Entrepreneurial Case Study: Eva’s Edibles (Market Research)
Learning
Objectives
Curriculum
Connections
Business Plan
Slides
Overview

Students will receive a reinforcement on market research concepts

Students will learn the difference between primary and secondary research, and be
able to identify various methods and resources to do both

Students will have market research modeled for them to enhance their ability to
conduct basic research

Students will receive a model to follow when conducting their own research

Students will support arguments using critical thinking and discussion skills

Entrepreneurship 11th Edition – Chapter 7: “Market Research”

“Market Analysis”

“Target Market Segment”
This Case Study has been adapted from the Eva’s Edibles Case Studies, a series presented at
the end of each unit of Entrepreneurship – 11th Edition. This particular case study in its
original form can be found at the end of Unit 3 (pages 192-193), as one of eight interrelated
studies about a fictional young entrepreneur. In this handout, it appears as a stand-alone
story for teachers who want to investigate the Market Research process in more detail. It
also integrates the “Market Research Activity” presented at NFTE U.
Case Studies are excellent ways to integrate reading, math, critical thinking, and
entrepreneurship concepts into a single exercise, while giving students a “real-world”
example of entrepreneurship concepts in practice. This case study best aligns when the
students get to Chapter 7 and are currently learning how to conduct market research. Before
students have to do their own research, this case study allows students to walk through the
market research process, learn how to identify the different types of data needed, and begin
to locate resources that can help them do their own research. Ideally, this activity will help
students produce stronger Market Analysis slides as they have a template to follow.
Time Needed
Materials
Needed
Teacher Prep
2 Class Periods (60 - 80 minutes)

Copies of the Eva Edibiles Case Study (Attached; pages 4-12)

Computers (Optional)
1. Make copies of the Case Study Handout (pages 4 – 12) for every student.
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2. Decide if students will have computer access for the Activity portion of the Case Study
Notes for
Instructor
Important Definitions
“Market” – A group of potential customers – people or businesses – who are willing and able
to purchase a particular product or service.
“Market Analysis” – A description of the market size, trends, characteristics and growth rate.
“Market Research” – an organized way to gather and analyze information needed to make
businesses decisions.
“Primary Data” – New information that is collected for a particular purpose. It is obtained
directly from potential customers.
“Secondary Data” – Existing information that was previously gathered for a purpose other
than the study at hand.
“Target Market” – Limited amount of customers who are most likely to buy a specific product
or service.
Please refer to the “Glossary of Terms” included at the end of the Case Study Handout for a
full list of vocabulary words used in the reading.
Instruction
Before You Begin
1. Tell students that they are going to be reading a Case Study about a young
entrepreneur named Eva Tan.
2. Explain to the students what a Case Study is if this is the first one your class has read.
Instruction
1. Have students work through the Case Study, either in groups or as a class, stopping at
the appropriate breaks to ensure student understanding and discussion of the reading
up to that point.
2. Have students work together in groups during the Primary/Secondary Data activity.
You may choose to have students use a computer to find sources, but it is not
necessary. Examples of websites are listed in the appendix, and the activity only asks
students to say the type of resource she would need. Have groups share their
answers with the class when finished.
3. Walk through the market analysis and target market segment slides so students see
examples of these completed slides.
4. After reading about Eva’s research, have a class discussion to get student input. Be
sure to ask the students if they agree with Eva’s assumptions and segmenting of the
market. See if students can see any oversights on her part (such as households that
maybe families making combined income of $50,000, but these customers may not
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has as much disposable income for a personal chef). The key learning should be that
this research helped Eva make the most informed decision.
Assessment

Students can be assessed on their completion of the Case Study Handout, and their
participation in group/class discussion.
Modifications

The Case Study can be assigned as an individual assignment, or as a long homework
assignment instead of a class assignment. However, there should be some form of
discussion in the classroom so that student can see each others’ answers

Depending on the students’ reading abilities, the reading can be assigned to be done
in small groups or done as a class. Use your best discretion on what works best for
your own classroom.

For advanced students, students can design their own primary research to investigate
their potential market for their business idea.

Entrepreneurship 11th Edition Student Workbook
Extensions
o Study Guide p.61-66
o Business Plan Project Section p.267-269

