1. The first person I contacted is Amanda who I met through a mutual friend. Amanda knows a lot about computer science and developing apps. She is the domain expert. She has made apps in the past that also provide services. I emailed her about my idea, and she thinks she can help me launch my app and fix any bugs that might come up. In return, she said I could place adds for her apps on mine so we could be helping each other out. I think this would be a great contact in the future.
2. The second person I contacted is an ambassador to SAI at UF, I decided to use her as, SAI also proves a service to my marker (UF students). Therefore she is the market expert. My friend actually knew her which is how I was able to find her. I emailed her my idea, and she said that the students will like it and it will be beneficial. In return for her opinion, she asked me to spread the word about what SAI does and their different services. Including this person will help me know more about my market, and it could also give me great exposure, as I can later ask her to tell people about my service.
3. For the supplier spot, I tried contacting companies that sell textbooks, like Pearson. As someone there would be a great contact that I could later use to sell their textbooks on my app. However, they never got back to me and with everything going in with COVID-19 I could not go in person. Any suggestions to help me establish contacts here are welcome, :)
This experience definitely changed the way I thought about social networking as I never really thought about how important it was to build up these relationships that could later help the business.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
19A - Idea Napkin No. 2
1)You: I am a psychology student which means I know a lot about human behaviors and that could help me find the best ways to advertise my product. I am also very organized and hard-working. I was the business manager for a school newspaper for two years which gave me a lot of experience n trying to sell ads to different businesses and companies which could help my app.
2) What are you offering to customers: I am offering an app that would help students find the best-priced textbooks. It would also be a platform for students to buy and sell their old textbooks.
3) Who are you offering it to: all my customers are college students who are trying to save money on textbooks.
4) Why do they care: My customers will pay for my product not only because it will save them more money in the long run, but also it will make buying textbooks a lot easier.
5) What are your core competencies: This app will have every opportunity to buy textbooks in one place so it is easier for students to find what they need instead of looking through many different groups. It would also show students the best places to buy each textbook for the cheapest price.
I did not get a lot of feedback on my last blog, the only one I got was just to make sure I try to set myself apart and find ideas to market my idea. I do not exactly what could set my app apart, other than the fact that I do not of any other platform that does the same thing and that is tailored for UF students.
2) What are you offering to customers: I am offering an app that would help students find the best-priced textbooks. It would also be a platform for students to buy and sell their old textbooks.
3) Who are you offering it to: all my customers are college students who are trying to save money on textbooks.
4) Why do they care: My customers will pay for my product not only because it will save them more money in the long run, but also it will make buying textbooks a lot easier.
5) What are your core competencies: This app will have every opportunity to buy textbooks in one place so it is easier for students to find what they need instead of looking through many different groups. It would also show students the best places to buy each textbook for the cheapest price.
I did not get a lot of feedback on my last blog, the only one I got was just to make sure I try to set myself apart and find ideas to market my idea. I do not exactly what could set my app apart, other than the fact that I do not of any other platform that does the same thing and that is tailored for UF students.
Friday, March 20, 2020
18A - Create a Customer Avatar
My customer Avatar is an undergraduate UF student. They rely on Bright Futures to pay for their tuition and have a part-time job to help their family pay for their housing. They want to do well in school and take a lot of big lecture classes.
I am also a UF student who relies on Bright Futures to pay for tuition. It makes sense for me to have something in common with my customer as when I thought of a business idea I thought of problems that I do have.
I am also a UF student who relies on Bright Futures to pay for tuition. It makes sense for me to have something in common with my customer as when I thought of a business idea I thought of problems that I do have.
17A - Elevator Pitch No. 2
Last elevator pitch, the feedback I got was that my hook might not have been very relatable with a lot of my audience and that I should maybe use a statistic which is what I did in this elevator pitch. I also practiced more.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
16A - What's Your Secret Sauce?
My Perspective
1) I speak three languages, which could help me communicate with more people and work in different countries.
2) I am very good at reading people and being able to tell what they are feeling.
3) I have studied psychology for 4 years and it helps a lot with my interactions with people and being able to understand them better.
4) I have learned how to adapt to different cultures and situations as I have lived in 2 different countries for a significant time.
5) I am able to persuade people to see things in different ways and if I believe in something I am able to explain my positions
First-person I interviewed said: "One thing that makes Maria different is the fact that she is incredibly attentive to the needs of the people around her."
Secon person I interviewed said: "You genuinely care about others and you are always defending people and trying to see things from their points of view"
Third-person I interviewed said "You have really good judgment and are able to handle sensitive situations without hurting people's feelings"
Fourth-person I interviewed said, "You have a great way of encouraging the people around you and keeping their morales high when they most need it."
Fifth-person I interviewed said "You are able to debate things well and you are open to new and different ideas and ways of thinking"
I was not able to go out and interview people in person so I had to do it over text so I wrote dows parts of what they said above. I think there are some similar things between my lists and what my friends said about me. I was surprised that a lot of them said very similar things. Many talked about how loyal I was and that I always try to help others and work hard at whatever I am trying to accomplish.
1) I speak three languages, which could help me communicate with more people and work in different countries.
2) I am very good at reading people and being able to tell what they are feeling.
3) I have studied psychology for 4 years and it helps a lot with my interactions with people and being able to understand them better.
4) I have learned how to adapt to different cultures and situations as I have lived in 2 different countries for a significant time.
5) I am able to persuade people to see things in different ways and if I believe in something I am able to explain my positions
First-person I interviewed said: "One thing that makes Maria different is the fact that she is incredibly attentive to the needs of the people around her."
Secon person I interviewed said: "You genuinely care about others and you are always defending people and trying to see things from their points of view"
Third-person I interviewed said "You have really good judgment and are able to handle sensitive situations without hurting people's feelings"
Fourth-person I interviewed said, "You have a great way of encouraging the people around you and keeping their morales high when they most need it."
Fifth-person I interviewed said "You are able to debate things well and you are open to new and different ideas and ways of thinking"
I was not able to go out and interview people in person so I had to do it over text so I wrote dows parts of what they said above. I think there are some similar things between my lists and what my friends said about me. I was surprised that a lot of them said very similar things. Many talked about how loyal I was and that I always try to help others and work hard at whatever I am trying to accomplish.
15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.2
There are many alternative methods for college students to get their textbooks. Many use websites like Amazon or eBay. Most of the people I talked to said that they actually buy their textbooks from the bookstore or the use the all-access codes that UF provides. From what I gathered most students choose from where to buy their textbooks based on either price or convenience. Some said that they try to find the cheapest version of the textbook, and others just said that they get it from the bookstore because it is really convenient especially when they need to get the textbook quickly. For the post-purchase evaluations, students said that they hate when they spend money on a textbook and end up using only once or twice during the semester, or when they found people in their class that were able to find cheaper versions of the textbook. They think it was a good purchase when they use the textbook a lot and it proves very important for the class they are in.
I was not able to conduct as many interviews as I would have liked and they were pretty short, however, I do think that most students would have the same problems and mindsets that I have described.
I was not able to conduct as many interviews as I would have liked and they were pretty short, however, I do think that most students would have the same problems and mindsets that I have described.
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