Create a Customer Avatar

The customer avatar that I picture for my eco-friendly, local coffee business is actually a lot like me. She's a 19-year old student at the local university, pursuing a double major in French and Computer Science major. She's also very involved on campus and in the community -- she's in the environmental protection and horticulture club. She is outspoken about her support of making the world a better place. Her dream is to someday become a software engineer at Microsoft and drive a rose-red colored Tesla. 

During her free time, my customer enjoys learning programming languages and working on personal projects such as app development. Her favorite foods are pasta and salads, and she loves listening to indie and Bossa nova. You can find her during the weekends watching Netflix, updating her social media, doing yoga (outdoors of course), and studying. A lot. Her fashion style can best be described as "Parisian chic" -- lots of stripes and winter coats.

Because of her deep appreciation for environmental sustainability -- combined with a hectic schedule that balances schoolwork and involvement -- my avatar really enjoys dedicating an hour of her day to unwind or study with a cup of coffee. Furthermore, her passion for supporting social and environmental causes, as well as supporting the local community, makes her an ideal customer for my business.

I noticed that I have many things in common with my avatar: we both care about the environment, are interested in technological innovation, and wish to someday own a Tesla. Also, we both enjoy doing similar activities over weekends, and have great passion for wanting the world to become more sustainable.

I don't believe that these similarities are a coincidence -- as when I created my business idea for this class, I wanted something that would resonate with me. I think this is why I found so many similarities with my avatar -- because if somebody else had created this business, I personally would be a customer. I wanted to develop an idea that I would personally enjoy heavily, and invest in -- as I believe that entrepreneurs should develop a business around something that they love. This will motivate them to work hard towards developing their idea everyday, as opposed to something that don't have a lot of interest in.

Idea Napkin No.2

You -- I am Liana Marulanda. I have a bit of experience in the business world -- as I continue joining different business-related clubs and organizations on campus, along with volunteering. My largest skills and human capital I believe lies in my ability to speak different languages, which allows me to pursue business endeavors worldwide with greater feasibility.
Similarly to the previous idea napkin, my aspirations lie in making the world a better place through small steps at a time, which really forms the core of all the entrepreneurial ideas I've come up with for this class. If I were to start this business, I would have a full-time dedication to it -- as being an entrepreneur requires utmost commitment in order to be more successful.

What are you offering to customers? --

I am offering a small, local coffee shop. The beans would be harvested organically from low-income farmers in order to foster employment in the local coffee market. All cups and materials would be recyclable and eco-friendly. The profits of one month in the year -- or coordination of yearlong fundraisers -- will take place towards funding an annual educational trip. The trip would take employees and the most loyal customers to a developing country where coffee-based agriculture is a prominent economic drive – such as Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and more. The purpose of the trip would be to teach sustainable agricultural practices to local farmers, such as fertilizer and pesticide reduction, eco-efficient irrigation, and more

Who are you offering it to? -- 

I am offering this service towards the general public, as anybody can enjoy sustainably harvested coffee and making a difference in the local and global environment. However, like my last idea napkin, I would focus heavily on marketing towards young millennials -- as this generational group has shown to take greater support for causes that will affect us during our lifetimes.

Why do they care? --

The younger population demographic have a greater demand for coffee consumption -- especially college students. Also, millennials in particular are more likely to support social enterprises that are dedicated to a strong social cause. In regards to my business, the environmental cause is something that affects people everywhere, for generations to come as environmental issues progress.

What are your core competencies? -- 

What sets me apart from everyone else are my tenacious qualities. If I truly want something, I don't easily get discouraged from trying to get it. Also, I'm very flexible regarding adaptation to any situation or context.

I believe that all of the elements regarding my entrepreneurship skills set fuse relatively well. I believe that in order for an entrepreneur to be successful, they must have an audience to market their  business too and have a strong understanding of their needs. As I am part of the target audience for the marketing, I am able to have a profound understanding of what would attract them to pay money for my social enterprise. I think my business would be appealing towards the target consumer group, and that they would care to be a part of a growing environmental movement.

Regarding a feedback memo, the comments I received on my first idea napkin were all very positive. They seemed to agree with everything I included in the first post, therefore I decided to keep this one similar to the last one as it seemed to be effective. The feedback I received liked how I included the importance of having a social cause in the business, therefore I decided to emphasize that in the post. Also, I was told that having passion for your business and what it stands for is also very important to show -- so I also decided to include that in this post.

