New Kind of E-Business: Calisthenics with Your Dog DVDS - Essay Example

?New Kind of E-Business: Calisthenics with Your Dog DVDS Introduction Starting an e-business is a very intense process if the entrepreneur is not sure what they need to do in order to be successful. Many people think that in order to be successful, they must work their business as though they have a job; this is not what happens as an entrepreneur. When looking for new e-businesses, it is important to understand that online and offline are two different entities which mean that they have two different ways of marketing and getting the word out about any product. In this report, a new business to create calisthenics for dogs will be explored. 2 Nature and Purpose of Business The nature of this business will be to go beyond dog training. Many people have dog trainers or have experience them and they teach everything from traditional training to Cesar Mellan techniques. However, there are no DVDs that go beyond this typical training to doing creative calisthenics with the dogs. The purpose of the business would be to keep dogs fit without having to walk them everyday or run them everyday. Just as humans become bored with routine, the DVDs would insure that dogs not only were exercised, but they would be exercised in a creative way. The individual pet owner could do these simple calisthenics with their jobs or they could hire a certified trainer in this method to come to their home and give the dog a workout. Many people hire dog trainers and they expect their dogs’ behavior to improve through training. Often this helps, but there are dogs with so much energy that they need to have more than one way to expend this energy. According to Liz Palika, author, there are many benefits of training your dog. Some of these benefits include: a better behaved dog, bonding between human and dog, it can be fun for both the human and the dog (especially if the dog learns how to do tricks). Although Palika talks about traditional dog training, these same benefits can be used to help people understand how to do doggie calisthenics. 2.1 Why Doggie Calisthenics The word calisthenics means to do small exercises that are geared to develop muscle tone and overall physical well-being. When this definition is applied to dogs, it means creating interesting small exercises that will help to increase the dog’s overall health. Obviously many people use running and walking their pets as the way to keep them healthy, but dogs need other types of exercise to insure they are keeping muscle tone and not turning into those pudgy animals that begin to have health problems. Doggie callisthenic DVDs would be perfect for high energy dogs and small toy breeds that have lots of energy. Some examples of these exercises are playing fetch, cycling with your dog (although the dog must be well trained as well), gym workouts (with treadmill or obstacle courses in a gym), or stair climbing. All of these are examples of calisthenics that are easy to do and that can be done with anyone. Of course, all pet owners should have their dog checked at the vet before starting any exercise program. Doggie calisthenics would not be done to take the place of walking or running, but they would be used in addition to these other methods of training. They would be used as a warm up exercise or they could be used when the individual pet owner was not able to get their dog outside for a walk or a run. The DVDs would promote a 10-15 minute workout which could be done along with the pet owner’s workout. The DVDs would show step-by-step how to get the dog interested in the exercise, how to monitor their heart and pulse and it would provide safety tips to show how easy it is to keep a dog healthy and make sure they are fit. There would also be a list of dog breeds that came with the package that would tell which dogs were more prone to need more exercise. 3 Competitive Advantage There are several competitive advantages that this business would have as an e-business. The pet owner would be able to either purchase DVDs or the various programs or they would be able to download them to their computer and/or smartphone. This way they would have access to the DVDs at all times. They would have them available if they did go to the park or to a gym where dogs were welcomed. Another advantage would be that the exercises would be unique and they could be tailored to the needs of each dog. On the website, the owner could put in the breed of their dog and other identifying information, and then the site would tailor make a DVD for that individual dog. The owner could choose from a variety of exercises that they enjoy, and that they think their dog would enjoy. In addition, they could pick specific music from a list to go along with the DVDs while they were working out. The marketing and advertising for it would show that only those pet owners who want their dogs to be in the best health would buy this product. Most people already have an emotional bond with their pets and this product would build on the emotional bond they already have created. As an example, the advertising may talk about how each pet is unique and each pet owner is also unique. Because of this, they will want the best for their pet and doggie calisthenics can help them with this process. After all, as animals age, they may not be able to run and jump as they used to do, but they may be able to do short exercises to help them stay fit. This means that the product would build a perception that it was unique and exclusive. According to Wendy Weiss, speaker, author and sales trainer, how one perceives themselves as they sell is what people believe. If this idea is taken into this e-business idea, it means that people will see this as an opportunity that they want to participate in because the perception is that it is something that they need, but that only a few people will recognize that need. The final competitive advantage would be that the bond between owner and pet would be closer and this would lead to a more fit pet. 3 Competition The competition would come from traditional dog trainers. Most people think that dogs have to be taken for walks and/or runs when they are highly active. This is true to a point, but many people do not have the time to take their dogs on 45 minute runs or walks. Instead, when they have a spare 15 minutes, they could use the DVDs instead of taking their dog for a walk. Dog trainers would be the main competition because there are so many of them and when someone thinks of dog training, they either think of traditional methods or those created by Cesar Millan. All of these types of programs work, but some dogs have so much energy that they need to do more than just run and walk on a daily basis. Many dog trainers provide books and DVDs about training, but they are generally the traditional ways of training; there are no Dvds that describe calisthenics for dogs. There are several DVDs that talk about dog training and make a few suggestions about how to train the dog and what to do for exercise. Dog trainers would be the main competition because they are already established in doing something similar to what this business would do. There are also a variety of dog training DVDs available. As an example, when a Google search for “dog training dvds” was entered, there were approximately 2,430,000 sites that were found. Some of these were relevant and others were not, but since this will be the major product, this business would have to set their DVDs apart from the competition. 