Friday, May 31, 2019

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

I would like to pursue the opportunity of cooling gaming controllers. People all over the world are unable to safely play video games with one another without having to worry about the spreading of germs through hand sweat and it takes too much time to use a sanitized towel to wipe the controller clean every time you want to pass it off to the next person.
Every individual who owns a gaming console would have this need because although grips have been added to some controllers to limit the affect that sweat has on the controller, there has been nothing down to limit how much one sweats on a gaming controller as of yet.
The boundaries of this need extend to all people who having gaming controllers. However, this need could expand to mobile phones that heat up when people play mobile applications and cause them to sweat all over the phone and even break it due to water damage.
The "why" for this need applies to everyone who has a gaming controller that also is unhappy with how sweaty their hands become when playing a game. Then, when passing off the controller to someone else, you are transferring your sweat to them, which transfer germs easier. A cooling controller would limit how much someone sweats and thus limit the transfer of germs, indicating a healthier society. This need is able to be exploited because neither Xbox nor PS4 has released a controller that limits how much someone sweats.
After interviewing 5 people, I have come to the general consensus that there is definitely a need for a cooling controller in the tech community. Every person I interviewed owns some type of gaming console, whether it be the Wii, the Xbox, or the PS4, and they all experience profuse sweaty from their hands during intense games at least once a week. They would be inclined to purchase a cooling controller should one be available to limit how many germs get passed between each person every time they play a game. I now know that there is definitely a need for a cooling controller after conducting my interviews because even the oldest person I interviewed, 24, has a gaming console and is no longer in school but still thinks there is a need.

Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

1. The economic trend of financial markets controlling oil, gas, and food prices is definitely one that presents an opportunity. I found this trend when I was looking online for economic trends in America and came across an article about the top 6 economic trends in America right now. I found this article on a website called The Balance. This information leads me to think an opportunity exists because now that supply and demand have become not as important in terms of controlling prices, commodity traders have more power when it comes to setting prices for oil, gas, and food. The prototypical customer would be any consumer interested in buying/selling oil and gas and obviously every person on the world would be a prototypical customer for food. I think that the opportunity for commodity traders is very easy to exploit because everyone needs oil, gas, and food and if they are able to set prices, they should easily make a lot of money. I think that I saw this as an opportunity when other people did not is because I have experience talking to commodity brokers and know that oil and gas are always in demand and if you can set the price yourself, you're golden.

2. Another economic trend that presents an opportunity is the fact that Baby Boomers are not retiring. I also found this trend on the website The Balance in the same article about the top 6 economic trends in America right now. Due to the Great Recession and retirement crises, the older generation has to stay in the workforce longer because they cannot afford to retire. This leaves less room available for millennials to get typical jobs in the workforce. However, I think this creates an opportunity and opens the door for more millennials to be entrepreneurs and work in more innovative fields where they can work on something they love and make money rather than just work 9-5 everyday and hate your job. I think that this opportunity is fairly hard to exploit because it is not easy to go out and create your own successful business. I think that I see less jobs available due to less retiring baby boomers as an opportunity when most wouldn't because of my mindset for innovation and entrepreneurship. I would much rather work hard and create my own job rather than work for an established company, which makes me see this as an opportunity for millennials rather than a problem.

3. A regulatory trend that I think presents an opportunity is the trend toward more attention and medical coverage for first responders. They have needed extra attention and expanded coverage for things such as PTSD and cancer. Recently, Florida passed a new law that recognizes PTSD as an occupational disease and does not require someone to also have a physical injury to be treated for it. I found this regulatory trend on a website called WorkCompWire in an article titled "4 Current Regulatory Trends and What They Mean for Pharmacy Management". This trend leads me to think an opportunity exists for doctors offices and pharmaceutical companies because now that more first responders can be covered for PTSD and cancers, there will be more opportunity for doctors and pharmacies to make money off of treating these diseases. The prototypical customer would be the first responders suffering from these diseases and I think that this opportunity would be relatively easy to exploit. I think I saw this as an opportunity when others might not because my mom had cancer before and I witnessed first hand how easy it is for doctors and pharmacies to make money off of treating someone who has an illness that requires treatment.

4. Another regulatory trend that I think presents an opportunity is the trend toward legalization of marijuana. Marijuana is now legal for medical purposes in 30 states and the District of Columbia. I found this trend also on the website WorkCompWire in the same article titled "4 Current Regulatory Trends and What They Mean for Pharmacy Management." This information leads me to think an opportunity exists for medical marijuana companies. They can exploit the fact that more and more people want access to medical marijuana and are suffering from conditions that deem them able to use medical marijuana to treat these conditions. The prototypical customer would be any patient suffering from a conditions that deems it allowable to be treated with medical marijuana such as chronic migraines or even eating disorders. I think this opportunity is relatively easy to exploit because of how many people want to use marijuana nowadays. I think I saw this as an opportunity when some may not because my aunt owns a medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado so I know how lucrative of a business it could be if managed properly.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F173C4B4596D07440
The name of this article is "Hurricane season is here again. Will Florida residents take storms seriously?". This story is about how there have been improvements in technology that help storm trackers better understand the impact an incoming storm will have on an area and exactly when it is coming. The story highlights the fact that although storm trackers are able to know when hurricanes are coming, people are worried that people in Florida may not care enough to take precautions to protect themselves. The problem presented in the story is that citizens of Florida do not care enough to prepare for these awful storms and the "who" that has the problem is people of Florida and companies that help people prepare for hurricanes that shutter companies.

2. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F173C39B78B72A230
The name of this article is "Violence a danger for health care workers". This story is about the fact that health care workers in hospitals and doctor's offices are continuously being threatened physically by patients and patient's families. The story emphasizes the fact that health care workers have to suffer from verbal and physical abuse at times with no one willing to step in and help. It even says in the article that more than half of emergency physicians have been physically assaulted in their life. The problem here lies with the employees who seem to be physically and verbally abused all the time and no one is stepping in to change this and provide consequences. No one is warning patients and there is being nothing done to help treat employees who are mentally disturbed.

3. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F173C40E48AC06160
The name of this article is "Shelter staffing and nursing home power remain issues- Officials consider ways to keep residents informed and safe as hurricane season begins." This story is about how Broward County, Florida is trying to be prepared for severe storms as hurricane season approaches. The story talks about the problems that nursing homes are having in South Florida when it comes to power outages during storms and everyone is just pointing fingers at one another instead of just accepting the blame and fixing the problems. A problem that lies in South Florida is also the lack of volunteers. It states in the article that if a severe storm were to occur and all shelter locations were activated, they would be short hundreds of people. Broward County needs to fix this problem before a storm hits and it is too late.

4. http://bi.galegroup.com/essentials/article/GALE|A587149291/713ffa8271f3aa542dcccd0193405661?u=gain40375
The name of this article is "Wellington to demolish 2 homes declared "unsafe" by inspectors. This story is about how there are two homes in Wellington, Florida that are being destroyed because an inspector deemed them not safe enough to live in. However, one individual does not understand how they have gotten to this point and does not think that the houses are beyond repair. He thinks that it does not make sense for the bank to just give up their investment when they could just replace the drywall and roof. Nonetheless, the homes are being destroyed which opens up an opportunity for someone else to build on this land. But the problem still lies in the fact that these houses may not actually be unsafe to live in.

5. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F173C27F11DC4A6B8
The name of this article is "Fast Growing Miami insurer focuses sales efforts on neighborhoods often bypassed by large insurance companies." This story is about a Miami based, independent agency that has been able to take the problem that the hispanic community has in Miami and turn it into an opportunity. Hispanic neighborhoods are usually bypassed by larger insurance agencies and thus by focusing on hispanic neighborhoods, UniVista Insurance has been able to make a large amount of money. He has also been able to create more than 1000 jobs for people. The problem that lied in this story was the underrepresented hispanic community in terms of insurance and how one man and his wife were able to exploit the opportunity to better themselves and the community.



