22A - Elevator Pitch No. 3

When it comes to this elevator pitch, seeing as I only had a minute instead of the usual minute and thirty seconds, I decided to cut straight to my point. I only covered three topics, what my idea was, why I wanted it to come to fruition, and my thought process of who to market my idea to. Much of my feedback was very positive and mostly involved the enjoyment of hearing that someone is finally wanting to solve a furniture problem people have. The one thing I wish I could have done in this video would be to make the comparisons to other products as I'd done in my previous pitch; the comparison to IKEA furniture was really well received.
When it comes to what I changed, again, I merely made it shorter, cutting out a bit of the in-between I'd done in my previous pitch. Personally, I've been comfortable in front of the camera since the first pitch, but I find it much easier to get my point across now. For instance, this pitch was done in only three takes, unlike my usual seven or eight. Personally, I feel as though this assignment has made me question how I'd pose my pitch to someone in person, as well as how to properly convey what I'm trying to do if asked. My product has certainly grown a lot as well; from a furniture line I wanted simply to give to the consumers directly, to a line of furniture that would be easily sold to retailers who can both, more efficiently sell or rent it, as well as give me a steady source of income through constant sales.

21A - Reading Reflection No. 2

The book I chose to read was Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan. The general theme of the book is putting your company, business, or even idea out into the realm of the internet, particularly social media outlets. As such, it goes over topics like: how to remain relevant with the changes to the shopping industry, how to get your name/brand on Google, how to gain more consumers through your current consumers, and how to efficiently market yourself on social media, to name a few of the topics. Although the book is a bit outdated compared to the standards of social media and online marketing today, the core values it presents can still be used. In my opinion, the most useful topics are those involving people's behaviors, like chapter 8 that details how people are more likely to show others a site or webpage if it "blew their mind."
The book's topics did connect with many of the topics we've learned in the class thus far. Most of which involved marketing and how to turn your prospects into leads. When it comes to how this book "enhanced my learning" for the class. Most of the material had already been covered in previous lectures for this course, as such I already thoroughly understood the topics. I noticed as I was going through the book, that it mostly covers surface level details, never really delving deep into its marketing topics. This is probably because the book itself is marketed toward entry-level marketers, not people who have more experience and knowledge, like the people taking this class.
If I were to design an exercise for this class based on the book, I'd design an exercise that revolves around having the students create their own mock social media page. It'd involve them using a program like Wix in order to show me how they'd "wow" their visitors. They'd be graded based on the principles the book tries to show, like how easily would I be able to find it on Google, would I be enticed to show more people the site, and so on.
I suppose what most surprised me about the book is the alternative to having people who frequent social media on your team. The suggestion posed was to work with a PR agency. Granted, this seems like an obvious solution, but its one I'd never given much consideration. Frankly, I've always thought that it'd be the easiest simply to hire or work alongside people who understand the platform. But the process of hiring, working with, and gathering knowledge from a PR team was quite interesting. Many of the topics covered in this book I'd already been at least somewhat aware of, but I've never had to work with a PR agency, so this was a bit eye opening.

20A - Growing Your Social Capital

1. Domain Expert in the industry: Martin Amado (Owner of  "The WOW Factor!" home design company and host of the Miami Channel 10 "Soflo Home Project" Show)
Martin Amado has been an expert in furniture design for many years and as such would serve to be an excellent contact when it comes to learning about the industry. While he himself has never owned a furniture company or store, he is the owner of a home design company and has done home makeovers and tours for several years. As such, he is an excellent contact to have as I will easily know what people of every budget are looking for, as well as how to style my furniture for any purpose. Funnily enough, I've known Martin for a bit over a year now because my father recently became the lead producer and editor of the aforementioned Soflo Home Project show. The exchange we had was brief, but the "favor" he did for me was give me a few furniture tips, for instance, pieces cannot be simply bland, as no one will be enticed buy them, however, they cannot be overly flashy either as they would suck the attention out of a room. My pieces have to be marketed in such a way, that they affordable, but not cheap, and liven up the room, without being overly flashy. Because we've worked together on the show, on occasion, there isn't much of an expectancy for a "return" per say, however, he is curious to see where this concept goes. Finally, he will serve to boost my market, because of the copious amounts of experience he has with working with furniture; I can trust is opinions and advice. Furthermore, he is a known name in the furniture design industry, meaning if I ever did use his name, it would be an excellent contact and serve as a guarantee that my concept is backed by a true expert.

