Exploring Business Opportunities - Small Business BC

Assemble a ProductAssembling a product involves purchasing allof the parts for a product and putting themtogether to produce the finished item. It canalso mean providing an assembly service forparts purchased by others.Some Examples1. A B.C. company assembles officefurniture on contract for customers ofoffice supply stores, at the customer’shome or place of business.2. A B.C. mechanic offers an assemblyservice for customers who purchasecar kits.3. A company formed by a recreationstudent brings in playground equipmentkits and assembles large playgroundstructures.How To Do It1. Look for products that are made of severalparts and meet one or more of theseconditions:• The assembly process is expensive forindividuals, and there is a need for acentral assembly service to reduce costs;• The product is assembled from partsmade in different locations, and you arecentrally located to become aconvenient assembly point;• The product needs to be assembled intoits finished form before being shippedfrom your area to other locations;• It is too expensive to ship the assembledproduct into your area as a completedunit, but the unassembled parts can beshipped less expensively and then beput together by you;• The product is sold unassembled toconsumers, but the average person isnot willing or able to assemble it; and• The assembled product is a bulky itemthat is difficult to transport, but theseparate parts are easy to ship.2. Analyze various products and assemblyoperations to find situations where youcan save yourself or someone else time,effort or money by setting up your ownassembly operation.3. Identify and talk to potential customersfor the assembled product to determinewhether there is a need for the item.Key Questions• What product could I assemble to save someonetime, effort or money?• Can I offer this product or service at areasonable enough price that people woulduse it?• Is there a market for the product? Havepotential customers stated that they would buythe product?solutions for small business exploring business opportunities 7