16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

Five things that make me unique:

1. I have lived in two countries which hold different values and have different cultures. This gives me an open mind and adaptability to new environment and things.
2. I am very organized. I find satisfaction in crossing out things that I finish in my agenda. It keeps me focused and on track to achieving my goals
3. I am an easygoing person. I don't hold grudges and don't stress over matters that don't add value to my life. This makes it easy for me to be social and develop friendships.
4. I am hardworking and have strong work ethics. I will do extra steps and things that are not necessarily required to make sure my job is done well. 
5. I am grounded on my values. Although I am very open-minded there are things that I will not be influenced to do such as things that violate basic human rights and treating people badly. 

Interviews: (I couldn't figure out for my life how to record/add audio under google docs)

• My mom said that my ability to adapt to new things sets me apart. She says I don't get anxious or scared to venture into new experiences.

• My dad mentioned how I am a hard worker, how I have always been focused and know what I need to do in order to have a good life in the future.

• Liz, my best friend, said she admires how I am dependable and easy to rely on. She said when she needs something I am the first person she would think of asking for help.

• Rafaella, my close friend, mentioned how I am focused on whatever I put my mind to and she admires that about me.

• My boyfriend also mentioned how I am a hard worker and give my 110% to whatever project or task I do.

Reflection:Seems like how I see myself is similar to how others see me. I think of myself as someone who is caring, hard worker, and grounded. A difference is how my friend described me as dependable, I didn't realize that before maybe because I never really thought about it, it's just something you do. Other than that there seems to be no other differences. I wouldn't make any changes to the original list because I still feel like those are my human capital. There's much to improve on and there's definitely many things that I want to add to my portfolio.

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Segment: my market segment is a demographic of middle class American women between the ages of 18-30. They have the need for finding their essential clothing items (shirts, pants, sweaters) in one store that they can trust to have good quality for reasonable prices.

1. My first interviewee said that when evaluating alternatives, she's usually left between buying from Zara and Isabelle's Cabinet. Both have good quality pieces and are around the same price range, but what usually plays a role in her decision is the style of the clothes. Although she buys from both stores, her style is more of girly and soft colors so she prefers Isabelle's Cabinet. She classified herself as an online shopper mainly because it is easy and she can see the full scope of products. After receiving and trying out the clothes she said that she determines if it was good purchase by the shipping time, and if the quality of the clothes matches expectation.
2. The second interviewee said she shops primarily in-stores because she likes to go to outlets and malls and try on the clothes before purchasing. She has several stores that she is more drawn to, but ultimately she bases her decisions on price, when she feels like she's getting a good deal. This she said, doesn't mean she only buys cheap clothing, it can be a more expensive item/brand as long as it's discounted. Quality and price is how she determines if the purchase was good or not.
3. My last interviewee was similar to the first in the aspect that she shops mostly online. However she is price conscious and shops mostly through Shein, Misguided, and H&M. When choosing between alternatives she says it's a combination of style, reviews of the products, and price. These stores, she said, can be a hit or miss so it takes her a bit longer to decide but now she is more aware of what to look for.

Conclusion: After the interviews it seems that the main factors that influence customers decision making is quality, price, shipping, and reviews. This segment shops both online and in-stores and they evaluate their purchases mostly by the quality of the pieces. 

14A- Halfway Reflection

1) To keep up with the course I have been keeping organized by writing down the weekly assignments and making sure to remind myself that they are due at noon on the due dates. This way I get them done a day before so that I don't risk turning it in late. Also, I have learned to ask better questions when interviewing people, questions that require a more extended answer. 

2) A moment in this course that I felt unmotivated, not necessarily "giving up", was when I left to do an assignment the day it was due and I had to force myself to get up early so I could have it done by noon. It was something I didn't necessarily want to do but I knew I had to. I definitely have developed a tenacious attitude this semester having to push myself and keeping me in check with all my online classes. 

3) Three tips that I have to foster/develop tenacity are :

1. writing down short-term goals 

1. reward yourself for completing those goals in any way you prefer

1. have a vision board of what you look to achieve or be in the future and think of how the present things will help you do that

13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

The book I read was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight 

1A) What surprised you the most?

What surprised me the most about Phil Knight is that he served one year in the U.S Army after he graduated from University of Oregon. This is surprising because often when we think of top businessman, like Knight, you tend to forget they are normal people, and oversee their lives before reaching success. 

1B) What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

One thing I admire about Knight was his courage to just try out his "crazy idea". He went to Japan by himself to pitch the idea of importing Japanese running shoes to America and found someone who believed in him. Also, I admire him making a business out of something he was passionate about which was running.

1C)What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

This isn't something I didn't necessarily admire about Knight, just one thing that I didn't agree with was that his brand Nike promoted health and exercise but his management team didn't reflect this given that they were obese and overweight. I am not saying the company should discriminate and hire based on appearance, but that he should promote the same to both consumers and the internal environment of the company.

