17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

1) The pitch. Please see below my elevator pitch #2

https://youtu.be/Cs6yI80bihM

2) A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch. 3) What did you change, based on the feedback?

From my last pitch, I was not very clear, and did not give a lot of examples so I did this time and I also did not precise my target customer. 

Especially with vacation, I have to make people dream, and talk to their heart and senses at the same time. I need to explain why they have to choose my product instead of someone else's. 

18A – Create a Customer Avatar Submit Assignment

My customer Avatar will be my generation or younger, love to travel, sensitive to the environment, and open to discover new cultures.

What kind of hobbies does your customer have? 
Outdoor hobbies, like to play tennis, enjoy a good restaurant, like to be around people from different backgrounds. 

What kind of car do they tend to drive? (What color is it?) 
I love SUV, so my customer avatar would probably have an SUV, maybe white like me.

What TV shows do they watch?
The avatar would probably love comedies and romances.

 Do they have children? 
They are planning on having children but not in a rush in the present moment.

Are any of them adopted? 
Some would probably be. Diversity is key.

What are their favorite books, and who are their favorite politicians? 
The avatar would not care too much about Politics, but would love the Obama family.

How old are they? 
Ages vary fron 20s to late 40s

How old do they feel?  Very young, their philosophy is that age is jus a number.

16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

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

 My compassion for other, people can always tell that I relate to them and I understand where they’re coming from.

Having a big hurt is one of the human capital that make me different too, helping others without asking for anything in return.

Loyalty to my friends, family, and work. No matter how hard it gets, always stay loyal to my loved one.

Perseverance in my work , and at school, even though I am a full time student and I have a full time job, I try to balance them out. I would not quite under any circumstances. 

Hard work, I have been known to work long hours at work without any complains, stay late, do whatever it takes to do the job.

       2) Interview the five people who know you the best. 

https://soundcloud.com/imane-anouch/christine

https://soundcloud.com/imane-anouch/yesenia

https://soundcloud.com/imane-anouch/momo

https://soundcloud.com/imane-anouch/amy

https://soundcloud.com/imane-anouch/anas

        3) Reflect on the differences. 

         How I see myself and how other see me seem very similar. My work ethic, time management, and hard work are main recurrent point in the five interviews. I take a lot of pride to be the best version of myself every day, so it is rewarding to hear others qualifying you with such nice words and threats. 

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Interview #1: 

The first person I interviewed was my best friend Christine. For her the most important think is the price of the product compared to the quality. So a balance is necessary for her to find a product valuable. So for my business idea, she thinks that I should not price it too high because going on vacation already would need money, so if people have to pay an expensive fee to organize it would be not worth it. My friend mainly shop online, so an online product would be a good fit for her.

Interview #2: 

The second person I talked to was my previous boss. For her the price matters less than the quality of the product or service, she would be willing to pay the price if she considers it valuable. Like saving time in her busy schedule, or making vacation easier to plan would be a service that she would not mind paying for. She also shops online, but likes talking on the phone to a person, she considers it more personable and customized service. 

Interview #3: 

The third interview was with my brother. He looks at the price first before anything else. He is a full-time student and under a tight budget. So if the price does not fit his budget, he would not even look at the quality or the value of the product.

Different people have different priorities, some look at the price first, other look at the quality, but no matter the case, the value is the common thing that I heard in my interviews. Customers need to see the value in the product or service they are purchasing to deem it important enough to consider.

14A – Halfway Reflection Submit Assignment

As a full-time worker and a full-time student, tenaciousness is something that is a must if I want to succeed. Indeed, without it I would have gave up by now. 

I set myself a rigorous schedule where I allocate my time between work and studying. Many times, I have to study after a long day of work. Sometimes it seems impossible, but by remember my goals and thanks to my tenacity, I find the energy to sit down and stick to my schedule.

I also developed some routines that help me to stay full of energy. For example, I exercise after I work and that keeps me active and allows me to have a nice break between work and studying. It allows me to free my mind and transition to a studying mindset. 

It is important to relax before being able to recharge the batteries to get back to a high rhythm. However, it is important to have quality relaxation, and for that you have to know yourself. Indeed, what works for one person might not work for another. For me, my go to is a spa or massage treatment.

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

·      What surprised you the most?

