Elevator Pitch No. 2

What I found to be surprising was what Erick stated, “I would really like to hear something that would make your idea awe me”, as this was something I had already thought was done. Although, this was extremely insightful and useful. Nothing is ever perfect and being able to poke holes in an idea is what takes it to the next level. This only tells me to try harder. To address this feedback, I have stated in my new pitch that my service is capable of assisting with an inevitable part of life – loss.  I hope with this new pitch I can accomplish what Erick stated was missing. Thanks for the Feedback Erick! It was extremely helpful!

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Eleanor Johnson, age 72

Eleanor enjoys knitting and watching The Price is Right while occasionally savoring some licorice hard candy. She has a Facebook account that she barely knows how to use, so her grandson runs most of it for her while he explains over the phone. She drives a 2018 Toyota Rv4 to her favorite stores; Target and Macy’s. She enjoys the occasional adventures dinner at her favorite Mexican grill; Chipotle. Her two children live about 600 miles away with one living in New York City while the other lives in North Carolina. She sadly is recently widowed and finds herself alone most of the time. Eleanor has attended help groups and visited therapists to help her with her loss and loneliness.   

Sadly, we do have something in common as I have felt the absence of a loved one; however, I do not think this is a coincidence as it is a natural part of life.  This is something we all will one day experience and will face at a point in our lives.

What’s Your Secret Sauce?

My human Capital:

My major: I am currently a biology major which has led to a great understanding of the physical and natural world. My courses have been based on understanding eukaryotic cell functions and behavior. This gives me an ability to see our basic body function.

My minor: Nutrition is a passion and my minor. This has allowed for the development of great understanding of the different nutritional needs necessary for proper health.

Future prospect: I am in the pursuit of a career in medicine, specifically M.D. (Medical Doctor), which will allow me to have a full comprehensive understanding of the human body.

Currently: In 2017, I became a certified Florida air conditioning contractor and took partial ownership of the family business. This has equipped me with a can-do attitude and an impressive work ethic. All things necessary for running and starting a new project.

Skills: Over the course of my academic career, I have developed a strong belief in hard work and consistency. Also, through my research experience I have shown a great ability to delegate tasks. These skills can pave the way for success.

Interviewees:

Three of them speak Spanish so, I will summarize

1)     Father: “He is studious and very formal with his work.. very passionate and transparent” as you can see my father is a man of few words.     

2)     Aunt: “Very handsome, and an extraordinary humanitarian, capable of confronting any difficulties. A very applicated student with many qualities.”

3)     Uncle: “He has a perception of the world that surrounds him, which allows him to view the world differently. Seeing things one way makes the world seem very closed. His view of the world and his ability to see a vision allows him to take it to reality.”

English:

4)     Cousin: https://soundcloud.com/cesar-hernandez-639619255/cousin-1

5)     Sister: https://soundcloud.com/cesar-hernandez-639619255/sister-1

Others perceived me with several different flattering adjectives, from my view of the world to my work ethic. I definitely agree with a few things they said, my work ethic is strong, I do face challenging tasks at will, and sometimes I do find myself attempting to prove others wrong. I do not see myself as handsome, this is clearly a perfect example of “love is blind”. I noticed that no one stated my communication skill nor my ability to delegate tasks, but this could be something experienced more at a work place than with family. Other than that, I don’t seem to disagree with them.

  

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Here we go, back at it, out to find my interviewees in the name of research. Regarding the need for rehabilitation and community recreational activities for the elderly. I devised a few related topics and questions for my subject. Most of the people I asked had already attended rehabilitation, which brought me to my own question. How many ageing individuals suffer from injuries? Well, according to the CDC “Americans experienced 29 million falls causing seven million injuries and costing an estimated $31 billion in annual Medicare costs”. My interviewees clearly stated that they have no intention of falling again, but sadly due to human aging and error this will always occur; therefore, there will be money to be made within my public sector and money will not be of a concern when in relation to medical injury.  

My costumer does their picking by references from family and friends since there is such a lack of technological awareness. They are less likely to surf the internet and find online adds. So, the quality of my service is extremely important. Maintaining a clean and happy environment can be the key to success. My interviews showed that prices need to be managed carefully since the elderly are mostly retired on pension or on another secondary sources.  

