Halfway Reflection

1. When preparing for this course, constantly be checking the calendar or make a very detailed reminder board. There are a lot of assignments and you do not want to wait last minute to get them done or finish them. Try to work ahead if possible to eliminate the opportunity of missing due dates.

2. I have developed a very driven mindset from taking this class. It is very tough having so many assignments due per week plus other class requirements. This class has taught me great time management skills and to be harder on myself.

3. My three tips would be to always stay on top of your work, always push yourself to do more than asked, and as always, have fun when you are taking this class. Have time to breathe once in a while and realize this class is here to mold and shape you into a successful entrepreneur in the future.

Reading Reflection #1

Wright Brothers


1. What surprised me the most is that of their seclusion from the limelight. Despite their great feat, they chose to stay out of fame. I admired most, their ambition. They never gave up despite many failed attempts. On the other hand, they took a two-year hiatus, which I least admired. They faced great adversity with each and every prototype that failed.

2. The Wright Brothers exhibited many entrepreneurship attributes such as Admiration, perseverance, innovativeness, and undying dedication.

3. What confused me the most about the Wright Brothers, was Orville's anxious feeling towards his brother after the meeting in Paris with businessman Hart O' Berg.

4. If I could ask the Wright Brothers any question, I would ask them how we're able to just one day come up with the idea of flight. I would also ask them how they feel about their applications of planes on the scale they are used today.

5. I think their opinion of hard work is never giving up and giving it your all, no matter how many times you fail.

Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

My segment is owners with overweight cats or dogs.


Interviewee #1

Do you have an overweight cat or dog?
- I have both a cat and a dog. The cat is a little more on the heftier side.

Do you feed them treats often?
-All the time. I am always rewarding them for going out to the bathroom and doing tricks.

Do you feel any remorse when giving them many treats?
- When my cat starting getting fat, I felt terrible. My dog is not as fat.

Have you ever tried to find an alternative?
-I have looked on Amazon before and I have never found anything.

Interviewee #2

Do you have an overweight cat or dog?
-Just one chunky kitty.

Do you feed her/him treats often?
-Yes, I love to give him treats even when he's just hanging out.

Do you feel any remorse when giving him many treats?
- Yes, I feel so bad but I love giving him treats.

Have you ever tried to find an alternative?
- Yes, I have looked all over google but there is no company that offers a calorie-free treat.

Interviewee #3

Do you have an overweight cat or dog?
- Yes, I have a labrador that is quite overweight.

Do you feed her/him treats often?
- Yes. Besides him eating more often than usual. I will give him treats after walks and using the restroom. I also give him treats when he is just doing nothing as well, I can't help it.

Do you feel any remorse when giving him many treats?
-Yes, because he doesn't understand that is making him very fat. He will always eat them if I am offering.

Have you ever tried to find an alternative?
-I actually have not even tried. I just expected that there is not anything healthier out there.

 I believe every time I do these interviews, I gain more insight into my consumer base. It allows me to see that there is actually a need for this product. I believe that my product could thrive in a market like this.

Idea Napkin No.1

I am currently a senior at UF, about to get my bachelors degree in Business Administration. I also work part-time as a salesman at a local boat store. I have gained a lot of people skills and entrepreneurship skills while working there. When asked to create a business opportunity this seemed to come to me quite easily. I was able to use my personal experience to assist me in coming up with this idea.

The business opportunity I am offering to the consumer is a healthy alternative to treats for cats and dogs. This treat is no-calorie and fat-free, as opposed to the calorie ridden treats on the market today.

I am offering this product to all consumers with an overweight pet or a consumer would like to fit his pet as many treats as they would like without any consequences.

I believe consumers would like to have this product compared to the treats that are on the market now. Consumers will love to have this product because they would be able to feed as many treats as possible.

My product is set apart from other companies because there is nothing like it on the market. This will be the first absolutely no calorie treat on the market. This is a super grain that has just been discovered and I am the only one with the patent to use it.

I believe that all of these components can work well together. My entrepreneurship skills will help me take this product and market it correctly and effectively. 

Elevator Pitch No.1

Elevator Pitch No. 1

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

In this assignment, I am going to continue my exploration in the unmet need of no-calorie treats for pets. This time I will try and narrow down my interviewees to people who do not have a cat or dog and see if this will be an opportunity they can see as being lucrative and innovative.

Interviewee #1

You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
- That is right. My family used to have a dog but since a long time ago. I actually have a few guinea pigs.

Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
- I do believe they would. Dogs not so much because of their crazy active lifestyle, but cats definitely. Cats, in my opinion, are much lazier animals and could get overweight more rapidly.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?
- I think they should be sold at the same price, at least in the beginning to help them enter the market.

