Assignment 11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

1.    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 David Spreen. I am a Junior transfer student at the University of Florida studying history with a minor in entrepreneurship. I have a very hardworking attitude and an ability to make the right decisions with an open and thorough view. These skills developed during my years playing competitive golf, where the mental game is what separates the good from the great. I believe my proposal to increase parking at the university is a well thought out decision that could make our students attitude the best it could be. Minimizing one of the stresses not caused by the schoolwork, work, etc. could lead to a better experience and more positive recommendations regarding student life.

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

The needs my plan aims to solve addresses issues for students and faculty, as well as the university as a whole. Students and faculty would gain access to more parking through garages and or sacrificing a small amount of space for a new lot.  The university benefits by receiving better results and feedback regarding student life.

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?

All of the people I am targeting with this proposal care about the university, and the reputation and atmosphere surrounding it. Both groups also don’t necessarily want some of the beautiful aspects of campus to vanish, but the sacrifices would be minimal.

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

This proposal was originally directed at the University of Florida, but my interviews contained students from other universities who have the same problem.  Scooters have been growing in Gainesville for awhile but the fad is starting in other places.  And although universities love their beautiful courtyards and plazas, a small portion of it opening up scooter parking would make for a less stressful and safer university experience. Students and parents would both feel better with riding a scooter if the roads that were necessary to take weren’t always congested with people waiting to park. And for cars, a few lots turned to garages would save students and faculty precious time and energy to create a better university atmosphere.

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

Through the many complaints throughout the years, I don’t believe there has been a direct proposal to increase parking on campus. I believe that with the student interviews and the fact that other universities have the problem means we could stand out in that small category. I also have connections in the construction management field to help create the exact plan and execution of the project.

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others. 

I believe these elements flow together, but the lack of education on my end could weaken my argument. Although I believe being a first hand witness to the problem and I walk the area almost every day strengthens it.