Testing the Hypothesis - Part 1

For this assignment I have chosen to tackle the opportunity of the limited parking availability at the University of Florida.

Who: Students at UF
What: lack of parking spaces available
Why: UF does not dedicate enough spaces for students

WHO/WHAT/WHY revisited after interviews:


WHO: The lack of parking at the University of Florida affects more people than one may originally think. For starters, it affects students on campus and off campus that have cars and have trouble finding parking spaces. It also affects students who have chose not to get a car due to the parking chaos. It also affects staff because students who grow frustrated with looking for parking often give in and just park in  staff spot which of course affects staff trying to find parking.

WHAT: As a result of the limited parking spaces available to students, students are forced to be late for class/meetings/clubs because of time time dedicated to find a parking spot. Students are also put into insecure situations due to having to park miles away and walk back to campus alone, especially at night. This was something that I haven't even thought of until students mentioned it while interviewing them. While UF does provide back up option like busses and the SNAP service, students have found these to be unreliable and often even more time consuming.

WHY: The why is due to a large amount of students and a small amount of parking spaces. There also seems to be an unbalance due to an excess amount of staff spots available and the amount of students unable to find proper student parking. This problem is also worsened when events like football games occur.


SUMMARY: The interviews I conducted for this opportunity were extremley informative. My brain was stuck in the direct consequence mode and I was unable to see the ripple effect of the lack of parking until interviewees pointed it out. Interviewees also introduced the compelling reason for this opportunity to be safety. Students should not be put in uncomfortable situations because of UF's lack of available parking. Handicapped persons should also not be put in situations where they have to walk unreasonable amounts due to inability to find reasonable parking.

https://soundcloud.com/user-384275903/testing-the-hypothesis-interview-1

https://soundcloud.com/user-384275903/testing-the-hypothesis-interview-2

https://soundcloud.com/user-384275903/testing-the-hypothesis-interview-3

https://soundcloud.com/user-384275903/testing-the-hypothesis-interview-4

https://soundcloud.com/user-384275903/testing-the-hypothesis-interview-5

My Solution

The solution that I think best fits the lack of parking at the University of Florida is as follows. First the easiest think, and probably a short-term fix, would be to redetermine the proportion of faculty to students at UF and apply this to the available parking spots. A commonality in my interviews is that students would spend hours looking for student parking but would pass by hundreds of available staff parking. Converting some staff spots into student parking could be a short-term solution. A bigger solution, and one that would obviously require more resources is to build another parking garage for students only.

