Assignment 9A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who: 

• After going through a new set of interviews with all different types of people, I realized that not everyone here in Gainesville is inside of my market. The main group of people that are outside of my market are students that have been doing their own laundry their whole life. These students have had experience being independent and taking care of things by themselves, making laundry not a burden but simply just another part of their day. Although those people agreed that laundry was not something that they enjoyed doing, they still did not have a problem doing it alone. Also, after interviewing another resident from Gainesville, I was able tom realize that expanding the market to outside of UF students is not a good idea. I say that due to something that one of my interviewees said, he explained “I might be interested in a service, but I think if you start offering it to everyone in Gainesville, you might start to see higher costs for your business”. This was something that really opened my eyes, especially because I did not even ask any questions to create a response like that. I think the responses that I received when asking about broadening my market to all of Gainesville made me realize that students are the true target market, and the general public in Gainesville is outside of my market. 
• Also, after interviewing a new set of people and asking all of them their thoughts on possibly using subscriptions, I realized it opened up a market for people that I anticipated to be outside the market. The interviewees really liked the idea of using subscriptions, especially interviewee number 2. When asked if he would buy a subscription if available he responded saying “100%, if I were able to pay monthly to have my laundry done for me two times a week it would change my life”. 

What: 

• With the addition of subscriptions added to the options given by my hybrid laundry service, I am able to appeal to every type of customer that is within my market. Throughout the process, the only thing that did not change was peoples opinions on doing laundry. After conducting multiple interviews with all different types of people, the common theme between everyone was that no one liked doing laundry, and quite frankly most people absolutely hate it. 

Why: 

• After multiple rounds of interviews, the reasoning behind the opportunity stayed the same too. The inconvenience, time consuming and sometimes expensive act of doing laundry by yourself are the main reasons why college students struggle so much with laundry and why this opportunity has tremendous potential. 

	Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Who:	College students who have never done their own laundry	Residents of Gainesville that do not attend UF
	Students looking for their laundry to be done for them	Students who have always done their own laundry
What:	Providing multiple options for students to get their laundry done	Providing services for the general public in Gainesville
	Offering subscriptions for students to get their laundry done consistently
Why:	College students struggle with doing their own laundry. Whether its problems with convenience, time commitment or financial reasons, laundry is a burden to college students everywhere and the opportunity to help them holds huge potential for profits.

Assignment 8A- Solving the Problem

• Through both personal experiences and reaching out to people across campus, I have identified a problem here at UF regarding students struggling to do their own laundry in college. The service that I would be providing would be a hybrid laundry service that has many different options available for students to choose whatever kind of service they are looking for. 
• Although I originally identified my target market as young students living in dorms, I realized the market for a laundry service is much greater than that. Not only does the inconvenience of doing laundry provided by dorms create a market, but the time constraints students face when they get older creates its own new market, I believe with more potential for profit than the other. 
• The options that are to be provided by my laundry service are,

• Students Walk-In and do their own laundry with their own supplies
• Students Walk-In and do their own laundry with supplies that we provide 
• Students drop off laundry and it is cleaned for them, but not folded 
• Students drop off laundry and it is cleaned for them, and folded 
• Students laundry is picked up, cleaned and dropped off, not folded 
• Students laundry is picked up, cleaned and dropped off, pre-folded 
• Students can set up a subscription in which they pay a monthly fee to get their laundry taken care of, pricing is based on how frequent they want it done

• The success of the service that I am providing has a lot to do with the location of the store. However, it does not take a very large area to be able to operate, so finding a place with a good location all not be hard. 
• The reason that my laundry service is going to have so many options is because it makes the customers feel as if they are totally in control, and therefore makes them more comfortable using my service. By offering various options, I am able to cater to the needs of every student that is looking to get their laundry done while also helping them stay within their price range. They are able to choose different types of services based on multiple things, such as prices and convenience. 

Assignment 7A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Hybrid Laundry Service 

• Opportunity: 
• Laundry is extremely vital to have under control when you get to college. It is not only time consuming but can be costly if students choose the services already provided. 

• The Who:  Students at the University of Florida, preferably underclassmen. 
• The What: Students not only here at UF but at colleges all across the country struggle to do their laundry consistently and correctly.
• The Why: Students may not be used to doing their own laundry before college, leaving them to figure it out on their own. Also, whether the machines required are extremely inconvenient or they simply do not have enough time on their hands, every student struggles doing their laundry during college. 

