business model is already in existence

beatrice33

The title of this thread is a line from an email that i have just received from the Irish Preschool Play Association in response to my email where i outlined a business idea concerning playgroups in Ireland.

the whole reply is:
This business model is already in existence and is currently being further developed
It has already been registered

Does this mean i have to give up? Where do you go to register business models? I am very dissapointed since i was very excited about this and have been working on this for a few months now.:(

I dont have a business plan as yet, i was only designing a website and thinking about how the business plan would go.

Any advice?

Feckfox

Wait, start your explanation again

A business model is how a business makes money. (Subscription service, selling goods, serving ads, etc)

You went to the association with a business idea that you wanted to implement. Was it a service they pay your company for? Were they already doing it themselves or are they paying another company for it?

If so, and if they only want to work with one company, then you don't have much room to move. Can your business idea be applied to other areas?

ssbob

Or is it a case where they have taken your idea? Or maybe there is someone else doing this but you can be teh competition, you woudl have to explain the sector more to us.

bigneacy

beatrice33 wrote: »

The title of this thread is a line from an email that i have just received from the Irish Preschool Play Association in response to my email where i outlined a business idea concerning playgroups in Ireland.

the whole reply is:
This business model is already in existence and is currently being further developed
It has already been registered

Does this mean i have to give up? Where do you go to register business models? I am very dissapointed since i was very excited about this and have been working on this for a few months now.:(

I dont have a business plan as yet, i was only designing a website and thinking about how the business plan would go.

Any advice?

It doesn't mean you have to give up, no. Just because the business model is already in existence doesn't mean it can't be applied elsewhere, with better results.

The low cost business model was already in existence before Ryanair came to the fore and there's no better example of it being utilized successfully outside of America.

It seems like a very closed mindset on behalf of the person who replied to your enquiry, so I wouldn't take too much from it, but don't burn your bridges. If your product/business model is in this sector then they are important people to keep on side. Even if you reply and thank them for their advice, and ask if you could meet with them to discuss the idea in more detail or perhaps even alternatives to the idea.

This will give you an opportunity to fish for more info on the other parties involved with the development.

beatrice33

Feckfox wrote: »

Wait, start your explanation again

A business model is how a business makes money. (Subscription service, selling goods, serving ads, etc)

You went to the association with a business idea that you wanted to implement. Was it a service they pay your company for? Were they already doing it themselves or are they paying another company for it?
If so, and if they only want to work with one company, then you don't have much room to move. Can your business idea be applied to other areas?

I emailed them with my idea looking for suggestions or advice. I am an individual with no link to the association at all and the bussiness model is still under work, but the money would come from advertising to start with.
Is basically a site listing all the playgroups (parent & toddler groups) in Ireland, with descriptions, ratings, customer reviews and a forum.

They havent giving me any other explanation that those lines, so i dont know anything else. I think i have been naive, and i should have registered my idea before asking them any questions and explaining it... but i dont know how to go about that...

beatrice33

bigneacy wrote: »

It doesn't mean you have to give up, no. Just because the business model is already in existence doesn't mean it can't be applied elsewhere, with better results.

The low cost business model was already in existence before Ryanair came to the fore and there's no better example of it being utilized successfully outside of America.

It seems like a very closed mindset on behalf of the person who replied to your enquiry, so I wouldn't take too much from it, but don't burn your bridges. If your product/business model is in this sector then they are important people to keep on side. Even if you reply and thank them for their advice, and ask if you could meet with them to discuss the idea in more detail or perhaps even alternatives to the idea.

This will give you an opportunity to fish for more info on the other parties involved with the development.

Thanks a million, I am very dissapointed, but i also agree that the tone of the email was not very nice, it was just those lines, nothing else, so I also think they could be lying and just want to develope the idea themselves...
I wont give up, thats what makes an entrepreneur.

YouBuyLocal

You don't register business models, you register web-addresses and business names, and even then, registering a business name does not stop anyone else from using it if they want. The person that replied to you was talking out of their bum and was probably just not interested in speaking to you about it. People can be curt and stingy with their time, especially if they don't know the person looking for advice/suggestions.

Develop you connections in the market or in the organisation. Don't just send an e-mail, look to be introduced. Its hard, but you may manage it over time by doing market research. Through market research and talking to parents and montessori teachers you may find out who your competitor is. Then you can figure out what they are doing wrong (nobody provides a perfect service - there are always angles to play upon) and do it better.

Good luck, and if you believe in it then don't give up, but be objective. Don't just plough into it thinking its golden without being really circumspect. It could very easily turn into a waste of time, energy and money. There is no messing about in business and you can get burned easily.

PS, It is very difficult to make serious money on web-advertising. You do need a real business model with a service that people want and will pay for to develop a credible revenue stream. Or else you need a substantial user-base, which is very difficult, especially for niche subjects like yours.

