Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends (Assignment 6A)

Opportunity 1 (econ trend): App to help young people find one time jobs

• I found this opportunity by looking on ww.thebalance.com at US economic trends. The article spoke about how baby boomers are not retiring, and keeping jobs from younger people. I believe that there is an opportunity to create an app to help young people get quick, one time jobs because there are less full time positions available. I believe that younger people of ages 18-30 would most likely be my customers because these are the people who do not have full time jobs due to the baby boomers. I believe that  the opportunity is not very easy to exploit because I would have to find thousands of one time jobs that people are posting about. Also, if these jobs are being posted, then people are most likely snatching them up right away, leaving my app to be useless.
• I saw this opportunity because as a young adult, I know what it feels like to want to make money, but finding a real good job is hard. I thought of this opportunity because I have always wanted to do quick one time jobs that will make me a few bucks here and there. I figured if people could not get full time jobs, then at least they could go on an app and make a few quick dollars by doing some jobs.

Opportunity 2 (econ trend): Service to inform people on how to protect themselves in case of a financial crisis

• I found this opportunity by looking on ww.thebalance.com at US economic trends. The article spoke about how the US economy is currently in an expansion phase of the business cycle. This information leads me to form the belief that an opportunity exists because I know that what goes up must come down. Since the economy has been on the rise for the last couple of years, so a drop is inevitable. I think the customer  to target is a younger person, around the ages of 18-34. These people will be people that haven't been financially independent yet or haven't experienced a financial depression yet. I believe this opportunity is fairly difficult to exploit because people do not like to prepare in advance. People think that since the economy is good, they do not need a service to tell them what to do when it goes bad.
• I saw this opportunity because my dad would always tell me about the recession that occurred a decade ago and what it did to so many people. That is why when I read this article, I realized that creating a service that would coach people how to prepare for a recession would be a good idea.

Opportunity 3 (regulatory): Legal Marijuana Dispensary in California

• I found this opportunity by looking on www.benzinga.com at an article that talked about changes to California's marijuana laws. The article talked about how California passed a law that makes it easier for entrepreneurs to obtain a marijuana license. This leads me to believe that there is an opportunity here because the legal marijuana scene is very large in states like California and Colorado. I also know that it brings in a large amount of money every year. My target customer would be people over the age of 21 in California. This is because you have to be 21 or older to enjoy legal marijuana and I believe that people of all ages use it. But, I would target people ages 18-34 specifically because I believe that they use marijuana more frequently than older people.
• I saw this opportunity because I have been following marijuana stocks for a couple of years now and I have seen then grow exponentially over time. This showed me that marijuana is starting to be seen as a valuable commodity in its legal environment. Ive also seen how much money the marijuana industry is worth and that is why I realized that this law passing was a good opportunity to open a dispensary. 

Opportunity 4 (regulatory): Gun Laws Passed in Florida

• I found this opportunity by reading an article that went through the new Florida gun law that was passed in 2018 after the Douglas shooting. This article was read at www.thenytimes.com. One part of the law addressed the fact that school employees are to be armed. This gave me  the idea to start a business that specialized in training school employees on how and when to use a gun. I think this opportunity exists because more people are going to be armed all around Florida, and these school employees need to know how to use the guns that they are given. The target customer for this service is older people, ages 30-65. This is because these are the people that typically are on school district boards that would hire my company to instruct people on gun use.
• I saw this opportunity because I grew up in South Florida, and my school was only 20 minutes away for Marjory Stoneman Douglas on the day that it went under attack. It really hit my community hard, and reading this article made me realize that training school employees on how to use guns can potentially save many lives in the future.

