Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity

After thinking of my venture concept I needed to decide who the target audience would be. The target audience for my product is a college girl all the way to a working or stay at home mom. More specifically, everyone in my target audience has an extremely busy schedule on a day to day basis and also enjoys shopping. The force in the environment creating this opportunity is new technology. Most of my customers are females between the ages of 18-45. However, my customer base can be expanded to males in this age range as well. Although males could be interested in my product, I am primarily focusing on females because I find more females enjoy the connivence of online shopping and shopping in general. My customers are currently satisfying the need to online shop through amazon and online retailers. I think my customers are extremely loyal to amazon. What sets my product apart from is Amazon is that my product includes local boutique and you can get the item you ordered in the same day rather than waiting 2-3 days for a product ordered off of Amazon. I think this is a big opportunity and I have a large window of time because the online shopping market is huge. A lot of people enjoy the convenience of shopping from their home. 

Innovation

My idea is incrementally innovative, but extremely useful. My innovative idea is to have every big box store/local boutique in a 20 mile radius from a customer on one central app. On the app customers will be able to browse the different stores and select what product they need/want. Once they selected the product and are ready to check out they can chose to either pick it up from the front of the store or have it delivered. This will be an exception of retail stores/ big box stores require the customer to pick up the product in the front of the store and do not offer delivery.  For users my app will cost 99 cents. I will also reach out to companies offering them to pay to be advertised on my app. I would charge them a monthly fee of $10-$15, depending on how often they want their company to be advertised on the app. 

Venture Concept 

My innovation will save my customers time and is extremely convenient. I think customers will switch to my product because it is a lot cheaper than Amazon prime and my customers can get the products they want on the same day. My product is appealing because customer’s can take it anywhere because it’s an app and it’s extremely affordable. 

As stated in my previous post, my “secret sauce” is the connections I have in my local community. Having connections in the retail business will get me a good customer base and will also provide me with a lot of guidance and valuable information. What’s next for my venture is to be able to make my app available in any location in the U.S. In order to do this, I would have to contact a lot of local boutiques and retailers. 

Feedback

The feedback from my Venture No. 1 Concept was extremely positive. Most of the people that commented expressed that I hit my target audience and that my venture concept would save people a lot of time. One comment that stood out to me is that stores may not like my product because they want customers to look around the store and see as much inventory as possible. Taking this comment into consideration, I will give retail stores/big box stores the option to only have the option of picking up the product from the store so that it still forces the customer to go to the store, but still saves the customer time if they need. 

Reading Reflection No. 3

Inbound Marketing Brian Halligan

1.)    What was the general theme or argument of the book?

The general theme of this book is to educate the public on how to strategically market your company on the internet, so your company is recognizable and easy to access. In order to maximize a company’s effectiveness of marketing on the internet it is important to recognize that there are many ways to market on the internet, but that one or a few could be best for your company. 

2.) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

Out of all the three books that I have read for this class, this book enhanced my learning the most. First off, my major is public relations so I am very into the social media part of the business. This book gave me a lot of insight into strategic marketing strategies and how to maximize the effectiveness of my social media presence. This book enhanced what I am learning in ENT 3003, because Halligan showed me just how important internet marketing is to a company and how you can create a customer based off of marketing on the internet. After reading this book, before marketing my venture concept on the internet I will definitely be going through the necessary steps to make sure that I am maximizing effectiveness. For example, I will make sure that my product’s website is organic not paid on google. 

3. If you had to design an exercise for the class, based on the book you read, what would your exercise involve?

If I had to design an exercise for the class, based on what I read I would have the students in our class pick 2 companies, one big company and one small company. After picking two companies, I would have the students compare their marketing strategies on the internet and list the pros and cons of both. At the end I would have student’s explain which company has a more effective strategy and why and what the ineffective company can do to make their social media presence more effective.

