Halfway Reflection

1. The behaviors that I have used to keep up with this course are: organization primarily, control, public speaking, and tenacity. These behaviors allowed me to complete projects and also conduct my research.
2. I would say I felt like giving up a couple weeks ago, when I had not done well on a couple of assignments. I felt I pushed through because I knew I wanted to receive a good grade, and ultimately it is me who is in front of me, not someone else.
3. My three tips are:

1. Remember to set yourself times to complete assignments, keep organized 
2. Complete all criteria, and strive for more
3. When it gets hard, take a break, and come back later. 

Reading Reflection

1. What surprised me the most about Steve Jobs is how hard it was for him to have meaningful relationships with people. It almost felt as though at times Jobs was always attempting to realize some personal gain, and never really considered the human aspect of a relationship. What I admired the most was his desire to get things right. He did not just want to sell any computer, he wanted to sell the right computer, the computer that would get people talking and excited. I would say what I least admired was what shocked me about him, his inability to care for people who cared about him. I find that maybe he could've been even more successful if he truly cared for the people that wanted to help him. Steve Jobs primary failure would probably when he was kicked out of Apple, as it was deemed he was no longer fit to run the firm. Well in order to show he was still capable he came back and made to companies, most famously Pixar.

2. I would say the major competencies that Jobs had were his intelligence, tenacity, and awareness. He was able to really read the social climate at the time and strive in it. Furthermore, he was smart enough to use already developed material make computers that would be easy to use.

3. I would say the most confusing part for me, was the way Jobs handled his exit from Apple. I did not quite realize either why he was booted out in such a way, and also why it was so dramatic in a sense. I also felt that maybe at that point he would have strived more to be a better man, but it did not really strike me that he did become one.

4. My first question would be: How did you know when you got a project right? And my second one would be: How did you organize the people around you to create success? I think I would ask these questions because it stems on how Steve Jobs didn't do these projects alone, he had a team. I feel like through these questions I could gain insight on how he organizes a team to get projects right.

5. I think that Steve Jobs's idea of hard work involved long hours, of tirelessly slaving away at your job. I do not share the same opinion, I think in order to be successful, you need to have a life, a way to stimulate yourself outside of work.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior Pt.1

1. Segment: 
For this assignment, I chose UF students between the ages of 18-21, who have stated that they frequently go out on weekends. In order to limit this segment, I made sure that each person I interviewed had/ or will have gone out at least eight times a month. The three people I interviewed were: Johnny, John, and Mike. Each said they had frequently gone out during January, and already in February

2. Interviews: 
Johnny: Johnny stated that he had gone out a total of nine times during the last month, and said he plans on going out even more this month. I asked him what he thought about the nightlife in Gainesville, and he responded by saying that he does not particularly like it, but gives him something to do. He said would like to see more clubs or bars to go to, and said that he hates waiting in line to get into them. He stated that he wished that there was a way in knowing where to go, as sometimes places can be dead or too packed. I asked him how does he go about knowing where to go? He simply responded, most of the time he does not know, but goes where his friends think it will be fun.

John: John, from the get go stated that he enjoyed night life in Gainesville, that there are many possibilities to have fun here on weekends. He did say his biggest problem is knowing how a club or bar will be, and established a need of wanting more information on clubs and bars. I asked how he gained this information, like Johnny he stated that he gained most of his information from friends. However, did sometimes google events for different clubs. He stated that he most frequently googled: Latin night and country night. But he highlighted that there was a need for more information on events at clubs and bars.

Mike: Mike was my last interview. I asked him how many times he went out in the last month, and he replied with around 20 times. I pressed on knowing what drove him to go out, and he said that he enjoyed it and many kids in his fraternity made it possible for him to enjoy it. I continued to ask whether his information on different clubs and bars came from his friends and he said yes. However, he did highlight that this information is not always accurate, as the environment at clubs usually changes a couple of times throughout a night. He stated he does not google terms, but would if he thought there was an accurate description of what was going on at certain places.

3. Report your Findings: 
After conducting the interviews, I found that all three shared the idea of a need to portray, accurately, information about what is happening and how many people are going to certain places, when going out. I found that all three enjoyed going here, and would continue to go out, but would benefit from a way of getting a better source of information. Johnny also highlighted the need for information on wait times or more options of places to go to.

4. Conclusions: 
My conclusions on the segment is that there is vast need for information. Even though the segment itself is broad, as most students do take advantage of nightlife, I would say there needs are very similar. I think that an improvement on information gathering and displaying would definitely help.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1. You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

• My name is Manuel Melendez, but everyone calls me Manny. I'm half German half American, and I've lived in seven countries since I was born. My talents include being charismatic, having good communications skills, and caring for others. I have had to move a lot during my life, and talking to people and forming relationships have always been a strong point for me. My aspiration is to become head of R&D or Marketing at a candy company, in order to bring a little bit of joy to people all over the world. If I were to start my business idea, I think it would put me in position where I could interact and help people on a daily basis. 

