The below Pitch Deck is a duplicate copy of a new Business Model Pitch that I designed along with the help of Scotty McConnaughey.
The original deck can be viewed on the digital.hbs.edu online platform.
OVERTIME│initiative — Collaboration, Community, and Cultural Expansion at HBAP (aka The MOST Important Pitch to HBAP ever!)
OVERTIME│initiative —
Collaboration, Community, and Cultural Expansion at HBAP
(aka The MOST Important Pitch to HBAP… ever!)
Collaboration, Community, and Cultural Expansion at HBAP
(aka The MOST Important Pitch to HBAP… ever!)
This proposal outlines a Change Initiative for the Harvard Business Analytics Program to help foster collaboration, friendships, and grow our community.
What you are about to read… just may be… the most important Pitch Presentation to the HBAP Community… ever!
Todd Brous: Started HBAP | OVERTIME. He loves Roasted Brussel Sprouts with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil. He’s also an Entrepreneur, Consultant, Product Developer, Technologist, Designer, Artist, and Teacher. He is the President and CEO of Untwist, Inc., a Boutique Technology Consulting Firm, and has worked for 20+ years in Media & Entertainment, IT, Technology, and Content Creation. He has an MFA in Computer Art from The School of Visual Arts, where he was also an instructor for 19 years teaching Computer Systems, and… he has a Design Patent for a fidget toy. He’s insanely passionate about Entrepreneurship and Startups. He’s also interested in Open Innovation, and has been working to quantify how Open Innovation Contests and Outcome-Based Work changes the balance of the Principal-Agent Relationship and shifts the employer’s risk directly onto the worker. #PhDapplication
Scotty McConnaughey loves mangos, preferably eaten in warm climates. For 20 years she analyzed stocks and managed equity portfolios for Fidelity Investments and Aberdeen Standard Investments. She currently serves as advisor, operating partner, and board member to MaxMyInterest, Ouroboros Capital, and Wondermore Boston.
Welcome to Harvard, folks!
HBAP is a “Harvard Experience”.
People. Collaboration. Learning.
Same Professors. Same workload. Same expectations.
Almost everything is online. #COVID
But someday soon, the Immersions will be on campus.
HBAP is a “Harvard Experience”.
People. Collaboration. Learning.
Same Professors. Same workload. Same expectations.
Almost everything is online. #COVID
But someday soon, the Immersions will be on campus.
And, the curriculum is RIGOROUS!
We are Three Shields of Harvard intensity.
We use Zoom, Slack, and 2U for everything we do.
We are here to learn from the best, to become the best.
We are here to become leaders.
We are here to become the best version of ourselves.
We are here to understand and master the future of Business and Data.
and… we’re here because… Harvard.
We use Zoom, Slack, and 2U for everything we do.
We are here to learn from the best, to become the best.
We are here to become leaders.
We are here to become the best version of ourselves.
We are here to understand and master the future of Business and Data.
and… we’re here because… Harvard.
This is who we are.
HBAP’s an experience. I’m 95% Confident that it’s the best experience… and… I’m highly biased.
So, if you’re lucky enough to be a student here, then you’ve gotta bring your A-game to class.
So, if you’re lucky enough to be a student here, then you’ve gotta bring your A-game to class.
And, Guess what? If you’re not “bringing your A-Game”, then Professor Tushman’s gonna be seriously DISAPPOINTED in you.
On average, we believe that students want to avoid the “Disappointed” photo on the left, and experience the “Happy” photo on the right.
On average, we believe that students want to avoid the “Disappointed” photo on the left, and experience the “Happy” photo on the right.
(Some could also argue that this slide sums up the entire HBAP Student Educational Experience.)
The bottom line is you’re sweatin’ bullets in the Hot Seat, the class debates are engaging, the material is challenging, you are 100% “on the record” for what you say, and on average, everyone’s adrenaline is pumping through their veins!
And when the Live Session ends…
You’re all alone.
You’re all alone.
And, that’s an opportunity!
Instead of being left all alone after class… what if there was something else?
What if students could get more out of their education investment?
What if everyone could experience something as equally enriching as the Live Session?
What if students could get more out of their education investment?
What if everyone could experience something as equally enriching as the Live Session?
And since April 2020, this is what we’ve been doing.
We’ve been hanging out after every class, and calling it, “OVERTIME”.
And unlike the Live Sessions and Peer Learning, it’s NOT recorded.
• OVERTIME has been held after every one of Todd’s Live Sessions since April 2020.
• 63% of Todd’s HBAP Professors have come to an OVERTIME, or hung out after the Live Session.
• On average, 38% of the students in each class joins OVERTIME.
• The average OVERTIME runs for 90 minutes after class.
Coming to OVERTIME costs just a little bit of your time… and the payoff is massive.
And people love it. #surveyresponse
We believe that this experience has led to a greater connection to the program and to our fellow students, manifesting in ongoing discussions of class topics, real world startups, and job opportunities.
On a scale from 1-10, with a 10 being the highest, how important is your Personal Network to your future Career?
Now ask yourself, why didn’t you pick a lower number?
