Your Exit Strategy

1) Assuming I increased my prices and services in pet sitting and hired employees and gained new clients in the next several years, I would likely step away from the business to some degree slowly. I wouldn't do pet sitting myself but would still benefit from profits and continue to help TNR (trap-neuter-release).
2) I would choose this exit strategy because the service itself takes a lot of time. It would require staying over at someone's house while also checking on other people's pets during the day if need be, and TNRing. It would take a lot of time out of my personal life because it isn't a typical 9 to 5 job. If I could step away from pet sitting myself, I could devote more time to helping animals while having other people pet sit.
3) I don't think my exit strategy would influence much if I were still the owner but didn't pet sit myself. There would be times that I wouldn't be available anyway, so current clients would have to book with someone else I work with if need be.

Reading Reflection No. 3

I read Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs by Brian Halligan.

1) The argument of the book is that traditional outbound marketing (advertising, emails, mail, etc.) is becoming less effective, and how to use inbound marketing to gain new customers.
2) In the book, Halligan mentioned that being on the internet puts you near competitors, and in order to stand out to your buyers, you must be unique or "remarkable." This reminded me of many of the assignments that we've done in this class and how we've been asked to describe what makes us different/special and how we can stand out from others.
3) If I had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book, it would be: Create a blog for your entrepreneurship idea. Add in as much information as you can - your name, product/service, prices, mission, etc. Do a Google search using key words for your blog and see if it comes up (you will most likely have to do several). How many times did it take to appear? Which key words did you use? If it didn't, what might you try next for it to appear? This assignment would be based off Chapter 6 and SEO.
4) I was surprised to learn how closely you can watch your competition. Halligan listed many different tools you can use to monitor and compare metrics between yourself and your competitors. Halligan suggested you should "be more paranoid," and track the results continuously. This seems tedious and I hadn't realized that you should zoom in this closely on competitors.

Celebrating Failure

1) I would say I failed by not doing the elevator pitches. Before the first one was due, I didn't believe I'd be able to change much to my idea and speak about it three different times. I assumed if I did it once, then I wouldn't have much to say on the second one, but I didn't do the third one either.
2) I learned that I should've done it anyway to at least get feedback on my speaking skills, lighting, personality, and possibly helpful feedback on my idea.
3) I think failure helps guide us from where we shouldn't be and provides us new opportunities. Emotionally, failure has really bothered me in the past because it's discouraging. Depending on what it is, it may take me awhile to try it again. I would say I'm more likely to take a risk, even if they are small risks.

What’s Next?

Existing Market

1. What I think is next would be being able to provide daily check ins for neighboring cities. Currently, I can’t do that because I work full-time, and I cannot afford to exceed my 30-minute break. At my current rate, it wouldn’t be worth my time and it would cost me more in gas.

2. I interviewed potential customers I was able to connect with through my current customers. Some of the feedback I was given was to be able to devote more time to pets during the day. The reason being is that these pets are used to their retired owners being home all day. I suggested that I should eventually hire employees to help cover dates that I can’t commit to, and they agreed it was a good idea if the pet owner was okay with it.

3. What makes the most sense for my venture would be to get the word out that I’m looking for more clients. I would need to offer my services to new clients. I could do this by carrying business cards and keeping them on me while I walk dogs. But this would take time away from my current repeat clients and some pet owners require their dog be let out more often, which would require me to leave work more than besides my lunch break. This isn’t something realistic for me right now.

To help with this, I could team up with someone, like my friend who has pet sitting experience and is trustworthy. To profit from this, I would need to charge more.

New Market

1. A radically different market for me would have to be people who don't have pets, don't travel, or don't mind leaving their pet(s) home alone.

2. I interviewed my coworker who has two cats but doesn’t have a need for a pet sitter. She does travel annually, but she said she leaves enough food and water out for her cats and puts several litter boxes out. If she is gone for longer periods of time, then her mom checks on the cats. I also interviewed my coworker who likes dogs but does not have a dog. Her daughters play volleyball, so they travel annually for competitions. They all want a dog, and she’s mentioned before that she would ask me to pet sit. She is a single mom, so I know she’d appreciate more affordable pricing. I think an adaptation I could make to my product/service mix would be to offer a bundled price. For example, three visits will be $20 instead of $60 for cats if spread out once a day. I could also offer discounted pricing at my own discretion if I wanted to help someone and I thought they needed it.

3. What I learned about this new market is that some people are okay with leaving their pet(s) at home alone with minimal care. I checked on my coworker’s cats before and offered to do it for free because we are friends. I expect she doesn’t want to pay anyone or ask me to do it because she knows I’m busy or really doesn’t care that they are alone. This market isn’t attractive as my existing market because my existing market is willing to pay what I ask for.

The other market, non-pet owners, is not attractive either; I cannot offer anything to them. If I knew them well, I could convince them that I would pet sit for them if they adopted a pet, so in a way I could turn them into an existing customer one day.

