I chose to read about Coco Chanel and I learned a lot of things about the fashion icon that I didn't previously know. For one, I never realized she was close friends with famous artists, or that she dated wealthy dukes. I definitely admire her perseverance to become who she was. She grew up poor and definitely didn't have the best start to life, yet she was still able to make something of herself. The one thing I least admire was that she was often someone's mistress. She of course wasn't always successful in her fashion business, especially when she first started out, but that never stopped her from pursuing her dreams.
Coco Chanel was very determined, and she was not soft spoken at all. She made sure that she did everything she needed to do to get what she wanted. If I had to ask her two things, I would first ask how do you know that what you're doing is worth it? And I would also ask if she ever had any regrets in her career. It would be very interesting to see her answers on that.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Monday, February 24, 2020
Halfway Reflection 14A
I would say that the behaviors that helped me keep up with this course would be checking the student email daily, doing any course reading and getting assignments in before they're due.
I'm currently taking a full course load, plus working full time and there have been many times that I wanted to just drop a class to have an easier work load. I didn't drop them though because I knew I could get all of this done if I really tried.
Three tips to help with this class would be to stay consistent with working on the readings and homework, keep telling yourself that it will get easier and the class is almost over and just stay positive throughout the ups and downs of the class.
I'm currently taking a full course load, plus working full time and there have been many times that I wanted to just drop a class to have an easier work load. I didn't drop them though because I knew I could get all of this done if I really tried.
Three tips to help with this class would be to stay consistent with working on the readings and homework, keep telling yourself that it will get easier and the class is almost over and just stay positive throughout the ups and downs of the class.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
12a Figuring out buyer behavior
From the three interviews I conducted, I learned that most of these people realize they have a need when they are put into a situation where that need would be beneficial. One person I interviewed said that they would use an app like this because they learned about a brand that they used very often not supporting the green movement and they wanted to know which brands were actively supporting and donating to the green movement. When these people have an unmet need, the first thing they do is Google their problem to see what they can find on Google. However, all said that when Googling their problem, many unrelated articles come up. So it's sufficient to say that an app with the searching capability of Google but without all of the unrelated stuff would be very beneficial to these consumers.
11A napkin idea
1. WHO AM I?
I'm a mom to a 4 year old girl and I deeply care about the environment. I'm always trying to find ways to cut back on waste and buy cleaner, more organic products. If I were to create an app with the green movement in mind, I think it would help me and others be more conscience about how they take care of the environment.
2. WHAT AM I OFFERING?
I am creating an app that helps consumers See which businesses, brands and products are involved in the green movement and make environmentally friendly products. It's hard for people to know which brands really care about the environment and make an effort to create products that help tiger environment. By creating an app with all of this in one place it'll help people make smarter decisions about where they buy their products and what products they buy.
3. WHO ARE YOU OFFERING IT TO?
This app is being marketed towards those who care deeply about the environment and the impact they have on the environment. It is also for those who do their own shopping and have the time, energy and money to be able to buy these environmentally friendly products.
4. WHY DO THEY CARE?
The people who would be using this app care because protecting the environment is something that everyone should care about because a lot of our natural resources are nonrenewable and we are slowly killing the planet am. By using this app, we can make a difference in the impact we have on the environment.
5. WHAT ARE YOUR CORE COMPETENCIES?
This app has the convenience of Google but strictly for organic, environmentally friendly products and companies.
I'm a mom to a 4 year old girl and I deeply care about the environment. I'm always trying to find ways to cut back on waste and buy cleaner, more organic products. If I were to create an app with the green movement in mind, I think it would help me and others be more conscience about how they take care of the environment.
2. WHAT AM I OFFERING?
I am creating an app that helps consumers See which businesses, brands and products are involved in the green movement and make environmentally friendly products. It's hard for people to know which brands really care about the environment and make an effort to create products that help tiger environment. By creating an app with all of this in one place it'll help people make smarter decisions about where they buy their products and what products they buy.
