1. Defining your business
Dr Neil Jennings, Programme Manager, Student Switch Off

2. Structure Background Defining your business Group task
Finding your niche
Analysing the market
Finding a gap in the market
Defining your USP and benefits
Is my idea any good?
Developing your products/services
Developing your business model
Group task

3. Background PhD in climate change in UEA
idea for campaign to encourage students in halls to save energy
2006 – First pilot of campaign, Ben & Jerry’s Climate Change Ambassador
– year-on-year expansion to new Universities
2012 – sale to NUS

5. Finding your niche What interests you?
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
What annoys you?
What do you want to change?

6. Finding your niche - SSO

7. Analysing the market - what’s already out there?
Who are the competitors?
What do they offer?
How much does it cost?
What are their strengths and weaknesses?
Lots of google searches
Try products yourself

8. Analysing the market – SSO
Only 1 charity doing student engagement work around energy-saving at the time at 1 University
No competition between halls or objective measure of impact
Cost £20K
Strengths – charity with good reputation and track record
Weaknesses – poor evidence of impact and expensive

9. Finding a gap in the market
New ideas/inventions
Bringing an existing product/service to a different sector
Providing a product/service that is better (quality or cost) than those already available

10. Finding a gap in the market - SSO
New idea – interhall competition, incentives for action and using social media
Providing a product that is better – cheaper and more effective – than what was available

11. Defining your USP What makes you different from the rest?
Who is your customer?
What do you deliver?
Short, snappy, tag-line
Convey a positive feeling
Vagueness not bad
Elevator pitch

12. Defining your USP - SSO Switch Off – Save Energy – Win Prizes
Fun interhall energy-saving competition, incentives for action, regular feedback, use of social media
Prizes – cold-calling and pitching
Elevator pitch with Ben & Jerry’s

14. Defining the benefits
Who would be interested in your product/service and what specific aspects interest them?
Demographics
How do I reach them?
What is it worth to them?
What would they pay for it?

15. Defining the benefits - SSO
Energy and Accommodation Managers, SUs
Vice Chancellors – People & Planet Green League
Saving money and carbon for Universities
Increasing energy costs
Carbon Reduction Commitment
Marketing and CSR
Reputational benefits
Employability

16. Is my idea any good?
Important to sound out your idea to people from a range of backgrounds
Not just your mum!
Find a mentor, get advice from those that have done it before
Trial the service/product before taking it to market

17. Is my idea any good? - SSO
Spoke to loads of people at UEA (inc. accommodation and energy managers, SU, academics)
Mentored by Ben & Jerry’s UK Brand Manager
Piloted it at UEA while doing PhD

18. Developing your products/services
Need to constantly innovate and adapt
Listen to your customers (questionnaires, focus groups)
Trial new approaches/products

19. Developing products/services - SSO
Recycling and water bolt-ons
Facebook and Twitter
Yearly surveys (85% of students signed-up say they have taken actions to save energy as a result of the campaign)
Focus groups for more qualitative understanding

20. Developing your business model
Change of the business and funding model from inception to maturity
Importance of adaptability and flexibility in business models to react to new circumstances

21. Developing your business model - SSO
Ran it as a pilot at UEA in 2006/07 for free
2007/08 at 7 Universities – 10% of their saving
onwards – set fee per student (£1-£1.70)
onwards – bolt-on costs for recycling competition

22. Any questions?

23. Group exercise 15mins Pair off
Fill in the 4 boxes with information from the other person
Swap papers at the end of the 15mins and have a look at what they’ve picked up
Should give you an idea of areas for improvement and what you convey well already

24. Thanks and good luck!