I envision a major opportunity in regard to assisting the college students at the University of Florida find the best times to use the gyms. Therefore, students can figure out the times in which both UF gyms are least crowded on a daily basis. The who for this opportunity would be the UF college students who go to the gyms. The what for this opportunity would be that students are not able to workout effectively and efficiently because the gyms are quite crowded whenever they go. The why for this opportunity would be that there are an abundance of college students who use both gyms, hence students who dislike crowded gyms would need to be informed of the times in which the gyms are least crowded. I strongly believe that we can improve the overall lives of UF college students via providing them with the best possible times to workout. We can accomplish this by developing a mobile app which displays the daily times in which the gym is at a low percentage capacity wise. Therefore, more UF college students will be motivated to workout and would not be discouraged due to a crowded gym. Hence, their overall health and physical/mental condition will improve drastically because they will workout at the gym more frequently and consistently. This is an issue which impacts many college students, hence why a solution is highly necessary in order to assist these collegiate students at the University of Florida. Regarding the interview part, I proceeded to conduct a total of five interviews with friends of mine who attend the University of Florida. Essentially, every interviewee attends UF and goes to the gym, with three interviewees being males and two interviewees being females. In essence, the responses from all interviewees correlated and aligned rather seamlessly, as they collectively agreed that finding appropriate times to workout was a significant problem at UF. Moreover, all individuals stated that the gyms can become incredibly crowded, and can sometimes prevent them from wanting to workout on a daily basis. As a result, they become increasingly insecure about themselves, which ultimately causes them to become highly demotivated and discouraged from working out. Furthermore, all the interviewees concur that an app which displays the capacity at the gyms at different times of the day is necessary in order to rectify the problem at hand. There were three interviewees who firmly believed the app would improve the mental and physical health/well-being of all UF college students. The other two interviewees agreed that the app would be beneficial to a certain extent, but did not believe that it would solve all of the issues related to health and questioned the app's ability to provide reliable, consistent updates/coverage. In essence, I now possess full confidence to follow through with my idea in order to aid and improve the lives of all college students at the University of Florida.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Solving The Problem
Essentially, my selected opportunity involves the issue of helping college students discover the best times to use the gym on a daily basis. Due to the gyms being consistently crowded on certain times during the day, I would attempt to develop an app in which students can use to determine whenever the gyms are least crowded on day-to-day basis. My customers would primarily be college students and those interested in attending the gyms. My product, an app designed for smartphone devices, would require the students to install the application on their phones. Then, with the gyms being held responsible for updating the capacity percentage on a thirty minute basis, the students could determine the times in which the capacity percentages reach a low point. Therefore, my app will allow students to find the most appropriate opportunities to work out at the gyms whenever the capacity is at a reasonable percentage and not full over overcrowded. Hence, students can plan their schedules accordingly and not miss out on the chance to work out at the gym on a daily basis due to the app keeping them constantly informed/updated.
Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends
Economic Trends
1) U.S. Unemployment Rate Falls to 50-Year Low
a) Source: White House Article (https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/u-s-unemployment-rate-falls-50-year-low/)
b) Opportunity Exists: this particular article demonstrates how the unemployment rate is gradually decreasing in the United States to a record-low number. Therefore, there is a clear opportunity to continue to improve our national economy. The United States should explore more avenues or options to continue to decrease their unemployment rate and enhance economic growth in the foreseeable future. It's imperative that more jobs are being formed or created in order to accommodate the growing number of individuals who are inhabiting the United States. The working population is consistently growing, hence resulting in an improved economy as well as a reduced poverty rate in America.
c) Prototypical Customer: the employed individuals would have interest because they could receive additional benefits or incentives to continue working. Also, the unemployed would have interest because more jobs are being created in order to gradually lower the unemployment rate even further.
d) Opportunity Exploited: essentially, this opportunity can be exploited to a relatively small extent. Considering our national government holds a great deal of power in this area, a single person could experience difficulties exploiting it, unless it's an entire corporation.
e) Opportunity Seen: I'm heavily supportive of our national efforts to help potentially put an end to the poverty epidemic. As a teenager and United States citizen, I certainly hope our economy continues to experience positive growth in the present day and foreseeable future. If our economy is consistently thriving, then there will always be a plethora of job opportunities available to those of practically all ages, such as teenagers, adults, and elders.