Testing the Who: Underclassmen students are not the only students that struggle doing their laundry, every upperclassmen do. I realized that it does not matter what age you are in college, laundry is something that you may never get the hang of. After rethinking my target market, I realized that I initially underestimated how many young adults struggle doing laundry in college because the act is solely up to them to get it done. 

Testing the What: After asking around and looking for feedback from many people in all different age groups, I came to the conclusion that there are more variables than I thought that could force someone to turn to a laundry service. Not only does the inconvenience and time commitment force students to leave their laundry to the last minute, it can also become very costly when all of your dirty clothes add up. Not only do students have trouble finding a place to do their laundry, but they find it near impossible to keep up with it consistently. 

Testing the Why: I realized the tremendous hassle that comes with doing laundry as soon as I got to college, mostly because I had never done it by myself. A lot of college students grow up with their parents doing their laundry for them, not realizing that once you go to college every responsibility is yours to take care of. I don't know whether people genuinely hate folding clothes or always feel like they have something better to do than laundry, but it is an ongoing problem in college, which doesn't just disappear as you get older. 

• Interview #1: The first person that I interviewed was a friend of mine who is a junior here at UF. Getting to interview someone that I knew prior helped me feel more comfortable asking questions I may not have asked someone that I didn't know. Also, I knew that he was someone with an unbiased point of view which really helped. As I had expected, he told me that he had never done his laundry before college and was shocked when he finally realized how much of a burden it is. He stated that he is the type of person to wait until he has no clothes left to do laundry, forcing him to do at least 2-3 loads every time he does it. Also, he admitted that since he waits so long he finds himself re wearing dirty clothes to get by. He identified doing laundry as a big problem in his life. 

• Interview #2: The second person that I chose to interview was a sophomore girl in a sorority at UF. I was actually able to interview her and a couple of her friends, but I counted it as one interview because they fall under the same persona. They all lived in a sorority house together, which I was asked not to name, but a lot of them have different reasons for laundry becoming a problem. The girl that I intended to interview stated that she struggles doing laundry because the machines that they have in their sorority house are very old and outdated. After responding by asking if she has ever tried a laundry service, her friend chimed in saying “they're awesome, but way too expensive”. After hearing a bunch of different opinions on why laundry is a struggle for them, I realized there are tons of reasons why students have trouble taking care of their laundry, not just time inconvenience. 

• Interview #3: The next person that I interview is a student at the UF medical school. She is studying to become a doctor while volunteering her time at Shands hospital on campus to gain experience. She explained to me the importance that laundry has due to her time grueling schedule. Not only does she have personal clothes that she relaxes in every day but also has scrubs for the hospital that she needs to keep consistently clean. Throughout the interview she stressed the time that it takes out of her studying and work, stating its “the last thing I want to do when I get home after a long day”.

• Interview #4: I decided to take a much different approach to my next interview by asking a college student from another school in the country, Indiana University. I chose to reach outside of my intended market to get a point of view from someone who didn't go to UF, so I could recognize some difficulties students in other parts of the country face when doing their laundry. I spoke to a Freshman Male recommended to me by a friend of mine who said he was willing to answer questions. He lives in a dorm like most freshman students at UF and seemed very tense when talking about this, I could tell laundry was something he really didn't enjoy doing. He explained to me that the reason he hated it so much was because the dorms only offer a certain amount of machines for what seems to be an unlimited amount of students. He gave me personal experiences in which aggravated him. For example, he explained there are times when he carries his laundry all the way down to the room only to find out that all of the machines are taken. He also explained a time in which he went to go switch his clothes from the washer to the dryer only to find his clothes on the floor with another persons clothes in the machine he was using. 

• Interview #5: The last interview that I conducted was one that made me realize I am able to expand my target market from UF students, to Gainesville residents as a whole. I decided to interview a full time resident of Alachua County to see if it is possible that anyone outside of UF would consider using a service. After talking for a while, I realized that full time residents often have the same problems that students have. The interviewee was a mother of two children living in a house close by to the UF campus. She explained to me that since she's had kids, not only has doing her own laundry gotten harder but she now has to do it for them too. After telling me how much laundry stresses her out, I mentioned a laundry service and she seemed to be intrigued immediately. She explained that both her and her husband work so they would be able to spend money to take the burden off of their hands. She also gave me a tremendous idea for the company that I had not even thought about. She gave me the idea that students at UF might be interested in purchasing a subscription to a laundry service in which they pay a certain amount every month to have their laundry consistently taken care of for them without having to ask. 

