12A: figuring out buyer behavior

Assignment 12A:  Figuring Out Buyer Behavior

Choosing a segment:

• I have chosen the innovation and entrepreneurship segment as all three of the people I interviewed have either already started their own business or desire to start their own business in the near future and desire to generate new ideas to make their businesses a success.  The first person I interviewed is my father (John) who started his own grocery store and has made it into a successful business with three different locations.  I also interviewed Sophia, a general business major with a minor in entrepreneurship who wants to start a business or her own.  And finally, the third person I interviewed is Jacqueline, a part-owner in a grocery store who graduated college with a business management degree and wants to further expand the business she is involved in.  

What I Learned:

• As I asked these three people what others who have this shoplifting problem should do to find a solution they all stated that hiring more employees or front end managers could help.  When I was talking to Sophia, she explained that she does not know exactly what type of retail store she would like to open in the future; however, she believes that having more people in the store aware of shoplifters would create a better ability to catch customers stealing.
• The two people I interviewed who are both already entrepreneurs (John and Jacqueline) both explained how they have looked into different types of sensors; however, none of them were affordable or realistic enough to work in their grocery stores.  When searching for ways to limit shoplifting, they stated that they have talked to numerous friends (from the grocery business) in conversation about different ways to stop this problem.  Many of their friends offered knowledge on high-tech camera systems or grocery cases that make it difficult for the customer to steal.  So when searching Google, they claimed to search anti-theft tools and devices.  However, all of the people I interviewed had the same belief that they do not want to make shopping a hassle or uncomfortable for their customers; rather, they want to make shopping safe for customers.  And none of the information they could find on the Internet offered realistic, affordable, or effective anti-theft options, especially for grocery stores.  
• Through conducting my interviews I found that there is a high demand for a sensor method to ensure security within the grocery business.  However, even though there is a high demand for an effective yet affordable sensor method, the demand for a magnetic ink that would do so is not as high.   
• As I explained my product idea to each of the people I interviewed, they were all interested in how effective the product would be.  As I explained each and every detail of how this product would better detect shoplifting without requiring hiring more employees or managers, the people I interviewed became more fond of my product.  Because of their initial hesitation about my product, I was nervous to continue explaining how it would truly limit theft in their grocery business / future business.  However, interviewing them made me realize how as an entrepreneur I really need to stick with my product because that is the only way I will be able to make sales.  And by the end of each interview, they were all intrigued in trying my product and testing the effectiveness of it.  This opportunity taught me that many entrepreneurs themselves do not know what their unmet needs are exactly until they are told.  Therefore, by demonstrating how my magnetic ink could limit the rates of shoplifting occurring in their grocery stores, I was able to fill a hole in their business that they thought they could fill. 
• In conclusion, I realized that the awareness of the need occurs when they notice a decrease in sales and/or profits due to the rates of shoplifting in their business.  

Describing this segment:

• At some point or another, I believe everyone in the world has wanted to start their own business- whether it was when they were young and wanted to start their own cupcake shop or as an adult and thought seriously about creating a business from the ground up.  This segment sees a drastic need for a more efficient method of security in retail businesses.  They were all interested in my product idea as they feel that the business that they have started or want to start in the future deserves to have proper methods of security to protect its products to ensure sales and profit increases. They all believe that by putting so much effort and time into their business/ future business, they need and want to have a way to protect their products from theft. 

11A- Idea Napkin

Assignment 11A: Idea Napkin

1.) You: 

• My name is Julia Alfano and I am a freshman at the University of Florida.  I am pursuing a finance major and thinking about pursuing a minor in entrepreneurship.  I have grown up in my family grocery store business and have worked my way up to a department manager.  I am extremely motivated and always want to achieve the best I possibly can.  My aspirations are to turn this ambition and business experience into my own business one day.  If I were to actually start this business for my magnetic ink idea, I would dedicate a lot of my time to it because I want to be successful in anything I do.  I think with my knowledge and experience in the grocery store business, I would bring the grocery store and retail sector of the economy a necessity that they have been in need for.  Therefore, with my product idea, I will be able to amalgamate my experience in a grocery store with my ideas for the magnetic ink to create an effective yet affordable sensor system to detect and limit shoplifting.  

2.) What:

• I am offering grocery stores the ability to more affordably and effectively detect shoplifting.  I would be solving grocery store owners' unmet need by offering them a sensor system that detects theft and would therefore save sales and profit.  The rate of shoplifting in grocery stores is dangerously high and the shrinkage rate for inventory loss in grocery stores is 2.2% which is ridiculously high.  By offering this magnetic ink, these businesses would be able to catch shoplifters even if they stick an item in a bag without anyone seeing.  Grocery stores need a way/system to detect the people that they are not capable of catching themselves.  

