Final Blog Post

     Music plays a critical role in our every day lives, it gets us going, brightens up our day, or even brings back good memories from the past. And it's also a great work-out tool. So essentially throughout this whole process, I have been trying to create an athletic sports wear line with a built-in mp3/iPod system so that it's more convenient for the average person everytime they go to the gym to work out and forget their physical iPod. The key components that I kept in mind while coming up this idea and then actually researching and forming it were user-friendliness, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
    I've certainly come across challenges in terms of  the design and development process. I had to think about the weaknesses and do more research on them. Many people commented and questioned on these points with concerns. One of the problems was how to incorporate a music player in my clothing yet have it be washing machine safe? I looked into many solutions and found that there are many waterproof mp3 players that I can use for my products. There are already many that exists, especially for swimmers, so I will probably look into that route. I realized using an acutal mp3 player, the kind that the iPod utilizes, and having to take the physical chip in and out everytime someone needs to wash it would be too much of a hassle and would probably turn them away from my product. As for how the user can actually physically listen to the music, I have decided that all my products will come with an extra-small but durable custom made headset that can plug right into the location where the mp3 is located on the clothing.
     Although this project had only been started a little over a month ago, I feel like it has come a long way. I discovered that any creative project, entrepreneurship included, is a process. It takes time, feedback, and a lot of effort to perfect. This project also really made me think outside of the box by not just focusing on my idea and how to improve it but also at the very simple but critical technology (use of social media, networking, hardware, operating systems, etc.) that I will need to utilize in order to carry out the entire plan.

3 Comments on Peer Blogs:

• Helen Peng: http://helenology.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-1-social-media.html#comments
• Heejeong Seo: http://hj2seo.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-1-week-1-2.html#comments
• Jisu Pang: http://jisupang.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-1-my-entrepreneurship-idea.html#comments

Week 8 - Networking

     Prior to the launch of this new line, we will be hiring a team of skilled web designers to create a web page exclusively for this new apparel that we are gonna be introducing. It will provide a platform for our company to directly sell our products to customers. The web page will also display basic information about our company and who we are, including our mission and vision, detailed information on our products, promotions, etc. With the growing importance of social media, we will also provide direct links to our Facebook and Twitter page as well. Another aspect of establishing our internet presence will be aimed at trying to incorporate a more interactive user experience when visitors are on our page.
     One challenge of networking that we will need to overcome is coming up with a unique domain name within an already populated marketplace. It is apparent that the internet is increasingly growing bigger and bigger every day and websites are being created on the web every second. As a result, there are less and less domain names out there available and creativity is needed to come up with one that we can use. After we have made our domain name, we will also have to look at other existing domain names that are similar to our company's to see if we can possibly claim rights to them if they are used in bad faith.
     As established earlier on in our blog posts, we have emphasized security and the importance of retaining our customers' personal information only for the sole purpose of conducting sales transactions. So in order to do this, we have to utilize the https protocol on the web instead of just http. This additional secure sockets layer (SSL) will sit on top of the hypertext transfer protocol (http) to ensure that any information entered on our website by a user is encrypted. This is especially crucial when it comes to promoting online shopping as transactions made through the web are a major source of identity theft and fraud in today's world. Our company will make sure to do everything in our power to ensure the security of our customers.

