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BUSINESS MODEL IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT

The Business model and implementation class has been a great addition to the other business model based classes. This class presented a lot of information that is meant to assist students with critical thinking around the subject of internal management. I've been able to make key decisions concerning my business this month. I've been able to challenge previous answers by asking myself specific questions. Week 2 allowed us to form 5 key questions that are important to internal operations and direction. This was awesome and allowed me to mull over some things that I had not previously not fully decided on. The Feedback loop assignment was also very helpful. It asks some very important questions like: how early are you involving your customers? This helped me assess things properly. One of the things I love to do is to create presentations based on my business because it helps me think through every logical step of explaining the business process. The week 4 final presentation helped me keep that hobby going. In the future, I plan to implement this month's material by keeping this information documented for my own personal annual reviews. I'll review my school work annually to stay true to principal and consider my findings each time.

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Business Model Presentation and Thesis Mastery Journal Assignment

During this Business Model Presentation course I did something I didn't think I would do before the end of this year. I named and started my venture. This made the tone of this course very unique for me as my focuses begin to go from full-time 9-5 work and school work, to the addition of startup work. That being said, this course allowed me to finalize some things that I did not get to finalize previously. My business model presentation and my Smart Canvas have never been fully completed as I continued the planning and pre-phase stage of my business. Now that I am up and running, I find that it is easier to complete these presentations without being swayed by every idea that comes to mind. The business road map and the audience awareness pitch helped me to hone in on the specifics of my businesses brand presentation. I felt that I was able to focus more on the business to business side of interactions, rather than the business to customer interaction that I had been focused on more often. Going forward, I'm happy to have taken this course and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to tie up loose ends in my business model. I will keep the course assignments that I've completed and I've also copied and pasted some of my instructor feedback into my own startup notes. I want to take this constructive criticism and build a more fruitful company. I always find it difficult to write term papers and APA style argument based essays now that I am in business, so I was glad to find that most of the materials for this class required a presentation or document completion. I will have to go back and correct my previous class' finished assignments with my business's official name and information now that I can say that I'm a business owner. The next step is to apply what I've learned here.

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Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs Class Goals and Accomplishments

This month I’ve immersed myself in the marketing side of the 3D Film business that I am building while obtaining my Master of Science in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This class delved into topics like branding, marketing strategy, budget and scale. I found myself questioning decisions I made months ago to eliminate costs or to gain a lower barrier to entry. This class helped me become more concrete in my marketing plan. Whereas I would have went with many assumptions previously, now I am looking to add more routed information based on studies and based on a more specific target market. 

I think it was very helpful to create the website as prompted by our instructor. This helped me to decide how I need to approach presenting our films and our humanitarian efforts. I had to make tough decisions about leaving personal branding behind as a way of committing the brand to myself, and going with a business name that stands alone. Changing the name and taking a very innovation-centered approach will allow us to connect our brand to meaningful entertainment brands and to sustain our place in this very new and important industry. 

Another key change this month has been to our marketing strategy. As we build out our stories and form relationships with North Eastern USA humanitarian organizations, we must shift our marketing focus from an all inclusive, family entertainment market, to a 25-35 year old female millennial market. The major reason for this change is due to our huge connection to humanitarian efforts. With a business that will be so focused on community initiatives, we will need to build our entertainment base around the crowd who supports those efforts the most. We want to be "netflix for millennial humanitarians," rather than to try to be netflix. 

Taking this class was an absolute challenge due to circumstances outside of classwork, however, I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb when I say this class has impacted me the most so far. I will take the tools, lessons and notes with me as I close the building phase of my business and start locking in plans to hit the ground running. 

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Entrepreneurial Finance Course

In this course I expected to take a deep dive into one off the toughest parts of creating an entertainment business. Finance. Imagination often takes creative minds to the edge of the universe and back, however, finance does the necessary job of grounding a creative. 

This month I had to eat my vegetables. The course challenged me to work out how exactly the company would stay afloat, if not thrive. What everything would cost from start up to 12 month projections. I will undoubtedly use these projections in real time. I am glad I went through the process so I can understand how exactly I will go about starting my business successfully.