Venture Concept No. 1

Opportunity: Pet owners who travel and do not want or unable to bring their pets with them need a pet sitter. Changes in the environment creating this opportunity is that it is an inconvenience to travel with pets for several reasons. Pet owners must pack additional supplies for their pets, pets are often under stress when traveling, and hotels can charge extra for pets. Pets who are under stress may also damage property in the hotel, which can cause the pet owner to lose their deposit or even be charged more. It also limits the pet owners as to how long they can be out of the room, or rental, because they must check on their pet(s) and let them out. This market is everywhere because it consists of any pet owners that travel or are out of their house for long periods of time that may require someone to check on their pet(s). Customers are satisfying this need by hiring a pet sitter, making reservations at a kennel, traveling with their pet if able to, or asking for help from a friend, neighbor, or relative. This is a big opportunity because of the convenience an in house pet sitter can provide while also watching the house and taking care of daily house duties (mail, garbage, plants, etc.). The window of opportunity will be never-ending; when someone needs a pet sitter, the opportunity is there.

Innovation: My innovation would be considered a create service in that I would help a cat get spayed/neutered and vaccinated for every pet sitting job. This would help decrease the local cat population. I would be selling overnight pet sitting and daily visits. Locally, overnight stay would be $50. Neighboring cities in the same county but no more than 30 minutes away would increase up to $75 a night. Local check ins for dogs would include a walk, fresh water, feeding if needed, and playtime for 20 minutes for $20. Cats would include scooped litter, fresh water, feeding if needed, and playtime for 20 minutes for $10 a visit. Neighboring cities would not get daily checks in at this time due to the further locations.

Venture Concept: I think people (or new customers) will switch to this service because of the convenience it provides. I don’t think it will be hard for them to switch from a kennel because if offered the option of not having to commute their pet to the kennel with their supplies and pick them up when returning. Competitors are kennels and cheaper sitters on sites such as care.com. Their weaknesses are my references and years of experience. My business would have only me to start, and then I would hire my friend who also has experience pet sitting and TNRing.

The three minor elements

1.       What I have that will be hard to copy is being able to TNR cats. Kennels cost more money to run than what I will be doing. It will not cost me anything but gas to drive to someone’s house.

2.       The next opportunity I would like to tackle with my venture would be to someday have an animal sanctuary.

3.       For this venture, in the next five years I’d like to be able to work part-time at my current job and make enough pet sitting. In the next decade, maybe not be doing the pet sitting myself, but have multiple employees.

Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

1. Clients - I have many pet sitting clients currently from pet sitting for eight years. This gives me an advantage because if I wanted to increase my rate, my current clients shouldn't have a problem with it because they know me and trust me. We've already established a relationship.

2. References - My clients can also be my references for new clients because they know me. This is also an advantage because they can refer to friends and family, or I can refer to them for new clients.

3. Degree in public relations – This is valuable to me because I wanted to strengthen my writing, and I can pursue many different jobs with this degree. I’ve learned how to conduct better research than before, incorporate sources, and communicate with professionals in the field.

4. Shadowed a PR professional – During my last semester, I was required to shadow a professional in my field. I shadowed a PR professional at a well-established PR firm in Jacksonville and was told to contact her when I graduate. I was able to see what a PR professional does, ask questions, and build my network.  

5. Reliable – Both my full-time job and pet sitting job require me to be reliable. My bosses and coworkers rely on me, and my clients rely on me because I’ve committed to them. I don’t have my own employees to delegate work to.

6. Experience working at a law firm for nine years – I’ve had to handle many ethical dilemmas while working there, and this could help me with whatever venture I decide to pursue next.

7. Connections with people in different fields – I know doctors, nurses, lawyers, business owners, entrepreneurs, and more because of pet sitting and where I work currently. These connections are valuable to me in case I ever need something, and they know many other people too. My connections can’t be duplicated.

8. Memory – I’ve been told I have a strong memory, which I think will be valuable to me in any field. With pet sitting, this is valuable because I can be more personable and remember names of clients’ family members, their vacations, and what they like.

9. No debt – Because I’ve paid for most of my education out of pocket and my car is paid off, I’m able to set aside money for savings and/or fund my own entrepreneurship. I won’t have to rely on anyone or ask for money, and I have good credit.

10. Quick thinker – Because of where I work, I may encounter new situations that require me to think on my feet. This is helpful in solving problems and creating solutions. I’ve had to do this with pet sitting conflicts, too. This is valuable because emergencies should be attended to quickly and will be helpful in any field.

Top resource: My top resource is my clients. This is more important to me because I won’t have to start from the bottom. I’m already earning money from them and can continue to do so while I build my entrepreneurship. My clients overlap with some of my social capital (my connections and references), which is another reason why they are important to me.

Reading Reflection No. 2

1) I read The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick. The general theme of the book is how to enhance your social media presence with 123 tips.

2) I think this book connects with the notion that entrepreneurs are independent and that 75% of entrepreneurs will fund their businesses themselves. I think social media can be a powerful tool to get your business idea out there, and Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are all free tools to use. These platforms allow you to engage with customers and get real-time feedback.

