Halfway Reflection

Paying It Forward

Here's what you need to know about ENT3003

1) Tenaciousness is a Competency

This course does have a few requirements! Weekly lecture, readings, assignments, and reviews. BUT, they can be fun an insightful. One thing I've developed is an open mind, not to look at these assignments as annoying and time consuming, but as an opportunity to flesh out a business idea and learn so so much about consumer demographics. I've also discovered that time management is key. You must keep up with due dates, which is not hard to do if you have a calendar.

2) Tenaciousness is also about Attitude

I felt like giving up on this course as soon I learned we had to post on our blog for everyone to see. I felt nervous for people to be judging  my posts. I had to suck it up (mostly because add/drop week had passed haha) and realize that this could be a really great way to gain some perspective an constructive criticism. I feel that I have gained so much tenacity because I feel more motivated to complete assignments with excellence, and I look forward to reading helpful peer reviews. It was after our first couple blog posts that I realized our classmates are not here to scrutinize, but to lend helpful suggestions and encouragement.

3) Some Tips

I would advise you to: 

1) KEEP AN OPEN MIND! The work may seem like a lot at first, but once you get into the swing of things, you'll realize how all the projects flow together and it's really quite fun. Once you adopt this mindset, you'll be more tenacious.

2) KEEP A CALENDAR. This is how you develop that tenacity- through diligence! You're not going to get much out of this class if you don't keep up with the assignments. If you treat the assignments as a learning too instead of a nuisance, you will gain so much insight!

3) BE HONEST IN YOUR PEER REVIEWS. Don't just copy and paste reviews. You can provide some really great criticism and encouragement to other classmates and pay forward all that tenacity. Take the peer reviews seriously. Read the posts thoroughly. Give thoughtful feedback. 

Reading Reflection No. 1

This book is an audacious and insightful biography about the renowned Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel that leads us through her slightly risque journey of entrepreneurship.

Here are some things I pondered while reading this book:

1.

• I was very surprised by Coco's rougher upbringing and how she was able to spring from poverty into something fabulous.
• I admired Coco's tenacity. Not only in the entrepreneurship realm, but in life itself, Coco resisted the standards of "femininity" to pursue her own desires and dreams. 
• I didn't like how people perceived Coco honestly, as some muse. Although that can be very flattering, I feel that she should be more recognized for embracing modern femininity.
• This designer faced copious amounts of struggling. She grew up in poverty, and was raised by Nuns, so I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to find the support and courage to run with a wild idea. Instead of finding her situation tragic, Coco looked for opportunity. She challenged the ideals of fashions by making "poor girl clothing" an astounding statement. She dared to try something that no one else had, and that's what set her apart. 

2.

This entrepreneur exhibited strength to get through her rough childhood, audacity to challenge the norms of the century (clothing, sexuality, etc.), rebelliousness in that she was willing to go against the grain to come up with a novel concept, and she was awfully witty too- going about her business in a very indirectly satirical way. All of these competencies I believe gave Coco a certain edge above other likely competitors.

3.The book itself wasn't confusing, however I suppose I was a little confused about the content at first. I was expecting to read a very dry biography about a simple entrepreneur. Instead, this was a thrilling biography about the very scandalous life of Coco Chanel.

4.

I would question Coco about how she seemed to gain support so quickly, and if she were to change one thing, what would it be? I am curious of these questions because typically, entrepreneurs experience many failures before landing on a great idea. Coco seemed to almost effortlessly incorporate "casualization" into fashion. Furthermore, many entrepreneurs wish they had more information about the customer base, monetary set up, etc. so I am curious to see what would have been most beneficial to Coco.

5.

From what I read about Coco Chanel, I'd imagine her take on hard work is "defiance and diligence." This is because she had the diligence to see through her current unfortunate situation and carry out an idea. She also had the defiance to take risks an go against cultural norms in order to become an unexpected fashion icon. I do agree that these are essential elements to hard work and innovation, along with motivation, enthusiasm and perspective!

Buying Behavior #1

Sketching out the Beginning of the Buyer Behavior Process

Here I will  be interviewing three potential customers of retractable Eno straps in order to determine how they begin their buying behavior.

The Segment:

I will be discussion on consumer geographic which include those living in a) college towns, and b) rural  regions known for outdoor activity such as hiking, biking, and kayaking. These regions typically include the mid-north and mid-west area of the United States.

The Interviews:

I asked each interviewee a series of questions to gauge 

1) When/where they most prominently notice their unmet need.

