Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

WHO? Small local business that have lost a great amount of revenue due to the pandemic

WHAT? They are unable to bring in a great amount of in-person face to face business due to customers fearing going to public places and having anxiety over potentially contracting the coronavirus.  

WHY? People are not going to public places in fear that they may contract the coronavirus and spread it to others, potentially harming themselves, their loved ones, and strangers. 

This opportunity can potentially help any public place that requires or usually holds face to face interactions of people who have not already put safety precautions in place in their physical locatios. 

The opportunity includes any location that have not put in any safety precautions to keep their workers and customers safe. This is to help business regain some of their customers or frequenters to come back and have face to face interactions with little to no fear or anxiety about the pandemic, as almost all people have avoided going to public places in fear that they may contract and spread the virus. This is also to keep all employees and customers safe.

Interview #1: (49 year old woman)

Stamp of cleanliness

This woman believed this can help many small places, not just local businesses, She also believed this could help address the issue later on in bringing people back to churches so that frequenters feel safe when coming back and actually are. She thinks there will be issues in regards to the maximum frequenters allowed in locations as well as the spacing of people within the given locations. She thinks there needs to be a way to address and transition people back to normal life after quarantine, when the time is right. 

Interview #2: (52 year old man)

This man believes there are small local places that may have issue and have not addressed it themselves such as small office buildings that have not put in precautions themselves, and potentially some theaters and malls. This man believes that there is an opportunity in physically helping people's biological help as well as their psychological one. This man believes people need reassurance that everything is safe, but that precautions are still put in place just in case. According to this man, there has been an issue due to government inaction and due to people's lack of consideration for others. 

Interview #3: (51 year old man)

This man believes that all places have this issue, maybe some we do not realize. He believes this issue extends to communities, public parks, gas stations, public restrooms, and many others. He believes that this is not an opportunity at all, as life as we know it has changed forever and is now irreversible. He believes that the issues have permeated every part of society, including the biology and psychology of people to the point of no return. He blames it on everyone, including the general public, local and federal governments, international organizations, and nature. 

Interview #4: (22 year old woman):

This woman believes it can help any and all small, local businesses. She believes there is an opportunity in helping these locations protect their reputation by enforcing some safety precautions and checks that employees and customers are abiding by these procedures. This was brought up in light of many viral videos of people not wanting to abide by locations' safety precautions and throwing tantrums, later posting it on social media to discourage others into giving the place any business. Some have backfired, and have gotten the applause of the people as this is necessary. 

Interview #5: (32 year old)

This man believes there is an opportunity in all nonfranchised or federally funded places.  He believes there is an opportunity put in precautions such as creating a system to have customers safely navigate the store, creating hand sanitizing stations, requiring and enforcing customers to wear masks and possibly providing some, creating a system that helps money transactions to occur in ways that minimize hand to hand contact, and possibly installing an air filtration systems. He believes the opportunity is rooted in issues specifically because the virus itself exists and because of all the fear and anxiety that has been reported along with it. 

Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1. Economic: Airlines are at an all time low in terms of stock price and revenue

a) Where you found it? NYSE and a number of news channels

b) Why info suggests and opportunity? Low airline revenue means that airlines are desperate for paying customers. 

c) Prototypical Customer? A struggling airline company with a high demand for customers

d) Easy to exploit? Probably not, as buying tickets are somewhat expensive and creating a demand for travel can be difficulty, costly, and require a lot of resources and imagination. 

I saw this opportunity because I am very interested in stocks, as well as travelling. I see that airlines have no choice, for the first time in decades, but to make their prices competitive and they need business. I also have been a customer to those business that sell travel bundles for cheaper than usual prices with many things included. This entices customers. 

2. Economic: Amazon stock prices are high and so is the revenue due to their delivery services.

a) Where you found it? NYSE and a number of news outlets

b) Why info suggests and opportunity? Local shops and retail stores without online ordering capabilities are losing customers as they do not want to go to stores during a pandemic, and choose to shop online via amazon. 

c) Prototypical Customer? A shopowner without an order online option for their store, that would benefit from a solution to the issue

d) Easy to exploit? Slightly challenging but not impossible. It would be no problem to hire a team to create a web design and landing page with a catalog capability and online ordering and delivering services. 

