MLGG

Mark Louise G. Galgo

[markgalgodubu]

Every Ending Has A New Beginning

   17th week, and possibly the last weekly blog. it’s really the endpoint of our venture already and even form that short span of time we got a lot of things to learn from. starting from doing the rejection therapy we learned to be more confident and not be afraid of being neglected because is really part of life. there are really hard times and rejection, so even if someone rejected you doesn’t mean that there’s no one that will cooperate and wholeheartedly accept you. this is only one of the things that made a great impact on our team. 

   This week’s team activities are very hassle because of team’s other deadlines on other subjects. since the team composition are the same as to other subjects groupings. but even with this type of team conflict we still need to manage the preparations for the final venture pitching. and there are only few days left to prepare. the fact that this subject is really tough especially when the team will take it lightly. it’s only tough if the team don't manage time and tasks properly. 

   Now since the team’s product is a hardware product we are still currently trying to figure out how can we present this type of product. since this product is also our proposed thesis, which is in return still under research of our team. we are currently studying how can we make the prototype that will be effective and working. 

   This is what makes the team’s product very tough, tough to present because is still under research. anyways we are currently testing the setups and finding ways to somehow represent the product on the final pitch. and also finding any other way to present the product, this type of product needs further concrete trials and research because water is involved and the safety of the users are also a priority so we can’t deploy the product half cooked. 

   It seemed to be a short span of time to experience all of this but it’s really something that a person will find it helpful in the future. it simply shows that whatever status in life anyone can be a entrepreneur with great idea and determination comes great opportunities. a Person can become who he/she wants to be in life, so education is not the boundary of success there are lots of people that succeed without proper education. it really depends on how you look life with your perspective.

--- annyeong, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

We’re Near

   16th week, this may be the 2nd to the last blog for our venture. it's close to end but there are many things to be done, we still have to do testing for the devices we ordered. dividing the task among the members will be the best choice to do. so we did test the devices and so far the devices are working accordingly.

   The two devices are the water flow sensor and peristaltic pump. these two devices are the main component for our product. during testing of water flow sensor it worked but the result we got are still tentative since we haven't verified if the rate calculations for water is correct. another task done is sthe developement of the software side of our product. we also interviewed some customers regarding our software implementation.

   We also discussed regarding the developement of our prototype for the finals presentation. so that we may be able to present its functionality atleast. next is the follow ups for our past interviewed interviews, and consult to a engineer to validate our system. we need to do this because it's crucial that we can have proper calculations and exact ratio for us to have a solid and reliable product.

   This week is literally at the edge of the end for our venture. it's close so we need to brace ourselves and prepare for the final defence. it may be hard to finish all of this but we have to. and our team may be complicated sometimes but together we stand divided we fall.

---stand, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

How the Barangay do Budgeting and Approval

   15th week, the end is near the venture soon will come to a close. we haven’t had a class on techno for about 3 weeks, but we still must continue to do the things needed to validate the product. it was really hard to go try and make things work, because there are times that things are really against you. but the key here is always be persistent and have a courage to stand up whenever you fall. because that’s how people learn from mistakes and experience.

   On this week we are still working on things with the barangay we do educate and interview with barangay officials. these are to clarify on how the barangays can make up for the budgeting on projects and how they decide on what projects are to be done. we are targeting these types of questions since our product is being implemented on barangays then we need to know how these barangays can accommodate our product. so far on what we interviewed, they are saying that the allocation of budget will came depending on  what project is being made. and if there’s a project that exceeds 50K then there will be a bidding, we still don’t know this bidding they are talking about but we think that they bid on how much the project will cost. 

   Then second is we interviewed regarding  how projects for barangay are being approved. so they are saying that once there are projects proposed the barangay council will held a meeting regarding the project then in order to bed approved the project must get the majority of the council’s votes. then the budgeting will come if approved. these information gathered from barangays are very important since that’s where we get our sales. 

   There are things that this venture taught me, one of it is to never hesitate on doing things that you’re afraid. only because of this venture I learned not to be hesitant on talking with other people. I now have more confidence talking to strangers. and these may not be big learnings but these things are very important in the future. because we all communicate. 

[markgalgodubu]

Close to Depart

14th week, there are many things to do since the end of our venture is fast approaching. And demo day is just around the corner, our team needs to prepare for that day to come. Now our team has to prepare for next weeks presentation. Last time we prepared for our revenue model, this time we need to interview for more customers especially the people in the barangay that we also need to educate.

