Venture Concept No. 1

Venture Idea: The Best CrossFit in Gainesville

People as a whole have a need for a better CrossFit gym, and so do many college students who want to play sports for their college, or further enhance their physical condition. Customers can range from college students to stay at home moms who want to improve their overall fitness level. Gainesville currently has what I consider tier 3 CrossFit gyms and they are essentially no good in my opinion. Currently customers are going to what they think are good Crossfit gyms but they are lead by people with little talent, who are solely after the money or trainers who don’t know what they are talking about. I used to train at a few of these facilities and I think they only stay open currently because new students come in every 4 months.

Customers would switch so quickly if the location was close to campus and big enough to accompany 50 people at once (Nearly 2x the current average).

I will have a decent amount of competitors, but my location will be prime, priced better, and trainers who actually know what they are talking about. Customer service will play a vital role in the business as people will want o be treated very well as they should. The appearance of this product (location) will also have to be good to distinguish myself from other competitors.

I could see this place operating with 3 full time trainers and perhaps 2 part time trainers if needed.

What will you have that will make it hard for competitors to copy your success?

The size of the location will be almost 2x the size of any other location in town, and that is so difficult to replicate.  The only options another gym might be able to perform is to move, and that is costly, so my competition will have no choice.

 What’s next for the venture?

Developing an athletes guide to get students on path to join college sport teams. There are a lot of college want-to-be athletes who never made the official college team, but still have the same dream. I would like to fuel that dream with a program that would enable these athletes to train over the course of a year, and then be able to walk on a UF Athletics team! I think in the begging phase I would have to have a specialty program for just track athletes, and then expand into baseball, and then football, and then the next sport.  This would take a lot of upfront work, but after a few success stories this would explode! So this would be the most fun part of the business, but in the start up phase will not pay for itself. The regular class that teaches regular students CrossFit will be the prime money maker in the beginning phase.

What’s next for me?

After success with this venture, I think the goal would be to expand into new territory.  There are colleges all around the country filled with students who are not satisfied with their CrossFit gyms.  Gainesville being a prime location and having what I consider tier 3 gyms is an eye opener. If Gainesville has this type of opportunity I believe other college towns would as well. The trick is to cater to the right customers, and understand their unique goals, and get them on the right track.

Five Years- Expand into at least one new location such as Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Sarasota, or Tampa. The goal would be to set up the Gainesville location and have such success that athletes all over the country would want an opportunity like this. I think developing the proper program for athletes is going to be the toughest aspect of this venture. A football player, and a gymnast will have very different needs as far as training goes, and I am going to need coaches with expertise in both! I realize this will be tough to solve, but all problems are fixable.

Ten Years- Have several locations, and expand outside the sunshine state to increase territory. At this point I would think other competitors would see my plan and try making their own version of my product. That will happen, but not in every single market.  The goal would be to have locations in several markets and take care of them for long run business opportunity.  After 10 years I would imagine hiring outside management to take care of individual locations while I focus on new ventures. I think this idea is unique, and I do not see others doing it..YET!

Week 11 Reading Reflection

For each reading reflection post, I ask you to address the following areas:

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? 

This article is so simple, but the author clearly does not understand what they are actually talking about. THe author is trying to explain why certain companies are failing and others are doing well. The real answer can be found reading any chapter about supply and demand, and looking at manufacturing jobs in the USA.  I was surprised this article was this long to be honest, because I could have explained all of this to a 6th grader in half the time it took me to read this article.

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

WHat confused me was why the author went on and on rambling about companies not being innovating enough, or their priorities were considered wrong about innovation. Seemed that the author was just crying.

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

Have you ever read a book, or even a chapter in a book about supply and demand?

Did Harvard pay you to write this awful article? I hope Harvard students didn't have to pay to have this written.

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

Companies fold all the time, and it is not always about their product not being innovating enough. Companies just do not know what to do all the time. The Ipad was invented 10 years before Apple released it by Microsoft. MIcrosoft had no idea what to do with their product so they shit-canned it.  innovation is overlooked.

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. 

Signing people up for memberships on a monthly basis that cost 120$ each.  

• Describe what kind of product offering you believe should be next. What's the nextthing your customers want?

Protein powders, recovery drinks, family group rates, easier classes for the very unfit trying to improve their basic lives.

• 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.?

The protein and recovery drinks will enhance athlete performance and make them enjoy the experience better because they will become better faster. Family group discounts and more basic classes will bring in more money as this will increase gym membership as a whole. People seem to enjoy working out with their spouses or kids and this will increase that urge!

• 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.