Identifying Local Opportunities (Assignment 5A)

 1. "Schools struggle with safety policy" By: Scott Travis

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASFLB%21Sun%2BSentinel%2B%2528Fort%2BLauderdale%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0123%21January%2B23&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/171213D81210AA10
• This article is about a new safety measure that is supposed to be put in effect in all Broward County Schools. This new safety measure is to be put in place due to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting that occurred roughly a year ago. This new safety measure is to mark out what are now being called "hard corners." These "hard corners" are areas within classrooms that are completely out of sight from all windows and doors. This area is supposed to be marked so that students and teachers can remain completely out of site in the event of a school shooting. This safety measure was to be implemented all throughout the school district, but the district could not spend the money on safety experts to find these places in every classroom. The district officials then turned to the school principles and wanted them to go and find these spots in classrooms. These principles did not want to be the ones in charge of this because they are not safety experts. These principles did not want to be the cause of more students not being saved in a potentially tragic event. 
• The problem in this article is that the "hard corners" that are supposed to be place in every Broward County School will most likely not be able to fit a whole classroom of students in it. Also, a lot of classrooms physically do not have an area that is completely out of sight from a window or door. Lastly, the school district does not even have employees to go out and mark all of these "hard corners" in every classroom. 
• There are many people that have this problem. The district has this problem because they cant find workers to implement these "hard corners." The teachers and students also have his problem because there are not always spaces or enough space that is completely hidden from danger. Lastly, the parents have this problem as well because their children may not be protected from a potentially lethal situation like a school shooting or robbery.

2.  "City to push for homeless center" By: Brittany Wallman

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASFLB%21Sun%2BSentinel%2B%2528Fort%2BLauderdale%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0122%21January%2B22&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1711BCD91C7775D8
• This article is about the homeless problem in Fort. Lauderdale, Florida. Currently, Broward County has programs that help formerly homeless people get apartments and homes, but does not help them get bus passes and food. The city is trying to get a homeless day center to help formerly homeless people more assistance. The local Salvation Army expanded is site to allow for more people to stay overnight. There was going to be a day center near town hall, but it is not going to be used, and the building there is going to be demolished. The homeless population is decently large and the city wants to find more ways to help them get off the streets. 
• The problem in this article is that there is no daily homeless center where homeless or previously homeless people can go to receive help with daily needs like bus passes and food. For example, a previously homeless man said he received more help when he was on a homeless camp, rather than once he got an apartment through the city.  
• The homeless people in Broward county have this problem. These homeless people do not have a center where they can go to receive daily items like transportation passes and food. They need a center like this because they cannot afford anything.

3.  "Delray Beach could ban plastic straws" By: Lois K. Solomon

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASFLB%21Sun%2BSentinel%2B%2528Fort%2BLauderdale%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0118%21January%2B18&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17108A173ABCC610
• This article is about a new ban that is going to happen in Delray Beach, Florida.  The new ban is the first of its kind in Palm Beach County, and just got initially approved. It is set to have its final vote in the coming months. This ban would not allow restaurant owners in Delray Beach to use plastic straws. On the other hand, restaurants will be able to use biodegradable straws and reusable ones as well. This ban has come about due to the large number of plastic  straws ending up in the streets and in the ocean. These straws are wasteful and can cause harm to animals because they are so small. These straws are to small and lightweight to be recycled, making them a waste of plastic. 
• The problem in this article is that non reusable plastic straws are becoming an issue with pollution and waste. These straws are ending up in the ocean and killing wildlife. 
• The city council of Delray Beach has this problem because the straws from restaurants and homes are ending up in public streets and areas. These straws are also too small and light to be recycled, and end up getting blown out of trash cans and recycle bins. Also the residents of Delray Beach have this problem because plastic straws are polluting the streets and oceans that they use day in and day out.

