14A - Halfway Reflection

1) Tenaciousness is a competency

Interpersonal communication skills can be valuable in this course. A good percent of your assignments will require that you go out and talk to people. It’s a heck of a lot easier to do this if you have healthy relationships established with a variety of people. 

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude

There are plenty of assignments to keep the learner busy. Seeing the repetitive nature of some of the assignments, with due dates near each other, I found myself not exactly looking forward to knocking them out. But what’s entrepreneurship if it’s not getting out there and keeping at it?

3) Three tips

Being prepared and organized will help to keep you going. This involves knowing when assignments are due so that you do not half-butt them. 

Be open to negative feedback. It can help guide your thoughts. 

For God’s sake listen to Pryor and stop selecting college students as a target market. They have no money!

You can shoot for the moon. Doesn’t mean your going to get it.  

12A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Targeted Segment:

I chose to interview some more coworkers. They all have families and live in the area which means that attending a hike wouldn’t mean a long drive for them. Dan, Brandon and Eric were who I ended up interviewing for this assignment. 

Interviews:

The first two of the interviewees mentioned that the need awareness piece comes to mind when they’re wanting to take the family out but don’t want to drive far (to a state park, for example) and want to keep things on the cheap. Brandon said that learning in a group is something that he’d like so that it would be a shared experience with his kids and others with the same interests. Eric mentioned that they have lots of trees and, therefore, birds on his property and would love to learn about their names and life cycles. He said the need for the education piece comes when he’s watching a bird that he doesn’t know what it is.

All three said that during an information search usually the first step is Google. This is useful for simple identification from the “30,000 foot view”. Outside of Eric who does 4H with his family, none had considered taking nature education courses as an activity. 

Conclusions:

People of many backgrounds enjoy the nature right here at home. When they find gaps in their knowledge, most seem to rely on a few google or facebook group searches for their answer. It doesn’t seem like people instinctively search for a nature class led by experts as their solution. What this tells me, with regard to need awareness and information search, is that marketing what Grant County Nature Center offers would be important. If people don’t know that they have an outlet for continual education on natural history, they’re not at all likely to connect with GCNC. As Cab Calloway says in The Blues Brothers, gotta “put the word on the street.”

Those interviewed for this assignment could fall into my target segment. There are no other outlets that offer educational hikes here so I don’t have issues with potential customers comparing my service to that of others. Once a customer sees the need and is aware of the solution, they are likely to spend time and money on a class. 

9A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

9A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

For lack of a better term, the education organization that I am interested in starting will be referred to as “the nature center.”

Bill P.

            Bill is a maintenance technician at a local distribution center. He is retiring in 2 months. He mentioned that as enjoyable as the opportunity sounds to him, his body is not able to go out on walks. One of Bill‘s other concern is how to get the message in front of enough people so that those who might be interested would be aware of the existence of it. 

John C.

            John is a local ethnologist who mainly studies eagles in the area. John alluded to the presence of walking tours in the area but was not able to give specifics on this matter. I am not aware of any in the area. John says he is more comfortable learning in groups of 1– by himself. Sometimes he’ll learn and study with other local experts. Being in a group of amateurs was not his idea of a good time. 

Kevin P.

            Kevin viewed the need as being innate in most people—the need tp connect and be refreshed by the natural world. One of his concerns was, like others, that of time and attention constraints. Many people in the area wouldn’t mind participating, says Kevin, but due to commitments to high school sports and people’s contracted time with work. 

Doug R. 

            Doug’s thoughts were that the introversion of many people who might be interested could keep them from participating. This is small-town Indiana and many people are reserved, quiet, and enjoy their privacy. Doug’s advice was to find who those people are and build relationships with them so that they feel comfortable learning with a group of strangers. He did think the idea is different enough than the local bird hikes that take place several times throughout the year, since they only focus on one subject. 

Tim B. 

            Tim is a math professor at a university about an hour north of the area I would like to have the nature center. Tim is trying to develop a wayfinding, also called orienteering, class. It teaches learners how to find their way about using map, compass, and the heavens while in the woods. Tim and I met while enrolled in a state nature education course. He drove 90 minutes each way to attend the class once a month for a year. Tim may or may not have the unmet need, but certainly lives too far to joining a regular basis. Tim thinks that location is one of the biggest factors of meeting customer’s needs. Time and concerns about missing certain themes and being able to attend a class at a later date that would cover the same material. Having this flexibility would be attractive to people like Tim that have prior obligations that would create a scheduling conflict. 

