FINAL REFLECTION

When reading through my old post posts until now, I have really seen a difference. In the way that I write and how I express myself through the blog. My product grew and I was able to get more ideas for it the more I got into the blogging. To be completely honest, a lot of the time it was dreading and I just wanted to give up. Studying abroad has made this class an obstacle for me because of the time change and keeping up with due dates for my in class and online classes. I am proud of being able to finish the semester strong with one final blog post.
I do not have the same mentality I did starting this semester but I would not call myself an entrepreneur. Maybe in the future with more experience, but for now I'm just a Marketing student. Being an entrepreneur is hard, but I have learned that anyone can be one. Everyone has an idea, it just depends how much of a drive they have for it. For anyone taking this class in the future, that is my recommendation. Everyone has a drive and a passion, just find it and make that the product for this class. There is a lot of time and dedication made for this class, so might as well combine it with something that will make it more fun. The best way to perform the best in this course is to do all the blog posts and always listen to what other people have to say because it will help for this class and for the future.

EXIT STRATEGY

1. I am hoping to sell my product (automatic door lock for school) in the following 5 years. I think the faster it is up, the better. This is something that is needed now and I don't think it should wait. I don't really had a set time that it will be in business. I think it should be in business until every school as this product installed. This product is something that is very meaningful for safety and its not something I would keep as a family company. It could be, but if my children want to do something else, they can. I will pass the company down to a CEO or CFO, if the company becomes that large.

2. Like states before, the faster the product is up and running the better. Last year there was one school shooting per week, whether it was covered on the news or not is a different story. It is proven that there needs to be something done about this problem and this product will do just that.

3. I think since this is something that is a problem today in society, it has really affected the exit strategy. There are products that are made everyday and put on the market that its not the right time to sell it and then the company fails. This strategy is good because its what the market needs today and it will not fail. It will succeed until it is everywhere (hopefully).

READING REFLECTION NO. 3

   I had heard about the cosmetic brand "Mary Kay" and had seen it in countless stores. I did not know it was a brand made my someone names Mary Kay Ash. For this Reading Reflection I read Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash. Since she was born right before the 20s, people would constantly tell her that she would not succeed and become who she did. I felt like I was able to get to know her in the story and I really admired her aspirations. Mary Kay Ash was able to prove people wrong and succeed with her cosmetic line. Something in the book that I least admired and I was a little confused about was her failures. She could have gone more into detail about it and told her readers how to overcome it. For someone as successful as her, she must have some failures? How did she over come it? Maybe it was part of her writing and she didn't want to admit that she failed in the past, especially because she was so hard working and determined.
Other than those questions, I would not ask her anything specific. I would just ask if I could follow her around for a day and see how she worked. She died in 2001, so that would not be possible anymore, but if it were, that would've been amazing. It was no lie that she was a hard worker, she started her company from the ground up and thats a great characteristic to have. When I put my mind to something, I will not stop until it is done and I feel like thats something I share with Mary Kay Ash.

CELEBRATING FAILURE

I am taking two online classes and two in person classes this semester. I'm not a huge fan of online classes because I tend to procrastinate even more than usual. This being said, in my other online class I have procrastinated so much that it shows in my grades. No matter how much I study, I still get low grades for my quizzes and tests. This is my fault because of the lectures. Watching lectures online has always been a problem for me and since I never watch it on time, I have a lot to watch in a short amount of time.
I've learned that I have to pace myself or take less online classes if this will continue. One online class is fine because I organize myself to watch lectures twice a week but since studying abroad, it has become more difficult and I watch the lectures whenever I think I have time. I am studying a lot for my next exam in that class and hopefully it will pay off. I get frustrated when I do not see the results I want but I am the only one at fault. Sometimes the information doesn't click and thats also what is happening. If I sit down and put all my focus on it, I will hopefully do well.

WHAT'S NEXT?

EXISTING MARKET:

1. The next step for my product is talking to a customer. I need to talk to either someone who has power within the public school system department, or a principle in a private school. The ideal customer would be public schools since private schools have more security.

2. After interviewing people, I came to the conclusion that what I said in step 1 needs to happen. I should be planning to talk to someone who would tell me if I am waisting my time or if this is something that needs to be done and can be done.

3. This will take some time. Having an automatic door lock in all schools or just in a few starting in Florida will take a while. There is a lot of research, meetings, and conversations that need to happen before putting this product on the market for schools to install. The best way to have this product start working is setting a meeting with someone who will make it happen.

I feel as if I have been repeating myself, but I have been talking about the existing market since the beginning of my blog posts. Talking to a chairman or someone in charge will help the product be hear about and start adding them to schools everywhere. From past interviews and responses to my blog posts, this is a product that is needed and people want to see it be implemented.


