Venture Concept No. 1

There is an opportunity for individuals everyone to have healthy snack options. Everyone who has to be at one location for a long period of time such as a hospital, work, or school are potential customers. The nature of this need is the lack of healthy options when stuck in one location. The main change in the environment that would cause this type of need is the excessive number of those who are obese. Unhealthy options are cheap quick and easy so more and more people are buying things that are not good for them. These junk food types items may be convenient but they are harmful to their health. The market for this opportunity is vast. Although I do believe this opportunity could be worldwide, I feel that the United States has the greatest need. Demographically, I believe that schools should really be focused on for this opportunity. If healthy options were provided or at least made available in school as early as elementary then maybe children would lead a little bit more of healthy lifestyles. Other than schools, I believe that workplaces should have healthier snack options. Currently it seems that this need is not being properly met. Children at school, employees at work, or even those sitting in hospitals are only satisfying their hunger with junk food. So really they are not satisfying their need. This is a big very important opportunity. Too many people are unhealthy and obese for this not be a big opportunity. I feel that this opportunity is something that should be addressed now. It will be an opportunity until there are healthy options available in all schools, workplaces, and hospitals everywhere.

My innovation for this opportunity is a healthy options vending machine. I call it the Better Options vending machine. This product will everything someone would need to get them through their day. Whether they forgot their lunch or they just need a snack to boost their energy, this vending machine will have it all. The Better Options vending machine will offer things such as protein shake and bars, granola bars and nuts, Gatorade and Vitamin water, carrots with ranch and celery with peanut butter. This vending machine would replace the current vending that are located almost everywhere and offer such healthy items. The profit would come from selling the machine itself along with the list of items available to be in the machine. The items in the machine would remain at an affordable price. For instance, a granola bar would be .75 cents or a Gatorade would run at $1.25. By buying these items in bulk I’d be saving money. Then I’d turn around and sell the items at a higher price so that there would be a profit. I want to keep the items affordable so that the customers are more likely to buy. I don’t want my customers to feel as though they are being ripped off.

This innovation will solve individuals need by being healthy, affordable, and convenient. This is a great product to be in schools, workplaces, hospitals, rest stops, really just everywhere. I think that a lot of people want to be healthy but there’s nothing currently out there that offers nutritional options that’s also cheap and convenient. I think that customers would switch to my product because they want to eat healthier. I don’t think it would be hard at all to get people to switch to this product. So many people out there already wish that healthy options were as cheap and convenient as junk food. The competitors that I would have to worry about are those who currently provide vending machines. Although they do not offer what I offer in the sense of food and snack options, they do already know the business and have connections. They could decide to make the transition to the healthier side. The currently vending machines are vulnerable to the fact that they are known for selling junk food. If they started selling health snacks, customers would be somewhat skeptical. I think that the biggest defining factor of my concept would be customer support. If the customer is not happy then the product will not be successful. The organization of this product would be a big project in itself. I would like this product to be available everywhere. For starters I would need the machines produced. The machines would require individuals to stock and refill them. I would need employees for maintenance, accounting, a call center, and delivery men. I would need to develop connections to get the items for the machines at a good price. This would be a big, very involved business.

The most important resource of this venture would be my determination to get healthier foods more accessible. So many people, including children, are extremely unhealthy because junk is always within arm’s length. If nutritional items were as available as junk food is I think that this would see a lot less obesity. To expand it even further, I would like my next venture to be similar to this but more for meal and less for snacks. I would like to have a machine that offered things such as sandwiches or small salads. I think this would change the demographic even more. I hope that in 5 years from now my product, The Better Options vending machine, is in all schools worldwide, offices worldwide, in hospital, malls, department stores…everywhere. Within a decade I believe that my concept would have really helped me learn what works and what does. It would’ve guided me to where I was meant to be. The first concept would have only been the beginning.