Assignment 11A- Idea Napkin

Assignment 11A- Idea Napkin No. 1

1.     Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspiration? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business playing a role in your life?

a.     My name is Charles Lockwood; I am currently studying Environmental Science with two minors in Ag. Law and Sustainability Studies. I have spent my whole life honestly working in forests and lakes hoping to clean up everything that had been left behind. When I was in middle school, my favorite place in the entire world, Galveston Island, was destroyed from the BP Horizon oil spill. Ever since I watched one of my favorite places be taken away in an instant I have worked to make sure that everything else left on this planet can be enjoyed. Therefore, I have dedicated my schooling to learning about everything in the world of Sustainability. My skills and experiences range from working for beach clean-up organizations to serving as communication specialists for several non-profit environmental organizations. I love working in this realm because throughout my life I have seen such apathy for actually serving the world that we live in. I love seeing the happiness and joy that taking a hike or going out on a lake can create which is why I do what I do. I think this will really help me for this business because it is an accumulation of everything I have ever cared about. This business would be pushed and fueled by passion which is why I think I could truly succeed.

2.     What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you’ll solve the customers’ unmet needs).

a.     I am offering a new carrying case/phone case that will come with a reusable straw and cleaning brush. This product will curb the need for single-use plastic straws at restaurants, corporations, and other venues. For individuals I am selling a product that will allow them to reduce their pollution footprint and join a growing trend. This product will also make it so much easier to carry around, keep track of, and clean their reusable straw for first timers, but also for people who have been carrying around a reusable straw for years. Corporations can take advantage of this product by buying it for their employees whether it serves a purpose of being a public relations move or for a corporation who is environmentally friendly. This product can be used as proof that they are fulfilling their social needs and responsibilities.

3.     Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common?

a.     I am offering it to two major consumer groups these include individuals and companies. Individuals that I am aiming for in my target market are those in the age range of 16-26 because this is where I believe I can target the most customers who are environmentally conscious. My target audience is those who are either beginning to join the wave of sustainability or those who are already riding it. My target audience also is those who are feeling the need to do something in order to help the world. My target audience does not include those who are older just because they do not feel the same need to “fix” the world, also because they do not feel the same necessity to help the world. My product will be marketed as an easy way to make a difference, because it evokes a feeling of doing something.

b.     My other group is the business side which would mostly be marketed to large organizations who are not already environmentally conscious. I would choose this as my target audience because using my product would be a great way to be seen as socially responsible. I know this sounds super bad because it seems that my product would be used as a way to make their company seem more responsible but even if only a couple of their employees use the product it is making a difference.

4.     Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

a.     I believe that the product, while not actually being created, as a small following already just because of the growing amount of people who truly care already about the use of single-use plastics. There are simple facts that explain the large amount of damage that single-use plastics can cause like the fact Americans use on average enough days to go around the entire world over two and a half times in one day or the fact that Americans could fill the entire Yankee Stadium nine times in one year. This staggering numbers are the reason why so many countries in Europe are already leading the charge against single-use plastics, and why so many Americans think we should follow. Customers will pay for this specific product because right now reusable straws are hard to carry around, they get lost easily or damaged because you just throw them into your bag or wallet and hope for the best. But with a carrying case, you won’t have to remember to pack it before you leave or worry about where it is while you are going to your destination. My product makes giving back to the earth a little bit easier and I think that is a big selling point on its own.

5.      What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has? 

a.     I chose to create this product because as someone who is an avid ceramic metal user, I lose mine all the time. There is so small case or phone case out there that actually allows you to carry it easily. This is why I see the market exists, there is nothing out there like it. What sets us apart is just how easy the product would make carrying around, and on top of that how easy it makes it to clean the product.

6.     In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others. 

a.     I think most of my elements are really solid and will work for a business. However, my biggest concern is actually getting people to care. Throughout my time I have had a very difficult time with people who do not care at all actually learning to try and change their ways. I think getting the majority of people to buy into the product is going to take time, even though there is a huge wave of sustainability currently making its way through America. This is why venturing out into this product makes me nervous, and why I would use extreme caution. I, also, am having a difficult time actually learning how to market the product just because that side of business is not my strong suit.