Interviewee #2

You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
-No, I do not.

Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
- It all depends on the breed. Most dogs are very active and some are more laid back. I think for the more active dogs this would not affect them as much but could allow them to eat as much as they want. The lazier dogs would absolutely benefit from this. Cats, for sure. I've only seen people with fat cats. This could benefit them because they don't burn as many calories as dogs.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?

I believe they should be more expensive because this would be the premier product compared to what is out there now.

Interviewee #3

You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
- Severely allergic to dander actually. It's not fair because I love all animals, but I can't pet them.


Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
- I'm not sure. I have seen both very skinny dogs and very big dogs. I don't necessarily believe this has to do with treat consumption or just the way their bodies are. With cats, maybe. Cats are very relaxed animals and don't show much energy like dogs.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?
- I believe it should be sold at lower prices because it could help people with lower budgets get the treats they want for their animals.

Interviewee #4

You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
- No, never owned one actually. I have always wanted a cat but I still live in the dorms and I am not allowed.

Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
-  I could very much see this be beneficial to pets health and overall happiness. I couldn't see a pet resisting treats so why not make them healthier.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?
- I think they could have different size packs for all kinds of pricing. It could allow you to buy more at cheaper prices as you go up.

Interviewee #5


You do not own a cat or dog, correct?
- No, but very ironically I work at Petsmart.

Do you believe, as a no-calorie substitute, would pet owner's with dogs or cats benefit from this?
- Absolutely. I see way too many obese pets come in and its always their owners telling me, " I can't stop feeding them treats!". Granted this is not the same with every type of cat or dog. Each animal has its own unique system and different digestive ways which could affect the way treats are registered. But overall, a zero-calorie treat would be very beneficial.

Do you believe that this product should be sold at a higher price than other generic treats or the same?
- I believe for this product to gain some buzz, it would have to start out at a cheaper price than other treats. This will give them a competitive advantage, then, in the long run, be able to bump their pricing accordingly.

Overall, every time I conduct interviews I gain a little more insight into how this product could affect or be used in everyday markets and households. Even with non-pet owners, I can see that this still could be an effective product from other points of view.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is In: Pet Owners	Who is Not: Non-pet owners
What the Need Is: Lower calorie treats	What the Need Is Not: No need for treats
Why the Need Exists: Pets are becoming overweight

8A – Solving The Problem

The problem I want to help out is obese cats who loves treats. The opportunity I want to create is a calorie-free treat. These could be done by using a new type of super-grain that has virtually no calories or fat. It can come in multiple flavors so your cat will enjoy all different types. This will be able to be given to multiple different types of cats.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1 #7a

The opportunity I would like to pursue will be a calorie-free cat treat. I personally have this problem because my cat has recently been marked as obese. Fat cats and high-calorie treats affect cat owners everywhere because people love to feed their cats endlessly, cats are also very vocal about being fed. Cats love treats but unfortunately, they are super lazy so it turns right into fat. Every cat treats on the market has calories and are unhealthy.

Atypical Interviewee #1

Do you own a cat?
-Yes.

Do you regularly feed your cat treats?
- Not a lot, but from time to time.

Would your cat benefit from calorie-free treats?
- My cat is not large at all. He is a very thin cat but I would love to be able to feed him as many treats as I could without him gaining any weight.

Atypical Interviewee #2

Do you own a cat?
- Yes, I own two.

Do you regularly feed your cat treats?
- Yes, I have terrible self-control when I am giving my cats treats!

Would your cat benefit from calorie-free treats?
- Absolutely. My cats are not big yet but they are getting bigger. If I was able to give them treats all the time without any consequences, I would definitely like that.

Atypical Interviewee #3

Do you own a cat?
-No, I do not.

Do you think people that own cats would benefit from calorie-free treats?
- I think cat owners could benefit from this. I have a couple friends with very fat cats and I am sure they would benefit from this cat treat.


Atypical Interviewee #4

Do you own a cat?
- Yes, I have a baby calico.

Do you regularly feed your cat treats?
- Not a lot since she is so small still.

Would your cat benefit from calorie-free treats?
- I believe I would. It would be nice to be able to give my cat treats without having to worry about her gaining a lot of fat while she is still so young.

Atypical Interviewee #5


Do you own a cat?
- No, I do not but my parents have two cats.

Do they regularly feed them their cats treats?

- Yes. One of our cats is so huge! The other one is perfectly normal.

Would your parent's cats benefit from calorie-free treats?
-  The big cat would benefit greatly. He loves treats but desperately needs to lose weight.

I enjoyed doing these interviews because it helped me understand that a lot of people also have this problem. I realize that a lot of cats get fat easily because of treats. I believe a calorie-free treat would be a great product for these owners.