| Course | BUS 484 Entrepreneurship |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Feasibility analysis |
| Length | About 1,158 words, 7 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 484 Module 3
Ten Courts in a Former Sporting Goods Store: A Feasibility Analysis of an Indoor Pickleball Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
BUS 484: Entrepreneurship
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Ten Courts in a Former Sporting Goods Store: A Feasibility Analysis of an Indoor Pickleball Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Rachel and Ben Kowalski, a married couple in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, play pickleball four evenings a week and are tired of waiting for courts. Outdoor courts in the city's parks are crowded from April through October and unusable in winter, and the two nearby indoor options rent courts by the hour at times that rarely suit working adults. The couple has found a former sporting goods store of 38,000 square feet, vacant for two years, whose owner will offer a reduced first-year rent. They want to convert it into an indoor club with ten courts. Before signing a lease or borrowing money, they need to know whether the venture is feasible. This analysis follows the four parts of feasibility described by Barringer and Ireland (2019): product or service, industry and target market, organization and finances.
The Concept
The club, working name Red Rose Pickleball, would offer ten courts with cushioned surfaces and good lighting, a small pro shop for paddles and balls, a lounge with seating and vending, and lockers. Members would pay a monthly fee for unlimited open play and discounted court reservations, while nonmembers could book courts by the hour. Leagues, beginner clinics and youth programs would fill weekday mornings and afternoons. The club would open year-round from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Product Feasibility
The central question is whether players want this particular experience enough to pay for it. To find out, the Kowalskis rented a church gymnasium with three courts for two weekends and ran open play at $10 per session with online booking. They sold out 84% of available court hours, drew 312 different visitors and collected written comments. Players praised the booking system and asked for more beginner sessions, better lighting and somewhere to sit between games. Forty-one percent of visitors said they would rather pay a monthly membership than per session. The test suggests that the product is wanted, and it shaped the concept: beginner clinics moved from an add-on to a core program.
Industry and Target Market Feasibility
National data show strong demand. The industry's trade group reported 19.8 million pickleball participants in the United States in 2024, a 45.8% increase over the previous year and the fourth year in a row in which pickleball was the country's fastest-growing sport (Sports & Fitness Industry Association, 2025). Growth this rapid is likely to slow, and the founders treat national trends as background rather than proof.
Local evidence matters more. A waitlist page shared through clubs, churches and the outdoor courts gathered 461 sign-ups in six weeks, and 138 of those people paid a refundable $25 deposit to hold a founding membership rate. The target market is adults aged 35 to 70 within a 20-minute drive, with a secondary market of high school players and retirees for daytime hours. Competition comes from the city's free outdoor courts, two indoor facilities that rent courts by the hour inside multisport gyms, and a racquet club 25 minutes away that added four pickleball courts last year. None offers a dedicated club with leagues and a social space, but the city has announced plans for eight more outdoor courts, which could reduce demand in summer.
Organizational Feasibility
Rachel Kowalski manages a physical therapy clinic and has run budgets, schedules and staff for nine years. Ben is a certified pickleball instructor and a software sales manager. Together they cover operations, programs and sales, but neither has managed a construction project or a retail space. They plan to hire a general manager with fitness facility experience, two part-time front desk staff per shift and contract coaches, and to retain a contractor who has converted retail space before. An accountant and an attorney will advise on the lease and on the business structure.
Financial Feasibility
Startup costs are estimated at $1.24 million: $610,000 for building improvements including lighting, heating and ventilation and restrooms; $280,000 for court surfaces, nets and fencing; $95,000 for the lounge, lockers and front desk; $55,000 for the pro shop inventory and systems; $75,000 for permits, design and professional fees; and $125,000 as an operating reserve. Monthly operating costs are projected at $61,500, including rent of $28,500 after the first year, payroll of $19,000, utilities of $6,200, payments of $4,800 on the share of the build-out financed with debt, and other costs of $3,000.
Revenue would come from memberships at $89 a month, court rentals, leagues, clinics and the pro shop. If rentals, programs and retail bring in about $18,000 a month, as the open-play test suggests, memberships must cover the remaining $43,500. At $89 each, that requires about 489 members. The 138 deposits and 461 waitlist names are encouraging but not enough on their own, and the club would need to reach about 500 members within its first year to stop drawing on reserves.
Risks Beyond the Numbers
Some risks do not appear in a budget. Indoor sports facilities depend on word of mouth, and a club that feels unwelcoming to beginners could lose the newer players who make up much of the sport's growth. Noise and parking could create friction with the neighboring tenants in the shopping center. The founders also need a plan for the slow months: summer evenings, when outdoor courts are full and free, could empty the club unless leagues and air-conditioned play give members a reason to stay inside. Each of these concerns shaped the conditions in the conclusion.
