It amazes me that sometimes the greatest wisdom and insight can be found in cartoons and animated films. In the 2005 film Robots there is a great line used in an exchange between the stalwart, renowned inventor and the new kid trying to get in the game. The line is “see a need, fill a need.” This phrase provides a key starting point when conceptualizing a new business.
I am completely sold on the idea of looking for needs that are not being met. This is especially true if these needs fall inside of your sphere of influence. Wed a need to a business acumen and success is guaranteed. This is a key step in brainstorming possibilities, but success is not that easy to attain. Great ideas are just that until other questions are answered.
Before cell phones were so common, I once thought about giving digital watches a paging feature. I don’t know the first thing about the technology that goes into pagers. Of course there is no real need for pagers anymore and looking at your watch for the time or a page during your boss’ presentation is probably not a good idea. This might have been a great idea 20 years ago. So, when I get great ideas, I have to ask myself about the long term usefulness of the idea. Yes, there is a need, but does my idea fit with the current times and technology. Do I have the resources to produce innovate ideas within the particular market that I am trying to gain entry? If it is such a good idea I always ask: “how come no one else thought of this?”
The cliché, “think outside of the box”, describes innovation and creativity. However, sometimes an entrepreneur can be just as successful by making the box bigger. Some opportunities exist by taking an idea that is profitable to a different target group. For example, a community has two athletic shoe stores competing in the big box mall on West side of town. Customers from the East side of town are avid, athletic shoe fans and consistent customers at the big box mall. What would happen if a risk taker opened an athletic shoe store on the East side of town? This individual has taken a successful business to the front door of the customer base.
There are many ways to approach conceptualizing a business idea. Looking for needs that are not being met is a necessary first step. If you are living in a community and you have enough knowledge about where the needs are, then you know your potential customer base. “See a need, fill a need!”