We need to educate people in the barangay since in deploying our product the people in the barangay are the one who’s going to benefit. In validating it was sort of hard because some of the interviewee are not interested in implementing such product. Some of them are saying that such product is not necessary since they haven’t experience such outbreaks. Well for our product it will be implemented even if there’s no outbreak yet on the area. Our team’s product is an implementation for prevention. Such process for water is important to prevent anything worst. Another thing that the interviewee pointed out is that they are also using mineral water as their main drinking water. Mineral water from water refilling stations. And some were also relying on natural water source like springs. And these people were glad to know about the product and were saying that with such product it would be helpful in maintaining clean and reliable water source.

We did this kind of interview because we can see that data gathered in these interviews will be in big help. And also it is important to interview them since they are the end users. Our validation is not quite finish yet, there are still many things to consider. Interviewing barangay officials are quite a hassle since we need to set a certain time for the interview because officials are busy and the time that we set should also coincide with our free time. Another to consider laso is the location of some barangays some were very remote and not easy to go to.

These week is challenging and very tiring but whatever comes against us we should face ir with might. Because life was never easy, especially on a venture. A Plane never fly with the air, it flies against the air. That’s how a plane reach its destination. Also we should also have that mentality we should go against the hardships to reach our destination.

—- spread your wings, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

Revenue

   13th week, the end of the semester is coming and also with our team’s venture. it was really quick things came by so quick like if you won’t go and try to catch up you’ll be left in time. there are still many things to be done regarding our venture as startup that it’s product is mainly focused on hardware. it was a challenge to have a venture as it is.

   This week we have to do our Revenue Model It identifies which revenue source to pursue, what value to offer, how to price the value, and who pays for the value. So first was our revenue stream, in revenue stream there are several ways or types in generating revenue. these are Asset Sale, Subscription fees, Licensing etc... so for our revenue streams we determined that we belong to Asset Sale since we are letting the buyer own our product as it pays for it fully. in asset sale after the transaction is finish, the buyer now has full ownership of the new asset acquired in this case our product. And for other business getting our product, the buyer must ensure that the acquiring company is able to continue doing business with the new asset.

   Another thing in our product is we have come with it as having a Fixed price. since we are having asset sale, we also be having a fixed price. because after our product is bought with a fixed price then we are able to go and install our product. and with that after installation the buyer now has complete ownership and with that in order for them to maintain the operation of our product we are only covering the maintenance also with fixed price per maintenance. 

   And regarding on our secondary target customer which is the firms or other waterworks company we planned to have Licensing for them as our revenue stream. since they are capable of producing their own version, so we had Licensing because what we are selling to them is an intellectual property. also with Licensing we plan to also have it as a Fixed price. 

   The end of semester is near, but it feels like the semester have just started. 

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”  ―Mother Theresa

---It’s never too late, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

Barangay to Barangay

   12th week, we now have few weeks left we need to double our time on working this venture. time is really fast especially when you won’ t mind it, the day passes by without you even knowing it. so we better be mindful of dates especially deadlines, to prevent working on a rush.

   On this week we prepared for our re-defense and prepared for the Techno presentation. for the techno presentation what we have to prepare is to determine our pains, gains, jobs to be done, customer workflow, and customer persona. we really had a long time to think what are those things, and also in determining what are the proper and correct customer persona. 

   Another thing what we really need to do is go to our potential customers and do validation. and that would be rural barangays, so first we headed to the barangay hall of Agusan. then we interviewed the barangay officials regarding their waters and some of their water sources. the barangay official said that in Agusan there are many water sources, specially near the mountain side. because even if digging a shallow hole in the ground, you can already see water from that shallow hole. so in Agusan there can be people that get their water sources in the ground and it is unsafe since it wasn’t treated yet. and with that untreated water source there are possibilities of bacteria contamination. and that’s where our product steps in. and the barangay official is pleased to hear about our product, because even if there are no cases of outbreak yet in Agusan it is good to take precautions such as our product that put chlorine on their waters. 

   Next is we headed to Villa, and conduct another interview on their barangay. we did interview the same things like on Agusan, they like the idea and thought of it as useful. but another thing that they pointed out is it also depends on the person. that applying chlorine on water depends on the person if he or she prefer having chlorine or not. because they said that some people in villa are directly drinking tap water, and that they don’t get reports yet of having sickness due to that. so they say that it really depends on the persons preferences.  

   People are free to pick what are their preferences in life, it might be good or bad for them. but it’s better to take precautions than never, since prevention is better than cure.

