Friday, June 8, 2018
Testing the Hypothesis 2
The issue of local farm fresh food is something that affects everyone, or should at least in my thought process. The 5 interviews I have recently conducted have taught me otherwise however. Throughout my interviews I have been able to see where the line is drawn in who actually cares about this problem and who doesn't. Often the people that I talk to care deeply about their health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They also agree that local fresh food is a big part in maintaining that healthy lifestyle but when it comes down to it there are a couple reasons why it can't be achieved.
The most prominent reason that I have found s simply convenience. People in today's world are always on the move, always busy. People don't have time to really stop and make a whole fresh healthy move in their packed days. They give reasons such as short lunch breaks or too many appointments etc. The entrepreneurs that I met with say that they simply have too many appointments in their days to stop for an hour or 45 min and make a healthy meal. To these, I give the simple solution of meal prep. No one has time everyday to make a full course meal among work and errands and such, but there are ways to avoid this. It is much easier to set aside a couple hours on a Sunday or Saturday in order to cook all the food that you need for the week and package it accordingly. You will save money for one and also have your food ready and easily eaten saving you time in the long run.
Apart from the time, the other biggest reason for not consuming fresh local foods is a lack of knowledge. People are simply unaware of the benefits of consuming local or worse, they just don't care. Consuming local foods is extremely important. Not only does it put you in contact with local people in the community but you are directly supporting the efforts of those living and working around you. I think it is very important to build a strong community sense in every place that you go, but these ideals don't hold true for everyone. People are also unaware of how to make healthy foods. They know you're supposed to eat whole foods and plants but it is never made clear to people what to do once you get those foods. A lot of the people I talked to know that vegetables like beets and squash and zucchini are very good for you and you should eat them, but have no idea where to start in cooking them. Here I think it is important to not only teach people what they should be eating, but also how to eat it. Recipes go a long way for people who don't know where to start or are hesitant in the kitchen. The good thing about most of these fresh foods is they don't take a lot of time or skill to prepare and most of the flavors come straight from the foods themselves.
Once again convenience takes precedence and people will opt for restaurant chains or fast food that are not really helping at all. My response to this is to at-least try to go to local restaurants, owned by people in the community that are using fresh ingredients and employing people that live in the community. Often these big corporations are outsourcing to massive farms and distribution centers and the only impacts they are giving in the community are the jobs for the people at them. Whereas these local restaurants are providing the same jobs, plus supporting local growers and workers while providing you with fresh local food, a win win win.
Pretty much everyone should fall inside the boundary of this need, but unfortunately they don't. The reason people fall outside of it is because they are not wiling to make the lifestyle changes necessary to consume this healthier food or they just don't want to. People that are addicted to fast food and unhealthy fats are not going to make this change, and it would take a tremendous amount of effort to get them to. The people this is focusing on is those who are already buying healthy and organic food, but want to switch to a local community source. Also those who want to be healthier but don't know where to start.
The outsiders simply do not care either about their community or making a healthy change in their lives. They are content with the ease and convenience of fast foods or restaurant chains that have the meal service very efficient and compact. They do not see it as worth their time to try and learn a new skill such as cooking or take an interest in the knowledge of their health. Unfortunately these are the people that would benefit most from the fresh local food and is a shame.
Inside the Boundary Outside the Boundary
People consuming healthy food People content with their current consumptions
Looking to become healthier Not looking to change daily diet
Looking to support local business, Convenience > Health
community, farmers
Need fresh local foods from Don't need fresh or local, just need fast and immediate
farms in your community services, doesn't matter if they are healthy or not
to support local business and
health
People care about their health, Fast food is too convenient, taking time to learn how to
they want to be healthier, cook is not worth their time, the opportunity cost of
they want to help their community switching to this healthier lifestyle is perceived to be
and support local too high and not worth it.
The most prominent reason that I have found s simply convenience. People in today's world are always on the move, always busy. People don't have time to really stop and make a whole fresh healthy move in their packed days. They give reasons such as short lunch breaks or too many appointments etc. The entrepreneurs that I met with say that they simply have too many appointments in their days to stop for an hour or 45 min and make a healthy meal. To these, I give the simple solution of meal prep. No one has time everyday to make a full course meal among work and errands and such, but there are ways to avoid this. It is much easier to set aside a couple hours on a Sunday or Saturday in order to cook all the food that you need for the week and package it accordingly. You will save money for one and also have your food ready and easily eaten saving you time in the long run.
