7A- Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

Homelessness in Gainesville

• Opportunity
• There seems to be an increasing number of people going homeless in Gainesville that can range from different reasons going from losing their jobs to some not being able to pay their bills on time.
• Who: Homeless people in Gainesville
• What: Being victims of losing there home/job.
• Why: People being laid off from work and not being able to pay their bills.
• Testing the who: Not just people in Gainesville but other people in America as well and in other parts of the world. It is also not limited to people who had jobs it could also be people who dropped out of school or people who never obtained a job to begin with due to personal issues (ex. immigrants who just came here or no where that is hiring currently).
• Testing the what: There are times that when a company ends up in a tight situation where it ends up having to let go some or even sometimes all of its employees. Although this is just one reasons on why there is an increase of homeless people, while this may be the most common reason ending up in this situation can also be the cause of poor financial choices, having a job but not making enough to pay for bills, or dropping out of school and resulting in any of the previously mentioned factors.
• Testing the why: Why so many people are nowadays ending up homeless is something that probably has to many answers to. When people lose their job they could sometimes end up in a dark place and are unable to obtain a job and sometimes that goes the same for people who lose their job actually try to get back on their feet but still can't obtain one. There are solutions such as homeless shelters however its not a permanent solution. I believe that the opportunity found in this issue could benefit current and future homeless people for the better and could prevent people from becoming a victim.
• Interview #1:
• In this first interview, I found that this person was rather generous (I won't say their name to protect their identity) because sometimes when he is driving in his car, if he has change with him gives it to any to somebody that look as if they need help, meaning people with signs that are asking for help or prayer messages. He feels that it must be really tough for them being on the verge of living out on the streets and that however they got to this point no one should have to go through this. They know about homeless shelters an he feels that the community could be doing something more to help those in need.
• Interview #2:
• For this interview, this person had some more insight on the matter saying that it seems like every time she goes out to shop she notices someone with a cardboard sign, but she doesn't know if the people she sees are homeless or not she feels it would be rude to ask. She says that aside from shelters perhaps there can be a program or some sort whose mission it is to help the poor get back on their feet. Some of the things that they can do is help those people who are struggling to help them get an available job that meets their skill sets. I found this idea rather interesting so I made a note about it.
• Interview #3:
• In this interview, I decided to go with someone who was much older than your typical university adult to talk with them on the matter to see if I can get a more experienced point of view on the matter. This person did agree that there do seem to be any increase to poor people while he can't really determine if those people are homeless or not like the previous interview. A suggestion he said perhaps there could be more shelters opened if the ones that are already available become filled up or perhaps make charities specifically to help these people.
• Interview #4:
• For this interview, I decided to ask some people around the university to see what their thoughts are on this topic. This one male student I spoke with said the homeless situation seems to be getting worse just by looking around and that any person could end up like this depending on the conditions. Although this student told me that this subject is something that wasn't that he thought of much but he did suggest we could do something more.
• Interview # 5:
• This one person I interviewed had told something interesting regarding a poor person. See when she was at home there came a knock on her door and there was a person who was asking for work because he has kid who he has to take care of along with clothes need to be washed and that they were living near a dumpster. Now she didn't know if the person she was speaking to was in any real problems or not but she did see that the man's main mode of transportation was a bicycle. The women I interviewed unfortunately told the man she didn't have any work to be done and with that man left. So she told me that something must be done otherwise there will be more people like that.
• What did I learn now after these interviews? 
• I learned that this subject was known some interviewees with more knowledge on it then others, but they each have some idea on it. Interviewee #2 had a rather interesting idea on a program that helps homeless people get jobs. Maybe they were putting some thought on this matter, I not sure if this idea exists or not, but creating a new program could be expensive and volunteers or workers will be needed,
• For interviewee # 4 they mainly suggested to just make more of what is already being done. Its not a bad idea I just feel as if it is merely delaying the problem a not solving it. That would of course make it an opportunity for future generations if delayed enough that it can't be solved when implemented. One thing that the interviewees said in each of their interviews is the existence of homeless shelters so at the very least it could be a back up plan.
• I think that even though there are some people who know more about the issue of homeless people than others I feel that it is not thought of very often which could be the reason why I kept on getting the same answers and not that many new ideas. By same answers I mean by the mentioning of homeless shelters and that something more could be done.
• Something that sort of surprised me is that the people I interview didn't have much thought on this subject although some thought about more than the other interviewees it is not enough. I believe that with very few ideas not much thinking is put into this matter despite the fact that just about anyone can end up in this situation depending on certain conditions and the person. However I am certain that there are people in the world who made it their mission to solve this problem and I might meet them to gain ideas for new opportunities for this subject.  

