29 - Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity

There is always a need for educational content in the target market of summer camps, libraries, and school events. Though the world is always changing and the rise of online learning is prevalent, children are always more captivated by in-person events that they can experience with all of their senses, and despite a common mindset that “school is boring” most young people really do enjoy learning when it happens in an engaging way. Schools and other programs that take on the task of providing an education to young people are always reforming their curriculums and searching for new learning tools they can reference or partner with.  They currently fill this need with whatever local resources are available to them. Therefore, this market opportunity will almost certainly continue to exist past the foreseeable future.

This opportunity exists all over the country, but ultimately will be confined to the geographical region in which the organization would be based. A suburban or urban area with a nearby rural area would be ideal, because the higher population of an city necessitates the existence of more schools and camp programs due to the abundance of families, but a rural region would be advantageous in terms of having more physical space to set up the headquarters and possible expansions to the main building.

There is also a secondary need for a place where displaced animals can receive proper care for the rest of their lives. There are many people in this country who acquire exotic pets without properly researching their needs, behavior, adult size, or lifespan. Far too often these animals end up getting re-homed, sometimes multiple times, when their owners realize that they are underprepared and unable to give the animal a good life. Sometimes the owners resort to releasing their pet into the wild, which has tragic consequences for the individual and its environment. The opportunity here is answering this need for some place that can take these animals in.

Innovation

The service we intend to offer will be educational content featuring live exotic animals that can be tailored to the needs of different events. Presentations with real specimens are not a new concept, however the prevalence of programs featuring live exotic animals is relatively low. Similar existing businesses have been successful in many places, and due to the geographically limited nature of the venture, it will be straightforward to avoid direct competition. An example of a specific presentation topic could be “predators and prey”. The discussion in such a presentation would focus on the various adaptations and strategies that animals use to find food and avoid becoming food. Examples of animals that could be included in this presentation would be rodents, rabbits, snakes, sugar gliders, small carnivores such as foxes or cats, or birds. Other possible topics could be “nocturnal life” or “all about birds”. Each presentation would include an average of 6 animals, and last from 45 minutes to one hour with the possibility for some time afterwards to take pictures. These programs would take place at a venue chosen by the client and scheduled through the organization’s website and email. The general price range a client would pay for one presentation would be $150-200.

Venture Concept

This organization will answer the needs of the target markets twofold. It will act as a rescue for displaced animals in need of a forever home (after accessing whether we have the resources to provide for them), and then train the more outgoing ones to be ambassadors for their species that we can bring out on presentations. These presentations – the main marketable service – will fill the needs of anyone looking for fun and interactive educational programming. We expect our target clients to be intrigued and excited by this type of service because it is fairly uncommon in many areas. Competition would include major zoos and other existing businesses that may provide similar services, but due to the geographically locked nature of this industry, we could avoid direct competitors by locating our organization in a region where competition is low. Indirect competition could come from other organizations that market educational programming to schools and libraries. We believe the appeal of live animals will give our venture a competitive edge over other competitors that focus on biology.

Getting off the ground and gaining a positive reputation will be key to this venture. We intend to get the word out through word-of-mouth and excellent social media promotion. We will also be collecting testimonials from our early clients that we can put on our organization’s website and use as constructive feedback to improve our service. It will likely start out with just myself and a partner running everything, but as the organization grows there will be potential for one or two additional employees or interns that will help with animal husbandry and transport as the demand for scheduled presentations increases.  

I believe the most valuable resource we will need to have is a steady supply of food and care supplies for the animals, since the animals are going to be the center of everything. Space will also be important, because aside from money it will be the main limiting factor to the amount and type of animals we will be able to take in. This venture will hopefully grow as large as it can be while remaining sustainable and manageable. I do not foresee the venture expanding into many other markets, though there is potential for a few side things such as merchandise and photo shoots. This is a long-term venture that I would hopefully stay with for a long time.  

I did not receive feedback during the previous assignments, so very little has been changed. 

image: Me holding a large common boa named Hera

30 - Final Reflection

I think the most formative experience I had with this course was the realization that I couldn't be a perfectionist; that sometimes you just need to take an idea and roll with it. I struggled a lot to complete assignments in the first half on this course because I couldn't think of an idea that I felt fit in with the topics and style of assignments. I wasted a lot of time mulling over different ideas instead of actually working on the assignments. Once I decided on a business idea to stick with, it got easier. I'm proud of the idea I eventually came up with.

I don't consider my an entrepreneur at this point. While I do hope to eventually be able to start an organization similar to Animal Discovery, it isn't an ambition that I expect to pursue for at least 5-8 years. I do, however feel like I have a much better understanding of the entrepreneurial process and I feel more confident in my ideas for the future. I think the most valuable things I will take away from this class are the social media tricks I learned from the assigned books.

my advice for future students is to not slack off on doing assignments. Even if you don't feel like your idea is a good one, it is much better to have something to work on that nothing at all. This class isn't the place for perfection, and the refining of a business or product concept is a huge part of the assignments.

 
Image: Me taking Chobe the African Serval on an enrichment walk during my internship with the Audubon Zoo

28 - Your Exit Strategy

1.) One of the primary purposes of Animal Discovery would be to provide a permanent home for the animals we take in. We would not take in animals that we couldn't reliably care for in the long term, so an exit plan is not really part of the idea. If, for some reason, I decided later that I couldn't continue running it, I would probably transfer the responsibilities to a trusted colleague and make sure that all of the animals would continue to receive excellent care.

2.) The reason I have chosen this path is that this type of organization is one of my actual life goals, so while it may be several years before I could realistically start, once established I would stick with it for as long as possible. It's not about me, it's about the animals.