4.) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

My ‘aha’ moment when reading this book was in Chapter 2. In this chapter, Halligan stresses that content is what makes your website important to consumers, not design. I was shocked to learn this because I always thought the design of the website was extremely important and is what would draw your customers in. After reading the chapter, Halligan explains that if your customers are not satisfied with what their reading or if it isn’t important to them they won’t give your company the time and day. 

Final Reflection

1. Overall, I really enjoyed taking this class. I had a lot of fun and had a chance to get out of my comfort zone. One of the lows I had was when the first interview assigned. I was definitely uncomfortable and extremely nervous. My high was conquering my fear and finally being comfortable with interviewing people and talking to people in a professional manner. I also enjoyed the assigned readings because every book I read was related to this class and definitely helped me advance my venture concept.

2. My most formative experience was having the opportunity to advance on previous assignments after hearing the feedback from our classmates. An experience that I will remember years later is actually coming up with a venture concept and all the tools that an entrepreneur needs to start a business and be successful. I’m proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone and completing the elevator pitches and interviews.

3. After taking this class, I have definitely gotten closer to having an entrepreneur mindset. This class taught me that as an entrepreneur it is ok to fail and you need to fail in order to learn from your mistakes. 

4. For future students taking this course, I would recommend to have fun with every activity. Don’t take anything to seriously and just go with your gut. At first the assignments may seem intimidating, but once you get a hang of the class it isn’t bad at all. To be successful in this class, always read your assignments in advance so you make sure you know how many days you need to complete the assignment on time. 

Making it Real

Below is the link to my resume:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwqRRwH-z_zPVVl4TmxpNWNBOE0/view?usp=sharing

My Exit Strategy

1. I plan to stay with my business for several decades because I think technology will keep advancing and continue to get bigger and bigger. As technology advances, so will my app. I think my app will be more successful as time goes on. When my app reaches it’s peak and is no longer popular, I will sell the app. I plan to put all the money I earn from this venture to my retirement fund. I don’t see myself protecting this venture as a family business. If and when the time comes if my children are interested in the business, of course it will be passed down to them. 

2. I have selected this exit strategy because I believe my app will continue to grow as time goes on. I am passionate about this product and I’m excited to see what’s in store. 

3. Since I plan to stay with my venture concept for a long time, I have been focusing on ways my product can grow. If I add more features to my app/expand the app my customers will be able to enjoy my product and I can acquire new customers in the process. 

What's Next

EXISTING MARKET

Step 1: The kind of product I would be offering next is to add more boutiques/big box stores to my app. Eventually the goal would be to have as many stores as possible available on the app across the United States.

Step 2: “What should we be doing that we aren’t planning to do?” 

I could not video my recordings because all my interviews took place over the phone. 

Interviewee 1: First I interviewed my friend in college who enjoys to shop online and is a frequent customer of Amazon. You could possibly look into teaming up with Amazon because both products have a similar target audience. Teaming up with Amazon would benefit your product immensely because Amazon already has a lot of loyal customers.

Interviewee 2: Next I interviewed my mom. She suggested having all local boutiques on board with a day-to-day delivery service. So, if customers live in a 10 mile radius of the store, the store will deliver it to the customer’s door that day. 

Interviewee 3: For my last interview I interviewed my sister. She liked my idea of expanding my app across the United States but said to make sure I’m successfully locally first before I start to expand.

NEW MARKET

Step 1: Overall, I believe my product is targeting a more affluent part of society so the new market I would be targeting is a poor part of society.

Step 2: My venture concept may be able to create value for people in this market because if these customers don’t have a car and need a product that day they can use my app to have it delivered to them. Also, these customers can use my product to order necessities such as paper towels. 

Step 3:  How they think your business might be help to them? Do they have any ideas?

Interviewee 1: First I interviewed my friend from college who is on a tight budget. She said she would be motivated to use the app if the app provided discounts or deals. 

Interviewee 2: Next I interviewed my friend who just graduated from college and is supporting himself for the first time. What was most appealing to him was that items could be delivered to him the same day. He doesn’t have a car, so he said this would be extremely convenient. 

