5A Identifying Local Opportunities

Opportunity 1: Increase awareness about the disease in trying to stop the spreading of it.
'UN agency declares global emergency over virus from China'
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20200130/un-agency-declares-global-emergency-over-virus-from-china

• The disease that originally started spreading in China, is starting to spread to other regions on a smaller scale. There have been 170 deaths recorded from the virus so far and it's spread to countries like Germany, Japan, and Vietnam. The problem is that everyone needs to be aware of this virus in an effort to try and stop the spreading of the sickness. People who have this problem can be from all around the world since we don't know at what pace this virus is spreading at. 

Opportunity 2: Improve living conditions for state workers. 

'Florida Senate President Bill Galvano pledges ‘meaningful’ pay raise for state workers'

https://www.gainesville.com/news/20200129/florida-senate-president-bill-galvano-pledges-meaningful-pay-raise-for-state-workers

• Senate President Bill Galvano wants to increase the pay of state workers all across the board. State workers have made significantly less than what they've made in the last decade. The problem is that some of these workers are over worked and underpaid. They are able to support their families but don't have much purchasing power outside of that. The people who have this problem would be the state workers of course. 

Opportunity 3: Raise awareness about the things not to do as a daycare employee and opportunity for other candidates. 

'Florida mom claims daycare staff wrote on her son’s tummy to remind her to bring more diapers'

https://www.gainesville.com/news/20200129/florida-mom-claims-daycare-staff-wrote-on-her-sons-tummy-to-remind-her-to-bring-more-diapers

• A daycare employee with the Children’s Education Center of the Islands on Sanibel Island wrote 'Mom I'm out of diapers' on the stomach of a toddler. The mom was very angered by this so she immediately called the daycare center and expressed her frustration. The daycare employee who did this was then fired on the spot after director of CECI heard about it. The problem is that some families may not feel safe sending their young children to daycares while they're away at work since they don't really have a sense of whats happening with them. The people who have this problem are the ones who keep their children in daycares or anyone that's expecting a child soon. 

Opportunity 4: Chance at a more fair election representing what the people want and threat awareness. 

'Lessons learned from 2016, but US faces new election threats'

https://www.gainesville.com/news/20200126/lessons-learned-from-2016-but-us-faces-new-election-threats

• In the 2016 Presidential election, Russia obstructed with the votes in a big way. In the upcoming election, U.S intelligence chiefs want to ensure citizens that preventing interference from outside countries is their top priority. The problem is that sometimes the U.S. is seen as vulnerable by other nations which is why they are making a conscious effort to eliminate this vulnerability. This is a problem for the whole nation in a sense since all their information can be put at risk. 

Opportunity 5: Raise awareness about an endangered species to potentially prevent extinction.
Right whales spotted off Florida coast
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20200129/right-whales-spotted-off-florida-coast

• North Atlantic right whales are highly endangered with only about 400 of them left. Human intervention is a large reason for this and that has discouraged the birth of these whales, hence resulting in endangerment. The problem is that people don't value ocean life as much as they should. This is a problem for marine sea biologists or just anybody who's a fan of this unique animal. I say unique because right whales can grow up to 52 feet long and weigh up to 70 tons. 

4A Forming An Opportunity Belief

1.) Beginning Point

• I believe that an opportunity exists in helping people safely receiving packages that they've ordered to their home. By packages, I mean anything that's ordered from an online site that will eventually ship to their front door. 

2.) My Belief

• The unmet need here is that often times, packages ordered from online intended to be shipped to someones front door are stolen, misplaced, or delivered but never actually delivered. Whether it's UPS or Fedex, those employees have to make a certain amount of drop-offs by a specific time so its safe to say that they are on a time crunch. This need implies to anybody who shops online and then expects their items to be delivered to them. This need has always existed, it's just becoming more prevalent in the society we live in today. Many people rather shop online than traditionally shopping in a store which has lead to significantly more packages being sent out. To meet this need now, people are going out of their way to ensure that they are home when the expected package arrives in order to immediately bring it into the house. At this point, I would say that I'm 85% sure that this opportunity exists. 