3. WHO ARE YOU OFFERING IT TO?
This app is being marketed towards those who care deeply about the environment and the impact they have on the environment. It is also for those who do their own shopping and have the time, energy and money to be able to buy these environmentally friendly products.
4. WHY DO THEY CARE?
The people who would be using this app care because protecting the environment is something that everyone should care about because a lot of our natural resources are nonrenewable and we are slowly killing the planet am. By using this app, we can make a difference in the impact we have on the environment.
5. WHAT ARE YOUR CORE COMPETENCIES?
This app has the convenience of Google but strictly for organic, environmentally friendly products and companies.
Friday, February 14, 2020
Testing the Hypothesis Part 2
For this second half of testing my hypothesis, I interviewed 5 more people. These people were those that didn't necessarily fit in my "boundaries" for my opportunity need. To refresh, that need was a need for an app that shows people what stores, brands, companies and products are either made with renewable resources, are environmentally friendly, biodegradable or donate proceeds to charities and organizations that help with the green movement.
Interview 1: one of my managers
When interviewing this manager, I asked him if he would be interested in an app like this. He said he would, but where he lives there aren't many "specialty" stores like Whole Foods it Fresh Market. I asked him if he thought this would be a problem for those in similar situations with this app. He said that while big chain stores like Walmart and Target have environmentally friendly products, they don't have a very big selection like Whole Foods does. Therefore, those that don't live near a store like Whole Foods might not get the whole experience from the app.
Interview 2: my sister-in-law
I asked her if she would be interested in using an app like this. She said she thought it was a good idea but wanted to know if there would be any fees associated with using the app or would it be a free app? Because people may not want to use it if it's subscription based because they can always just Google this information.
Interview 3: one of my friends
I asked this friend if she would be interested in an app like this and her exact words were "girl I'm too broke to buy organic all natural stuff", which made a good point about my targeted age range. Those still in college might not be as interested in using this app as someone who is established in their career and makes a salary.
Interview 4: my boyfriends mom
I asked my boyfriends mom if she would use this app, because I know her and her husband are very into health and fitness and buying organic items. She said she would love something like that, but she does most of her shopping at Costco to buy in bulk. With an app like this, it would probably suggest different stores for different items and not everyone wants to go to different stores to buy their products.
Interview 5: my boyfriend
I asked him if he would use an app like this and he straight up said no. When I asked him why he said "because you do all of the shopping", which made a good point. Not everyone does their own shopping/grocery shopping, so not everyone would NEED this app.
Inside the boundary:
Who is in: Those who are financially stable, do their own shopping and want to help the environment with their purchases.
What the need is: an app that will help them find these purchases from brands and stores that also make it their mission to help the environment.
Why the need exists: it's hard to know what companies help support the green movement and what products are sustainably sourced, so an app that puts it all in one place would help a lot.
Outside the boundary:
Who is out: Those who are not financially stable, don't do their own shopping or don't want to run around to different stores.
What the need is not: it's not something for people who can't afford higher end organic products, and it's not for everyone because not everyone does their own shopping or lives close to an store like Whole Foods.
Alternative explanations: not everyone is as invested in the environment as we think they are. Many people don't think they can make an impact so they leave it up to someone else.
Interview 1: one of my managers
When interviewing this manager, I asked him if he would be interested in an app like this. He said he would, but where he lives there aren't many "specialty" stores like Whole Foods it Fresh Market. I asked him if he thought this would be a problem for those in similar situations with this app. He said that while big chain stores like Walmart and Target have environmentally friendly products, they don't have a very big selection like Whole Foods does. Therefore, those that don't live near a store like Whole Foods might not get the whole experience from the app.
Interview 2: my sister-in-law
I asked her if she would be interested in using an app like this. She said she thought it was a good idea but wanted to know if there would be any fees associated with using the app or would it be a free app? Because people may not want to use it if it's subscription based because they can always just Google this information.
