Final Reflection

What sticks out to you as the most formative experience? The experience that you'll remember years later? What was your most joyous experience? What experience are you most proud of yourself for accomplishing? For me, my most formative experience was the venture concept. The venture concept assignment made me break down my business into the tiniest details and made me understand it better. My most memorable experience would have to be the elevator pitches, I was never great at speech writing but this exercise made me much more confident. My most joyous moment, to be honest, was finishing this class. I'm most proud of maintaining my grade in this class throughout the semester.

At the beginning of the semester, I mentioned that I wanted each of you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Now, at the end, do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Do you think you have moved closer to developing an entrepreneurial mindset? I see myself as moving closer to becoming a true entrepreneur. This class introduced me to have an entrepreneurial mindset, and I definitely feel that I think about problem-solving more often now. 


What is the one recommendation you would make to the students who are going to journey down this path in the future? What would you recommend they do to perform best in this course? What would you recommend they do to foster that mindset? My number one recommendation for this class would be to not get behind with the workload. To perform best in this course, don't leave the work till the day that it is due. To foster this mindset, check canvas every day for new assignments and complete them as soon as possible.

Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity

The opportunity I have identified is the unmet need of people between the age of 18-25 or college-age

students that are first-time pet owners. Their unmet need is the need to own a pet. However, they have never

owned a pet before and are usually unaware of the responsibilities required to raise one. The environmental

forces behind this need are the students leaving home and possibly living alone in a new city. This need for

companionship shows through the high adoption rates of college students and return rates. The market is

geographically defined by being the highest rates of pet returns and abandonment being in college towns.

Showing that college students are unaware of the responsibility needed to own a pet. Customers are currently

satisfying the need by adopting pets to fulfill their need but our target is the first time pet owner before they adopt.

I feel that this a fairly large opportunity, and will give the prospective owners the chance to be educated before

adopting. This opportunity will remain open as long as it not addressed. 

Innovation

I believe my service is an incrementally innovative service. My adoption service will be different than

other adoption agencies in that there is an educational service that provides the customer with added

benefits, unlike regular adoption agencies. The program lends the customer an animal as well as an

education class that provides them with all the information needed to effectively raise a pet while

balancing their workload and life. The cost will be 40 dollars for the week that they have the pet. If

the customer determines that they don't want to proceed with owning the animal. They can return the

animal at no additional cost. If they decide to adopt, they will pay the 50 dollar adoption fee.

Venture Concept

My concept will fulfill the opportunity by giving the customer the opportunity to learn about raising an animal effectively while avoiding the requirement of keeping the animal if they so choose. It is a more cost-effective option and time effective than outright adopting a pet and giving it away. I think customers would switch to this method of adoption because they are receiving a multitude of added benefits. It may take some time to gain traction but I think the service will take off in especially college towns across the United States starting with Gainesville. There are no direct competitors offering the same service but the closest competitor would be pet rental services (none of which are located in Gainesville. But pet rental services are strictly for borrowing a pet for a limited amount of time. Keeping the cost to the customer low is critical in a college town market. Customer experience and support are also critical in the exchange and that is why we will have experts in the pet field as volunteers and staff. We will have 8 people as paid staff and the rest being volunteers that have work experience in the pet field to help with training, customer support, and pet care at our facility. We will also have a website that will all pets available for adoption, the eligibility requirements to adopt, as well as educational resources.

My unfair advantage is the low-risk of commitment to the adoption process. Giving customers the flexibility to see if owning a pet is something for them is critical to our venture's success.

2. The feedback I received from the What's Next was very positive and both comments said they would like to see me implement the website change into my new venture concept.

3. I put in the website idea under the venture concept: "We will also have a website that will all pets available for adoption, the eligibility requirements to adopt, as well as educational resources."

Your Exit Strategy

1.) My long term exit strategy would be to build my business up to the point that I can sell it and have enough funds to retire for me and my family. I am willing to work however long I have to, to get the company worth enough to sell. With my business I estimate me working with it for at least 15 years so that's how long I will work to sell it.

2.) I feel that I have chosen this exit strategy because my service is not that revolutionary, and will take time for it to accumulate wealth. I believe with the right management of it, 15 years will be a good amount of time to get it where it needs to be.

