18A Create A Customer Avatar

My prototypical customer is a huge sports fan, probably a guy (could be male or female but sports betting is dominated by men so I'm just going to use a man for these purposes), and is just your everyday middle-class American. He's probably looking to make some extra money by putting a little money on this weekend's games, but he could also just be playing for the fun of it because he enjoys sports and things get a little more exciting when there's cash on the line. He's not a professional gambler looking to put down thousands of dollars in order to win a small fortune. Since he has his own money to spend and is gambling, he's probably a working adult or a college student. Probably doesn't love his job, but at least he has sports as an escape from his hum drum everyday life, and hey, if he can win a few extra bucks tonight, maybe he can go out this weekend.

I'd say my prototypical customer and I both love sports, and while we aren't gambling addicts, we like to put money down on a game here and there. We're also probably about the same age and at similar points in our lives, as my customer is probably in his twenties, still in college or just graduated, and could use some extra money.

17A Elevator Pitch No. 2

I found the feedback I got on my last post helpful, and I used it when recording my second elevator pitch. I decided to include some statistics, and I also decided to clean things up a little bit and sort of set the stage for the sports betting market.

15A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Based on my interviews, customers are typically looking for the most bang for their buck when it comes to sports gambling services, just as customers usually are. They want the most opportunities to make money, which means more sports to choose from, more ways to play, and more ways to win. Additionally, they want to know which sites have the best loyalty programs/bonuses (a la Bovada, FanDuel, DraftKings) because they provide incentive to keep playing and are essentially free money, which is a big deal in the gambling world, believe it or not.

As far as how and where customers buy, all business is conducted online and payments are made through customers' credit cards, and this is pretty much the same across all services considering they all use online platforms (although some do accept cash through Western Union). Therefore, this doesn't really affect customers' alternative evaluations. I learned that post-purchase evaluations however, are similar to alternative evaluations in that most customers look back and compare how they would have done had they chosen another site and its benefits and bonuses. Would they be better off with that site's bonuses? Worse? Should they have chosen a site that forces them to bet less/more? These are the kinds of questions gamblers ask themselves when evaluating their purchase decisions.

Essentially, this segment is looking for the service that will provide them with the best value, which in this case means the best chance to make as much money as possible.

Halfway Reflection

Halfway through this course my number one tip would be to get ahead. The times I've felt like giving up have been the times that I waited until the last minute and ended up missing an assignment all because I didn't look ahead and plan. If you get ahead from the beginning and stay ahead, you'll already have that tenacious attitude and you won't know an other way. I've been making more of an effort recently because I know I need to and it has really helped.

My second tip would be to find an idea that you know a lot about or that you are passionate about. You can't be tenacious if you're working toward something you don't really care about, so find something that excites you.

My last tip is to not look at these assignments simply as assignments. If you do that you'll end up procrastinating because you don't want to do it because it's work. These are blog posts and most of them are fun and easy to write, especially since they're mostly about stuff that you have a lot of control over and probably at least some interest in.

Reading Reflection No. 1

Elon Musk
Although I knew about some of it going in, the details of Elon Musk's childhood are astounding. Some of it may have helped contribute to the great and resilient leader and entrepreneur he is today, but it is shocking nonetheless. Being tortured constantly whether it be his parents at home or kids at school, it amazes me that he was able to overcome all of that and be the man he is today. Which leads me to what I admire most about him which has to be his determination and belief in himself and his ideas. He moved from South Africa to Canada with next to nothing, worked odd jobs, found a way to put himself through school, sold some of his early start-ups for millions, and then used that money to bet on himself yet again with SpaceX and Tesla even though others thought he was crazy. One of his faults however, may be his view on hard work. I think Elon sees hard work and work as one and the same, which makes him harder on himself and those around him than is probably enjoyable for anyone involved. At the same time though, that simply may be what it takes to do some of the things he is doing.
Finally, if I could ask Mr. Musk two questions I'd ask him how he feels his childhood experiences have shaped who he is today, and I'd also ask him if he expects people will ever live on Mars some day.

12A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

I interviewed three friends of mine who are all big sports fans and also enjoy their fair share of betting. Here's what I learned:

Most avid bettors are already fairly comfortable using Bovada for placing bets and/or DraftKings/Fanduel for daily fantasy sports. However, my interviewees all said that if there had been a trusted all-in-one site when they first became aware of their need they would have taken advantage. Instead, they all heard of sites through their friends, or through TV ads and decided to get into it. Basically, they took whatever was placed in front of them rather than delving into a google search.

As far as articles, only two of my interviewees consistently read articles for betting and daily fantasy updates. The other said he usually just goes with his gut and his own knowledge most of the time but said that if articles were more readily accessible he'd be more inclined to read them. The one's who do read often use apps like Bleacher Report to gather information since the app is easy to use and provides links to articles as a feed of the latest tweets from experts. If they aren't using an app like B/R, they said they'll probably google something along the lines of "best lines for this weekend" reading whatever articles it returns.

I think my idea would fill the unmet needs of this segment by combining their interests, and providing them with convenient access to information rather than forcing them to use the multitude of apps and websites they are currently using.

11A Idea Napkin No. 1

I'm Jack Moletteire, I'm a sophomore at the University of Florida studying Business with a minor in Statistics, and additionally I'm a huge sports fan. That said, I've gathered a lot of knowledge and experience from both my time in school and in my time following sports, which has made up the better part of my life so far. In that time, I've learned a lot about how to communicate, manage my time, and build relationships, and I have a pretty good understanding of the wants and needs of the everyday sports fan since I've spent most of my life teetering between casual and hardcore fan.

My idea is for a sports betting site that also offers daily fantasy sports, as well as links to articles from other sites offering insight, analysis, and tips for upcoming events. Right now, sports gambling just became legal in most U.S. states which means the gambling world is playing a little bit of catch-up as far as convenience, accessibility, and integration. Despite the popularity of both betting and daily fantasy, there's currently no site offering both, and only a handful of sites offering either at all. Additionally, while everyday a plethora of articles are written on the best lines for the weekend, the best daily fantasy plays, etc. no betting or daily fantasy site provides their own analysis or any link to these sort of articles. Basically what I'm offering to potential customers is a one-stop-shop for sports gambling. It'd be a place where sports fans and gamblers from anywhere in the world could come to read up on the latest news before putting some money down.

What sets this apart is that it's something that isn't currently being offered anywhere else. All of these services are currently spread about the internet, with no site putting them all in one place. You can google articles on the best lines for this weekend, then go to Bovada and place your bets, then google this weeks best daily fantasy players, then go to DraftKings/Fanduel and set your lineup, or you can just go to my site and find everything you need all in one place. Not to mention the site would be run by a fan, me, who also enjoys betting and thus would constantly be looking for ways to make the service better.

However, I get that it can all sound really good and still not work out for whatever reason. I think the convenience is a strength but it might not be strong enough to pull customers from their current providers. The articles are also a good idea in my opinion, but if other sites aren't willing to let me provide links to their articles it'd have to be scratched.