Assignment 10A

Assignment 9A

Assignment 9A- Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

Who: The opportunity I had presented of being able to locate your friends and family in Magic Kingdom would ideally apply to everyone who attends the park. However, it certainly would apply more to people who go to the park very often or who have annual passes. In comparison to the other interviews I had conducted, the people I interviewed this time live in Orlando near Disney or have an annual passes. Three out of the five people I interviewed thought that the product would be a good idea since they would like to know where the people that they came with are in the park. The other two people that I interviewed had a few concerns. One being that the location wouldn't be as accurate or that by the time that they got to their friends they would've moved to another place. They also found that because Disney would have to implement this device into the magic bands, there would be a slight raise in the prices of the tickets. Another concern that they had was how the tracking device turn off as the left the parks. They also believe that because they go very often or most of them had annual passes they didn't find the need for this device as they change parks during the day and most times don't even stay for the entire day.

What: This need applies for a lot of people that go in large groups to the park and also parents who have small children. Some of the people that I interviewed seemed to go in large groups only sometimes because they had access to the park more frequently. They seemed to only go with 1 or 2 other people because not everyone in their friend group had annual passes.  

Why: Some of the people I interviewed seem to like the idea but found that there could be a lot of issues with the product. They felt like it would be unnecessary to have this product because they had other ways of communicating. 

Inside the boundary                                                              Outside the boundary 

Who is in: -Large groups of friend                   Who is not: - People who attend park with 1-2 others         Families with small children                     

Need: Easier to locate people you're with          Need is not: Tracking the other 1 person you're with

Why: loosing track of people                         Alternative: People already have phones/ don't split up    

Assignment 8A

Assignment 8A- Solving the Problem 

The problem I identified was that Magic Kingdom is a very big park and people can get easily lost in it. They might not even get lost, maybe they just want to go to different parts of the park with different people. This is mostly a problem for parents with small children that they can easily lose track of. It can also be a problem for a large group of people that split up. They would have to constantly pay attention to their phones so that they can find the people that they arrived with. Your phone can run out of battery and now you would have to find another way to communicate with other people. 

The solution I came up with is installing a GPS tracking device for the magic bands which are the now the tickets for Magic Kingdom. This device paired with the already made application for the Disney park would be a perfect solution to getting lost. There are also machines already installed around the park to get your fast passes for the day. This could also serve as a way of finding the location of the people you came with. As to finding the location of people in your party, you can link all of the magic bands which are the tickets together and find the specific location for your friends and family. 

Assignment 7A

Assignment 7A- Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

Opportunity: Finding friends or family members at Magic Kingdom who get lost or that go separate ways from you at the park  

Who: Anyone that attends Disney's Magic Kingdom 

What: Finding family and friends 

Why: Magic Kingdom is a big park and you can easily lose track of the people you're with

Testing the who: People who attend Magic Kingdom usually come in big groups. Especially friends and families. This need could also apply to all of the different theme parks in Orlando or any other state. 

Testing the what: The boundaries of this need are limited to Magic Kingdom but can also relate to other parks. A challenge that this opportunity might have would be the accuracy of the location of the GPS tracker. 

Testing the why: Getting lost or wanting to part ways with the group you came with can be a challenge. They why may hold for everyone that I am interviewing because they may encounter this problem when they attend the park. 

Interview #1

Sabrina (friend): This person experiences the problem sometimes when she goes to the park with her friends. She goes to UCF and has an annual pass to go to all of the Disney parks whenever she wants excluding block out dates. She usually goes with a big group of friends and they most likely end up splitting up during the day. She also leaves her personal items in the lockers provided and her phone runs out of battery constantly. She said its hard to keep track of people because they sometimes don't answer their phones or run out of battery like hers. Her current solution is to maintain a portable charger. 

