Assignment 28: Your Exit Strategy

1) The way I'm handling my business is that I'm going to keep on doing the service until I find something to replace it. For now, it's a good form of some side income and I don't see much of a threat or competition coming from other people. But I intend on keeping the business small and not doing much to necessarily expand it because I don't want to have it to where I would need to hire employees. This whole venture isn't meant to be the start of some big business plan to be completely honest.

2) I selected this particular exit strategy because I plan on focusing a lot of my time to firefighting in the future and I don't really see this business expanding more than around town. This is also just a little business for me to have some extra cash for college because food is often pretty pricey; especially, when you like to cook a lot of interesting meals.

3) I do think that my exit strategy influenced my other decisions because from the get-go of the whole "creating a business venture" I was already planning on what I was going to do with the business. The resources I chose, especially Adam, is very close to me so I am able to just take a 10 minute drive to get some protein. Plus, I can get the rest of my resources from Publix and Target which are right down the road. I already had this opportunity going before this semester thinking that it wasn't going to be a life-long thing so the opportunity was influenced by the exit strategy. It also influenced my growth intentions because I don't plan on growing a business where I have no intentions on making it my primary job.

Assignment 27: Reading Reflection No.3

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

1)  The purpose and argument that the book is illustrating is that people often think irrationally due to faulty intuitions. Kahneman describes two systems: one automatic (impulsive) and another conscious, and how these two systems ultimately shape the reason for how humans behave and react to instances. Kahneman also talks about how your brain is lazy and how this restricts you from using your brain's full potential. Furthermore, with our brain being lazy, this causes humans to make errors when thinking things through. Another thing that Kahneman mentions is that people shouldn't use their emotions when trying to make decisions with money involved. Kahneman explains that humans are more afraid to lose what we currently have as we're trying to receive more.

2) The book connected with and enhanced what I'm learning in ENT3003 by thinking about how reaching to new markets could help our business ideas. If we were to make an impulsive decision (System 1) we would ultimately think that reaching to these more outlier market will increase and benefit our business. However, if we think more about it using more of System 2, we may figure out that trying to reach these out-lying markets will be bad for our business and cause us to lose money instead of earning money. 

3) I would create an exercise where students make a list of things that would require the students to use each of the the two systems. Maybe do five examples of each system. This would require students to examine their day-to-day decisions, classify which system these decisions fall under, and explain why students think that the decision belongs under that system. I believe this will aid in the student's deeper understanding of how we make our decisions and how much effort we actually place on them.

4) What I found surprising when reading this book was how your brain competes with itself into thinking that you've found the right answer through the two systems. Sometimes when reading a question out and planning how to solve it, your brain initially goes through the first System, in which it thinks that it can handle answering the question without the help with System 2. When in reality the question is not as simple as it appears. This causes people to make mistakes because their brains perceive something too simple and not complex.  

Assignment 26: Celebrating Failure

1) During this semester, I tried to balance my time for each class I have; however, I struggled to keep a consistent schedule. For instance, I would dedicate most of my time to either one class like finance and stay away from my other classes until I either had something due or there was an exam coming up. I started in the beginning of the semester pretty well; however, when it came to the second exams for both my Finance and Management classes, I fumbled my time and didn't execute my goal on keeping a consistent schedule.


2) What I learned from this hardship is that if I put more effort into actually being interested in the subjects that I am learning about that I'll have a better time when it comes to test my knowledge in exams. For example, when I was first studying for my first finance exam, I forced myself to become interested in what I was learning. This not only helped me understand the information better but it also helped me have a little more confidence going into the exam. It also helped get a little bit of the stress off my mind.