NEW MARKET:

1. If I were to target a very poor part of society, I would have to speak to a commissioner instead of the head of public school systems. I would go to the commissioner of a city and ask for them to arrange a meeting so that schools in a more poor area have the same rights as other places. I can even maybe start in lower income neighborhoods since they sometimes have less security.

2. Like I said before, the automatic door lock may help low income or poorer neighborhoods become more safe. Tragedies can happen anywhere, but sometimes some places are more at risk. In this case poor parts of society tend to me this way. 

3. I interviewed someone who went to public school in a low income/ poorer part of town. They told me that their school as bad to little security and this would be something very helpful and they wish it has existed in their school. Although they were never in danger, now a days it is a different story and there is no such thing as too much safety.

4. I was surprised to learn that the school the person I interviewed did not have a lot of safety. Sometimes poorer parts of society are left out and not as remembered or cared for. This way low income schools will have the same benefits as every other school.

It might be even better to start in schools that are part of poorer societies. This way they have the safety that they lack. Research will be done to see what schools are in more need of safety and that way the automatic door locks will be first installed there. 

YOUR VENTURE'S UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

Resources needed for my venture:

1. Door
2. Automatic Lock
3. Button to lock door
4. Electrical Materials
5. Technician

Instead of doing a VRIN Analysis for all the resources, it is better to do it all together. There are not much resources that are needed to create this product, therefore the five resources are needed.

Valuable: All the resources will be unique and only made for this product. There will be research done to see what is the best way to go with the automatic door lock product.
Rare: The product has a lot of electrical usage, therefore the technicians will be the only ones who know how to install it.
Inimitable: The product is the only one of its kind. No one has come up with it, so the door, lock, and materials will not be sold or made anywhere else.
Non-Subsitutable: There are similar resources like doors, locks and materials. People can do research and put it together themselves, but it is not the same as how the product will be. Since there is specific research done, this would be the safest options for installations.

Overall, all the resources are important in their own way. They all have their own usage and without one, the other would not work. In order to have an automatic door lock in school, there needs to be a new door installed with the lock and the button or remote to have someone lock it from the inside. There will be a lot of electrical materials used, where the technicians are the only ones who know how to install it.

ELEVATOR PITCH NO. 3

https://youtu.be/n99OBLAOeCk

I received good feedback on my last elevator pitch. I has a script in it and in the comments, my classmate said they really liked that and that he would maybe incorporate it in his next pitch. I feel like this really helped me because I sometimes get nervous so having the script doesn't make me go off topic.

I incorporated the script in my elevator pitch again. I realized that it really calmed me down and makes me say everything I need to so I can get my point across clearly. I don’t think this was my best yet but I am slowly learning and becoming more comfortable. I not only talked about my product, but how my past experiences have helped me be the best person for this job. I can say I am capable of doing something like an automatic door lock for schools because it was my idea, but I also need to prove why I had this idea in the first place.

READING REFLECTION NO. 2

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

The general theme of the book is providing a realistic overview of what the social media marketing landscape is like and how to successfully navigate it today. The Art of Social Media covers aspects of social media marketing and builds up to more advanced topics such as incorporating social media into live events & conducting Google+ Hangouts on Air.

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

This book has helped me connect it to ENT 3003 because of the product I am creating. I have background in social media, having an internship in the past and The Art of Social Media reminded me a lot of what I learned and what was important in the field. As an entrepreneur, new products are always made and there needs to be a promote it. The best way to promote it in today’s society is through social media. 

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

It would most likely involve having everyone use a social media platform to implement some of the tactics taught in the book to test if the contents of the books are effective and true. A good idea would be using a social media app like Facebook to make two posts identical in writing content but one including a visual compliment and the other not and seeing which one gets the most positive feedback to test if the books tips and suggestions really work.

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?

One of the things that really surprised me of the book was in the chapter dealing with “How to perfect your post” in the “be visual” section basically argued that for every post should be accompanied by a picture, graphic or video. This went against my idea that some posts can be just written and don't need a visual representation because the contents of the post are enough to draw the readers attention but apparently visuals are necessary to secure the most viewers. 

GROWING YOUR SOCIAL CAPITAL

1. One person must be a domain expert in your industry: This person is not an expert in school construction but they are an expert in hospital construction. Hospital have lockdowns when needed and they gave doors that automatically lock everywhere. This would be similar to the door lock for schools. They thought it was a good idea and it would be very helpful. He also knows the prices and how long it would take to do this which would be helpful for the business. 

