1. You
I am a young adult with a lot of learning to do. My talents are talking to people, putting in 110% to things I'm passionate about, and thinking outside of the box. Some of my skills include listening, speaking effectively, confidence, teamwork, and problem solving. My aspirations include living a successful life, which to me is living a comfortable life that I am proud of. When I think of being a business owner I always think of making the business successful and then expanding from there. I think that this will play a large role in my life because I want to retire as early as possible so I can enjoy my retirement while I am still young.
2. What are you offering to your customers?
For this exercise I am going to use the idea of a gas station/convenient store again. I will be offering a wide range of products inside of the store and outside I will be offering gasoline. I will be solving customers' unmet needs by building this establishment in an area where most people have trouble getting to the store because of lack of transportation.
3. Who are you offering it to?
I'm offering this service to everyone along the stretch of road where the store would be built and also to anyone driving by, which is a lot of people everyday around 5 o'clock when work lets out and there is decent traffic on this road in general.
4. Why do they care?
They care because many of the people along this stretch of road don't have many other options. They need something convenient and this will be one of their only options.
5. What are your core competencies?
I believe that I think very differently from the majority. I have always had a very realistic view on life and I think it helps me see everything for what it truly is. Many people like to see things more as they would like them to be, but I see them as they are. Some people have confused me with being "negative" when I have simply made an observation, which goes to show they chose to see this observation in a good light and I just chose to see it unfiltered. I have a very strong mind and I will use it.
I am very good at noticing unmet needs of myself and others and I am good at coming up with ways to solve these unmet needs. Every time I see an advertisement, business, etc... I am always thinking of what makes them successful, where they need improvement, and how the idea could have been better. This is a quality that will help me create the best business I can.
Evaluation
I believe all of the previous elements work together. I think that if I want to make something happen, it will happen. The only thing that holds me back is my harsh criticism of my ideas. The reason I am so critical is because I know that many businesses fail and I want to be so sure that I know it can't fail. I think this is a good thing though and I believe it falls in line with my realistic view of life. Many people who open businesses that aren't successful or go bankrupt are most likely people who aren't as realistic of me. They probably thought their idea was an amazing idea but weren't being critical, or realistic, enough. I won't have this problem. When I make my move into the business world it will be a carefully calibrated decision and it will be a success.
Cameron, I think that the previous elements definitely work together with your core competencies. Your concept seems to be more developed than you have actually listed here in the blog. So it would be great if you could elaborate a little more on your ideas about your gas station. Also, I think that you should never be held back by harsh criticism. Find the good in what some criticize you on, and if they don't have anything constructive to offer in criticism, dismiss it. It is definitely good to be realistic when opening a business and it looks like you are on the right track to do so. Well done with the post.
ReplyDeleteIf you pride yourself on thinking outside of the box then you should find a way that makes your gas station more innovative by standing out from the rest. I think that the location for a gas station is key to its success for both its low margin but high quantity products (gas) and its high margin, low quantity products (convenience items) which is why the larger, more successful ones are located on roads with high volume traffic (next to interstate exits, main roads, etc.). More research could be done on the area like checking if there are going to be future development projects, were there stores located in that area before, whats the crime rate? It's great that you have a very critical process on your ideas, but believing in something when no one else does has resulted in world-changing companies.
ReplyDeleteCameron, I am like you where you can be very self-critical and realistic, but make sure to balance it with some risk taking to endure your adventure. Like Andre said, because you like to think outside of the box I think this allows you to come up with a "new" style gas station/convenience store. Similar to how 7-11 and Wawa are focusing more on offering "real food" at the stores, versus other gas who merely offer bagged snacks. Nice start and good luck furthering your business idea!
ReplyDeleteCameron, it seems like you've put more thought into your business idea than what is shown here. It would've been nice to know more of the details of your business and more clear details on your target audience. Based on the basic idea you've given above, I do believe there is potential for your business idea. Especially because you seem like you don't like to take major risks meaning that you've thought through each little detail to assure success. Good post and good luck with your business idea!
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