14A - Halfway Reflection

To a Future Student

1) I would say the key behavior I have had to utilize in this course is planning and time management. With so many assignments due each week with the combination with my other classes and work, I have had to plan out how my time is spent so I am not having to cram everything for last minute. I also think a bit of creativity is important you are forced to think outside of the box, when it comes to your business idea and how you plan to execute it.

2) The one time I really felt like giving up was when I had to record my elevator pitch I was extremely frustrated and dissatisfied with the way it was coming out. It took me a thousand attempts to somewhat get it right. I had to be not only be patient and practice but get used to being outside of my comfort zone. I was not used to standing in front of a camera and talking to it, it felt weird but with sometime I got better. I would say this patience and repetition could be considered tenaciousness because I did not stop till I was finished.

3) Tip 1: Would be to follow a planned schedule of all the assignments he or she has to do throughout the week so they do not waste time and are forced to do their work last minute.

    Tip 2: Start reading the books from the moment the semester starts so you do not feel rushed and can truly enjoy the books.

    Tip 3: Would be to make friends in your class so you can bounce ideas about your businesses off of each other.

13A - Reading Reflection No.1

Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's

Written by: Ray Kroc

              The book I decided to read was Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's. I decided to read this book because I felt that it aligned strongly with my business idea of opening up a fast and healthy food restaurant. Ray Kroc is a true inspirations of what he has overcame. What I admire and what surprised me most was the fact that he started McDonalds at the age of fifty years old. Most people that age would never even think to start something on such a mass scale at the age and he did. It just goes to show how anything is possible if you really put your mind to it. What I least admired was the fact that he did not have a formal education and did not finish high school because I believe that is very important in a persons life. Education is something no one can take away from you. What was also extremely admiring was the fact that he was working multiple jobs at once which is extremely difficult. On top of all that he had kids extremely young and was enlisted in the military with all the things he was still able to be extremely successful in life. One thing that I found confusing was how he started selling paper cups and ended with food being two completely different industries. Competencies he exhibited were multi-tasking and extreme and utter determination and focus. I believe Ray Kroc's opinion of hard work would be that anything is possible no matter your circumstances it all of matter of effort and how much you want to make something happen. If I could ask him anything it would be how he would go about starting a business in today's society, and why he chose to enlist in WWII. All in all he is a huge inspiration and I hope one day I can follow his foot steps. 

12A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior

Frank ( Roommate, UF Student)- When I spoke to Frank I asked him how many times a week does he usually go out late at night and how many of those times does he find himself getting food. He admitted he always gets McDonalds after a late night out and it is something he was trying to stop but he says he is always hungry. He supported my business idea and said it would do wonders for his health. He says he does nit eat McDonalds every single time by choice its just that is the only place open late. He says this need always hits him as soon as he is either on the way home or already lying in bed.

Carlos (Roommate, UF student)- When I spoke to Carlos for fifteen minutes about this food problem in Gainesville and what I learned is that he too believes places should be open at such late hours. Being in a college town he too goes out to parties, clubs and bars at somewhat frequently and after the night is over he is hungry and has no options to eat besides McDonalds and TacoBell. Unlike Frank, Carlos just cooks when he gets home or does not eat at all. Carlos said the need always hits him once is home the hunger just slaps him and he is left with the choice of either going to bed hungry or making some mediocre food from leftovers.

Gilbert (Classmate at UF)- Speaking to Gilbert for twenty minutes about this idea in the basement inside of the Marston Library, he as well had this issue. Unlike Frank and Bello instead of staying late night out by Mid Town he says he either is at the library or gym everyday easily till 1am, which I thought was a bid different. So I then asked him how many others he would he say the library studying around that time in which he responded by saying it is actually quite full. This opened up a whole new group pf customers I had not even thought of. This can give me the possibility to maybe have a food truck next to the library or just simply deliver it to students who do not have the time to stop studying.

To conclude, I see where this segment of business concept truly lies. The key to the business is to be open late at night, and what is frustrating to the customer is when they have this need their only options to solve the problem is by either wasting their valuable time cooking or having to settle for low quality food that just makes them feel bad afterward. Therefore, there really is a need to solve this issue that UF students are facing weekly.

