Mads Berardo

After reading through all my posts, I see how my posts have gotten more in-depth and include information that is important to opening a business. I enjoyed when we had to write posts that dug into information about ourselves. I feel as if being an entrepreneur involves knowing yourself and being comfortable with your strengths and weaknesses. Being forced to find these things out about yourself is valuable with business, and life in general. I am proud that I came up with an idea that was able to be as developed as it is right now. I have never taken a class like this before, and it forced me to think like I never have before. That being said, I do believe that I have developed an entrepreneurial mindset. I have learned to think quickly from all angles. I also learned that you have to plan and prepare for all outcomes. I also learned that failure is a part of life and it shapes us into the people that we are. Without failure, you can never grow as a person, and personal growth is es...

1. Opportunity: Skiing and Snowboarding are very popular during the winter time. People travel to mountains all around the country and world. Some of these people enjoy bringing their animals along with them because they are like family, and what pet or dog does not like the snow? These people then face the commitment of caring for their dog while they are out on the mountain. Some are worried about their pet being along for too long, others worry about their pet making a mess in the house, condo or hotel. They love their animals so they have a constant worry in the back of their mind all day. On powder days or bluebird days, these people will want to maximize their time on the mountain. Innovation: This leads me to Snow Paws, the first ever kennel at ski resorts. The first one will open at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. Snow Paws will be a store in the village at Stratton and we will be open to all kinds of pets, even though we know our most popular animal will be dogs. We will ...

My exit strategy is to stay with my business for a few decades. If it does well, I hope to expand to other mountains. If the owners of the mountain ever wanted to buy the business, I would consider that too. I would like to stay with my business because I love where it is, and owning it would be fun for me. If my business never gets bought out, I would consider keeping it in my family and potentially passing it down to my kids one day. I am flexible and I plan to go with the flow. If my mindset changes along the way than I will always do what is best for me and my financial situation. If Snow Paws expanded to other mountains I would love that too because it gives me the opportunity to travel to other mountains and snowboard around the country. Overall, I am excited and I look forward to what the future holds.

The third book that I chose to read was Thinking, Fast and Slow written by Daniel Khaneman. This book allows readers to see the true importance of thinking and acting quick. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. Sure, many people are able to think and react quickly, but rarely can a person do it effectively. In the business world it is essential to think of solutions quickly. However, these ideas and thoughts must be thought about from each angle before you present this idea. If these ideas are not complete, then they can never be fully developed. This is also just an important skill to have even during the interviewing process to show your future employer that you are the best person for this job. I would recommend this book to any person in the business world, and outside of the business world. I think that the skills addressed in this book are useful for every person.

This past semester I heard back from an internship that I had applied for, and it was not what I wanted to hear. I knew that applying for this internship was going to be a stretch, but I went for it anyway. However, I applied and ended up getting an interview. I think that this made me get my hopes up a little because the interview went really well. I was disappointed when I got the email that I did not get the internship I think that I handle failure pretty well. I was not always this way, but you have to learn in order to grow. I try to keep the mindset that it is just another learning experience rather than failure. This class has taught me that failing is okay. Experiencing something is the best learning opportunity a person can have. Each time you fail, you get one step closer to succeeding.

What I think is next? I think that after Snow Paws opened, I would evaluate its first season, and see how the business did. After, I would be open to any improvements to perfect my business. I also want to make sure that I have a strong relationship with my customers. If all is going well, I want to explore my options of expanding my business. Killington, Mt. Snow and Magic Mountain are a few mountains near Stratton that could be future Snow Paws locations. Current Market Interviews: All three of the people that I interviewed gave similar feedback. They all said how I should make sure to have all of the resources necessary to care for the animals. I should also make sure that I am making enough of a profit to even consider any expansion. The feedback was positive and good. They mainly had basic questions regarding the day to day operations of the business. They also wanted to know if I was going to be open seasonally or year round. During the winter I will be open, but during t...

Opportunity: Skiing and Snowboarding is very popular during the winter time. People travels to mountains all around the country and world. Some of these people enjoy bringing their animals along with them because they are like family, and what pet or dog does not like the snow? These people then face the commitment of caring for their dog while they are out on the mountain. Some are worried about their pet being along for two long, others worry about their pet making a mess in the house, condo or hotel. They love their animals so they have a constant worry in the back of their mind all day. On powder days or blue bird days, these people will want to maximize their time on the mountain. Innovation: This leads me to Snow Paws, the first ever kennel at ski resorts. The first one will open at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. Snow Paws will be a store in the village at Stratton and we will be open to all kinds of pets, even though we know our most popular animal will be dogs. We will also ...

1. To my knowledge, I am not aware of a service like mine at ski resorts This is valuable because there is not a business like mine. There are pet care facilities, but not at ski resorts. This type of business is not rare, but the fact that it is targeting a new market is unique. Once this opens, I would expect people to imitate the service as it would be very profitable at other large ski resorts. I plan on having a staff to help because I would not be able to run the business on my own. 2. I am comfortable with public speaking This is valuable because I am going to have to speak to other business professionals and people on the mountain. This is not rare, and many other people are good at public speaking. 3. I am incredibly familiar with the place in which my business is opening This is valuable because it is familiar territory and I know precisely which market I am targeting. This allows me to better plan my strategies. This is not rare, but it is also not always common. Op...