Final Reflection

This course has prompted me to step outside of my comfort zone and think deeply about myself as an entrepreneur. for me, the most formative part of his course was the assignments involving interviews of potential mentors, resources, or customers. Although I am not a shy person, I don't typically reach out to random people for interviews. Through these assignments, I have not only expanded my network, but also become more adept at making connections with people and researching information about businesses/products.

I definitely think that this class has helped me develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Throughout this course, the process of starting a business has been taught with different methodologies and strategies. However the recurring themes of determination, innovation, and perseverance have taught me what it truly means to be an entrepreneur. We develop these skills through experiential learning within this course, and I think I have become a better entrepreneur because of it.

My biggest recommendation to students taking this course in the future is to plan ahead. Think about when assignments are due, especially those requiring interviews because you need to schedule those ahead. Also remember that each assignment has value, and if you skip one assignment it will impede your ability to perform well on other assignments in the future.

Venture Concept #2

Venture Concept #2

Opportunity

Increasingly, educators are recognizing a need for change within the landscape of the education industry, which has not changed in decades. As a result, teachers and students have begun employing alternative learning methods. However, what they really need is a new learning tool, an alternative to the traditional textbook. Additional changes in the market reflect an increasing shift toward visual and experiential learning, which will be a space my guides are designed to fit into. 

My concept is a business to business product that is targeting public school systems. The potential customers include teachers, principals, and school board administrators. The market is being subdivided into a primary target market of younger teachers, ages 24-35, and a secondary market of older teachers, ages 35+. The “younger” teachers fall within or close to the millennial generation. As a result, they have a more clear understanding of today’s educational landscape and the need for concise communication, interesting lessons, and hands-on activities. I am going to focus on the state of Florida for launch, primarily because I am most familiar with these school systems and their standards. I will being with Broward County, which is one of the largest and most effective districts in the nation. 

The primary force creating this opportunity in the market is the increasing emphasis placed on education today in public schools. In addition to an emphasis on education, within this there is increasingly a demand for experiential learning and career-focused learning that will prepare students not only for college, but also for their careers beyond. Especially in today’s political emphasis, the resources allocated to schools and teaching materials being used are heavily scrutinized. America is not near the top for educational initiatives in the world, and improving the educational system remains a struggle. 

School systems are currently satisfying the need for innovative educational solutions through the new products provided to them by their current textbook providers, which include McGraw Hill, Pearson, and Glencoe. However, these providers only update every few years, and although they have been innovating in regard to educational technology, they have not been innovating much in regard to a new way to communicate the topic to students. However, schools are very loyal to their textbook companies because a) they are school board approved, and b) teachers are familiar with the text. An additional source of competition would be from educators who have created their own platforms, tools, and programs outside of the traditional school system. This is known as the “unschooling” method. However, this is a much more niche market and often does not generate the following that a product would generate if it were to succeed within the market of traditional, large-scale schooling systems. As a result, it will not impede the growth and sales of my guides significantly. 

This is a huge window of opportunity because the opportunity exists for the thousands of schools across Florida and America that all need enhanced educational material. However, the opportunity will not last long. Companies are aware of the need to develop new educational initiatives and tools. For example, McGraw Hill has recently come out with “SmartBook,” an interactive textbook that highlights the important material and includes application through chapter testing. Because these companies are trying to innovate, I project the window of opportunity will be open for a maximum of five years. 

Innovation

The product I’m proposing is a “Curriculum Guide,” series of workbooks and curriculum that outline material in a comprehensive and interactive manner. Each workbook is broken up by topic; each topic or lesson is two pages- one infographic page and one activity page. By creating an infographic design, the curriculum will allow kids to better understand the content and focus on the big picture of the lesson. In addition to the workbook, I would also create a power point to accompany each lesson for the teacher to use. This, coupled with the workbook for students to follow along during class, will create a more understandable curriculum that applies to real-world skills students need. Essentially, the innovative nature is not the information being distributed, but the manner in which it is communicated. For example, accounting will never change. What makes the difference in teaching accounting is how it is explained. By condensing information and presenting it in an infographic style, the workbooks themselves will be differentiated from “boring” typical textbooks. I am going to sell each individual book for $75, which is affordable compared to a typical $150 textbook. In addition I will be selling class sets at a discounted rate of $1,500/class set. Each class set is 25 books, which will equate to a rate of $60/book. 

In addition to the innovative aspect of the original guide itself, I would aim especially in the future to innovate with technology. Educational technology is becoming increasing relevant and demanding, and textbooks are shifting from paper to online models with interactive activities. As a next step for these guides, I aim to not just meet these expectations but exceed them though valuable content on electronic platforms. 

Venture Concept

Schools will to switch to the curriculum guide for three reasons:

1. Learning enhancement: Through the infographic style and emphasis on real-world application within the curriculum guides, schools will be providing a more comprehensive learning experience to students.
2. Teacher resources: by simplifying and explaining concepts in curriculum, the curriculum guides will make teachers’ jobs easier. In addition, teacher powerpoints that correlate to each lesson will be provided with class sets, as an aid to teachers’ in-class lectures. To take it one step further, we will also include testing materials and hands-on activities that will make more uniform assessment in the subject, and provide the activities and exams that teachers have no time to make themselves. 
3. Assessment + test scores: school boards are evaluated based on the results of their testing scores from students. Which prompts the question, what will raise these scores? Not additional quizzes in a textbook, but an excitement for learning within students. Curriculum guides will use interactive and comprehensive lessons that aren’t nearly as monotonous as textbooks, and by emphasizing the important parts of a topic, the information will stick more with students. As a result, there will be a deeper understanding, reflected in overall higher test scores. And with higher test scores, better ratings and more funding for school systems. 

It will not be easy to get schools to switch over in the beginning. Primarily because of their history with other textbook providers. However, I will close the sale with schools by presenting these competitive advantages and by working toward getting these curriculum guides school board approved.

The competitors include big-name textbook distributors such as Pearson, Glencoe, and McGraw Hill. Each of them are very similar. Although they are strong and control a vast majority of market share, there is opportunity for this venture concept to compete. These competitors recognize that there is a demand for innovation. Each of them are using new technologies to appeal to teachers. However, they are not considering the student’s perspective, and addressing the problem of boring, monotonous textbooks. This is their weakness; they can add more tests, but without changing the way they’re communicating their information they will not be effective to students in the classroom for long-term learning. 

Because this will be B2B selling to schools, packaging, location, and customer support will not be as important as price point, distribution, and customer experience. Textbooks can be expensive, but through packaging deals, a lower overall price can allow schools to meet their budgets. Distribution is important because of the logistic of working with schools’ receiving and financially, producing Purchase Orders working with their bookkeepers. Most importantly, the consumer experience of the value added in the classroom is what will spur motivation to purchase the books. 

