Finding the right partner for our venture.
Designing the journal meant understanding our market, the consumer - you. Now equipped with our new found knowledge from Create – X we created our Business Canvas.
It consisted of the following components:
Key Partners
Key Activities
Key Resources
Value Propositions
Customer Relationships
Customer Segments
Channels
Cost Structure
Revenue Streams
Populating this chart while juggling classes proved to be difficult. We needed a third.
Identifying the gap in our skill-set was important and so was understanding our dynamic. Emotional intelligence played a key role. I had had experience blogging about my 'musings' on my handle 'a-balancing-act.com', in terms of reflecting through emotional intelligence. I had also had experience using it whilst leading a nationally competitive dance team or being the wing-lead on my Design, Build, Fly team.
However we needed to further research articles from industry experts on Forbes and Entrepreneur.
Sarajane and my partnership had begun by a shared love for creating in the Aero Maker Space and the desire to make a long-term impact upon others like us.
In our search for the third partner this was perhaps the biggest criterion, to be ‘one of us.’
This is when I roped in Sanjana, thus completing our trio.
We were not friends, nor were we acquaintances. We were merely social media connections. However I was not one to be shy. After having been a follower, I messaged her for a coffee chat through Instagram – a major perk for Generation Z.
Sanjana’s coding, building and crafting skills fell almost secondary to her attitude.
It was always, “I might not know how to approach this now but by the end of the day I will.”
There was no question about it. Our tribe had cultivated the right vibe. Her determination was infectious and offered focus to my creativity. Tackling the Business Canvas as a trio began by redefining the value proposition. How would our startup add or create value?
Value Proposition
I identified and suggested the wellness wave – the surge in individuals prioritising self care. Concepts that used to be considered luxuries are now integrated in mainstream culture. Once again, thank you Gen Z.
I believed that a successful journal would be one that would offer the following:
Inspiration - A Quote.
Words of encouragement from an aviation expert or champion for women in the field could do wonders to set the tone for the day. This section would be crucial in providing a consistent source of inspiration to answer the 'why'.
Knowledge - Three Things I Learnt Today
The three of us identified that the one thing we wished we had was a method to curate all the tidbits of information we consumed from space journals, TED talks, podcasts and YouTube.
We had also experienced the strange phenomenon of not wanting to speak up when we were only 90% sure of a fact or statistic. We had been given opportunities to speak. We were in encouraging environments. But the lack of confidence was attributed solely to discomfort. How could we tackle this?
Confidence through consistency - let us push for that 10%; let us be a 100% sure of what we are saying.
This section would allow us to become experts, not only in specific subdivisions in industry but also have a plethora of general knowledge. This would add an immense amount of self-confidence amongst any peer of any gender - simply through consistency.
We envisioned brilliant minds continuing to purchase these journals and holding on to their previous ones throughout their careers. We envisioned these scientists, and mathematicians carrying these as mementos into space.
The reflective nature of this section would allow one to process the day's learnings and end on an inquisitive note.
Creativity - A Sketch-A-Day
Finally, we wished we had been encouraged to think critically through design throughout our adolescence. A successful journal would cultivate a habit not only of reflection, but also of creativity for engineering. The beauty of this section, adjacent to the writing page, is that one could fill it with sketches of landing gear or a look book. Truly anything that made the engineer whole.
The impact of this is backed up by the research conducted on the therapeutic effects of adult drawing and colouring books.
'Begin Inspired, End Inquisitive, Remain Creative'
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