Throughout the semester, I have learned a lot about entrepreneurship through this project. That Shoe Spray stuff was an idea that I originally had to help with basketball players struggling to keep a good grip on the court, and I have watched the idea evolve throughout the semester. What started as a simple idea has transformed into a method and learning experience of entrepreneurship.
First I talked about my plan: how was I going to attack my idea? I needed to find out competition, finances, methods, and other ways to establish a proper business from scratch. It is tough to find an idea- I wanted to make something that would be a service to people in a field where it is necessary. Playing basketball my entire life, I always suffered from a slippery floor and it affected my play. There were definitely some hurdles that I needed to get past, such as hiring scientists to create the special spray, but just like that, I had a possible new business.
The lectures gave me new things to think about when developing my idea. We touched base on things like Excel, social media, privacy, computer forensics, software, hardware, and operating systems. Each lecture provided information which could be relayed to my product. For example, Social media would have a huge role when it came to advertising. I learned how it could be used when it came to getting word out with the product, and incorporated my own ideas into it. I plan to have an active twitter account and facebook account in order to make a name for myself.
For the more difficult stuff, I had to really dig deep. For example, I never knew that choosing a proper operating software would have an influence on a business. Although like it seems like a simple decision, it really determines how one would approach the technical side. There is a lot more to creating a business than what meets the eye. Every little detail needs to be taken care of. My idea of That Shoe Spray stuff went from just a thought and a simple plan to eventually knowing how I would involve computer forensics, and have what it takes to potentially start a real business.
In order to make That Shoe Spray Stuff (SSS) a reality, a few things would have to happen. First, I would really need to figure out what my finances would look like. I would need to determine everything I would need to pay for before I can even imagine profiting. I would need to figure out how much it would cost to make the spray, how much it would cost to alter the spray, how much it would cost to hire workers, ect. I would definitely need to go to the bank and get a loan, or try and find investors. I would also need to develop the formula so the spray could actually be a reality. Once I figure all of that out and look into ways of promoting the spray, aka getting into the NBA for usage, I could really kick off my business.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Lecture Post 3/4
Entrepreneurial Idea Overview:
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
Lecture Post:
The operating system I would use for my company would be Mac OS X. I have been using Mac for a long time, and it is the system I am most comfortable with. I feel that it is an appropriate system to run a business on.
A big component would be multitasking. In order to run a successful business, it is necessary for different things to be done at the same time. I would utilize the multitasking feature from operating systems, like the scheduler, to do things like managing inventory to distributing sales.
Another good tool is the filing systems. These are essential for anything, due to organization. Different files are used for different topics, such as sales, inventory, expenses, ect. They are also critical to sort out any other information, and if using a personal computer they can differentiate personal information from business.
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
Lecture Post:
The operating system I would use for my company would be Mac OS X. I have been using Mac for a long time, and it is the system I am most comfortable with. I feel that it is an appropriate system to run a business on.
A big component would be multitasking. In order to run a successful business, it is necessary for different things to be done at the same time. I would utilize the multitasking feature from operating systems, like the scheduler, to do things like managing inventory to distributing sales.
Another good tool is the filing systems. These are essential for anything, due to organization. Different files are used for different topics, such as sales, inventory, expenses, ect. They are also critical to sort out any other information, and if using a personal computer they can differentiate personal information from business.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Competitive Analysis
Entrepreneurial Idea Overview:
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
Competitor 1 URL- http://www.footlocker.com/promotion/promoId:5003014/court-grip/
Competitor 1 Overview- My product is most similar with Court Grip, produced by Foot Locker. Both of our products involve a spray, and they focus on getting better traction on the floor. Mine separates from Court Grip by focusing only on wood floor, and having a different grip for different feel. This one is universal, and I am aware of the fact that a point guard needs a different grip than a post player.
Competitor 2 URL- http://www.fast-brake.com/
Competitor 2 Overview- This traction mat is what is used by most basketball players to gain a good grip on the court. My product is meant to be an updated and more cost efficient way for this mat. The similarity is the same- good traction while playing basketball. A difference is that mine is a spray, and this is only a mat. The spray will prove to be a lot more cost efficient and better for the environment, saving trash.
