Identifying Local Opportunities

1.

• Deputies continue investigation of fatal Hawthorne shooting
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/163FF9E7F3F60468?p=WORLDNEWS
• A 23 year old woman was shot and killed outside her home in Hawthorne.
• Police did not find a suspect.
• The people/community of Hawthorne, because the suspect is yet to be found.

* Disclaimer: I saw this on News Bank and couldn't pass it up.  I chose this article and formulated my answers for the purpose of entertainment/humor*

2.

• Strict Regulations Leave No Space For Adult Stores in Gainesville
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/163DC461ED5EE9F8?p=WORLDNEWS
• In 1994 the city of Gainesville made laws prohibiting sexually oriented business, due to increased crime rates in areas with those businesses.
• The problem is that sexually oriented business, like adult stores and entertainment clubs are prohibited in Gainesville.
• The problem is for the inhabitants of Gainesville, because if they want to find these goods or services, they have to go outside the city limits.

3.

• Hull Road partly closed during construction
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/163DC461E484CCF8?p=WORLDNEWS
• Part of Hull road was going to be closed due to construction of a new hotel.
• Road closures will cause people traveling through that area to have to take detours, and could be an inconvenience.
• Students, faculty, bus drivers or anyone else who travels through that area will have the problem.

4.

• Small plane crashes in Williston; four dead
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/163D1AFDC4775B38?p=WORLDNEWS
• A small plane, from Texas crashed in Williston, all 4 passengers bodies were found at the scene.
• The problem is that the plane crashed, and killed all four passengers who were on board.
• The loved ones of those who died in the crash have the problem, along with the airports, and airline responsible for it.

* This one is really funny!  *

5.

• GPD: Former Gators football player struck by woman
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/163C20640E807A88?p=WORLDNEWS
• An ex Gator football player was punched in the face by a girl he refused to sleep with.  She was angry because he had previously slept with her friend, but wouldn't sleep with her.
• A 300 lb former football player was punched in the face by a 110 lb girl.
• The ex football player has the problem.

Forming an Opportunity Belief

1.  I believe an opportunity exists to develop more/better parking on and around campus for students who live off campus.  Specifically, parking garages within walking distance from the main hubs of campus, where students who live off campus can park their vehicles.

2. The unmet need is the availability of parking on/near campus specifically for students who live off campus.  This need is not brand new, I believe it has existed for a few years now, but it worsens over time as UF admits more and more students to the university, and the areas surrounding campus become developed into housing/retail.  To meet this need (or rather to deal with it) off campus students walk, or ride bikes, scooters, or the RTS bus system to get to campus.

3.  The prototypical customer would be undergrad students, who live outside a one-mile radius from UF campus.  I say undergrad students because there are already designated parking areas for graduate students.  Also, students within a one-mile radius of campus can easily walk, bike, or ride a scooter to campus, where as students outside this radius can not. 

4.  The first person I spoke to was a 4th year student who lives off campus.  She identified the need for an ability to drive her car to campus.  This need occurs Monday-Friday from 7am-3:30pm when there are parking restrictions on campus. She says she has had the need for all 4 years, because she never lived on campus, and can't get a decal (other than park & ride) as an undergrad.   She currently uses the RTS bus system to get to campus, but would rather drive herself because it is often unreliable, and very time consuming.

* disclaimer: I don't think park and ride decals are a solution to this problem, because students still have to commute on a bus... This does not make transportation to/from campus quick, convenient, or efficient in my opinion.  The only case in which I think a park and ride would be useful is if a student lives more than a 25 min drive away from campus.


5.  The second person I spoke to was a 5th year (undergrad) student who lives off campus.  He currently has a motorcycle with a parking decal, and doesn't own a car, so this isn't exactly a 'need' for him.  -He did mention that scooter/motorcycle parking is overcrowded, unorganized, and sometimes hard to find, which is encompassed in my 'opportunity' for better parking for students who live off campus. -  He also said that he lived on campus freshman year  so he had no need for a car.  When he moved off campus his 2nd year,  he rode the RTS bus which he said was unpleasant & time consuming. He acquired his motorcycle as a junior, for the purpose of commuting to and from campus, since he knew parking was very limited for those with cars. *Which proves my point, that there is a need for parking for off campus students with cars!*


6.  The third person I spoke to was a 2nd year student who lives off campus.  As a freshman he lived on campus, so again, he didn't have this 'need' then.  As a 2nd year, he moved off campus, and began using the RTS bus to commute to campus daily.  He says using the RTS in the mornings is decent, but in the afternoon it's packed and can take him up to 45 mins to get home (only 4 miles away!!)  He says he too, wishes he could drive himself to campus daily, to reduce his commute time, but that not having the option to park his car on or anywhere near campus is the limiting factor.  This student only has class MWF this semester, so he only faces this problem 3 days a week.


