CUSTOMER AVATAR

My service is mainly for local small businesses, in specific small gym owners. For this exercise my customer avatar will be the ideal gym owner.

He grew up in a little town just outside of Gainesville. His parents were very hardworking and taught him those values as a young kid. In fact his family had a farm and he had chores every day early in the morning before school. He excelled at sports in high school and loved the camaraderie associated with team sports. He is a people person, he loves being around people and is easy to get along with. Like most people surrounding this area his goals were to live in Gainesville and attend the University of Florida and hopefully even play sports for the gators. He had to settle with intramural sports but he excelled at those as well. He got his degree in biology, hoping to either become a dentist or go to medical school after wards. He worked at a 9-5 job after college and realized it was not healthy for him, everyday he would wake up with out any desire to go to work and answer to his boss. After a couple years, he decided fitness was his passion and he wanted the freedom that owning a small business brings. He had to trade up his Chevy silverado, which he loved, for a Nissan Altima to save on gas in the city. He enjoys being active, one of the reasons he started his own gym, he tries to workout 4-5 times a week, and on weekends, when the gators aren’t playing, enjoys hiking or being in the outdoors with his wife. He and his wife do not have children yet but are planning on having a couple. He is so busy running the gym that there is not much time during the week to sit down and watch any TV, but on the weekends he might sneak in some Michael Scott and The Office. He enjoys reading self help books and lately most of them have been on sales and better time management. 

His passion is helping people become their best selves through fitness and nutrition and also one day have a very profitable business that will support his family and give him the freedom to be around more for his kids. He just turned 34 and boasts that he is still in the best shape of his life, although he doesn’t spend as much time working out as he’d like anymore because of the business. He is excited for his gym to continue to grow, his members love him, and he is ready to take more risks and be less afraid.

What do we have in common?

A lot of our goals in life are the same. I also want to provide a service that will give me freedom and the ability to support my family. Our passions are very similar as well, I love fitness and nutrition and think it is key for a society to prosper and will be needed much more in the future. We are both frugal and don’t care about what we drive as long as it gets us where we need to go and we can save money on the way. I think most importantly we share the belief that we can create something of worth and we can do it without having to work for someone else.

I don’t think these similarities are coincidences. I think many of my potential customers will share the same passions and beliefs and that is why they are in this industry. 

ELEVATOR PITCH #2

https://youtu.be/VvWtbTMgvgs


Reflection on the feedback from pitch #1:
I had some great feedback on my first elevator pitch. What stood out was someone mentioned my age and basically said it could be a benefit. I had never thought of that but in todays society usually people that are better at social media are younger. It made me add this in my pitch, it might be small but I think it could help show a benefit that I had never really seen before. Also I was struggling with my hook and someone suggested to add a statistic about how and why gyms fail. Although I did not add a statistic it did help me change my whole pitch. I was also surprised at how many times I said "right" its one of those words that I don't even notice I am saying but I agree it was distracting and I decided to make an effort to not say it as much, I probably said it a handful of times but I am pretty sure it is better than last time.

What I changed:
Again I make a conscious effort to not say "right" after every sentence. In an elevator pitch you want the customer to be focused on your idea and service and not get distracted and I think that is one thing that could definitely be distracting. I also changed how I began my pitch by stating why gyms are struggling and how my company can help. I also added in some little things like stating how my age can be a benefit and adding in how many people join gyms through Facebook ads, little things that I think can help at credibility.

SECRET SAUCE

1.    Outlook on Failure – One of the things I believe makes me different is my views on failure. Any time I have encountered something tough in my life I always repeat to myself “I cant fail.” I believe that if I work hard enough and focus my time and energy then I can always succeed. 

2.    Mental Strength – Going along with failure I feel like my mental game is very strong. I enjoy challenges and I believe I will always overcome any challenge I face. Even though I do have my doubts I try to clear them as soon as possible.

3.    Perspective – I like to think that I always keep a big picture in mind. I love strategizing and I am always thinking a couple steps ahead. If something goes wrong then I always have a plan b and if things really just don’t work out then it is easy for me to see the big picture and realize the good that is still happening around me.

4.    Quick learner – One of the things that helped me growing up in sports was my ability to learn plays quick and execute them. One of the reasons I was also kind of a lazy student in high school was because I was able to understand the material quickly and do what the teacher wanted exactly how she demonstrated.  I have an ability to see things and quickly reproduce it or know what needs to be done.

5.    Disciplined – Usually when I set my mind to something I am very disciplined in doing what I need to do to accomplish that goal. Currently I am trying to lean down as much as possible and it has been very easy for me to eliminate things from my diet that might taste amazing but aren’t necessarily great for you. 