3.) I believe that my exit strategy influences the way I look at opportunities. Being that I will be in business for 15 years, I won't want to go after high-risk opportunities to turn a quick risky profit. Going aggressively at new target markets could damage my service if it turns out bad, as my business will be a low-profit business, to begin with. Growth of the business is possible and I could expand my business into new markets, but I won't risk the welfare of my employees and company just to turn a risky profit.

Reading Reflection No.3

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance

1. What surprised me the most was that Elon Musk came from a rather low odds start in South Africa, his family had high IQ and Elon created his first computer program at the age of 8. The thing I most admire about Elon is his work ethic, he was known to work around the clock, oftentimes getting a few hours of sleep in his office only to wake up and continue his work. The thing I least admire about Elon is that he made some dumb decisions with his money, such as the time he bought a Mcclaren sportscar only to crash it and it be uninsured. Elon encountered much adversity in his life, all his businesses have rough spots where he didn't know if they would make it, but his persistence and luck paid off and now he is a great success story.

2. Elon has a master technical mind and can keep up with his engineers are working on, this is a trait that makes him a great leader. His work ethic is also unmatched, as he often sleeps less than 5 hours and works around the clock to meet his goals.

3. One thing I read that confused me was his persistence of moving to Canada to escape the draft in South Africa. I understand that he wanted to leave his apartheid state but why he didn't just move to America in the first place confused me, as he later said that Canada didn't have the opportunity he was seeking.

4.) Two questions I would ask Elon are 1: What keeps you motivated daily? And 2: What is your end goal for your life? I would ask him those questions because I want to know what drives him to work like a madman. Is it for money or fame? Or is it that he just wants the best for humanity?

5.) I think Elon views hard work as just a way of life. He wants the best for his companies and has worked so hard for so long that he has just become accustomed to the daily hustle. I personally don't share that opinion, I feel for me to reach that level, I need to have a set goal in mind, which at the moment I don't possess.

Celebrating Failure

1.) Recalling a failure of mine this semester, I can remember failing my first ever exam at UF. Coming from Santa Fe college I thought it prepared me well for UF, so I applied the same studying routine that passed me at SFC with flying colors. This class was a difficult class and it was hard to keep up with the professor in her lectures. My studying was not enough to pass the exam and it was very disheartening.


2.) I learned from this failure that I needed to adjust my studying habits to UF standards. I also learned about resources such as rewatching the recorded lectures to improve my note-taking. As well as obtaining resources like smoking notes and study edge.



3.) I was very disheartened by this failure and it changed my perspective on my study habits. I tend to handle failure pretty well but I do get emotional about it, however, I don't dwell on it and I immediately look forward to what I can change to better next time. This class taught me how to look at failure at a more positive light (that it is a learning experience) and now I 'm more likely to take a risk now and learn from the outcome.

What's Next?

Existing Market

I think the next step for my business venture is the need to create partnerships with existing pet agencies in order to acquire pets that can be adopted.

Customer #1 Said that they would like to see us create a web page that we can post all available pets on as well as who the dog would be a good fit for.

Customer #2 Said they would like to see us branch out into dog rescue programs (the act of actively searching on the streets for rescues). And actively include them in our adoption service for volunteers.

Customer #3 Said they would like it if one of the requirements to adopt an animal from our agency would require some hours of volunteering at our pet adoption facility.

I think that the next step for our business has to be to follow the advice that I have received from the current market customers. Creating a web page for our customers is critical. The web page will grow our exposure and position in the marketplace. I think the customers are onto something in that we have to be proactive about adding as many services to our model as we can.

New Market

I think a good market to get into would be outside of the first time pet owner category, into the pet owner category.

My service could go after pet owners that already own a pet and offer them services such as pet training and owner training.

Customer #1 Said that my company would be able to reach pet owners like him by offering training services and owner services such as education catered to pet owners like him. He said the market is already saturated with these services but it would help fund the main services that I am offering.

Customer #2 Said that my service could add a boost to my main service by pet owners knowing about my company and spreading it by word of mouth.

