Reading Reflection No. 2

"The Art of Social Media"

1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?

The general theme of the book was how to utilize social media to best represent and shape your personal brand. The book consisted of over 100 different tips on how to use social media to best sell yourself or your brand to your audience. 

2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

We haven't really talked much about social media specifically in class but we have talked about our personal brands. This book goes right along with arguing the importance of having a great personal brand and also how to represent any product or business you may be apart of. 

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

I would have an assignment that went along with all the other assignments that we do in this class and I would have students make a social media page for either themselves or the product they created. Then, I would have them make two different blog posts, about a month apart from one another about it. The first post would include the link to the social media account and a brief summary of what they hope their account will accomplish. The second post later on will also include a link to their social media account and a summary of how they used the account to accomplish their goals and what they learned over the month. Throughout the month in between the blog posts, students will be required to post periodically just as you would on any social media account. 

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 think social media is such a huge part of our society I really enjoy reading books about how to best use it. It has so many features that can be used to benefit someone or something but it can also have dire consequences if you use it poorly. I was pretty shocked at how almost all of the tips seemed like common sense, but that people still don't know about them and use them. 

Elevator Pitch No. 3

1. The Pitch

2. Reflection
I didn't receive too much feedback on my last pitch but the few things my peers pointed out to me were that I lacked a hook, that is needed to be more engaging to the customers, and that I should include my dog in the video. None of this feedback really surprised me and I loved the idea of having my dog in it, I just knew it would make the filming process a bit harder.

3. What I Changed?
I took all of the feedback discussed above and tried to incorporate them into my pitch this time. I made a bit of a hook at the beginning, which also helped me engage the customers, and I included my dog in the whole video. I was still a little uncomfortable in front of the camera but having my pup beside me made it a little easier.

Growing my Social Capital

1. Domain Expert: Daniel Clifton
Daniel and I have some mutual friends but I have never really spoken to him before, so I gave him a quick phone call for this assignment. He has been working for a local animal rescue called Gainesville Pet Rescue for a few years now which is why I used him for this slot. He works with dogs every single day as well as the people adopting and fostering the dogs. He gave me some great advice on what dogs need physical activity wise and also how to talk to and deal with dog owners. I am grateful to have Daniel in my social network now so that if I ever have questions relating to dogs needs or temperaments or how to deal with dog owners, I can turn to him for help.

2. Market Expert: Fred Goldsmith
I reached out to Mr. Goldsmith via email to get some words of advice from him. He is the founder and CEO of Pet Paradise, a dog kennel chain that prides themselves on having the highest quality treatment of peoples pets. He is actually from my hometown, so he was happy to help out a student from his area. He talked about how being an animal lover himself has helped him in his journey because he knows how he wants the animals in his facilities to be treated. Then, he just has to make sure all of his employees think the same. To further his point, he told me he even goes to the kennel sometimes to play with the dogs there. This was great news as I am also a huge animal lover, so hopefully that would be a help to my future business.

3. Supplier: Laura Wilkin
Laura Wilkin is the Chief Supply Chain Officer of Petco. I reached out to Laura via email and I was skeptical I would hear back from her since she holds such a high position in a company as large as Petco but fortunately, I did. It wasn't a long exchange but I think being in contact with her at all is a big deal for me. She gave a tidbit of advice in her email to me to always do ample research when choosing who should be the supplier for my product. She said there are a lot of cheap, low quality products out there and don't let the great price get you hooked but also don't overpay. she finished wth "there are always good products out there selling for a good price, you just have to work hard to find them." I thought this was great advice and just having Laura recognize my name could be a huge asset for me in my future business endeavors.

Reflection
I actually learned a lot in this assignment. I first learned to always take advantage of mutual friendships because it makes people feel a much closer connection than say a stranger would have and so people are much more willing to help. It also taught me to not be afraid to take chances when reaching out to possible network people because you never know who may respond and who you may need help from down the road. I never thought I would hear back from Laura Wilkin, but I did and it was a great experience.

Idea Napkin No. 2

1) Me. My name is Leah Pendarvis and I am studying sport management hear at UF. I work at RecSports here on campus in our two weight rooms in Student Rec and Southwest Rec. Because of that job, I have developed really great customer service skills and can much better pick up on needs of customers that aren't being met. I am a huge dog lover and actually walk dogs as another job currently. If I were to start this business, I would definitely be in the facility everyday helping running operations and talking to customers.

2) What am I offering to customers? My idea is to create an indoor dog park. Because it is indoors, you would never have to worry about weather ruining your dog park plans ever again. To fund the park it would cost a small fee, somewhere between 5-15 dollars to get in or you could buy a membership for around 30 dollars a month to come as frequently as you would like. There would be staff hired to clean the facility and keep an eye on dogs to ensure the safety of all of our furry friends. There would be separate areas for our small dogs and our large dogs to been even more cautious with their safety. There would be lots of things for the dogs to use like agility obstacles and pools. You as owners will be able to watch from outside the play zone so that you don't have to fear getting run over by dogs playing tag. There will even be concessions offered for owners to purchase but water bowls will be provide for the dogs throughout the park. 

3) Who am I offering it to? I'm offering this product to any dog owners that have well behaved dogs who would like their dog to get exercise and socialization.

