Hadrian’s Wall Trail Businesses Living In The First Century

June 3, 2010 9:46 pm admin Twitter

I’ve just come back from a coast-to-cast walk, which followed the Hadrian’s Wall trail.  It wasn’t a walk in the park and in fact was a real challenge.  It did highlight though how much lack of innovation there was from businesses in the area.  

Although most people doing such a walk will be quite well prepared, many people (myself included) will become a mass of blisters and leg pain.  Both online and offline there appeared to be little to cater for such needs along the way.  Key gaps needing to be filled were:

1. Lack of refreshment facilities within huge ranges of the trail.  At one point the (innovative) coffee truck man was practically mugged for a much-needed drink after several miles of nothing.  I can’t remember what he charged for the coffee but it could have been well above the norm and it wouldn’t have mattered.
2. Lack of first aid provisions.  It took 4 days into the trail to find a place that sold Compeed – much needed for blisters.  Although it was overpriced, it could have cost more and would still have been bought by those in need.
3. Lack of supplementary services.  What does a leg or foot massage cost in everyday life?  Whatever it costs, that fee could have been easily raised to capitalise on walkers who would have been willing to pay the price to have legs reinvigorated to give them a better chance for a fresh start the next day.

What should have happened along the Hadrian’s Wall trail?  Or, in fact, any form of walking trail where there will be needs for goods and services …

A grasp of where the opportunities are. 

This applies to both online and offline.  Offline, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to work out where there are long stretches of any walk where facilities are poor (for example, refreshments), and to capitalise on the needs.  Online, just being aware of what people are saying on Twitter can raise opportunities.  Last week was a typical example …

I did tweets that included the words ‘Hadrian’s Wall’ and other words such as ‘aching legs’, ‘blisters’, ‘compeed’, ‘pain’, ‘leg massage’ and more.  Someone innovative, picking up on such tweets, would be in a position to capitalise.  Let’s say that someone saw a tweet that referred to Hadrian’s Wall – something along the lines of:

Day 3 of Hadrians Wall today – legs aching like hell!  Running out of compeed.

If that person offered leg massage services then they could respond to that tweet accordingly.  At the same time of giving such a service they could sell Compeed (at an inflated price no doubt) and also build a relationship with the guest house/hotel being stayed at, to capitalise on walkers who may need such services in the future.

Better than that, where’s the innovative person who is monitoring numerous types of tweets and bridges the gap between suppliers of products & services and those who need them (for a commission fee)?

Hadrian’s Wall was built in the first century.  If Twitter had existed back then there’s a pretty good chance the Romans would have been using it, along with all their other efficiencies.   Fast forward to the 21^st Century and we have a simple issue of supply and demand and the opportunity to capitalise on it by being more ‘online aware’.   In any situation where people need something and have no alternative options (whether that be relief from leg pain, refreshments, or something else), then the lack of supply or competition means there are opportunities to gain higher than normal revenues for what’s supplied.