JC's Basketball Development School
1. The opportunity I am pursuing is a personalized online basketball training service that provides basketball skill development or athleticism training. This opportunity comes from the lack of accessible training around the entire globe. This unmet need of accessible basketball training is spread across basketball players of all skills levels and all ages. This is for players of any gender as well. Specifically, players in rural areas or low-income areas have the greatest unmet need for this because of the lack of nearby and affordable training programs. Additionally, basketball players with skills trainers still often have the unmet need of adequate athleticism training, expanding the number of people with a need I am solving. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the magnitude and range of this need. Many players no longer have access to gyms or basketball courts as many of leagues are postponed or cancelled. Also, many trainers are not currently training there players right now due to legal or safety issues caused by this pandemic. Due to the length of this pandemic, the need to fine-tune and improve their basketball skills is increasing. This extended period of time also reduces the loyalty of players who were previously training with skills trainers in person. The current magnitude of this opportunity will last until there is a vaccine approved to use for the Covid-19. However, even after this pandemic ends, this is still a very large unmet need for many players across the country or world. Players will still need player development and athleticism training when gyms reopen. There may even be long-lasting safety concerns that keep the amount of people with this unmet need slightly inflated.
This service I am offering is radically innovative for the basketball training industry. I will be able to train players of all ages and skill levels across the world through video calls such as on FaceTime or Zoom. This means players are able to improve as a basketball player anywhere they would like, even directly in or outside of their home. Not only is the accessibility of this service innovative, but the personalized aspect of it is just as radical. Current training programs are tailored towards basketball players as a whole, rather than towards specific players or player types. This attention to detail will allow players' development to accelerate compared to normal training programs. Not only will this speed up and enhance their development, it also allows for a greater connection between the clients and I. Being able to address a player's needs and wants directly during a session will help create transparency that will allow the player to understand what my intentions are for improving their game. This allows me to find a balance between pushing the player out of their comfort zone and creating drills and games that they will find fun and enjoyable. As far as price goes, I believe it will vary depending on the length of the session the player selects. In the beginning I will charge $30 for a thirty minute session, $50 for an hour session, and $70 for a hour and a half session. This will encourage clients to purchase longer training sessions which gives me a greater opportunity to improve their skills which they will be able to more clearly feel and see. This encourages them to come back and continue using my service. Additionally, player type packages will be for sale as well. These programs are for specific player builds and are an alternative for the players who cannot schedule live sessions. Each program will provide one month's access to a basketball workout program with videos and explanations of each drill. Each one month program will cost $90.
As basketball continues to evolve, it is easy to fall behind in player development no matter how good a player currently is. Basketball players around the world are becoming aware of this which has greatly increased the demand for basketball training. By requiring no equipment and no specific location, this service allows any player with internet access the necessities to improve as a basketball player. The lack of supply in online training will lead players to pay for my service. The only competitors I will face are basketball training programs created by other basketball trainers. The weakness of these programs are that they are not personalized for the needs of specific players. Instead, they usually encourage random drills that will only fine-tune players' current skills rather than allow them to improve on current skills and develop new ones. Previous loyalties to other trainers are most likely diminishing due to the lack of contact because of the pandemic. Overall, the customer experience and ease of use and access are what makes up this business concept. Players will see greater results with this product than they would any other online program. Initially, I will have to do this by myself to profit and to ensure that players are receiving top-level training. As this business grows, I envision myself being completely booked for the entire week with more players inquiring about training. At this point, I hope to use my coaching and training network to hire other trainers that specialize in player development.
My unfair advantage is my proven results and experience training basketball players. I have already trained basketball players of all levels, including children as young as five years old and professional players who play overseas. Having experienced training so many different types of players ensures that I can personalize a training program for any type of player to improve their game. My emphasis on player development instead of strictly skills training creates more value for the customers.
My next potential opportunity is offering player development training for athletes of all sports. My website could act as the hub or all training. I could potentially have other coaches and trainers training athletes of their sport through this hub.
In five years from now, I want to be training more players than anyone else in the country. The format of my service makes this entirely possible. I also want to have multiple trainers working under me providing the same service. Ideally, I will pass along my younger clients to these trainers while I work with the advanced high school, college, and professional players.
2 & 3. The feedback I received has been mostly positive. I had feedback from many of the athletes I interviewed who were worried about being available for a scheduled training session. To address this I added the player build programs designed for their specific player type. These are not live training sessions, they instead are prerecorded basketball workouts that can be viewed whenever the players can find time. The players I interviewed also expressed a need for athleticism training. To address this opportunity I am including athleticism training live workouts for players with a lack of equipment. For players who do standard equipment, I will offer a monthly workout program to improve speed, agility, vertical jump, explosiveness, balance, and injury prevention.
