Need Help with Final MBA project

Why not consider selling pre-buils stainless steel UDSs.... Might not be patentable or an original design but I'm sure people in theory would by SS pre-build UDSs.... Heck - Myron Mixon is selling smoker's built out of trash cans on his site....

You could even pitch it as using recycled drums and then advertise your business as green and earth friendly.... A UDS is low cost but could be sold for as little as 400 to make a really healthy profit..... Man - Mixon is selling the trashy ash can smoker for $395.....

I would go for it and do the bigger challenge, whichever that might be. I think the business plan for a pit building company offers a very interesting challenge in terms of materials and product line, as well as logistics. The idea of doing one for a catering company seems simpler up front, although, I am not so sure that is true.

Jamo,

I have been involved with several thesis and dissertation projects.

I would look carefully at the requirements and desires of the faculty.
If they want a business plan, then that is the plan for you.

Now, the big decision becomes "which business are you most interested in"?

If your interest is truly BBQ related--use catering, vending, food service, or pit building as your model.
If you are more interested in something like video game production (as an example), use that as the topic.

If you research something you are really interested in, your project becomes a "labor of love".
If you pick something "just because", it becomes just a "labor", and can be a miserable one at that!

Good luck,

TIM

Bacon_99 said:

Why not consider selling pre-buils stainless steel UDSs.... Might not be patentable or an original design but I'm sure people in theory would by SS pre-build UDSs.... Heck - Myron Mixon is selling smoker's built out of trash cans on his site....

You could even pitch it as using recycled drums and then advertise your business as green and earth friendly.... A UDS is low cost but could be sold for as little as 400 to make a really healthy profit..... Man - Mixon is selling the trashy ash can smoker for $395.....

Click to expand...

What is the carbon foot print of a 12 hour smoke? Might take you out of the "green game"

When I did my MBA, I wrote a similar project. My project was based on creating a product that did not previously exist (ice-wine grappa). Although I did nothing with the idea, it was eventually produced. It was really interesting for me to see how that product did appear in the market, and how it has grown over the years.

I suggest creating or changing a market with your project, so that you can see how reality unfolds. The pit-minder market (Stoker & Guru) is fairly open right now to a new competitor (both Stoker and Guru have their product/market weaknesses). The market is easy to enter, and your product could have built-in wireless to make it effortless to connect to your home network (benefits of the Stoker, but easier), with the pretty box and nice led display of the Guru (benefits of the Guru). You could forecast how much your product would both expand the total market as well as eat the existing market for Stoker/Guru.

If one of these companies does not address their current issues, some other manufacturer will for sure appear and start stealing the entire market for these devices. You can predict what the product will look like, and what it would to Stoker/Guru.


Mark

When I completed my MBA, there were 12 students in my thesis class (capstone class) when we started. Only 2 of us completed our thesis and finished that semester. The problem the others had is either they weren't prepared to finish or they chose a thesis that was just too big.

So, I'd recommend that you concentrate on quality rather than quantity. You may want to consider a business case analysis rather than a business plan. You could write a BCA on whether it's most beneficial for a BBQ restaurant or caterer to purchase one smoker or many or a pellet pooper or an offset or some other equipment. Which alternative offers the best quantitative and qualitative benefits for the application?

That being said, it should be relatively easy for you to do some research for direct knowledge. The idea is to discover something that isn't known or already discovered by someone else. A business case can be tailored to achieve that end and it will be a bit more manageable in terms of work and content. You could even do a poll or two here for more research.

I'd be happy if you took the pitminder idea and flew with it! Just be sure to share your thesis with Stoker & Guru. I'm sure that by the time you are done, you would be able to provide them with some insights.

The only reservation I have about the UDS idea is that the reason the UDS is popular is that it is an inexpensive and effective cooker. By the time it is produced by a company rather than a backyard builder, it becomes a lot more expensive (see the BDS company). At that point, you are competing directly with the WSM. Weber has a great brand and reputation, a big web presence, and a very well developed distribution network. Even though the market for bbq must be growing right now, going head-to-head with a UDS design against the WSM is a tough nut (again, look at BDS)!

The pitminder enables you to capitalize on the growing market for bbqs without sinking into the deep morass of well established pit builders.

Anyway, it sounds like a really fun project - I hope you do well!

Mark