15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Interview #1 (36 yr old female)

She chooses her vacations based on activities and price. Price is very important. She comes up with a budget first and then decides to start looking at locations and possible activities. Experiences are important to her. She wants memories. She books online and uses a credit card for points that could be used on future vacations. She prefers hotels over Airbnb style locations. She checks with her husband, but she ultimately makes the decisions. She says that if she didn’t think about work during the vacation and was “in the moment” most of the time, she considers the trip a success. If she is disappointed or feels cheated, she has resentment afterwards.

Interview #2 (39 yr old male)

He chooses his vacations around concerts or events that he wants to attend. Price is important and since he’s by himself, he says he saves money by getting cheap hotels or Airbnb and splurges on activities and meals. He said, “I don’t remember most people taking pictures of their hotel room unless it was super expensive”. Therefore, he goes 3 stars instead of 4 to save money for other stuff. He uses his debit card for booking and then uses cash because he thinks it always better to have cash if you get into a bad situation. He is the sole decision maker. If everything was as promised he says the trip was a success. He can’t stand hidden fees and after the fact communication on pricing, upgrades, and basic costs.

 

Interview #3 (23yr old female)

She doesn’t go on vacations unless with her parents still. She will go away for the weekend, but she doesn’t feel like that is a vacation. For her weekend trips she uses a credit card and books online. She doesn’t like cash because she says she will leave it somewhere or get robbed for it. She makes the decision with girlfriends when they decide they want to go somewhere. It’s usually for a party or concert. She is most concerned with safety while still being on a strict budget. She’ll pay a little more for convenience like location close to destination. If she has good memories or stories afterwards, she feels like it was a success. If the event was lame it could be remembered as a negative.

Conclusion:

My interviewees were cost conscious and wanted to know what they were getting into up front. My camp will not have any hidden fees or expected upcharges that you don’t know about ahead of time. Imagine if there was a charge for hot water in the showers and cold water is part of the basic attendance charge! I believe in upselling additional items, but I’ll have everything listed beforehand. I’ll post online and allow for credit card payments. I’d like to have a cash free establishment to minimize theft. Maybe I could have updates sent to spouses to show how their “camper” is doing? That would have to be agreed upon ahead of time. I’ll take lots of pictures and send them to attendees afterwards so maybe it can help their feeling of how positive it was. If nothing else, I’m providing the memories that seem to be important to people.

14A - Halfway Reflection

1) I’ve been able to keep up with this course by setting a stringent timeline for completion of tasks. The weekly repetition has helped me fall into a routine that works. After completing my blog responses and taking the weekly cupcake on Sunday’s, I look at what I need to complete by Friday at noon. If it involves reading a book or doing interviews, I figure out which nights after work are best for me to complete those tasks depending on my work schedule. I then repeat that schedule weekly. Saturday’s are set aside for doing something with my family and studying for my Business law class.

2) After 20 years of putting college aside and believing I could be successful without a degree, I came to the realization that it could actually help my advancement and would be a great role model to my son who is in elementary school. The financial payoff of the cost of college versus improved wages at my age is still up for debate but I made the decision to start anyway. That was 2016 and I had never taken a college course in my life. I had attended a college preparatory school for many years but dropped out and graduated from public school due to family issues and a revolving door of home addresses around town for a couple of years. I found out I did not retain much math knowledge over those 20+ years and my credit earning classes would be delayed while I took remedial math classes that wouldn’t count towards my degree. I considered giving up again and up until I took the first class in the remedial math class I was considering not getting started. Once I started that first class, I had gone farther than all the times I talked about starting previously. My son asked me how school went and then talked to me about his school that day. It was enough to get going. I haven’t looked back since. I’ll be done in 2021. I’ve completed large projects in my professional life and dealt with many people with MBA’s. I know a degree doesn’t mean someone is smart, has good ideas, or is a good employee. It only means they did what they needed to get the degree. I’m doing it and working at the same time with a family.

