19A - Idea Napkin No. 2

1. My name is Stacey Garced-Serrano. I’m a wife, mother, student, professional, volunteer and jane of all trades. I’ve put my life on hold for the last few years to finish my degree and further my career while trying to be the best wife and mother I can be. My talents include creative writing, looking for ways to operate more efficiently and seeing the bigger picture and ability to multi-task. My aspirations are to FINALLY finish my degree at a reputable establishment and inspire my daughters to do the same. If I were to move forward with this business concept, the role it would play in my life would be significant, especially during the birthing stages of it. Earning the trust of my customers would be the hardest obstacle to overcome, but IF I were able to, I believe this business would allow me to be self-sufficient.

2. The service I am selling is opportunity. It’s an opportunity for parents to give their children access to opportunities. Working parents need help, and it can be difficult to rely on friends and families to help all the time. By having a safe and affordable transportation service available to them to use, it allows parents an option to get their children to and from their activities and events.

3. Working parents, single parents and elementary/middle/high school students are my identified customers. It can be difficult for working and single parents to get their children to every activity and/or event. Work schedules, custody schedules, and other factors can prevent parents from fulfilling obligations for their children. It can make them feel as if they failed their child in some way. As a working mother, who is also a student, often times I have felt like I have failed my child. It is my ability to connect with parents that allows me to understand their needs, and the daily balancing acts they perform in order to meet the needs of their children while also meeting the responsibilities of their jobs.

4. Parents want to afford their children every opportunity to find their path in life. By having an option to get their children to and from their activities and events allows children to build their confidence, character and paths to pursue their dreams and aspirations. This service will allow parents to meet the needs of their children while also fulfilling their professional responsibilities. In many ways I understand this as I have to find ways to get my daughter to her weekly dance classes, soccer practices and gymnastics classes. Although I have more help than most of my mom friends, it is still not always easy to continue to coordinate getting my daughter to and from her activities.

5. What sets this service apart from others are the safety features which gives parents a sense of relief when their children are being transported to their activities and events. By having a security camera in the car, which the driver cannot turn off until the transportation process is complete gives this service the safety edge over Uber, Lyft and other car sharing service companies. In a perfect world, we could all use Uber and Lyft to get our children to different places, however, the world we live in is not as perfect as we would like to think it is. I’m not comfortable placing my child’s safety in the hands of a random Uber or Lyft driver, but if I had the ability to select the driver of my choice AND have the ability to watch the entire transportation process, I would use this type of service for my daughter’s transportation needs.

It is my belief this concept will work for the identified customers. Based on the working parents I interviewed, this type of service would be a welcome relief to ensuring their children can get to their activities and/or events. Some of the weaknesses I perceive is finding reliable drivers in the beginning. It will take time to build a fleet of Mom-Assist drivers to meet the needs of working parents. It will also take time to build a trusting relationship with parents. Some parents may be hesitant to use this service, while others will jump on board from the start. By ensuring safe and reliable services to those who immediately use this service, it will help hesitant customers give the service a chance.

Unfortunately, I did not receive feedback on this post. In an effort to get some type of feedback, I asked a few mom friends to review this Idea Napkin. After they reviewed it, they felt I didn’t connect myself to the customer enough to show I understand the everyday struggles and why this service would be beneficial to not only my customers but for myself as well. I updated my responses to reflect a better connection to the customer, as well as, ensure the customer this is the type of service I need in my life as well.

18-A - Create a Customer Avatar

The Mom-Assist customer is the Jane-of-All-Trades Mom. Our customer has children (biological or adopted) which they will move mountains for. Her hobbies would include: reading, book clubs, puzzles, working out, running, yoga, coffee, cooking, baking, crafting, photography, journaling, and gardening to name a few. Our customer is driving a gray, white, silver or black sports utility vehicle or mini-van. They watch docu-series, comedies, reality TV shows and movies. Their favorite books are mysteries and love stories, but what they won’t tell you is their love of romance novels too. Favorite politicians are strong women in politics that use common sense when making decisions. They do not like politicians that go too far left or right. They prefer moderate politicians that understand the everyday lives of the people they serve. Our customers’ age range is 27-45 years of age, but mostly feel like they are about 5 or 6 years older than what they are. Majority of these moms started their families later in life because they chose to build their career and travel before getting married and having a family.

