28) Your Exit Strategy

1) My exit strategy is kind of dependent on how well the company goes.

    If  it is highly successful, I plan to do the silly thing and stick with it.

    If it is pretty successful, but it looks like we wouldn't be able to turn it into much of careers, then I'll sell it off to one of two kinds of people: big names in the RPG world, or big names in the video game world. The game kind of appeals to both sides, and I bet I'd be able to get price for it.

2) I chose this idea because I want a career. I don't want to have millions of dollars to laze around with, I'd like to have some work to do. And if Constellation looks like it can provide me with stable income and stable work, then I'd rather have that than a million dollars right now and no guarantee of any in the future.

3) I think my strategy has influenced my desire to get a physical product up and running. If I were just planning to sell the idea off and bail quick, then I'd do just that. I'd obviously make a quick prototype and patents or copyrights, but I wouldn't get terribly much into finished products and distribution, so I wouldn't have to think about that much. I suppose if I were planning to sell it off after my success with the final product, I'd be doing the same thing I am now, which is diligently designing and working for the end goal. We'll have to wait and see if my design, management, and people skills will get me to my end goal.

26) Celebrating Failure

1) I have failed several times this semester, but none of them have been all that big of ones actually. Last semester, however, I may have had one of my biggest failures of my educational career. You all may know the course FIN3403, and how much of a pain in the ass it is. Of course, I failed miserably, and now I'm kind of in a rocky position with the college. I have to retake it next semester, and I am not looking forward to it.

2) I learned from this that if people tell you a class is difficult, and they suggest tools to help like StudyEdge or whatever, you should probably take their word for it. Getting help does not lessen your victory, rather it makes it a little more assured. I'm pretty stubborn, so I thought I could bull my way through the class. I should have known from my string of changed degrees in the past that banging your head against the brick wall may not be the best method.

3) Failure is rough, of course. But I have learned that failure may be what we learn from the most. You failed once, try again, but change your approach. I know this all seems pretty cliche, but I have one thing to add to make it a little less cliche: if you fail, for your own good, do not let it piss you off. I have failed several classes at college, and thank god that  UF is relatively lenient and allowed me to take them over again. And you would think that the second time would be easier, right? I would remember some things from the last try? Well, the problem was that I got pissed at the professors for my failure (partially fairly, if anyone has taken differential equations with whatever professor I had, they'd know he's a bit of a prick and that you can't really understand him). But getting mad only clouded my judgement and my memory, and it was almost even harder the second go-round to get through.

25) What's Next?

Existing Market

1) What's next in my venture is actually designing the product. I don't necessarily need to do the art and such for the game, but I will need to design the mechanics and gameplay of the RPG so I can test it out. Making the rules, the combat mechanics, classes, places, character design and such. I'll need a prototype to test over like Skype or Zoom, to find out how I can make it intuitive and easy when being played online.

2) Two of the people I interviewed for this are people I've talked to already, so I've kept them up to date on how the project is forming. The third is someone I haven't talked to, and I described my venture to him. Two of them agree with me that designing the game would be the best next step, and the third thought that I should be reaching out to people a little better about helping me with the venture. They agree that making the game is a good idea, but they believe getting the help is the best next step. They may be right, I don't know.

3) The next step may be a combination of the two ideas from earlier. I may design the game in my spare time, while reaching out to the friends and colleagues I planned to talk to and asking for their help. It shouldn't take terribly long to design a 0.5th edition game that is at least playable, if not buggy, and I'm going to need people to help me plan out the next steps in terms of building the business and getting the name out there.

    I'll use my knowledge of existing RPGs and may talk with a few friends I have that play a lot of RPGs and ask what they'd suggest. The prototype may take one or two months to finish, as I'll be basically be building it from scratch. I can edit some mechanics from other RPGs, but I'll have to make sure that it is functional and smooth when played online. I'll also be talking with my old friend from the non-profit I worked in about his experience in starting a business and the best way to go about it. I'll probably talk with the social media and coding people I know last, as I'll want to have a business and product to advertise and build about before I start... advertising and building.

New Market

1) A radically different target market could be B2B as a training/team-building exercise.

2) Reworking Constellation a bit, we could turn it into a training and team-building tool. This idea actually came about after reading the Elon Musk biography, apparently they would play like Call of  Duty or CS GO in several of his startups for fun, which I believe led a lot to the incredible teamwork and job culture that such a business as building rockets or electric cars would require.

    We could talk to each company, ask them for company values and traits they'd like to instill in the employees, as well as situations they'd be likely to go through in their work, and essentially write a pre-made "campaign" to run the employee teams through. This could be sci-fi themed or not, up to the company.