3.) Who:

• To best sell this product, I am targeting small and medium-scale grocery stores who cannot afford high quality sensors such as the big machines by exit doors or the plastic tags that go on every item.  I would be offering the magnetic ink to labeling companies who produce and distribute the food labels and packaging tape to the grocery stores.  Additionally, I would offer the ink directly to the grocery stores for any printing they may do for personal items.  The owners and managers of grocery stores are my targeted customers because it is extremely difficult to detect shoplifting of food items because not everything can have a sensor on it; however, every food item has to have a label of some sorts on it.  Therefore, the grocery stores will want a product that can detect theft without being obvious.   

4.) Why:

• Customers (grocery stores) will pay money for my magnetic ink that acts as a sensor along with two small physical sensors because in the long run, it will save their sales and profits.  The costs of shoplifting have left grocery stores without the sales revenue that they work extremely hard for and deserve.  Grocery stores want to have a way to know when an item is being stolen and to hold shoplifters accountable for their actions.  By having this system, customers will know not to mess around with these grocery stores and if someone is shoplifting, the ink will be detected and the manager will be able to call the cops on the shoplifter. 

5.) Core Competencies:

• According to the research I have conducted, no one has created a magnetic ink that acts as a sensor for theft.  Therefore, by creating this new product, I will have something to offer these retail grocery stores that no other company can.  Buying the ink and the small detectors will also be cheaper than a company buying the very large sensors and plastic tags that most retail stores buy to detect shoplifting.  Grocery stores in particular will be attracted to my product as they need something applicable to every single food item, no matter how big or small or if it is sold singularly or not.  By offering a product tailored to the needs of grocery stores at an affordable cost, I believe that they will be more inclined to buy my product.

Reflection:

• I believe that each of these components works really well together in relation to my product.  However, since no other company has used magnetic ink to act as a sensor, I will need to conduct a lot of research to find which metals would work best to serve as a magnet yet still be cheap.  Therefore, I will have to attribute enough money to start up a company to sell this magnetic ink and the small sensors that go along with it.  Besides figuring out the logistics of what would be the cheapest and effective version of the magnetic ink, I believe that the ink would be a great product for grocery stores to buy.  

9A- testing the hypothesis

Assignment 9A- Testing the Hypothesis

• Who: 
• As I continued to conduct interviews to refine my product, I learned that although there are many businesses who would use my product, there are also businesses in the same sector who do not have that same unmet need.  As I am targeting smaller grocery stores, I found numerous ones that do not have enough passion against shoplifting to invest in my product.  I interviewed family owned grocery stores in South Florida and came to realize that although most of them, if not all of them, suffer from the impacts of shoplifting.  However, three of the five people I interviewed have cited other business complications to be more pertinent and require more attention.  Therefore, they said that they would not spend money on the product.  Additionally, some of the people I interviewed were skeptical of how effective my product would be.  They feel that "if someone is going to steal something, they will find a way to steal it no matter how many sensors have been put into place." 
• Although I came across some consumers who would not necessarily by my product, I also came across a completely new market that I thought would never be an option: small clothing stores.  In South Florida there are numerous clothing boutiques that line the beach strips and most popular areas.  I unexpectedly interviewed the manager of a small boutique that has three locations in South Florida.  She explained to me that their clothing stores are lucky if they make $2000 a day and cannot afford the costs shoplifters create.  Additionally, they do not want to spend extra money on plastic censors that are expensive and make it difficult for customers to try on clothing.  When talking to the manager of this clothing boutique in Ft. Lauderdale, she was intrigued by my product and thought it would be a great addition to their store as many people have been going into the dressing room, putting the store's clothes on underneath their clothing, and walking out without paying for anything.  This type of shoplifting is also extremely difficult to detect.  Therefore, by having the magnetic ink and undercover censors by the exit, the shoplifters will never expect to be caught and the ink will set off the censor as it was never deactivated from a register.  I found it interesting that these small clothing stores have a similar unmet need as grocery stores do.  
• Next I interviewed another manager in a small grocery store business and asked him if he had this similar unmet need.  He was intrigued by my product idea and thought it has a great purpose.  However, he was skeptical about the effectiveness.  He wondered, "What if the shoplifter removes the label from certain products?  Then the censor will never go off even though they are still shoplifting." Two other people I interviewed came up with this same argument for my product and worried that although they would be investing in a way to limit the amount of theft, there is always going to be someone who finds ways around it.  They believe that because of this, there is no need to pay for the magnetic ink when they can just continue their job and be conscious of people attempting to steal.  
• What:
• As one of the managers of a grocery store expressed, "People who steal are still going to find ways around any system to steal.  So what is the point of investing in something if people are still going to shoplift?" It is true that people will steal or attempt to steal with or without a special sensor.  This point that the manager brought up is valid; however, I hold contrasting beliefs as I feel that if there is a way to limit the problem, we should.  Yes, shoplifting will continue to occur; however, if we have a way to decrease the risk for theft, why not take advantage of it?
• Why: 
• I believe that the underlying cause of the outsider's need is different than that of people inside the boundary because the outsiders feel that there is no reason to attempt to eliminate theft if there is still possibilities for it to happen.  But people inside the boundary believe that if there is an opportunity to decrease the rate of theft, they should because every little bit of theft caught leads to a greater decrease in shoplifting as a whole and to a greater profit for these businesses. 