I would organize a business to support the ongoing production of this product through outsourcing and through human capital. I would outsource the printing of the workbooks and development of online media. I would add writers that are industry professionals in different subjects to contribute to the content of the curriculum guides, so I’m providing the most up-to-date, relevant information. As the business grows, I would of course need to add employees that could manage production, distribution, and financial management. 

The feedback I received from previous assignments was very helpful. Some of it was definitely a morale boost because people understood that I have a strong background from which I can draw my knowledge of and passion for the company and products. What was very interesting was that one of my peers actually informed me about the “unschooled” education concept that has been emerging as an opportunity for students to gain a more impactful learning experience outside of the traditional school environment. 

In my updated Venture Concept, I included the unschooled methodology as one of my competitors. In addition, I added more information about my innovation within and next steps regarding educational technology, and using technology to further meet customers’ needs and further distinguish my product within the market. 

Reading Reflection: Elon Musk

1) As I was reading about Elon Musk, it was amazing to learn about his outlook on life. I was surprised about how much his home life and his childhood affected not only his intelligence but also his interests and ability to pursue success. I most admired Elon Musk's ability to ALWAYS come up with an idea or solution, and to always challenge societal norms. He constantly questions the world, and has ideas no one else can think up. In addition, he refuses to believe that anything is impossible. What I least admired about Elon Musk was that he's not always the best teacher, and can be tough on employees. However, I think perhaps he does this for their ultimate benefit and the benefit of the company. Elon Musk has definitely faced adversity, because so many of his ideas are so forward-thinking that people always doubt him. However he has overcome this adversity by proving through his own results that he is capable and that his ideas will work, so he has built a reputation.

2) The biggest competency I noticed about Elon Musk was his ability to put himself in others' shoes and really understand other peoples' perspectives. Even though he wasn't from a third world country, he has created products that add value to third world countries and other markets outside of his comfort zone, and he is able to do this because of perspective.

3) One part of the reading that was confusing to me was how Elon Musk was able to specialize in so many different industries and topics. He is obviously very skilled at business, and has a wide understanding of technology. However, his products range from rockets to space companies to cars and more, and not all of these are correlated. It is rare for one person to have expertise in all of these areas.

4) Two questions I would ask Elon Musk are "What books do you read?" because I think the books a person reads allow you to gain insight into what resonates with them and how their mind works, and "What do you do when you don't have a solution?" because he has been in this situation before and I would like to learn from his experience.

5) I think Elon Musk really values hard work; he has worked hard in everything he has ever done his whole life. This is really exemplified because he could have stopped with his first product, first company, or when he first started earning money. But he chose to keep going and keep working harder because those are his values. I definitely share this sentiment, because I believe that if you really enjoy what you're doing, it won't seem as much like hard work.

1) My exit strategy for this firm is to put myself out of business (or discontinue this product line) by developing newer and better products that will make my original product obsolete. What I mean by this is, the education industry is constantly changing and is currently moving toward a need for more technological integration. I would create a new product that is complete technology and make this current product obsolete.

2) I have selected this exit strategy because it would allow be to retire my product and still have revenues and income flowing in. In addition, I would have the ability to continue doing what I love and building a company that positively impacts the education sector.

3) I do think that my exit strategy has affected my perspective because I am very goal oriented, and am working toward that goal, so I am continuing to look for opportunities in the market. However, I will continue to work toward making my company as successful as possible, not just build it up and sell it off.

Celebrating Failure

1) This semester I am enrolled in Business Finance, and... it's definitely not what I would consider a personal "success." I went in knowing that the exam was extremely difficult, and worked very hard studying. However, I still did poorly on the first exam. I studied even harder for the second exam, and was rewarded with a better grade. However, the final exam did not go as well as I would have hoped. Although I do not yet know the grade, I know that it will not be up to my usual standard of excellence.

2) I have definitely learned a lot from this experience within Finance. From each exam, I learned better study skills that I have applied and will apply to future exams and work approaches in order to become more successful. I have also learned the value of practice. The more practice I did, the better my exams were, and the more confident I felt. My key takeaway was that if I put in enough effort and practice to my own maximum capacity, there is nothing more I could have done, and I will feel better and more confident throughout the experience.

3) Personally, I think failure is nothing the be afraid of, because it is inevitable. Maybe not in the situation of my finance course. But everybody will experience failure at some point and many times throughout their personal and professional lives. The way you respond to failure is what will determine your success in the future. If you take failure as a learning experience and don't make the same mistake twice, then you will be able to become more successful in the future as a result of your failure. I try to see failure as a learning experience, and I also try to prevent failure from happening in the first place. Through this course, my perspective on failure has definitely changed, and I have better learned to accept failure as a learning opportunity.

What's Next?

Existing Market

1: What I think is next for my venture is technology integration. Right now, I am planning to create print and digital versions of my workbooks. However, the next step would be creating interactive activities online that provide more value through interactive learning. 

2: 3 target customers

• Sam: Marketing student, Sophomore
• Sam believes that providing more content through online and virtual platforms would be a very beneficial next step. He also suggested making additional content that would allow students to better prepare for specific exams. 
• Rachel: Business Teacher, 15 Years Experience
• Rachel agrees that more technological integration would be cool, however, she suggests that the most important next step is more teacher resources. Perhaps supplemental lesson plans and powerpoints to accompany the workbooks.
• Denise: Marketing Professor
• Denise believes that the next step is conducting research and providing more in-depth information, rather than just one-page infographics. She thinks it may be useful to collaborate with a textbook company.

3: In the future I intend to follow my plan of developing additional tools using technology to integrate more learning into the classroom. However, this will take time to develop. Therefore I will begin first be creating my own additional content correlating to the workbooks for teachers to use simultaneously in class and for students to use out of class. 

New Market

1: I’m currently targeting specific individuals: students and teachers. These are the people who will be directly using my products. A radically different market would be the Florida School Board, in order to gain school board approval and get my products in schools throughout Florida. 

2: I think that this product would create value for school board members because it would create value for their teachers/programs, and subsequently, their schools. With better learning material, competitive business students will perform better, and become more passionate about their programs. This will reflect very well on the school, and improve the community. 

3: 3 interviews

• Charles Scott Neely: Cypress Bay High School Principal
• Neely thinks that it the educational tools used in the classroom are a reflection of the tools demanded by teachers. However he does think it would be difficult for a workbook to replace a textbook. So, these workbooks should only be used as supplemental, extra tools for students and teachers.
• Angel Gomez: Piper High School Principal, Broward County School Board Representative
• Angel’s biggest suggestion was to work on collaborating with the state to incorporate common core standards. If this happens, the workbooks could get school board approved, and then I could have a more widespread distribution to many schools. He does admit this is a slow process, but at the end there will be a large payoff. 