Summary: 

The interviews that I conducted opened my mind to a lot of different possibilities that I hadn't previously thought of by myself. I decided before I went looking for interviewees that I was going to interview people with very different situations to find out the problems associated with laundry for every type of person. For example, interviewing someone from another school across the country while still finding the same results here at UF allows me to confirm that it doesn't matter where you go to school, laundry is a problem for college students all over. An even greater realization that I had while doing my last interview was the possibility of providing subscriptions for students. I think this is a tremendous idea because it allows students to almost entirely forget about their laundry because they know it is going to be taken care of for them. I would be providing subscriptions for different price ranges that offer different types of services. For example, the student who signs up to have their laundry done for them every week is going to have to pay more than the student who only wants his done every three weeks. After multiple long and intricate interviews, I now realize that the potential that this service has to be successful is even greater than I imagined. 

Assignment 6A

Brian Maloney

9/22/17

Assignment 2A

Economic Trend: Detroit Real Estate Heats Up

• Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/realestate/detroit-real-estate-heats-up.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FEconomic%20Conditions%20and%20Trends&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection/

• This information suggests an opportunity exists as Detroit’s real estate industry has been rapidly improving. Compared to the national average of 66 days, the median listing time in Detroit is just 39 days. Additionally, Detroit listings received twice the number of page views as the national average listing. 

• The prototypical customer is those who are buying or selling property in Detroit. This is clearly an up and coming area with a newfound high interest from consumers. 

• This opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit unless you are an established real estate owner. It takes a large amount of capital to own and resell property, along with the technicalities in making a sale along the way. An experienced real estate agent can utilize Detroit currently trending to tailor the real estate they own, as it is more likely to be sold in this city. 

• This trend personally stood out to me as the real estate industry is among the most lucrative. Using data andstatistics to identify trends and emerging markets is essential toward making the right business decisions. 

Economic Trend: Japan’s Economy Grows in Longest Streak in 11 years

• Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/business/economy/japan-second-quarter-gdp-rises.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FEconomic%20Conditions%20and%20Trends&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=18&pgtype=collection/

• This information identifies an opportunity exists in doing business in Japan. The economy has continued to grow and gain impetus for 6 straight quarters, and shows no signs of slowing down. Consumer spending increased by over 3.7% which shows the population is willing to buy. 

• The prototypical customers will be the ones on both sides of business in Japan. Consumers are buying more, so suppliers will provide more. Additionally, American consumers are also affected as Japanese goods have more value when sold exported. 

• The opportunity is most exploitable if you are a business with a market in Japan, access to Japan, or buying from Japan. Some small businesses may deem this feat unattainable, but considering the rapid growth their economy is seeing, it is a market worth entering. 

• I personally see opportunity in Japan, as globalization of markets is only becoming easier. Imports and exports are increasingly accessible, and with the internet, I am very aware that an American business’ products can be just a few clicks away from the Japanese market. 

Regulatory Change: Lower Taxes for Small Business

• https://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/13/5-things-trump-can-do-to-help-small-business-owners.html

• This information leads me to believe there is an opportunity exists for small businesses to thrive. Lower taxes mean lower expenses for a business. There are countless ways for a small business to use the extra money they may find themselves having, such as hiring more, making more product, increasing advertising etc. 

• The prototypical customer that would be affected by lower taxes for small businesses are both the small business owners and the consumers of small business products and services. With lower taxes, small businesses will be spending more money to improve their business, and therefore customers will be spending more money at small businesses. 

• If lower small business taxes are implemented, it would be up to the business owner to decide how to exploit the extra money they didn’t have before. These aren’t necessarily easy decisions, as each business is unique and faces different problems. 

• I personally saw this opportunity, as I see myself as a future small business owner. Ideally, I would like to be my own boss, and having the leeway of lower taxes would give me opportunities to improve my business. 

Regulatory Change: Higher State Minimum Wage

• https://blog.inovapayroll.com/key-regulatory-changes-for-employers-in-2017

• This information leads me to believe there is opportunity for almost all business owners selling products and services. A higher minimum wage enables one earning minimum pay to be able to afford more than the bare minimum. This increases demand for products and services for almost all types of business.

