Giovanna Moraes

Entrepreneurship for Me Recall all of the experiences you've had along the way -- the highs, the lows -- the fun moments, and moments of drudgery, and even the moments of dread. This semester has been a very interesting semester for me. I am usually trapped in technical classes, and with that I rarely take a step back and evaluate my current life because I am stuck in calculating my next math problem. I personally LOVE the technical part of business, but I realize now that I was stuck in a loop. The moments of drudgery definitely have been those times I finished the assignments last minute. For me the worst (and best) have been the elevator pitches. Those are the posts that if I had the option to opt out of I would. But they are also the ones that I learned most from, just because I am not usually comfortable putting myself out there (especially on the web) but I did and I learned a lot about how I can improve myself and my businesses to come. What sticks out to you as ...

by Cynthia Knauf Venture Concept  Opportunity My opportunity exists because of the under-met need of sustainable architecture or parts in houses. My customer could be someone looking to buy a new house, or renovate parts of their house with new landscape/material. More specifically I will be working with the design of space to minimize electric costs. I also want to target large corporations and government buildings because it could bring a larger influence into climate change and harsh environmental changes.  The nature of the need is not super apparent right now. The target that should have the highest need to entertain this opportunity is the government because climate change and changes to their country could have negative effects on their policies. The common person would engage in sustainable architecture because it could provide financial benefits long-term. Corporations should want to be involved because of the growing concern for social responsibility. ...

Exit Strategy I intend to stay with my business for several years. A lot longer than 5 years. If I have a great team of technical experts with me that can make my dream a reality, I would love to continue with my business until I retire. Then I intend to sell to an individual who has the same passion and vision as I have. Why I chose this Exit Strategy I chose this exit strategy because it is something that has many expansion opportunities. Sustainability is something I am extremely passionate about, and I see myself working with it until I physically can’t anymore. How my exit strategy has influenced the other decisions I’ve made in my concept Until now I have not thought about my exit strategy. But yes I do guess it had somewhat of an impact on my decision. I knew I wanted to hit a large topic ever since I started working on it. And this topic is pretty saturated, for good reason, sustainability is on everyone’s mind. So I always knew I would want to work with it for a w...

Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life By: Lisa Chaney About Coco Chanel What surprised you the most? What surprised me the most was that Gabrielle (Coco) didn’t like being in front of customers. Such as when a customer wanted to talk directly to Gabrielle, she would prefer hiding in a cupboard than talking to the customer. She was in no way a good sales person. I relate to that, the notion of having amazing ideas, but getting timid (or just not be good at) talking to customers. That is why she hired her sister, who is a great talker and has a natural charisma.  What about Coco Chanel did you most admire? She was a truly modern woman. She was a trendsetter. Her designs, her thoughts, her way of life was truly modern for the time, and challenged the persuading traditional lifestyle that still existed. She changed fashion. Women were still trapped in their garments, corsets existed and overly designed elaborate heavy outfits were in trend. She used materials that people thought ...

A time this semester that I’ve failed: To relate to this class, throughout the course I failed to specify a problem (a very specific and defined problem). Therefore my solutions were somewhat all over the place. My problem was climate change (yes very broad). This came to bite me in the butt when I would interview people and they would have to ask me what the question was, what the problem was, and what was my solution (especially in the beginning but also still occurs). I tried getting more specific in my second interview; I defined that I wanted to work with sustainable architecture. Yet still super broad. I have the problem that I didn’t know what I wanted to work with specifically (for lack of technical knowledge and research). So the second interview was still a failure, I had tried targeting customers I thought I wanted to work with, and they would give me more broad answers than super specific because I couldn’t define what I wanted to define. Throughout time, and interviews w...

Existing Market What’s Next Through research and thought, I decided the first product I would like to expand through sustainable architecture is working on reducing electricity by opening up areas to the sun. This requires more design understanding. The next step I would like to work with is with different materials to build the setup of the house. Such as in the winter have insulated concrete or use more wood to maintain the internal temperature of the house warm. In warmer locations, work with natural materials (bamboo…) that would keep the house cooler, thus minimizing air conditioning. These materials have to be worked with so they can insulate very well depending on location. Technology is important. Maybe then work with having controls on your phone so you can control the insulated bricks to retain heat or not (for different seasons). Would need to expand on that. Existing Market Interviews Cory Something he believes I could tap into is sustainable landscaping. They ...