2. Expert in the market: Lauren Jones (Client Relations Specialist for Southern Furniture Leasing Inc.)
Lauren Jones is an employee for a big furniture leasing firm known as Southern Furniture Leasing; (and is unfortunately an FSU graduate.) She has worked as a client relations specialist in the company for almost two years now and understands how to work with her customers. I found her through her LinkedIn page as I was searching for people who work in the marketing department for furniture rental companies. Seeing as we're both Floridian students, I decided to give contacting her a shot. After a quick phone call, I'd gotten a bit more information on how to work with my potential customers and retailers. When it comes to customers, she said, it's important to appeal to them in whatever way you can. It's important to act like a car salesman, but not look or sound like one. What she meant by this was, to find what your customer wants, amplify that and assure them that they are correct, it's usually easy to sell to people that way. On the more company side, she admitted that she didn't know a whole lot, but what she explained certainly helped. She explained that when marketing to a retailer who's been doing similar things for years, it can be difficult to "get in with them." The most important things are selling them on why they need your product (making it unique,) and more importantly, why you can get it to them cheaper than anyone else. When it came to why I was asking, I merely posed that I was a student looking to create some concepts in the industry, not really disclosing too much information, (especially not that I am a UF student, considering she is an extreme fan of the Seminole team,) so there isn't an expectancy for a "return." As for how she will enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity, I cannot see many ways. She's extremely new in her present company and has little experience elsewhere, apart from her advice, I doubt she will prove useful later.

3. Expert supplier: Kari Scott (Human Resources Manager for U.S. Lumber)
Kari Scott is the Human Resources Manager for U.S. Lumber, a lumber provider for many companies throughout the United States. Most of these companies for construction or furniture based, similar to the market I'm looking for. Similar to Lauren Jones, I found Kari on LinkedIn, when searching for the employees of U.S. Lumber. I found her to be the most efficient as she was both accessible as well as a good judge of character considering her position in the company. As such, I reached out to her to ask her about the general operations of the company. Particularly the process of selling and shipping lumber. Considering I may need to work with this company in the future, it would be a good fit. To summarize our conversation, she explained that there haven't been new major entrants for a while, but the process would be consistent shipping orders followed by personal meetings and contacts to establish a relationship between companies. Once the company is confident that they can supply you with lumber that you will properly reimburse them for, then bulk discounts and regular shipping can come into play. This information was rather useful as I wasn't aware of the process in which retailers and designers acquire their raw materials until now. This contact may also come into play later if I do end up pursuing this opportunity further; I now have a means of acquiring raw materials.

After working on this assignment for a few days now, I understand just how difficult it is to get into contact with people. The first contact I had was readily available, but the other two took quite a bit of searching. I called quite a number of people who either didn't answer, were busy at the time, or were doing work and didn't have time to answer my questions. With this experience, I take away who I should target first when it comes to my contacts; never contact the people in charge of all operations as they are too busy, but at the same time, never contact low level or just employed workers, as they aren't familiar with the trade yet, (this can show in my second contact.) Lastly, this majorly differed from my networking experiences in the past, as I mainly spoke with consumers, never producers, experts, and suppliers. However, these people provided much more insight than my consumers could have, (granted it's in different areas, but that's besides the point.) Also, these new contacts may have use in the future with any opportunities I wish to seek out.

19A - Idea Napkin No. 2

I'm a person who is very exploratory. I feel as though I've been good at a lot of things, but never amazing at many things. However, the few things I am very good at, I dedicate my time and effort to perfect it. One of these things is creativity and innovation. For years I've thought and dreamed up ideas, just trying to perfect my thought process. Because of this, I've become a significantly better thinker when it comes to anything I design, build, or even sell. For instance, I've designed and build computers and robots throughout my high school time both for clubs and for my own use. My aspirations for my concept, is to begin in Gainesville, get a steady, secure market. Then market to furniture stores and rental stores for universities around the United States. I feel as though mine is a good idea that can take off. However, before any of this can take off, I must get into the more legal side of things. I must learn about patent laws and infringements before I even propose my idea to anyone. I hadn't considered this until it was brought to my attention thanks to the feedback of my last post.
I am offering both an affordable option for furniture to my customers, as well as an easy, steady supply of rental furniture to rental companies. I am to be the supplier of these companies, working directly with the raw materials up to the retailers. Retailers of furniture would care about my product because of how cheap, yet efficient my furniture line would be. It would be a hit with their customers and thus it would provide a steady supply of cheap furniture they can source for their stores. Even if they don't end up selling every single unit, with how affordable it will be to buy from us, their profits will still be high. What sets my idea apart is that no one has created a full line of foldable, compact furniture, meaning that I'd be unique in that aspect. Furthermore, with how I want to design it, it would be cheap to produce and to sell both to consumers and retailers, meaning that consumers get a good price and retailers make stead profits.