                          Inside the boundary                                               Outside the boundary

Who:    Small businesses (grocery stores)                         Small businesses who think that theft 

              who want to stop shoplifting in their stores.      will happen no matter what and there is 

              Businesses who are losing a profit due            no point in spending money to try to fix it.

                to theft.                                                            

What:   To reduce the rates of shoplifting.                         To completely eliminate shoplifting. 

              To increase actual sales and profit.                        To detect every single shoplifter.  

              To hold shoplifters accountable for actions. 

Why:   Customers think they can get away                   A business should be able to know what 

             with anything.                                                      is occurring in its store 24/7. 

             Business managers/owners notice a loss in 

             profit.

             A business can never see what is happening 

             in their store 24/7.  

8A- solving the problem

8A-Solving the Problem

• Attempting to solve shoplifting in grocery stores is extremely challenging.  Having big sensors before the exit doors is not ideal because 1)it is not affordable for small grocery stores and 2)not every piece of food such as every fruit and vegetable can have a security tag on it.  However, what every food item has on it no matter how big or small it is would be a label with a barcode.  My idea is to create labels that have magnetic ink that can be detected by an undercover sensor in a store.  These sensors would be created to be decorative in a grocery store and placed before the exit doors.  When an item is payed for, the magnetic ink is cleared and deactivated once it is run through the register.  However, if a person is stealing an item, the ink that is part of the barcode sticker will set off the sensors. I believe that having the magnetic ink as part of the barcode sticker is the most practical way to solve this shoplifting problem.  For example, every apple has a sticker on it that has a barcode.  The ink would serve as a plastic sensor such as the ones that are placed on clothing items.
• In order for this idea to work properly many things need to happen:
• The magnetic ink would be distributed to any companies that print labels for their own products.  For example, it would be given to packaging companies who label their own products and then distribute them to businesses such as grocery stores.  As the packaging companies would have the ink, this would save time for the grocery stores because if they had print their own labels with the magnetic ink on the food items, it would cost extra time and money from manual labor.  But if the magnetic ink is given to the distributors, it would cost no extra time for anyone because they have to print a label for their food items anyways.
• The grocery store itself must have a supply of its own magnetic ink to print for any of its personal products.  For example, if the company wants to create a label for one of their products that does not use a thermal printer, it will need a supply of the ink to use for creating its own labels.   
• In order to make this idea functional, I would also be working in conjunction with label companies as they are the ones who produce and distribute the labels and printing tape used in grocery stores.  My hypothetical company would produce and deliver the magnetic ink to the label companies who will produce the products with the ink printed into it.  The grocery stores will then receive their label orders with the ink already in it and ready to print.   
• Grocery stores want to feel that their business is protected and that they have control.  Additionally, by having this theft detection system, customers will know that this store is not playing around and they WILL get caught if they try to steal something.  
• I want this product to benefit these grocery stores and save their profits.  I believe that this idea will be an investment that will create a greater profit in the future for these businesses.  

7A-testing the hypothesis part 1

Shoplifting Prevention:

• Opportunity: Grocery store owners have become frustrated as shoplifting leads to profit loss during peak season (October-April).  
• Who: Food businesses/ grocery stores
• What: They lose profit because of shoplifters
• Why: It is easy for someone to steal a piece or box of food.
• Testing the who: Food businesses are not the only businesses that have fallen victim to the threats of shoplifting.  Businesses everywhere suffer from people who steal.  However, large businesses, especially clothing stores, have the means such as enough money to provide sensors to detect when an item is being stolen.  In contrast, small food businesses do not always have enough money to invest in these sensors.  My opportunity would originally target smaller grocery stores such as family-owned businesses and "mom-and-pop" stores.  Additionally, grocery stores are my targeted business because stealing food has become extremely easy for shoppers.  Having sensors for food products is not as easy as having sensors for clothing.  Small food businesses need an affordable yet effective way to prevent shoplifting.  
• Testing the what: According to statistics, more than thirteen billion dollars worth of goods are stolen from retailers each year, which accounts to more than $35 million dollars a day.  Small food businesses are extremely vulnerable to this and work so hard to make the profit they do.  However, with such high rates of shoplifting, their profits have declined.  When people steal items from grocery stores they are hurting the business' profits as well as the price consumers will have to pay.  If the theft rate continues to increase, grocery stores will have to increase their sales rate to make up for the predicted amount of profit they lose to theft.  
• Testing the why: Stealing from grocery stores has become easier and easier for shoplifters.  It is so simple to stuff an individual apple into a purse.  And to slide a bottle of wine into a reusable bag.  However, once a shoplifter believes that he/she can get away with it, they continue to attempt to steal more.  Studies have even shown that many people shoplift not to get a product for free but just to simply "get away" with the task.               http://www.shopliftingprevention.org/what-we-do/learning-resource-center/statistics/
• Interview #1: 
• For this interview, I questioned my father who started and owns his own grocery store.  In a small market like the one my family owns, it is extremely difficult to be on the lookout 24/7 for shoplifters when there are so many other tasks to be managed.  My dad explained how much theft has affected the company's sales and even his customers.  He explained to me that in order to off-put the loss in sales due to theft, the business has to increase the prices of its goods in order to make up the profit loss.  This then leaves the customers unhappy as well as no one wants to pay more for anything.  My father stated how he prides himself on giving his customers the best quality for the best price and when people shoplift, it really hinders his ability to do so.  He said that as an owner, it is extremely disheartening to dedicate so much time and effort to build a business and make it everything it can be just to have people disrespect it and steal.  He has tried to find an accommodating solution to this problem, but has not found one that is completely effective and affordable.  
• Interview #2:
• I interviewed the bookkeeper of a family-owned grocery store.  She is in charge of payroll, paying checks, making schedules, and much more.  With a job like hers, she believes that it is imperative to take into account the rate of theft.   When she makes schedules for the employees she has to make sure there is enough coverage around the entire store.  This will ensure that there are extra eyes around and when shoplifters see so many employees walking around and checking on the business, they often become intimidated and decide not to steal. 
• Interview #3:
• I interviewed the wine manager at a local family-owned grocery store.  He described how shoplifting can have such a drastic impact in small grocery stores like his, especially in the wine department.  He stated that a shoplifter stole over $800 worth of wine from this grocery store and was never caught.  The wine manager claims that by the time any of the employees noticed, it was too late and the thief was never found.  Small businesses such as this grocery store rely on $800 worth of wine.  He enforces the idea that this business truly works for every penny they can get.  He told me numerous stories about the people he caught stealing wine and the people that were never caught.   He knows that there are sensors out there that help larger businesses such as clothing stores. He thinks it is much simpler for these larger businesses because individual sensors can be put on clothing and products.  However, there needs to be a way for something as simple as an avocado can be detected when being stolen. 
• Interview #4: 
• Next I interviewed the front store manager of this same grocery store and was intrigued when I learned more information than what I had already heard.  This manager told me that often times, the people who shoplift still pay for other items.  He thinks that when shoplifters pay for a certain item, they believe that they are not suspicious anymore.  However, just because someone payed for an item does not mean that there is not a stolen apple hiding in their purse.  I was astonished as the manager told me about the scale of things that people would try to steal from small to large items such as plums, a whole box of cookies, and even filet mignon.  He knows that employees are not going to be able to see every little move of a customer which is why he would take full advantage of an opportunity to prevent shoplifting.  
• Interview #5:
• Next I interviewed the back end manager of this grocery store who does more behind the scenes tasks.  When asking him about the impacts of shoplifting he instantly began stating the harms of shoplifting.  He stated that he has spent hours staring at a computer screen that displays a camera of the entire store.  He has rewinded and sped up tape of customers stealing hundreds of times.  He claims to know the key moment when someone is about to steal or just stole based upon their facials and mannerisms.  He says that shoplifters always look around aggressively before they are about to steal and walk around the same part of the store for a while sort of circling the product that they are planning on stealing.  With so much knowledge on the tactics of theft, this manager wishes to put what he knows into an opportunity that would prevent the outrageous amount of theft his store experiences.  
• Reflection: 
• Based on my interviews, my original belief regarding shoplifting in grocery stores was solidified.  However, I learned a lot regarding how difficult it would be to find a system to prevent shoplifting that is both affordable and effective.  For a food business, the detection of theft would have to put registered within a label or something of that relation as it is not possible to have a scanner on every single item in the store and every single fruit or vegetable.  There are so many single/ loose items that need to be protected from theft.  
• Something intriguing that I learned from my interviewing is that although we know people shoplift and sometimes we catch them, there are hundreds of people who shoplift and never get caught.  It seems like this theft problem could be fixed so simply: have cameras and watch every customer carefully.  But that is not a logical option.  There needs to be a way to detect this theft before it is too late.  Small food businesses need a way to make a profit without falling backwards due to shoplifting.  
• Something else that surprised me from all of my interviews was how common the idea of theft was to each person I interviewed.  This commonality just demonstrates even more so the relevance of shoplifting in today's society and how often it happens on a day-to-day basis.  