I learned a lot from this exercise and it was a great process to email different market customers. It was surprising to me that the current market customers were so optimistic about my service. I received valuable feedback that I could implement into my venture. I thought I would have some negative feedback about my idea but to my surprise I received none.

I don't believe reaching out to a new market would be radically changing my company in a positive way. The only benefit of reaching out to this new market would be to improve the sales of my current market, as well as fund it. I don't think it is an attractive idea to reach the new market. I did appreciate the feedback from the new market customers though.

Venture Concept No.1

Opportunity

The opportunity I have identified is the unmet need of people between the age of 18-25 or college-age students that are first-time pet owners. Their unmet need is the need to own a pet. However, they have never owned a pet before and are usually unaware of the responsibilities required to raise one. The environmental forces behind this need are the students leaving home and possibly living alone in a new city. This need for companionship shows through the high adoption rates of college students and return rates. The market is geographically defined by being the highest rates of pet returns and abandonment being in college towns. Showing that college students are unaware of the responsibility needed to own a pet. Customers are currently satisfying the need by adopting pets to fulfill their need but our target is the first time pet owner before they adopt. I feel that this a fairly large opportunity, and will give the prospective owners the chance to be educated before adopting. This opportunity will remain open as long as it not addressed. 

Innovation

I believe my service is an incrementally innovative service. My adoption service will be different than other adoption agencies in that there is an educational service that provides the customer with added benefits, unlike regular adoption agencies. The program lends the customer an animal as well as an education class that provides them with all the information needed to effectively raise a pet while balancing their workload and life. The cost will be 40 dollars for the week that they have the pet. If the customer determines that they don't want to proceed with owning the animal. They can return the animal at no additional cost. If they decide to adopt, they will pay the 50 dollar adoption fee.

Venture Concept

My concept will fulfill the opportunity by giving the customer the opportunity to learn about raising an animal effectively while avoiding the requirement of keeping the animal if they so choose. It is a more cost-effective option and time effective than outright adopting a pet and giving it away. I think customers would switch to this method of adoption because they are receiving a multitude of added benefits. It may take some time to gain traction but I think the service will take off in especially college towns across the United States starting with Gainesville. There are no direct competitors offering the same service but the closest competitor would be pet rental services (none of which are located in Gainesville. But pet rental services are strictly for borrowing a pet for a limited amount of time. Keeping the cost to the customer low is critical in a college town market. Customer experience and support are also critical in the exchange and that is why we will have experts in the pet field as volunteers and staff. We will have 8 people as paid staff and the rest being volunteers that have work experience in the pet field to help with training, customer support, and pet care at our facility.

My unfair advantage is the low-risk of commitment to the adoption process. Giving customers the flexibility to see if owning a pet is something for them is critical to our venture's success.

I believe the next thing my venture has to accomplish is to create partnerships with existing pet agencies.

In five years I would like my company to be successful enough to be self-sufficient and have a good amount of market share in order to grow to different cities in Florida and beyond. As long as I am happy with what I'm doing with my work, I am content.

Your venture's unfair advantage

Financial Resources

Partnering with Pet adoption centers combined with investor money from Elevator Pitches will give my venture the nest egg it needs to begin the business. This is a fairly common strategy used by business' but it is rarely seen in my specific industry.

Human Resources

We will have a team of pet experts and trainers on staff to ensure the best quality of training for new pet owners. Pet trainers exist as individual business' but they are rarely on the staff of a pet adoption agency.

Educational Resources

We will have a comprehensive education program that covers every aspect of pet raising to ensure that the pet owner is well versed in how to raise their new pet. This includes the pet trial program that gives the owner to see what it's like to own a pet before adopting it. This is a unique approach that has to substitute in the city of Gainesville.

Physical Resources

We will have a large facility to house our animals as well as all of the training centers that will be running. Most adoption agencies have a large facility but not many include the training facility and education center.

Emotional Resources

We will have the only pet education center in the city of Gainesville that, as I stated above, will include a pet trial program that will give owners the experience of owning a pet before adopting the animal. This is rare considering there is nothing similar in Gainseville.

Human Capital

We will have a wide range of volunteers and paid staff. This is a very common approach for non-profit agencies and is replicated frequently. 

