Social Capital

For my first interview I got to meet with an engineer from UF. He graduated last year and is one of my brothers good friends. He not only is an engineer but has been working on making cars more efficient since he graduated. Upon meeting him I got to see some of his works. He actually has some really creative ideas for cars that I did not think about. Dean is filling in my domain expert of the car industry. I thought he was a good fit because he creates pieces for cars. Dean took the time to speak with me along with the two others I got to speak with. Dean was the most enthusiastic when I spoke these people. He enjoyed that someone as young as him has the same boldness to attempt to make “the perfect car.” Dean is a very busy person and only expected a conversation out of me. We have known each other for years and it was nice to catch up. I would include engineers in all aspects of my product. I will need multiple dozens of engineers to build this car. There are so many pieces to building this car that it requires multiple people to get this product on the road.

For my second interview I chose to interview a car manufacture named Mr. Giles. Giles has been working for over 30 years in manufacturing cars for Ford. He said he wish he would have actually made better decision in life so that he wasn’t doing so much hands on work. He said sitting behind a desk may suck but it is better than having back issues, heat dehydration and other health concerns. Giles said the only reason he never quit is because he feels that he is doing a service for the people. Giles fits in my expert on the market. Right off the bat he mentioned that my idea would be far from cheap and that my customer market will be cut in half compared to other car companies. I met Giles through my dad. Since me and Giles had never met he did not ask for anything in return besides to have a solid conversation. He was easy to speak with and did not skip a question. I need a car manufacturing place for my cars to be built at. Without a manufacture I have no car to sell. He told me how trusting your manufacture is needed. If you doubt who is building the car then the car is not going to be as successful as planned.

1) Tesla first fully battery powered car to successful start a company. I got the chance to speak with a Car Dealer from Tesla. My dad owns a copier business and provides copiers for lots of car companies in Orlando. He aligned me up with all of the people I interviewed. Tesla stated how other companies have attempted to make cars but have not made profit and ended up going out of business. Tesla’s cars are very technology advanced as well. S, 3, X, and Y all can drive without a driver within a parking lot.  

2) Tesla fills in the spot of the supplier. I chose Tesla as a supplier because it is the closest company to my car. Tesla sells four models spelling S3XY. All other cars are way less technologically advanced and not as comparable to my product.

3) I found Eli through my dad. He told me that he has been working at Tesla since they opened in Orlando. Eli has sold over 200 cars since working there and has had three different positions. He currently is the Finance Major. He said budgeting is very important and that without properly spending their money they would have gone out of business. He stated how important funding is and how hard it can be.

4) Eli took time out of his day just to talk to me. Eli did not ask for anything in return except for me to continue improving my product based on customer feedback. He said listening to customers is what can make your company grow exponentially.

5) I will include this person because he told me to keep an open eye. Sometimes you’re going to get an offer and risk vs reward is very important. Without weighing out the sides you do not know what’s worth risking. Sometimes it may risk you losing your whole company.

Reflection

It was kind of shocking. I heard a few things that others have told. That stood out to me because I have received similar feedback. The feedback I got this week related to a lot from what I heard from the last assignment. Every person I spoke to told me I had great manners and filling the “role” of a CEO is the backbone of the company. Without a successful CEO no company can stay in business.

Idea Napkin 2.0

We are called Designated Driver. With the logo “You fill in the lines.” What is so unique is the futurist it quality of our car. Our car is much more technology advanced than today’s Tesla, which is shocking since Telsa is so much more advanced than other companies like Ford and GNC. The skills my team and I have is innovation. As a group we came together to give every feature someone could ask for in a car. The car has temperature controlled cupholders. The hood is a solar panel making the car require zero gas. The biggest thing to set Designated Design apart is that the car drives for you so that you can utilize your time elsewhere. With the car being solar and battery powered the chance of dying on the road is impossible. So many people waste their day dealing with traffic which if someone or something was driving for them they would have more time to get important things done. On average people spend over two years driving and that is the average. Now this product is not for everyone yet. This product will cost a lot of money and will not see price drop for years to come after. What is good about these cars is that their value will decrease slower than an average car. All of my customers are business owners or people who have money to spend but need more time. What I took away from my feedback and the only bad part about my customers is that there is not a large percent who could invest in my product. Many people are busy back lack having the funds. This is what makes my concept weak and is what ultimately decides if my business would make it or not. What I think sets apart from Telsa is not only are we furturistic but we also give what the customer wants on the inside. The temperature controlled cupholders and reclining into bed seat are hard to turn down. There is no car yet that drives and allows you to sleep. The good think about all the little perks is that they do not cost that much extra to put into cars. The margin is huge by just innovating what is already offered in a car. I also learned that people enjoy my idea it just seems like the product is out there but not feasible.

Elevator Pitch

https://youtu.be/Aig1wVcv_ew

Sadly due to the hurricane I was not able to submit my video. I tried to submit late but was denied because of the hard deadlines we have. The deadlines teach us to be more on track and that when something is due it is really due. What I saw differently from the last time I made the elevator pitch is I added scenarios that people could relate to such as spilling coffee, missing lunch, and crying children. Overall wish I could have had feedback on my last pitch so this one could have been perfect. 

The Ideal Customer

My customer loves to go pick up his grandchildren from school, going to the grocery store. While at home he loves to watch tv and take naps while watching the birds pass by. Sometimes if he is feeling energetic he will do some fixing to his house or garden. My customer is the retired community. By retired I mean they have made enough money to stop working, they may do some work here and there but have made a sufficient amount of money to live. Most of the retired community that drives has a Buicks, Lincolns, or Cadillac’s. Some may feel they need a fierce red while others settle for a grey color. My customer enjoys watching the news to see what is going on in the world. He may also get the newspaper to read while watching jeopardy or wheel of fortune. My customer has children and grandchildren by now. My customers favorite book is Harry Potter saga. My customer is well in his sixties. From being a hard business man and always going he feels like he is still in his late forties. I would not say me and my avatar have anything in common but more I seek to be him one day. After all of my hard work and dedication I would want to be comfortable with my money and be able to spend it on what I want. Nothing feels better than working and watching it all pay off.