Birding plan a new
venture out of the nestThree UH students create a new
business linking birders with Vietnam
With the help of $25,000, the top prize in the University of Hawaii Business Plan Competition, a fledgling business is one step closer to takeoff.
The winning plan for the company, Birding Vietnam, was developed by Elaine Franklin, Tao Feng and Mai Thai.
Once up and running, the company will provide environmentally sensitive birdwatching services for foreign tourists visiting Vietnam. If successful, the model has the potential for replication in other areas of Asia, such as Cambodia, the team said.
Franklin, a master's student in the university's zoology department, met her two partners while taking a class in the College of Business Administration. She had been mulling over the idea since visiting Vietnam last summer.
Aware that a potential problem with bird collection for both food and the pet trade was already beginning to develop in the country, Franklin, an avid birdwatcher, thought some kind of related business would be one way to combat the trade and promote conservation.
But it was when she took a new-venture management class at the college last fall that she met her partners and the plan began to take shape first as a class project and most recently as an entrant in the U.H. Business Plan Competition.
With Franklin's ornithology background and the expertise provided by Feng, who is pursuing her master's degree in travel industry management, and MBA student Thai, the three figured they had the ingredients for a successful venture.
Initially, a bird-watching business was the last thing either Feng or Thai thought they'd be involved with once they graduated.
"I knew I would be in the travel industry, but not related to birding and not as an entrepreneur," said Feng, who is originally from China.
Similarly Thai, who was born and raised in Vietnam, had her own business ideas and was looking for partners, but had not yet found them.
Once Feng and Thai began to understand the size of market -- more than 2 million avid birdwatchers in the United States alone -- and appreciate the demographic details, they grew interested. Birders tend to be older, well-educated and financially secure.
The group hopes to gain additional funding for the venture, primarily through federal and private grants, since the business has a social and educational purpose that its partners see as an integral part of their mission.
They plan to donate a percentage of their profits to set up conservation and educational programs in Vietnam.
"Our business mission is also to help the community, so we would re-invest in an environmental and educational program. At this point, we're thinking about 15 percent of our profit," Thai said.
They also want to stop the destructive international trade in rare birds and have developed a plan that will turn those who trap birds today into knowledgeable tour guides. There are 11 bird species endemic to Vietnam -- more than any other country in the region, Franklin said.
"We want to target the bird collectors to be our guides. They already have a lot of skills they use to catch the birds and it will stop the trade," Franklin said.
The three also envision ways to eventually involve local populations in related businesses and would like to see the government of Vietnam engage in a re-forestation program setting aside more conservation areas similar to what has already taken place in Costa Rica, now a mecca for birding and other eco-tourism activities.
They also know that such a concept will appeal to their target market.
"Bird watchers are interested in contributing to conservation so they'll know they are helping to protect the birds. It will also help the government in terms of educating people," Franklin said.
With the first tours, which would last about two weeks, already planned for the third quarter of 2005, the group still has plenty to do to make their venture happen.
They have secured the domain name for an Internet site, www.birdingvietnam.com, but will need to secure local permits and licenses to set up the business in Vietnam.
Another top priority will be making bird watchers aware of Vietnam as a bird-watching destination. Right now, there are bird-watching tour groups who conduct occasional tours to Vietnam but there is nothing on a regular basis, Franklin said.
There will also be birding conventions, conferences and seminars in the United States to attend, which will help get the word out. Creating marketing materials, designing a Web site, establishing a call center and setting up strategic partnerships with Vietnamese firms who will handle transportation and lodging arrangements are just some of the tasks the group has ahead of it.
But all three still have one more important task ahead of them this year before being able to devote all their efforts to the fledgling business.
"First, we need to graduate," Thai said.