Inside the boundary     Outside the boundary

Who is In                        Who is Not

What the Need Is          What the Need Is Not

Why the Need Exists     Alternative Explanations

10A - Elevator Pitch No. 1

Link https://youtu.be/BoR83sRTqZc

11A - Idea Napkin No. 1

11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

1)     You

a.     I am a nature lover. A tree hugger. Someone who seeks peace outdoors both alone and with others. I’m terribly fascinated by the complexities of the local flora and fauna. Some of my most enjoyable experiences are with people who have the same interests—people who don’t mind spending hours at a time studying a group birds or hours walking and learning about plants. One of my skills is being a bit of a people person. Over the past several years I have been privileged to make connections to peope who have the honor of working with nature either in education or conservation. I guess I can say that one of my skills in in networking with people who operate in my area in this space.

b.     Aspirations. I intend on creating some sort of learning organization. One that casts a net, or tries to, over all subjects that fall under the umbrella of natural history. For those interested enough, do a Google search for Eagle Hill institute in Maine. That is what I want to work towards. A nonprofit that offers field research and seminars throughout the year given by experts in the field. 

c.      As this does not, so far, seem to have a sizable economic engine(revenue drivers), I don’t see this turning into anything economically important to my life anytime soon. I see it as something that I would love to lead and do on the weekends.

2)     What are you offering to customers

a.     I am offering natural history learning experiences. These are field trips and classes ranging from 1-3 hours where anyone interested can join and learn about that week’s particular subject. We will explore and spend time in local city and state parks and nature preserves guided by local experts. As an example, May in Indiana is a beautiful time of year for spring ephemeral wildflowers and migrating birds heading north. May’s theme would be those two subjects. We would take learners and start small, eventually embracing the depth of each subject over time. We will learn what thrives in the areas where we live, why they grow there, and try to grasp a bit of each organism’s significance in the local ecosystem. 

3)     Who are you offering it to?

a.     All of my customers have in common a love of the outdoors. They love being with others who have the same or similar interests. They especially love the chance to learn and network with those people. My organization could take high school students, college students, and adults and families out on these field trips. 

4)     Why do they care?

a.     People want to learn about their local environment from people who know it intimately. Why? Because this is their home. Because the here and now are so much more real to them than the beautiful places they see on National Geographic. If people see that their money and time is not wasted on these experiences, and that they’re getting something meaningful out of their time with friends or family studying nature, that will go far beyond the ticket price. A famous entrepreneurship professor once said, “Can you charge more or less for relationship [and meaning]? More.”

5)     What are your core competencies?

a.     I have the ability to learn and learn broadly. I really mean that. I’ve learned from people all across this space. From Department of Natural Resource employees, to amateur (and expert) botanists. From wonderfully created amateur YouTube videos, to books both old and new. A normal person would say they have a “passion” for nature I, however, consume—I inhale— all things nature.

These elements do fit together nicely and form the napkin idea that we’re after. I would add that in my case I need to spend time focusing on whether my idea is a nonprofit or if people are willing to pay for this. Simply said, they can go out to any park for free and learn on their own. However I think—I know— that there is an element of community that people desire as they learn about the world around them. I want to drive this point in further assignments. 

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

1)     What surprised you most?

            Knight was so unprepared to start a business. Let alone one that did business internationally. I remember reading the story and seeing him travel the world after university and then just make an appointment with Tiger to discuss selling shoes through his nonexistent stateside business. It was rash, impetuous, petulant, even. But he did it. 

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? 

            Knight had a thing for not simply getting the right people onboard, but also, and perhaps more importantly, seeing where they belong in the business over time. This ties into how he treated his employees. Remember the endless letters from Johnson? Some leaders might have held his hand in response and walked him through every step of the business, as Johnson seemed to have wanted (or at least Johnson wanted someone to talk to about the business). But instead what he got was the spirit of Bowerman through Phil Knight. “ Something about his neediness made me not want to encourage him.”

            What I really admired about Phil was his ability to keep running in the midst of adversity. Remember the million dollar tax bill? Kept running. The death or Pre. Kept running. I’ve heard it said that runners are, in fact, running from things in their life. If that’s so I I would say that Knight spent his life running from losing. “I wanted to win. No, that’s not right. I simply didn’t want to lose.”

 It’s difficult for me to identify anything about the author that I didn’t admire. If anything, it was his keen ability to write. It made me a bit jealous! I kept wondering if he had had a ghost writer for the book.

