There is definitely an unmet need among home owners to have an easily accessible and accommodating fitness center that offers workout classes throughout the day to the residents of a housing development. My concept is to put a fitness center in a housing development that offers classes such as yoga, pilates, cardio kickboxing, spin, and various calisthenic workout programs that meet the fitness needs of the residents of a particular community. The facility will be open from
5 am until 8 pm. The classes will be led by certified personal trainers that are knowledgeable and work hard to maintain a superior level of fitness. I would love to buy a home and gut it out to create a large space to conduct classes which would create a relaxed atmosphere that looks like home on the outside and training grounds on the inside. Most people want to be able to wake up in the morning and take a nice walk or jog to a fitness center such as this before or after work. The cost to have access to the fitness center will be negotiated with the housing developers and rolled up into the HOA fees. I would go into negotiations with an objective of $50 and a reservation price of $30. I feel that this concept would allow people to save time in going to their local gym and also create a community environment by supporting positive interaction among residents of the housing development. It will also educate residents on viable workout routines to meet their busy schedules and help them meet their fitness goals.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Looking for Opportunity
1. Health Care Opportunity
a) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/12/10-trends-to-watch-in-2016/
b) Health care has and always will be a leading sector in economic trends. Technology is leading the way in how we interact with the rest of the world from paying for a dinner at Cheesecake Factory without a card, keeping track of how many calories we burn, our heart rate, or the distance of a morning jog. Our smartphones and wearables have become the center of almost everything we do. With the rising need for more convenient health care and the growing trend of technology in the healthcare industry there is an opportunity for smartphones and "wearables" to be used as diagnostic tools to monitor the health of patients in need of constant monitoring.
c) The customer that will use this type of opportunity the most is those in need of constant monitoring or family members that will ensure their loved ones are being monitored on a constant basis. For example, the daughter of an elderly man in his 80s may have peace of mind if she can place a "wearable" device on him to send a message to the hospital when his vital signs are in critical condition.
d) The opportunity may be difficult to exploit due to HIPPA concerns and protecting a patient's health information.
e) I believe I can see an opportunity in this because of my interests in fitness, health, and technology. As of lately I have also been experiencing health issues that limit me from working out as I normally would.
2. Low Gas Prices
a) http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/22/falling-gas-prices-not-doing-much-for-the-economy.html
b) I believe there is an opportunity to for retail businesses to place gas stations at their respective locations with slightly lower gas prices than local competitors to attract consumers to their stores. Gas prices have dropped to about $2 per gallon but the economy is experiencing the expected boom due to consumers not using most of their savings towards retail spending.
c) The customer will be the consumers that have used their savings from lower gas prices towards things such as new homes, pay debt, or add to savings.
d) I think this opportunity will be relatively easy to exploit because if you can get consumers to the pump and they see a retailer right next to the gas station then I don't think it will be very hard to get customers to spend money at these retail stores.
e) I think it was easy for me to form this belief because I am the consumer that loves to save money and have not done too much retail spending. I would be more inclined to venture into a store to "kill" time if there was a benefit to drive to the store in the first place. I am the one saving for a home, paying debt, and putting away savings for retirement and I had to think about what would make me visit a retail store.
3. Worker Classification
a) http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html
b) The Department of Labor are imposing new guidelines on contractors to ensure they aren't designating their employees as independent contractors to avoid the costs of overtime and benefits. There may be a need for an independent auditor to come in and validate employees are getting paid for overtime and receiving their proper benefits.
c) The customer will be government contractors.
d) This opportunity will be relatively easy to exploit because an independent auditor can be sufficient evidence to the U.S. Government that contractors are adhering to this new regulation.
e) I think I may have seen an opportunity because of the nature of my job which is a Contracting Officer for the U.S. Air Force and understand the regulations imposed on contractors by the Department of Labor.
