to process and complete their projects. This would be relatively easy to exploit as all you need is a place and top dollar internet which you can then charge for by the hour or even minute. I saw this because of the popularity of PC Bangs or cybercafés when I went abroad in countries that have similar internet rules to that of the non-net neutrality era which we may find ourselves in soon.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Strict regulations leave no space for adult stores in Gainesville

Summary

The new legislation effectively bars any type of adult store within the Gainesville area, however this only applies to physical stores. This was passed so that the “value” and “look” of Gainesville would remain pristine and inviting to more families as much if not all of the town’s economy is based on college students so anything as unsightly as an adult store may jeopardize that.

Problem

The Problem would be that those who wish to purchase adult products no longer have any choice and as such may not be as economically outgoing as they can be.

Who

Those who wish to purchase adult products, as they no longer have any place to do so.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/163DC461ED5EE9F8?p=WORLDNEWS

Ride-hailing app Lyft brings competition to Gainesville

Summary

The ride sharing industry is booming and Uber is losing its monopoly of the local area, due to the new competitor. This comes as little to no surprise as a college town of students who are known to party aka drink have a need for such practices to ensure a safe ride home.

Problem

The problem here would be that Uber is losing its monopoly on the area, however as a student this is a good thing. However this can also be interpreted as students who need a ride home might just have to swap or only have 1 choice based on locations and where each new driver is willing to drive.

Who
Uber has the problem as competition is growing.

Students as they now may have less reliable service.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/16341B67AE207CA8?p=WORLDNEWS

Servers deserve your tips: Please don’t cheat them

Summary

Servers aren’t receiving the same amount of tips as they have in the past and as such many are struggling to make ends meet.

Problem

The servers aren’t getting paid enough or as much as they used too.

Who

Servers at many restaurants.

http://www.alligator.org/opinion/servers-deserve-your-tips-please-don-t-cheat-them/article_a7bd6b4a-515f-11e7-9e65-334f3c177c8a.html

First Magnitude Brewing Company hosts fundraiser to benefit Harn Museum of Art

Summary

The Harn Museum of Art is in need of funding and a brewing company is stepping up for the occasion.

Problem

The local museum is low on funds due to not charging for entry and needs money.

Who
The Harn Museum of Art

http://www.alligator.org/the_avenue/first-magnitude-brewing-company-hosts-fundraiser-to-benefit-harn-museum/article_1324a536-5c5c-11e7-abb1-ebb950ea4466.html

Beer Company Rolls out Augmented Reality Beer Can

Summary

The story revels that a Florida manufacturer and bottler of beer has created a new can of beer with the hopes that it can entertain and attract new customers.

Problem

The problem here is that many people do not have access to augmented reality enabled devices, so they are a lost market and may even drive some people away. This can be capitalized on by others.

Who

Those who don’t have AR devices.

The beer company as they fail to capture and may even turn away audience.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/16363E2A2FBCAC30?p=WORLDNEWS