This Explo entrepreneur details the persuasive marketing techniques he's learned this summer and reflects on what he'd like to cross off from his Explo Bucket List in the last few remaining days.
The Explo water bottle you see in the picture is actually a product we’re selling for my Running a Business course, and all of the profits go towards the Explo Scholarship Fund, which gives students with financial need a chance to go to Explo. The course has taught me so much about marketing and business! For one, I learned that it’s more effective to market your product to a certain demographic at a certain place and time. Like right now, we’re marketing to the Explo student that is thirsty and the Explo student that wants to donate to the scholarship fund. We planned to sell during the second half of lunch specifically because we knew that’s a time when everyone comes out to the quad and are probably really thirsty after lunch. And because it’s one of the hottest times of the day, so people will be thinking about drinking a lot of water.
My dream product is actually something I’m working on designing right now in my Venture Capitalism course. I’m creating a desk chair that works like a car seat, so it’s customizable and has presets to make you the most comfortable you can be in whatever position you want! I’m not sure that I want to do something with business when I grow up, but I know that it’s important to know those business skills to be able to work with others, no matter what I decide to do.
There’s always a certain amount of risk involved in running a business. I’ve taken risks at Explo in my courses, by making products even there’s always a chance that it won’t be marketable and people won’t want to buy it. You don’t really know until you take that risk!
This is my first year at Explo and I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I really have loved the enthusiasm from all the instructors and the community. And the sense of community here at Explo is unlike anywhere else. I’ve felt so close to everyone else and there’s really nowhere also like Explo. In my last few days here, I think the biggest thing to cross of my bucket list would be to meet as many new people as possible and get to know them better, and just enjoy as much as I can!
Jaryd Frankel