Interviews:

https://youtu.be/a0SskhVQ0zM

https://youtu.be/0ljyTkJMeSg

https://youtu.be/xvanSDLl9yU

https://youtu.be/B095iMb8f1g

https://youtu.be/jnNZeP2C-ig

Reflections and conclusions:

I think most of the people I interviewed said I was a hard worker and described me as being disciplined, focused, and not easily affected by things. My wife said I could improve on time management. My grandmother who does not speak Spanish said I was a hard worker and she’s noticed that I am always very important in any job I have had but she said I could be a little more loving and patient with things. My little brother again reiterated that I was a hard worker and finished things I set my mind to but that I need to learn to be more of a team player. My older sister said that I am very focused but that I need to be more open. My older brother said I was disciplined and that I should trust my gut and not listen to too many people’s advice. I think their perception of me is pretty spot on with what I feel like I bring to the table and what I am also lacking at. I think the biggest weakness I might have is better communication skills and that is certainly not a strength I listed above. 

BUYER BEHAVIOR #2

My Segment once again for this assignment is small gym operators with approximately 60+ customers. I have found that these gyms are the ones that have a little more cash flow to make advertising decisions and that are looking to continue to grow and have the ability to grow. I interviewed the Operations Manager at a local gym in town I used to train at, as well as a friend and Co-Owner of a gym out west, and the owner of a boxing gym in town.

1^stInterview: 

This operations manager said that all buying decisions go through the owner. In fact she said he handles all of the the advertising as far as where it is coming from and what system to use and she just executes. At first when they had to decide between alternatives price was always a limiting factor and in the end, what determined what system or funnel they would use. They had to learn through a lot of trial and error. Now when the owner is faced with a decision about advertising he has a mentoring group he reaches out to. They advise him on what has worked and what he should do. That doesn’t always determine what they decide but it helps. They now, through experience have an idea of what works and what doesn’t so they know what to stay away from. As for importance I think it was interesting she said they used to focus on money and then they started to focus more on quality and if the process would bring in new customers. As they have grown they have realized that style is most important for them, they have their view on the gym and they don’t want anything that changes that. Most of their advertising is done online so it’s usually always done online but they do communicate through social media with the companies they’ve used in the past. The way they evaluate the purchase is by asking themselves did this advertising agency bring in new customers for us and did it bring in the right customers. They have a particular customer group they like to reach and for them it is very important to stick with that group.

2^ndInterview:

This Co-Owner says every decision is discussed with the other Co-Owner and they must both be on board. The biggest evaluator for them and seeing what has worked in the past and where they are trying to go. He said there was a time where they were pretty happy with their customer base and did not need to focus so much on advertising and growing, but now it is something they are really focused on. Similar to the 1^stinterview, he said at first money was the biggest factor for them. So much that they did not use any kind of agency or social media advertising other then word of mouth and posting on their social media page. When they were in dire need of more customers that’s when they focused more on the quality of the service and what results it would yield. Now their biggest concern is who will do the work, both Co-Owners are busy and have other engagements outside of the gym and they don’t do much of the operations.

3^rdInterview:

This boxing gym owner says he relies a lot on friends, business partners, and local business owners to help when deciding on alternatives. Although his biggest limiting factor right now is money. Many social media advertising costs upwards of $800 a month that right now he needs for other parts of his business. He says sometimes when dealing with alternatives he asks if he needs to spend the money right now on advertising or can he get by for a little longer. Most of these decisions like the prior interviews are done online, and the way he evaluates the decision is based on his time. Did he have to work 80 hours a week to only get a couple more customers or was he able to have a balance and he said he’s found that most of the time it requires lots of time he does not have. 

Conclusion:

I think I would have a little more success with a gym like that of the 2^ndinterview. They are established and looking to grow but because owners are busy they rely heavily on their head coaches to do the work. When the head coach doesn’t have the time then projects like social media advertising don’t get done. The 1^stgym seems like they know what is going on and they have a system that works. The operations manager agrees it takes a lot of time but right now that is how the Owner likes to have it. I think the boxing gym definitely needs these services but because money is such a huge issue it would be hard to work around that. I feel like I most gyms are catching on and need these services so I might be a little late to the game but I have hopes I can still offer better benefits.

REFLECTION

One thing I have learned in this course is that you must plan and plan ahead. This is not a course that you can just check the night before and see what assignment is due and try to finish it within the next 24 hours. Technically you could but it will be a huge headache and very hard because many assignments deal with talking to other people. I have learned that the week before I have to plan out my week and figure out what assignments are due and what day and time I am going to devote to get all the data necessary to complete the assignment. Keeping a calendar or writing these dates down on a whiteboard has helped to not forget them and to keep myself accountable.

