Dana Williams

BUS 325

January 26, 2015

Case 1.1

Discussion questions

1. Which of the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, discussed in this chapter, do you see in
Jason Jacobs? To what degree do you think these characteristics have contributed to RunKeeper’s
success?

One of the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs is passion for the job. Jacob shows passion for
RunKeeper by working full time for his company when others worked part time. Having a passion for
running helped launch and effectively made RunKeeper a successful business.

2. To what extent do you think RunKeeper’s basic business idea “adds value” to the lives of its
customers? Who is the ideal candidate to be a RunKeeper customer?

RunKeeper’s basic business idea adds value to the lives of customers who lives are about fitness and
running. It also adds value for the customers because this just adds another outlet to a market that is
very narrow. Individuals that are health conscious can benefit from the app because it helps track
progress, record and analysis the runners personal work out.

3. To what degree do you think it would be easy or difficult for another company to imitate what
RunKeeper is doing?

It would be easy for a company to imitate RunKeeper’s vision but difficult to actually follow through with
the success. It would be hard for others to mock hard work and persistence. Many can be generic but
there is nothing like the real thing.

4. Spend some time studying Runkeeper app. What functionality do you think the app should have that
it currently doesn’t have?

The app has numerous features that is already implemented but the company should have a tracker for
other runner with the app on your personal app. This feature is optional because many individuals are
cautious about location settings but others may be ok with meeting up with other runner s and maybe
even working out together. This can potentially strike a community of runners from all over. The app can
also feature a heart monitor without the Bluetooth because some IPhone now, iPhone 5c/s and IPhone
6/6plus has a fingerprint scanner and with this feature for the iPhone the runner can pause a workout to
check heart rate by just by placing their thumb over the scanner to check BPM (beats per minute).

Application questions
 1. Three things that I am passionate about are people, music/singing, and African- American arts.
Business ideas that might align with my passions can be a Career Development Center that
focuses on the betterment of people. Having a performing arts program for those less fortunate
can also be in line with my passions for music and singing. Finally another business idea could be
a coffee shop that allow art showing, food, fun, and festivities for others who appreciate African
American artists and inspired art work.
2. Jacob has the passion and persistence to do anything he puts his mind to, but realistically many
people are just season fitness freaks and not as committed as he is to health. A billion dollars is
a lot of money and if the top smartphone app hasn’t met a billion dollar quota, realistically
neither will RunKeeper.

Case 1.2

Discussion questions

1. Describe the way in which PatientsLikeMe practices “execution intelligence”. How important a
part of PatientsLikeMe’s success do you think these practices represent?

Product/ customer focus and tenacity despite failure are practices of “execution intelligence”. Having a
focus on the product and customer help narrow down the scope of which the audience is being reached.
In this case the audience are those who have or have family members or loved ones that have a life
threatening disease can

2. To what degree does PatientsLikeMe’s founding story debunk one or more of the common
myths of entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurs are motivated primarily by money is a myth debunked by PaitentsLikeMe. Although

3. Compare and contrast PatientsLikeMe with Inspire, a company with a similar mission.

In comparison both websites serve as an outlet for the community of those who are disease stricken
and those who have questions about the disease. Both are free to join and sign up. Both exchange
support and advice. Both have partnerships with other foundations for certain diseases. In contrast
inspire has a more appealing website and more information on the front page as users log in.
PatientsLikeMe have more medical partnerships than inspire. Inspire has more connects in social
media.
 4. What do you think about the concerns regarding PatientsLikeMe’s rapid growth and the worries
expressed about the potential downsides of participating in its forums? How important and
potentially damaging are these concerns?
I think that the concerns are typical for any users but it is particularly sad that some may lose
jobs and insurance for posting information. What happened to freedom of speech? It is both
important and damaging that users could possibly be a fault for trying to help others out.

Application questions

1. What do you think people are willing to be so transparent in PatientsLikeMe communities?

Being transparent allows others to see that they are not the only ones that are going through
something. Allowing others to see through the mask of deception then it is easier for others to come
up front and express their questions, comments, and concerns. Being able to get the ugly truth is
better than hearing it from the doctors, who sometime sugar coat or do not have the experience
with the disease.

2. What is it about PatientsLikeMe, and the people behind it, that make it special? Would it be
easy or difficult for another firm to imitate what PatientsLikeMe is doing? To what degree do
you believe PatientsLikeMe will be successful in persuading the medical community to go
beyond creating products and services that treat a patient’s core disease, and create products
and services that touch all aspects of how the disease is affecting their lives?

The intention behind PatientsLikeMe is what makes it special. Their mission and the reason for
starting this company helped so many people not only the founder. It would be easy to duplicate
what PatientsLikeMe is doing but it is hard to match the passion. I think that it is not difficult to
persuade but it would be difficult for the medical community to act in time. Although
PatientsLikeMe have the research and information it is up to the doctors and medical community to
come up with the cure.