6A- opportunities in economic and regulatory trends

Assignment 6A- Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

• Economic Trend: Safety for Investors
• Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/business/market-swoon-investors-seek-safety.html
• I believe that this source identifies an economic opportunity that exists with the current volatility of the economy.  Over the past two years, the economy has been constantly thriving.  However, within the past few months, the economy has entered a state where its stability is being questioned as it is "slowing but probably still growing."  Because of this recent changing in the economic trends, many investors are worried about the safety regarding their stocks and investments.  
• The prototypical customer of this opportunity are investors who are willing to put their money in stable investments.  Investors who are worried of a recession would be the best customer for this opportunity because the threats of a recession would force these investors to avoid stocks.  I believe that this opportunity would be difficult to exploit as there is not one simple answer but rather there can be numerous answers to fix this problem.
• I found an opportunity from the information I read because it is explaining the security that investors are desiring for their finances.  This desire represents a need that investors want to have and are not currently receiving.  Additionally, I found this opportunity from this information because I have been aware of the recent economic fluctuations regarding the stock market which makes investors overly cautious about a future economic downturn.
• Economic Trend: The value of particular funds
• Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/business/inverse-exchange-traded-funds.html
• I believe that this source identifies an economic opportunity that exists for investors who want to make money quickly and fall into the trap of dangerous fund options.  With the economy's current fluctuation in the stock market, many investors have become aware of inverse exchange-traded funds.  These funds are extremely dangerous to the individual investor because they offer a value that moves in the opposite direction of their benchmarks.  Therefore, this enticement provides an extremely tricky situation that involves pertinent knowledge on all of the potential consequences of reverse E.T.F.s. 
• The prototypical customer of this opportunity would be individual investors who want to invest in the short term without putting themselves at risk for disaster.  As inverse E.T.F.s are "only good for a day at a time," these do-it-themself investors need a short-term option that offers security.  I believe that this opportunity would be very difficult to exploit as there are so many investors who believe that what they are doing regarding their funds is the right thing to do and they don't want to listen to anyone who tells them that they are wrong.  Additionally, this opportunity would be difficult to exploit because many people do not understand the truth about certain types of funds as their danger remains hidden until it is too late.  
• I found an opportunity from the information provided because the recent status of the American economy has offered instability regarding the stock market and numerous funds.  With the economy's current volatility, people (especially high-risk investors) are looking for ways to make money fast before the stock market falls again.  There should be an option for investors that is not dangerous but rather provides security within their financial wants and needs.  
• Regulatory Change: Tax cuts affecting all levels of the American society
• Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/28/house-passes-gop-bill-to-make-new-tax-cuts-permanent.html 
• I think this opportunity exists because of the permanent tax cuts bill that the House passed.  With permanent tax cuts, individuals and small-businesses would have a greater ability to produce more of anything as they have more money to spend on their production rather than on paying taxes.  However, these people should not be the only ones who benefit from the tax cuts- anyone at any level of society should be able to benefit.
• The prototypical customer would be people who are in the lower tax brackets and therefore do not receive a tax break.  Since these people may not earn enough to earn a large tax break, there could be another incentive that would make them work harder to generate more money so that they are able to reap the benefits of regulatory changes such as tax breaks.  By cutting their taxes, people can more easily produce greater amounts of any product or service which will increase the economy's overall productivity and gross domestic product.  
• I think that this opportunity would be simple to exploit because no individual nor business wants to pay for taxes.  Therefore, with this regulatory change of a cut in their taxes, individuals and businesses would definitely take this opportunity to thrive. 
• I recognized this opportunity because as I grew up in a family business, I witnessed how much time and effort goes into our daily work and even though we work so hard to accomplish everything, a large portion of our earnings went to taxes.  Therefore, with a cut in taxes, small businesses can spend that tax money on what is important such as high-quality employees.  However, I have also witnessed the frustration that other individuals who do not make enough money experience as they are not able to reap any benefits even though they work so hard. 
• Regulatory Change: Nutrition standards of meals for children
• Source: https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/nutrition-standards-school-meals
• I think this opportunity exists not only because of the increasing obesity rate of American children but also because of the increased health complications of American children.   Although nutrition changes have occurred, there needs to be a change that not only reaches children while they are at school, but anywhere in society such as at home, at the mall, or at extracurriculars.  Parents want their children to be healthy; however, school meals do not always offer the most nutrient filled meal.  Therefore, this change in nutrition standards for meals will please parents and adults as their children are being fed properly at school. This unmet need would change vending machines from unhealthy bags of chips and cookies to nutritional foods that still attract children's eyes.  
• The prototypical customer would be schools, especially elementary and middle schools, who want to provide healthy meals for their students as well as any store that has a vending machine in it.  As this regulatory change suggests, the new nutrition standards for school meals agree with the latest nutritional science research. Therefore, schools and places with vending machines will want to implement this new regulatory change as it will benefit children everywhere. 
• I think that this opportunity will be easy to implement as adults want children to eat healthy and be healthy.  By implementing this change, we will be providing children with the necessary nutrients their bodies need to stay healthy no matter where they are.  
• I recognized this opportunity because there are thousands of unhealthy children in America who suffer because of the foods they eat.  However, by implementing healthy meal opportunities at any given moment and place, these children will be changing their diet for the good and will consequentially feel better.  

