My Unfair Advantage

Business Knowledge: I have owned my own business before. I have knowledge of what it takes to keep it running.

• Value: This is very valuable.
• Rare: This is not rare as many people own their own businesses.
• Inimitable: This knowledge is easily imitated, as many people have it, but no one has the same experience, so this cannot be 100% duplicated.
• Non-substitutable: To me, this is not substitutable. You can take classes to prepare you, but until you have owned a business yourself, you don’t know what it is like.  

Customer Oriented: I am very customer oriented. I want my service to feel like an extenuation of a family experience.

• Value: This is a valuable characteristic.
• Rare: I don’t think that this is rare.
• Inimitable: I do think that this is easily copied.
• Non-substitutable: I do not think that this is easily substitutable.

My employees: My employees will me moms, just like myself. Moms who will take care of these children as if they were their own. Moms who are already providing this service out of the kindness of their hearts and not getting paid.

• Value: This is extremely valuable.
• Rare: This is rare.
• Inimitable: This can be copied.
• Non-substitutable: This could be substituted.

Personality:

• Value: Personality is extremely valuable when providing a service, especially a service involving children. It has been suggested by the people that know me the best, I have the personality to interact with the public.
• Rare: a good personality is not rare, but it is not that common either.
• Inimitable: An individual personality is not something that is easy to imitate.
• Non-substitutable: A good personality is not substitutable, but it can be duplicated. It can be faked.

Cost Conscious:  This would, ideally, be a service that everyone could be able to use, to be affordable.

• Value: This is valuable.
• Rare: This is somewhat rare with this type of service.
• Inimitable: This can be copied, but I don’t know who would be willing to do so.
• Non-substitutable: This is not substitutable.

Parent myself: I have been in the exact situation of the service that I would be offering.

• Value: This is extremely valuable.
• Rare: This is not rare.
• Inimitable: Not easily copied.
• Non-substitutable: Cannot be substituted.

Self-sufficient: I am a pretty independent person. I ask for help when needed, but can do things on my own.

• Value: valuable capability
• Rare: sometimes
• Inimitable: no
• Non-substitutable: not substitutable

Networking: knowing people that can help

• Value: highly valuable
• Rare: not rare in general, but may be rare for my concept
• Inimitable: yes
• Non-substitutable: not substitutable

Low overhead: Can work from home and employees work from home.

• Value: This is extremely valuable from a cost standpoint.
• Rare: I don’t feel that this is necessarily rare
• Inimitable: the idea can be copied
• Non-substitutable: not substitutable

Low Start up Cost: Moms, cars, electronics and insurance 

• Value: This is valuable for the business.
• Rare: This is not rare, as many businesses start small.
• Inimitable: This can be copied.
• Non-substitutable: This cannot be substituted. 

My most valuable resource, by far, would be my employees, my moms. Without them, I would not be able to provide the service that I want to provide. I do not think that I would be able to hire non-moms and get the same work product. That is not to say that all moms are the same and provide the same amount of care. I would have to be selective when hiring, but without moms as employees, the service would not have the same feel.