Looking for Opportunity

• The first economic opportunity I chose for this assignment may be bit of a stretch, but I believe it interesting enough to look into. 
• (A)     http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/24/479327382/for-first-time-in-130-years-more-young-adults-live-with-parents-than-partners  According to this article, Americans ages 18-34 are more likely to live with their parents than any other option. Researchers have found that the biggest commonality between those that choose to live with their parents is that they are less educated (did not attend college, high school drop out, etc). 
• (B) After reading this article, I believe an opportunity exists to offer young adults an incentive to move out an pursue a higher education. There a many factors that go into the choice to stay at home, for example student loans, lack of economic deflation, and a poor employment market.
• (C) I believe the prototypical customer for this opportunity is young people who are struggling to make the transition out of living with parents. 
• (D) I believe this opportunity may be difficult to exploit. Young americans who live with their parents probably enjoy and are dependent on the comforts of living at home.
• WHY did I see this opportunity? I believe that I saw this opportunity because as a student myself in the same age bracket as what this article is discussing, I see so many of my colleagues in the same situation. Its hard to see friends plateau and choose an easy route of dependency rather than growing and becoming independent. 
• The second economic opportunity I chose for this assignment actually relates directly to entrepreneurship.
• (A) http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-rural-start-up-decline-20160522-story.html       According to this article, Americans that live in small towns or rural areas are much less likely to start up a business than Americans living in big cities. All the factors that contribute to this decrease (start up costs, big brands like Walmart, etc) are said to play a major role in endangering the future of rural economics. 
• (B) After reading this article, I believe an opportunity exists to motivate americans living in rural areas to create start up businesses. New businesses are said to be the key to innovation and growth for our entire economy, so there is much potential to provide these Americans incentives.  
• (C) I believe the prototypical customer for this opportunity is Americans living in small cities or rural areas that have a desire to become an entrepreneur. 
• (D) I believe this opportunity may be difficult to exploit. It will probably take a lot for the average person to pursue the countless risks of starting a new business. 
• WHY did I see this opportunity? I saw this opportunity because I have grown up in smaller cities my whole life. I have definitely noticed a decrease in local places being added to the town. It is especially important to me when I know the people who have tried to start a businesses and have given up due to bigger threats likes Walmart that they just cannot compete with. 
• The first regulatory change that I chose is one that has been causing great controversy is the transgender bathroom policy. 
• (A) http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/us/states-texas-sue-obama-administration-over-transgender-bathroom-policy.html?_r=0  This article I found discusses the new policies that the Obama administration is trying to approve in order to ensure equal rights to transgenders. The policy hints that schools that defy the policy will receive funding cuts. 
• (B) After reading this article, I believe an opportunity exists for schools to provide transgenders with equal opportunities. Not only will adopting the policy be greatly beneficial to the transgender students, but also beneficial to the schools in terms of receiving funding. 
• (C) The prototypical customer is schools across American that are on the fence about adopting the new policies changes for transgender students. 
• (D) This opportunity will not be an easy one. This issue has been causing great controversy nation wide and changes will not come easy. 
• WHY did I see this opportunity? One of my closest friends is transgender. I feel personally tied to this issue, as should everyone who cares for basic human rights. 
• The second regulatory change I chose is of the medical marijuana that was approved in Ohio.
• (A) http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/05/28/will-ohios-medical-marijuana-law-get-stiff-armed-b.aspx  According to this article, the use of medical marijuana was approved by Ohio's senate but still may be overturned by governor John Kasich's veto. 
• (B) After reading this article, there is a lot of opportunity that comes with medical marijuana being approved. Not only to the americans that could be benefited from the drug medically, but the institutions that would be supplying it financially. 
• (C) The prototypical customer would be any person from Ohio that is in need of the drug for medical reasons and the hospitals that would supply it.
• (D) I think this opportunity will be on the easier side to exploit. Since it is already approved by the senate, unless it is vetoed, it can be used very soon. 
• WHY did I see this opportunity? This is an opportunity that most everyone can now recognize due to it constantly being in the news. 

Forming an Opportunity Belief

STEP 1. My beginning point:
The belief I have is that there is a need in the chip industry for resealable bags.

STEP 2: Describe my belief:
Currently, chip bags do not have a resealable option built into the bag. Customers are forced to buy seperate clips to seal their bags or roll the bag by hand. Any consumer of chips has potentially faced the problem of chips going stale due to lack of seal. This need it not new, however new addition to the market that utilize resealable packages (oreos, crackers, etc) bring it into light and had me wondering why chip companies have not adopted this method. Personally, I'd give this a 30% on a scale of importance of problems. The reason I do give it a 30%, is because other options exist- even is they are not the most effective or convenient.

STEP 3 & 4. Prototypical customer: 3 different age groups. Older, college, and youth.

Below are the conversations I had about this opportunity:

https://soundcloud.com/user-384275903/ent3003-rawls-opportunity-belief-1

https://soundcloud.com/user-384275903/ent3003-rawls-opportunity-belief-2

https://soundcloud.com/user-384275903/ent3003-rawls-opportunity-belief-3


STEP 5. Reflection:

The biggest thing I have learned about my opportunity through talking to prototypical customers is that the problem exists and is seen in all age groups. Whether is was a father, a college student, or a high schooler, everyone I spoke too agreed that this was an opportunity that had potential. I was also surprised that when I brought up the their individual importance for eco-friendly products- the youngest was most concerned while the older customers had no concern. I think this goes along with the recent shift in consumer attitudes towards environmentally ethical products that has not reached older generations yet.

STEP 7. Summarize:

Overall, all three customers agreed that while they definitely recognize that this opportunity exists- it is not the biggest issue on their minds. I believe that from these interviews, if I was to continue with this opportunity- I would only target it toward big party chip bags.