4: I think many of my assumptions were correct: I would need to get the material school board approved in order to be most impactful. I do not think that in the short-term this will be the most profitable avenue for my venture. However with time, this could be extremely beneficial in the long-term. 

Reading Reflection #2

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck

The general theme or argument of this book was that the most successful people or entrepreneurs are those who have a positive attitude, and first convince themselves that they are capable of achieving more. Because they have more optimism in order to maintain a positive mindset, it is these people who have more motivation, work harder, and are less likely to give up. As a result, they are less likely to accept failure and demand quality and success within their work and their lives.

In my opinion, the book connected with and enhanced what we are learning currently in ENT3003 because within discussing techniques and strategies to become successful within business, we have focused on the importance of perseverance, determination, and optimism. Within each of these concepts lies the mindset that Dweck describes in her book and, further, the different characteristics that are common in successful entrepreneurs.

I love creating business education curriculum, and am currently teaching an entrepreneurship course focused on success and failure in entrepreneurship, which is why I am so interested in this book particularly. In order to teach an activity based on this book, I would have students identify someone successful and someone "not" successful either in business or in life, and compare the different attributes and mindsets of each of these people.

My biggest surprise reading the book was the proof. Throughout the book, Dweck includes specific examples of companies and entrepreneurs who say that the biggest contribution to their success was their own belief that they would succeed. In addition, there were psychological tests/research that had been conducted which supported the concept that those with a more positive or optimistic outlook tended to achieve more than those with a more pessimistic outlook. It surprised me the extent to which your mindset really can affect your success in life and in business. However, I guess it is not quite as surprising considering that so many successful entrepreneurs were originally dreamers who had ideas no one believed in, but maintained a positive and optimistic outlook.

Growing Your Social Capital

The first person I interviewed was Kelly Bousman. I had met her during one of Marty’s panel discussions in his Debates and Dilemmas in Entrepreneurship class last semester. Kelly is a business developer and has recently been involved in the start-up of the Tampa Bay Wave, where she works as a mentor providing advice and guidance to new entrepreneurs, similar to the Gator Hatchery here at UF.  

In Marty’s class and in our conversation, we had discussed the concepts of business strategy and growth. Having experienced the rise and fall of so many companies, Sue was able to offer a lot of insight into business development. A great quote she gave me is that “Every stage of growth is preceded by a stage of reinvention.” I think this is super important, because in order to be successful, it is necessary to constantly look toward the future, and the future requires change. At some point, the market or business environment will change, and the business must be prepared for this process. Kelly has reinvented her company several times, and that reinvention has made it even more successful.

As we were talking, I told Kelly about my work with DECA, and she gave me some great teaching tools as well. One of the most useful tools she gave me was the following acronym, GOST:

Goals

Objectives

Strategy 

Tactics

I actually used this acronym to teach a couple girls at my home DECA chapter, when they were getting confused between goals and objectives. Their minds were blown, and I actually saw them using it in their paper afterwards. She told me that through this acronym, the team can not only better set its goals and mission, but it can also better outline the core values of the company and keep employees on track as they build their companies or begin new projects. 

I also asked her about her experience as a mentor at the Tampa Bay Wave compared to her leadership role in the company. She told me that being a business mentor is just as much a learning experience, as with her company, as it is a teaching experience. She’s learned about other industries that she’s mentored, and learned from mistakes. However, she’s used many more of her past mistakes as an entrepreneur to provide guidance to the companies she’s mentoring, so they don’t make the same mistakes. In regard to how she’s going to help me, we are currently discussing an opportunity for her to review my curriculum from a business perspective, and even promote my business workbook to the businesses she incubates and the students she works with. 

I also interviewed Paul Wardinski, the Executive Director of DECA Inc. We didn’t get to speak for long, but I had some time to speak with him during a conference last semester and throughout this year because I’m doing work creating educational materials for DECA Inc.

The conversation was extremely valuable. Paul is not necessarily an entrepreneur, but he has the entrepreneurial mindset to lead and change an organization of over 215,000 members and advisors. DECA is a 501(c)3, and in the organization there are staff members as well as a Board of Advisors who make decisions. As a result of this, new ideas and change within DECA are very slow. Paul is in his third year as Executive Director of DECA Inc., and has already been making improvements and changes. In our discussion, I asked him how he approached entering the organization as the “new guy” in control and what his strategy was to lead the organization toward change. Much of what he told me reflected several of the Laws of Leadership. He told me that a huge part of creating change is getting the team on board by making them feel like a community and by making them feel like they are a part of the change. Every Monday, the Executive Staff has Executive Council meetings to go over ideas and progress, and if there’s a new idea out, they all have a vote. It may take a bit longer this way, but when the final decision is made, there’s more unification in implementation. To me, he’s really implementing the Law of Addition. I also think he’s leading using the Law of Legacy. Although he isn’t finished with his job yet, he has created new initiatives in DECA that he wants to strengthen the organization even after he leaves. For example, we were discussing a project, The DECA 100, that could become a long-standing tradition in DECA. Even though some of his projects are just beginning, he is ultimately making changes in order to create the most value within his position and within the company. 

Speaking to Paul Wardinski, I also gained some insight into what motivates his leadership style. He is very family-oriented, and tries hard to understand the values of his co-workers. His wife is a DECA Advisor, and one of his daughters is currently in DECA at the high school level; he is a DECA family and is very committed to the organization. Through his family, he can gain insight into the teacher’s and the student’s perspective of the organization, which I think is a really valuable asset. As a leader, I think it’s extremely important to consider every perspective, and sometimes leaders at the top lose sight of that. I can connect it to teachers; I feel like for some teachers, there comes a point where they teach the same lessons over and over, and they stop being learners. At that point, they aren’t seeing new perspectives to teach their students. 

The interview with Paul was extremely valuable, especially for me, because I want to work with/for him as a DECA Advisor or DECA Inc. Staff member in the future. I actually told him this, and his response was that I technically already am doing that because of my workbooks. However, this conversation gave me a ton of great insight into the day-to-day operations and leadership within the organization. In addition, he provided me with very valuable insight into selling business curriculum to high school school systems, and how I could penetrate the market. He also said I may be able to use his network in order to get my foot in the door.

The next person I interviewed was Dr. Michael Morris, a UF professor at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. I had seen Dr. Morris teach at his Business Plan Lab last Spring, and knew he needed to be one of the people I interviewed. When I listened to him teach, it was amazing. He could draw back on his own experiences, but even more than that, he knew how to boil down to the key concepts and show how everything in business connects. Watching him teach, I realize that is how I’d like to teach in the future: knowing so much and having so much experience, that every time a student walks away they feel like they’ve gained a completely new understanding of business. 

