A niche and blue ocean sunshine analysis project

Today I will talk about a niche and blue ocean project.

This is what I saw in the next-door paid group. Let me first talk about the characteristics of this project:

1. Niche, 2. Blue ocean, 3. Brings its own traffic, 4. Very low startup cost.

What attracted me most was the feature of “ bringing its own traffic ”. Many projects I tested before were often very limited in terms of traffic.

The relevant platforms looked at the cases of their peers and found that they indeed have their own traffic. Although the number of video views cannot be seen, from the comments, most of them often have only 5 or 8 messages, and 1 to 2 of them are inquiries from potential customers.

This project is "Sunlight Analysis Video"

Most people who buy a house are very concerned about the sunlight conditions of the room, but many houses are pre-sale properties, and the specific sunlight conditions are not known before delivery.

At this time, through relevant software, you can simulate the sunshine conditions to see whether there is enough sunshine in a year? Do tall buildings or other structures nearby affect sunlight? On the same floor and the same apartment type, which room has more sunlight, etc.

Buying a house is a large-scale transaction. Many people are willing to pay a small amount of money and learn about the relevant circumstances in advance before making a decision.

Although the project is very good, why did I still choose to give up? I will summarize it here, which may be helpful to others.

1. The first is software technology issues.

To produce this kind of video, the software generally used is Ecotert. The original version is in English. It is a software with relatively high professional requirements, and the company stopped updating it a long time ago.

First, it took some effort to purchase and install the software. Either the data package required a password to open or the link sharing failed, or there was no responsible installation guidance. It took me a long time to successfully install it.

Then I started to get started, following the video tutorial, and learned the basic operations. I could also build a simple model successfully.

However, relatively complex models are still out of reach at present.

2. Project income

As mentioned before, this is a niche market. On the one hand, the market segmentation is niche enough. On the other hand, even if the number of customers increases, whether it can handle and digest the demand is also a problem.

To help customers with analysis, we must first build models based on the data provided by the customers. As a layman, if you want to reach a professional level, familiarity alone is definitely not enough. You must also become proficient in other professional architectural software such as CAD, so that you can be efficient.

But with all these connections, the time spent on this project has deviated from my original intention - to find a side job and build a cash flow with less energy.

3. Later development of the project

As mentioned before, whether it is the difficulty of getting started with the project, the time for professional development, or the stable income of the project, it requires sufficient energy. This involves the question of whether it is worth focusing your energy on this track?

I am not a graduate of architecture and have no personal interest in it. If I continue doing this, the income will not be enough to make money without doing anything. This kind of effort and reward is obviously not conducive to my development.

This also made me think that when choosing a project, it is best to play to one's own strengths and be consistent or matched with one's own long-term development direction, so that even if the initial returns are small, it can be implemented for a long time.

4. Improvement and remedy of problems

After all, I spent a lot of time on selecting the project, and it is not my habit to give up rashly. During this period, we also tried some solutions to the problems encountered earlier.

The most important issue is the model.

Analyze sunlight conditions based on 3D simulation. Since it is difficult to perform professional modeling on Ecotect, can it be solved in other ways?

I actually found a corresponding website, but after several rounds of testing, I gave up.

Reasons: First, the operation of the website is not completely autonomous, and the video often shakes back and forth during recording;

Second, the models are all the most basic 3D map type, without basic windows, and the effect is not good when switching perspectives to go deeper;

3. Even if you don’t pay attention to the first two details, the overall video is so different from that of its peers that I can’t even watch it myself.

5. Project reconstruction and suggestions

Although the project is not suitable for you, it does not mean that it is not a good project.

If you are a practitioner in the construction industry and are familiar with these software, it is highly recommended that you try one or two.

First, as mentioned before, the project is currently a blue ocean market, and the work has its own traffic;

Second, when making this kind of video, you don’t need to show up in person, which solves the problem of many people wanting to make videos but not wanting to show up;

After all, for the relevant practitioners, making such videos is child's play. They can be completed by occasionally slacking off during working hours without interrupting their work.

Fourth, the copywriting of this kind of video does not need to be fancy and sensational. The sales lady’s elementary explanation level is enough to make it clear.

The fifth one is more critical. Even if you don’t look down on these small profits, it can be used as a traffic product to attract customers to convert designs, etc.

Well, that’s all I have to say. It’s just a starting point, and I hope it will be helpful to other friends.