---keep validating, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

Long Break but Many Things To Do

11th week, it was a week of no class. Because of the city fiesta, and the school Intramurals. The students were busy preparing for the events to be held. And also some of our class mates had their own booth.

It was quite busy week, since 2 of our team were volunteers on the intramural days. So they were very busy, and we only had a brief meeting. And we need to determine our customer persona. who and what kind of people would be our target customer.

Another thing on this week is we had our site visit. Supposedly this site visits happened last week but were moved this week. Another event that took a big chunk of our meeting days. Since the site visit were on 2 consecutive days, so it made us hard to find a good schedule to have things done.

There are really times that we will encounter obstacles on whatever things we do. It is somehow expected to go through these obstacles before reaching your goal. Likecwhat happened this week obstacles that hinder us from gathering and do meetings. Life is always an obstacle course, and we need to take those obstacles head on.

—- pierce through, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

1 Step Backward, 2 Steps Forward

   10th week, there are so many things to be done and attend on this week. These are namely; Techno Pitching, Thesis Proposal defense, and  Impact Hub event. well life is a cycle of learning, it is intended for us to never stop learning. There are infinite thing to learn in this world you just have to exert effort in order to attain it. so these week is very productive and full of learnings.

   First thing is we have to prepare for our Pitching on Monday, the team needed to meet up constantly to finish what we are going to present on our pitch deck. on the day of our pitching everyone seems to have anxiety over presenting. well it was expected since it was somehow our first proper pitch deck. after presenting our pitch deck, followed questions from the panel. it was nerve racking the atmosphere of the room change as we ended our pitch. we had to consult professionals to let them see our proposed idea and have them validate the effectiveness of our product. we all know that the first time is always wrong, so we have to polish and polish.

   The second thing for this week is our thesis proposal defense, which happened on Thursday. it was more nerve racking than the pitching because there were 3 panels and our adviser that would listen and watch. so after given 15 minutes to present, we are also given 15 minutes to answer the questions of the panel. after several questions, that are targeting us on how can we know that the amount of chlorine needed is that much. basically targeting if there is a proper formula to calculate the amount needed based on the water flow, diameter of the pipe etc... we weren’t given a approval from the panel since they were not very convinced yet. Fortunately we were given a Re-defense to answer the panels doubts and questions about our thesis.

   Then lastly was the Impact Hub event held in pat there were CEO from different startup companies that had a major success from being a startup. they were coming from different cities and just came here in Cagayan De Oro to have a lecture on how they venture go. so we are one of the lucky people that were able to attend this such event. we really learn so much from the even, we were given more information that really enlightened us more on how to act and think like an entrepreneur. we were able to deeply understand how we should work things so that we can succeed on what the aim is. such events are helpful especially to us now that are taking Technopreneurship subject. and also on the event we had an activity with a group of 5 or 6. it was helpful somehow even if we ran out of time to really finish the activity.

   The week was very great so many things noted and learned. one is when having a interview and asked the interviewee if he could adapt it when the product is done, if he answer is unsure or says maybe. we can say that an answer like that can be a big NO. so we have to clarify if the target customer is very willing to pay for the product just to address the problem that you are solving. Another thing that we learned from having to do a Re-defense is that sometimes we have to take 1 step backward to take 2 steps forward. things might not go well according to plan, but stay strong and never give up. remember that a plane will flies against the wind and not with it. 

---it’s never too late, So try again. dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

9th week, this week is busy with almost every subjects that correlates with our thesis. deadlines were upcoming on the chapter1-3 drafts, so we had to cope up and tried to finish within the said dates. but we know that it’s just the beginning, we still have many things to go through.

Many things needs to be done on this week, we have to make our make mock defense with our thesis adviser. and another thing is we still have to continue and validate our Product to potential customers. Customer validation is important to determine if the problem were trying to solve is really a problem that many experienced. how can a startup really start up of there are no real customer to the solution they are offering. 

Another thing that we had to do this week is to prepare for our pitching nextweek. So we have to group up multiple times to construct ideas to put to our pitching deck. At first we had a difficulty finding our competitors, we thought that we have no competitors. But in reality there are competitors but, one are those products that do the same thing as our product but their product operates manually.

In life there may be many mistakes, expect to commit mistakes since nobody is perfect. But always put it in mind that mistakes gives you lessons, so don’t make a mistakes on the same thing again.