• The prototypical customer will be the one earning minimum wage who now has access to a slightly more flexible budget. Businesses can use marketing strategies to target these specific consumers.

• This opportunity can be relatively easily implemented. A higher minimum wage guarantees these workers more income, so as long as a business has the ability to target this demographic, they can exploit the opportunity. 

• I personally saw this opportunity because I used to work on a minimum wage in New York. When the minimum wage was increased, even by just a 25 cents, I felt a little more comfortable spending money. Knowing how a raised minimum wage affects the mindset of buyers gave me insight into the realization of a business opportunity to access them.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. “Water rising onto Orange Lake properties” by Austin L. Miller of the Gainesville sun
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/
1670E4D863FDF570?p=WORLDNEWS
In this article, written on September 19, 2017, the effects of Hurricane Irma are being described by author Austin L. Miller. As the category 2 hurricane passed through Marion County, many homes lost power, landscapes were destroyed, and water levels rose. The issue in this article is that water levels particularly rose throughout the properties near Orange Lake. Officials have inspected the resident Kay Gould’s property and nearby properties in hopes that the water has come to its peak and it will disappear from here.
The problems: Hurricane Irma brought a immense amount of rain to the state of Florida and residents of Marion County are suffering consequences. Their property is flooded even days after the hurricane.
The people: Anyone living near Orange Lake could be flooded from any more hurricanes in the area. The lake causes water levels to rise and properties to experience many inches of water.

2. “Mortgage rates rise Monday as Irma’s impact becomes clearer” by Holden Lewis of the Gainesville Sun
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/ 16708F0E8AB0F810?p=WORLDNEWS
In this article, written on September 18, 2017, author Holden Lewis explains how mortgage rates are rising due to the recent hurricanes Irma and Harvey. The reason for this is that Irma has been destroying and damaging properties in the United States as well as the islands south of the United States. Many of the properties are mortgaged homes. Between the destructiveness of houses and flooding, over five hundred billion dollars worth of damage occurred.
The problems: Hurricane Irma and hurricane Harvey struck the United States and islands south of there with immense force causing billions of dollars of damage to mortgaged homes. This caused the mortgage rates to increase and people to owe more money.
The people: Mortgaged homeowners living in the United States and affected areas of the hurricanes.


3. “Don’t follow the Wall Street crowd” by Lauren Rudd of the Gainesville Sun
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/ 16703DEF931D14E8?p=WORLDNEWS

In this article, written on September 17, 2017, author Lauren Rudd is depicting his opinions and warnings towards investing in stocks. Investing in stocks popular to the majority of the world is not the best idea when trying to make money. An investor must be informed and ready to make decisions that no one else has thought of. Being a unique individual and investing in stalks that are less popular will work out better in the long run. Overall, Wall Street takes “time and chance” and an investor must be prepared for the journey they will be following.

The problems: Investors in today’s time are more concerned with following the crowd and investing in the popular stocks. Investors need to use logical information and be willing to take risks in the less popular stocks in order to make a profit, but we don’t see this happening often anymore.
The people: Investors purchasing stocks in Wall Street.


4. “Helping After a Disaster: Will Your Insurance Protect You?” by Beth Buczynski
of the Gainesville Sun
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/
166F3BA5AEBCE7A0?p=WORLDNEWS
In this article, written on September 15, 2017, Beth Buczynski explains the importance of knowing what your insurance entails. Many people that have suffered damaged to their homes and cars after natural disasters were left with no money because their insurance did not cover the hefty costs of fixing the damages. She further explains how being a volunteer for people in need after natural disasters also comes with risks. The good Samaritan laws vary state by state and if a volunteer makes a mistake or something goes wrong during volunteering, that volunteer may not be covered by insurance and may be sued. 
The problems: Natural disasters come with many repercussions. Being a volunteer could lead to law suits if things go wrong. It is important for volunteers to make sure they have proper insurance policies.
The people: Those that volunteer after natural disasters, whether it is with an organization or at a hospital.

5. “Equifax messed up who pays? You do” by Bev O’Shea of the Gainesville Sun
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/ 166F3BA32AFC0F10?p=WORLDNEWS
In this article, written on September 13, 2017, Bev O’Shea discusses a situation that happened this month involving the credit-reporting agency called Equifax. Equifax accidentally disclosed personal credit card and social security information of over one hundred million of their customers. Citizens need to start protecting their credit card information and finances more than ever. Monitoring your own credit scores and reporting your finances needs to be more prevalent because relying on these companies is no longer the secure decision. Equifax is trying their best to pay for credit freezes and make right with their mistake.