Personally, I believe that with my background in designing and building complex pieces of machinery, I believe that I would have no issue with the tools involved in this trade. However, when it comes to putting pen to paper, I understand that it will be rather difficult and the learning curve will be steep. While I have the knowledge to build machinery, I've never designed furniture, and while I don't think it would be that different, I cannot be certain. Despite this, I'm determined to have this idea come to fruition in one way or another.

From the last post, one thing I hadn't considered is the possibility of my concept being taken. As the feedback had pointed out, I must learn about patent law before I start proposing any concepts to backers, let alone the retailer companies I want to sell to. Apart from this, it seems as though I have a lot of support among my peers, which is well appreciated.

17A - Elevator Pitch No. 2

In this pitch, I tries to bypass as many pre-tenses as I could to go straight into my product. I also tried to describe my product as briefly as possible, avoiding unnecessary paused for explanation and some humor. What changed most about my pitch, was I imagined myself in a room full of investors for furniture. In this room, I didn't need to go over the basics of furniture, as they would already know what I am talking about. Instead I focused on what makes my product unique, as well as why they should invest in my product.

18A - Create a Customer Avatar

In the past, I described my prototypical customer as anyone who moves homes a lot, whether that be for business, family, or schooling, all applied. However, for this exercise I want to start out with the customer that would be most common to me specifically, the customer I will be appealing to first, university and college students moving away for the first time. Many of these students are moving into dorms and apartments in need of some furniture, whether that be some furniture (like nightstands or some chairs,) or a full set of furnishings for their new home. Regardless of their situation, they will all need something that I think I can provide. All of these customers have in common that they are looking for furniture that is cheap and expendable, since they'll only be living on campus for about four years. Usually, students are pretty savvy and look up all the good secondhand furniture sellers online, places like Craig's list and eBay, paying extra close attention to any local sellers; other  students are constantly coming and going and will be getting rid of their old furniture too. This is the target I want to hit, I want the word to spread at this point. My prototypical customer will be most able to be influenced into buying my furniture line here, thinking that they are getting the best deal because other students suggest it. College students, like myself, are constantly looking for secrets and cheats around college life, so hearing about a furniture line that is as cheap as mine, but at the same time stylish and comfortable, it'll be like they've found a gold mine.

The avatar I've created is a person who was just admitted to the University of Florida. A girl from Atlanta who has worked hard to gain her spot in this school, but hasn't really thought out all the details between her high school classes. Once her summer rolls by, she's moved into a dorm room for the first time with nothing but a dresser and a bed. She's brought along the essentials for hygiene and clothes, but not much else. So she begins to look for everything else she needs, trying to save money where she can. She's social, so she goes to flea markets, around campus, and to different social gatherings in order to make friends and look for everything she needs with help. She finds it easy to manage her way around campus with her new friends because some of them are upperclassmen. She finds it easy to relate to them because of their shared social nature, as well as common interests in TV shows and faith.

Knowing myself, I would relate heavily to these prototypical customers; the average college freshman moving away from home. In an unfamiliar location with no one I know from home, the way I'd go about looking for help is through that of my older peers. Juniors and seniors usually know a lot more than I do, so I'd look to them for guidance, and if they suggested something, I'd look into it. I'm quite confident I'm not the only one who does this, meaning that my prototypical customer, who I've sort of made out of my image from a few years ago, is someone I can understand quite well. My avatar certainly isn't a coincidence, I just imagined the average University of Florida student, which I am as well. I think the main difference would be the way in which I look for my items and go about learning. I do so in the comfort of my own home, usually behind a computer or on the phone with friends, not usually going to social events unless needed.

