What's Your Secret Sauce?

Unique human capitals that I think I have are positive, outgoing, peaceful, I came from Japan and have a Japanese accent, leadership.

All interviews are in this playlist below.
https://soundcloud.com/user-754892192/sets/ent-3003-16a

After the interview, I was so happy that everyone talked about good things about me. I got many different answers but all interviewees told me I'm a kind person even though I've never thought I'm a kind person.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior NO.2

My business would be to provide a food delivery service for college students.

·         Begin with alternative evaluation. In the last case exercise, you determined how customers sought information related to solving their need. The outcome of this step is to produce a set of alternatives. Customers pick from among this set of alternatives. In this step, your job is to figure out how they do their picking. Does price matter the most? Does quality? Does style? Is there more than one factor that is important to your customer segment?

My 1^st and 3^rd interviewees said the price matter the most. Since they are both from outside of Florida, so they are paying out-state tuition which is very expensive. That’s why they are very wondering about the price. 2^nd interviewee cares more about quality. She is a vegan and she wants to know if there’s a plan for vegans. All interviewees liked the style. (Our style is a delivery service that deliver uncooked meal with recipe. All meals are from local markets and chosen by nutritionists.  

·         How/where do they buy? Elements of the actual transaction can help characterize your segment. Is your segment more likely to buy online or in a store? Are they more likely to use cash or will they finance the purchase? Etc. If this is a B2B purchase, who's involved in the purchase decision?

They can order online, through the app on the phone. Basically, you choose plan online, it can be 1 day a week to 7 days a week. My company receive the order and tell the nutritionists how many people ordered and any food preference (some people have allergies, or some are vegetarian/vegan). Nutritionist decides ingredients at local restaurant and give packed ingredients and recipe to deliverer.

·         Post-purchase evaluation. What matters most to your customers when they think back on the 'rightness' of the purchase? What helps them determine the purchase was a good idea? What sorts of things make them think a purchase was a bad idea?

As a college student, it is very hard to go to grocery store and choose good food and cook at home. It is because we do not have a lot of time to do those process because of many assignments, exams, socials and so on. People tend to eat fast food or unhealthy food so they can save time. We know eating healthy is very important so I believe this service will satisfy students’ guiltiness.

·         Report findings and conclusion:

I learned from my interviewees that they are really concerns about the price and they suggested me great ideas which is to have a “roommates discount”. If you have roommates and if they all use this service, each person gets a discount. Also, “invitation discount” which is if you invite a friend to this service, you will get a promo code to get a discount. People had many great ideas so I thought I should consider and make use of those ideas to this business.

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 developed my time management skills. Since I took this class in Summer C, time management will be very important because you never know when some fun events coming up. I think summer C has a lot of free time than fall/spring semesters and since this class is mostly online, it is easy to forget about assignments or quizzes. Honestly, I did not do first 2 quizzes because I thought the deadline was 11:59 pm but actually it was 11:59 am. Also, for the assignments, some assignments require interviews and you had to interview 5 people. It has to be decent interview, so it takes time. Thus, you have to start the assignment early you cannot do the assignment at the last minute. This environment and system of this course definitely improved my time management skills.

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?

As I wrote above, when I missed 2 quizzes, I thought about giving up. However, I found out if I do well on other quizzes and submit all the assignments, I still have a chance to get an A. Also, I almost gave up when my friend cancelled the interview at last minute. That’s why you have to be prepared early. However, since I am an international student I pay a lot for my tuition so every time I thought about giving up, I try to think of my parents because they are working very hard to pay my tuition. This is my motivation.

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' ?

·         Start the assignment early. It can be said to any other class but especially this class.

·         Keep eyes on canvas. Since it is mostly online class, it is easy to miss the deadlines.

·         Make friends in this class. They will help you stay on truck and you guys can help each other when you have to interview or do the assignments.

Reading Reflection No. 1

1) You read about an entrepreneur: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

·         What surprised you the most?

I didn’t know that Nike was first inspired by Japanese company called Onitsuka (which made me a little proud because I’m from Japan). And Onitsuka betrayed Nike but another Japanese company called Nissho Iwai helped Nike.

·         What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

Knight’s indomitable spirit. He never gave up whatever the situation is, even though Onitsuka was about to abandon Blue Ribbon.

·         What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

He was a little arrogant and full of jealousy, but he hated to lose and loves his friends and family.

·         Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Yes, he encountered adversity and failure. However, people who helped him was his unique friends. Especially, his co-founder Bowerman and Japanese company Nissho Iwai. Everyone around him was inspired by his spirit to succeed. He never gave up his dream.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

                His mentality was very strong. He was not scared of failing and he never gave up. He keeps trying until he succeeds.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

                Why Onitsuka approved to partner up with American company even though Phil did not have any actual results in business and he was from America which Japan fought in WW2.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

What regrets do you have? I want to know this so I will not do the same thing.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

He said that business is not all about making money. He was not looking for money he just had ideas and passion to do it. I totally agree that business is not all about making money. I think what you want to do and what you can do for customers are very important.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

The segment that I chose is businesses that want to keep their customers happy. This includes restaurants/food delivery service that open late night or 24 hours.