1D)Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Yes, from the start Knight was met with adversity when he needed money in order to go follow his "crazy idea". He was lucky enough to have someone near him, his father, who could give him the money but it still took courage to ask. Also, in the beginning of his business when it gained traction Knight struggled to keep up with the demands so he had to work in storage rooms which isn't ideal. These along with many other adversities were overcome by Knight because he learned to get over failure quickly and kept his eyes on his passion and goal of selling running shoes. 

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

Phil Knight's best competency, in my opinion, was his open mind to the world. His curiosity for the world and applying what he observed in people to the development of his idea really impressed me, specially since this was back in 1962. Also, the fact that he was open to work with Japanese businessmen and didn't have a negative view on them given the past incidents between American and Japan. 

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you

One thing I was confused about this book was if Knight kept a diary or notes about the occurrences in his life, or does he just have amazing memory? Because the book was published in 2016 and I would think it took several years to write the book, but the meticulous details included, such as what he ate in his flight to Tokyo in 1962, just amazes me.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? 

Did you think now with all the knowledge you have gained, if you were to distance yourself from the situation and looked at it with an outsider lens:

-Was making a 50-50 partnership with Bill Bowerman fair? 

-Even if it was your "crazy idea" and initiative?

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think Knight's opinion of hard work is that it comes from within and like he mentioned in the beginning of the book it's about the journey and the persistence, you can't stop until you reach your goal. His idea of hard work was developed by him being an athlete and having to push his limits to reach the finish line.

12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior

Segment: my market segment is a demographic of middle class American women between the ages of 18-30. They have the need for finding their essential clothing items (shirts, pants, sweaters) in one store that they can trust to have good quality for reasonable prices.

Interviews_Need Awareness and Information Search 

• My first interviewee was in her mid- twenties and she said she notices this need when she goes out to shop and spends so much time to find simple clothes. She enjoys going out to stores to shop, but gets frustrated when she can't find good clothes in her price range. When this happens, she will look online for whatever the item description she is looking for, but she says she prefers buying in person so she can try on the clothes.
• The second qualified interviewee was 18 year old who said they notice this need when they have to browse different stores to find pieces. They like different stores depending on what category of clothes they are looking for (tops, bottoms..), and it annoys her to have to do that. She does mostly online shopping and even though it bothers her to not have a brand that she can really identify as one where she buys most of her clothes, she does't look for change.
• The third interviewee was in her early twenties and she said similar things to the previous person. She also mainly online shops and notices the need when she has to go to different websites to find different pieces. She doesn't have a go-to brand and she says this annoys her.

Findings: From the interviews I can say that consumers with this need become aware of it when they spend time looking for clothes in various stores (either online or in person). They don't have a go-to brand that they can trust and rely on to find most of their basic clothes.

Conclusion: this segment's need awareness occurs when they are shopping, either online or in store, and they spend more time than they would wish for to find pieces. Also, they don't identify with one brand where they get most of their things from which is the cause of the issue. In order to find a solution to this, some search online for specifics on what piece they are looking for.

11A- Idea Napkin No. 1

I believe the elements of my business concept are cohesive and fit well. Based on the information I received back from previous customers interviews I was able to define a bit more what the customers would want. Sustainability and worker's rights are big moral philosophies I have and when creating my future business I want to keep this is mind. Also I am big on simplicity, and not complicating things unnecessarily, so I envision a brand that is simple (bright, spacious atmosphere).

10A- Elevator Pitch No. 1

9A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

WHO: two of my interviewees said that although they get their 'basics' from different sources, they are not bothered by it and enjoy browsing multiple stores. Another interviewee mentioned that she buys all her 'basics' from one store and therefore doesn't have that need. The last two interviewees said that although they do buy from various stores, they don't spend much money on 'basics' and therefore wouldn't be attracted to a brand that sells them for a medium to high price range. 

WHAT: the need I identified was the need for a clothing brand that deals with only  "basics" with good quality and reasonable prices. This differs from the need of getting seasonal or style-specific clothing.

WHY: those outside the boundaries of my need either need cheaper options for 'basics', don't value having good quality for 'basic' pieces, or don't have the need at all.  

	Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Who	People who find it challenging getting good quality ‘basics’ in one place with reasonable prices.	People who don’t find it challenging to get ‘basics’ from one place, or are not bothered by having to browse different stores, or don’t want to spend much money on it.
What	Need for a one-stop-shop clothing brand for quality ‘basics’	Do not have the need for ‘basic’ pieces
Why	Need exists because it is difficult to find good essential clothing items in one brand.	Could alternately have the need for cheaper price point, or already have set preference towards a brand.

8A- Solving the Problem

The Problem:
Difficulty of finding keys or other objects in purses or bags.

The Product:
Various sized and colored detachable pockets that can be easily inserted and taken out of the inside of bags. The mechanism that would allow it to stay put is a form of adhesive tape that would be located on the back side of the pocket that once in contact with different material purses wouldn't damage once taken out. The pockets would be made with strong and machine washable material so that if there is any spills or dirt it can be cleaned with ease.