Week 7 - Operating Systems and Digital Color

     In order to run our company and complete all the necessary tasks that come with creating, distributing, marketing, and selling this new line, we will obviously need computers to help us achieve those tasks. An operating system manages hardware and software resources and has many functions including CPU management, process management, memory management, file system management, device management, and user management. We will incorporate all these functions of an operating system to help us succeed in the creation of this new line.
    In terms of which kind of operating system we will be utilizing, we will definitely be using one with a multi-user and multi-tasking capability to ensure maximum efficiency. This allows us to not only have multiple users access a computer system simultaneously but also allow the execution of numerous tasks at one time. We believe that this will greatly enhance our ability to perform our business functions, such as marketing/sales, updating our Accounting books, creating ads, tracking our sales performance, etc. We will be using the popular Windows 7 operating system in our offices and headquarters as we see the simple user-friendly GUI (graphical user interface) to be very practical.
     One challenge in the process of creating, marketing, and advertising this new clothing line is deciding which colors we are going to produce it in. Starting from scratch in the digital word, this means there are literally millions of different colors we could go with but we decided to narrow it down to eye-catching bright pastel colors. In our attempt to be error-prone, we have made sure that all our design, marketing, and advertising teams are on the same page about what color scheme and which exact shade we are going to launch. It is crucial that all the colors we will be using match up because it is very easy to make a mistake with all the different possibilities out there in digital color. For example, we will make sure that in our web HTML, we are consistent in the use of the correct hex-triplet while designing our website and advertisements.

Review: All of Us {r}evolution Blog

     All of Us {r}evolution is a blog created by two girls, Shannon and Kristin who aspire to break through and change the fashion industry by coming up with a new stylish yet socially sustainable clothing line. Their goal, as stated on their blog, is "to create the ideal wardrobe for women like us, looking to simplify our lives, reduce our footprint, and look damn good in the process." Their clothing line is unique in that they emphasize world travel and the reduction of excessive consumption which goes directly against American consumerism. They envision a mission, "We want to have it all. Freedom. Passion. Purpose. So we're starting a clothing line to change the paradigm of fashion and consumption. Because we believe one idea can make the world better, for all of us" that is truly inspiring for entrepreneurs everywhere.
    In the girls' journey to creating an organic, fair trade clothing line, they share their experiences and struggles as well as tips on how to become a successful entrepreneur. One piece of advice that they give to rising entrepreneurs is to break the comfortable routine of a typical 9-5 job or whatever else they are doing in the moment and instead to go right ahead and pursue their entrepreneurial dreams because you've got to start somewhere even though it might be terrifying. They share stories of other entrepreneurs who are doing the same to provide inspiration for the rest of us out there. In addition, they also put their business strategy and process out there in order to obtain consumer opinions to help them make a decision. For example, in one of their blog posts, they give detailed information about 3 possible suppliers for their new clothing line, each with distinct characteristics. This might seem like a poor strategy but their reasoning for this is that they want to give consumers more options and promote those companies that support sustainability. Overall, the blog shares their experiences about doing the best they can to move forward with their line while encountering setbacks on the way, such as the disastrous arrival and failure of their first sample designs.
    Currently, the girls are looking into the future and considering various countries around the world to travel to in order to explore their supply options in countries like India, China, New Zealand, and Australia. In their attempt to do something completely new in the fashion industry, to create a completely sustainable, 100% organic, travel apparel line that promotes minimalism and un-consumption, and says "no" to cheap fabric, cheap labor, and the environmental damage of traditional textiles, they are truly innovative visionaries who provide inspiration for all of us to consider our impact on sustainability.
Link to blog: http://www.allofusrevolution.com/

Week 5 - Input and Output

     Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is a new input innovation that is gaining popularity in the retail industry. So in order to keep up with the newest and latest technology, we will be implementing the use of RFID tags in our inventory counting process. This will help us save a lot of time and prevent unnecessary tedious work for employees when counting our inventory. Compared to the bar code, the RFID tag will be much faster and efficient since it has the capability to scan multiple number of items within a distance instead of just one line of sight. It is also fully automated and highly accurate so it will save us time as it is much less error-prone. Although there is still much research going on to improve this developing technology, our company believes in utilizing the most innovative and efficient technology that exists out there, hence, why we are experimenting with RFID tags right from the beginning.
    Another technology that our marketing/advertising department will be utilizing in promoting this product will include the use of Quick Response (QR) Codes.We will generate our own QR codes to include various messages about our new products for customers to read in order to promote a more personalized shopping experience. These messages will include a direct link to our online website in which customers can explore a broader selection of products in greater detail. We will also make sure to include QR codes in stores so that shoppers will receive deals and offers right on the spot just by scanning a quick code and hopefully will persuade them to try our new product. Including the use of QR codes in our marketing strategy will certainly help us aim for a more interactive shopping experience for our consumers.
     Since our brand is all about implementing and going along with the latest new technology, we also decided to team up with Google to introduce the new Google Wallet along with our new product line. Our retailer who will be carrying our new sports wear line has agreed to introduce self check-out lines for the Google wallet in stores. In return, Google will offer to give us some advertising space for the new line on their web pages. We are looking forward to see the great results that this partnership will generate in terms of sales and popularity.

