Elevator Pitch No. 3 (Assignment 22a)

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccseKZx-gYw&feature=youtu.be

2. I had very little feedback on my last post, but the only thing I noticed that was important from that was to again add more convincing points and facts to persuade the investors to invest and to like my service. I did my best to be more persuasive and as far as other comments, there wasn't much so that is all I changed.

3. I definitely felt more comfortable in front of the camera this time more than the others. I wasn't able to dress nicely as I am home this weekend and did not have my suit with me, but I felt that this was my most persuasive pitch yet. Like I said before, most of the feedback was just comments saying I did well, but I was advised to add more facts and persuasive points, and I did my best to add those things in. 

Reading Reflection No. 2 (assignment 21A)

1. I read the Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky, and overall I thought the book was very interesting. Shirky discussed how people use and abuse technology as soon as it comes out whether it be for positive or negative reasons. He talked about how privacy is much harder to keep with this new social media revolution and how people are treated differently because of the new opportunities on the internet. He then goes into how with these new opportunities, people are trying to capitalize and make money off of every opportunity and how this can lead many into some darker places.

2. This book helped me understand more the up and coming importance of the internet and also helped me think about opportunities that this new era brings. It helped me realize that with these new technologies arising, there will be many more opportunities to not only use that technology but to analyze its effects on society and how I can maybe capitalize on those opportunities whether it be with cybersecurity, or something similar. It also helped me realize how this new technology is affecting people physically and how the psychology of that works.

3. If I had to create an exercise based on this book, it would be some sort of mental test to see how social media is affecting the social abilities of our generation. It would be some sort of questionnaire/ interview to determine what social media platform is affecting students feelings the most and how.

4. What I thought was most interesting was the fact that technology seemed to be the focus of
everyone's business nowadays, and that there was little mention of any business being conducted without the use of some new technology. That just made me think about the true importance of technology in today's society, but also made me realize how distant people are becoming in terms of talking face-to-face and how this will affect society down the road.

Growing your Social Capital (Assignment 20a)

1st Interview:

1. The first person I talked to is Rob, the plumber that works for my dad and does the plumbing work for his real-estate business.

2. Domain Expert. They fill this spot as he owns his own plumbing business in South Florida, and has done so for the past 20 years.

3. I talked to my dad and after asking if he knew anyone that worked in the same field I am in with my business idea, he sent me Rob's information. I went ahead and asked to facetime him after sending him over my elevator pitch, and he agreed to help.

4. When I was talking to him, I asked him how the industry looked and whether or not he believed in my idea. Him being a self-employed plumber with 2 employees, he said he is always swamped with work and that in the last year, he has never had a day without someone needing work. I asked him what he thought the best areas and things to do were when advertising and targeting a customer group. He was very helpful and gave me a lot of good information, and in return he wanted nothing, he just wanted to help so it was an amazing person to talk to for sure.

5. I think establishing a relationship with Rob will help me greatly in the future as we may be able to share clients and work with each other when it comes to training and finding new employees. He can help me train them and explain to me what they need to know in the first place, and he can also help me get off my feet, by him having already made all the mistakes I would've made. Overall, he will help me greatly in finding my place in this industry.

2nd Interview:

1. I talked to a guy named Raul who works for AT&T as a market researcher. He went to the University of Michigan, and that is all he has done since college.

2. Market Expert. Market Research is all that Raul has done the day he stepped out of college and he has been around for many market turns and changes, giving him much knowledge in this industry.

3. I looked up AT&T's local number for the Gainesville office and asked if there was someone there I could talk to about this assignment and they told me to come by and talk to Raul. I came in and talked with him and before that I sent my elevator pitch for him to understand where I was coming from.

4. Raul helped me by giving me some information regarding the heightened electricity demand in Florida in the last 5 years, and that this has led to more and more people needing electricity work. Other than that, there was not much he could tell me as far as my business idea as he works for a service provider and I am related to that, but they are not linked by business whatsoever. Therefore, he did not want anything in return as he gave me little in the first place.

5. Raul may be helpful in some way down the road, but with this job being quite different than my business, and that him helping me would take away from the AT&T electricians work, I do not think that he will be of much help to me in my future endeavors.

3rd Interview:

1. The last person I talked to was a woman named Sarah who is the owner of a local lighting store here in Gainesville. She has owned this store where they sell chandeliers, light bulbs, and things like that for over 20 years, and is very skilled in electrical related things.

2. Supplier. Sarah has been supplying light bulbs, electrical wire, and all related things to electricians and homeowners in Gainesville for 20 years and has been aware of things going on in that industry.

3. I looked up Lighting stores in Gainesville and found a nearby store. After visiting and asking to speak to the owner, I found Sarah and talked with her for a little about my idea and what she thought.