I read a lot about Steve Job and his work, but I never knew that he was adopted.

·      What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? 

I really admired the fact that he started from basically noting, he’s a true entrepreneur, he transformed a simple idea into a million dollar empire.

·      What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

Steve Job’s volatile personality, that raises the question of whether feelings of abandonment in childhood made him fanatically controlling and manipulative as an adult. 

“His Zen awareness was not accompaniedby an excess of calm, peace of mind or interpersonal mellowness,” Mr. Isaacson says. 

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

Steve Jobs will always be best known for his incredible success in guiding Apple Inc. and transforming the entire consumer computer and phone industry. But he’ll also be remembered fondly as the poster child for how making mistakes and even failing that can sometimes end up being the best thing that ever happens to you.

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

Walter Isaacson writes that Steve Jobs valued simplicity, utility and beauty in ways that would shape his creative imagination. And the book maintains that those goals would not have been achievable in the great parade of Apple creations without that mean streak.

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

The part that I was confused about was the relationship that Steve Job had with his family, not his parents, but his adult life family/

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

How did you get inspired to start this venture? What is the key to success in your opinion?

That's what I am interested to know, how to get successful, and more specifically the treat that one needs to arm himself or herself with.

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

I do believe that hard work is main component of Mr Jobs successes. Hard work and perseverance will get anyone to achieve their goals. Mr Job and me would share the same opinion about hard work. 

12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1)    Pick a segment. 

 I stayed in a nice hotel for work in New York, and I talked to a couple that was enjoying their honey moon, the concierge at the lobby to recommend some services, and my server at the restaurant.All these people enjoyed traveling, and once I talked to them they had the unmet need.

2)   Find three people who would fit that segment and arrange to interview them. 

The three interviews that I conducted were about 15 min, but it was more conversations with the people that I talked to, which had a better flow of information.

3)   Begin with need awareness. 

 In the first interview that I conducted, the newlyweds were happy to be there, their parents offered them the trip which included the hotel stay and the flight.They were thankful for the gift, but did not have time to organize their trip with business of the wedding. They would have preferred an itinerary that would be inspired from their preferences.

The second interview was with concierge at the hotel was all about resourcefulness. She describes to be about how she try to meet all the guests need, but once on vacation she wants to relax. So, she would want to be in the customer shoes without worrying about all the detail of the vacation planning.

The server that I talked to in my third interview went through a travel agent that sold him a package with the flight and hotel stay, with no recommendation what so ever. So he wanted some more customize service, tailored to his family needs.

4)   Move to information search. 

Interview #1: Goes to the concierge desk, and called them prior to their arrival.

Interview #2: Uses her colleagues and friends as a resource. 

Interview#3: Compares the prices online, but his travel agent is his main contact.

5)    Report the findings of your research. 

By conducting these interviews, I learned that the need exists and is unsolved. My business idea would solve the customer need. Customizing my product to each guest would be the key to gain their business.

6)    Draw conclusions

By researching in the segment, I gathered more information about my targeted customer.I have yet to figure out the logistic of the travel website to draw the customer to it.

11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

1)    You. 

I am a very passionate person who worked in the travel industry for over 5 years, from luxury travel to luxury hotels.I love to travel, and with my experience, I can put myself in the customer shoes. My experience would help me with the expertise and craftsmanship aspect of the business. 

2)   What are you offering to customers? 

Meeting customer from all over the world, with different background, I know when it comes to travel, customer wants easy, and relaxing to spend quality time with their loved one.I know it’s very important to them especially in the USA with the limited time off.

3)    Who are you offering it to? 

 All the customers would want first to travel and making that experience memorable, and as smooth as possible. My customer would be of any age, seeking help with traveling, either to find the right destination, or with a chosen one.

4)   Why do they care? 

They would care because it would be an add on to their lifestyle.We all look for things or services that would make our lives easier, and that would be one of them.

5)   What are your core competencies? 

 I am still thinking about what would set my travel website apart.I would think that customizing our service to each guest need would be the key to success. On the other hand, I truly believe that the price not matter if the customer see the value of the product, but making it affordable would help with the targeted customers.

The five elements that I previously discussed seem like a great platform for my business idea, the weaker side would setting my business apart, because the competition out there is rough.