Friday, November 2, 2018

Idea Napkin No. 2

1) Hi, my name is Will kutash and I am trying to change the way that people obtain books and start a community that is dedicated to seeing more people pick up a book and start reading. I have always been a very resourceful guy that can come up with a solution to a problem when no one else could.  My innovative thinking will allow me to create new ideas and expand the bounds of my own creativity for the benefit of others. I hope I can impact thousands of lives in a positive way.

2) The business I have created is an online website that will allow people to start a book subscription service. This service will bring you up to 5 books per month based on the amount that you would like to recieve. We hope that by doing so we will be encouraging people to pick up a book and dive into  a new adventure. When signing up we will have a list of options so they can input their preferences so the books that we will recommend each month they will be interested in reading. This business is available to  people of all ages from young children all the way to senior citizens.

3) This business is targeted for people of all ages to dive back into the world of reading and find authors that they can connect with. By having such a wide age demographic we are opening ourselves up to a huge selection of books.  This will help to bring in more people that are interested in the service we are providing. All of our customers will have the desire to increase their vocabulary, expand their minds, and dive into a world full of adventure. \

4) Reading has been proven to have many health benefits such as stress reduction, vocabulary expansion, memory improvement, and a stronger analytical thinking skill set. These factors alone should be persuasive enough to the customers as to why this business is a necessary expense. A business such as this one will be very beneficial to parents of young children because they can get their children interested in reading at an early age.

5)  The difference between us and other competeros is that we will deliver up to 5 books per month right to your doorstep for a low monthly cost. Our goal is get people interested in reading again so they can obtain many of the health benefits associated with reading. The website we will use will be very user friendly so no one will have issues navigating the page regardless of age. We hope that the personalized book suggestion list will help customers make a decision on the books they would like to select for that month.

Based on everything I have gathered above I think all of these elements will help contribute to the success of this business. There will definitely be things that we will have to improve upon but we will find those as they come along. I hope to have a group of talented employees that are dedicated to the same goal as I am. This will help to ensure that we our putting our best effort into the company so that we can spread the reading bug to all those who wish to dive into a new adventure each month.

Friday, October 26, 2018

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A prototypical customer for my business would be a single mother with two young children who is trying to get her children to read more as well as herself. Savannah has always been a reader but she has found that her children do not like it as much as she does. That is what she is trying to change. When Savannah has down time she likes to binge watch shows such as  Game of Thrones, Westworld, or even American Horror Story. These shows let her relax and unwind with a good series. Savannah drives an Audi SUV to get around town with her children. She has always been a fan of going to the bookstore and shopping for new books when she has time away from her hectic schedule. Things I have in common with this prototypical customer is that we both enjoy the same shows as well as our enjoyment for reading. I don't think that these are coincidences because if you like Game of Thrones you know what's good. Overall, an idea of a prototypical customer will help me envision the average customer that I may have one day.


Friday, October 19, 2018

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Interview 1: Andy Greer
Andy is a dad of 3 beautiful daughters that works from home time to time. He enjoys being able to spend time with his daughters as they grow up. One of his favorite things to do with his daughters is to read them a bed time story a night before they go to bed. It is always a challenge for Andy to find new books for the girls to read at night but he always manages to come up with something. I informed Andy about the service that I intend to start and he said this would be something he is very interested in. I asked Andy what he does in case he does not have a book ready for bedtime and he says on nights like those I just end up making up a story. When asking Andy about buying books for the girls he says that he will always try to find children's books at local garage sales or a discounted store because books can be expensive. He tends to try to stay in the under $10 range so that he can still read new books to the girls. Quality densest matter as much to Andy as long as he can still read it to his daughters. He usually rates the books that he reads to his daughters based on how many times they want to re-read the story. There haven't been many bad book selections but there has been the occasional one.

Interview 2: Raymond Worthington
Raymond is a recent college graduate who is now working full time at a job in North Carolina with the railroad company. His job offers him a lot of down time especially when he works the graveyard shift from 5pm-5am. During this time he enjoys reading a book to pass the clock but he has been having trouble finding new books to read. I mentioned to Raymond about the service I intend to provide to customers and he seemed excited about the idea. When asking Raymond about the books that he buys he says that he usually purchases them on his phone and reads them from there because it is easy, accessible, and hand held. These are all factors that my business needs to consider when it comes to competing business in the market. As for price he typically tries to stay under $20 when purchasing a book. He doesn't see the need in spending an exuberant amount of money just to read a book one time. This is why he would be interested in the service that we are offering. When asking Raymond how he selects books he said that he will look at the best sellers on a website and go from there. To buy a book he usually uses his debit card to pay for the items. It depends on whether or not he finds a book in a book store or  online to chose which way he buys a book. After he reads them he decides whether they are worth it based on if he looks up the author for other titles.