4. I spoke with Sarah and after explaining to her what I wanted to do, she didn't really have much to tell me. She said she has been in Gainesville her whole life and she knows nothing of electricians in upper income areas like where I was mentioning. She did tell me that there is always a need for electricians and that no matter what she thought that my business could work anywhere. She supplies most of the local electricians and hooks them up with bulk deals and thinks alike, but with the areas I am going to do business, I do not think she could be my supplier.

5. If I was to do business in Gainesville and this area, she could've been tremendously helpful as I would've just been in contact with my supplier and would've saved money when buying other equipment at retail prices. I think that I will stay in contact with her for sure in case of any business around central Florida, but as far as the long-run of my business, I don't know if she could be too helpful.

Reflection:

I really liked this assignment as I always love to meet new people and see where their relationship leads me later in life. I think that after this, I will definitely continue to look for and talk to people in the industry I am looking into in order to find little tips and tricks to save money and to get further in my business, faster, as their help is priceless. This experience was definitely different from other networking I have done as most of the people I meet are due to spur of the moment events or social meetings where it all happens on the fly. I have done little networking where I specifically contact an individual I researched to find help, but after doing it a couple times, It seemed to be almost more beneficial than trying to find that needle in a haystack at conferences. I really enjoyed the experience and it helped me a lot.

Idea Napkin No. 2 (assignment 19a)

1. My name is John Schuttler and I am 19 years old from Boca Raton, Florida. I own a non-profit organization and an LLC, both of which I am very proud of and have taught me very important skills for my future life. I aspire to be very successful, not only financially, but with love, happiness, and knowledge. I plan to create my own business, whether it be the one for this class or others, but I plan to be self-employed most of my life. I think this business idea plays somewhat of a significant role in my life at the moment as I will definitely try to make it a real thing and it may be the thing that helps speed my life to success.

2. My business is a service that provides quality, speedy, and cheap electricity and plumbing work to the upper class. I will create a well-advertised service that targets new and wealthy homeowners in order to secure and keep their business as the service based industry is dying off, and I will capitalize on this unmet need.

3. Like I said before, I am targetting the upper class who are both new to a community, or simply cannot find quality work for their problems at home. They will in need of this work as this service industry is dying off, and as I have noticed, it is very hard to find this work at this time in society.

4. Customers will pay for this service as it is meeting a very important need in their life. They need electricity and running, reliable water, and for many people in today's society, it is hard to find someone to keep these things running when there are few people out there who still work in this industry. It is imperative for customers to feel like the people doing the work are professional, and that they truly care about the well-being of that customer so that we can continue to help them into the future.

5. What distinguishes me from others in the industry is very little. It will be a very professional and caring company, which I am sure there are many of, but the fact here is that there are not enough to meet the needs of people everywhere. I am simply filling a gap in the market and I do not need to be too different to get the business I am targetting.

I believe that all of these things fall in place with each other quite well. I think that each point very clearly leads to the next and that each step makes sense when put side by side to the others. I definitely believe that number 5's answer is the weakest of them all and that it definitely needs to be worked on to fit better with the others, even though it still fits.

The feedback I got from my last idea napkin was mostly all positive, telling me that my ideas made sense and that I did a good job. One person did tell me that they don't think I will be distinct in the market and that I need to find something that makes me different compared to others. I am still under the assumption that I do not necessarily need to be so different as the service is so simple and it is just an unmet need, not something revolutionary.however,  I will continue to think and see how I can distinguish myself as I know, overall, it will be better for my success.

Elevator Pitch No. 2 (assignment 17a)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48IFRY1_77o

After reading the comment on my last elevator pitch, I learned a few things to improve on with my new pitch. I was told that my idea and business was a good idea and that it was prevalent in the area that the commenter was from which reassured me that I wasn't fishing in an empty pond. He told me that I should include more facts and statistics which made me realize that that was probably a good idea. However, finding facts on this thing I am trying to target would be quite hard as it is more of an opinion that comes and goes with time, not really something statistical. From this comment, I added some information about the interviews I conducted as that is the closest thing I had to facts regarding this topic. The commenter didn't really say anything that was bad or silly, therefore I cannot comment on that question. 

Create a Customer Avatar (Assignment 18a)

Okay, so for my customer Avatar, I believe that first and foremost, this person will be in the upper class. Because of this, they will most definitely have a nice car, likely a Mercedes or some luxury car alike. They will have just moved to a new suburb where they know little to no one and maybe moved there due to a new job. They have a family with a stay at home wife and kids, all of which have made little to no professional connections in their life. Also, this avatar will know little to nobody in this new town and will be looking hard to find plumbers, electricians, and people like that to give them help with their life there. They will be Democrats who are very nice and open-minded. They will be somewhat gullible in the sense that they will most likely listen to the suggestions made by the first people they meet on such things as where to shop and who to hire for household help. This person also will love to have things that are nice; such as nice clothes, jewelry, and household items, always making sure that these things are kept nice and in perfect working condition. They will like to feel reassurance with the people they employ to help around the house and like to make connections with people that are nice and sound respectable. Overall, this person will be a model citizen and be someone that is loyal and admirable with the way they live their life as seen by their "perfect" lifestyle.

