19A - Napkin Idea No. 2

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 Christina Thompson. After talking to others, taking personality tests, and looking at myself inwardly. I have realized the potential my human capital can play in my life. As someone who is self- assured and uses "WOO," I am highly driven to do my best in everything I do. With my "goal oriented" and team oriented mindset, I strive to maximize my potential and the potential of my teammates. I love to motivate others to reach their  personal achievements. I try to live my life by thinking each day is a new day and I am going to do better for the world, myself, and others than yesterday.
• If I were to start this business, my core competencies would play a huge role in the development and implementation of Zenergy. Being an advocate to decrease stress through motivating exercises is not something you can do halfheartedly. One needs to be enthusiastic and passionate about their work.

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

• This part has not change. My service is a Wellness Cycling Studio called Zenergy. At Zenergy, you can immerse yourself in a culture dedicated to you, your mind and body. The cycle studio creates dynamic form of group exercise that fuses indoor cycling with meditation and wellness. The environment promotes positivity in and out of the studio. The classes caters your workout preferences, leaving you feeling energized and rejuvenated after every single class. Our mind and bodies are interconnected and studies have shown exercise decreases stress and increases productivity; this will allow one to find time to relive their stress.
• Based on my feed back, my service needs to be offered to target the diverse needs of my customers. I need to offer a range of cycle classes to be tailored to either high intensity rides, meditative rides, and/or a combination of both. In addition, the environment and energy of the studio needs to be carefully constructed to allow one to feel de-stressed. Above all, the fellow instructors need to be highly qualified and believe in the same goal of helping others relieving stress by connecting in with their mind and bodies through exercise.

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 target customers did not change. They are still are young adults in college, but not limited to those of all ages who are/want to become active, need time to relive stress, and want to feel energized. The majority of these customers need to be able body and have the stamina to participate in 45 mins of intense cardio.
• From my feedback I need to be more aware of the financials of my clients. Most of my participants need to have some source of income to pay for these services. To combat against the financial burdens of college students, these classes are reasonably priced from $10-20 with different packages. Overall, this segment of potential customers feel overwhelmed at times and need help from their community and exercise to relieve their stress and emotions. Exercise allows one to connect with their mind and body to increase productivity with in their work and academics. The client needs to feel a after effect which allows them to feel satisfied with their purchase.

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.

• Besides what I stated in my Napkin Idea, the clients attend cycle classes need to have felt relieved of their stress, a new breath of fresh air, and a clearer mind after taking this class. The goal is to motivate others to accomplish their goals and to challenge thems to something good for them. Many of these clients feel more productive after they start their day with a cycle class. To try out this services, the client needs to be granted a free ride. This can also help with marketing and company recognition. After trying their first class, the client can assess if they are willing to pay for these exercise classes or not.

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

• From actually cycling instructor feedback surveys, I can conclude am highly confident and knowledge in the cycle format. I am highly motivating and thorough with my class and participants. I am highly passionate and caring about my work; thus, I am able to be a strong leaders and provide a positive spirit to the class.
• This parallels with my "Secret Sauce" and what all my friends/ family had to say about me, my work ethic, and how I am driven to success any task or goal put in front of me!

I believe all these elements fit together. I am not surprised that much of this information has not change. I believe this is a strong business concept and I am the type of person who can push it into reality. The only out of joint aspect is the competition among boutique style group fitness classes and the need for "class pass" and other third party organizations to allow for others to try your class.

Feedback memo: I can become a workaholic at times and too focus on the task at hand. I need someone who can help me be more open minded at other possibilities. An to figure out an effective pricing structure for college students, income making adults, and other potential demographics. This can be done via student discounts, BOGO friends, charity rides, and purchasing ride packages.

18A-Create a Customer Avatar

My service can only be consumed by individuals. I am going to focus on one of my basic customers: Isabella.

Isabella is from Tampa, FL but she currently attends the University of Florida. In Tampa, she frequently attends cycle classes at Cycle Bar, Soul Cycle, and SOHO Cycling. All of these studios provide cycle classes, but add their own flare to the studio's ambiance. At UF, she attends cycle classes at the school Recreational Center. Isabella is a 18 year old, Freshman, studying psychology. In high school, she was on the swim team and did missionary work in Mississippi. As a new student on campus, she involves herself in multiple organization such as her sorority (Pi Beta Phi) and Dance Marathon. She has grown up attending Catholic school and practices her faith regularly. She finds school and involvement to be stressful at times. Despite this, she commits herself to 30-45 minutes of exercise each day. She attends cycle classes because she believes it to be the most enjoyable and efficient workout. When deciding one who's class to attended, she preferences the instructor who rides based off the rhythm. Her favorite genre of music is rap. Isabella believes cycle classes start her day off the best way possible , it makes her more positive, confident and encourages her to spread how I feel to others. Since she comes from a family with high income, she is willing to pay approximately $15-25 per class. In addition, Isabella believes in the integration of mind and body and how it can increase productivity throughout the day. That is why she is also willing to pay premium.





