Assignment 4A: Forming an Opportunity Belief

I believe there is an opportunity in Gainesville to provide off campus housing to students who only want Fall and Spring Semester Contracts, and not 12-month contracts. After doing a lot of research, there is barely any rentals that are not 12-month contracts. This creates a problem because a lot of students actually want to go home for summer break and will end up either paying for rooms they do not use or staying in Gainesville because they don’t want to feel as if they are losing money. Dorms provide these kinds of contracts, but most people after their freshman year do not want to stay in a dorm and would like to live off campus. If we could provide the amenities and luxury of off campus housing with the flexibility of an on-campus contract, I think it would be a huge disruption and opportunity in the rental market.

#1 Sophomore Male Who Lives Off Campus:

1.      Are you staying in Gainesville this summer? Possibly.

2.      Do you have a 12 month rental? Yes.

3.      If you are staying in Gainesville this summer, why? Catch up on courses.

4.      Do you prefer on campus housing or off campus housing? I prefer off campus housing that is close to campus.

5.      Would you like to be able to have Fall and Spring only rentals instead of your current rental? If so, why? Most definitely because a 12 month rental creates unnecessary stress. It forces you to either stay for the summer, try to sublease, or pay rent for a place you are not even living in.

#2 Junior Male Who Lives Off Campus:

1.      Are you staying in Gainesville this summer? No.

2.      Do you have a 12 month rental? Yes.

3.      If you are staying in Gainesville this summer, why? Not applicable.

4.      Do you prefer on campus housing or off campus housing? Definitely off campus. I hated the dorm beds and lack of space, it felt like a prison.

5.      Would you like to be able to have Fall and Spring only rentals instead of your current rental? Yes, I would love that. When I leave for Miami this summer, I am going to have to pay for rent I am not using.

#3 Sophomore Female Who Lives Off Campus:

1.      Are you staying in Gainesville this summer? No.

2.      Do you have a 12 month rental? Yes.

3.      If you are staying in Gainesville this summer, why? Not applicable.

4.      Do you prefer on campus housing or off campus housing? Off campus. I like living with my friends, and feeling more freedom than on campus.

5.      Would you like to be able to have Fall and Spring only rentals instead of your current rental? For sure. There are not many of those options available at all. It would save me a lot of money.

Reflection: I learned that people actually really agree with the idea. Most surprisingly, people actually went on rants about how annoying it is, although I did not include it. People seem to really hate the fact that they are forced to pay when most don’t want to.

Summary: I think all of my original opportunity is still there in terms of demand. Although my sample size was extremely small, I am constantly seeing people post about subleases for the summer. Its because so common these days, people forget to even question why we have it in a college town in the first place. I don’t know if my opportunity is more accurate now, but I do believe it is more justified now. In terms of feedback, I believe entrepreneurs who do not adapt are going to fail. If you can’t take criticism or alternative opinions, you are not serving your customer base. Part of what makes a small business threatening to a corporation is their ability to transition and not remain firm. People change, so ideas must change as well.

Assignment 5A- Identifying local opportunities

1.     1. Trump tax cut might keep the cost of craft beer down — or put it out of business

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/169A2F3144196C58?p=WORLDNEWS

This article describes how small craft breweries are excited about trumps tax cuts because they say it will save them a lot of money and allow them to produce more beer at a lower price. On the surface, it looks as if it is a huge win for small businesses, but it actually may be worse for them than they thought.

Problem: Trumps tax cuts help small craft breweries, but disproportionately helps large beer corporations even more. The article states that those who brew less than 6 million barrels a year will only save 80 million out of the 4.2 billion. Thus, the article highlights how a supposed win for small Miami breweries may be the cause of their downfall.

Who it affects: The problem here is definitely for the small breweries around the country.

2.      2. He messed up on Tinder, so a college freshman emailed every Claudia on campus

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/169A2F314DE10A20?p=WORLDNEWS

This article showcases an entertaining story on how a college freshman used persistence and a lot of emailing to find a tinder match he lost. The freshman had to e-mail all of the Claudia’s on campus in order to find the one he was looking for. In the end, the freshman at Missouri State found who he was looking and eventually set a date for them to get donuts.

Problem: The problem here is pretty funny but actually something a lot of people struggle with. On tinder, if you swipe the wrong way and do not like the person, it is very unlikely you will ever get a chance to match with them again. Although tinder does have a service where you can go backwards if you messed up, it costs money, and most users only use the free version.

Who it affects: A freshman using the free version of tinder, but actually anyone who uses tinder.

3.   3.   Why is filling up the tank expensive again? Your local gas station isn't the reason

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16997D89694E8238?p=WORLDNEWS

This article very quickly talks about how gas station prices are rising very quickly and have actually increased 9 cents statewide and 6 cents in Miami just in the past week.

Problem: With the rising cost of oil, and the fact that right now is “refinery maintenance season”, people all over Florida are experiencing gas prices, something that supposedly happens a lot at this time of the year unfortunately.

Who it affects: Anyone in the state who visits a gas station for gas, especially those on a budget where a couple dollars affect them greatly.

4.  4    Gossip Extra - Burnie's hijinks lead to another lawsuit against Miami Heat

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/1699AF91B3D950C0?p=WORLDNEWS

This article talks about how a guard at American airlines is suing the Miami Heat because the mascot apparently bumped into her in a “negligent” manner. Apparently, the mascot endangers the Heat personnel, so she is suing the Organization.

Problem: The problem here is specific to the woman who was injured, but actually poses a larger question. Should organizations be held responsible when their mascots injure others doing their job? Is it the responsibility of the person to avoid being hurt doing entertainment stunts or should the mascot be more careful?