4. Changes to the Nutrition Label Facts Label
a)http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm
b) I believe an opportunity exists because currently there isn't a database of nutritional facts of all food sold in the U.S. available to the consumer. Currently, consumers can go online to the food producer's website but there is no database of all nutritional fact labels in one database available to consumers.
c) The customer is all food consumers living within the U.S. that want to have access to nutritional facts at all times. This will be beneficial in several ways but one example is to help consumers prepare their grocery list based upon nutritional value before they get to the grocery store.
d) This opportunity will be very easy to exploit but just time consuming to gather nutritional facts of all food sold in the U.S.
e) I am sure someone else has thought of this opportunity because it's a simple idea but I was able to identify this opportunity because I am very conscious of my health and I always get frustrated with the amount of time it takes me to make decisions in a grocery store due to me looking at nutritional labels. I have always wanted to have access to a database of nutritional facts so I could prepare a grocery list. I shop according to price and nutritional content.
a) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/12/10-trends-to-watch-in-2016/
b) Health care has and always will be a leading sector in economic trends. Technology is leading the way in how we interact with the rest of the world from paying for a dinner at Cheesecake Factory without a card, keeping track of how many calories we burn, our heart rate, or the distance of a morning jog. Our smartphones and wearables have become the center of almost everything we do. With the rising need for more convenient health care and the growing trend of technology in the healthcare industry there is an opportunity for smartphones and "wearables" to be used as diagnostic tools to monitor the health of patients in need of constant monitoring.
c) The customer that will use this type of opportunity the most is those in need of constant monitoring or family members that will ensure their loved ones are being monitored on a constant basis. For example, the daughter of an elderly man in his 80s may have peace of mind if she can place a "wearable" device on him to send a message to the hospital when his vital signs are in critical condition.
d) The opportunity may be difficult to exploit due to HIPPA concerns and protecting a patient's health information.
e) I believe I can see an opportunity in this because of my interests in fitness, health, and technology. As of lately I have also been experiencing health issues that limit me from working out as I normally would.
2. Low Gas Prices
a) http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/22/falling-gas-prices-not-doing-much-for-the-economy.html
b) I believe there is an opportunity to for retail businesses to place gas stations at their respective locations with slightly lower gas prices than local competitors to attract consumers to their stores. Gas prices have dropped to about $2 per gallon but the economy is experiencing the expected boom due to consumers not using most of their savings towards retail spending.
c) The customer will be the consumers that have used their savings from lower gas prices towards things such as new homes, pay debt, or add to savings.
d) I think this opportunity will be relatively easy to exploit because if you can get consumers to the pump and they see a retailer right next to the gas station then I don't think it will be very hard to get customers to spend money at these retail stores.
e) I think it was easy for me to form this belief because I am the consumer that loves to save money and have not done too much retail spending. I would be more inclined to venture into a store to "kill" time if there was a benefit to drive to the store in the first place. I am the one saving for a home, paying debt, and putting away savings for retirement and I had to think about what would make me visit a retail store.
3. Worker Classification
a) http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html
b) The Department of Labor are imposing new guidelines on contractors to ensure they aren't designating their employees as independent contractors to avoid the costs of overtime and benefits. There may be a need for an independent auditor to come in and validate employees are getting paid for overtime and receiving their proper benefits.
c) The customer will be government contractors.
d) This opportunity will be relatively easy to exploit because an independent auditor can be sufficient evidence to the U.S. Government that contractors are adhering to this new regulation.
e) I think I may have seen an opportunity because of the nature of my job which is a Contracting Officer for the U.S. Air Force and understand the regulations imposed on contractors by the Department of Labor.
4. Changes to the Nutrition Label Facts Label
a)http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm
b) I believe an opportunity exists because currently there isn't a database of nutritional facts of all food sold in the U.S. available to the consumer. Currently, consumers can go online to the food producer's website but there is no database of all nutritional fact labels in one database available to consumers.
c) The customer is all food consumers living within the U.S. that want to have access to nutritional facts at all times. This will be beneficial in several ways but one example is to help consumers prepare their grocery list based upon nutritional value before they get to the grocery store.
d) This opportunity will be very easy to exploit but just time consuming to gather nutritional facts of all food sold in the U.S.
e) I am sure someone else has thought of this opportunity because it's a simple idea but I was able to identify this opportunity because I am very conscious of my health and I always get frustrated with the amount of time it takes me to make decisions in a grocery store due to me looking at nutritional labels. I have always wanted to have access to a database of nutritional facts so I could prepare a grocery list. I shop according to price and nutritional content.
Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1
1. The opportunity I would like to pursue is building a fitness center that offers various classes throughout the day to further meet the needs of the residents within that community.
2. The opportunity that I have identified is bringing a fitness center that offers classes to a housing development which will solve the problems of time and distance that hinder people from meeting their fitness goals.
- Who: Residents in housing developments that enjoy working out.
- What: Residents of housing developments lack fitness options that are within a very close proximity of their homes and accommodates their stressful work schedules.