Pet Capital

We will have many pets for adoption (mainly dogs and cats). We will receive our pets through unique partnerships with other pet adoption agencies and non-profits. I haven't heard of any pet services partnering with other adoption agencies.

Risk-Free Advantage

Our most important advantage has to be the risk-free trial. This is a low-cost risk-free pet trial that gives first-time pet owners the advantage of finding out if owning a pet is for them. This is unheard of without paying for the pet outright and not receiving a full refund.

Low-Cost Advantage

Our pets will be available to adopt at a low-cost fee. Our education services will be given as a free add-on for the first class to the adoption. Petco and other services also practice this so it is not necessarily a rare practice.

Multiple Revenue Flow

Our business will earn revenue through multiple routes. From pet adoption to pet training, to pet owner education classes. Having multiple revenue flows is a smart practice that many businesses adopt.

#1 Risk-Free Advantage

This is unheard of without paying for the pet outright and not receiving a full refund. It is the staple of our business and many agencies simply can't afford to give out their pets for a pet trial because pet adoption is their only revenue flow. This is our most unfair advantage.

Elevator Pitch No.3

A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch.

I received good feedback on my last pitch mostly because of the pictures I included of my dog Stella. They liked how I played on the emotional appeal of the viewer. In this pitch, I included my actual dog into the pitch and I expect the same appeal.

What did you change, based on the feedback?

Instead of just using pictures, I included my actual dog and the pictures. I used the same data from the ASPCA as well as the narrowed target of my business plan (18-25-year-old first-time owners). I hope this pitch will appeal to my audience as my last pitch seemed to do.

Reading Reflection No. 2

What was the general theme or argument of the book?

The theme of Makers was very much an inspiring way of informing young entrepreneurs about the new industrial revolution, the maker revolution. Anderson gives valuable advice coupled with success stories that make the reader want to start their entrepreneurial journey.


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

This book gave me the motivation to continue my business plan and brainstorm other ideas. The writing of Anderson reminds me of Professor Pryor in that he is trying to inspire young entrepreneurs to think out of the box to solve different problems.


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

My exercise would involve networking with other entrepreneurs in the class, finding out their skills, then find a way for them to pour their unique skillset into improving your business plan and vice versa.


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?

The part I found most surprising in the book was how Anderson brought up previous failures of very successful entrepreneurs. It surprised me that these people that have had seemingly flawless success have actually had some very grim moments in developing their businesses.

Growing your social capital

Who they are and what their background is.

Jake from Maddie's Fund. He is a 27-year old that started in this industry after adopting a pet from a no-kill shelter. He wishes to bring the same life to other shelter animals as the pet he adopted.

Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

Market expert. Maddie's fund is in the service of saving animals and replacing them in the best home environment possible. They regularly deal with customers that align with my business market.

 A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I simply chose the company from searching for adoption services. I contacted Jake via email and he responded quickly.

 The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

Jake was very kind in helping me. He actually didn't expect to get anything out of it for himself. I guess his only expectation is for me to join the fight in stopping kill shelters by implementing my business plan.

 How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Jake helped tremendously in identifying my target audience. He encouraged me to make business partnerships with no-kill shelters in order to increase awareness of my plan.

Who they are and what their background is.

Rachel from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. She has worked in the pet adoption service for 25 years and knows a lot about the domain for the adoption of animals.

Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

Domain Expert. As I stated above, Rachel has 25 years of experience within the industry and she is very familiar with fostering animals temporarily. 

A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I found Rachel by searching for fostering services on the internet. I contacted her via email.

The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

Rachel gave me information in return for me to foster a dog this summer. I gladly accepted and am willing to help them and the dog.

How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Rachel gave me valuable insight into the process of fostering animals. This is crucial for my business plan to work. She loved my idea and recommended I partner with a shelter to get my business started.

Who they are and what their background is.

Kathy from Animal Rescue Without Borders (A.R.W.O.B) is an animal lover who has been in the industry for almost 10 years. She is committed to finding animals on the street who need help and puts them into loving families.

Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

Supplier. Kathy and her company are on the frontlines of the rescue industry. She and her team search the streets for troubled animals and nurse them back to health. Animals they save either go directly to a family or to a no-kill shelter.