When we spoke, I asked Dr. Morris about his opinion on whether or not entrepreneurship or leadership can really be taught, or if it’s something, a set of qualities or skills, that you need to be born with. He drew on his experiences not only in previous ventures, but also from the Big Idea Competition. He told me about how each year, there are a ton of teams that sign up to participate, but by the time final submissions roll around there are significantly less still in the game. Basically, you can learn the fundamental concepts of entrepreneurship and leadership: how to inspire a team, how to start up a company, the components of running a functioning business. However, being a leader or an entrepreneur requires more than just knowledge, it requires the drive and the determination to actually do it. Without that determination, it doesn’t matter how much you learn, because a plan will always change and you need to be ready, willing, and able to adapt and work hard in order to move forward. 

I also asked Dr. Morris what his biggest piece of advice would be to an aspiring entrepreneur. His response is that “You’ve got to have a passion for whatever you do, it’s the only thing that will carry you through, in terms of setbacks, obstacles, and anything that will make any money or have any impact.” He also said that you need to be disciplined, and can’t try to be all things to all people. This resonated with me, because I’ve been in that position learning to manage a team and delegating, and realizing that I a) can’t make everybody happy all the time and b) can’t do everything by myself. In business, it is vital to have a strong inner circle and to trust your inner circle, so you have help to make you stronger. In addition, when your team is diverse and has skills that you don’t they challenge you and make you stronger as a leader, and the sum is greater than the whole. 

Dr. Morris is a very valuable resource to me because he has developed so much of his own business curriculum in the past. He is connecting with several business educators to review my work from an educational perspective in order to give my products more validity.

This experience definitely shaped the way that I network with people. Expanding your network is extremely important, especially as an entrepreneur. Through this experience, I have become more confident in my exchanges both personally and professionally with people within and outside of my network. 

Idea Napkin #2

1. As a student of business in and out of the classroom, it is my goal to use entrepreneurship as a foundation to strengthen my peers, my community, and my environment. I am currently leading business development initiatives for several companies including AVI-SPL (the world’s largest Audio-Visual innovations company), for which I am currently developing and implementing an internship program. Alongside this, I design and write business education guide books that teach entrepreneurship and marketing to high school students, which have been published and sold to 250,000+ DECA members around the world. I am extremely passionate about business education, and intrigued by the growing popularity of teaching the more intangible concepts surrounding leadership and entrepreneurship. The perspectives of being both a teacher and a student, I believe, make me an asset when designing educational materials for students. Like many successful entrepreneurs, I must design a product that I myself would want to use/purchase. Because I envision a future and a career as an educator or within the industry of education, I believe this business can play a fundamental role in my life and career. 
2. I am developing an alternative to the traditional, boring textbook. Educational tools and materials that will break down concepts into infographic-styled lessons accompanied by hands-on, engaging activities. These guides will enable students to connect more with the content and gain more valuable information during their first experience with the new information. It will also supplement as a tool and curriculum for educators to use within the classroom.
3. I am offering this product to teachers, professors, and students. I will begin by offering the product to teachers and students at the high school level. Teachers would be the customer -- making the buying decision -- but students would be the consumers. Unlike current educational environments, the goal would be to encourage a symbiotic relationship between teacher and student. If the student enjoys the material they are learning, they will perform better for the teacher. 
4. Students will care because this educational guide will make the topic more engaging to them and more interesting; as a result, they will learn more and gain more value from their courses. At the very least, in learning more they will perform better in their courses. Teachers will care because it will allow them to do their jobs more effectively. Not only will it satisfy a need for more engaging content, but it will also provide teaching tools and in-class assignments and activities for students to complete. 
5. My core competencies include my background in business education and business development, my passion for business education, and my ability to present information in a way that makes it easy to learn. Working alongside college professors and high school educators, I have gained insight into the current functionality of educational content and where there can be improvements. I have also developed the skills necessary to be successful in this field. 

I believe these elements definitely fit together. My core competencies and background working with educators gives me insight into what my market wants. My experience as a student allows me to better understand the learning needs of students. My passion for education drives me to produce the best possible product in order to be most impactful within the market. 

Some of the feedback I received was that I should elaborate on the difference among my target customers. As a result, I explained in this idea napkin that teachers would be the customers, while students would be the consumers. I also received feedback that I should elaborate more on the business experience I've had, so I included that this time. 

Elevator Pitch #2

This is my elevator pitch for my educational guidebooks:

The feedback I received on my last pitch was that I included a lot of relevant information, gave good analogies that students could relate to, and that I have good speaking skills. However, I also received feedback that I could be in professional dress and standing up in order to deliver a better presentation. This is what I changed in my second elevator pitch in order to be more effective.

Venture Concept #1

Opportunity

This is a business to business product that is targeting public school systems. The potential customers include teachers, principals, and school board administrators. The market is being subdivided into a primary target market of younger teachers, ages 24-35, and a secondary market of older teachers, ages 35+. The “younger” teachers fall within or close to the millennial generation. As a result, they have a more clear understanding of today’s educational landscape and the need for concise communication, interesting lessons, and hands-on activities. I am going to focus on the state of Florida for launch, primarily because I am most familiar with these school systems and their standards. I will being with Broward County, which is one of the largest and most effective districts in the nation. 

The primary force creating this opportunity in the market is the increasing emphasis placed on education today in public schools. In addition to an emphasis on education, within this there is increasingly a demand for experiential learning and career-focused learning that will prepare students not only for college, but also for their careers beyond. Especially in today’s political emphasis, the resources allocated to schools and teaching materials being used are heavily scrutinized. America is not near the top for educational initiatives in the world, and improving the educational system remains a struggle. 

School systems are currently satisfying the need for innovative educational solutions through the new products provided to them by their current textbook providers, which include McGraw Hill, Pearson, and Glencoe. However, these providers only update every few years, and although they have been innovating in regard to educational technology, they have not been innovating much in regard to a new way to communicate the topic to students. However, schools are very loyal to their textbook companies because a) they are school board approved, and b) teachers are familiar with the text. 

This is a huge window of opportunity because the opportunity exists for the thousands of schools across Florida and America that all need enhanced educational material. However, the opportunity will not last long. Companies are aware of the need to develop new educational initiatives and tools. For example, McGraw Hill has recently come out with “SmartBook,” an interactive textbook that highlights the important material and includes application through chapter testing. Because these companies are trying to innovate, I project the window of opportunity will be open for a maximum of five years. 