Apart from the time, the other biggest reason for not consuming fresh local foods is a lack of knowledge. People are simply unaware of the benefits of consuming local or worse, they just don't care. Consuming local foods is extremely important. Not only does it put you in contact with local people in the community but you are directly supporting the efforts of those living and working around you. I think it is very important to build a strong community sense in every place that you go, but these ideals don't hold true for everyone. People are also unaware of how to make healthy foods. They know you're supposed to eat whole foods and plants but it is never made clear to people what to do once you get those foods. A lot of the people I talked to know that vegetables like beets and squash and zucchini are very good for you and you should eat them, but have no idea where to start in cooking them. Here I think it is important to not only teach people what they should be eating, but also how to eat it. Recipes go a long way for people who don't know where to start or are hesitant in the kitchen. The good thing about most of these fresh foods is they don't take a lot of time or skill to prepare and most of the flavors come straight from the foods themselves.
Once again convenience takes precedence and people will opt for restaurant chains or fast food that are not really helping at all. My response to this is to at-least try to go to local restaurants, owned by people in the community that are using fresh ingredients and employing people that live in the community. Often these big corporations are outsourcing to massive farms and distribution centers and the only impacts they are giving in the community are the jobs for the people at them. Whereas these local restaurants are providing the same jobs, plus supporting local growers and workers while providing you with fresh local food, a win win win.
Pretty much everyone should fall inside the boundary of this need, but unfortunately they don't. The reason people fall outside of it is because they are not wiling to make the lifestyle changes necessary to consume this healthier food or they just don't want to. People that are addicted to fast food and unhealthy fats are not going to make this change, and it would take a tremendous amount of effort to get them to. The people this is focusing on is those who are already buying healthy and organic food, but want to switch to a local community source. Also those who want to be healthier but don't know where to start.
The outsiders simply do not care either about their community or making a healthy change in their lives. They are content with the ease and convenience of fast foods or restaurant chains that have the meal service very efficient and compact. They do not see it as worth their time to try and learn a new skill such as cooking or take an interest in the knowledge of their health. Unfortunately these are the people that would benefit most from the fresh local food and is a shame.
Inside the Boundary Outside the Boundary
People consuming healthy food People content with their current consumptions
Looking to become healthier Not looking to change daily diet
Looking to support local business, Convenience > Health
community, farmers
Need fresh local foods from Don't need fresh or local, just need fast and immediate
farms in your community services, doesn't matter if they are healthy or not
to support local business and
health
People care about their health, Fast food is too convenient, taking time to learn how to
they want to be healthier, cook is not worth their time, the opportunity cost of
they want to help their community switching to this healthier lifestyle is perceived to be
and support local too high and not worth it.
Solving the Problem
A problem I identified earlier was the lack of fresh, natural food that is available for people. It is a vital source of vitamins and minerals and a staple in a healthy diet. Another very serious problem in urban areas is that of homelessness, Gainesville one such place. Housing prices are on the rise and an influx of high skilled college workers makes the job market very tough. These people need access to jobs as well as a sustaining diet. Having access to local fresh foods is extremely important and is a way to generate camaraderie in communities and give people without much else a sense of accomplishment.
One way to solve this is through the introduction of local farms that rely on volunteers. A lot of places that have homeless problems, not unlike Gainesville, have homeless people volunteer in maintenance of the farm and in return exchange them food. This not only provides the homeless with meals that are very healthy and sustaining, but also gives them work experience and skills that they can bring to other places. The food is locally grown and healthy which is then sold back to local restaurants or family grocery stores. The profits of the farm are distributed back among the workers so as to promote a sense of equity and worthiness in what they are doing.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Economic and Regulatory Opportunities
Economic Opportunities
Economic 1:
a) Microsoft is acquiring GitHub for $7.5B in stock announced today and expected to close on the deal by the end of the year per Yahoo Finance at https://finance.yahoo.com/news/official-microsoft-spend-whopping-7-131139569.html.
b) The main reason I believe this presents a huge opportunity is because Microsoft is a world leader in software and GitHub is a world leader in software development for engineers around the world. The acquisition price is higher than the previously expected one of $5B and represents Microsoft's interest in the services GitHub provides as well as their expected growth and revenue from this acquisition.
c) The prototypical customer in this case is anyone who uses Microsoft software on their computer including students, employees and whole corporations. Customers also include anyone in the financial services industry looking for places to park capital.
d) This opportunity is fairly easy to exploit, right now Microsoft stock is in the midst of adjusting to the information and Wall Street is getting it's valuations down for the company based off of this new information. The simple idea would be to invest capital into Microsoft in hopes it will go off based on future developments from this acquisition.
