Elevator Pitch No. 3

1) The pitch. Same as last time, 1-minute long. No Web cams. No sitting. Be dynamic! Upload the video to YouTube (as you do with all of your videos) and post the link.

2) A reflection on the feedback you received from your last pitch. Describe what stood out to you as important, what feedback surprised you the most, what feedback you think was outright wrong or silly. 

3) What did you change, based on the feedback?

Be sure to include the phrase "Elevator Pitch No. 3" in the post title and label it "Week 10." 

Week 9 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? 

• The most surprising thing to me was the intricacy of the R & D elements of forming a marketing concept and transforming it into a marketing plan. 

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

• No piece of the reading was confusing to me; the reading was just very long and very detailed. Honestl, my attention span is the most challenging part of following through with these readings.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

• What were some key historical examples of successful and unsuccessful ventures to create marketing concepts and plans in the business world?
• What research and development methods have been the most successful in start-ups and business relating to sustainability and green technology?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

• I absolutely am not qualified to challenge the author's opinions on marketing development and strategy, but am interested in learning more in the future. 

My Secret Sauce

1) 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? 

Self assessment is usually really difficult for me, but I took the StrengthsFinder2.0 assessment and it really cleared up for me some pieces of my human capital that I didn't previously consider to be strengths. Before taking this quiz, this question would have been nearly impossible for me to answer, but now I revert to this because it seems to be a fairly accurate description of me.

• Strategic:People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
• Connectedness:People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.
• Relator:People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
• Communication:People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
• Command:People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.

I consider myself to be unique because of the life experiences that I have had growing up in a military family, but attribute 100% of that to my awesome family and the adventures we have had together as we have moved through the big blue world. Via the fam, I have acquired cultural exposure, a desire to impress and always be the best version of me, at the very least for my family. 

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

Mamacita: (aka La Reina/Königin)
The O.G. Betty Badass of the family-taught me everything about everything

      

Papito: (the dude with all the answers) 

Dance dad, leader extraordinaire

               

 Sabrina: (my other half) 

Professional "tell-it-to-u-straight-aholic"

  Carlitos Ortiz(aka Snowball)
Also bff by default      

Nahel Abugattas: (adopted bro)
Adopted me as a homie freshman year of collitch & we been boizz ever since

   

Kris: (main dude/"the chop")
Also a professional humbler- tells the truth
even when it's irrelevant..

3) Reflect on the differences. How do you see yourself, and how do others see you?

I see myself as a confident human being who is pretty easy going unless I am traveling in a fixed direction, and then I become resolute and determined, and momentum turns into progress (most of the time, otherwise, there will just be some really intense procrastination). I love traveling, I love being around the people that I love- that is the most important thing to me, by far, and I think that every moment that isn't spent enjoying life/the people around you/creating positive motion in the world/bettering yourself, is time wasted. 

One thing that surprised me that a few of  the people that I interviewed had to say about me were comments in regards to me being caring, as well as how sincerely they took this interview. I am very awkward when it comes to showing affection and complimenting and accepting compliments, and the people in my life are nearly all comedians who rarely take anything seriously (much less me), so to hear them speak seriously about me was definitely a new one. I don't take myself very seriously, but obviously these people know me well enough to see way past this and have a such a clear idea of who I am.

 Are there differences in how you assess yourself compared to others? What do you think causes these differences? 

A difference that I noticed was that I seem to see myself as a much more laid back, easy-going person than apparently I come off as. I am aware I have a strong personality, but I guess I confused having very low blood pressure and being generally content most of the time with being easy going (I admit I like to get my way)! 

Do you think your interviewees are correct about you?

If they weren't, I wouldn't be able to say that these are the people who know me best. I feel like they have a way more accurate view of who I am then I do myself- and I live with me 24/7. 

Finally, going back to your list from part 1, would you make any corrections to the list? How? 

I would not make any changes to my list. My ideas about who I am and what I stand for remain pretty consistent, but these are people who are "up there" on my favorite humans list, so even though we rarely take each other seriously, I definitely take constructive criticism and their opinions very seriously. If/when need be, I would make changes to become a better me based on what they might have to share with me. 

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?

• So obviously, from my blog, you can probably derive that my name is Sofia Ortiz. My bio is available on my blog from one of the first weeks of the entrepreneurship course, but in summary, I am a military brat and have moved to 13 different locations between the United States and Europe, but grew up during my high school years in southern Spain, where I call home. One of the most accurate descriptions I have received in regard to my strengths was my results after taking Strength Finder 2.0's personal assessment, which stated that my five core competencies were: "Communicator," "Strategy," "Command," "Relator," and 

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

• I am providing a service that turns underutilized space in homes and industrial workspaces (like rooftops) into green space, beginning by converting an abandoned building in the city of Gainesville into a zero carbon footprint space and an example of how sustainable technologies can be used to make these dreams a reality. Eventually, this would be a service that employs the homeless of Gainesville as volunteers to help maintain the gardens/sustainable systems put in place by the business.

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

• My general target market would be the community of Gainesville, as this project aims to add value to the city as well as the people employed and supported by the city of Gainesville. 
• More specifically, the sustainable cafe would be targeting college students as the main source of income
• Next would be the middle-aged market, especially young families of Gainesville who are geared towards working to create a sustainable future for themselves and their families. 
• Finally, this would be targeting corporations (especially restaurants) that can implement the ideas of creating gardens in compact spaces to add value to their products and services by introducing homemade agriculture as well as providing a space that acts as a natural stress reliever, reducing stress as well as increasing productivity merely by improving the aesthetics of the workplace. 

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

• One thing that makes me unique is my drive and my energy once I believe in something. I have a gift that my natural energy is such that when I am excited about something and motivated, it becomes contagious and people begin to follow me in a direction. Also, when it counts, I am a very strategic thinker and work well under pressure to come up with creative and constructive solutions rather than falling apart. 

Reflection & Takeaways:

1. This project needs energy; get people who are excited on your side to start chipping away at your progress
2. Look