So after 20 years in the youth development field, I'm starting to think about ways to earn some extra money so that I can retire sometime before the age of 107. Recently, a friend of mine and I came up with a possible business idea that I'm considering pursuing.
It's something that if it gained traction could really blow up, but it's also possible that it's a very dumb idea. So I wanted to throw the basics of the idea out here and get any feedback that people are willing to give and/or general advice. Please be brutally honest.
Basically, the business idea seeks to play off of the rise of both online dating and "life" coaching. My friend and I were talking about how many guys really struggle with dating (especially the first couple of dates) and struggle to find relationships because of it. With that in mind, our idea was to start a service that gives guys the opportunity to go on "practice dates" with females and then get real-time feedback about how they can improve, plus attempts to practice utilizing the feedback they receive. Obviously, training would be provided to the females doing the practice-dating, so that they could provide useful feedback using a checklist of sorts that would be created.
The pros to this idea as opposed to buying a book about improving dating skills would be that you get more personalized feedback, and you get to do it in a setting that can still be fun and enjoyable. The cons would be that it, in order to be profitable, it would obviously be more expensive for the customer compared to buying a book or asking friends for help.
The female staff would be paid ala Uber drivers, (paid when you work) and would get a free dinner out of it as well, (absolutely no physical contact beyond handshakes would be the rule). Different packages could be offered, but I'm thinking of a pricing model along the lines of $140 for two 90 minute dates, plus the cost of the dinners. (Life coaches mostly charge at least $100 per hour, so I feel like the pricing wouldn't be way out of line).
If I do start this up, I'd look to do a "proof of concept" in my own metro area. If that was successful, then I'd begin the process of expanding to other cities, which is where the potential for making significant money could begin.
I know from doing some research on how many people are buying the "Guys, learn how to be good at dating" books, that there is a good sized market of guys who could use this service and who are looking for help. What I don't know is if people would see this as a cool new way to get that help and/or pay the extra money for it.
Would love to hear anyone's feedback, especially those who have experience trying to bring new products/business ideas to market. Brilliant idea, or head slappingly stupid?
It's something that if it gained traction could really blow up, but it's also possible that it's a very dumb idea. So I wanted to throw the basics of the idea out here and get any feedback that people are willing to give and/or general advice. Please be brutally honest.
Basically, the business idea seeks to play off of the rise of both online dating and "life" coaching. My friend and I were talking about how many guys really struggle with dating (especially the first couple of dates) and struggle to find relationships because of it. With that in mind, our idea was to start a service that gives guys the opportunity to go on "practice dates" with females and then get real-time feedback about how they can improve, plus attempts to practice utilizing the feedback they receive. Obviously, training would be provided to the females doing the practice-dating, so that they could provide useful feedback using a checklist of sorts that would be created.
The pros to this idea as opposed to buying a book about improving dating skills would be that you get more personalized feedback, and you get to do it in a setting that can still be fun and enjoyable. The cons would be that it, in order to be profitable, it would obviously be more expensive for the customer compared to buying a book or asking friends for help.
The female staff would be paid ala Uber drivers, (paid when you work) and would get a free dinner out of it as well, (absolutely no physical contact beyond handshakes would be the rule). Different packages could be offered, but I'm thinking of a pricing model along the lines of $140 for two 90 minute dates, plus the cost of the dinners. (Life coaches mostly charge at least $100 per hour, so I feel like the pricing wouldn't be way out of line).
If I do start this up, I'd look to do a "proof of concept" in my own metro area. If that was successful, then I'd begin the process of expanding to other cities, which is where the potential for making significant money could begin.
I know from doing some research on how many people are buying the "Guys, learn how to be good at dating" books, that there is a good sized market of guys who could use this service and who are looking for help. What I don't know is if people would see this as a cool new way to get that help and/or pay the extra money for it.
Would love to hear anyone's feedback, especially those who have experience trying to bring new products/business ideas to market. Brilliant idea, or head slappingly stupid?
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