11A - Idea Napkin No.1

1. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?
I am a student at the Warrington School of Business at the University of Florida, with an idea of opening up a new restaurant. My talents are cooking, marketing, and interacting/leading teams. My aspirations are for this restaurant to revolutionize the fast food industry we know today. This business would play a huge role in my life because it would save me time by not having to cook and measure all my food out. 2.What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs).
The product I will be providing is healthy food that is labeled all its ingredients and exact measurements with labeled macro and micro nutrients, as well as being open late at night so people are not forced to have to settle with McDonalds or Taco Bell after a long night out.

3. Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?I will be offering my product/service to mainly University of Florida students within the ages of 18-24. Specifically, people who care about eating clean and are into health and fitness. The thing my customers would all have in common would be their desire to live healthy lives.


4. Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. I believe people will value my product/service because it will be the only restaurant open late at night that offers healthy nutritious food not only that but it will be affordable and delicious. No other restaurants are open very late at night besides fast food places who serve very low quality food. Aside from that I will build a close relationship with the Gainesville area by sourcing as much produce as I can from local farms.


5.What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 
What sets me apart from everyone else is that I will be a local restaurant that is open late at night serving healthy, quick, delicious,  and affordable high quality food which is not really an option that is offered currently passed 12/1am.

All together I truly believe all of the points I brought up are aligned. I think this can be a very successful business if executed properly. One thing not mentioned that needs to be is how I will need to provide good service to customers, so they can truly have an all around great dining experience. I think UF students would a appreciate a local restaurant who provides great quality healthy foods for them after a late night out.

10A - Elevator Pitch

Elevator Pitch

https://youtu.be/eAkkvsbetgQ

9A- Testing the Hypothesis

A late night fast/healthy restaurant in Midtown.

Who: Although people know they should eat quality nutritious foods to stay in good health, some people just don't really seem to care about their diet or they simply just eat whatever they want to regardless of the foods nutrition. These individuals could be people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures so are simply just not into health and fitness. Other people might not like the idea because they believe cooking for themselves is a healthier better option because of this I conducted 5 interviews with individuals who do not fully support my opportunity belief.

Interview #1: Frank, 21 y/o

In this interview I asked Frank what he thought of my idea of opening a late night fast/healthy style restaurant in Midtown for people who are hungry after a night out could enjoy a tasty, affordable and healthy meal instead of being stick with your typical fast food. He responded by he does not believe that there is enough people who care about eating healthy after a night out from partying. He said it just does not seem realistic to him. I then asked him what foods do you think I could offer that would appeal to people, and he gave me suggestions such as turkey burgers and chicken sandwiches.

Interview #2: Julie, 48 y/o

In this interview I started off by asking Julie how often she ate out a week. She responded by telling me that she rarely ever eats out because she can never really know how much seasoning, salt, butter etc. people use while cooking. She is very health conscious and likes to weigh out all her food and for this simple reason she rarely goes out to eat because she is never able to accurately count her calories. I then asked her what if a restaurant provided customers with exact measurements of their ingredients would that persuade to go there,  and she said yes but she does not think a restaurant would do that as it would making the cooking process slower.

Interview #3: Sabrina, 20 y/o

This interview was randomly conducted at the recreation center. I asked Sabrina how often does she got out to eat and if she does where does she usually go to eat. She told me that she is not the biggest fan of eating out because it is never as cheap compared to just cooking for herself. She also mentioned that she just really enjoys cooking and just prefers the way her cooking tastes compared to the way the restaurants her cook.

Interview #4: David, 23 y/o

I introduced myself to David while I was waiting in line at chipotle, and I asked how often he comes to chipotle weekly. He told he comes to chipotle minimum twice a week because it is right next to his apartment so it is convenient for him. I asked him what he thought about my opportunity belief and he asked me if I planned to have it open 24/7 or simply late at night because both choices have major drawbacks. Being open 24/7 is costly and then only being open late at night I would lose a lot of potential customers during the day.

Interview #5: Melissa 19 y/o

I interviewed Melissa when I was waiting in the Starbucks line at Marston. I asked if she ever stays up late at night and if so how often does she ever want to order or go get food but does not like the limited options that are available. She told me she stays up late almost every night but she usually just get McDonalds menu because it is so cheap and fast. I told her my idea and she said there is no way I would be able to get college students who are struggling financially to spend more money on healthier options.