The problems: 143 millions customers of Equifax had their credit card information, finances, and social security numbers disclosed. This private information should never be exposed to the public and an outrage has broken out. 
The people: Customers of Equifax, Equifax, and any of the three credit bureaus who may have system failure. 

Forming an Opportunity Belief

I strongly believe that there is an unmet need in terms of how students get their laundry done  here at UF. I have observed this problem on campus for a while as well as living through the struggle to do laundry myself. I see the most opportunity targeting underclassmen in college, simply because they are the most likely to use the service. I myself am an underclassmen and I say that we are the most likely to use the service because of a few key reasons, first being our living situations. Most freshman in colleges across the country live in community dorms with their fellow students, sharing things such as bathrooms and laundry machines with one another. Sharing with other students makes laundry an almost all-day event in some cases, having to wait for a machine to open up or keep an eye on your clothes so they don't get stolen. The solution to this problem is a cost-friendly laundry service that caters to the students needs to help them solve their unmet problem of laundry. With the use of good location and a “hybrid-like” store approach this service can cater to any students need. For example, the service that I would like to open would be an in-store laundry service with a delivery option as well as folding options for students. This variety of options given to the students allows them to choose the price range that they are comfortable with. Each student can choose wether they want to walk into the store and do their own laundry for very cheap or throw a couple extra bucks and have their laundry both picked up and delivered, maybe even folded if they are willing to spend more. These options make students feel as if they are in charge of the situation and makes them more comfortable using our business. For example, there is a laundry service on campus here at UF that does exactly the opposite of what my services would be like. They have no in store option, the fees implemented with delivery make the purchase expensive alone, not to mention they charge you for folding your clothes yet do not give an option to receive your clothes unfolded. With minimal competition and a population of 50,000 students on campus, the opportunities to change the way UF students does their laundry are endless, I’m 75% sure this is a profitable opportunity. 

1. Underclammen student living in a dorm 

-How often is it necessary to do your laundry in college?
       I have to do my laundry about once every two to three weeks, depending on how much clothes that I have left to wear
-Have you ever done your own laundry before college?
        No, all my life my parents did my laundry for me, all I had to do was throw my dirty clothes in my hamper and they did the rest for me
-How convenient is it for you to do your laundry?
        Not convenient at all, I live in a dorm and the laundry room is in the basement. Considering I happen to live on the 5th floor, it is really a hassle having to carry all of my clothes up and down the stairs to get to my room
-Is the cost of doing your laundry expensive?
        Doing my laundry in the dorms happens to be very cheap, it is only a couple bucks every time I want to wash/dry my clothes
-Have you ever tried using an alternative to doing your own laundry such as a service?
        Yes, I tried a laundry service that my friend recommended to me one time
-How was your experience using a laundry service?
         It was really convenient, they were able to come pick up and drop off my laundry for me but it was really expensive so I decided not to use them again
-Can you see yourself using a laundry service in the future?
        For sure, if I am able to find one that is as convenient but a little cheaper it would save me alot of time 

Reflection: I wanted my first prototypical customer to be in my anticipated direct target range
and I was very satisfied with the results. I learned that it really is tough for underclassmen to do laundry in college based on both the inconvenience and the high cost of service that are available to them. I am confident that if I were to interview all people within that target range the results would be very similar to my prototypical customer for most interviewees.

2.Student with Full-Time Job

-How often is it necessary to do your laundry? 

     I need to do it very often, sometimes once a week. I have a lot of clothes that I use for work every day that needs to be cleaned often.
-How have you been doing your laundry thus far?
     Ive been doing it by myself for a while. The consistent need to do it kind of forces me to do it by myself even though I'm not very fond of it.
-How convenient is it for you to do your laundry?
     I live in an apartment that has my own machine right now so it is pretty convenient. However this is the first year that I'm living in a place with my own machine though, it was much more of a hassle previously.
-Is the cost of doing your laundry expensive?
     No, the machine came with the apartment so all I have to pay for is the detergent and fabric softener really.
-Have you ever tried using an alternative to doing your own laundry such as a service? 
     No, I wanted to when I was younger but the only option was too expensive.
-Would you ever consider trying a laundry service?