3) If you haven't noticed, I never used the word "failure" until just now. The reason why I don't use the word failure is because it doesn't exist. People do one of two things: they either quit, or they keep on going. In reality, I don't even think that the "failure" I put in the first paragraph is a failure because I never quit on making the time for each of my classes. Yes, I do create obstacles in my schedule that caused more attention to specific classes, but that's just what they are, obstacles. You're not a "failure" until you've quit on yourself. If we were able to go more into the past for a failure, I would've went back to when I quit playing football. Honestly, how I would handle failure (an obstacle) is by looking past it and sometimes even going back to it to find out why it happened. If I find why and how the obstacle happened, I can alter how I approach the same task in the future. I wouldn't allow the obstacle to bring me down or anything like that because life is basically just a big learning experience. If you approach life with intentions of not having hardships and obstacles, you won't be ready for when they come. In regards to this class changing my perspective on failure, I don't think the amount of risks I'm going to take will change. I sort of understood what failure meant in this class and I feel that it had many similarities with my own personal understanding of failure. 

Assignment 25: What's Next?

Existing Market

1. What's next in terms of my product is to start making prototypes and have people try the bites themselves. I feel like at the price that they're at it's not really that appealing to buy a whole batch just to try one. Furthermore, I would also like to maybe setup some free samples for people to try. Maybe dedicate one whole batch so that people can try the product before they buy them.

Interviews

1. Danny

• Danny talked about how I should be planning my time in case of big orders. Since it takes a lot of time to make, he recommends that I schedule what I need to do that's unrelated to making the Bulk Bites and work around those things. He likes the idea of creating a batch of samples because people don't want to buy something that they don't know what it taste like; especially, if they would be dropping a minimum of $15.

2. Conner

• Conner talked about creating more differential batches when it comes to how many people want to buy. He recommends that I should make lower quantity batches and higher ones as well. After telling him about my ideas, like Danny, he was all for the extra batch for people to sample.

3. Michael

• Michael talked about creating a package for the Bulk Bites. He recommends that I not only have the batches but also a unique package that appeals to the customer. He also recommended that I do a to-go container for people on the go and those who want to take some to the gym. When I told him about my ideas, he recommended that I do make the sample batch, but also do what Conner said and create small batches.

Future Path

For the ideas that I had before the interviews, I'm going to stick with them. I'm going to create a batch of samples so that people are able to try the product before they buy them. I will most likely create different ones with maybe a few ingredients changed so that it highlights the personalize-able aspect that I am trying to implement into my venture. Since all of my interviewees liked the idea of the sample batches, I'll most likely do this in the future.

Reading through the feedback I got in the interviews, my interviewees gave some good ideas that I can put into my business for the future. I've always thought of making more incremental batches for those who were more worried about the price of the batches. I just felt that it would be kind of a headache and inefficient to make the batches too small or too large. I really liked Danny's idea of building a schedule as to when I will be making the batches because it's key that they don't just add stress to my everyday schedule. 

New Market

1. Since it seems that I'm marketing more towards those who go to the gym and college students, I think I may expand my target market to mothers and people working outside. 
2. These two groups would be perfect to market to because of their situations. For mothers, the snack would  be perfect to go into their kid's lunch boxes. The Bulk Bites will satisfy all the needs in terms of nutrition for a growing boy/girl providing protein, carbs, sugar, good fats, and fiber. For those who work at an outside job, the sun is constantly stealing calories from your body causing these individuals to have a need for a surplus of calories. These Bulk Bites would be perfect because they're quick to eat and they supply a high enough calorie content to satisfy the outdoor worker's need for more calories in the day.

Interviews

1. Mike

• Mike thinks that my business can help those who work outside because currently he would normally just run across the street to get something from a fast food place instead of making a snack before he heads to work. The fact that my product is healthy makes it more desirable than continually going to fast food places to get a snack between meals. Mike thinks that I should make a carry to-go container where individuals can just bring a little container instead of the whole batch package.

 2. Carol

• Carol is part of the mother market where she needs to make snacks for her kids to eat while at school. She normally struggles to find things on the shelf that are both healthy and tasty for her kids. Carol said that if my Bulk Bites are tasty, that my product could go the distance in the market. However, some adaptations that she recommended was to increase diversity in the ingredients because a lot of kids are allergic to peanuts and that will affect the reach to these kind of mothers.