Why? I am very interested in financial markets and stock news, acquisitions and data but also how these relate to one another. The acquisition of a open source software development company by a leader in software products may seem counter intuitive as open source does not lead to revenue that Microsoft clearly relies on as a corporation. However, this is the acquisition of talent and ideas, problem solvers, that Microsoft now has on tap in order to inject themselves into global markets and people around the world. They have direct access to putting their software into the hands of people freely and having continuous updates on that material at no cost to them.
Economic 2:
a) Trumps actions are worsening economic relations with Europe and pushing them to seek energy more from the Russians and Putin according to https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-04/as-trump-riles-europe-on-trade-putin-offers-more-natural-gas?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=bd&utm_campaign=headline&cmpId=yhoo.headline&yptr=yahoo
b) The new pipeline proposed and in progress by Putin and the Russians goes directly into Germany from Siberia and bypasses current stops in the Ukraine that provide crucial revenue for the region. this is also making the European area more dependent on Russia for it's energy needs. The dependency on energy solely from Russia and the deprived workforce of Ukraine presents two strong opportunities for business.
c) The typical consumer here is going to be workers in the Ukraine that are unemployed because of the deal and have knowledge and experience working in the energy sector. They would be perfect candidates for a new energy company based in their country that can compete with the Russians for the European marketplace consumers.
d) This opportunity is pretty difficult to exploit as it involves traveling across the world to the Ukraine and setting up an energy company that can compete with an entire country already established in the energy business.
Why? Energy is a passion of mine and moving towards renewable energy sources is something that I see as vital to the technological progression of the world. The fact that the energy Russia is providing here is natural gas means that it is not as clean as it could be and eventually will run out. Europe is also an area that is moving towards more renewable and sustainable sources of energy so the interest to pursue those sources is already there. Also, Europe would be pleased to move away from a dependency on Russia for energy when they are allies with the United States.
Regulatory Opportunities
Regulatory 1:
a) Proposal 67 to Florida's Constitution Revision Commission to phase out commercial greyhound racing by 2020 found at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/george-diaz-en-fuego/os-sp-florida-dog-racing-george-diaz-0323-story.html.
b) Greyhound racing and betting is a huge industry in Florida, where 13 of the nations 18 tracks reside. There is major revenue for these tracks in the gambling that occurs and the phasing out will leave a gambling consumer base that does not have a similar area to go to and gamble, opening opportunities for other establishments to capture these revenues.
c) The prototypical customer here is going to be the avid gambler that goes to the track and spends tens to hundreds to thousands of dollars per week on greyhound racing.
d) This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit, given the federal ban on sports gambling being recently lifted so that new places can be built to capture these gamblers.
Why? I knew about this because I love animals, in particular dogs, and I am up to date on changes being made in laws in Florida. This is a relatively obscure piece of news but it is gaining some traction now as the greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane, killing hundreds of dogs and treating them very poorly. I wish to see the end of this industry and hopefully move people who do want to gamble into better areas that are not killing animals.
Regulatory 2:
a) The General Data Protection Regulation aims to give control to users of their personal data in the European Union but Google is disrupting that based on https://digiday.com/media/google-data-protection-regulation-gdpr-strafing-ad-sellers/.
b) Google is redirecting ad vendors to its site to buy demand because users have already given consent through using Google. This is crowding out it's competitors and making them lots of money. There is going to have to be a shift by someone in the marketplace to recover some users and revenue back from Google and being up to date on industry knowledge will put you in the best place to be able to capitalize on this information.
c) The customer here is ad companies looking for users who have given their consent to personal data being used to match with ads to generate revenue.
d) The opportunity is somewhat tricky to exploit as it requires extensive knowledge of who is in the ad sector currently and what they are working on to combat Google, one of the worlds largest and most powerful companies.
Why? Our lives rely heavily on the internet now and personal data is a huge concern after recent Facebook events so it is a hot topic. Most people right now are concerned with their own data and not necessarily monitoring companies' uses of other peoples data. People are also more locally focused like in the United States, rather than what is happening over seas in other countries, whereas I'm pretty globally minded.
Economic 1:
a) Microsoft is acquiring GitHub for $7.5B in stock announced today and expected to close on the deal by the end of the year per Yahoo Finance at https://finance.yahoo.com/news/official-microsoft-spend-whopping-7-131139569.html.
b) The main reason I believe this presents a huge opportunity is because Microsoft is a world leader in software and GitHub is a world leader in software development for engineers around the world. The acquisition price is higher than the previously expected one of $5B and represents Microsoft's interest in the services GitHub provides as well as their expected growth and revenue from this acquisition.
c) The prototypical customer in this case is anyone who uses Microsoft software on their computer including students, employees and whole corporations. Customers also include anyone in the financial services industry looking for places to park capital.
d) This opportunity is fairly easy to exploit, right now Microsoft stock is in the midst of adjusting to the information and Wall Street is getting it's valuations down for the company based off of this new information. The simple idea would be to invest capital into Microsoft in hopes it will go off based on future developments from this acquisition.
