Reading Reflection No. 2

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, by Scott Adams

1.  The general theme of the book is that it's a good idea to create systems for oneself to follow in order to work steadily towards success, rather than simply having a goal and hoping to achieve it.

2.  The book gave many examples of the entrepreneurial efforts of Scott Adams, most of which have been complete failures, but each provided a valuable addition to his skills, knowledge, or network that enabled him to ultimately succeed once he had discovered the right combination of idea, connections and timing.

3.  A good exercise would be to think of a possible goal that one has, and try to think of the types of consistent behaviors one might be able to undertake that would allow you to steadily move in the direction of the goal.  Creating a system to follow which gives a sense of progress, rather than just aiming at a goal.

4.  One of my biggest surprises was the sheer number of horrible ideas that Scott Adams had for various business enterprises, and how he still seems to think the ideas are good even though I couldn't imagine them working whatsoever.  All it really takes is that one idea that connects.

Elevator Pitch No. 2

The feedback received of my first pitch was very positive.  I decided to explain the idea a little more in this pitch, give a better picture of the final goal.

My Customer's Avatar

The traits my customer would have:

Gender:   Skewed towards male

Age: mid-teens to early 40's

Interests: technology, movies, music, video games, computers.

Economic class: Middle to Upper class

Physical limitations: At a minimum, customers must be able to see reasonably well with the aid of glasses or contact lenses.


As VR Technology is still in its nascent phase, the potential uses for it are just now being created and explored.  The potential customer will certainly expand over time beyond those with an interest in cutting edge technology, especially as the pricing comes down and the devices become more accessible.

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