Monday, November 11, 2019

Assignment 23


Venture: plyometric jump box bundled with common home exercise apparatus. Virtual personal coaching, access to discussion boards, and access to more videos are other potential revenue streams.
Resources:

-        My vision, perspective, and passion for empowering individuals through bodyweight exercise.
o   V: I think it is certainly valuable. It’ll keep me driven and also will align future employees to the impact we want to have.
o   R: I don’t think it’s rare. There are plenty who have these characteristics.
o   I: If you don’t have it, you don’t have it. I don’t think you can really fake a vision, perspective, and passion. Eventually, your true colors will come out and you’ll get burned out from doing something that is against your nature.
o   N: I think having the right mindset is almost non-substitutable. I suppose one could simply do the “work” to be successful, but that mindset is what will push you further to really relate to and help others.

-        My personal characteristics such as perseverance and a desire to learn.
o   V: Yes.
o   R: No.
o   I: Inimitable mostly. You can’t completely copy my personality. You could have snippets, but not be a clone of me.
o   N: Non-substitutable. A person makes success, not the business. You need someone with the right characteristics to push forward to succeed.

-        My knowledge of bodyweight exercise and my ability to teach others.
o   V: Yes.
o   R: No.
o   I: Yes.
o   N: Non-substitutable. One would need that knowledge for the virtual personal coaching, discussion boards, and exercise demonstration videos.

-        Access to UF’s resources (e.g. databases, faculty/staff, student body, etc.)
o   V: Very valuable. People would be the greatest assets to gather opinions and learn from others’ experience. Access to databases from library, books, and the like are also valuable.
o   R: Certainly not rare. There are plenty of universities and plenty of people who can take advantage of their resources.
o   I: It is imitable. Many other universities have similar breadth of resources I assume.
o   N: It is substitutable. There are people that are experts in the field that aren’t faculty/staff for UF and you could find other people to get opinions from. You could pay for resources (e.g. access to databases) and find books elsewhere.

-        My mother was a former sports program director. She probably has great connections in the fitness industry and could help brainstorm about ideas for the product.
o   V: Yes.
o   R: Yes. It’s not every day that a family member had experience in the field you’re interested in.
o   I: Inimitable. No one has as close as a relationship with my mother as I do.
o   N: Non-substitutable. My mother’s knowledge and connections are vast, and our relationship isn’t substitutable either.
-        Ocala has a business incubator and entrepreneurial talks every Wednesday (1 Million Cups). Those are resources for networking and starting the path to creating the company.
o   V: Yes.
o   R: No. I’m sure many cities have resources for small businesses. 1 Million Cups is national also.
o   I: Imitable. One could attend their equivalent of these resources wherever they are.
o   N: Substitutable with other programs (whether federal, state, or local).

-        There are opportunities for mentoring through the SBDC and SCORE in my local area. There are also other workshops to learn.
o   V: Yes.
o   R: No.
o   I: Imitable.
o   N: Mentoring is not substitutable, that’s a personal relationship. Workshops are substitutable with other forms of learning (e.g. learning through YouTube or LinkedIn Learning), but the presenter and the connections you make aren’t substitutable.

Even though there are only seven bullet points, I count “vision, perspective, and passion” as multiple resources and there are various resources at UF that I simply bundled together into one point. All of them had the same conclusion, so that’s why I bundled them instead of separating them all out.

My top resource is my vision, perspective, and passion. It is the most unique quality of myself. The person makes the company. One could have snippets, such as a great perspective of the issue but no passion to act. No one has the same experiences and outlook as me.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Assignment 22

https://youtu.be/lUd4Q2FCCIk

Unlisted, so make sure to bookmark this blog post or the video if you need to come back!