Innovation

The product I’m proposing is a “Curriculum Guide,” series of workbooks and curriculum that outline material in a comprehensive and interactive manner. Each workbook is broken up by topic; each topic or lesson is two pages- one infographic page and one activity page. By creating an infographic design, the curriculum will allow kids to better understand the content and focus on the big picture of the lesson. In addition to the workbook, I would also create a power point to accompany each lesson for the teacher to use. This, coupled with the workbook for students to follow along during class, will create a more understandable curriculum that applies to real-world skills students need. Essentially, the innovative nature is not the information being distributed, but the manner in which it is communicated. For example, accounting will never change. What makes he difference in teaching accounting is how it is explained. By condensing information and presenting it in an infographic style, the workbooks themselves will be differentiated from “boring” typical textbooks. I am going to sell each individual book for $75, which is affordable compared to a typical $150 textbook. In addition I will be selling class sets at a discounted rate of $1,500/class set. Each class set is 25 books, which will equate to a rate of $60/book. 

Venture Concept

Schools will to switch to the curriculum guide for three reasons:

1. Learning enhancement: Through the infographic style and emphasis on real-world application within the curriculum guides, schools will be providing a more comprehensive learning experience to students.
2. Teacher resources: by simplifying and explaining concepts in curriculum, the curriculum guides will make teachers’ jobs easier. In addition, teacher powerpoints that correlate to each lesson will be provided with class sets, as an aid to teachers’ in-class lectures. To take it one step further, we will also include testing materials and hands-on activities that will make more uniform assessment in the subject, and provide the activities and exams that teachers have no time to make themselves. 
3. Assessment + test scores: school boards are evaluated based on the results of their testing scores from students. Which prompts the question, what will raise these scores? Not additional quizzes in a textbook, but an excitement for learning within students. Curriculum guides will use interactive and comprehensive lessons that aren’t nearly as monotonous as textbooks, and by emphasizing the important parts of a topic, the information will stick more with students. As a result, there will be a deeper understanding, reflected in overall higher test scores. And with higher test scores, better ratings and more funding for school systems. 

It will not be easy to get schools to switch over in the beginning. Primarily because of their history with other textbook providers. However, I will close the sale with schools by presenting these competitive advantages and by working toward getting these curriculum guides school board approved.

The competitors include big-name textbook distributors such as Pearson, Glencoe, and McGraw Hill. Each of them are very similar. Although they are strong and control a vast majority of market share, there is opportunity for this venture concept to compete. These competitors recognize that there is a demand for innovation. Each of them are using new technologies to appeal to teachers. However, they are not considering the student’s perspective, and addressing the problem of boring, monotonous textbooks. This is their weakness; they can add more tests, but without changing the way they’re communicating their information they will not be effective to students in the classroom for long-term learning. 

Because this will be B2B selling to schools, packaging, location, and customer support will not be as important as price point, distribution, and customer experience. Textbooks can be expensive, but through packaging deals, a lower overall price can allow schools to meet their budgets. Distribution is important because of the logistic of working with schools’ receiving and financially, producing Purchase Orders working with their bookkeepers. Most importantly, the consumer experience of the value added in the classroom is what will spur motivation to purchase the books. 

I would organize a business to support the ongoing production of this product through outsourcing and through human capital. I would outsource the printing of the workbooks and development of online media. I would add writers that are industry professionals in different subjects to contribute to the content of the curriculum guides, so I’m providing the most up-to-date, relevant information. As the business grows, I would of course need to add employees that could manage production, distribution, and financial management. 

What Makes You So Special?

