Friday, September 27, 2019
Testing the Hypothesis 2
As my sorority has a date function approaching, girls are already talking about who they are going to take or that they don't know who to take. I randomly selected four girls from different ages at Chapter to interview. I also talked to one of my friends not in greek life.
Interview 1
Who: The first girl I talked to was a freshman who came into college with a boyfriend, but they just broke up because of distance. She isn't ready to take a new boy on our function and is planning on just taking a friend in a different chapter for now.
What: She said even besides finding a date to the function she wants to meet more guys as friends and thinks an app like this will help find her a date but also develop friendships after the fact.
Why: Even though she had a boyfriend, she knows it's been hard to meet boys or make actual connections with them because all of the freshmen are meeting everyone and most of the time people don't even remember each other's names.
Interview 2
Who: The second girl I interviewed was a sophomore who was always asking in our groupchats for advice on who to take, but she recently started talking to someone and now has someone to count on coming to our functions.
What: She said prior to this she struggled with finding dates because the same groups of people hang out with each other and even if she wanted to take one of her guy friends, he probably already got asked by someone else. She felt frustrated by the end of the year and wanted to branch out and have more guy friends in different frats.
Why: Sometimes you get bored being with the same group of people over and over again.
Interview 3
Who: I interviewed a junior who is a chemical engineering major and never goes out. She never plans on going to our functions because she's always busy and if she can she just ends up taking one of her girl friends.
What: She's too focused on school and clubs to think about finding a guy to take on functions and doesn't care that she doesn't meet new guys usually.
Why: She's here to get into med school, not find a boyfriend or date anyone.
Interview 4
Who: I interviewed a senior who has a boyfriend. She said she wouldn't need this app but think it would be useful for her friends who don't have boyfriends and wait to the last minute to find someone.
What: She realizes that in a year her friends will be in the real world and doesn't think they are going to know how to meet new guys because they have gotten so close to their guy friends over the past 4 years.
Why: They won't have the security of being in a place where everyone is the same age in less than a year and they are all worried how the will make connections.
Interview 5
Who: I interviewed a guy friend not in greek life. He doesn't need dates for functions but expressed that it sometimes is hard to meet people outside of clubs and class.
What: Has a set group of friends and doesn't know how to branch out more than he has.
Why: Thinks people in greek life don't need an app because we have socials where we have the opportunity to meet different people and ask someone on a date if we want to.
Inside the Boundary Outside the Boundary
People who need dates People who already have someone to take or don't care
Connections Finding a date
Hard to branch out We can ask people in person or just ask friends
Obviously, not everyone is going to need this app for various reasons. I think the deeper reason beside finding dates is wanting to experience new people and make new connections.
Interview 1
Who: The first girl I talked to was a freshman who came into college with a boyfriend, but they just broke up because of distance. She isn't ready to take a new boy on our function and is planning on just taking a friend in a different chapter for now.
What: She said even besides finding a date to the function she wants to meet more guys as friends and thinks an app like this will help find her a date but also develop friendships after the fact.
Why: Even though she had a boyfriend, she knows it's been hard to meet boys or make actual connections with them because all of the freshmen are meeting everyone and most of the time people don't even remember each other's names.
Interview 2
Who: The second girl I interviewed was a sophomore who was always asking in our groupchats for advice on who to take, but she recently started talking to someone and now has someone to count on coming to our functions.
What: She said prior to this she struggled with finding dates because the same groups of people hang out with each other and even if she wanted to take one of her guy friends, he probably already got asked by someone else. She felt frustrated by the end of the year and wanted to branch out and have more guy friends in different frats.
Why: Sometimes you get bored being with the same group of people over and over again.
Interview 3
Who: I interviewed a junior who is a chemical engineering major and never goes out. She never plans on going to our functions because she's always busy and if she can she just ends up taking one of her girl friends.
What: She's too focused on school and clubs to think about finding a guy to take on functions and doesn't care that she doesn't meet new guys usually.
Why: She's here to get into med school, not find a boyfriend or date anyone.