3.) The Prototypical Customer 

• In this scenario, the prototypical customer would be somebody who does a majority of their shopping online and has their items delivered to their home.  

4.) Interviews
        Person 1: 25 year-old frequent online shopper  

• I started off the interview by asking the person 'When it comes to delivering items ordered online, what comes to mind'? This person said they try to be aware as possible by constantly tracking their packages but sometimes it's tough to be home when items are delivered. They then went on to describe the worries they often have when an item says 'delivered' but they aren't home to confirm it. When I asked about the nature of the need they responded by saying it relates to consumer awareness and environment. They started becoming aware of this need when one of their packages was actually stolen and in order to receive a refund they had to go through a whole process which consisted of many phone calls to the company. The person stated that this incident happened roughly 2 years ago. Going through all those additional tasks, they stated to experience that need at all times. To ensure proper delivery, this person intentionally stays home when the package is expected to arrive but they said that they feel like it's an inconvenience and waste of time showing that they weren't really satisfied with the solution. 

        Person 2: 48 year-old frequent online shopper

• I started off this interview the same way as the prior one by asking the question 'When it comes to delivering items ordered online, what comes to mind'? This person instantly sighed and mentioned that 2 weeks ago, one of their expected packages never showed up to their home even though the online tracking status prompted it as delivered. When asked about the nature of the need they said it comes down to staying aware and not being naive. This person experiences the need most of the time since a majority of their shopping is done through the internet. When asked how long they've had this need, this person responded by saying 'for a while now'. That person then went on to speak about how the online tracking feature can be misleading and inaccurate. They came aware of this need a couple months after they started shopping online. When asked how they're coping with the need, they replied by saying that they now place a note on the door that says 'please knock when package is delivered' but even then, some delivery drivers don't grant the request. That goes to show that they aren't happy with the current solution. 

         Person 3: 29 year-old frequent online shopper 

• Once again, I started off this interview by asking the same question I did in the last two. 'When it comes to delivering items ordered online, what comes to mind'? Their response was the packages often arrive off schedule but everything else is pretty reliable for the most part. When they were describing the nature of the need, the person spoke about how demanding the job of a delivery driver is. Although they've never lost a package in delivery, they mentioned that they knew people who did. This person's significant other is a stay-at-home parent so that ensures that someone is always home whenever a package is delivered. The person is satisfied with that solution since they haven't had a missing package yet. 

5.) Reflection 

• After conducting the interviews, I learned that my opportunity definitely has some potential based on the experiences of others. I believe, a larger sample of people is needed to determine whether this problem is relevant to the majority. The most surprising thing I learned is that missing packages really frustrates people just like it frustrates me! These people expressed the level of inconvenience they had to go through which was something I was also able to relate to as well. 

7.) Summary

• In summary, I believe a good portion of my opportunity is still there since I was able to speak with people who experience this need. The next thing I should focus on would be my target audience because demographics can definitely play a part in this need. For example, if someone lives in a gated community, the chances of their package being stolen is probably slimmer than for someone who lives in an apartment complex with no central security. Thus, I do believe that my new opportunity is more accurate than when I started. When it comes to entrepreneurs adapting to the feedback of the customer, it's definitely important to take all those things into account and come up with a solution that reflects customers needs. At the end of the day, the customers are the ones who are going to buy the product or use the service so it's essential to be flexible.    