Why? I am very interested in financial markets and stock news, acquisitions and data but also how these relate to one another. The acquisition of a open source software development company by a leader in software products may seem counter intuitive as open source does not lead to revenue that Microsoft clearly relies on as a corporation. However, this is the acquisition of talent and ideas, problem solvers, that Microsoft now has on tap in order to inject themselves into global markets and people around the world. They have direct access to putting their software into the hands of people freely and having continuous updates on that material at no cost to them.
Economic 2:
a) Trumps actions are worsening economic relations with Europe and pushing them to seek energy more from the Russians and Putin according to https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-04/as-trump-riles-europe-on-trade-putin-offers-more-natural-gas?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=bd&utm_campaign=headline&cmpId=yhoo.headline&yptr=yahoo
b) The new pipeline proposed and in progress by Putin and the Russians goes directly into Germany from Siberia and bypasses current stops in the Ukraine that provide crucial revenue for the region. this is also making the European area more dependent on Russia for it's energy needs. The dependency on energy solely from Russia and the deprived workforce of Ukraine presents two strong opportunities for business.
c) The typical consumer here is going to be workers in the Ukraine that are unemployed because of the deal and have knowledge and experience working in the energy sector. They would be perfect candidates for a new energy company based in their country that can compete with the Russians for the European marketplace consumers.
d) This opportunity is pretty difficult to exploit as it involves traveling across the world to the Ukraine and setting up an energy company that can compete with an entire country already established in the energy business.
Why? Energy is a passion of mine and moving towards renewable energy sources is something that I see as vital to the technological progression of the world. The fact that the energy Russia is providing here is natural gas means that it is not as clean as it could be and eventually will run out. Europe is also an area that is moving towards more renewable and sustainable sources of energy so the interest to pursue those sources is already there. Also, Europe would be pleased to move away from a dependency on Russia for energy when they are allies with the United States.
Regulatory Opportunities
Regulatory 1:
a) Proposal 67 to Florida's Constitution Revision Commission to phase out commercial greyhound racing by 2020 found at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/george-diaz-en-fuego/os-sp-florida-dog-racing-george-diaz-0323-story.html.
b) Greyhound racing and betting is a huge industry in Florida, where 13 of the nations 18 tracks reside. There is major revenue for these tracks in the gambling that occurs and the phasing out will leave a gambling consumer base that does not have a similar area to go to and gamble, opening opportunities for other establishments to capture these revenues.
c) The prototypical customer here is going to be the avid gambler that goes to the track and spends tens to hundreds to thousands of dollars per week on greyhound racing.
d) This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit, given the federal ban on sports gambling being recently lifted so that new places can be built to capture these gamblers.
Why? I knew about this because I love animals, in particular dogs, and I am up to date on changes being made in laws in Florida. This is a relatively obscure piece of news but it is gaining some traction now as the greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane, killing hundreds of dogs and treating them very poorly. I wish to see the end of this industry and hopefully move people who do want to gamble into better areas that are not killing animals.
Regulatory 2:
a) The General Data Protection Regulation aims to give control to users of their personal data in the European Union but Google is disrupting that based on https://digiday.com/media/google-data-protection-regulation-gdpr-strafing-ad-sellers/.
b) Google is redirecting ad vendors to its site to buy demand because users have already given consent through using Google. This is crowding out it's competitors and making them lots of money. There is going to have to be a shift by someone in the marketplace to recover some users and revenue back from Google and being up to date on industry knowledge will put you in the best place to be able to capitalize on this information.
c) The customer here is ad companies looking for users who have given their consent to personal data being used to match with ads to generate revenue.
d) The opportunity is somewhat tricky to exploit as it requires extensive knowledge of who is in the ad sector currently and what they are working on to combat Google, one of the worlds largest and most powerful companies.
Why? Our lives rely heavily on the internet now and personal data is a huge concern after recent Facebook events so it is a hot topic. Most people right now are concerned with their own data and not necessarily monitoring companies' uses of other peoples data. People are also more locally focused like in the United States, rather than what is happening over seas in other countries, whereas I'm pretty globally minded.
Local Opportunities
These are a couple local stories in Gainesville that I could see business opportunities presenting themselves for.