As far as what I have in common with this avatar is the main point that we are both in the upper class and like nice things. My family has been quite successful with their work and due to this, they love having nice things, which in turn, is a trait that I have acquired. I think that this coincidence is occurring because I learned that the need for more professional plumbers and electricians from my parents. They hare the ones that kept saying that this business needed to be exploited, and from this, I made the idea to use their idea for this class. Therefore, my avatar somewhat resembles them (other than a few things) due to the fact that they are the people that need this service.

Whats Your Secret Sauce (Assignment 16A)

1. One way I think I am unique to others is the fact that I am very emotionally intelligent and I can notice when someone is feeling a certain way, and therefore talk to that person in a way that will coincide with how they are feeling. Another thing that makes me unique is that I am very deliberative. I will think of something for a while before giving an answer, and when I do talk, what comes out is well thought out and well said to ensure accuracy. Another thing is my social skills, I think that I am very easy to get to know and I always will hold a conversation no matter how awkward it gets in some situations which I see others struggle with a lot. Another thing is my ability to make people laugh. I feel like in most situations I am always causing laughter and I find myself to be someone to always lighten the mood. One last thing that I think makes me unique is my knowledge of business making. I have created a non-profit and an LLC so that puts me in front of many other that have not had the opportunity to create a company and know what it takes to run it, therefore making me have an advantage here.

2. The first person I interviewed was my Dad who told me that I have always been the one to sit in the back and think hard before opening my mouth, but that when I did, it was always something that others wanted to hear. Also he said that I am very smart when it comes to someones emotions and that I am good with compassion.
The second person I interviewed is my grandfather who said that I was always the one who wanted to talk to everyone and that I would always try to include the whole family in conversations regardless of who was involved in it or not.
The Third person I interviewed is my good friend David who told me that I am always caring and thinking of someone else's point of view before making decisions. He said that I am always trying to make the best situation for everyone instead of being selfish.
The fourth person I interviewed is my Mom who said that I was always very emotionally intelligent saying that I was always inclusive and that no matter the situation, I would always want to make sure people were comfortable and included. She went on to say that I have more knowledge of society and people in general than others my age, making me more mature for my age.
The last person I interviewed was my other good friend Marco who told me Im always super enthusiastic to be around no matter the situation and that somehow I always know how to make a situation better regardless of what is going wrong. He also said that I am very knowledgeable when it comes to boating which impresses him.

https://soundcloud.com/john-schuttler/244-nw-7th-ct

https://soundcloud.com/john-schuttler/264-nw-7th-ct

https://soundcloud.com/john-schuttler/701-w-palmetto-park-rd

https://soundcloud.com/john-schuttler/264-nw-7th-ct-2

https://soundcloud.com/john-schuttler/264-nw-7th-ct-3


3. I think I saw myself somewhat the same as what others thought of me, I mean I have always been very in tune with how I act and I am always recognizing what I say and how others look at me, so I know when I am making others happy or upset. I think others saw me more of a personable person than I thought I was myself, but I mean that makes me even happier than I was with my own self-image. I don't think I need to change my list from part 1 as the things people said about me and how I thought of myself all pretty much correlated.

Figuring out Buyer Behavior Part 2 (Assignment 15A)

After conducting my 3 interviews, here are the results:

3. As far as alternatives go, for my business idea, the only alternatives are to find the plumber or electrician in your community that is the most well-known and to hire them. Other than that, the only other option is to leave the problem un-attended to and or to fix the problem themselves. Because this service is pretty cut and dry, after talking to all my interviewees, they all said having quality work and having a reasonable price are the two things that are most important when finding ways to get these things done.

4. After discussing where and how they find these opportunities, all of them agreed that looking on the Internet was the first option to try and find some local firms, and then after that, talking to friends and family was the second option. Because this is a service, these charges are mostly paid for with credit as the service can be an ongoing thing and will have various quotes through that process.

5. For this questions, I got some different perspectives. For two of the people I interviewed, they said what made them feel the best after they paid for the service they needed was how personable and professional the workers were that came to their house. If the employees were nice and did the work efficiently, they were very pleased and felt good about the whole situation. They both explained that because this person was in their home, they wanted someone they could trust and feel comfortable with. The other interviewee stated that what made him feel best about the process was that the problem did not re-cur and that the job was done quickly and with ease. He said that if the worker finished the job quick and did not ask any questions, that then they felt best about the situation.

7. In conclusion, I came to realize that in creating my business and hiring employees, I need to make sure to hire respectable employees that have good people skills. Also, I definitely need to make sure my employees are highly trained and have all the necessary equipment and tools so that the jobs can be done quickly and with little annoyance to the customer.