14A - Halfway Reflection

1. You must always plan ahead. It is smart to keep a schedule so you know when to work ahead in case you miss anything. All of the posts are easy points every week, you just need to make sure you do them. Stay focused as well.

2. Everytime I have to write about something I don't want to, I have to force myself to do it. There is no point in complaining, you just need to do it. Just like Nike said, just do it. Don't overthink it, don't underthink it, just do it. I feel like I have developed a tenacious attitude, because you can't give up in this course, once you do, you fail. I would say doing these assignments every week makes you tenacious in some mental form.

3. I would start off by saying that you always need to be checking yourself, to make sure you aren't forgetting anything. Stay focused on your work, because it is very important in this class. Secondly, I would say, make sure you are using your resilience to fuel your creativity. Lastly, just do not give up no matter what you do.

15A- Figuring out Buyer Behavior Part 2

I interviewed two of my friends, Josh and Marc. I also interviewed a fellow employee at Massage Envy. Oftentimes price does matter the most, but they said that if it has to do with health, then the price does not matter as much, if something is necessary. Quality matters the most when it comes to necessity they all said, not luxury. Style only matters if it is something personal or holds sentimental value, two of them said. The other person said style doesn't matter at all to him. They all agreed that there are a mix of factors that contribute to buyer behavior and it's impossible to narrow it down to one.

My clients are not going to the store or paying online for my service, they are coming to my studio. They are receiving the recording I give to them and whatever else they might need. They all said that they would most likely pay in cash or venmo. I think the quality is what matters most to my customers when the purchase is complete and they are viewing their product. I think when they listen back to their recordings and hear that it came out well, they will feel positive about the experience because they know they got their money worth. I think people believe they made a bad decision when they look back at the quality and they realize they were ripped off.

Overall, my interviews were very helpful because they let me know all the things that goes through consumers heads when they are in the buying process. Often times it is the cost that matters the most, but when something is needed versus just wanted, the cost is not the most important, but rather the quantity. It also greatly depends on one's budget. If the budget is low, then cost might always be the most important factor. My interviewees also agreed that my customers will be able to tell if I did them a good deal, when they look back on their product and listen to their recordings and they seem professional. This was an awesome exercise and I learned a lot.

13A - Reading Reflection #1

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance

1. What surprised me the most was the plan Elon Musk creating for his future endeavors. It seems as though he already had a life strategy before he even made any money. Once he did, he knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he did it, by starting all three of his companies. I think I admired his courage the most. It takes a lot of courage to tell the world you have giant dreams, and it takes even more courage to actually follow through with it. I least admired his sense of pride, because although I think he's doing great things, I think he could be more humble about it. I think when leaders show their pride, it only hurts the mission they are aiming to complete. There were countless times that he faced adversity. Many people on the stock market said his company would tumble, but it hasn't and it has continued to soar. There have also been many failures in his company including Tesla and Space X. He has just been persistant and has not given up.

2. The competencies he exhibited were that of patience, courage, intelligence, strategy, empathy, opportunity awareness, and execution. All of these are very important characteristics, but I think execution is one of the most important. This is because it is the only way to bring all of these other charactersitics to life.

3. The confusing part to me was trying to understand what was the point in bringing some of the companies public, while some of them stayed private. I was confused on trying to understand the benefits of both ways,

4. I would ask him what was the moment he realized he could create and follow his dreams, because I think that is very important in overcoming all self-doubt that holds you back from self- actualizing. I would also ask him what he lives for, because it takes a very strong sense of purpose to create your reality the way he currently is.

5. I think hard work for him is outsmarting the system. Not only outsmarting the system, but creating a better system. This is also my interpretation of hard work, because I don't always think it is the hardest worker who makes the most change, it is the person who works in the smartest way.

12A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior #1

1. The segment I picked is that of college students who are also musicians that have music on 1-3 platforms.

2. I interviewed my friends Pedro, Ross, and Corey.

3. After asking them questions on their needs, Ross and Pedro said that they have never recorded any music before and they therefore have no clue how it works. Corey has recorded songs before, so he is more familiar with the process. They said they only need my service when they are done writing out their lyrics, because they can do that in the comfort of their home. As soon as they are done though, they are ready to hop in the studio and start recording so they can upload their content on their platforms. The reason they all said they would need my service is because they don't have the equipment or experience. They have only dabbled in writing and have not expanding into the different services I provide. They also all agreed that this unmet need arises after the writing stage and when they finally decide they want to upload to their profiles.

4. Ross and Pedro have told me that they have tried looking for local producers to help them record and to also sell them instrumentals. They told me they have looked on Youtube and Google, but have not found anyone nearby them. This means that they need someone in the area. Corey has recorded before, so he said that he usually contacts his old producers to see if they have time to do so. If not, he is out of options. They usually search on Google, "Nearby Producers" or "Local Producers". This sometimes brings people's websites up.