2) What they do do find a solution to the problem

Interviewee 1:

I spoke to this person while I was hiking in Tennessee over the weekend. They were in an Eno adjacent to the trail. I had about a 20 minute conversation with this person and was able to gathering the following information. They live in Tennessee, however they work a full time job so they only have time to relax on the weekends. They most commonly Eno a few times every month on the weekend when the weather is nice and they want to relax. They have noticed there being a problem with the difficulty of folding and packing their Eno straps, which occurs every time they take down their Eno, which again- happens a few times a month. They would rate this a very minimal problem because it isn't a big deal, and if all else fails, they just stuff the straps in their backpack. They haven't done much of anything to solve this problem, because its not detrimental in the grand scheme of things. If they were to google a solution, they would look up "easiest way to fold Eno straps."

Interviewee 2:

I spoke my sister's boyfriend for this interview because he is an avid traveler and spends a lot of his time hiking in the north. He said he spends a lot of time enoing, and even sleeps in his Eno on camping trips. He thinks Enos are great because of their simplicity, but admits that the straps can be annoying. He notices this problem every time he is on a trip, which is typically 100 days out of the year. As a hiker, he likes to travel light, and stuffing Eno straps in his bag takes up a lot of unnecessary room. He spoken to his buddies about this, asking if they have a different way of packing their Eno straps, but hasn't done any online searches. He would definitely be interested in a more efficient way to compact his Eno straps, as long as it was some overly complicated device.

Interviewee 3:

I spoke to a student Enoing on campus. They very heavily agreed that there is a problem with Eno straps frequently saying "yessss that is SOOOO relate able!" This  person Enos frequently, almost every day between . They find it a good opportunity to enjoy the outdoors after sitting in a building all day. Sometimes they spend a little too long in their Eno, and end up late for their next class because it take so long to fold up and put away the straps. Furthermore, this student is very organized, so it bother them greatly that they cant fold their Eno straps precisely. They complain about this to their friends often, and have researched online "bigger eno bag" and "quick eno folding."

Summary

• Interviewee one experiences this need fairly often but does not deem it a large enough issue to solve.
• Interviewee two experiences this need very often and doesn't actively pursue solutions, but would be interested in one. 
• Interviewee three experiences this unmet need almost everyday and is actively pursuing a solution.

Conclusion

Through my interviews, I learned that people within this geographic segment who own Enos most definitely have this unmet need.  However, 2/3 interviewees haven't actively pursued a solution, so it may be difficult to expect them to invest in a solution in the future. I also learned that people in this market are very focused on simplicity and using an Eno to relax, so the product should reflect that.

IDEA NAPKIN #1

Here is a napkin displaying doodles of my thoughts about the solution to the opportunity of more efficient Eno Straps.

1)  I am a strong believer in community and I feel I belong to a community who values nature. I love animals, and hiking, and finding way to maximize the experience. I feel that this business concept plays a role in my life in that is ties all of these elements together. This is a product that will directly benefit the outdoor community by making Eno deconstruction  more efficient so people can focus  more on making memories.

2) I am offering customers retractable Eno straps, a  device that will enhance their outdoor enoing experience by making the process easier.

3) I am offering this product to the outdoor community,  more specifically, those who own Enos. Majority of people who own are between the age of 20 and 40 and live in the upper parts of the United States. The target market are those who enjoy spending time outdoors and are looking for ways to maximize their experience. Everyone who owns an Eno has to deal with Eno straps which means every on in my target market is a potential consumer.

4) The most obvious reason people will care about this product is because it will help them avoid the hassle of taking down their Eno. However, there will be other perks. The outdoor community typically cares deeply about the products they are using and their effect on the environment. The retractable Eno strap device will be made entirely made from recycled plastic to ensure an environmentally friendly product that the outdoor community will be inclined to buy. It is also so important to give back to the earth also, so once the business takes off, 10% of all proceeds from retractable Eno straps will be sent to support the Natural Resources Defense Council. Consumers will recognize that not only does this product benefit their lives, but it is benefiting humanity.

5) I am set apart from other because I am solving an opportunity that targets a very small portion of people but that can make a great impact. I have the ability to see short term problems with solutions that will have long term impacts. 

Elevator Pitch: Retractable Eno Straps

This is my product pitch for the product I came up with in my previous posts: retractable Eno straps.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Further Research

In order to further narrow down the opportunity discussed in my last posts, I have interviewed five people who do not have this unmet need, although I though they would. I will summarize my findings below.

