Let’s try to grasp the thread through the story of a hypothetical startup called BE:REST. Since it’s fictional, please don’t try looking it up.
BE:REST is a zero-year startup preparing a new service business: a bathroom organization and management subscription service.
It’s a company co-founded by three people in their early 30s. BE:REST’s business model even won 3rd place in an award from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Thanks to that achievement, they moved into the Youth Startup Academy and are preparing for service launch with support from various government programs. (Startup support programs are very well-established these days.)
The core elements of BE:REST’s business model are twofold:
First, a bathroom amenities subscription service. It allows consumers to continue using their existing products by refilling them, but replaces the hardware (containers, etc.) with items that are easy to refill and don’t take up unnecessary space.
This is the idea.
Furthermore, it helps users keep their bathrooms stocked with trendy and high-quality products by recommending excellent, easy-to-refill bathroom amenities.
Second, it provides a regular bathroom cleaning service. Basic regular bathroom organization and cleaning are included. Depending on the bathroom’s condition, specialized cleaning services like grout cleaning, mold removal, and full disinfection are also proposed and executed.
This specialized cleaning service is offered as an option. After the regular service visit, BE:RESTERS (the field staff managing the bathrooms) suggest these options to the subscriber via an app, allowing the subscriber to choose.
Typically, companies come seeking patents with a business model (BM) like this.
