23A – Your Venture’s Unfair Advantage

Resource	VRIN
Student Status	People seem to like young students who have ambition and dreams. Therefore, as a student, I am able to do more research and enter more competition than I would be able to if I were not a student. It is a valuable asset, though it is not completely rare or imitable because there are several students.
Ownership of a Really Cute Dog	This is a valuable asset because not only do I have unlimited access to petting a really cute dog, but I also have unlimited access to a precious model for a dog product line. I would need access to larger dogs to model other products because I would not want my products to be solely associated with toy poodles or girly dogs. Having a cute dog isn’t rare, but fun fact: Parti Poodles are technically rare and since my dog has two colors, this could be considered rare. I realize it could be substituted for a different dog that is pretty cute.
Money	I have access to about $5 and if I dig into my couch I might be able to find a couple pennies. I’m not saying I’m rich, but I’m not in debt (yet). It is a valuable resource, even if I don’t have much of it. Additionally, it is not a rare resource and it is certainly inimitable and could only be substituted with a lot of money.
Culture	Though I do not have the business at all built, it would have a fun culture. People would be able to bring their dog to work given their dog has had their shots and is well behaved and potty trained. I have a good concept of what culture looks like in a positive way when I worked at Raney’s. It is rare to have a good concept of what a new business should be like since most people are used to the old way of doing business where you get the promotion if you have been there longer than everyone else. This cannot be substituted by anything other than the old culture but with more money paying the people to do the work well.
Creativity	I have creativity. Though it may not be as educated as that of people with more experience, it does exist. It is valuable, though not rare. It is imitable and substitutable by someone with creativity or someone who can copy me better.
Likeable Personality	Though it is pretty hard to claim to be likable (since claiming that makes people tend not to like you), I really am. The best compliment I have ever received is “I can’t find anyone who will say anything bad about you.” Now I’m not sure who is going around asking everyone about their take on me, but I mean, it is quite nice to have a compliment like that. Being a likable person would make me easier to work with so people would be more inclined to invest in my ideas. It is not replaceable or substitutable. It is imitable, though I do not believe it is possible to completely fake being a likable person.
Connections	I do have connections. My neighbor owns a great restaurant: Belleview Pizza. I am known by my bosses at my previous job at Raney’s. At least there are places that would probably allow me to put up a flier or two…maybe. I realize this is not very valuable compared to a build board. It is very substitutable and imitable.
Wifi	I have access to the Internet. It is valuable as I can access a ton of information. It is not substitutable easily because books are harder to use to access information quickly. It is very common in developed parts of the world so it certainly is not rare.
eBay Reputation	I have access to an account on eBay which has a lot of good reviews. Currently I am trying to sell a painting I did in an hour as a joke, but as for the honest listings I make where I do expect to sell something, I do sell things and get money and good reviews. This is valuable as I can gain traction through selling products on eBay, in the beginning, to show it is a desired product.
Internet Listing Experience	I had a job where I made listings of semi-truck products. Because of this experience I am very familiar with what details of products to include, how to improve the pictures, and how to title listings. I am also familiar of how to keep an inventory using computer software. This is valuable knowledge because my store will not have bricks and mortar but rather links and orders. This is inimitable because it is pretty easy to copy my listings and change the words a little. It is not a rare skill. It can not be substituted for something less costly.

Here are some pictures of my dog to show she is a qualified model of dog products: