How to become a RoboBoss in 2020? Three Business Models available right now

The year 2020 is changing business values worldwide. American Express's famous slogan ‘Don't Leave Home Without It’ can be easily adapted to the new reality just by cutting it in half.

Distance, safety, online – that’s what clients appreciate now the most. Keeping pessimistic prognosis for the second pandemic wave in mind, this trend is expected to stay with us for long. Some companies have already trimmed the sails to the wind: opened online stores, started to offer a contactless delivery or VR options for trying out new dresses without leaving home.

But what about offline services like street food, bars, barbershops, etc.? Businesses where it’s hardly possible to hold the distance? 

Unfortunately, some of them haven’t survived the first pandemic wave.  Others will have to change and accept the new game rules: adopt new technologies and become innovative.

But in this article, we would like to take a look at the businesses that were innovative even before COVID -19 . Businesses that seemed too futuristic in summer 2019, but will reveal themselves as well-timed in summer 2020. We are talking about businesses that hired robots. 

Let’s review some examples and business models that rely on metallic dudes.

 

1. Frozen Yogurts and Franchising 

Reis & Irvy’s Froyo kiosk looks like an upgraded version of the ice cream vending machine. The key difference is a high-efficient robotic arm placed inside the kiosk that serves up to 60 cups of frozen yogurt, ice cream gelato, and sorbet per hour. The company has developed a classic franchising system, where a franchisee pays an initial fee and ongoing royalties to a franchisor for using the kiosk. After the franchising agreement ends, the kiosk returns to the owner. At the moment, Reis & Irvy’s Froyo is offering 4 franchising packages for 4/8/20 kiosks. 

As the key advantage the producer mentions a fully automated system, so no additional staff needed. The kiosk is energy efficient, compact, and protected from thefts. 

Entering this robotic franchise is a good option for those who would like to try out their management skills in a small food business without hiring any extra staff. It’s worth mentioning that the franchisor supports the franchisee even in searching the suitable locations across the country that provide great product visibility and sales opportunity.

But be careful, as there are some state-specific franchising rules that can strew your franchisee path with roses or with spikes.

 

2. Robotic Coffee Shop and White Labeling

Rozum Café is a compact coffee shop where a robotic barista (looks like a robotic arm, too) brews 7 types of coffee using professional coffee equipment. As Reis & Irvy’s Froyo product, this kiosk is compact, fancy, and autonomous. The robotic barista repeats all the brewing steps the real human barista does: it grinds, tamps, foams, adds syrups, and serves the drink to the client. 

Unlike the yogurt kiosk, the robotic coffee shop is available for purchase. The producer offers two options: to buy the kiosk with the original name and design or white label it and start the robotic café under own brand. 

The advantage list covers all the trends 2020: the café is autonomous, payment and service are contactless, and the working zone of the robot is hygienically enclosed. The producer claims a high efficient service even during the rush hours or in crowded places (like shopping malls used to be). The robotic barista brews up to 300 cups of coffee a shift. The promised savings are up to 7000$ a month compared to the standard café.

The producer promises easy routine maintenance that includes only supplements refilling and dusting. The cafe management is possible anytime through remote video monitoring and sales reports on request. 

This business model would suit more experienced managers, as the decisions on café branding, placement, and marketing strategy are all in their hands. As is the revenue from the café.

 

3. Robotics and own startup

Robot bartender or robotic pizza maker, robot hairdresser or robot masseur. All these startups owe their existence to one great technology – collaborative robotics. 

Collaborative robots or cobots are the last generation of robotic manipulators. Like generation Z, in the world of robotics, they are more flexible, they are faster, and they are multifunctional. 

To be more specific, cobots are light-weight robotic arms that are constructed in a way that makes them safe for working with people. These robots are user-friendly and easy to adapt to different tasks. Even a person without technological and programming skills can teach this robot new movements . It’s enough just to show a cobot a trajectory - it remembers it and repeats it.

For those who thought about finding a new idea for business in 2020, it is enough to look around and find out the niches where people …. you know… touch each other too much. This is a goldmine of contactless robotic business ideas. There are numerous producers of collaborative robots worldwide that offer the integration of their cobots into the existing businesses or develop the projects from scratch.

 

To sum up

What started as a futuristic trend in countries like Japan or Singapore, due to pandemic, can become our daily reality in several years. It won’t be easy to be a Big Boss in 2020, so maybe it’s time to become a Big RoboBoss.

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