Idea Napkin No. 1

Piecing It All Together

This blog has to do with the idea I pitched in my Elevator Pitch No. 1, called "Groceries To Go"

My idea is that some day groceries can be ordered online, or a photo of your grocery list can be uploaded via mobile app, and the groceries will be delivered to your front door within two hours. 

1. Me. 

I am a student, a part-time employee, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. And so much more, those are just some of my titles. My talents are cooking, yoga, and caring about people. My skills are being driven and creating goals that I go after. I am very organized and have the fire inside to be a go-getter. "Groceries To Go" would play a huge role in my life if I were to really launch it. I would be very busy as the founder and would find if very useful as a consumer. 

2. What am I offering to customers?

I am offering a time saving and very convenient service to customers, having groceries delivered  straight to their doorstep. They can do this two ways: online, by searching for the groceries they need, selecting them and the quantity of each, and placing the order. Or via mobile app by uploading a picture of your grocery list. There would be a two hour delivery guarantee. 

3. Who am I offering it to?

I am offering it to anyone that is busy and needs to save some time via eliminating this very time consuming errand. Although, I think a lot of people would find my idea helpful, I think there are especially two types of people that would find my service extremely useful: moms and elders. Moms don't always have the time and energy to go grocery shopping, among all the other jillion things they have to do. It's an even more difficult task if they have to pack up the kids to go along with them. 45 minutes to an hour of boring grocery shopping is a long time for young kids to not get bored and cranky. Elders is another group that I believe would find my business extremely helpful. A lot of elders live alone (perhaps widowed, nursing home, etc.) and cannot drive and need this service. For example, my grandma (that lives far from me) has to schedule a taxi service or friend to pick her up once every two weeks and take her to the grocery store. It's sad and it's difficult for her to meal plan that far ahead and to not run out of something or need something unthought of in the meantime. 

4. Why do they care?

They care because going to the grocery store for themselves is sometimes (a lot of times) not worth the time and hassle. Not only that, but for example for some elders, it may not even be a viable option. I believe this is why potential customers would care.

5. What are my core competencies?

What sets me apart from everyone else is that I don't believe there is anyone else. I have not heard of a business that offers this service or does anything like it. If I am wrong and it has been invented, then it is not a good business model because I have not heard of it or know anyone that has used it. My service would be great because it would be quick, a two hour delivery guarantee.

I believe that my business model does connect well. What I am offering, who I am offering it to, and why they would care all align. This is definitely a great service for people that need to save time, want convenience, or are just unable to go to the grocery store for themselves. I think that covers a lot of people, as long as the price is right. That is something more that I would have to cover more and get greater details on. The pricing would need to be reasonable enough that it is a realistic service for the average household, but at the same time, realistic for me to make good profits. I would have to get a great team to help my infiltrate my business idea. There's no way I could do this on my own. Also, lastly, I would need to do some extensive background research to see if there are any pre-existing companies similar to mine and what their numbers and market share are. What does their business model look like and is it working our for them. How would I overcome the barrier to entry if there was one and how would I be different/better.