Interviewee 3: For my last interview I interviewed someone who I used to babysit for who is now in high school. She said because she can’t drive yet this app would be beneficial for her. 

Step 4: I learned a lot from this new market and this assignment as a whole in general. What surprised me the most was the fact that this new market could be a big market for my product as well. I definitely should not have assumed that this market would not benefit from my product. 

Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity

After thinking of my venture concept I needed to decide who the target audience would be. The target audience for my product is a college girl all the way to a working or stay at home mom. More specifically, everyone in my target audience has an extremely busy schedule on a day to day basis and also enjoys shopping. The force in the environment creating this opportunity is new technology. Most of my customers are females between the ages of 18-45. However, my customer base can be expanded to males in this age range as well. Although males could be interested in my product, I am primarily focusing on females because I find more females enjoy the connivence of online shopping and shopping in general. My customers are currently satisfying the need to online shop through amazon and online retailers. I think my customers are extremely loyal to amazon. What sets my product apart from is Amazon is that my product includes local boutique and you can get the item you ordered in the same day rather than waiting 2-3 days for a product ordered off of Amazon. I think this is a big opportunity and I have a large window of time because the online shopping market is huge. A lot of people enjoy the convenience of shopping from their home. 

Innovation

My idea is incrementally innovative, but extremely useful. My innovative idea is to have every big box store/local boutique in a 20 mile radius from a customer on one central app. On the app customers will be able to browse the different stores and select what product they need/want. Once they selected the product and are ready to check out they can chose to either pick it up from the front of the store or have it delivered. For users my app will cost 99 cents. I will also reach out to companies offering them to pay to be advertised on my app. I would charge them a monthly fee of $10-$15, depending on how often they want their company to be advertised on the app. 

Venture Concept 

My innovation will save my customers time and is extremely convenient. I think customers will switch to my product because it is a lot cheaper than Amazon prime and my customers can get the products they want on the same day. My product is appealing because customer’s can take it anywhere because it’s an app and it’s extremely affordable. 

As stated in my previous post, my “secret sauce” is the connections I have in my local community. Having connections in the retail business will get me a good customer base and will also provide me with a lot of guidance and valuable information. What’s next for my venture is to be able to make my app available in any location in the U.S. In order to do this, I would have to contact a lot of local boutiques and retailers. 

Celebrating Failure

1. Earlier this semester it was my sisters birthday. We had dinner reservations at 7:00 pm and I was in charge of bringing the cake. I picked up the ice cream cake and thought everything was good. Unfortunately, do to traffic and the blazing heat the ice cream cake melted and I was late. When I finally arrived at the restaurant, I ran out of the car to get the ice cream cake to the freezer. That’s the moment I failed. I was so focused on being late and getting the ice cream cake to the freezer that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings and I completely ran into someone and dropped the cake. My sister didn’t have a birthday cake and I was late to dinner. 
2. I learned that it’s never good to rush and that problems can usually be solved. If I wasn’t running into the restaurant, my sister would have had her cake. 
3. Failure is certainly embarrassing. When I fail at something I tend to feel really bad and start to overthink what I could have done differently. This class has taught me that it’s ok to fail. We learn from our failures in order to be successful next time. 

Elevator Pitch No. 3

Unfortunately, I was not able to post my elevator post the last time due to technological difficulties so I do not have any feedback.

My elevator pitch is below.

