julmarey-blog

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FBlog #14

The semester is coming to an end and it is time for the final pitching of our product. The final schedule is not yet announced but we are expecting it to be within next week. Our product, the mechanized sweeper is still 90% finished. It is still 90% finished for the handle are yet to attached and we were yet to try it with our potential customers. With the business plan being set aside, the team was able to give more attention in our production and construction of our pitch deck.

To make the production faster we divided the task and designated the team members to their assigned task. Since the business plan is set aside, the things left for us to do is now lessened. What we did was that we assigned a member to make the wheels, another member for the brush and another for the pitch deck. By doing this, we were able to finish the job faster than we expected.

Next week Monday we will be finalizing our product and our pitch deck. By Monday, we will be assembling the sweeper and test run it with our potential customers. Also, we will be discussing and finalizing our pitch deck. We will be discussing the pitch deck among the members to be prepared for the panel's questions.

This week I have learned a very important lesson. Leading a team isn't easy. A leader must be firm in making decisions but also open-minded to new ideas. Being firm without having the attitude of listening to new ideas will only bring chaos within the team. Also in business one must refrain of having the attitude of talking about taking the responsibility to assure the other members. Talking about taking responsibility without actually doing it will only break the team’s timeline, balance and trust. Also, members should not become dependent unto the other. Members should update and monitor each other on the progress of the project. This way, everyone will be reminded of the task they are assigned to.

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FBlog #13

Final pitching is fast approaching and our product is still 80% finished. This week, we purchased the materials needed for the fabrication of the product. We bought a thin sheet of steel with 0.6 mm thickness. We made the casing of the sweeper using it. We chose to use thin sheet than plastic for it is much durable and easier to fabricate. It took us two days to completely finish the casing. As for the wheels and brush, we are still trying to figure it out.

The plan for the wheels we initially had did not work. The wheel’s design could not achieve its designated purpose. So the plans we made did not materialize. Now, the team is brainstorming on the alternatives we could make for our product to function properly. With this circumstances in mind we are also making our business plan and brochure at the same time. As for the business plan, all the members of the team took part in making it for us to be able to discuss the essential matters regarding our startup.

In business, plans are not followed perfectly. In business, circumstances will always be against your way. Whether it is personal, financial, manpower and many other. That is why it is always important for us entrepreneurs to be equipped with a lot of back-up plans that could carry the failed ones. It is very important in planning a business to oversee the possible drawback in the business and provide the necessary remedies. It is also important for entrepreneurs to be strong willed and collected for in business problems come unexpectedly.

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FBlog #12

Last week, we did an initial canvassing for the materials needed for our mechanized sweeper. We did the canvassing through online. We find online canvassing not so reliable for many of the materials are from foreign countries and the prices are quite expensive. Also, sizes for some of the materials did not fit the dimensions for our product. So our team did an actual canvassing of materials this week. We visited some local hardwares and looked for the materials we needed. Luckily, we found the materials we needed at a lower price than in the internet.

For our mechanized sweeper we will be using thin sheet for the casing. We decided to use thin sheet for it is easier to fabricate our product with it. Also, thin sheets will be less expensive than plastic. We found a hardware selling thin sheets at a lower price but the problem is that it is not thick enough to make our casing sturdy. So we searched and bought a thin sheet that is thicker but cost a liite more than the first one. As for the brush, we will be innovating some existing products. And for the wheels, we are yet to find the best fit for our design. Our product is still under construction and we will be we are planning to finish it by next week and do some test run. After that, we will then do some validation with our potential customers about our finished product.

In fabricating ones product, the one who designed and the one in charge of the finances should work simultaneously. There are cases that the designer gives a list of materials that would make its work perfect and durable without thinking of the materials cost. That is why a finance officer needs to work with the designer when it comes to materials cost to be able to suggedt if the materials cost will meet the budget allocated. Also, the designer should always be present in acquiring the materials for there are instances that the material is not available he/she could make the necessary adjustments.