2) Health Care Just Became the U.S.'s Largest Employer
a) Source: The Atlantic Article (https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/01/health-care-america-jobs/550079/)
b) Opportunity Exists: considering there is a growing number of individuals, particularly the elderly folks, who consistently require healthcare, there will be plenty of job opportunities for individuals interested in the field of health. Therefore, with more people being employed in the healthcare sector, the unemployment rate across the United States will continue to decrease which will benefit our national economy in a tremendous manner. Ultimately, there is a clear opportunity for people to enter the healthcare field in order to become employed in our country.
c) Prototypical Customer: people who seek employment in the United States, particularly college graduates who hope to enter the healthcare/medical field.
d) Opportunity Exploited: this opportunity can be exploited to a relatively minor extent. There's a constant need for healthcare in America, which implies that more people will continue to become employed in the field of health. However, there is always the potential for the healthcare sector to be compromised and result in a loss of jobs among those in the healthcare field.
e) Opportunity Seen: as someone with parents and grandparents who always seemingly require healthcare, I realize that there will likely never be a shortage of jobs in the field of health. People will continue to depend on healthcare professionals, thus stimulating more potential job growth in the healthcare sector, which will significantly boost the national economy and increase the working population simultaneously.
Regulatory Trends
3) Top Cybersecurity Threats in 2020
a) Source: University of San Diego Article (https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/top-cyber-security-threats/)
b) Opportunity Exists: there is an opportunity that potentially exists which can limit the damage caused by hackers nowadays. The topics of cybersecurity and cyberattacks have become prevalent topics in our society, posing significant threats to the federal government and other notable corporations. Due to the growing cyber crime epidemic in the United States, there is an opportunity for more cybersecurity professionals to receive employment opportunities in order to prevent cyber crimes from continuing to increase.
c) Prototypical Customer: the young generation or millennials because they are heavily reliant on technology in our modern society. Also, corporations and the government can be attacked by cyberattacks such as phishing and malware.
d) Opportunity Exploited: essentially, this opportunity has the potential to be exploited to a large extent. There's minimal regulation and control over cybersecurity threats, particularly those who are classified as hackers. It's difficult to prevent or mitigate the damage which can be caused by hackers or people who invoke social media threats because there is a large base of those particular individuals across the web.
e) Opportunity Seen: as someone who was once a victim of a cybersecurity crime (social media account being hacked), I feel there is an urgent need to track down these cyber crime professionals or hackers in order to put an end to cyberattacks. The United States cannot allow cyber crime professionals to tap into their government, hence there must be more cybersecurity professionals being employed in our country.
4) Personalized Healthcare Technology On Display At CES 2020
a) Source: Forbes Article (https://www.forbes.com/sites/timbajarin/2020/01/13/personalized-healthcare-technology-on-display-at-ces-2020/)
b) Opportunity Exists: there is an opportunity to improve the lives of medically sick individuals in the United States. By distributing these newly invented healthcare technological devices, individuals will be able to consistently monitor their personal health in order to take better and proper care of themselves. Therefore, these devices can contribute to less people relying upon medical professionals or the hospital to improve their health or physical condition.
c) Prototypical Customer: practically any individual who is dependent on proper health care or is in need of immediate health care. Mainly, those who are medically sick will benefit tremendously because these devices enable one to monitor or track their health and well-being.
d) Opportunity Exploited: this opportunity can be exploited to a certain extent. There is the potential for the technology to fail, thus leaving the individuals in need of proper health care in a major predicament. Plus, these individuals can always neglect these devices or misinterpret them, hence resulting in them continuing to depend on medical professionals and hospitals.
