9A - Testing the Hypotheses Part II

After getting further into detail and conducting ever more interviews, the idea is not for 100% of the population that I initially thought would find it useful.  In fact, most people would prefer not to deal with the hassle of having another appliance in their homes that needs service, would need to be installed and having the possibility of breaking.  Of the 5 interviews I conducted for this part, only 2 would have used them in their businesses.  And both of these businesses were food businesses or restaurants.  The other 3, a local hardware store, a building supply company and a local bar owner said it was not worth the hassle and were all handy enough to fix the, “Not as common as you think”, clogging situation.  It seems that the idea, although still seems very profitable and popular, needs to be fine-tuned and marketed towards the right people and businesses. 

	Inside Boundary	Outside Boundary
Who is in/Out	Restaurants, households, hotels, other “clean” places with heavy traffic flow	Most retail stores
What is needed/Noy	A resolving issue to clogged toilets that can lead to a bad image for places	Does not apply to retail areas as much as a hotel or clean restaurant
Why it exists/Alternatives	Exists because of need and wanted of the consumer	Regular toilet, this is a new invention, not many alternatives

8A - Solving The Problem

Okay, a few problems with the concept derived from the 5 interviews.  Most people that had an issue were concerned with the cost of the product, installation, noise level, and one was just happy with the good ole fashion toilet. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. 

In order to counteract these issues, we will simply have our own company of welly trained staff to install and service the product, as well as a long outstanding warranty on parts and labor.  The cherry on top will be a 90 day satisfaction guarantee or your complete money back.  I believe that competitive, and great, customer service will keep people interested and happy as well as a no risk trial.

7A - Testing the Hypothesis

The toilet bowl garbage disposal idea can apply to pretty much every person whom has a toilet in their home or business.  It can help with all types of clogging and septic tank issues.

I chose 5 co-workers to interview about the garbage disposal inside the toilet invention.  Here is what they said:

1) Mike said that the idea is very innovative and can indeed be successful as long as the prototype works as well as it should work when you look at the idea and design.  He claimed that he would use it in every bathroom in his home as long as it is reasonably priced and the install is either a do it yourself or cheap to install.

2) Maria, whom has 5 children all under the age of 10 was begging for a product like this, her children are constantly clogging toilets and use way too much paper she says. 

3) Susan said that as long as people are disciplined, as they should be after using toilets and being taught how to use them their entire lives that this product will fail.  She is concerned about the price and the effectiveness of the product. 

4) Joey, who has a toddler and another baby on the way said he would not use the product until the children were older due to the fact that garbage disposals are extremely noisy and it will wake sleeping children, especially infants.  After I stated that the newer garbage disposals are much quieter, he agreed but cost about 3 times as much as a traditional one.

5) Brett said. “Bring it on”!  He stated issues with clogged toilets and has been waiting for an idea such as this to “invade” the nation.

After my interviews, it seems that there are definitely some faults with the idea and the productivity of it.  There are concerns with the noise factor as well as the price to install.  I think that people need to look more at the cost savings of a plumber to come in and fix problems and compare it to the install and cost of the unit.  I predict it to be paid for by itself after just one plumber visit.  I also think that electric to the pump could be an issue as no one usually has electrical plugs down by the base of a toilet and a wire running up to the vanity would look quite ugly.

6A - Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1)      I found this article here: https://www.lifewire.com/most-current-trends-on-the-web-3486016

I think with all of the trends around GIFs and other social media things currently going around, there should be an app or way to create GIFs or emojis that are current to you.  An app to upload your own pictures and create your own GIFs and emojis to share with the world, personalize them.  I think that this targets all cell phone users and is extremely easy to exploit.

I see this because I see the need for it myself and I rarely use GIFs and emojis, so if that is the case than it must be a huge market out there.

2)      This is an idea that I have come up with and did not find an article. 

I think that companies and celebrities should be able to trademark and purchase specific hashtags.  Such as, say the Miami Dolphins own the “#GoFins”.  A royalty will be paid to everyone that uses the hashtag.  It is also away for people to make money, buying and selling hashtags much like we do for websites.  I think this applies to all large companies, sports teams and celebrities alike.

I see this need due to the fact that everyone is trying to get out there and make money, this is an opportunity for the rich to pay others for a quick service.

3)      Here is the article: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html

We are basically saying that making minimum wage and paid sick days needs to be a regular thing for all businesses.  It is unfair to walk into a new job and have to spend 6 months to a year before you can even start to accumulate sick/vacation days.  The fact that most jobs make you use a vacation day for being sick is a bit absurd as well.  This applies for anyone with a job and will catch on quickly.  We need an agency to go out and police companies for their sick days and vacation days.  Plus, no one wants to work with a sick person because they cannot miss a day, then the entire business gets sick.

This is a much needed item, especially as the new President is working on changing the structures of business and government in the near future.