4. "Food bank seeks donations for furloughed workers" By: Susannah Bryan

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASFLB%21Sun%2BSentinel%2B%2528Fort%2BLauderdale%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0118%21January%2B18&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17108A180708C030
• This article is about providing food and other necessities to government workers that are not receiving payment at the moment. Due to the government shutdown, South Florida TSA workers are not receiving their payment. These employees are running out of money to pay for things like food and toiletries. In response, Feeding South Florida has vowed to make hot meals for these employees. Their goal is to make hot meals for employees for three to five days. They are asking people to donate all of these supplies so they can begin to prepare meals for these workers. This charity is trying to provide meals to TSA members of the Miami, Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale Airports with meals and toiletries.
• The problem in this article is that TSA members of the major South Florida Airports are not getting paid due to the most recent government shutdown. Because of this, they cannot afford food or toiletries. Also, charities are trying to help them receive food, but do not have enough supplies to help all of the TSA employees.
• The TSA workers have this problem because they are not getting paid, and cannot afford simple and necessary items like food and toilet paper. Also, the charities have this problem because they cannot get enough supplies to make meals for all of the employees. 

5. "Retirees with 'boomerang kids' face tough decisions" By: Ellen James Martin

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASFLB%21Sun%2BSentinel%2B%2528Fort%2BLauderdale%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0118%21January%2B18&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17108A188236F888
• This article is about how millennials are not moving out of their parents home. After college, the children are moving back into their parents homes to save on living expenses. Also more and more children are stay at home because the average time to become an "adult" is now longer. College is longer and more expensive now than it ever has been. This is creating an issue with the parents of these children. Once the parents want to retire, the children are draining them of the money that they have saved up. Overall, this article focuses on ways that the parents can get their children to move out or to support themselves as adults. 
• The problem in this article is that the children of these retirees are staying at their parents homes into adulthood, and draining their parents of their retirement money. The parents need to find ways to get their children out so they can live a stress free retired life. 
• The parents have this problem because they are running out of money to support themselves through retirement, because their children are still living in their homes for free. The children also have this problem because they are freeloading off of their parents. If their parents want them to move out, they are going to have to find a way to support themselves. 

Forming an Opportunity Belief (Assignment 4A)

1. Beginning Point: I have a belief that an opportunity exists with expanding Chipotle's to have drive-throughs.

2. Belief Description: The unmet need is to have less wait times, and more convenience when dining at Chipotle. The need originated when Chipotle started to become very popular, and began to appeal to the masses. The need has arose fairly recently, with Chipotle becoming a household name. People are not really doing much to meet this need now. The best thing that people can do currently is to order their food over the phone, and then come in and pick it up. This method avoids the long store lines, but is still very time intensive. Overall, I am 85% sure that this opportunity exists.

3. Prototypical Customer: I believe that the prototypical customer is men and women around the ages of 16-50. More specifically people that have busy schedules whether it be due to school or work.

Interview 1: 
3. Prototypical customer: Female age 18 (my girlfriend):
4. What is the exact nature of the need? To widen the potential customer base, and to increase overall business.

When did you become aware of the need? I am aware of the need all the time. Chipotle is always extremely busy, and this sometimes turns me away from eating there. 

How long have you had the need? As long as I have had the freedom to commute on my own, and have the ability to choose where I would like to eat. (3 years)

When did you first become aware of the need? Why? When I turned 16. (When I received my license.) Because it would take over 20 minutes to order my food.

How are you currently addressing your need? I am currently addressing my need by ordering Chipotle through their website and going into the store where I can bypass the line, and pick up my order from the cashier. 

How satisfied are you with this solution? Although ordering Chipotle online allows me to bypass the extensive in store lines, I still experience the disadvantage of having to get out of my car, go inside Chipotle, and get an employee's attention to go find my bag with my order; therefore, I am not very satisfied with my solution.

Interview 2: 
3. Prototypical customer: Female age 49 (my mother):
4. What is the exact nature of the need? To reduce wait times at Chipotle.

When did you become aware of the need? I am aware of the need sometimes. Chipotle is usually extremely busy, typically around 12-2 PM and 5-7 PM. 

How long have you had the need? I have had the need for quite a while now, ever since Chipotle got really popular about 4-5 years ago. 

When did you first become aware of the need? Why? When I began to go to Chipotle a couple times a week for lunch. Because it would take over 20 minutes to order my food.

How are you currently addressing your need? I am currently addressing my need by just waiting in the line or not going at all. With my busy schedule I can only go during the very busy lunch time. 