Friday, May 24, 2019

Forming An Opportunity Belief Assignment

Forming an Opportunity Belief 
I have a feeling that there is an opportunity that exists in the realm of electronics. I have a feeling that there is an opportunity for someone to make an Xbox controller that has an internal cooling system to prevent how sweaty your hands get when you play intense games with your friends.

The unmet need here is the fact that whenever I or my friends play Xbox, someone is always complaining that when they pass the controller to the next person, it is all wet from the last person's sweat. This is not sanitary and it is not suitable to play with because it makes your hands slip off of the controls. The people who would have the need for this would be any person who owns any type of gaming console such as an Xbox, Playstation, or Wii. This need has always existed and I even remember complaining about sweaty controllers like 10 years ago when I used to play with my childhood friends on the old Playstation. No one is doing anything to meet this need right now other than possibly adding hand grips on the controller that may also serve as a way to restrict your sweaty hands from actually touching the controls. However, there has been nothing done to actually help stop people's hands from getting overly sweaty while playing games. At this point, I am 75% confident that this opportunity exists because I know plenty of people that would buy this product and I am sure I am not the only one who has thought something like this needs to be invented.

The prototypical customer would be any person that plays games on any type of gaming console. Specifically, the prototypical customer age would probably range from about 7 years old to 21 years old, however, there are definitely people way older and possibly younger that still play games and would find use with this product.

The first person I interviewed was my friend in my fraternity Zach. Zach thinks that there might be a need for a cooling controller but that there is definitely an opportunity to exploit the sweaty hand target market and fix the issue. When asked how long he has noticed the need for cooling controllers, he answered with the statement "Since the dawn of Xbox". He always noted that when you get into more intense games on a gaming console, the need becomes even more evident because it is just natural to sweat more when nervous. Zach first became aware of this need when he first played NHL with his friends back home on Xbox. Hockey is his favorite sport and thus when he plays it on a gaming console against his friends, he gets very nervous and thus sweats. Zach has not been addressing this need thus far other than just wiping off the controllers if someone uses it before him or by just using his own controller that no one else uses. Zack is not very satisfied with having to bring his own controller with him whenever he plays and wiping off someone else's controller does not cleanse the controller of the other person's sweat and germs.

The second person I interviewed about this issue is my friend Dom. Dom thinks that there is not so much of a need for a cooling controller because he states that there already exists controllers for gaming consoles that have grips on them. He thinks that the grips limit the amount of sweat that transfers from someone's hand on to the actual controller. However, when asked how long he has noticed, if at all, the need for a cooling controller, he stated, "Controller's have always been handed to me in sweaty condition ever since I can remember". Thus, although he does not think there is a huge need for cooling controllers, he at least notices the issue that the new controller would solve. Dom has noticed that controllers become too sweaty since he was younger playing games with his siblings and he would share with almost five people, thus rendering the controller absolutely soaked once it was his turn. Dom has been addressing this issue for at least the past five years because he has been purchasing controllers with grip on them since then. Dom has been fairly satisfied with the gripped controllers and he thinks it does a good enough job at limiting the amount of sweat on controllers.

The last person I interviewed is my friend Scott, who believes that there is 100% a need for a cooling controller and is quoted saying "Nothing makes me more mad then when I come home to play Xbox and I pick up my controller to find it wet from someone else's sweat". Scott thinks that there is definitely a need for a cooling controller because he thinks that although grips on controllers, which he has, helps a lot, they only limit the sweating on the area where the grip is attached. Grip on controllers is usually only placed at the bottom, thus leaving the rest of the controller vulnerable to sweat. He has noticed the need for something to reduce sweating on a controller since he first had an Xbox and he and his friends would have to share sweaty controllers everyday after school. Scott, when asked, said the hat there is a huge need for cooling controllers and has been trying to address the issue by using controllers with grips. But, he does not think that completely do the job and would be thrilled for a cooling controller to be created to completely solve the problem.

After interviewing three prototypical consumers about the need and opportunity for a cooling controller for gaming consoles, I have reflected and realized that there is about as much of a need for this product that I thought. I understand that Dom already thinks the issue has been handled through the use of grips, but I never thought that the grips do the job completely, and this was confirmed by the two other people who were interviewed, Scott and Zach. This interviews helped me learn a lot about my opportunity and the main thing I learned is that there is definitely an issue evident concerning sweaty controllers. I think enough people agree that this opportunity could be exploited for a large profit.