—-cope up,dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

Experience

   8th week, it’s midterm week. we were very busy coping up with lessons and important things. since last week we have to always update our BMC in order to refined it. So for us to put some changes we have to conduct series of interviews and data gathering. we started conducting an interview last week on puntod. and it was just the beginning.

   Since we experienced mistakes last week upon the inefficient interview, we decided that it would be more productive to split the team and conduct different interviews on different barangays. And so we split the team by 2′s, the first half of the team headed back to puntod in order to extract more reliable data. and the 2nd half where I was assigned, we went to Iponan. as we arrive there to interview the barangay captain, unfortunately we were able to see him but he has to go somewhere. So he just assigned another barangay official to take his place on the interview. 

   So we started interviewing, I was following a script which were made by my other teammates, and it was a series of questions to ask so that we can get the specific information needed. however on the first question asking “Are there any outbreaks happened due to contaminated water?” his answer was that there no cases like that happened in Iponan. I was stunned for a second because the question prepared by my other teammates depends if the answer was only a Yes. so what I did was to improvise a new set of questions because the questionnaire held useless thus his answer was no. but fortunately I was able to pull off and successfully finish the interview with a good data gathered.

   This week was a challenge, I was challenged with an interview with me being the interviewer. it was such a great experience, especially I was able to come up with a new set of questions impromptu. it was an experience that will help me in the long run, with this such experience I had a glimpse of reality that you’ll never learn if you’ll never try.

---Experience is the best teacher, dubu out :3 

[markgalgodubu]

Plan Ahead

   7th week, time is so fast that if you will put it in mind it will be gone in an instant. that’s how each time is so precious, so it is best not to waste time. But even if we already know that time is precious we still don't learn a lesson and that many opportunities were lost. it still boggles me why, even me myself admits that even if I already know that time is precious sometimes I still don’t learn when I’ve lost an opportunity.Time is precious especially on a team.

   This week we a re still busy building and finalizing our BMC, and we need to interview so that we can reflect it in making the BMC. for the interview we headed to Barangay Puntod to talk to the barangay captain regarding on their water systems and how their waters are being treated before it reaches the community. upon arriving there and talked to one of the barangay officers, we were told that they were having a meeting/session at the moment and that the captain was not around only the higher members were around . so we are advised to wait or comeback later, so we decided that we will wait.

   Anyways, after around 30 mins or less the meeting adjourned and we’re able to ask and interview. unfortunately we are only given small insights, because they are rushing and they are preparing to go off-duty. and even if we only got small information, it’s still an information that can add up on our data. 

   We can reflect on these week that in order to have a smooth sailing on our venture, we must plan and not waste time. because this week’s interview is a good example on how we didn’t plan ahead on having the interview, and that’s why we ended up having the interview late on the afternoon. and somehow we can learn from it and try to avoid the same mistake. Planning and Time Management is important and Precious.

—-Learn from your mistakes, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

BMC Week

    6th week and it was sketchy and busy, sketchy because we were working on an Idea which was not approved or not concrete. and it was busy because we were trying to come up with an idea that would be validated and approved. the first idea where we made our Business Model Canvas from was Print Queue. It was ultra Sketchy and we have made shallow discussions about it. but still we tried to make a BMC out from it in the classroom.

    After realizing that we really are unsure about the idea, we headed to consult for our sketchy topic to Eng. Mabulay. So we go ahead and trying to explain what the idea is all about, even Eng. Mabulay was confused about the topic. then he suddenly asked what was our thesis all about. then we slowly and briefly explain our thesis. we never thought about it that he would bring up our thesis to correlate it as our Techno Proposal. our thesis was all about automation of the process on chlorination, specifically the automation of the hypo-chlorinator.

Now that we had a new Techno Idea which is our thesis, after which our minds are now somewhat settled for the moment. we now had to create another BMC for automation of hypo-chlorinator, and we have to present it to Sir and have him to decide if it’s ok to pursue it or not. and after a day we got a message saying that it was approved, the idea can now move on and have it fined tuned. 

     The feeling of knowing it was approved was unexplainable, it’s a mix of joy and anxious, joy of having it approved and anxious of finding the right customer or finding the right market for our thesis. for me I think it was ok that our techno would also be our thesis. since it’s part of the process or it’s part of the concept that another thing to look at is if the thesis would have a place on the market, or if there will be a customer for your product. It’s a very big challenge for our team, but If accomplished it would be a big achievement for us.

---put your heads up, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

Team Formation and Dynamics

     This is the 5th week, it was a eventful week and so many things to learned and experienced. this week we had the first session for the lecture series, the speaker for the first lecture wasthe CEO of Streetby Sir Ronald Rhey Miñoza. And he focused his lecture on their team formation and team dynamics. 