P90X is a very similar product, but it is different.  With P90X you workout at your house on your own schedule. People who do this have to own their own equipment, and workout at their own house. This is ideal for people who own larger houses to accommodate all the space it requires. Training is most with free weights and body weight movements. There is a program to follow, as well as a meal guide to follow.  I actually did P90X maybe 8 years ago now.

• 
• What are the customer reviews for the product? What, exactly, do customers not like about the product? What do they like about it?

People actually like P90X a lot, and the fact that every movement can be scaled. WHich is similar to the product I want to bring to teach people who are extremely unfit to improve their life.  P90X just does not coach people as they are doing it, and people like the coaching environment. All positive reviews for this product, except when you try and repeat P90X a few times the workouts can become boring, time consuming, and the results go away because the stimulus stays the same.

• Describe what design/usability changes you'd make to the product. 

Different workouts regularly to keep the stimulus new and exciting.

• Describe why you think this product would make a good addition to your current product/service offering.

This would encourage more people to show up, and diversify the customer base by adding a new market to it.  Having a separate class for athletes, and then a new class for individuals who are solely their to loose weight and improve their basic lives. This would increase the team base feel for the new people who want to feel good about working out and make current athletes feel better about themselves. 

My Unfair Advantage

• 1.) Human Capital
  My Staff is going to be unique and trained very well. Other places around town have okay trainers, but not the best, and definitely not the best all the time. Other gyms have good trainers, but only have access to them a handful of times a week. This is easy to copy, but difficult to implement. 
  
  
  2.) Social Capital
  Marketing will be done mostly by friends and family who are members of the gym. This is will cut down costs as I will not have to pay to market my product.
  3.) Financial Capital
  I have direct access to manufacturers, who build these types of gyms, and I will not have to go to a distributor for equipment and this will save thousands of dollars. Not many people know how to go about this, this is just one of the personal connections I have.
  4.) Capabilities
  A CrossFit Gym large enough to accommodate classes of 10 people up to 50 people.  Most gyms outside of big cities can only serve upwards to 20 people at a time. Once classes become larger than that chaos breaks loose and customers stop showing up.  Our capabilities will suit the community and the structure will be so good others cannot imitate. 
  5.) Location
  Prime Location is key to success. Entering the right market is ideal, and this can also be replicated fairly easily 
  6.) Knowledge of Product
  I have been doing this sport for nearly 3 years, and when I am ready to venture off into my own business of this I will have well over 5 years of experience. That is years of working one with people, and working in a class situation. The only way to replicate this is to spend the time to learn. This is a valuable resource.
  7.) Organizational culture
  The culture at the location will be professional, but fun. This will make customers feel very confident about the product, but still make them feel like working out is fun.  This is very hard to find elsewhere.
  8.) Best Equipment
  Like I states earlier having access to manufacturers I will be able to purchase better equipment at lower prices and more of it. This is extremely important when operating a gym as appearance is vital to success.
  9.) Atmospheric Pleasure
  This is more of an internal atmosphere I would like to control by having the proper staff act a certain way with each other that keeps gossip down and fun up. This will create a better work environment which should be a standard though the industry, but it is not.
  10.) Size
  Imagine a CrossFit facility capable of serving world class athletes, and also able to make your grandma fit.  The size of this gym is going o be so massive it is going to attract people from an hours drive away. Serving all customers no matter their athleticism will be what separates me from my competition 

There is a gym in the Orlando area that is MASSIVE and people go there, but the coaches are no good in my opinion, but they have a booming business.

There is another gym in Stewart FL that has some of the best athletes in the state, but Stewart is literally in the middle of nowhere and the gym struggles.  Finding a prime location and size venue will be challenging, but manageable.

week 10 reading reflection

For each reading reflection post, I ask you to address the following areas:

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? 

I actually enjoyed this chapter of the book. When I went to community colleges my favorite classes were financial and managerial accounting, so reading about accounting was fun!  Nothing stood out to me and I enjoyed this chapter very much

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

Some of the definitions were in the back of my mind and I had to recall learning about the,, but the meaning where right in front of my eyes which was nice.  I liked how this chapter laid out all of the financial terms we should know and used them in context.

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

Why is this section chapter 11, money is important shouldn't this be chapter 3, or 4?

This chapter doesn't really explain how an entrepreneur can set themselves up for financial success in the beginning of their endeavours.  I think it should, wouldnt you agree?

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

Nope, I don't think this author really wrote much in this chapter to be honest. There are not many opinions in this chapter, there are facts and that's the sum of this chapter. To disagree would mean to be wrong.