I believe that 100% of my original opportunity is still there. I think that my opportunity is a little more specific than when I started because I have heard from three different people about what they think of the idea. I now know that someone people may be comfortable enough with just using a controller with a grip so maybe the product could be released with a cooling setting but also have a grip on the controller. I think entrepreneurs should adapt based on customer feedback but only to a certain extent. I think if a few people give opposing feedback then you expected, but a majority of people agree, you still go on with the idea. But if a majority of people disagree and think there is no opportunity or need for a certain product, you have to second guess yourself and decide whether or not the opportunity is worth the effort and expenses.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Entrepreneurship Story

My Entrepreneurship Story
The first time in my life that I was exposed to true entrepreneurship was when I first became friends with my neighbors in my neighborhood. My friend's dad was a successful entrepreneur who had already created a few successful businesses from scratch including a very profitable cheese company that served as suppliers for local Italian restaurants. Another company my friend's dad was creating when I was younger was a limousine company and the forming of this company was the first time I witnessed all of the processes that go into creating and running a business. I learned from this experience that you have to know who your target market is before you invest too much money into the company and that a well developed business model including all possible sources of revenue is necessary to run a successful business.
I enrolled in ENT3003 so that I can learn the keys on how to become a successful entrepreneur. Many people think that it is easy to be an entrepreneur but I realize that there are many processes that I am not aware of that are necessary for someone to be able to create a successful business. I hope to lean out of this class the best way to go about forming a business and running one. I also enrolled in this class in hope to learn how to exploit opportunities in the best way possible to get the best results for a business.
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Bug List Assignment