What I learned about the New Markets

In terms of the outside worker, I learned that working outside is really detrimental on your calorie storage. The sun depletes a lot of the calories causing a lot of outside workers to burn more calories than those who work in an office all day. So to battle this, these individuals consume a surplus of calories, and it doesn't matter what kinda calories they are. Most of the calories that they consume are unhealthy which is where my product would shine in the market. My expectations about the outside workers market was correct in that they require more calories than the normal in-office individual. I do believe that this market seems to be about the same level as the existing market that I'm trying to reach. 

In terms of the mother market, I learned a lot about the constraints that I would have if I were to enter that market. Things that I would have to watch out for would be how my product tastes. The taste of my product needs to appeal  to the younger generation where they are very picky on what they like to eat and don't necessarily care about how healthy the snack is. Another thing that I need to watch out for are allergies. A lot of kids are allergic to things like peanuts which is one of the main ingredients to my snacks. So I would have to see if I could someway substitute that in the recipes for those with this kind of allergy. However, my expectations for the market were correct where I knew that I was going to battling picky eaters, but didn't realize the peanut allergy situation. On second thought, this market doesn't seem to be as attractive that I thought it was going to be. I feel that it may be more of a hassle than a benefit to my venture.

Assignment 24: Venture Concept No.1

Bulk Bites

Opportunity

The opportunity that I'm pursuing is solving hunger in between meals with a healthy snack. Those who are heavy into working out, this snack is meant to aid them in growing muscle mass by providing this snack to be eaten in between meals. However, for those who aren't heavy into increasing muscle mass, this product is also designed to be eaten to ensure that people are getting their needed calories for the day. Those who have this need are primarily gym goers and college students. The nature of the need is usually an everyday thing. For college students, the product is normally designed for cases where they are overwhelmed with classes and are unable to get something to eat. The snack provides a healthy way that students can get their needed nutrition for the day. Forces and/or changes that are creating this opportunity is the slow shift into more and more people wanting to work out and become stronger. For students, classes are the primary sources of change that create this opportunity. The market that I am targeting are the students at the University of Florida. I'm marketing my product to both male and female. This product is primarily marketed to the 18-30 age range mostly because the product is for those who are students and people who regularly go to the gym. Currently, people are satisfying this need by making protein shakes and buying store bought snacks that they can eat between their meals. I feel that people who take protein shakes aren't too loyal to the shakes because they take too much time to make and there's too much cleaning involved. Those who buy store bought snacks I feel are a little more loyal to what they buy to a certain extent. They like the selection and ease of purchase; however, they can get sick of certain flavors of snacks that are on the shelves. The opportunity isn't necessarily too big because there are a lot of alternatives available and some people already make their own snacks. I feel that the window of opportunity will always be open because there's always going to be new college student and people who are trying to get bigger in the gym. As long as people don't want to spend their own free time and effort into making healthy snacks, the opportunity will stay open. 

Innovation

The product that I am offering is a healthy snack made up of peanut butter, raisins, honey, oats, and protein powder. This product satisfies all nutrient values including protein, carbs, sugars, and fruits. This product is meant to satisfy hunger for a short period of time in between meals. How this product works is that you eat about 2-3 "bites" in between your meals to hold your stomach off till your next meal. Its meant to build on your gains in the gym and satisfy the normal person's hunger. I'm selling my product in bulk (hence Bulk Bites the name) at 10 and 25. The prices for the Bulk Bites are $15 and $25, respectively.

