Ever participate in a brainstorming session?
It’s a ton of fun, and if conducted properly, can lead to some amazing stuff. In an open, nonjudgmental environment, participant can throw out a lot of ideas, and the end result is that you can create some really interesting ideas. Back in the embryonic days of “Unique Corals 2.0”, myself, Joe Caparatta, and Johnny Ciotti had some ridiculously cool sessions that often led to some pretty amazing stuff, some of which ended up being the cornerstones of our business model, practices, and philosophy, serving the company well over the years.
Today, I’d like to bring you in a for a sort of “brainstorming session.”
Uh. Oh.
What’s the idea?
Well, let’s start off with the premise of a "coral subscription service."
"Huh? Really? Kind of stupid. _______ came up with the idea 5 years ago, blah, blah..."
Hey, wait a minute. In a brainstorming session, everything is free from criticism while we gather ideas and refine…
Why a “subscription model” for coral purchasing?
Well, I was kicking around the idea in my head during my UC days, after thinking about consumer coral purchasing habits, the progression of hobbyists’ reef experience, and the way the coral market function as as a whole.
I see subscription-based services in a lot of businesses, mostly for consumables, like razor blades, etc., and of course, for “discretionary” stuff like wines and gourmet foods. Those have been around for a while.
Not a revolutionary concept, but one which I feel deserves a closer look for the coral industry.
Why?
Well, first off, the beauty of such an idea is that since I am no longer in the reef livestock vendor arena, I have no skin in the game other than seeing cool ideas come to fruition! Of course, anyone who wants to work out a royalty schedule with me is welcome to make an offer for my brilliance, lol.
Getting serious for a moment...
Seeing the article on Reef Builders about the “Biota” brand, which offers essentially new aquarists a turnkey aquarium and a package including some basic livestock, sent directly to the consumer from a quality aquaculture source without passing through various wholesalers, retail stores, etc. made me think of my own ideas again. Their goal and concept is completely different, of course, targeting a different market- beginners- and the problems facing them.
The aquatic “ant farm” concept, if you will. A really cool idea. The “pain point” they apparently want to relieve is offering sustainably sourced fishes which have not been passed through multiple layers of custody on the way to a consumer, thereby providing healthy fishes that have had not been exposed to the potential stresses of the more traditional sourcing process for livestock (diseases, poor handling, rigorous transit, etc.).
Our idea addresses a totally different livestock issue: Obtaining regular access to “new” corals, or corals which would otherwise be snapped up quickly by the “LE” hyper-stupid "auction" crowds on Facebook, etc. Imagine, if you will, that the consumer pays a certain “subscription fee” on say, an annual basis, which entitles him/her to a frag each month of a newly-released or otherwise tough-to find coral. Now, I’m not talking about newly-imported colonies- we’re talking frags. Like, nicely-sized, fully-healed, well-encrusted frags. We're not talking about Xenia or Leather corals, either.
Perhaps it’s been thought of before, but if it has, whoever came up with it did a pretty lousy job of marketing it, IMHO, ‘cause I haven’t heard anything about it. Seriously, your program is like invisible. Get your stuff together! Up your game…sheesh. You need better market awareness…another problem to work out! I have ideas for that, too…but it’s gonna cost you, lol. (I can't give away ALL of my ideas for free...)
Of course, the immediate question is, “Well, couldn’t someone just buy these “a la carte” from the vendor?” Well, yes- If the vendor chooses to make the corals in the program available to the general consumer. Which they wouldn’t, in such a program. There lies the difference: Exclusive access to some corals…Corals grown specifically for a “limited” market. This makes the collector of “rarities” (gulp) happy, because they know what they're getting won’t be commonly available. It satisfies the typical hobbyist who wants to be free from the idiotic FB “auction” prices for truly cool stuff, because they will pay a set fee for what will be comparatively scarce corals.
Now, I realize that reefers are reefers, and we enjoy picking and choosing our own corals. This model wouldn’t be intended to replace that process- just to provide access to some exclusive stuff. And by “exclusive”, I am not talking about the idiotic microchip frags of “named” corals. I’m talking about stuff that is hard to come by, like the Solomon Islands “Purple Monster” and such that we offered at UC, and as offered by other vendors. Corals that perhaps are newer to the trade, or somehow scarce.
