Assignment 23A – Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

My venture's resources:

1.  Human capital

• Valuable? Yes.
• Rare? I founded a non-profit organization, so I had a basic knowledge of entrepreneurship before taking this course. 
• Imitable? People can share the same personality traits/skills.
• Non-substitutable? Human capital goes beyond a person's education, as it is all about the qualities that make them unique (i.e., compassion). 

2.  Social capital

• Valuable? Yes- just like human capital, the value of social capital is significant. In this scenario, I have an extensive network of people in my community, such as City leaders, veterinarians, and pet owners who are valuable to my venture. 
• Rare? Yes
• Imitable? Social capital cannot easily be copied by others.
• Non-substitutable? There is no substitute for building/maintaining a strong network in your community. 

3.  My knowledge/experience in fundraising

• Valuable? Yes- fundraising is a useful aspect of creating any business.
• Rare? Yes- I have fundraised over $70,000 to help end the global water crisis since I was 11 years old. This experience is rare, especially for someone my age.
• Imitable? While other people may have knowledge in this area, my specific fundraising abilities and experiences cannot be copied by others.
• Non-substitutable? There is no substitute for my knowledge. But, in regards to other resources, there are programs like Kickstarter that can assist organizations in fundraising to start their businesses.  

4.  Branding

• Valuable? Yes- building a brand is extremely valuable.
• Rare? Not necessarily- other dog waste receptacle companies have a similar mission/purpose.
• Imitable? Not as long as you create your own branded materials like a logo.
• Non-substitutable? There is no substitute for a strong brand. There are PR agencies and graphic designers that can assist businesses in developing their brands. 

5.  Location

• Valuable? My venture's location is valuable because it is within the Treasure Coast, which includes Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties.
• Rare? There are no dog waste receptacle companies located in the Treasure Coast. 
• Imitable? Dog waste receptacles can be duplicated. 
• Non-substitutable? Dog waste receptacles can be substituted.

6.  Product features

• Valuable? Yes- the Doggie Dootie Station's features are valuable because they result in cleaner communities and convenience for dog owners. (i.e., if they forget a dog waste bag, then they can obtain one at their nearest Doggie Dootie Station.)
• Rare? Yes- there isn't a dog waste receptacle that has my product's specific features where dog owners can obtain BOTH waste bags and/or gloves.
• Imitable? Product features can be duplicated.
• Non-substitutable? Product features can be developed (include new features, remove certain features, or enhance them) throughout the existence of the venture. 

7.  Experience as a dog owner

• Valuable? Yes- this adds a level of credibility to my venture. 
• Rare? No- there are millions of dog owners in the United States.
• Imitable? Although others cannot have the same experiences as me, this is somewhat easy for others to copy because they can own one or multiple dogs.
• Non-substitutable? Breeds of dogs can be substituted, but not the overall experiences dog owners have where they can relate to the venture. 

8.  Knowledge of social media/SEO

• Valuable? Yes- I already have extensive knowledge of social media management from my UF courses, and reading Inbound Marketing reinforced the importance of utilizing SEO practices.
• Rare? During my experience at UF, I obtained numerous certifications in digital marketing programs, including Google Analytics. Therefore, I believe this skill set is somewhat rare.
• Imitable? Many individuals have knowledge in this area.
• Non-substitutable? There is no substitute for having a captivating and professional online presence to connect with customers. 

9.  Public Relations major

• Valuable? Yes- a public relations education is beneficial and can be applied in numerous disciplines.
• Rare? No- public relations degree programs are becoming more in demand.
• Imitable? Many colleges teach public relations at both undergraduate and graduate levels. 
• Non-substitutable? Yes- the professors at UF are reputable in this field and have extensive industry knowledge. 

10. ENT3003 course

• Valuable? Yes- learning how to become a successful entrepreneur is invaluable.
• Rare? Yes- not all students at UF take this course.
• Imitable? This course is offered at many universities.
• Non-substitutable? Yes- Prof. Pryor is an excellent professor and very knowledgable about this topic. 

Top resource: Based on my VRIN analysis, I determined that my venture's top resource is branding. This resource is more important than the others because it is essential to establish a strong brand that will make the Doggie Dootie Station stand out. My venture's brand would not only tell a story about my product but also about who I am and what my company does. If I can successfully do so, then this will generate community support and make dog owners want to use the Doggie Dootie Station.