 Venture Concept

The Bulk Bites will solve my opportunity because its designed to help individuals who go to the gym a more satisfying way of in-taking protein powder, which is what they might use to make shakes. For the college students, the snack is quick and easy to eat because of how small they are. They're easy to transfer and normally 2-3 satisfy the hunger of a normal college student; therefore, each 25 batch will last a while for them. Gym goers and college students will buy my product because it's healthy and it provides a new way of getting their needed nutrition for the day. Among the alternatives like protein shakes and store-bought snacks, my product is far tastier than any shake and healthier than any snack that's on the shelf. The reasons why gym goers will switch is because gym goers understand that it's better to have physical forms of nutrient intake and will see that its a lot more simple and cleaner than a protein shake. Shakes are also less filling than physical food. The reason why college students will switch is because they're almost always hungry and they don't have to put in the time and effort to make their own snacks. I do feel that it'll be hard to get people to switch because people don't know the taste of the snacks. I guess the competitors for what I'm going through are the companies who make protein bars and health bars. The possible weakness and vulnerabilities to these companies is that they don't emphasize the homemade and healthy factor. The customer experience is the main factor that is defining my opportunity because I'm allowing my customers to give feedback on what they may want specialized for their batch. Some individuals may want something changed from the original recipe because they're allergic or don't find it enjoyable. I don't plan on expanding too large to where I would need employees; therefore, I don't have a number for the amount of employees I would have. The role in my venture is to stay small because I want to emphasize the fact that my product is homemade. 

Three Minor Elements

1.  My most important resource is the homemade factor of my product. Because I plan on staying small, I am able to appeal to customers who worry about what's in their snacks. It's hard for companies to match this because it would be inefficient for how big they expanded their business.
2. What's next for my venture is maybe selling a Bulk Bite kit that'll enable individuals to make the product themselves if they wanted to. In this kit, I would include a to-go container that would be designed like unique objects such as a dragon ball or a poki ball. 
3. For the future, I want to have a steady "side income" for this venture because I'll be dedicating most of my time to firefighting in the future.

Assignment 23: Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

Resources

1. Adam who owns a supplement shop

• Valuable - I am able to get a discounted price on protein powder which is one of the most expensive ingredients that I need for my Bulk Bites snacks.
• Rare - It's quite rare to acquire Adam because I've created a close friendship with him that I am able to get deals that a normal stranger might not get the access to. 
• Imitable - It would be quite hard for others to copy because they would have to find someone that is similar to Adam and had formed close relations with them for almost 4 years.
• Non-substitutable - You can't really substitute a person like Adam; however, I'm sure you can find someone like him out there.

2. My Parents Money

• Valuable - I am able to get a startup fund to buy the first round of Bulk Bites. With each round of buying supplies, I would be able to make 2 batches of Bites. This enables me to replace the money I used for the supplies and have extra supplies to make another batch for added revenue.
• Rare - It's not hard to get money from your parents so I don't find this resource very rare.
• Imitable - It's very easy for someone else to copy because they could just ask their parents for some money.
• Non-substitutable - You can probably substitute your parents money by using another family member.

3. Access to Grocery Store

• Valuable - I am able to purchase organic ingredients that go into making my Bulk Bites.
• Rare - Grocery store access is not very rare. There is usually a grocery store within a 10-15 mile radius of where a person lives.
• Imitable - It's easy to copy access to a grocery store because it's public.
• Non-substitutable - There are many substitutes for grocery stores including farmers markets and other local food stores.

4. The large amount of people I know at the gym

• Valuable - The people that I know at the gym are valuable to me because they will pose as a customer base to get my business started. I've already sold some batches to my friends and they've loved them.
• Rare - It's not that hard to make friends at the gym. Usually people that you grow up with would go to the gym so it really isn't that hard to acquire.
• Imitable - It's easy to copy because you just need to make the effort to get to know people in the gym.
• Non-substitutable - You can substitute the people that you know at the gym by just having friends who are struggling with consuming enough calories on a day-to-day basis or are always hungry. 

5. The free time I have

• Valuable - The free time I have is crucial for me because allows me to make the Bulk Bites for people. Plus, the reason I'm making these snacks is to help people not waste their own free time to dedicate to making snacks. That way people can spend their free time on more beneficial activities and activities that align with their interests.
• Rare - Free time is definitely a rare resource because most people procrastinate and utilize their free time for less stressful activities such as taking naps or watching TV/Netflix. People don't want to use their free time to make these snacks.
• Imitable - It's easy to copy because we all have free time in the day. We just choose to coordinate activities in places throughout our day that take away from our free time.
• Non-substitutable - This resource is not substitutable. The only way to substitute free time is to use that time for some other activity.

