In my life I think there are opportunities all around me. I simply try and be myself and be friendly and I have noticed opportunities fall into my lap. For example, I one day went into the Apple Store to fix my phone and ended up talking to an employee for a while about the store and working in the store. He liked me so much he wanted to get his manager so I could have an interview. Unfortunately, I had to let the opportunity go because I live in Gainesville, FL and the Apple Store is in Tampa, FL. Although there are those types of opportunities, there are also opportunities inside my community for entrepreneurship. For example, many people are constantly looking for new and different places to eat. The unmet need is that people in my community want diversity in what they eat. This need came from the city of Tampa being a melting pot of people, each brining their own culture and food, so there is always something new to try. People currently are innovating in the food industry like never before and trying many things people never would have thought about.
The prototypical customer is a middle class citizen whoo wants to try something different than the everyday restaurants he usually goes to on his lunch breaks. The first person I interviewed was my father. He works a nine to five office job and frequently tries new places on his lunch break. He said that he is looking for a restaurant that has quality food, but is quick because he needs to get back to work. He also aid he is looking for something that is under $10, otherwise he would be better off bringing in his own lunch. He also said he eats lunch out about 4 days of the week, frequenting Panera and Chick-Fil-A often.
The second person I interviewed was my uncle. He owns his own printing company and does not usually work the normal hours, however eats lunch out almost everyday because he is taking clients to lunch. He prefers to spend around $15 on a meal. He also wants something that will take a little bit of time, has a nice environment, and is in a good location, as to impress his clients. He enjoys local restaurants because he is very proud of being a small business owner and wants to contribute back to his community.
The final person I interviewed was my girlfriend. She works part time at an on campus gym. She says for lunch she just usually grabs the closest thing, but does like some variety. She tries to spend no more than $7 on a meal and needs something quick. She hardly ever is looking to have a sit down meal, and only goes to a sit down restaurant on special occasions. She needs something quick because although she only works part time, she is also a student, so she needs to eat and then get back to her studies.
Upon reflecting on my original opportunity, I see that it is still there, but very hard to achieve because most of the time the people i interviewed are going to the chain restaurants such as Panera, Chipotle, or Chick-Fil-A. Unfortunately, the quick lunch market is somewhat cornered by these big names, however, for people such as my uncle, there is a large market. My uncle is looking for that trendy new place to impress his clients. He wants to take them somewhere no one else would so he can create his own personal experience with them. I think through this experiment, I have discovered that my new opportunity is more promising than my old. I also do think entrepreneurs so always adapt to the situations around them because they need to invent something different so they can stand out and have a unique quirk about them that keeps people coming back.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Identifying Local Opportunities
Article 1: Brooksville Loses County Office
In Brooksville, there was not enough room for judges to hold trials so they needed a new space. For years, there had been a debate over using the government center for county commission. A new building is being constructed as the government house. This article shows a problem thag had been ongoing and is now fixed. For a long time the judges had the problem of ot having enough room to work, but now they have more than enough and are happy.
Article 2: Greek Orthodox Church Raising Money to Continue Construction
A Greek Orthodox Church has been attempting to raise funds for over ten years and now is trying to raise the last little bit of funds to be able to break ground. This is an issue in the community because people need this church as a place to call their own. An area where they can worship and reflect. Churches help communities and the faster the money is raised, the faster people will have a new church. The people of the parish are the ones with the problem because they have no place to worship.
Article 3: County Roads Still Dangerous
In the county, there are some dangerous roads, one of the most notable is US 19. This is a huge issue because people should be safe on the roads and not have to worry about getting severely injured in a car accident. The county averages just over 64 fatalities a year, which is high, even for the state of Florida. The people in danger are the everyday drivers of Pasco county. These people take an even higher risk than the rest of the state every time they get into a car.
Article 4: Tampa Street Racing Claims Second Victim
There was an accident on December 5th, 2017 where two cars were street racing and crashed. Two people died in the accident and this is a problem because it is a danger to not only the people racing, but also the other cars on the road. The problem is street racing is dangerous and not only harms the drivers, but others that happen to be around. When people are speeding, especially when racing, control of the car can easily be lost and other cars can be hit.
Article 5: Shelters Fill Up on Cold Nights
Unfortunately, many people are losing their homes and jobs, meaning more people left on the street for this cold winter. Also, the homeless shelters in the area are reaching capacity and there just is not enough space for this people to stay warm and sheltered from the cold. This problem impacts the homeless population, which is tragic because they are already in a tough time and do not need the extra stress. On top of that, they do not have the basic human need of shelter.
In Brooksville, there was not enough room for judges to hold trials so they needed a new space. For years, there had been a debate over using the government center for county commission. A new building is being constructed as the government house. This article shows a problem thag had been ongoing and is now fixed. For a long time the judges had the problem of ot having enough room to work, but now they have more than enough and are happy.