Interview 4
Who: I interviewed a senior who has a boyfriend. She said she wouldn't need this app but think it would be useful for her friends who don't have boyfriends and wait to the last minute to find someone.
What: She realizes that in a year her friends will be in the real world and doesn't think they are going to know how to meet new guys because they have gotten so close to their guy friends over the past 4 years.
Why: They won't have the security of being in a place where everyone is the same age in less than a year and they are all worried how the will make connections.
Interview 5
Who: I interviewed a guy friend not in greek life. He doesn't need dates for functions but expressed that it sometimes is hard to meet people outside of clubs and class.
What: Has a set group of friends and doesn't know how to branch out more than he has.
Why: Thinks people in greek life don't need an app because we have socials where we have the opportunity to meet different people and ask someone on a date if we want to.
Inside the Boundary Outside the Boundary
People who need dates People who already have someone to take or don't care
Connections Finding a date
Hard to branch out We can ask people in person or just ask friends
Obviously, not everyone is going to need this app for various reasons. I think the deeper reason beside finding dates is wanting to experience new people and make new connections.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Solving the Problem
My opportunity was finding a way to make it easier and more fun for people in Greek life to find dates for date functions. An idea for this is to make an app like Tinder but have it be solely for people in Greek organizations and solely for date functions. You could put in preferences of the other organizations you’d like to go with, a schedule of your availability so you’re taken out of the system for the functions you’re not available for, how you are as a date and what you want out of a date. This would make it more fun and allow people to get to know they otherwise might not have. It also takes the fear of rejection away because if you don’t match with someone, you won’t even be able to ask. Once the date is over, you can leave comments on the person and rate how they were on a date function.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Testing the Hypothesis 1
The opportunity: Making it easier for people in Greek Life to find dates to functions.
Who: College students involved in Greek life that do not have a boyfriend, girlfriend, and doesn’t want to take the same person for every function.
What: Even though there is a Greek community, it is difficult to be in contact with people in other organizations that you may not have solid connections in. Even if you do have connections, relying on a friend of a friend is not always the best way to secure a date.
Why: It is pretty stressful finding a date for functions and if you decide to take someone random, you don’t know how they will be as a date which could affect your time on the function. I think creating a way to streamline and make finding dates less stressful and more effective would be useful.
Interview 1
I interviewed a friend in my sorority who does not have a boyfriend. She felt that finding dates for functions wasn’t too hard since she usually took her guy friends, but sometimes got bored with taking people from the same fraternity and the same friend group. Her struggle is that she doesn’t know a lot of boys in other fraternities and doesn’t want to ask a friend to set her up with someone.
Interview 2
I interviewed my little in a sorority who is a freshman and has not experienced a date function yet. Since she hasn’t met many people she thinks this idea is great because she doesn’t know who to ask. She does think it might be awkward if someone asks her that she doesn’t want to go with, but that happens anyways.
Interview 3
I interviewed one of my good guy friends in the fraternity I hang out with the most. He said he might be interested in something like this but has never felt stressed when trying to find a date for a function so would simply try something like this out of curiosity.
Interview 4
I asked another guy friend who has a girlfriend if he would use this if he were single. He said he probably would because he’s never had to find a date due to having a girlfriend, so think something like this would be helpful.
Interview 5
I interviewed one of my study abroad roommates who is older and in a different chapter. She was very excited about the idea because even though she doesn’t get stressed about asking someone random, she has had an unfortunate series of bad dates that her friends have set her up with.
I have found that there is a need for this opportunity, more with girls. Guys would probably try it more out of curiosity but try it none the less. Obviously, not everyone has the same problem I do with finding dates, but I think the opportunity is there. Before doing these interviews, I did not know that my guy friends did not feel the same stress that my girl friends do when trying to find a date.
Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends
Economic Trends:
Baby boomers aren’t retiring:This forces the younger generation to either create new jobs or find multiple streams of income to make a meaningful salary. This leads a lot of millennials to free-lance jobs. The problem is that a lot of free-lance jobs are creativity based like makeup or writing, but not everyone has those skills.
