15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

For applying sunscreen there is not many different ways you can apply it. There is applying sunscreen on yourself, on others, and then spray or lotion. When I interviewed people, I found that most said they applied sunscreen on others, however, if they were alone, they would apply it the best they could. The most important factor to my customer segment was quality. They said that they are willing to pay more for high quality sunscreen that is easy to apply and prevents sunburn. Also, the easy use factor. Spray sunscreen is great but for sensitive skin it is not as effective as lotion. 

Most of the people I interviewed said they buy their sunscreen at a convenience store like Walgreens or CVS and one person said that they order their sunscreen with a tanning oil online from a boutique website. I found that most find buying sunscreen online weird and that it is something you buy at the store like toothpaste or shampoo. 

As for post-purchase evaluation, my customers evaluated the ‘rightness’ of the purchase by level of sunburn, amount of sunscreen in the bottle or can, and how often they had to reapply. One of the people I interviewed said they hate buying spray on sunscreen because they think it is overpriced for the amount of sunscreen you get inside. Another said that they buy the same brand of sunscreen every summer and it would take a lot of work to convince them to switch.  

I found that the people who use sunscreen regularly like Florida locals, have their favorite sunscreens picked out already and that my main target segment would be those who are traveling and those who have families. I found that mothers care about the quality of the sunscreen, but they need help with the application process.

Based on what I know about this segment I think most mothers will want the sunscreen in my machine to be one that is easily researchable. So, I should partner with a large, established sunscreen company. Also, most locals do not need the application machine as much because they do not need single use sunscreen, they have use for an entire bottle. Lastly, I found that my product must be effective and prevent people from burning but also be quick and easy to use. 

14A- Halfway Reflection

14A- Halfway Reflection 

Some behaviors I have developed is getting my work done early in this class. If you put it off till the end of the week it is easy to forget about it or choose something else over it. It is very important to sit down at the beginning of the week and get your work done ahead of time. One thing I have done is to treat my assignments like they are due a week earlier. This way if I miss an assignment, I still have time to complete it. 

A time I felt like giving up was when I began to feel over whelmed with school, work and friends. I felt like I was spending so much time studying for school and still not getting the grades I deserved. I have pushed through this by analyzing and learning from my mistakes. I have learned to manage my time better and have learned to go back and see what I did wrong on an assignment or what I missed on a test. 

Three tips I would give to next semesters students would be to work ahead, choose a business opportunity that you are passionate about and to always try an assignment, even if it looks difficult and discouraging, keep your head up and figure it out. 

13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

For my reading I chose Coco Chanel by Lisa Chaney. The thing that surprised me most about Coco Chanel was that she was raised by nuns. The nuns are the ones that thought her to sew which lead to her career as a fashion designer. What shocks me about this is that Coco’s designs were revolutionary because she was making clothes for women that were powerful and sexy and had elements of men’s style in them. I would have thought being raised by nuns Coco would have designed things more reserved and modest. 

The thing I most admire about Coco Chanel was the fact she gave women the power to walk away from corsets and other uncomfortable things and she pushed comfort. I could not imagine having to wear a corset everyday of my life, so for that I thank Coco Chanel. 

The thing I least admire about Coco Chanel was her relationship with Nazi military officer, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. While her relationship is still up in the air from her part in World War II and her personal views on the war a lot of people view her relationship as a betrayal to her country. 

Coco Chanel did encounter failure in her life and her early life was very rough. At the age of 12 Coco’s mother died and her father put her in an orphanage where she would be raised by nuns. From there Coco worked as a singer in clubs but it didn’t go far and that’s when she started designing. 

A competency that I noticed about Chanel was her confidence. Without her confidence she wouldn’t have become the iconic Chanel. She believed in herself and her designs and what she thought was right and put all of it out there. I think if you are starting your own business you have to trust yourself and believe that you are on the right path. 

One part of the reading that was confusing to me was all the names of places and people who I didn’t know. I had to look up where these places where to understand the story. 

If I could ask two things to Coco Chanel it would be: How did you mentally prepare yourself to be on your own? I would ask her this because as a young adult it is hard to find the confidence to do something all on my own. Second, I would ask her if she could do anything different why? I am also interested in learning from others mistakes and my mistakes. 

