My Secret Sauce

1) Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique. What is it about you, exactly, that makes you different? Write this up in a detailed list. 

I think what it is about me that makes me different is that for starters I am very good at seeking opportunities. 
I find new and different ways of doing things and I make it work for me. I am really good at adapting to change and going with the flow of things.
I know how to maintain a professional appearance and present myself well even when I am upset or stressed.
I take criticism pretty well and appreciate when people are giving me the advice I need to hear and not just what I want to hear. I think this is an important trait to have as an entrepreneur. Being a know it all doesn't help you to be innovative and improve on your ideas.
I put my best effort into what I do. I like to think I have I have a decent amount of integrity as a person, my mantra is to always try to treat others how I want to be treated so I think this has helped me to do well in my work life because I am respected by others.

I asked them what is my secret sauce, and what qualities do I have that would make me a good entrepreneur. I interviewed my parents, my brother and a couple close friends.

The first interview was with my mom. It doesn't surprise me that she said these things because well, she's my mom so naturally she thinks the sun shines out of my a**.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD7QV0fgZTQ

The second interview was with my dad. It was interesting to see what he said about me as an entrepreneur because his dad was a very successful entrepreneur and my dad followed suit and ran the family business with his brothers for many years after my grandpa passed.

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

My brother had some pretty similar things to say about me as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzUkwPCT7do

The next two videos are from friends. Basically what they said was similar but a little less detailed which makes sense because they know me in a different way than my family. I had them send me the audio file over whatsapp and as soon as I can figure out how to load to youtube I will post it!! Check back soon
Update: I had to ask them to re-do it because I cannot figure out how to get an audio file uploaded on here from the app. I will post as soon as I get these! (I am currently studying abroad so recording the videos myself was not an option)

My reflection of these interviews is that I am I guess a little surprised on how similar they are to my list. A lot of what they said matched up with each other and with my description of myself as well. This is a good thing and I am glad that I have consistency.

Week 9 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

There was nothing that really surprised me in this reading. Since I just recently took a class in marketing I was familiar with everything the author said about the marketing concepts for entrepreneurs. It basically summed up a lot of the concepts I learned in that class.

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

Again there really was not anything in this chapter that surprised or confused me because it was basically review from other classes I took recently.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I would probably just ask him what the best marketing strategy would be for my business idea. It's always helpful to get an opinion from someone who is an expert in the area.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I didn't see anything in particular that I disagreed with or thought the author was wrong about in this chapter.

Idea Napkin No. 2

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?

For the first part of this assignment I feel like I put a decent amount of effort into answering these questions and I don’t want to just copy and paste it all or repeat the whole thing. I would encourage anyone to go and read that part if you are interested. The business idea I came up with is something that I use myself both from the customer and host side. It’s like an Uber or Airbnb type of app where you can drive people and also deliver food, groceries, or anything really. It’s more open ended.

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

I think I have to revise the service to be a little bit more specific because at first it was something that would be hard to regulate and put a price on.

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?

All of my customers are people who need assistance through use of a car. Some of them don’t have cars, or the time to go out and do things, or they simply would rather pay someone else to do it for them.

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.

Sometimes there are no better options. Nowadays people are all about convenience, they are busy. They don’t want to go out of their way when they don’t have to. A lot of people would use this on a regular basis.

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

  The service would be flexible and affordable and allow people to help eachother while making money instead of paying ridiculous amounts to taxi and catering businesses.

 The feedback I got basically just asked how this type of business would come together. I realized it was a little too flexible and had to adjust my plan accordingly. Besides that I got positive feedback.