Huggabully

Huggabully: (n) a huggable pit bull (sometimes referred to as "bully"); (v) the action of hugging a sweet pit bull

My fiance and I have a pit bull named Daisy (which is very suiting for her personality). And she loves to snuggle! She is a very huggable animal and invites the attention. In describing her silliness to my fiance, I described her as a "huggabully", meaning she was a huggable bully. He thought it was cute and agrees that she is, in fact, a "huggabully." When spoken around his family, the concept started to spread. His parents both love Daisy and agree she is a sweet dog who loves affection. His mother mentioned wanting to pick her up during the week so she could spend some time with her huggabully. Within our close circle, the word is now understood, and at proper times, it is used (mostly by women). People outside of our home, such as with coworkers, the reaction is different. They do think I am a little crazy for using the word (but mostly because my closest coworker does not care for dogs). The professional world is perhaps not the best place to implement my new word, but it seems to be working on the personal side. 

Halfway Reflection

1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course? 

In order to keep up with the demands of this course and constant assignments, I have checked my Canvas almost every day. I feel like if I am not checking it, I might be missing out on an important date. I have gotten people in my life involved with it and talked about my venture with them for additional feedback to keep my venture evolving to fit needs. 

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?

In doing the many interviews we are asked, I have felt very frustrated in the fact that 1) I have no additional time in my schedule to allot for seeking out strangers, 2) I do not really have places to go other than Publix, and 3) I do not feel I need to endanger myself by approaching strangers in order to complete an assignment for points, when my safety is more important. I felt like skipping assignments to avoid these. In order to get them done, I asked family for suggestions on places I could speak with safe strangers (neighborhood pool, social gatherings, etc.). After doing interviews, I realize that it is actually a little fun, while being stressful. I feel more tenacious and more confident in asking silly questions from people I didn't know.

3) Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?

 - Even if you don't want to do something, do it anyways. You will be surprised with your outcome and how you feel.  
 - If you are confused about an assignment, reach out to your coaches, or refer to another student to see how they interpreted the assignment.
 - As long as you can find a safe environment, you don't need to be afraid to approach people. Most people will not tell you "no" if you explain your situation. 

