5A – Identifying Local Opportunities

1.) The title of the article: UF Health monitors rumors of coronavirus spreading to Gainesville

The link to the article: https://www.alligator.org/news/uf-health-monitors-rumors-of-coronavirus-spreading-to-gainesville/article_69a9b1a0-426c-11ea-86b2-87354e5a2a4e.html

A description of the story, in your own words: The UF Student Healthcare Center is monitoring the coronavirus. A rumor traveled through a Chinese social media app called WeChat stating that a UF students family member flew to china over winter break before the coronavirus had an outbreak.

A description of the problem presented in the story: The Chinese Student Association postponed their Spring Festival to be cautious of the virus since a lot of them went to China over winter break.

A description of who has the problem: Everyone on UF’s campus and in Gainesville has the problem.

2.)The title of the article: The last straw: Gainesville ban takes effect

The link to the article: https://www.alligator.org/news/the-last-straw-gainesville-ban-takes-effect/article_5c6bb62c-3354-11ea-85b7-63c47c871247.html

A description of the story, in your own words: Plastic straws were banned in Gainesville on January 2, 2019. Hospitals and people that have disabilities don’t have to worry about this law because it doesn’t apply to them. By 2040, the city of Gainesville hopes to be waste-free.

A description of the problem presented in the story: Some businesses have gotten rid of all their plastic straws, but people with disabilities still might ask for them and they are allowed to use them. UF’s Disability Resource Center has supported the idea of having plastic straws available at Broward Dining for students with disabilities.

A description of who has the problem: People with disabilities.

3.) The title of the article: Krystal files for bankruptcy after shuttering Ocala eatery on State Road 200

The link to the article: https://www.ocala-news.com/2020/01/29/krystal-files-for-bankruptcy-after-shuttering-ocala-eatery-on-state-road-200/

A description of the story, in your own words: The restaurant chain Krystal has filed for bankruptcy after its last restaurant in the Ocala location closed down. The chain plans on selling half of the 320 locations that are still around.

A description of the problem presented in the story: The company closed down because of increased labor costs and online delivery competitors. They are going to attempt to fix their business, but it is unlikely.

A description of who has the problem: Krystal restaurant chain.

4.) The title of the article: Alachua County Recycling Efforts Persevere Despite Declining Market

The link to the article: https://www.wuft.org/news/2020/01/15/alachua-county-recycling-efforts-persevere-despite-declining-market/

A description of the story, in your own words: Alachua County recycling facilities have seen stuff that shouldn’t be recycled such as printers, air conditioning units, car front bumpers, and even some handguns. The recycling rate in 2018 was 68% and Alachua County was ranked the third highest in Florida.

A description of the problem presented in the story: People in Alachua County don’t care about recycling the correct items. Alachua county employees have to manually sort the plastic and aluminum items out themselves.

A description of who has the problem: All of the residents in Alachua county.

5.) The title of the article: Law enforcement warns parents about 'outlet challenge,' dangerous social media trend

The link to the article: https://mycbs4.com/news/local/law-enforcement-warns-parents-about-outlet-challenge-dangerous-social-media-trend

A description of the story, in your own words: The social media app Tik Tok had a challenge that went viral and parents are worried about their kids. The challenge is basically plugging a cell phone charger in halfway through an outlet and sliding a penny down the wall, which causes a large spark that lights the outlet on fire.

A description of the problem presented in the story: Parents in Gainesville are worried that their children are going to be unaware of the harmful effects that this challenge causes and do it.

A description of who has the problem: Children around the world that use social media.

4A – Forming An Opportunity Belief

1)    My beginning point. I believe an opportunity exists with poor driving in Florida. This opportunity could provide the state with more intensive driving criteria to pass the driver’s test.

2)    Description of my belief. The unmet need is a more extensive driving education course and test to pass. All drivers in the state of Florida have the need because it also affects other good/bad drivers. This need has existed for a long time, but it’s gotten worse over the years as the state increases its population in general which leads to an increase of drivers on the road. People aren’t doing much to meet this need now since the driver’s test doesn’t change very much over the years. At this point, I am 70% sure that this opportunity exists.