2)     As state above, Knight’s ability to pick people who are winners is one of his greatest strengths in my opinion. Recall that if someone had enough sense to push through a specialized field like accounting or law, it didn’t matter that they didn’t have background in shoe sales. Knight new the type of person that he could rely on was someone who is not afraid of jumping in, learning on the go, and putting in the effort. 

3)     Knight’s insistence on running his business cash poor was sad and confusing to me. I can’t knock him since he took the business and made it into one of the world’s top brands. Being a student of Dave Ramsey’s principles I found it difficult to see someone operate in such a manner. 

4)     I’d want to know just how much importance Nike is and was to him. I would ask if he could go back in time and spend more time with his family, focused time, would he do it? Why? Because being in his shoes, you find yourself the leader of an industry which left lots of time where his family was without him. Compare his life to that of a blue-collar worker who gets to spend nights and weekends home. The family life is likely different.

Again, if he could go back, would he choose the life of a Hawaiian, selling mutual funds and living in paradise instead of scratching and fighting and clawing his way to the top of the shoe industry?

5)     I would say he was no stranger to putting in the effort and time. And he even saw hard work as he toured the dank and dingy warehouses in Asia. I wouldn’t go so far as to say Phil Knight was comfortable with hard work. Running is different than work, in my eyes. While never stated in the book, it seems like the closest he ever got to hard work was, in fact, running. I don’t share that same worldview, if it’s even accurate. My life experience has helped me to enjoy work.  In his own words: “What I wanted my life to be. Play.”

I read in a Studs Terkel interview someone saying that “Work is a form of worship.”

Knight would agree on page 34 when he quips, “[W]ork is the holiest part of us. 

Some of my favorite quotes:

A tiger hunts best when he’s hungry. P45

Happiness can be dangerous. It dulls the senses. P58

Something about his neediness made me not want to encourage him. P74 Talking about Johnson.

My psyche was in true harmony when I had a mix of alone time and team time. P132

No matter the sport—no matter the human endeavor, really—total effort will win people’s hearts. P210

You are remembered for the rules you break. P228

He had forgiven me my sins, including my secret factory. “There are worse things,” he said, “than ambition.” P271

8A Solving the Problem

8A Solving the Problem

The solution to the problem is this: A learning organization that is heavily focused on placing people in nature, locally, and provides learning experiences that they can enjoy and grow from. 

This is the selling of a service, or more specifically, an experience. I believe there are trends in younger demographics to want experiences over products. I feel that people enjoy learning together as well. I have a few reasons for this. One is that this allows people to talk. People not only learn about others and the knowledge that other people have, but they also learn about themselves through conversation. Nature outings will set the tone for these types of personal development to occur. Plus, who doesn’t love a field trip! 

I want to offer a variety of learning experiences, or as I’ve written elsewhere, various subject themes. One outing would be birdwatching, the next would be learning about mushroom, the next, geology. And so on. 

I want most of our learning to be done outdoors. About 75 percent, in fact. The rest can be spent in library conference rooms that available at little to no cost. If a bus were available, I really like the thought of learning and teaching about the destination and subject matter en route to the destination. 

As an afterthought, marketing and discussion about the organization can be thoughtfully placed in and around the many schools and three institutions of higher education in our county. 

I don’t know yet if there is room for profit in this idea. I understand the successful entrepreneur thinks about that primarily, as well as how fast money can be made. It may end up being a nonprofit organization that I am forming in these discussions. 

Assignment 7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Assignment 7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

 Hypothesis: 

Amateur Naturalists in the north-central Indiana region do not have access to field trips where they can learn from local experts about the local natural environment with other like-minded naturalists because a history of poor attendance at nature themed public outings  has stifled the inertia required to generate a company that could exist in this space. 

The Who: Amateur Naturalists in the north central Indiana region. This includes anyone interested in getting outside and learning about the local ecology, flora, and fauna. Naturalists also look at things like geology, the weather, astronomy, and phenology. 

The What: Lack of access to a way of learning about the local natural environment that teaches people not only in the classroom setting but also brings them out into the woods, nature preserves, state and city parks so that they can learn from local experts with other like-minded naturalists. 

The Why: A history of poor attendance and interest in nature themed outings has stifled the inertia required to generate a company that could exist in this space. The local bird club does offer the occasional walk at the local city park. This walk generally only has 1-3 members of the bird group in attendance. An hour north and south of the target location sit Department of Natural Resources nature centers that hold several walks throughout the year. These are mostly geared towards children 5-10 years old. 

Testing The Who: Are there people interested in such an idea? Would people spend time and/or money on going out of walks and field trips to learn about the local natural history? Is there a target audience for the perceived unmet need?

Testing the What: Is this an unmet need?

