How do I find the perfect business idea? The best way is through the correct positioning in a niche. This is most likely to help here Feedback from customers. Some success stories.

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Positioning for entrepreneurs and employees

The topic of positioning has long since not only affected the self-employed, but Employees in companies and of course their bosses. The following Ask explained:

  1. How do I manage to isolate myself from the competition on the labor market?
  2. How do I create a unique seling position?
  3. What makes it unique and distinctive to colleagues and competitors?
  4. And how do I find the correct positioning at all?

How to develop the right business model?

Because while in the past, for example, goods were produced in large numbers at low prices and sold to people, this no longer works so well today. After all, in the age of digitization, customers have more selection and switch faster to the competition – of which there are more today.

If you want to stand out from the competition with your business idea, you have to adapt to individual customer requirements, which increases production costs. Customer and employee feedback is helpful here. It shows what is required on the market and in which direction it is worth spending more time and money Money zu invest. We show four business models that have integrated the wishes of their customers directly into their business strategy.

Trend Mass Customization

There is, for example, what is known as mass customization, with which companies conquer market niches. Products are indeed customized according to individual customer requirements, but at the same time with the cheap ones Costs made of mass production. The Munich fashion label RoQua shows what this can look like:

The customers create their personal ones from a precisely coordinated range Business-wardrobe itself together. You can choose from numerous colours, patterns and materials. For the Future individual sizes are also considered. For RoQua founder Myriam Chebance, the key to the success of her concept lies in the direct Contact : “It is important to get direct feedback from customers and theirs needs to understand."

Individual services for groups

Individual, customized services for a larger group of customers - a Concept, which also works perfectly offline: In Saint Raphaël in southern France, Romain Lépine and Géraud Le Roux broker yachts for group and team building activities to companies. She to organize including company regattas, multi-day sailing trips or events on ships.

For that takes effect Team Yachting can rely on a network of 40 skippers who can deploy them in different locations. “We see ourselves as an interface between the skippers and the company”, explains the commercial director Romain Lépine and clarifies: “We therefore ensure that the companies get the right skipper and that everything works smoothly on board.”

Customer wishes in the development process

Ute Kranz from the travel blog Bravebird.de went a step further: she designed flexibly adjustable backpacks and allowed her production to be funded entirely by the potential customers.

Your current crowdfundingSALE on Kickstarter reached the required target amount in just half a day. This shows how promising it is for a company to integrate customer requests into the product development process.

Individual mass production for special customer requests

Nevertheless, much more is to be expected here. Even small businesses such as the goldsmiths Lee Harding and Seamus O Donaghue in Dublin are already using the possibilities of 3-D printing for a more cost-effective production - a concept that offers even more possibilities for individualizing customer requirements.

Responding individually to customer requests - that was also Martin Klug's when he said his gave up a well-paid consultant job in order to found a company in an unknown industry and deliberately avoided recipes for success that were common in the market.

Blue-eyed with business plan

At first glance, his unusual idea for a travel company in Australia and New Zealand may seem rather crazy, but Martin tells very frankly how he founded blue eyes on the one hand, but how the idea nonetheless with a structured business plan and do-it -Yourself market research has been a success.

In Germany, where Founders like to be smiled at, that sounds daring. But Martin Klug wanted to do something meaningful instead of just working on projects. While studying for an MBA, he met Andrew Morten from New Zealand in a bar – TravelEssence was born.

Investors said: Good luck, guys

The Objective: Marketing small, personal accommodations Down Under that is not worthwhile for large tour operators, but deliberately avoids motorhome trips, even though customers are expecting exactly the same. A Risks, which the investors only waved off with "good luck, guys". So the two lowered their claims to the bare minimum and started with 15.000 euros from the savings stockings.

Even if the customers were slow to convince, the two only wanted to merchandise, of which they were also convinced: "Of course, we also believed a little naïvely in the rapid success," Martin told me with a grin. At the same time, however, he learns that as a founder you don't have to put so many obstacles in your way: "A lot, for example these Financing, can only be influenced to a limited extent. So instead of getting angry at the banks, we concentrated on the business idea and its implementation.”

Success depends on ingenuity and perseverance

This shows that the success of a Company depends above all on the ingenuity and perseverance of its founders – and on that Courageto dare something new. But a healthy sense of reality is also important. Originally, the two wanted to write booking software for the systematic recording of small hotels.

But during the research for their business plan, they found out: "They already exist" - and without further ado they became tour operators! They also did their market research themselves Handby asking visitors at tourism fairs what they wanted. "The results have confirmed us," Martin told me. Such a healthy one self-confidence is crucial for success: Founders should therefore ideas structure in writing and always get feedback.