Portmanwho: Custumors

The word I created is "Custumors."  I used this to describe customers I consider "malignant," in that they seem to always cause problems, seem to never go away, and aren't worth the cost of dealing with.

Since I work in a retail environment, the term was instantly relatable to all of my coworkers, and they found it useful in describing certain customers.

Reading Reflection No. 1

The book I read was Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson.

The thing I found most surprising about Steve Jobs was how deplorable his hygiene actually was.  He was often described as having horrible body odor, due to his delusions regarding diet and hygiene, and he would walk around unbathed, barefoot and without deodorant.

What I admired most was his absolute dedication to have the highest quality product without compromises.  Nothing was ever "good enough" if it could actually be better.

What I admired least was his callousness towards everyone around him, even his own children.  He seemed to usually view people in terms of how useful or not they were to him, and if you fell on the wrong side of that line you barely registered at all.

Steve Jobs did encounter a great deal of diversity and failure, including being forced out of Apple a decade after creating it.  His response was to sulk for awhile, but ultimately he held on to the same passions that drove him, and just found a new direction to aim them in.  He started a new company, and also bought Pixar, and led them with the same principles he'd always believed in.

Steve Jobs was very competent at dealing with people and manipulating them in directions that would be favorable towards himself.  He had very high ambition, and good business acumen.  His eye for detail and ability to understand the unmet needs of people were uncanny.

If I were able to ask him two questions today: "How does Apple compare now to the vision you had for it when you stepped down in 2011?"  and "Are there any decisions where you wish you'd been less driven by ambition?"

Steve Jobs was definitely a believer in hard work, and worked himself sick on many occasions.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1. Me:

I've worked in retail for 10 years, in many aspects of the business including sales, management and operations.  I have a passion for technology and innovation, and want to be able to share and spread this enthusiasm with the wider public.

2. What I'm offering:

For the public, I'm offering access to, and experience with, new technological innovations.  For business, I'm offering access to customers, and an environment facilitating their development of new products.

3. Who I'm offering this to:

Target audiences will initially be middle to upper class, young to middle aged.  Over time, this demographic will broaden as the technology becomes more widely available and lower in cost.  

4. Why they care:

People are always curious about the newest technologies, and most want to at least experience something they've heard about, even if they aren't interested in purchasing.  Achieving that initial interest is the first step, and once you have the customer actually trying out a product it becomes much easier to convince them of the actual utility.  Much of this utility will be unfolding over the next several years, due to how new the technology currently is.

5.  Core competencies:

Passion for the product, experience in retail, sales and customer service, technical knowledge, the ability to demo products for customers before sale.

I haven't previously experienced any business providing exactly the model I have in mind, so there certainly will be great difficulty in figuring out all of the logistics and details.  People are always interested in new technology, but they are also often wary of it, and may have to be won over.  The cost of entry is currently quite high, and the technology is still very much in the luxury category, so initial customer base is low, and will have to build over time.

Elevator Pitch No. 1

Tweaking the Innovation

Tangible: Day passes will be simple paper tickets, will also come with brochures detailing aspects of VR and options for purchasing equipment.  Memberships will include durable plastic membership cards.

Office spaces will be rented out to companies working on VR.

The store will sell physical equipment including various VR Headsets, pre-built computers and computer components for DIY builders, various peripherals begin developed to compliment VR experiences, and packaged download codes for software.


Benefits:  Day passes will be cheap options allowing easy means for people to experience VR for the first time, or experience something new being showcased in the showroom.  Membership passes will be more expensive, but allow for unlimited access to the ever-changing experiences on display.

Various big name publishers and equipment manufacturers will be able to promote new products in the showroom in order to increase their exposure and boost sales.

Companies will be able to rent office space in order to be in a collaborative and innovation focused setting, with dedicated showroom space to demo whatever they're working on, also giving them access to customers who will be able to give them direct feedback to improve their products.

The store will contain knowledgable staff able to answer technical questions and offer advice to customers interested in the technology, and a variety of products will be on sale offering prebuilt solutions and individual components for the more technically savvy customers interested in DIY.



Augmentation:  The store will also contain a service department able to assist with technical problems customers experience, and will also offer in-home installation of VR equipment.  Customers will also be able to try equipment prior to purchase.