Kind Rgds,
You-Buy-Local

R3al

beatrice33 wrote: »

Is basically a site listing all the playgroups (parent & toddler groups) in Ireland, with descriptions, ratings, customer reviews and a forum.

There is nothing to stop someone starting a similar type of business or website if one is already in existence, if your website is the better information resource then there is no reason why yours would not be the one that people chose to visit

beatrice33

YouBuyLocal wrote: »

You don't register business models, you register web-addresses and business names, and even then, registering a business name does not stop anyone else from using it if they want.

Thanks. That is exactly what i was thinking...

YouBuyLocal wrote: »

Develop you connections in the market or in the organisation. Don't just send an e-mail, look to be introduced. Its hard, but you may manage it over time by doing market research. Through market research and talking to parents and montessori teachers you may find out who your competitor is. Then you can figure out what they are doing wrong (nobody provides a perfect service - there are always angles to play upon) and do it better.

Great advice, thanks. So far, there is nothing online similar to this. I have done a bit of market research, even researched keywords with help of one of the stickies at the top and im sure there is demand for it.

YouBuyLocal wrote: »

Good luck, and if you believe in it then don't give up, but be objective. Don't just plough into it thinking its golden without being really circumspect. It could very easily turn into a waste of time, energy and money. There is no messing about in business and you can get burned easily.

PS, It is very difficult to make serious money on web-advertising. You do need a real business model with a service that people want and will pay for to develop a credible revenue stream. Or else you need a substantial user-base, which is very difficult, especially for niche subjects like yours.

Kind Rgds,
You-Buy-Local

You are completely right and i know that i wont be able to live from advertising. I have some ideas but i think they would only work once I get the website out there and it starts getting traffic.
Thank you so much for all the advice.

YouBuyLocal

No problem

unklerosco

Hi Beatrice, Just to come from a different angle.. We provide childcare (montessori, after school classes, camps etc) and I've seen a fairly big increase in websites similar to what you're proposing.. As I see it there's a few big ones that are well established and then many smaller ones that tick over n fade away.. It's definitely an area you'd want to do plenty of research into.. I get emails on a weekly basis from various sites asking me to advertise with them.. Gets annoying after a while, once ur on the main 3 ur sorted as far as I can see... The main 3 being rollercoaster.ie, mychildcare.ie and childcare.ie.. mykidstime.ie is growing quite fast also, brining something different to the table from the other 3 in a booking service for childcare providers..

beatrice33

unklerosco wrote: »

Hi Beatrice, Just to come from a different angle.. We provide childcare (montessori, after school classes, camps etc) and I've seen a fairly big increase in websites similar to what you're proposing.. As I see it there's a few big ones that are well established and then many smaller ones that tick over n fade away.. It's definitely an area you'd want to do plenty of research into.. I get emails on a weekly basis from various sites asking me to advertise with them.. Gets annoying after a while, once ur on the main 3 ur sorted as far as I can see... The main 3 being rollercoaster.ie, mychildcare.ie and childcare.ie.. mykidstime.ie is growing quite fast also, brining something different to the table from the other 3 in a booking service for childcare providers..

Thanks, but I would be only focusing on playgroups (baby groups or parent & toddler groups) which have no online presence at the moment, unless you go to each county website and look for them. Other countries like USA and Australia have a dedicated online website for playgroups and i think Ireland needs it big time. But yes, i dont know if i will make much money with it...

A playgroup is a small gathering of parents/caregiver and their pre-school aged children, who get together on a regular basis for play and interaction often meeting in a public place such as a park or desinated play area.
Extensive research indicates clear benefits to consistent playtime (usually an hour-an-half or two weekly) for kids and their parents/caregivers. A playgroup can significantly help children develop social skills, gain independence, and build self-confidence.
It can also give you a chance to meet and learn from other parents—all adding up to newfound friendships and a healthy, nurturing environment.

tricky D

You're just fine. Go ahead with your site. The dismissive tone might be for a few reasons like they have already partnered with another listing website or maybe they just write curt emails. Email communication is prone to appearing curt.

Two bits of advice for your site:
Try to list prices. Childcare websites are terrible for displaying prices.
Beware of negative customer reviews as they have the potential to get messy legally, defamation and all that.

unklerosco

As tricky D said, good moderation of online forms etc is deffo needed.

It's a good idea.. Ur right in that its not something that's been done before. I've looked around for playgroup listings and not found many, but then I haven't found many playgroups. The ones I have found seem to be community based free groups. One problem will be that they prob wont pay to be listed on your website (as they're not for profit), some of the bigger ones that run for profit would. That's how most of these sites make money. Take www.mychildcare.ie, they've 176 listings on their site for Ireland. Might not seem like many but they get around €100 a year from each one. Then you've advertisers that you can target (child products etc etc). Ur main aim will be to figure out how you can make enough money from the site to make it worth your while.

Best of luck...