4A- Forming An Opportunity Belief

The opportunity:
I believe an opportunity exists in the non-invasive cosmetic procedures market. People, more prominently those who identify as female, have an increasing concern with how they look. They have the need to look younger and attractive. Although not a basic human need, society's increasing pressure to have a picture-perfect life and image (which can be credited to social media) increases the demand for physical appearance augmentation and aesthetic cosmetic procedures. Many can argue this is a want and not a need, but the way i interpret it in this scenario is that it depends on how the individual sees it (as a want or need) since it deals with their appearance and many functions of society are impacted by appearance. This has always existed but is an increasing market. To meet this need people resort to injectables (botox, fillers..), skin rejuvenation procedures (chemical peels, laser skin resurfacing...), and many other non-invasive treatments. I believe that there's an opportunity for an app that will be a one-stop search catalog for consumers interested in getting any of those procedures done, with information on clinics that provide these treatments, they will be able to compare places. It will facilitate the process of finding the best place to meet their needs. I am 90% sure this opportunity exists.

 Interview #1: a friend ( 19 yr old, female)

• Have you gotten, or considered getting any non-invasive cosmetic procedures?

• "I feel insecure about my lip shape and have considered getting some lip fillers in the future"

• How long have you wanted this?

•   "I have been thinking about getting fillers for about 2-3 years now. I have been insecure about my lips for longer, but before that time I didn't think about what could be done about it."

• How do you currently conduct research to meet this need, if any? Meaning how do you find places to get your need satisfied? 

• "yeah so I have looked for clinics in my hometown and also known areas in the state like Miami just out of curiosity. I would just start by googling places, and then check their websites out, and then search for like peoples experience's on youtube." 

• How satisfied are you with the solutions to this problem?

• "I think its okay, it is a bit time consuming to find the best place for what you're looking for. Especially having to compare clinics and prices."

Interview #2: a family friend (40 yr old, female)

• Have you gotten, or considered getting any non-invasive cosmetic procedures?

• "yes, I have had laser hair removal in the past"

• How long did you want this?

• "previous to getting it, I thought about it for a couple of years"

• How did you conduct research to meet this need, if any? Meaning how did you find places to get your need satisfied? 

• "when looking for a place to get it done I went by word of mouth from people that I knew first. Then I would search the locations and see the reviews and price. "

• How satisfied are you with the solutions to this problem?

• "for me, the research process wasn't bad because I knew many people who had gotten laser hair removal before so their indications definitely cut me some time and made the process smoother"

Interview #3: a friend (20 yr old, female)

• Have you gotten, or considered getting any non-invasive cosmetic procedures?

• "Yes, I consider getting fillers on my nose because I have always been insecure about how it's not straight. I considered getting a rhinoplasty, but it's not for me because I don't have much pain tolerance."

• How long have you wanted this?

• "I have wanted to do something about my nose for a while, like 5 years"

• How do you currently conduct research to meet this need, if any? Meaning how do you find places to get your need satisfied? 

• "Now that I can afford the procedure I have been looking more in-depth into where I could go. I google places near me and look at the reviews. Then, I will scan their webpages and take notes on the different places."

• How satisfied are you with the solutions to this problem?

• "Searching for a place, especially for something that isn't so light since it's going into your body is quite a process. I find myself going back and forth between places ... I think the main factor I look at is reviews."

Reflection: 

What I learned from the interviews about my opportunity is that research related to non-invasive cosmetic procedures does tend to be time-consuming and there seems to be lacking a place where you can get all the information needed and having a comparing tool option.

Summary:

• How much of your original opportunity is still there?

• My original opportunity stayed pretty much the same 

• Do you believe that your new opportunity is more accurate than when you started?

• It is more accurate in the aspect that I now know what consumers think and therefore I can use that to improve the idea.

• How much do you think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback? (In other words, is there a trade-off between adapting and staying firm?)

• I believe good entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities to customer feedback because ultimately that's who they are serving.