MY TEN RESOURCES (FOR BULK FOOD STORES)
Knowledge about sustainable shopping
I run my own brand of sustainable goods, so I contain valuable and rare insight into what shoppers want in an eco friendly brand. Because this is an up-and-coming idea, it's hard to imitate and it's the only substitute I know of at the moment.
Less inventory to setup
There is less inventory involved with setting up a bulk food store, which is rare among other stores.
Adaptability to the culture
I have an ability to understand where the eco-friendly niche is heading, therefore I can adapt when necessary to fit the changes. This skill is both valuable and rare, and although its not inimitable, it's still a good skill to have.
More eco-friendly
This business is extremely environmentally friendly, with less waste and plastic involved than other businesses. This is a valuable and rare trait we can use to attract more customers. You can imitate it, but the substitutes are currently non-existent.
Work Ethic
I have extremely good work ethic, after working in my parents restaurant for so long. This skill is definitely valuable and rare in this workforce, so I should be able to beat others out in the same area.
Community
Through a bulk food store, you can create a community that is rare among other stores. Through a passion for the Earth, there is an actual community at these stores, that can not be replicated at Walmart or other stores.
Money
I got money. Rare and valuable resource.
Less employees
Bulk food stores require less employees, as stocking and other jobs are less frequent than at other bigger stores. This makes us keep money, a rare and valuable resource, while differentiating us from competition.
More traffic by college kids
By building the business in a college town, we can dig into the emotional gravity that college students feel about our environment. Their more invigorated to save the Earth, a rare and valuable asset that can be used to increase our bulk food store's profits.
Persistence
I am extremely persistent. I will be told no 1000 times, and yet I just keep trying. This is my most valuable and rare skill, that cannot be substituted or imitated. Sure, others are persistent too, but I will never give up.
MY TOP RESOURCE: Persistence
This would be my top resource because all of these other resources may come and go, but I will never stop trying. It's something that can't be taken away, and when starting a business, it's the most important skill to have. That's why it's at the top of my VRIN scale and my most important resource.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
22 A Elevator Pitch 3
https://youtu.be/Dwe-8JXYoy4
1) My feedback was mostly positive, although I had some feedback as to make it better. One was that I didn't seem as personable as I should be. As I'm talking about a touchy and emotional subject, environmental issues, I should seem a bit more sensitive and not as bland. Secondly, I seemed not as professional as I could be. My posture was slouched and timid, and I could have been more loud and excitable.
2) Based on the feedback I tried to really work on my posture and business presence. I wanted to communicate that I had a full and interesting business proposition, not stating some idea that I might have in store. I think this helped me look more professional and persuasive. Secondly, I used my hands a lot more. I wanted to convey more emotion than my last pitch, so by using my hands meaningfully, I think I did that.
1) My feedback was mostly positive, although I had some feedback as to make it better. One was that I didn't seem as personable as I should be. As I'm talking about a touchy and emotional subject, environmental issues, I should seem a bit more sensitive and not as bland. Secondly, I seemed not as professional as I could be. My posture was slouched and timid, and I could have been more loud and excitable.
2) Based on the feedback I tried to really work on my posture and business presence. I wanted to communicate that I had a full and interesting business proposition, not stating some idea that I might have in store. I think this helped me look more professional and persuasive. Secondly, I used my hands a lot more. I wanted to convey more emotion than my last pitch, so by using my hands meaningfully, I think I did that.
21 A Reading Reflection 2
1) I read Guy Kiwasaki's "The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users", mostly because I run a dropshipping business, and use my social media as my main source of traffic. The general theme of the book is telling us how to look more professional and competent online, and in turn create content that will inhibit more likes, comments and followers.
2) This book enhanced a lot of my views about business and entrepreneurship in general. Guy states in the book that social media is the most important marketing tool out there right now, as it's instant, free and easy. So, in order to raise a profitable business, you must have a general idea how to harvest the power of social media. Entrepreneurship is all about solving problems, and by using the best marketing tool out there, you can target a much larger audience and solve problems on a bigger scale.
3) I would actually think it's be fun to run a social media account for the semester, and see which student gets the most followers. It'd be an interesting activity that actually constitutes real merit in the business world. By harvesting the best social skills, like content creation, competency and engagement online, you can set yourself apart on social media. Have everyone start an instagram or twitter, and have it be about anything. Then, as the semester goes, you can log how many followers were gained, how their engagement rate is and who is doing the best job at creating viral content. It would be fun and interesting, plus if you get a lot of followers you can sell your account at the end.
4) The "aha" moment for me was realizing that every type of social media has a timeline. For example, Instagram's post are typically engaged for 2-3 hours before they die out. For Pinterest, they have no timeline. And for Twitter, it's about only 20-30 minutes! Knowing these timelines is important, meaning that you should post more frequently on some forms of media, and not so often on others!