My Unfair Advantage

1. Hardworking 
1. VRIN: This resource is important because an entrepreneur can’t succeed if they are not fully committed to their product and not hardworking. Hardworking gets a business where it needs to be. 
2. Marketing experience
1. VRIN: Having marketing experience will benefit a new product because the product will be strategically advertised to the target audience. 
3. Social media experience
1. VIRN: Having social media experience is very good for marketing and a new product. Although a lot of companies use social media I will creatively use social media to reach my target audience. 
4. Outgoing
1. VIRN: It is important to have an outgoing personality because in order for a business to succeed you have to talk to a lot of people and make good connections. In order to maximize effectiveness one needs to be outgoing to solidify these relationships. I think being outgoing is something you have or do not have. 
5. Experience with shopping 
1. VIRN: I have experience with shopping first hand and experience the problems my customers face, so I will be able to give them exactly what they want. 
6. Optimistic 
1. VIRN: I think it’s extremely important to be optimistic, especially when starting a new business. I think there will be a lot of obstacles along the way so it’s important to stay optimistic. I think most entrepreneurs are optimistic because if they weren’t then most likely their product would not have succeeded. 
7. Mobile App
1. VIRN: Our product is an app so customers will be able to take the product anywhere with them. Not every product is mobile, so this definitely gives our product an advantage. 
8. Easy to use
1. VIRN: The app is extremely simply to use. Every store in a 20 mile radius of you is on the app, so there is no need to look at other places. Also, all customers have to do is select their product and then select if they want to be pick up the product or if they want the product to be delivered.
9. Friends who work in the retail business
1. VIRN: These people will be extremely beneficial and help me market my product. Not every person/company have these connections. 
10. High quality product
1. VIRN: My app will be high-quality so people will enjoy being on the app and not run into frustrating technological issues. A lot of companies don’t have high quality products, but it depends on how much time and money is spent in the product. 

After listing 10 resources, I think my most valuable resource is my connections with a lot of people in the retail business. I think these connections will help me market my product and build an even bigger customer base for my app. 

Amazon Whisperer

Revenue Drive

My product has a few ways in which I can earn revenue. First, since my product is an app I can reach out to company’s who will pay me to advertise them on my app. Second, I can have my shopping customers pay to download the app. Third, I can have my big-box store / retails customers pay me a fee for including them in my app. 

Next offering

My next offering is to update my current product. Eventually, I would have any store available on my app no matter the location of the user using the app. This will promote more customers and offer more stores to my existing customers, which I believe they will enjoy. 

Equivalent Products

Amazon, itself is similar to my product. On amazon, you can search almost any product and have it delivered to you from the convenience of never leaving your home. 

Customer Reviews

With roughly over 244 million customers, I would say people love using Amazon. I think customers enjoy the big selection of products and the convince of ordering so many different products and not having to leave their home.  I think Amazon is lacking what shoppers can purchase at local boutiques and if customers need the product such as toilet paper instantly. 

Design Changes

Since Amazon is doing so well, I don’t think I would make any changes to the product. I think my app is a great option for what Amazon can not simply provide. 

Product Alignment

This product would make a good addition to my current product because they both have the same goal, to provide convince and save time for customers. 

Growing My Social Capital

1. Mark is 54 years old. He has always been good with technology. For the past 7 years he has worked as an app developer.

Mark is a domain expert because he knows the technical side behind creating an app. 

Mark is one of my good friends dad. I’ve always been aware of his career so reaching out to him was a no brainer. 

The exchange went great. I learned a lot about what goes into the making of an app and how much it costs. He gave me a lot of useful information that I would need in order to create my app. 

Mark will benefit my network because he can help create my app/ connect me to other people in the app industry.

2. Carol is 51 years old. She has been in the industry for over 20 years. She owns a local clothing boutique in the town that I live in.

Carol is the market expert. Owning a local boutique in my community, she is completely aware of my target audience and customers who would be  interested in downloading my app. 

I used to work at her store, so she came to mind right away. I interviewed her at her retail store. I also had the chance to talk to potential customers in the store.

She is very friendly and was very excited to help! She asked for nothing in return and was more than happy to sit down and talk with me. 

This can exploit an opportunity because Carol can tell her customers, which are my target audience about my product. 

3. Ken is 56 years old. He has been a lawyer for 25 years and has his own law firm. His law firm is very familiar with patenting products. 

Ken is a supplier for my product. 

Ken is my step father. I interviewed him in our house. 

Ken enlightened me on the long process to patent a product. I learned a lot. 