Reflection on feedback:

  • Place camera higher. Unfortunately, I was unable to do that for this recording but I will keep it in mind for future assignments!
  • Don't turn left and right. Sounds good, heard about that one in a recent lecture also! 
  • Try to be more relaxed. Hopefully not turning helped with that as well as making some sentences shorter so I could go a little slower.
  • Do same hand gesture for 8/10 statistic as I did with 4/5 statistic. I didn't do this because in my head, I thought it would be more distracting to pay attention to both my hands to read my fingers and it would maybe affect the memory for the 4/5 statistic which I deemed to be more important (i.e. people transpose the two similar hand gestures for the statistics).
  • Mixed on athletic shirt. I understand, I felt that way too but from the lecture it seemed that we should wear what's most appropriate for the product we are presenting. I think Dr. Pryor gave the example of a farmer wearing overalls, though I don't recall if that is applicable for all atmospheres.
  • Pace of voice on subscription options. If I speak a little faster on the rest of the pitch and slower there, I think that'd be fine since that point is a bit more condensed with information. As the person mentioned, I don't think it'd matter much but I'm happy to have read his thoughts.
Thank you everyone for their feedback!

What I changed:
  • Didn't turn.
  • Removed some more words in an attempt to be more relaxed when speaking. 
  • Wore a different athletic shirt that wasn't Gator affiliated and in my opinion, a bit more appropriate in style for an elevator pitch. 

Assignment 21

Book: How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

General theme/argument: Kind of written in the title. The author gives many of his own learning experiences over time and how he became successful and gives suggestions for readers.

Book connecting with ENT3003: You don't need to be perfect. Failures are expected and very valuable. Take and directly act on feedback from customers when creating a product.

Exercise for the class: Scott Adams mentions the difference between goals and systems. Many people have goals that they want to go towards, such as exercising three times a week. Many don't reach/commit to goals because of their interpretation of the goal and their willpower. For instance, some may think later that three times a week is too much for their schedule and they stop all together. If they use a system approach, exercising would be a system about daily exercise that makes you feel better.

An exercise could be to think of a previous goal that someone had and didn't commit to or wants to reach, and change that into a system. Test out the system and see if it works better for them!

Biggest surprise/aha moment: Goals vs systems. This semester has been very fruitful for me, and sometimes I reflect back on the progress I've made and wonder how I've done so much in these last few months. I think it's because I changed my mindframe from goals to systems. I used to have goals for many things that I wouldn't reach. I changed my mindframe to simply get further along on the continuum for each activity (e.g. exercise or diet) rather than having a set goal. For instance, going straight to a strict diet program can be a huge jump for some. If you tell yourself you have a system, you can gradually go to better foods/less processed sugars/etc. and further towards "healthy" on the unhealthy/healthy  continuum rather than sticking to a strict diet program.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Assignment 19



1)     I’m a young off-campus rural college student who studies online. I also exercise primarily at home as  transportation and choice of fitness centers is limited for me. I am analytical in nature, I see situations from many angles and play devil’s advocate. I am good at describing the biomechanics of bodyweight exercises, proper form, and the like from studying calisthenics as an interest in my free time. My aspiration is to see more people exercise and realize that they can make a positive change in their health without having large chunks of time or access to a gym. This business could give me an opportunity to fulfill my aspiration and give me a sense of accomplishment if I am able to reach out and truly make an impact on someone’s life.

2)     The product/service would be a plyometric jump box that bundles with the most common home exercise apparatus as well as a handout with exercise demonstrations in both figure form and video form. The jump box can store everything in a compact manner. Virtual personal coaching and access to an online portal with more content (e.g. more exercises, forum for discussion, etc.) can be purchased separately as a monthly subscription.

3)     All of my customers would prefer working out at home rather than at a gym, but maybe for different reasons (e.g. busyness in schedule, work hours, privacy, transportation, membership cost). They need a push in the right direction to get started, but they do not need physical one-on-one guidance or motivation to exercise. All of the current information on the Internet about exercising and health overwhelms them and they need a centralized source of information that they can trust. The figure demonstrations are good but a substantial amount of value would come from the online resources, so customers would be able to use the Internet and have confidence in the information we present online (contrastly, some may not trust online resources even if verified, would rather be somewhere physical).  Also, the bundling and compartments with the product would help save space for those who live in apartments or other small housing units. The box and the apparatus would also have matching designs, making it more visually appealing compared to buying everything separately (with different designs/colors).