6. Being a college student

• Valuable - College students would be a big part of my customer base because students don't always have the free time to make their own snacks. Furthermore, college students don't always get their needed calories making them almost always hungry. Also, since I am a college student, it allows me to connect easier with my main customers.
• Rare - I would say that being a college student is moderately rare because even though a lot of people want to go to college, some people feel that college isn't for them. Another reason may include that they don't have the money to go to college. 
• Imitable - Being a student is easy to copy if you feel that college is right for you and that you have the financials to allow you to take classes.
• Non-substitutable - Being a student can be substitutable by not being a college student.

7. Fair amount of money in bank account

• Valuable - It's valuable to have a good amount of money in my account because it allows me to contribute to my own business with personal funds if my parents are unable to supply financial capital. 
• Rare - I feel that this resource is moderately rare because you would have to have a money saving mindset. Not a lot of college students and people have this kind of mindset.
• Imitable - This is easy to copy if you restrict your unnecessary spending. 
• Non-substitutable - This can be substitutable with funds acquired by parents.

8. Openness to self-selection of ingredients

• Valuable - Gives people a uniqueness to the snacks that they are receiving. Allows for the product to be tailored to the customer's likeness.
• Rare - It's not too rare to find a company that'll tailor a product to your likeness. However, many companies that you buy from to get your snacks aren't open for changing a specific ingredient for just one person. Maybe, if they get feedback from a substantial amount of people, then they'll make a new product that has that change.
• Imitable - This is hard to copy because it would cost a lot of money for bigger companies to continually change what they put in their snacks.
• Non-substitutable - The only substitute for this may be to just make a general product and not make it tailored to customers. 

9. The product being made by hand (currently doing this)

• Valuable - Some people prefer that their product be homemade because they feel that the product is unique. Plus, I would save on having to buy a machine for making my product.
• Rare - It's hard to find companies that make their products by hand.
• Imitable - It's hard to copy because most of the companies that are supplying snacks are usually getting high amounts of orders where it would be inefficient to make their products by hand.
• Non-substitutable - Can be substituted with machines to make the process faster and easier, but it takes away from the uniqueness of the product.

10. Product made in bulk

• Valuable - Allows me to have time between orders because of the amount of time it'll take for each customer to go through a whole batch.
• Rare - It's rare to find a company that'll make 25 snacks for one order while also offering smaller orders at 10. Most companies want to make smaller amounts to have the customers keep coming and coming in a short amount of time.
• Imitable - It's easy to copy for other companies because they usually make large amounts of snacks, but sell in small packages. They feel that it's more profitable that way.
• Non-substitutable - I can substitute this by making the snacks in smaller amounts. However, that's why I also offer a 10 snack package instead of the 25 snack package.

Top Resource: Adam (supplement shop owner)

I feel that my top resource would have to be Adam because I would be able to make my Bulk Bites at a lower cost of supplies. This gives me a higher profit margin and helps me save money. If I buy my protein from Adam, it allows me to buy my protein in bulk instead of buying single packets of protein from my local supplement store. On top of that, I would get a discount on the protein I get from him making me pay 50% less than if I bought the same amount from say Vitamin Shoppe.

Assignment 22: Elevator Pitch 3

Elevator Pitch

Reflection from last Pitch feedback

What feedback that I felt was most important about my last elevator pitch was how natural I presented myself. I've always struggled when performing while being filmed; however, the feedback that I received from my last pitch seemed to be the opposite. I carried myself in a way that made it seem that I was more natural in my last pitch and this I felt was my most surprising feedback. A lot of the feedback that I received was based on how natural I presented myself and that I was a lot more natural at that time around. Another comment that I received was about my hook being really good for being thought of on the spot. I tried to incorporate a new one this time around to make a little change as well. It was amazing to hear that my pitch was natural because of how much I struggle to keep composure while in front of the camera.

