Opportunity- Assignment 4

Opportunity
I believe that an opportunity exists. This opportunity is not from any of my blogs before this, but it has to do with a big part of my life. Each winter, I go to Vermont quite often with my family, and we even bring our pets. A daily struggle is who is going to take a break from snowboarding to go let the dogs out.

Belief
Many people who consistently go skiing or snowboarding have pets, and from experience, many people enjoy bringing their pets to the mountain with them. These people often struggle with having a full day on the mountain due to worry or anxiety about letting their animals out. Many ski resorts and hotels are pet-friendly, meaning people can bring their pets. However, the problem is when people have to leave their animals all day in a hotel room, condo or house while they are out on the slopes. This problem has been around for a while. However, I feel as if society is more attached to their pets now than ever. Out of all the ski resorts I have been to, I would say that this opportunity has a 75% chance in existing.

Prototypical Customer
The prototypical customer of this service is someone who enjoys going skiing or snowboarding. This person also has to have a pet that they enjoy bringing with them to the mountain. This person can be a homeowner on the mountain, or they can stay in a pet-friendly hotel, condo or house that they rent. The age necessarily does not matter.

Interview Questions
What is the exact nature of the need?
When did they become aware of the need?
How long have they had the need?
How are they currently addressing the need?
How satisfied are they this solution?

Interview 1
My first interviewer is named Tammy. She has been skiing/ snowboarding for many years. Tammy has 4 dogs. When I asked her the series of interview questions she responded:

"The exact nature of the need is knowing your dog or dogs are being cared for while you are out all day on the mountain. While you are out enjoying yourself, it would be comforting to know that they [your dogs or other pets] are being taken care of. I became aware of the need when I am in VT, and have to go back to the condo to walk the dogs. It would be nice to be able to stay on the mountain without worrying about rushing back to take care of the dogs. I first became aware of the need when I took the dogs away for the first time. It is stressful to worry about getting back to take care of them. I'm currently addressing the need by going back and forth to the condo to to walk them. I'm not satisfied with this resolution, but it is the only choice I have. I think about how nice it would be if there was pet care on the mountain. A place where you could drop your dogs off for the day and have the peace of mind knowing they are having fun too". 

Interview 2
My second interviewer is named Meredith. Meredith has been snowboarding for ten years. She and her husband have one dog. After asking her the same series of questions, she responded:

"When you only have one dog, and no kids yet, you treat your dog like your kid in a way. On a trip that's driving distance away, I like to bring my dog because traveling with him is pretty easy, because he likes the car. The bad thing is that I do worry about him and plan my day around him when I'm on the mountain. There's nothing worse than an awesome power day but cutting it short to make sure you're dogs okay. Call me crazy or whatever, but I like to make sure my dog is content. I first noticed that this was a problem after bringing him up to Vermont two times. He was always so well-behaved at home, but the condo is not a super familiar place for him, and he is not used to being left alone for that long. I think that pet care on the mountain would do really well at certain ski resorts. I always see other people walking their dogs through the village".

Interview 3
My third interviewer is named Jon. Jon has been snowboarding for 20 years. He has snowboarded all over the country, and he has two dogs.

"To me, the exact nature of the need is that people tend to pamper their dogs. Dogs get treated like people. For me, when I'm on the mountain, I don't mind setting aside sometime to go let the dogs out. I use it as a lunch break. However, after college I worked at a few ski resorts out west. Many people there also brought their dogs to the mountain. People would mention how they needed to go let their dogs out at a certain point. Guests and co-workers would both say it. For me, I probably wouldn't use the service everyday, but I'm not opposed to the idea. I think that pet care at ski resorts would be a big hit. I have worked at many resorts and have gotten to know a lot of people from all crosses of life, and I think that it would be a popular service at certain mountains. It's worth the money to people when they know that their pet is being taken care of".

Reflection
After interviewing three people, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they all liked the idea. Having pet-care at a mountain would help reduce stress for people with animals. Critics would argue to not bring your pet if you're so worried about them. However, if you leave your pet home, you're still going to have to put it in pet care. Tammy and Mere had a similar issue. They were always so worried about letting out their animals and making sure that they were okay. Whereas Jon did not mind letting them out but also stated from experience that he thinks pet care at a ski resort is a good idea.

Summary
I think that the complete idea of my original opportunity is still there. However, the only things we really discussed was the idea. Obviously opening pet care at ski resorts would take a lot of research, planning and time. I believe that my opportunity has been validated by a few people who do like the idea. It is a good feeling to know that others do support your view, even if its just a simple design or opportunity. I also think that the target market for this opportunity is very distinct and clear. I believe that it is essential to listen to feedback while developing an opportunity. Each entrepreneur should have the core values that they want to keep. However, they should also have specific things in mind that they wish to receive feedback on.