Elevator Pitch 3

I did not receive any feedback on my second pitch except that my tone was good and that I spoke at a good pace. So I tried to replicate my tone and speed in this pitch again. I am really starting to memorize the pitch and get more comfortable with it and I think you can really tell from this video because it does not look like I am reading from anything

Reading Reflection 2

I read Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

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

The general argument is that someones mindset can really influence their daily tasks and their overall life. She depicts two distinct mindsets in the book, the fixed and growth mindsets. Someone with a fixed mindset thinks that the qualities they have when they are born are stuck with them for the rest of their life and cannot be changed. If someone has a growth mindset they think they can grow through experiences and certain life events.

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

This book reminded me of the class because it talks a lot about growth and self evaluation. Just like our business idea, we have to constantly be checking up on it, reflecting, changing things, and growing the idea based on its best qualities. This is what we should also do for ourselves. I think that entrepreneurs should develop a growth mindset and work on their competencies.

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

I think a great exercise would be assessing one’s weaknesses and when those weaknesses are most present in ones life. This way you can realize what you should work on and try to develop this growth mindset. It would also increase their awareness.

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?

It was definitely the importance the author places on mindsets and how much of an impact it has on your everyday life. After reading this book I am really going to start working more on myself and learning from all my personal experiences trying to better myself and improve my strengths.

Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert:

I spoke to a senior at UF that is also an Uber driver. I found her because I posted on facebook asking if anyone knows someone or if anyone is an uber or lyft driver and she said she works for uber over the summer. She is very knowledgeable in the ride sharing industry and told me the busiest times for her were around 1 and in the afternoon. She said driving was really fun. When I told her about my business idea she was pretty skeptical because she said it would be hard for me to find drivers that are willing to take people and it would also be hard to make the business free since the drivers need to be paid appropriately. She said it reminded her of the later gator or SNAP.

Market Expert: I also posted on Facebook asking if anyone knew or was a SNAP driver and one of my friends said one of the girls she used to live with was a SNAP driver. She told me she was busiest in the late afternoon and at night and it was hard to get everyone to their desired destination on time and without people complaining. She told me my idea would be good to go to places outside of campus because since SNAP already existed it would be too competitive.

Supplier: I had a hard time coming up with a supplier for my carpooling app since it’s technically not a product and drivers supply their own cars and work on their schedules. So I decided to talk to a potential driver since they would be the ones supplying the carpool. I asked my friend who has a car and is also on a tight budget and would appreciate the little extra income. She said my idea is perfect because she would not have any specific shifts and just be picking people up on her daily errands.

Reflect:

I enjoyed networking with these individuals because they were honest and told me straight up if something was going to work or not. In the comments a lot of times it is just positive feedback and does not help me actually evaluate my product/service. But Naty, the Uber driver told me she was skeptical and the SNAP driver, who works directly with UF students helped me see potential trends. This experience was helpful because I sort of had to pitch my ideas like I have done in the elevator speeches. It was more formal than when I usually interview someone. In the future I am going to definitely practice what I am going to say better.

Idea Napkin 2

You. I am a very driven and motivated student with great critical thinking, leadership, and communication skills. I have interned at two different businesses in the past summers, so I have seen how a small family run business works as well as a larger more corporate one. I see my business ADVcarpool playing a large role in many students lives, including my own. I would be able to start doing my daily activities without always coordinating and worrying about how I would get there. I could start going to Yoga classes when I want to and go grocery shopping on my own time. I could also go back home without the hassle of trying to find a ride last minute.

2.         What are you offering? I solve the problem of not being able to get around quickly and efficiently in a college town or back to your hometown without a car or spending a lot of money. I provided an advanced carpool system that is free for riders and pays the students willing to take others. The rides are free because of advertisements placed by local business and coupons offered on the app that incentivize students to go to their businesses.

3.         Who are you offering it to? I am offering this only to University students with a student ID. Customers using my app are going to be mostly younger students, both male and female, that do not have a car on campus or a way to get back to their hometowns. The other students using my app will be students that do have cars and will be willing to drive other students because they do have cars and want to make a profit. These students will probably be older.

4.         Why do they care? Students will definitely use my service because they need to get places cheaply and will trust other students driving them. It makes sense to carpool over paying a lot of money for a ride or taking a bus that takes long and makes a lot of stops. My customers do not have to pay, I would make profit through ads and if students do not want ads they can upgrade to Premium for a small fee.

5.         What are your core competencies? What sets me apart is the fact that this service is student run, so you do not have worry about carpooling with someone who may be a lot older than you and you find it strange. It makes it more of a community than a ride sharing business. What also sets me apart is the fact that it is completely free. This would definitely attract many more customers.

Feedback Memo: I received feedback that my app was hard to set apart from Uber or Lyft so people may not read it, I clearly stated that the app is free which Uber and Lyft are obviously not. This time I made sure to state even more clearly that the app is student run and only accessible to those with a valid Gator 1, Uber and Lyft you do not know who your driver may be and one may feel uncomfortable.