19A Idea Napkin No. 2

1) You. My name is Maureen Gerhardt, and I am a Business Administration major with an area of specialization in Pre-Law at the University of Florida. I have recently started a vegan diet. I would like to help other people start a vegan diet by offering a cheap, healthy restaurant with a variety of vegan options.

2) What are you offering to customers? My service will be a restaurant that offers college students and residents of Gainesville a variety of vegan food options for an affordable price. It is extremely difficult to find vegan options in Gainesville.

3) Who are you offering it to? All my customers are vegans and usually maintain a healthy lifestyle by going to the gym frequently. Most customers will be students at the University of Florida.

4) Why do they care? Customers will want to come to my restaurant to satisfy their unmet need of healthy vegan food in Gainesville. These customers want healthier options for dinner.

5) What are your core competencies? My restaurant will be more convenient and cheaper than other restaurants that offer vegan options in Gainesville. The menu will provide an extensive list of vegan friendly foods.

These elements tie the whole business idea together. I think I need to identify the menu options.

I did not receive any feedback from the first idea napkin; however, I did change the structure of this idea napkin to explain my idea more concisely.

18A Create a Customer Avatar

My customers are mainly college students in the Gainesville area and Gainesville residents.

What kind of hobbies does your customer have? My customers partake in daily exercises and visit the gym frequently. They like to go to yoga classes. They are members of nutrition clubs.

 What kind of car do they tend to drive? (What color is it?) They tend to drive a basic black Toyota Camry.

What TV shows do they watch? They watch healthy cooking shows, the food network, Ozark

Do they have children? No they do not have children yet.

Are any of them adopted? Some customers may be adopted.

My customers are mostly young adults around their 20s.

What do you have in common with the customer avatar? If you have anything in common with the avatar, do you think that is a coincidence? Why?

 I like to go to the gym on a daily basis too. I also participate in yoga classes. I do not think this is a coincidence. Fit people tend to prefer vegan restaurants and healthier food. 

17A Elevator Pitch #2

I did not receive much feedback on my last elevator pitch other than that the reviewer would support my elevator pitch. However, I have added more details to this elevator pitch.

16A What's Your Secret Sauce

The following list describes my unique human capital:

1.    Positive Attitude. I always maintain a positive mindset on a daily basis. I am always smiling and thinking positively about all situations. Life is simply too short to not maintain a positive outlook daily.

2.    Motivation. I am constantly motivating others to push themselves to do better. Not only do I motivate friends, but I also motivate myself to attain my long-term goals despite the hardships.

3.    Organization. I am a very organized person. I plan out every single detail of my day and events in my planner and my phone calendar. My unique organizational skills help me to complete daily tasks on time.

4.    Communication Skills. My communication skills have allowed me to solidify connections and strengthen many relationships.

5.    Life experiences. After being involved in a terrible car accident, I completely changed my attitude and outlook on life. This life experience definitely helped me to maintain a positive attitude and choose my career.

After interviewing five of my closest friends, I found that they saw the special attributes that I saw in myself. My best friend told me that I am not the same person I was before I was involved in the car accident. She told me that she noticed a significant change in my personality and goals for the better. One of my friends mentioned my positive attitude, and he said that he doesn’t understand how I always manage to remain positive even when things get tough.

My friends listed very similar things that make me different as I stated; however, my one friend mentioned that she thinks I am a very good listener. I would probably go back and add to the first list that I am very open to listening to other people if I could go back and make corrections.

15A Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 2

The first person I interviewed said she evaluates specific criteria for different things. She identified she spends more money on buying healthy foods from stores such as Fresh Market. However, she said she tries to spend less on regular items such as cleaning supplies and toilet paper. Style plays an important role in deciding her wardrobe. She usually uses her credit card in stores rather than cash to make purchases. She said she prefers to shop in stores as opposed to online shop. If she doesn’t like her product or service, she will return it. My next interviewee told me he doesn’t place too much emphasis on the quality of products. His parents have him on a strict budget; therefore, he buys low quality cheaper goods from Amazon prime or stores. He doesn’t have a car or scooter around campus, so he usually buys goods off Amazon prime. He told me he will definitely return items if the items do not work properly or he decided he doesn’t want it anymore. He told me he prefers to pay in cash for his goods. My third interviewee resembled my first interviewee. However, the third interviewee only bought products online. She told me she hates shopping; therefore, online shopping provides an easy alternative to purchase goods. She uses Amazon prime like the second interviewee to have her groceries and electronics delivered straight to her door. She said she disposes of goods in the garbage that she doesn’t like.

After I conducted these three interviews, I concluded that these students prefer online shopping. Although some students will pay more for higher quality, the majority will limit their spending on a budget. Most students use debit cards instead of cash to pay for their transactions. Students usually return goods if they are not satisfied with them.

14A Halfway Reflection

1)    Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course? 

Time management and organization are key techniques to keep up with the assignments in this course.

2)    Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?

I felt like giving up this semester when I had two tests in the same week plus my regular amount of homework, work responsibilities, and appointments. My friend pulled me through by telling me I could do it. I have increased my tenacity throughout the past two months. I used to procrastinate assignments and studying; however, I have decreased my procrastination by starting on work earlier.

3) Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?

I would give the following three tips to future students:

1.     Stay positive. Thinking negatively will get you nowhere. Keep a positive mindset even if it is difficult.

2.     Plan ahead. Manage your time wisely so your assignments and workload do not build up too high.

3.     Stay organized. Organize your schedule around deadlines and test dates to make sure you complete all your work on time.