22A – Elevator Pitch No. 3

Link Youtube: https://youtu.be/LvgvbAkEHYs

A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch. 

On my last pitch I received feedback in terms of my delivery. I was initially pitching a different product and my delivery may have seemed careless or casual. People said I should try and make it more professional for ethos purposes. None of the feedback was wrong it was all helpful. 

3) What did you change, based on the feedback?

I delivered a pitch for a different product, the one I've been exploring lately which is the flavored capsule additive for beer. I incorporated a little Spanish just to fit my demographic, though I still think my pitch delivery is the same (you don't know whether I'm serious or not). This honestly has to do with my speeches in English, in Spanish I can communicate with a more professional tone. 

21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?

For the second reading reflection I read How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big, a memoir by Scott Adams which essentially provides an insight on the physical and mental changes Adams grew to perceive were most beneficial and effective for his career and personal success. Scott Adams endured countless failures respective to startups and patents though through personal modification he reformulated his life and ended up creating the successful Dilbert office cartoon, which he used as an outlet for many of the things he had experienced. 

2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

Without having read the other books, I would probably say this lecture choice was very relevant to what we are learning in ENT3003. The fact is, Adams shares advice that tells it how it is. For one to pretend success be evident in their life they have to make changes, and truly be sly or ´vivo´as we say in Spanish. Adams is a perfect example of an entrepreneur that analyzed not only his situation but the situation around him and enacted changes in his personality or routine when the moment corresponded. Because of these changes he was able to find a break-through and be successful. 

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

I think an interesting exercise to carry out would be incorporating psychology and trying to figure people out— a skill that Adams says is a solid ten on a scale from one to ten. Maybe grouping students who have never met before and asking them to make conversation for five minutes and then analyzing ones perception of each group member. 

Another point of advice made by Scott Adams which I found neat was that “to maximize productivity one has to match their mental state to the task”. In other words, learn to figure out when you are at a most productive mental state and then work on the task. I thought this was a very interesting but complicated advice to incorporate at first— because sometimes one is tired and has a deadline, etc. Lately though I’ve tried to incorporate it by hyping myself up randomly and getting productive, and I’ve had some pretty successful results. 

4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

In the text Adams mentions that we shouldn’t expect people in the world to make rational decisions, or else we’ll strip ourselves of mental freedom and end up being frustrated our whole lives. I thought this was extremely interesting, as my interpretation of it was “shit will many times not go your way even though you think it should, f*ck em, get over it, and move on”. As mentioned before, Scott Adams really tells it how it is, and I can honestly say I’ve turned into a fan. 

20A – Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert in Industry:
Diego “El tano” Mazzotta, 48. A business man with connections to one of my best friends father. This person does not own a company but has significant knowledge in marketing in the beer industry, as he worked for a company that had Corona as a client here in Argentina. He was specifically involved in marketing and organizing sponsored events that Corona formed part of, and still has relations with those still in the company. I was able to meet him at a formal dinner party at my friends house, where I and this person were guests. I pitched him my idea, and although not much of a favor was asked, he provided input for how my product could be introduced in events held by Corona as an accompanying asset. This was very much needed assistance as if I were to develop a final product and figure out the logistics for its production, I now have an important contact that I could refer to. 

Domain Expert in Market:
Nicolás Rodriguez 24, an entrepreneur who began selling clothing merchandise at 15 in our area and became a good friend of mine after being introduced by another acquaintance. Currently sells customized merchandise such as beer gloves (or however you call it, the things to keep your beer cold) to over half a dozen craft beer bars in Buenos Aires. After pitching him my idea and requesting feedback, we agreed on a small level exchange, which would be advertisement in return for research on how the dissolvable capsules could be developed, as well as pitching the capsules to the owners of the craft beer bars in the case that the product deemed to be successful in terms of production. This was a neat exchange, even though the craft beer bars don’t particularly fit my demographic— many of these bars sell commercial beers and if everything goes well there is at least a pitched idea involved to those in power of retailing the product. 

Important supplier to industry:
Daniel Murillo, 49. A good friend of my uncle in Nicaragua. I was able to get in contact with him over Skype after requesting the favor to my uncle. This man is a supplier to small and medium sized retail stores in Nicaragua, more specifically Chinandega. After pitching my business idea, this candidate seemed to be the most interested in its development. He said that If I were able to create the product and develop a substantial marketing plan, he would attempt to incorporate the product to the list of supplies he currently sells. This would be huge for the product as it would be retailed in my preferred region of interest, and with the right course of action could potentially reach some success within Chinandega and hopefully the Nicaraguan Pacific Coast. 

Reflection:

Personally this was one of my favorite exercises, as it forced me to make connections that surprisingly resulted in more success than I had imagined. Of course this product was pitched as a business idea, and not a final product, but the categorized networking will prove to be of assistance if this product takes flight or under any future circumstance. 

19A – Idea Napkin 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?

My name is Carlos Daireaux. In describing myself I would most importantly note a high capacity of adaptation to multicultural settings/environments. I utilize my extroverted personality to connect with those around me, and further expand on my comprehension of their views, needs, and perspectives. I feel very comfortable around people, and enjoy sharing positive states of mind. Basically, if you’re happy, most likely so am I. This is something I would say I aspire to create— a positive state of mind people around the world. 

My business is more passion driven than conceptually attractive. As mentioned before, I gain personally in upgrading peoples experiences— and what better way to do it than maximizing a drinking session, whether it be casual or hardcore. 