     Probably, now that Im working I have more money to spend, especially because doing laundry is something I really don't enjoy. Plus with my busy schedule it would be a huge help for me if I were able to have it picked up and dropped off.

Reflection: I decided to shy away from my first prototypical customer and lean more towards the
upperclassmen on campus that I know both have more money and have less time. I was not surprised at the responses in the interviews, I understand that people have little time in their days to do something they really don't want to do.

3. Athletes

-How often is it necessary to do your laundry?       
         All the time, Im constantly working out or at practice so I sweat through a lot of clothes. 
-How have you been doing your laundry thus far?

         Honestly I struggle a lot with it, I have a lot to do throughout the day like class or practice so I don't really have the time or motivation to do it consistently.

-How convenient is it for you to do your laundry?       
         Depends, all my sports related clothes like my uniform are taken care of by the team, but my
personal clothes are the hard part. 
-Is it the cost of doing your laundry expensive?       
        Not really, the machines I use are pretty cheap. The cost of doing it isn't really the problem, I
just don't really have the time. 
-Have you ever tried using an alternative to doing your own laundry such as a service?       
        No, I don't even know if there is one on campus, if so I've never heard of it 
-Would you ever consider trying a laundry service?        
        Yeah, If I were able to find one Id definitely use it. Id like for my laundry to get done often not
in chunks when I need it like my schedule allows.

Reflection: I really didn't think of athletes as an option until after my previous interviews, but I'm
glad i did. I think that the time schedule that athletes on campus are accustomed to leaves them very minimal time to do it themselves.

Summary: The opportunity for this laundry service is definitely still evident with even more of a target market than I expected. Initially I thought that targeting underclassmen should be a priority but after the interviews I realized that students on campus such as upperclassmen with busy schedules and athletes are both very probably target markets for the service I would be providing. I think the thing that will make the opportunity a success is the versatility of the company. Being able to offer students different types of services to fit the needs of both their conveniency and their price range makes it possible to get business from all types of students. Also, being that this company is specific to the point where I pinpoint UF students, It gives me a target market that is more comfortable for my type of business. What I mean by this is that the market size at UF is perfect for me to be able to have a smaller sized store but still be able to reach out to a wide variety of people. The need to do laundry is evident for every student here at UF, regardless of age or financial status. Creating a service such as mine that works to adhere to students needs to help them has tremendous potential. 

Entrepreneurship Story

The desire for me to become an entrepreneur came at a very young age, being that both my father and my grandfather are both very successful entrepreneurs.  I see myself as approaching life sort of differently than others do when it comes to earning a living.  I see most of my peers falling into the "comfortable" career path where they get a job working for a company devoting their days to making someone else's company grow. That I feel is where I differ, I simply cannot see myself working under someone else and trying to make their dreams come true, I want to make my own dreams and then go out and make them come true by myself. I admire the 24/7 attitude that successful entrepreneurs have and got a little taste of what it was like this summer in New York. While working a full job at The First National Bank of Long Island, I decided to start a little company of my own with a long time friend of mine. Since I am a business major here at UF and he is a Film major at Emerson College, we decided to put our talents together and start making promotional videos for businesses nearby to use for their marketing efforts. We started by Googling all different types of companies and cold calling all of the ones that we noticed lacked in their marketing videos. After landing a couple jobs and making a bunch of key connections along the way, we now have the base for an idea that could take us where we want to go in our entrepreneurial lives. I am taking this class to further expand my knowledge and creativity within the business world. I have heard that this class gives students the opportunity to create their own life-like business situations which will help me tremendously in the future.

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Bug List

1. Huge lines for academic advising during Drop-Add week 
2. WHY: During drop-Add week advising does not take any appointments. There are tons of students that need to find out what courses they are taking for that semester along with students that have to make changes to their already set schedules. 

1. Tons of traffic around campus 
2. WHY: Early in the school year the traffic around campus is very hectic because of everyone that is trying to move into their new living arrangements. Vehicles such as U-Hauls and trucks used to transport living necessities such as furniture causes increased traffic on campus.

1. Sold out supplies in Gainesville stores 
2. WHY: The huge demand for supplies to start the new school year causes stores to sell out of certain products, leaving nothing for the remaining students. It is easier for people to buy supplies in Gainesville than to buy them at home and transport them to the university.

1. Southwest Recreation being overpacked early in the semester 
2. WHY: Students are looking to get a good start to the semester and get in good shape, some may be trying to make going to the gym a habit. I relate the overpacked gyms at UF to gyms after the New Year where everyone is looking to make the gym their “resolution.”

