Venture concept

The opportunity that I have found is in animal shelters, specifically the return rate that is present in shelters. About 47% of dogs get returned and 43% of cats get returned yearly due to unforeseen circumstances like behavior, fear based actions, and trauma. My product targets specifically new adopters, uncertain adopters, and young/ first pet adopters, but my product can be used for any potential adopter. As far as I know, no other shelter or rescue have this system in place but maybe a similar in person version for smaller rescues or shelters where the workers are familiar with the residents of said shelter. My idea isn’t original but the purpose of it is and the field for use is very optimal at the time. Now more than ever, shelters need help with their animal upkeep due to lack of adoption events and social gathering which help animals get adopted. My system can help due to social distancing and be taken online to find the best match during these tough times. My product would be affected if people were not interested enough to take the time the questionnaire takes to fill out or if more people got results that they didn’t like. As long as shelters stay open then so will this opportunity; especially now that meet and greets are limited. If my system was installed at the moment I think it would thrive under our current situation. Shelters currently let adopters pick a pet, can do a meet and greet then if they like the animal they then pay an adoption fee (whatever it is) and fill out paper work. They are legally responsible for this animal and must have the means to take care and support this animal in the long run. The thing that goes pass these adoptions is background checks and animal to owner compatibility, which is a main reason animals get returned in the first place. Shelters current adoption system has worked since the first shelter opened and hasn’t much changed but evolved over the decades.

My idea called My Pawfect match, it is a system that matches potential adopters with potential adoptees. Basically, it is a questionnaire that asks question along the lines of what type of animal are you looking for, animal temperament, living facility of owner, if there are children or if children will be present in the future ect. Then it will cross reference with the current shelter residents and give at least five potential matches to give to the adopter. If  they are a shortage of matches let’s say only three matches that show up then two will pop up in its place to animals that are closely related to what they are looking for, but didn’t make the cut; odd balls in a way. Pictures of the animals, type of breed, size, and location in shelter will be provided. If they meet and they are not sold on adopting or just don’t feel like the animal is a right fit then we can cross reference with other shelters and see the results given then. All the animals must have a profile and be logged into the system so that cross referencing can occur. Now with the Corona virus I could potentially add a video taken of a potential match to show how the dog/ cat interacts with people since meet and greets are limited at this time. This system is in place as a strong recommendation for potential adopters but not a mandatory step for adoption. This system, once bought stays at the shelter until it closes down or there are no more pets at the shelter that need a home. I did consider doing an annual fee like Microsoft word or virus protection but I think it isn’t fair to the shelters that already have a lack of funds to constantly spend money on something that is aimed to help them. The price would be set low like $2 or $3 for me to make and hopefully give back to the shelters in their goal to clear the shelters and keep them that way.

As I’ve said before, my target audience is people, but the main target is the shelters and rescues that people go to so they can adopt. There is no or a limited amount of competition with my product because no one has launched anything that would oppose my idea. Some flaws may include price and an audience only because my product can be made freely using simple software and because shelters are a government funded project that I would have to appeal to. I mean, this product is easily accessible and does not need a lot of attention in regards to the actual product. I think I would have a technical team of course but only for the initial product development then I would hire an IT manager to help with technical support. Only like 2 or 3 because it is a self sustaining system that doesn’t require much education on. Marketing would be handled by me and even then most of my marketing will be online. My purpose of creating this system is not to gain money; it is to donate back to the shelters. If I wanted to make an actual profit I would make my product an app and sell it on an individual bases. I understand that this assignment and a concept of a business are to make enough money to live of it, use it to invest or to create more business but that is not my goal. Making a product that can help shelters and over charge them is not right in my book. I want my product to represent a piece of me, the kindness I aim to share with others and I hope other businesses understand that some day. For now my business will be a volunteer basis system that way I help others while helping potential business owners, tech students, and other professionals gain experience.