3.) I think this long-term commitment plan has influenced the decisions concerning what resources to pursue, as well as the growth intentions. I do not think it would fit the organization concept for Animal Discovery to get too big. It is meant to be sustainable, and when it comes to housing exotic animals, that means not taking in more than we can confidently manage, accounting for any possible swings in the economy (like, for example, a pandemic). Profit isn't really the goal here. The goal is to earn enough money to be self-sustaining and comfortable, so that is what we keep in mind when making major business decisions. 

27 - Reading Reflection No. 3

For this assignment, I read "Inbound Marketing: Get found using Google, Social Media, and blogs" by Brian Halligan.

1.) The main theme of this book is the methodology of marketing on the internet in the 2010s. It focuses on the major strategies that lead to successfully building a presence in the online market and increasing visibility to consumers. It is similar to the book I read for the second reading assignment, but this one focuses more on a few major platforms and blogging, and it emphasizes how widespread internet use has made modern marketing different from traditional methods.

2.) This book connects with the course by giving detailed information about growing your social influence and optimizing your web pages for google search-result prioritization so that consumers can find it more easily. It treats social media as a tool we can use to maximize the number of potential customers who see our product or service. In other words, increasing your visibility in a crowded market. In the current day, this is everything. If you can manage to make a post about your service or product go viral, or if you can gain followers easily, then you will be a great position. I think that I am extremely likely to use the information in this book regardless of whether I actually pursue my business idea after this class, because I have other ideas for content creation. 

3.) I could apply the same assignment I designed for the second book to this one, since they are so similar, but that feels like a cop out. Instead, I would have students keep a personal blog; not like this one for this class, where all of the posts are assignments directly relating to the course material, but just a personal blog about any topic that interests them. making blog posts would still be part of the assignments, but they would be graded based on completion, not content. This choice is because the book emphasized how blogs are a useful "hub" that you can use to connect your other social platforms together, and because each new post is its own web page, blogs are great for improving your ranking in google searches. The purpose of my proposed assignment is to get students used to and comfortable with blogging in a way that could easily continue long after the semester ends because the content wouldn't be based on a class; it would just be a topic that's important to them. 

4.) I guess the biggest thing that surprised me in this book was just how much they emphasize blogs. Prior to taking this class, I had never blogged before, nor did I follow any blogs. In all honesty, I thought blogs were going out of style. Considering when this book was written (2009), I wonder how much of the information is gives is still accurate regarding the relevancy of certain platforms. A lot about internet behavior and the use of social media has changed in the last decade, so it wouldn't surprise me if some of the idea and strategies laid out in it are out of date. I would be interested in reading an updated edition in the future. 

26 - Celebrating Failure

1.) Until recently, I worked at PetSmart. My exact job title was "Pet Care Associate", and my primary duties included taking care of all the husbandry for every live animal in the store (the fish, reptiles, small mammals, birds, and feeder insects. basically every non-cat/dog creature) and helping customers with anything related to those animals. Every customer who came to the store hoping to purchase an animal would be interacting with me during that process.
      Now, as anyone who has worked retail can confirm, people who are in the "shopper's" mindset can be very unreasonable people, with little regard for company policy or respect for the humble worker. They are a minority, but customers such as this operate as if they are entitled to the right to purchase something, and they typically are not receptive to any information that might interfere with those expectations. For most stores, this is frustrating but ultimately the outcome is inconsequential: either they get whatever deal they were asking for or they don't, and aside from potentially bending the rules a bit, there are usually no lasting problems when a manager decides to give a rowdy customer what they want."The customer is always right", or so the saying goes. In a pet store, however, things are a bit different. When the merchandise being purchased is a live animal that is intended to be a pet, it becomes very important to make sure the customer understands the needs of the animal they are buying, and if they do not, then allowing a sale becomes more than a simple matter of giving in for the sake of preserving company reputation. It becomes a matter of allowing an animal to go to a potentially neglectful or abusive home.
     I promise I am getting to my personal failures, but first I need to establish a little bit more context. Large chain pet stores carry many products that are not actually good for the animals they are marketed for. The reasons these products exist are many, but it is primarily due to customer expectations and social normalcy.The stores carry them because uninformed people will buy them. Animal husbandry is an evolving topic, and many practices that were accepted as adequate 20-30 years ago are no longer viewed favorably due to an increasing amount of information about an animal's natural habitat or behaviors. One of the MOST difficult parts of my job was basically convincing people that many of the things they assumed about an animal are incorrect and then informing them of up-to-date husbandry standards that will help their pet not just survive, but actually thrive.
    This is where my failures occurred.
    To be clear, I was generally good at my job. I helped countless people improved the care their pets were receiving, and in most cases any shortcomings in a customer's animal care were simply due to a lack of information, so once I brought those shortcomings to their attention and explained how they should be improved most people were generally pretty accepting of it. But remember those unreasonable retail customers in the entitled "customer is always right" mindset I mentioned earlier? They were the hard ones. I've dealt with so many people who wanted to buy an animal without really caring to learn what that animal needed that I can't think of too many specific incidents. They all sort of blend together in my mind. My failures were times when I failed to convince someone that fish should not be kept in bowls, that hamsters and birds need much more space than the tiny cages on the shelves, that an animal is either solitary and should be kept alone OR that it is social and needs a group, that the baby reptile or fish they want is small now but will grow MUCH larger and therefore needs a large enclosure. I could go on and on.
   Each time I failed to convince a customer to think of an animal as a living being just like a dog or cat instead of a good or toy for their child, I failed to ensure that animal went to a good home.

