Hey Everybody!
For this assignment, Dr. Pryor pushed me to my limits and had me go out and establish 3 contacts in an industry in which I have a very small amount of competitors.
When I began this business idea, my goal was to be unique and different - not to create an idea where there's already a bunch of people doing the same thing.
That being said, this assignment was fairly difficult for me.
As of today, I received my reply from my supplier who was the hardest to get in contact with, and the results weren't exactly as I had hoped.
Person #1 - Domain Expert
Jayson Frascatore-
Jayson is a 17 year old from Kissimmee, Florida and he specializes in speedcubing. Jayson can solve a Rubik's Cube in just about 12 seconds and has competed in official speedsolving competitions throughout the United States.
Jayson, despite his younger age, would be considered a domain expert in my industry. He has been interacting with solvers for over 5 years and has a lot of experience in teaching people how to solve puzzles and identify algorithms.
I met Jayson briefly at a cubing competition in 2014, and had sent him a friend request on Facebook around two years ago. I'm so thankful that I did, because he was able to provide some great feedback on my elevator pitch and idea napkin.
After watching my pitch and idea napkin, Jayson said he thought my idea was cool because he had recently gone out of his way to "tutor" someone in solving a Rubik's Cube. He said that prior to being shown, the person had not previously been interested in Rubik's Cubes at all, but ever since he provoked his mind and solved for the first time, he has now perfected his time down to nearly a minute which is a feat in itself.
Jayson loves what he does and I'm very happy that I was able to get in contact with him and receive his valuable feedback.
Person #2 - Market Expert
Sherri Raley
Sherri is a 63 year old woman from Texas that specializes in solving both jigsaw and crossword puzzles for brain stimulation.
Sherri says that she participates in these activities to keep her brain fresh and active, and that after tons of practice, there isn't a single crossword puzzle that stumps her anymore. I showed Sherri my elevator pitch and idea napkin after getting in touch with her over Facebook. She said that she loved my idea and how I was primarily marketing it towards children - however she did add that my idea can also be successfully marketed towards adults/seniors.
Puzzle solving is a great skill for all minds, young and old, and could be very beneficial for older minds just as well as the younger ones. This interaction with Sherri was very positive and helpful.
Person #3 - Industry Supplier
Oskar van Deventer
Oskar is a 51 year old Dutch puzzle-maker, YouTuber, and Guinness World Record Holder.
For years, Oskar has been making his own twisty puzzles such as the Rubik's Cube and selling them on the market. Oskar is a very talented puzzle-maker and has achieved a Guinness World Record for building the largest physical twistable puzzle of all time.
Oskar is definitely a key supplier in the cubing industry as his ideas are constantly getting new products and puzzles put on the market.
I reached out to Oskar via one of his YouTube videos and received a reply to reach out to him through his contact line. I had Oskar take a look at my Elevator Pitch and Idea Napkin, but unfortunately he was unable to provide a lot of feedback.
Oskar said that he liked the cube-tutoring concept but had no idea how he could help or provide feedback.
He also told me that elevator pitches get to the point immediately, and that I should skip the tutorial about the cube and start right away with what I want to achieve with my business.
Though brief, his feedback was well appreciated and informational and will definitely be used to help me in my next Elevator Pitch.
Reflection
Overall, this was a very difficult and nerve-wrecking experience. It was difficult to get in contact with 3 people within my very limited industry, however their feedback was very critical and informational. It gave me some huge insight on how to further improve my ideas and adventures into my business plan.
Hey Ryan! I think you did awesome with this assignment. You reached out to people who will prove very beneficial to your venture, which I also think is a great idea. This assignment really did push our limits but ended up being so helpful! If you want to see my post it can be found here: http://entblogemilytreasure.blogspot.com/2016/03/growing-my-social-capital.html
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan! Seeing as how this was not an easy field to find connections in, I think you did a fantastic job! These seem like very strong connections that can help you in your entrepreneurship journey. I agree with you that this assignment pushed us to our limits because it is not always easy to go out and find connections and establish that first interaction with them. But in the long run this assignment will definitely help us! Keep up the good work! If you are interested, you can see the connections I found here http://caitlinc12.blogspot.com/2016/03/growing-my-social-capital.html
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