1)
a. Elections chief asks for budget bump to boost security
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16BF5D1BC7605610?p=WORLDNEWS
c. The Alachua county supervisor of the elections office is requesting an increase in the budget for security regarding systems for elections, protecting election equipment and costs of the ballots.
d. The supervisor finds it necessary to divert more funds into the election process to cover the cost of a huge two page ballot that includes information regarding everyone that is running for offices and amendments that are being proposed in the ballot.
e. The problem affects the Supervisor of elections, along with all offices in Alachua county that depend on funds as well as the tax payers of Alachua county.
2)
a. Experts discuss opioid treatments
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C156E5CB651958?p=WORLDNEWS
c. A panel met a couple weeks ago in Gainesville with top physicians from the area to discuss what could be done to track, asses and treat the opioid epidemic that is occurring locally. It is hard to monitor as deaths are often listed as something unrelated and the black market is supplying extremely strong opioids to people who are addicted and not in a place to help themselves.
d. Addiction is not a choice, it is a very sad and deadly disease that is difficult to overcome on ones own. Strong intervention and help is necessary to overcome addiction and treatments are lacking in the Gainesville area.
e. This problem affects those who are already addicted to opioids, those who might become addicted through prescriptions as well as law enforcement and health professionals that deal with overdoses and the drug trade. Local people are affected by the drug trade in their area and persons who are addicted to these substances living around them.
3)
a. Doctor's foot tab for new women's center.
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C25905604784F0?p=WORLDNEWS
c. Comprehensive Women's Health, formerly North Florida's Women's Physicians, is relocating to a new building on 43rd street, currently under construction, that was funded by the practices own nine physicians.
d. Women's health has had a long and difficult history of being underfunded in the United States and the physicians in this case took on substantial risk in order to open this new office to serve their patients in the surrounding area.
e. This affects all that are seeking treatment currently and in the future from CWH and the physicians who risked capital on the investment for the new office space.
4)
a. Volusia morgue "potentially dangerous", departing doc says.
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C2048A0E71EBF8?p=WORLDNEWS
c. Dr. Zydowicz recently penned a letter to the chairman of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Medical Examiners Commission in which she states problems facing the morgue making it a dangerous situation and her resignation as the Volusia County Medical Examiner.
d. The problem is that the morgues cooler is extremely over capacity and the facility is dangerously understaffed to handle the large influx of bodies, resulting in very long backlogs.
e. This situation affects the health of all those involved at the morgue and the families whose loved ones are currently at the morgue and in backlog.
5)
a. Cox announces faster internet in city.
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C44C48DB374518?p=WORLDNEWS
c. Cox recently announced that gigabit internet speeds will be available to users in residential homes across all of Gainesville.
d. Cox has a monopoly on the internet service in Gainesville and while they always promise high speed internet, they do not deliver and their customer service is atrocious at best. They will be able to charge exponential amounts for this service that is moving more towards a necessity than a luxury at this day in age.
e. This affects everyone in the Gainesville area from the people who will upgrade to the service, to the University using the service and customers who are not going to upgrade but still want the same level of customer service from the company.
1)
a. Elections chief asks for budget bump to boost security
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16BF5D1BC7605610?p=WORLDNEWS
c. The Alachua county supervisor of the elections office is requesting an increase in the budget for security regarding systems for elections, protecting election equipment and costs of the ballots.
d. The supervisor finds it necessary to divert more funds into the election process to cover the cost of a huge two page ballot that includes information regarding everyone that is running for offices and amendments that are being proposed in the ballot.
e. The problem affects the Supervisor of elections, along with all offices in Alachua county that depend on funds as well as the tax payers of Alachua county.
2)
a. Experts discuss opioid treatments
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C156E5CB651958?p=WORLDNEWS
c. A panel met a couple weeks ago in Gainesville with top physicians from the area to discuss what could be done to track, asses and treat the opioid epidemic that is occurring locally. It is hard to monitor as deaths are often listed as something unrelated and the black market is supplying extremely strong opioids to people who are addicted and not in a place to help themselves.
d. Addiction is not a choice, it is a very sad and deadly disease that is difficult to overcome on ones own. Strong intervention and help is necessary to overcome addiction and treatments are lacking in the Gainesville area.
e. This problem affects those who are already addicted to opioids, those who might become addicted through prescriptions as well as law enforcement and health professionals that deal with overdoses and the drug trade. Local people are affected by the drug trade in their area and persons who are addicted to these substances living around them.
3)
a. Doctor's foot tab for new women's center.