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

I am offering a series of capsules containing flavored additives resembling salt, lime, and the mix. These capsules would be priced cheaply and ideally marketed with packaged beer. The latest and most attractive versions of these capsules would be small sphered of dissolvable material, so as to reduce waste given the ideal location in mind when pondering the idea was the beach. 

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?

The ideal demographic for this product would be the Central American/Caribbean region, specifically coastal settings— for no other reason that this form of beer consumption is popular in these regions. There are no boundaries to age, although we don’t want to be associated with those younger than 18 (just keep it a secret). Ultimately, it would be a convenient method of creating the ideal taste without having to always have salt or lime on your person. 

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. 

I think this point is hard to analyze. Of course there must be people out there who actually care and won’t drink beer if not consumed with these additives, but for the majority I would think it’s just a matter of choice. I personally would prefer to drink commercial beer with salt and lime if I wear at the beach, and if the option to purchase these additives existed you better believe I’d be a number one customer. As mentioned before, people would probably care for the fact that it enriches the experience, and good experiences are something you can’t put a price on. 

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

I have read from some of my comments that versions of this product were present in their hometowns or by beaches they grew up near to. All in all though I would reckon there isn’t much competition, but I would also reckon that the market has a cap to it, and unless revolutionary won’t reach international success. On the other hand, I believe implementing the idea of a dissolvable capsule with the additives could be the revolutionary aspect that people would be attracted to, and with the right marketing in the right locations the business could boom. 

The previously mentioned elements don’t all fit together, because there is no fixed demographic or attractive opportunity, it really is just a matter of implementing something I believe would enrich peoples’ experiences. Having said that, I think it would be interesting to follow the business idea into further development and strive to create a positive experience for everyone who likes this form of beer consumption. 

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko65rTuJ3HQ&feature=youtu.be 

18A – Create a Customer Avatar

Product: Capsules containing a salt and lime additive to add in beers. 

My prototypical customer would most probably be in his/her twenties. Most likely of Central American or Caribbean descent, who grew up in a tropical environment. A chill person with a need for relaxed moments, with a prominent social life and an eye for adventures. Of course, this person likes alcohol— specifically beer, and their favorite place to drink it is at the beach. They would drive a low-key car, five seater but relatively cheap, with a tendency to fit more than the specified capacity of people when going to locations. My prototypical customer wouldn’t bust bluetooth, but listen to CD’s on the stereo. They most likely don’t have children, but not because they don’t want to but because the time hasn’t come. As far as politics, they would vote whoever would be of convenience on an economic level, but would self-define themselves more on the liberal spectrum. All in all my prototypical customer is a person that enjoys life, and lives in the moment— always creating good vibes for themselves and those around them. 

I myself identify very much to this prototypical customer, and found myself describing personal aspect that I already have and/or would like to incorporate. This is definitely not a coincidence, as I feel those who have the taste for this additive live a more relaxed life, geographically and mentally. I myself am half Nicaraguan, and pretty much described my life when I go to Nicaragua and spend time with my cousins— indulging in the beautiful environment of drinking beer with salt and lime on the beach and watching the Pacific Ocean waves crash on the shore. 

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16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

As for my human capital, I think what distinguishes me from others is that I’ve been fortunate enough to live in nine countries, and have travelled to many different places while I was in the different regions I’ve resided in.

As a result I believe I have an amplified or international perspective, one that allows me to adapt with ease in many different environments-- whether it has to do with understanding to an extent the cultures and appropriate behaviors that are expected in certain regions, or possibly simply due to an already ingrained sense of comfort since it’s what I’ve done all my life.  

Reflecting on the interviews from close friends, it was interesting to hear how perspectives vary, but remain in there essence very similar.

The factors that were similar in each interviewee’s description were those that one could say are the main factors of one’s personality, and these characteristics of our personalities are those we can most easily comprehend as it’s our active and conscious form of external representation. It’s the description of things that are not actively remembered but form part of one’s usual daily behavior-- such as actions that define you as a person, not just the external representation-that ignite the deep reflections.

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2 Submit Assignment

Over the course of my interviews (that were conducted under the presumption that the product was to be successful), the factor that was frequently touched was the presentation of the product, encasing mainly design and functionality.

As where before I had not extended the plans of my product to the design--and had merely imagined the product as a small capsule that one could pop—, now I was caught brainstorming and imagining different prototypes. What shape should it be? A round capsule? A small bottle? Cylindrical? Cap shaped?

The other aspect of the product my interviewees thought most important was the functionality—essentially which would be the best way to deliver the ultimate additive (taste).

This discussion made me explore a different approaches to this objective, and from these approaches, how their designs could be formatted to fit different targets. Of these approaches was that of delivering the product completely liquid based and inside a small dissolvable ball-like edible encasing.

As far as the logistics regarding the retail of the product, it was the conclusion of my three interviews that this product should have a long shelf time, permitting facilitated entries into new and different venues such as travel (airplanes, cruises). It was also recommended to focus the sale in large quantities rather than single units (although single units should be available).

Price for this product would be relatively cheap, given it it most likely a low-manufacturable product. Due to this assumption, I believe consumer’s after-purchase thoughts would not hold much weight (in terms of personal importance), and would most likely be positive-- if anything indifferent. As long as the product delivers a unique taste and interest from the consumer, it will be a positive reaction.