Forming An Opportunity Belief

I do have a feeling that an opportunity exists because of my frequent experience of an unmet need. This unmet need is a coffee delivery company. Oftentimes while I'm at work I need more energy or need to compensate for lack of sleep, although coffee could quickly solve this problem, I'm not allowed to leave work to retrieve it. Although this opportunity became apparent to me because of my personal experiences, I've heard others complain relentlessly at work about their need for coffee which leads me to believe that there would be many more people also in need of a service that delivers coffee. I believe that this need has always existed, however it was not until recently that we began attempting to make things more readily available through outside delivery companies such as Uber eats and 352 delivery. Companies such as these are attempting to create convenience by delivering food to various locations however I believe that coffee shops are underrepresented. At this point, I would say I am 50% sure that an opportunity exists in coffee delivery. I would say that the prototypical customer would be individuals at work who do not have access to coffee, or potentially just individuals that want to indulge in their favorite coffee without leaving their house.

For my prototypical customers I interviewed my manager, a coworker, and my friend who enjoys studying at home rather than the library. Through these interviews I learned that my opportunity is large in certain contexts and small in others. These interviews helped open my eyes to things I hadn't considered. For example, my customer pool would be narrowed down to those who drink coffee, those who are willing to spend more money in order to do less work themselves, and those who have mobile devices that allow them to download apps. My opportunity belief did indeed change as a consequence of my customer interactions; I believe there is probably closer to 15% of my original opportunity remaining. My new opportunity is more accurate than when I started because I was forced to take into account why people would not use this service rather than why they would. Through my interviews, I learned the many ways that others would most likely find ways around the service, most importantly I realized that my unmet need might not be of as much importance to other individuals therefore other individuals might not be willing to spend the money on this service. I believe that entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback because that is where the opinions matter; even if you think your opportunity is justifiable, if others do not then it is not much of an opportunity. At the end of the day, the customers are who bring in profit so if they are not satisfied then you will not be successful.

Iteration No. 1: Manager
My manager is a huge coffee drinker, she enjoys cinnamon almond macchiatos from Starbucks and sometimes desperately craves a coffee pick-me-up while at work. However, when I asked her about her need for a coffee delivery company, it was low. My manager's reasoning was that she is allowed to leave work when she wants, and she doesn't have to drive more than 3 minutes to make it to the nearest Starbucks so she would rather save the money on delivery fees and drive herself. Although she is a coffee drinker, she does not have an unmet need for a delivery company and would therefore not make a reliable customer.

Iteration No. 2: Coworker
My coworker is always lethargic at work, he complains frequently about the lack of availability of coffee while at work. Although he said he feels a strong need for a company that delivers coffee he also pointed out that most offices or places of employment likely provide coffee or a coffee maker for their employees, therefore someone would have to really want a certain type of coffee in order to invest in having it delivered. Because our place of employment does not provide a coffee maker, my coworker said he would get a lot of use out of a delivery service that picked up coffee from your favorite shop and brought it right to your door.

Iteration No. 3: Friend who studies at home
Lastly, I talked to my friend who studies at home. She told me that she really prefers drinks with expresso in them such as lattes and macchiatos however does not own an expresso machine because it is too much of an investment. She said that she often wakes up in the morning and goes out into her kitchen to cook breakfast and start doing her homework and studying. Because she does this from home, she prefers to stay in her pajamas and oftentimes feels too lazy to change in order to go into public to pick up coffee. Because she ends up buying coffee at some point everyday, she said tht she would love to have a company that delivers her coffee at the same time every morning so that she doesn't have to leave the house.