Interviewee 1: I interviewed someone who spends a lot of time outdoors hiking and camping. most people in this community do own an Eno. This person however, does not. In fact, they never intend on purchasing one because it is not a necessity and they do not feel it would enhance their outdoor experiences. Thus, the do that have the unmet need of ore efficient Eno straps, because they do not have an Eno.

-Through this interview, I gained perspective. I initially assumed the target market would be outdoorsy people without even considering the fact that there are a lot of these people who don't even own an Eno.

Interviewee 2: This person owns and Eno and uses it often. They agreed that Eno straps can be a hassle, however, they do not have this unmet need because they've come up with their own solution. This person made a custom drawstring back that perfectly fits both the Eno and the straps.

-This interview made me see my market more clearly. Many people in this community are creatives, so when there is a problem, they find an easy way to solve it. People who have already come up with a better way to store their Eno Straps will not have this unmet need.

Interviewee 3: This person did not relate to what I was talking about. They have an Eno, and use it frequently. However, to them, the deconstruction of the Eno is "part of the experience" not a hassle. They said that when they are Enoing, they are relaxed and not in a rush, so they've never had a problem folding the straps.

-Again, this interview allowed me to see different parts of the market. Many of the outdoor community are easy going and believe that extra gadgets takeaway from the simplicity of things. People who don't see Eno straps as a problem don't need a solution.

Interviewee 4: This person has an Eno and totally agreed that there were some kink in the deconstruction process. However, they didn't see the opportunity in the Eno straps, but in the who Eno. They said it would be so much easier if the straps were just attached to the Eno, rather than having an entirely additional device to contain the straps.

-I now see that there are multiple solutions to the opportunity, and that some people my see an extra gadget as unnecessary or not entirely solving the problem.

Interviewee 5: This person has an Eno and was very similar to interviewee 2. They have already come up with their own solution to the opportunity by winding their straps on a spool type thing. They wouldn't want to pay money for something they've already remedied.

-This is the first time money came into question.  Some people just don't see the problem as big enough to justify spending money on.

Inside the Boundary

Who it is:

• People who own an Eno
• People who see Eno straps as a hassle
• People who haven't already come up with a solution
• People who are willing and able to spend money 

What is the Need:

• The need is a more efficient way to deconstruct an Eno

Why Does it Exist:

• The need exists because people who have an Eno sometimes experience difficulty efficiently deconstructing their Eno because of the length and bulkiness of the straps

Outside the Boundary

Who it isn't:

• People who have already come up with a solution
• People who aren't in a rush to deconstruct their Eno
• People who do not have the money to spend on a product
• People who think the problem is in the entire Eno

What the need is not:

• An extra gadget
• Something that costs a lot of money
• Something that takes away from the experience

Alternative Explanation:

• Just let people solve the problem on their own
• come up with a solution that addresses the entire Eno, not just the straps

Conclusion

Who: There are people who fall inside the outdoorsy community who do not experience this unmet need. This is for a variety of reasons including, they've come up with a handmade solution, they don't think there is a big enough problem, or they don't even own an Eno.

What: My need begins to differ from other needs when the question of money and simplicity come into play.

Why: People who are outside of the boundary are those who don't find problem solving in yet another purchase.

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

Eno Strap Crisis

If you recall my previous blog post, you will see in great detail the opportunity I addressed. To summarize: Enos are a terrific, portable outdoor hammock. Their straps come in various lengths, and are a thick, durable material. Unfortunately, these straps are an absolute pain to deconstruct. Because of their length, they take a long time to fold. Because of their thickness, it is hard to compact them. After speaking to many people, I have confirmed that this opportunity exists.

The Solution

Here is my proposal to this problem: retractable Eno straps. Think like a retractable dog leash. The Eo strap can be extended out and locked into place, then used as normal the the little retracting device still attached. When you are ready to deconstruct your Eno, all you have to do in un-loop the strap from your tree, press the unlock button, and the strap winds itself back into the casing.

TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: PART ONE

The Opportunity and Solution

Backstory

I know that there s an unmet need in the outdoor community. I'm thinking people who enjoy hiking, and camping, and generally being in nature. Specifically, those who  enjoy Enoing. For those of you unaware, an Eno is a portable hammock made of a parachute-like material that folds into a small bag. Enos come with attachable straps made of a thick nylon material and come in all lengths. 

