Week 8 Reading Reflection

I was surprised by how much money can come from an owner and their friends or family. The thought of myself coming up with $10,000-$100,000 is surreal. It's an operation to make sure I budget well enough for groceries and rent. Then $20,000-$250,000 from friends and family is also mind boggling. I don't think I know enough people to contribute that amount of money to me. 

The angel aspect is confusing to me. Are angels just really rich people that want to give back to businesses. The first points of the angel section really confused me. Is it giving "available" stats of angel contributions. 

Two questions I would ask would be are the stats in the angel section accurate? How much financing actually comes from "angels? The second question would be are angels the same as philanthropists? If there is a difference, what differentiates them?

I don't think the author was wrong in the chapter. I didn't disagree with any points. 

Half Way Reflection

1. A skill I have worked on since being in this class is recording myself and talking to people I don't know. I don't like to record myself unless I've "put myself together" and sometimes that's a little difficult to do. I am very uncomfortable walking up to people and talking to them. That is definitely something a student needs to know they will have to do up front.

2. I don't know if we're supposed to talk about giving up in the class or giving up in our day to day lives. I'm not really one to quit, and I'm really not one to quit in my classes. I guess a time in my day to day life would have been my senior year of high school when I was playing volleyball. My coach rarely played me, but she never told me why or told me in advance that I would not be playing. When I asked her what I could do, I tried to work on her advice. I still went to practice and ran every lap the team had earned by mistakes in the game prior. And even though I thought about how I hadn't done anything to have to run the laps or there was no reason why I should be yelled at by my coach, I still kept coming back. I went back and forth with my parents about the emotional stress this was putting on me. But I pushed through it because I had made great friends on the team and I always wanted my coach to remember that I stayed. I want her to remember that I persevered. And I wanted to remember that I fought through it.  

3. Make sure you're ready to step out of your comfort zone. This class will push you to do things you didn't know you were uncomfortable with until you were assigned them . However, the activities will make you think of yourself differently and give you a confidence you didn't know you had. Just believe in yourself and you will do just fine. 

Week 7 Reading Reflection

There were a few surprises for me in this article. First, I wasn't aware that market segmentation had begun so "long" ago. I think it is amazing that we are still innovating a concept developed in the 1960s. Most concepts from 50 years ago have been about as refined as they can. The second surprising aspect was how basic market segmentation was in the beginning. To advertise to a particular market then involved putting a person that looked like people in the market. To see the advancement of advertising techniques alone is pretty spectacular. 

Something that was confusing to me was the laboratory simulation. How does the company doing the simulation take the individual responses and make it into one generalized product. The dog food example targets a specific group, but if there was a product aimed at attracting men and women or people of different race, how would the results be generalized? That would be my first question. My second question would be what was the research that indicated putting a model of the target market segment would work? How did the company know to do this in a world of changing buying behaviors?

I don't think the author was wrong about anything. I don't know enough about marketing and market segments to disagree with him. 

Elevator Pitch #2

I got a lot of positive feedback from my last pitch, which was unexpected. I don't see myself as confident, and I really didn't know what I was doing so I was waiting for constructive feedback to have a better take 2. One comment did tell me to focus more on HealthKick, like what kind of experience the customers would have, and less on the hook and the problem. I also had feedback asking for how I would cut costs and compete with fast food chains. Personally, I thought those questions were more for follow up from investors, so I didn't include it in my pitch.

I did shorten my hook and blended it in the problem more smoothly. I focused on what experience the customer would have at HealthKick, including the staff being as passionate about health as they were. I think this adds a motivation factor. The same kind of motivation from a gym or sports team, where you are surrounded by people who are as passionate about the activity as you are. I think I was able to be more concise with my pitch, leaving room for follow up questions and peeking interest. 

Week 6 Reading Reflection

The biggest surprise to me in this article was that even though there were 5 competitive forces, 4 of them revolved around one; rivalry with other competitors. It seems to me the author is trying to say that rivalry is the focal point of all competition, which in a way makes sense, but at the same time does not sit right with me. This is probably something I would disagree with the author about. but purely on phrasing. The phrase "rivalry among existing competitors" sounds brutal, I guess. I know it is synonymous with competitive advantage, but Porter is making companies look like the last man standing. In a sense, I understand that, but one would like to believe that companies' number 1 priority would be to serve their customers with the best product or service in the industry. That would be a question I would ask: Is there a better way to phrase or define "rivalry among existing competitors." A part that was confusing to me was when Porter wrote that different forces might carry more weight among different industries, as in the photographic film example. So my second question to Porter would be: why depict rivalry as the center force, when in some instances, it isn't. Why not make a chart that showed the factors carrying equal weight and then explain that different forces are more or less influential in different industries.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1. You-I'm Sarah Tucker. I like to think I'm funny. I throw a nice spiral. Once I get over the initial anxiety of talking to someone, I am very approachable and easy to talk to. I'm a good listener and I think I give good advice. I take pride in knowing when I don't know something. I've been told I have an old soul, which is my biggest ally at some points, and my worst enemies at  others.

2. What are you offering to customers-I am offering a "fast food" restaurant that serve healthy entrees at similar prices.

3. Who are you offering it to-Basically anyone who eats fast food. Specifically mothers of children heavily involved with extracurricular activities that don't have much time to sit down for a healthy meal.

4. Why do they care-In this day and age, many people, especially parents, are obsessed with their health. The news is always covering the latest disease outbreak. There's always a new weight loss plan or supplement on the market. Parents want the best for their children, but understand that in life there have to be compromises. But if there was a way to eliminate the compromise, I think parents would take it.

5. What are your core competencies-There hasn't been a healthy fast food restaurant on the market. I grew up knowing I had to eat fast between school and band and swim practice. I also didn't grow up eating healthy food when I had the opportunity. I think that sets me apart from other people. I didn't know what healthy foods were growing up, so I have the same eating habits now. It is not uncommon for me to go to Taco Bell or McDonald's for a quick bite. I know the schedule and habits of busy families, so I know how to fit my product into their lives.


I truly believe that these elements mesh together fairly well. The only weakness would be with myself. I'm not good at asking people for things or help, so it would be difficult for me to pitch to investors. However, I have used my humor in the past and it has been successful. I'm pretty good at seeing the flaws in an idea, and I don't see a flaw in these aspects.

Week 5 Reading Reflection

What surprised me most in this chapter was the complexity of diving into a new venture. I obviously knew that new ventures were difficult, but I didn't expect them to be so complex. Recently, so many new and unique ventures have come out that, if one is dedicated enough, make start ups seem simple. One of the questions I would ask the author is are all of the new start ups a testament to the intelligence and perseverance of the founder, or is it an ignorance that will later cause the venture to fail. Something that was confusing to me was how exactly do entrepreneurs determine how much capital is needed? I'm sure there isn't a end-all be-all formula, but my second question to the author would be is there a guide to help the entrepreneur get on the right path? Seeing as I have no knowledge of venture failures, I can't say I disagree with the author in this chapter.

Elevator Pitch #1

The opportunity I chose was one I came up with in my World's Biggest Problems assignment. I decided to attack the correlation between fast food and obesity. The solution I went with was the one I suggested in the same assignment. I decided to go with a restaurant that served healthy alternatives to fast food chains, with the same price and speed that attracts customers. I decided to call it Health Kick. I'm not quite sure why, I just thought it sounded like a good name for a good business.