The health care space is undeniably attractive for entrepreneurs that want to enter the field and go public with their business ideas. After all, a successful health care entrepreneur has opportunities to change the lives of others, plus make handsome profits. Success is by no means guaranteed in any field, but there are certain things that are useful to keep in mind when entering the health care industry with a business idea.
Stay Focused on the Human Aspect
When a health care idea is in development, it’s tempting to highlight the things about it that investors and members of the public would likely find most impressive, such as that it uses artificial intelligence to work or that it can diagnose some kinds of cancer with more accuracy than most humans.
It’s worthwhile to draw attention to those things, but you should also remember the humans using your health care product. For example, is the innovation mostly geared towards a person with an illness, their caregivers, or both of those groups? In any case, spend a substantial amount of time thinking about the features that would make it most enjoyable to use, and perhaps help it stand out from other options.
Users appreciate when it’s apparent that the product development team stayed aware of their needs and tried to minimize or eliminate the problems they face. Of course, there’s no harm in focusing on the underlying technology, but you should also emphasize the direct benefits that people should enjoy as a result of using whatever you offer.
Think of How Your Technology Might Affect the Greater Good
What do you want to achieve with your health care product? Knowing the answer to that all-important question can help you frame the stories that you tell about the product, or in other words, how you frame your idea to others. It’s worth pondering whether your product could end up in a position where it could positively affect larger segments of society than you initially realize.
For example, most women in India do not have access to biodegradable sanitary pads, and the ones who can use them are typically from the more financially well off classes. This issue means that the non-biodegradable pads create a great deal of preventable waste. Plus, some brands use chemicals that may pose risks to users’ health.
A company is trying to change that by making biodegradable pads from bamboo and banana fibers. They degrade in six months, which is 1,200 times faster than pads made from other materials. There are other companies working on similar products, and that’s commendable, indeed. However, it would be ideal if they would look beyond the output itself and determine how best to get the items to women who need them, such as those who are low-income or from rural areas.
You should ultimately figure out if something about your innovation could help society at large. Could it give people help for staying healthy that they wouldn’t otherwise have? Perhaps your product is one that can help older adults remain at home and live independently for longer than usual. Then, the positive impacts affect themselves, plus their family members and friends.
Use Your Experience or Hire a Team That Has a History in the Health Care Space
The health care industry has some factors that entrepreneurs in other sectors may not encounter. For example, your product may need to get approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or another regulatory agency, depending on where you live or operate your business. That said, you should not immediately assume that if you have succeeded in other industries, you’ll go through more of the same in the health care field.
On the other hand, maybe you have worked in health care for decades, but not yet tried your hand at being an entrepreneur. Whether you are at one end of the spectrum or somewhere in the middle, consider how any experience you have might translate to this venture.
For example, Harry Stylli founded a genetic testing company, and he has three decades of experience in health care research. It made sense, then, for him to apply that acquired knowledge to create a firm in the medical space. Even if you do not have that level of experience, there’s no need to ignore your intentions of being a health care entrepreneur.
If you don’t possess the necessary experience, find people who do and invite them to become members of your team. Be sure to clarify your vision for the company and what you hope will happen with it in the future. It’s crucial to surround yourself with individuals who are familiar with health care and have goals that are similar to yours.
The three things mentioned here are not the only things to stay mindful of if you want to become a notable health care entrepreneur. But, these principles will help you have a more defined framework for the business, plus understand what could set your enterprise apart from competitors. Both of those things are essential for your long-term success.
