Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

In the first part of this blog post I described the issue of scooter parking on the University of Florida campus and in this post I will further observe the opportunity that comes through this dilemma. In exploring more about the topic I was able to speak to five separate individuals whom I felt would be on the same page as me on the issue yet expressed different, unexpected views. The first person I spoke to was a friend Ryan who was in his fifth year taking classes and using his scooter here at UF. I asked him how he felt about the parking on campus and he told me he almost never had a problem with it. I was confused because most people said otherwise, however he explained that all of his classes were very early so the timing just seemed to work out. The next person I met was a girl parking her scooter next to Library west named Samantha. I asked how she felt about parking on campus and she explained that she didn't mind or really care because she had Gainesville city parking which allowed her to park on the neighboring city streets and it led to a very short walk to most of her classes. Steve, a good friend of mine that I met in a class last year, Told me he liked how parking was but also admitted that he almost never had to park near the notoriously crowded areas. Michael that approached me in Turlington Plaza about a club brought up scooters so I questioned him about the parking situation. He said that he didn't like it at first but that if you knew all of the hidden, less-popular parking spots then you could get around with a lot of ease. Jess, a freshman at UF, told me that she hated the parking situation when she first arrived but that after a while she started parking a spot that was supposed to be reserved for faculty, yet it hasn't been a problem yet and made things much easier. 

WHO: The people that seem to have the problem with scooter parking seem to be University of Florida students that ride their scooters onto the campus, yet some of those people have found ways to get around the issue, whether it's through finding parking in hidden spots or breaking University parking rules.

WHAT: The need for more parking seems to differ based on the times the individuals need to park along with how willing they are to find hidden or illegitimate parking spots. 

WHY: I believe that some of the outsiders were willing to risk parking in parking spots that students weren't supposed to park in. Along with that some just happened to have knowledge of the campus and parking spots most students wouldn't know about.

Inside the Boundary 

Average students that ride their scooters to popular parts of campus at normal hours can't find parking spots due to a lack of spaces.

Outside the Boundary

Students with scooters that have knowledge of hidden parking spaces, don't care for consequences of parking in prohibited parking spaces, or go on campus at unusual hours are able to find parking spaces.

Solving the Problem

My solution is for the University of Florida Scooter and car parking situation around the western side of the campus. It is a known issue that there is insufficient university parking in this area and additional spots would be very valuable to the university and its students. I know that there is an empty lot near Library West and if acquired I would offer the university the use of the land so that students would have a place to park in such a useful location. This would be a valuable service the university could offer it's student in providing a place to park their vehicles and I believe they would be willing to pay for the use of the land. This partnership would not only help reduce stress on students but also bring more attention to a very nice side of the campus and encourage more involvement on campus. It would be very valuable to the student body and Gainesville community in general.

Testing the Hypothesis

1) The opportunity I chose to pursue is the scooter parking issue on the University of Florida Campus.

2) University of Florida are unable to find parking for their scooters on campus due to a lack of designated parking spaces.

• The who: University of Florida students
• The what: not being able to find scooter parking
• The why: lack of parking spots

3)

• Testing the who: This issue is very important for students, however, it doesn't exactly apply to anybody else. It is also limited to the students that own and use scooters.
• Testing the what: The issue is seems to affect some areas much more than others. In some parts of the campus this is hardly an issue while in others it is almost impossible to ever find a spot.
• Testing the why: This problem has been described as one of the main reasons a lot of people are late to class and leading people to avoid some parts of the campus. Some people end up using just about any other form of transportation over their scooter due to the parking situation. 

4) I went around different locations of the campus to interview individuals on the topic I find to be so troubling and the responses were for the most part what I had expected. The very small scooter parking lot along the side of Library West  is a very congested area when it comes to parking and that is where I was able to speak to both Aby and Raul. I asked Aby how she felt about the parking situation by Library West and if it should be changed. She responded by explaining how aggravating it is to try to find a spot and how she many times has to park in spots that aren't designated for parking. She expressed that a change would be amazing but had been set on the idea that the University didn't care about the issue. When I spoke to Raul he said he lives near by and so he tries to walk there as much as possible due to the difficulty of finding parking. After this I chose to find a new location so I went to Turlington Plaza to question a different crowd. I spoke to a guy named Jeffery who told me he had a scooter that he hadn't used in months because trying to find parking on campus was useless. After class in the physics building I spoke to my classmate Jess and she told me that taking the scooter to class was by far the most convenient way of getting there and that the parking situation never caused her any problems. This surprised me but I had also noted that traffic wasn't nearly as bad on that side of campus. After this I chose to go a bit farther and asked around Southwest Gym. Here I met a kid by the name of Akash who was standing over a scooter with a boot strapped to it. He told me that there had been many occasions where he couldn't find a spot and would simply park illegally so he could make it to class on time. This led to so many tickets that the UF police department finally put a boot on his scooter. 