 Resources in my venture

1. Experience: my venture is essentially a modification of a project I am currently working on. I am currently producing and designing business “competition guides” as workbooks for DECA Inc. My venture is essentially the adaptation of these books to a more curriculum focused workbook that can be used outside of DECA to teach courses. 
1. This resource is valuable because having created a similar product before, I know what appeals to educators, students, and how to create this product. For example, when I began I didn’t know about dpi or design quality or icon licensing required for publishing, printing, and selling. Now I’ve gained this experience to use in my venture.
2. This resource is rare because the infographic-style workbook is unique to DECA Inc., and a unique form of information dissemination across educational media. 
3. This resource is inimitable because in creating the workbooks, the knowledge I gained about the product itself is knowledge that nobody else has access to.
4. This resource is non-substitutable because through this experience I learned how to produce the guides most effectively and efficiently, which will ultimately allow me to be more successful as I launch this new venture. 
2. InDesign proficiency
1. This resource is valuable because after teaching myself InDesign in order to create the original workbooks, I was able to produce the product at a higher quality. This knowledge is a valuable way to not only aid in creativity, but also to ensure the high resolution and quality of the product. 
2. This resource is rare because although many people know how to use InDesign, everybody has a different design style. I learned through multiple sources and experiences in the past year, so my style allows me to more efficiently produce my work. In addition, many tools and data from my original files are saved on my InDesign, which will be helpful for my new books.
3. This resource is inimitable only because of my work with InDesign specifically correlated to my current workbooks. I have been using the program for several content marketing internships. However, the tools I have integrated into my program are available only to me and will be useful resources for my future guides. For example, the settings are already established. 
4. This resource is non-substitutable because InDesign is the primary professional program to create for-print works such as printed materials and books. It is necessary in order to produce workbooks with proper CMYK coloring, high resolution dpi, and professional graphics. 
3. Personal creativity
1. My personal creativity is extremely valuable because the creativity behind the infographic-style design of the lessons in each workbook is what makes this concept so unique. Rather than delivering my information in 100 pages of text, I’m using a creative and artistic medium. I need this creativity in order to produce the infographics and effectively pull off the design.
2. This is rare because it requires a specific mindset to be able to make you own designs, especially to be able to take boring information and integrate design elements in order to make it appealing and more effective.
3. This is inimitable because everybody has their own different style of design. My design style is different from another person’s, and it is my design style that has been proven to work in business concept workbooks.
4. My creativity is non-substitutable because it is extremely difficult to copy somebody’s style of design and personal creativity. People can design educational workbooks, but not with the same type of creativity that I do currently. This may prove to be a problem if I am the only person that can produce the product. However, I will be taking steps to create tools that will allow other designers ease of access to my icons and graphics with standard templates in order to make each lesson more consistent. 
4. Business acumen
1. My business acumen is valuable because through years of business study, I have an understanding not only of how to start and grow a business, but also the fundamental concepts necessary to teach students about business. through this business knowledge and the knowledge I gain through study and research, I can enhance my workbooks and create more comprehensive business guides. 
2. My business acumen is not rare alone, but through all of my experiences and research, it is the aggregation of everything I have learned that is rare. By learning as much about business as possible, I have a much more vast knowledge base to share with other students. 
3. My business acumen is inimitable because much of my knowledge has been gained through experience. The accumulation of my experiences is something that cannot be replicated by any other situation or textbook. 
4. My business acumen is non-substitutable because all of the information I have is relevant to and necessary for each lesson within the workbooks I’m writing. 
5. DECA Advisors 
1. Through my experience with and work for DECA as both a student, member, and colleague, I have gained mentorship and friendship with several DECA Advisors (business teachers) at home. They are valuable resources not only because of their mentorship roles, but also because they are the market I am targeting. So, as I produce products, their feedback allows my to analyze if I am meeting my customers’ needs and what I can do better.
2. Having the DECA Advisors as a resource is rare because I find it unusual for students or alumni to have such a close connection with their teachers, especially after they graduate. However, I speak to my DECA Advisors on almost a daily basis. In addition, not many people have as close a connection with their target market, especially in a B2B market. 
3. My access to DECA Advisors is inimitable because other people can’t replicate the experiences I’ve had with them, and nobody can be as loyal to them as I am. 
4. The DECA Advisors are non-substitutable because they are the perfect representation of my target market: busy and dedicated business and marketing teachers. In addition, they have had the experience of years of business education, which is a non-substitutable opportunity for mentorship. 
6. UF Professors
1. UF professors are valuable resources not only as mentors, but also because professors are the people who determine what books students will purchase. If a professor recommends or requires a workbook, it’s about to sell hundreds of copies. As a result, the goal is to give UF professors these workbooks for free, explain the concept to them, and when they see that it will help them as educators, they’ll use it for the course and tell students to buy it. 
2. This access to UF professors is rare because it is available only to college students at the school. 
3. This resource is inimitable because the relationships formed with professors by not only having them in class but also by interacting with them is not a relationship that can be replicated.
4. This resource is non-substitutable because it is necessary for educator to support or promote the product in order for it to be used in schools and ultimately make sales. 
7. Patience
1. My patience is a surprising resource. Or course patience is useful in any business. However, I believe my patience is especially valuable in this situation because anybody can aggregate business knowledge and design a workbook; but nobody has done it because they don’t have the patience to make the complex designs and take hours to design each page. It may take months to design one workbook. the patience to do it is what really makes it possible. 
2. This resource is rare because in a society that is becoming increasingly impatient with a need for speed, very few people have the patience to sit down and design this content. 
3. This resource is inimitable because it is very difficult to train someone to have patience, and it requires focus.
4. Patience is non-substitutable because without the patience to work diligently on each workbook, design, or page, the products would never get done. Or if they did get done, they would be very low quality.
8. Funding
1. Funding is extremely important. I unfortunately do not ahem ton of funding. However, through royalties form the DECA Workbooks, I have saved enough to prepare myself for launch. This business model is great because with the books, there isn’t a lot of overhead. In addition, the first few books may be expensive to print. However, bulk sales or many sales at the same time will allow me to generate revenue to pay for costs in a timely manner.
2. The money I’m receiving in revenue is definitely rare, because I am the only person DECA has negotiated a royalty-based contract with.
3. This resource is inimitable because not only is it generating revenue, but it is using my current experience (which will help me launch this venture) in order to generate fund for my new venture.
4. This resource is non-substitutable because money and initial funding is a necessary requirement of any business start-up.
9. Drive to enhance education
1. My personal drive to enhance education in schools and specifically within Career and Technical Education (CTE) is the motivation for creating these workbooks. This is super valuable because it will keep me and the company as a whole focused on this vision, which will keep me innovating in order to improve the product and stay ahead of competition.
2. This is a rare resource because many companies are often founded on the goals of revenue generation.
3. My drive to enhance education is inimitable because very few people besides the owner in a business truly connect with the foundation of motivation beyond making a profit.
4. This resource is non-substitutable because every entrepreneur needs motivation beyond making money in order to be truly successful. Using this motivation as a resource is necessary because it makes me determined and keeps me motivated.
10. DECA Members and Students
1. Through my continued involvement in DECA as a competition guide writer and as President of the state of Florida DECA, I’ve expanded my network and met not only officers at the national level and of other states, but also tons of DECA members and students. My relationships to these students is valuable because it allows me to gain insight into what their needs and wants are, and how I can meet those needs through my products. 
2. These relationships are rare because being the President of the state and working at the international level gives me access to a huge composite of students that is not available or taken advantage of by most people.
3. These resources are inimitable because the relationships you form with other people cannot be replicated. 
4. These resources are non-substitutable because having the relationships with the consumer, with business students, and gaining an understanding of that market is vital in order to successfully provide products for them.

Although each of these resources are extremely supportive to my venture, I believe the most valuable are my creativity and my experience creating similar workbooks with DECA. The experience lets me know that it is possible for me to create these workbooks and for them to be successful, because hundreds of workbooks have been printed and sold out at DECA Inc. already. It’s almost like a market test. I also believe my creativity is most valuable because what is enticing about the workbooks is not the information as much as the way the information is presented, and that is a direct result of my creativity and design making the infographic-style lessons and activities.

What's Your Secret Sauce?

I think that through my experiences, background, and passion, I have significant human capital that would support my venture concept: a replacement for the textbook. My experience within education and business education gives me a leg up. Not only do I TA entrepreneurship courses here (and develop course content for them), but I also produce business workbooks/curriculum for DECA, and mentor business students one-on-one. My background in business is an additional strength; it is one thing to be interested in a product/knowledgeable within the field, however, a competency as a business owner is necessary in order to truly be successful. I also believe that my perspective as a student gives me an advantage- these books are created in order to appeal to students and make them more interesting, so it is best to understand what a student would want out of educational materials. My competency within the field of graphic design is another strength, as these books are designed in an infographic style, and having the skill set to create these designs is crucial. Finally, my passion for education and business development will motivate me to create the best possible products and the strongest company.

Interviews

1. Paula: Paula has identified my dedication and passion for the work I do as my biggest strength. She also mentioned that I am very goal-oriented, which I have definitely noticed about myself. According to Paula, I am also very "unselfish" as well as loyal, which can definitely be a strength, as long as you don't get taken advantage of. (http://www.filedropper.com/paulaonme)
2. Julian: Julian has identified my optimism and professionalism, as well as my experience out of school as personal strengths. He also believes I am adept at juggling a large workload and that I have "impeccable time management." In addition, I have an ability to bounce back from difficulty. (http://www.filedropper.com/julianonme) 
3. Gadi: According to Gadi, the work I do has become a part of me, and I know myself very well. He also believes that I am good at managing and delegating, and planning for the future. (http://www.filedropper.com/gadionme)
4. Denise: Denise has identified my willingness to network and my tenacity as strengths. She also understands that I love to be challenged, which is an interesting take on a strength. (http://www.filedropper.com/deniseonme)
5. Nicole: According to Nicole, I am very goal-oriented and professional, and do not let barriers get in my way. In addition, my ability to juggle many responsibilities is a strength, in addition to knowing what I want and my drive to get it. (http://www.filedropper.com/nicole_1)

Many of these people (especially the first three) have worked closely with me in the past, and know me very well. I do find that I agree with many of their objective statements: I am loyal, I'm definitely very goal-oriented, and I do try to always have a passion for what I do. However, I think Paula and Julian may be overstating some of my abilities-- I am a very hard worker and will make sure to stay committed and go beyond what is required; however, I don't think that means there's "nothing too hard" for me or that I'm just amazing. I think anyone can do the things I've done if they try hard enough... they just need to do it. 

