4A – Forming An Opportunity Belief

Opportunity: I believe that there exists an opportunity in the distribution of succulents.

Belief: I believe it fulfills the culmination of a series of needs experienced by the average college aged millennial. There's almost like a feeling of wandering present in the zeitgeist of these times. It leads to them wanting to care for something, being in a situation with limited space, having a desire for bringing some level of decor or aesthetics to their apartment or dorm, and a desire for a connection to nature deriving from their appreciation of it. For the purpose of this assignment I'll choose a desire for a connection to nature as the primary need. I am reasonably sure this demand exists.

Iteration No.1
Identify prototypical customer: American College Student

Interview: American Male College Student Teenager
I learned that he was 18 and wasn't interested in cacti or succulents. In fact he wasn't interested in plants in general and preferred fish. They fulfilled his need for a connection to nature. He became aware of his need as he moved away from home for the first time and felt lonely so he acquired a betta fish. He was satisfied with his pet fish. The interviewee signaled wanting to end the interview early after this.

Reflect: I was somewhat discouraged by this but decided to continue interviewing. I was surprised at how quickly he lost interest in the interview. The interview made me want to see if women were more receptive to plants as there connection to nature and I changed my prototypical customer from american college students to female american college students.

Iteration No. 2
Identify prototypical customer: American Female College Student Early Twenties

Interview: I learned that she was 20 and loved plants in general. She was studying for a forestry major and enjoyed nature and walking in trails. She already possessed a couple succulents she purchased from home depot but said she would be interested in buying wider varieties than what is available at home depot. The reason why she likes them is because of their low maintenance needs, the color and shape and shine, the home decoration aspect and that keeping a living thing in her apartment makes her feel closer to nature. She also first became aware of her need after moving to an unfurnished apartment and she felt the need to add something alive but had limited time and space.

Reflect: I learned that there is indeed a need for a link to nature present in some people. I learned that there's already a market for succulents but the need is already being fulfilled by large chains. I also learned of a more niche demand for rarer succulents that aren't being fulfilled by aforementioned chains. This led to me thinking about shifting the primary need from a need for a connection to nature that's already being fulfilled to a need for an aesthetic connection to nature.

Iteration No. 3

Identity prototypical customer: American Female College Student Early Twenties

Interview: I learned that she was 20 and that she did feel a need for a connection to nature. She currently wasn't fulfilling her need in any way aside from her family dog which after the levels of domestication affecting it don't really feel like the connection to nature she desires. She just became aware of her need during the interview.

Reflect: I was surprised she answered that she did feel a need for a connection to nature but that she hadn't put thought into the desire or put effort into fulfilling it. I learned that there is a barrier to the self fulfillment of needs.


Summarize: After my interviewing, I recognized that women are more interested in plants in general. I also learned a couple of the reasons why they like succulents, and that there is an interest in more uncommon varieties of succulents. I learned that the general desire for a connection to nature is already being fulfilled through a variety of ways and that the belief has to be more specific. I believe my new beliefs are more accurate now and that i'll have to have many more interviews to narrow down the opportunities actually present. I believe entrepreneurs should always adapt to the what the customer demands since without any demand there is no business.