1. St. Wolstans Community School
Lauren Higgins Roche, Aideen Galligan, Megan
Strickland, Eilíse Munroe, Zoë Palmer, Roisin Byrne and
Bennery Quinn
Submission to the County Kildare Enterprise board.
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2. CONTENTS:
1. Cover Page
2. Contents
3. Introduction
4. Summary
5. Team/Product
6. Production Process
7. SCOT/SWOT analysis & Market Research
8. Market Plan/Finance
9. Review/Conclusion
10. Appendices
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3. INTRODUCTION:
• Who are we? We are “Snapshot Frames”. We are a team composed of seven
members from St. Wolstans Community School: Lauren Higgins-Roche,
Bennery Quinn, Zoe Palmer, Aideen Galligan, Megan Strickland, Eilise
Munroe, and Roisin Byrne. The name came about due to our consumers being
able to “Snap-on, and, snap-off” our magnetic frames. Also, a “snapshot” is
another word for the photo, so it fit the product nicely.
• Our product is? Our product is a hand decorated magnetic photo frame. Each
one is decorated with a combination of both re-cycled and purchased
materials. Our frames are available in vertical and horizontal designs. They are
individually packaged in a sealed, clear, plastic pouch. Each of our frames can
be used on any metal object, for example: On a school locker, work locker,
fridge, filing cabinet etc.
• Our product does? Our product can stick to any metal object, some of which
are listed above. It holds an average sized photo. It can be used to protect your
photos edges from getting torn, damaged, and frayed. It allows you to have
your favourite and most loved photos with you everywhere: School (locker),
work (locker, filing cabinet etc.) at home (on the fridge, washing machine etc.)
• The benefits of our product? Our product has many benefits and unique
selling points. Firstly, no two of our frames are the same. They are all one of a
kind. We use re-cycled old occasion cards to decorate them (e.g.: birthday
cards, Christmas cards, thank you cards. Etc.)
• They are light weight yet durable.
• They come in a multitude of unique designs; there is one to suit every taste.
• They make fantastic gifts! Secret Santa, stocking filler, a birthday surprise,
and a Valentines gift…the list is endless.
• The customer gets real quality for just €4.00. Each one is carefully hand
designed by our talented production team.
• Our product is? Our product is a hand designed magnetic photo frame. This
frame is
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4. SUMMARY:
Our choice or product was a good one. Although it did have a few issues. The reasons
behind us believing out product was a good choice, is because our frames were a
product which we could produce many of, in a short space of time. Our product is
unique and no two are the same. Our product incorporated eco-friendly aspects, which
we believe is a very important factor. Each one was inexpensive to produce, and it
was easy to make each frame to a high standard. Also, our product is very functional,
and can be used for more than one thing, not only holding photos, but for timetables, a
small mirror, etc.
Even though we are confident that our product was a good choice, we did encounter a
few issues with our product choice. Our product was well finished and there was a lot
of interest in the product, but, there were many people who seemed unwilling to pay
€4 for our product. People did not seem to realise the amount of skill and hard work
that had to go into hand designing each frame. Students did not seem to realise that
this was a very good price for a hand designed, high quality product.
We got the idea for our product through our initial idea generation. Our first idea was
to make a locker decorating kit. One of the items that was going to be part of this
product, was a magnetic photo frame. When we realised that the locker kit was too
expensive to produced, we decided to take one of the most useful of the items from
the kit, and make that into our product. We chose the magnetic frame. This is where
our product came from.
The skills which we had within our team, were broad. We had people with good
communication skills, people with design skills, people with leadership skills, and
people with good sales abilities. As not everyone had all the skills needed, people had
to learn new skills. Communication and listening skills had to be learned by many
members of the group. These were very important as every persons idea needed to be
heard, and opinions needed to be valued.
Our customers for our product were students in our school, teachers in our school, and
also adults outside of school, such as our friends and family.
