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?
Scott Adams talked about a lot of different topics within his book but the bottom line was how to take care of yourself and how to set priorities to have control of your life.  He talked about the different things to do and focus on so that the rest of your life fits into place. He believes focusing on your energy and health is the first concern. If you do not have yourself figured out you will be burden on the rest of society and your family.

2. How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
This book topics did not correlate directly to what we are learning in class however it is very insightful and definitely enhances the class. This class talks more about the entrepreneurial process but the book focus more on the the individual and the mindset we have. The book talked about goals versus system which I believe can relate to the class by when we create our business' we create goals for our company.

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
The book talked a lot of focusing on your energy and health. I would form a assignment based on that idea, making people talk about how they focus on their health and energy. What is their source of energy that drives them to get up in the morning? This would help students find their passion and try to focus more on their passions.

4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
I think my biggest takeaway from this book was the idea of goal versus system. He described that goals puts us in a constant state of failure until we reach the goal and the 'high' we feel from the goal is short lived. Then we form another goal that puts us back at that state of failure. However, system allow use to focus on how to change our habits to change something in our lives. For example, if we want to lose weight we should not focus on our mere weight and how we look but rather focus on eating right and working out. 

Growing Your Social Capital

Brad Bao: CEO of  Lime Scooters; his background is business specifically business development. He was one of the co-founders of Lime Scooters
Filling the slot on industry expert
I knew of his company before I knew who he was. I researched the company and found on he was the CEO. I connected with him over Linkedin via a message. Him being a CEO of a huge company did not actually respond to my message which I assume would happen but I asked him about his company. I asked what determined where they launched these scooters. Not every city or town has the lime scooters so what made him choose his placement of the scooters. I also asked him how he came up with pricing of the product. He produced his product more as a leisure product for people that have a more discretionary incomes but still how did he price it to still have young professional using his product. If the connection was made with Bao it would have been a huge help to utilize his knowledge about the industry so that I can use his advice for my company.

David Hurst: Study Edge tutor
Filling the market expert spot
I knew David from Study Edge as I use study edge for business finance and he is the study expert. He would be beneficial to me as him and Study Edge all sell products to college students. I emailed David about how they entered and dominated a market full of broke college kids. He believes that most kids see their service as essential or that the student is not the one paying for the membership it is the parent who wants them to excel in school. I asked him also about marketing Study Edge because I feel like they have created such a brand at UF their tactics and strategies are working. He said they appeal to college kids as equals. Most of their employees are young, they throw parties at Swamp which appeals to college kids and they create a lot of swag. They have created shirts and pens to get their name out their to students.

Roger L Brown: CEO of Ninebot
Filling my supplier expert
I had to do research to find someone who could fill this spot. I worked backwards based off my knowledge of Lime scooters to see who their supplier was and it is Ninebot. Ninebot produces and manufactures scooters and sells them to many scooter services. I reached out to Mr. Brown via email but got no response. I wanted to know how much it cost to sell in bulk to give me my scooter to start my business. I wanted to use him as a basis for my search for my supplier of scooter. I wanted to know also the reliability of his product and why it is better than the other suppliers of electric scooters.


This was a lot harder than I expect for building my social capital, it was really hard to contact people who could give me insight on my business. They are also my competitors so I do not think they would want to help me that much as I am competing against their businesses. I did not really gain more social capital as they people never reached out to me to answer my questions. I would say that I did strengthen a weak tie I had with David from Study Edge which was neat and beneficial. This is way different than any other networking I have done, my other networking has been through business mixers and career showcase.

Idea Napkin #2

1. I am second year accounting student from Tampa, Flordia. My plans for school are to do a combined degree with an undergrad in accounting and a masters in information systems. My skills that make me successful with my idea is my ability to do accounting work for my company. I had a summer job last summer and worked alongside a CFO of a small company which allowed me to get an on hand experience of how to run a company and manage money. This will be helpful with my startup as every company needs to know how to finance and do the books for a company to operate. With that being said,  I see myself working the behind scene of the company not doing a lot of sales, promotions or app designing.

2. My company is offering a eco-friendly and affordable option of transportation to the students at the University of Florida. Many students need a reliable and convenient method to get around campus and the surrounding areas because they do not have a bike or car with them at school.

3.My scooters are ideally for student at the University of Florida, who live on or off campus but do not have a method of transportation besides walking. These students are in an age bracket from 17-24 and these people do not have access to a car, bike or scooter already. They have some discretionary money that they would spend to ensure safety when traveling.

4. People would actually pay for my service for a couple reasons. First, many college kids use their money on Ubers and Lyfts so transportation is something college kids would spend money on. Plus the scooter would be a cheaper version of those competitors. Second, college kids would buy it for the convenient factor. They do not have a reliable way of transportation on and around campus. The RTS system is not reliable as the bus always come later than they predict on the app or not at all. This would eliminate people having to rely on a service because the scooter would be waiting for them to use it.

5. My core competency is being the first service like this in Gainesville. I would gain customer loyalty by being the first service line integrated into the market. The use for the scooter is limitless as well people can use it for enjoyment, traveling to and from classes or a job, a way to reach the Publix on the edge of campus for groceries. So even though I have an intended use for the scooter, people will find new ways and reasons to ride the scooter.

