Analysis of GoPro's Entrepreneurial Journey: A Case Study Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the GoPro case study, focusing on the entrepreneurial journey of Nick Woodman and the company's rise to success. Part A examines the 'dark side' of entrepreneurship, discussing traits like lack of capital, management skills, and decision-making abilities. It also explores the development of entrepreneurial qualities, drawing on Peter Drucker's insights, and analyzes how Woodman's innovativeness and charismatic leadership contributed to GoPro's success. Part B delves into GoPro's marketing strategies, emphasizing product innovation and the use of social media for promotions. It also assesses the challenges GoPro faces due to technological changes and competition in the action camera industry, including the need for robust R&D and continuous innovation to maintain a competitive edge. The report highlights the importance of adapting to market dynamics and customer feedback for sustained growth.

Running head: MANAGEMENT IN BUSINESS
MANAGEMENT IN BUSINESS
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Part A
Question 1
The darker traits of the entrepreneurship form of business are being discussed in this
section with the aim of delineating the different flaws that might be faced by an entrepreneur
while managing then business units.
 Lack of proficient returns from the beginning- The major dark trait of
entrepreneurship form of business is dependent on the incapacitation of the
entrepreneurs to raise capitals from the very beginning. It has been noted Woodman’s
startup venture, Go Pro, faced similar difficulties at its initiation relating to the lack of
suitable returns from the investments (Forbes 2013). The lack of capital returns from the
very beginning might affect the morale of the entrepreneurs in developing the processes
in adherence to the demand of the customers.
 Lack of superior management skills might fail the project- The lack of superior
management skill of the entrepreneur might affect the potentials of the project and result
to failure. It is noted in the case of Woodman that initially the entrepreneur started a
venture named Funbug, which failed and resulted to failure in investments made of $3.9
million (Forbes 2013). It was noted that Woodman had limited knowledge on computer
science engineering which affected the managerial skills through lack of proficient
knowledge on the processes.
 Lack of proficient decision making skills- The lack of proficient decision making skills
of the entrepreneur might affect the potentials of the organization in maintaining the

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effectiveness of the operations in adherence to the sustenance related needs of the
venture.
Question 2
The entrepreneurship form of business undertaking is based on the complete processes
related design of the operations, launch of products and management of the financials for
maintaining the competitive advantage of the same. In this relation, the development of the
entrepreneurship form of business has different pros and cons. As stated by Peter Drucker,
entrepreneurship is a discipline, which might be learnt irrespective of any influence of genes or
magic. In this relation, the developments that were made by Woodman provides a complete view
of the manner in which the form of business capability is not dependent on the genes. The young
billionaire was from a mediocre family background where Woodland’s father used to work on
Pepsi’s purchase of Taco Bell (Forbes 2013). The development of the entrepreneurship qualities
in Woodman was based on the identification of the discipline and the manner in which the same
is cultivated for the smooth functioning of the systems.
The development of the enterprise by Woodman was specifically based on the
innovativeness of the idea that was proposed by the same. The innovativeness of the idea
supported the young billionaire in attracting the attention of most of the stakeholders. On the
other hand, the charismatic leadership style of the same supported in enhancing the process flow
with the aim of maintaining the improvements of the systems. The development of the concerned
venture is dependent on the management skills of the entrepreneur, which stimulated the
operations of the same while operating in the different aspects of change. Woodman portrayed an
enhanced skill of managing the operations of the venture which contributed to the development

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of competitive edge. On the other hand, the continuous learning activities of Woodman
supported the venture in developing the operations of the same through building on the
innovativeness. As Peter Drucker stated that the development of the organizational operations
are reliant on the specific development of disciplinary activities. Therefore, the development of
the managerial disciplines supported the entrepreneur in continuing with the innovative culture
of the organization while developing new lines of products.
Part B
Question 1
The Go Pro, GoPro, has taken steps to induce frequent innovations in the line of product
offerings, which has supported the venture in maintaining the steady growth of sales volume.
The innovativeness of the product offerings is dependent on the assessment of the needs of the
customers. The Go Pro aimed at manufacturing durable cameras for the target audience. In this
relation, the innovations in the product lineage of the organization supported the same in
developing competitive benefits. The vision of the entrepreneur also contributed to the
innovativeness of the Go Pro, which aimed at developing an ecosystem through capturing,
sharing, viewing and creating content for convenient, effortless and cost-effective operations. On
the other hand, the Go Pro also developed the promotional activities through the utilization of
social and digital media operations. It has been noted that the organization received 222 million
views on its YouTube channel and 4.7 million likes on Facebook (Forbes 2013). The enhanced
rate of promotions supported the venture in developing the operations in adherence to the
demand of the customers. Moreover, the development of the integrated promotional activities

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supported the venture in gathering feedbacks from the customers, which supported in the
continuous development of the existing processes.
Diversity in the promotional practices supported the venture in developing the potentials
of the same in attracting the attention of the customers towards the offerings. The wide range of
promotional mechanisms that are considered by the Go Pro supported the same in associating
with different behavioral theories of attracting the attention of the target customers. It has been
noted that the Go Pro aimed at developing the products for associating with the needs of the
niche customers who prefer adrenaline sports. Podcasting and streaming videos in YouTube
portraying Shaun White or Felix Baumgartner making use of the GoPro cameras as they plunged
towards the ground supported the venture in increasing the demand for the cameras among the
target range of customers (Forbes 2013). The development of appropriate promotional
technologies supported the venture in developing positive brand awareness among the target
range of customers. On the other hand, the portrayal of the uniqueness and durability of the
cameras also supported the venture in attracting the attention of the target customers towards the
product offerings that are made by the same (Westberg and Pope 2014).
The development of an appropriate promotional strategy through the utilization of the
different vehicles supported the venture in maintaining the improvements of the operation in
adherence to the needs of gaining a competitive benefit. The promotional strategies of GoPro
also focused on maximizing the involvement of the stakeholders and the customers in the
development processes that are undertaken by the same. GoPro designed technologies for
assessing the feedbacks from the end of the customers. The review of the feedbacks supported
the venture in maintaining the improvements of the operations in adherence to the development
related needs of the same. Khan (2014) opined that the development of proficient feedback