Interview #1: Female, student.

She said she doesn’t have this need because she usually goes to bed around 10 pm so she doesn’t need late night snack.

Interview #2: Male, student.

He said he always wish there is a place that open late night/ 24 hours except McDonald’s. He always up until late night because he likes to play online video game and usually goes to bed around 4 or 5 and gets hungry around 3. His solution to his problem was going to Taco Bell at Midtown but since they are closed, he has to order McDonald or microwave some frozen food. He looks for delivery service that open until late but right now, only McDonald is available.

Interview #3: Male, student.

He said this need exists around him.  He goes out 3 times a week (Thurs-Sat) and he gets drunk every time he got drunk. He said even though he got drunk and very hungry when he got home from Midtown, most delivery service is closed. His solution was to drink a ton of water so he will feel full and get sober. I thought this is better for him. He talks about this friend to stay Midtown longer so he can eat at Relish or Hurricane BTW but his roommates (they usually split the money for Uber so they need to go home together) but they always want to go home as soon as possible after they had fun.

I learned that there is a demand of services that open until late night or 24 hours. Also, I learned people loves late night snacks even though they are bad for you. The reason of this need is different than others, but the need is still there regardless. Even though they search in Google, they cannot find what they are looking for because these services rarely exist.

Idea Napkin No.1

1)    You. Who you are. 

I am a fourth-year food and resources economics major at the University of Florida. I am the son of businessman at a pharmaceutical company and a high school teacher in Japan. My aspiration is to make people’s life better and happy. I have been testing the hypothesis of new food delivery service and if I was starting this business, I am sure that this business will make college students or young people happy.

2)    What are you offering to customers?

It is the new delivery service that deliver ingredients with simple recipe. This is the need for most college students because it is difficult for college students to eat healthy meal at home because they don’t have much time to do it.

3)    Who are you offering it to? 

College students. College students do not have time to go to grocery store often and cook at home because they have a lot of homework, exams, and so on.

4)    Why do they care?

Because many college students wish they are eating healthy.

5)    What are your core competencies?

Time efficiency and quality. This business will partner up with food delivery service such as Uber eat and Bites squad so it can be delivered as soon as possible. We are going to hire a nutritionist and he/she can make meal plans. The nutritionist will be stayed at local grocery store and it will be delivered from there and will lower the cost as possible.

I think that many of these elements work well together to create a successful business. Hopefully the Student Government would help this business financially, for example give students promo code,  since they have huge budget so we can provide this service cheaper.

Elevator Pitch No.1

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

The opportunity I’m pursuing is the problem of the lack of parking on the University of Florida, and even though they pay for parking, students and staffs cannot find the parking spots.

Who: I interviewed 3 students and 2 workers. The main difference between 3 students and 2 workers are the time the come to school. Both 2 students’ class start at 11 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and at 2 on Tuesday and Thursday. Both students drive car and they said it is always packed. One of workers have work at 7 am till 12 pm so he never had a problem of parking. Another work has work 5 pm to 12 am so there is always spot because people have left already and since it is after 4:30 pm, she does not have any decals. 1 student uses bus to go to school so she has never experienced this problem.

What: This need becomes different based on what time they go to school or how to get to school.

Why: The underlying cause is mostly the same. When and how you get to school is the biggest factor.

Inside the boundary		Outside the boundary
Who is in	People who go to school by a scooter or a car between 10 am-2 pm.	Who is not	People who go to school early in the morning or late in the night.
What the need is	People need parking spaces during the daytime.	What the need is not	There are enough parking spaces still.
Why the need exists	Most classes start between 10 am-2 pm.	Alternative Explanations	People who use RTS transit service(bus) does not need a parking space and most bus show up on time.

Solving The Problem

The Problem/Opportunity: I think college students do not have enough time to eat well and cook healthy meals. Eating healthy is very important because it controls weight, improves mood, combats diseases, and so on. There are a lot of benefits by eating healthy, but it is very difficult for college students because of assignments, exams, and club activities.

The Product/Service: I propose partnering up with food delivery services, local supermarkets, and nutritionists. People get lazy too cook because they don’t have time to cook and go to supermarkets often. Thus, if we could make a contract with food delivery services such as Uber eats, Bites squad and Door dash, it is going to be very realistic since a lot of students use those apps. Nutritionist decides what to provide from local supermarkets and drivers pick them up. I think this process is very simple and efficient. If there is any chance UF student government could support this service for UF students since they have a lot of budget, this will be more realistic financially.