How satisfied are you with this solution? I am not very satisfied with this solution. I do not really have a solution at all, I just avoid Chipotle all together sometimes. 

Interview 3: 
3. Prototypical customer: Male age 19 (my roommate):
4. What is the exact nature of the need? To reduce the time it takes to get food at Chipotle.

When did you become aware of the need? I am aware of the need all the time. Chipotle always has a line out the door, and this sometimes stops me from eating there. 

How long have you had the need? As long as I have had the freedom to commute on my own, and have the ability to choose where I would like to eat. (3 years)

When did you first become aware of the need? Why? When I turned 16, because it would take a very long time to order my food.

How are you currently addressing your need? I am currently addressing my need by ordering Chipotle through their app and going into the store where I can skip the line, and directly pick up my completed order.

How satisfied are you with this solution? Although ordering Chipotle on my phone allows me to skip the long in-store lines, I still experience the disadvantage of having to take the time to go inside Chipotle and get my order from the cashier. 

5. Reflection: I learned that most people typically have the same view of Chipotle, and its extremely lengthy lines. I was most surprised that some people just avoid Chipotle all together because they do not want to deal with the long lines. 

7. Summarize: All of my original opportunity is still there. I believe that my new opportunity is about the same level of accuracy as when I first started. Overall, I still believe that there is a need to reduce wait times at Chipotle with drive-throughs. All of the people I interviewed also agreed with my beliefs and statements. Lastly, I believe entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback. The customers are the ones who use the opportunities and drive results, so I believe that their opinions are among the most important out there.

Entrepreneurship Story (Assignment 3A)

My Entrepreneurial Story

    I have recently been exposed to an entrepreneurial venture within my life. I had heard of a business model by the name of Dropshipping through a friend that successfully started his own venture. Dropshipping is a form of e-commerce that involves selling products on websites like Shopify.com. Dropshipping is unique because it is a no inventory business. The seller makes sales through his or her website, and then orders the products from a supplier in China. The supplier then ships the products directly to the customer. Most of the time, the website owner never even see's the products that he or she sells.

    After a couple weeks of studying the business model, I decided that I was going to give Dropshipping a shot. The good thing about Dropshipping is that it is a low risk business. The overhead costs can be very low as long as you know what you are doing. The main source of risk is in the marketing side. Dropshipping is centered around running Facebook and Instagram advertisements, and trying to get purchases through impulse buys as users are scrolling through their feeds.

    I began to delve into the world of Dropshipping and began to create my site. There are some startup costs that include a Shopify subscription, purchasing a URL, and buying a logo. I then began to sink money into ads once I found my product. I tried and tried to tweak my ads to no avail. I could not get a sale.

   Not getting sales was very discouraging, but I did not want to give up just yet. I decided to take a risk, switch up my product, and spend even more money on ads. In the end my new product has been successful and grossed me a little over $1000 in revenue in a little over one week. While there is a learning curve to this business I decided to take on the challenge and risk a little bit of money for the potential reward.

Part 2: I decided to enroll in ENT3003 because I have always been fascinated by business and the process of building a profitable company. Even as a young kid I have always been discovering and trying out different ways to make money. I hope to learn the specifics of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. I have always wanted to learn the real business vocabulary associated with starting a business. Overall, I hope to learn more about the history of entrepreneurs and what it takes to become a successful one.

Bug List (Assignment 2A)

Bug List:

1. In the late afternoon, Southwest gym becomes over-crowded and I can''t use all the machines and weights I want to.
- This big arises because there are only two gyms on campus, and at this time most people are out of class. Therefore, the gym becomes extremely busy and machines get taken.

2. There are no healthy food options to order in late at night.
- This happens because healthier options are typically not fast food, and only fast food places stay open late.

3. Almost all of my schedule is 100% online, and not traditional, in person lectures.
- This occurs because UF wants to cut costs, and because the school is overpopulated. Also, most business school classes are online to some extent, so that is why my schedules in particular are mostly online.