Venture Concept  Opportunity My opportunity exists because of the under-met need of sustainable architecture or parts in houses. My customer could be someone looking to buy a new house, or renovate parts of their house with new material. I also want to target large corporations and government buildings because it could bring a larger influence into climate change and harsh environmental changes.  The nature of the need is not super apparent right now. The target that should have the highest need to entertain this opportunity is the government because climate change and changes to their country could have negative effects on their policies. The common person would engage in sustainable architecture because it could provide financial benefits long-term. Corporations should want to be involved because of the growing concern for social responsibility.  Changes in the environment creating this opportunity is the growing concern for climate change and social respon...

Fundraising Abilities: increase capital, in the larger scope of things it will involve maybe dealing with loans, but fundraising helps understand logistics of amount of money needed. Valuable: I need money for my project. It is large scale, and requires money to get money. Rare: Not super rare, a lot of people have fundraised in their lives. Inimitable: many people have done, but it takes a lot of will and energy to fundraise a lot. Non-Substitutable: could substitute somewhat with loans Technological Connections: keep innovation up, so I create an always growing product Valuable: super, don’t want to lag Rare: not super rare, but my team would be loyal to me Inimitable: sure, but still a loyal team is crucial for these connections to reap benefits. Non-Substitutable: I can’t think of something that would substitute the knowledge of technology (that I don’t have) Environmental Awareness + Connections: will provide new knowledge on the area Valuable: it is the ...

The Pitch Reflection I have always been pretty good at memorizing my pitch, because I care for it. So I tried including more passion and excitement and emphasis on my important facts. I also included how I wanted to sell my service, and less random facts. I focused on my service, not sustainability in general. I want to target my audience.  My change I still did not receive much feedback, but I was able to connect on reflections based on the feedback the professor gives in class. I also tried focusing mostly on what I would provide and how, instead of just pitching why people should invest in sustainable architecture. I slowed down my speed and change my formatting to target my service.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman 1) What was the general theme or argument of the book? The general theme of this book is about our System 1 and System 2 processes of our thinking. System 1 is the elephant and System 2 is the rider. This means that system one is our innate, primal first reaction to stimuli, it is the fight or flight notion. System 2 is the logical, processing and slower “system” because it analyses thought processes with more precision and care than our initial reaction that is System 1. What is interesting is that through our practice and knowledge something that was previously in System 2 could fall back to System 1. This is because eventually that practice will become more routine and will demand a lot less effort.  2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003? This book enhanced primarily how I think. I’m very glad I read this book, because now I take a step back when I have a gut feeling or h...

Domain Expert This would be someone who's engaged in the same type of business activity as you would like to be. They may own the same kind of company that you would like to own, or they may be a technical expert who knows a lot about the kind of product or service that you would like to produce. I spoke with Cory, who is a third year Landscaping Architect major. I contacted him because I knew he could give me good insight on some new insight to my project. It is also interesting because it is a little different than the sustainable building architecture I am focusing on. Yet he knows a lot about the topic of sustainability. He was willing to speak about this because he is highly passionate about this topic as well. He serves as a great domain expert, because he isn’t limited to one area.  Market Expert This would be someone who is targeting your market with similar products services -- or knows a lot about conducting customer research in your area -- or represents a major piece...

1) You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life? My name is Giovanna Moraes. I did not receive direct feedback from my post, but throughout the course and my working more specifically on my project, I came to find some more aspects of me in regards to this project. Through the interviews of the people closest to me, I found that people really value and notice that I am a good communicator and networker. I know being a good networker is very crucial to this position so I highly value that insight and point of view. I have to network heavily in the beginning of my business to make it more well known. So I received the information throughout the course very well to make better decisions. 2) What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll so...

My customer avatar are three different types of people: large corporations, government, and the middle/upper class family structure.For the sake of this assignment and the knowledge I have gathered I am going to focus more on the family structure.  First is large corporations. Though I have not been able to interview this segment I know it could be a very likely segment because Bank of America has already engaged in sustainable architecture, and in my business I want to provide a service that has more sustainable features. My second segment is government buildings. I know they have the money to invest in sustainable buildings, and also engaging in my service they would reap from more positive outlooks on their decisions. Climate change should be extremely important for the government. My last segment is more well-off families who have an interest in sustainability. I might even be able to target families that do not have an immense interest in sustainability, if I ...

