Manu Fernandez

CE Reflection Paper

·Culminating Experience Project: summary of project that was completed

The CE project that I set up to work on is a Business Plan for an online platform called Ontti
Labs, this platform will be a place where creatives can book different shared home recording
studios around the world. Similar to Air Bnb but with recording equipment capabilities. The
following business plan outlines the details for Ontittled’s Company latest subdivision which
will be helping the company prioritize in quality production, developments of creatives and on
project based works. One of the main objectives of this platform is to gather and sign different
creatives in exchange of different service options.

Ontittled Company’s subdivision called Ontti Labs short for Ontittled Laboratories, will be the
main priority on this business plan. It will be a sort of recording studio hotels, but mostly with
the sense of a comfortable home. They will be spread around the world equipped enough tools

for creatives to build on any project they desire. The structure model is based on similar shared
home platforms, where most of the resources come from the owner of the property and our
contribution will be with the equipment, the platform and if needed, services for project building
like Audio engineering, producers, arrangers, composers, etc. All of these homes will hope to
inspire the creatives in a whole new level while at the same time providing them the opportunity
to build. These places will become also part of the global reach Ontittled seeks. The local
community where it is built will have a sort of quota on priority for the creatives. Which might
offer deals for artist in the future in exchange of publishing connections, marketing campaigns
and distribution aggregations. These homes will also hope to be an accelerator for creatives
while at the same time providing them with the opportunity to become part of the Ontittled art
development team.

We understand a lot of the necessities new young producers and upcoming creators are facing at
this moment. There are a lot of advantages with all the technological advancement, but the
quality of the art and meaning is suffering. It is ruining the upcoming generations, there is way
too much content with no real dept. We want them to focus on the root of the art, which is
inspiration. I hope this platform and business plan can give the right idea for whoever will be
willing to be part of it.

· Results: how the project did and did not align with expectations

Overall the outcome was good. I was able to make the Business Plan as accurate to my original
idea as possible, but in some ways making my estimates at first too big, which became a major
obstacle at first because it was very hard to think of marketing strategies that will give the main
idea simplicity. I also started to speed up the processes that needed time in reality. I learn more
about branding and the truth that I found was that in order for a brand to have legit recognition,
first, it has to be consistent in what it does and build a reputation from there on. So, me focusing
on the brand and its objective slowed me down towards the actual doing and planning for a
smoother process and strategies to reach the clients. Then it came down to find more accurate
facts about the industry, pointing out the decay of traditional recording studios and all
researching facts about the growth of home sharing platforms. All of these different sources of
information really benefited the deliverance I had to create in order to attract the customers I was
looking for. Just me knowing that it will work because of my experience and background as a
producer and sound engineer wasn’t enough, finding actual numbers and situations that affect my
potential customers really benefited my overall plan in how to reach and attract them to come to
my platform.

Now I have a business plan to use for VC’s or all interested investors who will be willing to be
part of this project. I also feel more confident about future business development creations. Now
I have more criteria when it comes to having ideas and trying to make them a reality. There is a

lot of different obstacles and realities that you have to excel in order for your product to become
a valuable asset for the customer.

· ​Plan of Action/Process: where project met expectations and where it needed to be
revised during execution

How I mentioned before because of my expectations during the execution, I had some situation
in regards on trying to create something bigger than it needed it to be. For me, at some point, the
concept wasn’t enough which kept getting me into a saturated flow of ideas that ruined the
ability to actually get results and be simple enough to be well received in a straight foward pitch.
I had to basically simplify and focus on the source of my objective, which is to inspire and
expand the creative community. Also, it took me time to realize that what I am looking for is a
niche audience and that is ok, because as long as they are committed to the service and it actually
benefits their work and life then we don’t need to make our marketing strategies so scaled
focused. That way it makes us pay more attention to quality instead of quantity. Similar
platforms ideas on different industries would be like HBO for tv channels, or Vimeo for videos
streaming, or XL Records as a record label. This are platforms and organizations that have a sort
of quality niche customer basis I have always admired.
After this realization, the project had a new fresh perspective towards my ability to organize an
idea in a strategic and industry standard format of viewing a product at this level. So it seemed
like a new language and way of putting a project into words and presentation. For me any project

