Growing Your Social Capital

Domain expert in the industry – Owner of pet sitting company, Kimberly

1) Who they are and what their background is?

Kimberly is the owner of a pet sitting service that operates in the local Jacksonville area. She has extensive experience pet sitting all types of animals but does a lot of work with cats. She also has several cats herself and often fosters cats or adopts new ones.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

Kimberly is my domain expert because she has been in the business of pet sitting, fostering, adopting, and caring for cats for over 8 years.

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I found Kimberly through friends that have used her services in the past.

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

We exchanged emails and had a short phone conversation. Kim was able to give me some realistic feedback on the idea that I have for my product. She was happy to talk to me because she’s passionate about anything that has to do with animals, especially cats.

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

She has a lot of practical and hands-on experience that can be very valuable for developing a successful product. She can also provide insight into what her customers are currently using and whether or not they are happy with the product.  

Expert on Market – Former manager of PetSmart, Haley

1) Who they are and what their background is.

Haley was a grooming manager that later became the general manager of a PetSmart. She also has a background in caring for cats and other pets.  

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

Haley is the market expert. I chose her to fill this spot because she has experienced with selling different types of litter products to a variety of cat owners. She also gets to see them come back into the store to buy maintenance supplies and gets insight into how happy they are with the product.  

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

Haley is a coworker that happens to be an expert on this subject because of her experience in the pet supply retail space.  

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

We communicated in person and also via text. They were able to provide information about what type of litter boxes customers were purchasing and how they felt about them after use.

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

She has provided some good information on the products that are already out there and what the consumer sentiment is on these products.

Supplier to Industry – Freight transporter, Jerry  

1) Who they are and what their background is.

Jerry is a truck driver that owns his own business. He has worked in transporting all types of products including pet supplies.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

I have Jerry as the supplier to the industry because he is involved in transporting these types of products.

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

He is the father of one of my friends that also works in the family business.

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

We were able to communicate several times via text and over the phone as well.

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Including Jerry in my network will give me some insight as to what type of products are popular, how often they are shipped around, and the quantities. This is useful information because it allows me to see what products are popular.

Reflection: This was a great networking experience because it allowed me to talk to people who have experience with these products, but they all see them from different points of view. I was able to learn a lot more about the products that are currently out there and how customers feel about them. This gives me the sense that there is definitely space for another product in the industry.

Idea Napkin No. 2 

1)    You. Who you are, what your talents are? What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically, regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

My name is Elio Murillo. I have two pets at home, one dog and one cat. This has provided me the experience of dealing with litter boxes and cat waste. I’ve tried several different products and haven’t really been completely satisfied with any of them. This has put me in a unique position to feel motivated to solve this issue and develop a better product. The skills that I believe I possess and can help me in this process are drive, optimism, and communication. I don’t have a solid solution yet, but the optimism and drive keep me going and continuing to think about how to solve this issue. My aspiration is to have it be a product that can truly offer a solution to these issues. I see this playing a role in my life by first and foremost keeping me away from my cat’s waste and helping others with the same issue.

2)    What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 

The idea is to provide a product that is going to collect your cat's waste and self-clean with minimal involvement by the customer. There are other products out there that attempt to this but end up creating either more of a mess or are more difficult to clean even if it doesn’t have to be cleaned as often.

3)    Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?

The obvious commonality amongst the customer for this product is having a pet cat. Beyond that, though I think it is going to appeal most to those that are busy and don’t have time to keep up with the litter or do not enjoy cleaning cat waste (probably most people).   

4)    Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe it's valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

As mentioned in the previous question, no one likes to clean cat waste. It piles up very quickly and smells horrible. Also, not to mention, it is not sanitary to have it pile up or have to clean it with your hands. All of this makes me believe that people will pay for a product that would reduce the amount of cleaning required and would also keep the area clean for the cat to use.  

5)    What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

Some of my competencies, which have become a lot clearer after the secret sauce exercise, include compassion, optimism, drive, and communication. I think a combination of all of these skills sets me apart from everyone else. In addition to that, I have the experience of owning and caring for a cat and the particular disdain of having to deal with the litter box. All of these things put together to give me the skills and drive that no one else has to pursue the development of this product.

Feedback Memo: I got feedback about how my experience with having a cat is a part of what makes me qualified to solve this issue. I tried to include this in this idea napkin and I really believe that seeing myself as a customer for my product helps keep me motivated to pursue the idea. I did also get feedback about not having a blueprint for the product that I’m envisioning. I’ve struggled with coming up with something specific, but I’m currently doing research to put something together. Like the feedback that I got says, I just need to get started and figure the rest out as I go.

Create a Customer Avatar

                                                     

My product will be sold to households that have a cat. Obviously, this demographic can be very diverse, but for the purpose of this exercise, I’m going to focus on a single type of customer.