Article 2: Greek Orthodox Church Raising Money to Continue Construction
A Greek Orthodox Church has been attempting to raise funds for over ten years and now is trying to raise the last little bit of funds to be able to break ground. This is an issue in the community because people need this church as a place to call their own. An area where they can worship and reflect. Churches help communities and the faster the money is raised, the faster people will have a new church. The people of the parish are the ones with the problem because they have no place to worship.
Article 3: County Roads Still Dangerous
In the county, there are some dangerous roads, one of the most notable is US 19. This is a huge issue because people should be safe on the roads and not have to worry about getting severely injured in a car accident. The county averages just over 64 fatalities a year, which is high, even for the state of Florida. The people in danger are the everyday drivers of Pasco county. These people take an even higher risk than the rest of the state every time they get into a car.
Article 4: Tampa Street Racing Claims Second Victim
There was an accident on December 5th, 2017 where two cars were street racing and crashed. Two people died in the accident and this is a problem because it is a danger to not only the people racing, but also the other cars on the road. The problem is street racing is dangerous and not only harms the drivers, but others that happen to be around. When people are speeding, especially when racing, control of the car can easily be lost and other cars can be hit.
Article 5: Shelters Fill Up on Cold Nights
Unfortunately, many people are losing their homes and jobs, meaning more people left on the street for this cold winter. Also, the homeless shelters in the area are reaching capacity and there just is not enough space for this people to stay warm and sheltered from the cold. This problem impacts the homeless population, which is tragic because they are already in a tough time and do not need the extra stress. On top of that, they do not have the basic human need of shelter.
Friday, January 19, 2018
My Entrepreneurship Story
When I was in high school, I worked for a small pharmacy and my boss was the owner. He had just opened it up a few years before I started working there. I was hired as a delivery driver. My boss had decided he wanted to set himself apart from the competition by giving free prescription deliveries. He noticed one day that most of his clients were older people who struggled to get to and from the pharmacy. For example, they would have to send their family members to get the medicine for them because they could not drive or were bedridden. This idea my boss came up with really put him apart, and, because of this, he started to have more and more customers. Now, he has grown to have a rather large customer basis and is flourishing in the success of his business. He fixed a problem with a simple solution that put the customer first and it allowed him to do well for himself. I enrolled in this class because I want to be an architect, and, with that, eventually open up my own architecture firm. From this class, I was hoping to learn the basics of entrepreneurship so I could be successful when opening my firm.
Bugging Out
1) At night, the internet slows down to the point where it is almost impossible to use.
The bug exists because when people have free time they tend to use the internet. Also, people are attempting to turn in assignments and catch up on things they may have missed in class.
2) On days where major architecture projects are due, it is almost impossible to use the printers.
It happens because people all want to be ready for the presentation and forget that printers and printer supplies is limited, because, throughout the year, it seems limitless.
3) At Broward Chick-fil-a during lunch, the line can sometimes wrap around the whole building.
There are limited food places in the area and Chick-fil-a is already popular, especially for lunch.
4) At my apartment complex, the lawn service will mow the lawn in the mornings and wake people up with the noise.
Because it is such a large area to take care of, the lawn service probably has it as one of their first stops. Also, the walls in the apartment are thin and anything can be easily heard through them.
5) The Wal-Mart line at around 6 pm is very long.
People get out of work and school and go to Wal-Mart to get what they need for dinner and the next day.
6) My favorite shirt, after a while, becomes too small to wear and dirty.
It has been washed so many times that it has shrunk. Also, I wear it so much and sometimes spill on it, staining it, so it does not look as nice.
7) My phone does not work after long periods of time of me using it.
This happens because my phone gets hot after a while and needs a break.
8) It takes a while for the heat to turn on in my car in the morning.
My car has been sitting out in the cold all night and needs time to warm up.
9) Traffic lights late at night turning red when there is no other traffic on the road.
This happens because maybe someone needs to cross the road, or there was a car that turned right and the light needed to change.
10) At the start of a semester, the bookstore line is very long.
Teachers sometimes do not use the required text so students wait until they know they have to have the book to buy it. Also, students do not want to spend $300 on a book they will not use.
11) When I go to do my laundry after i get home from school, there are no empty washers.
Lots of people have the same idea as me and are just trying to get their lives in order when they are most motivated.
12) My earbuds are tangled almost every time i take them out of my pocket or backpack.
Earbuds tangle easily, especially when they are in small, scrunched up spaces.
13) Imperfections in the road will make my car bounce around.
People use the road often and wear it down.
14) Going to a school bathroom on a Sunday and there is no toilet paper.
The maintenance crew does not work on weekends, and the bathrooms are used often. Also, extra rolls of toilet paper are not left out.