6A- Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

• Economic Trend: Fading Energy Drags
• Source: https://commercial.jpmorganchase.com/pages/commercial-banking/executive-connect/six-key-economic-trends
• I believe that an opportunity exists here because as the article states that even though the efficiency of fuel has been improved in 2018, it could be better and there will be a much higher demand for fuel due to the increase and appearance of new technologies.
• The prototypical customer for this opportunity could be companies who are interested in investing for alternate fuel sources or people who are interested in ideas on how fuel efficiency can be further improved.
• As for exploiting this opportunity it shouldn't be too difficult since there are other people in the world who are looking for alternate sources for fuel or ways for the amount we do have to be used wisely.
• I saw this opportunity because for this economic trend it seemed rather simple to know what opportunity can be found from here just by reading the title, also it just seems like an everyday opportunity many people are trying to solve.
• Economic Trend: The hiring shortage has turned into a hiring crisis
• Source: https://www.inc.com/joe-galvin/5-economic-trends-every-business-owner-should-watch-in-2018.html
• I believe an opportunity exists here because if there is shortage of competent workers then the people who are looking for them are looking in the wrong places or future workers who are looking for work don't know that there are positions available for their skill sets.
• The prototypical customer for this opportunity would be the companies who are having a shortage of workers or the people who are looking for work.
• Exploiting this opportunity could be a bit difficult seeing as there could be many companies searching for workers and the same could go for the workers. With that many many companies plus the amount of workers they are each looking for it could be difficult.
• I saw this opportunity because I found it interesting that there is such a thing as a hiring shortage, I usually hear of there being a job shortage which results in many people being poor. I think if companies were able to gain new employees it would also reduce the amount of jobless people in America.
• Regulatory Changes: Cybersecurity and data privacy
• Source: https://advisory.kpmg.us/blog/2018/rc-ten-2018-regulatory-challenges-for-financial-services.html
• I believe that an opportunity exists here because according to this article it relates to regulatory challenges financial services face. And it the opportunity here is that there could be an improvement to the security relating to financial services.
• The prototypical customer for this opportunity would be financial companies who wish to upgrade their security to prevent any incidents within their foundation.
• Exploiting this opportunity probably shouldn't be too difficult for people with knowledge and experience technology or computers.
• I saw this opportunity because I feel that in order to avoid fraud when it comes to financial affairs greater cybersecurity measures should be placed to protect peoples privacy.
• Regulatory Changes: Paid leave laws
• Source: https://www.benefitspro.com/2018/01/10/top-10-regulatory-issues-for-small-businesses-in-2/?slreturn=20190025160347
• I believe that an opportunity exists here because there are some of those laws that have been passed and some that are proposed and each of them are different in terms of complexity, so there is an opportunity when it comes to the proposed laws.
• The prototypical customer for this opportunity is perhaps pregnant mothers or people who need to take a paid leave due to some emergency in their life of some sort.
• Exploiting this opportunity could end up being somewhat difficult because as previously mentioned these different laws vary in complexity meaning some can be more difficult than others to exploit.
• I saw this opportunity because I was interested to learn more about the different variations a law can have and how that would affect people.