Testing the Why: Does the idea encroach upon other’s operating area (local bird club, nature centers) Does the lack of attendance indicate this is an endeavor fated to failure?

Interview 1: Dan Rebuck

            Dan is between 50 and 60 years old and works as a leader in the maintenance department of a local distribution center. Dan and his daughter Hannah have attended local nature themed events at our city park (it was a night event that was a lesson in attracting moths and other night-flying creatures for study and photographing them). “People want to have a connection to nature,” Dan says.

            They see beautiful places like Zion National Park on television but have little to no connection with the area that they live in. It’s kind of a disappointment to many people I think. One thing people might like, instead of car pooling to a destination, is buying a short bus for transportation. And on the way to the spot you could prepare people for the theme of the day. Talk to them about the area, what we’re looking for, things like that. What would be really cool, is if you replaced the roof of the bus with a clear plexiglass roof so you could have astronomy nights with the group. 

Interview 2: Tim Kimmel

            Tim is an “amateur” botanist. He was an insurance man before his retirement, but one might assume he spent a career teaching college level botany. He’s an expert if there ever was one. Tim lives in Fort Wayne. 

            I’ve tried to get people organized for similar purposes. To go out and enjoy and learn about the local flora, specifically. I couldn’t do it with just my name, I guess. I don’t know. I guess many people who are interested in something like this either are at an age where they’re not able to go out on long walks, or they’re out focusing on working a job to provide for their families. Not to mention sports. That’s huge around here. So many people have their children plugged into high school sports. I don’t know that you could draw people away from that and direct their attention at a tree or a bird or a spring ephemeral wildflower. I’ll tell you, you should talk to high school science teachers as well as local self-study teachers. 

            Self study teachers are in the space of homeschooling. It seems that they teach very small groups of children. Time said they take their children out on field trips throughout the school year.

            How do you get the message in front of people that this is an option? Marketing, I say. And that takes money. 

Interview 3: Laurie Marx

            Laurie is an active member of the local Mississinewa Audubon Society where we live. She has experience organizing events for the club and is aware of the poor attendance that they struggle with. Laurie invited me to host a moth night at the local city park, the same event that Dan Rebuck attended. If this idea is a possibility, Laurie would know.

            High school sports is such a big thing for families in our area. Look at our bird hikes, they attract less than five people normally. And it’s always people from the club. We don’t see anyone from the public coming in and joining these walks. I don’t think there is enough interest, at least here, for something like this. You might want to talk to 4H folks. They have entomology clubs. You might find out where they are and if they’re interested in something like this.

Interview 4: Morgan Lara

            Morgan, my wife, is a 7 year birdwatcher and has attended nature education courses at the local state park. She teaches dance is very connected with local families. “As someone with no children, I feel  many of the events in this space are geared towards young children. Some are centered towards the older audience, but most of what they do doesn’t interest me.”

 I want to learn about something while out in the woods or walking along a river. Not watching nature from a car, or standing in a parking lot. What about everyone in between those two demographics? Yes, people are busy with sports and so many extracurricular activity with their kids. When do the parents get to slow down and catch their breath? Something like this would allow families to come together and enjoy not only the local environment, but also each other’s company. Groups like the Mississinewa Audubon Society are dated and their activities are mundane. And they only focus on birds. IF there was something, an organization, that did weekly or even biweekly outings with different themes, this could bring in people for whatever interests them. I’m not into trees. And when I took the Master Naturalist course at Mounds State Park, I just kind of tuned out during those hours spent learning  about trees. This could offer something for everyone. 

Interview 5: Rick Johnson

            Rick is on his second year of beekeeping. He is a 60 year old Air Force veteran. 

            

            I love the idea. Sure there’s people who would jump in and take advantage of it. There’s nothing like that around here. I’d go. You could apply for grants to purchase that short bus. Keep in mind you would have to spend money on upkeep and maintenance of the bus, insurance, fuel. And you would need a chauffeur’s license. There’s a lot of things to look and enjoy that aren’t far away. Not enough people take advantage of that. 

Summary

            I drew great inspiration from this learning experience. In addition, I had some great ideas handed to me that I didn’t think up myself. Some practical and vital points were raised. Things like interest and marketing were brought to the forefront of my conversations with Tim and Laurie. I was encouraged by the responses from Morgan, Rick, and Dan. While my thoughts and hopes for this idea have not yet matured, talking to people allowed me to give my thoughts some form and shape. 

Assignment 6A – Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

• Economic Trend: India’s economic climb is bringing millions out of poverty and forming a “substantial and aspirational class.” This is an opportunity for international construction companies to cultivate relationships that will lead to profitable business ventures in India. 

