Care Unlimited: An Entrepreneurial Growth Dilemma

Care Unlimited was a start-up in Kolkata, India, engaged in providing support and services to elderly customers whose children lived far away. The venture, four years old, had garnered a clientele who strongly believed in supporting the well-being of their elderly parents. The start-up endeavoured to change the experience of old age by supporting its customers in various chores, and by meaningfully engaging them in the various activities they enjoyed. By April 2018, the set-up had captured a share of the early market in Kolkata; however, the concept that the needs of elderly people extended beyond a need for emergency services had yet to gain wide-scale acceptance. Should the founder consider adding emergency services? Or should he continue to focus on driving home the point that elderly people needed far more than emergency services? Was there a need to explore alternative ways of earning revenue and diversifying his business?

The case is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students. The case would be relevant in a strategic management course, to understand the concepts of industry analysis, value proposition, and business strategy. More specifically, the case can be used in a course on entrepreneurship in a session on small business management or creating and managing new ventures. After working through this case and assignment questions, students will be able to:<ul><li>understand the importance of recognizing opportunities, and describe the role of resources and entrepreneurial skills in successfully pursuing new ventures;</li><li>explain the importance of a business’s value proposition and the need to align value-chain activities to deliver the value proposition;</li><li>outline the use of the strategies of low cost, differentiation, and focus by new ventures; and</li><li>identify and explain the approach a small business can use to increase customers’ adoption of innovative service offerings and achieve wide-scale acceptance of a concept, especially in a low-resource start-up situation.</li></ul>

• Start-up, value proposition, business strategy, chasm