We promoted our product in three main ways. We used brightly coloured eye-
catching poster around the school so that students and teachers would know about our
product. We used images of our product on these to generate interest, we also
provided a brief description of the product, along with information such as the price,
where and when we would be selling, and any deals that we had going on. We also
used social media, we set up a Facebook page for our company, to allow people to
stay updated with our new designs, and our offers. Word of mouth was also used to
get people down to our display.
During the course of our mini-company experience, we did take risks. The biggest
risk which we took was in regards to our pricing. When we surveyed people in our
school, the majority said they would pay €5-€8 for one of our frames. When they
were actually made however, we had a team meeting. We decided that this price was
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5. too high for selling to students in our school. This was a risk, but, we felt it needed to
be done.
The difficulties we had to overcome were minor. We had some difficulties with the
frames initially. When a frame was painted, it would cause the frames to almost sort
of, contract. This meant there was a bend in the middle, which caused an issue with it
sticking to metal surfaces. We solved this by flattening each frame before selling it.
Another difficulty we encountered was when we were trying to get a stand at a
Christmas Craft fair. This was difficult due to the cost of stalls being quite expensive,
the ones which were not, had no stalls left. We had a minor difficulty with our team
structure, but this was easily fixed and roles were re-distributed.
We have made a profit of: €74.19
Team
• Lauren Higgins-Roche: CEO and Suppliers (Overseeing of all, finding
reliable and suitable suppliers for all of the materials needed)
• Eilise Munroe: Sales and Market research (Selling to the students at school,
and compiling survey results in graphs and pie charts)
• Megan Strickland: Finance manager (keeping track of all transactions,
keeping accounts, ensuring financial sustainability)
• Aideen Galligan: Sales and production (Selling to students and teachers in
school, designing and decorating the frames, along with assembling them)
• Zoe palmer: Head of Production, Finance (Overseeing of all production, head
of the production team, also keeping track of money)
• Roisin Byrne: Marketing/Production (Promoting the product and creating
products)
• Bennery Quinn: Marketing/Promotions (promoting and creating posters,
displays etc.)
PRODUCTS/SERVICES:
Our product is a magnetic photo frame. Each frame is hand designed using an array of
materials, both recycled, and purchased. E.g. gems, paint, glitter, stickers , and
designs cut out from old occasion cards. This product will hold your average sized
photo, though some may contain a message or proverb etc., and can be affixed to any
metal surface. E.g. Lockers, fridges, driers, washing machines.
This frame will be made of cream card, with a cream card backing. Once each frame
has been made and decorated, they will be packaged into a plastic slip. This will then
be sealed.
Our product is innovative due to the fact that each one is one of a kind. No two are the
same. Every single one is unique. We are taking very basic materials, all which can be
recycled, and making them into a high quality, well finished product. We take one
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6. thing, the used occasion cards, and turn them into something new. We use them to
decorate our frames. Our frames can also be used to hold not only photos, but a
timetable, a mirror, or even a small memo board.
PRODUCTION PROCESS:
We produced the product in a few simple steps:
• First off, the production team cut some of the cream backing card to size. They
affix this to the back of the frame base using PVA glue, leaving a space at the
top for the insertion of the photo.
• The team will then come up with some design ideas, and will lay out the gems,
stickers, glitter, images etc, onto the frame, to see what it will look like.
• Next, the frames are painted. This step is not always done, due to the fact that
the finish on the frame base is cream, and smooth, so it can be left unpainted
for a more simplistic look.
• Once the paint has dried, the sticking can begin. Cut out images of designs for
the recycled occasion cards can be stuck on, along with gems, glitter or
stickers.
• They are left to dry, some are flattened or pressed to ensure they will stick
properly.
• Once they are dry, four small squares of magnet, each 1cm, are cut. These are
stuck onto the back. One in each corner.
• They are then slipped into their clear plastic slip. Sealed, and ready for selling.
We did encounter a few problems when it came to making our product. It all stemmed
from the fact that our base frames, were more expensive to purchase then we had
thought. The cheapest price we could find, was not cheap enough for us, but we had
no choice but to make the purchase, take the risk. Getting the materials was not as
difficult, we found them in local stores, and online. Design had one minor issue, when
the glue would dry, it would really restrict the flexibility of the backing card. So, on
some frames, it would not stretch enough for the photo to fit in. However, this issue
was easily resolved by using less glue with a smaller applicator.
