4A - Forming an Opportunity Belief

4A – Forming an Opportunity Belief

I believe there are lots of people in Gainesville that are looking to get into better shape for the future.

I think that people have an unmet need to change their bodies and get more confidence in themselves for the future. The typical person that has this need would be an middle aged person that may be obese or overweight. Other people may be college students attempting to make a change in their body and lifestyle. This need comes from personal reasons like health, social reasons like trying to impress others, and demographical change like the rise of obesity in America. Some, but not all, are attempting to make changes in their body but it may not be long lasting. I am 100% sure this opportunity exists.

The prototypical customer could be obese people or people that are unsatisfied with their bodies. They could range from college aged students to older men and women.

Questions:

What is the exact nature of their need? I want to feel lighter, healthier, and I want people to look at me better. I don’t want waste my life away.

When did you become aware of this need? When I looked down and I realized I couldn’t see parts of my body that I wanted to.

How long have you had this need? Since I came to college (Freshman forty-five)

How are you currently addressing this need? I am cutting back on my pizza consumption, only half a pizza per day. I switched from ice cream to frozen yogurt. And I am attempting to do 45 minutes of exercise per day.

Are you satisfied with the solution? Yes, I am satisfied currently, I am losing weight, but I can still eat some of the things I want.

I learned that people that are obese need to change their lifestyle for my opportunity to be successful.  My opportunity relies on people that may not want to dramatically alter their lifestyle. This could hurt the success of my opportunity.

My new prototypical customer would be determined and motivated to change their lifestyle or better their bodies. This could be college athletes trying to gain an edge over other athletes through rigorous training. 

What is the exact nature of your need? I want to be able to physically out compete others.

When did you become aware of this need? When others were physically beating me.

How long have you had this need? New recruits were brought in and I am on the bench now.

How are you addressing this need? Taking steroids

How satisfied are you with your solution? Not satisfied because I could get caught and banned.

I learned from this prototypical customer that college athletes are already dedicated to becoming more physically fit, and that they are willing to do anything (even steroids) to get an advantage. When other recruits or other players start dominating those on the field, the competitive nature of athletes will make them want to train with experienced professionals to better their body.

Summarize

My original opportunity is still there partially, but it doesn’t rely much on people that are getting obese in the first place. I believe that my new opportunity may not be more accurate than when I started because college athletes may go to other people to train, like coaches. I think that entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on overwhelming customer feedback. Every person is different and while their input is valuable, they may not fit your market. If you stay firm, you could eventually break through the market.

5A- Identifying local opportunities

1.

Shon Smith and Zully Rivera-Ramos: Stepping up for social justice in Gainesville
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/169AC9758CD3A548?p=WORLDNEWS

Gainesville is not immune to social issues. Just like the rest of the country there are issues that are a huge issue for citizens. One of these issues is racial inequalities. To try to help ease these tension, Gainesville is holding an event called “Social Justice Summit: For the Gator Good”.

The problem presented is that society is not as equal as we would like it to be. There are still underlying issues that are impacting people. These people being affected are typically minorities.

2.

Consumers Can Find Low-Cost Checking, Despite Bank of America Move
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/169AC9740047ABA8?p=WORLDNEWS

Bank of America dismantled their eBanking checking accounts. These accounts were used to avoid monthly fees on their accounts. There are other options like turning to credit unions and online banks.

Bank of America clients no longer have the ability to avoid monthly fees on their account by using eBanking. If this is a major issue for them, they maty have to switch where they bank.

3.

Would village of tiny houses work in Gainesville?
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/169AC974B9A11510?p=WORLDNEWS

Tiny homes have villages in places like Austin, Texas. These villages are low cost and low maintenance, with community volunteers living in these villages to keep order. Because they are such low cost, homeless people have started living in them. This article is analyzing the risks and benefits of the homes in Gainesville now that there are an increasingly large amount of homeless people.

The problem is that Gainesville is struggling to find places for homeless people to live. The homeless people affects Gainesville citizens and business owners because some may be intimidated by the homeless and not want to go out to public.

4.

4 suspended players rejoin UF program

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/169A751FEDED04E0?p=WORLDNEWS

Some players are returning from a suspension the team placed on them for doing the credit card fraud last season. The team is emphasizing higher standards for their players to ensure this doesn’t happen again. The remaining five players either transferred to other colleges or declared for the NFL draft. All the players are facing felony charges, while some are attempting to resolve some of the problems they face.

The problem is that the Gators football team has issues with their players conduct. This conduct issue impacts the universities revenue generation, and it impacts the fans’ game-experience because these players are impact players.

5

Local solar companies brace for tariff

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/169A751FB6883098?p=WORLDNEWS

Donald Trump is placing a tariff on solar panels to protect American jobs and American people. This tariff will impact Gainesville solar company owners and the whole industry will be shaken up. The tariff is a whopping thirty percent. People don’t think it will help jobs, it will only raise the price of the products being sold, thus slowing the industries growth. It can also impact the consumer’s cost of around five percent.

The problem is that this tariff will hurt consumers and business owners. Prices will rise for consumers slightly, and the growth of the industry will slow which can hurt business owners.

The people who are trying to be environmentally friendly are going to be hurt most by this tariff, whether it be the companies or the business owners. People who don’t care about the environment will not be impacted because they don’t buy solar panels anyway.

