20A – GROWING YOUR SOCIAL CAPITAL

DOMAIN EXPERT

The domain expert that I chose was my high school principal. She started the school in 1975 and with the help of her family, she has been running it successfully for the past 45 years. Being in the education sector for such a long time, she has identified how important it is to promote healthy eating habits at a young age because that’s the time when minds have begun developing and its easier to influence it and instill in them healthy eating patterns. Since I have been out of high school for 3 years now, I sent her an email with my idea and that’s how we got in touch. While she has already set up a cafeteria where plastic packaged items are banned and only healthy meals are served, she said that a lot of schools are haven’t initiated this and hence it would not only greatly benefit students but also the faculty and staff as well. She asked me to come in and give a speech to the students on studying abroad opportunities once I am back in town.

Market Expert

The market expert would be my father since he has a manufacturing factory back home that deals with cooking and packaging food items in sealed canned tins that are then supplied to markets. Initially he was working on something else but once he saw the demand for canned tins in the market, he established a food industry and began importing canned tins to store them in and he’s been in business for the past 10 years. After discussing the idea with him, my dad told me the way food has to be store in tightly sealed vacuum cans which are done through machines. He explained to me the kind of packaging I would require for my items and how food items go through health inspection before being packaged and sold. He told me how specific machines were imported for his business and how because there’s so much competition in the market.

Supplier

I contacted AMS vendors located in Kearneysville, and got in touch with their customer support representative through email. AMS vendors was initiated in 1997 and by using advance technology and materials they were able to successfully create vending machines that are seen across various schools. I asked them if their vending machines were temperature controlled and had better handling procedures for perishable goods to which they replied yes. While we weren’t able to get on a call, I still got a better understanding of their company. I asked if I got mention our brief conversation in email and that was the favor, I did for them.

Reflection: After getting on a call with all three experts I was able to network and enhance my knowledge regarding the market I plan on entering in. All three experts greatly helped me in my planning process and gave me an idea of what the business world looks like and the skills required for it. What I learnt most importantly from my principal was that when you identify an opportunity, grab it. If you are facing a problem, there’s a chance that a lot of students are in the same boat as me. My dad taught me the importance of knowing your market and target audience before starting any business.  Its going to take time, money and effort so it’s important to be sure before starting.

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

You: My name is Maha Rehman and I am an international student from Pakistan. I am currently in my third year at University of Florida, studying finance. Some of talents are time management, marketing skills, the ability to lead as well as work together in a team and problem-solving skills. My aspirations are to complete the CFA exam and establish a non-for-profit organization school in my country. The business I plan on establishing will give students more variety and the ability to make better healthy food choices.

What are you offering to customers: A lot of students I have met with have a problem with snack items that are stored in vending machines. My service is starting a healthy cafe which has a diverse healthy menu from all cultures, packing it in proper environment friendly containers and storing them in temp controlled vending machines that will maintain the freshness of the food.

Who are you offering it to? My product is for high school and college students from ages 15-25 and to fulfill their nutritional needs. They are going to be those students who are on a strict budget, have a hectic schedule and hence don’t have time to stand in the long lines of the food court.

Why do they care: They care because students are more woke now when it comes to fitness and fulfilling their nutritional needs and leading a healthy lifestyle.

What are you core competencies? What sets me apart is my vision and dedication and the ability to pull this off. I am goal driven and motivated and because I have personally struggled with a problem of finding healthy items in vending machines that aren’t insanely priced and actually loaded with all the beneficial nutrients, I really want to see an end to this problem. My main priority isn’t making money but satisfying the needs of college students and ultimately try to promote a healthier environment on campus.

Overall, the five elements work really well together almost like a flow. By starting off with a personal struggle and seeing how so many students relate to the problem, it was easy to connect the dots and come up with a solution for it. College students lead hectic and tough life and if they don’t take care of their health and are not getting nutritional benefits from food items, then they are more prone to sickness which will effect their productivity in the long run