Interview #2

Valentina (cousin): This person experiences this problem when she goes to the park with her family. She usually goes 3 times a year with her parents and her brother. She said that sometimes she likes to go on rides by herself because her parents and brother aren't too excited to ride some of the rollercoasters. She uses her phone while waiting in line and it always runs out of battery. Her family usually waits for her to get out but sometimes they go on different rides and she has to wait for them to come back. 

Interview #3

Diana (aunt): This person experiences this problem when she goes to the park with her family. She usually goes a couple of times a year with her children and husband. She said that she doesn't enjoy going on any rides so she usually has to wait for her family to finish. She gets bored sometimes and she goes to the stores around the park. When she calls her husband or children they usually don't answer their phones or it's too loud to understand what they are saying. She also had a situation where her son got lost in the park and it took a while to be able to find him. 

Interview #4

Virginia (roommate): This person experiences this problem with both friends and family. She usually only goes to the park 1-2 times a year. She said that with her friends it's most likely to happen because they want to go on different rides. She usually is very attentive to her phone but knows that her other friends are not. With her family, she has the problem of not being able to find her parents because they like to go and do their own thing at the park. 

Interview #5

Nathan (friend): This person said that he doesn't really experience this problem He only goes to this particular park maybe once every few years. Usually, when he goes to this park it's with his family and they like to stick together. If for some reason they want to do different things at the park they would just wait for them. 

Summary: Overall I found that this opportunity is feasible. It might apply more to people that go to the park a couple of times a year. It also reassured my thoughts about how groups of friends and family can split up or get lost in the park. I found out that the most common problem is people having to leave their phones behind or their battery dying. 

Assignment 6A

Assignment 6A- Practicing Opportunity Identification 

1). Economic trend: US-China Trade War

A. https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-china-tariff-full-list-of-goods-products-2018-6 

The opportunity exists right now for companies to search for ways to produce cheaper labor somewhere else, providing more jobs to people in the United States. Companies that would outsource their labor to China now have to find new sources for labor because of the tariffs that the United States has put in place. The prices within the United States are competitive with the prices aboard in China. Now manufacturers will get their labor here because it is cheaper. The manufacturers could also seek out other countries that could provide the same labor that China was providing before but for cheaper now. The prototypical customers would be other countries that can provide cheap labor, as well as companies based in the United States This opportunity would be easy to exploit if the manufacturers are already making the products here. Their business would be able to boom since more companies would buy their products because of the tariffs that are being implemented. However, it could be more complicated for companies that usually outsource their products to China. I saw this opportunity because this has been all over the news. The trade war with China is a very current topic and its something that could potentially have repercussions on our economy and is already showing the effects of it on China's economy. 

2). Economic trend: Shifting work demographics 

A. https://commercial.jpmorganchase.com/pages/commercial-banking/executive-connect/six-key-economic-trends

The opportunity exists right now for younger people to enter the workforce. As older people retire from the office jobs there are more hiring opportunities available for younger people. With unemployment levels very low, there are fewer options for people to join the workforce. There is a slow growth for the current workforce because of a lot of the older generation is currently retiring. More jobs are beginning to open for the current generation. The customer for this opportunity are younger people that are looking to join the workforce. This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit because companies are giving the opportunity to younger people to join the workforce. I saw this opportunity because as someone that is graduating soon, I'm looking to join the workforce soon. 

3). Regulations: Plastic straw bans are spreading all over the world

A. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/news-plastic-drinking-straw-history-ban/

The opportunity exists right now for more companies to make their own version of straws that are biodegradable. It started in San Fransisco, where there started to be a ban on the use of plastic straws because of the amount of plastic that was going into the ocean. Companies are starting to be more environmentally conscious and they are making decisions to help reduce the amount of waste by a significant amount. There are some options out there of straws that are metallic and they are able to be reused. The issue with the metallic straw is that it would have to be cleaned each time it is used and also that it would cost more than a plastic straw. You would also have to remember to take your straw everywhere. Others have provided straws that are made of paper, but the straws are very easily destroyed when left in a drink for a decent period of time. The prototypical customer for this opportunity are companies that use plastic straws. They have to come up with a feasible way of another kind of straw. This opportunity would be easy to exploit if they are able to come up with a good working biodegradable straw. There would be a potential problem if companies get rid of straws altogether because there are many people out there with disabilities that require the usage of straws. I saw this opportunity because plastic has been a very harmful thing to our environment. When companies started to talk about phasing out plastic straws it would reduce waste and hopefully they would take the initiative to reduce waste in other ways. 