I am very interested in the stock market, as I invest stocks, and I also have a mother that shops online a lot. My childhood best friend's mother also owns a local business and is struggling to maintain their customer base without a website. 

3. Regulatory: Certain businesses are to remain at 50% capacity and customers are required to wear masks indoors. 

a) Where you found it? Multiple local and national news outlets 

b) Why info suggests and opportunity? Smaller and more local businesses do not have the information nor the expertise to implement the safety precautions needed for this pandemic in their stores

c) Prototypical Customer? Small businesses that need a way to keep people 6 feet apart, keep them from touching things, training in enforcing the use of masks and gloves by customers, and putting hand sanitizers everywhere.

d) Easy to exploit? Relatively moderate, a team maybe needed and regulations and safety precautions need to be closely analyzed and followed. 

I have seen the effects of the coronavirus, first hand, on small business. Also, like my mother, I have a lot of anxiety and am a hypochondriac. I'm sure customers will feel safer, as well as employees, if extensive safety precautions are put in place to make it safer for everyone. 

4. Regulatory: Enforcement policies are being proposed to mandate the instillation of serilizers, disinfectant devices, and air purifiers. 

a) Where you found it? Regulations.gov, https://beta.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2020-D-1138-0022

b) Why info suggests and opportunity? Many public places will be forced to install certain devices in their locations within a certain time. They need to buy the devices and have them installed. 

c) Prototypical Customer? Small business owners, local train retail stores, malls, theaters, bowling alleys 

d) Easy to exploit? Difficult, as these devices require experts to install and maintain them. Not to mention, they are very costly. 

I, like everyone, have seen the effects of the corona virus and see what it has done to businesses. My grandfather also was a plumber and has a large network of people that flip houses and install all sorts of things. People pay big money for things that are complicated and burdensome. 

Identifying Local Opportunities

1) Title: "The pandemic changed what Miami’s buyers want in a home. Developers are taking notes

    Link: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article243037176.html

    Story Description: Sales statistics show that the demand for homes are low, however the normal        demand for  single family homes beat out the normal demand for the condos and multi family 

    homes and apartments. 

    Problem Description: The demand has shifted from a economic, multifamily homes to single            family homes with more square footage and personal space. This is caused by a mass change in         mentality brought on by the pandemic and the subsequent anxiety and fear. 

    Who Has The Problem: People interested in being new homeowners and real estate developers.

2) Title: "‘We’re not doing enough.’ The race against COVID-19 to test and house Miami’s homeless"

    Link: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article241985951.html

    Story Description: The article discusses the crisis that Miami is experiencing in regards to the         uncertain solution of relocating homeless people during this pandemic. 

    Problem Description: The issue is that there are homeless people without PPE or housing during     this pandemic which is an issue for the homeless in regards to their health and well being, as well     as the health of the general public as the homeless traverse many public areas.

    Who Has The Problem: The homeless, citizens, and local government. 

3) Title: "Thousands of immigrants were on the verge of becoming U.S. citizens. Then the pandemic struck"

     Link: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article243012791.html

    Story Description: There are many complications in regarding to the naturalization of many             immigrants who are looking to become citizens with the ongoing pandemic. 

    Problem Description: The pandemic has halted the citizen process of these immigrants and has         left them in limbo. Some are being deported, others can not work and then feed their                            families. The local government is buried in backlogs. 

    Who Has The Problem: State governments and Immigrants.

    

4) Title: "Audio glitches, lousy WiFi, shirtless guests: Miami Zoom court expands despite limitations"

    Link: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article242820901.html

    Story Description: The south Florida Criminal court circuit is being held through a series of

    Zoom calls, the government has yet to find any other alternative solutions, however they are         looking for ones. 