Interview 3: one of my friends
I asked this friend if she would be interested in an app like this and her exact words were "girl I'm too broke to buy organic all natural stuff", which made a good point about my targeted age range. Those still in college might not be as interested in using this app as someone who is established in their career and makes a salary.
Interview 4: my boyfriends mom
I asked my boyfriends mom if she would use this app, because I know her and her husband are very into health and fitness and buying organic items. She said she would love something like that, but she does most of her shopping at Costco to buy in bulk. With an app like this, it would probably suggest different stores for different items and not everyone wants to go to different stores to buy their products.
Interview 5: my boyfriend
I asked him if he would use an app like this and he straight up said no. When I asked him why he said "because you do all of the shopping", which made a good point. Not everyone does their own shopping/grocery shopping, so not everyone would NEED this app.
Inside the boundary:
Who is in: Those who are financially stable, do their own shopping and want to help the environment with their purchases.
What the need is: an app that will help them find these purchases from brands and stores that also make it their mission to help the environment.
Why the need exists: it's hard to know what companies help support the green movement and what products are sustainably sourced, so an app that puts it all in one place would help a lot.
Outside the boundary:
Who is out: Those who are not financially stable, don't do their own shopping or don't want to run around to different stores.
What the need is not: it's not something for people who can't afford higher end organic products, and it's not for everyone because not everyone does their own shopping or lives close to an store like Whole Foods.
Alternative explanations: not everyone is as invested in the environment as we think they are. Many people don't think they can make an impact so they leave it up to someone else.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Thursday, February 6, 2020
The Second-Most Important Part of Entrepreneurship
One of the problems that I have identified in earlier exercises is that many businesses and consumers don't care about the environment and often create/purchase products that are harmful to the environment. A service that I could offer to help with this issue is creating a service that helps consumers see what brands and businesses are socially conscience and work to take care of the environment, and which products are also good for the environment. It would help educate consumers on why certain products are bad for the environment, and help them make smarter decisions when it comes to buying good and supporting businesses.
You Have An Opportunity, Now What?
Retail stores nation wide should offer a discount to shoppers that bring reusable bags to help offset the nation's carbon footprint and promote more people to care about the environment.
I think that there are many others with this need, not just retail stores. Everyone should care about the environment, but often times people won't support a cause unless there's something in it for themselves. As for testing the what, there could be different kinds of discounts, like 10% off a purchase or $5 off your total. There could also be different days that offer higher discounts than others, like the weekend when there are more people shopping. As for the why, some people may say the why is to reward shoppers for being good to the environment, or others could say it's about adding an incentive for the people that don't normally shop with reusable bags.
Interviews:
1. I interviewed my mom who has always been big into recycling and using reusable bags. I asked her what she thought about this idea of adding an incentive for shoppers to go green. Her response was that it was a good idea, she just wished stores had started doing this a long time ago. She also mentioned that Target and Whole Foods already do something like this, but those were the only stores she could think of that do that. I asked her what kind of discount she thought would work best and she said a set amount off per bag brought, so like $0.05 for every bag you bring in.
2. I then interviewed my brother. He said that he thought it was a good idea to give people an incentive, but if the discount was small, like $0.05 per bag, people might not think that's a big enough discount to care. He also pointed out that a lot of people don't have reusable bags so some people would have to buy the reusable bags in order to get the discount. So it might work for some people, but there would still be people not using the reusable bags.
3. My next interview was with a co-worker. She said she had never really thought about bringing reusable bags to the store when shopping, because she uses the plastic bags she gets from the stores for other things. She said she would like to get a discount when shopping though and even suggested that on top of the small discount for each bag, stores could also offer a punch card of sorts that you get punches for for every visit you bring in bags. When you get enough punches, then you get a bigger discount off of your purchase. I thought that was a very good idea.
4. The next interview was with a different co-worker. He said that he didn't think the idea of discounts with reusable bags would really make much of an impact with the environment since there would still be lots of people using the plastic bags. He also added that he would probably forget his reusable bags when he went shopping, so it wouldn't be worth it.
