15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Report findings and Draw Conclusions:
        These interviews really allowed me to gain even more valuable information about my product directly from the mind of the consumer. In interview number three I was awesome because Michael explained how integration of this technology directly into the car could be an even better alternative to just having the technology on the phone. This way when a driver turns the vehicle on and drives it off the lot of the dealership the features will automatically be activated.
        The second interview was also very valuable from an information standpoint. She felt like by going directly to car manufactures and cell phone companies the decision would be taken out of the consumers hand. The decision would already be made and they would have the technology no matter what. I thought this was good because a royalty could be made on the sale of each car and or phone. The revenue stream would be constant for my company due to the constant sale of cars and phones each day in America.
        In my first interview a really good point was brought up. Luke stated the if this technology were to be used by the masses that it must be very user friendly and instructions should be given as well. This was very insightful moving forward because I sometimes take for granted my technology skills and assume that everyone else can think the same way as me, even though that is not the case.
        In all, this assignment brought attention to even more things that I can try to do to help improve my product and the overall experience that users have with it. I will take the information gathered and make the necessary changes and adjustments where necessary to bring my company to that next level.

14A - Halfway Reflection

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? 

I have always had good time management skill and been able to manage a schedule well. This course caused me to rely on that skill in order to complete all of the assignments on time. There are so many little assignments that by creating a schedule and mapping out when I need to the assignments it has allowed me to be successful even with all of the requirements in the 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? 

Not getting into the college I wanted to out of high school caused me to feel like giving up. However, I decided to go to a Community College where I earned a 4.0 GPA and this allowed me to transfer to the University of Florida. My desire to better my life through a college education and my internal desire to earn a degree from a prestigious University is what pushed me through. I would say that I have been able to build upon my tenacious attitude over the past two months. I believe that building my knowledge on the entrepreneurial mindset is what has helped me the most.

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' ?

1. I would advise a new student in this course to try and put themselves in the mind of an entrepreneur and teach each assignment in this course as a problem that the must overcome. This has given me a sense of pride with each assignment and allowed for me to be successful because I have fostered skills that support tenacity.
2. Never stop striving for more. By doing so you will continue to put in the necessary effort to be successful in this course and at the University of Florida because it will cause you to have that tenacious mindset.
3. My final tip would be do the extra credit workshop. It is a lot of points that can be earned so you do not want to miss out on that. 

13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

I read Phil Knight's Shoe Dog. Here are my thoughts:

• What surprised you the most? I was surprised by the fact that Phil started Nike from literally nothing. He had very low start up costs and sold the shoes out of the truck of his car for the first year. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? I admire Phil's persistence and determination. Back when he started Nike nobody thought he could break into the market and become a household name. However, after sticking to it for many years he caught a few big breaks which eventually propelled Nike into what we know it as today.
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? I really cannot think of something negative about him. I was in awe of his whole story and I found it to be truly inspirational. 
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it. Yes he did encounter adversity during the the initial start up of his company. While he was not making very much money in the beginning he did experience some negative comments from those around him telling him that it would not workout and that he should move onto something else. In his mind he was young and was able to take risks still without huge consequences since he still had his whole left ahead of him. This lead Phil to continue on and go after his dream. 
• What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? Phil was very good at being a go getter and sticking to what he believes in. This is something that I try to apply in my life as well.
• Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. I was a little confused originally by the fact that he had multiple college degrees and a job as an accountant, but he wanted to drop that and go for something totally different. By the end of the book I came to realize that he had an outstanding entrepreneurial mindset, this is something that was in his heart and something that made him feel fulfilled. 
• If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why? I would Phil what was the hardest decision he made along the way? And, what made him feel like he could be successful when everyone else doubted him? I would ask him these questions because I want to dive deeper into his mindset. 
• For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?  I believe that Phil was no stranger to hard work. He embraced it and knew that it would be key to his success. I too have the same opinion of hard work. I know that if I want to get where I want to go that I must put in the necessary time.

12A - Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 1

12A - Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Choosing a segment: 

For this assignment, I decided to go with the segment of entrepreneurial minds. The interviews I conducted were with individuals who have either opened their own business or strongly considered opening up their own business. Interview number one was with Joe, a General Business major from New York who is near graduation and in the final stages of planning his business that will open up at the beginning of next year. Interview number two was with an establish business man named George, he is in his late twenties and has owned/operated three different businesses throughout his professional career thus far. Interview number three was with an entrepreneur named Zack, he opened up his own business right after graduation high school and is now making a six figure salary that many people older than him are striving for. They all believe that the market is at a good point and that the needed is there so they are fully supportive of me and the aspirations I have for this company.