Personally, I think entrepreneur should adapt their ideas 90% to customer needs. An entrepreneur that ignores the needs of customers is arrogant and will likely struggle. Customers know what they will buy and this is the most valuable source of information. I leave 10% for the entrepreneur to stick firm too because they most likely know more about their opportunity than the average customer.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1.  "What Should Quality Child Care Look Like?"
http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2016/05/15/quality-childcare-look-like/84358806/

This story from the Pensacola News Journal is about the struggle for parents and guardians to find quality child care providers. The article discusses the many factors that go into finding a provider. It first discusses the importance of actually going to child care facilities to visualize how they run their business. It them brings up the sub points that it is not always that easy to find the time to do so. The article also mentions that the average wage for a child care provider is $9.50 an hour. Only $20,000 a year may not attract some of the best candidate out there to watch children in the most influential times of their lives.

The problem represented in this news story is finding quality child care providers. Not only does it take time and patience to go out and see for yourself how child care is run, but it is not always an accurate representation. There is also the point that low income for providers could have the industry missing out on some of the best providers.

Who has the problem is the guardians of young children, especially those who work full time and lack the excess time to spend on searching for a provider.

2. "There is a Better Way to Manage Navarre Beach"
http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2016/05/16/viewpoint-better-way-manage-navarre-beach/84436084/

This story from the Pensacola News Journal is about the way we manage our beaches not for the sake of the environment, but for the sake of the tourists.  A type of sand that helps stabilize the beach and is the home for many critters, is scraped off each year because of its lack of aesthetic appeal for tourists.

The problem represented in the news story is one of mismanagement. The management of Navarre needs to be fixed so that is promotes the longevity of the beach and the life it is home to, instead of focusing on short term tourist needs.

Who has the problem is not only the sea life harmed by the sand removal but long term tourists as the type of sand play a big role in stabilizing the beach.

3. "Grocery Shopping by Bus? Take Ice Cream Off the List"
http://www.gatehouseprojects.com/project/over-the-bridge/chapter/4?site=gainesville.com&tc=cr

This story from the Gainesville Sun is about a problem in Gavinesville represented by a man who is having to walk for hours just to bring groceries to his family. Gainesville does not have a bus running on Sunday, so when low income families with no form of transportation need groceries, they are forced to walk long hours in the heat.

The problem is there is a lack of transportation on Sunday in Gainesville.

Who has the problem is low income residents who lack their own form of transportation.

4. "If it's a 360 World, How Long Will Photos be Flat?"
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20160516/COLUMNISTS/160519788/1182?p=2&tc=pg

This story is from the Gainesville Sun and it is about the speculation that 360 photographs will be the next big step for the photography industry.

The problem is that there is a segment in the photography industry that has not been claimed, that is for 360 photos at a lower end price.

Who has the problem is consumers that do want to welcome 360 photography but cannot dish out the money for some of the higher investment models.

5. "Fully Consider Impact of Mine"
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20160512/OPINION01/160519982/1076/opinion?p=2&tc=pg

This story is from the Gainesville Sun and is about a proposed mine. The mine was proposed in Bradford and Union counties and they are promoting the project as something that could be done with a minimal environmental cost. The mine would would bring huge threats to the environment, but those threats are not being communicated to citizens.

The problem represented in this new story is that the mine coming to Bradford and Union counties is going to impose the average person much more than what is being reported. This environmental threats, like water pollution in the Santa Fe are not being communicated to citizens and the average citizen is not taking the time to search out the information themselves.

Who has the problem is the citizens of local counties that this mine will impose on.

The Bug List

1. Careless mail carriers ( throwing packages around): WHY? The root cause of broken/damaged packages due to mail carriers throwing them around thoughtlessly is laziness. The deliverer does not have a personal reason to care about the product. While there are many videos of carriers being caught in the act of throwing around packages, most of the time there is no footage to hold them accountable. 

2. Shampoo/conditioner bottles with pumps are not the correct amount and leads to way too much product in the hair/ having to buy bottles more frequently. WHY? I have had this gripe with shampoo bottles for a while, but it was not until after this assignment that I realized why they were designed this way. Likely, it is in the company's best interest to over-portion their product as it leads to more frequent purchases from the consumer. 

3. Sprint phone service is terrible. Being one of my only friends with Sprint, it is frustrating to see everyone having reception in reasonable areas except for me. WHY? Sprint has poor coverage and its a "you get what you pay for" case.

4. When on the phone (Sprint) I can not use data. This is extremely inconvenient as I have to hang up the phone to look up directions/places to eat/etc. WHY? This again is a case of you get what you pay for. 