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C25905604784F0?p=WORLDNEWS
c. Comprehensive Women's Health, formerly North Florida's Women's Physicians, is relocating to a new building on 43rd street, currently under construction, that was funded by the practices own nine physicians.
d. Women's health has had a long and difficult history of being underfunded in the United States and the physicians in this case took on substantial risk in order to open this new office to serve their patients in the surrounding area.
e. This affects all that are seeking treatment currently and in the future from CWH and the physicians who risked capital on the investment for the new office space.
4)
a. Volusia morgue "potentially dangerous", departing doc says.
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C2048A0E71EBF8?p=WORLDNEWS
c. Dr. Zydowicz recently penned a letter to the chairman of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Medical Examiners Commission in which she states problems facing the morgue making it a dangerous situation and her resignation as the Volusia County Medical Examiner.
d. The problem is that the morgues cooler is extremely over capacity and the facility is dangerously understaffed to handle the large influx of bodies, resulting in very long backlogs.
e. This situation affects the health of all those involved at the morgue and the families whose loved ones are currently at the morgue and in backlog.
5)
a. Cox announces faster internet in city.
b. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/16C44C48DB374518?p=WORLDNEWS
c. Cox recently announced that gigabit internet speeds will be available to users in residential homes across all of Gainesville.
d. Cox has a monopoly on the internet service in Gainesville and while they always promise high speed internet, they do not deliver and their customer service is atrocious at best. They will be able to charge exponential amounts for this service that is moving more towards a necessity than a luxury at this day in age.
e. This affects everyone in the Gainesville area from the people who will upgrade to the service, to the University using the service and customers who are not going to upgrade but still want the same level of customer service from the company.
Friday, May 25, 2018
Opportunity Belief Cultivation
1) I believe there is a growing need that is not being looked at in the agricultural growing sector.
2) The unmet need is fresh, locally produced food for people to eat. Everyone in the world has the need for food, as they need it to survive. The need has always existed and will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. Currently we have done a good job in optimizing our food production through the development of large scale agricultural operations and the introduction of GMO's. These are large sources of contention however, and present an opportunity for large scale, locally, organically grown food opportunities to enter the market.
3a) Prototypical Consumer 1: Father, family of 5
4a) What is the nature of your need for fresh food?
Well, you know, I'm a single father with 4 kids at home that I need to feed and make sure they get all their vitamins and minerals so fresh food is important in our household.
When do you become aware of this need?
We usually notice an uptake in our eating of fresh foods around flu and cold season. These are important times to make sure everyone is eating healthy and getting things like Vitamin C to fight colds and keep their immune systems strong.
How long have you had it?
We are a pretty health conscience family. We tend to be pretty active with sports and outdoor activities so we take an interest in what we put in our body's to make sure we have the fuel to perform.
When did you first become aware of it?
Back in college I got into weightlifting a lot and realized that you could workout all you wanted to but it wouldn't make much of a difference if you didn't take a stand in your diet. That's when I first really started watching what I ate and have kept it up since.
How are you currently addressing your need?
Currently we shop around from Aldi, Publix and Fresh Market to try and find the best deals on fruits and veggies that we like. There is always questions brought up about GMO's and organics but I don't really see the difference, never have, so we just go for our favorites like broccoli and peppers.
How satisfied are you with this solution?
We do great with our health! Our diets and fitness have kept us in shape and healthy and we also go to annual physicals to make sure with our physicians. All in all we need it and are happy with what its done for us.
5a) I did not expect the very first person I talked to to be very up on their health and knowledgeable on the essentials they need in their body. However, I can't say that this convinced me that people knowing about healthy fresh foods are in the majority. I couldn't see this man spending a little extra to make sure that his foods were organically and locally produced.
3b) Prototypical Consumer 2: College male, 22
4b) What is the nature of your need for fresh food?
Haha define fresh food? I eat food thats made right away that's like fresh right? I guess I need fresh food to survive, can't be eating stale old food out here.... Oh, vegetables and stuff? Yeah I don't really cook too much on my own so I guess I don't get too much of that. Just so easy to walk over to Chik-fil-a or McDonald's and get a cheap sandwich you know?
When do you become aware of this need?
Ummm I usually get hungry around about 1:00 because I wake up at like 11:00 and thats like my breakfast. I don't ever get cravings for vegetables and stuff like that though haha.
How long have you had it?
Honestly dude, I don't think I've had a vegetable since I've come to college. Maybe like some guac in my Chipotle bowl or lettuce and tomato on a burger but that's like it.
