Alicia Wulf
Econ 331
Business Concept 5
2/15/09
Christmas Services Etc.
As Christmas rolled around this past year my mother was not looking forward to the holiday rush and of course going out and picking a Christmas tree then decorating it. As I have found throughout the years this dreadful patter is consistent throughout the general population, most people do not look forward to putting up their Christmas trees but yet in the end they never fail to put the tree up due to disappointment of the Christmas spirit. My grandmother also dreads dragging up the tree from the basement and decorating it in her precious porcelain Lenox ornaments. I however like to decorate trees and I think that there is no better way to show off your Christmas spirit or spread it than decorating your own Christmas tree in your living room for everyone to see. Last Christmas I immediately saw this as a business opportunity and so far is has stuck with me for a few months.
I decided that I want to start my own Christmas tree decorating business using real fresh trees, bringing back the old tradition of fresh trees into people’s homes. I will bring the tree in from a local tree farm, use my own tree decorations that I will get on sale after Christmas from the previous year, and I will also take my decorations that I will get on sale after Christmas from the previous year, and I will also take my decorations down and get rid of the tree for the customer. This will be a time consuming task but before I decided to start I know that more research is needed to really make sure that this business will succeed. I interviewed three people that would be potential customers for my business; I asked them what they thought of the business and how it may be improved to better suit them. The interviewees were 25 years old to 55 and they all had full time jobs. However the 25 year old is single, the 38 year old is married and has four kids, and the 55 year old does not have kids but is married. I really tried to interview people from very different demographics to get their opinion on my business proposal and get some suggestions on how I can improve my idea and business. All of my interviewees thought that this was a very good idea for the older people in the community and may benefit the businesses in the community as well. One of them brought up the idea of also putting up Christmas lights outside and around houses as part of the business also, which is a good idea and something that I would be willing to do if there is a want or a need for that from the consumer. Overall my interviews with these very different people went well and I think that this would be a good business to pursue.
So in all here is my business proposal; When a customer calls and asks me to decorate a tree I will bring in a real Christmas tree form a local tree farmer, bring in my own decorations for the tree, have them sign a release that states that I am not liable for any Christmas tree fires due to Christmas lights after all it is their responsibility to plug and unplug the lights. I will charge them for the tree and have a deposit on my ornaments to ensure that they stay unbroken and are not missing. I will also take account of what I use on the tree to ensure I get it all back. Once Christmas is over and the time is agreed with the customer to come and get the ornaments and tree I will get them, then charge them for taking the tree away and my services. I will also offer the customer my services of putting up Christmas lights around their house, the lights will be mine and I will also keep those when Christmas is over with. In all I am benefitting the local tree farmers and providing a service to the local people around town.
The market segment served by my business is the whole community but mostly the older people who can no longer go out to pick their own the real tree or are unable to take their current tree out of storage to put it up. I will also be putting up lights outside and I think that a lot of people young and old will take advantage of this service.
The consumer gains more than just a decorated tree in their living room they will gain the Christmas spirit without feeling overwhelmed and obligated to put up their own tree. They also will gain the feeling of being a part of the community by putting up a tree and lights outside along with everyone else. The value in this is worth more that the price, it is something their family, neighbors, and friends will be able to enjoy as well as themselves.
The service and products will be delivered by me, this is the only way that I ensure my customers are being treated they way I want them to be. Once I gain a bigger customer base I may hire more employees but I will always deliver my service and product to my customers.
My likely competitors will be people that want to decorate their trees by themselves and maybe other people that want to decorate their own trees by offering my service as easier to than their selves. I will compete against other businesses by offering a better price and more convienence.
In conclusion I think that I will pursue this opportunity in the near future because I have been getting a positive response from my idea for some time. I think that it will impact my community and help the local tree farmers who have gone out of business due to artificial trees.