5A- Identifying Local Opportunities

• "Fire rescue worker arrested on a DUI charges after he hit 5 cars, cops say" by David J. Neal, Miami Herald, Crime section. January 22, 2019
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0122%21January%2B22&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1711FB74C309CD30
• In this story a fireman is facing several counts of charges and most of them involved a DUI of some sort and it resulted in the injury of two people and the damage of five cars.
• The problem that is presented in this story is that people causing damage to their surroundings due to driving under influence and by damage I mean other people's property being the five cars the fireman hit with his truck and the two people he injured as well. Reckless driving is also part of the issue and damage to the driver's person occurred also.
• WHO has the problem: The driver who has to pay all the charges and have these different counts on his record, the people whose property was damaged due to reckless driving, and the police who were called in to deal with this mess.
• "Hate flyers found in county residents' driveways" by Sarah Nelson, Staff writer, Gainesville Sun, News section. January 21, 2019 
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0121%21January%2B21&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17122C9197A8BF58
• On Martin Luther King Jr. day this Monday members of the KKK left letters filled with hate messages that were found by residents of different parts of Gainesville. Although the local sheriffs looked into this situation and despite their rather negative message are protected as freedom of speech however if it were to continue it could be considered as a crime. And the purpose of this was mainly for the group to spread their message.
• The problem that is presented in this story is that group that has hateful messages to spread towards certain groups and showing its supremacy.
• WHO has the problem: The people these messages are targeted towards and the authorities who are involved in this matter.
• "California man used Instagram to threaten friends, family of Parkland tragedy, FBI says" by Carli Teproff, Miami Herald, Broward section. January 22, 2019
•  https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0122%21January%2B22&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17121EC964E5C530 
• A man living in California named Brandon Fleury was arrested for using the Internet or in this case a social media, to harass people who had any relations to the victims of the Valentines day shooting that occurred at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. And this man did this just to be known.
• The problem here is that something as simple as social media which is used to post things of one's life is used to harass innocent and random people.
• WHO has this problem: The people who were messaged and the FBI who had to deal with this criminal.
• "Gainesville delivery services expand options for staying in" by Daniel Smithson, Gainesville Sun, News section. January 19, 2019
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0119%21January%2B19&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17118190408A61C8
• In this article it talks about the various services that have become available that involves bringing goods somebody has purchased to their front door such food or other personal belongings. It differs from standard food delivery because it involves a company who may have a partnership with that restaurant and are the ones responsible for picking up food someone has ordered from that area and delivers it to designated house.
• The problem here is seeing whether or not this growth of delivery services is convenient and helpful towards our way of life.
• WHO has this problem: people who use these services, people who don't use them, and the workers of these services. 
• "Another high blood pressure/heart medicine recalled for possible cancer-causing element" by David J. Neal, Miami Herald, Health fitness section. January 19, 2019
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0119%21January%2B19&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1710E1F808BAE0E8
• In this article it lists the names of recalled medicines due to having a potential dangerous element for one's health.
• The problem here is that if people who weren't able to receive this news or taken this medicine could be at risk at contacting something in this case of the article is cancer.
• WHO has this problem: the people who bought or taken this medicine, the people who sold this medication, and the people who created it. 

4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief

It is my belief that there is a need that has been unmet concern on the homelessness. It seems as if homeless people are everywhere, like when I go to the Publix or Target that is near campus I seem to always see someone with a cardboard sign asking for help. Now I am not sure whether or not if those people are actually homeless or could be scamming people, but if they are homeless or on the verge of entering that path, meaning that they need money for food and sooner or later the money the do have will run out and they won't be able to pay their bills and eventually be force to live out in the streets. Now while there do exist homeless shelters to help these individuals sooner or later those places could end up filling up beyond capacity. While people being homeless is not something that just appeared recently it is something that I have seen increasing the US. Now I don't know of one currently but I am certain buried within someones mind is a solution to this need that may be more permanent than others. To see what people think of this need I asked different people who I won't address by name to protect their identities.

#1 Second year male UF student:

• What do you think about people being homeless?
• "Must be tough for them, begging people for money and not having much luck." 
• Who do you think could end up being homeless?
• "Maybe people who were laid from work or are having troubles paying their bills."
• How do you think the problem of being homeless first started?
• "Like I said before people get fired or then again some jobs go out of business."
• What do you think is being done about homeless people?
• "There are homeless shelters out there and maybe they stay with a relative or something."
• And in your own opinion are satisfied with the solutions that are being implemented to try solve this problem?
• "I don't know maybe more could be done and people should try harder to do their share to help those in need."

Reflection: This prototypical customer being a college student wouldn't know the harsh realities of the world and the chance they would lose their job if they have one that is.

#2 Adult female in their early thirties or late twenties:

• What do you think about people being homeless?
• "I don't know sounds tough when I go to the Publix near hear I sometimes see some random guy with a sign that says a praying for help message on it." 
• Who do you think could end up being homeless?
• "I don't know, maybe just about anyone if their luck or life leads them to that difficult situation."
• How do you think the problem of being homeless first started?
• "People getting laid off from work, maybe dropping out of school and not being able to get a job or at the very least a job that pays well or decent enough to live off of."
• What do you think is being done about homeless people?
• "Shelters, people who bother to donate any spare change they might have, or maybe new jobs getting made available."
• And in your own opinion are satisfied with the solutions that are being implemented to try solve this problem?
• "More definitely can be done because who knows in the future I or you could be homeless and where was our help."

Reflection: This prototypical person had a lot more to say on the matter and possibly being more experienced in the way of the world has a better understanding of it than a college student.

#3 Adult male maybe in their thirties or forties:

• What do you think about people being homeless?
• "Must be hard having to beg people for change just so they could not end up losing their house or just to eat something." 
• Who do you think could end up being homeless?
• "Maybe people who were laid from work, couldn't find any work to pay bills or buy groceries."
• How do you think the problem of being homeless first started?
• "People losing their jobs or never having one to begin with and got kicked out of whomever's house or apartment they were crashing at or couldn't afford."
• What do you think is being done about homeless people?
• "Places that house people that can't afford their own, shelters is what I think they are called or maybe charity work."
• And in your own opinion are satisfied with the solutions that are being implemented to try solve this problem?
• "Maybe more would help because it definitely doesn't seem all easy for those people, I sure wouldn't want to be them."