What I changed based on the feedback

I didn't really change a thing because a lot of the comments were positive. The only thing I really changed in this pitch was the hook again because I didn't want to make it seem that I was just repeating that same thing I did for the previous pitch. I definitely felt that I was more comfortable in the camera this time around and that my pitch almost felt memorized and easier to pitch to the camera. Other than those few things, the pitch was good overall and didn't really need much change.

Assignment 21: Reading Reflection 2

Book: How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams

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

The general argument in the book is that failure is not always a bad thing. Scott Adams wants us to invite failure into our lives because with failure comes learning. However, if you allow failure in your life but don't learn something, it's not necessarily a good thing. Adams also recognizes that failure is the raw material for success. To achieve success, one must position themselves that favor a high chance of luck.

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

One of the things the book talks about success being somewhat dependent on the people you know. Adams points out that a friend helped him give a speech when he was having trouble. This connects with this class because we have a chance to connect with group mates to discuss their perspective on how they may interpret an assignment. This is just like the peer reviews that we have on each assignment. This book enhances what I'm learning in ENT3003 by means of the cupcakes. I usually fail at the cupcakes by how specific and tricky some of the questions are. While it may seem terrible, I'm still learning a great deal of information by taking them which is the whole point that the book is trying to make.

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

The exercise that I would design for the class would be to make a list of priorities in your life. Break your priorities into a target where priorities that are for you is the bullseye, the next ring is your personal finance, the following ring is personal relationships, and the outer ring is the rest of the world. You would want to set up a certain rule to manage conflicting interests. This rule will allow you to break your priorities into the four categories. You want to make sure the most important priorities are those that enhance your energy.

4) What did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

 What differed from my expectations that I learned was the fact of incorporating luck into something to consider. I would never have thought that looking for situations that gave a high chance of luck would be part of making key decisions and business moves. It was definitely interesting to hear that you can have average skills, perseverance, and luck and be as successful (or even more) than someone with higher skills and that works hard. Another thing that surprised me was that Adams called passion bullshit and that it is often misleading.

Assignment 20: Growing Your Social Capital

Interview 1: Adam

1) Adam is a supplements vender who markets his supplements on Amazon. He sells things like protein, preworkouts, and fat burners, but most importantly, protein bars and snacks.

2) Domain Expert

3) I go to bootcamps a lot and while I was attending a bootcamp I found Adam. I told him about what I was trying to do and described this assignment and he was more than happy to participate. 

4) The favor that they did for me was give very helpful tips on how to connect with suppliers for top brands. Having one of my main ingredients to be protein powder, the information he gave me will allow me to find and acquire a supplier for my ingredients. 

5) Keeping Adam in my network may allow me to get some key discounts for product that he sells.

Interview 2: Philip T.

1) Philip is a crossfitter who goes  to competitions to compete. He's exposed to a lot of people that I am trying to market to and spread the word of my business. He's also a trainer at some of the crossfit gyms that he goes to.

2) Expert on Market

3) I found Philip just like how I found Adam. Actually, Philip was Adam's personal trainer when I met with him. Philip connected through passions for both working out and playing football. However, our conversation left those two subjects and drifted towards the Bulk Bite idea. I showed him my elevator pitch to see how effective it may be.

4) Philip reviewed my elevator pitch and gave me some helpful tips on how I can market more to my customers. He said not to be so much cut and dry, but to be more lively when I'm talking about my product so I can show people how passionate I am about Bulk Bites. He wants me to make a new pitch and to get back to him on it.

5) Keeping Philip in my network is key because he is a very verbal person and the fact that he travels a lot to many different places, gives me an outlet to spreading the word about my new business.