2. One person must be an expert on your market: I could not find someone specific for this position so I asked an ex-coworker about marketing this. She agreed like I said in my last blog post, that creating a website and having awareness in trade shows would have customers be interested. 

3. One person must be an important supplier to your industry: This person could have been a teacher, parent, or student. I decided to ask someone who graduated two years before the shooting in Parkland. They thought this would be a good idea to help other school and not have their school taken away. Although she had great memories in high school, every time she tells other where she went to school. Their first though is the tragic shooting. 

Networking is very important in Marketing so I feel like I was in my element being able to network with other people about this product. I really had to think about who I would interview for this part. 

IDEA NAPKIN NO. 2

1. I am currently a junior pursing a degree in Marketing. I have customer service and business administration skills. I had an internship last summer with digital media and e-commerce and hope to continue with that in the future and other parts of Marketing. This business would be difficult to actually begin but I can start talking to people interested in the product and make a website with my e-commerce background to seem more reliable..

2. My product is an automatic door lock for schools. The first Idea Napkin, I said I would target South Florida schools and move up, but more realistic would be going to trade shows and showing off my product and see who would be most interested. This give the opportunities for other schools around Florida or even the nation to have access to a unmet need.

3. In the past I mentioned that my customer would be public school systems in different counties within Florida. Since I am taking an International Marketing right now, I learned I can go to trade shows and see who would be most interested in the product. The all will very since different counties have different rules and regulations.

4. The customers care because it is something that has affected many communities around the United States. For example, The Parkland shooting was a year ago and people are still mourning. This is something that was so close to South Floridians and Floridians as a state. People want to prevent this from happening again. 

5. I am different from other people who want this product because I came up with it. I’m not sure if other people have come up with this idea before but with my background, I will be able to upload a website and have all my ideas and products online. 

In my feedback, I feel like a lot people liked my product and wanted it to actually happened, even though I said this may never happened. I feel as if the product won’t happen from my end but it is something I should talk to other people about to see if it could actually happen in the future. 

CREATE A CUSTOMER AVATAR

My customer is the Board of the Miami Dade Public School System. I’m not sure that their hobbies or favorite tv show would be but I know they most likely have children and care for the protection of not just there own, but other kids as well. Whatever politicians is there favorite or not, does not really matter in this situation because we all agree that schools are meant to be safe for kids all over the nation. I created my avatar to be the Head of the Board of the Miami Dade School System. Look wise, my avatar and I do not look alike. (I tried to give his brown eyes but the website kept glitching). We are both Hispanics from Miami. Other than that, we both want safety. Those are the two things we would have in common. 

ELEVATOR PITCH PRACTICES PT. 2

https://youtu.be/Fh4CGzjhAws
(I’m sorry about the location of the elevator pitch, I am out of town and it was the only place on the hotel that I could be alone for the video. Also, my recording was giving me problems therefore, that is why I had to move forward and then back during the elevator pitch.) 

I feel like I improved a lot from the first elevator pitch. This time I had a little script that helped me and I would not get off topic. The first time, I got out of topic a lot and went from talking about me to talking about the product. This time around, I talked about both but it flowed together and I was able to include the research I have collected from past blog posts. 

WHAT'S YOUR SECRET SAUCE

1. I think I am different because:
1. I am hard working and dedicated. When I put my mind on something, I have will do it.
2. I try my best to be the most honest I can be. I think honestly is the most important characteristic someone can have, so I feel like I always try to be that way. 
3. I am open minded. I love learning about new cultures. Right now I am studying abroad in Madrid, Spain and whenever I travel, I try my best to learn about the new place I am going to.
4. I am organized. I always have my week organized and I do a to do list in the beginning of every week to prioritize different things. 
5.  I am easy going. I try to get along with everyone and be caring about them. I think about others before myself and try to make them comfortable and happy. 
2. Interviews:
1. Best Friend: Maria 
2. Friend: Cristina
3. Best Friend: Giuliana
4. Cousin: Nani
5. Cousin: Ale
3. My interviewees and I agreed with each other. They all had one thing in common and said that I am hard working. I means a lot that they said that about me because I always give my all to all I do and the fact that others notice, means it shows. 

FIGURING OUT BUYER BEHAVIOR NO. 2

The segment that I had for the three interviews were three students.

1. A high school student
2. Another high school student
3. A college student majoring in Education

They all agreed and thought the product would be something useful. I decided to interview a friend of mine that is majoring in Education and wants to be a teacher because I wanted to know if this would be a product that would make them feel safe. 