2.) What I learned from these failures is that I cannot reach people who do not want to be reached. In order to change someone's mind, they first need to be open to new information that counters what they know. I learned that, while I can always improve my approach and speaking skills, I won't always be able to control the outcome of a situation, and failure isn't always my fault. My failures did lead me to improve my people skills and to learn more about animal husbandry so I could be as informed as possible, but I also learned not to dwell too much on failures when they happened.

3.) I think failure is a very important part of life. Fear of failure can hold you back and prevent you from understanding what your capabilities are. I do not think that anyone has become truly successful without experiencing a large amount of failure along the way, and failures are a crucial part of the growth process. Personally, the way I deal with failures depends on their context. In situations where the outcome is not a huge deal in the big picture, I generally do not stress too much. I tend to not worry too much over the things I feel I have no control over. In situations where the stakes are high, however, I usually stress quite a bit over the possible outcomes before making a decision of taking action. I always try to access things to determine how likely I am to succeed and how much I can realistically do to improve those odds. I have not noticed a change in my perspective regarding failure as a result of this class, though I may be slightly more likely to take risks than before. I think that is due to my having more information about how things work.

25 - What's Next?

Existing Martket
Step 1: the market I am targeting is that of educational presentations at summer camps, public or private events, and school programs. I think a natural expansion of this venture would be a YouTube channel that produces videos showcasing animal care and topics that don't fit into the presentations. This way, new audiences can be reached, and we can share the individual stories of the animals more. If the channel were to become successful, there is potential for it to become monetized as well, which means we could earn additional supplemental income off of a service that is free to the consumer and therefore more accessible. That income would not be reliable, but the purpose of the organization is the spread of information, which YouTube is good for. Independently, there is also a lot of potential for merchandise featuring the animals and any slogans we may have.

Step 2: I reached out via email to some people who fit the main customer segment. Not all of them responded in a timely manner, but the ones who did respond gave mostly positive feedback and said that they though my current ideas all had a lot of potential. One person suggested having an service where customers can essentially pay to have our animals featured in their advertisements or music videos. I think that is an interesting idea that could have value, though there are several things I would need to work out in order to make sure such a service would be executed in an ethically sound way for the animals. 

Step 3: I think my venture is most likely to start with private clients hosing small events, and our reputation would grow largely by word-of-mouth in the beginning. Once some credibility and reputation is established, along with strong online resources such as a good website and social media page, Animal Discovery will be more visible and on the radar of clients booking programs for larger events at schools or libraries. Once that stage is reached, we would very likely stay in that market for quite some time and it is as this point that I expect to truly establish a consistent amount of revenue that we can examine and rework a new budget from. It is important to note that Animal Discovery will almost certainly be very small at the beginning, and I will probably have some separate source of income until the venture gets off the ground. The goal is for Animal Discovery to be self-sustaining, where the money earned from providing services to customers is enough to cover my basic needs and the expenses of animal care. If the income grows, it will allow me to improve the animal care and potentially take in more species.
            I really like the idea of creating a YouTube channel for Animal Discovery, at the very least as a place to make advertisement videos that I can share in other places. Ideally, it could be a place where I can create additional content about different topics from what goes into the presentations. Things like animal training techniques, species spotlights, individual animal's rescue stories, proper husbandry of common pet trade species, etc. There is an entire segment of the YouTube platform where this type of content is popular, so I believe there is real potential for reasonable success with this. I have several acquaintances that have moderate social media followings that could potentially give the channel an initial boost in visibility. I also think the idea I received from one of the people I interviewed, about possibly offering a service for certain animals to be featured in music videos or advertisements, has potential and I will keep it in mind.

New Market 

Step 1: A different market we could potentially target would be the market of the reptile pet trade, though it seems counter-intuitive at first. One problem regarding the reptile pet trade is that certain species are "harvested" from the wild populations, meaning a lot of individual animals available to a person looking to buy a certain species are actually wild-caught. Not only is this practice harmful to wild populations and not sustainable, but the wild-caught animals themselves are subjected to immense stress and are often unhealthy as a result. If more captive-bred individuals are made available for vulnerable species, it will be help preserve the wild populations and allow for the pet trade to exist in a more sustainable way, especially in cases where the demand for these animals is going to exist either way.

Step 2: An example of a species that could be a candidate for this would be gargoyle geckos and other New-Caledonian gecko species. They have relatively simple husbandry and are fairly reasonable to keep as pets, but they are growing in popularity such that there aren't enough captive-bred individuals to meet demands, and they can be quite expensive compared to wild-caught. If we are able to obtain a few species from good sources and produce more captive bred geckos, we can help to decrease the demand for wild-caught ones. I would want to make sure to vet interested buyers to make sure all the animals I produce would end up in homes where they are properly cared for. This is quite different from the main market I intend to target with the educational presentations, but I believe there is room for both services to exist alongside each other. 

Step 3: This step was actually fairly easy because I am acquaintances with some reptile store owners who are both in the market of buying animals from responsible breeders and producing their own. people like them could potentially be both competition or a customer. I also talked to a zookeeper friend of mine who is a reptile enthusiast and has over a dozen pet reptiles. Everyone I talked to supported the idea of increasing the supply of captive-bred reptiles. My zookeeper friend was also someone I talked to about the existing market, and he said a YouTube channel could be very valuable to this market because I could document the breeding process and give my customers a chance to see exactly how the parents and babies are cared for, which is important information for customers in this market.

