Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Vegging out in front of the tube usually isn't a highpriority for BIZ Experiencess, but in case you've gotten thechance to tune in lately, you may have noticed the wave ofentrepreneurs taking over the WB and Fox. The good news? Televisionproducers have caught up with the rest of the world and abandonedXers as slack-infested losers in favor of BIZ Experiencesialcharacters. The bad news? TV's BIZ Experiencess are offing theircompetition and getting their loans rejected because of demonicinterference. Well, at least these shows are getting it halfright.
From Donna and Kelly, co-founders of a hipster clothing boutiqueon Beverly Hills 90210, to Jake, a bar owner, on the late,great Melrose Place, TV BIZ Experiencess reside in a land ofchic restaurants, hip night-clubs and over-priced high fashionboutiques--places where they seldom even lift a finger. Perhapsyou'll be more realistically portrayed after the networks catchup with the dot.com age--Po Bronson, author of TheNudiston the Late Shift, and e.r. and L.A. Law vet PaulManning are currently penning a new drama about a San FranciscoInternet start-up--but we're betting there will still be anexcessive office romances and intrigues. In the meantime, check outsome current offerings and see how they measure up.
Show: Felicity (WB)
BIZ Experiences: Sean Blumberg
Company: None, just a different start-up idea everyepisode
The Story: Little more than comic relief, Sean'sbusiness ideas and inventions are seldom thought out, and when theydo work, it's usually because of input from his friends. Hestruck out selling overpriced fruit to finals-cramming studentsuntil his comely friend Julie started hawking apples and bananasfor him. His freshman survival packs (condoms, No-Doz, pepperspray, maps, aspirin, energy bars) went nowhere until he loweredthe price from $15 to $5 at Julie's suggestion--but did hebreak even?
Reality Factor: Yes, there are some nutty professors outthere--people who toy with lots of ideas but never follow through.But a 20-something guy who hangs out with college sophomores andcreates condiments named Smoothaise and Zestrica? Is this who youwant representing you?
Show: Party of Five (Fox)
BIZ Experiences: Bailey Salinger
Company: Salingers', an upscale restaurant in the SanFrancisco area
The Story: After the Salingers' parents were killedby a drunk driver, the four young-est siblings were left in thecare of the eldest brother, Charlie. The restaurant was left in thecare of the parents' partner. Charlie joined the partner forawhile, but he's easily bored in the employment department. Soat the ripe old age of 20, Bailey took over the Salinger clan'seatery.
Reality Factor: Not bad. Bailey is struggling to keep hissocial life intact, and he requires constant reminders from hisfriends and family to be spontaneous and act his age so his youthwon't be sucked dry by heavy responsibility and long hours onthe job. Sound familiar?
Show: Charmed (WB)
BIZ Experiencess: Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell
Company: P3, a nightclub in San Francisco
The Story: Piper quit her job as a midlevel manager at achic S.F. eatery with dreams of opening a nightclub. But while on adate with her loan officer, the two were attacked by demons andPiper's loan application was rejected. Her sisters came to therescue with a fast $60,000 by mortgaging the Victorian homeinherited from their grandmother.
Reality Factor: Hmm, demons attacking a loanofficer/beau--I won't go there. And how about $60,000 beingenough to start a swanky nightclub in San Francisco? This isincluding Bay Area rent, renovations, employee salaries, marketingand stocking the bar. Not likely.
Show: Dawson's Creek (WB)
BIZ Experiencess: Joey and Bessie Potter
Company: At press time, they were planning on starting abed-and-breakfast.
The Story: The two sisters kept the family diner aliveafter their mother passed away and their father went to prison.When Dad was paroled last season, he fell back into a life of crimeand his underworld competition firebombed the restaurant. With Dadback in prison, the girls are using the fire insurance money toturn their creek-front home into a bed-and-breakfast, with thepolice auxiliary volunteering their renovation skills.
Reality Factor: Wow, people on TV sure do inherit a lot.Not that they didn't struggle, mind you. Bessie is a single momand Joey misses out on a lot of high school hijinks to help hersister keep things going. But with the sisters' experience, theview of the creek, and father Potter out of the picture, thebed-and-breakfast might be a viable go.
