The Environment for Entrepreneurship 107- Return to the business treatments and ideas that you developed in the Chapter 2 exercises.
In what ways do these ideas emerge from the business environment? How does the busi-
ness environment support these ideas? What resources are available from the business envi-
ronment that will support these business ideas? - Scan the business press. Identify an entrepreneurial opportunity using each of the seven
sources described in the chapter. - Perform an analysis of the industry that you (and your team) are considering for your new
venture. Use outside sources for data, such as the library, computer databases, and industry
experts. - Perform an analysis of the competitors for your new venture. Use Figure 3.3 as a summary
sheet to guide you in your research. - Go to the U.S Patent and Trademark Office Web page. Do a search on the intellectual prop-
erty you are using. Company and product names? Technology? Other?
Clean, with a Whistle
Two entrepreneurs in New York City have
used not one but twodifferentiation strategies
to give their new ventures a competitive
edge.
Both Deanne Hains and Miguel
Zabludovsky have started cleaning business-
es; Hains has a home-cleaning business and
Zabludovsky a clothes-cleaning business.
Both market their businesses as ecologically
friendly alternatives to traditional competitors.
Even the name Hains’ Zen Home Cleaning
Service suggests the nontoxic, human-and-
pet-friendly products the owner uses.
Zabludovsky’s Slate NYC cleans clothes with
a combination of organic and biodegradable
agents instead of the Perclorethylene, or
Perc, that is used by many dry cleaners.
Slate NYC’s slogan, “We protect the envi-
ronment from Perc and your reputation from
Ms. Rivers,” hints at its second differentiation
strategy. As the tongue-in-cheek reference to
the celebrity fashion commentator suggests,
Slate NYC avoids the solvent Perc not only
because it is toxic, but also because it dam-
ages clothes, makes color fade, and gives
garments a chemical smell.
Organic is just one element of the laundryservice’s pampering approach. Slate NYC
also provides customers with a stylish trans-
port hamper, picks up dirty clothes at a time
specified by the customer, and returns the
items wrapped in tissue paper and what it
describes as uber-trendy packaging.
Convenience is an important part of Slate
NYC’s luxury service: Customers pay one
weekly fee for as many clothes as they can
stuff into the company hamper, and then let
the company decide whether garments need
laundering or dry cleaning. Pickups can be
scheduled by phone or Internet, and the
weekly fee is automatically charged to the
customer’s credit card.
Zen Home Cleaning has a few upscale
flourishes of its own. It burns jasmine and
citrus oils in each room while cleaning, and it
sprays the freshly changed beds with laven-
der water. To support the company’s claim
that its service is comparable to that of a
four-star hotel, the Zen cleaners leave a pot-
pourri sachet and an organic chocolate bar
on each bed as a thank-you gift. Customers
can sign up on a regular service schedule or
book a cleaning with two days’ notice; they
pay by credit card. In addition to its four-hourDISCUSSION CASE