Forming an Opportunity Belief

1. I have a belief that an opportunity exists to make getting a spray tan a more enjoyable experience.

2. Anyone who has gotten a spray tan before knows that they are some struggles that come along with that great tan. You will leave the salon with that distinct and quite frankly unpleasant “spray tan” smell and most likely stains on your clothing as the tan rubs off. The unmet need that arises from this is a spray tan that will leave no scent and wont rub off on or stain clothing; anyone with a history of spray tans has this unmet need.  This need has existed as far as spray tans go back. I personally noticed this issue when a bunch of girls in my sorority and I were getting spray tans for recruitment. Many girls were making comments about how they did not enjoy the smell and didn’t like how it stained their clothing. Some people opt for a “clear” spray tan instead of a “bronze” spray tan as it is supposed to prevent your clothes from getting stained. In my opinion, the tan doesn’t develop as well when it is a clear one, so it would be more beneficial to create a spray tan with the best of both worlds. When it comes to the smell, there isn’t much that people have done about this unmet need. I feel about 70% sure that this opportunity exists.

3. The prototypical customer is anyone who gets a spray tan and dislikes the smell and stained clothes that come along with it.

Prototypical customer 1: “I am someone who loves a good spray tan but I definitely feel gross after getting one due to the smell of it and that sticky feeling I get afterwards. They do stain my clothes each time I get them done which I why I make sure to wear clothing that I don’t care much about afterwards. It would be nicer if I didn’t have to worry about staining any clothes at all. Although the smell and stains from a spray tan doesn’t stop me from getting one, it would be nice if I didn’t have to worry about these things.”

Prototypical customer 2: “I would love a spray tan that doesn’t leave a smell or stain. Sometimes I won’t get a spray tan just to avoid these things. If a product like this existed, I would honestly get spray tans more often. I think a lot of people just deal with these factors so it is definitely an unmet need that not many people think to fix. “

Prototypical customer 3: “I honestly don’t really mind the smell of a spray tan and never really thought too much about it. I have noticed that my clothes get stained but they always come out in the wash so it isn’t such a big deal. I think if I was someone to get spray tans more often than I do (I only get them on special occasions) then they might become more annoying to me. I still think it’s a great idea.”

Reflection: I learned that my opportunity has the potential to do very well in a market. It was nice to see that this opportunity was something that other people think about and would benefit from. Nothing was too surprising to me, but I did come to realize that the smell of a spray tan may not be an “unpleasant” smell to certain people, and the stains may not be something they care about, so some customers may benefit more than others.  

Summary: My original opportunity hasn’t changed much. Although I thought these factors would bother all people, and they may only bother a majority of them, I think it would still benefit and meet the needs of enough people to be worthwhile. Entrepreneurs should definitely adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback. This will help them create a product that will sell better than it would have originally. We can often guess what a market may want, but we won’t know for sure unless we get some feedback.