5) Through the different interviews I began to understand that the issue is much more prominent in certain areas of the campus. It did appear that some areas, such as Library West and Southwest Gym, needed much better parking layouts, yet areas such as around the Physics building were very well situated.  

Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Two Economic Opportunities

1. Paid Leave Bills Introduced in Congress

a. Source: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html

b. Why I think there is an opportunity: Bills to make paid leave mandatory at jobs have been introduced into congress providing the opportunity of more comfortable work places and minimizing stress on workers.
c. Prototypical customer: Any worker in the United States
d. Easy or difficult to exploit? Why? This would be a nation-wide law being passed so I wouldn't necessarily be easy to achieve, however, the bill has already been introduced so there is momentum in a positive direction.

e. Why I saw this as an opportunity: I have seen my mom have to deal with this issue and miss important family events due to not being offered paid leave. If this opportunity were achieve I know that this would be much easier on her and she would feel more comfortable at her job.

2. Offering a Course on Managing Personal Finances
 a. Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/05/northwestern-mutual-how-many-americans-say-theyll-always-be-in-debt.html

b. Why I think there is an opportunity: This article describes how currently more than one in ten Americans say they will be debt for the rest of their lives. It isn't entirely the case but a portion of this reflects the way some Americans handle their personal finances. This lack of knowledge could be fixed with a course that teaches individuals how to as responsible as possible with how they are managing the way they spend money.
c. Prototypical customer: The prototypical customer would be any American interested in how to responsibly manage their funds.
d. Easy or difficult to exploit? Why? This would require the necessary knowledge to teach these individuals, which I currently do not have. This would make it very difficult for myself if I were to be working on this alone.

e. Why I saw this as an opportunity: As a student I haven't had the opportunity to learn about some very important financial topics such as loans and running my own budget. While it doesn't directly affect me now I know that it will eventually be very important yet I don't feel prepared at all. A course would definitely be useful to me.

Two Regulatory Opportunities


1. Increase of Visitors in Gainesville
 a. Source: http://news.ufl.edu/articles/2018/09/uf-rises-to-no-8-in-us-news-list-of-best-public-universities.php

b. Why I think there is an opportunity: This appears to me as an opportunity because with the University of Florida rising in ranks in this manner I can assume that it will lead to more nation-wide attention on the school meaning more people visiting Gainesville. Keeping that in mind it could potentially mean a need for a place to stay.
c. Prototypical customer: A prototypical customer would be any incoming families and potential students visiting Gainesville for a tour.
d. Easy or difficult to exploit? Why? It would be a lot of work due to finding the land and having the initial funds to invest in the opportunity, however, I believe the payoff could make it worth it.

e. Why I saw this as an opportunity: As a current student in Gainesville I can see the improvements occurring not only in the school but also this town as well. This will certainly bring more attention and potentially more people. 

2. Marijuana Business Opportunity

a. Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/us-cannabis-listings-in-canada-rise-as-investor-interest-spikes/

b. Why I think there is an opportunity: The use of marijuana has been gaining a lot of attention and this article describes an increase in investors due to the possibility of nation-wide legalization. Whether for medical or recreational use, the canabis industry is a great opportunity to be involved in in case it did become available. 
c. Prototypical customer: Any citizen looking to use marijuana
d. Easy or difficult to exploit? Why? This requires laws to be passed in Florida to legalize marijuana making this a difficult opportunity to exploit.  

e. Why I saw this as an opportunity: I have witnessed people using this substance illegally and have also seen people legally use it for medical use which shows me that there is a demand for it in a wide group of people. It has also been getting a lot of attention and seems to be moving towards legalization across the country. 

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Public money wasted on unnecessary water projects
[ https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F16E6367066C52008 ]

This article describes how Florida rivers and lakes are drying up due to humans excessively  collecting and using up the supply. It talks about how all the rain that has been falling in Gainesville and other parts of Florida should be replenishing these depleted areas however it is just encouraging more consumption. Unnecessary water supply projects are being implemented to further draw out more water from areas that can't afford to lose the desired amounts. This is an issue that would affect wildlife all over Florida and end up harming all residents in this state. 