Interview 3: Brian

1) Brian is a producer of an awesome protein company called GENEPRO. It's a medical grade protein that he markets to people and businesses. Brian is actually one of the suppliers for Adam.

2) Important Supplier

3) When I was connecting with Adam and telling him about the kind of people I needed to interview, he recommended that I see Brian. He told me that he was a supplier for his business and that he could give me some insight for my business. So, I called him up and scheduled a day we can meet in person. From there, I showed him my idea napkin.

4) The favor that he did for me was that he reviewed my idea napkin to supply me with some feedback on how my skills and abilities may help me land some supplier deals. The return expectation was to get back to him in the future if I needed help with finding suppliers for the protein aspect of my business.

5) Keeping Brian in my network will allow me to get key information on how I should go about getting a reliable supplier. Maybe when this business starts to boom, I'll need a big supplier which is where he would come in. Right now, I would probably be satisfied with just Adam's discount on protein.

Reflect

Going through these interviews was very helpful. I discovered a lot of new information on the industry and market itself. This experience will shape how I will participate in future networking events by making me more comfortable in speaking with people on a business level. I noticed that while I was connecting with these individuals, I was fumbling over my words because I was getting a little nervous. If I was more relaxed and calm, I feel that I would appear as more professional and prepared. This experience definitely differed from networking experiences in the past because I feel that I needed to say the right words for these networks. I could probably fumble over my words in the past interviews because it was with people I already knew. These people were new, which carried a sense of how should I tackle these interviews. But overall, I think I made some good progress on expanding on my social capital.  

Assignment 19: Idea Napkin No.2

You.

Some of my talents is being able to persuade people. This could be great for getting people to invest in my idea of creating Bulk Bites. Some of my skills and abilities that I have is being able to socialize and talk with people on a deeper level. I would be able to connect with my customers on a personal level rather than a business level. Some of my past experiences in the fitness industry, such as working for a close friend of mine who sells supplements, helps me understand what to expect when pursuing this market. I see this business as being a side business in my life. I would put being a firefighter ahead of this business.

What are you offering to customers?

I am offering a healthy snack that is natural and affordable. This product would save people time and effort from making their own snacks. 

Who are you offering it to?

I'm offering my product to customers who worry about getting mass and results as a product of going to the gym; as well as, people who worry about being healthy that need a simple snack in between their meals. The age range that I'm targeting is the 18-30 range where people are worried about gaining muscle and mass. I'm also targeting the Gainesville college students because I'm not currently in the vicinity of my original audience. My product is open to anybody and anyone (except for those with peanut allergies). 

 Why do they care?

People will pay for my service because many people don't have the time or effort to go and try out different recipes and make healthy snacks for themselves. People don't want to have a constant worry about making their own healthy snacks which is where I would come in. Fitting this type of thing into their schedule would be quite difficult making it easier for me to slide in and effectively market to these customers.

What are your core competencies?

What sets me apart from everyone else is that I am willing to set aside time from my day-to-day schedule to make healthy, homemade snacks. What I have that nobody has is the authenticity of making the snacks by myself and with no other help. I don't have things like machines or other help that could alter the effectiveness of the snack.

Evaluation

I feel like all these aspect fit together. My ability to socialize and connect with people allows me to spread my business idea. Plus, me understanding the market allows me to vision what my customers require from me and what I feel that I need to do to keep them as loyal as possible. Also, understanding that time and effort is a key problem among my audience allows me to effectively reach them and create something that solves their problem. Furthermore, the facts that I'm exposed to my audience just about 24/7 also helps.

Feedback Memo

For the feedback I received, I feel that the idea of utilizing protein shakes and other marketed protein bars in my thoughts for alternatives gives me an idea of how I can tackle the situation of solving my customer's problem of creating a healthy snack. Also, the feedback I got on changing my audience to those in Gainesville was perfect because I'm there more than half the year. I tried a little more to connect how I am to the opportunity that I am pursuing. I tried to connect past experiences I had in the industry to sort of connect to why this would be a good venture for me.