2) The unmet need is fresh, locally produced food for people to eat. Everyone in the world has the need for food, as they need it to survive. The need has always existed and will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. Currently we have done a good job in optimizing our food production through the development of large scale agricultural operations and the introduction of GMO's. These are large sources of contention however, and present an opportunity for large scale, locally, organically grown food opportunities to enter the market.
3a) Prototypical Consumer 1: Father, family of 5
4a) What is the nature of your need for fresh food?
Well, you know, I'm a single father with 4 kids at home that I need to feed and make sure they get all their vitamins and minerals so fresh food is important in our household.
When do you become aware of this need?
We usually notice an uptake in our eating of fresh foods around flu and cold season. These are important times to make sure everyone is eating healthy and getting things like Vitamin C to fight colds and keep their immune systems strong.
How long have you had it?
We are a pretty health conscience family. We tend to be pretty active with sports and outdoor activities so we take an interest in what we put in our body's to make sure we have the fuel to perform.
When did you first become aware of it?
Back in college I got into weightlifting a lot and realized that you could workout all you wanted to but it wouldn't make much of a difference if you didn't take a stand in your diet. That's when I first really started watching what I ate and have kept it up since.
How are you currently addressing your need?
Currently we shop around from Aldi, Publix and Fresh Market to try and find the best deals on fruits and veggies that we like. There is always questions brought up about GMO's and organics but I don't really see the difference, never have, so we just go for our favorites like broccoli and peppers.
How satisfied are you with this solution?
We do great with our health! Our diets and fitness have kept us in shape and healthy and we also go to annual physicals to make sure with our physicians. All in all we need it and are happy with what its done for us.
5a) I did not expect the very first person I talked to to be very up on their health and knowledgeable on the essentials they need in their body. However, I can't say that this convinced me that people knowing about healthy fresh foods are in the majority. I couldn't see this man spending a little extra to make sure that his foods were organically and locally produced.
3b) Prototypical Consumer 2: College male, 22
4b) What is the nature of your need for fresh food?
Haha define fresh food? I eat food thats made right away that's like fresh right? I guess I need fresh food to survive, can't be eating stale old food out here.... Oh, vegetables and stuff? Yeah I don't really cook too much on my own so I guess I don't get too much of that. Just so easy to walk over to Chik-fil-a or McDonald's and get a cheap sandwich you know?
When do you become aware of this need?
Ummm I usually get hungry around about 1:00 because I wake up at like 11:00 and thats like my breakfast. I don't ever get cravings for vegetables and stuff like that though haha.
How long have you had it?
Honestly dude, I don't think I've had a vegetable since I've come to college. Maybe like some guac in my Chipotle bowl or lettuce and tomato on a burger but that's like it.
When did you first become aware of it?
I always feel like I need to eat more veggies when my mom calls though, always telling me I need to to be healthy and stuff.
I always feel like I need to eat more veggies when my mom calls though, always telling me I need to to be healthy and stuff.
How are you currently addressing your need?
Whenever she says stuff I just kinda brush it off. It's not that big of a deal, I'll just take some vitamins or something when I'm older. Plus that food just doesn't taste that good and is'nt filling.
Whenever she says stuff I just kinda brush it off. It's not that big of a deal, I'll just take some vitamins or something when I'm older. Plus that food just doesn't taste that good and is'nt filling.
How satisfied are you with this solution?
I'm doing well so far my man, I never get sick except like the annual flu and I play basketball everyday to be active. Always playing sports and stuff to at-least keep moving, that's important but my diet is fine, I'm happy with it.
I'm doing well so far my man, I never get sick except like the annual flu and I play basketball everyday to be active. Always playing sports and stuff to at-least keep moving, that's important but my diet is fine, I'm happy with it.
5b) This was very typical of most college students I talked to especially guys. They have fast metabolisms and can eat whatever as long as they stay a little active. But the real nature is that they are only conditioning their body onto this high sodium high sugar food and that is why they feel like vegetables don't fill them up. In reality they are just missing essential vitamins and nutrients and are the prime targets for locally fresh grown food to make the biggest impact, once they are educated on the subject.
3c) Prototypical Consumer 3: Grandmother, late 70's, fit
4c) What is the nature of your need for fresh food?
Oh, fresh food is the secret to health! I've been telling my children and husband for years that that is the way to stay young! Your skin doesn't stay this healthy and vibrant if you aren't eating the right foods, after all you are what you eat!
When do you become aware of this need?
Whenever I'm feeling a little low on energy or need a pick me up I feel like some veggies are in need! You can tell when your body is low on minerals, it talks to you you just need to learn how to listen.
How long have you had it?