2. Police looking for pizza robbery suspects
[ https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F16E63670354E4550 ]

This article described an instance where a pizza driver was faced with a difficult situation in which he was forced to give up to pizzas and was asked for money. It describes this risk that all delivery drivers due to not knowing who they are delivering to. This is problem that puts hardworking drivers at risk of violence and theft. 

3.Law can’t keep up with scooters
[ https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F16E6B14324745DF0 ]

This article describes the trend of dock-less scooters in cities across the nation and the potential they have in places that could use more environmentally-efficient forms of transportation. The issue described is how politicians in places such as San Francisco have banned this form of transportation. This is a problem that could affect not only the company owners but also residents in cities all over the world.


4. Silence won’t end Catholic crisis
[ https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F16E60F1A0259E208 ]

This article discusses the accusations of sexual abuse of various important catholic figures and the pope's claim that silence and prayer is the best way to deal with the problem. Many people are troubled by the call to silence and believe it isn't the way to go about the problem. This is an issue that affects the image of all Catholics and the Catholic church itself.

5. Too much secrecy keeps public in dark
[ https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F16E4B356F8E19988 ]

This article talks about how United States government officials are keeping too many secrets and concerned citizens are worried about how much they can trust these leaders.  There is a  lot of classified information that millions of Americans don't have the ability to see and it is inspiring a lot of people to fight to limit this possibility. This is something that affects all Americans and the way they view their leaders. 

Opportunity Belief

I have been a student at the University of Florida for almost two and a half years now and one of the prominent issues many students talk about is parking. This is a large problem for many students but could also be seen as a great opportunity. It is something that demands a solution and the possibility for change is not far.

I personally have dealt with the issue of trying to find scooter parking on the University of Florida campus and with all of the surrounding open land around the campus I believe there is a great opportunity in attempting to solve this issue. This is something that affects all of the University of Florida students that drive scooters and is an issue that has always existed. Adding more scooter parking spaces would greatly improve the campus yet no one is doing anything about it. At this point I am about 70% sure that this opportunity exists.

The prototypical customer would be a University of Florida student who owns a scooter and parks on campus regularly.

While going into a discussion class a girl I knew had a scooter came in a little late. I figured It might have had something to do with the parking situation so I decided to discuss the topic with her. I asked her why she had been late and to my speculation she blamed it on not being able to find a parking spot. I expressed that she wasn't the only one that had the same problem. I asked her how she felt about a scenario where there were more parking spaces available and she described how much less stress she'd feel before each class and going on campus in general. I then asked how long she'd felt this way and she told me that this had been going on ever since she bought the scooter her first semester of college. She said it had been a problem ever since she first tried finding parking near her first class.

Two days later I was driving my scooter to the library and saw a guy sitting on his scooter in a parking spot just looking through phone very casually. I figured this might be a different, more-relaxed person to discuss it with. I told him I would like to discuss scooter parking with him for a class and he seemed reluctant but agreed. I asked if he felt that scooter parking was an issue and he told me that he almost always finds parking because he knows the right places to park. I asked if he felt that more parking wouldn't benefit the campus and he told me that it definitely would but that it didn't seem like such a big deal. After the last girl I was surprised so I asked if he had ever had an issue finding a parking space. He answered that his older brother went to the university and had a scooter so he always knew to leave early enough to be able to find one. He expressed that if anything it made sure he'd leave in time to make it for class.

The next person I spoke to was a friends who had just recently bought a scooter at the beginning of the semester. I asked if he has had any problems with parking and he told me that the first week of classes he had a terrible time finding parking but he was starting to get used to it. I asked if more parking spots would help and he said it would definitely make it easier for new students and other new scooter drivers to be comfortable on campus. He seemed very enthusiastic about the possibility of new parking on campus and he continued to describe how bad the first week was with making it to class on time and the two tickets he had gotten for parking in the wrong place.

After talking to these three people I was able to gather some information on how serious the problem really was. It seemed like everyone encouraged more parking spaces but the second guy I spoke to expressed that the issue might not be that urgent of a problem which genuinely surprised me. The third person and first person expressed the how the issue has affected them in negative ways and were very eager for more parking.