Reflection: This prototypical customer probably doesn't think to much on the subject but none the less has some understanding on how serious this need can be.

Summary: I believe I got a better idea on the thoughts of this topic after interviewing different people with their own views on the matter. I still think that there still is an opportunity to come up with something to meet with this need. Talking do these different people showed me that they too noticed this situation I also saw that some of them gave similar answers to the other. While I still am not sure how to approach this problem I do know that I might come up with one in the future, with some of the feedback I obtained through the interviews and with some guidance from the original opportunity I came up with which by the way there is still much since I didn't get varying answers from the people I interviewed. What could be done for now is to build more homeless shelters and there be some sort of charity for those people. With the feedback I've obtained from interviewing those people it made my opportunity more accurate so that can see what is already be done and I don't put too much effort into doing what is already being done. I think entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback by doing what makes the most sense to them and that wouldn't affect their ideas too much that they would have to think it over again. Their opportunities should have something that was obtained from customer feedback but at the same time still feel like their own opportunity they came up with.

3A- My Entrepreneurship Story

My story begins with a class that I took last year known as IDS 1359 or Creativity into Action as the class was called. It was in this class that I was put into groups and the instructor told us that each group in class would have to come up with a product or service that will be presented into something called "Catalyst". During the weeks that would lead up to Catalyst my group and I decided to come up with a service that supposedly would replace or add to the University of Florida's reusable bottle program only this one would be a reusable silicon portable cup. We named it the CHOMP cup seeing as it would only be used at UF and what it would do is reduce waste caused by plastic cups and straws used at the restaurants here at UF, instead students have the option to purchase this cup which is a small collapsible cup that can be used instead of the standard or larger cup that is used for a fountain drink. Seeing how a collapsible cup already exists my group decided to make a service out of it, each of also sketched what the cup would look like and it sizes as well. Weeks went by, one of the group members brought a "prototype" cup of sorts to Catalyst along with our presentation board. And throughout the entire event my group and I talked to different people about the benefits of our service and how it could benefit the environment. Although our group didn't win anything when Catalyst ended, this was a good learning experience for us in case in the future any of us wanted to start our own business in the future.

Now on the topic on why I enrolled into ENT3003 that reason being that I am an Innovation Academy student and this was a class needed for my innovation minor. What I hope to get out of this class is the knowledge on what it means to be an entrepreneur and how that can help me in the future. Even though I don't know much about this class I will just have to see how goes this semester.