Down the line, there could be more specialized, more targeted subscriptions- like “Acros only”, “”Deepwater Acros”, Rare Soft Corals”, “Chalices”, etc., etc.- Even macroalage…whatever. I think it can be done well and be beneficial for everyone if conceived and managed properly.
Obviously, there would be some accountability- the vendor would have to have a “menu” of selection for each month, or a definite list of corals that will be included each month. I also realize that, if done wrong, this could generate the same viral stupidity as the “LE” stuff I loathe.
Opportunities to screw it up abound, unfortunately.
On the other hand, opportunities to create a cool concept are there. Subscription models work in a lot of industries. The only reason they wouldn’t work in ours is if we misapply the concept, or don’t put value for the consumer first. Yes, there would be some procedural things, guarantees, etc. that would need to be worked out to gain consumer confidence, but I believe it can work. There are obviously a lot of nuances that can be-NEED to be- fleshed out.
This is why we’re brainstorming here! I’d like to hear your feedback on how such a program could work -or even if it could. I’d like to think that some cool coral vendor could do something like this. Again, perhaps it has been thought of or implemented somewhere, but, as mentioned already- if it has, it has not been done very well, IMHO…LOL (man, someone is going to be ticked off at me, I'll bet)
Okay, I offered you another look into the twisted mind of Scott Fellman…and a chance to let some canny coral vendors who haunt this forum (yeah, there are a LOT) get some ideas to run with. You’re all VP’s of Product Development, if only for a day…Let’s hear your ideas, your iterations, and tangential ideas. Nothing is too absurd or stupid here (unless I say it is, of course…).
Thanks for playing…It’s kind of fun to hear everyone’s opinions on stuff like this. And input that you provide is invaluable for vendors to create products and services that make the hobby better and better!
So, be nice. Stay creative. Stay on point.
And Stay Wet.
Scott Fellman
It’s a ton of fun, and if conducted properly, can lead to some amazing stuff. In an open, nonjudgmental environment, participant can throw out a lot of ideas, and the end result is that you can create some really interesting ideas. Back in the embryonic days of “Unique Corals 2.0”, myself, Joe Caparatta, and Johnny Ciotti had some ridiculously cool sessions that often led to some pretty amazing stuff, some of which ended up being the cornerstones of our business model, practices, and philosophy, serving the company well over the years.
Today, I’d like to bring you in a for a sort of “brainstorming session.”
Uh. Oh.
What’s the idea?
Well, let’s start off with the premise of a "coral subscription service."
"Huh? Really? Kind of stupid. _______ came up with the idea 5 years ago, blah, blah..."
Hey, wait a minute. In a brainstorming session, everything is free from criticism while we gather ideas and refine…
Why a “subscription model” for coral purchasing?
Well, I was kicking around the idea in my head during my UC days, after thinking about consumer coral purchasing habits, the progression of hobbyists’ reef experience, and the way the coral market function as as a whole.
I see subscription-based services in a lot of businesses, mostly for consumables, like razor blades, etc., and of course, for “discretionary” stuff like wines and gourmet foods. Those have been around for a while.
Not a revolutionary concept, but one which I feel deserves a closer look for the coral industry.
Why?
Well, first off, the beauty of such an idea is that since I am no longer in the reef livestock vendor arena, I have no skin in the game other than seeing cool ideas come to fruition! Of course, anyone who wants to work out a royalty schedule with me is welcome to make an offer for my brilliance, lol.
Getting serious for a moment...
Seeing the article on Reef Builders about the “Biota” brand, which offers essentially new aquarists a turnkey aquarium and a package including some basic livestock, sent directly to the consumer from a quality aquaculture source without passing through various wholesalers, retail stores, etc. made me think of my own ideas again. Their goal and concept is completely different, of course, targeting a different market- beginners- and the problems facing them.