4.) Regulations: Overfishing 

A. https://www.ecomagazine.com/news/regulation/overfishing-is-a-huge-problem-here-s-what-you-need-to-know

The opportunity exists right now for a more aggressive approach to regulate fishing. Overfishing has become a problem because our population keeps growing. This has caused an imbalance in the ocean's ecosystem. More fish are being taken out of the ocean than the number of fishes that are being able to reproduce. This also causes a problem because there are a lot of different animals that also get caught in nets posing a threat to their existence. Fishing boats are able to go into international waters where there are almost no regulations and they can do whatever they want. There is also a lot of fish that are close to extinction due to the amount of overfishing. The prototypical customer for this would be nonprofits organizations that dedicate their time to protect the ocean. This opportunity would be difficult to exploit because the ocean is very large and it would be difficult to regulate the number of boats that are constantly coming in and out of the ports. I saw this opportunity because there are almost no laws protecting the ocean from harm. There are a lot of nonprofit organizations looking to change that. 

Assignment 5A

Assignment 5A- Identifying Local Opportunities 

Opportunity #1

Article: Banning early voting on campuses is wrong, judge ruled. But Miami-Dade still said no 

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0913%21September%2B13&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E6CAD134E30448

Description: Several organizations are urging the Miami-Dade county to allow early voting for college campuses in the residing area. Students are demanding for early voting to be allowed saying it encourages more people to vote. The elections department in this area didn't approve college campuses in the nearby area in their 25 early voting facilities. Elections department argues that the voter turnout for the early voting sites in these campuses in 2014 were among the lowest of the sites. Campuses like Miami-Dade college and FIU seem to be the most affected since they are 2 of the largest colleges in this area. However, the do plan to have an early voting site near the FIU campus nearly 2 miles close to it. Students continue to argue that if there was easier accesibility to vote, voter turnout would be great especially with all of the laws and tragedies that are occuring in Florida. 

Problem: Providing only 25 early voting sites isn't nearly enough for a county like Miami-Dade. This area has a lot of residents and there are a lot of college students that could benefit from having on-site voting. Students are constantly busy and accessibility would encourage them to vote earlier, rather than voting later or not voting at all. Miami-Dade college is one of the largest campuses that Florida has and not providing a voting site can hinder the number of people who will vote. 

Who: College students in the Miami-Dade area

Opportunity #2

Article: Miami Beach could soon arrest people operating Airbnb-like rentals without a license

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0912%21September%2B12&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E676710B323218

Description: Miami Beach is failing to control the illegal rentals market. They don't want businesses to operate without having a license. They are now trying to implement new regulations, they violator of the law will first have to pay a fine. If they are still unable to provide a license for the business that they are operating, they will be sent to jail. This new rule has also stated that any website, such as Airbnb are required to have listings that provide a license. The city officials argue that this is a necessary measure to maintain good living standards in this area. Airbnb countered with an argument saying the new rules violate a federal law that protects internet companies from what the users create in their website. With all these new rules, Miami Beach officials are still trying to find a way to enforce this since its providing a challenge. 

Problem: Websites like Airbnb are providing people with opportunities to make money off of properties that they already own. They don't need a license to rent out their property through this website. Miami Beach is causing people to not only not being able to rent out their properties but from people losing out on the opportunity of finding a short-term rental for a cheaper price than other hotels or locations. 

