1.
You. I
am an ISOM major with years of experience with computers. I also know the
basics of html and the very basics of website design. I really want to enter a
business in my field and hopefully one day become a CEO or upper management. If
I were to start this business then it would only play a minor role in my life
as it would take up relatively little time to run it, but hopefully it would be
a source of secondary income as time progressed.
2.
What are
you offering to customers? I am offering a service to connect students to
one another for book exchange and sales.
3.
Who are
you offering it to? I am offering it to students in the local Gainesville area
and potentially with success to students in a state and even national area.
4.
Why do
they care? Students would save potentially hundreds of dollars each year on
buying and selling to each other rather than the local bookstores.
5.
What are
your core competencies? Being localized in Gainesville means that only a
select group of people would be involved in the trading process rather than
those at a national scale. What we have that no one else has is that we would
not be involved in the sale at all money wise so that students would get the
best price for their books.
Overall, I think
these five elements interact quite well with each other. I definitely think that
the weakest aspect of my business will be establishing it as a trustworthy
website and getting enough people to use it each semester to make it popular.
If I could accomplish those things, I think that this offering could definitely
work to create a more reliable and cost effective alternative for students.
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ReplyDeleteHey Alan, I’d say that this would be a more organized idea compared to the current way UF students buy and sell textbooks – the UF Class of “enter year of graduation here” Facebook page. With your idea, it seems that buyers would have more information on prices that they can utilize to get the best deal from textbook sellers. If you could market the venture in an optimal manner, it could be a success. A clean, simple interface would be necessary for it to “catch on” with students.
ReplyDeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteI am on the same boat when it comes to running the business part time. Maybe the best idea is putting a lot of time in the initial build up and then selling the venture off for a profit as soon as you can. Further, being local allows you to key into the specific interest of the Gainesville demographic. You could better serve the needs of a smaller area, and that could be the ultimate success of the venture. Having your background helps considerably so that you can do most of the work without having to pay a bunch of employees, you can stretch your dollar further.
Hey Alan, I think this is a great idea! Considering there are so many students in the Gainesville area it would be extremely helpful. There are very little places that have cheap books in Gainesville. However, if they do have books that are cheap, the problem is the variety that is lacking. This site would be a great idea because there would be a wider and cheaper variety for students to search and choose rom. Overall, great idea and post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good idea. I think with you being an ISOM major you are the perfect person for the job, and all of your points seem to correlate fairly well. Book exchanges are so common and so necessary this could really take off. I am interested in seeing how you truly differentiate yourself between the facebook book exchange group. I am also interested in, since there is this competition, making it profitable. Good luck and I can't wait to see how you develop your idea.
ReplyDeleteHey Alan! I had this same idea! We should link up for our business ventures. My only questions: what would you call the service and what would be your solid business plan for this textbook exchange? After reading this older comments and attending college myself for a few years, I can already tell that students are looking for a better way to find affordable textbooks through each other.
ReplyDelete