2A- Bug List

1. Very hot showers
• Ever since coming to Beaty Towers on the fifth of January every time I have to take a shower the water starts for a brief couple of seconds its cold but then it turns scalding hot and the temperature only gets hotter with each passing moment.
• Why does it EXIST: Perhaps there is a problem with the plumbing that is causing this problem. Wonder if anyone on the floor has the same problem?
2. Walking across the street the same time a scooter is passing
• It really irritates me having to cross the street the same time someone on a scooter is passing through because of fear I might get hit with one.
• Why does it EXIST: Many college students could be using scooters as a mode of transportation to get to classes seeing as they would be able to get there faster then by car.
3. Huge amounts of reading for different classes
• For some of my classes there is a lot of reading that it takes three or four hours for just one chapter which also bores me to tears.
• Why does it EXIST: It is just the requirement for the class and nothing can be done about it.
4. No lock on the bathroom door of my dorm room
• Now this problem has been discussed between my roommates that if the bathroom door is closed then someone is in there, but that's knowledge for the people who live here my concern for that is the people who might come visiting the room and don't know about that problem. This irritates me because how is it that in a bathroom in any of the campus buildings for the stalls there at the very least a push lock that prevents the door from opening but there isn't a lock on bathroom at a place we are suppose to live at for two semesters.
• Why does it EXIST: Maybe the doors that were put into the bathrooms are just like that but its weird since I lived in Beaty last year as well and the bathroom had a lock for that door, so just WHY?
5. The cold weather
• I don't usually stay outside for very long but when I do sometimes the cold starts getting me that not even wearing a hood or hat helps.
• Why does it EXIST: It's just that time of year again where the weather is cold and nothing can be done about it.
6. People smoking
• If there is one thing I can't stand is people who smoke or in general the smell of the smoke that comes from cigarettes or any kind of smoke. It makes it hard to breath and when I breath through my nose the smell of of smoke gets in my mouth and I to spit it out really quick.
• Why does it EXIST: There are some people in the world that pick up bad habits despite all the anti-smoking talks they must have heard when there were at elementary, middle, and high school.
7. No place to sit when I go out to eat
• When I go out to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner one problem I usually have to look out for is that there is a table that isn't occupied by people. If the place is packed I have to constantly search for an unoccupied seat or wait for someone to leave if its really packed.
• Why does it EXIST: The areas that I go to are probably popular lots of people enjoy going there.
8. Bugs that get in your face
• Sometimes after it rains when I am walking or bicycling small bugs always hit my face and some times get in my eyelids.
• Why does it EXIST: Perhaps the insect just enjoy the moisture after it rains or the just show up randomly.
9. Weak charging phone
• Sometimes my phone has a problem charging, like for instance sometime the powers goes down even if it is connected to the charger and I always end up having to restart my phone to fix this problem.
• Why does it EXIST: Perhaps it has something to do with the phone charger or the apps that I use that are draining it battery too fast.
10. Heavy walking traffic
• When I go to class I usually take my bike to get there faster but lately there have been a amount of students blocking the path I need to go through to get to class and I just end up walking my bike.
• Why does it EXIST: Maybe lots of students have classes around this time which would explain why there is so many of them going in either the same or opposite direction. Or it could be that classes end for these students and they are trying to get somewhere else.
11. No parking space on move in days
• When I moved into Beaty Towers this semester there was hardly any place to park since the parking lot was packed full of cars.
• Why does it EXIST: Move in day usually means that there is a lot of people coming in early to get settled into their dorm rooms so that they can be ready for the first days of classes 
12. Tripping on an uneven sidewalk
• When walking I don't always look down where I am stepping and sometimes I end up almost tripping.
• Why does it EXIST: Perhaps when they were being made, the sidewalks just became uneven. Or perhaps as the years that went by the sidewalks just became uneven.
13. Getting leg stuck in small hole in the ground
• Sometimes when I am walking on the grass there can sometimes be a hole the ground that I didn't notice and my foot would get stuck in it. And if I were running when this were to happen I could end up twisting my foot and that would hurt a lot.
• Why does it EXIST: Maybe those holes in the ground were made by an animal or was made by a worker working on the plumbing.
14. The washing machines and the dryers at Beaty having problems.
• When I need to use one the machines to either wash or dry sometimes the machines have problems where they don't work or accept the debit card or coins I put in.
• Why does it EXIST: The machines are probably old and haven't been checked on in years.
15. The locks of my dorm rooms sometimes get stuck.
• When I need to unlock of lock my dorm room door turning the key can be a hassle that I have to constantly turn it in both directions to make sure it is going in the right direction.
• Why does it EXIST: Maybe the inside of the lock is rusty or I don't close the door right.
16. Fire alarms in the middle of the night 
• This happened last year as well where a fire alarm sounded on the first week of the spring semester. It can be so annoying when they just sound out of the blue because last year I was sleeping and this year I was in the middle of doing homework. And it went the same as last year meaning waiting outside in the freezing cold.
• Why does it EXIST: Maybe it was a routinely check or something could have set it off.
17. Nobody flushing in public bathrooms
• Sometimes when I go to a public restroom there seems to be that one person who can't be bothered to flush. I always end up using my foot to push down the flush handle.
• Why does it EXIST: Perhaps there are just some people in the world who weren't brought to flush the toilet after each use or they feel that since they don't live there its not their job to flush after they use it.
18. Stepping on gum
• There are very few times where I not noticing where I am walking sometimes step on pre-chewed gum.
• Why does it EXIST: Perhaps don't look where they spit their gum or they just don't care.
19. Foggy mirror
• After using the bathroom after someone else who took a shower the mirrors are all foggy.
• Why does it EXIST: Some people take really long showers in hot or warm water which could be the cause.
20. Long lines at the DMV
• When I went to the DMV to take the written exam I had to wait nearly two hours to take a sixty minute test.
• Why does it EXIST: Perhaps there are many people who don't set up appointments to finish their business or that they have different needs and the DMV is too small with only a few workers.

Reflection:

This assignment was moderately difficult because coming up with 20 different bugs along with their explanation and the why it exists. It took a lot of time and effort to think of 20 different things that bug me. It took a lot of deep thought to come up with these bugs and to think if any of the bugs I thought of whether or not it is an issue to me. I had some difficulty coming up with these bugs because there were not that many things I could think of. I had many periods where I drew blanks and couldn't think of anything because I wasn't used to thinking of this kind of thing. But in the end it was a rather interesting assignment and hopefully not as difficult as some of the other future assignments.  

First Post

This is my first blog post for my class.