that I put my time and effort to + have passion for, I mostly focus on the needs to stand firmly
and unique enough that competition is almost to none. The ones where copycaters come after. In
order to go and actually do something with this sort of mentality I have to translate it in a more
systematic approach that implies consistent growth and enough attractiveness to get other
visionaries to invest in the project. That is an art by itself and a new one I am learning about.
Trying to understand and learn that type of language where forecasting for future possibilities
while staying in a realistic realm takes some skill that I still have yet improve on. Most people
like to consume from legit businesses, any amateur looking product is a big downer and the
customer I am looking for is smart and resourceful, which can find probably other similar
options and I want them to trust my service and product. Also the process was very interesting
and helpful, because similar obstacles that I constantly stumble in my personal and professional
life in a way appeared through this process, where the focus was becoming blurred and diffused
with way too much analysis and overestimation, which made the project more complicated than
it was when the main objective and reason of this project is to simply to inspire the customer, to
put them in a place where they could be also very productive.
When it came to the marketing strategies I lost a bit of focus in the way I had to market the
product and the brand overall. Because I was focusing on the aesthetics and trying my best to be
very different interpreted company than Air Bnb or a Hotel. When I was able to do some market
research for the project and really checked the different similar platforms and industries with its
relation, it really benefited the facts from the results of the projects future forecasting. What I
discovered is that the demographics I am aiming at are usually not using necessarily the
traditional recording studios. Now what it is most often used is the laptop computers with a

DAW, an interface with at least 4 preamps, a MIDI keyboard, and speakers. Just with that, they
can make music for as long as there is electricity and memory space. All of these advancements
in the industry were also studied very attentively with similar industries and their production
houses. Another very important research that helped give my product value was the fact that
Home sharing apps like Air bnb platforms are growing at a level where it is completely
disrupting most of the big players in the real estate industry as a whole and tourism. Making
competitive rates for actual local renters, hotels and all different living spaces with a lease and a
price.
Thanks to all of the research and findings of the industry and all of these new modern
technological systems that keep shaping into new forms I am optimistic and confident about this
product. The different researches also helped me with the right amount of info to prove this
project will work if it is implemented in a distinctive way, which it is why I was so focused on
branding strategies and aesthetics of it all.

· Next Steps: if the project were to continue, what would the next phase entail?

The next phase will be to start to really getting funds for the project and to make a small contract
for those first properties who are interested in being part of the platform. This contract will
specify all the different services we are going to be giving and our responsibility towards the
management of guests. Before launching live the properties we will do some marketing
campaigns promoting these new locations and the concept as a whole. The main focus will be to

bring the customers to our site​ ​www.ontittled.com​ once they get in we will give them a visual
representation of our company with different offers right away.

In order to start putting more locations live we will have to also employ a few local managers to
be aware of the properties if the customer needs more technical services. Start really contacting
my network of engineers, artists, producers, and investors in order to start making the project run
smoothly. I can do this with my network of creatives that I have through the years.

· Contribution to the Discipline or Profession

This project has helped me organize my strategies in a formal form where it became easier to
interpret for an investor or future participant of the project. This also helped me understand better
the perspective of an investor and more about the language they mostly require. This is a great
perspective to have at all times because it is the industry standard. Even though I know that for
the future evolvement of the project I will need different professional specialists to help me focus
on the bigger picture and on the mechanics of the process.

·

Impact on the Student Completing the Work

For me, it created an even more interest when it comes to thinking of other business
developments and trying to analyze the customers, the industry, how the product will work in the
market. I also will like to keep learning on how to research in a more accurate way and in a

world standard form. I am a very visual person, which for me charts and forms of graphs help me
internalize the data and understand better. Constructing different forms of expression it is
through a translation of data or a revenue model all of these things can be visualized and
internalized in a more accurate form to my opinion.

This project also showed me some weak points I have to improve upon in order to become a
better collaborator myself. I am also used to working on group projects and spreading up all the
different tasks depending on our skills. Now being almost totally independent with this project
made me realize even more the importance of group engagement and the energy that it can bring
in order to move forward with the product or task.