Inside the Boundary

Who is in- College students who care about health and fitness
What the need is- Providing the best quick and healthy meals late at night
Why the need exists- It exists because other restaurants are not open past 11pm

Outside the Boundary

Who is not- People who either like to save money by cooking or people who don't care to eat healthy
What the need is not- The need is not to convince people to eat healthy or to compete with fast food restaurants
Alternative Explanations- People are already accustomed to going to certain restaurants they already trust so they would not explore a new option

8A – Solving The Problem

8A - Solving the Problem


1. My selected opportunity is how there is no healthy fast food options that are open late at night. So my idea would be to open a small restaurant that provides fast, healthy and affordable meals. I thought of the idea by combining my passion for nutrition and working out with a need my friends and I always had. My friends would always go out to midtown and once the night was over we would always be hungry but there would be no healthy options of fast food to eat. The healthiest of fast foods would be Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle but both of these locations close by 10/11pm. Therefore, why not be only place in Gainesville that sells quick, healthy and affordable fast food.

2. What I plan to sell is food as well as smoothies/protein shakes. As for food I would offer bowls and sandwiches. It would be similar to Chipotle in the sense that you pick and just what ingredients you want in your bowl or sandwich, but the difference would be it would not be Mexican style cooking it would be Cuban instead. Moreover, the food I will be offering will not have all the sodium Chipotle has. I will offer white rice,brown rice, or quinoa as your base; for protein I will offer lean ground turkey, chicken, and lean ground beef; for fiber I will offer black beans, or red beans; Veggies; cheese; lettuce, spinach, Pico de Gayo. I will also sell fresh orange juice and protein shakes.

7A – Testing the Hypothesis

1. The problem I would like to solve is the lack of healthy foods options there are at late at night if          you would like to either have food delivered or go to eat. Being a college student wanting to get          some food after a night of partying one does not have a lot of options its usually a fast food                  restaurant, pizza, or some sweets. I would like to have a place with great tasting food that is of            good quality and healthy those who want to eat late at night don't feel guilty the next day.

2. Who: College students    

    What: They are not able to eat quick and healthy food options late at night.

    Why: UF students like to go out late at night to clubs/bars and when they get out a lot of the time         they are hungry and would like to eat something that is quick and healthy.

3. Testing the Who: There are others that have this need but I believe the main target is college                                            students.

   Testing the What: I think one boundary to this idea is how to make the food affordable while                                             being quick and healthy. 

   Testing the Why: I believe every college students that cares about their nutrition has this issue, the                                   only differences in "Why" is some people may think healthy food consists of a                                     vegan diet, keto diet, etc. but this can be solved by providing a variety of                                               options.

   

4. Interview #1: The interviewee thought the idea was a great one as she does go out at least 2-3                                     times a week and she always feels bad eating after but she says she has no other                                   healthy alternatives. She also emphasized how important the location was because if                             it is a bit far from all the clubs and bars it would reduce the amount of customers I                               would have. 

   Interview #2: The interviewee believed it was a great idea for people who are out late but since he                              is not one of those individuals he admitted it would really suit him. He also brought                              up aside from having actual food I could also sell healthy fruit/veggie smoothies                                  which would be even faster than having to cook. 

   Interview #3: The interviewee has thought of the same thing for the two years that she has been at                             UF and has always thought why no one has taken action and opened a place as such.                             She mentioned that a delivery service would be great because most of time when she                           finishes partying she likes to go straight home and eat there. 

   Interview #4: The interviewee told me he was not sure how good of an idea this was because he                               believed from his experience people crave unhealthy foods late night. Therefore he                               believes not many people seek to each quick and nutritious food after partying they                               crave cookies, burgers, etc. He suggested to compete with other places I should think                           of making protein cookies and brownies to satisfy peoples sweet tooth.

   Interview #5: The interviewee expressed how happy she would be this became true. She                                              questioned if the location would solely be open late at night or throughout the day as                            well. She also said that to bring in more business I could offer little cards that would                            track how many times a customer has ordered something; after 5-7 orders they could                            receive an food item for free. 

What I did not know that I know now is that location would arguably be the most part of this opportunity because I need to be close and conveniently located for my customers.