Domain Expert: Sydney Gallagher
Sydney Gallagher is a University of Florida student. She is vegetarian and has been for about eight years now. Sydney has worked for and been involved with many organic eateries and genuinely values eating fresh, organic meals on a day-to-day basis. I went to high school with Sydney and have known her for many years so I wanted to speak with her about my business venture because I know she is passionate about nutritious foods. This person in my network will enhance my ability to know exactly what fruits and vegetables must be made fresh every single day in addition to what vegetarian meals are crowd favorites. If I were to go forth with my business idea, I would be sure to bring her on board.
Market Expert: Charlie Wilson
Charlie is the owner of Date & Thyme; a natural foods market and organic cafe located in the heart of old town Key West, Florida. Due to personal health challenges, Charlie began immersing herself into the world of natural foods at a very young age. She moved to New York in her twenties where she studied at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts while also gaining experience in likeminded restaurants. I decided to reach out to Charlie because her business, which I am a huge fan of, is stationed in my hometown, and just blocks from my house. She was very happy to speak with me about my possible business idea and gave me great insight into what running a restaurant or eatery of this type is all about.
Industry Supplier: John Steyer
John, better known as Farmer John, is a local Gainesville farmer who sells his freshly-grown, leafy greens every Wednesday at the Union Street Farmer's Market. He is 80 years old and has been sitting in the same spot, selling the same goods for 50 years. John speaks very passionately about farming and has even said that he would choose farming over career advancement any day. He is a strong advocate for local farmers and encourages everyone to ditch the grocery store and buy local produce. I have witnessed this passion of his myself, as I am an avid visitor of the weekly farmer's market. In going into the freshly-made, organic meal world, I would definitely keep John as one of my greatest inspirations and go-to people for inspiration.
This assignment was definitely much harder and time-oriented than majority of previous ones and though I did struggle a bit, it gave me great insight into the skeleton of building a business of this kind from the ground up. I think expanding your network in any field is beneficial and you will only gain from it because it will only help your business, not hinder it. Though this assignment was similar to previous networking assignments I have done, it was different in that I wanted to gain perspectives and ideas that I have never thought of or considered. Moving forward, I will seek further opinions and thoughts of those whose values align with those of my business in order to make it the best it can be.
Friday, March 22, 2019
Thursday, March 21, 2019
19A - Idea Napkin No. 2
1. You.
My name is Brooke Atwell and I am a junior Public Relations major with an outside concentration in Business Administration at the University of Florida. I was born and raised in Key West, Florida and am still lucky enough to call the little island my home. From as far back as I can remember, I have always had passion for fashion and beauty. I knew early-on that I wanted to incorporate all aspects of it into my future career and, one day, I hope to work in the realm of high-fashion public relations. I plan to use all of the entrepreneurial skills I learn throughout this course, including my business venture, to enhance my overall skill-set and further develop my knowledge in the field.
2. What are you offering to customers?
My service will offer healthy, grab-and-go meals and snacks for the students and staff on the University of Florida campus. It will give those who value eating a nutritious diet the opportunity to keep up with this habit while carrying out their daily campus activities. These services will be offered Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 10 PM and will provide meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Because many students, and even staff members, do not have the time to visit the grocery store on a weekly basis, this will give them the opportunity to continue eating healthy meals while maintaining their busy schedules.
3. Who are you offering it to?
The target audience of my service is anyone and everyone on the University of Florida campus. It will specifically be aimed and used by those individuals who value and incorporate a healthy, well-rounded diet in their day-to-day life. Students and staff members on the UF campus are all busy with classes, clubs, jobs, greek life, etc. and my service will cutout the added bullet on their checklist of cooking meals when they simply do not have the time. At the same token, these meals will be offered at a very affordable price as the aspect of a college budget will always be taken into consideration with pricing.
4. Why do they care?
People will pay for this service because it is a convenient way to continue with their healthy habits while cutting out one of the hassles of making sure that happens. This is valuable to them because it will allow UF students and staff to quickly purchase nutritious meals and snacks without breaking the bank, leaving campus or sacrificing their healthy habits. It is the perfect, happy medium between convenient and valuable.