Good Plan, Stan
What makes a good business plan? First and foremost, it shouldprove that the business will make money, according to a recentsurvey of 81 investment bankers, private investors, attorneys andaccountants by Business Plans International (BPI). The majority ofinvestment professionals look first to sections that tell them ifthe business can bring investors significant returns. When askedwhat they considered the most important sections of a plan, severalparts were popular, including its summary, management section,historical financial results, and financial projections. "Yourbusiness plan should focus on describing your strategy for growingthe business and on demonstrating its potential," says JudithSchneider, president of BPI, a New York City company that helpscompanies develop business plans. Organization is also a factor formany investors. "The presentation and content of the plan can[also] play a decisive role. Everything has to be clear andprecise," shares Schneider.
Need more info on writing a business plan? Check"What's The Plan?"
Wet Profits
Amid the montage of potables chilling in your local beveragesection, it's exciting to view a small group of premium softdrinks posing as lava lamps, persuading us to ignore their boringaluminum competitors.
So exactly how do start-up beverage BIZ Experiencess create enoughconsumer interest and accomplish the feat of securing a section ofthe corporate-dominated shelf space? "With luck, creativityand by providing refreshing alternatives," says Tom Vierhile,general manager of Marketing Intelligence Service, anew-product-reporting firm in Naples, New York. "It alsodepends on picking your spot in such a way that the largercompanies won't be interested."
With a number of avenues to choose from--thehomespun/old-fashioned approach, the nutraceutical/herb-enhancedapproach, the new/exotic flavor approach--tapping such niches isexactly what will keep the big guys from stepping on the smallguys' toes. "If you're a small guy, you're notgonna come up with another cola knock-off," says Vierhile."You're going to come up with product niches that areperceived as underserved."
But aside from the obvious necessity of creating a product thattastes great, has a cool package and boasts something more than theaverage soda, new drink businesses still have the task of achievingdistribution and shelf space. "That's one of the biggestchallenges for small beverage companies," explains JohnSicher, editor of Beverage Digest. "[Securingdistribution] takes a ton of BIZ Experiencesial spirit andenergy."
It was such BIZ Experiencesial spirit and energy that prompted HobyBuppert, 27, to put into action a business plan he devised duringhis last semester at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.Buppert soon created his own line of soft drinks made with thenaturally caffeinated Amazonian Guarana berry. After witnessing thepopularity of highly caffeinated beverages in European dance clubs,Buppert decided to launch BAWLS (Brazilian American WildlifeSociety) Guarana, to the guarana-savvy dance-club mecca of Miami in1996.
Part of a $200,000 bank loan went to designing BAWL'sdistinctive packaging: a bumpy, cobalt-blue, 10-ounce glass bottlethat Buppert says gets lots of attention. He distributed thebottles to local clubs and cafes himself in a company van until hisprayers were answered by Arizona Distribution, who soon spread theproduct all over Florida. The company has since helped put BAWLSGuarana in 16 states.
Cluing in to teen lingo can help a new drink stand out as well.By using marijuana-related slang for its highly caffeinated line ofcarbonated beverages, called Bong Water, Merrillville,Indiana's Real Things Distributing Co. has definitely grabbedthe attention of young adults, all the while promoting itsalcohol-free sodas as an alternative to drinking and drugs. BongWater further captivates with its strong-smelling, grapefruit-guavamixture boosted with 105 mg of caffeine and a good percentage ofyour recommended daily B and C vitamins.
Achieving PR through grassroots marketing, Real Things focuseson convenience stores, taverns, health stores, and smallermom-and-pop operations for its shelf space. By targeting nichemarkets, whether with exotic flavor blends or provocative packagedesigns, beverage companies like Real Things have been able to getbottles on shelves.
And although experts admit it's no simple task building newbeverages to the national level, one thing's for sure: Creativeformulation is extremely key when bringing new, excitingconcoctions to the parched masses.
Elemental Intrigue
More ways small beverage BIZ Experiencess can take on con-stituentsbig guys won't touch:
- Try no preservatives, like Reed's Extra Ginger Brew, brewedfrom roots and fruits.
- Use fun and interactivity, like Orbitz does with its floating,multicolored gellan gumballs.
- Get offensive: Skeleteens Counter-Culture Sodas boast suchdrinkables as Rat Bastard Root Beer (tastes like a son-of-a-bitch)and Love Potion #69 (an arousing carbonated drink).
Contact Sources
Brazilian Amazon Wildlife Society, (888) 439-2295,hobybawls@aol.com
Business Plans International, 400 E. 58th St.,New York, NY 10022, (212) 753-0555
Marketing Intelligence Service, (716) 374-6326, ext. 28,http://www.productscan.com
Real Things Distribution Co., (888) 273-4152, http://www.drinkbongwater.com