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FBlog #11

Last week we discussed about channels. We discussed on how our products will get to our customers. On this topic, we were taught different ways on getting to our customers. Among the several types of channel, the team find the direct sales type of channel to fit with our product. Direct sales channel requires little to none business partners. For us, it will be more convenient and easier to handle business for their aren't a lot of business partners involve. Also, it becomes beneficial for our customers for the product's price will not hike up due to the additional prices given by resellers.

The team was able to decide to use direct sales channel due to the responses we got from our validation. Some of the people that we have interviewed were concerned if the price of our product will be so expensive. They said that the product was good but if the price is above 600 pesos they doubt if they could buy the product. To lessen the chances of having an expensive selling price, we will use direct selling. Also, this week we did an initial canvassing of the materials to be used. We found out that the partial material cost will roughly estimate to 250 pesos and the team is planning to sell it at 450 pesos.

Choosing the right channel is a very important aspect in a startup. Channels connect your startup to your customers. Failure to choose the right channel may ruin your products indentity to your customers. With our case we will be doing direct sales to avoid price hike on our product. Also with direct sales, we can easily track the business flow for there aren’t a lot of partnership involved.

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FBlog #10

Last week we have decided to iterate our potential users and costumers. Through our validations, we have learned that our potential users, the utility workers, serves as our influencer. We need to interview and validate our product with the utility workers and get their opinions about our product and how will it greatly help them in their daily work. We will be gathering comments and suggestions about our product and how will it be of favor to the utility workers.

After going through our potential user and influencer, we will then be validating with the decision maker and economic buyer which is the owners of the cleaning agencies. Even though if the utility workers of cleaning agencies will be loving ang wanting to use our product, they do not have the authority to recommend and decide on what cleaning tools they will be using. It is up to the owner whether if they can use this specific product or not. So our team contacted some of the owners of the cleaning agencies and we are waiting for some positive replies.

This week I have learned that a startup will just remain an idea without the time and devotion to really do it. You must be hands-on and focused in order for your idea to materialize. It requires a lot of time and effort to really make a startup work. If you ever decide to do a startup you must set your priorities first. Ask yourself if you could really do it and if it would really help you in achieving your goals. Also, it requires a lot of emotional and mental strenght for you will be facing different kinds of problems along the way.

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FBlog #9

Through the results of our validation for the past weeks, we noticed that households is not that of a good target market. For according to the people we interviewed, some of them said that it is not really a need to change their brooms into a mechanized sweeper for some reasons. One reason is that a lot of people with a average status in life does not live in spacious houses. They would prefer to use brooms for they will only be cleaning a small amount of space. Also, it is not that big of a hassle to clean an average size house with a broom. So, taking the advice of our professors we iterated our target users and customers. Then the team decided to pursue for cleaning service agencies.

This week, with our iterated questions we interviewed more of our potential users. We started interviewing utility workers from various cleaning agencies. Since utility workers cleans wide areas in their daily basis, we thought that our product will be of great help to them. Our assumption were quite correct for many of our interviewee has somewhat came up to the point of thinking for an easier way of sweeping the floor. For us easylife, it is somewhat a success for we have found our possible potential users. But along our interviews, we also found out that they cannot decide to recommend or request to their agency on what equipment they will be using. It is for the agency to decide on what product they will use.

With this results from our interviews, we came with a plan. We will be interviewing more utility workers and get their opinions about our product and how will it greatly help them in their daily work. We will be gathering enough proofs about the utility workers being favorable and wanting to use our product. After that we will then interview some of the owners of the cleaning agencies here in CDO and show them that our product will be of great help for their employees.

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Techno 101 – 9th Blog

The other week, our team was able to conclude that our major potential users are the cleaning agencies. So we decided to set an appointment with some of the agencies here in Cagayan de Oro. With the help of my colleague’s connections, we were supposed to interview the cleaning agency assigned with CEPALCO. Unfortunately, we were not able to set an appointment and do some evaluation.

To cope up for the time we lost, the team will double time this week. We will iterate and finalize the interview questions and set appointments to the owners of the cleaning agencies here in Cagayan de Oro. The more owners we interview the better, for we will have a wide range of ideas and suggestions coming directly from our potential customers.