3) If I had to design an exercise for this class based on this book, it would be: Create a social media account that you think would suit your entrepreneurship at the start of the semester (Instagram or Twitter). Use hashtags that are appropriate for your business idea, and make one post per week. Posts should be able to generate feedback from followers (or people who have come across your profile) so that you can use it to modify your idea and learn what people want. If you do not receive feedback or any type of activity (follows, likes, comments), explain why you think that it is and how you can change it. 

4) My biggest surprise was that Kawasaki said that if you're not upsetting anyone on social media, then you're not using it aggressively as you should be. When I notice the same posts repeatedly, it annoys me and I may unfollow an account permanently or temporarily. 

Growing Your Social Capital

Due to the entrepreneurship I chose, I was not able to find a supplier to the pet sitting industry. This "industry" doesn't require any type of supplies from myself.

1)

Renee.

Domain expert. She TNRs cats, fosters, and pet sits. 

I met Renee through my friend, Kelly. 

Renee has been pet sitting for several years, so I asked her what her services included and how much she charged. Like me, she only does the basics, such as overnight stay and drop ins. This also includes bringing in the mail, watering the plants, or whatever the owner asks that they would typically do while away. She administers medicines as needed, but she doesn't transport animals anywhere, such as to the vet, groomers, or dog park. She also charges more than I do. Renee advised me that I should charge more to make it worth my time, and I agreed.

Including this person in my network can be beneficial because I can inquire with her about how much I should charge in unique situations. I can also go to for her help when I want to start TNRing, or help her do it so that I can learn when the time comes. 

2)

Lorraine.

Expert on market.

I contacted Lorraine through 24-7 Watchdog, a local pet sitting business.

I asked inquired about her services and fees, but unlike myself, pet and house sitting is her only job. She does not TNR. I also asked her about what she thought of my idea to TNR with money from a pet sitting job. She felt positive about it, but agreed that this type of opportunity would take up a lot of time.

As a student, I think having her in my network will be beneficial if I needed more advice, but I don't think she would be in my network for long because she would eventually become a competitor.

Finally: Reflect. This experience differed from my other networking experiences because I found it to be more challenging. I don't require any supplies (besides traps, but I can buy that myself when the time comes), and I don't sell any products that need to be produced. I provide the service by just being there. 

Idea Napkin No. 2

1) You. I am a full-time student and I'm a full-time legal assistant. I'm majoring in public relations so that I can strengthen my writing and become a reporter and hopefully write a novel someday. If I were to start this business, it would be a second job for me as it currently is now until it could fully support me financially. I would have to wait until I had enough clients so that it would be a lucrative business and could afford to hire extra help.

2) What are you offering to customers? I'm offering overnight pet sitting, daily check ins that would include playtime, feedings, and walks for dogs, and transportation to grooming appointments.

3) Who are you offering it to? I'm offering it to older adults (40s +) with higher education and/or professional jobs. They love to travel but are concerned with living their house not watched and their pet(s) in a kennel.

4) Why do they care? They care because they can afford to hire someone to stay in their house to look after their pet(s), water plants, check the mail, and make it look like someone is home so that it is more secure while they're away. They also care about the comfort of their pet(s) and would rather them stay where they are comfortable.

5) What are your core competencies? I want to TNR (trap-neuter-return) cats for every pet sitting job. A proceeds of each job will go towards doing this and fostering cats that are friendly enough to adopt out. I have connections with fosters who TNR, so I am able to learn firsthand how to do it and could easily find/hire experienced help.

I believe most of these elements fit together because of the area of Florida I live in and my experience, connections, and compassion for animals. The weaker areas would be transportation to grooming appointments and availability for overnight for one family at a time. I've only taken dogs to grooming appointments twice and it was for the same family, and right now it is only myself who pet sits over night. I work alone while doing this, so I'm not able to offer a potential overnight job to someone else while also benefiting from it. I don't charge enough currently to do that to where we could both make a desired profit. However, I could probably afford to pay someone a portion of a day's worth of pet sitting if they could transport the pet(s) to a grooming appointment, but I would need to start telling new clients about this to see if they would be interested.

Feedback from Idea Napkin No.1 was to add what differentiates me from other house sitting companies and to get some outside help to improve the weaker parts. I incorporated this feedback by stating my desire to TNR cats from profits made from pet sitting jobs, and being open minded to paying someone to transport the pet(s) to a grooming appointment.

Create a Customer Avatar

My prototypical customer is a retired elementary teacher who has compassion for children and animals. She drives a silver Mercedes and is married to a retired doctor. She and her husband like to watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. They have two children, a son and a daughter. Their daughter is a doctor and their son is an attorney. They often visit their daughter in North Carolina so that they can visit her and their grandchildren. They like to take annual cruises too. They also have three grandchildren from their daughter and her husband. They are registered Democrats and enjoy reading James Patterson and other mystery novels. They are both in their early 60's. Also, they have one dog who they love to spoil like their grandchildren.

Both me and my avatar have compassion for animals, and love to travel and read. I wouldn't say it’s a coincidence because I have these in common with many other people too, but many of them are my current customers as well.