9A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who:
I found that there were certain people that did fall outside the boundary of my opportunity. First, one of the people that I interviewed really enjoyed to cook for themselves. So although they were really busy and liked the idea of eating quick healthy meals, they would not use the service as often as some others would due to the fact that they really enjoyed cooking. Another person simply didn't care too much about eating healthy. They liked to eat a few healthy meals, but eating at unhealthy restaurants late at night did not seem to bother them.

What:
The need that I have identified does differ from other needs. I believe that some people would go there to eat healthy because that is the only food that they eat, and they would enjoy the quickness and convenience of it. However, others would go there and in return they would stop eating at unhealthy restaurants all of the time. I think that this opportunity can provide to a variety of needs.

Why:
There is a difference between the outsiders and the insiders needs. I found that those on the outside tended to have one of two views: They either really enjoyed cooking for themselves and liked healthy foods, or they simply didn't care about eating healthy. Those that are inside of the boundary were very busy and active and wanted to eat healthy. They had often eaten unhealthy in the past only for convenience.

Inside the Boundary:                                                      Outside the Boundary:
Who Is In: Students who are busy and                            Who Is In: Those who enjoy cooking          

want a healthy and fast food option.                                 for themselves or like eating unhealthy.

What The Need Is: Eating healthy and fast food            What The Need Is Not: Eating unhealthy 

options while they are too busy to make it on their          because they enjoy it or cooking on their 

own.                                                                                   own because they don't like eating out.

Why The Need Exists: As a student we are very            Alternative Explanations: Those that enjoy

busy and trying to find time to cook cheap healthy          cooking because they don't like going out to

meals is very difficult.                                                       eat could use the delivery option.

8A - Solving the Problem

I found an opportunity for students that have busy schedules and actives lives to be able to afford healthy and fast food options instead of the unhealthy options that we often go to because they are cheap and open late. My solution would be to create a drive-thru fast food restaurant close to campus that you can get quick and healthy meals at. The restaurant would be open late, until about 3 am or so, and would also have a delivery service. The restaurant would be open to everyone however they would offer a discount to students. I think this would be a good incentive to get students to eat healthy options at any time of the day. I would also have a constantly changing menu to insure that all different types of healthy foods were being incorporated and that students always wanted to go and didn't get tired of the foods that were being offered. The delivery service would be cheap and would also run until the restaurant closed.

7A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1. Today's college students tend to live a busy life, unable to make healthy eating choices because they simply don't have the time to make the food or the money to pay for it. They also tend to eat I believe an opportunity exists for fast healthy meals designed specifically for college students at a low cost that are open late.

2. Who: Active and busy college students
What: College students tend to eat unhealthy meals, especially late at night.
Why: Students tend to have a busy life and when they want to grab a quick meal especially late at night, the options that tend to be quick are often unhealthy.

3. Hypothesis Testing
Who: There are others who have this need. Students is often the first thing that comes to mind but families as well as young professionals may also run into this issue.
What: I believe that dinner is the most affected meal because it is often pushed back late and tends to be the largest meal of the day. I think that this issue can, however, affect all meals.
Why: I think every student is somehow affected by this issue in one way or another. I don't believe that everyone is affected by it, but students especially are. Even if it only affects them on certain days, or during certain meals, it still has an affect of the vast majority of college students.

4. Interviews
I conducted 5 interviews and I came to the conclusion that most people would benefit from being able to have healthier food options that are open later as well as potentially a cheaper option for students that would allow them to get healthy food delivered to their houses. What I realized after these interviews is that people have different needs but still the same opportunity exists. One girl wished that she could have meals delivered or healthier options open later because she goes to the gym late in the day. Another girl wished that she had the same options but because of work. I found it interesting that different things in people's lives could still cause the same opportunity for something.