After speaking to all of these people my opinion did change a bit. I still believe that the original opportunity is still there and would help a lot of student across the entire campus. I believe that the original opportunity is still accurate and that little should be changed, however, I do believe that speaking to potential customers really helped me understand the opportunity much more. I believe that entrepreneurs should consistently be trying to explore more and more about their opportunities and products. Through this they should keep their main goal in mind while still adapting to any changes.

My Entrepreneurship Story

I was once visiting a music store looking over the different array of guitar pedals when a man approached me. He looked to be around 25 years old and started talking to me about the company he had started up. He explained how he had purchased a large sum of different pedals and created a company in which individuals could pay a monthly fee and rent out a different pedal every month. He explained how great yet how difficult it was being self employed. He began with only 10 subscribers and now has thousands. I have attached a picture of the founder and the name of his company below. I understood that it was not easy but to me the idea of working with something I was so passionate about seemed amazing. I took this course to gain a better understanding of the type of mentality necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur. My goal is to hopefully own my own company one day in which I can make instruments more accessible to poorer areas around the world.

Bugs

1. At night I always find myself freezing cold and having to tightly wrap myself under the covers


a. This is because the A/C unit in my room points directly at my bed


2. Every morning the garbage truck wakes me up around 6:00 A.M.


a. The garbage pick-up route is set to passes by my apartment every day at that time


3. Whenever I go to the UF gym I find myself waiting to use almost every machine


a. The gym is too small and overcrowds with the large amount of students


4. The left side speaker on my sound system has a constant buzzing whenever there isn’t any music playing


a. The speaker appears to be blown out or poorly plugged in


5. Whenever I’m going down 15th to get to class there is one light where I consistently am forced to wait for over 15 minutes, often making me late to class


a. The road goes from three lanes to one causing a lot of traffic to pile up.


6. Whenever I go to dry my clothes at the communal washing machine in my apartment complex the dryer requires almost two full cycles to ever completely dry my clothes


a. It appears to be a very old, outdated drying machine.


7. From my desk where I do homework I have a view of a building with a light bulb that is always flickering, and I find it very distracting


a. It is a very old looking building that appears to have close to no maintenance.


8. I have an iPhone 6 and it often dies with around 60% battery.


a. I have had this phone for years and the battery clearly appears to be worn out.


9. My next-door neighbors keep me up almost every night with incredibly loud music.


a. They own an incredibly large sub woofer and the walls in my complex are rather thin.


10. I often receive calls during class causing the ringer to go off and distracting everyone.


a. My phone has sand stuck in it which prevents me from turning the ringer off.


11. I frequently visit Patticakes coffee shop in downtown Gainesville and whenever I go to park I spend minimum five minutes looking for parking.


a. There are no parking spots for Patticakes itself and the nearest ones are across the park where the coffee shop is located.


12. Many times, when I take my scooter to the library I struggle finding any parking at all.


a. There is a very small amount of parking spots for scooters on campus.


13. My iPhone often takes over five minutes to open newer applications.


a. I have an iPhone 6 and the newer applications are designed for newer models of iPhones.


14. I have a very difficult time understanding my Calculus 3 professor and it many times takes its toll on my notes in class.


a. He was born in the Netherlands and only recently moved to the United States, so his accent is very strong.


15. My scooter usually takes several minutes and a lot of effort to finally start it up.


a. It is an old scooter and could use some maintenance.


16. My laptop randomly shuts off whenever I move it around too much.


a. The clip that holds in the battery came undone so whenever the back moves the battery comes out causing the computer to shut off.


17. I share a bathroom with four other people and there are always clothes left on the floor by one of my roommates from after the shower.


a. My three other roommates are very messy and nearly ever clean up after themselves


18. I can rarely ever find parking on the street whenever I get home at any point after 11:00PM.


a. The street parking in Gainesville is very limited and fills up very quickly.


19. My alarm clock will many times just ring out of nowhere and it bothers a lot of my roommates whenever I’m not there.


a. The alarm was dropped very hard once and has been damaged ever since.


20. Whenever I ride my scooter after it’s rained my pants get completely wet.


a. The cushion is made of an absorbent material and my scooter is always parked outside.






I found this experience to be very interesting because it made me think of minor issues that I would typically just ignore. By writing them down I can gather the issues I can fix and others I can try to avoid. I found it to be a very pleasant assignment that overall would help improve everyday problems.