Page 104 - The $100 Startup_ Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love

THE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO
CREATING A KILLER OFFER.

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”

—WINSTON CHURCHILL

Scott McMurren sat in his office at a TV station in Anchorage, Alaska, looking

out at Mount McKinley. The day job was in media sales, where he knocked on
doors around town, recruiting advertisers for the station. He also hosted a travel
show, something he enjoyed but didn’t expect to lead to a full-time gig. Gary
Blakely, a buddy of Scott’s, had been pestering him for a while about a business
idea, but Scott wasn’t into it. When two years of Gary’s hammering merged with
Scott’s fatigue from doing the same thing every day, he finally gave in and said,
“OK, let’s give it a try.”

The idea was to create coupon books for independent travelers coming to
Alaska. Every year, more than a million visitors show up on the state’s doorstep,
eager to see Denali National Park and other attractions. Some tourists arrive on
cruise ships or guided tours, but many more put together their own trip. As is
often the case, the consumer problem and the business opportunity are related:
Alaska is a nice place during the summer, but costs are always high. Almost
everything in the state is more expensive than the rest of the U.S. to start with,
and some travel companies charge even higher prices to visitors. (A common
joke is “Welcome to Alaska … please hand over your wallet.”) The coupon book
would be an antidote to high prices, but it would have to provide real value
instead of offering the typical, minor discounts available elsewhere.