5. What are your core competencies?
From word-of-mouth and simply being a UF student, I have come to realize that there is not a place on the University of Florida campus that sells or provides healthy meals - not snacks or smoothies, meals. There are many fast-food spots filled with chicken fingers and fresh fries, but not a place that offers grilled chicken and green beans or hearty, flavorful soups. My business would offer these meals, that of which would be made fresh everyday, without jacking up the price.
I strongly believe that these five elements fit together perfectly. After evaluating the pros and cons of the entire business venture, I have come to the conclusion that the good outweighs the bad. Some students and staff members might pack their own meals or be on a restrictive budget, but I think the population of those who do not/are not is far more vast. Between my service being quick, convenient, affordable and valuable it is hard for me to believe that it would not be successful. To add to that, if the business grew popular, it could possibly expand to other university and college campuses.
My two main points that I took from my feedback were aspects of the location of the service on campus and how to ensure to customers that they are getting the best bang for their buck. I also had these same worries going into this business venture but through careful research and student feedback, I am certain there are solutions. I would locate the food joint wherever the heaviest foot traffic is, perhaps somewhere near Turlington or Plaza of the Americas. I would also ensure the food's quality and affordability by creating a social media account where daily deals and specials would be announced as well as posting it around campus and the restaurant itself.
My name is Brooke Atwell and I am a junior Public Relations major with an outside concentration in Business Administration at the University of Florida. I was born and raised in Key West, Florida and am still lucky enough to call the little island my home. From as far back as I can remember, I have always had passion for fashion and beauty. I knew early-on that I wanted to incorporate all aspects of it into my future career and, one day, I hope to work in the realm of high-fashion public relations. I plan to use all of the entrepreneurial skills I learn throughout this course, including my business venture, to enhance my overall skill-set and further develop my knowledge in the field.
2. What are you offering to customers?
My service will offer healthy, grab-and-go meals and snacks for the students and staff on the University of Florida campus. It will give those who value eating a nutritious diet the opportunity to keep up with this habit while carrying out their daily campus activities. These services will be offered Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 10 PM and will provide meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Because many students, and even staff members, do not have the time to visit the grocery store on a weekly basis, this will give them the opportunity to continue eating healthy meals while maintaining their busy schedules.
3. Who are you offering it to?
The target audience of my service is anyone and everyone on the University of Florida campus. It will specifically be aimed and used by those individuals who value and incorporate a healthy, well-rounded diet in their day-to-day life. Students and staff members on the UF campus are all busy with classes, clubs, jobs, greek life, etc. and my service will cutout the added bullet on their checklist of cooking meals when they simply do not have the time. At the same token, these meals will be offered at a very affordable price as the aspect of a college budget will always be taken into consideration with pricing.
4. Why do they care?
People will pay for this service because it is a convenient way to continue with their healthy habits while cutting out one of the hassles of making sure that happens. This is valuable to them because it will allow UF students and staff to quickly purchase nutritious meals and snacks without breaking the bank, leaving campus or sacrificing their healthy habits. It is the perfect, happy medium between convenient and valuable.
5. What are your core competencies?
From word-of-mouth and simply being a UF student, I have come to realize that there is not a place on the University of Florida campus that sells or provides healthy meals - not snacks or smoothies, meals. There are many fast-food spots filled with chicken fingers and fresh fries, but not a place that offers grilled chicken and green beans or hearty, flavorful soups. My business would offer these meals, that of which would be made fresh everyday, without jacking up the price.
I strongly believe that these five elements fit together perfectly. After evaluating the pros and cons of the entire business venture, I have come to the conclusion that the good outweighs the bad. Some students and staff members might pack their own meals or be on a restrictive budget, but I think the population of those who do not/are not is far more vast. Between my service being quick, convenient, affordable and valuable it is hard for me to believe that it would not be successful. To add to that, if the business grew popular, it could possibly expand to other university and college campuses.
My two main points that I took from my feedback were aspects of the location of the service on campus and how to ensure to customers that they are getting the best bang for their buck. I also had these same worries going into this business venture but through careful research and student feedback, I am certain there are solutions. I would locate the food joint wherever the heaviest foot traffic is, perhaps somewhere near Turlington or Plaza of the Americas. I would also ensure the food's quality and affordability by creating a social media account where daily deals and specials would be announced as well as posting it around campus and the restaurant itself.