1. Elevators at The Standard getting stuck in-between floors
2. WHY: Since the standard is the new “place to live” on campus, there are often elevators that are overly packed with people causing it to get stuck. The building is also very new, there will be a couple unpredicted kinks that need to be fixed early on.

1. Difficult to order an uber late at night
2. WHY: There are so many people  that go out at night at UF. This effects the price one will pay for the uber as well as the availability of Ubers in general across campus. There are only a limited amount of drivers out at certain times.

1. 20 MPH speed limit on campus 
2. WHY: With the tremendous amount of people walking around campus all day, it simply is not safe for cars to be able to go more than 20 mph. People have the right of way on crosswalks around campus. The university is trying to make it safe for the everyday people that walk around campus.

1. Increased traffic after a rainstorm 
2. WHY: Drivers do not feel as comfortable driving the speed that they usually do because the ground is wet. Cops are more willing to pull people over to protect others due to the conditions of the roads.

1. Huge lines for the bars at Midtown 
2. WHY: Since the bars at Midtown are starting to open their doors for people earlier than they used to, people are starting to go out earlier in effort to solidify their spot in a certain bar, causing a bigger line. Also, it is early in the year people are trying to have fun as much as possible before they start getting swamped with work.

1. Lack of scooter parking at Library West
2. WHY: There is only one parking area for scooters designated for Library West. There is no parking for cars that is designated for Lib West forcing students to drive scooters there in hopes to find parking.

1. Long walks to do laundry while living in dorms 
2. WHY: Most dorms offer laundry machines in the basement of their building to accommodate for all of their occupants. It is too expensive to offer all of the students in the building their own machine, so they are forced to designate a certain room for doing laundry.

1. Problems with the wifi early in the year 
2. WHY: There are so many people that are trying to configure themselves with the wifi at the same time that the system often crashes. Also, with all of the incoming freshman on campus trying to figure the wifi out for the first time, it is often too much for the system to handle.

1. Dirty bathrooms in dorms 
2. WHY: Most dorms at UF, specifically Broward Hall, have community bathrooms on each floor for people to share amongst each other. Community bathrooms get dirty very quickly because of the high number of people that are sharing it together. There is a cleaning service that only comes once a week to clean leaving the bathrooms dirty throughout the week.

1. Waking up to the noise of UF busses every morning
2. WHY: The busses work on a consistent system, driving the same routes at the same times throughout the day. Busses use air brakes which is a very loud, distinct noise for some people. Also, I leave on of of the main roads on campus in which my room is the closet room to the street.

1. Lack of seating at Library West 
2. WHY: Library West is the most populated library on campus. There is a Starbucks that is located at the bottom level which attracts a lot of students to go to that library. The circular tables that they provide do not do a good job of accommodating for a lot of people.

1. Struggling to find food late at night 
2. WHY: There are very limited places that are open late at night on campus. Most places that are open late do not deliver; it is hard for students to be able to pick up food late at night.

1. Packed busses on campus 
2. WHY: There are a lot of college students that are looking for a free form of transportation around campus. During certain times (classes, lunch) there is a large amount of students looking to go to the same places making the bus tightly packed.

1. Getting stuck in the rain driving a scooter 
2. WHY: The weather is very unpredictable in Florida, it rains on and off at random times. Driving on a scooter leaves you vulnerable to rain since there is nothing to protect you.

1. Students struggling to make it to class after a night out 
2. WHY: Many students at this university go out during the week, not only the weekend. Some wake up feeling tired or lack the motivation they need to make it class after a night out. Others may feel sick or hungover that prevents them from making it to class. 

1. Not being able to watch certain sports games on tv 
2. WHY: Being from New York and going to school in Florida causes a conflict for me to watch my favorite sports teams because the channels in Florida do not cover the teams that I follow.

Reflection: I found this exercise to be relatively challenging for me because I am not the type of person that looks for problems within everyday life. I started to observe other people and realized the struggles that they went through everyday to try and open myself up to that certain way of thinking. After realizing all of the subtle problems that go on in people's everyday life along with the problems that companies face every day, I started to think more like an entrepreneur in thinking of ways that those problems could be fixed. I also realized that some of the bugs could be related, such as the crazy traffic due to the unpredictable weather here in Gainesville.