The price of this product would be more than average. The good thing about the price is that it is a one time installment. The price would vary because there are materials, installments, and people who need to install it. The way to buy it is from the company directly. It is different for every school so their would be meetings to arrange the difference. This would most likely be a B2C product because other businesses aren't buying it and the consumers are public schools. 

The product would overall be a good idea, the only time the consumer may feel like it was a bad idea is if there was a glitch. But that is why during the installment there would be trials to make sure the doors work in every situation. 

Overall, I liked the people I interviewed because I keep realizing that this is product many people want and would help them stay safe. I feel like my next interview should be with someone who worked for the Miami-Dade Public School System, so I can understand if they are actually interested. 

TENACITY & PAYING IT FORWARD

During the first two months of this semester I have learned how to be an entrepreneur and how to be tenacious. It is part of my entrepreneurship story and I have some tips for other people who will take this class next semester or semesters to come. Something I learned is that it is hard to be an entrepreneur, but no idea is bad. It was hard to come up with a product but being an entrepreneur is not all about creating something new. It can also be something that exists, but needs fixing. I felt like all my ideas were bad and I wanted to give up. I just took my time to think about how to make my product work, but this didn’t happen the first time I did a blog post. It took me some time, until it started making more sense. A few tips I have are: 

1. Don’t give up. It will all come together slowly and it will make sense as you go. 
2. Once you have the motivation and your mind sent on it, you will really enjoy the product you’ve created. 
3. It’s all a learning process. It’s trial and error and there will be a lot of errors, but the end will be successful. 

FIGURING OUT BUYER BEHAVIOR NO. 1

The segment that I had for the three interviews were a student, a teacher, and a parent. I asked how they felt about the product. 

A Stoneman Douglas High School graduate:

She really liked the idea. She had already graduated when the school shooting happened but she was still effected by the news. Although she did not know anyone that was harmed, she was in shock that this happened in the school she graduated from. 

Public school teacher:

She agrees there needs to be a safer way to stay protected in school. Although her school has procedures, if something happens, the idea of an automatic door lock really caught her attention. She feels like there should be different alternatives to stay safe.

A parent:

This parent has not been effected from a school shooting, but she thinks it is unfair. If what happens on the news would happen to her child then she would be devastated. She feels for other parents and wants more safety procedures. 

I feel like these interviews really showed me that this is something not just students need. Teachers are also at risk during these situations and have the pressure to protect their students. Also, parents are concerned and want to make sure that their kids come back from school safely. 

IDEA NAPKIN NO. 1

1. I am a Marketing major, studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. I have customer service and business administration skills. I had an internship last summer with digital media and I have gained knowledge about Marketing. I do not see this business actually happening in my real life but I think I would be able to sell this product with the skills I have learned in my internship and Marketing classes.

2. My product is an automatic door lock for schools, starting in South Florida and hopefully move up towards Gainesville and the rest of the United States. This is an unmet need in elementary and high school because there are school tragedies happening and there needs to be a way to stop it. 

3. My customer would be public school systems in different counties within Florida. Each county has its own rules and procedures. I would start with Miami-Dade and then move towards Broward and so on.

4. The customers care because it is something that has been effected in South Florida. The Parkland shooting was a year ago and people are still mourning and it is unfair to parents and students to feel unsafe in school when it is a place of learning and growing.

5. I know people that have been effected by this and I have thought about multiple things that would help schools stay protected. I did not go to public school so I am not sure about their rules, but I have many friends and family members that have gone to public school and I have interviewed them in the past and they agree this is a great idea.

Overall, I think this could go two different ways. I have not calculated the pricing, but I feel like it would be a bit expensive. It all depends on the counties because they all have different budgets and this may not be a priority if some places. 

ELEVATOR PITCH NO. 1

This is my elevator pitch: https://youtu.be/5Bxnpihm6dk

I’m sorry about the ending, for some reason it cut off. 

TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS PART 2

My opportunity is to create an automatic door lock for public schools, focused mostly in Miami-Dade Country to start with. 

Who: I don’t feel like anyone falls outside of my boundaries because everyone that I’ve interview wants to feel safe. The only people that I could think about them falling outside of my opportunity are private schools. Private schools have their own policies and procedures that the public school system does not have. 

What: There have been different procedures that have been done and protocols to keep schools protected but this will be a way that will have everyone stay safe. It will be economical, helpful, and it will help.

Why: The cause of the people in the outsider’s need is different because they have different ways of running their schools and a different system.  

	Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
WHO	-    People who feel unsafe in school -    Schools with minimum security	-    Private Schools with different systems
WHAT	-    Help stay protected -    Effective way to stay safe	-    Already have a procedure to stay safe
WHY	-    There has been a lot of school tragedies	-    Not enough money in the public school system