4. The washers and dryers are almost always taken on the third floor of Infinity Hall.
- This happens because there are only three sets of washers and dryers, but over 80 kids that live on the third floor of Infinity Hall.

5. When I try to lose some weight, it bugs me that these healthier food options are more expensive.
- This arises because healthier foods are often more natural and not processed. They are also usually organic which takes more time and effort to produce, causing its price to increase.

6. Gas prices are too expensive, and cost me a lot of money.
- This occurs because I live in a more affluent area of South Florida with many people, driving the price of gas up more than other areas.

7. My car does not get good gas mileage, costing me a lot of money each week in gas.
- This happens to me because my car is modified to be more powerful. These modifications lowered the fuel efficiency of my car, causing me to spend more time and money at the gas pump.

8. The line at Chipotle on University is always out the door, no matter what time of day it is.
- This happens because Chipotle is cheap, good, and very near campus. The low cost appeals to students, so many of them come to Chipotle to eat, causing the line to always be out the door.

9. The food at the Broward Dining Hall is not healthy and full of grease.
- This happens because the dining hall uses cheaper foods that are very processed and highly preserved, so the food is not healthy.

10. I can't sleep sometimes because I can hear everything through the walls of Infinity Hall.
-  This happens because UF probably had a smaller budget and wanted to fit as many kids in the dorm as they could, so the walls are very thin and sound travels through them.

11. It takes too long to cook food in the common area at Infinity Hall.
- This happens because Infinity does not have a true stove, only a hot plate. The hot plate cannot get hot enough to cook proteins like chicken and steak quickly.

12. When I go to pick up a family member or friend at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, there is always so much traffic at the  arrival car line.
- Fort Lauderdale Airport is a large international airport that has hundreds of flights going in and out of it daily, so there are always a lot of people there to pick up loved ones.

13. The drive through line at Chick Fil A on Hillsboro Road in Deerfield Beach, Florida is always tens of cars long.
- A lot of people consider Chick Fil A to be one of the best fast food places in the country, and there are only two windows at the drive-through. This combination of a lot of people and only two windows causes the line to be very lengthy.

14. It really bugs me when people chew loudly.
- This must occur when people were not taught great manners, or they just are not aware of how loud they are when they chew.

15. There are very limited parking spots around campus for cars.
- This occurs because there are too many students with cars at UF, and not enough space allotted for parking around campus.

16. People never let me change lanes or enter a lane while driving.
- This may happen because everyone believes that they need to be somewhere, when in reality, allowing one person to change lanes in front of them has a very minor impact on arrival times.

17. The line to get a sub at Publix on 13th and University is always takes so long.
- This occurs because Publix subs are popular and cheap, so a lot of students want them. Also, there is usually only one to two workers at the deli making the subs so it takes a long time to get one made.

18. Whenever it is time for me to get a new Iphone, the exact one I want is never in stock.
- This occurs because Apple is one of the most popular brands in the world, and whenever they release a new phone, a lot of people get their new ones very quickly. This leaves me with very limited options, and the exact variant that I want is usually not in stock.

19. The checkout lines at Walmart are always so long, and the self checkout machines never work right.
- This occurs because Walmart is one of the cheapest grocery/department stores in the country. This attracts many people and there are only a few checkout lines open at a time. This creates the long checkout lines that we are all so used to.

20. The Boca Town Center Mall parking lot is always so full around the holiday times.
- This occurs because everyone in Boca Raton is shopping for Christmas gifts for their loved ones. The mall is one of the most popular places in town to go shop, so all the parking spaces get taken up due to the influx of people coming to shop for gifts.

Reflection: I found this assignment to be a little difficult towards the end. At first, all of the little things that annoy me in life were very easy to identify, but towards the last 6 or 7 I began struggling to think of things to write about. I found it difficult to write things that were not to similar to other bugs. I also found this assignment to be mildly difficult because there are so many things in the world that bug me, so it was hard to pick 20 that really annoy me throughout my everyday life.

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