19A Idea Napkin #2
Based on the feedback I got last time it confirmed that one of the things that makes me different is the attention to small details that can change the user experience.
I see this business playing a small role in my life at the start. In the beginning I would have a full time job to support myself, and just do this as a hobby at night for a while. Once I actually got a working prototype I would try and transition to part time at work, so I would still have money coming in while business picked up. Once I had enough business I would quit my other job and focus entirely on this project. I know it would be a lot of work and I would expect to be working 100 hour weeks while I am getting everything up and running.
Since the last idea napkin I have revised my model to be more user friendly. Originally I wanted it really big and complicated, but I think the ideal solution would be to have the extra mower attachment be driven off the main engine, so there isn’t the complication of an extra engine to take care of.
Time is money. Saving time = saving money. That is why customers should care. Why do people buy a riding mower over a regular push mower, because it makes their lives easier and makes mowing the yard faster. My mower would be the next step towards efficient lawn care.
One area that I would need to look into more is if I want to go only the commercial route and sell it to lawn care businesses, or if I would want to sell it to regular consumers. Another option I could look into is if I could license the technology to a large company like John Deere and they could use all of their knowledge to make it more efficiently than I could. It would be a good way for me to avoid some of the risks, and make it easier for the technology to get to the market.
Your long-term plan is very smartly laid out to maximize your time and energy. Your plan would help to give you the funds you need to create the working prototype so that is a smart thing to do. I also liked your idea of getting a bigger company to help you in production since they have more funds and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteGreat changes from the first napkin. To really get this going I would think it would take a large bit of capital once you get traction to produce all those units. So partnering with a larger manufacture would be a good idea. Making that decision of whether you will focus on commercial customers or the regular consumers is a big one.
ReplyDeleteHi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI like that you wanted your product to be more user friendly. I think that is a change that will pay off in the long run because often customers prefer things to be simpler, so they don’t have to invest more of their time. I also added something similar about licensing technology to my revised idea napkin post based on the feedback I received.
Ashley Decker