Adriana Mancini ENT3003 22A Elevator Pitch 3

The feedback I received on my elevator pitches was positive. The general feedback I received is that including my dogs made my video more engaging, I seemed confident, and I did a good job including the main information on my product.

Based on this feedback, I did not change the content from my last elevator pitch.

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback! I truly appreciate it.

Assignment 21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

For my second reading reflection, I read Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah. 

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

The general theme of this book is that search engines like Google drastically changed how people obtain products and services. When they need to learn how to do something or make a purchase, they instantly turn to Google. As a result, businesses do not need large marketing budgets to reach their target audiences. Instead, companies that have great online content can utilize search engines to strengthen their relationships with their potential and existing customers.  

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

A few weeks ago, Prof. Pryor did a brief exercise on how SEO works and why it is crucial to consider the keywords you use when conducting searches on Google. Inbound Marketing similarly analyzed this theme by exploring "how Google's brain works." In other words, the book explains how Google's software obtains results about a specific search term and then filters them, so higher-quality results are displayed first. The book also states how to pick the perfect keywords, which connected with my knowledge from ENT 3003 because Dr. Pryor explained how choosing the right keywords leads to improving SEO rankings.

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

If I had to design an exercise for this class based on the book, I would create an exercise on improving SEO rankings. During this exercise, I would have students brainstorm keywords about their business idea and conduct various searches with the keywords they chose to see how the results they obtain from Google changes. This exercise would help teach Inbound Marketing's concept emphasizing the importance of picking keywords relevant to your business. 

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?

When reading this book, my "aha" moment was during chapter 5, "Get Found in the Blogosphere." Specifically, a point in this chapter that I thought was profound is the importance of creating "remarkable content." I learned in my previous classes that blogs are a useful tool for sharing industry knowledge. But, when I read this book, I was surprised to learn that blogs help search engine results because other bloggers are more likely to link to a "remarkable" article than products on a website. This leads to more traffic on that site, which makes Google consider that website authoritative. As a public relations major, I already knew that blogs are useful from this perspective and thought the book would elaborate upon this information. (who should have a blog, how to set it up, etc.) I never knew the technological perspective of how blogs are linked with improving SEO, and I was interested to learn more about this.  

Assignment 20A – Growing Your Social Capital

Domain expert

1) I reached out to Anne Ellig, Program Manager for the City of Stuart's Public Works Department.

2) Ms. Ellig fills the domain expert slot because she helps oversee programs that beautify the City of Stuart. She informed me that the City noticed a significant amount of unclaimed dog waste in common areas of Downtown Stuart. As a result, the City recently installed these receptacles around Downtown Stuart.

3) I reached out to Ms. Ellig via email.

4) In my email, I explained my fictitious business idea for this course, included the URLs to my idea napkin and elevator pitch assignments, and asked for her feedback. Ms. Ellig promptly responded with her feedback. There was no return expectation. 

5) Including Ms. Ellig in my network will enhance my ability to exploit this opportunity because she is knowledgeable about the type of product I hope to produce.

This experience shaped how I participate in networking events by encouraging me to reach out to professionals in my local community for feedback on this project. This networking experience was different because Ms. Ellig is the only person I reached out to who works for a municipality.

Market expert

1) I reached out to Dr. Christina Maldonado, who is a Veterinarian at Monterey Animal Clinic. 

2) Dr. Maldonado fills the slot of the market expert because a significant portion of her patient base is dogs and interacts with their owners daily. As a result, she is knowledgeable about the market I am trying to reach.

3) I reached out to Dr. Maldonado via email.

4) Like I did with Ms. Ellig, I sent Dr. Maldonado an email where I explained my project to her and asked for her feedback. There was no return expectation. 

5) As I previously mentioned, including Dr. Maldonado in my network will enhance my ability to exploit this opportunity because, as a Veterinarian, she has extensive knowledge of dogs and what their owners can do to properly care for them.

This experience shaped how I participate in networking events by validating that email can be an effective method of communication. This networking experience was somewhat similar to my first one because I asked for feedback through email. 

Supplier

1) I reached out to Jessica Gray, the Manager of my local Petco store. 