The aquatic “ant farm” concept, if you will. A really cool idea. The “pain point” they apparently want to relieve is offering sustainably sourced fishes which have not been passed through multiple layers of custody on the way to a consumer, thereby providing healthy fishes that have had not been exposed to the potential stresses of the more traditional sourcing process for livestock (diseases, poor handling, rigorous transit, etc.).
Our idea addresses a totally different livestock issue: Obtaining regular access to “new” corals, or corals which would otherwise be snapped up quickly by the “LE” hyper-stupid "auction" crowds on Facebook, etc. Imagine, if you will, that the consumer pays a certain “subscription fee” on say, an annual basis, which entitles him/her to a frag each month of a newly-released or otherwise tough-to find coral. Now, I’m not talking about newly-imported colonies- we’re talking frags. Like, nicely-sized, fully-healed, well-encrusted frags. We're not talking about Xenia or Leather corals, either.
Perhaps it’s been thought of before, but if it has, whoever came up with it did a pretty lousy job of marketing it, IMHO, ‘cause I haven’t heard anything about it. Seriously, your program is like invisible. Get your stuff together! Up your game…sheesh. You need better market awareness…another problem to work out! I have ideas for that, too…but it’s gonna cost you, lol. (I can't give away ALL of my ideas for free...)
Of course, the immediate question is, “Well, couldn’t someone just buy these “a la carte” from the vendor?” Well, yes- If the vendor chooses to make the corals in the program available to the general consumer. Which they wouldn’t, in such a program. There lies the difference: Exclusive access to some corals…Corals grown specifically for a “limited” market. This makes the collector of “rarities” (gulp) happy, because they know what they're getting won’t be commonly available. It satisfies the typical hobbyist who wants to be free from the idiotic FB “auction” prices for truly cool stuff, because they will pay a set fee for what will be comparatively scarce corals.
Now, I realize that reefers are reefers, and we enjoy picking and choosing our own corals. This model wouldn’t be intended to replace that process- just to provide access to some exclusive stuff. And by “exclusive”, I am not talking about the idiotic microchip frags of “named” corals. I’m talking about stuff that is hard to come by, like the Solomon Islands “Purple Monster” and such that we offered at UC, and as offered by other vendors. Corals that perhaps are newer to the trade, or somehow scarce.
Down the line, there could be more specialized, more targeted subscriptions- like “Acros only”, “”Deepwater Acros”, Rare Soft Corals”, “Chalices”, etc., etc.- Even macroalage…whatever. I think it can be done well and be beneficial for everyone if conceived and managed properly.
Obviously, there would be some accountability- the vendor would have to have a “menu” of selection for each month, or a definite list of corals that will be included each month. I also realize that, if done wrong, this could generate the same viral stupidity as the “LE” stuff I loathe.
Opportunities to screw it up abound, unfortunately.
On the other hand, opportunities to create a cool concept are there. Subscription models work in a lot of industries. The only reason they wouldn’t work in ours is if we misapply the concept, or don’t put value for the consumer first. Yes, there would be some procedural things, guarantees, etc. that would need to be worked out to gain consumer confidence, but I believe it can work. There are obviously a lot of nuances that can be-NEED to be- fleshed out.
This is why we’re brainstorming here! I’d like to hear your feedback on how such a program could work -or even if it could. I’d like to think that some cool coral vendor could do something like this. Again, perhaps it has been thought of or implemented somewhere, but, as mentioned already- if it has, it has not been done very well, IMHO…LOL (man, someone is going to be ticked off at me, I'll bet)
Okay, I offered you another look into the twisted mind of Scott Fellman…and a chance to let some canny coral vendors who haunt this forum (yeah, there are a LOT) get some ideas to run with. You’re all VP’s of Product Development, if only for a day…Let’s hear your ideas, your iterations, and tangential ideas. Nothing is too absurd or stupid here (unless I say it is, of course…).
Thanks for playing…It’s kind of fun to hear everyone’s opinions on stuff like this. And input that you provide is invaluable for vendors to create products and services that make the hobby better and better!
So, be nice. Stay creative. Stay on point.
And Stay Wet.
Scott Fellman