Potential customer: Millennials with entry level jobs and salaries looking for another source of income
Exploitable: Yes, my idea is exploitable because there are many ways to make an income and creating a platform for non-creative millennials could take many different forms.
Why: I saw this opportunity because I am a millennial that will join the work force in a couple years and am aware of the struggles that people slightly older than me face. I am also not creative enough for freelance work.
Financial Markets control Food Prices: Commodities traders have the power to set gas, oil, and food prices. Food costs have been going up based on investors actions. A service could be created that keeps healthy food prices low and accessible.
Potential Customer: Low income households or college students
Exploitable: I don’t this idea is exploitable if we got a solid hold on the market, but obviously I don’t have any experience in creating a large scale food service.
Why: I am a college student who likes buying healthy food, but have realized they have gotten more expensive. Healthy options are also limited and not always easily accessible.
Regulatory Trends:
Move towards stricter guidelines on the content of food served at schools: Schools are having to serve healthier food at schools because of the obesity epidemic in America. Some schools have brought in outside companies to meet the health requirements, but still provide food that students want.
Potential Customer: Students
Exploitable:I think it would be hard to exploit because I don’t have experience in the food industry or large scale food markets like schools.
Why:I never bought lunch from school because it was either too unhealthy or looked unedible when it was healthy. At college I also never went to the dining hall because the food just didn’t look good and I think sourcing an outside company to make the food fresh and healthy, but also tasty would be beneficial.
Eco-labelling of food products: products promoted as less harmful to public health and the environment, such as ‘organic’ or ‘local,’ are carefully monitored to ensure accuracy of usage. Even though the food might be healthy and good for the environment, the packaging should too.
Potential Customers: Food manufacturers
Exploitable:I think this could be exploitable because I am possibly pursuing a minor in sustainability which would be relevant to this opportunity. The research and knowledge I would do and possibly the connections I make while doing this minor would make the opportunity more feasible.
Why: I have been trying to reduce my use of plastic and other harmful materials, but it is difficult when that is what my food is already packaged in.
Friday, September 13, 2019
My Opportunity Belief
Some opportunities come from things that constantly occur and are always on your mind. Other opportunities present themselves when something goes wrong, which is what happened to me. My laptop recently stopped being able to be charged for no apparent reason. I took it to the UF Bookstore and turned it into the Apple service center. My computer was thankfully still covered under Apple Care so there was no out of pocket expense, but it was a major inconvenience to be without my computer. I asked the bookstore if they had loaner computers, which they do, but they were broken which is ironic coming from the only computer repair store on campus. I believe there is an opportunity to give students a credit towards the bookstore if they turn in their old, but working laptops when they get an upgrade, allowing students like myself to not be inconvenienced when things like this happen. Unfortunately, I have two other friends that have gone through a similar experience and would be prototypical customers for this opportunity and I asked my roommate how me not having a laptop affected her as well.
Interview 1: Jakob H.
When did this become a need and why?
I needed to bring my laptop in to get fixed when a friend spilled water on it and damaged the motherboard. Obviously, that’s a lot of damage and took the bookstore a while to fix so I was without a computer for like two and a half weeks which was really annoying.
How do you currently address this need?
I had to go the library or ask a friend to use their computer which was very annoying, and I had to do all of my assignments later than I normally would have and I just wanted my own computer.
Are you satisfied with this solution?
I’m definitely not, it was the worst two weeks of my life.
Interview 2: Jack T:
When did this become a need and why?
My computer just randomly stopped working like yours but I don’t have an apple so it took the bookstore even longer to fix and it was annoying to not have a computer for that long with school and stuff.
How do you currently address this need?
I just had to spend a lot of time at the library and try to make sure to get there at a time where they all wouldn’t be taken. It was not convenient to do any of my work.
Are you satisfied with this solution?
No, I like to do my work when I want to do it and not have to go somewhere else to do it. I got really frustrated with the bookstore for taking so long fixing mine.
Interview 2: Kalee T:
When did this become a need and why?
Well, when your computer broke you obviously needed to use someone’s which I was happy to let you do but it was a little tricky coordinating our schedules so we could both get our stuff done. I also had less time to use my computer in my free time.
