Assignment 4A – Forming an Opportunity Belief

Opportunity Belief

I believe there is an unmet need for dog daycares/pet resorts that allow dogs the opportunity to roam free and play all day without having to be kenneled.

This is not a new need and anyone that owns a pet and wants the best quality of care for their animals while they are away has this need. Prototypical customers would be pet owners that are traveling professionals, single professionals that may be commuters, individuals that want to socialize their pets, individuals/families that vacation, etc. Currently there are many pet resorts, but the majority of the resorts kennel the dogs and only allow for 15-30 minutes of play time throughout the day. People are reluctantly boarding/kenneling their dogs at these resorts and having to pay extra for more play time/potty breaks, having an in-home sitter take care of their pets or leaving their pets at home for an extended period of time during the work day.  I believe this would be a great opportunity to open a resort that is staffed 24/7, 365 days a week, that allows the pets to play outside and inside throughout the day (similar to a daycare for children). I am 85% sure this opportunity exists, especially in my neighborhood, Lakewood Ranch. The one and only semi-free play pet resort in the area meets capacity almost daily and has to turn daycare customers away.

Prototypical Customer #1: Male, Mid 20’s, Single, 1 Large Dog.

·      Do you own a pet? If so, how many?

Yes, a black lab.

·      Do you travel for work? If so, how often?

Yes, twice a year I have to travel out of state for a week-long training course.

·      Do you travel for pleasure? If so, how often?

Yes, generally weekend trips. I would say about once every two months.

·      Do you have a long daily commute to work?

No.

·      Do you have a person or place that cares for your pet while you are away? And are you happy with this place/person?

Sometimes I can have my family watch my dog and other times I have to board him. I prefer not to board him because I cannot find a kennel near me that lets him play during the day and I would rather have my sister come stay with my dog. Normally after boarding my dog comes home with a sore throat because he has barked the whole stay.

·     Do you have trouble finding a place that provides a level of service that meets your standards of care for your pet? Please explain why.

Yes, when I do have to board him, he is kenneled, and I do not like that. I also have to pay $10 each time for them to take him outside to go bathroom more than 3 times a day which is unreasonable.

·      Would you take your dog to a daycare while you are away at work?

Probably not, unless I got a job that was more than an hour away from home.

·      If you had the choice, would you rather take your pet to a resort that allows your dog to be out and about with other dogs all day or a place that kennels?

I would rather take my dog to a place that allows him to be out all day. I would even pay more to have this ability.

Reflection: Someone individuals have family members that can take care of their pets and may not need the resort facility all of the time. I found it surprising that the customer had to pay extra fees for their dog to go potty more than 3 times a day.

Prototypical Customer #2: Female, Mid 50’s, Married, 2 Large Dogs.

·      Do you own a pet? If so, how many?

Yes, two dogs.

·      Do you travel for work? If so, how often?

No.

·      Do you travel for pleasure? If so, how often?

Yes, I go on multiple week-long vacations a year plus many weekend trips.

·      Do you have a long daily commute to work?

Yes, it generally takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get to and from work.

·      Do you have a person or place that cares for your pet while you are away? And are you happy with this place/person?

Yes, my dogs go to a resort that I love.

(They go to the resort I mentioned in my intro – the only one similar to what my idea of an opportunity would be)

·     Do you have trouble finding a place that provides a level of service that meets your standards of care for your pet? Please explain why.

I used to until I found out about the resort I use through a client at work. My dogs are out all day with the other dogs and are kenneled together at night. I have the ability to watch the camera at the resort to see what my dogs are doing.

·      Would you take your dog to a daycare while you are away at work?

Yes, on days that I know my husband and I will be working late I take my dogs to the resort for daycare.

·      If you had the choice, would you rather take your pet to a resort that allows your dog to be out and about with other dogs all day or a place that kennels?

I already take my dogs to a place where they can play all day.

Reflection: I was surprised to know that this person takes their pets to the resort I mentioned in my initial intro. The daycare portion of the resort would be even be beneficial to a married couple. I assumed married couples would not need the daycare service because one or the other could take care of the dog.

Prototypical Customer #3: Female, Mid 30’s, Single, 1  Dog.

·      Do you own a pet? If so, how many?

Yes, I have Frenchie.

·      Do you travel for work? If so, how often?

On occasion I do, normally it is just day trips to south Florida.

·      Do you travel for pleasure? If so, how often?

Once, maybe twice a year.

·      Do you have a long daily commute to work?

No, I normally work remotely from home.

·      Do you have a person or place that cares for your pet while you are away?

I do not have a place or person that I use consistently to watch Harper.

·    Do you have trouble finding a place that provides a level of service that meets your standards of care for your pet? Please explain why.

Yes, that is why I do not have a certain place that I take her. Most of the places I have used do not let you pick up on Sundays or holidays and I do not like that.

·      Would you take your dog to a daycare while you are away at work?

Yes, on days that I go into the office it would be nice to have a place to take Harper.  

·      If you had the choice, would you rather take your pet to a resort that allows your dog to be out and about with other dogs all day or a place that kennels?

I would prefer to take her to a place where she can walk around and play with other dogs her size.

Reflection: I was surprised to know that there are places that do not let you pick up your pet on the weekend/holidays – this could be a great advantage for my opportunity.

Summary

After completing 3 interviews, my opportunity belief changed slightly. The feedback I received brought new ideas to my attention that would help in making the “unmet need” a met need. I do believe that my opportunity is still relevant and is more accurate than when I started. I do think that my customer base could be expanded upon as I initially thought this would be best for single individuals rather than married individuals. I do believe that feedback is necessary for entrepreneurs to take into consideration, however everyone has different opinions and it is impossible to satisfy everyone. I believe there needs to be an equal balance between stay firm/“true to your roots” and adapting to customer opinions.