 3) My three tips are to set and accomplish small short-term goals as well as long term goals. There need to be checkpoints along the way so you can appreciate what you have accomplished and check timelines for your long-term goals. Don’t set a specific time to compete schoolwork. Set a range of hours as possible times to do it. Let yourself choose the portion of that time you want to do the work. You may feel like getting it over with one day and may need some extra free time before starting the next. Both are ok because you are still on track within the time window you gave yourself. The first time you want to push everything to the last day and the last minute, tell yourself you’re not going to suddenly feel like doing it tomorrow and just start now.

13A - Reading reflection No. 1

1) You read about an entrepreneur: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

What surprised you the most? I had no idea he was such a bad father. I have heard many stories about his vision and demanding nature. I had never heard anything about his family. Now I understand why. It was not pleasant and appeared to take a back seat to his work. It’s one thing to be devoted to work more than your family but to basically be non-existent for the first ten years of your daughter’s life is much different.

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? His ability to push farther and demand things that most felt were not possible. If the task was thought possible, the timeline for completion was thought to be impossible. However, he got more out of people by demanding it and striking fear in employees and colleagues. The consumer benefited from great products that were innovative.

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? His inability to enjoy the ride and the process. His keen focus was what made him great but also what made him least admirable to me.

Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? He was fired from Apple and had to start over. He proceeded to eventually buy Pixar from Lucas Entertainment and then was brought back to Apple to save it. The second round at Apple is what produced the products that made the company what it is today.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? Laser focus, work ethic, big picture vision, opposed to status quo, and belief in his instincts and ideas.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. I do not understand why he did not focus more on software like Bill Gates. Especially when they had interaction and Gates built operating systems for Macs. I feel like he could have focused more on that part of the business.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why? Did wearing the same thing everyday make a real difference in your daily routine. Deciding what to wear is one of the first decisions you make every day. I am intrigued by the fact he wore the same thing every day. Did it really save any time or mental energy? What do you wish you would have thought of first and why? I would like to know who he was jealous of and why.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? I think he thought going daily until exhaustion was a solid day’s work. I do not agree because I think that the shelf life for behaving like that is short and limited. Could someone who was fresh from eight hours of sleep make the same mistakes? Or would they make more mistakes because they were not laser focused and driven?

12A-Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1) Pick a segment. I've identified my 5 segments to be age 20-35, outgoing, employed, from Southeast USA, and single. For this assignment I'm focusing on adults age 20-35 because most will have jobs and a reasonable amount are probably outgoing.   

2) Find three people who would fit that segment and arrange to interview them. Done. I eliminated one person who didn't feel they had the need for my idea. 

3) Begin with need awareness. Done. 

4) Move to information search. All three search in Google first for vacation and getaway ideas. They in trip planning sites like Travelocity, Kayak, AIRBNB, Booking.com, Orbitz, and priceline. They look at recommended vacation packages and destinations. They all talk to friends and family at some point during the year about their vacations and plans but not necessarily at the moment they want to plan or book something.

5) Report the findings of your research. I learned that social media may plant a seed that a potential customer might remember, but most likely when it comes time to decide something they go to websites and are influenced there. Two mentioned that they saw people they knew on social media posting things from a resort or a cruise that they wanted to go on as well.

6) Draw conclusions. I need to get my camps on the travel websites and advertising there to my demographic would probably be beneficial. Also on sites like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok it would be important to see my camp tagged with adults having fun and ensuring there is a learn more option when it's tagged. Sometimes some well placed pictures of real people having fun is better than a brochure. Hopefully it would be shared with friends and they could join together to attend at the same time. 

11A-Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. I am a 46 yr old Operations Professional with over 20 years of experience. I'm very good at breaking down problems, coming up with a plan, and implementing that plan efficiently. I've opened up multiple facilities across Jacksonville and China. I've dealt with contractors, hiring of employees, creation of protocols and procedures, creating and changing business cultures, and efficient P&L supervision and creation. I aspire to continue doing what I have been in Operations. I have hit a ceiling in my field without a degree. In fact I've gone farther than most without a degree that I've seen. Unfortunately, I don't see myself quitting my job to pursue this opportunity. I don't think it will make enough money. Any profits the first couple of years would need to be put back into the business to grow.