2. What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 

• I am offering an app that could help people figure out where they should go on a night out. I find people tend to wait in lines to places they might not really like or where they will never get in. I hope that my app can bring people joy on a night out, rather than just the boredom of waiting in a long line. 

3. Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?

• In reality it's focused on the nightlife scene in Gainesville. Which means my target market would be UF students primarily. I would say from around the age of 18-24. I think the primary characteristic that all my customers have in common is youth and energy. I find that people in this age group want to make memories in the "now," and not wait around. 

4. Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

• I think people would care for this app because it would help them experience fun nights out without having to wait long or not truly enjoy the night. I think people of my target market like to be able to do things right away, rather than waiting. 

5. What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

• I think the main core competency I have is that this app is for college students. It helps people save time and have fun. I think that me being the same age as my target market also allows me to have a greater understanding of what the demographic may feel or need. 

I would say that most of these aspects fit together. However, my business concept may lack in how much it could impact such a small community. Due to it being solely focused on Gainesville, I think the app would not gain much attraction at first.

Elevator Pitch No. 1

Solving the Problem

• My product has to with waiting times and lines at clubs and bars in and around Gainesville
• I have decided to make app that shows all the bars and clubs in Gainesville, and ranks them in order of popularity, wait time, and offers/themes. I feel that through this people will not only be able to see where to go, but also how long they have to wait. I think that the product could be interactive and allow you to pay cover over the app, so that you would not have to pay in cash upon arrival. I also, thought that maybe the app could help people book tables, and could let your friends where you plan on going that night. 
• I think there could be many different versions of this idea, but I think primarily you would need an app, in order for people to know where to go and when right when they need it. 

Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

Line length at Gainesville Clubs/Bars:

• Opportunity: 
• Every weekend, and sometimes weekdays, the students of University of Florida try and go out to clubs and bars. However, the lines at these places become very long very quickly, and it is hard to know where and when to go. 
• The Who: Students in Gainesville 
• The What: are not able to get into bars or clubs due to long wait times, and could be going somewhere else
• The Why: Many people want to go out 
• Testing the Who: There are many places who may have the same need, as going out is not just limited to Gainesville. However, in many places waiting in line may not be such an issue or the lines simply do not get so long. 
• Testing the What: I'd say it is not all places that get backed up, but many places in Gainesville do. However, it is the case where it is hard to tell when and where you should go out. 
• Testing the Why: Why the lines get so long at bars and clubs in Gainesville, I believe may have to do with the size of the venue and the popularity. Some clubs and bars will be more frequented making them more popular, and in turn make the lines longer.
• Interview 1:
• In this interview I found that many people visit mid-town. Especially the bars: Fats and Jj's. She said that she rarely goes downtown due to it being further away from the dorms. She also stated that she must go early, or very late in order to not wait in line forever. However, sometimes she waits in line with friends or when she really wants to go to one of the clubs. 
• Interview 2: 
• The guy I interviewed here said that he also frequents mid-town more often. He said that he doesn't want to wait in a line downtown just to have to Uber home or walk far. He said he goes to midtown early, around 8:30, as lines are normally short. He said he would go to midtown, but he just does not want to risk not getting in. 
• Interview 3: 
• In this interview I asked whether this student waits in line while going out often. He said that he does, and that he frequents both mid-town and downtown. He said that downtown the bars and clubs that he visits most often are: Bricks, White Buffalo, and Simons. He said that during the weekends lines can get quite long, and which makes him hesitant to go out unless he is certain he can get in without waiting for hours. Furthermore, he highlighted that going out has become less fun, as he waits in long lines. 
• Interview 4: 
• The girl I interviewed in this interview says that she does not like to go out much, and prefers just going to parties. Mostly because she does not care to go out early to avoid long lines or actually having to wait in long lines. She says that she does not feel comfortable waiting in line for so long, and gets anxious. She also highlighted that waiting in line kills the mood of going out, and would rather just have fun right away. I asked her if she tried to go to other places. She responded by saying she does not know many other places, and how long she has to wait to get in to them.
• Interview 5: 
• The final person I interviewed said that he does not mind waiting line to go out. However, he would prefer to know how long he is waiting, as he could be there for 10 minutes or 30. He said that sometimes he will wait in line and see if other lines around him get shorter, and just move over. He said that waiting in line is part of going out and that at the end he at least gets to have fun, so it isn't a bad reward. Sometimes he says he will try and text people ahead of time to see if there is a line or not, but usually will just wait. 
• Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before? 
• The interviews allowed me to understand that many people actually do wait in line in Gainesville and that they all face a similar problem. However, the one thing that I did notice is that people will usually text a friend to see how long a line is or avoid going out completely. Another interesting finding from the interviews was that some people lacked the knowledge of where to go other than Mid-Town.