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Legal Issues for Entrepreneurs

My unique objective for this course was to figure out how to apply a plan of action to my thought. Being a craftsman myself, I've been soaked with content online about the stuff to be fruitful in the music business. I'm continually running over a music official offering their input about what the most significant advances are to take. There is by all accounts a consistent idea in the entirety of their conversations and I need each craftsman to have those fundamental standards as a primary concern while examining their fantasy.

My objective was surpassed by the course through the readings and the assignments, however for the most part through companion criticism. It was incredible to ricochet my 140 character motto off of my schoolmates and to have them tare it to pieces before me (my heart!). All joking aside, the criticism was incredibly required and above all it was all productive. Everybody gave me a moment of clarity with their reactions and I feel happier for it.

I will apply the material from this class by beginning with my last marketable strategy. I presently comprehend which model is best for my and why different models are not for me.

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Business Model Development: Mastery Journal Assignment

My original goal for this course was to learn how to apply a business model to my idea. Being an artist myself, I’ve been saturated with content online about what it takes to be successful in the music industry. I’m always coming across a music executive giving their opinion about what the most important steps are to take. There seems to be a common thread in all of their discussions and I want every artist to have those main principles in mind while perusing their dream. 

My goal was exceeded by the course through the readings and the assignments, but mostly through peer feedback. It was great to bounce my 140 character slogan off of my classmates and to have them tare it to shreds in front of me (my heart!). In all seriousness, the feedback was greatly needed and most importantly it was all constructive. Everyone gave me an aha moment with their responses and I feel better off for it. 

I will apply the material from this class by getting started with my final business plan. I now understand which model is best for my and why the other models are not for me. 

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Full Sail Business Feasibility

This Business Feasibility course was a very interactive course. We were asked to reach out to our target market to discuss our idea with them so that we can gauge how to pivot and add to our start-up. My goal for this course was to develop the ability to gauge the feasibility of a business start-up using new methods. I learned, through this course, that new methods are not necessary. Simply reaching out to the target consumer is all that is needed to get their perspective. My goal was met by this course by helping me understand that the most valuable way to gauge business feasibility is to have a relationship with a portion of the end users. There are ways to automate this process as well, such as growing a following on social media by providing content pertaining to subjects surrounding the product. After this, all that is needed is to ask that audience what they think about the product. This is a sure fire way to stay close and in contact with those who will likely be the users of the product.

When thinking about how to apply the material to my personal and professional life, I must admit that I’ll likely apply the course content in a conceptual way. Instead of throwing caution to the wind, I’ll be more willing to ask questions to the consumer and really hear from them first. Doing this not only assures me that the consumer is interested, but it assures me that they feel connected to the process of creating the product. Many times products can be created without gauging whether or not they will be relevant to the end user. Business feasibility is about stopping that habit, and involving the customer early in the creation process, as mentioned in “The Lean Startup,” a book we’ve been studying for the last 3 months.

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Mastery: PDL timeline goal for Product Design and Development Course Online

This product Design and Development course has caused me to rethink the detail behind product design. My original goal was to glean as much information as possible so that I could gauge what process will work for me, when I begin to start creating my own product. I had already started reading Tim Reis book “The Lean Start Up,” which helped me to come into this class with a strong idea of what I should be aiming to learn. However, the knowledge obtained during this course has caused me to change the way I view product design. Each interview was informative, and also possessed great quotes from various historical leaders.

My product development process is much clearer than when I first begin taking this class. When I began the class, I was focused on fleshing out my own ideas without too much thought concerning whether customers would need what I am offering. I imagined that customers would of course need my product, and all I would have to do would be to gauge their response after launch to make small improvements to my product. The reality is that the customer should be thought of, far before the product release. In fact, the customer base should have already confirmed their need for the product prior to the beta creation process, using a minimum viable product to test their interest level.

Using the resources and the knowledge gained from this class, I will look to flesh out my product plan by involving the customer from the first step. I want to ask them what they want and work backwards from there. I will stay within my industry, because I am comfortable with my own level of expertise, and focus on knowing my target market. In today’s business climate, the businesses that know and have a working relationship with their customers directly, benefit hundreds of times over.

