Existing Market
Talking to the existing market was again helpful in that I’m able to use the experience and intuition of others. One person talked about offering educational hikes to groups of homeschool children. Homeschool children are usually networked with other homeschool children so getting into a few of these networks should open up more doors in the area.
Another person talked about how important marketing would be as a next step in the idea. Getting the word out to people in the county that educational nature hikes are available is in itself a task, especially where competing for attention with activities such as high school sports, or even the work lives of busy individuals.
My aunt said to think about a business plan and in what ways I could run the organization as if it were a large nonprofit. Taking these steps, she said, would avoid laziness and corner cutting and allow the small nonprofit to grow gracefully into whatever size it needs to be.
New Market
A new market might be, as mentioned above, homeschool children’s groups. But another avenue of growth could be talking with local seniors groups. As an example, the state park about 45 minutes north of us has a seniors’ lunch and meeting several times a month. At these lunches they enjoy food and fellowship as well as listening to local nature experts talk about their area of expertise. I could try to work these types of groups into my idea as an additional way to spread the word and knowledge of the nature around us. I have already been invited to speak at one of these.
I think that, much like a stand up comic working clubs, doing these types of events are not helpful solely in the fact of getting out and doing the events, but also in the connections and relationships made with the administrators of these facilities. That might allow for additional talks and walks with organizations such as local schools and universities.
One of the reasons this new market is not as attractive as the original is because this group is not likely to go out into the field and study in situ. Most of their enjoyment might come from the comfort of their home or a fellowship hall at a church or state park. My main goal is to get people outside in nature learning.
Hi Anthony,
ReplyDeleteMarketing is certainly a key part of any business, the only way you can attract customers is only if they know your venture exists to help them. Often, it happens where our products can capture other new previously unconsidered markets, but it probably won’t be as effectively targeted to them since they weren’t your initial consideration when first developing your idea.
Hi Anthony, I agree with your aunt about running it like a non-profit. This would allow for potential expansion if you wanted it and could turn your organization into a nation-wide effort. There could be groups under your organization all over the country, all dedicated to teaching and learning more about natural history. That is, if that is your goal to expand. If not, you could definitely focus on your local marketing efforts. Lastly, I understand from your last post that you didn't really want to work with children, but it may be something to look into, especially with homeschooled children.
ReplyDelete