Who: Airbnb users, both people renting their property and people staying at the properties in Miami Beach 

Opportunity #3

Article: Miami sneaker botique shutters store, frustrating resellers who haven't been paid 

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0910%21September%2B10&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E5B154A7F124B8

Description: Sneak Attack a Miami based botique has been on a hiatus since September 1st. They were already behind on payments to the resellers that provided the merchandise for the store. Resellers began to express frustrations from the lack of communication from the management of this store. This store merchandise ranged from all different types of rare sneakers and exclusive clothing items provided by the resellers hoping they could make a good profit. This type of reselling usually goes online with items selling for a good amount of money. Resellers were told to visit the store in Miami since they were going to move it to another location. However, when they went to the location the store had been shuttered. Sneak Attack urged resellers in a public instagram post to contact them via email in an attempt to give them their merchandise back and the money the owed them. Resellers still haven't heard anything from management and haven't received any type of compensation. 

Problem: Sneaker Attack has been evading paying the resellers and having any kind of communication with them. Resellers had given them rare items in hopes of receving the appropriate amount of profit from the store. Management hasn't gotten in touch with the resellers and they are losing out on the profit and the merchandise. 

Who: Resellers who were giving merchandise to Sneaker Attack in Miami 

Opportunity #4 

Article: Miami Beach limits panhandling- but civil rights groups say that violates free speech 

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0909%21September%2B09&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E5799BDF2C7030

Description: According to different civil rights organizations: Homeless people have the right to ask people for money or any kind of help in accordance with the 1st Amendment. These civil rights groups are demanding that panhandiling restrictions are removed from Miami Beach and any other Florida cities that have this restriction. They argue that rather than helping the homeless, they are adding to the problem by giving them fines and arresting them. Miami Beach officials argues that there are only a small group of locations like Banks or ATMs to which panhandiling applies. They also argue that this law hasn't been enforced since February. Civil rights groups want this law to be reppealed and for the ability to not have this law in place anymore so that it can't be enforced. 

Problem: There are a lot of homeless people in Miami and their only source of income or food is asking people in the street. Panhandling provides a problem for them because if the ask someone they will be fined and they also have the chance of being placed in jail.

Who: Homeless in Miami Beach 

Opportunity #5

Article: There are racoons with rabies in Miami-Dade

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0908%21September%2B08&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E524F02A79DEF0

Description: There have been several racoons in the Miami-Dade area that seem to be rabid. 5 racoons have been confirmed to have rabies in the Kendall area. Health officials are warning people with animals to stay away from the designated areas since they could be easily infected as well. They are also warning people to not get close as they could scratch them and they could pose a threat. 

Problem: There are rabid racoons that can infect people's pets. 

Who: People, pets and children who live in the Miami-Dade area 

Assignment 4A

Assignment 4A- Forming An Opportunity Belief

I believe that there is an opportunity to help parents keep track of where their children are when they take them to theme parks. More specifically, when there is a big family group and younger children that the parents need to keep track of in Disney's Magic Kingdom. I believe that with the new wristband that has your ticket programmed into it and is personalized to you, there can be a GPS tracking system put in place to help you locate all of the family members in your party. Alongside the already created app for Disney, this wristband would provide help with knowing where your family members are at all times. There are also different stations throughout the park where you would be able to scan your wristband and check the location of your family. There is an unmet need for parents to keep track of where their children are in a park as big as Magic Kingdom, especially when it's crowded. This is a need specific to parents and even large family groups who have to keep track of multiple young children that become very distracted in this park. Children can very easily get lost at a theme park, they might become distracted by a character or a parade and if the parent isn't 100% attentive the children might slip out of their grip. This need is not new, there are different locations in Magic Kingdom where children go when they get lost. The GPS tracker would just facilitate the process of finding where they are and not having to roam around until they find the lost children location. Disney already has a location where children that get lost have to go to, but this is would be hard to find if the child doesn't know where they are going. Instead, they would be able to scan their wristband and locate their family again. I am about 60% sure that this opportunity exists. 