Hoping that we will get responses as soon as possible so that we will be able to gather the data needed. Also, we are hoping that the results will be positive and favorable to us so that we could already start building our product. With the product present, we will then be able run some test on how much better it is to that of the currently available products.

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Techno 101 - 8th Blog

This week was a thrilling week for us for it is the pitching week already. Everyone was in a rush in finalizing their respective designs and presentations. We were all thrilled to see what will be the results of our hard work and efforts. With excitement also comes with anxiety. Although we are excited to see the fruit of our labor, we are also worried that our efforts will all be wasted. The thought of our idea being rejected still pops from our head. No matter how positive we think about our idea, there is still a chance that our start up will be rejected. Fortunately our team was able to relay the ideas we wanted to show and passed the pitching.

The pitching was of great help for us because through it, we were able to gain ideas on what are we going to do next and what are the things that we should be prioritizing first. In other words, it helped us organize and build a strategy. The comments of the panel made an impact on how and who are we going to sell our product. Through sir Bronson Mabulay’s comment, we were able to define clearly our target customers and competitors. Also through his comments, we gain insights on how are we going to outdo our competitors. Now with these insights we got from the pitching, our team is preparing to do more validations with our specific target users.

Through the pitching, our team was able to conclude that our major potential users are the cleaning agencies. Now, we are preparing to set an appointment with some of the agencies here in Cagayan de Oro. With the help of my colleague’s connections, we will be interviewing the cleaning agency assigned with CEPALCO. After validating, hoping that the results are favorable the team will then start building our product and do some test. We will then gather data on why our product is better than the other available products.

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Techno 101 - 7th Blog

We are now in the 8th week for our Technopreneurship class and it is just two weeks before the pitching day. Yet, the team decided to pivot and venture into a new startup. Our last venture was promising and we had high hopes for it but the problem is that we can’t make a value proposition with our costumer. It seems like the costumers we are focusing are just fine with the smoke they breathe and are not willing to pay the price for a cleaner exhaust air. With these circumstances we ventured into a new startup and it is the Mechanized Sweeper.

For our new venture we focused on targeting the households. Cleaning the house can sometimes be stressful. It requires a lot of time and effort specially when sweeping the floor. In sweeping the floor, we usually use the “silhig lanut” but the problem with it is that it has a short handle and as you swing the broom, the dust are being drawn back to where you have swept. Also according to those people that we have validated, they have experienced back pain due to constantly bending because of the short handle of the broom.

To solve these problems, we present the mechanized sweeper. This sweeper aims to reduce the effort and time consumed while sweeping the floor. The concept of this sweeper is the same as the vacuum cleaner; the difference is that it is wireless, does not consume energy and it is manually operated. With this product, sweeping the floor will become much easier and faster. It will reduce the stress you experience while cleaning your house.

With this new startup in mind, the team decided to validate our new product. We did a face to face interview to have a more accurate response from the possible users. With these interviews, we got positive responses from the people we have interviewed. They said that there is really a need for a product that could lessen the stress and time while sweeping. They also added that they are willing to buy the product for 200 to 500 pesos. Also, we visited some of the malls to see if a product similar to us is already available in the market. Luckily, we found none that is on display.

With the positive results from our initial validation, we are delighted for at last we are able to come up with a product that would sell in the market. Now, the team is planning to do more market validations to strengthen our proposal, also to prepare for the pitching. We have already started designing our product.

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Techno 101 – 6th Blog

It is already the 7th week and the pitching day is fast approaching. For the past few weeks, we were so busy looking for new ideas that could really solve a problem and yet our ideas were all rejected. The most stressful of them was the 6th week for our proposal was once again rejected. For this week we felt at ease a little for finally we have came up with a new startup. Our team believed that this start up could help both our environment and the people. The new start we came up with is a tailpipe exhaust filter.

