I have experience with product designing and entrepreneurship due a invention showcase competition I participated back in the summer of 2016. Moreover, I have worked with charities before so I have a general idea of what they seek and how they operate. Then there's the fact that I am fluent in Spanish, which greatly expands my ability to seek clients. I'll admit though that this plan, should it ever come to life, would operate best with the help of my old team. What I am offering to impoverished villages ad slums is a durable, lightweight bottle that can filter clean water and act as a source of lighting (the lid of the cup would have bright LED lights that is solar powered). Although there are long term solutions that could be implemented, they take time to execute. Until such projects can go into effect, these bottle would provide temporary relief. This bottle offers lighting and clean water, which I believe are basic necessities and rights that people in need won't deny. However, the middle man of this operation would be NGOs and non profits, as they know the areas that require aid and assistance. One idea I had in mind is to start by giving free bottles to non profits and request feedback on their effectiveness and such. Once improvements could be made, I'd start selling them (those that participated in trials would receive generous discounts).
It is important to note that this business idea would only temporary as the core goal is to provide temporary relief until a more viable and permanent solution could be found. In spite of good intentions, there has to be ways to keep the company going (without violating ethics!) .To keep the company running, we could also tailor to survivalists and provide other services for non profits. Heck, we could become a non profit and have our own refugee camps. But if that were the case, then eventually have to solely rely on donors and international aid. Yeah, there are kinks that still need to be worked out...
Feedback
The primary feed back I got is that I should also tailor to different audiences (survivalists etc). Aside from that, I didn't receive anything else. I would appreciate more feedback and welcome constructive criticism.
Seriously, this was the feedback I got: http://blazingllamas.blogspot.com/2016/02/heres-napkinwith-idea-on-it-phase-1.html
Gustavo,
ReplyDeleteLet me just say that your journey for this is the one that touched me the most. There are many of these business plans that I found along the way that have been interesting or not, practical or not but I truly appreciate you going the humanity route. That being said, this invention already exists and it is done through another non profit. Not to say there cannot be multiple competitors but I'm just letting you know the facts. We bought from a company at my church when we did a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Also, while I realize this is for the better of others, how do you plan on acquiring the funds to execute? If you would like to check out my idea napkin, please follow this link:
http://nicoleslifeatuf.blogspot.com/2016/02/idea-napkin-no-2.html
Regards,
Nicole
Hey Gustavo!
ReplyDeleteI think your innovative drinking water bottle sounds incredible! I don't see why you couldn't sell the product to survivalists, but also search for donors by defining your organization as an international non-profit. Under this title you could be entitled to tax reliefs as well and grants that may benefit the business. I would recommend making international connections with other organizations that are interested in seeking to resolve these types of issues. See if they could fund you or help in advertising your product. What other services could your business advocate for, if any?
Awesome work Gustavo! Keep on rocking!
- Angela
Hey Gustavo!
ReplyDeleteI think your innovative drinking water bottle sounds incredible! I don't see why you couldn't sell the product to survivalists, but also search for donors by defining your organization as an international non-profit. Under this title you could be entitled to tax reliefs as well and grants that may benefit the business. I would recommend making international connections with other organizations that are interested in seeking to resolve these types of issues. See if they could fund you or help in advertising your product. What other services could your business advocate for, if any?
Awesome work Gustavo! Keep on rocking!
- Angela
Gustavo,
ReplyDeleteGood job on your assignment. I understand that feedback sometimes isn't that well thought-out so I want to give you some things to ponder about your business idea. For starters, I believe your fluency in Spanish will be very useful and you should continue focusing on that as a way to connect with your customers. Regarding the business, the bottle is a fine idea but what is stopping entering competitors from copying your idea today? If you are serious about this business, try working on a patent ASAP for your product so you can establish barriers for future competition. Other than that, good luck with creating a prototype and I look forward to seeing your water bottles make a difference in our community.
I have attached the link to my blog and would appreciate your feedback and input as well.
http://dipaoloent.blogspot.com/2016/03/idea-napkin-no2.html
Best,
Louis DiPaolo Jr
Hi Gustavo,
ReplyDeleteYou have a pretty solid bu8isness idea. And your credibility is a benefit especially taking on a project such as your that does require some prior knowledge and skill. You made some great business ethics points that are always good to keep in mind. Good job!