BizTech, Sections 7.1 & 7.2

Entrepreneurship 11th Edition p.176; Critical Thinking – Assign students either of the
Critical Thinking Exercises from p.176 to answer on their own:
o “Suppose you’ve recently built a prototype for a new video game. What types
of primary and secondary research could be done to test it in the
marketplace?”
o Have students place the following characteristics on a blank “Target Market
Segment” slide in the appropriate sections. Characteristics: Likes to sew, three
children in the family, married, earns $40,000 a year, works in Atlanta, 50+
employees, enjoys Chinese food, financially conservative, lives in Putnam
County, 18 years old, customer-service focus, Spanish heritage, outgoing
personality
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NFTE Entrepreneurial Case Study: Eva’s Edibles
Market Research
Eva Tan graduated from Columbus State Community College with an
associate’s degree in Business Management. After graduating, Eva decided to
work full-time, so she could pay back her college loans. But she kept on the
lookout for an opportunity to start her own full-time business.
One day, her mother told her about an opening at Ohio State University. “It’s
an administrative assistant job with the Campus Dining Services,” she said.
“They manage ten restaurants and a catering service on campus. With your
business degree and experience in event planning, it could be a good match.”
Eva got the job. She worked for the Director of the Campus Dining Services.
Eva’s job allowed her to apply her business skills, while learning how various
types of food services are managed. Although she enjoyed her work, Eva
realized that, of all the event-planning tasks she had been given, she had most
of all enjoyed cooking.
What did Eva give up by beginning to work full-time? Would you have made that same choice?
Which task(s) are your favorite at school, or if you have one, your part-time job?
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___________________________________________STOP___________________________________________
One day Eva was talking with a friend who said, “After working all day, I wish I had someone to cook dinner for
me!” “Wow,” Eva thought, “what a great idea! People who work all day might appreciate having someone
prepare their meals. That’s an idea for a business. I could become a personal chef for working people.” It
seemed like a great way for Eva to combine her passion for cooking and her desire to start a full-time business.
Eva knew that some of her cooking skills were weak. She needed improvement in knife technique, costcutting, and efficiency. Eva also figured that people be reluctant to hire a personal chef who had no formal
culinary training. She decided to do some market research to help her decide if her idea was a viable business
opportunity.
Based on your favorite task from school or work in the previous section, is there a way you could use that
passion to create a business idea? What training would you need to run this business?
If you were Eva, what type of information would you like to know from the market research?
___________________________________________STOP___________________________________________
Eva made a list of some of the questions she had that she would needs answers to before she could start her
business. At first, answering some of those questions seemed overwhelming or even impossible. However,
she remembered what she had learned about market research in her business management classes at
Columbus State. There are two basic types of market research methods, depending on the type of data is
needed: Secondary Data and Primary Data.
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
Secondary Data is existing information that was previously gathered for a purpose other than the study
at hand. Secondary data may be relatively cheap and easy to obtain. Examples of secondary data are
economic forecasts issued by financial organizations and demographic data collected by the U.S.
government.

Primary Data is new information that is collected directly from potential customers for a particular
purpose. Primary data can be useful as it is aimed at a specific target market, but it can be time
consuming and expensive to collect.
Eva realized that since Secondary data was cheap and easy to find, she would start with those sources first.
She also realized that if she knew what type of data was needed to answer each of her questions, she could
then determine where to find the information that she needed.
Using your knowledge of the types of research methods, determine if each of Eva’s questions below can be
answered using Primary or Secondary Data. Then, suggest how she could find this information. (See the
appendix for suggestions of Market Research Sites)
Question
Primary/Secondary Data How can Eva find this information?
1. What industry is a personal chef
in?
2. What type of training and
certification does she need?
3. What legal issues will she need to
consider?
4. Who is her target market?
5. How big is her market?
6. How can she find out more about
the growth rate of Columbus?
7. Who are her main competitors?
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8. What are her potential customers
looking for?
___________________________________________STOP___________________________________________
After listing her questions, here is how Eva decided to gather the information needed for her market research:
Question
Primary/Secondary Data How can I find this information?
1. What industry is a personal chef
in?
Secondary
Government Websites:
http://www.uspca.com
http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm#social
2. What type of training and
certification does I need?
Primary/Secondary
Culinary schools and associations,
restaurants
3. What legal issues will I need to
consider?
Secondary
Library or internet sites:
http://www.uspca.com
4. Who is my target market?
Primary
Local chefs from schools or restaurants, call
people on the phone
5. How big is my market?
Secondary
Government Websites:
http://www.uspca.com
http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm#social
6. How can I find out more about
the growth rate of Columbus?
Secondary
Government Websites:
www.census.gov
7. Who are my main competitors?
Primary/Secondary
Interviewing competitors, local newspapers
and magazines
8. What are my potential customers
looking for?
Primary
Stand outside work places or malls to survey
potential customers and observe patterns
By completing this chart, Eva knew how to the get the answers she needed. She made a list of established
competitors and visited their Websites. She also telephoned them to find out more about their services. Eva
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then created a customer survey, which she conducted at a local mall. She discovered that people didn’t use
personal chefs because they weren’t aware they existed. They also assumed that the cost of a professional
chef would be out of their price range.
___________________________________________STOP___________________________________________
Let’s take a look at what Eva discovered from her Market Research:
Eva’s Secondary Data Findings