Everyday we commute or travel with vehicles. It made our daily lives a lot easier and faster. We use it for private purposes, public and for business reason. We took it for granted and used it casually and vigorously. More and more cars are being manufactured and produced each year. Hence, the percentage of carbon emissions produced by vehicles became larger. With increase in carbon emissions, air pollution worsens. A research was conducted about air pollution and it shows that in the Philippines there are 11, 012 people died of respiratory problem due to polluted air. With this problem our team thought of a way that could help not only the community but also our environment.

So as I have said the idea we came up was a tailpipe exhaust filter for vehicles. Its purpose is to filter the harmful exhaust materials leaving the tailpipe due to incomplete combustions. These materials are the one harming the environment and the health of the people. This device can also improve the fuel efficiency of the car. Once the exhaust materials are being released from the engine, it will be filtered and prevented from being sucked back to the engine. According to experts, it will then increase the fuel efficiency of the car for better mileage.

For the team to be able to actualize this idea we came up with our first design and we decided to do some validations. Since PUJ and PUV seems to emit more harmful smokes, the team decided to validate with them first. And as for the manufacturing, we will see if we can do it ourselves or look for partnership for the manufacturing. We will also validate the materials used and see if the price is affordable.

With this idea, we are hoping that we will finally pass the proposal stage and proceed for the next steps. Also our team has high hopes for this start up for we are not only helping the community but also our mother nature.

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Techno 101 - 5th Blog

This week is a problematic week for us. We got our results for our first proposal and as anticipated it was rejected. Sir Bronson Mabulay made it clear that if it was a “Queuing Solution” it is rejected. So the team decided not to iterate the proposal anymore. As a result, our team ventured to our plan B start up which is the Buy and Sell website which is an online platform for students who needed to buy and sell affordable items with fast and easy transactions.

With this new start up in mind our team presented a Business Model Canvass. Here, we analyzed and determined our potential users. How are we going to connect with them and how are we going to plan and operate the start up once it is materialized. After completing our BMC, we decided to do a validation about our start up. We planned to interview potential users that could help us improve our BMC. Unluckily, this start up is once again rejected. The reason for its rejection was that it is not directly in line with our course.

Our team now struggles to find new ideas that can solve the problems and needs of the community. We struggle to find new ideas that involve mechanical principles with less production cost and that would be affordable for the potential users. For me, this week is the most stressful week so far. For we keep on worrying on coming up with a start up that would satisfy not only our potential users but also our instructors. We are also becoming more anxious for the presentation and pitching of the start up. The date of the pitching is just 2 to 3 weeks away and yet we could not still come up with a start up.

Since we just got the results for our proposal, our team is now looking and thinking of new ideas for our plan C. This time it is already clear that the start up we need to come up should be in line with our Mechanical Engineering course. Our team now will focus more on ideas that involves mechanical principles. We are hoping to come up with an idea that could cater the problems and needs of the community as soon as possible for us not to miss the pitching day.

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Techno 101 - 4th Blog

5th week, the results week. It is within this week we will be able to know whether we are going to pivot or proceed as planned with our start up. This week, our Technopreneurship instructors are evaluating our start ups. They will be the one to decide whether our start ups are plausible to materialize. To maximize our time while waiting for the results, we ventured for another start up for our plan B. We took this precautionary measure in case our plan A will be rejected. As a result, we agreed on Jules Estaña's idea.

The start up we came up for our plan B is a buy and sell website for students. On this website, students who want to buy and sell school supplies and other school related items will be accomodated. Here, their post will not be buried by other unnecessary posts unlike in social media platforms. In case our plan A is rejected, we will propose this start up. We already made a proposal and thought of future plans whenever we need to pivot.

Whichever of the two start up will be decided, the team will conduct interviews to our possible users. We will gather informations that would make the users want to use our start up. We will strategize and plan our actions carefully to avoid setbacks in the future.

Next week we will be doing a business model canvass in our class. Here, we will be able to organize and strategize our thoughts regarding to our start up. With this business model canvass, we will be able to have a rough look on our start up and plan for the necessary actions in the future. I am hoping that with this business model canvass, our team will have a clearer vision for our start up and have the ideas on the necessary steps to take.