What do I have in common with her?

We both love starting our days off with working out. I like to switch up my work outs between strength training and cycling. In addition, we both practice our faiths. We enjoying giving back to our communities. I, as well, have been on a mission trip to Mississippi. Instead of DM, I fundraise for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Central Florida.

I don't think this is a coincidence.

Isabella and I come from similar back grounds. We were raised by a family of faith which instilled morals in us. We seek a nurturing community which gives back to the poor. In addition, we feel full filled when doing good for ourself and others. In addition, I came up with idea to help elevate the stress of college students. She finds faith/meditation and exercise stress relieving.

16A - What's Your Secret Sauce

Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique. 

I am a firm advocate for Gallup's Strength Finder. This is an online test which evaluates one's strengths in comparison to one's life, though process, and daily routines. I find it to be extremely accurate and a good representation of what describing the make up of one's human capital. Below is a list of my top 5 strengths with their Gallup descriptions:

1. Strategic - The ability for one to create alternative ways to proceed. I am able to quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues when faced with any given situation.

• Descriptors: good judgment, identifies risk, makes solid decisions, can plan for the unexpected

2. Woo - Stands for Winning Others Over. I love the challenge of breaking the ice and making connections when meeting new people.

• Descriptors: outgoing, people-oriented, networker, rapport-builder.

3. Maximizer - One is able to focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. I desire to push things good to excellent.

• Descriptors: mastery, success, excellence, enjoys working with the best.

4, Communication - The ability to find it easy to put thoughts into words. I believe I am a strong conversationalists and presenters.

• Descriptors: storyteller, great presence, easy to talk to, energizer, entertaining, charismatic.

5. Focus - The drive to take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. Because of this trait, I prioritize and then act.

• Descriptors: point person, disciplined, purposeful, laser-like precision, identifies important areas quickly, goal setter and getter.

Interview the five people who know you the best.
(click on the title to access the YouTube clip)

Interview with Remy
In this interview, Remy discusses my work ethic as his partner and classmate. From this interview my take aways are that I am planned, organized, and always prepared. In addition, Remy says I am "intense" in the matter of I bring all I have and I am passionate about my work.

Interview with Callee
During my college experience, Callee has been a good friend of mine. In her interview she elaborates on the WOO side of my personality traits by explaining how I am able to speak my mind and show case my expressions. I try to inspire other to WIN THEM OVER. Guess it worked with Callee!

Interview with Remi
Coincidently, I have another friend named Remi. I have gone to school with her for the past 8 years. She talks me on a friendship level. She says I am a thoughtful, considerate, and intentional with my relationships.

Interview with Sarah
Sarah is the Student Body Vice President of UF. She has encountered many students and situations on this campus. Because of this, she is able to see the true intentions of people. She compares me to others and talks about my drive and the manner I conduct my business.

Interview with my Father
My Father is one of my greatest role models. He was so thoughtful with his interview. He did not want to wing it and miss any of my qualities, so he wrote touch points down prior. He elaborates on my goal setting mindset and my drive to accomplish them. He truly raised me to treat other the way I would want to be treated. Him and my mother are the secret ingredient to my sauce's recipe.

Reflect on the differences.

I believe the videos correspond with my description of my human capital. Despite them not explicitly stating 1) Strategic 2) WOO 3) Maximizer 4) Communication and 5) Focus, there descriptions were pretty similar to the definitions I stated prior. In addition, my closer friends elaborated on way I treat others over the way I conduct myself in operations. I found this assignment a little challenging because I find asking and listening compliments hard. Especially after completing a huge task or project, it is nice to hear thoughtful words about one's self from peers.

15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behaviors No. 2

After interviewing 5 of my cycle participants, I was able to gain a better understanding of buyer behavior. Since these are regular participants, they understand the cycle format and have awareness of the effects with exercise on the mind and body. All the participants decide to attend a class based off time convenience, the instructor, and the intensity of the ride.

