22A - Elevator Pitch No. 3

The feedback that I received was that I didn’t really move that much in my post. I wasn’t being dynamic and engaging the audience. I think this was important because I don’t want to bore the audience when I give a pitch; I want to get them excited and motivated about my product. What surprised me the most was that my friend said I looked really relaxed and not nervous. I always feel like I look really nervous and uncomfortable when I record myself, but she said that didn’t come across. The silliest feedback that I got was that the camera was at a strange angle, and I should try to fix it.

This time was different because I was able to do my whole pitch in one take. Usually I fumble over my words and have to redo the video five times, but this time I got through it all at once.

20A - Growing Your Social Capital

1.     I interviewed Marty, a study edge expert. He went to UF and graduated with several math degrees and an engineering degree. He does various tutoring videos for Study Edge so students understand their class materials. Marty fills the domain expert slot because I feel that he knows a lot about the tutoring service industry given that he works for a tutoring service as a tutor. I found him because he actually has helped me with my Matrices class, so I asked him during study hours if I could speak to him. The favor that he did for me was sitting down to answer questions for this class. He didn’t expect anything in return. I think that having Marty in my network will help because he sees the behind the scenes of how study edge works and sees how to successfully run a tutoring service for UF students

2.     I interviewed a manager at the UF bookstore in the Reitz. I felt this person filled the supplier slot because the bookstore sells a lot of Smokin Notes packets which is another tutoring organization. I found this person by walking into the bookstore and asking to speak with someone that would know a little about the products they sell, and the employees referred me to the manager. They did me a favor by speaking with me about selling Smokin Notes, but they didn’t expect anything in return. By including this person in my network, I could potentially try and partner with the bookstore to sell my tutoring materials if I were to create this business.

3.     I interviewed Zach from Study Edge. He is a cofounder at Study Edge. I think the fills the market expert slot because he is targeting UF students with a tutoring service that he had a big hand in creating and bringing to UF, and Study Edge is one of the main tutoring resources for UF students. I have been to many of his tutoring reviews, so I spoke to him after one of the reviews to ask him questions. The favor he did for me was speaking to me about how Study Edge became so successful. He didn’t expect anything in return. I think having him in my network will be good because he can serve as a mentor for a successful business model.

This experience really made me get out of my comfort zone. I think because of this exercise, I will be a lot less timid with future networking events because everyone that I spoke to was very willing to help. The networking experiences I had in the past were with other students, doing interviews or asking them how to succeed in a class that I was taking. This time around I was interviewing actual experts in the tutoring field, so it was cool to get a professional point of view.

19A - Idea Napkin No. 2

1.   I am a very organized person and I think that is an important skill to be successful in schoolwork. I’m very good at facing challenges head on and when I struggle in a class, I seek out all the resources that I can to help myself improve. I think everybody aspires to help people, and I’m no different. I think my business would put me in a position to help people, even if only a little. I know what it’s like to struggle in a class and feel dumb (for lack of a better word). I think this business would play a big role in my life as I would be able to help students improve and better themselves.

2.    I’m offering a tutoring service to students that need help with their upper-division, major focused classes. Because employers typically look at upper-level classes as opposed to the simply general education classes, I think that it is important that students do especially well in these classes. I will offer a one-on-one tutoring service, a group tutoring service, and just the option to purchase study materials by chapter. 

3.    I am specifically offering this service to students who have started taking higher-level classes. This tutoring service will be available for students at the University of Florida. All of my customers are taking harder classes that are specifically geared towards their major. My tutoring service will not be for freshman as there are other tutoring services that cover the general education classes that freshman typically take.

4.    The students need my product because the higher-level classes are the most important for them because they will need to learn the material in order to apply for jobs and actually be successful in their chosen careers. If they are not familiar with the subject material, they will not be able to acquire a job or even keep a job if they get hired. Employers look for skills and knowledge in the workplace, so having a deep understanding of all their major focused classes is important for their future career. 

5.    What sets me apart is the fact that I am a student myself. I know how classes get more difficult as you get older, and professors and TAs aren’t always available or very helpful. I would want to open this tutoring service specifically in Gainesville for UF students, and the fact that I am a UF student and know the curriculum better than an outside organization would set me apart. I think my experiences of struggling through some classes, but ultimately succeeding due to my organization and perseverance is something that I can offer that most people cannot. 

I think all of these elements fit together. The only problem that I see at this point is the fact that I don’t have any tutors or really know anybody that could help me with this business. Obviously, there are so many majors and Gainesville is such a small area, so it will be hard to find people with experience in all the subjects I will need. However, I think that because Gainesville is considered a “college town” this business will be successful because there are so many students that want to succeed in their classes, and just need the tools to do so.

In the first paragraph, my friends that reviewed my first post told me to add the fact that I work hard to succeed and I look for resources that will help me achieve that success. They felt that it would add more to my credibility to say that I have struggled but ultimately found success. Also, in the last paragraph my friends told me to really emphasize the fact that what sets me apart is not only that I’m a student but that I’m a UF student. Given that I want to open this organization in Gainesville, I have more experience with the types of classes that students will need tutoring in because chances are I’ve taken most of them and know the professors and what they expect.