Elevator Pitch No. 3

The pitch: https://youtu.be/EMNcFx3jqMA

Reflection: I was grateful for the feedback I received given that this was my first ever pitch. I worked on adjusting the angle so I could be more direct with my audience and slowing down my words. I also feel like I added more emotion with this one because it’s a subject I’m actually passionate about and could really express my excitement with it. I think this is why I was also able to meet the time limit. 

Reading Reflection No. 2

"Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" by Carol Dweck

1. What was the general theme or argument of the book?
• This book explores the idea that individuals have either a fixed or growth mindset. A fixed mindset is one that focuses on someone's skills and/or intelligence as predetermined or unchanging while a growth mindset believes these things can be altered over time. Dweck goes on to apply these mindsets to everything in life from learning to business to sports and even relationships. The argument here is that a growth mindset is ideal for success and that it is possible to evolve out of a fixed one.
2. How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
• I found the book to relate perfectly to ENT3003 because it describes a growth mindset as one that allows an individual to see and embrace failure as an opportunity to grow. Entrepreneurship is a process of trial-and-error and if you lack the ability to see past failure, then it will be impossible to improve yourself or your ideas.
3. If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
• Based on this book, I would create an exercise similar to an example Dweck gives. I would present the class with a situation filled with negative aspects and ask how they would respond to this. I would then have them reflect on their answers to see if they would categorize themselves under a fixed or growth mindset. If they showed qualities of a fixed mindset, I would have them delve deeper into why they thought that way and show them how to transform these thoughts into opportunities to learn, helping them change their perspective and ultimately adopt a growth mindset.
4. What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
• I realized that I am one of those people who tends to focus on the negatives of a situation with a fixed mindset. I would like to say I can take feedback well and grow from my mistakes, but it's hard not to succumb to failure after not doing well on a test I studied really hard for or stressing out when things aren't going my way. I think the thing that stood out the most for me was the chapter on sports where Dweck discusses what sets apart championships from regular athletes. I was a competitive swimmer for many years and part of the reason I did so well is because I didn't like to lose or not reach my goals, and that was my motivation to be the best I could be. I think I need to learn how to apply that mindset in other aspects of my life like school, or in the case of this class with business ventures, to continue to be successful.

Growing Your Capital

1. Domain expert
• Who they are/their background: Justin, a recent graduate of UF and part-time BiteSquad employee.
• How this person is a domain expert: He is a driver for BiteSquad.
• How I found and contacted them: I used to swim with him on the club team here at UF before he moved to Tampa.
• Nature of our exchange: I explained my idea of having a standalone store that offered delivery items and he was interested in the concept. He thought it was a good idea because often times working as a third-party driver for different restaurants he has to wait long periods of time for food to be prepared before he can deliver it and customers get upset with him even though it's out of his control.
• How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity: He would be a possible future employee of this opportunity. He is also currently applying to graduate school for social work, so he was also interested in becoming part of the staff that would offer customers emotional support or additional assistance.
2. Market expert
• Who they are/their background: Elyse, a former triathlete and mother to 4 young children.
• How this person is a market expert: She has a newborn baby and is unable to get around town easily with all of the kids.
• How I found and contacted them: I work as a lifeguard at the pools she used to train at and I reached out to her on one of the few days she's able to come for a swim.
• Nature of our exchange: I explained my idea of a delivery service that also offered emotional support staff. While she didn't really see herself utilizing the delivery stuff for items because her husband is able to pick things up at the store and run errands, she did say she would be interested in the customer service option if it meant having a babysitter for a few hours or someone who could help her around the house.
• How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity: She is a possible customer for this opportunity. I know that there are plenty of other people in a similar situation, so there is definitely a market that exists.
3. Important supplier
• Who they are/their background: "Chef Dev", the general manager of Kabab House in Gainesville.
• How this person is an important supplier: Kabab House utilizes BiteSquad and DoorDash to deliver their food for customers who order online.
• How I found and contacted them: I live next door to the restaurant, so I walked in as soon as they opened before they got busy.
• Nature of our exchange: I explained to him my idea that wouldn't necessarily be in competition with his restaurant, but it would change up the industry. However, he does have extra space that he was thinking of making a second location, but would be interested in investing towards my idea for the standalone site needed to store delivery items.
• How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity: He would provide a physical work space for the opportunity to get started.

It was difficult to not only identify people that would be relevant to network with, but also get in contact with them quickly enough to get feedback on my ideas. This experience will definitely help me in the future because now I'm more comfortable addressing different people and putting myself out there. As I've mentioned before, I'm a pre-health major with a foreign language background, so this kind of networking was new to me since I've never had to pitch a product or think about market possibilities before.