Well I'll tell you, growing up we were always expected to eat everything on our plate so denying veggies was out of the question! My family owned a small corner-store supermarket and we would always make sure that the produce was from local farms and growers, we wanted to support our fellow neighbors of course that's what you do. Fresh produce has been a staple all my life since I remember seeing the carts come in on Monday's with the fresh produce for the week.
Oh, fresh food is the secret to health! I've been telling my children and husband for years that that is the way to stay young! Your skin doesn't stay this healthy and vibrant if you aren't eating the right foods, after all you are what you eat!
When do you become aware of this need?
Whenever I'm feeling a little low on energy or need a pick me up I feel like some veggies are in need! You can tell when your body is low on minerals, it talks to you you just need to learn how to listen.
How long have you had it?
Well I'll tell you, growing up we were always expected to eat everything on our plate so denying veggies was out of the question! My family owned a small corner-store supermarket and we would always make sure that the produce was from local farms and growers, we wanted to support our fellow neighbors of course that's what you do. Fresh produce has been a staple all my life since I remember seeing the carts come in on Monday's with the fresh produce for the week.
When did you first become aware of it?
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How are you currently addressing your need?
Currently? I start my mornings with some eggs and spinach and a fruit shake. I'm a bit of a health nut haha so I like the exotic fruits now like acai and goji berries, they are superfoods! For lunch I usually focus on salads filled with veggies like cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, beets- oh beets are wonderful and good for so much!- umm carrots, to keep my eyes up haha, and some tree nuts for protein. Dinners are usually a hearty size of grains and veggies with a small meat to go with it like steak, chicken or oooo salmon!! I just love salmon, it has essential oils!
Currently? I start my mornings with some eggs and spinach and a fruit shake. I'm a bit of a health nut haha so I like the exotic fruits now like acai and goji berries, they are superfoods! For lunch I usually focus on salads filled with veggies like cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, beets- oh beets are wonderful and good for so much!- umm carrots, to keep my eyes up haha, and some tree nuts for protein. Dinners are usually a hearty size of grains and veggies with a small meat to go with it like steak, chicken or oooo salmon!! I just love salmon, it has essential oils!
How satisfied are you with this solution?
Honey, I am living my best life and my body is right there with me! I play competitive tennis 3 times a week and walk along the beach in the mornings. I am always full of energy and have no aches and pains. I'd say I'm doing alright for someone at my age!
Honey, I am living my best life and my body is right there with me! I play competitive tennis 3 times a week and walk along the beach in the mornings. I am always full of energy and have no aches and pains. I'd say I'm doing alright for someone at my age!
5c) This was incredible. These people are the ones who have a true need for fresh local grown foods and are willing to pay for it. It's necessary to be able to find these niches and where they exist in order to exploit the opportunities and provide for a need. There are people out there who take interest in their health and it is important to educate all who don't because it is literally your life that you are caring for with what you put in your body.
7) Overall, I believe the opportunity is there for locally grown, fresh food sources. It takes a bit of logistics in finding areas that are able to support local farms to provide food for their communities but with the advancements coming from vertical and urban farming almost anywhere can have local fresh produce now. I think that the opportunity is only going to continue to grow as more people take an interest in their health and trying to be the best versions of themselves and live long, healthy lives. I think that entrepreneurs definitely should listen to their consumers feedback as it is essential in curtailing products to meet consumers exact needs. At the end of the day though, it comes down to you and your vision of what you want to create and you have to go with your vision to see it through.
The Beginnings
My family has always been the controllers of their lives. My father has always been a huge role model to me as he controls his life and does not take direction from anyone but himself. He is a serial entrepreneur and small business owner along with his brother and father. I have always admired his flexibility in his work and his ability to make his own hours and attend events whenever he wanted. The most important thing to being an entrepreneur is having the drive and passion to work hard and know what you want, something he is very avid about. Due to this I have always been surrounded by an entrepreneurial spirit and drive that has pushed my to be passionate in the activities that I undertake. I believe that you cannot learn to be an entrepreneur, but are either born as one or pushed to be one.
My main reason for taking this class was to fulfill an elective requirement, at least it was. The past couple assignment's and the modules have started to stir something in me that has been nagging to get out but hasn't had an opportunity to be brought to light. I hope that this class allows me to use the summer as a honing for my skills and passions to become laser focused on my goals and how to achieve them.
My main reason for taking this class was to fulfill an elective requirement, at least it was. The past couple assignment's and the modules have started to stir something in me that has been nagging to get out but hasn't had an opportunity to be brought to light. I hope that this class allows me to use the summer as a honing for my skills and passions to become laser focused on my goals and how to achieve them.
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