Prototypical Customer: Children as well as parents 

Customer #1: Mother of two children 9 and 12

A) Exact nature of the need: I think that a lot of parents experience this to some degree, especially with boys because they are more distracted than girls. 

B) How often do you go to Magic Kingdom: It depends, we sometimes go during July and Christmas and other times we don't go at all. 

C) How long have you had this need: I've always tried to keep an eye on my children so I wouldn't say its a need I've had. 

D) When did you become aware of the need/how are you addressing it: I've always had a slight fear of losing track of my children, the older one has a cellphone so I can communicate with them at all times.

E) How satisfied are you with the solution: If I were to lose my child in the park I think this would be a good idea to have on hand.

Customer #2: Child, Male Age 10 

A) Exact nature of the need: I don't pay attention to my parents sometimes I like to walk by myself 

B) How often do you go to Magic Kingdom: I go sometimes three or more times during the year 

C)  How long have you had this need: He wasn't really aware that he had the need for this item 

D) When did you become aware of the need/how are you addressing it: He addresses it by memorizing his parent's phone number in case he gets lost

E)How satisfied are you with the solution: I have a place to meet my family if I get lost so not really 

Customer #3: Mother of two children 10 and 14 

A) Exact nature of the need: I have always had a fear that I will lose my 10-year-old because he suffers from ADHD and he becomes distracted easily 

B) How often do you go to Magic Kingdom: My family goes a lot because its an easy vacation spot 

C)  How long have you had this need: My sister once lost her son at Magic Kingdom so I would say ever since then 

D) When did you become aware of the need/how are you addressing it: When my sister lost his son he didn't have a phone, we make our son memorize our phone numbers in case he gets lost. We also make him write it on a piece of paper just in case.

E) How satisfied are you with the solution: I think its a good idea but I don't know how accurate the location would be 

Reflection: Talking to all of three customers I got to see different perspectives. I got to speak to a child who would be most likely the one getting lost. He already has a plan in place in case he gets lost so it wouldn't be useful. I think both moms appreciated the tracker more because they know how easy it is for a child to get distracted. 

Summary: I think that the original idea is still a good one, however executing it correctly may become a challenge. I do think that the opportunity is still out there for a GPS tracking device for theme parks in case your children get lost. I think that it is more accurate since I started because I took into account what all of my customers said. Entrepreneurs should take into account all of their customers feedback because they are the ones who will be using/ purchasing your product. They should adapt it to fit their customer's needs but also taking into account what they wanted to provide originally. 

Assignment 3A

Assignment 3A- Entrepreneurship Story

I have been exposed to a lot of different entrepreneurship stories in my life. Even before I was born, my grandfather had started his own company in Colombia. He invested all of his money into creating a company that would sell and distribute petroleum to different gas stations. He was able to grow his company and have different distributing stations across the country. However, recently two of my family members decided to open their own companies and be their own bosses. I have been able to see the growth process and the different struggles that they have encountered. My uncle who lives in New York has always had a passion for photography. He always wanted to turn that into a business and alongside his wife, they decided that the best way to do that was to start their own photo booth company. New York has a huge market for these since a lot of events take place. However, getting your name out there is really hard and there are other photo booths out there that had already gained their core customers. At first, he was only getting hired by companies like Bloomingdales for little to no pay. He knew that the had to be persistent and as he started to get his name out there by doing events for free more people started to inquire about his photo booths. Now he gets hired for a lot of events like weddings and even celebrity baby showers. He is constantly including new features in his photo booths and creating his own backdrops. 

Pictured above are their logo and one of the wedding events they did recently. 

I enrolled in ENT3003 because I wanted to gain more knowledge about what entrepreneurship was really like. I want to know what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and how being your own boss changes your life. I want to be able to someday create my own company and create a service or a product that people really enjoy. I also joined this class because I was looking into the entrepreneurship minor and this class will help me complete those requirements. This class can provide me with the skills and tools needed to get into the entrepreneur mindset. 