5A - Identifying Local Opportunities

1. 
Title:
"Airlines Accused of Price Gouging Before Irma"
Link:
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/1670CBB3D1204318?p=WORLDNEWS
Description:
Airline companies have been accused of gouging prices for airline tickets flying out of areas that were affected by Hurricane Irma, knowing that people were going to buy tickets to leave no matter what. They have now set caps on flights for those areas that were affected by Hurricane Maria.
Problem:
People who are really in need and need to get out of a certain area may be unable to afford a plane ticket to do so. By putting a cap on airline tickets they allow for more people to be able to leave if they need to.
Who:
The population of those that are in a possible path of a hurricane are those that are affected by this.

2.
Title:
"Poor Planning and Communication Have Led To Havoc After Airport Shooting"
Link:
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/1664D2B49E60E2D0?p=WORLDNEWS
Description:
The police officers and airport security that helped in the aftermath of a mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport failed to communicate effectively and caused increased havoc after the shooting. They claimed that the terminal lacked proper evacuation and the airport claimed that a mass shooting event was not taken into account when determining means of egress for the terminal.
Problem:
Those that are stuck in a situation like need direct professional communication to ensure their safety and that nothing is miscommunicated. Those are the most important things in an event like that because people will go into survival mode and do not take into consideration their surroundings.
Who:
Those in the Fort Lauderdale airport the day of the mass shooting were directly affected by this event.

3.
Title:
"If Foreign Aid is Cut, Trump's Push Oust to Illegal Immigrants will Get Us More Illegal Immigrants"
Link:
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/163EB6BD144BCD00?p=WORLDNEWS
Description:
There is a controversy that the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration will actually encourage it more than it will stop it. This has to do with his foreign policy. They want to cut the state department's budget by 30%. The target is that the foreign aid programs would give migrants incentives to stay home.
Problem:
The efforts that are being put forth to put a stop or hold off illegal immigration might be having a negative effect on everyone involved.
Who:
The current illegal immigrants as well as those that are thinking about migrating are affected.

4.
Title:
"Orlando Entrepreneur Starts Up Virtual Currency Exchange"
Link:
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/166FE72EEDF993B8?p=WORLDNEWS
Description:
A new virtual currency was created. It is similar to Bitcoin and is becoming more popular by the day. It relies heavily on credibility so the uncertainity of the value of the money causes questions by those who consider using it.
Problem:
Virtual Currency Exchanges are easily hacked and can also become scam. Many people believe bitcoin is scam, and therefore it is hard to get good credibility for it.
Who:
Those who are interested in investing in a virtual currency exchange as well as those the owner and creator are affected by it.

5.
Title:
"Disney and other Theme Parks Could Loose Millions Due To Irma"
Link:
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/166F3CDFF05F4530?p=WORLDNEWS
Description:
Hurricane Irma caused Disney and other parks to close. Disney has only closed 6 times in its time being open. The aftermath of this is millions of dollars in loss to Disney as well as other parks such as Universal.
Problem:
Theme parks that don't have as high of an attendance, such as Sea World or Lego Land, will particularly struggle to get tourists back into visiting and take a larger financial hit than the bigger parks.
Who:
Those that work for the theme parks as well as those that were trying to visit during the hurricane are impacted.

4A - Forming an Opportunity Belief

1. Belief: There is a lack of adequate supplies (gas, food, water, etc.) in the case of a natural disaster such as a hurricane.

2. Who: Those that are under warning such as a hurricane warning are affected by this.
    Need: The need for food, gas, and water is high when there is a hurricane warning.
    What is being done to meet the need: Stores will try to overstock on necessary food items and water, however the demand is greater than they are able to supply.
    Where: This need takes place in areas where natural disaster warnings typically exist. For hurricanes, Florida is commonly affected in the United States.

3. The Prototypical Customer: The prototypical customer is someone who has concern during a hurricane warning. They will go out and overstock on food, gas, and water to be prepared in case of a power outage. Typically the stores and gas stations will run out of supplies days before the hurricane actually comes.

4.                                                                 Iteration #1:

What is the exact nature of the need?
"I believe that the nature of the need comes from the concern that the area that we are living in is going to run out of food and water after a natural disaster. I think people typically want to prepare for the worst."

When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes? 
"I only experience this need sometimes. It happens when there is a potential hurricane threat to the state of Florida."