Week 4 - Computer Forensics

     In today's digital world, technology makes it extremely easy for identity theft to occur. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that about 9 million Americans are victims of identity theft annually here in the U.S. This is because a thief only needs a few important pieces of one's personal information, and from there, they can easily steal his/her identity. Since identity theft is so rampant these days, we are making sure to protect the privacy of our customers with various company regulations and measures.
     Some of the approaches that we are looking to take include educating sales associates about keeping customer information confidential and requiring them to sign a document claiming that private customer information obtained through a transaction must remain confidential at all times. This means that no associate should access personal customer information for anything outside the range of his/her job. We will also be selling our products directly online to consumers and to ensure privacy on the web, we will be utilizing a very secure server with a fire-wall to prevent fraudulent activity. We will be using PayPal to facilitate electronic transactions and make sure that there will be frequent screenings to report any suspicious activity. In addition to our customers, all employee files containing their personal information must also remain confidential. To do this, we will be changing the password to the appropriate file containing this data very frequently.
     All files containing personal data will be updated or deleted every 6 months depending on the status of the customer or employee. This will help to ensure that unnecessary information is not out there for hackers to have access to. Also, we will be defragmenting our hard drives once every 2 weeks to keep our files as organized as possible, which is a crucial step in maintaining privacy standards. The implementation of our policy will include disposing of old and unnecessary hard drives in the proper manner. For us, this means purchasing a shredder and shredding our drives once we are done with them. Our company believes in maintaining a high level of consumer confidence and trust in our brand, therefore, we will make sure to do everything we can to carry out that vision.

Week 3 - Privacy & Excel

     As it comes closer and closer to the launch date of the line, it is crucial that access and privacy is limited to only those who know the insider details in order to ensure that misleading information won't be leaked, the correct information won't be disclosed at the wrong time, or that private information end up in the wrong hands. These are all social media privacy concerns that our communications (mostly PR and Marketing) gurus need to be aware of. We will make sure to keep many of our accounting and financial statements undisclosed as well as the mutual written agreements between our partners in this new clothing line.
     There will be many ways in which we will ensure the privacy of our new line and the participating brands. One way in which we will do this is to only allow our Facebook and Twitter passwords to be accessible by our trusted Communications Directors. Not even top management will be able to access and edit the content on these pages. We will also make a habit of changing the passwords to our social media pages every 2 weeks. Last but not least, we will also be monitoring all activities (comments, posts, tweets) on all social media websites to make sure that all content is accurate and that if consumers have any questions or concerns, they will be addressed in the proper way.
    Another program that our new line will be utilizing in order to track our business profits is Microsoft Excel. All our accounting statements in our financial department will be using spreadsheets in order to determine business profits at certain intervals. This way, we can see if our product is increasing/decreasing in popularity, how we're doing compared to other similar clothing lines, etc. All our employee wage rates and hours will also be recorded on these spreadsheets so that when pay day comes, all our information will be organized in one place. We will also be creating graphs to display our monthly break-even point and how we actually did in comparison to that for the whole fiscal year. Last but not least, we will make sure that all public information will be depicted in an accurate way because we believe in being honest to our valued customers.