Idea Napkin No. 2

1. Brian Carriere
• I am a 34 year old technician and college student majoring in Sports Management.
• I have a variety of experiences selling things from cell phones to headphones. 
• I am talented debating (at least I think I am) and convincing people of why they need certain things (again, at least I think I am) as well as providing valuable insight in various areas. I also possess leadership skills and confidence.
• I see this business playing a profound role in my life as it is my creation and I would like to see it succeed as everyone thinks their ideas are the best and it is what people want. I am no different. I would not mind exerting the effort required to make this a successful product.
2. Covades

• Covades are spandex covers (initial launch) which fit over existing fan blades with a Velcro enclosure made to provide an easier method of keeping fan blades clean. They are washable and easy to slide over fan blades.
• They will come in different fabrics such as nylon, cotton, and polyester.
• They come as a set of five.
• They come in a variety of colors and designs.
• I would like to secure licensing to display different characters, superheroes, sports teams, company names and logos, and celebrity faces on the covers.
• They solve the unmet need of the sometimes arduous task of cleaning fan blades, provide a healthier environment as there would be less dust accumulation and will give people a desire to wash the covers more frequently so the dust will not show on the covers, and will also create a more fashionable home environment.
3. Offering To You And You And YOU! N
• The customer would be anyone who owns a ceiling fan or several ceiling fans. Within that I think there are two specific types of customers.
• Customer A
• Hardly ever cleans their fans and dust accumulates tremendously
• Needs a ladder or something to stand on to reach their ceiling fans
• Has asthma or someone in the household has asthma
• Out of sight out of mind customer
• Displays any or all of these characteristics
• Customer B
• Looking for fashion
• Will follow along the lines of other people whom they deem to be fashionable
• Wants to be led and told what to buy (especially by a celebrity)
• Looking for ways to stand out from the rest of the crowd
• Wants to become or be regarded as a trendsetter
• Displays any or all of these characteristics
• I think both Customer A and Customer B are heavily favored to be women as men tend to not notice or care as much as women do about the appearance of the home.
• I think my target audience would be women (single or married) with or without children but preferably with children. This product will not be expensive at its base level so income would be middle to upper class who live in suburban areas.
4. Reasons
• People will want to buy this product so they do not have to clean as often and the task will not be as difficult.
• Imagine not having to rush to clean when you know company is coming over or someone is coming in from out of town and once they are there you look up and remember that you forgot to clean the fan blades and hope that person or persons do not notice.
• By using a material such as spandex would repel dust to the floor where people clean more often which would be an added selling feature.
• People will want to buy because it will enhance the overall aesthetics of the home. 
• I would offer different materials with different selling features such as nylon where you would have to wash more often but may be more appealing to the eyes and spandex or polyester which would require less washing as they tend to repel dust.
• People will want to buy because their kids will want to look up and see their favorite characters especially if other kids already have them. Parents will be able to appease their kids in a safe, affordable way.
• People will want to buy to make a fashion statement.
• People will want to buy because I can be charismatic :)
• People will want to buy because they will feel it is innovative and people love things that are "new".
• People will want to buy because I would use convincing marketing techniques such as explaining the benefits (health safety, appearance) as well as gearing it more towards being a home fashion statement with the health and safety as a byproduct of this fashionable accessory.
5. Core Competencies
• What sets me apart and what I have that no one else does is the idea first and foremost. 
• I also have the drive to succeed and the will to turn this venture into a success. If I set my mind to accomplishing something then I will do everything I can to reach that goal which is why I am back in college at 34 years old since I did not finish what I started 15 years ago. 
• I have experience in talking to people and helping them understand why this product has value in their lives. In some of the interviews I conducted, some people did not realize how rarely they cleaned their ceiling fans as well as what the safety and health risks they were creating by not cleaning them. I can open the eyes of people on a mass scale with planning and mass production.
6. Evaluation
• I think all of these elements of this concept fit together as my core competencies would fit well with my target audience. I think my experiences will help me to sell an innovative product as well as help establish a new fashion sense inside the home. I also think by making this product affordable, I will be able to make a profit through volume initially. Once the business has been established as a viable enterprise I think it would become easier and more sustainable to secure licensing from trademarked characters and logos. That would create the second wave of marketing which would be geared primarily towards kids, sports enthusiasts and companies and restaurants.
7. Feedback Memo
• The only feedback I received centered around whether dust would stick to nylon or spandex. If dust does not stick then it would fall to the floor where it typically gets cleaned anyway which would be more beneficial to my product. From the research I conducted, nylon becomes positive in electrical charge which tends to attract dust whereas a cloth such as silk is the opposite and would repel dust. Silk would be a better fabric for compelling dust to fall to the floor but would be a little more expensive to use in production. Polyester also tends to repel dust but I am concerned about the quality and aesthetics of using polyester. Spandex also repels dust so that is why I would choose to initially start with this material as I think it would provide the fashionable look as well as the added benefits. At minimum I would increase the materials offered in the product/service mix to customers and they would be able to decide what they liked the best.

Please participate in my poll below the comment box. Thanks.