Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who: After making my five interviews it is clear there are definitely individuals that fall outside of the boundary of my opportunity. In the case of my opportunity which is creating an alcoholic beverage brand that comes in cardboard boxes there are people who would never buy my product. The main individuals who would consume my product would be younger more liberal adults that are trying to find an economic and green way of drinking with friends. This excludes older men that want to drink their classic scotch or people that would simply never pay less than a certain amount for a drink because it is not classy enough. This product is definitely for the lower middle class and not for the upper-class citizens simply because it is not something that appeals to them. This product would mainly be consumed by college students at tailgates or big events.

What: My interviews provided me with a wider ranged view of the needs my opportunity provides because it was mentioned how my opportunity brings together two essential trends that are ongoing in the society we live in today. It has never been thought that drinking could some-how contribute to being green or sustainable, if anything it reminds us of quite the opposite like for example beer bottles in the bottom of the ocean. Now that individuals are ever more taking into consideration sustainable solutions to basic problems I believe this opportunity is providing a need and solving a problem to a circumstance that will never subside which is the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Why: Of course, I would consider that the need of individuals outside the boundary will not be sufficed with cardboard beverages. It simply is not classy enough for millionaires to be sipping on cardboard alcoholic beverages, it is also not presentable. While the individuals within the boundary are mainly college students who just want to get drunk on a tailgate afternoon do not care about the presentation of the beverage. The only thing college students are thinking about is based on if it is “green” and at the same time will it allow them to have a good time. The need for the product to be “green” is not of the essence for individuals who care about the status quo when it comes to drinking alcoholic beverages.

Inside the Boundary:

Who is in- Young adults who care about sustainability and like drinking such as mainly college students.

What the need is- An alcoholic beverage with a sustainable aspect.

Why the need exists- It exists because not that the social trend is to save the planet and be green people are looking for sustainable alternatives for their every-day lives.

Outside the Boundary:

Who is not- Upper class individuals who care about the status quo and classy aspect when it comes to drinking alcoholic beverages.

What the need is not- The need is not to have sustainable solutions to their problems because they technically have no problems.

Alternative Explanations- When it comes to rich people the least of their problems are about sustainability, with a few exceptions most people are too involved in their own lives or problems to even think about the issue sustainability tries to fix.

Solving The Problem

        In my opportunity of producing and marketing an alcoholic beverage appealing to the student body of universities I hope to put sustainability and alcohol together, so we can have fun while saving our planet. I believe it would be a profitable business idea to implement this product in the alcohol market and to market the product as a “green” solution to drinking. The two problems my interviews made me realize were that I would need to get licensing and follow up on regulations regarding consumable products and that I would need to get a scientist to help me create the actual drink itself. One of the solutions I came up with to clear out the licensing and regulatory issues presented in my opportunity were to get my cousin who is getting a master’s degree in tax law here at the University of Florida to point in the right direction or give me a contact that would be able to help me out. The solution to my second problem which is creating the product itself would be solved by me asking one of my engineer friends to either join the project and become a share-holder of the company or pay one of them to find me the ideal drink.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1)    Opportunity- Alcoholic beverages in cardboard boxes.

2)    Students in universities are both advocates for sustainability and at the same time love drinking, however, there are no “green” alcoholic beverages available at the moment and I assume the reason why is because when drinking alcohol sustainability is not usually on our minds.

3)     

a)    I do believe this is not just a need for college students, adults that like alcohol and sustainability would most likely also buy the product. However, I do think the main customers would be college students due to how easy the product is disposed.

b)     Would people really enjoy drinking alcohol from a cardboard box? Would only college students be the consumers of such a product? What is needed in order to start selling cardboard box alcoholic beverages? Do most students really care about sustainability when they are about to drink alcohol?

c)     The main question is why would college students think about sustainability when they are about to go have a good time and forget about their problems. This “why” definitely identifies with all college students that enjoy drinking alcohol because they are the target consumer for this product.

4)    After my interviews there were a few factors I was not taking into consideration, however, once those factors are sorted out I still believe this opportunity could be a success. My roommate whom I interviewed second told me I had to take into serious consideration the licensing and regulations I would need to follow in order to sell a new consumable product. I also interviewed my cousin who is in law school here at the University of Florida and she said I would have to find a scientist in order to create a new product such as the one I am talking about. Both of these issues my opportunity is presented with can be solved as long as the money is available, perhaps even a loan would be possible. I know many engineers who are already graduated, they are my close friends and I am sure one of them would be interested in joining me on this venture. As far as the licensing and regulations I have to follow I am sure I could ask my cousin who is in law school to point me in the right direction, I am sure even though she could not help me with this specific issue she probably knows someone who could. I realized there is a lot more to starting up a business that has to do with consumable products, especially if it is a new product that has never been on the market.