3) I spoke with two people, one being the CEO of a credit union from back home, one being an industrial/organizational psychologist with an internship at Honeywell, and they both agreed that this would be useful. The CEO mentioned that, because of coronavirus, they have had to shut down training programs for new roles. They are also considering, like a lot of companies out there, giving employees opportunities to work from home even after the pandemic. The product I'm offering could be used to keep up the corporate culture and family feel of several companies while employees are seeing each other less.

    I had really not thought of this idea before, and I questioned the feasibility of it after I thought of it. Running it by my interviewees helped a lot, and the idea of using it to help instill the company values in employees' interactions with customers seems actually pretty doable. For startups with younger employees, probably in more technological fields (just an example, but something like early SpaceX), I feel that offering the sci-fi themed RPG team-building would help companies work together more effectively and become friends with their coworkers. For more "corporate" companies, I'm certain a simple rework would allow for useful training exercises.

    Basically, this could be a package we offer outside of the simple B2C product of Constellation. Could call it "Corporate Constellation" or something. Once the B2C product gets launched and starts making money, we could essentially offer custom pre-written campaigns for each company, and get payed as a service. Or we could start out with this, but the problem is this would require several more employees to reach out to companies and to write semi-realistic corporate campaigns.

24) Venture Concept No.1

Opportunity

The opportunity here is the lack of a sufficient RPG to be played online. Software and services out there like Roll20, Tabletop Simulator, and D&D Beyond are an attempt to take games designed for in-person gameplay and put them online for people to play together, though far apart. This leads to issues such as a lack of immersion that causes players not to be entertained, "chunky" or difficult gameplay, and a steep learning curve. As such, these products and services are not taking full advantage of the market made available by people desiring to play an immersive and entertaining RPG with friends and family across long distances.

            The target market is young adults, in the age range of 18-22, that have either just moved off to college or otherwise away from home. However, really this can apply to any age range and any geographic positioning. The opportunity here only requires that the consumer desire to play an RPG and is willing to play it online. Right now, there is a unique and limited spike in the opportunity with the recent Coronavirus events. Even without this spike, though, the market is still a large one. Players of RPGs often will own several different RPGs to play as they desire, meaning the market is closer to the entire market of RPG players (someone already owning an RPG they are satisfied with is not exactly out of the market).

 

Innovation

“Constellation,” a roleplay game designed FOR gameplay online, not around it. Constellation will have smooth and immersive gameplay that takes advantage of what the computer has to offer, allowing players to interact with their characters and the environment in an easy and intuitive manner. Providing its own ecommerce, the players and game master (GM) will be able to see and talk to each other clearly. Constellation will also offer unprecedented control to the GM, allowing them to stop a player’s video and audio feed to other players, and create several different channels through which they can talk to each player.

            Constellation will be sold for $15 (price subject to change) virtually, giving the purchaser access to the game manual (the rules, mechanics, and methods for creating the environment in-game), the player’s guide, and a universe designer that allows them to create the universe in which players explore. Constellation will also have several expansions, different manuals, and pre-made campaigns to be purchased.

Constellation will only require that one person purchase the game, then allow a maximum of 5 people (including the purchaser) to play in a group. Players will designate the GM, who will then gain access to the game manual for the duration of the session. This will allow the purchaser to not always be the GM. Each player will have access to the player’s guide while playing. The player’s guide can also be downloaded for free on our website.

 

Venture Concept

Competitors to Constellation are well established RPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons and the Pathfinder/Starfinder games. These are well known and widely played, making it difficult to get into the market. But, as stated earlier, this does not mean it is impossible to convince someone that already owns one of these games to purchase Constellation. The benefits and unique attributes of this online RPG will be enticing to RPG players, especially those in the target market. The competitor games are designed to be played in-person around a table, and do not translate well to online play. They also rely on other independent sites and software in order to be played on online. Constellation will not have any of these problems and will allow players to enjoy their time together despite the distance.

            Constellation will be sold virtually, not physically, allowing for a cheaper sales price. This also will be an advantage over competitors, who’s manuals and guides are expensive to consumers.

            Although Constellation will be focused on online play, that does not mean it cannot be played in person. Groups can still play around a table if they are able, as the manual and player’s guides will still be easily accessible on a computer or even a tablet. This will allow it to enter the exact same market as the competitors, and possibly even beat them in it based on their higher prices.

