The one person who would be an expert on the location I would be offering my service is the School Board Principal of the county that I am trying to break into. I set up a meeting with the Principal to pitch my idea and receive feedback as well as understand the regulations I will face. During the meeting, he explained that while the idea was a great one. I would have to have all employees background cheeped which can take up to 6 weeks and setup meetings with the Principal of each individual school to figure out how to plan the event without any disruption to the learning environment. Also, I was informed that if this made a profit a portion of it would have to go back to the school board.
2) One person must be an expert in your domain
Since my product is really a service to be offered through the school system I thought an expert in my domain would be most likely the leader of the Scholastic Book Fairs thats get brought to all schools. They target the same exact people, young kids and their families, and they are also a an outside organization that goes into schools independently. The starter of the book fair was an entrepreneur who had an idea to make reading fun and enticing for kids. I found him after googling about the startup of the book fair that has been the highlight of many kids elementary and middle school experiences. After talking with him I found out some great tips about dealing with the school system and how to really get them on your side rather than make it harder to deal with their rules.
After believing for a while that this food fair concept was an unique idea to me, I was proven wrong once researching a bit. I found that in some school districts in Oregon there is a similar ai started by a mom who wanted hr kids to try new foods. After finding her email, she explained to be that her company started off small, just few moms making dishes and a pop up tent. Then she explained that more people got involved and liked the idea so the business grew. She recommended starting small and working out the kinks first and then allowing it to grow over time. She also said that it is better to start small because it will warm people up to the idea and make them curious, growing overall interest and involvement.
Finally: Reflect
I think that this set of targeted individuals has been the most helpful of anyone I have contacted yet. They really gave me advice that would allow me to get the ball moving on actually crating this business. I now know the ext steps I would have to take and the exact ways to go about creating this business.
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteWhen writing feedback for your second Idea Napkin, I did not fully realize that your main customer base would be schools. That is a great choice considering that while they may not have a NEED for culturally diverse food choices, you can convince the school system that if they are to truly represent learning in children, an important part of that is exposing them to other cultures and ideas. I think you contacted fantastic experts and gathered some important information from your interviewees. Great work!
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteI am excited about the contacts that you established for the assignment. I found each of them very interesting and great resources to have in your corner. I will say I was very impressed that you spoke to the person who started the Scholastic Book Fairs. As a kid, we don't realize that those things are 3rd party businesses that have to go through a lot of paperwork to become a staple in schools every year. It was like a rush of memories and now the dots are connecting when I think about their business model. I really think that you can pull of your idea well if you follow their same pattern. Although, you have to worry about food allergies, I think the part about it not being a disturbance is easy to overcome. Keep finding great individuals likes these to work with!
Hi there Brooke! Super great job doing this blog post. It is very well-written and put together. The fact that your main customer base would be schools is very smart and well-thought out. It seems to me that any school would like to partake in your idea and would definitely benefit from it!
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