11 - Idea Napkin 1

1.) My name is Kailey Hart. I am a zoology major with hands on experience working with several exotic and domestic animal species, and I consider myself to have fairly good public speaking skills. I've decided to focus my career on the spread of information about the creatures we share the planet with, as well as pushing the message of wildlife conservation. My proposed business, Animal Discovery, would be a non-profit organization dedicated to this mission, and would allow me to personalize my message and cater to a wide audience.

2.) The primary service I will offer would be educational and interactive animal presentations. These can be tailored to various types of audiences, from elementary aged children to adults. The presentations will include live ambassador animals and can be designed to fit a specific theme if the client so desires. The secondary purpose of Animal Discovery is to function as a rescue for displaced exotic animals in need of a new forever home, though we would have to be selective and would only take in animals that we have the resources to care for. As the business grows, so would our ability to take in more rescues.

3.) This service will be offered to both private and public clients. Our presentations will serve to fill the needs of people organizing events who are looking for engaging family friendly content that their audiences or guests will be sure to remember. The types of events I currently have in mind include birthday parties, school events, and summer camp programs, though I'm sure there are other opportunities as well. I expect the most common type of audience to be kids and teens.

4.) The thing that gives our service value to the clients is the unique experience of seeing exotic animals up close outside of a traditional zoo setting. The exact species that would be used depends entirely on what we are able to house and rescue, but in general they would be various birds, reptiles, and medium or small mammals. It's valuable because it's interesting and entertaining content that can appeal to people of all ages.

5.) My core competencies lie with my formal and hands on education in the subject matter. While my presentations would likely be tailored to young audiences, I have the knowledge and ability to answer questions with information all the way up to the college level. I have experience and practice with this. In addition to simply having lots of knowledge about animals, I also have a good amount of public speaking practice that can directly translate into a presentation-like environment.


I think these elements work together pretty well, although there are definitely gaps and shortcomings. One huge issue is that I currently don't have enough experience or qualifications to actually start an organization like this. While everything I've outlined about my experience is true, I'll need more. Thankfully, I already plan to gain that experience over the next several years after I graduate. I will also spend that time attempting to grow my presence on social media, hopefully enough to get Animal Discovery some decent initial exposure if/when it becomes reality. Another limitation on this business idea is that it would be bound to a specific geographical region, since there is only so far I could travel for regular presentations at the start. Overall, I know this general organizational model can work because it's not novel: there are other organizations like this already in existence. To avoid direct competition, I would simply choose to operate in a region that lacks one.