3A Entrepreneurship Story

A time in my life where I was exposed to entrepreneurship was in middle school. During the summer of my 7th grade year, I discovered the art of flipping shoes. In other words, buying and reselling shoes through a Facebook group named gotsole? I started doing research about different types of shoes mainly consisting of Jordan Retros and Nikes; then I came to discover that there was money to be made at the prices certain shoes were being sold at in the market. Members of the Facebook group would at times sell shoes for less than they were worth due to their current circumstances and thats where I would capitalize. I would pretty much buy shoes, make a post describing their conditions/flaws, and list the price I was looking for. After that, potential customers would contact me and either start negotiating or set up a time and place to meet up to complete the shoe transaction. I started becoming familiar with how negotiating worked which really helped my margins. I continued selling shoes throughout high school which made me really conscious about the value of the dollar. Since I was working hard for my money, I would spend it wisely and save up a lot of it. This was an experience that I will forever cherish since it exposed me with how the business world works while dealing with something that I really had the passion for.

I enrolled in this class because I've heard several great things about the course and professor. It also counts as one of my required electives so it seemed like a win-win situation. Aside from that, I've always had an interest in all the moving pieces associated with starting a business and I felt like this class would cover some of that. I hope to gain a better understanding of the mentality of an entrepreneur and the different processes that take place in starting a business.

The KD 6 Aunt Pearls (pictured above) was one of my favorite shoes that I owned.

2A Bug List

• During rush hour, the Forest Hill and Military intersection is very backed up and busy.
• This probably exists because there are several fast food restaurants and gas stations around that area, along with a middle school down the road.
• Receiving spam emails and calls from random numbers (scam likely).
• The people conducting these probably have a target number of people to reach out too. 
• When the new paper straws get soggy in my drink which in turn ruins the drink.
•  Paper straws are better for the environment than plastic straws. 
• The shower head at my new apartment continues to let out water even after it's turned off. 
• The shower head probably wasn't properly installed. 
• Trying to avoid pot holes and bumpy roads in general but especially in Gainesville!
• The city isn't aware of it or they don't care enough to fix it. 
• Some websites have ridiculous password requirements which in turn leads me to eventually forget my password if it isn't saved on my computer. 
• For security reasons and to make it tougher for someone else to log into your account. 
• When the person next to you on a plane uses both of the arm rests. 
• I'm not sure if they realize it or not but those arm rests are to be distributed evenly. 
• When someone gets on an elevator before letting everybody exit. 
• They want to ensure they have a spot on the elevator, just doesn't make much sense. 
• Cyclists on the road who don't abide by the bike lane and all are over the street causing drivers to use extra caution. 
• They want to feel like a vehicle. 
• When a plug is covering the outlet next to it. 
• Some plugs are built different in terms of shape and size. 
• When people open things up unconventionally or the wrong way. Some items have special ways to be opened up which compliments its function. 
• They don't have the patience to try and figure out how to correctly open it. 
• When someone suddenly turns into your lane then proceeds to go below the speed limit. 
• They are unaware of whats going on around them.
• I don't like when the bottom of the tooth brush starts to become brown, makes the toothbrush seem old. 
• This happens since the toothbrush is still wet once it's placed back.
• People that take up more than one space when they park. 
• Lack of awareness and parking skills. 
• When people use the express checkout but have well over the maximum amount of items. 
• They don't want to wait in the longer line.
• The fact that CVS has super long receipts even when a single item is bought. 
• They offer coupons on the receipt. 
• When the 'lift and peel' cover on milk or juices doesn't work the way it's designed to. 
• Maybe caused by the different temperatures of the substances. 
• When people drive below the speed limit on the left lane of the highway. 
• Unaware of their surroundings/laws. 
• When the person behind you immediately honks when the light turns green. 
• Person is very impatient and aware. 
• When a person stops on a yellow light or when someone doesn't turn right on a red light after stopping, where it's permitted. 
• Unaware of the laws, don't want to risk anything. 

Reflection 

I don't usually think about the things that bug me, I just go about my day so it was definitely a bit challenging to list 20 of them out. It can be difficult because sometimes there are super specific things that bother me which may not be prevalent to others. However, it wasn't that difficult to come up with them after envisioning a typical day in my mind. I walked myself through my day and just thought about the things that make me sigh or roll my eyes.

Lakers

Future NBA Champs.