*You may need to download the audio file from the link in order to listen to it

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior #2

I am conducting research for an alternative to the traditional textbook: an infographic, interactive guidebook.

Interviews:

1- Wendy Smith
Wendy is a high school business teacher for DECA, the business organization. Throughout our interview, she gave me insight into the ways that DECA Advisors incorporate DECA content into their curriculum. Wendy makes buying decisions based on the products that DECA puts out as well as the reviews she has personally heard from other teachers or people in the industry. Her decision making factors include the feasibility of incorporating a product's content into her lectures and curriculum, as well as the value it will bring her students. She says she doesn't look too much at price because the school system will often cover the cost of a book. However if she is using a supplemental material not covered by the school, she will try to use a more affordable product because she doesn't want her students' families to dig too deep into their pockets. Wendy believes she made a good purchase if she realizes that she is using it often in her lectures and that it is making an impact on the students, and helping them learn more.

2- Johnny Petrucco
Johnny is a graduate student majoring in management. He told me that he often uses tools he can find for free on the internet. He also uses the books required by the professors, but only because he would fail his classes without them; he does not enjoy reading the textbook. When it comes to supplemental educational materials, Johnny will look at price to an extent; although he is very price conscious as a college student, he also knows he will pay a premium for something that is guaranteed to help him excel in his classes. Johnny says he knows if he made a good purchase based on the grades he receives in his courses after using the materials.

3- Son Von Hai
Son is a student of entrepreneurship at the University of Florida. He says he often looks for supplemental educational materials (often through recommendations) that will help him not in his studies, but in his quest for personal education to become a stronger entrepreneur. He looks for tools that will give him experiential learning stories and opportunities. He often chooses these materials based on the recommendations and insights of successful entrepreneurs he has met and/or worked with. Son determines whether or not the purchase was beneficial based on the personal growth and learning he feels he gained from the product.

When it comes to educational resources, much of my target market makes decisions based upon the recommendations of people they know within their sphere of work/study. They are often looking for a material that will supplement what they already have. Interestingly, price is not the most important factor; the most important factor is the value brought to the user by the product. It will be extremely important for me to make sure my products provide value in everything they do.

Halfway Reflection

1. In order to keep up with this course, I have had to be vigilant. This is because it is not enough to know that there is an assignment due every Friday. I must know what the assignment is ahead of time so I'll be prepared to work on it ahead of time. For example, I must know ahead of time which assignments require interviews; this way, I can schedule appointments to interview people ahead of time. 
2. A moment I felt like giving up was when we had three assignments due after the hurricane right before my Finance exam. Finance is an extremely stressful course, and that is often put at the top of my priorities. However, it is important to remember that in school, in business, and in life there must be a balance between your priorities in order to be successful. I do feel as if I've developed a tenacious attitude during the past few months, because I not only stick to my commitment to complete each assignment, but even look forward to some of them.
3. Three tips that I would offer to students are:
1. At the start of the semester, put each assignment in your calendar with reminders, and mark the assignments that require interviews in order to plan accordingly. 
2. Don't negate the importance of each assignment; although each assignment is only worth one point, skipping over  a few can become too easy-- then they will all add up. 
3. Try to allow this course to add value to you. Each of these assignments are things you would need to do if you were really starting a business or writing a business plan. So, try to maximize the value that you can gain from this course. 

Reading Reflection

I read about Steve Jobs, and was very intrigued not only by his story but also by his personality. I really enjoyed reading about how all of the seemingly "small" things in his life influenced him and would influence the products he ended up creating. For example, when Jobs was in high school he sat in on a calligraphy class-- this class inspired him to create font, and made Jobs extremely detail-focused and perfectionistic.

I most admired Steve Jobs's ability to keep pushing for more. When he first created the Macintosh, he sent his partners back to make new models again and again and again until he was satisfied that they had created the best possible product. I also really appreciate his concept that it is the business's responsibility to be even more forward-thinking than the customer, and provide the customer with products that they don't even know they want.

The part of Steve Jobs I least admired was his attitude as a leader. Although he always strived for the best from his partners, he was often cutthroat, rude, and unsupportive. Increasingly today, "good" leaders are those who inspire the people around them and enable other people to become leaders. Steve Jobs was a visionary, but he was not necessarily the "good" leader. If I had known him outside of Apple, I'm not sure I would have wanted to work with him.

Steve Jobs did encounter adversity and failure. When he first started Apple, Jobs had significant difficulty receiving funding from capital investors. However, he was extremely persistent, and proved that his product would be profitable. Jobs also faced failure when he was fired from his own company. When this happened, however, he didn't allow himself to become a complete failure. He started several other successful companies and was then asked to come back to Apple.

Steve Jobs has several competencies, and the first was originality and innovative-mindedness. He always believed that he could make something better and as a result, he never stopped improving and revolutionizing products on the market. Another one of his competencies was resourcefulness. Jobs started Apple out of his garage; however, he had the resourcefulness to develop prototypes and create a team that would ultimately become the backbone of his success. Most importantly, Jobs's determination was the key factor in ensuring that he persisted and never gave up.

One part of the reading that was confusing to me was when Steve Jobs found out about his cancer. He kept the discovery very quiet, which makes sense; however, he never stopped working. I think many people would have taken off work in order to spend time getting better or being with family. However, I realize that in many ways Apple probably was Jobs's family. If it was his passion, he probably wouldn't dream of stepping down.

If I could ask Steve Jobs a question, I would first ask him what books he has read and would recommend. This is because books are permanent sources of insight and knowledge; the books he read had probably inspired him. Then I would ask him how he came up with his ideas. This is because the work he did was revolutionary, but it was because of the ideas behind the work. After the idea is there, anybody can make it happen, but coming up with the idea is the hard part.

I think Steve Jobs thought hard work was just a necessity of success. He was always working hard, and never took no for an answer. This was the reason he was so successful.

Figuring Out Buying Behavior #1

Segment: for the purposes of this exercise, I am going to focus on the buying behavior of professors. This is because students will most often consume content specified by a professor, so getting professors to utilize my curriculum guides in their classes would effectively expand my market to student users. 