A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I found A.R.W.O.B while searching for an animal rescue search service. I contacted Kathy via Email.

The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

Being that Kathy is far away from me, she was willing to help me without any deal. She simply wished me luck and wants success for my business.

How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Kathy is a valuable asset in that she gave me insight into where to get my rescues from. My business needs a supply of rescue animals in order to succeed. She gave me a list of similar rescue shelters in my area that can supply me with rescue pets.

Idea Napkin No. 2

1.) Who am I: I am Sam Roark I am a junior at UF. Some of my talents include being a good communicator and being an empathetic person to others. I aspire to graduate from UF with at least a 3.5 and be eligible for grad school. My business concept hopefully will fulfill me for years to come. I’m not necessarily looking to be rich, I think doing something that makes me genuinely happy, is far more important to me than money.

2.) What I am offering to customers: I will be providing a service to first-time pet owners, especially college students. It is an educational program that gives students and others the opportunity to experience the responsibility aspect of owning a pet without fully committing. This opportunity will aid in them making the decision to adopt an animal while in school or while working their everyday life.

3.) Who I am offering it to: I am offering this service to any college student that wants to adopt an animal. My prototypical customer would be usually 18-28 years old, could currently be enrolled in a college or university, are first-time pet owners, have the need of wanting to adopt a pet.

4.) Why do they care?: Adopting a pet can be expensive, not only financially, but with your time as well. My service allows you to have a trial run of caring for a pet without the full commitment and at a much lower cost than adopting a pet outright.

5.) What are my core competencies?: We are striving to prevent college students and others from abandoning pets, this can be traumatic for the owner and the pet. This educational program provides students with the unique experience of contributing to the fight against the euthanizing of pets abandoned by owners who were negligent of the time and financial responsibilities of being a pet owner.

I believe all of these elements work together. These elements clearly describe the business plan as being satisfying of the consumer’s needs while accomplishing the moral goal of the business. As a consumer, they will appreciate the experience the service provides them in the long run. Hopefully, this plan will have an impact on the euthanization crisis going on around the country.


Feedback Memo:

Susan from the Humane society HCFL, told me two things I should change about my idea napkin,

1. That I should expand my prototypical customer to 28 years old in order to fit a larger "First-time pet owner" target group.

2. That I should not only offer this service to college students but others, in order to be in more cities than just college towns.

I implemented the above changes into my Idea napkin following her feedback.

16A What’s your secret sauce?

My Human Capital:

1. I consider myself an excellent communicator, regardless of when talking to friends or figures of authority.
2. I feel I have an excellent work ethic. This includes work and school situations.
3. Honesty is a critical part of my character. 
4. I consider myself a friend that you can depend on.
5. I am an empathetic person with others. 

Alex G: Said I am dependable. He also said I am not afraid, to tell the truth. I make time for friends and family.

Ami S: Said I am loyal and have a bold personality. Go out of my way to make you happy. 

Michael M: Said I always keep a positive mindset. Leap over challenges with ease.

Ben N: Hardworking and outgoing. Said I push him to do well in his classes. 

Garrett: Said I am very adaptable and diverse. Go out of my way to do what I have to to get things done.

Reflection: 

I consider my interviews were accurate enough to not have to differ with them greatly. Some things that were said were surprising was that one of the interviewees said I have a bold personality. I don't think I have a bold personality, and I actually find my personality to be fairly lowkey. 

15A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior

Alternative Evaluation

Most of my interviewees If put in the situation of wanting a pet, they would usually pick from one of two services. One: they would adopt a pet from a shelter, or two: get a pet from a pet shop/puppy mill. These two methods satisfy their needs. However it does not give them an education on how to raise a pet. I have found no other similar education program compared to mine.



How/Where do they buy?
My interviewees usually buy at puppy mills, pet stores, and adoption centers in order to see if owning a pet is for them. They just adopt and then return the pet or give it away. Price varies between these options. The most expensive being a puppy mill. I think that my option is much more cost effective, and with no strings attached.