Elevator Pitch No.2

Just as a reminder -- I changed my business idea for the class!

All of the feedback that I received on my last pitch was very positive.  What stood out to me was the importance of having a well-spoken message that clearly elucidates your purpose as an entrepreneur and that demonstrates passion for what you do. I believe all of the feedback that I received was very useful and insightful, as they emphasized the importance of getting straight to the point -- what the problem is, and how you as an entrepreneur plan to deliver the solution. The plan of bringing a positive change to this world is incredibly valued, and so for this pitch of a more developed idea, I decided to emphasize how I would differentiate myself from competitors. I also decided to change from the last pitch by elaborating in greater detail how the business would operate and how exactly it would achieve its long-term goal of environmental sustainability. 

New business idea for this class

This isn’t an assignment but rather just a heads-up that I decided to change my business idea for this class!

I switched my original non-profit business idea to developing a small, local coffee shop.

The beans would be harvested organically from low-income farmers in order to foster employment in the local coffee market. All cups and materials would be recyclable and eco-friendly. This business will continue to have elements of social entrepreneurship – but instead of being a nonprofit, I’ve decided to do something differently.

Instead of having all profits going towards my original idea of building renewable energy sources in the developing world – I decided that it would be a better business idea to connect the cause directly to the product/service. I think a better idea would be to dedicate the profits of one month in the year (or perhaps do year-round fundraisers) towards funding an annual educational trip. The trip would take employees and the greatest customers to a developing country where coffee-based agriculture is a prominent economic drive – such as Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and more. The purpose of the trip would be to teach sustainable agricultural practices to local farmers -- such as fertilizer and pesticide reduction, eco-efficient irrigation, and more – therefore it would still have an environmental cause like my previous idea. However, this would make the business and cause highly marketable and developed, and it’s overall a lot more put together and realistic than my previous idea. Also, I think that taking the most loyal customers on the trip would provide a great incentive!

I would greatly appreciate any feedback or suggestions as I move forward with this new and improved idea!

What's Your Secret Sauce?

1)    Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique.

a.     I have a distinctive ability to grasp and retain new languages relatively easily compared to other people, even with low daily exposure to it.

b.     I’m constantly open to gaining the most from everyday life – I observe, listen, and reflect in order to acquire the most knowledge that life has to offer.

c.     Regarding people, I believe there is something new to learn from everyone. I’m highly interested in learning about different cultures and life perspectives.

d.     I have a very optimistic and calm outlook on life – I try my hardest to avoid thinking negatively in order minimize stress and worry; I don’t lose hope prematurely.

e.     Adequacy is insufficient for me. Along with meeting the minimum, I believe in going above and beyond in everything I do – as I place a strong value in quality.

2)    Interviews

a.     Justin

My friend Justin believes that I’m able to easily adapt to any situation or environment – with feasibility. I’m able to tailor myself to any context, and he says I do it well. He emphasized my flexibility with anything.

b.     Diana

My friend Diana has known me for a few years and has gotten to know me very well. She believes I harbor a variety of skills and experiences that encompass my human capital – such as languages, public speech/communication, and dedication.

c.     Anthony

Anthony emphasized my perfectionist traits – whether it be in something as simple as parking or working on projects. He says I’m determined to get the best out of anything I do – as even with trifling mistakes, I have to fix it so that it’s the best work I can produce.

 

d.     Mom

Translation: "Liana has always been a very intelligent girl, since a child. She has always wanted to be the best, and always has done the best that she can. She dreams of having a big future...becoming a professional and getting ahead. She has always been very intelligent and wanted to be the best, she has always turned out with the best grades and qualifications. She is a very tranquil and calm girl, very of the home. She is a very good girl."

e.     Dad

Translation: "Different from others? Well...what I see in you is for example your responsibility with school. You worry about it a lot and place lots of interest in it. You are very intelligent and these are qualities that I see in you that I know make you different."

3)    Reflection

I noticed that there are many similarities with the way that others perceive me compared to how I see myself. People during the interviews commented on my flexibility/ability to absorb knowledge – which is a skill I think I have. An example that I can think of is when I taught myself Portuguese by reading and listening to music, and I’m now able to converse/read/write fairly well with native speakers. In all honesty, I don’t see as much human capital in myself as others do – possibly due to my lack of confidence. However, I think my redeeming qualities are illustrated in the arduous work that I complete to my best ability -- along with steadfast determination with things, no matter how small. I wouldn’t make any changes to part 1 of this assignment as they are very similar to interview responses.