e) Opportunity Seen: as a United States citizen who has depended upon effective health care over the years (needed shoulder surgery in 2019), we must ensure that this healthcare technology is proven to be an effective method to provide efficient and proper health care to those in need. These healthcare devices are a brilliant way to help people monitor their personal health on a daily basis.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Forming An Opportunity Belief
My main belief would be that an opportunity does exist in terms of how JUULing is utilized in our country, specifically in the state of Florida. The aspect of JUULing or vaping is widely perceived as a millennial need, considering its most common amongst teenagers and young adults. The need to vape is simply an addiction one may develop as soon as one tries to use the vape or e-cigarette. This particular need is relatively new because the JUUL was a recently developed product. Essentially, a plethora of people who indulge in tobacco use or smoking typically used regular cigarettes until the development of the JUUL/vape. In terms of what people are doing to meet this need now, they purchase these vapes and JUUL products from gas stations and local vape shops in order to satisfy their smoking needs. Despite the various reports on the health risks and negative downsides to vaping, a majority of American citizens (especially teens) are continuing to vape due to their unbreakable addiction. I would propose to find a more safe alternative to JUULing, otherwise those individuals will undoubtedly suffer lung issues and other health problems in the foreseeable future. At this point, I believe that there is a fifty percent chance that this opportunity exists because vapes contain plenty of health related risks, so people would certainly be interested in an alternative to the electronic cigarettes in order to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer. Ultimately, I'm somewhat certain that there could be a product created to enable people to smoke while lowering the risk of health problems.
Interview #1: Roommate (John)
- Question: "Do you indulge in vaping? If yes, how often do you vape?"
Answer: "Yes, I do indulge in vaping. I vape on a daily basis because I find it relaxing and soothing."
2) Question: "Are you aware of the major health risks that are associated with vaping?"
Answer: "Yes, I am aware of the major health risks associated with vaping but still choose to vape regardless."
3) Question: "How long ago did you notice that vaping started to become a notable issue?"
Answer: "I would say roughly 2 years ago."
4) Question: "Do you ever happen to think about the impacts of vaping on an individual's overall health and well-being? If yes, how often?"
Answer: "Of course I think about the impacts of vaping on people's health every now and then, but I think I'm too addicted to stop myself from vaping."
5) Question: "Would you be open to addressing your need for vaping by using an alternative product to vaping that's healthier?"
Answer: "Yes! I would absolutely be open to using a healthier vaping product!"
6) Question: "How satisfied are you with this solution?"
Answer: "I would be extremely satisfied with your proposed solution because I want to continue vaping."
My Reflection: based on my interview with my roommate, John seems like he's incredibly enthusiastic regarding the possibility of a new vaping product that's healthier and safer. I learned that some people are actually already looking for healthier alternatives to vaping. I was surprised by how excited John seemed in regards to a healthy vaping product being available someday.
Interview #2: Male Friend (Ryan)
- Question: "Do you indulge in vaping? If yes, how often do you vape?"
Answer: "No, I have never vaped and I probably never will in my life."
2) Question: "Are you aware of the major health risks that are associated with vaping?"
Answer: "Yes, the health risks are what concerns me about vaping and it's why I choose to avoid it."
3) Question: "How long ago did you notice that vaping started to become a notable issue?"
Answer: "My guess would be around one to two years ago."
4) Question: "Do you ever happen to think about the impacts of vaping on an individual's overall health and well-being? If yes, how often?"
Answer: "Yep, I always think about those health risks whenever I am offered the opportunity to vape or am exposed to it around friends or in a public setting."
5) Question: "Would you be open to addressing your need for vaping by using an alternative product to vaping that's healthier?"
Answer: "No, I would not even consider using any alternatives even if they are proven to be healthy and risk free."
6) Question: "How satisfied are you with this solution?"
Answer: "I am not satisfied at all with that solution."
My Reflection: based on my interview with my male friend, I noticed that Ryan is completely on the anti vaping side. He won't accept any alternatives to vaping, despite my hypothetical alternative being significantly safer and healthier. I am certainly somewhat shocked that Ryan isn't open to the idea of a healthy vape product, but I learned that you won't be able to satisfy those who absolutely despise the concept of vaping.
Interview #3: Female Friend (Claire)
- Question: "Do you indulge in vaping? If yes, how often do you vape?"
Answer: "Yep, I vape very often. I would say on a daily basis most definitely."