Most of the people who I interviewed believe cycle classes is the most enjoyable, effective, and efficient workout for them. One person who I interviewed, Monica, attends cycle classes "to relieve stress, clear my mind and challenge myself." She completely understands how exercise enhance one's productivity and feels more energetic throughout the day. In regards to infusing meditation, she does not practice it as much. She believe it is great because some people seek a meditative atmosphere when exercising, and not everyone craves a hardcore workout that may induce anxiety. Most cycle classes that she has been to increase her heart rate up high but she wishes there was more time for relaxation in between. Contrary, two other of my participants, Bianca and Bella believe integrating meditation would disrupt from the flow of the class. They value a high tense and high energy class focused on the beats of the music. 

Like Monica, everyone who I interviewed agrees they feel accomplished, energized, and motivated after cycling. In addition, they would all drive max 15-20 mins away to attend a cycle class. Amongst those who I interviewed, there was a spread from $5 -20 in regards to pricing the class. Many of the participants who I interviewed are students who do not make a high income. Therefore, there needs to be a student discount or promotion. I also found it interesting, all the interviewees want there to be an application for the studio which allows them to book a ride in advance and pay before hand.

In all, the studio needs to offer different types of cycle classes; classes tailored to high intensity workouts, and others catered to mindfulness. In regards to the operations of the studio, the instructors need to be highly motivating and program their classes correctly with the proper safety and motivational cueing. I would host auditions and hand pick the instructors who I deem most qualified and believe in the same mission of relieving stress and creating an open space for those achieve their desired goals.

14A - 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? 

I am a very disciplined person. Therefore, I like to work ahead of this course. I set the deadlines in my planner; but try to get them done earlier in the week so I am not procrastinating last minute. I find this helpful. When starting the assignments the weekend before, it gives the student ample time to conduct interviews with their peers. In addition, I like the assignments and this class. I found a unmet need and a solution I am passionate about. During this semester, I have discussed this class and my excitement for my solution. This allows me to gather feedback on the fly and then follow up with individuals to conduct interviews. Since they see my passion, they are more than willing to assist.

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?

I have felt like giving up once. It was with a Cupcake. I was busy that week, got my other assignments done a head of time; but forgot about the Cupcake. I quickly crammed the lectures at night and took the Cupcake. I miss a couple of questions. This infuriated me because I normally diligent with my work.  In addition, I frequently try to complete the assignments before watching the lectures. I felt a little dishearten when I missed a key essential to the elevator pitch. I learned after submitting my video I needed to state a price. Despite these mistakes, I knew my product is still beneficial to society and want to learn more on how it can be altered into something great. Also, I really enjoyed reading Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. His attitude towards Blue Ribbon and his shoes pulled him through many hard times. I never put that book down because I saw myself in Phil Knight. Surrounding myself with an entrepreneur mindset has increases my tenacious attitude these past couple of months.

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' ?

1. Set Goals - Tenacious people have strong work ethics towards things they are passionate about. Maintaining a clear focus with deadlines to stay accountable to allows one to be and stay tenacious. Write them down.
2. Surround Yourself with Tenacious People - Making friends with a healthy belief system allows for continuous motivation to excel. Friends can help you alter your strategies by showing you their beliefs and will help you when the going gets tough. Also read about tenacious people, you can learn a lot from their life and story.
3. Do not let adversity set you back - Most tenacious people realize failure and adversity will enter into their lives. Many of them have a similar response: accept the setback and quickly move on. It is important to learn from these adverse situations, but never use it as a justification to give up. Set backs are just a learning tool to make you stronger!

13A - Reading Reflection No 1

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

1) Part 1 Questions:

1. What surprised you the most? All the bendings of truth Phil Knight did to get to were he is now surprised me the most. In his initial meeting with the Japanese shoe making company, Onitsuka, Phil presented them with a fake company called "Blue Ribbon Sports." Also, he lied to Onitsuka about having Blue Ribbon offices in the US. These little lies paid off and Phil wins these business deals. In addition to his lies, Phil rummages through the export manager, Kitami's, briefcase and steals information about his opponents. Later on, many of Phi's missteps unfold into large court cases. Despite all of these difficulties and little lies, Nike has become a huge global company with a focus on principals related to environmental, social, and governance factors like; such as, the Girl Effect.
2. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? As an accounting student, I admire how Phil Knight took his background education in public accounting to the next level to pursue his passion to create new running shoes. In addition, all the talent he surrounded himself with on his management team all came from the accounting industry. His team use their accounting insights and perspectives to build this global enterprises. For example, Phil did not want Blue Ribbon, then Nike, to become a public company. Phil, Bowerman, and other his partners knew the trade off and hurdles it takes to transition from a private company to a public company.