            The facility will offer morning classes of nutrition in order to raise awareness of the lack of nutritional knowledge within the community. My interviewees have no idea the implications a high sodium diet could have on the body, for example, Interviewee #2 was shocked when I explained that a high sodium intake could impair intestinal calcium absorption. She stated that no one had ever explained this to her—all she was told was “don’t eat salt”. Offering this may be something never done before, and my interviewees seemed to love understanding a little more about why the doctor said what he/she said. Another customer need that presented itself in my demographic through my interviews and was clear as day; the lack of technological proficiency. They do not like how local gyms have a direct deposit fee system that takes money without telling them. This presented another opportunity, to satisfy my costumers need I will also offer tech classes to help the elderly use phones, laptops, and access portals—allowing them to view medical results and pay membership fees right from the comfort of their home. This direct deposit system will make it much easier to charge fees and make payments. In conclusion, offering such a new structure and assisting costumers with understanding online payments can facilitate them in continuing their involvement.  

Halfway Reflection

What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?
This course has placed me in a different mindset, analyzing and developing opportunity belief was something out of the ordinary for me. Also, this course made them enjoyable, yet, uncomfortable because of how outside of my comfort zone it was; however, they were something that needed to be done.  

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?
The interviews were considerable tough to do, especially when your target audience are individuals outside your peer group. I was able to push through simply because of my extroverted attitude, which allowed me to push through these situations. Another difficult aspect is the consistency of the work. This presented itself to be a challenge because of my current work load; research, classes, applications for medical schools, and assisting/running the family business has all taken a toll on my time. The only reason I can push through is because this has become a norm, sleepless nights are just another night for me.    

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'?
If you are shy prepare to face your fears, but do not be afraid of the unknown. This will only make you better. Developing a business mindset, thinking innovatively, approaching unseen problems with a new perspective are all things you can expect to learn during your assignments. Secondly, make sure to watch the lecture videos and don’t expect a boring lecture. The professor is filled with energy, is extremely charismatic, and is passionate about his work which makes lectures enjoyable. Last but not least, make sure to do assignments ahead of time, I know, I know, we love to procrastinate but just try to be ahead of the game for once. 

Reading Reflection No. 1

1) You read about an entrepreneur: I choose Elon Musk, especially after all the attention he’s received.

• What surprised you the most? 

He takes risks, and the fact that he had a rough childhood growing up. Also, he nearly lost it all attempting to save his companies.

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? 

I admired Elon’s ambition when facing the impossible, which makes it possible. Moreover, his determination in leading mankind on the journey to become an interplanetary species, which seems necessary with our current environment issues.

• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? 

I least admired when he launched a Tesla Roadster into space. All this accomplished was a statement to the world saying, “look how powerful we are”, which in my opinion did not account for its negative effects. NASA has currently suffered loses because of space debris, 2003 space shuttle Columbia disaster, and adding more space debris just seems more harmful than good. Also, the funds put into the roadster could have been put into humanitarian work. Sadly, that is how marketing works.

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

Sadly, Elon came across many failures but once he was able to recover he kept pushing forward. This shows that persistence is key. He now has recently faced a humiliating blow due to a tweet he posted mentioning a possible deal which was considered illegal and caused a huge decrease in stocks.      

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? Elon has a proficiency for science and was very disciplined. He managed to allocate his resources in order to create a company.  

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

I found it confusing how he was removed as CEO of Pay Pal.

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

Questions I would ask Elon are; Why haven’t you applied resources into manufacturing an electric motorcycle? The reason why I would ask this question is because it seems like a field that has yet been exploited, and with his current knowledge on electric motors I feel that this could be rather simple for his company. Another question I would ask is; Why did you post this tweet on twitter knowing very well there would be consequences? This is out of curiosity, cause lets face it, he knew what was going to happen.   

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

I think he would definitely preach a hard work mentality. I felt as if he would be the type of person to say “pick a path and follow it no matter what”.  I was born to a father who believes only in hard work and this has great influenced me, so without a doubt I would definitely agree with Elon’s work ethic.  

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

The segment of my market that we are going after today are senior citizens who are ages 65 and above.