Reflection I didn’t receive written feedback but I asked some friends of what they thought of it, and they mentioned that I spoke entirely too fast and it was too long they couldn’t finish concentrating on it. They barely were able to recite what I had said because they couldn’t really focus on my words and how it connected overall.  What I changed I changed my speed and cut it down to actually only be 90 seconds. I realized in the first one I did, I put a lot of unnecessary information that ended up boring the audience. The statistics I used for this one are a lot more direct and correlates to why my business should be preferred. I changed the angle of the camera and how I moved around.

My truly unique human capital: I am passionate about my product. My product not only serves as a need satisfaction, but it could play into a larger social business that positively influences our planet. I may not have the technical skills to implement this idea, but with my passion I feel like I can create a strong team. Because of my passion, I can communicate my idea well. Strong communication is important in a startup because it markets the idea to the crowd. For you to be able to target a segment you have to be able to communicate why your product is more important than other ideas in the market. Mine would prove to include more sustainable ideas. I am driven. I will make sure that whatever I need done will be done in a timely manner. I am not lazy when it is something I am passionate about something. I am pretty independent. When I need something I make sure to ask someone who knows more than me. I am never afraid to ask, but I make sure to understand and try it out first beca...

Begin with alternative evaluation From this set of questions I found out that quality is one of the most desirable traits. The only one that stated quality wasn’t the most important trait (stated price #1) said price mattered only a little more than quality in this case. Interviewer number 1 stated that quality is the most important because it could be a matter of safety or later financial and time constraints if something isn’t built accordingly. Interviewer number 3 didn’t state style as the least important, differing from what I had previously gathered, because money isn’t too much of an issue and would like to have something that she appreciates and has really good quality. How/where do they buy? The main way my interviewees find architects are through word of mouth. So I assume my sustainable architecture should also follow suit. Interviewee number one stated that she first goes to trusted friends who have gone through the process before and want to hear their feedback. Sec...

Twenty-Seven Dollars and a Dream: Katharine Etsy Entrepreneur: Muhammad Yunus What surprised you the most? What surprised my the most about Yunus is how adamant he is about his idea. Sometimes though it was shocking how he is very personable and an inspiring figure but also she could be rough and come across as impersonable when something doesn’t go his way. The author even mentioned that after talking to Yunus for such a long period, he made the assumption that maybe entrepreneurs are good at being an entrepreneur because they lack the social need that normal people have, and that allows entrepreneurs to focus more intensely in their goals.  What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? Reading about Yunus, I was inspired by his ability to always chase what he believed in, even though there are strong challenges to protest. He came from a very underprivileged and socially oppressed society, but he always saw that it was not how he thinks people should live. So he cre...

Tenaciousness is a competency Some behaviors I’ve always had but put a lot more into use for this course is productivity and organization. Assignments came on routine, and I had to stay on top of the requirements so I wouldn’t fall behind or cram Friday morning to finish the assignment. It taught me that I do not want to stress last minute about something I knew I would have to complete at a set period of time. Something I found very applicable and eye-opening was that I was taught to focus more on our daily lives. I appreciated the bug list because it somewhat took me from my habitual and demanded that I process my life through another perspective.  Tenaciousness is also about attitude I have felt like giving up in the past two weeks numerous times. The coursework becomes demanding because many times it is not possible to complete on the night before. You have to plan yourself to keep up and know the assignments due on that Friday and ensure you have enough data to post s...

Segment: My segment is going to be of new buyers. People who are actively looking to invest in a new house/building. Since my product is a large scale product, that demands a lot of time of the consumer to research and think of the best solution for their want, I know I have to make a large profit over a small sale. I want to have a team of architects that are proficient in building eco friendly buildings and do not fear implementing new technologies. I will target large corporations that want to expand their business into different locations. On a smaller scale I will speak to ordinary people that I know my product will be interesting. Since I don’t have a big budget to market, I will do research on companies that would be likely to invest. Interviews: Since my project is in such a large scale, and with a limited time ability, I was not able to conduct interviews specific to my target. I did speak to individuals who have the means to build a house (some wanting to build in the ...

1) You. Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life? I’m Giovanna Moraes. I am a third-year finance major, with an entrepreneurship minor. I am good at connecting with other people. I have a passion for new technologies and the environment. I have always tried to be sustainable, and I am now learning how to get more involved with technology. I care for our planet. I know there are sayings and memes of us leaving Earth; go to Mars and whatnot. I believe though, while that is such a novel and modern idea with great technologies to expand us into space, that it is not the solution. We are part of an ecosystem here on Earth, and we should maintain it for the survival of our race even. So we should look to long-term solutions to making our Earth the most habitable we can.  2) What are you off...