Unit 3: Business Opportunity Seeking, Screening, and

Seizing
Lesson 4: Opportunity Seizing: Business
Position Statement

Contents
Engage 1
Introduction 1
Objective 1

Explore 2

Explain and Elaborate 3

Opportunity Seizing 3
Crafting a Business Position Statement 4
Writing a Business Position Statement 5

Extend 7
Activity 7

Evaluate 8

Wrap Up 10

Photo Credit 11

Bibliography 12
Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement

Engage

Introduction

Fig. 1. Business Writing

After choosing the most viable business opportunity and striking down the others, the next
major step to be taken is to finally seize that opportunity. At this stage, the entrepreneur
must already have an idea about where to put up the business and the means and methods
of marketing the products and/or services. But what does “opportunity seizing” really mean?
How is opportunity seizing done?

Objective
In this lesson, you should be able to propose solutions in terms of product/s and service/s
that will meet the need using techniques on seizing opportunities.

DepEd Competency
Propose solution/s in terms of product/s and service/s that will meet the need using
techniques on seeking, screening, and seizing opportunities. (CS_EP11/12ENTREP-0a-2)

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement

Explore

10 minutes
Guide Questions
Assess your understanding of the previous lessons by answering the following questions
below:

1. How does a feasibility study help in the opportunity seizing phase of

entrepreneurship?

2. How will the opportunity seeking and screening stages help the entrepreneur in
opportunity seizing?

3. What qualities must an entrepreneur have when seizing opportunities?

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement

Explain and Elaborate

Opportunity Seizing

Fig. 2. Choosing the best opportunity

Opportunity seizing pertains to the stage of determining the critical success factors of
succeeding in the industry, while also being cautious about other factors that cause failure
to some businesses. Seizing opportunity in the entrepreneurial aspect means taking
advantage of the most viable business opportunity available and doing something out of it
to address the needs and wants of the consumers.

Objectives of Opportunity Seizing

Given that opportunity seizing is the final stage of choosing the most feasible opportunity,
it’s relevance in entrepreneurship dwells on two main objectives:

1. to enable the entrepreneur to transform his business opportunity into a reality, and
2. to address the compelling needs or demands of the market.

What are the secrets to opportunity seizing?

Not all business ideas or opportunities are worth pursuing; that’s why it is important to just
dwell on the opportunity that will give out beneficial consequences. In accomplishing
business goals or objectives, there are three things that must be done in order to capitalize
on business opportunities:

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement
1. Stepping out of the comfort zone
There are lots of challenging opportunities that will come along the way. With this,
taking some risks and facing uncertainties are already deemed normal in the
entrepreneurial aspect.

2. Make the small ones count

Business opportunities are not created equal. Nevertheless, the results of seizing an
opportunity would all depend on how it was managed or carried out.

3. Network with creative and business-minded people

Focus on establishing rapport with the right types of people. Connections are great
resources, most especially in start-up ventures. These people are known for thinking
outside the box, hence, making them valuable in the life of a starting entrepreneur.

Review
The following things are to be taken when seizing opportunities:
● Step out of the comfort zone.
● Make the small ones count.
● Network with creative and business-minded people.

Crafting a Business Position Statement

A predominant aspect of seizing opportunities is the crafting of a business position
statement. Picture this: An entrepreneur is preparing for the launching of his business.
Perhaps, he has already spent numerous months or even years just to determine an
approach that would help him set his business apart from other competitors. This is where
branding comes to the rescue, which includes the crafting of a business position statement.

Definition and Purpose

A business position statement refers to a brief description of a product or service catered
by the business and specifically how such a product or service answers the compelling need
of the target market. Its main purpose is to introduce the product or service to the
customers and to align the branding efforts with the brand and its value proposition.

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement
Further, this statement is likewise used in providing a clear vision for brand positioning. It is
a strategy used to be able to communicate with the individuals in-charge of providing
marketing services during the launching of the product or service.

Remember
A business position statement refers to a brief description of a
product or service catered by the business and specifically how such
product or service answers the compelling need of the target market

Value Proposition vs. Business Position Statement

Both the value proposition and business position statement are vital elements in
implementing the strategies of a business. A value proposition is broader in nature and is a
direct output of a business strategy. It refers to a bigger picture that includes all the core
benefits offered to various market segments and the price that a customer pays to acquire
those benefits.