Growing My Social Capital

One person must be a domain expert in your industry. This would be someone who's engaged in the same type of business activity as you would like to be. They may own the same kind of company that you would like to own, or they may be a technical expert who knows a lot about the kind of product or service that you would like to produce.

1) Who they are and what their background is.

Sam Wills is a salesman for the company that I work for. He sells aircraft equipment most days and the parts he sells can be all over the place. For example he might be selling nuts and bolts on Monday, but on Thursday he is selling helicopter exhaust pipes.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

I am filling slot # 1 which is the domain expert in the industry. Sam Wills has been selling all type of aircraft equipment for years and knows hundreds of different supplier, vendors, and just a ton of general information that can be useful.

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

Sam, actually works for the same company I work for, but I do not talk to him frequently. Sam is friendly and he makes good choices and it reflects on his work outcomes.

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

I asked Sam a lot of question about what he thought of my idea, and he told me a lot of interesting things.  My idea was taking a picture of a hardware item and being able to identify it.  Sam thought it was a good product as long as I have customers, and suppliers to go to to purchase the needed items.  He was insightful. No return is expected from me.

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Do I really have to answer this question? Sam knows other people in the industry and has contacts across hundreds of companies. His knowledge will help me improve my idea and perhaps target my market better.

2) One person must be an expert on your market. This would be someone who is targeting your market with similar products services -- or knows a lot about conducting customer research in your area -- or represents a major piece of your market (this might be most applicable with B2B markets).

1) Who they are and what their background is.

My Uncle actually owns a company that sells products to the government that go on airplanes and navy ships.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

My Uncle would be filling position # two. He knows how to conduct customer research, doing business with large companies, and has a lot of knowledge about the industry as a whole.

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

This is my uncle, so he was pretty easy to find. Have not talked to him in awhile, but he would help me if I asked.

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

Well I am the nephew, so I feel like for the most part I can get help for free on the weekends, but If I needed professional help I would most likely have to pay him, or offer some type of service in return.

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

My uncle knows much about the industry and could help me get set up for success.  He has started a few business in the past and would be able to tell em what to do right, and what steps to avoid. It is his past experience, and General Knowledge that would help me.

3) One person must be an important supplier to your industry. This would be someone who is selling products and services to other organizations/firms in your industry. 

1) Who they are and what their background is.

Currently at the gym I workout at there is a guy named Jad who works at a Aerospace and Defense company. Primarily he sells directly to the government.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

I am filling in spot # 3 here. Jad fits this description because technically he is my competition, but he is also a friend with good advice.

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I workout at the gym and Jad is there every once is a while. One day I noticed his shirt labeled Northrop Grumman, and we starting talking about the Aerospace and Defense industry.

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

Personal friend who can provide great advice. I honestly do not think I will ever have to repay any favors unless I used his professional skills during the work week.

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Jad will be able to help me set up business with government sales and associates in that field of the industry.

Finally: Reflect. This experience requires you to do a little 'targeted networking.' How will this experience shape how you participate in any future networking events? Did this experience differ from your networking experiences in the past? How?

This exercise taught me what to talk about with certain people.  Usually I am a clown when I am out in public. I am 22 and I enjoy being free and having fun. This exercise opened my eyes and made me realize how others can view me. When you are with certain "clicks" of people you need to act a certain way, so they view you as a professional.   I never really networked in the past, so this does not differ from anything I have ever done, because I haven't done this before!  Cool exercise!

Elevator Pitch No. 3

Week 10 assignment. I think this is my best presentation so far

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. 

Well  the feedback I got last time was all good and everyone seemed to like my project idea so I did not change anything about my presentation. All I could really think about changing was offering a wider variety of parts this app would recognize, like O-rings, and weirder hardware items.

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

Nothing, same script, and I am even wearing the same hat in this video!!   I love my America Hat

Steve Clegg

Week 9 Reading Reflection

 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 Author was really trying to get entrepenuers to do a  market analysis and make sure new business leaders conducted one before going into business.

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

THe whole frickin chapter was confusing to me, mostly because I work for a business that does not do much marketing and honestly does not believe in it that much.

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

Are you being paid by marketing companies to write?

Do you give personal marketing advice because if you do you probably charge a ton of money for very little in return.

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

Yup, I personally conducted a market research analysis a few months ago and I found the whole thing useless and a waste of time.  Marketing is for bad products that need attention.

Whats your secret Sauce

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

I am the hardest working person I know. Yeah I know that sounds corny and dumb, but literally I work my butt off given the opportunity.  I don't know a single person who can go to work 1/2 early and stay an hour late and call that the regular basis.  I dont know people who go to the gym 2 times a day for a total of 5 hours. 