Step 4: There wasn't very much that I learned about this market that I didn't already know. I was actually more familiar with this market to start with than I am with the main market I'm planning to target because I myself am a customer of it. I know what I look for as a customer of this market, so I have a better idea of what is important. I still think the main market I've been outlining thus far, with the educational presentations being the focus, is a better market for Animal Discovery. If I participate in the reptile pet trade market at all, it would be as a side venture and nothing more. 

23 - Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

Public Speaking Skills: I have lots of public speaking experience, not only from giving academic presentations, but also from my work experience in both a retail and zoo setting that involved communicating information about animals to the general public. I have practice explaining many biology concepts to both children and adults.

• this skill is valuable because it will be at the center of the business model and my ability to perform engaging presentations will be an enormous factor in the success of my organization. 
• Rare - public speaking is not very rare, as it is important to many different careers.
• Imitable - while not a rare skill, public speaking takes practice to get good at. Many people can imitate this but not without work and a certain amount of talent. 
• Non-Substitutable - There is no good replacement for strong public speaking skills

Human capital: my specialized education in zoology. I am about to complete a college degree in zoology and have hands-on experience with exotic animal husbandry that will only expand as I pursue zookeeping and gain the qualifications that will be necessary to make Animal Discovery real.

• Valuable - this education and experience might be THE most important resource that I have, since it would be laughable for anyone to consider starting an organization like this without this resource. You can't run an educational outreach organization without an education in whatever subject you're teaching. 
• Rare - zoology is an uncommon degree, though there are several other degrees that can provide a similar education. Within the animal field this knowledge is fairly common, though the hands-on experience is more unique. 
• Imitable - This education cannot be easily imitated  in a short amount of time. In order for a competitor to imitate this, they would need to spend several years doing so. 
• Non-Substitutable - This is the other component to making the presentations work, and it cannot be replaced with other resources. 

Social Capital: my connections to experts in the field, namely zookeepers and other professionals who work in biology education. This resource will continue to expand. 

• Valuable - These connections are valuable because they can be additional resources of information that can give me feedback on how I can improve my presentation of information to maximize the educational side of my presentations while maintaining their entertainment value. They can also be a resource for animal husbandry information and training techniques, should I need assistance with that.
• Rare - the animal care field is fairly close-knit in the sense that everyone who has been in it for more than a few years will end up knowing a lot of people from many different facilities. Thus, within the field, connections like this are common, but they are pretty rare for anyone who isn't in the field already. 
• Imitable - this social capital is difficult to replicate without building a similar resume to mine. 
• Non-Substitutable - This could potentially be replaced by the internet, but I believe it would be an inferior substitution. It is difficult to replace the knowledge of experts. 

Lack of competition in certain areas. This isn't true of Florida, but in many other states there are not many organizations like this, and since this business would be limited to the region in which it exists all I need to do is establish it in an area where competition is sparse. 

• Valuable - it is important to avoid competition since this organization would operate in an already niche market to begin with. 
• Rare - as mentioned before, competition for this market is unevenly distributed, so the rarity of it depends on where you go. 
• Imitable - There are several regions that have a lack of competition for this market, but in order for a competitor to imitate it they would likely need to locate themselves in a place that doesn't overlap with Animal Discovery, so I don't see this being a major issue. 
• Non-Substitutable - This can't be easily replaced, though there are possible work-arounds involving a strong social media presence that would be beneficial to work towards anyway. 

Uniqueness of the service: even similar organizations would not have the exact same animals or presentations. The experiences offered by Animal Discovery would be unique, and while that doesn't mean a competitor couldn't be successful, it does mean the services couldn't be exactly the same. 

• Valuable - I think this aspect is very important for good word-of-mouth marketing. People are more likely to tell their friends about an experience if it is unique, and unique experiences are inherently interesting. 
• Rare - again, this depends on the level of competition in the region, but the unique nature of the service means that consumers will have to come to Animal Discovery if they want the Animal Discovery experience. 
• Imitable - competitors may be able to achieve a similar service, but it would be nearly impossible to imitate perfectly. 
• Non-Substitutable - I cannot think of anything that could be a good replacement for this. 

Wide audience appeal: the main service, while marketable to specific types of clients, is something that can appeal to a wide range of audiences. Almost everyone is at least somewhat interested in learning about exotic animals, especially children, and the presentations can be tailored to fit specific themes and age groups. 

• Valuable: the ability to appeal to many different audiences is valuable because it increases the number of clients who would find our services attractive. 
• Rare - there are few subjects that are as widely appealing as animals are. I would say this quality is decently rare. 
• Imitable - there are ways for this quality to be imitated, but not very many. 
• Non-Substitutable - it would be hard to substitute this quality for something else, but one possible option would be to focus on a specific type of audience and really cater to that segment such that we increase our presence in that specific market.

 Social Capital: connections to tech-savvy people who can assist me in creating a good website and building a strong social media presence for the organization. My older brother has a tech-related degree and has a lot of useful knowledge I could use to optimize the online presence of Animal Discovery.

• Valuable - it is extremely important in the modern day to have a good online presence, or at the very least and good, easily navigated website that potential clients can use to find information about our service and how to give us their business. 
• Rare - the rarity of this resource is decreasing every year, but that only makes it even more important for my organization to have a strong online presence so it can stand out. 
• Imitable - this resource is fairly easy to imitate, but success depends on how well utilized the information is. 
• Non-Substitutable - There are alternatives to this resource, but I don't think they would be as effective at reaching new consumers. 

 The collection of animal ambassadors: The animals themselves that will assist during presentations to teach people about their species and unique adaptations. They will consist of rescued animals and my personal collection. This resource will expand as the organization grows. 