Interview 3: Wesley Schlemmer
Wesley is a college student at Tufts University that spends his downtime reading when he is not dedicated to his studies. He first found a fascination as a young child with historical books and that has been his go to genre ever since. After mentioning my business idea to Wesley he seemed intrigued by the idea of a book service that would deliver new books to your front door each month for a low flat rate. When asking Wesley about how he usually finds books he said that he will ask friends and fellow students for book suggestions. Occasionally he will head to the web to search for new historical books that he would enjoy reading. Price isn't that big of an issue with Wesley but he like to borrow books from friends if he can to avoid spending the unnecessary money. Quality of the book isn't a main factor either as long as you can still read the words. When purchasing a book,if he does, he will typically use a debit card or cash depending on what he has on him at the time. After reading the book he will determine if it was worth it based on if he will find other books related to the topic that fascinated him in the first place.

Conclusions:
After completing this round of interviews I feel even more confident in the potential for this business to thrive. All 3 of the people that I had interviewed were all avid readers who would utilize a service such as the one I am offering frequently. There are many readers out there who are looking for new authors and new books to dive into on their downtime.  When it came to the differences in each of the interviews it would have to come down to how each interviewee acquired their book.  Andy, the father of 3, typically gets his books from local garage sales. Raymond, the recent college graduate, acquires his books through his iphone on the ibooks app. And finally Wesley, the college senior, will borrow books from friends if he is able. What all three of these interviewees have in common is that that all have a desire to read and expand their minds but they do it in different ways. Overall I learned a lot from this assignment and the buyer behavior behind it that will allow me to make sure my business will be successful and will continue to thrive in the coming years.














Friday, October 12, 2018

Halfway Reflection

1. So far I have enjoyed this course and have been excited to see where it will lead me. At first I didn't have a set schedule for completing these assignments and they got old quickly. But after changing my mindset for this class I was able to get a better grasp on the assignments and finish them in a timely manner. I did enjoy that you could save a draft and come back and work on the assignment later in the week. As for the information I have found it rather interesting to learn about and see the ins and outs of the entrepreneurial process.

2. At the beginning of this course I felt overwhelmed by the amount of assignments that were being assigned a week along with the lectures. It is a bit unfortunate that if you don't complete one part of an assignment you won't get credit for any others that week. It makes you more responsible and on top of your assignments so that you don't lose any points. This semester will be finished strong and hopefully with a grade that reflects my hard work.

3.
  • Don't wait till the last minute to finish assignments because some are more in depth than others.
  • If you are stuck on an assignment you should watch the lecture videos because they will help you gain a better understanding of what's being asked of you.
  • Think outside of the box with your business idea because you will be using it for a majority of the semester. 

Reading Reflection No. 1

Elon Musk: Tesla, Space X, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

1. What surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most about Elon Musk was his drive and desire to be successful in everything that he does. This attitude has made him a very well known businessman that thrives on his own internal motivation to be successful and create something for our future that will be beneficial. 

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?   
What I admire most about Elon Musk was his passion towards ensuring the future of humanity. His drive to see life continue and thrive well beyond our years here on earth is impressive and admirable. He really wants to see that our community will grow and thrive ito future generations.

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? 
Even though Elon Musk has gained much respect and admiration for his work I feel like he didn't give his co-workers the acknowledgement they deserve. He may have first thought about these ideas but he did not create the solutions all on his own. It was with the help of a vast group of people who specialize in the work he was trying to achieve. He should have given more credit to the team he was working with so they felt like they were apart of something that will revolutionize our country. 

Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
I feel as if Elon Musk encountered adversity at a young age with bullying which encouraged him to become the successful person he is today. There are many people who have to overcome harsh obstacles to get where they need to be. This just goes to show that you can do anything you set your mind to as long as you have the right motivation to keep you chasing your dreams and aspirations. He fought through adversity to become the entrepreneur that he was born to become.  

2. What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?  
 Elon Musk exhibited a major competency in his desire/passion to pursue his dreams of furthering humanity into the future generations. This has lead him to become the entrepreneur he is today. With that being said having a strong passion for something I believe is the key to success in society. 

3. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. 
While reading this book I found so many things interesting and thrilling to read but there weren't many things that were confusing. It was a pretty straight forward book about Elon Musk and all of his endeavors that he has tried to accomplish. One thing I did find a bit shocking was the fact that he had some issues raising money for the Tesla Project. This type of forward thinking design I would have thought he would have an outpouring of donors willing to back this idea. 

4. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask?
1. Looking back now, how would you change/ improve the Tesla Project?
2. Have you ever considered getting into other fields that would further humanity such as agriculture or sustainability? 

5. For Fun: What do you think of the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? 
I feel like Elon had a very strong work ethic which inspired him to create these products for the world to use. He put his entire passion into and idea and was able to make it a reality which is totally inspiring as a young entrepreneur. I do share his opinion because hard work pays off and nothing in life is going to be given to you, you have to work for it. 

Friday, October 5, 2018

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Interview 1: Andrea Vrionis
Andrea is a student at the University of Florida who enjoys reading but doesn't like having to spend money on books that she will only read once. She often finds it difficult to find a book that fits her preferences. After talking with Andrea for some time I started to wonder what a reader like herself does to find books. She said that the first place she goes to look for a new book is online but there are often too many options to choose from. I told her about the business and how we offer a suggested list of books based upon pre selected preferences when you sign up with us. Andrea was happy to hear that she would be able to select books from a list of things that she might enjoy. When doing research to find books I asked andrea what she might search on google and she said, "adventure books, murder mysteries, or spy novels". All of these answers would be able to help us determine the best math for her when it comes to the list of books we suggest. One thing Andrea mentioned is that she always makes sure that the sources are reliable and trustworthy before purchasing anything.