I think Coco’s opinion on hard work would have been work smarter not harder. I think Chanel as a person and a brand is about luxury and simplicity. She created a legacy off of a simple black dress. I share this opinion with her. I think there is a lot of people who choose the hard road when the easy road is there you just have to look at it differently. 

11A- Idea Napkin No. 1

11A- Idea Napkin No. 1 

1.    Who you are: I am a business major, studying to go into event production and entertainment management. I have worked in entertainment production for 3 years starting as an intern and working my way into event production assistant which allowed me to work in fields such as artist relations, stage management, hospitality and event promoter. I also worked for 3 years as head of marketing for a sunscreen company. There I ran social media, web design, and all events like pageants, and expos. There is where I came up with the idea for a sunscreen application machine. I think this machine could provide a career for me. It can combine my love for tropical and warm places with work. 

2.    What are you offering to customers: I am offering a machine that applies sunscreen to pool and beach goers in popular areas. The machine will be like a spray tan where you step in, press go and then you are misted from head to toe with sunscreen. You will be able to choose between different SPF’s like 15, 30 or 50. The machine allows you to quickly apply sunscreen without having to purchase an entire bottle when you are traveling. 

3.    Who are you offering it to: I am offering my product to hotel pools and resorts that are in warm areas where sunscreen application is necessary. I will sell the machine and the sunscreen refill service to the hotels and then they will sell the use of the machine on their property to their guests. The customers will be people who want to quickly apply sunscreen and people who are alone and can’t apply it to their backs. These people can be of all ages especially parents with young children who can’t apply sunscreen by themselves. 

4.    Why do they care: Customers care because my machine supplies an easy way to quickly apply sunscreen and not waste money buying sunscreen you will not use. Most people have to buy an entire bottle of sunscreen for a two-day trip. They end up throwing away the left-over sunscreen and wasting their money. 

5.    What are your core competencies: What makes my product stand out is that it is taking a product and making it into a service. This makes my machine not only give you sunscreen but puts it on for you. My machine is a luxury that people can use when on vacation. My product is unique because there are sunscreen application tools but there is not anything that does it 100 percent for you. 

I do believe these elements fit together. I think that my previous work in the sun care industry will provide me with the knowledge I need on what sunscreens to use in my machine and where I can sell my product. I think that the luxury of the machine will go perfectly with our target audience of people on vacation who don’t need an entire bottle of sunscreen as well offering a solution to sunscreen application problems. 

10A- Elevator Pitch 1

10A- Elevator Pitch 1

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9A- Testing the Hypothesis Part Two

9A- Testing the Hypothesis Part Two 

Who: The people who fall outside of the boundary are those who own bigger, more established businesses. For example, the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach, does not have a major panhandling issue because they always have people outside like valet, and they have a large entrance. To be blocking the entrance of the hotel you would have to be far up the drive way and deep into hotel property. From my interviews I learned that there are people who would not want my product. For big hotels and businesses to want my product it would need to incorporate a whole security aspect that includes security cameras and monitoring systems. Since most large hotels and businesses already have that, my product is only needed by smaller businesses so I learned it will have to be priced accordingly and easy to use. 

What: My need for stricter panhandling laws and regulations differs from regulating others by panhandlers actually affecting business. While it can be unappealing to have homeless people outside of a business, if they are acting appropriately and respectfully, they should affect customers coming in to the business but if there are people outside the business-like panhandlers who are harassing and begging for money then people will not want to go into that business. From my interviews I learned that my device will need to be customizable for each business. Since a lot of large business will not need my product, I have to be able to work with smaller businesses which are generally more unique in their needs. 

Why: The underlying cause of the outsider’s need is not different than the people who are inside the boundary, it is just less of a need. Big hotels and businesses still need panhandlers to be regulated, it just isn’t as big of a problem as it is to smaller businesses. 

	Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Who is in/not	Small business owners who have their entrances close to public sidewalks, and have panhandlers harassing and scaring customers away.	Big businesses who have their entrances far from public sidewalks and are not as affected by panhandlers.
What the need is/not	The need is to have stricter panhandling laws and have them regulated more frequently and efficiently.	The need is not to remove all homeless and street performers from the sidewalks and streets.
Why the need exists/does not	The need exists because there are a lot of panhandlers in busy parts of Daytona Beach and other tourist towns that are harassing customers and effecting business.	The need does not exist for businesses that can afford more onsite security and that does not rely on police to do so.