2) This book enhanced a lot of my views about business and entrepreneurship in general. Guy states in the book that social media is the most important marketing tool out there right now, as it's instant, free and easy. So, in order to raise a profitable business, you must have a general idea how to harvest the power of social media. Entrepreneurship is all about solving problems, and by using the best marketing tool out there, you can target a much larger audience and solve problems on a bigger scale.
3) I would actually think it's be fun to run a social media account for the semester, and see which student gets the most followers. It'd be an interesting activity that actually constitutes real merit in the business world. By harvesting the best social skills, like content creation, competency and engagement online, you can set yourself apart on social media. Have everyone start an instagram or twitter, and have it be about anything. Then, as the semester goes, you can log how many followers were gained, how their engagement rate is and who is doing the best job at creating viral content. It would be fun and interesting, plus if you get a lot of followers you can sell your account at the end.
4) The "aha" moment for me was realizing that every type of social media has a timeline. For example, Instagram's post are typically engaged for 2-3 hours before they die out. For Pinterest, they have no timeline. And for Twitter, it's about only 20-30 minutes! Knowing these timelines is important, meaning that you should post more frequently on some forms of media, and not so often on others!
Monday, October 28, 2019
20 A Growing Your Social Circle
1) The first person I met who is a domain expert is a guy named Steve. Steve is especially well versed in e-commerce, a field that I'd love to be more knowledgable of, and I found him through mutual friends. We sat down and talked, and he showed me what he was working on (a Shopify store among other things) and I asked him what it took to run an online store. He taught me all about it and then we parted ways. He said whenever I want to start up my own store, just give him a call and he'd help walk me through it. By keeping this guy in my network, he will help create a skill that could increase my capabilities in the market.
2) The second person I met was a older man, around 30, named Mark, who runs a store selling eco-friendly bulk foods. He's a family friend and I sat down to talk to him about his drive in the market. He told me about why he got into eco-friendly business, and how I could do so too. He taught me that it's actually a less-expensive alternative then everybody makes it out to be, if done correctly. In the future, I will keep up to date with him, as he and I have generally alike target audiences, and he will be able to help outline changes in their consumption patterns.
3) Finally, I talked to my dad's friend Dave, a guy who does packaging for other businesses. He said his jobs a little complicated but overall most links are sold through online methods. He pretty much outlined my how he did his business, and what I would have to expect with a sustainable packaging endeavor. Many businesses would go with regular packaging out of convenience, but was sure with the sudden upturn in sustainability, we could make it happen. Dave is good to keep because he's a valuable insight in the long-time business.
Overall, targeting networking is strange, but it works, because people with like minded ideas often have like minded interests as well. I got along with all three of these people, because of my ability to connect and ask meaningful questions. I would definitely do this again to get more insight into how to network and find more business.
2) The second person I met was a older man, around 30, named Mark, who runs a store selling eco-friendly bulk foods. He's a family friend and I sat down to talk to him about his drive in the market. He told me about why he got into eco-friendly business, and how I could do so too. He taught me that it's actually a less-expensive alternative then everybody makes it out to be, if done correctly. In the future, I will keep up to date with him, as he and I have generally alike target audiences, and he will be able to help outline changes in their consumption patterns.
3) Finally, I talked to my dad's friend Dave, a guy who does packaging for other businesses. He said his jobs a little complicated but overall most links are sold through online methods. He pretty much outlined my how he did his business, and what I would have to expect with a sustainable packaging endeavor. Many businesses would go with regular packaging out of convenience, but was sure with the sudden upturn in sustainability, we could make it happen. Dave is good to keep because he's a valuable insight in the long-time business.
Overall, targeting networking is strange, but it works, because people with like minded ideas often have like minded interests as well. I got along with all three of these people, because of my ability to connect and ask meaningful questions. I would definitely do this again to get more insight into how to network and find more business.
19 A Second Shot at Idea Napkin 2
1) My name is Nick Baldino, a sophomore marketing student at UF. Personally I'm someone with a drive to work hard and be successful, so with an accompaniment of skills in digital marketing, e-commerce, writing and many others, I believe I can be someone who can make big changes on this Earth. I love nature, surfing and the gifts that the Earth gives us, so I aspire to be an ethical businessman, someone that makes money but with intentions on helping our Earth stay healthy. I want to create a business that can give back to the environment, or at the very least, make little to no impact on our Earth.
2) What I'm offering is an online service to other businesses. We know that the world is changing, and more people are demanding companies to slow down their waste consumption and create alternatives to single-use plastics. Our company is your solution. We have low-cost compostable packaging that is usable to package all products big or small.