4)     Customers will pay money for the bundling as it makes shopping easier and cheaper than buying everything separately, perhaps at different times. As aforementioned, customers can buy it for the form factor benefits as well. Some prefer home exercising for a sense of privacy. Some have busy schedules that don’t allow them to workout for say, an hour. Maybe their shift doesn’t allow them to go to the gym because when they are free, the gym is closed. Perhaps they simply don’t see the benefit of paying x dollars a month for a gym membership. My figures/videos would be easy to understand for people to learn how to do certain exercises; the virtual personal coaching, discussion board, and extra videos would further enhance the product and would be much cheaper than if one were to go for a personal coaching session in a gym. Additionally, with the correct marketing, people would buy-in to my vision and product and relate to my personal experiences.

5)     I have had personal experience with having information overload about exercising as well as not having transportation/access to a gym since I am a rural citizen without steady access to a car. I’ve been confused with the dogma of fad diets, new gadgets, new research, and so on. I aim to make things simple for people to comprehend by focusing on the underlying principles of fitness. I’m not someone who’s trying to emulate what the issues are and trying to capitalize on others’ problems, I am a personification of those issues. In reality, I decided to first think about this as a solution for myself. My passion for helping others to start exercising and my knowledge about bodyweight exercises can also a good selling point since I’ve started my fitness journey from the ground up. I’m not trying to simply capitalize on an available opportunity because the fitness industry is growing or the home exercise industry is growing, I want to provide a solution for myself and others and hopefully I would be able to get that message across rather than trying to get money.

I believe that these elements generally fit together, though I will admit that I do not have any knowledge about any of the physical characteristics of the product or service. I would need a lot of people on my team that would know how to create the product (if even viable), create a website, know supply chain, etc. What I bring to the problem is simply the vision and my direct experience with this problem to sympathize to those that have a similar problem to me.  

Feedback memo: the two main points I took away from my feedback on my last idea napkin were about personal experiences and marketing. The bold sentences are additions in this idea napkin. I focused more on using my personal experiences as a selling point and I recognized that as a potential reason that someone would purchase from me, since they could relate more to an individual rather than a company.



Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Assignment 17

https://youtu.be/rKSc5c3EtoE

Unlisted, so make sure you bookmark in case you need to come back!


Reflection on feedback:
  • -        Important: Videos are essential for beginners. Facts and statistics prove credibility.
  • -        Wrong or silly: N/A
  • -        Useful and insightful: Keep the anecdote. Dress correctly for the product you are pitching (e.g. athletic wear for gym products, overalls for farmers, etc.). Try to relax more when speaking.


What I changed:
  • -        Changed the anecdote to make it more succinct and gave a longer pause.
  • -        Re-worded and re-organized many things to be shorter so that there would be less words which means I could speak slower and add more pauses.
  • -        Added prices.
  • -        Changed first statistic from 1 out of 5 do to 4 out of 5 don’t for more impact. Changed second statistics from more than 80% to 8 out of 10 for simplicity.
  • -        Switched “plyometric” to plyo, as many similar products simply use plyo. Decided to go with it to be more succinct, and perhaps people recognzie “plyo” from other products more than plyometric which sounds more scientific.
  • -        Used a visual prop to further demonstrate issue of cluttered apparatus.

When I was searching for prices, I found a somewhat similar product to my vision. Seems to be new, maybe that’s why it’s $400. Perhaps they value the wheels, steel construction, hinges, etc. as high-value. It’s good to get a new perspective from a similar product! https://www.gopherperformance.com/saq/plyometrics/varistore-plyo-box?item=162712&gclid=CjwKCAjw9L_tBRBXEiwAOWVVCZuJSqVOjYLvfFCAzOk6rg2BvhuZBsp5fnlONDf8lbzmbGyLseJyVBoCwYUQAvD_BwE


Monday, October 21, 2019

Assignment 18A


Prototypical customer: Young college-aged female that has a lot on her schedule but recognizes the importance of exercise and being healthy in the other aspects of her life (e.g. emotional and mental health).

