1.
a. Owner of "New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Co."--chain of restaurants in the New Orleans area.
b. domain expert, he started as a bus boy and has worked his way up to the point of co-owner of his current restaurant. He has worked at some of the finest restaurants in the city, and his had both failures and successes in the restaurant business.
c. I found the person because my mother served as a waitress when he was a busser, and she got me in contact with him via text.
d. I sent him a video of my elevator pitch and asked him to evaluate it and give me a tip on the food quality aspect of the restaurant. He told me that the most important thing to do is make food the same way every time--quality and repetitiveness are keys to having success. The return expectation is for me to be able to show him how he helped my business. He is adamant on taking his advice not only because of his experience, but also because he has failed in the restaurant business in the past.
e. This man will help enhance my ability to exploit the opportunity because he has succeeded in one of the most competitive culinary environments in the world.
2.
a. Manager at Felipe's in Gainesville
b. Market expert, turned a build your own burrito restaurant into an outdoor patio restaurant that students fill up to enjoy burritos and Margaritas. He saw the potential of the restaurant with the lots of open space, great outdoor area, and great location close to campus, and he began to advertise happy hour with great deals. Now, Felipe's is a hot spot for students to unwind and enjoy drinks and atmosphere.
c. I came in contact with him one weekend while I was there and asked him how this restaurant, which is a normal restaurant in my hometown, is closer to a bar in Gainesville, and he told me how they transformed the public view of the restaurant.
d. He told me that he realized the potential of Felipe's as a bar when he saw the patio space that the outside seating area had. So, he planned on clearing it out one Friday afternoon and advertising with flyers on campus that they were serving bogo Margaritas. The people showed up, and from then on Felipe's as we know it was born. He said you have to think like a college kid when you are in the business of serving college kids. He compared his vision of the restaurant to when he was in college looking for houses to rent. He saw a house, looked at the patio and thought how great it would be to host gatherings. He told me he had that same feeling with the felipe's patio when he first started working there. In return, he said that he'd stop by if my business every got off the ground, and he'd let me know if I wasn't using my space efficiently.
e. Having him in my network will not only help me to form ideas, but it will help me to model my business after one of the most successful college hangout destinations in Gainesville.
3.
a. I talked to an employee at Captain Sid's Seafood in Metairie, LA, one of the the largest seafood suppliers in the state of Lousiana.
b. He is a supplier of fresh catch to restaurants all over the city, and Captain Sid's his been in the business for 60 years now.
c. I found the person by walking into their seafood market earlier this week, told him about my business opportunity, and asked if I could ask for advice.
d. He said he'd give me one piece of advice--to understand that suppliers will go the great lengths to make sales with a restaurant. Suppliers are the salesmen of the restaurant business, and they never want to lose a client. In return, I thanked him for his time and told him I would patronize his market for the foreseeable future in New Orleans.
e. This connection can help me to gain leverage over my future suppliers to maximize cost-saving potential.
This experience will affirm to me that any encounter with a person can be a networking event. No mater where I am or what my objective is, there truly always is a networking opportunity available. This experience was different than some of my past networking encounters because I had to seek out these people; in the past friendly conversation has led me to forming a new network. I am still relatively new to networking, but this assignment was truly the first time I have actually had the intent of forming a network.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
19A--Idea Napkin No. 2
1. I overall would say that I am a people person. I enjoy meeting and getting to know people. I also enjoy discussing business matters. I aspire to own a business one day, and I want my social skills to help me reach out to as many customers, suppliers, and investors as possible. If I were to start this chicken restaurant, it would lead me to meet lots of people and make connections which would make me happy. I enjoy being around people. Some feedback I received in the last idea napkin was that every business owner has good social skills to a certain extent, and this time I am formulating a skillset that focuses on how being a people person will benefit my life if I were a business owner.
2. Im offering chicken to my customers at any point in the day. Last time I said I was just offering chicken but my comments were "What about the Chick Fil A at the standard?" so now I am emphasizing the business advantages that my chicken place will have over Chick-Fil-A--and that is that one can get chicken when Chick is not open.
3. My specific demographic is UF students--those who want food after going out and those who are in need of a place they can walk to from campus. What my customers have in common is that they are all students and need affordable food at any hour of the day.
4. Customers will pay for our chicken because our it will be easy to obtain and cheap. This part was different the last time I did the idea napkin because I didn't take convenience into account, which is also very important to college students.
5. What sets us apart is that no other chicken place will be conveniently located and open as much as we are, and this is something that will be crucial in our advertising and marketing departments.
Overall, I believe all these elements fit together because they fit around the needs of a college student. Eating is not always easy for college students, so fitting a business plan around their needs is crucial to our success. However, with the medley of convenience (both in getting the food and being open at good times), quality, and price, I think that this chicken restaurant is set up for success.
2. Im offering chicken to my customers at any point in the day. Last time I said I was just offering chicken but my comments were "What about the Chick Fil A at the standard?" so now I am emphasizing the business advantages that my chicken place will have over Chick-Fil-A--and that is that one can get chicken when Chick is not open.