We arrived at our price for €4 through having lots of group meetings. Once our
surveys had told us that people would pay €5-€8, we began to discuss our thoughts on
that price. Older students would have that money, but the younger students would
have less to be spending. We went on the concept of “Pocket Money Purchases”.
Something under €5, that’s pretty, well made, functional, and value for your money.
Despite being told that we should have raised our price, people were not buying our
product at €4, so we did not think they would be inclined to purchase it for more. We
needed to stay confident in our own pricing.
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7. Each frame cost just €1 to make. Each one was sold at €4, although, near the end of
selling, after the demand for our product had died down, we reduced the price to €3,
and did a two for €5 deal.
SWOT/SCOT ANALYSIS:
Strengths:
• We had members of our group that were good at art and design.
• Each frame is hand decorated, no two are the same.
• We had an existing market.
• Our product is lightweight and durable.
• The product can be used outside of school.
• Great gift option.
• Very affordable.
Weaknesses/Challenges:
• There were unexpected costs.
• We needed to assure high quality.
• Very time consuming to design each frame.
Opportunities:
• Sales could be made at craft fairs.
• They can be sold as gifts.
• They can be sold in gift/craft shops.
Threats:
• People may not appreciate the effort that was put into the product.
• Other mini-companies offering hand- made/hand decorated products.
MARKET RESEARCH:
In order to conduct market research, we firstly looked on the internet and in local
shops to see whether there were similar products already available. We found that
there were some similar products such as magnetic frames and small frames, but they
were not handmade. This desk research allowed us to see that our product was unique
and unavailable in our area.
We then decided to conduct field research. In order to do this we created a survey.
The survey consisted of questions that would give us a good idea of our target market
and what they were looking for in our product. The survey also told us the amount
that people were willing to pay for our product.
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8. thing, the used occasion cards, and turn them into something new. We use them to
decorate our frames. Our frames can also be used to hold not only photos, but a
timetable, a mirror, or even a small memo board.
PRODUCTION PROCESS:
We produced the product in a few simple steps:
• First off, the production team cut some of the cream backing card to size. They
affix this to the back of the frame base using PVA glue, leaving a space at the
top for the insertion of the photo.
• The team will then come up with some design ideas, and will lay out the gems,
stickers, glitter, images etc, onto the frame, to see what it will look like.
• Next, the frames are painted. This step is not always done, due to the fact that
the finish on the frame base is cream, and smooth, so it can be left unpainted
for a more simplistic look.
• Once the paint has dried, the sticking can begin. Cut out images of designs for
the recycled occasion cards can be stuck on, along with gems, glitter or
stickers.
• They are left to dry, some are flattened or pressed to ensure they will stick
properly.
• Once they are dry, four small squares of magnet, each 1cm, are cut. These are
stuck onto the back. One in each corner.
• They are then slipped into their clear plastic slip. Sealed, and ready for selling.
We did encounter a few problems when it came to making our product. It all stemmed
from the fact that our base frames, were more expensive to purchase then we had
thought. The cheapest price we could find, was not cheap enough for us, but we had
no choice but to make the purchase, take the risk. Getting the materials was not as
difficult, we found them in local stores, and online. Design had one minor issue, when
the glue would dry, it would really restrict the flexibility of the backing card. So, on
some frames, it would not stretch enough for the photo to fit in. However, this issue
was easily resolved by using less glue with a smaller applicator.
We arrived at our price for €4 through having lots of group meetings. Once our
surveys had told us that people would pay €5-€8, we began to discuss our thoughts on
that price. Older students would have that money, but the younger students would
have less to be spending. We went on the concept of “Pocket Money Purchases”.
Something under €5, that’s pretty, well made, functional, and value for your money.
Despite being told that we should have raised our price, people were not buying our
product at €4, so we did not think they would be inclined to purchase it for more. We
needed to stay confident in our own pricing.
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