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BVR Mastery Journal Nov 2019

My original goal for the Full Sail University Business Venture Research class was to challenge myself to dive deeper into the methods behind sound business research. My aim was to leave the class with a full understanding of the importance and step by step process of effective research. I created these goals in part because I know that research is necessity that I had often previously overlooked. I’ll correct myself by saying “effective research,” eluted my previous ventures. This class was an opportunity for me to add business research skills to my tool belt.

The goal was met this course through informative readings and useful assignments. One of the most impactful learning points for me was the Business Research that I completed for the company Zappos. The Zappos research helped me understand the basics of investor pitching and idea formation. The assignment caused me to realize that great start ups are formed from a genuine interest and also a genuine big market need. Finding the right start up idea truly is a sweet spot between passion, demand, industry size and branding.

I learned from most of the material presented this month. One of my favorite articles has become “The 5 C’s of opportunity identification (Circumstance, Context, Constraints, Compensating Behaviors and Criteria).” I love this article because of the compensating behaviors. I had never before thought to reverse engineer start ups through customer compensation behavior. In short, the aspiring entrepreneur can simply study their target audience in search of the routine tasks that they may struggle with on a day to day (or week to week) basis.

After identifying this, they will spend significant time researching and preparing a product to solve the pain point. Afterwards, the product launches and almost always converts well.  I also enjoyed The idea evaluation check list, Identifying and Segmenting your Target Market on Lynda.com amd 10 Lessons Learned in 22 Years of Bootstrapping. I’ll apply this material to my personal life by being sure I start to see business opportunities as research opportunities instead of moving forward believing that the business has no potential to fail.

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Entrepreneurship and Innovation Course Review - Full Sail University

My original goal for this course was to match my process for creating a business against industry research to gauge the likelihood that it would produce a successful business. In short, I wanted to test my business strategy knowledge. In the end, I did just that. I learned where my strategy skill was lacking and I developed new ways to think about business innovation and development.  The most informative parts of this course were both the iDEO human product development strategies and this weeks content concerning the art of innovation. Diana Kander’s TED talk completely changed my perspective as she shared her story about being attacked after having learned martial arts.

My strategy process has shifted quite a bit this month. I've implemented a "customer first" approach to product design and to business development. I have learned to implement processes faster and use incremental failures to drive success. After reviewing multiple social entrepreneurs, I noticed that their personal brands were embedded into the business as well. I had to change my thinking a bit, because I had a hard and fast rule that I would not appear in front of camera. This is unrealistic, I now believe. While it will be a challenge for someone like myself who is an introvert, it will also be most rewarding.

This class has mended a lot of my thinking concerning entrepreneurship. It was very informational and provided me with sound advice. I do believe entrepreneurship is an open term that can be used to explain many different types of business ownership. This class helped me to hone in on my particular skill and offering. I was able to strip my development process down to replace some non productive aspects with things I’ve learned in this class. I now find it far more effective to include social aspects to the goals of a business, and I did not feel that way prior to taking this course.

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Week 4 Project: MultiMedia Video Resume

This exercise is awesome for many reasons! The main reason, for me, is because I get to showcase what I do best, audio/video production. Here is my multimedia video resume! 

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Reflection: RISE Self-Evaluation

This activity is one of the most important activities that each class will offer. Reflecting on the class gives an opportunity for the student to pause and assess what worked and what didn’t. Here is my RISE self-evaluation review. 

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Reflection: RISE Peer Review

