Week 11 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? My general idea of innovation was largely related to technology being the main driver but the author emphasizes how business model innovation has been really successful and I hadn't realized that.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. The author gave an example of how most personal computer companies were at the mercy of Microsoft and Intel to explain a point but I didn't know why that was the case.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why? I would ask the author to rank the companies he feels are showing the most innovation in their products because I would like to hear the opinion of someone so knowledgeable in this field. I would also ask in what area he feels the most innovation is needed because he seems to have a good grasp on innovation in many different fields.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How? The author said that unless innovation gets customers to pay more, saves them money, or provides some social benefit than it is not creating value but I would argue that something that doesn't fit that description can have personal value that helps somebody individually.

Amazon Whisperer

• Describe the revenue drivers you currently include in your business concept for this class. Revenue drivers are the different ways you make money. My revenue will mostly be earned through the customizable T-shirts but I am also considering creating my own clothing line that could be sold under the Demize brand.

• Describe what kind of product offering you believe should be next. What's the next thing your customers want? As stated above, I would want to implement a my own line that isn't limited to only shirts and transitioning to have the customizable shirts be for women as well.
• Describe how this "next" thing will enhance your existing product/service offering. Does it improve the user experience, does it increase customer switching costs, does it foster customer loyalty, etc.? I believe the clothes that I would design will expand the niche I am trying to make of distinct clothes that don't fit the general mold of the current male fashion industry. Making the customizable aspect of my company open to women will obviously make my brand benefit more people. 
• Go to Amazon and try to find a product that is similar to the one you want to offer next. Describe the product. Include a picture of the product. The closest thing I could find is the"customizable" shirts that let you write whatever text you want. 

• What are the customer reviews for the product? What, exactly, do customers not like about the product? What do they like about it? This product was met with mostly positive reviews because they customers were getting exactly what they asked for in most cases. Many of the reviews were happy that the shirt was cheap and fit well. One mentioned that the template shirt advertised was Hanes but the one he received was of a lesser brand, Gildan.  
• Describe what design/usability changes you'd make to the product. I am personally not a fan of text t-shirts in general so I would change it pretty drastically. I suppose I would make the customizable aspect related to graphics like emblems or art but there probably will be copyright issues.

• Describe why you think this product would make a good addition to your current product/service offering. Like I said I think shirts with text are pretty tacky butI guess having the option available wouldn't hurt 

Elevator Pitch No. 3

Reflection: I had an overwhelming positive response to the shirt that I chose so I had no choice but to wear it again (but believe me, I have a lot of nice clothes). The only criticism I received had to do with possibly adding logo or something to make my clothes (Demize) more distinguishable. This is something I had previously thought of but didn't include in my pitch so this time around I did. I also decided to include some of the brands that fit my initial description. I am not sure if this helps or not so I would like to hear some feedback related to that.

My secret sauce

1) Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique. 

• Because my family didn't force any religion on me, my "spirituality" was rooted in experience rather than tradition.
• My humor tends to push the boundaries of what is generally accepted. I enjoy joking about subjects that people may find uncomfortable, pretty much the opposite of political correctness. 
• Ever since I was young, I cared about my appearance a bit more than others, whether it was the clothes I was wearing, my shoes, or my hair. I guess the term would be metrosexual.
• Due to my upbringing, I would say I have a very open mind. I am always taking bits of knowledge from different ideologies and I never immediately dismiss anyones views.
• I have had a passion for art and design since I was little and it has stuck with me up to this point.

2) Interview the five people who know you the best.

• Mom - My mom knows me the best by far so I wasn't surprised when she was touching on topics that I have in my own list. She also reminded me of huge aspects of myself that I forgot about like my "aesthetic." 

• Arianna - What she said is pretty spot on. I do find it easy to get along with people but I am also very opinionated and I won't shy away from telling people how I feel. 

• Dad - The video cut off because my phone ran out of space but he finished off by saying I have the ability to stand out when I walk into a room. He said I was creative which was similar to one of the attributes I chose for myself. He also said I had an interesting way of looking at things which I am not quite sure what he means.

• Jed - What he said is very true and even though I didn't put fairness as one of my top five, I do always try to keep things equal. I think he answered with this because I try to give him gas money, food, etc. when he's is driving or stuff like that.

• Sebastian - This was very similar to something my dad said. I didn't expect to hear the same thing twice from the people I interviewed.

Reflection: I thought there were a lot of similarities between what I wrote and what my family and friends said about me. There were also things I had forgotten about or didn't realize until they were said out loud. I think my friends assess me more based off the experiences we've had and my parents assess me in a similar way in how I assess myself. I would say this is due to nature of our respective relationships. Although the way they came to their conclusions may have been different, I believe they were all correct in what they said. If I were to change my list now, I would add what my mom said about the aesthetic I have and also how my opinions are deeply rooted and I proudly stand by them.

Idea Napkin No. 2

1. I am a computer science major who is interested in clothing design. My skills are surrounded on creativity and problem solving. I would say my talents include drawing and graphic design and in a broader sense, being personable and outgoing.  My aspirations would be to open my own store where the shopper can design their own clothes. Eventually I would want design my own line. If I were able to start this business, I would see it taking up most of my time as it is something that I have always wanted to do.
2. Many people have noticed a lack of options when it comes to male clothing companies. Most brands are over commercialized or so simple that they seem indistinguishable. I would like to bridge the gap of these 2 extremes by creating a clothing store that grants the shopper the ability to customize their own clothes by changing aspects of it like trims, collars, buttons, colors, and materials. The shopper will be able to order it online or in-store and pick it up at a later date. There will be a starting price for the blank shirt and every customization added to it will increase its value. Customization prices will differ based on what aspect your designing. The shirt will cost more than a regular shirt but still affordable for the average person.
3. My business idea would mainly tend to younger males but could easily be popular with any guy who is into fashion, regardless of his age.
4. People are tired of being of the tedious styles that major companies use. This brand would be very valuable to the industry because it would provide clothes that could fit any style the shopper desires while remaining distinct. 
5. As far as I know, there isn't any stores trying to implement anything near my idea. Tailors are somewhat comparable but much less accessible while mainly tending towards fancier clothing rather than casual. The clothing would also be much cheaper than a traditional tailor because there will be templates to follow and materials already prepped for customization. No company in the clothing industry grants the shopper as much input as Demize. For that reason, I believe my idea stands on its own.
I thought of this idea a couple of semesters ago so I have had some time to flush out the ideas that weren't cohesive with the overall concept. My one concern would relate to the fact that I want to have my own line of clothes that I've designed. Although the style would fit the types of shirts that would be customizable, I think it may be beneficial to focus all my attention on the customizable aspect because that's what really separates my brand from others. 


Feedback memo: 
• Will it be expensive?
• How will you determine the price?
• Whats the difference between my store and a tailor?
• Won't you have to wait to long for your shirt to be made?
• Wouldn't this only be for rich people?
I address how expensive the shirts will be and how I will determine the price in general terms in the "What I am offering to my customers" bullet (2). I touch on the differences between my brand and a tailor in the "What are your core competencies" bullet (5) to emphasize why my company stands out. I received feedback that pointed out that people would not like the idea of not being able to immediately walk out the store with their shirt after they make it. To address this I include that you could design the shirt online and pick it up from the store when it's ready in (2). Lastly, I referenced some reasons as to why it would be priced fairly in (5). Some of the elements in my first napkin did not need to be changed very much as the feedback did not apply to it.