Who it affects: In this article, specifically a Heat guard who was injured, but potentially any employee who works near entertainers.

5.    5.  A cigarette butt left on a bedroom floor landed a Florida woman in jail

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16995A3445BBF4E0?p=WORLDNEWS

In this article, a man who evacuated his home during Hurricane Irma actually had been looted by a criminal woman. Fortunately, a cigarette butt left on the floor held DNA which connected police to the criminal to apprehend.

Problem: How do you keep your home secure when you must evacuate it for natural disasters or anything serious?

Who it affects: Anyone who leaves their home for an extended period of time.

Assignment 2A: Bug List

1. The light on Archer Road to turn left near the shell gas station is always slow and has long lines.
Why It Occurs: I believe Gainesville uses an old traffic system where the light only stays on for a pre-determined amount of time instead of adapting to the amount of cars present in the line.

2. The grip on the bottom of my basketball shoes always lose grip quickly, causing me to buy new pairs constantly.
Why It Occurs: When I play on outside basketball courts the abrasive surface on the concrete floor erodes the grip on my shoes very quickly.

3. E-mails and texts do not convey tone of voice and context very well at all.
Why It Occurs: Even with the invention of emoticons, I still feel as if my jokes and statements are often misinterpreted because people cannot see my face.

4. The Wifi in my room is extremely slow.
Why It Occurs: The router is downstairs in the living room which is too far away from my bed in my bedroom to achieve excellent signal.

5. It is very hard for me to cook anything that truly is delicious.
Why It Occurs: Online recipes are way too complicated and there are not many resources out there to help teach low-budget college kids how to create simple, delicious meals.

6. I always end up dehydrated.
Why It Occurs: I dont have any intelligent or interesting way to track my daily water intake, and I end up being dehydrated at the end of the day because I am not consuming enough water.

7. My jeans fit perfectly in the groin area, but end up having way too much fabric in the calf area.
Why it Occurs: Taller men do not have the best options when it comes to choosing jeans, so we end up having to buy a larger waist size which ends up with too much fabric in the calf area.

8.Women on tinder very rarely ever meet up with guys they meet on the app.
Why it Occurs: Women are most likely afraid of men not looking as good as they do online, or being labeled bad words by their peers for meeting up with  a stranger.

9. The same toll free numbers keep calling me and annoying me every day.
Why It Occurs: I don't have a site or app where I can report these numbers to stop calling me, and I do not believe the fines are being enforced on these people.

10. People on PS4 and Xbox One cannot play with each other online.
Why it Occurs: Since sony and microsoft are competing platforms, they do not want users to play with each other although I believe it could benefit both companies actually.

11. A lot of clothing companies do not make shirts for taller individuals.
Why It Occurs: I believe companies haven't realized yet that there is a huge market for extended sizing to fit athletic tall people.

12. A lot of jobs require experience before you can get a job, leaving it hard to get a first job.
Why It Occurs: Employers want employees with experience and recommendations so they are not wasting time and taking a gamble.

13. A lot of business teachers make us buy custom course packs and textbooks which end up being expensive.
Why It Occurs: I believe the school is trying to squeeze extra money from students under the false labeling of "student enrichment".

14. Affordable alcohol usually does not taste good and leaves you feeling horrible.
Why It Occurs: Cheaper alcohol is not distilled as much, causing it to not be as healthy and good tasting.

15. Chipotle raised their prices but their quality has dropped.
Why It Occurs: Chipotle is trying to raise revenue by increasing costs instead of retaining customers by increasing consistency and quality.

16. There is only one small lecture hall for hundreds of students in UF business school courses.
Why It Occurs: I believe UF is trying to cut costs by putting such a large quantity of students in one classroom, which in my opinion, lowers our educational quality.

17. The tolls to get from Miami to Gainesville are fairly expensive on the turnpike.
Why It Occurs: Since the turnpike is considered a luxury and not mandatory, the state charges us a hefty fee to raise money for other state sponsored programs.

18. In UF, we have to pay per credit hour where in other schools, students just pay tuition and can take as many courses as they like.
Why It Occurs: I believe UF does not want students to take any courses they wish because students may graduate slower and take too long to pick a focus.

19. The UF gym is over-crowded no matter what time you go.
Why It Occurs: There most likely is not enough space on campus to build another gym, and people have not demanded enough for there to be more space.

20. In most of Gainesville, most off campus leases are 12 months which makes students pay for summer rent even when they are not here.
Why It Occurs: Most companies and landlords understand that students will basically pay for anything and do not have a lot of bargaining power in their situation.

I did find the process of thinking about problem difficult at first. But, once i started coming up with the first 5 or so bugs, it got a lot easier after that. It definitely did feel like something you can get much better with if you practice enough. Additionally, i tried to think of the solutions to the problems i wrote down and most are either difficult or too expensive. Overall, its much easier to list problems then find solutions.

Assignment 3A: Your Entrepreneurship Story

I remember the first time I felt like an Entrepreneur was in 9th grade. Me and a friend decided we would start our own E-Bay business. What we decided to do was buy keyboards for computers online and sell individual keys. So for example, if your space bar on your computer broke, we would ship you just the key so you would not have to buy a new keyboard. This turned out to be an extremely lucrative business, and we ended up doing this for a few months and making a few hundred dollars. Doing that really encouraged and motivated me to want to create my own form of income and not have to rely only on a boss. That being said, I enrolled in this course to learn how i can create a side business or even a large scale project to create hopefully a passive income source. Additionally, i enrolled in this course to begin doing things that made me uncomfortable, hopefully failing and learning to accept failure. I know that i only get from this course as much as I put in, so i hope to put in a large amount of effort in order to gain a lot of knowledge. 

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