21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users, Guy Kawasaki

1) The general theme of the book is how to succeed in the industry by using social media. As an Apple employee, Guy Kawasaki has gained expert knowledge in marketing and media platforms. He explains that it costs nothing to start marketing, but platforms become more valuable and you will have to work to stand out. His main messages are to make sure you have a level of professionalism, create content that consumers will want to see, and allow for cross-promotion on different platforms. They say these fundamentals will stay true even as the media evolves. 

2) This book relates to the material in ENT3003 as it can be a useful resource to look into when trying to market your business idea on social media. Using social media will most definitely enhance your social capital, which was a lesson we just recently spoke about. The more people that know about your business and more connections you make with people that can help you will only benefit the business. Social media is a great way to present your product or service to the market and allow you to connect to other businesses as well. 

3) If I were to create an exercise relating to The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users would be to create an account or two on your choice of social media platform relating to the business idea we create through this class. For example, to create a Facebook and Instagram page with a bio, profile picture, website link, etc. I think the goal would be to exert a level of professionalism on the pages, since that was a kay point related to the book. Many teenagers use social media for fun or self expression, and I think some may find this challenging.

4) I think the concept that really clicked in this book was the use of multiple media platforms. In the sense of growing your audience, you have to have multiple accounts, but not too many where you cannot manage them all. I thought the more platforms the better, but in reality you just need to manage the couple more efficiently. He explained a good example of making a tweet on Twitter that a big announcement was just being released on their instagram page, with a link provided. This is a very smart way to grow both these platforms and something I have never though of.

20A – Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert:

1) Veterinary office employee; in charge of boarded pets. Has worked at the local veterinary office for many years. 

2) Domain expert

3) I have known this woman from taking my pets to the veterinary office for many years. I contacted her by calling the office she works at.

4) In our conversation, I asked on statistics of how many pets on average are there each night, and when the busier times are. I also questioned about how many hours are dedicated to the boarded pets. Lastly, I asked what the routine for taking care of the boarded pets is. She was more than happy to explain these things as I was a student and a loyal customer. 

5) Having this woman in my network will be beneficial to my business as she gave me valuable information, and someone to refer to if I ever come across an issue. She informed me of how popular the market is for pet services and it really gave me and idea that the opportunity is present. 

Market Expert:

1) Neighbor. Interviewed a man who has a family, including pets, and frequently vacations.

2) Market Expert

3) I know them as I have lived by them for many years. I contacted them over the phone.

4) The favor they did for me, was giving their honest opinion on their thought about my business idea. I also asked them where they usually put their pets when they vacation.

5) By adding this person in my network, I have gained a customer as they said they would take their pets to my business. They said it was a really great idea fro families like theirs. He explains they are always looking for the safest place to keep their pets as the vets office does not do them justice. I think his opinions definitely led to an opportunity for me to go forward with my business.

Supplier:

1) Petco employee. The younger female I spoke to is the manager at Petco, but has also worked in the grooming and sales departments.

2) Supplier

3) I locally shop at this Petco. I called the store to speak to the manager.

4) I asked the manager at Petco where the access all their supplies from first. Then went into detail about the grooming department and other specifics such as quantity. Then I asked if they do bulk orders for business or vets offices.

5) I learned from this manager that a lot of planning goes into picking up all necessary supplies needed to run a business. She explained to me how she has to reach out to many companies to acquire all the different products in the store. She also says that they do sell bulk products of many items. I think talking to someone who manages and supplies products to people was very informative and she seemed to enjoy talking to me about her products.

Reflection:

I would have really liked to do it in person, since this is still new. Due to certain circumstances, all the contacting was done over the phone for safety measures. I think talking to more than one person in each category would be beneficial, but I still gained valuable information about my business and really think there is an opportunity present.

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

1) I am a student at the University of Florida, studying aspects of business and advertising. I am creating a vision for a potential business of a Pet Spa and Hotel. As a student, I am gaining valuable knowledge about administering a business. My experience in my business is that I am a pet owner myself, and treat them like family. I think this makes me a reliable source to leave your pets with as I ensure they will experience great care. My aspirations are to run this successful business, and alleviate stress for pets when their family goes away. I would like to increases the level of comfortability and luxury of boarding pets. I see this being a big part of my life, as I am very dedicated to this project. It is something I care about so I see great potential.

2) My service is an all inclusive Pet Spa and Hotel. It is a pet boarding facility with many other services. It includes grooming services, a bakery, play rooms, and much more. The goal is to allow your pets to interact with others so the time away from family is less stressful. 

3) I am offering this service to all pet owners. Any age and any pets! We offer a pick up service for elderly or people who do not have time to drop off their pets. It is an ideal place to keep your pets if you are frequent travelers. 

4) People should care to use my service to benefit their pets. To ease the stress of the family leaving, my Pet Spa and Hotel is a more comforting place than the vets or being left at home. It is a complete experience that you are paying for, not just the boarding factor. 