            The business side of Constellation will have a game design and art team to create the game and manuals, a software team to build the game online, an advertising team handling social media presence and getting the Constellation name well known, and the management team that will coordinate teams and handle finances. All told, starting out, I can expect a company of around 3-5 employees, expanding as necessary. These employees will be able to work from home as well, cutting on costs of an office space and commute.

            The venture’s unfair advantage will be lower startup and running costs. Manufacturing, inventory, and distribution are all expenses we will not have to worry about, as the game will be sold virtually.

            Next for the venture is game design. Working on mechanics, art design, and such. Essentially designing the prototype to be tested over ecommerce like Skype or Zoom.

Next for me is research on how to start a company. Assuming my company were launched, 5 years down the line I’d like to have the first edition of the game established and playable and be designing the second edition based on the feedback we get from the first. I’d like to have a well-established team as well that can cover all the company’s areas individually, rather than have a few people covering several areas.

23) Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

1. (Semi)-experienced manager
• V: Very valuable to a startup project, as the teams will be small, have to cover a lot of different work areas, and require a lot of leadership in order to succeed
• R: Pretty rare that I've had experience leading a small startup (I wasn't the CEO, but I may have been the most strong-willed and on focus person in the team)
• I: Not necessarily inimitable, but definitely everyone's leadership style is different
• N: There is nothing that can replace a good leader (other than another good leader). The drive that a leader can instill in his or her workers is unique and irreplaceable
2. Finance knowledge
• V: Very valuable. I can do it myself so I don't have to hire anyone, and in a startup the finances will be tight
• R: Plenty of finance majors out there, so not rare
• I: Again, plenty of finance majors out there, and they could probably do it better
• N: Replaceable by software I bet, but who will know how to run the software, and if it's right? I guess it's pretty irreplaceable
3. Knowledge of real-life analogs for in-game mechanics and environments
• V: Sorta valuable, in that I will know how to make situations in-game more realistic based on my experience and research in aerospace and biomedical engineering
• R: Only rare in that I'm applying it to an RPG, so not really rare (there's plenty of engineers out there)
• I: Not really inimitable, again, plenty of engineers
• N: There are no other resources that can provide the same benefit
4. (Semi)-experienced game art designer
• V: The game will require some art for player, monster, environment, and handbook design, so pretty valuable. Also valuable in that I can do it myself and not have to hire anyone else
• R: Not very rare. A ton of people have experience with art and design
• I: Everyone's art style is different, but no, not really inimitable
• N: Not really replaceable in that the art is required in order to make the books
5. An experienced social media expert
• V: Very valuable nowadays. I'm no good at it, but the person I know that can do it is very experienced in social media advertising and design. Especially for a web-based product, advertising on the web is extremely important
• R: Not very rare
• I: Not very inimitable either
• N: A good advertiser is I guess pretty replaceable
6. RPG experience
• V: I'll know what the customers want and understand how to implement it, so pretty valuable
• R: Not rare at all, plenty of people play RPGs
• I: Not inimitable either
• N: Designing an RPG without having played one would be difficult, and the product would probably be horrible. So I'd say it's pretty non-replaceable
7. Access to experienced programmers
• V: Incredibly valuable. I'll need help designing the site and the game, so it's a good thing I have friends that can program
• R: I'm sure a lot of people can program a site, but I know it takes a lot of know-how, so I believe it's pretty rare
• I: Anyone with the know-how can do the job
• N: Without someone to make the game, how will I have the game? Very non-substitutable
8. Low(ish) startup costs
• V: Obviously it'll cost a good amount to start a company and make a website and such, but being online and having a small team that will require little pay will mean I can focus on the quality of the product. Also, crowdfunding is a very viable option
• R: Not that rare. I'm sure everyone believes their online startup won't cost that much, and I'm sure there's people better equipped to make sure it doesn't cost much
• I: Easy to copy, just make an online startup
• N: Very non-substitutable, can't dismiss not having to pay a ton of money
9. Ability to work from home
• V: Valuable for several reasons: saves money on rent, commute, and whatnot; and because of COVID
• R: Don't believe it's that rare
• I: Easy to copy, a lot of startups are in basements and garages I bet
• N: I guess it can be substituted by working in an office, which offers advantages like easier communication and stuff; but the advantages of working from home, especially for an online company, seem to outweigh the office space
10. Ease of prototype testing
• V: Being able to test the game simply by running it with friends saves money and time, like all companies desire
• R: Not terribly rare
• I: Easy to copy
• N: Not substitutable

I'd say my top resource is the skills that I can bring to the table that help save money and time. My management and finance skills will come in handy, as I will have to cover several different job areas starting up. I'll (hopefully) be able to lead my team, handle the finances and sheets, and design the game mostly by myself.