4 Potential Target Market The types of customers that would be the target market would be those owners 35-45 who were single or had families, who had at least one dog and who were very busy. They would be mostly men because they often have high energy dogs and they would not like walking their dogs. Many would not be very athletic. They would have incomes of $35,000 per year to upwards of $100,000+ per year. There are a number of reasons that these people have been chosen for the target market. 4.1 Why Pet Market is Lucrative According to the experts, the pet market will continue to be lucrative. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association there were more than 72 million pet dogs in the United States alone in 2007. The American Pet Products Association states that in 2011, 46.3 million households have dogs that spent $48.35 billion in 2010 and it is estimated that they will spend $50.84 billion in 2011. Of the money spent, $3.65 billion was spent on pet services that included grooming and boarding; it is assumed that dog training would be considered within this service category. The article went on to say that the majority of these pet owners see their pets as part of the family. Because of this hotels, businesses and other places that people go with their pets are taking a more pet friendly stance. Another report by Arjun Thakur and Maya Thakur states that the pet market will reach $58 billion in 2011 and is expected to grow to $78 billion by 2015. The U.S. Pet Market Outlook 2011-2012 states that the trend will continue to grow because people see their pets as part of the family and they do not mind spending money on them (Pet Product News). All of these reports point to the fact that the pet industry is growing strong and will keep growing. People who own pets often want to make their pets seem different from other people’s pets. As an example, some pet owners will buy outfits of every kind for their toy dogs and for specific larger breeds like Greyhounds or Whippets that are delicate breeds. The DVDs will be a positive addition to their overall spending to make sure their dogs are set out from the crowd. 5 Potential Risks The potential risks of this business would stem from a lack of advertising and marketing. To market effectively online, it is important to understand how social networking works and how it can be used to do business. One of the ways that social networking works is to build relationships with a variety of people online. Most social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn are important if an individual wants to do business. As an example, Bill Ganz, considered to be one of the “gurus” of social networking, states that a lucrative business can be done using the four social networking sites mentioned. In order to do this, an individual must understand that they must build content for these sites as well as keeping their name out in front of people. When people associate good quality content with an individual, they will want to know more. In the case of this business, an individual could not only sell the dvds, but they could also talk about what they do with their own dog on a YouTube video or on the other social networking sites. These actions would cut down the risk that involved in this business. Although it would take time to build relationships and build a following, it would be a perfect situation for this business because the business owner would not be limited by their geographic area. There is no potential risk that the customers would not want the product or service because people are already purchasing products for their pets. Because there are more dogs owners than cat owners, the market is large enough to sustain a new business entering the industry. One challenge that may appear would be the inability of the business owner to market correctly online. This would be a risk but it could be changed by hiring someone who is adept at doing social networking. The marketing would have to be done on a regular basis and the website would need to be updated consistently. If the owner wanted to do this, there are many ways to learn. As an example, Ganz has a Social Networking Base Camp 101 that is inexpensive and available to show a step-by-step process to use social networking for any business. In working with dogs directly, there may be a risk of being bitten or the chance that the dog is unstable. However, this would not be a problem in the start-up of this business because it would be starting with DVDs and selling online. Later in the business, there would be certified training to provide anyone coming in contact with dogs with the skills needed to handle unstable dogs as well as those who were stable. The difference between a stable and unstable dog is simply that the unstable dog is out of control with their owner. 6 Conclusion Doggie Calisthenics will be a business that will appeal to people who have dogs who also see their dog as part of the family. If they are a family that is conscious about their own health, they will also be conscious of the health of their pet. Many dogs are high energy dogs and this type of DVD would help them burn some of the energy they must release. These DVDs would also be important for toy dogs like designer dogs or small versions of larger dogs, and for dogs that are considered delicate. Of course, it would be important for the pet owner to make sure that the veterinarian approves the program. There are a variety of DVDs on the market already so these DVDs would need to be different in some way. Creating the concept of exclusiveness is one tactic that would work well on this product. By appealing to the pet owner’s idea that the dog was a part of the family, the DVDs would be easier to sell. Also, by appealing to the fact that “all pet owners” want the best for their pets, the DVDs would have potential for larger sales. Finally, the fact that the industry for dog related products has grown and is still growing, the potential for any type of dog product that people can relate will be very strong. People love their pets and having the ability to do the best for their pet on many levels will help pet owners have a better relationship with their pets. Works Cited American Pet Products Association. “Industry Statistics & Trends.” 2011. Web. 15 August 2011. American Veterinary Medical Association. “Market research statistics U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook (2007 Edition). 2007. Web. 15 August 2011. Ganz, Bill. “Bill Ganz Discussing Social Networking for Marketing.” YouTube. 23 January 2007. Web. 17 August 2011. Palika, L. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dog Tricks. NY: Alpha Books, 2005. Print. Pet Product News. “U.S. Pet Industry Remains on Solid Ground, Report Says” 19 April 2010. Web. 16 August 2011. Thakur, Arjun, and Thakur, Maya. “Pet Market Outlook 2011-2012”. Salisonline: Market News 7 April 2011. Web. 16 August 2011. Weiss, Wendy. “Perception is Reality”. Business Know-how Advertising Sales and Marketing. 2011. Web. 15 August 2011. Read More