1) My name is Nicolas Cronenbold and I'm an international student from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, which is in South America. I'm currently in my home country but I am in Gainesville for both the fall and spring terms, I usually come back home during the breaks. Some of my talents include playing soccer, racing in rally cars here in Bolivia, and helping out in the family business. I have lived out of my country for a total of 4 years and during that time I have lived in Austin, Tx. Miami, Fl. and Gainesville, so I know some big cities in the U.S. I see this business as a nonprofit organization. If I were to start this idea I believe it would take a lot of my time off my hands. On the other hand, I see it as something that needs to be done. After covering all my initial costs I would like to donate the money raised towards animal shelters here in Santa Cruz.
2) My product is a pet tag that you can attach to your pets collar. In this tag I would imprint the pet owners information so if the dog escapes and gets lost, anyone can grab the animal look at the owners info and easily get in contact with the owner. This is a very simple and convenient idea, actually no one in my home town sells this and you can see a plethora of strays in the streets every day. There isn't a place were you can get tags for your animals here in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
3) All my costumers have one thing in common, pets. To be more specific the group I am targeting is not the group that owns pets, but the group of people that own pets and actually care about them. So any person who has an animal that they care about and doesn't have a pet ID tag, that’s the person I'm targeting.
4) If they care about their animal and they have a couple bucks to spare, then they certainly will buy the product.
5) There is no market for ID pet tags in my home town, so by starting this business I would be the first and only provider in the market.
I believe that all these concepts fit together because I think I posses what is needed to start this project. My business is not something new and it isn't something that is hard to develop. Its just something that no one cares for here in Santa Cruz, or I guess its something no one really gives much attention to, so that created an opportunity for me. Everything that has to do with my project is related to the love for a pet an owner can have. I think that it all ties together nicely, there is a market for the tags, otherwise there wouldn't be so many strays in the streets, and "lost animal" signs all over the city.
There were a couple suggestions regarding the challenge I will face to get my product around a city that has a population of two million inhabitants. My idea for the time being is setting up a stand outside a mall, because to start this idea the only thing I would need would be the printing machine which is not big at all and the tags. Also, someone asked how will my product differentiate itself from the competition and that is not a problem because no one sells tags for animals in Santa Cruz.
Nicolas, I think you have developed a great idea here. The best part about it is the simplicity and the practicality of it. Sure, pet tags exist, but if there is no easy way to get them in your hometown, then nobody is going to go out of their way to get one. As a dog lover, I'm really glad that you're taking action after seeing that there is an abundance of strays in the area. With your business plan, the tags will be very accessible and affordable, and I think that people who genuinely care about your pets will be very willing to purchase one. It sounds like you've got a great platform for your idea, and my only question would be whether you would have multiple selling locations, online orders possible, etc.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicolas. I think its fantastic that you want to help the animals and animal lovers in your hometown. A simple dog tag can be the difference between life and death, and your desire to provide those tags is commendable. Your passion and commitment to the cause is evident in reading your blog, so I'm sure it wont be hard for you to convince investors and suppliers behind you. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicolas,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your idea the first time around and for this exercise, I believe you are directly on track to making this a successful project. Don't worry about the market reach yet, it os perfectly ok to start small and let word of mouth and a great reputation help to drive the sales. You can also consider replicating your kiosk or stand setup with helpers running those locations as an early way to expand your outreach. In any case your path to sales looks short and prosperous!
Hey Nicolas, I think you have such a great idea. I love that your idea revolves around helping animals. As someone who has had dogs get loose and run away it is so nice knowing that it has a dog tag. I agree with what was said about that don't necessarily worry about market reach now. That is something I struggle with too on how to get my product out there. I think the first step it creating a strong product and I think thats what you have done here.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicholas - it is still mind boggling to me that pet tags do not exist in your home country. Your idea is so simple yet so important to these animals and families who own pets. I think the key point to your idea is making sure these tags are easily accessible and affordable to the community around you. I believe you took care of those points and your idea sounds great.
ReplyDelete