3A - Your Entrepreneurship Story

Your Entrepreneurship Story 3A

In the summer of 2014, I noticed that many people went on vacations and had left their homes alone. I realized that people may want some security by having someone look over their home. Furthermore, they would appreciate coming home to a nice, well kept lawn and pool and a happy pet. To fill this need in the market, I started and ran my own business called “Mitch’s Va-care”. I started off small and saw some growth, but not as much as I would’ve liked. It grew from helping homes in my neighborhood, to nearby homes in other neighborhoods, and eventually across town. I gained lots of skills, and worked hard, but I feel like I could’ve done much better with a more sophisticated plan.

I took this class to hone in on some of my entrepreneurial potential and further develop skills that will help me out later in life. I may not become an entrepreneur, but I want to have the skills and develop a mindset so that if I have options for doing things that I love later in life. 

Bug List 2A

Bug list

1. Every morning at 8:00 and afternoon during rush hour the East beltway 295 is jam packed with bumper to bumper traffic
   • Why does this exist
     1. There are not enough lanes on east beltway 295 for the amount of traffic. This is one of the only routes to move north and south in Jacksonville and is jamming too many people into two lanes

2. Apple iPhone extension products like headphones or chargers are so fragile and break/malfunction constantly
   • Why does this exist
     1. Apple either doesn’t use the highest quality materials when making chargers and headphones. May want customers to continually buy new headphones to make more money

3. My Phone charge doesn’t last the whole day and I am forced to constantly charge my phone
   • Why does this exist
     1. The battery in the iPhone wears down over time and loses its length that it keeps iphones alive

4. The internet around UF doesn’t always work, certain routers (around the dining halls, in my dorm kitchen) seem to be malfunctioning and forcing me to use data without me realizing
   • Why does this exist
     1. The system may be extremely complex and hard to manage, the routers may not be the best quality routers, too many people may be using the router at once

5. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH PARKING ON UF CAMPUS
   • Why does this exist
     1. There are not enough parking spots designated for people to drive on campus, high demand for spots, low availability

6. The dining hall phone app shows certain foods being served and in reality seems to always have something else
   • Why does this exist
     1. The apps are not being up to date by whoever runs them, poor management of the apps

7. It takes me too long to be able to use the weights in the student rec center during peak hours
   • Why does this exist
     1. The student rec center gym has more than half of the gym dedicated to treadmills and cardio equipment that are rarely used, while the other half is spread over all strength machines.

8. Apple iPhone forces me to set up apple pay, AND I DON’T WANT THAT
   • Why does this exist
     1. Apple wants people to use their new feature and doesn’t let you reject it. They keep bothering people with notifications that they cannot remove if they reject the new feature

9. Apple iPhone gives me irremovable notifications that I need to backup my iPhone, and then a secondary notification that my iPhone cannot be backed up because I don’t have enough iCloud space. What even is iCloud storage
   • Why does it exist
     1. Apple wants people to use their new feature and doesn’t let you reject it. They keep bothering people with notifications that they cannot remove if they reject the new feature

10. The dorm driers never fully dry my pants/jeans and I have to air dry them an extra day before folding them
    • Why does it exist
      1. The dorm driers do not have enough power or enough heating potential to fully dry my clothes

11. My brand new keyboard already has squeaky keys that cause a nuisance when playing and typing
    • Why does it exist
      1. The keys may be faulty because it is a cheaper keyboard, they may have a mechanical issue

12. The student health center takes an extraordinary time to see patients. Usually around a week wait to get in
    • Why does it exist
      1. They are not efficient at seeing patients in a timely manner

13. There is always a massive line for Business advising that makes It impossible to schedule an appointment
    • Why does it exist
      1. They are not efficient at seeing students in a timely manner, there are not enough advisers for the amount of students trying to get advising

14. It is nearly impossible to find an outlet in Marston Science Library during peak hours
    • Why does this exist
      1. Marston Science Library doesn’t have enough outlets at tables in the middle of the third floor, so people hug the walls where the outlets are

15. The apple iPhone keyboard characters are too small
    • Why does this exist
      1. Small screen means you have to cram the keyboard in a small window

16. The call of duty video game servers are extremely inconsistent and take a long time to respond to player input
    • Why does this exist
      1. There was not enough preparation of the servers, didn’t anticipate the amount of people trying to play the game (poor planning on their part)

17. Nearly impossible to tell how much gas is left in the lawnmower
    • Why does this exist
      1. There is no fuel gauge on the lawnmower, I have to look into a dark capsule and try to gauge it myself

18. My special mojo golf balls blend in to the environment and get lost
    • Why does it exist
      1. The golf balls are a color where if I miss the fairway I can’t find it

19. I want to be able to do a real time data analysis of players in game (like speed ran, place on field, time spent on ball moving or off ball moving), not have to wait until the game is over
    • Why does it exist
      1. Software hasn’t developed enough or services aren’t being provided for people that want this type of analysis during games

20. I can’t always tell who scores points in certain sports like basketball.
    • Why does it exist
      1. The names on the jerseys are small, and they don’t have a system where it shows the name when they score the points.

I found it difficult to come up with certain bugs after around number 16. I think that there are many reasons why there was some difficulty coming up with this bug list.

First off, it is human nature to come up with solutions to issues. Lots of these issues people come up with makeshift solutions that could be improved upon. Once humans come up with makeshift solutions, they may forget about these issues thinking that they are not issues anymore.

Also, as one changes and progresses through life, issues change as well. For example, one may have issues as a child, like not being able to reach the top shelf of the pantry because they are short. As they grow older, that issue is solved because they get taller. Different people have different issues.

As for the ‘why does it exist’ section, I think that people may not realize what specific issues are bothering them. Personally, an issue I deal with is that my low back hurts after sitting for a while. I never realized that my posture when I am sitting was causing that issue, I just knew that my back hurt. It may be hard to pinpoint the specific reasons of what is causing these issues.

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