My product is to make a personalized feel to make the individual player more comfortable playing basketball. I feel this idea has a chance to outsell and dominate the traction market in basketball.
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
Competitor 1 URL- http://www.footlocker.com/promotion/promoId:5003014/court-grip/
Competitor 1 Overview- My product is most similar with Court Grip, produced by Foot Locker. Both of our products involve a spray, and they focus on getting better traction on the floor. Mine separates from Court Grip by focusing only on wood floor, and having a different grip for different feel. This one is universal, and I am aware of the fact that a point guard needs a different grip than a post player.
Competitor 2 URL- http://www.fast-brake.com/
Competitor 2 Overview- This traction mat is what is used by most basketball players to gain a good grip on the court. My product is meant to be an updated and more cost efficient way for this mat. The similarity is the same- good traction while playing basketball. A difference is that mine is a spray, and this is only a mat. The spray will prove to be a lot more cost efficient and better for the environment, saving trash.
My product is to make a personalized feel to make the individual player more comfortable playing basketball. I feel this idea has a chance to outsell and dominate the traction market in basketball.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Lecture Post 2/12
Entrepreneurial Idea Overview:
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
Lecture Post:
When it comes to computer forensics, I would definitely use the capabilities in technology to do background searches on all employees I am thinking about hiring. I would only be looking for serious red flags; I wouldn't use anything for minor issues. It would also give me the ability to make sure I have knowledge of everything that is running through our computer base.
Being a product used in basketball, I wouldn't really be using the computer much besides calculating finances. I would not need as much RAM as other companies would need, given my lack of use. I would get one sole CPU for finance; as the company expands, the network can expand only then would I possibly need more expensive hardware.
As my idea starts getting more hype, the hardware need might grow. I might need more than one motherboard for different situations. It is hard to imagine all possibilities, so the plan is to go with the flow and add when needed.
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
Lecture Post:
When it comes to computer forensics, I would definitely use the capabilities in technology to do background searches on all employees I am thinking about hiring. I would only be looking for serious red flags; I wouldn't use anything for minor issues. It would also give me the ability to make sure I have knowledge of everything that is running through our computer base.
Being a product used in basketball, I wouldn't really be using the computer much besides calculating finances. I would not need as much RAM as other companies would need, given my lack of use. I would get one sole CPU for finance; as the company expands, the network can expand only then would I possibly need more expensive hardware.
As my idea starts getting more hype, the hardware need might grow. I might need more than one motherboard for different situations. It is hard to imagine all possibilities, so the plan is to go with the flow and add when needed.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Lecture Post
Entrepreneurial Idea Overview:
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
Lecture:
I would use social media very actively for my product, which I have decided to call "That Shoe Spray Stuff." I would run an active Twitter account, constantly making tweets, interacting with followers, and following as many people as I can to get my name out there. I would also have the standard Facebook page available for my product. Roughly 80% of my advertising budget would go to online marketing; placing ads on sites such as Google, and other, more specific sites where viewers could be basketball players.
The company would definitely start out as a private company, but would work to make it go public. The social media status, however, would be as open and available as it could be. There is no worry about hiding secret information, because the twitter feed has only one purpose- Free Advertising. I would, however, work on making my personal pages private as possible. On my Facebook, I know all of my friends on there, so I would make sure there is nobody who could try and use something in the wrong matter.
I would use Excel for many reasons, such as accounting, sales, staff, and anything else that would need to be recorded. It is a very efficient way to keep things such as money organized, and offers many ways to compute these numbers efficiently. Anybody I hire for accounting will be required to have Excel skills.
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
Lecture:
I would use social media very actively for my product, which I have decided to call "That Shoe Spray Stuff." I would run an active Twitter account, constantly making tweets, interacting with followers, and following as many people as I can to get my name out there. I would also have the standard Facebook page available for my product. Roughly 80% of my advertising budget would go to online marketing; placing ads on sites such as Google, and other, more specific sites where viewers could be basketball players.