I had the opportunity to review Jenna William's mock interview. Jenna, I think one of the interesting things about the video is that you do a great job portraying both the interviewer and interviewee. You seem to have a great dialogue going between you and yourself. Haha. But seriously, you do sound as if you have interviewed or worked for a recruiting team previously. Another interesting fact is that you have traveled around the country as a marketer for a major news source. Working for a huge name in the journalism industry must have given you confidence as a saleswoman, and being able to sell yourself. You do come across as confident and secure in your ability to work hard. I do have a question about your experience pertaining to the music industry. Being a marketer seems to apply many of the skills needed to be a booking agent as well. However, there are some differences between the two jobs. Is the job for a marketing rep or a booking agent? I just wanted to be clear about that. Also what degree have you obtained from FullSail? I believe you mentioned having your degree, but it would be great to hear which one so that the employer knows exactly how your schooling relates to your ability to do the job well. I think you did an amazing job in coming up with the 3 extra questions. The interview seemed well thought out and so similar to what would be said in a real interview. One of the best things about this exercise is that it gets you thinking thoroughly about what prospective employers will likely say during the interview process. This way you are more prepared for many of the questions that you would otherwise not have thought of before the interview. Your final question was great. Asking what the employer sees for you is an awesome question. Another way to say it would be "How do you define a successful Marketing/Booking agent?" This way the employer takes the time to tell you exactly how you can thrive in the position while also giving you higher consideration for caring enough to ask such questions. Overall, I think you did a wonderful job creating this project. Stating the position title and your specific degree title help make things a little clearer, however, besides those small adjustments, I believe your interview is a great example of how to prepare.

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Week 3 Analysis: Company Questions

This week I’ll draft 5 questions that are important to ask a prospective employer after the interview process. These questions are important because they show initiative and also help to understand the position and the opportunities it will afford.

1. What are the opportunities for growth in this position? 2. In your company’s eyes, how is success defined at this position? 3. Are overtime hours available if the work should require such? 4. How much travel is required per year? 5. How does this position relate to the companies long term goals?

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Week 2 Project: Reaching Out to Target Employers

My Industry contact is Kesean Joseph - Communications Team Affiliate for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, U.S. House of Representatives LinkedIn Profile. 

Here is my email: 

Subject Line: I’m a media expert, who would like to be on your team!

Professional greeting: Greetings Mr. Joseph, 

Body: I’m a motivated and driven audio, video and communications expert with over 10 years of video editing and comprehensive media experience. I have a track record of success creating brand campaign ads, designs, and content that has attracted committed viewership. Here is my website link.

Call To Action: I’m reaching out to you because I love the work you do with your blog and editing technique lessons. I’m adamant about connecting with you so that I can both learn from you and serve you as an educated and willing apprentice. I’d like you to take a look at my website and tell me what you think of it. I’d love for you to give me valuable feedback, that I can use to improve my skill. Thank you for your time. 

Closing: Kind regards, 

Sean Plummer Media Consultant Official Website

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Week 2 Practice: Networking Events & Organizations

Seminar - How to Market your Business on the internet https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-market-your-business-on-the-internet-a-score-workshop-tickets-30662963750?aff=es2

Local Business - The Bananaland http://thebananaland.com/#gallery

Networking events are very powerful tools to creating partnerships and drumming up business in your local area. The best part about these events is the food. Kidding! But seriously, seminar pastries are usually tasty. Aside from the food, usually there is the chance that you will make one very fruitful connection that will lead to opportunity for you. The pending seminar titled “How to Market your Business on the Internet” will revolve around the internet environments of media channels, directories, social communities and search engines. Generating business leads online will be a key talking point, along with a Q&A session. The Bananaland is located in beautiful Bridgeport, CT. They pride themselves on contributing to their community and neighborhoods greater good. They are a unique branding company that makes their projects snap, crackle, and pop.

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Week 1 Exploration: Identifying Industry Jobs and Keywords

In this activity, we learn how to use keywords and phrases that are found in the job descriptions as a part of your social media profile and/or resume. This activity greatly increases the chances of being seen by prospective employers by using the language that they want to hear.

JOB 1

KEYWORDS

JOB 2

KEYWORDS

KEYWORDS or PHRASES 

Camera live productions video digital entertainment gear maintenance screens skills audio commercial control equipment installation services systems test video visual a/v Contract position willing to travel commitment to excellence Understanding of Adobe Cloud Professional editing experience

SUMMARY

As I transition from student to employee, I believe my ideal career job title would be video technician. I’ve searched for jobs that pertain to video editing and production. Many of these jobs use similar keywords. I’ll use certain keywords like audio installation and technician in my linkedIn summary space. These words are foundational to what I’ll offer as a consultant and technician. Phrases like “Professional editing experience” and “Contract position” I want to use in my bio concerning the work I’ve previously done.