Post Purchase Evaluation

The post purchase feelings usually are two different feelings: 1. Feeling happier than ever that you have a pet. 2: I can’t do this, my schedule is too crazy and I regret the decision. If you are including your pet within your work schedule effectively, then you will think the idea was a good decision. A bad decision would come from not being able to spend time with your new pet. Or the pet is not behaving well with you.



Interviews Summaries
Alexa- said that her decision would consist of looking through shelters and pet shops to find the right price for a pet. She said she would sure she had the time to have a pet before she bought the dog in order to prevent a waste of her time and money by having to return it.
Jess- said that she would look on Facebook to see if any dogs are being given away for free. She did acknowledge that by using facebook, she probably wouldn’t be able to return the animal if it doesn’t go well.
Jacob- said he would prefer a rent a dog service to see if owning a pet is right for him at the moment. However being that there is not pet rental service in Gainesville, he would try fostering a dog.




Conclusion
I would describe this segment as being fairly lenient with what service to use as long as the price is right and is close to them (within the Gainesville area). I feel like my service would stand out amongst competition by giving students access to having a pet with no strings attached.

Halfway Reflection

Behaviors I have developed: 

With this course scheduling my time has been critical to completing the assignments on time. Managing my work schedule with my school schedule is difficult but it has developed my time management skills tremendously.

Tenaciousness is about attitude: 

I have definitely experienced an overwhelming amount of stress since starting at UF. This is made worse when your hours of studying don't get you the result you expected. After this experience, I felt like giving up but I continued to fight on and study even harder for the following exam. I feel like my tenaciousness is growing more through these tough times.

Three tips for fostering and developing tenacity: 

1. Developing an effective schedule with your class workload.

2. Keeping your goal in mind always.

3. Never take the easy way out on any assignment.

Reading Reflection No.1

What surprised you the most:
For me, the most surprising part of the Wright brother's story was the fact that the public didn't know about the Wright Brothers' efforts until Katherine Wright, their sister, let others know about their project.

What did I most admire:

The number one thing I admired most about the Wright brothers, was their humble beginnings. They didn't have running water or electricity. Even through these tough times they created one of the most important inventions in human history and changed the world forever.

What did I admire least:

I did not like the fact that the person that made the first engine for the airplane was not given as much credit towards the development of the first airplane that the Wright Brothers created. I also didn't like that the Wright Brothers patented the Airplane, which stalled the aviation industry from taking off.

Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity: 

Yes, the Wright brothers constantly dealt with doubt from others about what they were trying to achieve. Orville Wright also was involved in a crash that took the life of an American Army Lieutenant. This seemed like the beginning of the end for air travel, as Orville was critically injured and had to deal with bad views toward aviation. He battled back to health and flew again to show the world their invention.

What competencies did you notice the entrepreneur exhibited:

The Wright Brothers were excellent problem solvers as well as a great drive to accomplish the problem they are trying to solve. They didn't give up their dream and this was very inspiring to me. They used previous work on airplanes to shape their own, and they solved the issues that plagued these attempts.

Identify a part that is confusing to you: 

I thought that the fact that neither Orville and Wilbur Wright didn't have diplomas, yet they still had the intelligence and will to change the world with their idea.

What would I ask, Why:

What age were you when you thought of making an airplane? I think knowing what age they thought of the idea, would inspire me to start thinking about big ideas of my own.

Why would you patent such a revolutionary product that would benefit society greatly? I think this idea was bigger than they must've thought, I would never have placed ownership over a product like that.

What do I think of their view on hard work:

I believe they didn't think of their work as "work". I think they genuinely enjoyed what they did and they would accomplish their mission at all costs to not only prove it to the world but to themselves. I share this belief, hard work just becomes part of your daily routine when you are passionate about what you're doing. 

Figuring out the buyer behavior No.1

My segment: College students located at UF aged 18-22

Interviewees:

College age female at UF: Had need when she feels alone which she said was often

College age male at UF: Had need when he feels he wants a dog as a companion at home, occurs every so often he says.

College age male at UF: Had need because he is an animal lover so he wants a dog constantly.

All three students said they have looked at shelters for pets, but haven’t adopted yet. When asked why, they said they are unsure if they can handle it. One of three of the interviewers said she wanted to own one for a couple of weeks to see how it goes. All three say whenever they want a dog they go to a friends house who has one.