22) Elevator Pitch No.3

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E_9JzYRJp8

2) I appreciate all the good feedback I got on my last version of the video, especially those that liked the story I started out with.

3) I got really good feedback on the last take of the Elevator Pitch, so I didn't decide to change anything of the script. I did, however, do a little more practicing, which I believe helped me deliver the pitch smoother (though only like 4 seconds faster, so still a little over time). Hopefully I'm right in that it came out a little better, but if not, I still hope yall will lie to me and say it did.

21) Reading Reflection No.2

(I now realize that I've been messing up on these Reading Reflections, and that I was supposed to read a bio, then a business book, but I did it backwards. Chris Pryor, if you're reading this, I apologize for my stupidity).

For my second Reading Reflection, I read "Elon Musk." Gotta say, it's about exactly how I expected it to be.

1) Generally, the book was about Elon Musk's struggles with his startups, and how he used his experiences from his early days to drive himself through rough times at SpaceX and Tesla. Within that, also, is a little inside look at how "eccentric" this man is (I put quotation marks because his eccentricity to me seems more similar to prickish). He's a stubborn, driven man, I'll give him that, and we could all be a little more like him and be better off. And I love what SpaceX are doing for America and mankind's presence in space. But the guy just seems like a prick to me.

 2) ENT throughout is basically teaching me that the best way to get a business started is just that; get it started and run with it. Expect to fail, put in as much capital and work as you're willing, and LEARN. And that seems to be Elon's strength (except the failing part). The man has no fear of taking an idea and running with it, and he is damn determined to see it through, even being willing to sell of his personal assets to keep his businesses afloat. Though there is a much easier way to keep them afloat, and that's not buying the million dollar McLaren in the first place.

3) If I had to design an exercise for this class, based on reading about Elon Musk's life, I can't decide between a mock Press Release, or a "Dealing with Imminent Bankruptcy" exercise.

    The man, to me, seems like a PR disaster. His odd relationships and habits, his inability to control himself, and his tendency to be (pardon my language) a dick all lend themselves to me cringing every time I read about an interaction he had. I would suggest, sort of like the Elevator Pitches, where people have to record themselves responding to questions about their company. "What sets your company apart? What are your plans for your company? What is your company's stance on...?" Answering those kind of questions.

    Or I would suggest an assignment where students are close to bankruptcy, and they must figure out how to redirect money within the company, ask for loans, and invest personally. I'm less certain how this assignment would work, but it seems like something a lot of startups would run into and people should be prepared for.

4) I don't think I really got an "aha" moment while reading this book. I won't say I'm the biggest fan of SpaceX (just jealous that they got in the private space industry before I could), and I think it's fairly obvious that I'm not the biggest fan of Elon Musk, but I have done a little research into the company and the man's history before reading this, and I'd gotten a pretty good idea of them. I'd say what interested me the most was his start at X.com, later to become Paypal, and how he got screwed over a lot. Between losing a ton of his employees that ran to start their own company, and having his CEO position taken from him, I'd say he had a rough time that, although I don't like the man, he didn't really deserve. Still, he came out pretty on top, and I believe it was this insult that caused him to be more decisive and iron fisted at his later startups. He may have started out harsh and brash, which I can fault him for, but this experience made him even more so, which I cannot fault him for. I would have probably done the same.

17) Elevator Pitch No.2

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDG7mEUc4Zk

Reflection: The most helpful feedback I got was that I should try to act a little more confident while I speak, in terms of gestures and pacing and such. I fully absorbed that feedback, reflected on it, and for the life of me could not show that I understood it in my videos. I need to take a public speaking class.

Also, I realize that the video is just a little long. I figured 18 seconds isn't that terrible.

Let me know what yall think, whether the story at the beginning is good for a pitch, or whether I sound like Dwight from The Office.

19) Idea Napkin No.2

1) I'm a Management major at UF, about to go into my 4th semester. I have experience in several different fields, ranging from aerospace and biomedical engineering, to management of people and finances. These will help greatly when my company offers an RPG based on sci-fi themes. I will be able to help with the game design and creativity side of the company using my engineering knowledge, as well manage the business side of the company using my management skills. I'd like to get the game as famous as Dungeons and Dragons, or at least Pathfinder (which is a little lesser known outside, but still well known in the RPG community). I know as a startup I will have a hand in almost every aspect of the company, but I feel I am prepared to handle that. Except, again, in the programming side. Technology and I don't often agree.