5A- Identifying Local Opportunities

5A- Identifying Local Opportunities

• "Your Personal Cyber Security Depends on your Cyber Savvy" by Elissa Redmiles of the Miami Herald
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0111%21January%2B11&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170E5B9DD91032E0
• In this article written on January 11, 2019, Elissa Redmiles outlines the most important ways to stay safe online in a time where the Internet rules the world.
• Redmiles points out that along with changing technologies comes advancing technologies that hack.  And in order to prevent this, we must be much more cautious of our security settings on our devices.  Redmiles advises that we set a boundary for how much information we are willing to share with our apps.  Additionally, she strongly advises to use multiple different passwords for different apps and online services instead of using the same password for everything.  Even adding an authentication step to any device decreases the risk of being hacked.  As most smart phone users have noticed, our devices even track our daily routines and where we go.  Not installing or deleting certain apps from our phones and keeping software up-to-date are some tips to keeping our private lives private.  
• The Problem: Living in such an advanced world with advanced technologies brings about the opportunity for people to hack our devices and steal private information or data.  Many corporate companies are even desperate for any means to keep their databases from being hacked.  
• The People: Anyone who owns a smart device such as a computer, a smart phone, and even an Apple watch are susceptible to be hacked.  Large corporate companies and business are even more susceptible to being hacked because of their value.  
• "Crime Takes a Dive in Miami" the Miami Herald Editorial 
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0111%21January%2B11&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170E5B9DB43EDCD8  
• This article written on January 11, 2019 praises Miami for the drastic decline in the city's crime rate.  In 2018 Miami witnessed the lowest number of murder victims since 1967 in a population of over 500,000 people.  
• In order to achieve this decrease in the crime rate, Miami's Chief of Police believes that it was through the help of the entire community that this was possible.  Greater police efforts such as the addition of cameras and participation in neighborhood watches has begun to grow an amiable relationship between citizens and the police.  
• Although the decrease in the crime rate is incredible, there is still much more work to be completed as the murder victim rate is still 51 people.  And the use of gunfire is still very much relevant.  In order to keep this declining crime rate a trend, the city of Miami must find a way to continue to build a bridge of trust with the people of the city. 
• The problem: Although Miami has experienced a decrease in the crime rate, there is still a high number of murder victims and gunfire victims (compared to other cities).  More people in the community need to get involved in making the city safer for everyone.
• The people: Not only are the citizens of Miami affected by the crime rate, but so are all of the tourists and anyone who temporarily resides within the city.
• "The Bahamas has a Problem: It's Running Out of Queen Conchs" by Jenny Staletovich of the Miami Herald
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0112%21January%2B12&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170EAF37A7816B28
• This articles written on January 12, 2019 highlights the problem of the rapid decline in conchs due to excessive fishing.  Although there is a need for conchs to be fished, even fishers agree that fishing rules need to be adjusted to prevent the extinction of the conch shell.  While some people argue that fishing should be closed for part of the year, others argue that there simply needs to be rules and regulations in order for the conchs to be managed properly.  However, it is not so simple as many people rely on conch.
• The problem: The dramatic decrease of conchs in the Bahamas leaves fisheries troubled; however, if we save the fisheries, we will be losing the supply of conchs forever. 
• The people: The extinction of the Bahamas conchs will affect the people of the Bahamas who do not only see the conchs as a way to make money, but rather as a part of their culture.  The loss of conchs will also affect fisheries who highly rely on it to sell and make money. 
• "Concourse at Miami International Airport to Reopen Monday Despite Government Shutdown" by Monique Madan of the Miami Herald
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0113%21January%2B13&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170EE7B852F51A88
• This articles written on January 13, 2019 discusses how the government shutdown affected airport security.  The government shutdown left a shortage of Transportation Security Administration workers as the halt in payment encouraged workers to stay home.  With the shortage of TSA workers, there has not been enough help to screen luggage at the terminal security checkpoints. 
• The problem: The government shutdown created a lack of employees showing up to work, leading to the closure of multiple terminals.  With the closure of these terminals arose numerous issues regarding travelers' plans.  
• The people: This issue affects people who are traveling along with the people who actually showed up to work and now have to endure a much more rigorous work day due to the lack of employees.  
• "People are Cutting Down Joshua Trees in Joshua Tree National Park During the Government Shutdown" by Katey Psencik of the Gainesville Sun
• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0111%21January%2B11&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170EDC37513E5650
• This article written on January 11, 2019 explains the effects of the government shutdown on our environment.  Since the shutdown, people have taken to cutting down Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park. Visitors were cutting down these trees to allow their entrance into areas where vehicles are not normally allowed.  However, with many of the park staff off duty due to the government shutdown, there were no officials to keep these visitors from destroying the trees. People have even taken to trashing the national park in numerous ways since there is no staff there to stop them. 
• The problem: The government shutdown has left the Joshua National Park defenseless with no staff members to protect it from the harmful actions of visitors who have taken to trashing the park in numerous ways in addition to cutting the trees down.
• The people: The employees who work at the National Park are affected as they must deal with this situation once the government shutdown concludes.  Additionally, the members of the National Park's community are affected as many of them have been volunteering to provide help in cleaning the park.  