2) What are you offering to customers? Adult camps that have similar amenities and vibe as children's summer camps. 

3) Who are you offering it to? Initially to adults but I may pivot to include children and church groups

4) Why do they care? It will be a cheaper solution to typical vacations and be a nostalgic event for those who went to camps as children. 

5) What are your core competencies? I have started up multiple facilities and hired new employees.

I believe my idea is not as much of a guarantee as some of the other ideas in my blog group. My camp would be fun but I don't know if enough people would see the value and opportunity. The location is important and could be expensive, as well as the need for a liquor license could be the key to success. Insurance could be expensive. 

10-A Elevator Pitch

https://youtu.be/O3b86hcFpnw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3b86hcFpnw&feature=youtu.be

9A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

I'm starting to run low on people to interview at this point. However, it worked out nicely because previously I chose people who I thought would be interested. For this assignment I talked to people I didn't expect much excitement from. See below how it went.

Interview #1 Summary(65 yr old married male)

He agreed that the typical age for a customer at my camp was from 25-45 but he said he and his friends in their sixties would be great customers because they wouldn't tear the place up and have fond memories of camp from when they were kids. His age group is less likely to want to go to Las Vegas or party somewhere. He is very religious and said I could book church groups every summer with no problem. He thought there is a need for more church camps that get kids away from home and teach about the Bible.

Interview #2 Summary (26 yr old married male)

He said he wouldn't be that interested if there wasn't alcohol and some opportunity for extreme sports. He had no interest in getting in a canoe and singing a campfire song. He thought it might be cool for someone older but felt it would be lame for he and his friends. He said it would have to be cheap because he couldn't justify spending a lot of money for something like this. If you can get away with doing a guys trip, you would be competing with the Caribbean, Las Vegas, back to College alma-mater football game, or cruise.

Interview #3 Summary (16 yr old single female)

She thought it could be interesting because she says she has never been to a sleep-away camp because her mom wouldn't let her. She's too worried about pervert camp counselors and her safety away from home. She said if her school went it might be alright if some of the parents could chaperone. She said that Summer camps around here suck and this would be fun.

Interview #4 Summary (30-something single female)

She initially said she might be interested in some wine with ladies and maybe some crafts. She didn't like the fact that there wouldn't be wine in the woods. She felt it was necessary to have some wine if you're sleeping on a bunk bed or on the ground in a tent. She said she would never go to something like that by herself. She would need at least two other people she knew with her. She felt like there were plenty of entertainment options out there.

Interview #5 Summary (9 yr old single male)

This guy said it all sounded awesome and loved the fact that he could do it without his parents. Although he didn't think he would be able to go if it wasn't here in his hometown. He went to a computer coding camp last year and recommended that my camp do the same thing or be focused on Minecraft or E-gaming.

          Inside the Boundary                           Outside the Boundary

Church groups, kids, Senior Citizens, Adults with disposable income	Low-Income adults, people more  than 250 miles from campsite
Entertainment destination options	Instructional learning at campsite
People are bored with the same options offered for years	There aren't any adult camps because  not enough people are interested

8A-Solving the Problem

Problem: Lack of adults-only camps for entertainment purposes

Solution: Create an adult campground facility that caters to gender specific themes throughout the year. The campsite could be converted from an existing children's campsite or created from scratch. We would provide all the fun memories like you experienced at camp as a kid. Activities would be catered to appeal to either men or women depending on the campsite's planned theme. There would be physical activities, some instructional learning, and arts. For insurance purposes we would not offer alcoholic beverages but could expect those items to be brought against camp policy. Lodging for the week or weekend would be provided and would be a mixture of campsites and bunk rooms. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner would be provided for all guests. To reduce costs, there would be some light chores for campers like helping make a meal or clean-up afterwards. The end of the camp we would have a talent show and every bunk house or campsite would be required to present something at the talent show. Imagine the types of social media tags this camp would receive. Weddings, reunions, birthdays, retirements, and business team building could also utilize the camp's offerings.