Idea Napkin No. 2

• You: My name is Imelda Ogango and I'm an APK major with a French minor on the pre-med track. I've been fortunate enough to have experiences in different fields such as healthcare and international studies which I think have strengthened my ability to understand and communicate with people from various backgrounds. While I ultimately want to pursue a career in medicine overseas, I would like to see my delivery idea help people in need.
• What are you offering to customers? I am offering an affordable delivery service of everyday items and other services to customers who are otherwise unable to go to the store or are in need of companionship. My idea will work as a standalone site that is stocked similar to a typical grocery or convenience store with an app that customers can quickly order items online. Hired drivers will eliminate the need for a third-party service and ultimately keep prices low. There will also be trained professionals on staff that can be "hired" for certain amount of times to help those individuals who might require extra assistance.
• Who are you offering it to? This service will be catered to individuals who are unable to travel (easily) on their own to go shop and/or need an extra hand to help them out. This includes the elderly and those with disabilities.
• Why do they care? In the past few years, we have seen a rise in companies that offer fast delivery times (i.e. AmazonPrime free two-day shipping) as well as more restaurants offering their menu on third-party apps for delivery (i.e. UberEats and BiteSquad). However, the cost of having an AmazonPrime account or paying up to $5 in fees for food, even more during "surge" or "popular times" can add up. I believe customers would care about my service because it will not only bring them everyday things they actually need at a low price, but it also has a personal touch of having the option to have an actual person coming to help them around if they need it.
• What are your core competencies? There is currently a similar business model that exists with my idea called GoPuff that has around 55 locations around the country. However, they recently have had trouble with privacy and sharing consumer's private information. My service will have an explicit privacy policy that will prevent things like that from happening. I also will have professionals on staff, rather than just random drivers like UberEats hires, that will help create a culture focused primarily  on customer service. In the long term, I would like to see this idea expand to underserved areas of the U.S. and developing countries overseas to offer more immediate aid to those in need (i.e. clean water, fresh food, medical supplies, etc).

I think these elements work well together in turning this concept into reality. There is an unmet need for a relatively large demographic that could be met with this delivery service. I took into consideration the feedback I received on my first idea napkin and ideas that Dr. Pryor shared in the workshop to make some changes to my original idea. First, I got a few comments that mentioned I needed to differentiate myself even more from existing delivery other than just offering lower pricing. I decided to add in the customer service element because I thought it was a unique expansion that people would like to use. I also geared away from targeting college students and focused on a broader population that has more potential of future growth and actually utilizing the service.

Create a Customer Avatar

She is a junior Gator at the University of Florida, living off-campus for the first time in her college career. While she enjoyed living in Springs for two years with her best friend, she’s glad they found a house near mid-town that they can call their own. Whenever she needed anything, she’d walk to Chomp-It at Graham, take the bus to frat Publix, or pray her roommate wasn’t busy to give her a ride in her Jeep. But now, not only does she have a great new house, but her parents finally decided to get her a scooter! Baby blue with a matching helmet and parking decal that she can literally take anywhere! Perfect for scooting the short distance to the Standard for Chick-Fil-A or the new Publix on 13th Street. One day, as she’s finishing her homework with The Office playing softly in the background, her stomach starts to growl and the batteries for her calculator die. With no food in the fridge, the last of the batteries gone, and her roommate out of town for the weekend, she quickly runs to get her scooter keys. As she’s making her way out the door, a flash of lightning illuminates the sky and a crack of thunder shakes the house and rain starts falling down from the sky. A typical summer afternoon in Rainesville, but what is she going to do now?

What do I have in common with her? I also didn’t have any mode of transportation until junior year, so I understand the struggle of having to get around town to get things you need. Before I drove my car down from Virginia, my scooter was a lifesaver about 95% of the time. The other 5% it was the complete opposite thanks to rain and a faulty battery. I don’t think this is a coincidence because with the size of the student population at UF, there are several people who don’t have bikes, scooters, or cars to get around and could use a delivery service as a solution to this problem.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

The pitch: https://youtu.be/PeJG8De7maM 
Reflection: Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to do the first elevator pitch because I was sick with bronchitis and my voice sounded terrible. However, I listened to the advice Dr. Pryor gave us, looked through everyone in this group’s videos and was able to get some ideas from those. I think the most important take-away is being exciting enough to convince someone that your idea is worth it while keeping everything short, sweet, and to the point. Since this is my first time doing this, I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys think!