On the other hand, a business position statement is more specific and technically deals with
a subset of the value proposition. It is oftentimes used in marketing programs and activities
of the entrepreneur. Its four major components are the target market, the needs of the
target market, the point of differentiation from the competitors, and how such
differentiation would help the target market. While a lot of benefits are being represented in
a value proposition, a business position statement primarily deals only with the relevant
benefits of competitive differentiation that aims to target a selected market.

Writing a Business Position Statement

Before crafting a business position statement, remember to keep the following tips in mind
so as not to impart confusion to the readers and potential customers:

1. Keep it short.
A business position statement is not about the vision and mission of an enterprise.
Therefore, such statements should be concise and straightforward. If possible, a

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement
positioning statement must be kept at a maximum of five sentences.

2. Make it unique and remarkable.

If the entrepreneur wants to stand out in the industry, the business position
statement should be crafted in a unique way. It has to entail the distinctive qualities
of the products and/or services offered by the business.

3. Stick to the core values of the business.

A business position statement must reflect the primordial values of the enterprise
itself. The goal of providing this statement is to obtain the loyalty of customers by
showing them the values promoted by the enterprise.

4. Show how the business is different from other competitors.

The competition will always be present in any industry. As such, an effective business
position statement should point out what separates the business from its main
competitors.

Tip
The following is a sample format in crafting a business position
statement:
“For [state the target market] who [the needs of the target market],
[business or brand name] provides [what differentiates the business
from other competitors] because [why should the target market
believe in the business..]”

Example
Crafting a business position statement

Situationer:
An entrepreneur is planning to put-up an online marketplace (ABC) that caters to a wide
range of consumer products with delivery services. Following the template above, here is a

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement
sample position statement for his business:

“For consumers who want to purchase different products online with competent delivery
services, ABC provides a fully-functional online shopping site. ABC sets itself apart from
other online retailers with its basic mission: a commitment to operational excellence to all
its valued consumers.”

Extend

Activity
Give at least five means or approaches you can suggest in seizing business opportunities.

Five Additional Tips or Secrets in Seizing Opportunities

Approach Explanation

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement

Guide
● Relate your answers to the three secrets in seizing opportunities.
● Make your answers brief and direct to the point.

Evaluate

A. Answer the following questions based on your

understanding of the lesson, as discussed above.

1. How would you define the concept of opportunity seizing?

2. What is the relevance of opportunity seizing in entrepreneurship?

3. What are the differences between opportunity screening and opportunity seizing?

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement

4. How would you define a value proposition?

5. What is the relevance of having a business position statement?

B. Answer the following questions based on your

understanding of the lesson, as discussed above.

1. How is opportunity seizing interrelated to entrepreneurship?

2. Give at least three reasons why every business should have a position statement.

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement
3. What is your opinion towards “branding through the creation of a position
statement?”

4. What will you suggest in order to have an impactful business position statement?

5. Summarize the differences between a value proposition and a business position

statement.

Wrap Up
___________________________________________________________________________________________

● Opportunity seizing pertains to the stage of determining the critical success factors
of succeeding in the industry, while also being cautious about other factors that
cause failure to some businesses.
● A business position statement refers to a brief description of a product or service
catered by the business and specifically how such a product or service answers the
compelling need of the target market.

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement

Four Major Components of a Business Position Statement

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Photo Credit

Business Writing by Helloquence is licensed under Unsplash license via unsplash

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Unit 3.4: Opportunity Seizing: Business Position Statement

Bibliography
Dollingner, Marc. Entrepreneurship: Strategies and Resources 3rd Edition. New Jersey: Prentice
Hall, 2003.

Janiszewska, Karolina, and Andrea Insch. “The Strategic Importance of Brand Positioning in
the Place Brand Concept .” Journal of International Studies, May 2012.

Kotler, Philip & Gordon McDougall. Marketing Essentials. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1985.

Kuratko, Donald. Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process, and Practice. Taguig: Cengage, 2017.

Peters, Michael & Robert Hisrich. Entrepreneurship 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Book Co.,
1999.

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