Thursday, October 13, 2011

NU6 by JS, Serendipity Walk

Driving along Metro Manila, one cannot help but notice how much denser the city's landscape is compared to several years ago. More and more buildings have risen and so much more condominiums (condos) are being constructed within the vast expanse of the metropolis. More interesting and perhaps quite startling to note is the increasing number of condominium projects being worked at even in countryside areas like Tagaytay. This makes me wonder, is the Philippines slowly moving along the path of other Asian neighbors like Hong Kong and Singapore where space is more and more a priced commodity. Is the country really becoming so urbanized that the shift from single detached homes to building communities has become more prevalent.

Focusing on condominiums and its residents in the city, what has become apparent is the presence of nearby convenience stores, laundry services and water refilling stations in the area. Sari-sari stores, newspaper boys on bikes, taho and balot vendors do not form part of the usual scene in these types of neighborhoods. This shift in living preference leads one to become cognizant of the ways in which this will have an impact on the wants and needs of condominium dwellers.

Given the lifestyle of this market and the space constraints of living in a condo, the following are business ideas that one can venture into:

  1. Car wash services
Unlike in other types of residential areas where a garage or the street is available to wash one's vehicle, parking areas in condominiums are not as designed for this purpose. A possible option would be for the residents to go to a nearby mall to have their cars washed but that would entail time, effort and parking fees to get the job done. An idea is to establish a car wash service that a customer can book for appointments, something like a dial a car wash type of service. In this way, customers can avail of the service without having to leave their homes. The car wash business can also leverage on a number of locations (condos and even nearby villages) to cater to as opposed to having to station ones resources in a fixed location like the mall and not have them fully utilized.

  1. Food delivery and catering
As most people are on the go, they may not have the time to prepare delicious home cooked meals. The others who do with the little time they have left often end up preparing instant meals that they have grown tired off. Others, who don't, end up buying from fast foods. An idea is to establish a food delivery and catering business that can prepare different kinds of dishes that people can call and order from. Customers can select from several week menu plan options and have their meals prepared for them for the entire week and delivered to their door step. Customers can also select from an ala carte menu. This ala carte menu will have different serving size options and can come in ready to heat containers or party serving platters.

  1. Pet care and grooming center
One of the challenges of living in a condo is to maintaining and taking care of a pet given the tight space and the noise level that has to be observed. A business idea is to put up a pet care and grooming center, that say dog lovers can leave their pets in when they have to leave for work or attend to other personal errands. The pet care center will see to it that the pets are well taken cared of and looked out for. This includes bathing, feeding and walking the pets as appropriate. In certain cases, where there are restrictions in certain condos from owners having pets, the pet care center can be seen as a second home/kennel for these pets and their owners can visit them there anytime.

  1. Housekeeping and maintenance
Cleaning services, handyman requirements, electrical and plumbing needs remain to be necessities in maintaining ones home. The idea is to establish a pool of well-trained housekeeping and cleaning personnel, handymen, electricians and plumbers and deploy these personnel to the homes of its clientele. Customers can contact a hotline to advise of their needs and advise of their preferred schedule for the service.

These are just a few ideas that may be appropriate for condominium occupants. There are definitely several more prospects and options available. What is certain is that as living preferences change so do peoples lifestyle and choices. This then opens opportunities for creativity, innovation and foresight to be able to respond to these changing needs and preferences. 3.0

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