Opportunity
There is
always a need for educational content in the target market of summer camps,
libraries, and school events. Though the world is always changing and the rise
of online learning is prevalent, children are always more captivated by
in-person events that they can experience with all of their senses, and despite
a common mindset that “school is boring” most young people really do enjoy
learning when it happens in an engaging way. Schools and other programs that
take on the task of providing an education to young people are always reforming
their curriculums and searching for new learning tools they can reference or
partner with. They currently fill this
need with whatever local resources are available to them. Therefore, this
market opportunity will almost certainly continue to exist past the foreseeable
future.
This opportunity
exists all over the country, but ultimately will be confined to the geographical
region in which the organization would be based. A suburban or urban area with
a nearby rural area would be ideal, because the higher population of an city necessitates
the existence of more schools and camp programs due to the abundance of
families, but a rural region would be advantageous in terms of having more physical
space to set up the headquarters and possible expansions to the main building.
There is
also a secondary need for a place where displaced animals can receive proper
care for the rest of their lives. There are many people in this country who acquire
exotic pets without properly researching their needs, behavior, adult size, or
lifespan. Far too often these animals end up getting re-homed, sometimes
multiple times, when their owners realize that they are underprepared and unable
to give the animal a good life. Sometimes the owners resort to releasing their
pet into the wild, which has tragic consequences for the individual and its
environment. The opportunity here is answering this need for some place that can
take these animals in.
Innovation
The service
we intend to offer will be educational content featuring live exotic animals
that can be tailored to the needs of different events. Presentations with real
specimens are not a new concept, however the prevalence of programs featuring
live exotic animals is relatively low. Similar existing businesses have been successful
in many places, and due to the geographically limited nature of the venture, it
will be straightforward to avoid direct competition. An example of a specific presentation
topic could be “predators and prey”. The discussion in such a presentation would
focus on the various adaptations and strategies that animals use to find food
and avoid becoming food. Examples of animals that could be included in this
presentation would be rodents, rabbits, snakes, sugar gliders, small carnivores
such as foxes or cats, or birds. Other possible topics could be “nocturnal life”
or “all about birds”. Each presentation would include an average of 6 animals,
and last from 45 minutes to one hour with the possibility for some time
afterwards to take pictures. These programs would take place at a venue chosen
by the client and scheduled through the organization’s website and email. The general
price range a client would pay for one presentation would be $150-200.
Venture
Concept
This
organization will answer the needs of the target markets twofold. It will act
as a rescue for displaced animals in need of a forever home (after accessing whether
we have the resources to provide for them), and then train the more outgoing
ones to be ambassadors for their species that we can bring out on
presentations. These presentations – the main marketable service – will fill
the needs of anyone looking for fun and interactive educational programming. We
expect our target clients to be intrigued and excited by this type of service
because it is fairly uncommon in many areas. Competition would include major
zoos and other existing businesses that may provide similar services, but due
to the geographically locked nature of this industry, we could avoid direct
competitors by locating our organization in a region where competition is low. Indirect
competition could come from other organizations that market educational programming
to schools and libraries. We believe the appeal of live animals will give our venture
a competitive edge over other competitors that focus on biology.
Getting off
the ground and gaining a positive reputation will be key to this venture. We intend
to get the word out through word-of-mouth and excellent social media promotion.
We will also be collecting testimonials from our early clients that we can put
on our organization’s website and use as constructive feedback to improve our service.
It will likely start out with just myself and a partner running everything, but
as the organization grows there will be potential for one or two additional
employees or interns that will help with animal husbandry and transport as the
demand for scheduled presentations increases.
I believe the
most valuable resource we will need to have is a steady supply of food and care
supplies for the animals, since the animals are going to be the center of
everything. Space will also be important, because aside from money it will be
the main limiting factor to the amount and type of animals we will be able to
take in. This venture will hopefully grow as large as it can be while remaining
sustainable and manageable. I do not foresee the venture expanding into many
other markets, though there is potential for a few side things such as merchandise
and photo shoots. This is a long-term venture that I would hopefully stay with
for a long time.
I did not receive feedback during the previous assignments, so very little has been changed.
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