"Bug" List Assignment
1. Whenever I am driving behind someone on University after class, if I am on my scooter, people always drive behind me super close and make me feel like they will knock me off my scooter.
- I think that this bug exists because after class people are so in a rush to get home or wherever they need to go and they are so frazzled after class that they don't realize how close they really are to me. Also, since I am on a scooter and not protected by a car around me, I feel more vulnerable.
2. The past few times I have been to Dunkin Donuts, the people behind the cashier that get paid to be friendly and take orders were very slow and rude which does not make sense to me because they are paid to do the complete opposite.
-I think that this bug exists because I usually go to Dunkin after I wake up so I am probably a little grumpy in the morning and the people at Dunkin have probably already been yelled at by so many rude customers before me that they are already exhausted.
3. It really frustrates me that every time I go on to Canvas and go to dashboard off of the bookmark shortcut on my safari, it always comes up with a screen the first time saying it could not load. I then have to refresh the page a bunch of times before it works.
-I think that this bug exists because of a poor connection possibly from my computer's bookmark link to canvas but it confuses me why it works every time but just not the first try.
4. It really frustrates me when I'm driving on the highway to go home from Gainesville like I was the other day and people drive under the speed limit in the left lane. It is common knowledge that you move over to the right line if you want to drive slow and you go in the left lane to drive fast so you can pass. I was nonetheless stuck behind two drivers going to the same speed for too long.
-I think that this bug exists because I am a restless driver and I just want to get where I am going as soon as possible and I assume other people want that too although I am probably wrong.
5. I hate that when I turn on my television that I sometimes have to use two different remotes: one for the television screen and one for the speaker.
-This bug exists because sometimes the speaker sensor does not read when I click the on button on the remote so it does not turn on when the screen turns on. I then have to find the speaker remote to get on the speaker without turning back off the screen.
6. I hate when water cups are the same size as regular cups you have to pay for at restaurants.
-I think this bug exists because some companies might not want to spend the extra money to have to order two sets of different cups or maybe sometimes they just run out of the other type of cup. Either way, I feel cheated out if the regular cup costs money and I don't find out until after I already bought it.
7. It bugs me that I have to lock my front door to my house because I noticed the other day that when I got home, the door was cracked open and bugs got in; the door does not fully get locked into the socket if you do not slam it hard.
-I think this bug exists because I did not think to look back if the door closed completely and because it is an old door with a worn down lock that needs more pressure to be closed.
8. It really bugs me when my roommates leave dirty dishes in the sink especially when I have guests over that will see how dirty it looks.
-I think that this bug exists because we never clearly discussed between all the roommates rules about cleaning dishes and keeping the place clean.
9. It bugged me the other day when I went to Chic-fil-A in the hub and I had to go to class pretty soon and just because I asked for no pickles on my sandwich, I had to wait 25 minutes for my food when people after me got theirs right away. If they told me I could have my sandwich right away and I just have to take the pickles off myself, I would have done it.
-I think this bug exists because the workers did not inform me that I was waiting so long because they had to wait on a new batch of sandwiches made with no pickles when I would have been fine just taking them off by myself,
10. It bugs me that when I fill up my scooter with gas, there is a little metal bar right in the tank that blocks the pump nozzle from fitting in so the gas splatters off the bar and gets on my clothes and shoes.
-This bug exists because the scooter was designed with a bar in the gas tank making it hard for me to fill it without the gas splashing off the bar.
11. It bugs me when I see someone in public that I have no interest in talking to but feel forced to converse.
-This bug exists because I never act like I don't want to talk so I give people a false impression.
12. It bugs me when I am walking around town and going about my day and it randomly starts to rain. This forces me to have to find cover and it wastes time in the day.
-This bug exists because I get frustrated when I have to waste valuable time to stay out of the rain.
13. It really bugs me when I am going to work down the same road I always do but one day there is construction which causes me to be late to work.
-This bug exists because of construction needing to be done and me not giving myself the proper amount of time to get to work.
14. It bugs me when I forget something at home like my lap top or my backpack, forcing me to either suffer through class without them or miss some of class to go back and get it.
-This bug exists because I leave my lap top on the couch during the day and sometimes I am in too much of a rush to go grab it before I leave.
15. It bugs me when I get my dirty laundry all the way downstairs to put in the washer and someone left their wet clothes in there. This forces me to either move them myself or wait until whoever's it is comes and gets it.
-This bug exists because someone was not thinking about other people when they decided to leave their laundry in and it was poor timing for me.
16. It bugs me when I get into work and someone is sitting in my seat and I am forced to either ask them to move so I can sit there or choose an alternative seat that I am not used to.
-This bug exists because there are no name tags on the seats and sometimes people change their shift and come in when I am there and that might be where they sit on their normal shift.
17. It bugs me when I get to Publix to get a sub and the line is too long because they are cooking more chicken tenders and I have to either get a different sub or wait for them to be ready.
-This bug exists because either Publix did not make enough chicken in an efficient manner or because a surplus of people they weren't expecting ordered chicken all at once.
18. It bugs me when people talk really loud on their phone calls at work when I am trying to do my own work.
-This bug exists because people aren't always aware of their surroundings or just do not care that they are affecting other people's work.
19. It bugs me when I am walking out of my house in a rush and I accidentally stub my pinky toe on the corner of a table or wall.
-This bug exists because when I am in such a rush, I do not look where I am walking because I am so focused on getting out the door.
20. It bugs me when homeless people go in to the Chic-fil-A on University and try to use the bathroom even though there is a code to get in that you do not get unless you order food. This causes me to have to wait for them to either struggle until someone lets them in or go find a bathroom somewhere else.
-This bug exists because a lot of homeless people in Gainesville all hang around on the corner of University and 13th Street so it is convenient for them to just go into the Chic-fil-A right there.

I found this assignment difficult because although I encounter many things during the day that bother me, it is hard to sit down and remember all of them or even any of them. I came up with the first 10 pretty quickly because they were the major things I remember that bother me on a daily basis. Once I got to 15, I really had to sit down and think about what I do on a day to day basis and remember each task I do during the day. Once I remembered the "bugs" that occur during work and on my way to work, it made it easier for me to come up with a few more "bugs." Overall, I think this assignment was fairly difficult but very helpful because I now know ways I can make my day better by cutting out some of the "bugs".


Monday, May 13, 2019