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Who am I? 16 y/o entrepreneur

EricFromCanada

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Hey guys,

Just though I'd post an introduction... I'm 16 years old and from Canada. I originally got into entrepreneurship after reading an article about a guy who was only 18 and was making thousands of dollars after starting his own company. This was the initial spark for me into entrepreneurship. My interest only grew that year as I began to read business books. Last summer I started a clothing business which ended up selling about 50 shirts. In late August I read TMF which was the best book I had read. At the end of the summer I decided to put an end to my clothing business as there was very little profit margin and it lacked the commandments of Need and Entry. Since November (was flipping on ideas from Sept to Oct) I have been working on a new idea, which is an app that allows people to practice and improve their public speaking through Virtual Reality. I soft launched in March and have around 850 installs(all organic). I hope to have the first version of the app done by the end of June (Any feedback is appreciated! goo.gl/yNxAMr). If your wondering how I ended up here, I decided to reread TMF last week and figured I'd check out the Fastlane Forum. I read through the forum and I really liked the community here and decided to try joining.

Look forward to learning and growing with you guys!
Eric

P.S. I made a quick questionnaire on the app and any feedback would be awesome! (Beyond VR Feedback)
 
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Xavier X

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Good job on making some moves.

A few days ago I was talking with some people about public speaking, and how the vast majority of people are scared of it.
It had me wondering what app solutions were out there, and I started thinking of some possible features for one.

I didn't go down this rabbit hole, because I try to resist researching every single idea that pops in my head.
So, it's nice to see someone here actually working on that.
 

EricFromCanada

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Good job on making some moves.

A few days ago I was talking with some people about public speaking, and how the vast majority of people are scared of it.
It had me wondering what app solutions were out there, and I started thinking of some possible features for one.

I didn't go down this rabbit hole, because I try to resist researching every single idea that pops in my head.
So, it's nice to see someone here actually working on that.
Thanks Xavier! If you have any feature ideas or improvement suggestions that you think could improve my app let me know.
 

LiveFire

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I saw the application screenshots, it looks like you are off to a great start with this.

A few ideas of settings:
For someone your age, you could add a "graduation" class with the caps and gown with you giving the valedictorian speech.

Another idea is to simulate a setting of a "campaign" rally with signs/posters. Running for Mayor of your town, no problem, get ready for the campaign rally speech.

But the best setting... you could build a "Shark Tank" setting room, of course, giving MJ the center chair as you present your idea for investment. :)

Sincerely,
LF

Hey guys,

Just though I'd post an introduction... I'm 16 years old and from Canada. I originally got into entrepreneurship after reading an article about a guy who was only 18 and was making thousands of dollars after starting his own company. This was the initial spark for me into entrepreneurship. My interest only grew that year as I began to read business books. Last summer I started a clothing business which ended up selling about 50 shirts. In late August I read TMF which was the best book I had read. At the end of the summer I decided to put an end to my clothing business as there was very little profit margin and it lacked the commandments of Need and Entry. Since November (was flipping on ideas from Sept to Oct) I have been working on a new idea, which is an app that allows people to practice and improve their public speaking through Virtual Reality. I soft launched in March and have around 850 installs(all organic). I hope to have the first version of the app done by the end of June (Any feedback is appreciated! goo.gl/yNxAMr). If your wondering how I ended up here, I decided to reread TMF last week and figured I'd check out the Fastlane Forum. I read through the forum and I really liked the community here and decided to try joining.

Look forward to learning and growing with you guys!
Eric
 
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EricFromCanada

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I saw the application screenshots, it looks like you are off to a great start with this.
Thanks man. All three of those ideas sound really good! I'm definitely going to implement them into the app just may take a while to put in as I still have to build the website, and lessons
 
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LiveFire

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Thanks man. All three of those ideas sound really good! I'm definitely going to implement them into the app just may take awhile to put in as I still have to build the website, and lessons

Certainly they are for future consideration, get the foundation components in first. If you have time, maybe pick the best potential one or new ones that are suggested as you feel inspired.

Sincerely,
LF
 

amp0193

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I soft launched in March and have around 850 installs(all organic). I hope to have the first version of the app done by the end of June (Any feedback is appreciated! goo.gl/yNxAMr).

Ok, this is just AWESOME.


Love the idea man. Give it everything you've got, and you might find some success here.

If it fails, it's because:
1) There's competition doing the exact same thing you are, and doing it better.
2) You didn't market it right, or the app isn't user-friendly, or doesn't deliver what I think it has the potential of delivering.


I'm no coder, but I think VR is the future. What a creative application you came up with here.


Idea: Can you make it track your "ums" and "uhs" and stutters and give you feedback on that?
 
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EricFromCanada

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Ok, this is just AWESOME.


Love the idea man. Give it everything you've got, and you might find some success here.

If it fails, it's because:
1) There's competition doing the exact same thing you are, and doing it better.
2) You didn't market it right, or the app isn't user-friendly, or doesn't deliver what I think it has the potential of delivering.