1. Family Friend: This was a phone call interview that was made to an older man, age 73, which has found himself alone due to his own choosing. I explained the what my assignment consisted of and proceeded to explain what my business was and what I had to offer. He explained that he wouldn’t see himself in such an environment as he is already in a good state of health. However, he did seem interested in attending a few of the physical classes to maintain himself. I explained the premise of the back to back activities offered all throughout the day at which point he stated, “well if I’m already their why not stay”. He explained that to find this information he would have had someone close to him recommend it, otherwise he would never do it.

2. Family Friend: This interview was conducted through a skype call. An older female, age 78, that lives alone do to unfortunate circumstances. After explaining my service and idea she immediately jumped on board. Filled with tears she explains how life can be lonely when having your significant other of 58 years torn away from you at a moment notice. She explained that she attended group therapy but being surrounded by activities, especially community gardening, can be extremely helpful for her entire group.

3. Random elder: As I left class I ran into an older man asking for help to move his scoter. He explained how students were so reckless with their scooter parking at which point it came to me, here’s a perfect interview. I politely explain my assignment and asked for his name and age. He stated he was 87, I know what you’re thinking, what is this guy doing on a scooter and don’t worry I thought the same. I explained my concept and service at which he replied, “I would love that”. He explained that he was retiring as a professor from the journalism Department and would definitely need something to fill his day. I asked how he would have satisfied this need and he said, “I would have Googled it or spoken to a few friends”.   

To summarize, I would simply need to build credibility to be able to expand. Advertisement can only move me as far as the client’s technological awareness goes. Spreading through recommendation seems like the best options as does involvement in local help group. In conclusion, a hands-on approach to advertising is my primary method, nothing wrong with shaking a few hands.          

Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. 

I’m practical/hands-on and good at allocating my resources for what I want to accomplish. I have the ability to be analytical and conceptual with opportunities. Thus, I tend to stay impartial when making decisions, while keeping emotions in check at every turn. My skills and experiences come from an extensive background in health and nutrition. Throughout most of my youth I have focused a great amount of time into fitness, form learning about different exercises to having a full understanding of what a “healthy” diet should consist of. This was all done on my own until transferring to the University of Florida. Now, I pursue a degree in Biology accompanied by a minor in Nutrition. These steps have led to an extensive background into nutrition, metabolism, and a great understanding of the physical and natural world. This knowledge allows me to see what the human body craves for proper function, what nutrition and physical activity can do for people of all ages. Currently, the service I have in mind wouldn’t play a role in my life; however, I am chasing a career in medicine, to be more specific an M.D (Doctor of Medicine), and with this knowledge I can take my business to the next level.

2) What are you offering to customers? 

I would be offering a combined service of required physical therapy with recreational activity. Physical therapy would be given at all time of the day and covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare provides health coverage to those 65 and older or to those who are severely disabled and is a federal program. Medicaid on the other hand is a state and federal program which provides health coverage if you are from a very low-income household. These programs would cover the necessary physical therapy aspect of the business while the recreational sector would be privately funded. A membership service would be offered to those clients who wish to continue their visits while only attending fun and relaxing activities, like community gardening, Pilate classes, Bingo, and nutrition seminars. Such a service can keep older individuals from suffering from depression due to unpleasant circumstances like losing a loved one, or from the unforgiving decay brought by time. Included with these services would be a transportation system allowing for clients to travel to my location without having any trouble.      

3) Who are you offering it to? 

I am offering my service to those individuals of ages 65 and above. To those who have lost a loved one and need to be surrounded by purpose and family/friends. Folks who seem to want to fill their days with activities and social encounters and that can’t seem to accept retirement. Those who struggle with a retired lifestyle and need something to do throughout the day  

4) Why do they care?

Costumers would be enriched with social/fun activities while attending physical and thought-provoking classes. This will allow costumers to feel better and feel younger as time continues to affect their livelihood. Everyone wants to better their lives and those who don’t seem to sadly fade away. Human instinct is to survive and by allowing my clients to expand their knowledge on nutrition and by providing healthy foods in-house, I will be satisfying this basic human nature.     

5) What are your core competencies? 

What sets my service apart is the combination of both physical therapy and recreational activities. This is something I have researched in the Gainesville area and could not find. Either businesses focus on one or the other but never the combined efforts. Also, my research of online reviews on local business has found that a lot of issues reside with staff. Therefore, by implementing a staff care environment, similar to Publix, I can keep my staff at an optimal service providing attitude which will keep my clients happy.