I also do not know the answers to everything and I am completely fine with it.  Some people get bothered when they don't know something, or their boss asks them a question with an unknown answer.  I usually do not know the answer, but that's always okay with me because I know where to find answers, and solutions. I am a seeker of knowledge and I think that is a valuable skill.


I usually do not talk to a lot of people who I am not comfortable with.  Yeah most people are like this, but I keep tight with my inner circle and stay polite with everyone on the outside. I think this minimized drama and keeps me in pace with my close friends and family.


I set goals. Most people do not set actual goals, they just fantasize about some dream and change their minds every few days or weeks.  I know what I want and I am determined to get what I want. I set goals and deadlines adn  think that separates me from most people.

I am the best visual learner I know.  I cannot explain calculus but when I see a problem solved out I can duplicate it and show others how to do it without knowing myself. I just know how to copy cat really well, but make unoriginal ideas seem better than before!



Interviews  ( soundbites people I will not put other people in front of a camera. Camera make ordinary people Douche-Ba$s)

This was my boss who thinks I am a hard worker. I usually do not impress people initially but over time people understand how hard I work at things.












Reflect on the differences. How do you see yourself, and how do others see you? Are there differences in how you assess yourself compared to others? What do you think causes these differences? Do you think your interviewees are correct about you? Finally, going back to your list from part 1, would you make any corrections to the list? How? 


Well I personally see myself as a frikken god who can do whatever they want, but others not so much. Other people see the work I put in over time and respect me for the hard work I accomplish. If it were up too me I would just be in a gym all day and eating all night, but that would not accomplish anything.  It think people see my frustration at work, but know that I am working hard even though my spirit is not their.   These interviews helped me see that, and now I know I need to do  a better job of being a little more cheerful at work.  

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?

I am Steve, I excel at CrossFit evens and making people laugh at really bad jokes. I am really good at taking big mundane tasks and breaking them up into little tasks that I can accomplish on a  day to day basis. If I were to operate a Crossfit gym my life would not only be beter for myself, but for other people too.  I would specifically for me be able to hang out at the gym all day, which is what I try and do now, but I do not make money doing it and it is hard to bet here day in and day out.  Although, my plan is to do that one day!

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

THe Product is much mre than just a gym fr people to work out in.  The concept is a gym that people can go to to meet their friends and have a god time while working on their fitness.  You would be surprised how many people enjoy working out with their buddies to J. Cole blasting and heavy weights slamming on the ground. But the business is also a place where people can go to watch weekend competitions and organize other fitness events, like watching The CrossFit Games on ESPN.    This experience is so different than a conventional gym where people just show up and run n a treadmill.  Literally CrossFit has grown from 5 gyms to over 12,000 and the ones that stay open are the ones that utilize the community aspect.

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?

I would be offering this product to almost everyone who walks through the door.  The buety of this sport is that it is for everyone. From individuals who weigh close to 300 lbs and need to work on their fitness to the competitive athletes cleaning 315  lbs.    With different classes catered to different people everyone who walks through the door will have a little something special just for them.

4) Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

People will line up to use this product. The science has proven this works.  How does a franchise grow from 5 gyms to 12,000.  THe empowering community that encourages people to get better everyday brings people in.  It is the environment that is encouraged at the gym that brings the people back.

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

The facility will be the largest in the county, giving people the space they need and the equipment not always found at certain places.  People need space, but still want to be apart of the community.  This facility will draw peple in and keep them.  The coaching staff will be trained to be a little more hands on and more knowledgeable than other gyms around town.  The place is going to grab peoples attentions and the customers will stay because they love it.

In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others. 

Nothing is really ut of joint here.   The concept makes a lot of sense and I don't know why other places are nt doing this.  The customers will come and they will bring friends.  The only difficult aspect abut this is getting started.  Getting a gym to train 100+ people can be expensive, and finding a gd building in the right location can also be difficult.

For the "feedback memo" -- please summarize five main points that you took away from the feedback you received. Also, please describe how you incorporated the feedback into this idea napkin. 

1.) People did not really know what I was talking abut when I mentioned the word CrossFit. SO I explained it a little.

2.)  Others did not know the proven success with these business so I incorporated the growth factor of 5 gyms to 12000 in the last few years stat.

3.)  People didn't think my jokes were enough to keep customers so I expanded more on the coaches role in the gym.

4.)  I discussed location a little more that ties int the business sucessfulness.

5.) Just read my last post compared to this one.  This is much more in detail and contains better content.