What do I have in common with these moms? Well, it was a lot more than I thought I did. I love coffee, puzzles, baking and photography. I’ve tried gardening, but I cannot keep a plant alive if my life depended on it. I don’t drive a sports utility vehicle or a minivan, but I do drive a black 4-door sedan. My favorite books are mysteries; I love docu-series (Snapped is my favorite); and my favorite type of politician is definitely a moderate. Too far left or too far right and I will ignore them. I’m 39, but there are days I feel like I’m 45, but every now and then I wish I was retired so I can finally get a break. I don’t think it’s an accident I have a lot in common with my customer, because I am my customer in a lot of ways. I’m a working mother, soccer mom, student mom and git-r-done mom. It’s not easy, and sometimes I feel like I fail my child, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

17-A Elevator Pitch No. 2

Unfortunately, I did not receive feedback from the first pitch (it's ok, my feelings are not hurt), however, after watching the lecture where the pitches were critiqued, I used those tips to improve my pitch. I removed unnecessary words, added a price and hopefully did a better job than the first time.

16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

What makes me different:

1. Determined: People can take my way of getting things done offensive. I’m not rude or mean, however, when I’m zoned in on an assignment, it can be perceived that I am that way. I don’t like to fail, and I have a hard time accepting when I do (it’s not often but it happens). Failing is the best way to learn, it’s just a hard pill to swallow, especially when I have my mind set to achieve something.
2. Hardworking: I work hard for my achievements. My attitude is, no one is going to achieve them for me so I better get it done.
3. Analytical: I cannot take anything at face value. I have to read and analyze the information being presented to me before I can make a decision. There are times it has taken me a few days to figure it out, however, by analyzing the issue, I am able to come up with the best solution.
4. Realistic: I don’t believe in happily ever after. I’m all about the facts, not the rainbows and butterflies and unicorns type of person. Everything in life is what you make it, so make it your best life.
5. Competitive: I hate to lose and refuse to give up (even when I know it’s the right thing to do). Asking for helps has always been an issue for me as well.

If you ask other people what makes me different, their list tends to be different from mine. Some of the things said that are different than the five I listed are: generous (time and money), passionate, perfectionist, creative, a planner, thoughtful, obstinate, procrastinator and a walking ESPN. My husband said it best, “when she’s on a mission, don’t get in her way.” However, he and everyone else for that matter, all agree I’m very hard on myself and I do not give myself enough credit for the things I have accomplished.

It’s difficult to hear people give you honest feedback about yourself. I felt offensive at times during the conversations, but at the same time they were enlightening. All in all, I think their assessment of me was on point. I don’t think they held back and they let me have it. I do agree with their points, maybe not 100% agree on all of them, but I agree with them. If I were to re-work the list above, I would probably add creative and passionate to it. I tend to find creative ways to get things done because not everything is so straightforward.

It’s not easy being a wife, mom, professional, student, and Jane of All Trades every single day, but this is who I am. As we discussed these traits about me, I learned there are some things I need to work on. It doesn’t make me a bad person, it’s just an improvement. Everyone was definitely in agreement that life will be easier for them when I FINALLY graduate.

15-A Figuring out Buyer Behavior

In a world full of options, I can definitely call myself the bargain hunter. Paying full price for anything makes me cringe, which is why the conversations I had with this past week almost had me thinking twice about my picking habits.

As I spoke with the three mothers, it was clear price really doesn’t matter much when it comes to their children. They will pay top dollar for what they believe is in the best interest of their children. One mother decided to only have organic foods and products when she found out she was having her first child. Another parent begin looking for college prep courses when she began family planning and another mother decided a vegan diet was in the best interest of her family. Crazy I know, but it was eye opening to see what other mothers do.

As far as the products they purchase, quality is what really matters to them, even if it mean paying top dollar for the items. One mother did say sometimes she had to decide between price and quality of some products she buys, but usually she goes for quality.

For the most part, the mothers I spoke with do a mixture of buying in store and online. All three of them refuse to shop at Walmart (and made sure I knew this). Amazon, Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Target were the stores they most frequented. They also preferred to use their credit cards instead of cash because of the benefits they receive by using their credit cards, i.e., airline miles, cash back, free hotel nights, etc.

In justifying their purchases to themselves (and their husbands), they simply lay out what they believe to be the facts of the purchase. As they shop, they find items, they think about the item and then wonder how the item(s) will benefit their everyday life, or the lives of their family. One mother will place an item in her cart and walk around the store with it, if she doesn’t take it out of her cart by the time she gets to the register, she keeps it. One mom follows a group on Facebook that constantly posts deals, and discount codes for random items that she knows she doesn’t need but for the price she buys them. Her husband cringes when he sees Amazon boxes at the front door.

Overall, it seems like these moms are on the same page. Quality over everything, and they look for what is in the best interest of their children.