In the last one week, I had been discussing with friends and family about an idea I had in mind. The hobbyists hub.

What initially started as an idea of a book library for a niche segment, morphed and mutated into something you see in the image. I was pretty excited because it stitched together many things I loved.. books, photography, travel, cycling, etc.

However, in the last 2 days, I haven’t been so gung-ho about it though. Before we get into details as to why, here is a brief about this idea.

Hobbyists Hub – the seed thought

After paying multiple visits to many libraries to pick books and feeling disappointed after seeing collections there, one sudden night, I thought of setting up my own library serving this niche segment – hard core hobbyists like photographers and offbeat travellers.

A library that took only hobbyists as its members, that procured material only on hobbies and took pride in being in a niche! Sounded fantastic to me.

A photography book that costs around 2000 Rs which a regular library could not keep on its shelf would be available with us… the USP of this library!

That was the basic idea!

The additions

After brainstorming with friends and burning midnight oil for a few days, several changes were made to it. Why not add other material like documentaries? Made sense.

And then, why not workshops and weekend events? Hmmm.. yes. Can be managed somehow. And yes, it will help create a better experience for the hobbyists.

Why not make it a platform for others to come and rent / sell their stuff?  This would be very tricky… especially with stuff like lenses. An average lens costs upwards of 25000Rs and rental would be atelast 1% per day. Is there a market for this? If yes, how can you lend a lens to someone you may not know fully? How do you make sure the returned lens is in decent condition? How do you make sure that the renter didn’t give a lemon for rent? Several challenges.. but can be figured out somehow, I thought.

Then, services like itinerary planning, hobby consulting, etc. And a platform to showcase the hobby.

Then we had to think of who our users would be.. hobbyists. But that is too general.. which segment of the hobbyists?

Types of hobbyists and their needs

To me, there are 3 types of hobbyists.

1. Wannabe or Newbie
2. Amateur
3. Pro

And the entire idea was to serve all these people in a different manner that befits their know-how. A pro would be offended if he were to be treated like a newbie!

Wannabe / Newbie: One who has seen other people do interesting stuff and is keen on doing it himself. But he needs help taking off…

• do I really like this?
• where to start?
• what to buy / which workshop to attend?
• what to consider before buying?
• whom to buy from?
• can I rent / test things before buying?

Amateur: He has been in the hobby for a while and knows things, but is not yet there. He is keen on taking his hobby to the next level or is just happy to maintain status quo enjoying whatever he is doing currently. His needs are

• should I try that expensive equipment?
• can I sell my current equipment to part fund next purchase?
• I like ‘XYZ’s material.. but it is expensive. Can I rent it out?
• can I rent that expensive lens for a few days for my Ladakh trip? or perhaps a 2nd body?

Pro: He has been in the trade for long enough or has spent enough time learning things and is comfortable with advanced stuff. His needs are different too

• how can I make money from what I know?
• can I take people on a tour? can I conduct a workshop?
• I want to rent my equipment to others
• I want a 2nd body for my next trip and that exotic lens
• a friend of mine wants to check out equipment I recommended. Is there anyone who rents it out?
• is there a platform for me to conduct a workshop without hassles?

The idea expanded further

Then, the idea went further. Can we create a platform where Pro’s could register as Experts and provide consultations for the Newbie’s? Can we have a rating system to track Pro’s and have the top 5 rated Pro’s as the points of contact for every pin code? Can we get the location of a Newbie and assign him to the nearest Pro? Can we provide a platform for the Pro to make money and for the Newbie to learn? The Amateur could be monetized mostly by using the rental system.

Can we have people put up their stuff for rent? Can we take a commission for handling it seamlessly? Is it an operational headache to tackle rentals like bicycles, lenses, cameras, backpacks and tents?

Will people use us a medium to know each other and avoid the payment gateway to reduce their cost?

The original idea is lost

Somewhere in all this discussion, the original idea of being a simple rental place for hobbyists got diluted. The offshoots are very interesting by themselves… but are operationally intensive and can take long to monetize.

After all the additions…. I realized a few things (mostly negative, few positive)

1. its interesting, but definitely not simple and I hate complicated stuff
2. its not a product (except for the platform), but a service
3. operationally intensive and thus, will have higher running costs from day 1
4. longer break even period
5. I still love books…
6. I am not sure if I enjoy conducting tours or being a tour-operator
7. I love automated systems and if executed well, this seems to be a promising system
8. it brings me closer to the community I want to spend the rest of my life with
9. I am still confused.. where to start? Its too complicated for a first time overwhelmed newbie entrepreneur

Market size and few other q’s

Is there a decent enough market for this? Are hobbyists a small section of the society? How many hobbyists are actually active learners and how many actually spend money on such things?

If there were such a system in place already, would I place my expensive lens on rent?

Would I sign up for a membership to gain access to learning material, mainly books? Or would I simply buy my own and keep it for long?

Which of these is a simple stand alone idea that can be implemented on its own and rest dropped out?

Why do you want to run a book library for hobbyists? Will it make even 25% of what you earned in your high paying job? Perhaps, you could earn what you would in a month by conducting a Datawarehouse training for 3 days! Why not simply stick to consulting and training instead!

Why not simply remove all the complications and just run a simplified general library? Provide fantastic user experience to differentiate yourself. Why focus so much on being unique? Why not try to be the best in a tried and tested and perhaps even crowded space?

Follow your heart,… but there are clever ways to do it.

And then the wonderful questions Sameer pointed out to me yesterday:

a) is it something you want to do ?
b) is it something you’ll do through its downturns ?
c) is the money you think it can generate something you can live off/with ?
d) partly related to (c) – what do you really want out of it ?

Go back to the desk. Rework!

I am disappointed that the idea turned into a complicated one which I may eventually drop… but am thrilled too. I am happy at the way I’ve been using my brains these days! Perhaps, its a good exercise too.

Now, what do you think about the concept?  Do leave a comment.