What I learned:

I learned that the demand for a product like mine is actually quite high. They think that I am on the right track with the planning that I have done so far, but George did mention to me one thing that stood out. As a parent of a young teenage boy himself he said that he would want this technology for his son. He believed that it would be a great idea to pitch to parents that are dying to keep their kids safe in the car. He said "I try to ingrain into my sons head that using his phone while driving is dangerous I don't know if he gets it, but if I were to download your technology to his phone then I could go to bed at night knowing that my son is being safe behind the wheel."

This comment made me think a little bit more and I could really see where he was coming from. Going forward I would like to target parents of teenagers that drive as well. I think that this could be a big opportunity to exploit.

How would I describe this segment:

I believe that so many people across America have thought and dreamed about owning their own business, being their own boss, and perusing their dreams no matter what field of business it may be in.This segment of people have the desire to go after what they want in life and are very encouraging to those who want to do the same, as long as they go about it in a smart manner. They tend to be very insightful and helpful to people who want to learn about the process entrepreneurship.

11A - Idea Napkin No. 1

11A - Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

• My name is Kyle Frick. I am currently a Junior at the University of Florida who majors in Business Administration and I am a transfer student from Daytona State College. I am an excellent leader and I am able to get things done through people, which I have been able to perfect over the course of many years playing sports. I have a strong desire to help people grow and better their lives better and that is what my business concept is directed towards the overall safety of people. If this business idea were to come to fruition I see myself as the owner/CEO who will be leading the charge and growing the company as the face of it.  

2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 

• I am offering a product to cell phone users and ultimately cell phone companies that will help to reduce the amount of distracted driving related crashes. Many more people nowadays are using their cell phone while driving and this has caused the roadways to be more dangerous than ever before. My company will be able to stop that because we have created an app that is capable of temporarily disabling your smart phone while driving. This seeming will take the biggest cause of distracted driving, smart phones, and totally eliminate it for the equation. By expanding and growing this company countless injuries will be spared and lives will be retained. 

3) Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?

• I plan on offering this product to consumers who will have to personally download the app to their phone initially, but my long-term goal is to strike deals with the large cell phone companies across the world and have this technology downloaded onto every smart phone during the production phases. The initial consumers will predominately be drivers between the ages of 15 and 45. This is because this age range of people are the most likely ones to use their phones while driving already. Eventually I would like to target Apple and Android as business partners. The one thing that I believe that my customers have in common is the desire to be safe on the roadways. 

4) Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

• I believe that people will care about this product because they want to remain safe and live a long healthy life. I honestly think it is hard to put a price point on your well being, however, I think that a $0.99 app in the app store that can save your life and the life of many others will be a no brainer purchase for most americans. 

5) What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

• To my knowledge nothing quite like this is available to the public. The best option currently is for people to manually place their phone on "do not disturb" every time they get into the care. My app will take the thinking out of it for the customer because as long as the app is downloaded to the phone nothing will have to be done when the driver gets in the vehicle. 

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others. 

• I think that all of these elements fit will together and that this business idea will be able to succeed far into the future. Creating brand awareness and developing a following will be the hardest part initially, but in this day and age social media influencers can do so much for a brand that I would try to pitch my idea to them first and then hopefully have them advertise for me. I believe that this product has come onto the scene at the right time and has the ability to be a huge success.   

10A - Elevator Pitch #1

10A - Elevator Pitch #1

Link to youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Eiinih57eM

9A - Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

9A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

• Who: Upon the competition of my interviews I found out that there are indeed groups of people that fall outside of my market. This group is typically baby boomers or those from generation X. What I found out was that older individuals are less likely to use their cell phone throughout the day, which results in almost zero use in the car while driving. My first interviewee said "I do not even consider pulling out my cell phone to use while driving, do you know how dangerous that can be?" 
• What: My third interviewee brought up a good point. He believed that while a product that temporarily disabled your phone from phone calls and or texts while driving would be a good idea the opportunity to go one social media plat forms and listening to music would still distract the driver from the roadway. Millennials feel the need to be on their phones one was or another, so your idea would have to include temporarily disabling the whole entire cell phone.
• Why: Yes I believe that underlying cause of the outsiders is different than those inside the boundaries because those outside do not get distracted by their phones. 