16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

1. I am very good at conversing with people. This allows me to get points across to them while also gaining insight into their psersonakity and forming strong relationships.
2. I am very creative. Given enough time, I can come up with a concept for nearly any invention or subject; maybe something not extremely optimal, but enough to pass until given more time and resources.
3. I am good at improvising. If put on the spot, I can almost always pass myself off as knowing what I’m doing, regardless of how much I actually know.
4. I know when to apply emotion. When it comes to winning people over, emotion is a key factor; so when it comes to a situation in which people are unsure of who to side with I can use emotions effectively enough to gain support.
5. I’m very observant. No matter where I am, I’ve always been very observant of my surroundings. Whether it’s reading the air of a room or carefully listening to key points in a presentation, I usually pick up on key points.

Interviews
1. Mom

Me: “So what makes me special?”
Mom: “Well, you’ve always made a presence whenever you enter a room. Between your charm and personality, people generally pay attention to you, regardless of the emotions they exude to you. Those that admire and follow you end up being your friends, those that don’t only envy you. You know this from your elementary and middle schooling.”
Me: “Yeah, I know. Anything else you can think of?”
Mom: “I’m sure there’s a lot more, like your improv, good looks, smarts,... what’d I miss?”
Me: “I think that’ll be enough, thanks Mom”

Summary: It’s clear that my mother would have a very high opinion of me, she always has. In any case, she confirms most of my points, especially the first.

2. Girlfriend
Me: “What makes me special?”
Girlfriend: “Good looks, funny, smart, witty, derpy, good at giving hugs, good at-“
Me: “Alright, alright, I get it. Thanks for the help.”

Summary: My girlfriend has quite the bias towards me when it comes to my description. So, while I trust her opinion of me, I think there is at least some bias when it comes to her description of me.

3. Adrian
Me: “So what makes me special.”
Adrian: “What do you mean, like academically?”
Me: “No, like in general.”
Adrian: “Well I guess you’re very determined when it comes to what you do, from school to gaming you always try your hardest.”
Me: “That’ll do.”

Summary: When it comes to my good friends, I can usually rely on them for help and support. Here is no different, when it comes to Adrian, I know I can rely on him for honest opinions about myself, so I trust this opinion and can attest to this being true.

4: Arthur
Me: “So what makes me special?”
Arthur: “Uh, I guess you’re good at what you do. You generally do your work and don’t even need to study after. That kinda what you’re looking for?”
Me: “Yeah, I guess that works.”

Summary: Arthur isn’t a major friend of mine, but someone I’m comfortable relying on. I figured his response would be something along these lines.

5. Alex
Me: “So what makes me special?”
Alex: “Well the one thing I can say for sure is that even though I haven’t known you for long, you’ve been very friendly to me. Not in a way that’s simply token-like, but as someone who genuinely wants to take interest in me as a person.”
Me: “Well, I really appreciate that, thank you.”

Summary: Even when it comes to people who I’ve only just met, it’s clear that they think of me as someone personable. I always try to make my best effort to show others that I’m someone who they can come to for help and advice. I try to show others that I can be a friend.

Reflection:
When it comes to how I see myself in comparison to others, the similarities are blaring. But this was obvious to me, I’m always as open with others as I can be. Sometimes, maybe too open. But I usually limit my transparency to family and close friends. The only major difference I find is in determination. Personally, I think I’m only truly determined when it comes to something I truly believe in. I will not put blind faith into something unless I truly think there is merit to it. As for what I would change, I woactuslly change the creativity for determination, simply to better explain the type of determination I hold.

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

When it comes to furniture shopping, I found a common theme between the people I interviewed; they either found what they were looking for on Google, or already knew where to look for furniture.
Those who were looking for places on Google generally used the first or second results, never further. This is because the first result was usually Amazon where they’d get their furniture delivered. The second result was usually the nearest, most convenient store location to them. Thus, if I want to branch out using Google’s authority, I would have to pay quite a bit to get high priority in results. To the people who search for their results using Google, convenience is what matters most. When it comes to people who look for physical stores, they usually go straight to the first place they know they’ll find what they need. For instance, for cheap furniture it’s IKEA, for rentals it’s Rent-a-Center, etc. In this instance I’d have to become a household name for a wide variety of furniture types in order to outsell my competitors. To these people, price and usage matter most. Usually, people don’t think twice about furniture, they just use it or deal with it. The only time people really think back, is when they’re disappointed, mainly with the comfortability of the piece. The only other thing that would make them think their purchase was a bad idea would be if the piece does not match what their current room looks like. In short, if I were to truly appeal to and capture a vast array of customers, I’d need to become easily findable on search engines as well as become a known name through word of mouth.