Venture Concept No. 2

There are millions of people who use water as an environment for leisure, work, and play by using boats, jet-skis, and other water treading machines daily. However, these activities we partake in have extremely detrimental effects on the life below the water’s surface, and these issues we create for the life in bodies of water have gone unchecked for too long. Therefore, the opportunity I’ve discovered is a way to help marine animals of all kinds stay out of danger when people decide to use their habitats for personal gain without thinking of the repercussions they may be causing.

I'm hoping that those who use water as a place for activity will feel inclined to take simple measures to make their habits less impactful on marine species, which is why I’ve come up with the product that I have. It is cheap, easy to manufacture, requires no set up or building after purchasing, and is expected to last a long while and do its job well. Most likely, people who both use boats/other motorized water equipment and are environmentally conscious will be inclined to use my product, as it will prove to be the most economically feasible and structurally innovative design on the market once the venture process has gone full swing.

The market I am trying to break into has a lot of room for growth and development, as not a lot of products have been introduced to combat the issue of injuring marine animals while on the water that have been both affordable and effective. Currently, the best option out there are caged metal ring motor covers, which, while they protect the motor blades from coming into contact with animals, are expensive, not overly eco-friendly, and can still catch smaller animals and debris inside, either hurting those smaller species and/or breaking the boat motor.

To go more in depth, my product is essentially a cling fit cover to protect each individual blade on a propeller, made with durable material, with a soft buffer on the inside. This way, if the blade comes in contact with an animal, its strike will not be as harsh or injurious, and will lessen the impact on that animal. Each blade will have an individual sleeve, and the sleeves will connect in the middle so they remain on the propeller as it moves through the water. The idea is to lessen the sharpness of the blades without altering the water dynamics of the propeller itself, still allowing the watercraft to cruise along at normal speeds, and protecting the marine life that may come into contact with it. I will be selling the propeller cover by individual sleeve, so that propellers with all different numbers of blades can be accounted for. They will all come with the necessary connectors to attach in the middle. I’m assuming that each sleeve will run no more than $10, as the materials needed to manufacture are not overly expensive, and there is little engineering needed in the making process.

I believe that, while my innovation won’t entirely eradicate the issue of harming marine animals when using boats on the water, it will help not only lessen the intensity of the issue, but also bring awareness to the problem itself. It is a great way to bring light to the situation when many people may not be completely aware that it exists. I also believe that, being it is so much more affordable than the current “solutions” on the market — caged propeller protectors that run anywhere from $200-$300 — it will reach the far ends of the bell curve of customers that may have not taken safety measures to save marine animals because they could not afford to. It is such an easy concept that I’m surprised hasn’t been put on the market already by a different entrepreneur with a mind for saving animals. I am extremely passionate about the underlying issue behind this product and am therefore extremely invested in the success of it.

I think the most important resource to me in this venture process is the low cost and ease of manufacturing this product. With a lot of new products on the market, they include a multitude of technological components that require a lot of skilled assembly before they can be used by consumers, not only jacking up the price, but also subjecting consumers to technical difficulties with the product. My product is not fancy in any way — it is just practical and makes sense. In the next steps in my venture process, I am planning on making accurate prototypes and testing them to see if my idea actually holds up in the real world. It is easy to assume that it will all work out when simply talking about it, but for this product to be successful, it obviously has to work and do the job that it’s promising to do. Therefore, this is a crucial next step for me to take as I continue forward. I am hoping that my product will materialize into something great that consumers will really want to invest in. Myself and my product stand for a great cause that needs to be brought more into the public eye, and I believe that once people recognize that, it will be extremely successful. “Help the animals” is always an appealing campaign as it is, because consumers can’t help but sympathize with cute pictures of manatees and dolphins with boat strikes on their backs. So, when I’m offering a solution that can be so easily implemented into the everyday lives of people who use water for any sort of activity, I believe it will really be a hit. I am excited to keep going in this process and really see where my idea goes from here. I have already received a lot of positive feedback from potential customers, which is a great sign. I’m excited to take steps to really help save marine animals, as I am so passionate about the issue.

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The feedback I received from my previous concept was all relatively positive, except for a few helpful tips on how to explain my product better so people can understand it without an illustration (although now I always try to include an illustration). 

People mostly said they really enjoyed how passionate I am about the cause behind my product, and that it reflected through my assignments and explanations of my venture concept. I also got helpful feedback that it was hard to visualize my physical product without some sort of illustration of it, so I either need to include that or change my description so that it paints a better visual picture. 

Since the first venture concept form that we filled out, I have changed the way I describe my product so the idea is easier to grasp.