Reading Reflection No. 1

     The person I decided to read about is known world-round. Her name was Coco Chanel and she became an unexpected success story. Before reading this book, I apparently knew nothing about her. In fact, her name isn't even Coco. It's Gabriel. Since I was totally unaware of her story and background, many things about her surprised me.
     To start, she was born into an impoverished family, with a father who was always moving around and uninterested in his family, and later spent her youth in a convent. This was not the beginning I would have expected to read about from the perception I have of Chanel, as it is today. Although the brand Chanel is synonymous with class and elegance, Gabriel herself was born into a very low class family, and took "less than lady-like" actions to get her to where she was successful. She was a woman who let nothing stop her from getting what she wanted and what she knew she was capable of doing. A strong-willed, intelligent woman is unstoppable and this is probably what I most admire about her. She started to learn her strengths and was able to position herself for success. She knew how to manipulate men and whether on purpose or not, was able to exploit them and help use their money to fund her shops. Perhaps this would be the least respectable part about her.
     To say that Gabrielle encountered adversity is an understatement. From the minute she was born, she was at a disadvantage. From her family being broken, her mother dying at a young age, and her father and extended family abandoning her and her siblings, she was destined for failure. When she was finally old enough to be out on her own, failure again in reaching the peak of her acting career. She wouldn't let her story end there though. When she ran into a wall, she found a way to walk around it. When one city failed her, she'd pack up and try the next (possibly residual influence from her nomadic childhood). When she learned she was mismanaging her business and lack of profits, she redirected herself, focused on what was most important, and made it happen.
     In the fashion industry, it is your job to influence people and their buying habits. Trends don't come out of thin air. Someone has to create it. She was able to do just that. She created an empire out of a single couture shop, which almost failed altogether. She was a very competent and influential salesperson. Trend setter. And business women. She knew how to market herself and her brand, and made it into the most coveted fashion trend of the century and beyond.
     The part of the reading that was most confusing to me is that she seems to have a large blindspot in her past. So many people knew her and had some sort of relation with her, but it is as if she convinced them all to not divulge certain details of her past. Many books have been written on her, and this one is probably the closest to exposing those hidden years, but still so many stay hush-hush about their relations with her. I wonder what could be so bad, or so unacceptable, especially in today's terms when we accept just about everything!
     I would like to as her if she could start it all over again, does she think she could do it all on her own without financial help from her suitors. If I have learned anything about her, I'm sure her proud answer would be that she could do it all again and on her own. And I want to know (again) about those mystery years in her early career. There was some speculation in the book, but many details couldn't be verified.
     Where hard work is concerned, I don't think there is any question. Gabriel accomplished so much and for coming from so little. Her opinion would of course be that it is necessary in order to get what you want. You can't sit around and hope things just happen. You have to push for it. I think she and I have a similar view on hard work, but might differ in where our boundaries lie.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. 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 full-time employee, mother, and wife, but am a professional who is very driven to succeed. I welcome change and adventure. I am always trying to grow and find new ways of creating financial freedom. I am a Marketing professional and really enjoy the networking, meeting new people, events, and promoting my current company. My dream would be to have freedom over my own schedule so I could do all the things I want to do in my personal life, including being involved with my sons school and other activities (field trips, sports). Working for a company, they always have you under their thumb in one way or another. I could see starting my own business (as I have done this before), and promoting it well. These are some of my strengths. I love working with people and think that my concept goes well with my skills. The business would probably be my bread and butter until it stabilizes, then I could probably back off a little and run it while opening my next venture.

2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 

- The service I am offering is a water taxi and shuttle/excursion service in Fort Myers, FL. It will be in the FM downtown area/Cape Coral canals, FM/Sanibel Beaches, and possibly in the backwaters of Bonita Beach. This will solve the issue of drunk boating/driving, boring transportation while visiting the beautiful Southwest Florida area, give people an opportunity to get on the water and explore areas they were previously unable to access, or take to places they never knew existed. We will offer on board refreshments, including adult beverages.

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?

- My customers will be tourist and area natives, residents and their visitors, and anyone looking to enjoy a ride under the stars or in the waves. The one thing they all have in common is a want to be on the water. 

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.  

- They will pay for the service because they may not have a boat of their own and want to enjoy the waterways, or they have been drinking or plan on drinking but want a more exciting ride than in a taxi. They might not know the area or hidden gems and we will take them there on excursions. Perhaps, they just want to spend an evening drifting up and down the river for a sunset cruise with drinks. This is an experience that noone else offers in this area, but I have seen be wildly successful in places such as Key West and in the East Coast of Florida's intercoastal.  

5) What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

- My entire service is something that noone (in the SWFL region) offers. It is unique in itself. In order to get the same experience, you would have to drive a minimum of 2 hours from here. 


My belief is that all of these aspects work well together. My concept seems to have some good feedback from potential customers. It isn't perfect, however. As my interviews have pointed out - from a consumer stand point, yes, this is a good idea. They all want to use my service and find it to be something fun they would pay to do. BUT, from an owner standpoint, it could be very costly to get up and running and to maintain. The overhead of repairing and maintaining boats can be high! As well as potential insurances, permits, and just purchasing the fleet itself. There is still a lot to work out, and it may end up not being feasible in the end, but there is definitely a market for it. So, as of now, I am staying positive. 

