What's Next?

Current Venture

It is time to find the right people for my organization. Although there are a few, I really need to get the word out for this organization to grow and in order to have the kind of impact that I truly want. In order to do so, I must be able to advertise to my target audience.

Here are three potential customers and what I got out of interviews with them.

Makai Lovett
Makai told me that although he liked the spirit of my idea, there are many flaws. One of these flaws is that I am disregarding an important part of what's keeping a lot of people in these unfortunate situations. One of my flaws is that there are many who self medicate with substances and these substances keep them down. Makai told me that my organization would have no control over how these substances affect the people in the neighborhoods he grew up in.

Jonathan Parks
Jonathan has lived in Gainesville for 30 years and moved here because of the support systems that Gainesville has to offer. Jonathan told me that in order to stand out, I would have to include something drastically innovative with my organization rather than it is "self rejuvenating". He said that many organizations are like this and mine would not be the first especially in Gainesville.

Lola Johnson
Lola just turned 19 and she believes that I have a lot going for me with my mentorship program. But she said there must be an appeal to younger people. From what I have included in my mentorship program so far, it wouldn't appeal to my target audience. I need to do a better job motivating potential customers.

Because of what these potential customers told me, there is still a lot that I need to think about in order to improve this venture. The first of which is the need to rebrand in order to appeal to a younger audience. I must also find a way to make the organization for innovative. I believe I will be able to think of more innovations for the organization as my hands get dirtier.

I also understand that drugs are a problem in Gainesville that is next to impossible to solve on my own. Because of this, I will try to use rehabilitation centers as recommended resources and also help the organization know that some of the problems that we are attempting to deal with are very much out of our control.

Future Venture:

Here is my radically different market: Those who have good jobs, but in areas that are easily automated. Unfortunately there are 3.5 million truckers, 1.3 million accountants, and many many other workers whether they be white collared or blue collared who are at risk for being unemployed due to automation. Because of this, my mentorship program will be targeting a more affluent group of people in order to train them for other fields that are less likely to be automated such as electricians, linemen, and plumbers.

Jackson Blakely:
Jackson, or as others call him, Jacks is a trucker. The moment I began talking about my opportunity, he told me he completely understands what I am doing and told me more that I can do with the opportunity. Jacks says that he spends most of his time on the road and hasn't had the time to get a college education or any other skill sets and he believe he will probably be seeking out other opportunities in the future in order to provide for his family.

Jill Goslinga
I appraoched Professor Goslinga, knowing she wasn't at risk for having her job taken, but because she may be able to give me more insight about this topic. She is a CPA, a lawyer, and a professor of Financial Accounting. But she does understand that some people at entry level jobs who deal with things such as bookkeeping may be at risk of having their job taken. But she also believes that others will be able to do more with their career with the help of machines. She does support me because accounting will get more competitive in the future and those who may have put all their eggs in one basket may need mentorship to decide what they will do with their life.

This market is radically different and my venture would need to adapt substantially in order to better suit it. I do however believe that it is the right thing to do. The economy is in drastic times which call for drastic measures. Adapting people to that economy should be priority.