2) The product I am offering will be an inexpensive online RPG platform that allows players to realize the creativity and imagination required to fully immerse oneself in an RPG. Communication will be easy and high-quality, GM control will be unparalleled in any other RPG, and player immersion will be enjoyable and seem realistic.

3) The target market will be young adults and students, aged around 18 to 24, that have moved away from home. This may seem very niche, but think about it; we all move away eventually, don't we? And we always leave friends and family behind that we'd like to stay in touch with. Also, this target is not the only market that the product may touch. I fully feel that it will be a contender in the RPG market, which is played by people of all ages, and all kinds of family/friend connections.

4) Customers will care because they will have tried all the alternatives out there, and found them to be lackluster or expensive. They will desire something that fully allows them to indulge themselves in that creative and imaginative mindset that comes with playing an RPG with good friends, even though those friends may be far away.

5) What sets me apart is my relatively odd combination of skills and experiences. I've been a "dork" (still am), I've been an engineer (which has taught me a lot about useful topics for the sci-fi theme of the game), I have been a "CFO" (briefly, but it was a very informative experience), and I am a management major. I can handle myself in most all fields required for a creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial startup, and if I can't I will have the skills to manage people that can handle themselves.

The main thing I am worried about when it comes to MAKING the product is, like I've said, the programming aspect required. I would have to hire someone to handle that. But there's plenty of people that can do that. When it comes to spreading the word about the game, I am uncertain how to go about that as well. I may have to find someone to do that, or take a few marketing and advertising classes. If anyone has suggestions on good electives, let me know please.

Feedback Memo) First off, I'd like to thank Jean Vardaramatos for thinking the name "Constellation" is cool. It was kind of a quick decision, and I was fully expecting to change it later on. I believe it was also Jean that gave me some good feedback on my elevator pitch, which hopefully I'll use during this next elevator pitch. Gotta work on my public speaking skills. Also, reading back through some comments, I may not need to focus so much on people that want to stay close with their old friend groups. It may benefit my product not to narrow it down so much, and instead market it just as an online RPG that allows people to play a fun, kinda realistic sci-fi themed RPG.

18) Create a Customer Avatar

A few traits about my Customer:

• New college student (~18-20)

• Not GREAT at making friends (though not terrible, just takes some effort)

• The friends they do have, they've left back home

• Lives in a dorm or apartment, possibly with new roommates

• Not a ton of money, being a college kid, but enough to afford, let's say, a more upscale apartment. Say, with their own room.

• Has posters of their favorite comic book character in their room

• Played games like Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder in the past

• Still plays video games with old friends every now and then, but misses the creativity of RPGs

• Possibly has glasses, cause ya know, the stereotypical dork

• Drives a hand-me-down car

• Favorite books as a kid were probably the Eragon series or (begrudgingly I say this) the Harry Potter books. These probably set him/her up for reading sci-fi/fantasy books as they got older, but they probably don't read much anymore now

• Favorite snack is anything that can be bought in bulk from Sam's Club and stored on top of the cabinets because there's no room inside the cabinets

• Listens to music a lot, especially on the bus to classes. May have a taste in music that's a little older, but not hair metal. NEVER hair metal (unless you count Dio as hair metal, then a) you're wrong, and b) he/she does listen to hair metal)

• An engineering major, but an uncertain one. May switch majors around a few times

I realize this list is long, rambling, and may not go into too much detail, but that's just the way the dice roll. I have a lot in common with this person, mostly because I found this opportunity for an online RPG by looking for problems in my own life.

A few key differences: I don't wear glasses  (though I am a dork), I no longer live in a dorm with roommates (unless you count a girlfriend as a roommate), I'm 21, and I am one of the few that will admit that the Harry Potter books were actually really bad.

A few key similarities: I did leave a lot of friends back home that I used to spend a lot of time with, and it has become increasingly difficult since I left to stay in touch with them and enjoy online gameplay. I read a LOT of sci-fi as a kid. I was an engineer (twice), but I changed to business management thanks to differential equations. I passed the class, but realized if I kept doing that math for the rest of my life, it'd be a looooong life. I also have several band and comic book posters on my walls, and I think there's a major importance in this and the reading: I love things that fuel the imagination, as will this customer avatar. I, and the avatar, will be looking for something to channel this imagination into, but will be struggling because there are very few good channels.

For those that don't want to read all of this: The Customer is a little awkward, but has several friends that they've just left back home. They have a great imagination, but are looking for something to channel that into (an RPG, for example). If you have any traits that you feel this Customer would have, please share!