4A Forming An Opportunity Belief

1)  I believe that there is a problem with the type of alarm clocks that people use.
2) My belief is that there needs to be a new kind of alarm clock that wakes people up properly for school or work. There are people everywhere who miss important work meetings or classes/exams that people sleep through. I believe that this is an unmet need in society that happens to millions of people across the world. The people who have the need are anyone who needs to be up early, this will target people who are getting up for school or work early in the morning, including important appointments. I think that this need has always existed and people have tried to fix it with different sounds but I have another approach to fix this problem. People are currently combatting this problem by trying different techniques to wake up on time, whether that is setting multiple alarms, telling their friends to call them, or even trying different ringtones to wake themselves up. I am 90% sure that this opportunity exists.

3.1) Identify Prototypical customer- Someone who has to get up for class.
4.1) Interview: school student at St. Petersburgh College, name: Kellie Zambrano. Kellie said that she can normally make her late morning classes without any problems but also trouble getting up for classes or exams that are before 9 am. When I asked if she had ever slept through her alarm she said he had "many times". She became aware of this need when she slept through her alarm for an early morning exam and had to bed her professor for a retake. She said she doesn't always experience this need but she sometimes does. She said she sets multiple alarms at multiple times to try to combat this need and she said that if there was a different solution out there other than a typical alarm clock, she would entertain the idea of purchasing that product.
3.2) Identify Prototypical customer- Someone who has to get up for work or early morning appointments.
4.2) Traveling Marketing Manager who has to also make many early morning flights, name: Dave Faupel. Dave said that he has had experience over his years learning how to wake up early. He has had to wake up early for flights in addition to appointments all over the world. He said that he is now used to using his alarm and has slept through his alarm in the past, but he has seemed to correct the issue as of late. He said he is not necessarily aware of this need but would welcome a stronger alternative to a typical alarm clock. He has addressed this need by setting multiple alarms and going to sleep early the previous night to ensure that he is able to wake up. He said he also places his phone close to his head when he sleeps so that he is sure to hear the noise. As I previously stated he said he doesn't always experience this need but also hasn't known of any other alternative to the alarm clock.
3.3) Identify Prototypical customer- Someone who has sporadic morning appointments.
4.3) For this interview, I went to a doctor's office early in the morning and outside I talked to someone. Name: Erjola Toska, College student at UF.  First off, I asked Erjola how she made her early morning doctor's appointment and she said she had used the alarm on her phone to wake up. She said that slept through one of her alarms because she isn't used to waking up early. She said that she has been aware of this need for a long time because she tends to stay up late and misses her early affairs. I asked her if she would be open to an alternative other than an alarm clock to address this need and she said she would welcome it. She said that she wasn't aware of this need until she got to college and became used to sleeping in and lost her ability to wake up early. She said she frequently experiences this need because she does not normally wake up early. She tries to combat this need by using different alarm clocks and different ringtones. She said she would be very satisfied with this a new solution.

5) Reflect- I was reasonably satisfied with the interview responses that I received. However, I was somewhat surprised that the interview of the working man, Mr. Fuapel. When he told me that he had all but solved this problem with years of experience, I was somewhat nervous about whether or not this need still existed. I was more confident in this need when I got responses from Ms. Zamabrano and Ms. Toska. When they both told me that they have had trouble waking up before and have slept through multiple alarms, it gave me confidence that this need was still out there. This is my target consumers: Anyone who has ever slept through an alarm before. Since my solution involves motion, it would be interesting to see the impacts it could have on the open market since all 3 of these people said they would entertain the idea of buying it. I was overall interested in the responses I got, as I know how to better tailor this product to consumers.
6) Repeat steps (I did above)
7) Summarize- I believe that my original opportunity is still there; however, I think that I overestimated the population that would be interested in the product. It seems that this product may suit the younger population more because the older population may have solved this problem due to experience.
I do believe that new opportunity is more accurate because I have narrowed it down to my target-consumers and have looked into different needs that they may desire.
I believe that entrepreneurs should adapt to what the target-consumer is and what the need or opportunity is for that product. I think that you can stay firm to a minimal extent, such as if you really believe this product will help in this certain way, but otherwise, I think it is best to adapt based on feedback and the opportunity that exists.