    Problem Description: The local government has thousands of backlogged cases due to the            pandemic. Lawyers feel that they can not defend or prosecute to their highest potential via             Zoom calls. There is also issues with the judge's understand as well, as the freedom of                    defendants being at stake. 

    Who Has The Problem: Local Judiciary system, lawyers, judges, and defendants.

5) Title: "Don’t flush the toilet unless it’s really needed, South Florida city tells its people'

    Link: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article243055636.html

    Story Description: There was a main break in a neighboring city's sewer system and it has             caused issues in regards to the municipal fresh water supply. 

    Problem Description: The breaking of the sewage system has led to some issues regarding the access to water. Water is "ok" to drink in the area, however supply is limited since the water has shut off and repairs are being done. 

    Who Has The Problem: The residence of the area and the local government.

A Twist On Opportunity Identification

1) My belief is that there is an opportunity in the pharmaceutical industry in delivering medication via mail to customers/patients. These people include everyone but especially the sickly and the elderly.

2) This need is medication delivery over mail. It would be the need to have an "amazon" like service, in terms of same day or two day delivery, for prescribed drugs. To my understanding, this need is unmet since there is no service available for  home delivery of prescribed medication. This has been a need for sometime now, since the only way to get prescribed drugs is by driving to the pharmacy and picking it up. There are people that have the inability to drive anymore that have to rely on others to pick up there medication. There are others that feel too unwell or sick to drive all the way to the pharmacy to pick up there prescription. There are even people that, believe it or not, find themselves too busy or too scared to go and get there prescription (driving fears & agoraphobia). The closest thing to this proposed service is amazon delivery of strictly over the counter drugs via mail or a family member picking up the prescription for you, which only makes things complicated for them as well. I am 80% sure this is an opportunity that exists. 

3) Prototypical customer: Elderly Man 

4) This gentleman finds it to be a weekly need as he takes several medications for several of his health conditions and depends on them to live a normal life. He has not driven for two years and depends on his wife to get the medications for him. He first experienced this need when he decided he can no longer safely drive, meaning he could no longer drive to the pharmacy himself. He depends on his wife, who is also approaching the age when she can not drive, or his daughter to pick up the medication, after work. He feels bad as he puts a burden on them.  He things that this service would really help himself and others like him. Especially, people who also have Alzheimer's like him and are forgetful of certain tasks and have no one else to rely on. 

5) I learned that my concerns and belief that this service is a completely unmet need is a legitimate one, that can help money. I was surprised to realize it can even help some who do not know it could help them. Some may have Alzheimer's or are just forgetful and do not realize that they must go and pick up the medication.

3) Prototypical Customer: Sick Elderly Woman

4)  This woman has an issue with her knee amongst many other health conditions. She can drive but most days she feels like she can barely move out of bed from all the aching of her joints, much less operate a vehicle to and from a pharmacy. She has felt like this for some years now, especially after her surgery 3 years ago. She became aware of her need when she was getting pains all over her body and realized how tiresome this weekly chore was for her body. She is currently braving it by going weekly despite the pain she experiences. She hates this solution and is in pain. 

5) This is interesting as this is something that a lot of people experience, not necessarily just the elderly. When people experience an illness, ongoing or not, the last thing they want to do is get up and drive to the pharmacy to go get medicine when they are already not feeling well, even if they have the ability to drive. 

3) Prototypical Customer: Middle Aged, working daughter

4) This daughter comes across this need often as she has the chore of picking up both of her elderly parents medications on a biweekly basis. She is a busy woman and has a fulltime job as it is and a family of her own at home. She has had this issue since the start of the pandemic as she no longer wants her mother, the only person who can drive between her parents, out of the house. She is going out of her way during her lunch break or after work, from home, to go pick up the medication and delivering them to her parents who live 20 minutes away. She is busy but she is willing as she is always ready to help her parents. 

5) It is interesting how useful this service could potentially be in different contexts. Especially in concerning times like these, with the pandemic, where there are health risks going outside and touching things in the outside environment. People are thrown for a loop as their normal routines are disrupted and solutions are burdensome to others.

