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.