3)    The people that encounter this problem would be people that have to pay for a course to get their license.

4)    Interview #1

Q1: How often do you encounter bad drivers?

A1: I encounter bad drivers all the time, especially in South Florida.

Q2: When did you first become aware of poor drivers?

A2: When I was learning to drive for the first time especially when I started driving on my own. There have been multiple times where I’ve almost been in an accident.

Q3: What are you doing about the issue of poor drivers on the road?

A3: If there’s a big event going on, I try to stay off the road that day. I try to keep my distance from other drivers because I know they can brake fast or swerve in my lane.

Q4: How satisfied are you with your solution for staying safe on the road?

A4: I wish others would be more considerate and smarter when on the road because even though I might be driving safe, other people may still make poor decisions. I’ve seen multiple things happen such as texting and driving and driving drunk.

Interview #2:

Q1: How often do you encounter bad drivers?

A1: Currently at school, I’m not driving, but back at home it’s always a problem. I’m always worried that the people driving their cars here aren’t paying attention to the road and are going to hit me.

Q2: When did you first become aware of poor drivers?

A2: I first became aware of poor drivers at a young age because I witnessed it when my parents were driving.  

Q3: What are you doing about the issue of poor drivers on the road?

A3: I’m being alert when I’m on the road. When I cross any big intersection here at school, I double-check to make sure no one is going.

Q4: How satisfied are you with your solution for staying safe on the road?

A4: It has worked so far, but I feel like something could be done about drivers that don’t pay attention to the road.

Interview #3

Q1: How often do you encounter bad drivers?

A1: Here in Gainesville isn’t as bad as back at home, but there are a lot of students who are not the best drivers.

Q2: When did you first become aware of poor drivers?

A2: I noticed poor drivers more around middle school. While I was taking the bus to school, I remember seeing some accidents on the road.

Q3: What are you doing about the issue of poor drivers on the road?

A3: I wear a helmet whenever I drive my scooter and I try my best to make sure that cars notice me.

Q4: How satisfied are you with your solution for staying safe on the road?

A4: It’s not a permanent solution and it would be better if people could learn how to drive because other people’s lives are at stake.

5)    Overall Reflection: In general, from this interview, people agreed that the state of Florida has a great number of poor drivers meaning there’s an opportunity to implement better education on this matter. The most surprising thing I learned about my opportunity is that there could definitely be another business in driving education which would teach future driver’s safer protocols and it would also make people aware of the laws in place.

6)    Summary: All of my original opportunity has stayed the same after these interviews. My views are still the same after conducting my interviews since the people agreed with my opinion. I do believe that my new opportunity is more accurate when I started because the people, I interviewed thought that something helpful could be done about the poor drivers in Florida as well. I 100% think that entrepreneurs should definitely adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback because new ideas arise from feedback. These ideas could help the entrepreneur come up with even better business solutions.

3A – Your Entrepreneurship Story

I was first introduced to entrepreneurship in middle school when I started reselling exclusive sneakers and clothing with my older brother. We started our own little business off of this and made a decent profit. We only purchased limited merchandise that other people tried to get but weren’t fast enough since limited sneakers and clothing sells out fast. We usually sold on StockX.com, eBay.com, and sometimes met in person to sell locally. This business that my brother and I started taught me how to communicate/negotiate prices with buyers. My brother has always been my mentor and taught me a lot about how to run a business. He has lots of experience with selling products since he’s a few years older than me.

I enrolled in ENT 3003 because I’m trying to get the entrepreneurship minor, and this is the first class I have to take. I also heard that professor Pryor is the best at teaching this subject, so I got super excited when I saw that he was teaching it this semester. I hope to learn more about how to be a great entrepreneur while taking this class. I have a few business ideas that I think could be big hits. I really want to learn how to start up my business and run it nicely. I will definitely get the most out of the hard work that I will put into this course.

This is an image of a popular brand that we resold the most.