2) Question: "Are you aware of the major health risks that are associated with vaping?"
Answer: "Yeah I know that there are health issues that are caused by vaping but I don't think I'll stop vaping anytime soon."
3) Question: "How long ago did you notice that vaping started to become a notable issue?"
Answer: "I think about 2 years ago probably."
4) Question: "Do you ever happen to think about the impacts of vaping on an individual's overall health and well-being? If yes, how often?"
Answer: "Honestly, I only think about the risks on occasions. I neglect them most of the time because I'm so obsessed with vaping that I do it every single day."
5) Question: "Would you be open to addressing your need for vaping by using an alternative product to vaping that's healthier?"
Answer: "I would definitely be open to a vape that's much healthier."
6) Question: "How satisfied are you with this solution?"
Answer: "I would be very satisfied to be honest with you."
My Reflection: based on my interview with my female friend, Claire looks as if she is optimistic about a healthier alternative to vaping. I learned that my opportunity has the potential to satisfy a significant number of individuals who consistently indulge in vaping. I was definitely surprised by how quickly Claire accepted and embraced my opportunity in an enthusiastic manner.
My Summary: I strongly feel that my opportunity has potential and stands at a 50% chance of possible success. Essentially, I do believe that my new opportunity is more accurate than when I initially started. The individuals who I have interviewed had conflicting thoughts regarding the topic of vaping, but they would certainly be open to a healthier alternative to vaping. Although there will be a select few who will oppose vaping in its entirety, thus being completely opposed to any alternatives altogether. Ultimately, I believe that entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback to a large extent. Essentially, customer opinion should be highly valued because they are the ones who dictate the overall market for the products. Therefore, if the majority of the customers are not satisfied with vaping alternatives, then entrepreneurs should not explore any alternatives due to a potentially small buyer base.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Identifying Local Opportunities
- Title: The last straw: Gainesville ban takes effect
Description: Essentially, the commissioners of Gainesville collectively voted to enforce a permanent ban against the use and distribution of single-use plastic straws in the city of Gainesville, Florida (effective January 2nd, 2020). The plastic straw ban is simply another step forward in terms of making Gainesville free of waste by the year 2040. Local businesses are ultimately forced to comply with the ban, otherwise they could potentially receive multiple fines and warnings. The goal of the plastic straw ban is to gradually reduce waste, hence contributing to a sustainable environment in the city of Gainesville.
Problem: the local businesses will suffer tremendously because they will be forced to explore different alternatives to plastic straws. If businesses and restaurants do not follow this ban, then they will undoubtedly face numerous fines (upwards of $250) and verbal/written warnings. Therefore, businesses will be placed into a position where they must increase their costs in order to abide by the newly enforced plastic straw ban.
Who has the problem: The residents of Gainesville because they will not be able to use or discover any plastic straws in local stores as well as restaurants. Also, the local stores will be negatively impacted since they won’t be allowed to sell single-use plastic straws any longer. Furthermore, the local business owners will be impacted in a negative manner since they will have to spend more money on alternatives to plastic straws.
- Title: ‘Next thing you know I’m addicted’: The effect of new vaping laws in Gainesville
Description: these new anti vaping laws in Gainesville (i.e. Tobacco 21 law in Alachua County) will prevent UF students under the age of 21 from purchasing tobacco or vaping related products. Students are becoming increasingly addicted to the concept of vaping or JUULing, which have resulted in a plethora of cases involving illnesses and even loss of life. In fact, the Florida Department of Health reported that there were approximately 52 illnesses and 1 death related to vaping in the state of Florida during the year 2019. A plethora of UF students and Gainesville residents are still increasing their use of JUULing despite the associated health risks. Ultimately, UF students can easily develop an unbreakable, yet unhealthy obsession with vaping once they are initially exposed to it.
Problem: tobacco and vaping related businesses or shops in Gainesville will ultimately lose an abundance of consumers since vaping is now prohibited for individuals under the age of 21. Vape shops could potentially face foreclosure due to the large drop in revenue because a plethora of UF students will stop purchasing JUULs and tobacco products.