2) Ms. Gray fills the slot of the supplier because Petco sells a large variety of pet supplies, including dog waste bags.

3) I called and asked to speak with the Manager. 

4) I had a brief conversation with Ms. Gray, where I explained my project to her and asked for her feedback. She thought the "Doggie Dooty Station" is an interesting product. There was no return expectation.

5) Including Ms. Gray in my network will enhance my ability to exploit this opportunity because she manages a store that primarily sells pet products.

This experience shaped how I participate in networking events by "thinking outside of the box" of who would be a good supplier to reach out to for this assignment. This networking experience differs because I reached out to Ms. Gray via phone call. 

Assignment 19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

Feedback incorporated is indicated in yellow.

1.  I am a senior at the University of Florida through their UF Online program majoring in public relations with an outside concentration in business administration. My work experience is mainly in the non-profit sector. As I previously mentioned, I am the Founder and President of Students4H2O, which is a non-profit organization advocating for environmental education and youth leadership. On a personal level, I am also a dog owner of two German Shepherds. Walking my dogs led me to notice the problem of increasing dog waste within my neighborhood and focus my business concept for this class around this problem so I can find a solution. The skills/talents I have that pertain to my product include budgeting, critical thinking skills, and project management. Through my public relations education at UF, I have knowledge in social media management and creative programs like Adobe Creative Cloud. Lastly, I also have excellent public speaking and interpersonal communication skills. My aspirations are to develop a financially viable product that also makes a difference. I would apply my skills and aspirations to my business. Hypothetically, if I were to start this business, I would see it as a "side hustle" where it would act as an additional project that I would work on in my free time. I would most likely work this way until I can adequately sustain myself from this business.

2.  My product is a dog waste receptacle, which is also known as the Doggie Dooty Station, which gives dog owners the ability to dispose of their soiled pet waste bags through a designated slot. Or, they can also obtain a clean pet waste bag at any Doggie Dooty Station so that they can pick up after their dogs. A new feature of my product is that in addition to pet waste bags, gloves will be available at each Doggie Dooty Station for those who are "grossed out" by picking up their dog's waste. Also, each receptacle has signage to inform dog owners about the receptacles and encourage them to pick up after their dogs.

3.  I believe most of my potential customers will be people who own at least one dog. Based on my previous customer interviews, I also think that good target markets to reach are homeowners who live in neighborhoods, homeowner associations, and apartment complexes. The primary characteristic these customers would have in common is that they have a need to keep their communities clean and sanitary.

4.  I feel customers will care about the Doggie Dooty Station because it will decrease the amount of dog waste within their communities. This is important because dog waste has bacteria that is harmful when it comes into contact with humans and other dogs. Therefore, there are also health concerns when, for example, children are playing and come into contact with dog waste, or a dog unknowingly steps into another dog's waste (which was unclaimed) while walking with its owner. There is also the raised concern of "common courtesy" where other neighbors or dog owners do not feel like they should be responsible for picking up dog waste from another person's dog. In regards to profitability, I think customers will pay to use the Doggie Dooty Stations because of the convenience it offers dog owners where they can obtain both clean bags and gloves. After conducting further research, I determined that there are no similar pet waste receptacles that have an option where dog owners can get gloves in addition to pet waste bags to pick up after their dogs. I think this feature makes my product unique because there may be a dog owner who feels uncomfortable when thinking about picking up dog waste. In regards to pricing, I did research on similar pet waste receptacles and noticed that their prices range from $129 to $448. Based on this research and the feedback I received, I think a reasonable installation fee for each Doggie Dooty Station is $200. The user cost of the Doggie Dooty Stations is included in monthly HOA dues or apartment rental fees. For each instance of a dog owner not picking up after their dogs and their neighbor(s) seeing it and reporting it, they will be fined $25 per incident. Lastly, a new feature I came up with based on the feedback I received on my first idea napkin and interviews for my 20A assignment is that treats will be available for dog owners to obtain for their furry friends each time they use the receptacles. In addition to being incentive-based, it is a measurable way to determine how many people are using the stations over a certain period (i.e., per month). In summary, the Doggie Dooty Station will assist in solving these problems by positively reinforcing dog owners to pick up after their dogs' waste, resulting in cleaner communities.