7) The original opportunity is still still there, as I had not thought about the application to COVID 19. People are seeing themselves rely on different solutions than they ever have as their routines have been disrupted and they have to rely on more reliable and convenient ones such as amazon or zoom to do the things that they used to be able to go out and do. I do believe that with customer interaction and questioning that the opportunity has been fine tuned to help customers get the most out of a potential service.  I believe that entrepreneurs should adapt to their customer feedback as long as they are listening to the correct customer base. Their customers are the ones buying the product and introducing them to the idea of a potential service and seeing their reactions could tell you some things that can be added to make your service or product efficient and vital to their lives. With the proper modifications and adaptions, customers may completely rely on your service if all their needs and issues are met with it. 

 

My Entrepreneurship Story

 In my highschool we had a retreat program that was very popular. Every year, we would have a peer to peer retreat where upperclassmen prepared a retreat for the underclassmen. Every year had one but the seniors, naturally. I loved my experience on the retreats so I took it upon my self to develop, create, and execute a senior retreat. I pitched the idea, with great detail to the administration, formed a team, and made arrangements to make the new retreat. We did it and had a very good turn out. To this day, my highschool continues to do this retreat. 

 

I enrolled in ENT3003 because I consider myself to be an entrepreneur. I like to fix problems in creative ways and make it better for people that follow. I want to learn what it takes and learn skills that I may need in the future. One day, I hope to provide my own service or product to make my own business. I also need credits outside my major. 

 

 

Bug List

1. When sick and feeling unwell, the doctors often prescribe medication to assist with this. However, then we have to wait to then go and physically pick up our prescription hours after the appointment. 

WHY?: This is because pharmacy's do not have a delivery service available. Also, it must be complicated to do so due to risk of damaging the medication in delivery, having issues with delivery time (especially life saving medicine), and potentially sending the wrong medication to a house or sending the medication to the wrong house. 

2. Having to collect all of the laundry in your room and carrying all of the pieces of clothing to the laundry room to do laundry and potentially becoming a heavy load to carry over or even dropping some clothes. 

Why?: The system of how we do things in terms of how we arrange the rooms in our house in the USA with the bathroom (where we take our clothes off) and the laundry room is inefficient. This causes people to delay or put off their laundry days and until they have no other options. 

3. Of the many things that are annoying to lose, the most annoying has got to be one's wallet and keys. Nothing is worse than having to go somewhere and frantically looking in every nook and cranny all over the house to find it. 

WHY?: These items are relatively small and are carried all over the place. They can easily drop some place randomly and be almost impossible to find. These items aren't like the iPhone that emits a sound when lost, in order to find it quicker. Instead, we rely on our searching skills and our memory. 

4.  It is very difficult for the founders of start up companies to find funding for their ideas, or at least do not have a public platform to gain investors.

Why?: People are able to fund the operations of major companies via stocks on public trading platforms because they are trusted and have proved to be profitable. Startups are very risky and most of the time they fail and the investors may lose thousands of dollars. 

5. Ribs are quite messy to eat and do not allow us to handle other items while eating the ribs. 

WHY?: This is because the best way to get the meat off of a rib is to eat it with your hand. Ribs are also covered with rub and sauce and do the same with your hands.

6. It is impossible to see computer screens or mobile screens outside during the day, even with the brightness all the way up. 

WHY?: This is because the glare caused by the reflection of the sun make it hard for our eyes to focus and see the details of a digitized screen.

7. When running or doing other intense aerobic activities with a mobile device in the pocket, they tend to fall out and crack or just weigh people down when running, ruining the rhythm of their run. 

WHY?: This is because the weight of the phone and the momentum caused by the exercise causes the device to swing in our pockets and fly out. Especially, when the pockets on most exercise wear are large. 

8. The smell of our excretions in the restroom leave an incredibly long lasting aroma for any other visitors. 

WHY?: Our excretions, both our urine and fecal matter, have a number of chemicals in them that emit a bad odor. With no way to negate it or air it out, it is very unpleasant and lasting. Our reaction is an evolutionary trait we have to stay safe from ingesting waste and getting us safe.