Who has the problem: the local residents of Gainesville and UF students (under 21 years old) who indulge in vaping and tobacco use. Also, the Gainesville vape shops and areas (i.e. gas stations) which sell vaping related products to consumers in Gainesville will suffer revenue-wise due to a potential decrease in their consumer base.
- Title: Students express feelings on tobacco law change
Description: similarly to the previously discussed article, the tobacco law change has impacted an abundance of Gainesville residents. Essentially, the Alachua County made the controversial decision to increase the age requirement to purchase tobacco products, allowing only people 21 years of age or older to legally purchase these products from stores, gas stations, and vape shops. In fact, Alachua County became the first official county in the state of Florida to enforce this particular tobacco related law change. Since Alachua County has experienced as sixty percent increase in vaping amongst teenagers over the past couple years, they decided to partake in the Tobacco 21 movement to counteract this issue.
Problem: the Alachua County now requires vape businesses to receive their year-round licenses in order to distribute tobacco related products to consumers in Gainesville. UF and Santa Fe College students under the age of 21 are not allowed to legally buy tobacco which has resulted in an outroar from that specific population.
Who has the problem: vape businesses since they could face plenty of issues such as license suspensions and a significant loss of revenue. Alachua County residents and UF and Santa Fe College students who are less than 21 years old are experiencing growing levels of frustration and anger, which might not prevent them from continuing to purchase these products which are greatly detrimental to their health.
Link:https://www.alligator.org/news/students-express-feelings-on-tobacco-law-change/article_d3773200-2455-11e9-9160-f7467e6746d0.html
4. Title: Proposed healthcare solutions don’t work for Alachua County, experts say
Description: the Florida Priorities Summit recently commenced, with industry leaders in healthcare coming together in order to discuss potential alternatives to medicare. However, the Alachua County experts strongly believe that the proposed healthcare solutions would be counterproductive, having absolutely zero to minimal positive impact on the Gainesville residents without insurance or with inadequate health insurance. These experts concur that the Gainesville health system is quite "dysfunctional", but these solutions would have no impact on the uninsured residents. The article states that 16% of the Florida population and roughly 12% of the Alachua population have no health insurance. Moreover, there is only so much that the city of Gainesville can do in order to assist the uninsured residents. While a small percentage of the uninsured may discover some resources, there is not enough resources to cover the entire percentage of uninsured Gainesville residents. Ultimately, assisting those with poor economic circumstances is incredibly difficult, but efforts are still being made in order to provide help to some individuals in need of proper healthcare.
Problem: healthcare leaders are attempting to discover viable alternatives to medicare and present effective healthcare solutions. However, according to multiple experts, the likelihood of these healthcare proposed solutions of being successful and having a positive impact are slim to none. Providing effective healthcare to the uninsured will remain a significant issue for the foreseeable future.
Who has the problem: the residents of Alachua County as well as the students at the University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College with no health insurance or a poor economic status.
5. Title: Dignity Village closing delayed through homeless transition
Description: Dignity Village in Gainesville is planning on closing relatively soon due to an immense lack of proper resources as well as staff. Dignity Village was essentially a homeless shelter designed to accommodate the homeless individuals in the city of Gainesville, housing well over two hundred residents. However, the decision to shut down Dignity Village was widely viewed as a necessary course of action because the living conditions are gradually worsening in that particular homeless shelter. Despite the intention to close Dignity Village, there are still concentrated efforts being made by the city officials to provide those homeless individuals with an improved homeless shelter with better living conditions. Nevertheless, the main objective is to put an end to the homelessness epidemic, which can be accomplished by continuing to find households for the homeless individuals.
Problem: the Dignity Village homeless shelter is facing imminent foreclosure, thus resulting in more than 200 Gainesville residents to become homeless, once again. The city officials will attempt to successfully move the Dignity Village population to another homeless shelter and eventually put them in houses someday.
Who has the problem: the homeless citizens of Gainesville because their primary homeless shelter will likely be shut down soon. The city officials because they are now forced to find the Dignity Village population of homeless people with a better homeless shelter. The people who previously ran or were employed at the Dignity Village homeless shelter will lose their jobs and enter the unemployment stage in their lives.
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