• Valuable - this resource is very much at the heart of the organizational model, and therefore extremely valuable. 
• Rare - collections of exotic animals are uncommon at best. 
• Imitable - the exact collection will likely be very difficult to replicate, though competitors with access to lots of other resources may be able to create a similar collection. It would require them to have certifications and qualifications that come from experience in the field though, so it wouldn't be easy. 
• Non-Substitutable - the service wouldn't be the same without the animals. The presentations could still convey the same information with pictures and videos, but it would not be as engaging of an experience and therefore wouldn't be as good of a service. 

Determining the most valuable resource is very difficult because there are many that work in conjunction with each other to create a strong service. If I have to pick one, I would say it is probably the animals themselves, as they are essential to a few of the other resources (uniquness, wide appeal, etc). They are the most difficult thing for a competitor to replicate, and they are a huge part of what will give "heart" to the organization. The service truly wouldn't be the same without them, and the resources that involve reaching people (public speaking, tech-savvy people, my zoology knowledge) wouldn't have as much to market on without the animals. The main purpose of the organization is to provide a permanent home for displaced exotic animals, and the marketable service is the means of providing for them.  

22 - Elevator Pitch No. 3

1.) https://youtu.be/cCHMgHXc0hE

2.) The feedback I got on the last video was that I should have the camera be stationary, since that would make the viewing experience easier and give me better angles. I wasn't surprised by this, as I was feeling that it was needed too. what makes this difficult is that the best camera I have access to right now is my phone, which is hard to have on a stand or prop up somewhere while still getting a good angle.

3.) I changed the script slightly to make it more concise, but the major thing that I changed from last time is that I stood still rather than walking while I spoke. I liked the idea of giving the speech while walking and having the camera move with me because it makes it feel like I'm chatting someone up while taking a stroll, which is a more casual and comfortable feel than simply talking at a stationary person or camera. Unfortunately I couldn't find a way to execute this idea effectively with my current equipment. The solution would probably be to have another person holding the camera, but alas, social distancing measures prevented me from trying that.

21 - Reading Reflection No. 2

I chose to read "The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users" by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick.

1.) The theme of this book is the overall improvement and optimization of social media usage as a tool for growing a business or personal brand. It is basically a guide on how to create strong profiles and forming good posts that get a lot of attention.

2.) This book connects with the course by giving detailed information about growing your social influence and figuring out the behavior of your buyers, or in this case followers. It treats social media as a tool we can use to maximize the number of potential customers who see our product or service. In other words, increasing visibility in a crowded market. In the current day, this is everything. If you can manage to make a post about your service or product go viral, or if you can gain followers easily, then you will be a great position. I think that I am extremely likely to use the information in this book regardless of whether I actually pursue my business idea after this class.

3.) If I had to design an assignment based on this book, I would ask students to design a profile or page for their proposed business or product. This would include coming up with a strong name that can be easily used across multiple platforms, selecting a good profile picture to represent their brand, and writing a brief but effective bio summary of what they are that can be easily understood within 5-10 seconds. The assignment would not require the creation of real social media profiles, because that would complicate things. I would simply ask students to put the information into a document under clear labels and explain their reasoning for each decision.

4.) I was most surprised by just how comprehensive this short book is. It truly covers pretty much every scenario I can think of where a professional would benefit from utilizing social media, and it advises you on how to make it as easy as possible for others to see and share your content no matter what platform you are using. Going off of that note, the book also talks about DOZENS of different platforms, some of which I didn't even know existed. The authors go over everything from how to properly hashtag to how to dress in videos. I expected the book to give general advice about creating appealing posts and to talk about 6 or 7 big platforms at best. Boy was I wrong. 

20 - Growing My Social Capital

Part One: The Domain Expert.
1.) I emailed Jessi Knudsen Castaneda, one of the founders of Animal Wonders Montana, which is one of the organizations that has inspired my business idea. She and her husband Augusto founded and run a successful operation with a very similar model to what I would like to do, so they fit the slot of Domain Expert very well.
2.) Domain Expert. see above.
3.) I have been a follower of Animal Wonders on social media for years, and I found their contact information on their website.
4.) I asked Jessi for any advice she could offer to someone who is interested in starting a similar organization to hers (in a different region so as not to directly compete of course). Things like what the most important things to focus on during the early stages are and how to get word out in a local community about such an organization. She responded, which surprised me a bit because I expected her to be too busy or to have gotten this type of question too frequently to pay attention to. She Told me that when Animal Wonders was starting out, they operated out of her parents house and advertised through word of mouth. She recommended moving out of Florida, if I can, to a more rural state where these types of businesses are less common and land is cheaper, since having room to grow is very important.
5.) I don't expect to have regular correspondence with Jessi, but it was very cool to receive advice from someone who has done essentially exactly what I want to do. I may be able to reach out to her and Augusto again in the future if I feel I need to.

Part Two : The Market Expert 
1.) I contacted the Education Department at the Audubon Zoo, where I interned last summer. I exchanged emails with a couple of people within that department.
2.) Zoo education departments have some of the most well-established connections with the type of clients I hope to reach, and they provide similar services in a similar market, though it's typically on a larger scale. I think that makes them a good fit for Market Expert.
3.) Most AZA accredited zoos have a department like this, but I chose Audubon because I interned with them and am actually Facebook friends with some of the education staff. I interned with the Ambassador department, which takes care of the animal husbandry for the animals that go out for presentations with the education department, so I interacted with the education staff quite a bit.
4.) My contact consisted of asking a few of the Education staff questions about how their presentations are advertised to the community and what kind of correspondence the zoo has with repeat clients such as libraries and schools that work with them every year. I also asked what they thought of my idea for Animal Discovery and their opinions were mixed. They all liked the premise, but there was some concern over the details. Only one person I talked to had valuable information about the market, which was that having name recognition and a really good website is important, as well as the ability to quickly respond to client inquiries. These exchanges were very informal.
5.) I plan on interning and working at more zoos before attempting to make Animal Discovery real, so I will absolutely make more connections like this and learn more about the market that way. I don't know if I will work at Audubon again, but it's a possibility, so I'm sure I will remain in lose contact with these people going forward.