I'm no coder, but I think VR is the future. What a creative application you came up with here.
Means a lot, thank you! Also yes tracking "uhms" and "uhs" is possible. That is something I hope to implement in the near future
 

LiveFire

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Means a lot, thank you! Also yes tracking "uhms" and "uhs" is possible. That is something I hope to implement in the near future

In the future, Would it have an ability to tie it into another device like heart monitoring to track how nervous or calm you may be based upon pulse rate when presenting? Maybe something eventually to track breathing controlling, if you are breathing too heavy or fast that is picked up by motion.

Sincerely,
LF
 

EricFromCanada

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In the future, Would it have an ability to tie it into another device like heart monitoring to track how nervous or calm you may be based upon pulse rate when presenting? Maybe something eventually to track breathing controlling, if you are breathing too heavy or fast that is picked up by motion.

Sincerely,
LF
Not too sure how I would do that would have to do research. I'm sure it's possible. I'll keep it in mind as I continue to develop it in the future. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
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LiveFire

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Not too sure how I would do that would have to do research. I'm sure it's possible. I'll keep it in mind as I continue to develop it in the future. Thanks for the suggestion!

Maybe like a fit bit type device that transmits Bluetooth in real time to the phone / VR application. All in the future but cool to dream of possibilities and enhancements to consider if they could add value and distinguish your product from competition.

Sincerely,
LF
 

Art777

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Hey Eric!

That's a great idea! I know of a startup which scans the users' body language to train them to become a better public speaker (also in Canada). This definitely has a potential. If you happen to be in the Waterloo region/Toronto let me know, I can introduce you to them and maybe you can collaborate.
 

EricFromCanada

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Hey Eric!

That's a great idea! I know of a startup which scans the users' body language to train them to become a better public speaker (also in Canada). This definitely has a potential. If you happen to be in the Waterloo region/Toronto let me know, I can introduce you to them and maybe you can collaborate.
Hey Art, just wanted to say thanks for the kind words. I'm actually located in Winnipeg, but am flying out to Toronto sometime in July or August. Perhaps we could organize something for then later down the line?
 
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Art777

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Hey Art, just wanted to say thanks for the kind words. I'm actually located in Winnipeg, but am flying out to Toronto sometime in July or August. Perhaps we could organize something for then later down the line? P.S. I made a quick questionnaire on the app and any feedback would be awesome! (Beyond VR Feedback)

Hi Eric,

That sounds great. Message me when you think you'll be in Toronto and I'll see if I can arrange a meeting with the founders.
 

MJ DeMarco

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16? And you've targeted a huge need? And you already begun racking up experience?


nr0sx.jpg


Welcome to the forum, you're a rockstar in the making.
 

Waspy

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Don't have android, but that app looks awesome.

Reps on reps on reps on reps.
 
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EricFromCanada

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16? And you've targeted a huge need? And you already begun racking up experience?


nr0sx.jpg


Welcome to the forum, you're a rockstar in the making.
Means a lot MJ, if it weren't for TMF I wouldn't be where I am today so all I can say is thank you for everything (Can't wait to read Unscripted next)! I'll keep the community posted as I continue to progress through my entrepreneurial journey.
 

amp0193

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I thought about why your idea resonated with me so much.

I mastered the art of public performance through constantly performing for my music major in college, and then being a semi-pro musician for 10 years. I literally feel no nerves when playing for people.

I studied books on visualization techniques, the best of which, that I recommend you read, is The Inner Game of Tennis.

The worst thing I could do an hour before a performance is practice. If I did this, my whole performance would be spent thinking about all of the spots that I *knew* I was going to mess up, and thinking "oh my gosh how did I mess that up". The focus was on everything but the music.

On the other hand, my performances were incredible when I sat in zen silence for 30 minutes beforehand and imagined myself playing everything perfectly. How it felt to hit every note, with flawless technique, just me and music. When it was time to perform, I just went in and did what I imagined.


Maybe there are some concepts in that book, or other books on visualization, that you can take and design features to replicate or enhance.
 

EricFromCanada

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Update:
It's officially been 2 years since I first posted this thread.

Since then, I have continued to improve the app and the app has now received over 20,000 installs to date. Of those installs, I have just over 1,000 monthly users.

Some of the largest improvements I have made to the app include:
-Adding 3 new environments to the Speech Practice section.
-More realistic and larger audiences
-The ability to record and playback your speech
-The option to upload your script or PowerPoint directly into the virtual environment
-And an interview room where you can practice responding to common interview questions across various industries including Finance, Sales, IT, Medical, etc.
Last and most importantly I have added voice analysis capabilities through IBM's Watson to give feedback on user's voice speed (based on average words per minute), clarity, voice volume, and filler words (uhm/uh, like, you know, etc.) as well as heatmaps to grade their eye contact.

Due to VR still being a very small market, and it also having a poor retention rate (even for the people that have VR headsets, very little time is spent in virtual reality compared to smartphones), I have mainly been focusing these past few months at finding speaking agencies, schools and businesses that I can help directly by providing my app as a practicing tool to help each of the groups with their public speaking. I have received interest from a few individual schools in Canada and the U.S., as well as one notably large company in Eastern Europe and am now trying to figure out the best plan of action for which demographic I should be focusing my attention on.

Anyways, I just wanted to share a bit more of the process I am going through and hopefully inspire a few people to keep on persisting!
 
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