Now ask yourself, why didn’t you pick a lower number?
I believe the answer is because there is a high likelihood that your next job is going to come from someone that you already know.
So, if you want to level up, then it’s absolutely vital that you know them, and they know you. It’s those connections that are born in OVERTIME.
So, if you want to level up, then it’s absolutely vital that you know them, and they know you. It’s those connections that are born in OVERTIME.
Now, today we’re “student organized”. Which means one of us posts a link in our Class Slack channels, makes announcements during the Live Sessions and Peer Learning, tries to encourage participation, and asks the Professors if they’d like to come hang out for a little while after class to get to know us better.
So… It’s not exactly “friction free”.
With a very small nudge HBAP could embrace this Cultural Change that has the potential to strengthen our community, grow our personal friendships and bonds, and propel HBAP beyond what everyone else thinks we are capable of.
What we want to do is to make it easier to join OVERTIME.
We need to reduce friction, and make it an opt-in part of everything at HBAP.
The goal is to have OVERTIME become a part of our culture.
We need to reduce friction, and make it an opt-in part of everything at HBAP.
The goal is to have OVERTIME become a part of our culture.
One way to do this is to add the “Blue Button” to 2HU, and it shows up automatically after every Live Session.
Another idea: What about an “always open” Zoom Meeting with lots of Breakout Rooms? Kind of like a 24/7 Virtual University Center… just no restaurants. This type of Virtual Social Space could, in addition to being an after-class meetup location, help facilitate more cross-cohort interactions.
We’ll still need the marketing and some cheerleading… but if it’s easier for people to join, then the internal Direct Network Effects* will be easier to realize.
* Direct Network Effects occur when increases in platform usage lead to direct increases in value. Indirect Network Effects occur when increases in product usage spawns the production of increasingly valuable complementary goods, and this results in an increase in the value of the original product.
Today we’re working to grow the HBAP Community and increase student engagement, both during the program and after graduation.
Some examples and ideas include:
HBAP│STARTUPS: Our goal is to help HBAPers learn about starting businesses. This is open to all HBAP Students and Alumni.
HBAP│ALUMNI: We are planning to organize a formal HBAP Alumni group that will help provide events, networking, and job support.
HBAP│BOOK CLUB: Apparently, some of us like to read. (I don’t know who these people are.)
HBAP│REVIEW: A new experiment that Pam Groen came up with is to host a formal 8+ week HBAP | REVIEW workshop where Alumni will meet weekly to review and reinforce the Key Concepts of the entire HBAP curriculum. The first HBAP | REVIEW Workshop will begin in January, and if we are successful, we will work to make this a regular part of HBAP.
HBAP | 360 FEEDBACK: How can we help ourselves become the best people we can be? Throughout the process of hosting OVERTIME, I’ve learned about myself and things I want to work on to become the best leader I can be. We think we can scale this in a way that’s positive, self-initiated, and optional, for everyone.
HBAP│STARTUPS: Our goal is to help HBAPers learn about starting businesses. This is open to all HBAP Students and Alumni.
HBAP│ALUMNI: We are planning to organize a formal HBAP Alumni group that will help provide events, networking, and job support.
HBAP│BOOK CLUB: Apparently, some of us like to read. (I don’t know who these people are.)
HBAP│REVIEW: A new experiment that Pam Groen came up with is to host a formal 8+ week HBAP | REVIEW workshop where Alumni will meet weekly to review and reinforce the Key Concepts of the entire HBAP curriculum. The first HBAP | REVIEW Workshop will begin in January, and if we are successful, we will work to make this a regular part of HBAP.
HBAP | 360 FEEDBACK: How can we help ourselves become the best people we can be? Throughout the process of hosting OVERTIME, I’ve learned about myself and things I want to work on to become the best leader I can be. We think we can scale this in a way that’s positive, self-initiated, and optional, for everyone.
We’re also looking to host OVERTIME after every Webinar, Workshop, Tech Talk, & Forum. It offers the community the ability to continue the conversation and engage.
These are some examples of ideas that have either grown out of OVERTIME, or would benefit from OVERTIME. #IndirectNetworkEffects
BTW, if you’ve got an idea, or want to help out with any of these projects, PLEASE reach out to us! Everyone is welcome to join us!
So… we did a survey.
The results are overwhelming.
The results are overwhelming.
Again, what we are looking to do is to reduce friction, and make it easier for everyone to join OVERTIME.
It’s gotta be optional. Many of us have already got way too much on our plate as it is.
It can’t be recorded. We want to discuss things that just shouldn’t be “on the record”.
It can’t be recorded. We want to discuss things that just shouldn’t be “on the record”.
OVERTIME is already a part of HBAP, and we believe that by embracing the potential of this Change Initiative we can grow and strengthen our community.
Please help us make OVERTIME a permanent (yet optional) part of everything we do!
Here’s a list of people who signed up to support this idea.
Without HBAP’s support, OVERTIME could sadly fade away. We believe that there is huge value here. We don’t want to see HBAP lose this value, and we want to help every single HBAP student benefit from OVERTIME long into the future.
Value our time, Support OVERTIME!