            A couple weeks ago I had two exams scheduled and I did not feel super confident about the materials for both classes. I had to study a lot and cram for each exam. As I finished my second exam Thursday night, and was completely exhausted mentally and physically, I remembered that I still had two assignments due the next night and I couldn’t just relax and take a break. The thought crossed my mind to forget about them and get an early start to my weekend. I was tired and drained mentally but I thought about the grade I wanted at the end of the semester and I knew this would be a moment I would remember and probably regret if I did not finish these two assignments. Anyways, long story short, the next day I set aside time to interview the people I needed to interview and then I wrote the data down and worked on the blogs. I had to work so it took me up until about 11pm to finish the assignments but it was a great feeling once I was done and I knew I had secured those valuable points.

Suggestions:

Plan your week or even weeks ahead. Write down what the assignment is and who you need to interview or the data you need and gather it ahead of the deadline. Once you have your data gathered it is pretty easy to put it together in writing. Plan, plan, plan, the semester goes by quick and before you know it there is a reading reflection due and you don’t have enough time to read the book you had been thinking of reading.

Take advantage of this opportunity to think of a legitimate business idea. This course will help you figure out what you need to do to execute or worse case figure out if it is not a great idea. Don’t just come up with a lousy business idea just to complete the assignment, really think about what you would do.

Lastly, read the comments on your blog. At first, I would ignore them because it was not “required,” but then I realized how valuable they were, and I have been able to get many good ideas from classmates’ comments. Read your comments and apply their suggestions, it is always beneficial to get others’ perspectives. 

Reading Reflection #1

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

One thing that surprised me was how low on capital and cash Phil Knights company was before they went public. Even though they were making sales like crazy and they were improving their sales every year they were still having problems with cash flow and getting more credit from banks. It made me appreciate these start up companies a lot more because anyone could see he had a successful company but when you dug deep into their finances they were barely scrapping by for many years.

What I most admired from Phil was his ability to share his vision with others. He knew what he wanted, and he was able to share that with others in a way that made the vision come alive for them. Although he says he was a lousy salesman, when it had to do with shoes he was the best because it was his passion and he had a vision for his company.

Phil’s leadership style was something that got the job done but at the same time I think it could have been more effective. Countless times his main employee, Johnson, would write asking for advice, suggestions, or encouragement and he never wrote back. I understand he was busy and wanted Johnson to learn things on his own and not be so dependent, but I think some of the disagreements he had later with Johnson and other employees could have been avoided with a little more encouragement and communication from his part.

Phil definitely encountered adversity and failure. I think the whole book talks about how difficult it was to “make it” as a big-time shoe provider. His company was facing at the time companies that had been in the game a lot longer and had a hold of the market. He faced almost losing a partnership with Onitsuka, which would have completely run him out of business. He faced almost going bankrupt because banks would not give him more credit or did not want business with them. What made him overcome the setbacks and disappointments was again his vision. He knew what his company could become, and he knew what he wanted, it was his passion, and had become his reason for existing and so he had the determination to fight until he made it. 

Two competencies Phil exhibited that I think were vital to his success was the ability to attract great talent and his relentlessness. Phil had the ability to share his vision for his company with others in a way that brought that vision to life. People could sense it was something different and could feel that vision becoming a reality. That ability combined with his laid-back nature helped him not only to attract great talent as far as athletes that would market his company, but more importantly the talented workers that would make the company great. He had great designers, lawyers, accountants, salesmen, etc. He also had become so consumed by his vision and passion that he would not allow himself to think of defeat. When a problem presented itself, he would think of Prefontaine and find a way to push harder and not give up.

One thing that was confusing to me was why Onitsuka was trying to cut Phil out. It seemed to me like it had been a good partnership and Phil was continuing to sell the tigers at an alarming rate. I was also confused on why Phil’s company was so low on cash when they had sales going through the roof.

First, I would ask Phil if he had to do it all over again was there any one thing that stands out that he would do differently. His story is a great one and it seems like things happened at the right time for him, but I am curious to know if there is anything he would have changed. Secondly, I’d ask, if getting an accounting degree helped his business. I also am looking into accounting and I am curious to know if it makes a difference for an entrepreneur to have those skills or is it the same to just outsource that work.

I believe Phil’s definition of hard work was putting in every second you had to your craft. He was a runner and long-distance runners spend lots of time running and when they are not running they are thinking about it and brainstorming on how to knock off even one second off their time. They are also working on recovering and preparing their bodies for the race, and at the end of the race when they feel like they have nothing left they have to find it in them to push a little harder. I couldn’t agree more if this were the definition he gave. I think hard work is trying to maximize your efficiency and your time. The more time and focus you devote the closer you are to achieving your results.