3. My specific demographic is UF students--those who want food after going out and those who are in need of a place they can walk to from campus. What my customers have in common is that they are all students and need affordable food at any hour of the day.
4. Customers will pay for our chicken because our it will be easy to obtain and cheap. This part was different the last time I did the idea napkin because I didn't take convenience into account, which is also very important to college students.
5. What sets us apart is that no other chicken place will be conveniently located and open as much as we are, and this is something that will be crucial in our advertising and marketing departments.
Overall, I believe all these elements fit together because they fit around the needs of a college student. Eating is not always easy for college students, so fitting a business plan around their needs is crucial to our success. However, with the medley of convenience (both in getting the food and being open at good times), quality, and price, I think that this chicken restaurant is set up for success.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Elevator Pitch 17A
https://youtu.be/I9MME9GHE8A
I did not get any feedback on my last elevator pitch, so this time focused on being more concise and shorter with my ideas by stating the need and what the restaurant will do to be successful.
I did not get any feedback on my last elevator pitch, so this time focused on being more concise and shorter with my ideas by stating the need and what the restaurant will do to be successful.
Create a Customer Avatar--18A
My customer avatar is a typical college student who enjoys eating after going out at Midtown. He/she is aged 18-23, drives hand me down cars from their parents, studies/watches Netflix in their free time, the boys watch all kinds of sports while the girls watch You, Gossip Girl, Jane the Virgin. Most of the college students who create my customer avatar do not have children. Most of my characters aren't too interested in politics, except for the political science majors. I have a lot in common with my avatar, because I am part of the avatar. I do not think this is a coincidence because I felt the need that caused me to think of this business. Being a college student, I feel like I know this need and know lots of people who are also in my customer avatar.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
What's My Secret Sauce 16A
1. a. Altruism-- I have a genuine desire for the people around me to succeed, this will be especially beneficial to my employees and anyone I would do business with. I also believe this quality will help me to defeat the detrimental God complex, that many managers have, and create a healthier environment for my business.
b. Caring--I get attached to things I care about, and I would be fully invested in my business, regardless of initial failure.
c. Independent--I am a very independent person, and I have always had the desire to put in extra work to be unique from others. I would display this same level of giving 110% to my business to ensure that it is unique.
d. Extroverted--I am an outgoing person with good social skills. In my career I plan on doing something involving public relations or public speaking. Having this skill is beneficial to the appeal of the business.
e. Drive--I grew up playing sports and this made me extremely competitive. I hate losing more than I like to win. The desire not to fail would surely help any business, as well as give me an edge over competitors.
Interviews available at my soundcloud profile:
note: You will hear people call me Jake, although my real name is John, I go by Jake.
1. Interview with my mom: My mom talks about my "intuitiveness"--being able to understand and read people. She also talks about me being a calming presence and a selfless individual. These qualities she thinks will hep me in the business world. All the things she discussed are similar to what I described myself as having, proof that my mom knows me well.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interviewwithmymomma
2. Interview with my twin brother: My brother describes me as one of the nicest people he knows, driven, and smart. These qualities are a little different than what I described, but I see what he is saying. It is good to know I have these qualities because they will be beneficial for my business.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interviewwithmytwin
3. Interview with my roommate: My roommate talks about me how I would talk about myself and how I did talk about myself in the first part of this assignment. The expression of "You don't truly know someone til you live with them" suits this interview.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interviewwithmyroommate/s-9jamB
4. Interview with my girlfriend: She says that I am reliable, caring, and intelligent. I had not heard reliable yet, but I think that is a good way to describe me, and reliability will go far when forming connections in the business world.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interview-with-my-girlfriend/s-ijiKv
5. Interview with my dad: My dad says that I am a very caring person, but the thing that separates this recording from what others said about me is that I am a grinder, he said I may not be the most talented, but I am willing to outwork competition and go the extra mile. This is a great entrepreneurial skill in my opinion.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interview-with-my-dad/s-baCRm
b. Caring--I get attached to things I care about, and I would be fully invested in my business, regardless of initial failure.
c. Independent--I am a very independent person, and I have always had the desire to put in extra work to be unique from others. I would display this same level of giving 110% to my business to ensure that it is unique.
d. Extroverted--I am an outgoing person with good social skills. In my career I plan on doing something involving public relations or public speaking. Having this skill is beneficial to the appeal of the business.
e. Drive--I grew up playing sports and this made me extremely competitive. I hate losing more than I like to win. The desire not to fail would surely help any business, as well as give me an edge over competitors.
Interviews available at my soundcloud profile:
note: You will hear people call me Jake, although my real name is John, I go by Jake.