Ken can exploit an opportunity because if he can get me a patent on my product than no one can copy my idea and I can start designing/producing the app.

Reflect: I enjoyed this exercise a lot. It showed me how important networking is. Even though I only interviewed 3 people, I received way more contacts from my interviewees that will benefit my business. This differed from my networking experiences in the past because I have never networked for business connections since I’ve never had my own product or business. 

Reading Reflection No. 2

1. What was the general theme or argument of the book?

The general theme in “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of he Story of My Life” by Scott Adams is to always pick yourself up when you fall down, in other words to never give up. In the novel, Adam discusses his own experience. He explained that he failed at several different ventures, but because he didn’t give up he found one that worked which led him to success. 

2. How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

In my opinion, this booked connected with and enhanced what I am learning in ENT 3003 because the book explained that it is ok to fail. Even though I came up with a product/business in ENT 3003 it may not be successful and it may fail, but that’s ok. Adam also explains that in order to be successful one needs to get out of their comfort zone. In ENT 3003, especially during the interviews, I experienced being out of my comfort zone. 

3. If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

In the novel, Scott Adams discusses how important it is to be confident. He believes in order to be successful you need to be confident. The exercise I would design for this class would to have the class describe where they are most confident and then a place/ or an active where they are extremely unconfident. Then I would challenge the class to take what they felt like in their confident environment and apply it to their unconfident environment.

4. What was your biggest surprise or ‘aha’ moment when reading the book? What did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

I was surprised to learn how important it is to be confident and that being confident can determine your success. I always knew that being confident was a great characteristic to have but didn’t realize how crucial it was to being successful in the business/entrepreneurship world. The ‘aha’ moment I had is that I will start to be confident with everything I do, big or small. 

Idea Napkin No.2

1. You. I am Haley Fisher and I’m a public relations major. My talents consist of branding, marketing, and shopping! So far, I’ve had three public relations internships that taught me a lot about social media and marketing. I see the business playing a major role in my life because I would be an avid user of the app. 
2. What are you offering to customers? I’m offering customers an app that would increase their business sales. The app would allow retail/big box stores to post  pictures of their inventory on an app that will allow shoppers to easily pick up the item or have it shipped to their home. With this new app retail/big box stores will be able to compete with major retailers online such as Amazon. 
3.  Who are you offering it to? I’m offering my app to anyone who owns a retail/big box store and the customers of those stores. My customers are all either  competing with online retailers such as Amazon or use Amazon more than shopping in retail/ big box stores due to the convenience factor. 
4. Why do they care? I have two customers. Big box and retail store owners will pay money to use my product because it will benefit them in the long run and bring them in more sales. With my app, retailers and big box stores will be able to compete with Amazon because they will be providing the same convince factor. This app will drive in more sale for these stores. Shoppers will pay to use my app because it is more convenient for them. Every item in their location is available on the app and is available to be picked up or delivered. 
5. What are your core competencies? Nobody has an app that has every retail/big box store in your area that will provide the customer with everything they need conveniently. My app will be able to compete with Amazon and drive up sales for retail/big box stores.

I believe the five elements go together greatly and are all equally strong. In every element I explain why my target audience would be benefitting from downloading/using my app on a day to day basis. 

Feedback memo- After reading over my first napkin idea comments, I saw that I received a lot of positive feedback. My classmates definitely saw a market for this product, especially the classmates who enjoy to shop. These comments confirmed that I was targeting the correct audience. One of my classmates gave me the idea to make the products in my app 3d. I think this is a great idea and could draw in more customers since sites like Amazon do not have this feature. 

My Secret Sauce

Part 1:

1. Creative
2. Outgoing
3. Hard-working
4. Reliable
5. Determined 

Part 2:

https://soundcloud.com/user-364243662/kyra-alper

In my interview with Kyra she discussed how I have many responsibilities as a 20 year old. She mentioned that I was very hard-working. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-364243662/lexi-alper

Lexi mentioned that I am very self-motivated and enjoyable to be around. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-364243662/sam-lahav

For my third interview, I interviewed Sam. Sam talked about how I am a loyal friend. She also mentioned that I am a hard worker. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-364243662/stef-hall

Stef told me how responsible she thinks I am because I am responsible for a puppy. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-364243662/val-verano

In my last interview Val talked about how dedicated and committed to school she thinks I am. 