My conclusion is that these students would find great benefit in my business. They all three would find out if owning a pet is right for them, and if they would have the time and money to raise one. There needs are only met by other friends that have dogs. It was interesting to see how enthusiastic they were when I told them about my plan.

Idea napkin No.1

1.) Who am I: I am Sam Roark I am a junior at UF. Some of my talents include being a good communicator and being an empathetic person to others. I aspire to graduate from UF with at least a 3.5 and be eligible for grad school. My business concept hopefully will fulfill me for years to come. I’m not necessarily looking to be rich, I think doing something that makes me genuinely happy, is far more important to me than money.

2.) What I am offering to customers: I will be providing a service to first time pet owners, specifically college students. It is a educational program that gives students the opportunity to experience the responsibility aspect of owning a pet without fully committing. This opportunity will aid in them making the decision to adopt an animal while in school.

3.) Who I am offering it to: I am offering this service to any college student that wants to adopt an animal. My prototypical customer would be usually 18-22 years old, currently enrolled in a college or university, are first time pet owners, have the need of wanting to adopt a pet.

4.) Why do they care?: Adopting a pet can be expensive, not only financially, but with your time as well. My service allows you to have trial run of caring for a pet without the full commitment and at a much lower cost than adopting a pet outright.

5.) What are my core competencies?: We are striving to prevent college students from abandoning pets, this can be traumatic for the owner and the pet. This educational program provides students with the unique experience of contributing to the fight against the euthanizing of pets abandoned by owners who were negligent of the time and financial responsibilities of being a pet owner.

I believe all of these elements work together. These elements clearly describe the business plan as being satisfying of the consumer’s need while accomplishing the moral goal of the business. As a consumer, they will appreciate the experience the service provides them in the long run. Hopefully this plan will have an impact on the euthanizing crisis going on around the country.

Testing the Hypothesis part 2

Who: There are other businesses that appear to cater to my target opportunity group. These companies promote the fostering of pets. These companies however, are not fostering animals for the education of a first time pet owner. Nor is this part of a mandatory precursor to adopting your first pet.

What: The outsider company listed above has a different need than my target. Their need is similar in that we both want to promote safe care of animals but they foster out pets to take a burden of their shoulders and let others help them take care of the animals. My target audience wants a loyal and loving pet but may not understand the depth of that decision. This need is where my company fits in.

Who: There could others that have a similar need that are outside the boundary, such as students who are not first time pet owners that still abandon their pets.

Interview summaries: My interviews were with college aged individuals that were interested in getting a pet. The consensus was that they didn’t need an education on how to raise the animal because they all felt they knew about the responsibilities necessary because they had all owned animals before. 



 In the Boundary                                               

Who: Students who are first time pet owners.
What: Education before making an adoption.
Why: To prevent animal abandonment.             

Outside the boundary

Who: Students who are not first time pet owners.
What: To foster out animals with zero education.

Alt expl: Students that aren't first timers know the information yet still make the wrong choice.

Elevator Pitch No.1

Solving the Problem

1.) There is an opportunity I would like to exploit in the Gainesville area and across college towns across the country. I believe there is a need for education about the active responsibility of owning and raising a pet. Dogs and cats in college towns across the country are being abandoned by their student owners. Why? There are a plethora of reasons but the main two are: Lack of personal responsibility, and time conflicts.
2.) I believe this opportunity can be exploited by creating a service that allows first time pet owners to see what its like to raise a pet while in college. The service would start in college towns but if it becomes more successful it could branch out into major cities across the U.S.

1. Service Idea 1: Mandatory education course for first time owners before being eligible to adopt a pet. 
2. Service Idea 2: Take home puppy or kitten for a week before adopting, to see how owning an animal fits your schedule. 
3. Service Idea 3: Mandatory shelter volunteering (25 hours) before being eligible to adopt

Each of these have it’s own benefits and could be adopted services under shelters and pet stores across the country. Each of these services would provide valuable learning experiences for college students and I believe will reduce the number of pets abandoned by college students who didn’t take the time to educate themselves beforehand.

Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

College Student Pet Abandonment Prevention

• Opportunity: In college towns throughout the U.S. thousands of pets are abandoned and given to shelters. The reason for there abandonment is usually due to time restraints and/or lack of responsibility.

• The who: College Students who want to own a pet
• The what: They are abandoning pets at shelters
• The why: The lack of research and/or responsibility about the everyday life of raising a pet
• Testing the who: Not all college students that want a pet, have this need. Many students take good care of their pets. However, the ones that get an animal without taking the time to examine their decision and end up returning it, are.
• Testing the what: Those who do abandon their pets actually may do so at the appropriate time. Some students get a puppy, keep it for a couple of weeks, then return it. This action while unfortunate is actually better than returning the puppy at a later age.
• Testing the why: Why do people abandon pets in college? I presume that there a plethora of specific reasons for their abandonment. However, I think the overwhelming majority of cases have to deal with personal responsibility and time management. There is always an option to not get a pet, some students overlook this and end up regretting their decision. This opportunity will help with college students in the decision phase or getting a pet.

• Interview #1:
• In this interview, this UF male off-campus student felt that he really wants a puppy. He was aware of the responsibility it will require of him. He personally does know of a friend that gave away her pet after adopting it a year prior. He finds it sad that the dog was essentially abandoned. He also felt that there were plenty of reasons why this happens, not just time management, and responsibility but also the possibility of not be allowed to have a pet in an apartment complex and not being able to afford the pet anymore.

• Interview #2:
• My second interview was with a female UF student at Heavener hall that was part of the 'Puppy Club'. She was very passionate about this issue. She felt very strongly about people who take on the responsibility of owning a pet in college without weighing their options. She has known people that get a puppy and return it a week later, which she praised because apparently, the rate of adoption for dogs over the age of 2 is 25%. She felt that my program to let people get a "trial run" with a puppy, would be a lot to handle due to the high cost of puppies and the risk associated with giving people a trial run for free.
• Interview #3:
• My next interviewee was a male student at the UF engineering college. He did not own a pet but he does he plan on owning one. He personally never heard of any issue of college students that abandon their pets and doesn't think there is a problem with it right now. after sharing some data with him on the severity of the matter he still remained unconvinced that this called for a pet trial program that I am thinking of pursuing.
• Interview #4:
• This interviewee is a female at UF at library west on campus. She was aware of the pet problem in Gainesville. She personally had an experience with having to raise a pet with her roommate until they agreed to return the pet. She says she felt bad at the time but she is sure that the pet has a better environment now than it did while in their care. After mentioning my solution, she was impressed and said that it could've saved her from the pain she felt when giving the pet away. However, she did have strong feelings about the person giving away their animal having a much better life.

• Interview #5:
• My last interviewee was a man involved with student government at UF. He told me that his roommate has a dog that she leaves at home all day and that sometimes he actually has to care for the dog for her. He feels it isn't right to put dogs in a lonely environment all day. He mentioned that if he was to ever get one he would register it as an emotional support animal so he'd be able to bring the dog everywhere. He felt my program is a good take on the issue and if it was implemented he would participate.

• Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before? 
• I feel that my interviews have reinforced my claim that the opportunity exists and needs to be addressed. My 2nd interviewee did, however, say that she thought it would be difficult to manage. She also mentioned the risk involved with lending people puppies. This could be true but I feel that with the appropriate planning, it could work.

• My first interview was very enlightening. I learned of two other reasons that may contribute to the abandonment issue. One is the cost of owning the pet and living restrictions on pets. These two could contribute to a percentage of the animals that are abandoned. It'd be interesting to find out the exact percentage of these occurrences.
• My 3rd interviewee seemed completely oblivious to the issue. This surprised me but upon reflection, he seemed very busy and he probably doesn't have time to be keeping up with the issue. He was skeptical that the program could work and almost seemed to discourage it. I was surprised that someone uneducated about the issue could have such a strong judgment about it.
• The rest of my interviewees were very supportive and aware of the situation in Gainesville. I still, however, was surprised at their reactions and the level of support they conveyed. This gave me confidence that if my program were to ever become a reality, I believe it will make a substantial impact on the student body in Gainesville.