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.