Reflection:

After I finished my last interview, I found that people view me similarly to how I view myself. Most of my interviewees mentioned that I am hard working. A lot of the people that I interviewed mentioned that I am a loyal friend and family member. I agree, and would include it in my list to describe myself next time. 

My Customer's Avatar

For my customer avatar, I picture a working mom who enjoys shopping but doesn’t have the time to physically shop in a store. 

My customer avatar loves to shop, online shop, and always has their phone in one hand and their computer in the other. My customer avatar is a female because more females are into shopping and are more likely to use my app. 

My customer avatar has 2-3 children all below the age of 8. She drives a red mini van, so she can fit all of her kids in the car. She enjoys watching reality tv, QVC, and the food network. While watching TV she multitasks by online shopping. 

Like my customer avatar, I also enjoy to shop and online shop. I do not have any children, but as a busy college student I find myself not having any time to physically spend the time shopping in a store. I also multitask a lot. I do not think it is a coincidence that my avatar and I are alike because I created this app by thinking of a problem that I personally had. 

Alternative & Post-Purchase Evaluation

https://soundcloud.com/user-364243662/figuring-out-behavior-2

In my interview with Carly, she starts off by seeing how much the app is. Since a lot of apps are free, she takes special interest in the apps that she is paying for. If she was going to pay for an app the price range would have to be from .99 cents to 1.99 anything above that would not be worth it. She also talks about how she likes when specific apps offer free versions and then premium versions. On the free version you get to try the app out and see if you like it enough to get the premium app. After hearing Carly’s insight, I will definitely look into having a free app and then a premium app that has more features. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-364243662/figuring-out-buyer-behavior-2

In my interview with Debbie, I found out that she starts by looking at the quality of the app. To do this, she looks at the reviews/comments on the app. After learning about the app the price point does not matter, if it is a quality product. She is an avid online shopper and likes the convenience of buying products from her bed. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-364243662/figuring-buying

In my interview with Beau, I learned that he would not pay for an app. After the price point, he looks at the quality of the product. In order for him to know he made a good purchase he needs to use the app a lot.  

After these interviews, I found a lot out about my product. My app is designed to make every store such as local boutiques and big box stores available to be able to sell their products either online or for easy pickup. My app definitely appeals to people who enjoy the convince of online shopping rather than physically going into the store. I think quality mattered to my customers the most and then after that it was for sure price. My interview with Carly, gave me a good idea to have a free version and a premium version for my app. All of my interviewees had the same response to my post-purchase evaluation. All of them would consider it a good purchase if they find themselves using the app frequently. 

Crangy

The portmanteau that I came up with is crangy. Crangy is when you are so so hungry that you become very cranky out of hunger. Once people eat they are no longer crangy!

I used this word for two weeks repeatedly, especially around my family members. My sister always wakes up very crangy, so I used this portmanteau to describe her every morning. I also used it at the place where I work to describe some co-workers and my boss. 

My word definitely caught on. I think this is a word that we will never stop using in my family. My co-workers thought it was very clever and told me that they shared this new word with their family members. 

Halfway Reflection

1. I have really enjoyed this class so far! In order to keep up with the requirements of this course, I use the Canvas calendar. Once I check the calendar on canvas, I make sure to look over all the assignments for the week so I know which ones I have to start early. 
2. A moment when I felt like almost giving up was when we had to start interviewing people. I felt that it would be awkward and uncomfortable. I got over this hump and did the interviews. I found them to not be awkward or uncomfortable at all. I definitely think I have developed a tenaciousness attitude during the past two months. The experiences that most contributed to this attitude was the feeling of getting something done that I felt so uncomfortable to do. After finishing my first set of interviews the first time, I knew I could conquer the rest. 
3. My three tips that I would offer next semester’s students is to always start your work early, never wait until the last minute, and even if you feel out of your comfort range for an assignment you can get through it! 