Tweaking the Innovation

Fort Myers Water Taxi

Product/Service Mix:

Taxi Service                                    Excursions              Food & Beverages 
Predetermined Destination               Picnic Island           Water
(Downtown Restaurants & Bars)     Cabbage Key         Chips/Crackers/Light snacks
Pick-up/Drop-Off                           FMB to Sanibel      Sodas (many)
River Cruise (Roundtrip)                 Sunset Cruise          Alcoholic Beverages (many)                           

Map:

 - Core (Benefit): Gets you on the water, more fun than car, more direct (in some cases), relaxing, adventurous
 - Tangible: In a boat, refreshments offered
 - Augmented: No alternatives are offered on the water, but offers water experience which can not be obtained by taxi, car, or walking. Only service to offer this.

Innovation:

When I first began my concept of the water taxi, it was a much simpler idea - pick up people and boat them to their destination. Through the interviews and various assignments, I have received many good ideas and recommendations that lead me to where I am now with my idea (above). Not all of the listed items were part of the initial concept for it has evolved. Here are just a few of the innovations I have added along the way:
 - Offering food and beverages on a large boat for more maritime enjoyment.
 - Offering some predetermined shuttle-type trips, from restaurant-to-restaurant.
 - Offering planned excursions for groups of people to board, enjoy, and depart at scheduled intervals of time.
 - Sunset Cruises on determined days.

Elevator Pitch No. 1

My business opportunity is to bring a water taxi company to the waterways of Fort Myers and Cape Coral. We will have different size vessels that offer different experiences. We will have scheduled excursions, as well as call-a-ride options.

The name of my business is: Fort Myers Water Taxi 

Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/_f_N61oayXQ 

I hope you enjoy!

 
Here is the transcript to my pitch: (please, read only after watching, for clarity)

"The Cities of Fort Myers and Cape Coral are home to over 200,000 year long residence, with another 40,000 annual snowbirds and tourists constantly adding to that number. This area is known for its beaches and waterways. When you think of Southwest Florida, you think of water. Unfortunately, many are left without the opportunity of taking advantage of the beautiful ecosystem our area was blessed with.People without boats miss out on some of the finest sunset views in the world. Small islands being left unappreciated. Starry nights being spent in doors or in vehicles.

Until now.  What I am offering has never been done in this area. What I’m about to tell you could change the way you spend your time commuting to and from leisurely activities. In the Fall of 2016, we will be offering water taxis for the Downtown Fort Myers area, right from the canal in your back yard. From the sands of Fort Myers Beach, to your favorite waterfront restaurant on Sanibel Island. Enjoy a sunset cruises with on-board bars, taking you to destination you can’t get to by car.

My proposal to you is to spend a day, a night, an evening living outside these boxes and enjoy this area for all that its worth."

The Cities o

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

In this exercise, I used a similar approach in my interviewing style, but was sure to ask about negative aspects of the business, financial impediments, and acquiring business. Last week, everyone was very excited about the opportunity I have identified (water taxis in Fort Myers, FL). It's funny how when you change the way you ask the question, and front load it with a concern or negative, that they then also think of it as less of a viable idea.

Some concerns include the obvious with this business being in Florida, such as weather and "seasons". For SWFL, "season" is when all the snow birds come down, inundate the area, and all businesses boom.  Sadly, during the summer months, many businesses suffer and this is the time that if any business is going to fail here, it does. Others were concerned with access to the water to board, insurance costs, travel costs and fuel, and most concerning - cost of boats and overhead to get started.


Interviews:
Phillip - https://soundcloud.com/user-979476020/phillip
Sam - https://soundcloud.com/user-979476020/sam
Miranda - https://soundcloud.com/user-979476020/miranda
Bryn - https://soundcloud.com/user-979476020/bryn
Dan - https://soundcloud.com/user-979476020/dan

Although we all could agree that there will be some sharpening of the idea, and definitely more research, this could still be a viable concept.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is In: People with access to water, no boat, want to be on water	Who is Not: People living inland, afraid of water, seasick
What the Need Is: Not wanting to drive, enjoy water	What the Need Is Not: Drive selves, costs, time
Why the Need Exists: Fun, convenience, alternative to norm	Alternative Explanations: Rather drive or take taxi