Just one or two days into all the Pokémon Go hoopla, and I was asking when the novelty would wear off because I was tired of hearing about it. I’ll be honest that it doesn’t interest me at all, even though I think I’ve finally figured out what it’s all about.

However, scrolling through my Facebook news feed, a video caught my attention. It was posted by NowThis and the caption was, “This Uber driver is taking riders on Pokémon Go expeditions.”

(Looking into it further, I found that the caption was wrong and he is not an Uber driver. I don’t know the specific details or legalities of his business.)

Pokémon Go was released and everybody went crazy over it. Tom Larkin saw a business opportunity to help people catch Pokémon. He and his guide take them to Pokémon Hotspots for $10/hour. I’m sure he could easily charge more and he probably should be, considering gas, upkeep, and his time. He said within an hour his inbox was full of requests to take people to find certain types of Pokémon and to go to Poké stops to get Poké balls.

This is genius. This is entrepreneurship and total marketing genius!

He saw the new obsession, and he saw the desire for people to travel to catch Pokémon and get Poké balls. He was open to creative ideas, thinking outside of the box. They had a need; he had a solution for that need.

Of course, he’s not the only one. Ads are popping up on Craigslist, offering Pokémon chauffeur services to dedicated players. According to Polygon.com, “One driver says they’ll pick up drivers at a requested location and drive them around the city… This particular driver is charging $30 for the first hour and $20 for every hour after that. They will not, however, do anything illegal like stop in the middle of the highway, users must wear seat belts, and they’re not speeding.”

They also state, “One driver is offering free Wi-Fi so players don’t have to burn through their data plan while hunting Pokémon. They tout themselves as an experienced delivery driver and Pokémon trainer who knows all of the best local locations and can take players to gyms they didn’t even know existed. This driver is also charging $30 an hour…”

Obviously it’s much safer to hire a chauffeur than for them to drive themselves around, causing an accident while trying to capture a Pokémon (using a phone while driving is illegal in most places), but are these Pokémon fans foolish to pay money to have someone drive them around so they can catch Pokémon and get Poké balls for a game? Well, probably, but that’s not really for us to decide. People will find money for things that they want and for things that motivate them, and it’s up to them how they decide to spend that money.

These drivers saw an opportunity arise and quickly took action. They are very clear on who their target market is, what their needs are, what solution (service) they can provide to them for that need, they knew where to find them, and they clearly marketed their services to them.

Apparently, we can learn something useful from this Pokémon Go craze after all, as well as gain inspiration.

As a coach, how can you be creative and think outside the box in your business? Are you clear on your target market, what their needs and pain points are, and how you help them or fill that need?

Do you consistently relay that clarity to your target market in your marketing – your elevator pitch, your website, your blog posts, your social media profiles/pages AND activity, your videos, your free gifts or lead magnets, your emails and newsletters, your landing pages, your sales pages, and your teleseminars and webinars?

Be clear. Be consistent with your messaging and marketing activities. Think outside the box. Look for new opportunities. Be clear. Be consistent.