Reflection/ Feedback Memo:
I think my answers all fit together and make it work for my company. I think it shows the crack in my startup in the sense of I need to hire people to develop an app that coincides with renting the scooters and have employees out promoting my product. I do believe this company is something that would fit me as I see this as a solution to the problem I have, making me more passionate about this company. I only received one comment on my last idea napkin. Reflecting on that comment it seems that they agree my accounting background would help with the financial aspect of the company but to develop a full staff to help me with the topics I do not have knowledge on.

Elevator Pitch 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8o0DzOQiU8&feature=youtu.be


After reviewing the feedback of classmates, I wanted to try to keep the same emotion as the first pitch. People said I seemed excited about this product which in turn made them excited about the product as well. I feel like I try to better my lighting in this video from the past one as it was hard to see my face. They also said to try to make the video eye level, I could not find a place to do it eye level making me rest my phone on the highest chair I have in my house hopefully it is more eye level than the first.

Creating a Customer Avatar

The ideal customer for my company's product is a college student (age 18-24). My customer tends to enjoy the outdoors and thrill of adventure in their life. Ideally the customer does not have a car, because they are using my scooter in place of alternative transportation methods. With my scooter being electric, my customer would agree with the idea of trying to reduce the emission that go in to the air. This is another reason they justify their purchase as a good one because they are not hurting the Earth. My customer would not have kids and there is no affect on usage of the scooter if they are adopted. My customer would watch a bunch of TV and mainly off of streaming platforms such as Hulu and Netflix because cable is too expensive and did not come as a bundle package in their apartment. I would say majority of my customers would support the democratic party as most college kids do. They believe in supporting small businesses which would hopefully translate to them supporting my small startup business.


In relation to my ideal customer, I do have similarities as I am a college kid myself that likes the outdoors. I do fully relate to watching a bunch of TV especially off of Netflix as I am always binge watching shows. I do not fully fit the ideal customer as I do have a car and would use that if the occasion allowed me to. I do not think it is a coincidence that I have similarities with the ideal customer of my business because this is a startup that I believe it and find interesting. I would not say scooters are a passion of mine but they do peak my interest and I would use them if they were available.

What's Your Secret Sauce?

Part 1:
- I was captain of my high school soccer team since Sophomore year, which helped me develop leadership skills and abilities
-I worked a summer job last summer along side a CFO of a small manufacturing company that allowed me to learn how companies operate day to day.
-My parents taught me from a young age that I have to work to get something and it is not just handed to me, this helped develop a strong work ethic.
-I have a lot of self-determination making myself set the bar high as I know my capabilities and I can push myself to grow.
-I have a risk management role in the coed business fraternity, this has helped me learn how to deal with conflict in an appropriate but timely manner.


Part 2:
1 - My sister commented about how I am really self-motivated and hard on myself with academic always striving for the A.
2- My roommate said that I am always willing to help her and others when it comes to life problems and school, that I care a lot about my friends and make them a high priority.
3- My other roommate said I take responsibility in the apartment by cleaning the living space and kitchen whenever it gets dirty even though I might not have contributed to the mess.
4- My mom said that I am very well rounded in the sense that I am smart academic wise, putting a lot of effort into school, but also socially I do well working with others.
5- My dad mentioned how smart I am with money and that I pay very close attention to how and where I spend my money which is great when it comes to a business.

Part 3:
When I was evaluating myself I looked for a lot of  moments that capture my human capital but my friends and family talked about just my abilities and traits. My dad thought of something that was really different than anything I thought of. I do believe he is correct as I like to see where my money is going making sure I am not just spending excessive money with no reasoning. It was cool to see what everyone said and even if their thoughts were slightly different than what I came up with, I still believe their comments to be correct about me.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior Part 2

Interview 1:
The first person I interview chooses from the alternatives solutions by what is the most efficient and convenient for them. They also said price is a factor when choosing but they believe that in the case of comprising their safety when getting to and from campus they would be willing to pay for a service that would increase their safety when traveling. Their post-purchase evaluation seem to be did it save me time getting to where I needed to be and was it a safe option. If they thought both of the questions to be answered with yes then they were content and thought their decision was qualified as "good".

Interview 2:
The alternative solutions the person has besides the scooter would be to walk, ride the bus or have their roommate drop/pick them up. When choosing between the alternative they said during the day they just walk because they enjoy it. At night, they said they rather have their roommate help them with a ride because they do not feel that safe walking home by themselves in the dark. They said that money is a factor for them so that is why they try to avoid calling in Uber as a way of transportation. Their post purchase evaluation seemed quite simple but they consider their choice good if they made it to the place they needed to be on time and they got their safely at a minimal or no price.

Interview 3:
The last person I interviewed was different than the rest as he lived on campus and fit my market by using a scooter for around campus travel. He said he currently only walks around campus, as he has no bike and does not want to figure or worry about the bus system. So he does not really have to choose from any alternative currently as his only method of getting to and from places on campus s walking. He said he would love a fast way to get to places but does not want to buy a bike because the upfront cost is so high and he sees peoples' bikes get parts stolen from them. He seemed not to be price sensitive and would definitely give the scooter a try.


After interviewing potential buyer in my market it seems like the scooter is a good idea to implement on and around campus as an  alternative method of transportation. My only concern would be the pricing, I already have it priced cheaper than Uber and Lyft but it still might be too high for some highly price sensitive consumers. All the alternative methods that they are using now are free so this scooter has to have a high enough value for people to think it is worth their money.