Hobbies: walking, being outside in nature. Participates in clubs/organizations on-campus.

Occupation: most likely something is quite repetitive and inactive so that she looks forward to exercising when she gets home! E.g. call center agent, receptionist, cashier, etc.

Car: She wouldn’t have a car, or else they’d maybe have transportation to go to the gym instead of exercise at home. Though if she did have a car, it would be a compact car that has good gas mileage there are conscious of their own health and the health of the world. A vibrant colored car.

No children.

Favorite TV shows and books would be something that motivates her to be a better version of themselves. (I’m not very knowledgeable in TV shows, books, and the like so I can’t think of a specific example).

She knows she wants to exercise, but she gets caught up with her current duties and paralysis by analysis when trying to start exercising.

Lives in an apartment with limited space and cares about the appearance of the product for it to look sleek and fit in with her décor.

She pays attention what she eats to a reasonable degree. Not a calorie/macronutrients counter but generally sticks to a healthier option rather to an unhealthy one (e.g. grilled chicken vs breaded chicken).

I have many of the same qualities as the avatar except I'm a young male. I don't live in an apartment, and I don't suffer from paralysis by analysis. The rest is quite similar. I don't think it is a coincidence since my product was initially a solution to my own problem. 



Thursday, October 17, 2019

Assignment 16


What I think makes me different:

  • -        Perseverance, doing what needs to be (or should be) done even if uncomfortable or tired.
  • -        Openness to many perspectives; can see situations from many different angles.
  • -        Desire to learn and accelerate my learning rather than stay comfortable at one spot.
  • -        Even with many failures or seeing others’ failures, I maintain optimism for the future.
  • -        Reliable. If I say I’ll do something by x time, I’ll do it. I When I declare something, I make sure with great certainty that my statements will be truthful rather than giving wishy-washy statements. If I’m not sure, then I’m not sure, I don’t try to sound like I do know something.


Here is the link to the SoundCloud playlist for this assignment: https://soundcloud.com/angel-torres-vargas-720245625/sets/ent3003-assignment-16a-recordings/s-JpAKj This includes all 5 recordings, but to stay within the instructions of the assignment, I will post each individual recording below.

-        The key takeaway was that I strive for excellence and my positive outlook helps others stay positive under pressure. I found the latter part interesting since I hadn’t thought much about how I impact other people.

-        The key takeaway was that I am a team player and able to get along with my coworkers. I definitely value every person that I surround myself with and I want to make sure that I provide value to them as well.

-        The key takeaway was that I have self-confidence and didn’t care about running with the pact or try to fit in with the other students in school, and yet people were attracted to me because I had that quality. I found this interesting since I considered myself an introvert and didn’t possess this self-confidence but looking back, I did know that what was important was my character and who I wanted to be rather than what society wanted me to be.

-        The key takeaway was that my efforts do inspire others, not only benefitting me. I am an example of what someone could do if they strive for the best. I hoped to have this impact later on in my career, but it is nice to hear that I do inspire my peers through my efforts (mainly academic at the moment).

-        The key takeaway was that I maintain a balance between being fair and kind and being mature in my thinking. I definitely sometimes have a more mature/logical/pragmatic way of thinking which sometimes has to supersede my usual kindness and understanding in making decisions.

I noticed that all of my interviewees mentioned something about how people perceive me or how I inspire others through my efforts, or likewise. I focused mainly on my own qualities without thinking about a broader reach of my actions or my persona. I think part of those differences stem from my concern of my individual abilities for my career rather than being able to work with other people which I knew I could do. My interviewees are definitely correct about me and I was happy to hear of the value I bring to them, and I hope that I will be able to prove that they are just as valuable to me.

Going back to my list, I would add to my second point of my ability to listen, understand, and empathize with other people.