• The source of the news article is 
  https://www.afr.com/policy/indias-rapid-rise-and-growing-middle-class-creates-hunger-for-commodities-20181121-h185wl

• The true source is from a lecture by Alyssa Ayers. She was talking at Purdue University about her new book "Our Time has Come". During the talk she focused on the future growth and world power that India is poised to be. This is one of the first times I had become aware of India's rising economy. 

• I believe this opportunity exists because of the figures that experts are using. One example is this statement from the article. "The UN projects that India's urbanisation rate will rise to 42 per cent or 640 million by 2035." That's a whole lot of construction, growth, products, and services that will be needed very soon. 

• The prototypical business customer would be the corporations who pay the builders for the new housing development. A typical ultimate consumer would be an Indian family buying their their first new home.

• This opportunity sides more on the "relatively difficult" spectrum. Think about a New York based company and the hurdles it would have to jump through in order to get dirt moving and houses built on the other side of the world. It's certainly more difficult than producing a widget and exporting it. 

• The reason why I saw this was stated above. India has been on my radar because of the future growth I learned that the country will be experiencing. So, whenever I think of a future goldmine (which, for many hardworking entrepreneurs it will function as this) I think of India. 

• Economic Trend: Illinois sees sluggish growth in Q4 of 2019. The biggest area of its growth came from the "professional, scientific, and technical services category." This is an opportunity for those who capitalize on training people in these fields. An opportunity might be tutoring individuals who are studying to work in these sectors. 
• The source of the news article is https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/news/illinois-economy-grew-slowly-in-rd-quarter/article_1f980d3e-35a9-11ea-9046-d7699431caa8.html

• Service companies, if done correctly, can lead to high profit margins. College education is becoming more common and thus might allow room for a private for-profit tutoring company to cater to people heading into this growing area of Illinois' economy. 

• The customer would be college students. I can see this being great for adults who are returning back to school after several or many years. 

• This opportunity fits into the relatively easy side of the spectrum. To run the business it only takes one employee and one customer. I'm aware of a man who specializes in law school tutoring and makes $60,000 annually. Of course, the operation could be scaled up as well. 

• I'm aware of this parasitic sector of education through a number of means. When I recently came to UF, I was presented two different for-profits that offer notes and study resources for a price. This is an interesting method of business to me. 

• Regulatory Trend: Michigan legalizes marijuana. Great opportunity for a business person to open a shop to take advantage of new laws allowing recreational pot smoking. 

• The source of this can be found on the Michigan state government's website https://www.michigan.gov/marijuana/.

• There's obviously a lot of noise surrounding this conversation, politically, economically, and ethically. Of course we will stick to the economics of it for our purposes of discussion. legalizing weed has made a lot of money for some and many have dreamed of cashing in on the business. With the legalization passed in 2019, this opens up new areas of business in the state of Michigan.

• Typical customer is somebody looking to purchase marijuana. 

• Because of the red tape surrounding sales of this type of product, I would place it on the more difficult side of the spectrum. That's not to mention the thought of having to safehuard your product and petty cash from thieves. 

• I'm aware of this because Michigan is just up the road from where we live and this was big news even in our area (about 2 hours south of the state), and I don't even keep up with the news. Outside of my faint awareness, I have no special reason why I see this opportunity. 

• Regulatory Trend: Online sports betting became legal in Indiana last year. Great time to jump in on that business! (If you know what you're doing!)

• The source can be found at https://fox59.com/2019/07/01/several-new-laws-going-into-effect-in-indiana-on-july-1/.

• We don't watch cable TV and so (thank God) don't get bombarded with ads. But at work on the TV I occasionally see an ad for what looks like sports betting. With how pervasive things like fantasy football seem to be, online sports betting just seems like more gravy on the biscuit for companies entering that market. 

• The typical customer is somebody looking to escape their lousy life by chasing the thrill of online sports betting.

• This has got to fall on the difficult part of the spectrum. I can't even run a blog properly. Imagine trying to build and manage what's essentially an online casino. Lots of money would go towards the IT part of the labor costs, and lots of attention would be forced on the regulatory side of things. No thanks. 

• I'm aware of this because last year my wife and I took a class about 45 minutes from where we live. Right before we reached our destination we would see this house with a couple of "LEGALIZE SPORTS BETTING" signs in their yard. Well, when it became legal here in Indiana, I made the connection back to that fine and outstanding citizen who took their part in shaping the future. What a great Hoosier.