4A- Opportunity Belief

Assignment 4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief

         I believe that there is an opportunity for fuel to be delivered directly to a person's car whether that be at home or at a workplace.  The need for gasoline is constantly rising; however, the ability to go to the gas station has become more difficult with the complications of our daily lives.  This need would be beneficial to everyone in society such as: stay at home mothers who juggle a million tasks in one day, working people who barely have enough time to get coffee on their way to work, and college students (especially those who drive scooters) who do not have enough time to leave campus to get gas.  Additionally, this opportunity would provide safety and security for people as statistics demonstrate the high crime rates occurring at gas stations.  I believe that this is a new need as people currently take time out of their daily lives to drive to a gas station.  However, with today's technology, this opportunity is extremely possible.  Additionally, with this new opportunity, everyone will be saving time in their day for more important tasks.  In conclusion, as anyone in society can take advantage of this opportunity and as numerous companies seem to be entering this field of home fuel delivery as they also recognize this opportunity, I am 90% confident that this opportunity definitely exists.

#1 Female College Freshman

• Do you drive a car or a scooter?
• "A scooter to get around campus more efficiently."
• How often do you go to get gas?
• "About once a week to once every two weeks depending on how much I am driving throughout the week."
• Where is the gas station you usually go to?
• "About one mile from the edge of campus because it is the cheapest."
• When do you usually go to get gas?
• "Whenever I can find time in my day."
• Do you find it difficult to make time to go get gas?
• "Yes, I have a really busy schedule between my classes and extracurriculars so sometimes I find myself having to go to the gas station at the last minute before my tank is completely empty."
• Have you ever had to go to the gas station at night?
• "Yes. In my first months at UF it was hard to find time during the day to go get gas so I would go at night.  But whenever I went at night it did not seem safe at all and was really sketchy so I have been trying to remember to go during the day when I can." 
• If there was a way for gas to be delivered to your scooter at your dorm, would you pay for it?
• "Yeah for sure! That would be so convenient and my parents would probably feel a lot more comfortable that I am not going to a gas station."

REFLECTION: The prototypical customer includes people juggling intensely busy schedules (such as college students) who cannot find time within their day to go out to a gas station.  Additionally, this prototypical customer focuses on safety as gas stations are known to have increasingly terrifying crime rates.  

#2 Full time businessman 

• How many hours do you work a week?
• "About fifty hours a week.  Monday through Friday."
• How often do you get gas?
• "At least once a week because my job is forty-five minutes away from where I live."
• When do you normally get gas?
• "I try to go to the gas station on my way home from work or early the next morning on my way to work."
• Do you find it difficult to make time to go to the gas station?
• "Yes, it is definitely frustrating when I am on my way home from work after a long day and see the yellow gas sign light up.  After a day at the office the last thing I want to do is go out of my way to get gas."
• How far is the nearest gas station from your home?
• "It is about ten minutes away.  But I usually try to go to a different one on my way home because it isn't as expensive as the Shell by my house."
• If there was a service that delivered fuel directly to your home or even your workplace, would you be willing to pay for it?
• "Yes, I would definitely pay for that.  Getting my gas delivered straight to my car at work would save me so much time and allow me to go straight home after work.  Convenience is always appreciated. "

REFLECTION: People such as this businessman are the perfect customers for this opportunity because they have so many responsibilities to attend to in their daily lives and do not have time to spare on going to a gas station.  Most people do not realize the opportunities that exist in our modern world and the convenience that such opportunities can provide. 

#3 Mother who works from home

• Where do you live?
• "I live far back within in Parkland, Florida and although it is a suburb, some areas of this city could be considered rural because there are lots of areas with just grass as the city is still being developed."
• Where is the nearest gas station?
• "Believe it or not, the nearest gas station is about twenty to twenty-five minutes away from my home."
• How many hours a week do you work from home?
• "I work about thirty hours a week from home for my business and I work full-time for my children."
• How often do you get gas?
• "About once a week between driving my kids everywhere from school to sports and such."
• When do you find time to go get gas?
• "Never. I usually try to go to the gas station on the way home from picking my kids up from school.  But it is so far out of the way that by the time I get back home half of my tank is gone already."
• If there was a service that came to your home to fill up your car's gas tank, would you be willing to pay for it!
• "I would be willing to pay extra money for that! That would be extremely convenient and save me time during my work day at home as well as save me time with my kids."

REFLECTION: Busy customers such as this stay-at-home, working mother somehow make time for everything.  However, customers like this do not realize how much they accomplish in their day to day lives and do not realize how much time we can save them by simply delivering gas to their door.  By delivering fuel directly to them, we would be saving them time to complete their daily tasks.