3) We're offering this service to any business wanting to make a change in their environmental footprint. More so, we're offering an extremely eco-friendly and low cost packaging plan that is less wasteful and costly than our competitors. The companies that we're selling to are small businesses, generally 40-50 employees, who are exporting a notable product that needs packaging. Most of these businesses will be selling from their online stores, making it easier for us to package their products and ship them out.
4) As this world's view of businesses change, from prioritizing "lower cost" to now wanting "eco-friendly service", businesses must change too in order to survive. By not linking with our business, you'll be left behind in the old world of lowest cost, no matter the impact. But if you choose to implement compostable packaging, you'll gain reputation as an eco-friendly brand, along with attracting more sustainable customers.
5) What sets us apart is that we have 2 goals: one, to lower our impact on the environment by offering a sustainable solution to wasteful packaging, and two, help businesses limit their plastic waste by providing a low cost alternative to their current packaging. Other companies like us are either secretly hurting the earth or the business; however, we are focused on accomplishing both.
I believe in this idea napkin, I did a better job knitting together what my mission was for the brand, and how to accomplish it throughout it's run. Last time I gave very small details about the business, but I feel this time I showcased what it was, why it mattered and why a business should get involved with us. Overall, I think it's possible to make this business a reality, if given a little more planning or product testing.
For the feedback, I feel like I implemented it into this idea napkin. It mostly talked about how sustainable costs often drop (like with electric cars), so I implemented how we could make it low cost.
2) What I'm offering is an online service to other businesses. We know that the world is changing, and more people are demanding companies to slow down their waste consumption and create alternatives to single-use plastics. Our company is your solution. We have low-cost compostable packaging that is usable to package all products big or small.
3) We're offering this service to any business wanting to make a change in their environmental footprint. More so, we're offering an extremely eco-friendly and low cost packaging plan that is less wasteful and costly than our competitors. The companies that we're selling to are small businesses, generally 40-50 employees, who are exporting a notable product that needs packaging. Most of these businesses will be selling from their online stores, making it easier for us to package their products and ship them out.
4) As this world's view of businesses change, from prioritizing "lower cost" to now wanting "eco-friendly service", businesses must change too in order to survive. By not linking with our business, you'll be left behind in the old world of lowest cost, no matter the impact. But if you choose to implement compostable packaging, you'll gain reputation as an eco-friendly brand, along with attracting more sustainable customers.
5) What sets us apart is that we have 2 goals: one, to lower our impact on the environment by offering a sustainable solution to wasteful packaging, and two, help businesses limit their plastic waste by providing a low cost alternative to their current packaging. Other companies like us are either secretly hurting the earth or the business; however, we are focused on accomplishing both.
I believe in this idea napkin, I did a better job knitting together what my mission was for the brand, and how to accomplish it throughout it's run. Last time I gave very small details about the business, but I feel this time I showcased what it was, why it mattered and why a business should get involved with us. Overall, I think it's possible to make this business a reality, if given a little more planning or product testing.
For the feedback, I feel like I implemented it into this idea napkin. It mostly talked about how sustainable costs often drop (like with electric cars), so I implemented how we could make it low cost.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
18 A Customer Avatar
My customer avatar for bulk food stores is about 22, fresh out of school with an abundance of knowledge. Because of their phone usage, they're very informed about the issues that plague our society, and most scared about issues like plastic pollution, sustainability and climate change. They know politicians like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren have taken note of these issues, so it's likely they'll fall into this category. Furthermore, a lot of these customers will be women, as a large majority of women do grocery shopping, as well as care deeply about these issues, when compared with their male counterparts. Their insight into these issues also sink into their purchases, like a eco-friendly car and other small changes. Hobbies they enjoy are hiking, being outside and even attending local political rallies. Overall, this customer is involved, passionate and environmentally conscious.
I believe I have some aspects coinciding with this market. I'm not entirely in their "boat" when it comes to involvement and political parties, but I do care deeply about the environment, and my outdoorsy hobbies make me want to take a stand and make it healthier. That may be one reason I chose this idea and want this idea to become a reality.
I believe I have some aspects coinciding with this market. I'm not entirely in their "boat" when it comes to involvement and political parties, but I do care deeply about the environment, and my outdoorsy hobbies make me want to take a stand and make it healthier. That may be one reason I chose this idea and want this idea to become a reality.
17 A Elevator pitch 2
https://youtu.be/P84PUOj5x2M
Overall I think this elevator pitch went a lot better. I tried to be more personable and driven, but also clear with my idea. Last time I wasn't as open, didn't talk as clearly and rushed my idea. This time I slowed down, made good executive presence and delivered my idea from beginning to end.
Overall I think this elevator pitch went a lot better. I tried to be more personable and driven, but also clear with my idea. Last time I wasn't as open, didn't talk as clearly and rushed my idea. This time I slowed down, made good executive presence and delivered my idea from beginning to end.
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