Friday, March 15, 2019
18A - Create a Customer Avatar
My service and future product will be aimed at college or university students between the ages of 18 and 24, specifically those attending the University of Florida. My avatar lives in a student housing complex in Gainesville, Florida near sorority row. She is a 20-year-old sophomore at UF. In addition to being a full-time student, she is also a volunteer tutor at Marston Science Library three days a week. She enjoys reading and working out at the local Pure Barre and Orange Theory Fitness in her spare time. Eating a healthy, well-rounded diet is something that she values and takes seriously. Due to her strict workout regime, being active and fit is something that is also very important to her. Because she is constantly busy with school and volunteering, she rarely, if ever, has time to swing by the grocery store or cook three meals a day, seven days a week. Though her parents do give her a weekly allowance for food and other activities, she tries her best to stick to a tight budget and keep control of her finances.
I have a lot in common with my avatar, as we are pretty similar in almost every way. Because this service or future product would be pitched at college students in general, I was able to relate my personal likes, dislikes, values, and hobbies as University of Florida student to my avatars. I thought of this idea because I strongly believe it is something that a majority of students care about, but do not have accessibility to.
I have a lot in common with my avatar, as we are pretty similar in almost every way. Because this service or future product would be pitched at college students in general, I was able to relate my personal likes, dislikes, values, and hobbies as University of Florida student to my avatars. I thought of this idea because I strongly believe it is something that a majority of students care about, but do not have accessibility to.
Friday, March 1, 2019
15A - Figuring Our Buyer Behavior No. 2
After conducting my interviews, I found that the majority of my target segment conducts their pickings through Yelp, Gainesville Word-of-Mouth and various social media platforms. Though they do rely on their tried and true food spots to act as stepping stones when it comes to trying new places, they are willing to branch out into cuisines they are not familiar with. When it comes to price, three out of the five interviewees said price was not a big concern to them, as they said they are willing to pay the adequate amount of money for quality food. Piggybacking off of that, all five said they quality played a huge role in determining where they are willing to eat at. Style was not necessarily a problem. Two of the interviewees were vegetarian and, as long as they do not veer from that, they did not mind trying new styles of food.
My audience also said they are more likely to buy in a store, because it assures a certain level of quality. My food service provides easily accessible meals loaded with nutrients so that you do not have to go to the grocery store and make these types of meals at home. In regards to purchase, each interviewee said they did not have preference; they are comfortable paying by both cash and card. Though all of their parents do provide the majority of their finances, two do have part time jobs and use the paychecks they earn as "spending money," meaning that is the money they use when eating out.
What matters most to my interviewees when they think back on the 'rightness' of then purchase, is that they received a good quality meal that makes them feel full and satisfied. They stated they determine this by how tasty the food is and how bloated it makes them when they are finished eating. A bad purchase would constitute as receiving a meal with ingredients that are not noticeably fresh and if the food made them even the slightest bit sick.
Each person I interviewed definitely had certain expectations and standards that must be met when it came to the foods they eat. They all agreed that a food join, like mine, is something that they would take advantage of and spend their money on if it means they are receiving a satisfying product. That being said, I believe should consider the pricing difference between completely fresh foods and those that are more processed moving forward.
My audience also said they are more likely to buy in a store, because it assures a certain level of quality. My food service provides easily accessible meals loaded with nutrients so that you do not have to go to the grocery store and make these types of meals at home. In regards to purchase, each interviewee said they did not have preference; they are comfortable paying by both cash and card. Though all of their parents do provide the majority of their finances, two do have part time jobs and use the paychecks they earn as "spending money," meaning that is the money they use when eating out.
What matters most to my interviewees when they think back on the 'rightness' of then purchase, is that they received a good quality meal that makes them feel full and satisfied. They stated they determine this by how tasty the food is and how bloated it makes them when they are finished eating. A bad purchase would constitute as receiving a meal with ingredients that are not noticeably fresh and if the food made them even the slightest bit sick.
Each person I interviewed definitely had certain expectations and standards that must be met when it came to the foods they eat. They all agreed that a food join, like mine, is something that they would take advantage of and spend their money on if it means they are receiving a satisfying product. That being said, I believe should consider the pricing difference between completely fresh foods and those that are more processed moving forward.
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