Have you ever gone tubing with a group of friends or rafting on a lake? Does everyone keep drifting apart? Do the ropes or bungee cords you use to connect keep getting hung up or tangled? Child hood friends Clark Whitehad and Eduardo De Arkos experienced those problems while out with family and friends. Together they came up with a solution they called the Fluzzle Tube.

            What’s Fluzzle Tube you might ask? It is an inflatable ring for water recreation. What makes the tube incredibly unique is its shape. It is shaped in the form of an interlocking jigsaw puzzle piece. This allows you to connect with all your friends and family on the water without the hassle or danger of using of ropes or straps. Best of all there are endless ways to connect and no limit to how many people you can connect. For still water, you can connect them in a circle to form a giant raft for you can put them in a straight line to create a river tubing train.

            Fuzzle tubes come in four colors with connecting clips, handles, and (of course) cup holders. To see the Fluzzle Tube in action and hear the founder’s story, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGx4_GMlfQo

Questions:

1. Entrepreneurs try to build competitive advantages for their businesses by being unique. How will these partners know if their Fluzzle Tube idea will stand out, or sink?

2. Put yourself in the position of Whitehead and De Arkos. What should these partners do next?