18A- Create a customer avatar

My pro-typical customer would be between the ages of 18-25 and would be college student currently  enrolled at University of Florida with 12 credit hours. This pro-typical customer lives off campus, commutes by bus or walks to locations nearby. They live in a location where there are that many restaurants in the surrounding area. My customer has a really busy schedule. They get up at 8 am in the morning to attend their morning class and by 4 pm they are done with all of their classes. But since my customer is an extrovert and competitive and loves to participate in clubs and community service projects, they get done from classes and school activities by 8 pm. With such a hectic lifestyle its easy to ignore ones own health and indulge in unhealthy lifestyle choices, my customer being a big fitness freak likes to keep track of her health goes to the gym at night. During the day they dont have time to stop and grab lunch and hence after all work is completed they decide to come home, cook themselves a nice meal, watch a Netflix show and then go to bed.
The similarity me and my pro-typical customer share are that I too am enrolled in 3, 4 credit hour classes and get done by 4 pm. Even though all my classes are online, I prefer attending in person lectures since I am able to comprehend and understand the course better. I too have a busy and hectic schedule and only get time to have one proper meal a day that I cook for myself at night when I go home. Obviously no meal is complete without some kind of a show. This isnt a coincidence because mostly all college students lead this hectic lifestyle and are trying to find a balance between their academic and social life.

16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique.

1) I am persistent and dedicated. I have come really far to pursue my education and that meant leaving my family and friends, because I want to build a stable and secure future. 

2) I care deeply about the people, society and environment around me because all these aspects have played an important role in my upbringing.  So its my responsibility now to look and care for the environment

3) I am a good team player and love taking initiatives and challenging myself to become a better version. 

4) I know how to work well under pressure without giving up. I try to stay focused and that keeps me driven. 

5) In times of negativity, i try to stay positive and  not lose hope. 

Interviews
https://soundcloud.com/user360358224/niazi

Niazi talked about how i am goal driven and once Im set on something i try to to see an end to it and achieve it. 

https://soundcloud.com/user360358224/ibbi

Ibbi, spoke about my team leadership skills and how I like to take initiatives. 

https://soundcloud.com/user360358224/haseeb
Haseeb spoke about how I put my heart and soul into my work and try to stay true to it which is always reflective. 

https://soundcloud.com/user360358224/hafsah
Hafsah spoke about my organizational skills and leadership skills and how i take charge of situations when no one else is. she also spoke about my vocal skills, articulation and confidence which is why people take me and my work seriously and make sure I see it till the end. 

https://soundcloud.com/user360358224/laiba
Laiba spoke about my leadership skills and how passionate i am regarding my work. She spoke about my deep and active involvement within my community. She said I can balance out my work well without compromising the quality. I have a friendly attitude and am social but at the same time i don't allow a lot of people whose goals and values aren't in line with mine. 

Conclusion: While all my interviewees had great things to say, i have always found it hard to accept compliments and recognition and that's partially because i feel like i haven't done enough and still have a long way to go. All my interviewees have been there since the start of my life and have seen me grow physically and emotionally. I am overly critical of myself because I try to aim for that level of perfection and i always feel like I'm not doing enough. I think i would change number 5 about myself because I am a bit negative and critical when it comes to my work but other than i wouldn't change anything else on my list

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Evaluating How Your Customers Evaluate Stuff

For these interviews my main focus was on discovering how students make their choices, how do they determine if it was a good or bad choice after purchasing it and what’s a more convenient way for the to pay.

1

 Interview 1: College Sophomore majoring in computer science at UF

Since most her classes start early morning, she doesn’t really get time to have breakfast so instead she likes to get some protein bar from the vending machine since they are the fastest and nearest place. Even though the protein bars in the vending machines are very limited I terms of flavor and variety; she still prefers those due to nutritional needs being med. Most of her transactions are done through a debit card because its more convenient fore her.

Interview 2: I interviewed my friend working at a UPS facility in New Jersey.

Faiza’s office hours are Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6pm. In between she gets a half an hour lunch break. Some days she has a heavy breakfast from home that keeps her full for loner hours, but on other days she has lunch from outside. For her the most important thing is the quality and taste. Only problem is that because at lunch hours they are long waiting lines at restaurants, she doesn’t like getting food herself, so she gets it delivered. Upon asking what kind of food she would like to see in vending machines, she said burrito, salad or fruit bowls, tuna salad, spinach wrap, something that isn’t too messy to handle, and her preferred method of transaction would be through card.

 Interview 3: A friend at Rutgers University in New Jersey

Being a full-time student and working part time are very hard for her to manage so she barely gets time to eat anything. If she does, she either goes to the food cafeteria in the morning when lines aren’t long and buys something then which she later haves for lunch or she gets something from the vending machine. For her nutritional needs aren’t really that important, but taste is. She gets something that keeps her full for long.

Conclusion: Based on the interviews conducted above, my customers mostly looked at the nutritional needs and if they were being met, the price was definitely another factor because they would like to be paying for something worth the price. The third was how easily accessible it is. If all their needs are fulfilled, then they think their purchase was a good idea. But most of the time they don’t have time to reflect and think if they made a right decision because of their busy schedules.