Author: ELINA OUOBA

In regards to my product, I wish I could interview Andrew Sutherland the founder of Quizlet. If I ever get the chance to talk to him, I would like to know which steps he underwent to grow his business. He started the website at 15 because he has difficulties to pass his French class. From there, how did this became a website where we can find information on any academic subjects?

Another question I wish I could ask is what made him pursue this business idea even though he clearly had established competition like course hero and Khan academy? Wasn’t he scare? What made him think he had a chance in this game?

The data base he has is so precise and huge, how did he grow his database? Did he create them or did he use pre-existing exams and homework templates?

Lastly, I would like to know if there are any advises he has for me in order to have polish my product? What should I add or change? Are there any tips to be successful in the education industry?

In the education business Quizlet is known by all students and there is no need for introduction. They are the best and are very convenient when you have very short time to study.

Doing research on them made me realize how big they are and what I am going for. It can be scarry be I know I have something more to offer.

Their flashcard system is the most convenient to study everywhere and it is definitely something I would like to look into if possible. But I would like to offer flashcards with answers questions from exams and professors from Baruch only, want to make It as specific as possible.

Being a big company they can afford to offer tutors and teacher for deeper help. Which I won’t be able to do but we will have a text option where students can ask questions.

What scares me the most is their database. They have so much information to charge that it will be hard to compete at first. They have everything on every subjects and every classes.

If even while using their services from time to time I am looking somewhere else as well as other students, this means that they are not perfect and there is more to do in this market.

I still believe it is a good idea and we have something more to offer. The goal is not becoming a serious competitor to overthrow them, but it is to be complementary to their services. They offer general answers and help. What we offer is a closer approach with the students. We want to create a community within the college that fosters brotherhood and help each other on subjects one already. This will make the student more confident because he will be talking or using material from a fellow student and also have a perfect accuracy because all the material we will offer will be from Baruch exercises, exams and professors and our class notes are a plus, better than just summarizing the book.

Coming from another school system on top of having difficulties reading because of dyslexia, taking classes and choosing my professors are a very stressful tasks for me. Every class is like entering something so unknown and I am scared to fail. I usually look for my classes way ahead and I make some research on the professor what he is asking on the class and the material that usually uses. Also having feedbacks from previous students and getting their notes makes me feel like I am prepared and ease my fear. I rely heavily on notes in order to retain the material thought in class. So when I make an effort to read the book I make sure that I take very good and detailed not in order not to go back to the book and read again because it takes me a lot of time.

I have noticed that in many classes I attempted some classmates asked for my notebook in order to do a copy or ask me to share my notes when they miss class because I make great notes. But most of them as me my notes when there is an exam coming and they want a quick review. Friends who plan to take classes I already took or know a friend who will take the class ask for my notes before the semester begins so they are prepared or to share it. This made my think of a website for Baruch students where they can share precise and concise notes on the class they took, the book the read, the exercises they did and their answer and they way the professor wanted the assignments to be done. This could help students lacking time to have a summary of their class with their own professor. In addition other platform are offering summaries of chapters and answers but they are generic long and often don’t help understanding the material quick and easily. Having another student notes that took the very same class is more valuable because it is written in a very easy way you can understand.

This is a problem because nowadays student have it harder than before and are just seeking ways to make studying easier especially when they already have a full time job and don’t have enough time to study. Plus some professor want their assignments to be done a certain way and instead of asking the professor to clarify, some student prefer to rely on their peers because it is less intimidating to them. Some students just like to be prepared especially the ones with 18 credits. Other, to be honest uses class time to work on something else instead of listening to the class then need the note to keep up. So many Baruch student know the struggle and I think they will be glad to have this kind of help to succeed.

See below the Canvas Lean Model for this business idea:

Lean Canvas_Smart Notes

In this unprecedented time, people tend to use more their personal cars for commute instead of using public transportation. It feels safer in general to stay away from public transportation where they can encounter a lot of people, run the potential risk of being infected and where they are not even sure of the sanitary state of the vehicle. The entire population became highly suspicious, Less trusting of the authorities actions and prefer to take their health into their own hands.

The more they use their car, it is obvious that it gets dirty and it needs to be cleaned. I have noticed with a lot of my friends and relatives that they are often complaining they need to clean their car and it is a great shore they never want to do. My friends and my generation in general cares a lot about appearance. I do not have a car so I was curious about the situation and I asked why they don’t go to automatic car wash or professional car wash shop. Most of them said that first of all, they don’t want to drive to a location and have to interact with people. Plus they would have to sit there for hours until it is done and they could use that time to do something productive. Some of them added that it is not cheap either that’s the reason why they don’t want to go to a professional car wash store.

Second, they said they avoid the automatic car wash because It seems to always have a waiting line there and it’s not well done. The cleaning is automatic and only the exterior of the car is washed. There is no actual personal care put into the cleaning of the vehicle, no car body care and the inside still needs to be done by themselves at the end. Even though it is cheaper than car wash stores, they rather do it themselves but still they are reluctant wishing that somebody else would do it for them.

This is a problem because cars need to be washed and taken care of. There is not alternatives or avoiding it; it just has to be done sooner or later and the demand is raising. It made me think: what about a mobile care wash business? This solve the issue of people not wanting to drive to a store and wait there for a while doing nothing. It also takes care of the fact that a human is going to work on it, which means that you can also choose the option of indoor cleaning or special treatment you’ll prefer for your vehicle. IT will save the customer time, energy, and will keep them safe in regards to the pandemic. I am enthusiastic with this idea because even if everything goes back to normal it is still a business that can prosper and can focus on a lot of other target market to make it through.