4)      I work in the marine industry, EPA is constantly on our butts about disposing of oils, gas, diesel, cleaning products, etc.  There is absolutely nothing about the marine industry that is clean or does not harm the environment.  However, many of the changes they make, are without consulting or spreading news of the changes to marinas.  Therefore I am stuck finding myself trying to locate any new regulations they may have changed on a weekly basis.  In order to appeal to the marine industry, there should be a blog website or other source of information of anything people are hearing, both local and nationwide, about any new restrictions or regulatory changes.

This would help the entire marine industry and the environment equally.

5A - Identifying Local Opportunities

1)      $200K car's bulletproof windows foil burglar, deputies say

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/dania-beach/fl-sb-dania-beach-six-car-burglary-20170921-story.html

This tells the story of a man who broke into 4 parked cars stealing thousands in items ranging from cash to jewelry before finally trying to enter a car with bulletproof windows.  He could not enter the car and frustratingly couldn’t enter the car.  The problem is obviously the 4 cars who were not broken into.  Tinting windows helps tremendously when it comes to blunt force impact with an object for breaking and entering vehicles.  Pretty much every caw owner has this issue in the back of their heads and it can be easily saved with even a clear protective film if tint is unwanted.

2)      In Venezuela, they were teachers and doctors. To buy food, they became prostitutes.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article174808061.html

This is an article that is disturbing to say the least.  The economic disaster in Venezuela has doctors and engineers evacuating to other countries where they resort to prostitution in order to make ends meet.  The problem is simple and clear, things need to change and President Trump has warned Venezuela to help its citizens and protect them from entering this stage in life.  I think that this problem can become much larger if not settled and it can be settled by the U.S. government stepping in and trying to end it.

3)      Irma was a teachable moment for Miami-Dade. Have we learned its lessons?

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article174721831.html

Considering Irma hit us just under two weeks ago, this is a very current issue that is still a problem today.  The article is about how ill-prepared we really were for Hurricane Irma.  Since Andrew, our building code has changed dramatically for the better, but it is still not where they should be.  This is an issue that effects everyone in Florida and one that needs to be addressed more often.  We need to take advice and always be ready for hurricanes, not wait until the mad rush and everyone is sold out of supplies.

4)      Medical marijuana shop opens in Dadeland area

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article174561316.html

Medical marijuana was recently passed for the state of Florida.  This article is about how much the medical marijuana will help the state’s economy as well as provide jobs for local residents.  Medical marijuana is a proven concept that helps people with all types of social and physical ailments and disorders.

5)        Protect nursing home residents, not bad facilities

  http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article174764581.html

  Another incident involving preparedness and hurricanes.  The article discusses the fact that    most nursing home facilities do not have the means to survive a hurricane or even generators to  help make the residents more comfortable in natural disaster situations.  This is an ongoing issue and needs to be addressed.  We are not saying that every nursing home needs to be a self-sufficient fortress, but rather protect the patients and evacuate them for natural disasters.  

4A - Forming An Opportunity Belief

I have thinking about this need for quite some time now and this is a great opportunity to get some other opinions and thoughts on it.  This is an item that every single person on the planet should put inside each and every bathroom they have.  Think of a garbage disposal, but connected to your toilet.  You can throw anything you want into the toilet and when you flush, it will grind it up just like a garbage disposal in your sink, and flush it to your septic tank or to the sewer system.  There will never be another clog in your toilet ever again.  I see the demand for this product to be sky high as it will be the latest, and greatest, household item to hit the market since its sister item, the regular garbage disposal, was introduced.
I took the time to speak to three potential customers on the idea and here is what they had to say:
Customer #1 a restaurant owner:  I spoke with Mike about the idea, and he had nothing but good things to say about it.  He says it is almost a daily occurrence where people flush feminine products or paper towels down the toilets and clog them, sending in an employee or sometimes a plumber to clean up and solve the issue is not only time consuming but expensive and can give his restaurant a bad rap with “dirty bathrooms”.  He said the idea is innovative and with proper testing he would be extremely interested as it is a cheaper and more effective solution to his problem.

Customer #2 a local friend who has a septic tank:  I have known Hank since I was born, a local family friend in his mid-60’s with a lot of life behind him.  He was ecstatic with the idea as septic tanks are extremely finicky solution to sewage.  When there is no city sewer system, the people are basically left on their own to deal with sewage issues.  He told me that he constantly has issues with guest coming over and flushing too many times or too much toilet paper which backs up the septic tank and sometimes can even come back up through the shower drain, especially after plunging.  He said if this item were on the shelf and did not cost an arm and a leg, he would buy it immediately.

Customer #3 my father:  My dad loves the idea and is concerned with how much money it will take to jumpstart it, get funding, build a prototype and then go out and sell the brand new product to a world who has never seen it before.  He says that it is one thing to improve an existing product but a totally different challenge to create an entirely new product.
Reflection:
After all of the words spoken to with the three interviewees, I have learned that the product has potential and certainly fills a void in the industry.  It will safe time, money and a reputation or two along the way.