Thanks,
Todd & Scotty
Now, because we’re HBAP… we’ve gotta show some data.
I mean… think of everything we’ve learned.
If ya’ can’t show any data to support ha’ hypothesis… well… “failing to reject the Null Hypothesis” takes on a new meaning.
I mean… think of everything we’ve learned.
If ya’ can’t show any data to support ha’ hypothesis… well… “failing to reject the Null Hypothesis” takes on a new meaning.
Well, it turns out that we’ve managed to collect some rather compelling data since we started hosting OVERTIME in April, 2020.
This graph shows the OVERTIME participation trends for each of Todd’s classes and seminars.
Notice how Duration increases within each Class. #momentum #traction
That horizontal dotted line at the 60 minute mark is important. The average OVERTIME duration lasts over 1 hour after the Live Session ended. Of course, not everyone sticks around every night for the entire OVERTIME, but this graph represents the time that’s invested by the Students, Professors, and Teaching Fellows that is above and beyond the design of the original HBAP program.
Note: The data is taken from Zoom Meeting logs, and is shown for Todd’s post-class OVERTIME only. Other events such as Immersion, Workshops, Office Hours, HBAP Forum, LISH webinars, etc. are not included.
Side Note Of Strategic Embellishment: This graph should be very interesting to anyone who is interested in Higher Education and methods demonstrating how to engage a community of students in an online or remote educational environment.
#Rstudio
Btw, in case you were wondering about the “biggest dot” in DSP… that was the OVERTIME after Srikant’s Zoom Bomb.
What’s with the upside-down “U” trend?
Looking at the attendance data across all Terms there is an interesting downward trend in the later Class Terms.
Looking at the attendance data across all Terms there is an interesting downward trend in the later Class Terms.
Despite the majority of OVERTIME meetups lasting longer than 1 hour, I believe that the downward trend in the fall months can be explained by a resistance to the cultural shift within the HBAP community. Many students in the earlier cohorts were well-established in the pre-OVERTIME culture and were not accustomed to sticking around or socializing after the Live Sessions ended.
At the beginning of each Term, there were only a few students attending each class who had ever heard of OVERTIME. It took greater effort to market the OVERTIME concept and entice students from earlier cohorts to change their behavior and hangout after class.
#Rstudio
By splitting the data a clearer trend can be seen.
Looking at “later cohorts” (HBAP Cohorts # 7, 8, and 9), once accustomed to the OVERTIME culture and value, it’s easier to see the significant growth in both the number of attendees and the total duration.
Side note: This graph should be jaw dropping to anyone who is interested in Higher Education and methods demonstrating how to engage a community of students in an online or remote educational environment.
#Rstudio
Looking at earlier cohorts (HBAP Cohorts # 4, 5, 6, and 7) there is a flatter upward trend in Duration.
As stated earlier, this might be explained by a resistance to the cultural shift within the HBAP community. Many students were not accustomed to sticking around or socializing after the Live Sessions ended. The desire for them to hangout after class was not as strong when compared to students who experienced OVERTIME early on in their HBAP experience.
#Rstudio
Gratuitous “word cloud”.
Sentiment Analysis of the Survey Responses “comments” and “feedback” question.
#Rstudio
Additional analysis of Todd’s Class data.
Clearly… we had lots of fun in OSCM.
#Rstudio
#gratuitousfluff
#fineprint
#fineprint
OVERTIME│closers that just didn’t seem to work right…
On average, 95% of the time, it works every time! Come to OVERTIME!
Stay in your Prime, come to OVERTIME!
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and OVERTIME!
Don’t waste your time, come to OVERTIME!
It’s not a crime, come to OVERTIME!
Relaxation time, come to OVERTIME!
Networking time, come to OVERTIME!
Ain’t no crime, come to OVERTIME!
We don’t have slime, come to OVERTIME!
Learn to mime, come to OVERTIME!
It won’t cost a dime, come to OVERTIME!
Avoid bedtime, come to OVERTIME!
In the meantime, come to OVERTIME!
It’s a good pastime, come to OVERTIME!
Wanna see something sublime, come to OVERTIME!
It’s not schooltime, it’s OVERTIME!
What time is it? It’s OVERTIME!
For a good time, come to OVERTIME!
Stay in your Prime, come to OVERTIME!
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and OVERTIME!
Don’t waste your time, come to OVERTIME!
It’s not a crime, come to OVERTIME!
Relaxation time, come to OVERTIME!
Networking time, come to OVERTIME!
Ain’t no crime, come to OVERTIME!
We don’t have slime, come to OVERTIME!
Learn to mime, come to OVERTIME!
It won’t cost a dime, come to OVERTIME!
Avoid bedtime, come to OVERTIME!
In the meantime, come to OVERTIME!
It’s a good pastime, come to OVERTIME!
Wanna see something sublime, come to OVERTIME!
It’s not schooltime, it’s OVERTIME!
What time is it? It’s OVERTIME!
For a good time, come to OVERTIME!
“Heeded my words not, did you? Pass on what you have learned. Strength. Mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is. Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.” -Yoda, “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi”, 2017