Idea Napkin No. 1

Hey everyone! So here we go....

1.  My name is Camila. I am a third year marketing student here at UF.  I could talk about my marketing skills, networking skills, etc, but you can just look at my resume for that. Aside from marketing, I am someone who loves to travels the world and experience new things.  I love helping people and animals most of all.  You can say I have weakness for those who need help. While I have traveled, I have always come across people and animals in need, and I think nothing fulfills me more than knowing I was somehow able to help them or at least make them feel better, no matter how small or big the situation.  As for aspirations, I hope that whatever I end up doing in the future will have a positive impact on other lives (human or animal), no matter how small that impact may be.  In terms of the concept I have for my dog cafe, my reason for it was to not only help college students in alleviating their everyday pressures but also help shelter animals receive more affection and possibly find their forever homes.  If this concept does come to life, I think it will play a huge role in my life, because I am a firm believer that whatever you do in life with love and dedication will impact someone else in a positive way.  (if you want a look at the initial idea, make sure to check this post! http://lovetravellives.blogspot.com/2016/02/elevator-pitch-no-1.html )

2 & 3.  So the service I am offering is a dog cafe.  So what I have noticed is that many students in college suffer from stress, whether it be a little or a lot.  Even all of the students I interviewed agreed that they suffered from stress.  When asking student if they had an outlet, some did, but others didn't really have a method for easing the stress.  There are several research studies showing that dogs have been known to reduce stress and blood pressure in humans; UF has even brought dogs onto campus during exam weeks to help students unwind from the pressures of their exams.  So I wanted to offer students a place where they can go to study or  unwind from the day with a bite to eat and be able to have some fun playing with some dogs.

4. So why would college students even care? From the feedback of interviews, and even on my elevator pitches, many students actually like the idea of having somewhere to play with some furry friends and have it more accessible to them.  Some students mentioned how Gainesville apartments and UF dorms are very strict about having pets, so many students have to leave their furry friends behind at home or don't even get a chance to adopt one.  I also had students mention how UF does the dogs events but its maybe one time a semester/year, and its inconvenient; they said it would be nice to have somewhere daily and near campus that they can go to have a little retreat from daily stress.  So many students already go to a crowded Starbucks to study or hang out with friends,  imagine having the same atmosphere with the added bonus of having some furry friends to make your day a little brighter!

5. What sets this cafe apart from others like Panera or Starbucks is the dogs.  Theses dogs will not be pure breeds, but rather we will have dogs from the Alachua Humane society and other shelters.  So what makes us unique is that these animals will have the opportunities to be adopted and find loving homes, and students will have a unique environment to de-stress and have more accessibility to these furry friends that Gainesville seems so determined to keep away.

At first you would think that all these elements don't quite exactly fit together, but I while in Korea, this type of business was very successful.  I want to be able to introduce this concept here.  Some definite considerations that other students have pointed out is how would U.S. FDA regulations affect the business, etc.  These are things that I would have to look deeply into, however the animals would be restricted from food prep areas and there would be specific employees for only food service or only dog service to avoid health issues.  I have also had suggestions about liabilities, such as what would happen if a person or dog got hurt.  This was something really interesting that I would have to look into and research more.  The concept fits, but I feel like its tiny moving parts have little glitches that need some alterations.

It is a work in progress but I hope to receive more feedback to see if this can come to life!