Looking for Opportunity

1.     Uber in South Florida: ‘Adoption has been phenomenal'

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15D0C1A643160A00?p=AWNB

(A)  Uber is a very opportunistic business for any individual who wants to become their own boss.

(B)  Naturally this can have opportunities rise from the very drivers. The new regulations passed in South Florida will bring more drivers and Uber customers and possibly more ideas to be implemented.

(C)  The prototypical customer is anyone that needs to get from point A to point B from the convenience of their phone.

(D)  The opportunity is relatively easy to exploit, almost anybody can become and Uber Driver and work any time they prefer. This can attract many people looking for second job to fit in their schedule.

Someone else that sees this information can easily over look the opportunity for plenty more drivers to join the Uber services. Some might think that there is already plenty of them but with the flexible schedule and mixing in the three counties, it brings a bigger playing field for prospective drivers.

2.     Farmers work to conserve water

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15D1F0CDACA59C78?p=AWNB

(A)  Farmers are always trying to increase their revenue and be conscious of the environment around them.

(B)  Finding different methods of conserving water from farmers can help us with produce production and lead to ideas about conserving water in the city as well.

(C)  I believe that the prototypical customer can be any farmer that tries to preserve water and possibly recycle the water for their produce. This can also help bring about new ideas to help conserve water in the cities as well.

(D)  I think that as long the idea to conserve water isn’t too expensive or makes farmers jump through so many hoops, it can easily be exploited throughout the nation to help conserve the huge amount of water that is used by farmers.

Through my work experience, I have come to realize that we use water in many different ways and some of them that are used in leisure can make a huge impact. Average pools are around 15,000 gallons and that’s just one pool! I also get to hear some local farmers and their constant complaints about how much water gets used from their farm alone, excluding their home and pools.

3.     Climate change could cost jobs in South Florida, says White House adviser

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A83B09F3219D68?p=AWNB

(A)  Climate change in South Florida will have a huge impact on economy due to erosion which will affect the real estate market and tourism as well.

(B)  Finding a plan to hinder climate change or prevent the changes from affecting these markets in South Florida can be implemented throughout and keep the markets themselves afloat (no pun intended).

(C)  The prototypical customer will be property owners that have real estate on the beach and companies heavily involved in tourism such the hotels right off the beach that would suffer from the erosion and higher levels of water.

(D)  The opportunity is difficult to exploit. Even through all of our efforts, climate change is still a real issue and it keeps going. Tackling this issue can really be difficult because any idea provided has to accommodate for every type of property on the beach front.

Growing up in South Florida, I’ve seen first hand that tourism is one of the strongest influences for the local economy. Without the tourism, Miami can’t hold up its annual costs to function and let’s face it, it will be one boring city.

4.  Hollywood real estate a strong investment

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/1544059092B6EC90?p=AWNB

(A)  Real estate has always been a huge market for investment and many entrepreneurs flock to this market as a means of building equity or revenue.

(B)  With more attention being devoted to the housing market around the Hollywood area, as well as increasing prices, investing in this market can pay huge dividends which could then be reinvested to more properties.

(C)  The prototypical customer are the consumers that fly down from Canada and other northern provinces to escape the winter chills. They spend so much time down in South Florida that they end up purchasing second homes. The prototypical customer can also include all the new families that could be moving into the area for the new companies developing in the surrounding areas.

(D)  The opportunity is difficult to exploit because real estate is an expensive market to invest in. There is a lot at stake and it also needs a huge start-up investment. Some entrepreneurs might need to look elsewhere to invest before expanding into real estate.

Real estate has always been an interesting market to me. From renovating houses for new families to move into to providing the best commercial real estate options for new companies to move to. A lot of the customers I work with, always talk about having rental properties that they own and constantly generate revenue for them.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Certain populations in small towns and big cities have a distinct problem in running every day errands required. Some of the busiest individuals can’t find time to buy their weekly list of groceries; other populations, such as the elderly, can have trouble making their daily trips to the doctor appointments and making daily runs through the big city or driving for 30 or more minutes to get into town.

The who: Populations too occupied or incapable.

The what: Accomplishing daily errands throughout the week.

The why: The individuals are usually too busy or incapable to accomplish these tasks and need help with them.

Interview #1: The first interview helped me see some of the obstacles a little clearer with regards to “the who” in my hypothesis. The interviewee agreed with the concept that most of the individuals who would benefit from this business are either busy or incapable. He also noted that “the who” could extend to individuals who are rarely home and always traveling. Most of the traveling individuals reach their homes and the last thing they think about are making grocery trips or attending to property needs.

Interview #2: With the second interview, some limitations were pointed out that could hinder the progression of my opportunity. The interviewee questioned the method of transportation and pricing for the consumer and comparing it to possible overhead costs related with operating this sort of business venture. Upkeep of a fleet of vehicles, insurance for all drivers, gas for transportation, and trying to make some sort of profit on top of all the costs mentioned.

Interview #3: This interview enlightened me with “the why” in my hypothesis. As stated, these individuals are usually too busy or incapable of running their daily errands throughout the week. They stated that any individual that is occupied or incapable will usually hire a nanny or sitter that they can get closer to and feel more at home with running their errands. One of the ultimate goals would be to make sure the employee working will develop a relationship with the consumer, therefore the consumer doesn’t feel like a stranger is running their daily needs.  

Interview #4: With this interview, the interviewee agreed with most of the concepts in the hypothesis but questioned some of “the what”. She felt like the idea behind this represented a good unmet need but would require the consumer to become an open book for any employee working. Some of the daily errands that would be delegated can become very personal and make the consumer feel uncomfortable with the business. Unfortunately, there is no easy way around this with the exception of developing a close relationship between the consumer and employee.

Interview #5: On my last interview, we discussed “the who” and “the what” primarily. She said that some consumers would only require these services every few weeks or sometimes even months. Therefore, it would be difficult collecting a consistent amount of revenue to ensure the business stayed afloat. This brought me the idea that the consumers can pay a membership or some sort of monthly service fee; that way the business has consistent revenue and the consumers can take advantage of the services at every need without having to worry about paying for every trip made.