Reading Reflection No. 1 Week 7

1. You read about an entrepreneur:
1. What surprised you the most?
1. I was surprised to learn that since the beginning Ray Kroc envisioned a franchise concept for McDonald’s. 
2. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
1. I admired how Ray Kroc could see the future of charging 50 cents for a hamburger. Not many people could see how charging 50 cents for a hamburger would turn into a 34 billion dollar business. 
3. What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
1. After reading, Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald’s, I found out that Ray Kroc basically “stole” McDonald’s from the McDonald brothers and cut them out of a lot of deals, so that’s what I least admire about him. 
4. Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? 
1. Yes, Ray Krock encountered adversity and failure. In the beginning it was extremely tough to find investors and enthusiastic people who would be able to run a franchise. Kroc never gave up and went on to find many investors and enthusiastic people to run franchises.
2. What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
1. Ray Kroc realized that in order for McDonald’s to reach maximum success they needed to franchise these stores. 
3. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
1. I was a little bit confused on the agreement between Kroc and the McDonald brothers. 
4. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
1. My first question would be: How did you know McDonald’s was going to be a success? My second question would be: Looking back, would you have done anything differently? I would ask these two questions because I think that most people would be skeptical of selling a hamburger for 50 cents or less. 
5. For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur’s opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
1. I think Kroc valued hard work and in order to achieve greatness you can never give up. I definitely share Kroc’s opinion. 

Idea Napkin No. 1

1. You. I am Haley Fisher and I’m a public relations major. My talents consist of branding, marketing, and shopping! So far, I’ve had three public relations internships that taught me a lot about social media and marketing. 
2. What are you offering to customers? I’m offering customers an app that would increase their business sales. The app would allow retail/big box stores to post  pictures of their inventory on an app that will allow shoppers to easily pick up the item or have it shipped to their home. With this new app retail/big box stores will be able to compete with major retailers online such as Amazon. 
3. Who are you offering it to? I’m offering my app to anyone who owns a retail/big box store and the customers of those stores. My customers are all either  competing with online retailers such as Amazon or use Amazon more than shopping in retail/ big box stores due to the convenience factor. 
4. Why do they care? Customers will pay money to use my product because it will benefit them in the long run and bring them in more sales. With my app retailers and big box stores will be able to compete with Amazon because they will be providing the same convince factor. This app will drive in more sale for these stores. 
5. What are your core competencies? Nobody has an app that has every retail/big box store in your area that will provide the customer with everything they need conveniently. My app will be able to compete with Amazon and drive up sales for retail/big box stores.

I think these five elements make my app stand out greatly. It explains my reasons for creating an app like this and why retail/big box stores desperately need this. With my skills in branding, marketing, and most importantly shopping I’m positive this app can be a huge success! 

My Solution

My solution to retail stores closing due to the convince of online shopping is to offer sales in retail stores so customers have an incentive to go.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

2.Retail stores are closing due to the convince of online shopping because people are now able to order anything they want online, less expensively and with fast shipping. 

The who: Retail stores

The what: Retail stores are closing due to the convenience of online shopping 

The why: People are now able to order anything they want online, less expensively and with fast shipping. 

3. Testing the who: Big box stores also have this need since you are now able to order ANYTHING online, such as toilet paper.  

Testing the what: All stores have this challenge,because a majority of items you can get in any store are also available online.        

Testing the why: The “why” does not identify for everyone, but it has significantly increased over the years.   Amazon Prime has changed online shopping forever. When purchasing an item through Amazon Prime, the shopper has the ability to shop sitting on their couch and to receive the item within the same day or the next day. 