How do you currently address this need?
I didn’t really do anything to address this need I just used my computer less than I normally would have, but I’m glad you have your computer to use again.
Are you satisfied with this solution?
I mean I’d do anything to help you out but it would’ve been nice if we didn’t have to share a computer and I also got to see you less when you were at the library for longer doing work on those computers so I guess I’m not satisfied. If I were to ever upgrade my laptop, I’d be happy to give it to the bookstore to make a loaner for other people.
My opportunity belief is still there as much as I’d expected at first. There is a need for students whose computers break at unfortunate times and it even inconveniences their friends and roommates. I think students would turn in their old laptops especially if they got an incentive from the bookstore.
I think entrepreneurs should be cognizant of customers’ needs because at the end of the day, if there isn’t a need, the business won’t succeed. I also believe that entrepreneurs should be passionate about their business so if they are passionate about an opportunity, they should go for it, just keep the need aspect in mind.
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Identifying Local Opportunities
1. Expert advice: How to spot sketchy nutrition info
This article discusses the danger of following nutrition advice from influencers on social media. Most do not have the credentials to be giving advice and make blanket statements that do not apply to everyone. The right diet for an individual is based on their body, their needs, and medical history. Over 20,000 emergency room cases are due to supplements, most notably for weight loss. Just because these influencers might have good intentions of showing the public how they got the body they have, it might be creating a lot of unhealthy habits for their followers. I know a lot of people my age who follower influencers for their fitness tips, myself being one of them. It is important to take their advice with a grain of salt.
2. Here’s why you should look beyond breed labels when adopting a dog
A UF Veterinary Medicine Professor found that 2/3 of labels in dog shelters are wrong. This is a problem because breeds don’t tell you much about a dog, but mislabeling could also mean a death sentence for some dogs that are not allowed in certain areas like pit bulls, even if the dog has no pit bull in them. Dog adopters might also pass up a dog that is very well suited to their lifestyle.
3. Juul: Why a trendy e-cig is causing a social – and public health – commotion
E-Cigarettes are supposed to be a healthier alternative to traditional smoking but may pose threats the teens that use them. This article says that the nicotine in Juul’s can prohibit brain development. It also makes it more likely for teens who never used tradition tobacco before juuling to try it after. There have also been recent stories of users going to the hospital for lung problems caused by e-cigarettes.
4. Health: Step it up? In the battle of fitness trackers, the most steps might not win
Most 50 year-olds and up have bought into the $26 billion industry of fitness trackers and are enamored with reaching their steps for the day. Walking more can increase life span, decreased risk of stroke and other health concerns, but there is a blanketed number of 10,000 steps that may not be the best number for everyone. Exercise in moderation might be the best answer for older people.
5. A tasty warmup at Gainesville’s new Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory is opening to the public on Tuesday. There will be a menu with 30 different cheesecake flavors as well as pasta, chicken, and burger entrees. This is a problem for college students like me who are already tempted with fast food, chipotle and other unhealthy dining options in Gainesville. Having a Cheesecake factory does not expand the list of healthy options in Gainesville and only pr
My Entrepreneurship Story
Unlike most first graders, I knew what the word entrepreneur was, I got to see what went into starting a business, and watch the business grow just as I did. My mom quit her corporate job when they asked her to take an international position which would require much more travel than she wanted, being a mom of two and wanting to be present in our lives. She and my dad decided that running her own business would give her the best work/life/mom balance so she started her own executive health care recruiting firm. I've gotten to watch the struggles and successes of starting something yourself and being your own boss. Having entrepreneurship be so present in my life growing up, I am naturally inclined to have an entrepreneurial mindset and hope to run something of my own one day. Just like I have learned from my mom's business, I hope to learn more about entrepreneurship and what it takes to be your own boss from this class. I am still focused on being a manager in a preexisting corporation in the near future, but want the knowledge and skills to potentially transfer to being my own boss. I'm grateful I have a strong, driven entrepreneur as my mom to gain access to this world much earlier than I would have.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)