Interview 2: Emily Grayson
Emily is a middle school student in the local gainesville area that loves reading just as much as playing outside with friends. She mentioned that she gets a lot of her books from the library at school but lately there haven't been any ones that have intrigued her. I asked Emily if the only way she gets new books is from the library and she said yes. This goes to show that if you still have access to a library that people are still taking advantage of the them and using them to find new books. I began to wonder if there was anything that Emily didn't enjoy about the library at her school. She said that since it is a school library they limit what can be put on the shelves to read. Emily said she did not like that because a lot of the books she would want to read are not offered at her school. When asking emily how she might find a new book that she would want to read she informed me that she would take to the internet to find new ideas. She would often go to barnes a noble website and find the category that she wants to read about to see the top results. This is how she would find books that fit her preferences. I wondered if she would only read the synopsis of the book to make a decision but she said that she always reads the reviews for the book before purchasing. this helps her to make the best choice and feel like she is choosing a reliable book.

Interview 3: James Garcia
James is a junior in college here at the university who is studying history in order to
become a professor one day and teach students about the past that has shaped our country. Since James is a history major that comes with a lot of reading but a majority of that is historical books and articles. He has always been fascinated by the history of our country and how our past will help to shape our future. I asked James if he frequents the library on campus much for books to leisurely read and he said, "not often, when I read for fun I like to read historical books with a twist". I began to wonder what James might look up online for books when he is trying to find something to read in his free time. He said that he looks for books that are, "historically relevant with a plot twist". What James told us would be helpful for our website to construct the list of books that would be best suited for James' preferences. I asked him to estimate about how many books he reads in a month and he said, "anywhere from 4-5". This gave me an idea to increase the number of books that people can select for a small upscharge. Before James will buy a book he likes to do research on it to make sure that it is worth his time to read it. This helps him to make sure that he will enjoy the book before spending about $20 on it. James also mentioned that he gets idea for books from friends and coworkers when he wants something new to read.

Conclusions:
After completing this round of interviews I found a few things that were said throughout each interview that were common. All of the interviewees said that they had liked the idea of the pre selected list of books that they would receive each month to choose from based on their preferences. This made it easier to make a selection on the books that they wanted for the month. One of the interviewees had a suggestion that there should be a way to leave a review on the book after they had finished it for the month. This way other people could read their reviews and make a decision based upon that. The information that each of the interviewees would search were relatively the same but each one had its own distinctions based on preference of the genre of book. All of the people I have interviewed have the same unmet need, wanting to read more without having to spend $20 each time and easily finding books that are based on their preferences.











Thursday, October 4, 2018

Idea Napkin No. 1

1) Hi, my name is Will Kutash and I am trying to change the way that people approach reading in a way that makes it fun, interactive, and easy to obtain new books each months.  My talents include being very resourceful, innovative, and passionate about the work I do. When it comes to my work I have always strived to do the best job possible and it shows in my work. I feel like the skills that have led me to this point will give me an advantage in the entrepreneurship world and will  allow me to see my business grow and prosper along the way.

2) The business that I have created is an online subscription website that allows customers to select up to 3 books per month that will be delivered right to their door. We hope to encourage people to start reading more books so they can expand their minds through the written word of thousands of authors. The customers will input their preference for books and our website will come up with a suggested list of books for that recipient. This way the customer can select from a large list of books that are more personalized towards their preferences.

3)   This business is targeted for people of all ages who enjoy reading and want to start doing more of it. Books are a way to connect with the characters in a fun inspiring way that keeps you wanting more. At first I had thought that this business would be better suited for children but after conducting interviews I found that this unmet need was for people of all ages. All of the customers will have the desire to increase their vocabulary, expand their minds, and dive into a world full of adventure. 

4) Reading has been proven to have many benefits such as stress reduction, vocabulary expansion, memory improvement, and stronger analytical thinking skills. These are just a few of the reasons that reading is beneficial to your health.  For kids, reading is a way to start their journey into learning and education. This business will be very useful for parents with children who want to encourage their kids to read.

5) The difference between us and other businesses that offer books is that we will deliver your pre selected books right to your door each month for a low cost. This style of business will encourage people of all ages to dive back into reading so they can reap many of the benefits that come with it. Our website will be very user friendly so that people can navigate our page with ease and find exactly what they are looking for. With the personalized list of book suggestions our customers will be able to find the perfect books for them.

I think that all of the elements that are listed above will help to contribute to the success of my business and encourage customers to dive back into reading. There will be things that I need to work out with my business plan so that the customers receive the best possible service. We will have talented graphic designers on our team to make sure the website is user friendly and easy to navigate.  A main goal for my business is to bring books to people of all ages so they are able to expand their minds and encourage others to do so as well.