My problem is senior citizens (Age 65+) deciding to age at home in need of a entrance to their home that does not require using the steps. The product I have chosen to help with this problem is building ramps specific to the customer's needs.
-The reason that I chose this problem is because the AARP reported that more and more senior citizens are aging in place verses going to nursing facilities. 77% of these senior citizens said that it is important to them to have access to the entrance of their homes without steps. I live in Jacksonville, Fla and we currently have 110,000+ senior citizens living here. Also most homes regardless of size or location have some type of steps in order to access the entrance of a home. I grew up skateboarding and building wooden ramps with my friends so once I started thinking of a opportunity that many could benefit from and also would be a low cost and that is when access ramps popped into my head.
-The ramps that I would be making at the start of this opportunity would have to be wooden. Unfortunately, at the beginning stages of this business metal ramps would not be cost effective and would end up hurting any type of earnings I am bringing in. The ramps would be made of high quality wood and would be customized to the customer's liking. A complete lay out of the ramp would be submitted to the customer before the building process begins. Once the customer makes any changes and is satisfied with the overall design they will sign a contract and the work will begin. As I mentioned these ramps will be made of wood but the wood will be smoothed down so as to not cause any type of friction for the customer. Many of these customers will be utilizing mobility tools such as walkers and wheelchairs and I want to make the surface as easy as possible to maneuver. The ramps can also be made with wooden handrails to help the customer that is able to walk but needs that extra assistance to keep their balance. The ramps will need to be weather proof as over time they will be exposed to large amounts of water and sun. Over time as the business grows and more revenue is generated moving to metal ramps would be the goal. Also hiring a small crew to help build the ramps would be ideal in the long term.
Garrett,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading the solution you found to this common problem. I love the idea of finding a way to help the elderly age in a home where they are comfortable. I also really enjoyed the thought that you put into making wooden ramps. I have seen a fair share of metal ones that work but they are not necessarily aesthetically pleasing. The wood will bring a nice homey touch to the ramps!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job coming up with a really interesting and unique opportunity. Your product and research are well defined and there is definitely an idea that can be solved. You did a great job in which you mapped out the exact product you are going to sell and how you're going to be solving the problem you came up with. Good job!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI think this concept is amazing idea! I always here older people complain about stairs and I can imagine it gets hard to climb them in older age. I have never seen a ramp at anyones house and I think it would be way better than putting stairs. My only concern is elderly people have worse eye sight so they may trip on ramp without realizing that its at a angle. That is my only concern about this concept. I am a fan of this idea though and believe it will be useful for many people.
Hi Dylan,
ReplyDeleteI think this idea is great. People are always going to get old so the demand for this will be great. Supply and demand is great with this product. This will also really help old people because they will be more mobile and their boundaries will be stretched out more. This is good because they will live life more to the fullest and enjoy life longer.
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ReplyDeleteGarrett,
ReplyDeleteI think this idea is clearly amazing. My grandpa suffered from week legs and we needed to build him a ramp up to his house rather than use steps. I feel the demand for this is huge, especially adding the customization to peoples needs. Now there is a huge market but I feel there could be limitations in pricing and servicing because of this.
Hey Garrett
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading both of your hypothesis 1 and 2 assignments. I think your idea is well thought out and many people outside of who you previously interviewed would need the ramp. Also not just the elderly would benefit from the ramp but also people with different disabilities for whatever reason would find some benefit for the ramp.
Garrett,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post because you choose a solution to a problem that I constantly see. People in my grandma's neighborhood are always complaining about having to get into the house. There is definitely a market and demand for a ramp to get into homes, however it is unclear if the average elder person would spend money for a ramp. Good work