7.  In summary, this opportunity certainly exists (100%).  While it may exist in varying degrees for different students, it is obviously a problem for a lot of students living off campus.  And while there are alternative methods of commuting to campus, students would typically rather have the freedom to drive their own cars, avoid public transportation, and save time on their daily commute.
I believe my opportunity is still 100% there.  But in other circumstances, I think entrepreneurs should most certainly adapt their 'opportunities' to the actual needs people have, otherwise they may be missing the mark, and their opportunity may fail in the real world.

I Became an Entrepreneur When I Said "F*** It!"

I was really smart growing up.  I always had straight A's, I loved math, was on the robotics team, graduated top of my class.. you get the picture.  That being said, my family had high expectations of me for the future.  I was to go to college, get a degree, then go work and make a sustainable income.

In addition to being smart, I was also athletic.  I ran track and cross-country, played softball, and was a cheerleader.  When my high-school athletic career was over, I took up the gym.  I started lifting weights and researching nutrition.  I became a junkie for all things health and fitness. But, as you can imagine my family steered me away from my passion for health and fitness and into a more 'realistic,' 'sustainable,' career...  Engineering.

So, in 2014 I began my undergrad at UF as a mechanical engineering major.  In case you don't know, the engineering program at UF is dreadful, miserable, arduous... *cringe*.  My struggle began immediately, failing classes, repeating them, and hating every second of it.  I fought to stick it out for two years because I'm the kind of person who won't be told I can't do something... If I'm going to quit it's going to be on my terms.

In the fall of 2016 I became an entrepreneur when  I said "F*** it!"  I withdrew from the semester and decided  to stop pursuing a degree that made me miserable just because it was "sustainable,"  or thats what my family wanted me to do.  I decided I would change my major to the only thing I'm truly passionate about, and I'd figure out the rest as I go.

Now I'm an APK (Applied Physiology and Kinesiology) major, and I love every second of it.  I'm learning about what truly makes me happy, everyday.  I'm also working as a personal trainer, and my future plans are to have my own online fitness coaching business.  I said "F***" the norm, "F***" comfortable, sustainable, predictable... I'm going to make my own path, regardless of what it takes, regardless of what uncertainties I have to face.

Lastly,  I enrolled in ENT 3003 because it is an elective for my degree, and after realizing my entrepreneurial goals, I though this class could teach me something.

Bug List

1. Traffic after 2:00pm in Gainesville
Why?  There are lots of people in Gainesville trying to get places.

2.  Coffee from Starbucks is expensive
Why?  Because people will buy it anyway

3.  The gym is packed at the beginning of the semester
Why?  New students at UF want to workout

4.  My boyfriends hair sheds... everywhere
Why?  Humans shed

5.  7:25 am class
Why?  7:25 am isn't early to some people

6.  My roommate never takes out the trash
Why? She hates doing it

7.  Running out of laundry detergent
Why?  I forgot to buy more

8.  The unorganized layout of Forever 21
Why?  They want you to spend hours in the store

9.  Trying on clothes when shopping
Why?  So you don't buy something that doesn't fit

10.  Lululemon leggings are so expensive
Why?  Because the material feels like heaven

11. Getting sick at the beginning of the semester
Why? New people = New germs

12. People who smell like B.O.
Why?  They don't shower... they probably do, but they probably don't wear deodorant

13.  23 degree weather in FL
Why? Climate change

14.  Crowded public transportation
Why? Lots of people have to go places

15.  Pedestrians walking in the cross-walk while looking at their phone
Why?  They think what they're looking at on their phone is more important than paying attention to their surroundings

16.  Fad diets!
Why?  People are too lazy to put in the work and control what they put in their mouths... *face palm*

17.  Syllabus quizzes
Why?  To ensure you read the syllabus... (I didn't)

18.  Textbooks are hella expensive
Why?  Someone is trying to profit off of broke college kids

19.  When my car is dirty
Why? I need to wash it

20.  The UFPD and GPD NEVER catch the 'suspects' from UF alerts
Why?  They suck... or maybe they're just preoccupied with less important stuff


Reflection:  I realized multiple things that bug me have to do with spending money... and that I'm really broke.  I was surprised how long this took me, considering I'm "bugged" by things veryyyy frequently.