3A My Entrepreneurship Story

I have always been interested in entrepreneurs since a very young age. I think when the show "Shark Tank" became big, that is when I really began to take an interest in inventing things and/or business ideas. Every so often I will come across a problem and come up with a new way of fixing it. I write it down in my notes on my phone, but one day I hope to pursue one of these ideas. The closest I came was when I entered an entrepreneurship competition in my sophomore year of high school. My invention: the SmartPack. I would always be annoyed in school when things would happen like my phone would die with no way to charge it, or I would get wet if it rained and I forgot an umbrella. This backpack solved things like that with features like a built-in cell-phone charging port and a buit-in umbrella. Along with other interesting features that you wouldn't find in a normal backpack. This invention was a little abitious and ended up placing third at this competition, but it was a fun experience for me. It was my first real entrepreneurship experience and I hope to have more in the future...maybe even in this class. I am taking this class not only to fulfill my business minor but to also learn more about entrepreneurship. I hope to expand the ideas that I have already come up with and generate some new business ideas that I hope to pursue.

Bug List

1. The road I live on (20th Ave) is always clogged and creates problematic traffic.
1. Why?- Because the builders and developers of Gainesville did not account for the population size that it is today. 
2. When going to the movies, people always leave dirty things or wrappers in the cup holders.
1. Why?- Because there is no trash can that is convenient for them to get to during their movie.
3. The windows on my windshield are always dirty when I come out to my car in the morning.
1. Why?- Because there is nothing covering my windshield during the night when it is just sitting there. 
4. My windshield wipers are unable to actually clean anything but rain off of my windshield. 
1. Why?- Because the wipers are not strong enough and the water the car uses to clean is also too weak. 
5. After 11 p.m. there is only fast-food open and nothing healthy to eat. 
1. Why?- Because most people have eaten dinner by then and it expected they will not eat again before going to sleep. 
6. My alarm does not always wake me up in the morning.
1. Why?- Because it is not strong enough to wake me up from my deep slumber.
7. People always sit at the lights in their cars when it turns green.
1. Why?- Becuase they are distracted and not focusing on the lights.
8. When walking a dog outside there is always dog poop left behind by other people's dogs. 
1. Why?- Because people do not clean it up properly. 
9. When there is a plethora of litter and trash alongside the road.
1. Why?- Because people throw it out of their cars and there is no one to clean it.
10. When there are large trucks emitting plumes of exhaust into the atmosphere, polluting it. 
1. Why?- Because the trucks are not environmentally friendly.  
11. When you are in a classroom and someone gets 's up and creates a loud distracting noise.
1. Why?- Becuase the chair scrapes the ground and there is no other way to get up.
12. When I take a picture and the lens does not focus on a highly lit target (i.e. screen, scoreboard)
1. Why?- Becuase the camera is unable to focus properly because the technology is not advanced. 
13. When I am at the beach and the sand sticks to the towel I am trying to use to dry off. 
1. Why?- The towel's fibers does not repel the sand.
14.  When I am at the beach and sunscreen acts like an attractor to sand and it sticks on me. 
1. Why?- Because the sunscreen's material is too stick. 
15. When I am putting a packet of sugar into my coffee and it goes everywhere and I barely have enough to put in my coffee. 
1. Why?- Becuase the packaging is not easily opened by the consumer. 
16. When every day I have to throw away my plastic coffee instead of recycling it. 
1. Why?- In our area, we are not permitted to recycle plastic. 
17. When the condensation from my cup gets my desk/table all wet. 
1. Why?- Because the cup's material cannot stop the condensation from escaping. 
18. While driving, the bus that is in front of me stops in the middle of the road causing a major backup in traffic. 
1. Why?- Because there is no separate place for the bus to stop or any other way for civilians to get on the bus. 
19. After I am done cooking, when I do the dishes, the soap does not always work to get the food or ingredients off the dish. 
1. Why?- Because the soap or sponge used is not harsh enough to clean the dish properly 
20. When the light bulb burns out and I have to continue to buy new ones. 
1. Why?- Because light bulbs are not rechargeable or reusable once they burn out. 

Reflection/ Challenges with coming up with the Bug List: 

As stated in the video professor Pryor posted, you can't just do this assignment all at once because it is hard to come up with these things. However, jotting them down as I go through my day was a lot easier and I was able to come up with things that bugged me and reasons why they exist. Although it was hard to think about the bugs throughout the day, living through them was much easier, and I was even able to come up with a few that could be good business ideas. All together, this was a really interesting assignment as it opened my eyes to some things that bug me that I didn't even know about. 

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