1. Interview with my mom: My mom talks about my "intuitiveness"--being able to understand and read people. She also talks about me being a calming presence and a selfless individual. These qualities she thinks will hep me in the business world. All the things she discussed are similar to what I described myself as having, proof that my mom knows me well.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interviewwithmymomma
2. Interview with my twin brother: My brother describes me as one of the nicest people he knows, driven, and smart. These qualities are a little different than what I described, but I see what he is saying. It is good to know I have these qualities because they will be beneficial for my business.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interviewwithmytwin
3. Interview with my roommate: My roommate talks about me how I would talk about myself and how I did talk about myself in the first part of this assignment. The expression of "You don't truly know someone til you live with them" suits this interview.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interviewwithmyroommate/s-9jamB
4. Interview with my girlfriend: She says that I am reliable, caring, and intelligent. I had not heard reliable yet, but I think that is a good way to describe me, and reliability will go far when forming connections in the business world.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interview-with-my-girlfriend/s-ijiKv
5. Interview with my dad: My dad says that I am a very caring person, but the thing that separates this recording from what others said about me is that I am a grinder, he said I may not be the most talented, but I am willing to outwork competition and go the extra mile. This is a great entrepreneurial skill in my opinion.
https://soundcloud.com/user-523861566/interview-with-my-dad/s-baCRm
Figuring Out Buyer Behavior Pt. 2 15A
For my three interviews, I picked three friends who do not know each other from my previous segment of UF faculty and students.
Of all my interviewees, they each agreed that price and convenience matter the most when it comes to picking where to eat. I expected for them to agree on price because it feeds into the stereotype that broke college kids want cheap food. College kids are also lazy, so convenience is also important to my segment.
My first interviewee, a TA in the business school, says he prefers to pick up or dine in to get his food, because he can duck the service charge that comes from online delivery. My second interviewee, one of my classmates in ENT3003, says he prefers to buy his online and have it delivered to him. My third interviewee, my fraternity brother, says it all depends on price, and usually it is cheaper for him to pick-up, so that is what he does most of the time.
As for food, my three interviewees look back and want to the food to have tasted good, and they want the size and quality of the meal to worth what they paid for it.
Interview 1: This student is a TA for business stats. He said price is definitely the most important factor when it comes to him buying food to eat. He clarified that although price is the most important, he won't order food that he doesn't like or is unhealthy because it's cheap. He also prefers picking his food up because it's cheaper than doing UberEats or Door Dash. After his meal, he wants to be satisfied knowing he paid the right price for the size and quality.
Interview 2: My second interview is one of my friends who also happens to be in this class. He is from out of state and does not have any means of transportation, which makes location/convenience very important to him; however price is still his deciding factor most of the time. After his meal, he wants to make sure that the food was worth the price he paid for it.
Interview 3: My third interview is with one of my fraternity brothers. We chatted for awhile about what goes into his ordering food and he says it's all about price, which means he picks up or dines in most of the time, unless he has a delivery coupon or a free delivery on UberEats. He also mentioned that he likes to order from convenient locations that can have his food ready quickly.
Conclusion: I was not surprised to hear these responses in my interviews because for me ordering food is all about convenience in price, and it was for these three students as well. As for purchase decision, everyone likes to do what is cheapest and most convenient, and most of the time the best option is dining in or picking up, which happens in the store. For post-purchase evaluation, each of the three responses were similar as well. College students do not want to feel like they used their money inefficiently. Overall, the segment of UF students has similar desires and tastes, so I think that gives an advantage to someone who can cater their business model to meet the needs of this segment.
Of all my interviewees, they each agreed that price and convenience matter the most when it comes to picking where to eat. I expected for them to agree on price because it feeds into the stereotype that broke college kids want cheap food. College kids are also lazy, so convenience is also important to my segment.
My first interviewee, a TA in the business school, says he prefers to pick up or dine in to get his food, because he can duck the service charge that comes from online delivery. My second interviewee, one of my classmates in ENT3003, says he prefers to buy his online and have it delivered to him. My third interviewee, my fraternity brother, says it all depends on price, and usually it is cheaper for him to pick-up, so that is what he does most of the time.
As for food, my three interviewees look back and want to the food to have tasted good, and they want the size and quality of the meal to worth what they paid for it.
Interview 1: This student is a TA for business stats. He said price is definitely the most important factor when it comes to him buying food to eat. He clarified that although price is the most important, he won't order food that he doesn't like or is unhealthy because it's cheap. He also prefers picking his food up because it's cheaper than doing UberEats or Door Dash. After his meal, he wants to be satisfied knowing he paid the right price for the size and quality.
Interview 2: My second interview is one of my friends who also happens to be in this class. He is from out of state and does not have any means of transportation, which makes location/convenience very important to him; however price is still his deciding factor most of the time. After his meal, he wants to make sure that the food was worth the price he paid for it.
Interview 3: My third interview is with one of my fraternity brothers. We chatted for awhile about what goes into his ordering food and he says it's all about price, which means he picks up or dines in most of the time, unless he has a delivery coupon or a free delivery on UberEats. He also mentioned that he likes to order from convenient locations that can have his food ready quickly.
Conclusion: I was not surprised to hear these responses in my interviews because for me ordering food is all about convenience in price, and it was for these three students as well. As for purchase decision, everyone likes to do what is cheapest and most convenient, and most of the time the best option is dining in or picking up, which happens in the store. For post-purchase evaluation, each of the three responses were similar as well. College students do not want to feel like they used their money inefficiently. Overall, the segment of UF students has similar desires and tastes, so I think that gives an advantage to someone who can cater their business model to meet the needs of this segment.
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