Helen Burvill
Hatch Program 1
13 Nov 2021
About
Helen is the Executive Officer of the Eastern Zone Abalone Industry Association in Victoria. She has over 32 years experience in the seafood industry in various management roles. She is passionate about pursuing opportunities to promote Australian seafood and contribute to the sustainability of the fisheries sector. Helen's idea involves developing a skincare range using waste streams from the sea urchin. Helen participated in the Hatch program to validate her product's commercial potential and identify the target market.
Validating the Idea
Helen's idea was envisioned when an industry colleague submitted a request to reduce
the impact of sea urchin waste on landfill sites. Helen researched creating a potential
product that allows utilising sea urchin waste to add value to the fisheries industry,
resulting in her concept of a skincare range that not only provides end-users with
chemical-free products but also allows increases sustainability credentials for the
industry.
When Helen entered the Hatch program, she knew that all-natural beauty and skincare
is a billion-dollar industry in Australia and shows no signs of slowing down. She also
knew that customers have endless options of skincare products at their disposal. She
wanted to learn who her target market was and rapidly wanted to validate her idea with
them.
After conducting more than 15 customer interviews in a pharmacy store, she discovered
that men are equally interested in skincare as women. One of the key insights for her
was that her assumption that a driver for a purchase decision is environment friendly did
not prove to be valid. She applied the interview learnings into the Lean Canvas model
and identified that her target customer segment includes both males and females who
are time-poor, have sensitive skin and/or are looking for anti-ageing products. Based on
the strong feedback she received, Helen has registered the name for her business
concept.
The Hatch Program has given me a safe platform to talk about my idea and work through validation processes and thinking. It tested my values and challenged me to start thinking differently and not look to the solution but understand the problem that is trying to be solved.
What's Next?
Helen is committed to continuing to develop her business concept and has committed to undertaking the following activities as part of her 3-month roadmap.
▪ Continue to interview more potential customers and refine her idea
▪ Undertake ‘purchase’ tests to further validate customer interest
▪ Connect with formulation companies, acquire samples of sea urchin waste ▪ Begin drafting a financial plan and set a budget for her production run
Program Partners
