12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

I have picked the segment for people who live in bigger or smaller cities.

In my interviews, I have found that in smaller cities all around the US, they are less likely to have learned a second language. They are also less likely to have grown up with different languages around them. When interviewing people who grew up in bigger cities like Orlando, Miami, or Tampa, they said that at the least they are familiar with another language other than English. If not familiar, they said they grew up with a second language or was taught it by either their family or in school. Especially for students who grew up in Miami, where Spanish is a very popular language.

Based on my interviews, I have found that catering my product more to smaller cities can benefit kids as they are more secluded from a melting pot of languages. It also taught me that even with bigger cities, I can still market my product to them. Even though they have a greater advantage of having different languages around them, they can still have the opportunity to learn different languages or more about the prominent languages around them.

11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

1)    I am a second-year advertising major with a minor in innovation. I also have been dancing for 16 years and competed for 12. I would like to be a part of a major advertising agency and maybe open a dance studio of my own. I do not see my business playing a role in my life at the moment but maybe in the future.

2)    I intend to sell a language learning tool that aids children in developing multiple languages. It will teach different languages while also being a game. There will be different levels of the game where it gets harder as you learn more. For example, it might show a picture of an animal as well as say the name of that animal in your native language. You would then need to press the button that correlates to that screen. As it focuses on child learning first, it will then start upgrading to full sentences and grammar. It would connect to an app that tracks your learning process as well as change the language you want to use and learn. 

3)    This will market to parents and young students who want to learn a second language easily. Primarily in the US but the opportunity to grow outside to other countries in the future.

4)    There is a rise of businesses and jobs in the United States that require applicants to speak more than one language, and sometimes more than just two. The demand for bilingual workers has doubled in the past five years. Bilingual children outperform children who only speak one language in problem-solving skills, critical thinking, multitasking, and they have a stronger ability to focus.

5)    Many language learning tools are app-based and are not fun to do. This product makes it a game for kids while teaching them different languages.

I believe most of these elements fit together with my business concept. The one element that is out-of-joint with the others is the one that describes my talents and future goals.

10A – Elevator Pitch No. 1

9A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Interview #1

I talked to a student that I met in the parking garage in my apartment building. Before continuing with more in-depth questions, I had asked if she has ever felt like she has needed to speak more than one language or if she does speak more than one language. She said that she didn’t grow up speaking a second language but dabbled in it in high school. She said that she had wished she started earlier because she wasn’t able to keep with the language as well.

Interview #2

This student had said they grew up in an all English household with no second language. They are studying business management in which they need to take a foreign language course to graduate. They said if they have learned a second language earlier on in life, this course would not be necessary. They had said that the main reason that foreign language is necessary is that speaking multiple languages is vital when working in the business industry.

Interview #3

I had interviewed someone who has just graduated from their undergraduate and is working in Miami, Florida. He was an international student from Columbia and is looking for a work visa. When coming from Columbia, he had wished he took more time to learn English as a kid so it would help him integrate himself easier in the US. As well as working in Miami, his English needs to be very proficient in order to talk to co-workers, customers, or bosses.

Interview #4

Another student I talked to said they grew up in a home where they spoke three different languages: English, Spanish, and Italian. They also studied Spanish in high school and studied abroad in Spain. They said that having these experiences and this knowledge has helped them through job applications, interviews, internships, and communications overall.

Interview #5

The last interview I did was with an employer at Oracle, an international computer engineering company. They have been recruiting people for 20 years for locations all around the globe. This recruiter had said that one of the most important things they look for on resumes is multilingualism. Especially because they are looking to put people in countries where they speak different languages.

Overall in the interviews, I found that the cause of this need comes from different places. Though coming from different places, they all mentioned one similar thing in which they either grew up or wished they grew up speaking more than one language. Proving my point where learning a second language as a child will help them grow up and be successful. Especially for those kids who grow up in a home where their family only speaks one language.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is In: Students	Who is Not: People who grew up with a second language
What the Need Is: The tools to learn a second Language as a child	What the Need Is Not: a tool that isn’t physical and/or grows with your knowledge
Why the Need Exists: Jobs are looking for people Who speak more than one language	Alternative Explanations: Schools in the US don’t require second language courses