3. What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? What surprised me most is also what I least admired about Phil Knight. Integrity is an important characteristic for management. Especially coming from accounting, Phil Knight knows the foundation of a company comes from it control environment and the "tone at the top." As a reader, one feels sympathetic and justifies Phil's actions. There is clearly a fine line between committing an ethically wrong act and twisting the truth. Sadly, some of Phil's actions disappointed me at time.  However, from Phil's story any entrepreneur can see they need to evaluate their values and integrity in correlation to their strategy and mission.
4. Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? Phil Knight and Blue Ribbon company was on the verge of failure on a multiple of occasions. Blue Ribbon knew they could fail, but realized it was not an option. They did everything in their best to ensure the continuous operations of the company. For example, they created new products, marketing strategies, and gambling their savings away.  One noteworthy adverse situation was when US Customs demanded Nike to pay $25 million in import fees and Phil and his team got them to settle at $9 million.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

Phil Knight embodies resiliency. He is willing to give up everything for Blue Ribbon. In addition, he is able to rally the troops in desperate times. This is due to Phi's passion in Blue Ribbon. Phil grew up running and believed he and his old coach could design an efficient and effect shoe to decrease the times for competitive runners.  Phil believed in something so much he never lost focus of his mission and constantly had the intrinsic motivation to push him and his team.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

There was a time during Nike's history, where Blue Ribbons did not have the funds to pay off their expense because the company was growing so rapidly. I was a little confused about the contractual arrangements made by Phil with his shoe distributors. From the contract's description, it seem like Nike is practice channel stuffing to raise more cash. Channel stuffing is a deceptive business practice for a company to inflate sales by selling more products to their vendors than vendor's can sell. I want to learn more about Phil's contractual agreements to raise more revenues.

 4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

1. What moment made you the proudest seeing a Nike shoe?
1. Why? There are so many athletic events, teams, and athletes who wear his shoes. Phil mentions some of his favorite moment, but I want to know his all time proudest moment.
2. Anything you would have done differently in your strategy to develop Nike?
1. Why? I am curious if Phil regrets his unethical behaviors.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? Phil Knight values hard work. He is an athlete himself and is extremely competitive. Like many athletes, Phil is built with the drive and the  intrinsic motivations to work hard for something he is passionate about. He knows practice makes perfect and training aids to the success story. This is evident theme in his memoir, Shoe Dog, with the creation of Nike.

12A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.1

Choosing a segment: For this assignment, I chose a segment of young college students who partake exercise frequently. Two of the three interviewees have attended my cycle class before. Interviewee 1 is in the accounting school with me. His parents are entrepreneurs; they operate and own a restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale. He understands the process to open a service business and the struggles which accompany it. Interviewee 2 is a young gentleman who is in Greek Life. He frequently works out, but has never taken a cycle class before. My final interviewee is a college female who is a brand ambassador for a Arbonne. Arbonne is a weight management program which focuses on healthy living. She herself is a entrepreneur and understands the struggles of marketing to young adults with little income.

Interviews:

Interviewee 1:

Interviewee 1 notices stress to be most noticeable during exam time. The first thing he does when he starts to feel overwhelmed is take a step back and relax. In addition, he believes talking to others and surrounding yourself with positive community during this time is important. When stressed, Interview 1 does not seek out any sources of information in regards to his emotional feelings. With the services provided at Zenergy Cycling Studio, he believes it would cater to his desire needs and would pay for it. He strongly believes this business could be profitable due to the different wellness segments it is including. Overall he states, the start up and the operations of the business will be challenging and costly; but the reward from customer feedback will outweigh those costs in the long run.

Interviewee 2:

Interviewee 2 concludes he fells stress occur most in complex situations regarding school. (i.e. exams, homework, projects, etc.) The first thing he does to cope with stress and feeling overwhelmed is to procrastinate. When procrastinating, he typically goes to the gym. Similar to the other male interviewee (1), Interview 2 does not seek out any sources of information in regards these feelings of stress. Contrary, he does not talk with his friends or family about his emotions. With the services provided at Zenergy Cycling Studio, he believes it would be a good way to relieve stress as an active person. Unfortunately, he would not pay for these services.

