14A – Halfway Reflection

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

The behaviors I have used to keep up with the requirements of this course are time management and being able to look for opportunities. I try to use my time wisely throughout this course by completing assignments throughout the week so they don't pile up and leave me stressed at the end of the week. Being able to look for opportunities everywhere is another behavior I use, and is something required to implement on almost every assignment.  

2) 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?

A moment I felt like giving up was yesterday morning when I realized I had a four-hour drive home and a big paper to write that was due on Monday. The thought of driving from South Florida all the way to Gainesville was so exhausting and then having to immediately sit and write a paper as soon as I got home was so stressful to me. I weighed all my options and considered how I could make this the least stressful experience for me and decided I just had to get the paper done. I wrote half of it when I got home and then decided to leave the other half to finish in the morning in order to leave off some stress for myself. 

3) 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. Reach out for help if you need it. Some things in this class were a little confusing to me in the beginning so I reached out to the professor, as well as fellow classmates. It helps to relate to other people going through the same thing and also get clarity on what you are confused about. 
2. Develop time management skills. There are a lot of assignments due for this class, which require a lot of time. I would say to complete at least one assignment or half of an assignment every day so that you don't get overwhelmed. You can also break up the lectures so it's not too much all at once. 
3. Developing the "tenacious mindset." This will allow you to stay motivated and working hard even when you have a lot on your plate. 

Reading Reflection No. 1

For this assignment, I read Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance

1) 

• What surprised you the most? What surprised me the most is how in depth they looked into the mind of Elon Musk. What surprised me is that he is considered slightly manic and not always completely put together like you would think such a successful person would be. I was also surprised at how openly he discussed dealing with stress and how he seems to not let it affect him too much. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? I admire the way Elon Musk has such a strong passion to limit the amount of oil we use on Earth and how conscious he is of making our technology more sustainable to reduce environmental impact. He seems to be so determined and motivated to succeed in the things he wants and has never shown any signs of his motivation slipping. He incorporated old-school Silicon Valley and combined it with the modern Apple-like design in order to create something that would be both sustainable and appealing. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? I don't like how Elon Musk seems to be arrogant. His passion and drive can come across as egotistical and he makes a lot of big promises that he might not always keep. His ideas seem to be a little too far fetched, and it makes me question his sanity a bit. He feels such a strong need to accomplish anything he thinks of that I don't know if he stops himself to consider if it is a good idea or not. He is too impulsive, but the impulsivity has attributed to his huge success. 
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? Elon Musk did encounter somewhat of a failure. He sold PayPal, and used the liquidity to start SpaceX. The startup forced him to go broke, and when he sold everything he had to live on couches. He scraped by until he was able to get a government contract and start Tesla. 

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? The skills Musk is most competent in is his ability to keep moving forward. After losing all his money, he was able to push through and create one of the biggest companies in the world. He is really good at not letting his downfalls get the best of him, which keeps him moving forward.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. One part of the reading that was confusing for me was his talk about SpaceX. I don't really understand why he went into that business and was confused when they discussed it in the book. It seemed like a huge dream idea he made up in his head and decided to try it in real life. I was also confused about the interviewing process of the book and how they seemed to incorporate both interviews with non-fiction content. 

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why? I would ask Elon Musk how he stays confident and motivated and I would also ask him what he does in his free time when he's not focused on business. 

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? Elon Musk would probably consider hard work both extremely important but also I feel that he likes to get things done as easily as possible. He works extremely hard himself, but he tends to accomplish things very quickly. If this is his opinion, I would share the same exact opinion. 

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Segment: 
I chose a segment of established business leaders. All three of my interviews were with people who own a business. One is a man who owns a small boutique in Fort Lauderdale and has had several successes and failures in his business ownership. Another is a woman who has been the manager of a department store for six years. The third is the owner of a shoe store in Gainesville, who sells her own handmade products, along with a variety of brands and styles.

Interview:
I talked to the man who owns a small boutique in Fort Lauderdale and asked him what he thought of my product idea and if he would be willing to invest in a leather alternative. I talked with him about the different ways in which leather is bad for our environment and he showed some concern. He said it would be hard for him to switch over completely since his customers come for specific items and he might lose business, but he said he would be willing to incorporate the product into some of his items. The woman who is the manager of a department store said she thought my idea was really interesting but showed the same concern as the man I initially interviewed. Some customers might get upset about a changing product. The owner of the shoe store was very interested in the uniqueness of using fruit as a leather alternative and said she would be interested in using it for her handmade items, but said it might be difficult to sell to big corporations due to the societal norm of leather in products.

What I learned:
From conducting these interviews I learned that there was a lot of pushback to using faux leather due to the fear of customers now being interested. There was a common concern of the loss of customers since it is such a huge change for companies to switch over such a desired material. The demand for faux leather might not be that high because there are not a lot of people who are educated in the leather industry. I learned that people are really afraid of implementing new products into their business because they are fearful of losing sales. I do think the concern is valid because people, in general, don't like change, but with something so detrimental to our environment, I think people would be willing to buy a leather alternative if people were educated on the topic. 

How I would describe this segment:
I think that there are a lot of successful people who have thought about how to better their products and how to reach a broader audience. This segment would not necessarily switch over their whole business to being cruelty-free, but they would consider implementing the leather alternative. This segment does understand the purpose of the product and would consider using it, but they need some time to consider their target audience.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. 

