Tuesday, February 12, 2019

11A - Idea Napkin No. 1


About Me
My name is Tyler Pratt. I am a junior at the University of Florida majoring in Food and Resource Economics with a specialization in marketing and management. I am also pursuing a minor in Business Administration. I have a talent with marketing. I am currently involved with the American Marketing Association. Last semester with AMA, I worked on a marketing project with Yin and Yang Apparel, a startup street wear and music festival clothing company. This semester I have a marketing internship with a local craft beer store and restaurant. I am running all the social media platforms and helping raise awareness of the company. I believe with my skills in marketing and promoting business's on social media will help me launch my printing app. A good business idea can not going anywhere if it is not marketed well.

What am I offering.
I am offering a product that takes away the stress from last minute printing for college students, or simply an alternative way for people who do not have a printer or have a printer that is not working a way to print. I have seen borrowing apps, mainly for college students. For example, there is a borrowing app for game day outfits catered towards college students. My app will have a similar concept to a borrowing app. I am also thinking about adding more things to borrowing app such as coffee machines. Many students want that fix of coffee in the morning or at night to study. Being able to buy coffee directly from a college neighbor can save time and money. For students who do not have a coffee machine they tend to go to the Starbucks and buy over priced coffee. Sharing a coffee machine would save money and give students loaning their machine money.

Who am I offering to

I am offering a product that caters towards college students. Money and time are usually short. Students are always busy and always broke. Not everyone can afford a printer or a coffee machine. But these things are a necessity for many students.

Why I care.

I am a college student and I can relate to the struggle. I have had trouble with printing and prefer a cup of coffee while studying for an exam. I also like marketing and would have a great time marketing a product that I believe benefits college students.

My core competencies

There are borrowing apps out there, but as far as I know the ones that cater towards students are for clothes. This app stands out because both parties benefit. The person loaning their equipment makes money and the consumer gets what they need at a good and fair price.

Summary

The five elements do fit together. My business concept is not directly related to my major, club or internship. However, I believe I have learned key concepts and tools to help grow a business. Being able to know what I am offering and who it is for is important. I can be offering something that is really good. However, if I am not offering it to the right person it is bound to fail. I do not have experience with how to create an app, which would be my week point. I need to know how other borrowing apps function.





   

4 comments:

  1. I think your five elements fit together. Your education in management and your interest in marketing will help greatly if you actually decided to start this business. As a student you understand the difficulty of print and can relate with your target market. I have never seen an app like this before, so you would not have competition when selling your product.

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  2. Hi Tyler,
    I think your business idea is incredible. There are so many times in college where I thought of something last minute and could not do anything because there was nothing I can do. I like how you gave explicit examples such as gameday outfits which is a great example. I also really liked how you analyzed your strength and how you stand out. Great Post!

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  3. Hey Tyler,
    I think you absolutely have the skills necessary to smoothly start up a business. One of the main issues new companies face is the ability to get the brand name out there. Since you already have a lot of experience in marketing through social media platforms, I don't think this would be a problem for you. I think your app is an excellent idea, as it would relieve a tremendous amount of stress for those who cannot easily access a printer.

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  4. Hi Tyler,
    I love the idea. I think you have the right background on the basis of just being a college student. You are obviously familiar with what it looks like to need to borrow. I think a borrowing app is perfect, especially for the dorms. Freshman are always in need of something because they did not think they were missing a dorm life necessity like a coffee maker.

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