4) Why do they care? My product is valuable to customer because it gives them an opportunity to take their dog to a park in more comfortable conditions and without having to worry about the weather since it is indoors. It will also be staffed with people who know how to spot uncomfortable and aggressive dogs to keep your dog safe as well as keep the park clean.

5) What are my core competencies? My competition is outdoor public dog parks and all of the things I have mentioned above are things I offer that outdoor parks do not. The main concept which makes my product stand out is the fact that it is indoors and is therefore protected from the elements at all times.

I do believe all of these elements fit together and therefore will make for a successful business. 

Feedback Memo: I really only received positive feedback from my previous idea napkin so I didn't change too much. I added a few details and other things from what we have talked about in class since then, but that is about it. 

My Customer Avatar

My ideal customer is a young adult who has at least one dog. He or she is someone who enjoys taking his or her dog places to socialize, play, and run around with other dogs. He or she may also seek meeting other dog owners to become friends. My ideal customer probably doesn't have children because people without children tend to treat their dog as their child and would therefore be willing to spend more money on their pet.

I am my ideal customer. I own one dog and don't have any children, so I treat my dog as if he were my child. I love taking him to the park to hang out with all of the other dogs, and I don't mind spending money on him because I love him so much. I think it is no coincidence that I am my ideal customer because that is how I came up with the idea for my business. Pictured below is my dog Griff, who I would love to be able to take to my indoor dog park one day.

My Secret Sauce

1.  My Human Capital based on My Own Opinion: 

Kind - I pride myself on being a very kind person and thinking about others always. I love my family and friends endlessly and will do anything for them but I will also do a lot for random strangers. I always want to help people no matter the cost to myself.

    

Loyal - This kind of goes along with being kind but I also feel like I am a very loyal person to those who have gained my trust. I am a tough nut to crack, but once you are apart of my life, you are so important to me that I will do pretty much anything for you. 

     

Hardworking - I love setting my mind to something and seeing it be accomplished. Since getting to college and finding my calling, I have learned how much I really enjoy working towards a goal and seeing myself get closer and closer to achieving that goal. 

     

Problem Solver - I not only love solving problems, I do think I am good at it. Whenever a problem arises in my life, I try extremely hard to come up with a way to solve it mostly because I want a solution. It is also so satisfying to make something in your life easier or more efficient or more fair which is one of the reasons I enjoy solving problems so much. 

     

Rational - I have never been one to let my emotions get the best of me. Sometimes I may come across as a cold person but that's just because I don't like to let people see how I am really feeling and I want to remain logical in my decisions and thoughts. 

2. My Human Capital based on Others Opinions: 

For this assignment, I interviewed my parents, my sisters, and my girlfriend. Everyone I talked to spoke to my kind and loving personality which really meant a lot to me since that is the most important thing to me personally. My mom and girlfriend both stated how they loved that I was a person who got excited over little things. My dad, mom, and one of my sisters, all said that I have a very good work ethic and they are proud of how much I have grown recently. My girlfriend and one of my sisters talked about how good at solving problems I am and lastly, my mom, dad, and girlfriend all told me that I am a very genuine person and that they love that I don't really care what other people thing of me, and that I am just the person I want to be. 

3. The Differences: 

For starters, it was amazing to hear all the nice things all of them said about me and what they thought contributed most to my human capital. A lot of what they said was similar to what I said about myself which made me really proud. It showed me that I'm not just talking the talk but also walking the walk ad really making sure my values are shown in my daily life. They also said some additionally things that I didn't really thing of like being a genuine person and loving the little things in life. I think those two things go hand in hand of allowing myself to enjoy what I want to enjoy and not letting others influence that. I really appreciated everything they all told me and will continue to hold myself to these values as it seems I have been doing. 

Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 2

My segment was dog owners who enjoy taking their dogs to dog parks.

Alternatives: The obvious alternative to my product are traditional outdoor public dog parks. The other, less available alternative is private dog daycare centers that have indoor dog parks. Printing was important to my interviewees which is why most people said they definitely appreciate the fact that outdoor public dog parks are free to use and why they don't tend to use the private dog daycare centers since they are usually pretty expensive. They all agreed that they do like the idea of having a place indoors for their dog to run around and play with other dogs but didn't think they needed to pay over $20 for it, especially when there is a free option out there.

How/Where do they buy?: This one doesn't apply to my product as much because everyone pretty much agrees that they would first, buy in person and second, buy with cash. They wouldn't want to purchase a ticket to use my facility until the time they wanted to use it which is why they would buy in person, and because it is a small purchase, they all agreed they would just buy it with cash and there would be no need for financing the purchase.

Post-purchase evaluation: All of my interviewees stated that if their dog had a good experience, that was the most important thing to helping them know if they made a good decision. They also want to have a good experience themselves, but because they are coming here specifically for their dogs, they all put their needs above there one.

Conclusions: I believe that the interviewees answered these questions similarly to how I would've thought and it sort of solidified that my idea has a place in society to be effective. I found there aren't many options out there to choose from so if I can place myself into the middle of the market as not being the free option but also not being the super expensive option, there would definitely be people willing to use my product.