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monitoring and controlling systems assist an organization in improving the course of operations.
The diverse range of alternative course of action that was commenced by the Go Pro supported
the venture in ensuring the improvements of the operations while associating with the demand of
the customers. The active participation of the customers in the developmental processes of the
organization supported the venture in maintaining the effectiveness of the production and
distribution functions (Evans et al. 2014). The interactive promotional practices supported the
venture in supporting the potentials of being answerable to the queries that are raised by the
customers. The development of the different practices by the organizations is dependent on the
assessment of the demand of the customers.
Therefore, the Go Pro has taken steps to develop suitable IMC campaigns with the aim of
holding interactions with the customers,. The interactions with the customers supported the
venture in maintaining the improvements of the operations while supporting the improvements in
the promotional potentials of the same (Pike and Page 2014). The integrated marketing and
promotional practices of the venture supported the same in maintaining the improvements of the
operations while associating with the increasing needs of the customers. On the other hand, the
development of the product offerings and making the customers aware of the developments
supported the venture in developing the potentials relating to completive benefits and sustenance
in the markets. Therefore, the integrated promotional processes supported GoPro in developing a
lucid and positive brand name and developing the processes in adherence to the feedbacks that
are provided by the customers.

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Question 2
The Go Pro, GoPro, has taken steps to- develop the processes in adherence to the demand
of the target base of customers. However, the Go Pro faces different challenges due to the subtle
technological changes in the action camera industry. The action camera manufacturing industry
has undertaken different technological innovations with the aim of associating with the changing
demand of the customers. In this relation, the concerned industry has taken steps to develop
cameras with 4K video recording and high resolution (Forbes 2013). The subtle changes in the
market structure and the technological innovations that are made by the action camera industry
has affected the potentials of the venture in developing the potentials of the same while operating
in diverse global economies.
The subtle changes in the industry have affected the growth of the Go Pro and sustain in
the competitive markets. The existing competitors are adapting the emerging technologies and
the new entrants in the market provide substitutes at half the price, which affected the
competitive edge of the concerned venture (Baltes 2015). The modifications in the market
structure and the changing demand of the target audience might affect the potentials of GoPro in
continuing with the market position of the same. The different aspects of change in the market
structure of the Go Pro affected the potentials of the same in maintaining the improvements of
the operation in adherence to the demand of the customers.
The lack of suitable R&D facilities in the organization might affect the potentials of the
same in maintaining the competitive edge through continuous innovations in the proposed line of
action cameras. On the other hand, the lack of technical knowledge of the entrepreneur might
affect the potentials of the Go Pro in managing the operations through better understanding of

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the changing needs of the customers (Harmeling et al. 2017). Woodman has limited knowledge
on the technological processes related to computer engineering and the fact that the same person
designed the company’s R&D might affect the potentials of the organization in gaining a
competitive edge against the existing player and the new entrants. The lack of suitable
development of the R&D operations of the venture might thereby affect the potentials of the
organization in holding the market position in and beyond the year 2019.
The Go Pro might take steps to develop suitable R&D department, which will work on
assessing the feedbacks that are provided by the customers and thereby design the line of
products with the aim of gaining a competitive edge while operating in the different markets. The
different changes that are undertaken by the organization are dependent on the smooth
functioning of the systems in adherence to the demand of the customers. The increasing rate of
R&D operations will assist the management in inducing innovativeness in the process design and
the propositions.
The innovativeness of the propositions will assist the venture in developing a positive
brand name among the target range of customers (Brierley et al. 2014). It would support the Go
Pro in maintaining the improvements of the operation in adherence to the demand of the
customers. Therefore, the development of the suitable functioning R&D department of the
organization will assist the same in developing the processes with the aim of gaining competitive
edge through increased innovativeness. The continuous learning attributes of the organization
and the increased innovativeness assist an organization in developing the operations while
associating with the interests and preferences of the clients. On the other hand, the continuous
innovation in the processes supported the venture in developing the operations of the same to
maintain the sustenance in the competitive markets. Therefore, the development of an R&D

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department in the venture will assist GoPro in maintaining the improvements of the operations
while associating with the technological innovations and the market demand. It will assist the
venture in maintaining a steady growth of innovativeness through induction of continuous
learning and adaptation to the market modifications.

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References
Baltes, L.P., 2015. Content marketing-the fundamental tool of digital marketing. Bulletin of the
Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V, 8(2), p.111.
Brierley, H.M., Rothwell, J.R., Niemann, J.C., Hamlin, F.M. and Feiwus, B.D., E-REWARDS
Inc, 2014. Method and system for evaluating, reporting, and improving on-line promotion
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Evans, W.D., Pattanayak, S.K., Young, S., Buszin, J., Rai, S. and Bihm, J.W., 2014. Social
marketing of water and sanitation products: a systematic review of peer-reviewed
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Forbes (2013). The Mad Billionaire Behind GoPro: The World's Hottest Camera Company.
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