5. I learned that most people who have this unmet need follow the same protocol. They start by researching things online, and then move to friends and family to hopefully find someone who can do this service for them. I learned that they do not give up though. They keep searching until they do find someone, even if the service isn't the best quality. It showed me that people are willing to put in a lot of work to find someone who can help them, and that showed me that there is a large demand with a smaller supply.

6. I think this segment is the most popular because it is around the young adult, college age that people start exploring creatively. That is at least when I started as well. It is during this time that people start forming their dreams, and once the dreams are set, they need to form a plan to achieve them. With that being said, my service provides this segment with exactly what they need to continue following their dreams.

11A - Idea Napkin #1

1. I am Parker Strickman. I am a musician who has recently learned the mechanics and fundamentals of sound engineering. I can create orchestra instrumentals and have been doing so for the past year and a half. I want to eventually create an album. If I start my own production company or recording studio, I could see it really helping me meet new people as well as refine my skills.

2. I am offering my customers personalized recording, mixing, and mastering sessions so they can make their music sound more professional. I will also be selling instrumentals and music videos.

3. I would say the demographic of my customers is the age of 16-30 mostly. Definitely people who are into music, but do not have the equipment or skillset to record professionally. All of my customers have one thing in common, they all want to create music or music videos. 

4. The reason this service is valuable is because the main barricade for most musicians is equipment. Even when they buy the sometimes expensive equipment, it can take months to years to fully understand how to use it. My business partner and I have years of experience together and can handle all of the work for you.

5. Music is all about creativity. It isn't the amount of time we have in experience that sets us apart, it is about the unique style we both have gained over the years. Only we have our style, and that's something that no one else has. The only way people will find out, is if they try us out. 

I do think all of these aspects compliment each other. Every facet is important when you are creating content. It takes creativity, experience, equipment, and passion. Most importantly, it takes a lot of marketing in order to make a name for yourself. Once you have the marketing, the quality of the music is very important, and that's were the creativity comes in. 

10A- Elevator Pitch #1

9A- Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

After conducting my five interviews, I realized several common themes. Although most of the people I interviewed agreed that many people would need my service, in order to progress with their career, they also said that there would be people who would not need my service, considering they already know exactly how to record, mix, master, and make instrumentals. I agree with this notion. There will definitely be people who have the experience needed to create professional songs and music videos. There will people who have the experience, but don't have the equipment, and there will be people will both aspects. Based on the what question, the most common answer was that I was offering very different services in one. They said that my biggest distinction was between music and video. They said that the mixing, mastering, and recording aspect all encompassed music, but the music video facet encompassed film, which is a lot different. They also said that I would not only be recording music for them, but I was also giving them a professional sound. That is very important in music, because the quality is very similar to a first impression. I am providing two different mediums of art, but keeping them under the same umbrella company. Lastly, they all pretty much had the same answer to the why question. They said that the reason the outsider's need is different, is because they do not need the same services, mostly because they can provide it for themselves. Even the outsiders may still want to buy instrumentals though. However, they may already know how to make instrumentals as well. Overall, everyone gave me very similar answers, and they agreed that my outsiders were mostly the well-experienced musicians who already owned all the equipment necessary to run my services.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is In -Musicians who have little technological  experience and no equipment to record themselves	Who is Not -Musicians that already have all of the skills and equipment necessary to create professional songs and music videos
What the Need Is -The skills required to record, mix, and master songs,  as well as create instrumentals and music videos	What the Need Is Not -The need is not mandatory, as many people do not actually need the service I provide
Why the Need Exists	Alternative Explanations -Many people record music off of their phones, and although it is not the best quality music, it is  still uploaded to platforms like  Soundcloud, and has the potential to garner many views

-Lots of musicians do not have the skills and
knowledge necessary to make professional
sounding songs

8A- Solving the Problem

The opportunity that I have selected revolves around the lack of producers, recorders, and studio equipment in South Florida. There are a lot of upcoming rappers and singers that know how to write music, but don't know how to make that into a real song. It takes someone who knows how to properly record, master, and mix these lyrics into an official song. It also takes someone who knows how to make a real instrumentals, in order to cover every aspect of production. Music videos are also often very difficult to make as well. Of course anyone can create a video on iMovie, but there are many people who have years of experience under their belts.

The product I am selling to customers is instrumentals. These would be transferred in the form of MP3's, and would be paid for in credit through my website. The service I am providing, is the recording and videoing equipment needed to film professional music videos and record professional songs. My team of audio engineers and videographers will provide these services for anyone in South Florida in need of these skills and equipment. We will do our marketing through stickers and flyers, in which we will disperse in popular places that younger people usually go. Our schedule will allow us to book musicians at certain times in order to work with the most people efficiently. We can provide anything from an instrumental to a full music video and recorded song.