Interviewee 3:

Interviewee 3, the brand ambassador, feels the most overwhelmed during busy seasons of her life. She notices the stress more when there are exams and work conflicts. The first thing she does to relieve her stress is to write down everything in her agenda and to go workout. When seeking help, Interviewee 3 turns to her friend and family and Googles "How to cope with stress." She finds this aids to building a conscience mindset and environment to help her overcome her stress. With the services provided at Zenergy Cycling Studio, she believes it would an energizing and fun way to relieve stress and wants to try it! Understand the cost relationship between college students and her products, she believes pay $20 a month for these services is a good target prices for this demographic. She understands these services are worth much more, but unfortunately cannot afford more than that.

What I learned:

The demand to try these services are high. All of the interviewees conclude they feel most overwhelmed during exam seasons and turn to exercise to relieve their stress and emotional tolls. They believe it is a time for them to "pause" and "take a step back." To market to college students during this busy season, the advertising needs display trade offs between working out, meditation, and healthy living with the time loss not studying. The mind and body is very interrelated and studies have proven those who exercise perform better on exams. In addition to attract this segment, I need to offer my services at a lower / discounted price. College students do not have great inflows of money and find it difficult to pay for these services when the campus recreational center already has yoga and cycle classes. Therefore, the cycle classes at Zenergy needs to have high customer service, an inclusive environment, and a workout much different than the ones found at the school's gym.

How I would describe this segment:

This segment has a high needs awareness for feeling overwhelmed and stress; but they rarely seek online information for help. They seek more help from their community of friends and family. This segment would purchase these services only if it is priced down for college students. They all agree it will be a fun way to relieve stress, leave feeling rejuvenated, and ready to tackle their studies during exam season.

11A - 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 Christina Thompson. I am a senior studying accounting at the University of Florida. Outside my studies, I dedicate my time to teaching Cycle. I have a national certification through the American Council of Exercise to be a group fitness instructor. I aspire to obtain my Yoga hours by taking a training program. Through this, I will further develop my yoga practice and gain more insights on breathing and mediation. This can aid to my business concept and reliving stress management. Professionally, I can gain more knowledge on this area of fitness and find more ways to fuse these practices together.

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

My service is a Wellness Cycling Studio called Zenergy. At Zenergy, you can immerse yourself in a culture dedicated to you, your mind and body. The cycle studio creates dynamic form of group exercise that fuses indoor cycling with meditation and wellness. The environment promotes positivity in and out of the studio. The classes caters your workout preferences, leaving you feeling energized and rejuvenated after every single class. Our mind and bodies are interconnected and studies have shown exercise decreases stress and increases productivity; this will allow one to find time to relive their stress.

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 target customers are young adults in college; however, this service is open to those of all ages who are/want to become active, need time to relive stress, and want to feel energized. The majority of these customers need to be able body and have the stamina to participate in 45 mins of intense cardio. Most of my participants need to have some source of wealth to pay for these classes. To combat against the financial burdens of college students, these classes are reasonably priced with different package options.

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.

From teaching cycle at the Rec Center, I have understand my participants, and their needs by building rapport with them. The following feedback proves how cycle classes are valuable to college students and why they would pay for my wellness cycle classes: 

"hi!! Just wanted to say that your playlist + energy + overall class today were really great and it was particularly meaningful because my workouts lately have been real sucky and today was the first time in weeks I had fun working out and left feel energized and not drained. So anyway, just wanted to say thank you." 

In addition, seeking a place of comfort and community is so important to college students and others. This can help one feeling lost to find a group of an amazing people with the same motives in mind. Many of my participants are sad that this is my senior year and want me to stay or offer classes somewhere else. I believe customers will actually pay money to use my services.

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

From my class's feedback surveys, I have concluded my following core competencies in relation to being a cycle instructor and understanding the need for a wellness studio like this. I am highly confident and knowledge in the cycle format. I am highly motivating and thorough with my class and participants. I am highly passionate and caring about my work; thus, I am able to be a strong leaders and provide a positive spirit to the class.

Do you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others?

I strongly believe these elements fit together with my aspects of my business concept. Since I am less knowledgeable in yoga and the different meditation and breathing techniques, I need to gain more insights to that area of fitness. Once I have a proficient understanding of both concepts, I believe my yoga fusion will be more impactful to the rides. This will bring a whole new experience to cycle which has never really been done before.