5. I drive a lot for my job and getting off at a rest stop is always a gamble in terms of how horrifyingly disgusting it is. WHY? There are some really great rest stops out there, and then there are some that make you wish car bathrooms were a thing. There needs to be some sort of app or website that will rate all of the rest stops in distance in terms of quality. 

6. Accidentally "liking" old posts when scrolling through somebody's social media feed. WHY? Everybody experiences the curiosity of scrolling deep into somebody's profile and accidentally notifying them that you were doing such. There needs to be some sort of extension that will make you confirm a "like" when a post is more than X days old. 

7. I always have my phone on silent and I am always losing my phone. Finding my phone is always a struggle as calling it from another phone is not an option. WHY? I obviously consciously put my phone on silent, but there is no way to turn the sound back on unless you are holding it. 

8. Going to a self checkout lane and having to deal with "unrecognized item in the bagging area" x20. WHY? The technology of self checkout is fairly recent and needs to be updated. The machines are not updated to human behavior, as in if there is the slightest delay in putting an item in a bag, the machine will blair repeated messages at you.

9. I like to support companies that are ethical, but it is hard to tell which ones are. WHY? Smaller companies don't receive the press that bigger ones do if they act ethical or unethical so it is hard for consumers to tell if they wish to support a company. 

10. My internet constantly goes out and I need to unplug the router and let it reset. WHY? The internet is interrupted and there is no invention that will unplug the router and reset it for you.  

11. Facebook always brings embarrassing old posts to light. WHY? Of course they do it in the name of bringing back old memories, but there should be an extension that will delete posts there are past X days old if one wishes. 

12. Everyone has experienced the struggle of not knowing where to go to dinner. WHY? Indecisiveness and a false sense of it being 'polite' not to give a direct answer lead to a never ending circle of "I don't care whatever you want".

13. The gamble of getting a terrible landlord when moving. WHY? It is not the easiest thing to contact the previous renters and ask about the landlord. This leading to getting stuck in a lease with a landlord who refuses to do anything.

14. Watching my little sister play softball constantly makes me want to play but I can never organize enough people for a game.  WHY? We have passed the age where organized sports was an easy signup and you take fore granted how great that was. 

15. Having to scroll past dozens of products on amazon because they have too little reviews to put trust in them.  WHY? There is no feature on amazon that allows you to sort by most reviewed. 

16. Missing a day from your favorite series, or the new release of a movie you have been dying to see and then having it ruined with spoilers plastered on every site you go to.  WHY? It is human nature to want to discuss things you are excited about but there would be a universal blocker for all sites with keywords you want to avoid so that you do not have a show/movie spoiled for you. 

17. I am a huge Disney addict but it is so hard to tell how busy it is. WHY? While wait times for rides are posted, it still does not offer the most accurate tell of how busy the entire park is. 

18.  Dealing with unequal sound level on websites/tv. WHY? The sound level should be an equal level across all websites/commercials/etc. 

19. Listening to the radio while driving and having a heart attack when a station plays abrupt sirens.  WHY? Sounds on the radio should be regulated as they could potentially startle someone and cause an accident.

20. Seeing an outfit you like either in someone's online post or in real life and not being able to find out where it is from. WHY? There is no direct way to find out the details of an outfit without searching the internet for hours. 

REFLECTION: I definitely did not have the easiest time with this exercise. At first, you do think you'll finish it with ease because of how often I find things to complain about, but I quickly learned that this was going to be a time consuming exercise that really pushed my brain to think about specific problems. While this exercise was frustrating, I definitely see how it could be of value. The ability to recognize widely shared problems is the key to thinking like an entrepreneur. 

My Entrepreneurship Story

     My entrepreneurship story is about my brother. Growing up, it was quite clear that my brother had that entrepreneurial spark that so many long to have. My brother would create new toys, games, and much more for his siblings entertainment. Above all else, my brother kept his entrepreneurial spirit as he grew. Now, as he is graduating from high school and about to enter college, he owns a successful online shop for customized boardgames that he started his freshman year. His plan is to major in business in order to take his natural entrepreneurial gift to the next level.

      Though I personally do not believe I possess the spark for creating new business ideas as my brother does, I believe it is incredibly valuable to have the mindset that is takes to be an entrepreneur. By taking this class, I am hoping I will leave with a new grasp of the skills needed to be an entrepreneur.

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TestNewBlogUF

This is my first test post.