5) What sets us apart from other businesses, there is really nothing like this. We are dedicated to our customers to give their pets the best possible treatment there is. We create an emotional connection with our customers, instead of just keeping your pets in cages. I think the competencies we have that set us apart is teamwork, trustworthiness, and awareness.

I did not get much feedback on the last post, but I for sure did some self editing as a few things have changed. I believe that all the elements do fit together. With out a piece the business would not be as strong or successful. You have to have the experience and be knowledgable about the factors of your business. You have to know how broad your market it, and further develop it to gain customers. The need is the most important part. If theres no need, theres no business. The last thing that is most important would be your competencies and standards. If you communicate these things to your customers, you should has no problem forgoing loyal business with them. I think if one of these attributes were to be out of line, the business would not run as smoothly.

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

1) Youtube link: https://youtu.be/bNUB6sY4B78

2) From the last elevator pitch, I have included more of the goals of my business and how it would be beneficial to the customers that would be investing in my product. From other assignments, I have learned a lot about my business idea and had to tweak the overall description. I think learning more about my own idea will help me be more detailed and get across my overall goal.

3) From my last pitch, I have lengthened the time of my pitch. One of my peer reviews suggested I make it longer, and since I have figured out more information about my idea I agree. Another piece of advice was to mention the benefits that the customers will get, so I made sure to mention these things as it would be the incentive for using my business.

18A- Create a Customer Avatar

My customer's avatar would be any aged pet owner who loves to spoil their pets.  Their hobbies include traveling, working, and vacationing! For the lower aged customers, pictured by the lady in pink, they would have a large family with children and love to go on vacations. This way when they vacation, they will take their pets to my Spa and Hotel. For the older aged customers, shown by the lady in gray, they could also be travelers, but would mostly need help caring for their pets. The "customer avatar" would derive most of their time to their pets and treat them like one of their family members. These customers also love luxury items and would never give their pets any less than gourmet food.

What I have in common with this "customer avatar" is I am a pet holder myself. I really like to take care of my pets as best as possible as they are family members to us. I don't think it is a coincidence that the avatar has this similarity as my idea derived off my experiences. Since my family traveled a decent amount, and we had to keep getting friends and the vets office to take care of our pets, this is when I thought of my idea.

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

In my first interview, a concept talked about was pricing. The woman has two dogs, and she explained to me that a friend comes and sits the dogs for a cheap price. I explained to the woman that my business is an all-inclusive service and she would be getting more for the higher price. She was intrigued as she could get her dogs groomed at the same time when she vacations. This is the exact type of client I am looking for.

The second interview was with an older woman. She explained to me how she did not want to drive to take her pets there, and asked if they did a pick up service. I explained that it was a great idea and could be looked into if I was to open this business. I think this would add more customers as the factor of convenience is added. 

In my last interview, I spoke to another pet owner. I asked him about his previous experiences with boarding animals. He informed me that he takes his cats to the vet, because it was the cheapest option but he feels bad leaving them their as it is not very nice. I asked him if he would be willing to spend a little more money for more services and better quality. He was hesitant, but said he would be willing to try it. I think talking to these people on the fence is a good indicator to be able to adjust before starting your business. 

After my interviews, I have gotten insight on some valuable factors that could affect my business. If I actually were to start my business, price and location would would be elements I would need to consider. I think these interviews are really helpful on tweaking your business idea and really directing it to the customers needs. I enjoy the feedback and bouncing ideas off of people to make my business even more innovative. The wide range of my interviewees allowed me to reflect and think about the choices customers make before investing their time and money into a business. 

16A- What’s Your Secret Sauce?

1.     Flexible- The first way I believe my human capital is unique is that I am very flexible. As I have been a competitive dancer my whole life my schedule is always very busy, and I have to be accommodating to situations quickly whether it is for school or putting my daily life on hold. I find that many people struggle to adapt to change quickly but I find my life experiences have helped me gain this quality.

2.     Artistic- As I mentioned before, I was a competitive dancer and still am on the school dance team here. I feel like this is a skill that makes me, me and is really important to myself. It took up a big part of my life and not everyone has this skill.

3.     Passionate- Another characteristic I have gained in my life is I am very passionate, and I put my full effort into everything I do. I feel like I feel the most fulfilled with my work when I do my best in school or extracurriculars.

4.     Leadership-A fourth skill I possess in leadership. In high school, I held many leadership positions and was a captain of my dance team. I think being leader is really rewarding as I get to be a role model to younger generations.

5.     Loyalty- The last component of my human capital would be that I am a loyal friend. I have experienced issues with previous people that just do not treat others respectfully and I have learned from that. I never want to people to feel worth less than they truly are.

5 Recordings (combined them into one video but labeled!) - https://youtu.be/nAlhjAX-qHs

I agree with what my friends and family said about me, but I personally did not think of them. I think the cause was that they see the external characteristics, while I focused on my personal experiences. I think the interviews were very accurate of me and I would like to add what they said to my list. I think what I said combined with what the interviewees said is an accurate representation on my human capital.