Week 6- Interviewing Customers No. 3

1) Interview Strategy: I am going to ask questions to get to the root of my product. I am going to see if people would want a snack part way through a workout and if so, why? My product is called a "snack pack". It is a small waterproof pouch that would attach to a water bottle that would hold a small snack for when one gets hungry during a workout. I chose to interview athletes with a focus on swimmers. I interviewed people outside my apartment gym and at the O'Connell center.
2) 5 Interviews: See below!
3) Reflection: Once again I realized how hard interviewing is. I am still not very good at asking the right questions to get the information I need. I also learned that there is not a huge demand for a snack during a workout. A little than less than half of the people I interviewed over the 3 rounds said that a snack would not help them during a workout. This product may not be something I should pursue.

Here are the interviews, enjoy!

Week 6 Reading Reflection

Week 6 Reading Reflection

1)      The biggest surprise for me in the reading was the fact that they made business sound so scientific. They talked about a process about how competition changes a business and I feel like that is a little much for describing a business. Anything can happen, it is not a set process.

2)      Every part of the reading was confusing to me, it was very elevated vocab for a pretty simple concept.

3)      Two questions I have are:

a.       Where did you get this information?

b.      How do we know if this information is reliable?

4)      I think the author was wrong in making his work so scientific. Businesses all react differently to competition, there is a no set “if this happens…then this will be the result…” I don’t believe the author should have made his work so definitive. 

Week 6- Idea Napkin No. 1

1)    My name is Courtney Meyer. I am 20 years old and I am a club swimmer at the University of Florida. I have swam for over 11 years and have been a swim coach for 3 years. I hope to someday become involved in a local pool as a coach or a volunteer. I love the sport of swimming. I think it is a great way to guide children (and adults) and keep them in shape. I could see my business idea benefitting my friends who are still active swimmers and any swimmers at the local pool. I could definitely see this business becoming a part of my life as a part time job.

2)    Swimmers often become hungry part way through a workout and this can hinder their workout. I have developed something called a “snack pack”. This “snack pack” would hold a small light snack that could be eaten part way through a workout. The pack would attach to a water bottle and would be waterproof so it can sit next to the pool.

3)    I am offering this product to swimmers and any other athlete who will benefit from them.

4)    Athletes will want my product because they will benefit in the long run from having a “snack pack”. The snack pack will help them train longer and harder allowing them to be able to make improvements faster and greater than they would have before. When athletes get hungry they get tired and unmotivated, this will help them combat this hunger.

5)    What sets me apart from everyone else is that I have so many years of experience so I have a first-hand idea about what athletes need. I can apply my own experiences to my product and my business to help my customers with their training needs.

I believe that all elements of my idea napkin fit together quite nicely. I am experienced with the problems athletes have, and I have chosen to invent something that plays off of these experiences. I am offering a product that can really help some swimmers and athletes further their training allowing them to further reach their goals. The weakest part of my product is that there are a group of athletes and swimmers who do not want a snack part way through a workout. Some of the people I interviewed said that a snack would actually hurt their workout instead of help their workout. That is totally understandable. The problem is I need to find out how many people proportionally feel this way. If the majority of athletes are under the opinion that a snack would hinder their workout, my product will fail.