15) When it is really cold outside and very warm inside, you sweat every time you walk inside from outside.
People have on layers of clothes to protect themselves from the outside cold, but want to be warm inside so will have lots of clothing on when they come inside.
16) When registering for big basketball games, if you do not do it instantly, you will not get a ticket.
Many students want to attend the games, and their are a limited number of tickets.
17) The bus is more often than not late to every stop.
It can take people a while to get on and off a stop, and sometimes will stop more than predicted.
18) Driving in 6 pm traffic and not being able to go on Archer road.
Archer is a main road and many people use it to get home. It also is one of the few roads that goes under the interstate.
19) When people drive in the left lane going the speed limit especially when i am taking long trips.
People are trying to get to places and will use the left lane to do it, but do not realize it is only a passing lane.
20) Late at night, when doing my architecture projects, I will sometimes run out of materials and need to get more, but all of the stores are closed.
Stores have regular business hours to allow their employees to have regular schedules. Unfortunately, architecture projects can take a long time to do and materials can be sparse, especially late at night.
This list was hard to come up with just because i do not usually think much of the minor inconveniences of life. I tend to overlook them and not worry a ton about it, because I thought there was nothing I can do to change it, but, after making this list and thinking why these things happen, I realize i may be able to change some of them.
The bug exists because when people have free time they tend to use the internet. Also, people are attempting to turn in assignments and catch up on things they may have missed in class.
2) On days where major architecture projects are due, it is almost impossible to use the printers.
It happens because people all want to be ready for the presentation and forget that printers and printer supplies is limited, because, throughout the year, it seems limitless.
3) At Broward Chick-fil-a during lunch, the line can sometimes wrap around the whole building.
There are limited food places in the area and Chick-fil-a is already popular, especially for lunch.
4) At my apartment complex, the lawn service will mow the lawn in the mornings and wake people up with the noise.
Because it is such a large area to take care of, the lawn service probably has it as one of their first stops. Also, the walls in the apartment are thin and anything can be easily heard through them.
5) The Wal-Mart line at around 6 pm is very long.
People get out of work and school and go to Wal-Mart to get what they need for dinner and the next day.
6) My favorite shirt, after a while, becomes too small to wear and dirty.
It has been washed so many times that it has shrunk. Also, I wear it so much and sometimes spill on it, staining it, so it does not look as nice.
7) My phone does not work after long periods of time of me using it.
This happens because my phone gets hot after a while and needs a break.
8) It takes a while for the heat to turn on in my car in the morning.
My car has been sitting out in the cold all night and needs time to warm up.
9) Traffic lights late at night turning red when there is no other traffic on the road.
This happens because maybe someone needs to cross the road, or there was a car that turned right and the light needed to change.
10) At the start of a semester, the bookstore line is very long.
Teachers sometimes do not use the required text so students wait until they know they have to have the book to buy it. Also, students do not want to spend $300 on a book they will not use.
11) When I go to do my laundry after i get home from school, there are no empty washers.
Lots of people have the same idea as me and are just trying to get their lives in order when they are most motivated.
12) My earbuds are tangled almost every time i take them out of my pocket or backpack.
Earbuds tangle easily, especially when they are in small, scrunched up spaces.
13) Imperfections in the road will make my car bounce around.
People use the road often and wear it down.
14) Going to a school bathroom on a Sunday and there is no toilet paper.
The maintenance crew does not work on weekends, and the bathrooms are used often. Also, extra rolls of toilet paper are not left out.
15) When it is really cold outside and very warm inside, you sweat every time you walk inside from outside.
People have on layers of clothes to protect themselves from the outside cold, but want to be warm inside so will have lots of clothing on when they come inside.
16) When registering for big basketball games, if you do not do it instantly, you will not get a ticket.
Many students want to attend the games, and their are a limited number of tickets.
17) The bus is more often than not late to every stop.
It can take people a while to get on and off a stop, and sometimes will stop more than predicted.
18) Driving in 6 pm traffic and not being able to go on Archer road.
Archer is a main road and many people use it to get home. It also is one of the few roads that goes under the interstate.
19) When people drive in the left lane going the speed limit especially when i am taking long trips.
People are trying to get to places and will use the left lane to do it, but do not realize it is only a passing lane.
20) Late at night, when doing my architecture projects, I will sometimes run out of materials and need to get more, but all of the stores are closed.
Stores have regular business hours to allow their employees to have regular schedules. Unfortunately, architecture projects can take a long time to do and materials can be sparse, especially late at night.
This list was hard to come up with just because i do not usually think much of the minor inconveniences of life. I tend to overlook them and not worry a ton about it, because I thought there was nothing I can do to change it, but, after making this list and thinking why these things happen, I realize i may be able to change some of them.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
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