How long have they had the need? 
"This need has existed since 2004 when I experienced 3 hurricanes in elementary school."

When did they first become aware of their need? Why? 
"I believe I first became aware of this need when I started college and was living on my own. I had to decide what kind of food I was going to buy and how much water should be necessary in case I had to live without power for an extended period of time."

How are they currently addressing their need? 
"Currently, I try to keep the essentials that are needed for a natural disaster already stocked in my apartment and keep a couple cases of water stocked so that I don't have to scramble and beat the crowds when a hurricane warning arises."

How satisfied are they with this solution?
"So far, I am pretty satisfied with this solution. With all of the hurricane threats that have been looked at by the state of Florida over this past hurricane season, it's nice to know that I may not have to leave my house and try to fight for food and water and the crowded grocery stores."

                                                                    Iteration #2:

What is the exact nature of the need?
"This need comes from those that worry heavily about the potential destruction of a hurricane to the state of Florida. People tend to over react or over prepare even when the potential threat is low."

When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes? 
"I become aware of the need about once a year at the start of hurricane season. Even if Florida isn't in direct threat of a hurricane, there are still people that will begin talking about it."

How long have they had the need? 
"This need has been there since I was born. However I wasn't aware of it since I was born."

When did they first become aware of their need? Why? 
"I became aware of it in elementary school when my parents were buying lots of water and food at the grocery store and were telling me that a "storm was coming and we had to be prepared".

How are they currently addressing their need? 
"I try to keep water stocked all of the time because it's typically the first thing to go when a hurricane warning comes into affect. I will go out and buy extra non-perishable food if I believe the hurricane is a real threat to where I will be staying."

How satisfied are they with this solution?
"I'm content with this solution. I think in the state of high emergency I would try to stock up on a little more water and definitely a lot of food in case the power went out for more than a week."

Iteration #3:

What is the exact nature of the need?
"The nature of the need is that we don't have enough supplies to supply adequate drinking water and food for everyone in the case of a natural disaster. People over react and go buy excessive amounts of water and food for themselves, living minimal for everyone else."

When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes? 
"I become aware of the need when I walk into the store to buy drinking water when a hurricane is a week away and the only water left on the shelf is the $20 fiji water."

How long have they had the need? 
"I have had this need a couple of times in the past few years as I have lived on my own in Gainesville. When I lived in Orlando, my parents typically took care of what we needed."

When did they first become aware of their need? Why? 
"I first became aware of the extent of this need when I went to get water for the tropical storm that was going to hit Gainesville last year and there was none left."

How are they currently addressing their need? 
"Currently I will go out and buy extra food and water the second I find out that there could possibly be a hurricane coming to Florida. I don't want to take any chances in waiting and have to deal with the different crowds of people."

How satisfied are they with this solution?
"I believe that this solution is adequate for getting what I need when a hurricane threatens Florida."

5. Reflection
What did you learn about your opportunity?
I learned that different people react to the same situation very differently. When a hurricane is approaching, some people go very early to get their supplies. Some people wait until the storm is only a day or two away, and have minimal options to choose from, and some people have plenty of supplies already stocked in their houses whether a hurricane or natural disaster is approaching or not.

What was the most surprising thing you learned about your opportunity?
The most surprising thing that I learned about this opportunity is that the opportunity could be non-existent if all people prepared ahead of time and had food and supplies already stocked. It would cause the grocery stores to not run out of water and supplies. As for gas stations, it is less likely that people stock up ahead of time on gas as it is used constantly.

6. Summarize
How much of your original opportunity is still there?
Almost all of my original opportunity remains. There is still a huge need for extra water and supplies during hurricane season. Having someone that delivers water and food to houses prior to a hurricane may also help people from "over-buying" and getting unnecessary things while shopping.
Do you believe that your new opportunity is more accurate than when you started?
Yes, I believe that my new opportunity is more accurate now than when I started. I think interviewing others allowed me to see different perspectives from individuals.
How much do you think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback?
I believe that it is very important for entrepreneurs to adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback. They must know what kind of product and needs that different customers wants and adapt their ideas to satisfy the largest portion of the population.

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