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Techno 101 - 3rd Blog

4th week is the proposal week. This is when our proposal is being judged by our instructors. Waiting for the result of our proposal made us anxious. We felt anxious whether our proposal will be accepted or rejected. To ease ourselves, we held a meeting and discuss our current situation.

During our meeting, we discussed about what sir Bronson commented about our proposal. I prsonally think that sir Bronson rejected our proposal indirectly. As what he have said, students ahead of us already had the same idea but they had a hard time materializing the idea. That comment made me think that our proposal was rejected. To prepare ourselves to whatever outcome there may be, our team ventured on a new start up. It’s a buy and sell website.

This website is not like any other website . Its purpose is to give students a place where they can buy and sell their school related items. Instead of posting it on social media and being buried by so many posts, here they can easily post and look for the things they need. This idea was presented by Jules Estaña and we already prepared a proposal for this coming Monday in case our first proposal is rejected.

This Monday will become the pivot point for our team. It is when we will be able to know whether to proceed for our next step or venture into a new one.

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Tech 101 - 2nd Blog

3rd week, the confusing week. We began to question ourselves, “Is this good?”, “will it sell?” , “do we have the capabilities to materialize it?”. These are just some of the questions on which we still don’t have a clear answer yet.

As what I have mentioned in my previous blog, we did an evaluation on the startups we agreed with. As we reason out with each other on which startup to push through, we discovered that we lack some domain knowledge to produce these startups. The startup that we have agreed with earlier requires some background in programming. With this discovery, we became doubtful of our idea. So what we did is that we put that idea on the corner and ventured on other startups.

This time around we considered the team’s capabilities on deciding to what startup we are going to have. So again we brainstormed and came-up with ideas. I suggested a cellphone holder and a bathtub drain crusher. While Jules Estaňa suggested a website where you can buy and sell used and unused books for students. With these ideas we are still unsure on what to choose so we made some time to think and evaluate our ideas. As days passed by, Ralph Calamba found a way to materialize our Queuing App startup. So we discussed the startup again and the team came to an agreement that we will pursue the Queuing app.

The startup that we have agreed may be difficult for us for we have only learned basic programming. But it’s worth a try for this startup could be of great effect to the users especially to those people who can’t afford to waste their time. I am hoping that this Monday, we will be able to propose our startup well and start planning for the next steps.

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“Techno 101 – Blog #1”

The second week for our Technopreneurship class became an idea gathering week.  We looked for common problems that needed to be solved and brainstormed on how we are going to solve these problems.

As we all know finding a problem is not a problem. But finding a solution for that problem that could attract a sustainable market is the problem. So after brainstorming with my group mates, we were able to find two problems that need to be solved and at the same time have a good market.

The first problem we saw was the tiresome waiting for your number to be called in any offices that has a queuing system. With this problem, my group mate Ralph proposed a “Queing App” which allows you to receive updates regarding your number in the queuing system. The second problem we saw was the inconvenience in finding a boarding house near the university you are enrolling to. To solve this problem, I proposed to our group to have a “Boarding House App” that allows you to check the available boarding houses near the university.

These start-ups are still in discussion. Next week, we will have a meeting with my group mates and check if we have the capabilities and resources to do these start-ups.

[julmarey-blog]

“Techno 101 – Blog #1”

The second week for our Technopreneurship class became an idea gathering week.  We looked for common problems that needed to be solved and brainstormed on how we are going to solve these problems.

As we all know finding a problem is not a problem. But finding a solution for that problem that could attract a sustainable market is the problem. So after brainstorming with my group mates, we were able to find two problems that need to be solved and at the same time have a good market.

The first problem we saw was the tiresome waiting for your number to be called in any offices that have a queuing system. With this problem, my group mate Ralph proposed a “Queuing App” which allows you to receive updates regarding your number in the queuing system. The second problem we saw was the inconvenience in finding a boarding house near the university you are enrolling to. To solve this problem, I proposed to our group to have a “Boarding House App” that allows you to check the available boarding houses near the university.

These start-ups are still in discussion. Next week, we will have a meeting with my group mates and check if we have the capabilities and resources to do these start-ups.