6A Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Economic Trends 

Opportunity 1: More millennials are living at home 

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2018/06/27/millennials-student-loans-housing/#183435bc226a

Why it exists?: Statistics have shown that more millennials are financially dependent on their parents compared to the Baby Boomers and Generation X. Many American students after graduating college are drowning in debt, so they can't afford much, especially with the increasing price of housing

Customer with the opportunity: Banks giving off loans to these students, because they are being paid in interest making so much more than what the student has borrowed from them. They are benefitting the most from this cause. 

Opportunity easy or hard to exploit?: I believe the opportunity is hard to exploit because there are always going to be students that will take out loans, because they haven't received scholarships and their parents can't help them out financially with their tuition and housing, which is leading them to live at home after graduation

Why do I see the opportunity?: Because as a college student I am seeing the statistics and because many people can't get jobs or live on their own after graduation, they go live back home with their parents. 

Opportunity 2: NY Ok'd Tuition Free College for Middle Class 

Source: https://money.cnn.com/2017/04/08/pf/college/new-york-free-tuition/index.html

Why it exists?: Many students are graduating college drowning in thousands of dollars worth of death which is putting alot of pressure on these students. Especially, due to the competitive job market that's making it harder for these new college grads to find a job. 

Customer with the opportunity:  The state of New York, because with the scholarship if the student leaves the state, it will be converted into a loan. Therefore, the student will be able to contribute in New York's job market to improve the state. The student also benefits from this opportunity because they don't have to worry about their college debt when they graduate and establish their savings. 

Opportunity easy or hard to exploit?: It is easy to exploit. As long as your family income qualifies for the scholarship and you stay in New York for the same amount of years that you received the scholarship for then it's pretty easy. 

Why do I see the opportunity?: I see this opportunity because being a college student and hearing in the news the constant debate over awarding free tuition for college students is all over. 

Opportunity 3: President Trump implementing a trade policy

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-43512098

Why it exists? President Trump believes China is practicing unfair trade. With tariffs on foreign goods, it boosts the country's industry, so it doesnt rely so much on other countries for imports. 

Customer with the opportunity: companies in the United States, as well as workers here

Opportunity easy or hard to exploit: It is easy to exploit that's why President Trump implemented a policy that all goods that come from China must have a tariff attached to it. This will discourage China from selling goods to us, and encourage the US to rely on its own industry. 

Why do I see the opportunity?: I see the opportunity because this has been a hot debate throughout Trumps' presidency. 

Opportunity 4: Increase in Sale's Tax 

Source: https://www.avalara.com/taxrates/en/blog/2018/09/california-sales-tax-rate-changes-october-2018.html

Why it exists?: Because in California, the minimum wage is higher than the rest of the country, therefore it means that the people of California have to pay more in taxes to compensate for the higher amount that they're making. 

Customer with the opportunity: Businesses in California 

Opportunity easy or hard to exploit: Easy to exploit because this has been a factor of being in the state of California which is well-known throughout the country and has always been in place. 

Why do I see the opportunity? Because I have friends in California that will talk about the higher cost of living and higher income they get living there, so I'm familiar with the topic. 

5A Identifying Local Opportunities

All the articles I have retrieved are from the Tampa Bay Times 

Opportunity 1: Franchises Ding McDonald's Wall 

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASPTB%21Tampa%2BBay%2BTimes%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0124%21January%2B24&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17128B96391E0648

Story: McDonald's new store design proposal to build a wall between the cashier and kitchen, so customers are not able to see the kitchen equipment, or other things behind the cashier register. People who own McDonald's franchises are not happy with this proposal because they feel that it is unnecessary and a waste of money. They also think that a wall between the kitchen and cashiers will not benefit in terms of customer service as well. 

Problem: The wall, also known as SAM (service area modernization) would not only be a waste of money,  but it could also be a bad idea to include in the store. With this wall, at least one cashier would need to be present by the register, because the people in the kitchen would not be able to monitor the restaurant. It carries its own risks because if a cashier isn't present or busy with another customer and a bad person enters the restaurant, then it is a recipe for disaster.

Who has the problem?:  The McDonald's franchisees have the problem with building the SAM wall. "Franchisees own more than 90 percent of McDonald’s 37,000 locations globally." Therefore, all of these franchisees have to pay extra for something they believe to be useless.

Opportunity 2: Drinking Water on Hold  

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASPTB%21Tampa%2BBay%2BTimes%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0122%21January%2B22&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1711D749C1681B80

Story: Clearwater, Florida was supposed to implement a system that would treat wastewater in a way that could then be used as drinking water for citizens. Clearwater was the first city in Florida to use this system for their water supply. Construction for the plant has started, however the city has had to stop construction because the costs were more than the city had anticipated. The benefits of this system would be amazing, because of the many bodies of water that exist in surrounding areas, so they could reuse water to then provide to citizens 

Problem: The construction of the wastewater plant has been put to a stop, due to lack of budgeting. Becuase of this, the city may have to ask its residents to pay more in their water bills, to help with this payment, but in return after the facility is built, they will have the highest treated water in the entire state. 