She is 26 years old living in Jacksonville, FL and rents half of a duplex in the Historic Riverside area. She works part-time as a barista at one of the local coffee shops and spends the rest of her time doing freelance artwork and photography. She has two indoor cats, both of which were rescues from her local community. She also feeds the neighborhood feral cats to make sure they don’t go hungry and also allows them to congregate on her front porch. In her spare time, she likes to volunteer at the local animal shelter.   She’s a liberal and voted for Bernie Sanders this year. She enjoys trying new foods but likes to eat vegan for the most part. Her favorite book/series is Harry Porter. She Drives a 2007 Toyota Prius.

I do have a couple of things in common with my avatar. We live in the same area and care about animals (disclosure: I do not feed feral cats). She also has a lot in common with my girlfriend and some of my friends, which indirectly ties it to me. A lot of my friends are vegan and like to volunteer to help animals. I think a lot of these commonalities come from the fact that as an entrepreneur you try to solve problems for issues that you see in your life every day. This is something that reflects that because I have this issue not only in my life, but I also see it in that of my friends.   

Elevator Pitch No. 2

Feedback: I learned a lot more from watching my classmates’ videos. I feel like mine was a little on the short side and needed to be a bit more appealing. I tried to add a little bit more energy and also had a guest :) 

What’s Your Secret Sauce?

Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique. What is it about you, exactly, that makes you different? Write this up in a detailed list. 

Compassion – I feel like I always find myself thinking about how other people feel in situations. I use this to make sure I always consider the other person’s side. I think this helps me relate to people and makes it easier to find something in common with almost anyone.  

Humbleness – I’m very careful of making sure not to let anything that I accomplish or achieve get to my head. I’m a believer that everyone is capable of doing anything. And I never take the things I’ve been fortunate to have in my life that help me achieve those goals for granted.   

Optimism – I often try to look at the bright side of things. I find that dwelling in the negative can never make a situation better. Staying positive and thinking about what you learned from negative experiences and how they can make you better will result in better outcomes in the future.

Communication – I’m a true believer that communication is key to anything that you do. I also believe that it’s very important to take the time to understand the other side’s point of view.  

Drive – This one is interesting for me because I haven’t always felt like I had this. However, over the year I’ve found that drive for me is not inherent. But it’s come from experience and figuring out what it is that I want from those experiences. Setting clear goals and understanding why I want to achieve those goals has made “drive” one of my strengths.

Interview the five people you know best:

Genaro (Dad):

https://soundcloud.com/elio-murillo-129552544/dad/s-QqL7jFQ7JAy

Alix (Mom):

https://soundcloud.com/elio-murillo-129552544/mom/s-QcNHtVErnTo

Juan (Brother):

https://soundcloud.com/elio-murillo-129552544/juan/s-5BO6OPWhlZg

Anna (Girlfriend):

https://soundcloud.com/elio-murillo-129552544/anna-interview/s-7FrBDuYsvYk

Kimberly (Sister-in-law):

https://soundcloud.com/elio-murillo-129552544/kimberly/s-OISmaPCWSDJ

Reflections: I think my self-assessment was very similar to that of the people closest to me. I think it may be because we share how we feel about each other in some way or another. I don’t think I would change anything, but I do think it would be interesting to see what people who don’t know me as well would say.

Figuring out buyer behavior No. 2

These interviews help shed some light on what a buyer is going through when they are making the decision to a litter box and after they start using it. I interviewed three people at work that I don’t normally talk to. From these interviews, I learned that some people don’t think there are many alternatives when purchasing a litter box. The differences that kept coming up were size, whether or not it had a lid, and if it was “self-cleaning”. It seemed that because of this, my interviewees were most concerned with the price first. After they found what was in their price range, they would shop around for quality. It didn’t seem like there was a big emphasis on quality because I got the impression, they felt like most litter boxes are in the same range from a quality standpoint. Those that considered the “self-cleaning” ones were considering the price, but more importantly, effectiveness and size. They wanted to make sure that paying more would pay off in the long run. Another component of the buying process that came up was maintenance. I found that these buyers often factoring in how much litter would cost, how often it would have to be replaced, and what other costs were associated such as bags, additional odor defense, disposal tools, etc.

The interviews also helped me discover some insightful information on where/how people buy litter boxes and how they come to the decision. I found that the interviewees were more likely to go to the pet store than purchase online. This seemed to be a result of having to go to the pet store anyway for other needs. I think that after the initial purchase they were more likely to go back and shop online for replacements or something new. Chantel, one of the interviewees, told me that she buys all of her litter and maintenance supplies online although her initial purchases were made in person at the store.

The post-purchase evaluation was interesting. It seemed like most feelings about this were mixed. Sometimes the interviewees would seem to be leaning towards being content with the product but would also tell horror stories about times it maybe didn’t work properly. I got the feeling that they didn’t really think there would be a good alternative out there. At least not one worth paying more money for.

After these interviews, I feel like most people go into buying a litter not box with very low expectations. It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of shopping around or considering different products. Even post-purchase when the product they currently have may not be working very well. I think this is probably because it’s hard to find affordable options that work really well.