This week’s update
This week, our team made significant progress on our project, marking a productive phase in our ongoing efforts. We conducted two interviews, an essential step that allowed us to gather valuable insights and perspectives directly from the field. Building on this momentum, we reached out to more businesses, expanding our network and opening up new avenues for collaboration and information exchange. In parallel, we began the video editing process, a crucial task that involves refining and assembling our visual content to ensure it effectively communicates our message. Furthermore, we initiated the process of "decoding" common themes we heard back from business owners. This analytical phase aims to construct a cohesive narrative for our project, ensuring that the final output resonates with our audience and accurately reflects the insights gathered from our interactions with the business community. These activities represent key steps forward in our endeavour, setting the stage for a compelling and impactful project outcome.
What we heard
Insights gathered from the two interviews we conducted were organized into four categories.
Reflection on interview process
Our process
Reflecting on our interview process, it's clear that our approach varied based on our relationship with each business, leading to insightful interactions. For Bowl and Snacks, webooked a specific date and time, ensuring the owners were prepared for our visit. This contrasts with our more casual approach to Regent Park Cafe, where we simply dropped by due to Ines's familiarity with our program. Regardless of the approach, we consistently reviewed our list of interview questions beforehand, ensuring a thorough and structured
Findings
Our findings from these interactions were both surprising and enlightening. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, which suggested that competition from new franchise stores poses the biggest challenge for small businesses, our conversations revealed that this might not be the case. While there wasn't a direct link, we uncovered a potential indirect correlation between competition and small businesses' challenges. The owners we engaged with across these businesses were exceptionally nice and collaborative, offering valuable perspectives that enriched our understanding.
Limitations
However, our process had its limitations. We noted that both businesses we interviewed are relatively new, with Bowl and Snacks having been open for two years and Regent Park Cafe for just one month. This may influence their perspectives on challenges and competition. A notable observation came from our interview with Rashmi at Bowl and Snacks, where some of the most insightful information was shared informally after the official interview had concluded. This experience has led us to consider adjusting our approach in future interviews. Specifically, we plan to include a closing question – "Is there anything else you want us to know?" – to ensure we capture a comprehensive range of insights, recognizing that our predetermined questions might not cover all relevant topics. This adjustment is a crucial step toward enhancing the depth and breadth of information we gather, ensuring we leave no stone unturned in our quest to understand the dynamics of small business operations.
Next week
We’re planning on interviewing Hakka Bistro, Ethiopian Spice and Grocery Store and Surma Superstore next week
Since our hypothesis was false, we need to refine our research question and overall theme.
The Off the Shelf team members are Tyrone, Wilma, Chanel, and Annette