Testing the Assumptions
McGrath and MacMillan (1995) argued that plans for new ventures are built on assumptions disguised as facts and that founders should list those assumptions, test the riskiest first and commit money only as each one holds up. The table lists the five that matter most here.
| Assumption | How it will be tested | Result that would stop the project |
|---|---|---|
| 500 members within twelve months | Convert deposits; presell 250 founding memberships | Fewer than 200 paid memberships before construction |
| $18,000 a month from rentals, programs and retail | Track the church gym sessions for two more months | Average below $12,000 equivalent |
| Build-out at $1.24 million | Contractor bids on the actual building | Bids above $1.45 million |
| Members stay through summer | Ask founding members to commit to twelve months | Fewer than half agree |
| Rent rises to $28,500 in year two | Negotiate a three-year step lease | Owner refuses any cap |
Conclusion
The venture appears feasible on three of four dimensions. Players want the product, the local market shows real interest backed by deposits, and the founders can assemble a capable team. Financial feasibility depends on reaching about 500 members, a figure the evidence supports but does not yet prove. The recommendation is to proceed to a business plan only if the club presells at least 200 memberships, receives a build-out bid under $1.45 million and secures a lease with capped increases. Meeting those conditions would turn the largest assumptions into facts before the founders commit their savings.
References
Barringer, B. R., & Ireland, R. D. (2019). Entrepreneurship: Successfully launching new ventures (6th ed.). Pearson.
McGrath, R. G., & MacMillan, I. C. (1995). Discovery-driven planning. Harvard Business Review, 73(4), 44-54.
Sports & Fitness Industry Association. (2025). SFIA's topline participation report shows 247.1 million Americans were active in 2024. https://sfia.org/resources/sfias-topline-participation-report-shows-247-1-million-americans-were-active-in-2024/
Reading the BUS 484 Module 3 assignment instructions
Aspen describes BUS 484 as a course about how ventures begin and why some succeed, and feasibility analysis is where a promising idea meets numbers. The Module 3 instructions in your classroom set the required parts; this example assumes a full feasibility study of one venture. Describe the concept clearly enough that a reader could picture it. Test whether customers want the product, preferably with evidence of action such as deposits or sign-ups. Analyze the industry and local market with cited data. Examine whether the founding team has the skills to run the business and where it needs help. Build a simple financial picture with startup costs, monthly costs and the revenue needed to cover them. List the assumptions that most affect the result. Conclude with a decision and the conditions attached to it.
How the BUS 484 Module 3 example is put together
The concept section describes Rachel and Ben Kowalski's plan for ten courts, a pro shop and a lounge in an empty big-box store. Product feasibility rests on a two-weekend open-play test that drew 312 visitors and filled 84% of booked court hours. The market section reports SFIA's 19.8 million participants and pairs it with 461 local waitlist sign-ups, 138 with deposits. Organizational feasibility looks at the founders' backgrounds and the hires they need. The financial section totals a $1.24 million build-out and $61,500 in monthly operating costs and works out the members required at $89 a month. A table drawn from McGrath and MacMillan's discovery-driven planning lists five assumptions, how each will be tested and what result would stop the project. The conclusion approves moving ahead only if three conditions are met.
Where the marks sit in the BUS 484 Module 3 rubric
Marks for a feasibility analysis usually follow four things: coverage of each required area, the quality of evidence, the soundness of the financial reasoning and whether the conclusion matches the findings. This example gives each of the four areas its own section and supports claims with both national data and local tests. The financial section shows its arithmetic in sentences, so a reader can follow how the membership target was reached. References include Barringer and Ireland's text on launching ventures, McGrath and MacMillan's Harvard Business Review article on planning under uncertainty and the SFIA participation report, all cited where they are used. Credit for analysis comes from naming what could go wrong, such as slowing national growth and outdoor courts built by the city, and attaching a test to each. The conditional decision shows judgment rather than optimism.
BUS 484 Module 3 help from the desk
The most frequent weakness in feasibility papers is a financial section that states a revenue goal without showing where it comes from. Work from prices and customer counts, and write down every assumption. Another is relying on national trends alone; a sport can grow nationally while a particular town already has enough courts. Look for local evidence, ideally something customers did, such as booking time or paying a deposit, rather than what they said in a survey. Do not skip organizational feasibility, since instructors notice when a paper ignores who will actually run the business. Keep the scope of the study narrow enough to finish well. Finally, a feasibility study can end with a no or a not yet; a well-reasoned decision to wait often earns more credit than an unsupported yes.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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BUS 484 Module 3 questions, answered
What does BUS 484 Module 3 usually ask for?
Aspen's BUS 484 covers feasibility analysis at this point, so a paper that tests one venture's product, market, organization and finances and reaches a decision is typical. Check the classroom prompt for required sections.
What are the four parts of a feasibility analysis?
Product or service feasibility, industry and target market feasibility, organizational feasibility and financial feasibility, each asking whether that part of the venture can work.
How do I show demand in a feasibility study?
Use evidence of action where you can, such as deposits, preorders, booked appointments or waitlist sign-ups, alongside cited industry data and a description of local competitors.
Where can I find a free BUS 484 Module 3 sample paper?
Read the whole analysis above: an indoor pickleball club in a former store, tested with an open-play weekend and a waitlist, with a budget, a membership target and a table of assumptions.
What is discovery-driven planning?
An approach from McGrath and MacMillan in which a new venture lists the assumptions its plan depends on and tests the riskiest ones before committing large sums.