     It was really very important to have a good set of Team members. because along the way of your team venture, it is very critical to have the same vision or have the same goal as a team as Sir Miñoza stated. So another thing to consider in forming a team is that the team should consist all the needed set of skills in certain areas for the team to work. because the truth is you can’t be the only one who will be doing everything, it’s a fact that no one can do everything. So don’t go “One man band”, and search for the right people to work with.

     These types of lecture is very helpful, because we have the chance to meet and listen to people who have experience. And that they could share true to life lessons and scenarios. And for these week our team need to come up with a new idea since our last proposal was rejected. 

     So we have come up with and idea that could help freelancers and could help those people that is searching for freelancers to work for them. the concept is someone who is a freelancer could post his/her profile and other information together with his freelance job, and then those people who needs a freelancer could browse in this said platform and can find the perfect freelancer for the job.

     It was a very busy week indeed, and next following week there would be another sets of lectures. and I’ m looking forward to learn even more with this lecture series.

---Be Positive, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

E-Commerce

        This is the 4th week, and we are all have to present our proposal to our classmates and to our instructor. it was a nerve wracking to present our ideas, and our answers for the basic questions. because we weren't sure on how other people will say about our idea. 

        Our team decided on an idea which addresses the buying and selling of Second Hand Electronic Gadgets. so as we proposed this idea, we got a major drawback. And that is Trust, which our Instructor emphasized. since social media nowadays are being used as a medium in selling, the challenge is how can we implement the idea that will solve the issue on social media buy and sell. Because even if Facebook is well known for buy and sell transactions, there are still many end users that doubt the validity and security of the transactions. 

        After we received the announcement that our idea was rejected and that we are required to present another idea, we then immediately gather so that we could discuss together as a team. my team adjourned the meeting with another idea in mind in preparation for next weeks new proposal. it was hard to come up with another idea that will unites the ideas of all the team members. So having an open minded discussion is one way to do.

        And finally with the new formulated idea, me and my team held another interview that targets our new proposal. in the interviews we gathered very good feedbacks regarding the idea, that we as a team never thought about. and also we interviewed people that can really connect with our new idea, and we can say that as a team that tries to resolve, we really need to connect with other people and always gather ideas.

---Keep Going, dubu out :3

[markgalgodubu]

Seeking Feedback

         So this is our third week, me and my team experienced countless bubble popping thoughts. This is hard because whenever there’s some very good ideas, it would only took 1 word or 1 sentence to completely destroy the idea. And I think it’s quite normal and very important having those kind of things. 

         For this week we prepared for what we are going to present next meeting, and that would be presentation of your team’s idea. since last week we gathered 3 ideas, and pick only 1 and set aside the rest. so after picking 1 idea, we are trying to do customer validation. 

         There’s only 1 way to do customer validation and that would be an interview. At first knowing that we have to do interview we are very hesitant on doing it since we really don't know what the stranger would say about us. so as we started talking to strangers and gathering ideas, I can really confirm that customer validation is important and needed step in doing a start up. because of it we can gather thoughts that we as a team really haven’t thought of it.

         Customer validation was also kind of hard, because some of the people we interviewed won't really actively participate or won't give solid information. and some gives the vibe talking that they don't want to be interviewed. so even with those response we are still obliged to do these interviews so that we can really confirm that the idea is well thought and identified.

---Godspeed, dubu out :3  

[markgalgodubu]

“StarterS”

       this week we started to plan out what are the things needed to do to build a startup. in planning out things, all the members should have a open mind upon receiving opinions from other team members. so far all of the meetings that were held by my team is successful and productive. and I hope that things will get better as we work together on our venture. 

       so far this week the team have discussed on what are the three ideas/problems to solve, it was very hard to come up of an idea that is not yet available on the market. for me discussing with the team is very important and everyone on the team should at least express what he/she thinks.

        then after brainstorming on 3 ideas, we started to answer all the basic questions. and I think among the basic questions one of the hardest to answer was; “Why would they change their behavior and adapt it? and why now?” since we still don’t know how our potential customers of our said product will react to our idea, so then it was hard to think why would they change their behavior and adapt our innovation.

        in preparation for future weeks, we started to plan our venture timeline. because it’s hard to work on things without a plan, because there’s a rough road ahead so me and my team need to buckle up and never forget to enjoy the ride.

 ---that will be all, dubu out:3