Assignment 2A

Assignment 2A- Bug List 

    1.  People who tailgate you

Why: Less of a gap for people to get in front of the driver and cut them off. The person in front will go faster from the person behind them tailgating them. 

    2. Dog owners not cleaning up after their dogs

Why: Sometimes they forget the bags to pick up the waste. The owner may be in a rush and can't be bothered by picking it up. 

    3. A salesperson that harasses you after you already said no 

Why: They earn a commission from what they sell during that day. Might need to boost the sales for their store. 

    4. Bad/slow internet connection

Why: Everyone may be using the wifi at the same time which causes the internet to be slower. When there is a storm or the weather is bad the connection fails, making it slower. 

    5. Not being able to get a hold of your waiter 

Why: They may be busy/overwhelmed attending other tables. The restaurant may be understaffed so they have to work more tables than they are used to. 

    6. When you miss someone's call, call back and then they don't answer 

Why: They become busy at the moment that you called them back. They might not have signal at the exact moment you called back. 

    7. Solicitors 

Why: Their job is to promote a product or a service. They have a random number generator and your number just happens to be the one that's chosen. 

    8. People who don't use blinkers 

Why: They may not realize that they had to turn and its too late to turn blinker on. Switch lanes fast, there is no need to turn blinker on. 

    9. Cyclists that don't use the bike lane 

Why: Sometimes there are no bike lanes provided for the cyclists. Construction may obstruct sidewalks. 

    10. People who bring their entire grocery cart to the self-checkout lane 

Why: Other grocery lanes are really crowded, self-checkout is faster. People think that they can scan things really fast cutting their wait time by a lot. 

    11. Driving behind a slow person in the fast lane of the highway 

Why: There might be a semi truck in the right lane that they are trying to pass. They are not able to switch to the slower lane at the moment. 

    12. People who are disorganized and leave clutter around the room 

Why: No time to organize anything that they left out. Easier for them to know where everything is located because it's "their clutter". 

    13. Ordering through the drive-thru and getting what you didn't order 

Why: The intercom of the drive-thru might not be working properly. The other person wasn't able to understand what you were ordering. 

    14. People who skip the line anywhere 

Why: They are probably trying to get to their friends/family who are ahead of you. They want to cut their waiting time and not stand in line for as long. 

    15. Getting a nail in your tire/having to wait for a tow truck

Why: Going through a constructions zone where there is debris. Waiting time for tow truck may be high depending on where you're located. 

    16. Doing group projects with people you don't know 

Why: Professors want you to interact with different people. Getting out of your comfort zone and meeting new people. 

    17. When people litter 

Why: There may not be a trashcan nearby. Easier to throw it on the floor and expect someone else to pick it up. 

    18: When people aren't on time

Why: They are running late from a meeting or errands that they had to run before meeting you. They are procrastinators and leave everything for the last minute. 

    19:  Calling a company and being put on hold

Why: The representative may be occupied talking to someone else. They might not know the answer to your question/have to consult with their managers first. 

    20. When what you ordered online isn't delivered the day it was supposed to

Why: Postman may have already delivered the packages for the day and yours happened to arrive late to the post office. The tracking number on the package was wrong and it left the company a day later. 

Reflection: 

    This assignment seemed to be easy at first, but after the first ten items, it was challenging to come up with more. Thinking about daily annoyances wasn't hard, it was arguing why they existed that posed a harder task. Some of the things that bugged me were hard to explain because they had no real reasoning behind them. A lot of the annoyances I was able to come up with were due to personal preference. It was hard to get into the mindset of having to explain everything that you find annoying in your day to day basis. Overall, this assignment was a little bit challenging because of the mindset that you had to have while explaining the "bugs". However, it helped me gain a new perspective to think about why problems exist.