Part Three: The Supplier
1.) I emailed the fine people at Josh's Frogs, a reptile supply business that sells a variety of reptile supplies such as feeders, habitat equipment, and decor at a reasonable price.
2.) I am pretty sure Josh's Frogs is a favorite for people who keep lots of reptiles and amphibians. Since herps will likely be a large portion of the animals I will start out with, I would consider giving them my business as well if they are able to fit my needs.
3.) I've heard of Josh's Frogs through word of mouth among other animal enthusiasts. They have a good website where their contact info is easy to find.
4.) Specifically, I asked if they do subscription style deliveries in bulk, since many of the animals I am likely to start off with will be reptiles. They replied to me the following day, and confirmed that they do bulk deliveries of insect and frozen rodent feeders. This was the only exchange we had.
5.) It is important, when keeping animals of any kind, to ensure you will have a consistent and reliable supply of food for them. Josh's Frogs seems like a good option for this, at least as far as reptiles are concerned. Rodent feeders can also be used for other carnivores, such as birds of prey and small cats like servals, so they are a particularly important thing to be able to buy in a cost-effective way. I don't expect to have a particularly close relationship with Josh's Frogs, but I am likely to utilize their service.

Reflection
This type of active networking is different from what I am used to. Up until now, I mostly just made a point of introducing myself and establishing a brief connection with any new people I meet that might have connections in the animal field. The network I already had was helpful for this assignment, but when I get closer to being able to make Animal Discovery happen I will need to do more of this active networking.

19 - Idea Napkin 2

1.) Who am I?. I am a zoology major with hands on experience working with several exotic and domestic animal species, and I consider myself to have fairly good public speaking skills. I've decided to focus my career on sharing my passion for animals and biology with others, as well as spreading the message of wildlife conservation. My proposed business, Animal Discovery, would be a non-profit outreach organization dedicated to this mission, and would allow me to personalize my message and cater to a wide audience.

2.) The primary service I will offer would be educational and interactive animal presentations. These can be tailored to various types of audiences, from elementary-aged children to adults. The presentations will include live ambassador animals and can be designed to fit a specific theme if the client so desires. The secondary purpose of Animal Discovery is to function as a rescue for displaced exotic animals in need of a new forever home, though we would have to be selective and would only take in animals that we have the resources to care for. As the business grows, so would our ability to take in more rescues.

3.) This service will be offered to both private and public clients. Our presentations will serve to fill the needs of people organizing events who are looking for engaging family friendly content that their audiences or guests will be sure to remember. The types of events I currently have in mind include library events, birthday parties, school events, and summer camp programs, though I'm sure there are other opportunities as well. I expect the most common type of audience to be kids and teens, but the customers will be their parents and event coordinators. 

4.) The thing that gives our service value to the clients is the unique experience of seeing exotic animals up close outside of a traditional zoo setting. The exact species that would be used depends entirely on what we are able to house and rescue, but in general they would be various birds, reptiles, and medium or small mammals. It's valuable because it's educational but interesting and entertaining content that can appeal to people of all ages, and is something that most people won't have other chances to experience. 

5.) My core competencies lie with my formal and hands-on education in the subject matter. While my presentations would likely be tailored to young audiences, I have the knowledge and ability to answer questions with information all the way up to the college level. I have experience and practice with this, too. In addition to simply having lots of knowledge about animals, I also have a good amount of public speaking practice that can directly translate into a presentation-like environment. I also have a passion for animal husbandry that will make the non-public operations less of a chore. This is quite literally one of the things I want to do with my life. 


I think these elements work together pretty well, although there are definitely gaps and shortcomings. One huge issue is that I currently don't have enough experience or qualifications to actually start an organization like this. While everything I've outlined about my experience is true, I'll need more. Thankfully, I already plan to gain that experience over the next several years after I graduate. I will also spend that time attempting to grow my presence on social media, hopefully enough to get Animal Discovery some decent initial exposure if/when it ever becomes reality. Another limitation on this business idea is that it would be bound to a specific geographical region, since there is only so far I could travel for regular presentations at the start. Overall, I know this general organizational model can work because it's not novel: there are other organizations like this already in existence. To avoid direct competition, I would simply choose to operate in a region that lacks one.

FEEDBACK MEMO: I didn't receive any comments on my first idea napkin, so I didn't really have any feedback to go off of. I did revise a few things and make a few edits, but there isn't very much that has changed. 

17 - Elevator Pitch No. 2

1.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddTODbPyfqs

2.) Reflection of feedback from the first pitch
I never finished my first pitch so I didn't get any specific feedback, but I took into account the feedback I saw on other people's videos and did my best to apply them this time. The biggest things were having good lighting, keeping a confident and dynamic tone of voice (avoiding monotone speech), and using hand gestures.

3.) I decided to film outside so I could have good lighting and a more interesting setting. unfortunately the only camera I had was the one in my phone.

18 - Create a Customer Avatar

The segment I identified and decided to use for this assignment is librarians and library event coordinators. These are the people who are typically in charge of scheduling public events and programs, and such events usually have an educational focus, so Animal Discovery's educational animal presentations should appeal to them because they are a fun and interactive way for people of all ages to learn about biology.