SUMMARY:

Interviewing these three potential customers really opened my eyes to our society's current need for convenience.  Throughout each interview the word convenience became very pertinent.  People need services that will save them time and many customers are willing to pay any price for this extra time.  I believe that my original opportunity continues to be an extremely valuable and unmet need.  Additionally, I think that this opportunity has become more accurate because I now understand exactly what different type of people are looking for in this service.  This statement demonstrates that entrepreneurs should definitely adapt their opportunities within reason based on customer feedback because the customer is the one who will be paying for the opportunity and they essentially make the opportunity possible.  

3A- My entrepreneurship story

Assignment 3

The spirit of entrepreneurship has been embedded within me for as long as I can remember.  My father started his own business straight out of high school and has turned it into the successful business that it is today.  My entire life I have grown up in a family that fosters innovative ideas which is the reason why I decided to take this class.  I aspire to create a successful business one day the same way that my father created his business.  

Although I have always been exposed to entrepreneurship, I finally put this task into play when I initiated a dance company at my high school.  Starting the company took over a year; however, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.  Once the team was started, I had to figure out many logistics such as rehearsals, costs, and competitions.  This experience was extremely difficult at times as I came across numerous tribulations; however, with the help of others, the company became successful and continues to grow every year.  

This experience along with experience in my family business have both led me to taking this course.  I hope to learn the important values of a successful entrepreneur along with the skills it takes to create a business from the ground up.  

Above is a picture of my family and I on our most recent store grand opening.  

2A- Bug List

Assignment 2: Bug List

1. The four girls next door to my door room in Beaty Towers are extremely loud that I can never concentrate.
        i. This bug exists because these girls do not realize how thin the dorm walls are and how loud their voices travel.
2. The dirty dishes that my three roommates leave in the sink pile up for days and never get washed.
      i. This bug exists because my roommates always go start other activities instead of instantly washing what they used.
3. The people living in the floor above us make food that smells terrible every night for dinner.
     i. This bug exists because the people living above me like food that I do not and do not realize that the scent travels.
4. The new vacuum I bought from Target does not take the hair off my rug.
     i. This bug exists because I wait too long to vacuum my rug until there is too much to clean off my rug.
5. My roommates never fill up the Brita with water, leaving me parched.
     i. This bug exists because they do not use the Brita as much as I do.
6.  Every commercial while watching the Bachelor is over three minutes long.
      i. This bug exists because television networks need to make money off of advertisements.
7. People drive below the speed limit and create ridiculous traffic for no reason.
     i. This bug exists because people are very timid when driving.
8. My blanket is not long enough to cover my entire body including my feet.
    i. This bug exists because I need to buy a bigger blanket.
9. When I wake up it is forty degrees and by the time I leave a class it is over seventy and I have to change my entire outfit.
     i This bug exists because Florida weather is volatile and unpredictable.
10. The student recreational gym is packed the first week of every semester and there are no machines available.
     i. This bug exists because during the first week of the semester everyone attempts to start healthy workout habits.
11. My dorm room looks so bare and boring without decorations.
      i. This bug exists because dorm rooms are built to fit any student.
12. The elevators in Beaty Towers are always broken, forcing me to use the stairs.
     i. This bug exists because the building is very old and in constant need of repairs.
13. My test has questions on it that were never covered in class.
    i. This bug exists because my professor forgot to discuss a particular topic.
14. Elastic hair ties are never strong enough to hold my hair up.
    i. This bug exists because my hair is too long for a normal hair tie.
15. The UF Broward pool closes for six months for "the season" even though it is perfect tanning weather.
    i. This bug exists because it is cheaper for UF to close the pool.
16. I had to work my entire winter break in my family's business leaving me with no time to relax.
    i. This bug exists because I am obligated to help my family during busy seasons.
17. I always forget to take my chicken out of the freezer in time to defrost for dinner.
   i. This bug exists because I have short-term memory loss.
18. There are not enough outlets in my room to have my computer, TV, and fan plugged in at the same time.
   i. This bug exists because the building was designed decades ago before technology was so popular.
19. The websites I use to stream movies buffers every other second making it impossible to completely watch a movie.
   i. This bug exists because the websites are low quality and are being used by many people at once.
20. My computer wifi makes me reconnect every time I open my computer.
  i. This bug exists because the Internet connection around Beaty Towers is not great.

Reflection:
At first I thought this assignment would be so simple.  Being a freshman in college, I have experienced so many changes from what I am used to.  I believe that this reason is why I have so many new "bugs" that I never had before college.  However, as I continued to need more "bugs" to list, I found this assignment challenging as it became difficult to pinpoint what exact things bugged me.  It is so easy to complain about whatever bothers me throughout the day.  However, it was difficult to really think about these "bugs" in detail.  Additionally, I did not realize how many pet peeves I have which made me less willing to admit all of my "bugs."  I am now much more aware of the world around me and my opinions regarding what I do and do not agree with.  This assignment has definitely given me a new view on how I react to particular circumstances and the world.

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