9. The space between our car seats are a wormhole and many things are lost there. These items are very difficult to fish out. 

WHY?: The space between these seats are very narrow and go all the way to the carpet of the car. It is deep and too narrow for most peoples hands to reach, but large enough for phones,wallets, and keys to fall into. 

10. Whether it be using your phone on a pool day or freshly washing your hands or getting out of the shower, it is impossible to use your smartphone with wet hands/finger tips. 

WHY?: This is due to the fact that the touch screen technology relies on the texture of one's finger to recognize movement on the screen. When one's fingertips are wet, it is not possible to recognize and register the correct movements. 

11. Size tags on shirts, underwear, and pants are quite uncomfortable and quite unnecessary, in my opinion. 

WHY?: Also, it is there because that has been the traditional way of keeping track of the size of items. The material and the position of the tags cause an uncomfortable feeling on the skin

12. The barking of dogs is very annoying and nearly every time and every dog I have met barks at the sound of someone at the door from a doorbell. It disrupts people's activities and they have to calm the dog down or lock it up to answer the door. 

WHY?: The sound causes the dog to be on high alert out of fear or curiosity and it wants to alert their owners to them. It is the dog's natural response. 

13. People have trouble with many classes in their educational careers. They seek the help of tutors who are experts in a given topic to help them in their workload. However, this can be difficult in finding tutors because their services are often recommended via work of mouth and are not always there. There is not a one stop shop for tutors.

WHY?: No one has created a place for students of all ages to go and get a tutor for any subject they need help in. This is due to  necessity of highly specialized employees and flexible hours, as well as student to teacher ratios. 

14. Eating granola bars is very messy and gets crumbs everywhere when eaten. 

WHY?: Granola, by its nature, is rigid and crumbly. When bitten into, the bonds holding the granola together breaks and the resulting small pieces fall everywhere. 

15. Having hair stuck in the shower drain causes issues with the drainage of water, as well as just being plain gross. 

WHY?: Men and women alike shed naturally overtime, even more so in the shower. People also take shower time to shave and do some grooming. This causes a blockage in the drain of the shower, which is not engineered to drain hair. 

16. Glasses getting foggy when going from cold to hot air. 

WHY?: When people go from cold to hot air while wearing glasses, the glasses become foggy due to condensation. Much like the wetness on the outside of a soda can. 

17. The sound of a creaking door can be very disruptive at night and annoying at all times. 

WHY?: Doors creak because the hinges of the door are not properly lubricated and the friction between them causes these loud sounds. 

18. The unreachable left over toothpaste in the toothpaste bottle. 

WHY?: Due to the shape and engineering of the toothpaste bottles, as well as the consistency of the toothpaste itself, causes it to be very difficult to take out all the remaining toothpaste and be as efficient with it as possible. 

19. When brooming, and the dirt you've picked up is being sweeped into a dustpan and instead of it going into the dustpan, it manages to go under the dustpan or has to be forced onto with much effort. 

WHY?: This is due to the shape and engineering of dustpans. The edges are not sharp enough or gradual enough to pick up the dirt, as the particles may be too small or the broom itself does not scoop it into the dustpan well enough. 

20. Chaffing causes a lot of pain for everyone such as normal day people, runners, bikers. It is painful and annoying to deal with days later. 

WHY?: Chaffing is caused by prolonged and consistent friction between the inner thighs of a person. This could be due to exercise or the material being warn. It causes something of a burn and can last many days. 

Reflection: This assignment was difficult at first. It is almost a learned behavior to recognize the problems that we come across each day and ignore and accept them as is. I had to train my mind to recognize these "bugs" as I experienced them throughout my days. At first, it was easy to thing of a couple theoretical bugs, then I had to draw from experience which was difficult at first but got easier and easier as I learned to catch on to this. 

Test Blog Post

This is a test to make sure the blog is running as it should. I look forward to this class and gaining the experiences it entails.