Bug List

1. I hate walking out from a cold restaurant and it being cold outside. 

      - I have lived in Florida my whole life and hate the cold weather. When I leave a cold restaurant I look forward to warming up from the outdoors. The three months of the year that Florida is cold, I always have to bring a jacket.

2. I hate mashed potatoes because of the consistency and texture of it. 

      - Ever since I was a kid, the consistency of mashed potatoes has bothered me. Most people are inclined to stick their fork and play with it, that’s what freaks me out the most.

3. When people who aren’t clean are in my bed. 

      - I only sit/sleep on my bed when I am freshly showered. I treat my bed as my sanctuary, so I hate when someone dirty sits on my bed.

4. I hate it when people don’t wash their hands after sneezing or coughing. 

      - I’m a clean freak, so it freaks me out when I see someone put germs on their hand and wipe it on the first thing they see rather than washing their hands.

5. I hate when restaurants are cold.

      - I find myself always being uncomfortable due to the temperature in a restaurant. It makes me enjoy the food less.

6. I hate when it’s raining. 

       - Whenever it rains, my whole life essentially stops. Whether it’s figuring out a new mode of transportation to get to class, or ruining a pair of new shoes. The rain is always a problem for me.

7. I dislike traffic, especially on Archer road. 

      - Even though I only live 5 minutes from Archer road, every time I go to Archer road it at least takes me 20 minutes. This is probably because it is one of the few main roads in Gainesville.

8. I dislike slow drivers. 

      - Drivers are slow mostly because they are distracted by their cellphones, changing the radio, or putting on makeup. Slow drivers make me late places and it irritates me.

9.  When my roommates don’t clean their dishes after eating. 

      - I’m a clean freak, so I hate seeing clutter. The sink piles up and eventually smells due to the food left on the plate. This is definitely caused by pure laziness.

10.           When my roommates slam the door while I’m sleeping or taking a nap. 

      - I’m a very light sleeper, so any noise wakes me up. It also takes me a while to go back to sleep once I am awake.

11.           When people chew gum loudly. 

      - Hearing people chew gum around me is very irritating, especially during a test. 

12.           When people eat with their mouth open. 

      -When people eat with their mouth open I lose my appetite at the table and can’t seem to get it back. This happens because people can’t wait until their done eating to jump into a conversation. Patience is definitely a virtue.

13.           When I have to fill up my gas tank. 

      - Every time I notice my gas tank is empty it can’t be at a worse time. Either I sacrifice being somewhere on time to fill my gas tank, or I have to go completely out of the way to find a gas station.

14.           I hate forgetting things at home when I go back to school. 

15.           When restaurants don’t deliver. 

      - Sometimes I am very lazy, so would rather have the food come to me. When restaurants don’t deliver I have to change out of my pajamas and get out of my bed. The restaurant probably does not have enough employees to provide a deliver service or I am out of their zone.

16.           When my iPhone cracks. 

      - I drop my phone at least 10 times a day. You would think by now that Apple would have created a life proof glass screen. Apple has probably not made a life proof glass screen, so they can profit from all of my screen replacements.

17.           When professors require students to get books that aren’t necessary for the class.

      - I hate going out of my way/spending money on something that I am never going to use. Teachers might think it is a good resource, but for some students it is extremely unnecessary.

18.           I hate when you try so hard to put on your shirt slowly but still mange to get deodorant stains on the bottom sides of your shirt.

      - I tried so hard not to get the stain on my shirt, so hate having to go through the hassle of removing it.

19.           Dogs that shed. 

      -Besides being allergic, I hate how their hair goes everywhere. I usually wear black leggings, and when I play with a dog that sheds I’m covered.

20.           Trying to study in the library, but people around me talk loudly. 

    - I go to the library, so I can have a peaceful, quiet environment. I hate when people are not in the library to study, but use the library for a social environment.

Reflection: This assignment was extremely challenging for me. I'm a very optimistic person, so I usually only focus on the good. I don't sweat the small stuff in life. Before this assignment, I never had to think of things that bugged me on a daily basis, yet alone 20 things.