Who has the problem: The city of Clearwater is facing this issue, because they budgeted for the plant less money than what the actual plant costs. 

Opportunity 3: A New 50-Story Condo Building Seems A Bit Much 

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASPTB%21Tampa%2BBay%2BTimes%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0121%21January%2B21&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1711E290CEB75580

Story: A new 50-story condo is going to be built in downtown St. Petersburg 

Problem: There's already alot of luxury residences in downtown St. Petersburg, and it's stripping away from the original vibe of the town

Who has the problem?: Residents of the city of St. Petersburg. They would rather have structures built that are relevant to the town's overall vibe, not more luxury residences that are already taking over the entire downtown. 

Opportunity 4: Sweetwater Paddles Downstream: From Gandy to the Old Southwest 

Story: The local company Sweetwater Kayaks is moving to a new location after conducting business from the same place for many years 

Problem: The state opened an elevated portion of Gandy Boulevard two years ago, which really affected the Sweetwater Paddles business. 

Who has the problem?: Sweetwater Kayaks owner Russell Farrow is going to miss the shop, especially the "eclectic layout and ample space for dozens of kayaks and stand-up paddle boards." However, the store at the new location has lower rent and east access to the water which could help his business recover from before, by running guided kayak tours from the new shop. 

Opportunity 5: Sprouts is Sprouting New Stores 

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASPTB%21Tampa%2BBay%2BTimes%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0110%21January%2B10&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170DEE1551F73A58

Story: Sprouts Farmers market is opening three new stores, Two in Tampa and One in Clearwater 

Problem: Since these new stores will be the chain's fifth location, it will create a more competitive market in that area. 

Who has the problem?: The company because they may not make as much profit as the other stores due to the other speciality and organic food stores that also exist within the same area range. 

4A Opportunity Belief

I believe that there is an opportunity for the University of Florida to place free feminine products in more places throughout campus other than the Infirmary and Wellness Center. If the university is already giving out free condoms, then I don't see why they can't also give out free menstrual products. There has always been a need for menstrual products on campus and UF Student Government has proposed the bill,  but a vote has not allowed it to pass. Therefore, the opportunity is there since efforts have been made before to implement this.

For this, I interviewed three people about this matter. They are all female, and have the same stance as me on this issue

Person #1: The exact nature of this need (for women) is that they want to be comfortable while they are menstruating. Menstrual products are already very expensive, so it would give women a peace of mind if they're going to the bathroom and accidentally forgot to bring their pad or tampon with them, then they would be able to just grab a free one from the bathroom. Students on campus have proposed this issue and brought it to UF Student Government, however it did not pass.

Person #2: Being on a college campus, not many students have access to cars so it's difficult for females to make monthly trips to the store to buy menstrual products. Therefore, it is easier for college campuses to have free menstrual products around in case a student has difficulty trying to get outside of campus without a car.

Person #3: With UF having a well-known reputation for sports, they will be easily be able to sign contracts with female hygiene companies and buy their products in bulk to distribute to students on campus. In return, during UF's sports events they can advertise these countries which well help sell more of their product as well. Plus, they could place the hygiene products in the bathroom. Also, with the current system for female hygiene products being $.25 to purchase a pad in the bathroom, it is very inconvenient because many people don't carry change around, especially college kids. College kids don't even carry cash around they are mostly reliant on their debit/credit cards and apps such as Venmo to transfer their money.

I believe that the University of Florida can still continue to make efforts to make free menstrual products available to students on campus. Other schools are implementing this on their campuses already. Especially, if this matter has already been proposed to Student Government, then we have taken the right steps forward. We just need more students to be more dedicated to the cause and push for this kind of reform on our campus. This opportunity does exist because as a top 10 university, wre have a reputation to uphold. If many other universities, that are't even top 10 are able to offer this for their students then UF can too.

3A- My Entrepreneurship Story

Throughout my life I was never involved with entrepreneurship, until I became apart of the Innovation Academy at the University of Florida.

Over the summer when I was taking Creativity in Action, we had to create something that would help with biodiversity. and showcase our prototype at Catalyst where we could potentially win an award as well for our creation.

My group and I created a product called OY DAM! It was basically a natural water filtration system using oysters to reduce pollution in our waters. There was a lot of conflict finding an idea that would successfully be implemented in the real world. However, with a lot of teamwork and research, we were able to tackle the problem of biodiversity with OY DAM! At Catalyst, we also ended up winning the Gator Good award.