 Here where I noticed an opportunity: I was hiking along a trail in Boone, North Carolina. This trail goes under a huge, out or service railroad bridge.  I noticed a man has stretched his Eno straps around one post of the bridge, all the way across the bridge and around the next post to support his hammock. he was reading a book. How lovely. Now on my way back, the man had finished his reading and was attempting to deconstruct his hammock. His straps were particularly long ones and he was experiencing great difficulty folding them tightly enough to fit back in the bag properly. What a pain! He must have attempted several times before giving up and stuffing the straps  in his backpack.

The Opportunity

People who own Eno's are unable to efficiently and effectively deconstruct Eno straps due to their long lengths and difficulty to fold them tightly enough because of the thick material. 

The Who: People who own Enos.

The What: They are unable to efficiently and effectively deconstruct Eno straps

The Why: Eno straps are very long and have thick material, so they take a long time to fold and they are difficult to fold tightly enough.

Testing the Hypothesis 

Testing the Who: Are there others who have this need?  There are plenty of people "who's." Everybody who owns an Eno has this need. However, the rest of the population who does not have an Eno do not have this need.

Testing the What: What are the boundaries for this need? Is this an issue with all Eno straps? or just the extra long Eno straps? I believe that Eno straps of any length are difficult to deconstruct. 

Testing the Why: The Eno straps are so difficult to deconstruct because they are very long , hence they take a long time to fold. Furthermore, the Eno straps are a very thick material so it is nearly impossible to fold them tight enough to fit back in the bag. People who have Eno's would definitely blame these two factors. However, nothing can be done about them. The length of the straps ensure the Eno will reach across great lengths. The thickness of the straps is to ensure safety- if they were thinner, they would unravel. Thus, something else must be done to solve this.

I feel that there is an opportunity here to create something that makes the deconstruction of eno straps more efficient and effective.

Pursuing the Hypothesis:

I think it is important to pick other people's brains on whether they believe this opportunity exists. I decided not to interview people who this opportunity didn't apply to, because obviously there would be no market. Instead, I spoke to five people who do use Enos. This includes students who Eno in plaza, an employee at R.E.I. (an outdoor store) and a couple people from summer camp who like to Eno. and  I wanted to generate unbiased responses so instead of asking them rigid questions, I led a cheerful conversation with each person to kinda feel out where they stand and then eventually got onto the topic of Eno deconstruction methods. Below I'm just going to summarize the findings of each conversation.

Interviewee #1: This person uses an Eno almost daily in plaza. It usually is the "favorite part" of their day. They have normal sized Eno straps, and love how durable they are. Overall, I learned from this person that the deconstruction process doesn't usually bother them because they aren't usually in a rush. they did however admit that they didn't understand how the straps are suppose to perfectly fit back into the back because they are so bulky. At the end of the day, they would definitely invest in something to help compact the Eno straps as long as it isn't "too expensive."

Interviewee #2: This person has  similar experience to the first person. They say they appreciate the quality of Eno straps and appreciate the length so that they don;t have to worry about finding trees that are close enough together. This person actually owns 3 Enos,  a single nest, a double nest, and one with a mosquito net. They've never really taken much consideration into the deconstruction process and just see it as something that "must be done." They think something to make the deconstruction process more efficient would be great, although they wouldn't invest in it themselves.

Interviewee #3: This person is very skilled in Enos and has a great understanding of how they function and the different types. Because they have so much experience with the equipment, they don't actually have a lot of trouble deconstructing the Eno straps. However, they said they get customer in the store asking for tips and tricks to fold the straps more compactly, and some customers even ask if they sell "bigger Eno bags" (which they don't). This person agrees it would be great to have something to aid in the deconstruction process, and might even entice more people to buy Enos because they could market "easy set up and break down."

Interviewee #4: This person only uses their Eno during summer camps because that's when all of her friends do. They admit they struggle greatly to take down their Eno, and it usually becomes a two person job. If there was a simpler process, they would "definitely use their Eno more.

Interviewee #5: This person uses their Eno during summer camp, and on vacations. They loves how portable it is so they can bring it anywhere. They especially like the strength of the straps so they don't feel "like their going to fall." This person has been caught in the rain in their Eno numerous times, and ends up soaking wet because of the amount of time it takes to deconstruct their Eno, and by that time, the hammock itself is wet too.

Overall

I feel that I have an even better understanding of the market. I was not surprised at all  to discover that the Eno users I spoke to can see this unmet need. Although it is not something that is hindering their ability to live, it is something they are passionate enough about to see changed made. I now realize though, that because it is more of a "want" than a "need," a solution must be effective and inexpensive enough for people to want to use it.