My name is Lauren. I am a second-year student majoring in journalism, and if I have a talent, then it is definitely writing. I haven't had any experience professionally writing, but I am hoping to at some point in the near future. My aspiration would be to be successful in a business or some endeavor that I embark on. The business concept I came up with has the opportunity to be successful, so if I were to start expanding on the faux leather and fur industry and really improve it, I think it would be very successful. 

2) What are you offering to customers? 

The product I am offering to customers is a leather alternative made from some sustainable resource such as fruit enzymes/skin or mushrooms. The alternative will be just as good as leather in regards to quality and appearance, but it will be very sustainable and accessible. I would be selling this to companies who want to make the switch to sustainable leather but want the best quality. 

3) Who are you offering it to? 

The demographics of faux leather would be probably younger people who have a desire to help the environment or have concerns regarding animal cruelty. These people also might not be very invested in their leather products or material items in general but appreciate the quality of leather. 

4) Why do they care? 

Companies will pay for this product because companies are always looking to create the image that they care about something like the environment. There is a trend right now to raise environmental consciousness and companies who acknowledge this will draw in a bigger audience. Customers will support brands who are doing something for change rather than companies who aren't. 

5) What are your core competencies?                                                                                           There are some companies who sell really good quality faux leather but it is very inaccessible and not offered at stores that majority of the population shops at. The goal of my business is accessibility in both the physical product and price. I would sell to companies like Nike who would buy the faux leather and then implement it into their designs so it's accessible. 

• All of these elements fit together in making a good business. It is important to keep in mind the core beliefs of your business and integrate it with your customer demographic in order to make sure that someone will buy the product you're trying to sell. I would say there are parts of my concept that are weak since it is up to the companies to buy my product and it is extremely difficult to have a company switch their products from real leather to faux especially because of their inventory and price. 

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Elevator Pitch No. 1

https://youtu.be/9vGzF6bvLP0

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

• Who: Through my interviews, I found that there are people who fall outside of my boundaries or market. These people are those who don't care enough about factors such as the animals, the environmental effects or humanitarian effects of the leather and fur industry. One interviewee said that she doesn't necessarily care about the animal side of the leather and fur industry and said she doesn't see a difference between using animals for meat or for leather.
• Another person I interviewed said a similar thing as the first girl I interviewed. In his opinion, there are bigger things to worry about and that leather is an important industry for the economy.
• What: One interviewee said she would be very worried about the quality difference of the faux leather and furs. She said that it's hard to switch from a brand who uses leather to one that she isn't as comfortable with or might not necessarily share the aesthetic that she tries to achieve.
• Why: I don't think that people outside the boundary have a different need, they are just too comfortable with what they already know and love and find it very difficult to switch over. The majority of people I talked to agreed with the need for this product, they just buy what they like and would find it hard to stop buying what they like.

Inside the boundary: 

• Who: Environmentalists, people who go vegan or vegetarian in order to minimize their contribution to animal cruelty, people curious about changing their lifestyle due to a growing concern for the environment, humanitarians or people who are concerned for working conditions.
• What: Help reduce climate change, to raise awareness of animal cruelty, to raise awareness for the working conditions of industries that produce animal products.
• Why: When going into a store, most options available involve animal products, there isn't a widespread availability for alternative options, the alternatives aren't cost-efficient.

Outside the boundary:

• Who: People who don't believe in climate change, people who don't have an interest in animal cruelty, people who love real leather and fur.
• What: To fix climate change, to end animal cruelty, to end poor working conditions across all industries.
• Why: There are other ways to help climate change and getting leather is easier and more accessible than faux leather.

Solving The Problem

• My product has to do with creating an alternative to fur and leather products. The fur and leather industries are extremely detrimental to the environment due to the production practices that are used when creating leather and fur. The industry is also very cruel to animals, as they often kill the animals in various inhumane ways, and the workers are forced to work in poor conditions. 
• I would create a product that is comparable in quality to real fur and leather and can be used for every product that leather/fur would be used for. The product will be sustainable and environmentally friendly and the conditions for the factory workers will be good. 
• Materials that can be used as alternatives for leather:
• Fruit fibers: orange peel fibers can transform citrus juice byproducts into sustainable textiles while reducing waste and pollution. They have the cellulose fibers that can be weaved into sustainable fabrics that are silky to the touch.
• Apple skin: You can use the waste produced from the apple industry into materials that can be used for fashion, footwear, and accessories. The skin of an apple creates a sustainable material that is totally compostable and recyclable. The final material not only looks and feels just like leather but also has the durability of leather. 
• Mushroom leather: Mycelium grows by absorbing nutrients from the environment, and is strong and durable. You can remove mycelial and you get a dense foam log with a pebbled texture. Once it is large enough it can go through an environmentally friendly version of what animal products go through to create leather (tanned, flattened, etc.)
• Synthetic fabrics: Making faux fur is very simple. It only requires synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon. You can also make faux fur more environmentally friendly by using cotton fibers.
• The leather alternative would be sold to companies that would replace leather car leather, leather shoes, sandals, handbags, couches, chairs, and any other need for leather. The fur alternative would be sold to companies who create fur coats, vests, blankets, pillows, rugs, etc.