5. My last interview was with my sister-in-law. She loves shopping sales and getting a good deal, so when I asked about about discounts for bringing reusable bags she loved the idea. She thought that an incentive like that would definitely help more people care about the environment. She did add though that it would probably take a long time for any real impact to happen with the environment from this.
During these interviews, I realized that while some people may think it's a great idea, others may think that the discount isn't enough for them to care. So there would have to be a bigger incentive for more people to join in to really make an impact with the environment.
I think that there are many others with this need, not just retail stores. Everyone should care about the environment, but often times people won't support a cause unless there's something in it for themselves. As for testing the what, there could be different kinds of discounts, like 10% off a purchase or $5 off your total. There could also be different days that offer higher discounts than others, like the weekend when there are more people shopping. As for the why, some people may say the why is to reward shoppers for being good to the environment, or others could say it's about adding an incentive for the people that don't normally shop with reusable bags.
Interviews:
1. I interviewed my mom who has always been big into recycling and using reusable bags. I asked her what she thought about this idea of adding an incentive for shoppers to go green. Her response was that it was a good idea, she just wished stores had started doing this a long time ago. She also mentioned that Target and Whole Foods already do something like this, but those were the only stores she could think of that do that. I asked her what kind of discount she thought would work best and she said a set amount off per bag brought, so like $0.05 for every bag you bring in.
2. I then interviewed my brother. He said that he thought it was a good idea to give people an incentive, but if the discount was small, like $0.05 per bag, people might not think that's a big enough discount to care. He also pointed out that a lot of people don't have reusable bags so some people would have to buy the reusable bags in order to get the discount. So it might work for some people, but there would still be people not using the reusable bags.
3. My next interview was with a co-worker. She said she had never really thought about bringing reusable bags to the store when shopping, because she uses the plastic bags she gets from the stores for other things. She said she would like to get a discount when shopping though and even suggested that on top of the small discount for each bag, stores could also offer a punch card of sorts that you get punches for for every visit you bring in bags. When you get enough punches, then you get a bigger discount off of your purchase. I thought that was a very good idea.
4. The next interview was with a different co-worker. He said that he didn't think the idea of discounts with reusable bags would really make much of an impact with the environment since there would still be lots of people using the plastic bags. He also added that he would probably forget his reusable bags when he went shopping, so it wouldn't be worth it.
5. My last interview was with my sister-in-law. She loves shopping sales and getting a good deal, so when I asked about about discounts for bringing reusable bags she loved the idea. She thought that an incentive like that would definitely help more people care about the environment. She did add though that it would probably take a long time for any real impact to happen with the environment from this.
During these interviews, I realized that while some people may think it's a great idea, others may think that the discount isn't enough for them to care. So there would have to be a bigger incentive for more people to join in to really make an impact with the environment.
Practicing Opportunity Identification, Cont.
1. The first opportunity for economic trends is about green consumerism. Green consumerism is about caring for the planet and buying ethically sourced items, or items that have been or can be recycled. This trend is currently on the rise and will affect many retailers. The opportunity here is for more stores and brands to create and use products and materials that are ethically sourced and/or made from recycled items. We see how some brands are making clothes out of recycled plastic bottles, or only allowing their shoppers to use reusable bags when shopping in store. The opportunity here exists because so many people have become involved in the green movement to try to save the planet and the endangered animals. "Going green" is a trend that won't fade away soon. The prototypical customer would be anyone who cares about the environment and wants to help lessen their carbon footprint. I think this opportunity is relatively easy because it's not hard to make small changes to how you produce your goods.
