Forming an Opportunity Belief
1. My Beginning Point: I believe that there is an opportunity to start a dog walking service app in Gainesville, Florida.
2. Description: The unmet need is providing a walking service application for individuals who have pets, specifically dogs. The need has existed for dog walking services, however within the last decade of technology advances and the majority of individuals using their mobile devices frequently an app for this type of service is adding a new factor to the need. The individuals who have this need now probably use a neighbor, friend, or website to find a dog walker when needed.
3. Prototypical customer: The type of customer that would benefit from this app would be college students, working professionals, and senior citizens. Basically, anyone who has a busy schedule or who needs assistance with providing exercise for their dog.
Reflection No. 1- After talking to a fellow student it was apparent that maybe this target audience would not use the app if it were available. I expected to hear some of the answers she provided. However, it seems like if this app were to be created, and was able to get some awareness around Gainesville that there would be a positive outcome for it.
Reflection No. 2- What I learned most after this interview was being able to explain the unmeet need in an effective way, while trying to see how it would benefit the customer. The most surprising thing from this interview was the fact that this potential customer did not own a dog, but she would definitely give the app a shot with her busy schedule if the app had all the safety precaution, which would take care of her needs if she were a dog owner.
Reflection No. 3- This interview was similar to the second interview in regards to wanting all the safety precautions to meet his needs in order to have him as a customer. This just reenforced the guidelines to how this app should be set up. Since, this was the final interview I did expect some of the questions that he had for the app, so there was not anything that surprised me during the interview.
7. Summary: I believe the original opportunity is still out there for the most part as long as this need is tailored to the customers and gains their trust so that this opportunity can be successful. Yes, I do believe my new opportunity is more accurate because with the potential customers feedback it helps me realize where I can improve the opportunity to solidify it as a service. Finally, I believe that entrepreneurs should have a mixture of adapting to customer feedback and staying firm with his or her original belief because it helps hearing others perspectives, which should help for the betterment of the belief, but don't necessarily change the entire belief based on those reactions.
Patrick, I believe that there is definitely an opportunity for dog walking services and an app would fit this need perfectly. I think your idea is very unique and your interview responses show it is possible, however, I do see the point of view that it may not really be needed but once you get the idea out it could be accepted. Overall, great job on this!
ReplyDeletePatrick,
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a fantastic idea! I do think that there is a need for it here in Gainesville. I have two dogs and it would be nice to be able to have someone walk my dogs after a long day of school/work. However, it would have to be a fairly cheap service as you are dealing with college students mainly. Overall, I love it! Well done!
Patrick,
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that the Gainesville area could use something like this. I’ve heard so many stories of people adopting dogs only to cage them up the entire day while they are in classes or at work all day. Dogs need to use the bathroom and need regular exercise just like humans do, only they rely on us to meet those basic needs. The only issue I can see with a service like this would be price. Services that are required multiple times a week if not daily add up over time, so the price would have to be low enough that it still attracts customers even after they consider how much it would cost them per week, but still high enough to meet the needs of those who work for the service. I think doing it through an app is a great idea as well, as then people could schedule a dog walker easily if something came up and they could not get home to let their dog out. Great job!
Hey Patrick. Well done. Out of all the posts that I have to review for this exercise, this was the most organized one. It fit directly with the assignment details so it was easier to read your stream of conscious for your belief. I've listened to your interviews, and they were well done. I do think there is a need for a dog walking app especially during the summer. This seems like a great idea.
ReplyDelete