5.  I think the primary core competency that separates me from everybody else is that no other dog waste receptacle has a solution like mine where pet waste bags and gloves are available for dog owners who need them. Most dog waste receptacles only have pet waste bags. By having both pet waste bags and gloves at each Doggie Dooty Station, it removes room for excuses from dog owners for not using it. I am also a dog owner who saw this problem in my neighborhood, so my story is also distinctive because it adds a "humanized" perspective behind creating this product.

Overall, I believe that these elements fit together. As I evaluated these elements, it made me realize how simple my product is for dog owners to use and that it is a practical solution for the problem of increasing dog waste in neighborhoods. There are many reasons why dog owners do not pick up after their dogs' waste, and the most common is they forgot to bring pet waste bags with them. With this being said, I believe my product will have a positive impact from both the convenience and environmental standpoints.

Feedback memo: The feedback I received on my first idea napkin was generally positive. The suggestions I received mainly focused on expanding my target markets and conducting further research on the profitability/pricing of my product. I thought this was insightful information and incorporated this feedback in the third and fourth sections of my second idea napkin, so I can be more specific about these aspects of my product.

Adriana Mancini ENT3003 17A Elevator Pitch 2

I generally received positive feedback on my elevator pitch. As a result, I did not change the majority of the content. One of the suggestions I received that I thought was insightful was to remove all excuses for dog owners by offering gloves in addition to pet waste bags. I thought this feedback was useful because if dog owners are uncomfortable about picking up pet waste, they can obtain gloves from the Doggie Duty Stations. It is a win-win situation for the dog owner because they are reassured there is a solution for their problems, and it is also a win-win for their neighborhoods because the dog owners are keeping their communities clean at the same time.

The main change I made to my elevator pitch was including that both pet waste bags and gloves are available at the Doggie Duty Stations. Besides this suggestion, I did not change the majority of the content of my elevator pitch due to the positive feedback I received on my first elevator pitch.

Assignment 18A- Create a Customer Avatar

Trying to imagine what my typical customer/customer avatar would look like was easier than I thought. When I first identified my problem and conducted my interviews, I talked to both dog owners and non-dog owners in my neighborhood (both men and women). As I completed the assignments for this course, I realized that my prototypical customers are people between the ages of 30 to 60 years old who have at least one dog. 

Based on this information, the prototypical customer for my product is a middle-aged woman who is also a dog owner. 

Customer avatar- Meet Sophia!

Tell their story:

Sophia is 42 years old (but feels 30) and lives in Palm City, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida and studied business administration, in which she graduated magna cum laude. Sophia married her high-school sweetheart, and together she and her husband have two twin girls who are now 10 years old. Before her daughters were born, Sophia previously worked as an office manager for a well-known law firm in her local town. While she was on maternity leave, she decided to quit and become a stay-at-home mother so she can be a dedicated parent. In addition to her parents and siblings, Sophia has a large extended family who visits her often. When Sophia isn’t doing housework or taking her daughters to soccer practice in her silver Chevrolet Tahoe, she enjoys reading, cooking, and gardening. She likes to read motivational books like “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis and prides herself on being a republican. When her daughters are asleep, Sophia likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, which are "Law and Order: SVU," "This Is Us," "Grey's Anatomy," and "The Bachelor." Sophia and her family have a black lab named Ace, and she walks him every morning. Sometimes, when she is about to walk Ace, she can become easily distracted when the phone rings or her daughters try to get her attention. As a result, Sophia forgets her pet waste bags at home. Sophia hopes that a receptacle will be installed so she can obtain a pet waste bag if she forgets one she can pick up after her dog and not leave any pet waste behind. Even though she has an auto-ship setting on her Chewy account for pet waste bags, she always feels bad when she still occasionally forgets to leave without them.

The only things I do not have in common with Sophia are my age and that I do not have any children. Besides these differences, I am very similar to her (especially in regards to living in the same town and owning a large dog). This is not a coincidence because when I completed this assignment, I tried to put myself in the shoes of a stay-at-home mother. Furthermore, I tried to imagine what hobbies and TV shows my prototypical customer would enjoy (i.e., Grey's Anatomy is my favorite show, but I decided to think outside the box into what other TV shows a stay-at-home mother enjoys.) Overall, I enjoyed this assignment because it allowed me to exercise my creative thinking in a new way.