BUYER BEHAVIOR #1

SEGMENT:

I have decided that I will interview small gym owners with at least 60 ongoing customers. My segment is based on revenue. If these small gyms have a steady revenue coming in then they have the vision to spend more to grow their business and they are more likely to want to grow their business. The people I interviewed are all Operations managers at different CrossFit gyms. The first is an operations manager and head coach in a gym out west. The second is a manager in Georgia and good friend of mine, and last is a local gym owner.

SUMMARIZED INTERVIEW INFO:

I was able to find out a lot of valuable information about these managers’ processes for getting new customers. Like most gyms they receive a huge influx of customers in the beginning of the year but then things start to die down toward the summer. All of these gyms were located close to universities and they came to the conclusion that they become most aware of their need as the summer approaches. Many people move due to graduation or leave due to summer vacations.

Most of them said that they are primarily in charge of dealing with new customers. Although 2 of them said their owners take care of the advertising they are the ones left with most of the selling. They all said that one of the first things they do if they are looking to get advice on advertising is they talk to their local CrossFit gyms that have had success or their friends that own local gyms, so it is a close community.

The purchase decision can be dragged out a couple months mainly because of needing to know from word of mouth if it has been successful and also because they are so busy they don’t have much time to devote to it.

My buddy in Georgia said their gym has tried various advertising campaigns and finally has found one that they are comfortable with but its been a lot of negative experiences before that one.

Conclusion:

All three friends asked very thorough questions about what would happen when they invested in a new advertising campaign. They said if their friends or fellow gym owners did not approve or did not know about it then most of the time they would move on. I have a feeling that is going to be a tough roadblock for me starting off because I will be new. The good thing is that because the decision process is not too long they would be able to see results pretty soon thereafter.

IDEA NAPKIN #1

WHO AM I

For the last couple years, I have been working in sales and it’s been an incredible experience. I’ve learned many skills and most importantly that anyone can sell if they learn the correct techniques, have the right mindset, and devote enough time to getting rejected. Sales is like learning to ride a bike, you fall a lot at first, you get hurt, get discouraged, but once you get it you get it. It takes a little while after that to be really good but you know you can and you know the process. After that you can basically do it without even thinking, but you still have to be mentally alert for the road bumps. With that said sales is very difficult and it takes a lot of mental toughness, which is why a lot of people don’t like it or just avoid it. I enjoy sales but a little while ago I realized that what I was selling was not enough to make it a career. I want to sell something I believe in, something that can change peoples lives for the better and that I can prove it. I love working with people and health is very important to me. This business idea would allow me to make my passions for sales, people, and health become a reality. It might consume me so that is one thing I have to watch out for.

WHAT WE OFFER

Many local gyms struggle to market their services effectively. There is many ways to market out there but some ways are more effective. The other issue is once you’ve marketed you’ve still got to close the deal, and that’s the hardest part. It is easy to find a marketing solution to generate leads for your business but then you still need the expertise, time, techniques to close the sale and to follow up with potential customers. All that man hour is not calculated into what these gyms spend on just their marketing. My business will take care of social media marketing, generating leads, and then following up and converting those leads into customers. The small gym owners or managers will not have to hire more staff, train their staff, meet potential customers, or even answer the phone. All they would have to focus on is what they are already too focused on and that is providing quality service to their customers.

WHO ARE OUR CUSTOMERS

My customers are small local gyms that are looking to grow their business. These can be anywhere from CrossFit gyms, to boxing and jiujitsu, to powerlifting, etc. Many of these gyms have an owner, sometimes a co-owner and maybe a manager that takes care of almost everything. They have a location and rely heavily on good google reviews and word of mouth. Most of their new clients are member referrals or have heard of the gym through social media posts. These gyms have locations that can fit anywhere from 50-200 members. They also provide a lot of group fitness classes and one on one, so they are not just a normal gym open 24/7.

WHY DO CUSTOMERS CARE

In a town like Gainesville where there is an abundance of students these businesses have to continue to attract customers or else they could go out of business. I spoke with one of these gym owners that said in starting the summer their gym lost approximately 20 customers due to school break and graduation. If you do the math at $100 a month that’s $2,000 in revenue lost, but most of these gyms charge more. On top of that many gyms pay for advertising, but they do all the hard work of closing sales. My company will give them that time back and in turn save them lots of money.

WHY US

Again, I have the experience in sales and have learned techniques that will help grow these businesses. Also, my company is local, these gym owners will be able to see us doing work and bringing in potential customers so unlike online advertising companies they will see results quicker. Another reason my company will be different is that I have been to most of these gyms as a customer, I know what they look like, what they provide, what kinds of people they attract, and what makes them attractive. 

I am starting to feel more and more confident about this idea, the only thing I am struggling with is finding out how to determine pay. Most sales jobs are based on commission. If you get the sale you get a percentage of the revenue. I would like to keep it like that but at the same time we would have to take care of social media marketing and that is expensive and is a cost that comes early in the process.