2. Another economic trend on the rise is mobile shopping through social media. We've seen the introduction of being able to click on specific Instagram posts to buy an item. The opportunity here is to fully integrate the e-commerce experience with social media and allow consumers to be able to directly buy items from Instagram and other platforms, instead of clicking on a post to take them to the brand's website. This opportunity exists because so many people use social media and shop online, and if they were fully integrated, it would make the online shopping experience easier and more enjoyable for the consumer so they wouldn't have to keep switching back and forth between shopping and their social media page. The prototypical customer would more than likely be those 18-35 who regularly use social media and shop online. This opportunity might be a little hard since the stores and brands would have to work directly with the social media platforms to make this happen.
3. One opportunity in regulatory changes is with the geopolitical atmosphere affecting business's risk management and social responsibility. The opportunity here is for companies to evolve into more environmentally conscience businesses in the wake of the green movement. This opportunity exists because more and more people are making efforts to lessen their carbon footprint and be more socially responsible, and this includes shopping with businesses that also share those same values. I believe this would be an easy opportunity because there are so many ways that a business can become more socially responsible in today's society.
4. The other opportunity in regulatory changes is dealing with data protection and cloud storage in businesses. The opportunity here is to come up with a standard set of rules involving how data is dealt with, since there are many different views and regulations on this. This opportunity exists because with everyone now shopping online and using their phones for practically everything, businesses come in contact with a lot of personal information, and they guidelines and rules on what to do with this information isn't always clear. The prototypical customer would be any kind of business that deals with consumer information. This opportunity would be rather hard since it's determining what to do with consumer's personal data and information.
I saw each one of these opportunities because of my own personal experience and beliefs. I love supporting local businesses and especially business that contribute to the green movement in some way. I also love shopping online, but it's a pain to see something on social media, then have to navigate away from the social media page to view the product. It would be so much easier if it was all just integrated. As for a business's social responsibility, this kind of goes with the first one; people love to support businesses that are doing something good for the environment. And with the data protection, I've had my bank information stolen before so I know how important it is for a business to have a secure set of guidelines for dealing with consumer's information.
2. Another economic trend on the rise is mobile shopping through social media. We've seen the introduction of being able to click on specific Instagram posts to buy an item. The opportunity here is to fully integrate the e-commerce experience with social media and allow consumers to be able to directly buy items from Instagram and other platforms, instead of clicking on a post to take them to the brand's website. This opportunity exists because so many people use social media and shop online, and if they were fully integrated, it would make the online shopping experience easier and more enjoyable for the consumer so they wouldn't have to keep switching back and forth between shopping and their social media page. The prototypical customer would more than likely be those 18-35 who regularly use social media and shop online. This opportunity might be a little hard since the stores and brands would have to work directly with the social media platforms to make this happen.
3. One opportunity in regulatory changes is with the geopolitical atmosphere affecting business's risk management and social responsibility. The opportunity here is for companies to evolve into more environmentally conscience businesses in the wake of the green movement. This opportunity exists because more and more people are making efforts to lessen their carbon footprint and be more socially responsible, and this includes shopping with businesses that also share those same values. I believe this would be an easy opportunity because there are so many ways that a business can become more socially responsible in today's society.
4. The other opportunity in regulatory changes is dealing with data protection and cloud storage in businesses. The opportunity here is to come up with a standard set of rules involving how data is dealt with, since there are many different views and regulations on this. This opportunity exists because with everyone now shopping online and using their phones for practically everything, businesses come in contact with a lot of personal information, and they guidelines and rules on what to do with this information isn't always clear. The prototypical customer would be any kind of business that deals with consumer information. This opportunity would be rather hard since it's determining what to do with consumer's personal data and information.
I saw each one of these opportunities because of my own personal experience and beliefs. I love supporting local businesses and especially business that contribute to the green movement in some way. I also love shopping online, but it's a pain to see something on social media, then have to navigate away from the social media page to view the product. It would be so much easier if it was all just integrated. As for a business's social responsibility, this kind of goes with the first one; people love to support businesses that are doing something good for the environment. And with the data protection, I've had my bank information stolen before so I know how important it is for a business to have a secure set of guidelines for dealing with consumer's information.
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