The Special Food Services industry size is
$31,130,659
Total Population Columbus, OH – 754,885
Size of Columbus – 212.6 sq. miles
Density of Columbus – 3,556 people/sq mile
36.7% (110,760) of households have 2 or more
people with an income of greater than $50,000
Columbus has a growing market segment of
professionals
Eva’s Primary Data Findings



25% of people surveyed eat out or order in 4 or
more times a week
The majority of people surveyed did not use a
personal chef because they did not know it
existed, or thought it would be out of their price
range
Many of these professionals surveyed are too
busy to cook for themselves, but would love to
eat healthy if it were convenient.
Eva used the data she collected to do a Market Analysis seen below. From the information she collected, she
was able to calculate the “Target Market” and “Potential Market Size.”
754,885 (Total Pop.) x 36.7% (% of Households with 2 people, $50K+) = 110,760 (Target Market Size)
110,760 (Target Market Size) x 25% (% of surveyed who eat out 4+ nights) = 27,690 (Potential Market Size)
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Eva also used her primary and secondary research to put together a Target Market Segment, or she would
best her describe her average customer.
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Through her research, Eva also found the answers to the following questions:





Description of Service: Eva would be responsible for planning, buying, and preparing five dinners for a
household. Food is often prepared in customers’ homes. The chef packages dinners family-style with
heating instructions and stores them in the customer’s refrigerator or freezer. Kitchen clean-up is the
personal chef’s responsibility.
Start-Up Expenditures: A low financial investment is needed to start a personal chef business. Eva
would have to purchase her own set of professional knives, and possibly some cooking utensils.
Training and Certification: Both home study and on-site training courses were available through
associations such as the American Personal and Private Chef Association (APPCA) and the U.S. Personal
Chef Association (USPCA). A personal chef could become certified after meeting educational and workexperience guidelines. Eva figured that certification would help potential customers have more
confidence in her.
Competition: In the greater Columbus area, there were currently 15 personal chefs.
Growth Potential: Personal chef businesses made up one of the fastest growing segments in the foodservice industry. According to the APPCA, about 9,000 personal chefs were currently serving 72,000
clients nation-wide. Those numbers were expected to double over the next five years.
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___________________________________________STOP___________________________________________
Based on her love of cooking and the market research she did, Eva decided to switch
from being a part-time event-planner to a full-time personal chef. She named her
company, Eva’s Edibles. On a vacation from her job at the Campus Dining Services,
Eva took a five-day personal-chef training course to prepare her for the certification
tests. When Eva returned from vacation, she prepared a business plan on evenings
and weekends. When she was satisfied with it, she did something everyone had
advised her not to do: she quit her day job (but with appropriate notice). She was
going to be a personal chef. She was going to start Eva’s Edibles!
Based on Eva’s background, her personal skills, and her market research results, do you think her business idea
is a good opportunity? Would you have made the same decision as Eva? Why or why not?
___________________________________________STOP___________________________________________
Appendix: Market Research Resources
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Government Websites

Census Bureau Homepage: http://www.census.gov/

Small Business Association Homepage:
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/marketandprice/SERV-MARKETRESEARCH.html/

Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm#social/
Online Resources

Census Data by Zip Code: http://www.zipskinny.com/

Business Statistics & Financial Ratios: http://www.bizstats.com/

Nielsen Research Services: http://www.claritas.com/

Marketing Blog: http://www.knowthis.com/
Business Magazines & Reports

Inc Magazine (http://www.inc.com/articles/2001/07/23181.html)

Entrepreneur Magazine
(http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/marketresearch/article51796.html)
Local Community Resources

Public Library

Local College

Local Business Director: http://www.chamberofcommerce.com/
Primary Research Methods

Interviews/Surveys (Sample Survey: http://www.entre-ed.org/_teach/act-surv.htm)

Focus Groups

Competitor Websites

Observations

Online Surveys: Survey Monkey (http://www.surveymonkey.com)
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Glossary of Terms
Note: The following terms from this case study can be found in the Entrepreneurship 11 th Edition textbook.
The page number where the term is found is also included.
Business Opportunity – consumer need or want that potentially can be met by a new business. (p.147)
Competition – a common practice in a market economy where businesses compete against each other. (p.33)
Focus Group – a small number of people who are brought together to discuss a particular problem, product,
or service. (p.173)
Industry – a branch of business concerned with a specific output of product or service (i.e. food service
industry)
Market – A group of potential customers – people or businesses – who are willing and able to purchase a
particular product or service. (p.167)
Market Analysis – A description of the market size, trends, characteristics and growth rate. (p.142)
Market Research – an organized way to gather and analyze information needed to make businesses decisions.
(p.167)
Primary Data – New information that is collected for a particular purpose. It is obtained directly from
potential customers. (p.171)
Secondary Data – Existing information that was previously gathered for a purpose other than the study at
hand. (p.171)
Target Market – Limited amount of customers who are most likely to buy a specific product or service. (p.169)
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