Interviews:

• Dr. Cooke, marketing professor
• Dr. Cooke is current using a combination of his own lecture slides and the McGraw-Hill ebook in order to teach his class. He says he does recognize a need for more engaging content in order to make sure students are really learning, which is why he likes the online features of the ebook. Dr. Cooke assigns activities from the book that function as interactive quizzes. These quizzes can track students' strengths and weaknesses. The book also allows students to focus on specific pieces of text as well as add highlights and comments. I asked Dr. Cooke to elaborate on whether or not he thought this program was completely supplementing his need for engaging content. His response was that right now, he believes this is the best product for his class; however, that doesn't mean it is the best product it could be, or that something better cannot be created. I also learned that his needs awareness most often occurs at the start of each semester, when he is planning out the course. Dr. Cooke hasn't conducted an information search in a while; however, he said that he used to search "best marketing curriculum" or "marketing tools" for potential products. In addition, he often consults other professors to learn about new products. 
• Marty Schaffel, entrepreneurship professor
• Marty doesn't like to take the traditional approach to teaching. He is very much against testing and having students' grades be composed of their ability to take a test. He also comes from a background in the industry, as the founder of AVI-SPL (world's largest audio-visual innovations company). As a result, his lectures often involve personal reflections on his own experiences. Marty is a big supporter of experiential learning, and he does feel that there is a lack of experiential learning and engaging content in classrooms today. This was his first semester teaching a course without a co-professor, and that was the reason he recognized a need for better content in the classroom. Once he recognized this need, he researched entrepreneurship lessons online and used some content created in part by him and in part by other educators. 
• Dr. Morris, entrepreneurship + MSE professor
• Dr. Morris is a strong academic who has experienced the educational side and the real-world side of entrepreneurship through his projects with the university and through many of his own experiences. Like Marty, he is very focused on experiential learning and creates course content that will be interesting and memorable to his students. Dr. Morris develops his own educational content and provides them to students. According to him, these is a need to for better educational curriculum/content, which is why he makes his own. He further explains that if there were something better, he might use it, but he doesn't necessarily need it right now.

I learned that the teaching tools used by professors can vary greatly depending on each professor's personal style of education. Most of them have recognized a need and are aware of the need, but they have found substitute solutions in order to meet their need. However, many of them would agree that these solutions can be better. When they search for information, they often either look online or turn to their colleagues. 

Idea Napkin #1

After a lot of time developing my concept, I do believe that it would require me in order to develop a successful company, or at least successful content for the curriculum guides. 

1. I am not only someone who is excited about entrepreneurship, but also obsessed with education. I have a background in business education, and have developed curriculum and guides for DECA that are sold to 250,000+ members as well as curriculum and content for entrepreneurship courses at the University of Florida. In addition, I have taught myself graphic design through tools such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Through my understanding of graphic design, I feel that I have a stronger ability to understand how people experience what they see or read, how students learn, and the best way to communicate the information that they will be learning.  
2. I am offering curriculum guides that will allow students to become engaged with their educational materials and, in effect, learn more. These will be formatted originally as infographic-style guidebooks that will condense information and present lessons in a manner that will be interesting and appealing to students. 
3. I am offering this product to students and professors. Different versions of the books (based on content) will be offered to different levels of education (EX: beginners, more difficult, High School VS college, etc.) and they will be offered to several different areas of study. 
4. These customers care because they want to either a) learn more about a subject they are interested in or b) want to learn more in order to achieve higher scores on their exams. Although two different motivation, both of these demands can be met through my curriculum guides. 
5. My core competencies are my passion for education, my graphic design acumen, my background in business education working with professors and educators, and my patience. I say patience because I believe that anybody can create the next big idea. However, it is those who have the patience to build up their products that will actually do it. For example, anybody can design an infographic about market segmentation; it's not hard. But I'm the one writing these books for DECA because I'm the one who has the patience to research and create content. 

I do believe that all of these components fit together; not only are they necessary in order to develop a successful product, but they are also the skills and experiences that meet at the intersection of business and education. They reflect my passions and explicate exactly why I am the right person to take on this project. 

Elevator Pitch #1

Click here to watch my elevator pitch!
(In order to view, you may need to download the file)


This is a pitch for curriculum guides, a replacement for boring textbooks.

Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

The who: people who should have this product but do not are students and professors/teachers. They should have the tools they need in order to not only succeed in class but also to improve comprehensive learning, make learning engaging, and ultimately make learning enjoyable. Current tools may allow students to succeed in the classroom, but they are not engaging and do not make learning enjoyable.

What: this concept could be misconstrued as a way to make textbooks prettier; however, it is more importantly a way to make students connect more to the content. In effect, by making students more engaged by classroom content they will take in more and have a more stimulating learning experience.

Why: the outsider's need may be just a glorified textbook. This product is not an attempt to remake the textbook, but to create a completely different product that could, eventually, replace the textbook.

Interviews:

• Danielle Nascimento, business teacher
• Danielle has been an educator for twelve years. She has taught multiple subjects, primarily marketing and SGA. She says that in both of these courses, learning by doing is essential. The more experiences students get, the better they comprehend information. In addition, she feels that the best teaching materials would be interesting and easy to understand for students, but also easy for teachers to be able to incorporate into their own lessons and classroom curriculum. 
• Wendy Smith, business teacher
• As a contrast to Danielle, Wendy has been a business teacher for two years. She knows that she is much less experienced, and comes from a background of being a guidance counselor. As a result, she feels that the most beneficial educational tool is one that pairs student learning with teacher learning, and acts as a guide for teachers on content to teach and how to incorporate it into the classroom. 
• Nico Lozano, business student
• Nico has gained a lot of leadership experience through extracurricular activities, and he feels that through these experiences he has learned more than through his actual classes. He says that class, and textbooks, is boring and that it's not related to what he wants to do in the future. This combination of "boring" content as well as lack of relevance contributes to contributes to Nico's disinterest in class. 
• Denise Akerman, PR student
• Denise is a regular student, however her experiences have given her insight into consumer behavior and graphic design. She agrees that people, especially millennials (students) respond much more positively to easy-to-read graphic design. I see this reflected through AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Denise agrees that an infographic-style workbook or guidebook would be much more comprehensive for students. 
• Michelle Matarazzo, business student
• Michelle seemed to be uncertain as to whether or not the workbook would really replace the textbook, or how much better it would be. However, she did seem much more interested in the technological component, integrating activities and interactive components to an e-book and virtual system. She has taken a course with content like this before, and it created much more engaging content for the students; they were a lot more involved and gained much more from the course. 

My interviews definitely helped me further understand the customers and that they are interested in more engaging and interactive content. It also helped me better understand the educator's perspective.

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
	Who is in the boundary: students, teachers	Who is outside of the boundary: non-students or educational professionals
	What the need is: an opportunity to engage students more through more relevant and understandable content	A glorified textbook, with pages of the same information
	Why the need exists: textbooks are boring, students do not enjoy learning, learning does not always connect the real world to in-class curriculum	Alternative explanations: students do not like school; however, all students like to learn if they feel it is relevant to them