My prototypical customer is a 36 year old librarian named Rebecca who has a personal casual interest in science. She enjoys hiking, owns 2 cats (one orange tabby and one calico), and her favorite ice cram flavor is butter pecan. She drives a white 2007 Toyota Prius. She does not have any children, nor does she want any of her own, because she gets enough satisfaction in seeing the children who frequent the library grow and learn. She rarely watches TV shows, but when she does, she likes medical dramas such as House MD. She likes too many books to choose a favorite, but she has read Harry Potter several times and finds YA fiction enjoyable. She is very concerned about the topic of scientific literacy and wants to find library programming that will inspire people to be more interested in science.

What do I have in common with Rebecca? well we both like science and want to spread a sense of awareness of the natural world. We both have cats and enjoy YA fiction. 

Do I think this is a coincidence? the part about cats and YA fiction probably is, but the shared appreciation for science is not coincidental at all. Obviously I am passionate about the service I would offer, and I expect any customer in this segment to share and interest in it; otherwise, why would they choose to hire me for events?  

14 - Halfway Reflection

1.) I have developed the behavior of looking ahead at the future assignments so i can think about them in advance. I think this is important for me because I am normally a huge procrastinator and these assignments are not easy to do when crunched for time.

2.) I felt like giving up quite a lot during the first half of this course, primarily because I would read the assignments and think "I have literally no idea what to do for this" or " I can't think of any ideas that aren't stupid". I missed a lot of assignments because of this. the main thing that has motivated me to push through and turn things around is the knowledge that this is the final elective I will take in order to meet my degree requirements, and that I absolutely must earn a passing grade. I do not feel tenacious as of now because my participation so far has been low, but that is changing and I may feel differently by the end of the semester.

3.) My three tips for future students are this:
           - Make sure to keep up with the assignments in the beginning so you will have a well-developed product/business idea to work with for the later assignments.
           - Take notes on the lectures even if you feel like they don't contain much substance, especially when the professor is talking through hypothetical business situations. This will help a lot on cupcakes.
           - Don't worry too much over how realistic your idea are at first. This class is more about going through the brainstorming and idea development process than it is about actually producing a winning business proposal. Take things seriously, but not so seriously that it stresses you out.



I don't know what kind of image they expect for this, but here is a fairly anatomically accurate depiction of a horse that I drew. For anyone who doesn't know, horses - as well as all other ungulates and lots of other animals - walk digitigrade, meaning they walk on their toes and their heels do not touch the ground. Horses take this to the extreme, because they have lost all of their toes except for one: the middle one. Hooves are just modified toenails. Essentially, horses go through life walking on just their toenails while giving everyone the middle finger. This just goes to show that even common animals that are familiar to us can be full of weird and wonderful traits.

13 - Reading Reflecton 1

For this reading assignment, I read "Grinding it out: the making of McDonald's", the autobiography of Ray Kroc.
1.) I'm not sure why, but the thing that surprised me the most to learn was that Ray Kroc, while he deserves most of the credit for turning the business into the global monster it is today, did not come up with the idea for the fast food restaurant. He simply saw potential in the unique operation of a single store that was run by the actual McDonald brothers and decided to jump on the opportunity. Previously, Mr. Kroc was a salesman for paper cups and milkshake machines. The quality I find most admirable about him is his ability to spot opportunities and take massive risks without worrying too much about the possible consequences. A quality I dislike about him is that he seemed to value chasing his business dreams over ensuring his family stability - he jumped on opportunities without consulting his wife and there was a period of time where they barely scraped by. He also divorced his second wife the instant he found out the other woman whom he loved more but hadn't seen for 5 years was divorcing her husband. Kind of a dick move, since it seemed like his marriage was working out just fine, but whatever I guess... it just leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth because I got the impression that he didn't respect the women in his life as much as he should have. Whenever he encountered adversity, he rarely gave up on his goals. he kept pushing forward as if he could already see the light at the end of the tunnel.

2.) Ray Kroc's competencies include the ability to know (most of the time) when an idea was good or bad, excellent salesmanship, and perseverance.

3.) The most confusing part of the book was the later chapters that described his life after McDonald's made him rich. I think it was confusing to me because I, being a lower middle-class person, do not understand all the ways money works when you have so much of it. I barely understand the basics of the stock market and I'm not totally sure what exactly "shares" of a company are, other than that they are worth some amount of money.

4.) If I could ask Mr. Kroc two questions, I would ask him what he thinks of the stereotype of McDonald's being a crappy place to work, and if he thinks the quality of McDonald's food has changed since the company became so massive. He painted a vivid picture of McDonald's being this clean, professional, and strict operation that prioritized food quality and service above all else, but that's not what I grew up understanding about McDonald's, or fast food in general. I've always thought of McDonald's as a cheap place to eat when I'm on a road trip or in a hurry where I can get a lot of food quickly for a low price and I don't have to even go inside. I've never viewed it as anywhere close to being a classy place to eat, and I'm pretty sure most people would agree. I've also heard the phrase "you don't want to end up working at McDonald's, do you?" as an example of a bad future for people who don't do well in school. I would be curious to know what Mr. Kroc thinks of these things.

5.) no question about it, Ray Kroc believes that hard, honest work is the only way for people to amount to anything. I think that's true for most people, but there are certainly people who are privileged to belong to a well-off family and therefore have many more opportunities presented to them and are able to follow their dreams easier than others. One of the worst atrocities of the modern day is how many brilliant and talented people are chained into poverty because they literally don't have time to pursue anything other than their current job that only covers the bills and leaves them unable to save. I think America has changed a great deal in the last century, and we no longer live in a society where "hard work" is enough.
 