  Inside the boundary 

• Who: Those who use their cell phone while driving
• What: Develop a way to keep them from using their cell phones while driving 
• Why: Because most people will not do this willingly     

Outside the boundary

• Who: Those who do not use their cell phones while driving
• What: Getting outsiders to stop using their cell phones because they already do no
• Why: The place significantly less importance on cell phone use than other

8A - Solving the Problem

8A - Solving the Problem

• My product/service has to do with the prevention of distracted driving. 
• Some people are aware that Apple has invented a technology that can disable your phone while driving. This technology is good but a drawback is that the phones operator must consciously turn on this feature, which is often times the hardest part. 
• So my solution to the problem would be to take this technology that has already been created and enable it as a feature that is on as soon as you begin the process of setting up your phone and is unable to be turned off.
• I want this feature to be in all cell phones not just Apple products. This should not be an issue and there are many brilliant software developers out there that could undoubtably make it compatible across all platforms. 
• I think most insurance companies would be in favor of such a feature because it would most likely reduce the number of accidents each year in America significantly.

7A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

7A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Distracted Driving

• Opportunity: 
• Every day, thousands of Americans are subject to the consequences of distracted when they get into their cars because either they choose to drive distracted, however their is not currently a technology that can detour this from happening
• The who: All Americans who get into the car
• The what: They are victims of distracted driving 
• The why: The use of cell phones while driving take a drivers attention and place it on something or than controlling the vehicle
• Testing the who: People all around the world experience the effects of distracted driving, including Americans. While it is easy to pinpoint a specific "who" that causes accidents while driving, drivers who are on their cell phones, this does not mean that they are the only people who can be effected as their fellow passengers can be along with other people driving and their passengers can be potential victims.  
• Testing the what: Cell phones by themselves a are a great thing for communicating, entertaining, and educating. However, when somebody decides to use their cell phone while driving this is when they become dangerous. When the vehicle is moving and on the roadways this is when distracted driving becomes dangerous, which occurs because the high speed and level of difficulty that are involved when driving are too much for the brain to handle when distracted by something else.
• Testing the why: Why people consciously make the choice each and every day to drive distracted blows my mind. Our current society relies on the individual to make the choice to not use their phone while driving. I think that the opportunity here is to create a type of technology in the phone that temporarily disables it while you are driving. 

• Interview #1: For this interview I ask a teenage male about the topic. It was interesting to find that he himself was very educated on the topic of distracted driving. He was well aware of the negative consequences that went along with it. Yet, he did admit that despite the potential consequences he still uses his phone while driving. He though that a technology feature that disabled his phone while he was driving might be a good way for him to stay more focused on the roadways.
• Interview #2: For this interview I asked a teenage female about this topic. I interviewed her to get her perspective because teenage females are statistically the most likely to drive distracted. She felt like a technology of this kind would be ideal to help her and her friends from using their phones while driving. However, she expressed concern for implement such a technology because she felt like it would be hard for the government to mandate such a feature in all cell phones.
• Interview #3: I wanted to Interview an parent of a teenager to get their perspective on this opportunity. They mentioned that their biggest fear as a parent is getting a phone call saying that their child has been injured. They felt like is a technology like the one stated above, that disables a phone while driving, they would 100% make sure that their child had this technology downloaded on their phone to ensure safety. 
• Interview #4: This interview was conducted with a middle aged male that has no kids. He felt like distracted driving a problem that effects people his age as well, not solely just children. As a traveling salesmen he is on his phone a lot talking to customers and securing deals throughout the day. He admitted that he emails, calls, and texts all while driving because it is what his job requires to be successful. He felt like even though some people say distracted driving is dangerous that he was a good enough driver to use his phone while driving and still control his vehicle properly. 
• Interview #5: This interviewee was someone of an older age with children and now grandchildren who drive. While they themselves are not a person who uses a phone while driving they did state the the amount of people they see out on the roads looking on their phones was staggering. They feel like the new generation needs to have something put in place to stop them from driving distracted and using their phones.

• Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before? 
• I would say that overall I had a pretty good idea of the need for something that helps to reduce the amount of people that drive distracted. I was surprised to hear the amount of interviewees that knowingly drive distracted despite the potential consequences that can happen.
• I feel like after the interviews it allowed me to see that such a technology might be a good idea to help reduce the amount of people that drive distracted.