In 1985, Yla Eason was shocked by her young son's comment that he could never be a "superhero" because all superheroes were white. Concerned that her son had already limited his aspirations as a result of his race, she searched futilely for an African-American superhero doll. The Harvard MBA soon realized that she had found an important unmet need--and a potential untapped market. Within months, Eason had conducted market research, secured investors, and created a prototype African-American superhero doll for her new company, Olmec Toys. She approached the major toy store buyers to pitch her product, only to find an unreceptive, skeptical audience. Buyers responded that if ethnically correct dolls were in demand, the big toy manufacturers would already have manufactured them. How can Eason open buyers' eyes to the shifting market and inherent business opportunity?

Supplements Yla Eason (A).

E. Rachel Hubka, general manager of a Chicago school bus company, has the opportunity to start her own bus business. The industry she will be entering is highly competitive, heavily regulated, and faces chronic labor shortages. Hubka hopes to tap a new labor pool and help her community by locating her business in an inner-city neighborhood that most business has abandoned. But this approach invites a new risk: relying on workers with marginal work experience.

Supplements E. Rachel Hubka (A).