12 - figuring out buyer behavior 1

Segment: parents who throw parties for their kids

1.) The first person I interviewed was interested in the idea. She said it sounded like a much "cooler" alternative to the magician who appeared at her daughter's most recent birthday. This mother appreciated the educational aspect of the animal presentations since her child's school does not take many field trips anymore and our idea seemed like a fun supplement.

2.) The second person was a father of two kids, ages 6 and 8. Both of his children are very much into Pokemon, and he thought it would be most engaging for them if our animal presentations could connect to that theme somehow, since "Pokemon are like animals". I told him his idea was very interesting and definitely possible. He was concerned about how much it would cost to book an Animal Discovery appearance, as he and his wife try to stick with inexpensive activities for their kids. Because of this, he said his family would be unlikely to hire our service, but thought our business idea was worthwhile for people who can afford it.

3.) The third person was a mother who home schools her son. She expressed concern over the safety of having certain types of animals interacting with children, but admitted that her son would probably love it. This person does not throw large parties, but does enroll her son in summer camps and educational programs offered by her local library and said our presentations would be a nice thing to include in a science-themed program. She mostly covers english and social studies topics when homeschooling her kid, so she has to hire tutors for math and science. Her need awareness for supplemental biology education was high.

In summary, not everyone I approached was likely to utilize our service directly. They all said it was a good idea and that they would like to see something like it included in things like summer programs or school events so their children could experience it without them having to foot the bill, though the first parent I spoke to seemed willing to seriously consider it. I do not yet know what I would charge for a presentation appearance, so it is hard to say how serious an issue this would be for most private clients. It does suggest that I should focus more on marketing this service to schools and summer camp programs.

11 - Idea Napkin 1

1.) My name is Kailey Hart. I am a zoology major with hands on experience working with several exotic and domestic animal species, and I consider myself to have fairly good public speaking skills. I've decided to focus my career on the spread of information about the creatures we share the planet with, as well as pushing the message of wildlife conservation. My proposed business, Animal Discovery, would be a non-profit organization dedicated to this mission, and would allow me to personalize my message and cater to a wide audience.

2.) The primary service I will offer would be educational and interactive animal presentations. These can be tailored to various types of audiences, from elementary aged children to adults. The presentations will include live ambassador animals and can be designed to fit a specific theme if the client so desires. The secondary purpose of Animal Discovery is to function as a rescue for displaced exotic animals in need of a new forever home, though we would have to be selective and would only take in animals that we have the resources to care for. As the business grows, so would our ability to take in more rescues.

3.) This service will be offered to both private and public clients. Our presentations will serve to fill the needs of people organizing events who are looking for engaging family friendly content that their audiences or guests will be sure to remember. The types of events I currently have in mind include birthday parties, school events, and summer camp programs, though I'm sure there are other opportunities as well. I expect the most common type of audience to be kids and teens.

4.) The thing that gives our service value to the clients is the unique experience of seeing exotic animals up close outside of a traditional zoo setting. The exact species that would be used depends entirely on what we are able to house and rescue, but in general they would be various birds, reptiles, and medium or small mammals. It's valuable because it's interesting and entertaining content that can appeal to people of all ages.

5.) My core competencies lie with my formal and hands on education in the subject matter. While my presentations would likely be tailored to young audiences, I have the knowledge and ability to answer questions with information all the way up to the college level. I have experience and practice with this. In addition to simply having lots of knowledge about animals, I also have a good amount of public speaking practice that can directly translate into a presentation-like environment.


I think these elements work together pretty well, although there are definitely gaps and shortcomings. One huge issue is that I currently don't have enough experience or qualifications to actually start an organization like this. While everything I've outlined about my experience is true, I'll need more. Thankfully, I already plan to gain that experience over the next several years after I graduate. I will also spend that time attempting to grow my presence on social media, hopefully enough to get Animal Discovery some decent initial exposure if/when it becomes reality. Another limitation on this business idea is that it would be bound to a specific geographical region, since there is only so far I could travel for regular presentations at the start. Overall, I know this general organizational model can work because it's not novel: there are other organizations like this already in existence. To avoid direct competition, I would simply choose to operate in a region that lacks one.

3A - my Entrepreneurship story

  I wouldn't say that I've been directly exposed to very many entrepreneurs in my personal life, but I do follow several on social media who I greatly admire. The person who I think has had the biggest impact on how I view entrepreneurs is Hank Green. Hank has started not one, but several organizations that exist mostly on YouTube. He was a cofounder and host of the Crash Course channel, (which I'm willing to bet several people in this class have used as a resource for their classes at some point), as well as SciShow. The purpose of these channels was simply to make science and academic topics more available and approachable to a larger audience, and both of them are very successful to this day, each having grown or expanded beyond their original scope. Hank employs a whole team of people now to keep these channels going, and he is the executive producer of many other channels hosted by people with messages he believes in.

       I could go on about Hank. The list of projects he has spearheaded far exceeds what I have mentioned, and if you include all of the contributions of his brother John Green it grows even more. My point is that he never stops looking for ways he can spread awareness of the causes he cares about, and though I do not have any social media following of my own (yet), I hope that I can operate with a similar motivation. Educational entertainment is something I believe to be extremely important and a growing industry on the internet.


      In taking this class, I want to gain a little more insight into how I can reach new people and grow my personal brand when the time comes that I am ready to do so.

Test post to get things started

This post is a test. This post contains no interesting information whatsoever and only exists to make sure this blog is set up correctly. Anyone who reads this post is wasting their time and energy.