The company would definitely start out as a private company, but would work to make it go public. The social media status, however, would be as open and available as it could be. There is no worry about hiding secret information, because the twitter feed has only one purpose- Free Advertising. I would, however, work on making my personal pages private as possible. On my Facebook, I know all of my friends on there, so I would make sure there is nobody who could try and use something in the wrong matter.
I would use Excel for many reasons, such as accounting, sales, staff, and anything else that would need to be recorded. It is a very efficient way to keep things such as money organized, and offers many ways to compute these numbers efficiently. Anybody I hire for accounting will be required to have Excel skills.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Entrepreneurship Post
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. I want to revolutionize the sticky mat used to gain shoe to wood traction and turn it into a spray which fits the players comfort zone. The idea comes from personal experience as one of my biggest basketball pet peeves.
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. Have you ever played basketball on a court that was so slippery it was impossible to perform a simple crossover, let alone play respectable defense? My idea is to create a spray to use on the bottom of the basketball sneaker in order to provide better traction with the gym. Instead of wasting money on the sticky sheets usually used upon entering the game, this spray will provide a cost-efficient method of always being able to keep your footing.
There is some competition for my idea, and that is the brand Court Grip. This is an idea that has always been on my mind, being a basketball player and constantly complaining to myself that the floor was too slippery. It is a problem most players face while playing on a weak court. My idea to top Court Grip, however, is to have a certain way of making different "flavors" of the spray, to fit your need. Maybe there is a type of player who is more comfortable with a little bit of slip and only wants to enhance the traction a little bit. Instead of the full, new sneaker/new floor maximum grip, there is a 3/4 grip, 1/2 grip, and 1/4 grip.
I plan on hiring scientists to develop the sticky element and to figure out the way how to moderate the strength to divide the product. Then, with more research, we could expand to perhaps finding out which positions on the court usually prefer which traction, and start marketing through a position level, such as shooting guard. I would then attempt to have my product sanctioned by the NBA and NCAA so it could be used at those levels, replacing the sticky sheet shared by both teams usually located under the scorers table. My product is meant to be an aid; the same sticky product but with more convenience, keeping it moving with the times like every other piece of basketball equipment such as sneakers or balls. The ultimate goal is to have this product become the sole supplier of court-traction in NCAA and the NBA, causing it to be the product mainly used universally by basketball players.
My entrepreneurship idea is regarding the enhancement of success on the basketball court. Have you ever played basketball on a court that was so slippery it was impossible to perform a simple crossover, let alone play respectable defense? My idea is to create a spray to use on the bottom of the basketball sneaker in order to provide better traction with the gym. Instead of wasting money on the sticky sheets usually used upon entering the game, this spray will provide a cost-efficient method of always being able to keep your footing.
There is some competition for my idea, and that is the brand Court Grip. This is an idea that has always been on my mind, being a basketball player and constantly complaining to myself that the floor was too slippery. It is a problem most players face while playing on a weak court. My idea to top Court Grip, however, is to have a certain way of making different "flavors" of the spray, to fit your need. Maybe there is a type of player who is more comfortable with a little bit of slip and only wants to enhance the traction a little bit. Instead of the full, new sneaker/new floor maximum grip, there is a 3/4 grip, 1/2 grip, and 1/4 grip.
I plan on hiring scientists to develop the sticky element and to figure out the way how to moderate the strength to divide the product. Then, with more research, we could expand to perhaps finding out which positions on the court usually prefer which traction, and start marketing through a position level, such as shooting guard. I would then attempt to have my product sanctioned by the NBA and NCAA so it could be used at those levels, replacing the sticky sheet shared by both teams usually located under the scorers table. My product is meant to be an aid; the same sticky product but with more convenience, keeping it moving with the times like every other piece of basketball equipment such as sneakers or balls. The ultimate goal is to have this product become the sole supplier of court-traction in NCAA and the NBA, causing it to be the product mainly used universally by basketball players.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Changing it up a bit
Using this blog to complete a class project. Haven't made moves since the first post, but will definitely get back to reviewing games, just have been very busy.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)