I am enrolled in ENT3003 because the Innovation Academy minor requires it. What I hope to learn from this course is the principles of entrepreneurship that I can maybe apply to my own life one day if I ever decide to start my own business.

Assignment 2A: Bug List

Bug List 

Hi everyone! Here is a list of things that bother me so I hope you can relate to some of them.

 1) Messy Room
       -Why? It often leads to germs and discomfort. I don't like it when things aren't in place, it makes me very anxious. Also, I do most of my school work in my room so when it's clean it allows me to focus more on what I'm doing

2) When my mom turns everything into a lecture 
      - Why? My mom cares a lot about me so she always makes sure I'm doing the right thing. However, not everything I say has to be turned into some sort of life lesson. I think I should feel comfortable telling my parents something without them trying to lecture me about it. It makes me not want to tell them anything at times

3)  Fake people
     - Why? Realizing you have fake people around you can be very depressing. I believe that if you truly have a lot of hatred towards someone then why do you bother to put on an act just to be around them? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to waste all the energy into making someone you don't like think you like them, towards someone that you actually like and will get along better with

4)  Mistreatment of the people I love and care about 
     -  Why? No one ever wants their loved ones to be mistreated. I have a soft-spot for the loved ones in my life so it personally affects me when I see or hear that they are getting mistreated by others. I take that mistreatment as if it happened to me

5) Not being appreciated 
     -  Why? People get depressed or very upset when they see all the effort the put into people is one-sided. I put a lot of effort into all the different relationships I have so I expect that I get some sort of appreciation in return because it will drive me to do more in those relationships

6) When people have no manners
     -  Why? Not having mannerisms places alot of emphasis on how you are as an individual, which many people use to judge you. I believe manners go hand and hand with being a decent human being, which make the world a much better place.

7) Being stuck in traffic 
     - Why? The road is shared by all the citizens in one area, and everyone has different places to get to. I have better things to do than wait an extended period of time because of the increased amount of cars on the road. Plus, I'm wasting gas because I'm waiting a longer time to get to my destination

8) Parking on campus
    - Why? There is fewer parking than students on campus. It takes a lot of time to find a spot, and also some of the spots will be far away from the library I'm trying to study at so it wastes a lot of my time when I could be studying

9) When professors don’t answer their emails 
     - Why? It makes me think they don't care to help their students. I probably am really struggling with something so to ensure my success, prevent me from going insane and getting stressed out, a response from my professor would be very nice

10) People flaking last minute 
     - Why? It's just very rude and inconsiderate. It just ruins plans most of the time, especially if I have rearranged my schedule just for that person

11) When the person in front of me is walking slow because they’re on their phone
     - Why? I believe people need to be aware of their surroundings and paying attention to your phone while walking is dangerous. Also, the person behind you may be in a rush, so it's good to be considerate for the sake of yourself and the person behind them

12) When you come back to a messy closet because you were trying to pick out an outfit 
     - Why? Messiness and disorganization makes it harder to find things. I will have to clean everything up again which takes a long time, because I messed up my entire closet trying to find the outfit I wanted to wear.

13)  When I'm doing winged eyeliner and it doesn’t match the other eye 
     - Why? It affects your appearance. When it looks uneven it means that I will have to get rid of the eyeliner and do both eyes again, which is annoying because the black eyeliner will get in other parts of my face so I have to end up washing the face makeup I did too

14) When people ask irrelevant questions
    - Why? It's just a waste of time to ask questions that you know the answer won't benefit you or anyone else in the future

15) When people show off 
    - Why? I believe people should be humble and how much they make and what brand they wear doesn't make a difference to others and doesn't define them as a person

16)  When it takes the bus a long time to come to the bus stop
    - Why? Because I don't want to be late to my class

17) When a coupon you want to use is expired
    - Why? Some people may not afford to buy things full price. It's annoying because I was trying to save money and will have to pay the original amount without the coupon

18) When your pen runs out of ink while doing an assignment
    - Why? Because I won't be able to use it and I feel weird asking someone else if they have one

19) When attendance is mandatory for an 8:30am class
    - Why? It's too early and most of the time in lectures that are at 8:30am no one is paying attention they are just on their laptops texting and end up teaching themselves the material before the exams

20) When people get triggered over my politics 
   - Why? Different upbringings and cultures have different beliefs about certain issues. I admire the fact that people have different viewpoints and have an open mind about them. I also believe intolerance further divides a society so we as individuals need to learn how to be more tolerant and open-minded.




Reflection: It was a little difficult coming up with things because I'm generally a very tolerant person. The challenge I saw with this bug list was that it forced me to think about what really bothered me in my everyday life, which made me think. This also applies to entrepreneurs because they have to brainstorm and go through a range of ideas until the stick to the one that works best for them.

Practice Blog

Hi this is Sara, and this is my practice blog post.