- Why: There are several people that don't workout as much as they would like due to the challenges of the times that classes are offered at the nearest gym, distance from nearest gym, and fitness knowledge. There is a huge market of people that would be dedicated to their fitness goals if they had an instructor to motivate and guide them in the right direction of meeting their fitness goals.
3. Hypothesis of the Opportunity
- Testing the 'Who': There are others that have a need of a fitness center within their housing community that offered various classes throughout the day. For example, people that live in apartment complexes have the same need but apartment complexes offer a fitness center with limited, and sometimes broken, equipment but none offer classes. Also, residents of a community that do not necessarily live within a housing development possess this same need.
- Testing the 'What': The boundaries associated with the opportunity are getting past the "red tape" to build a facility within a housing development. Also, some people enjoy working out alone and already possess the proper knowledge to meet their fitness goals which eliminates the need to attend a class at a fitness facility such as this one. Another challenge is ensuring the proper classes are offered to a community based on the demographic and needs of that community.
- Testing the 'Why': The reason for this opportunity is to give the working class a more accommodating option to workout before or after work which is in closer proximity of their homes. This also builds a sense of community that many people look for in their surrounding neighborhood. Many people like to get out of their homes and meet the residents that live directly around them. I also found that many people seek guidance from a knowledgeable source to lead them in meeting their fitness goals.
https://youtu.be/zCAXZsEBKtA
https://youtu.be/KtBeVSAld38
https://youtu.be/IhRrXcyyTRA
https://youtu.be/3T8x9KkajLw
https://youtu.be/nyli4D2GL6E
2. The opportunity that I have identified is bringing a fitness center that offers classes to a housing development which will solve the problems of time and distance that hinder people from meeting their fitness goals.
- Who: Residents in housing developments that enjoy working out.
- What: Residents of housing developments lack fitness options that are within a very close proximity of their homes and accommodates their stressful work schedules.
- Why: There are several people that don't workout as much as they would like due to the challenges of the times that classes are offered at the nearest gym, distance from nearest gym, and fitness knowledge. There is a huge market of people that would be dedicated to their fitness goals if they had an instructor to motivate and guide them in the right direction of meeting their fitness goals.
3. Hypothesis of the Opportunity
- Testing the 'Who': There are others that have a need of a fitness center within their housing community that offered various classes throughout the day. For example, people that live in apartment complexes have the same need but apartment complexes offer a fitness center with limited, and sometimes broken, equipment but none offer classes. Also, residents of a community that do not necessarily live within a housing development possess this same need.
- Testing the 'What': The boundaries associated with the opportunity are getting past the "red tape" to build a facility within a housing development. Also, some people enjoy working out alone and already possess the proper knowledge to meet their fitness goals which eliminates the need to attend a class at a fitness facility such as this one. Another challenge is ensuring the proper classes are offered to a community based on the demographic and needs of that community.
- Testing the 'Why': The reason for this opportunity is to give the working class a more accommodating option to workout before or after work which is in closer proximity of their homes. This also builds a sense of community that many people look for in their surrounding neighborhood. Many people like to get out of their homes and meet the residents that live directly around them. I also found that many people seek guidance from a knowledgeable source to lead them in meeting their fitness goals.
https://youtu.be/zCAXZsEBKtA
https://youtu.be/KtBeVSAld38
https://youtu.be/IhRrXcyyTRA
https://youtu.be/3T8x9KkajLw
https://youtu.be/nyli4D2GL6E
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Identifying Local Opportunities
Police:
SunRail Train Crashes into Vehicle in Longwood
On Friday, May 20th
the local commuter train system, SunRail, collided into a vehicle in traffic in
Longwood, FL. The vehicle was stuck on
the railroad track which was caused by traffic and not being able to move past
the tracks. The train hit the car but
there were no injuries in the accident.
Problem: The problem with SunRail systems crashing
into vehicles is that there have been 16 crashes since 2014. Although I will assume that most of the
incidents were at the fault of the drivers, there may be a benefit to SunRail
and Orlando residents if the rail commuter company took on some sort of
corporate social responsibility. There
may be an opportunity for a company to create a system to further reduce
accidents between trains and vehicles.
Who: Orlando residents risk the chance of being
involved in serious injury or death while SunRail run the risk of a possible
lawsuit or negative public press.
The Real Reason That So Many Women Have to Spend
So Much Time Getting Ready
There was a study
conducted by two researchers on women’s grooming as it relates to their job salary
by two researchers. The results of the
study revealed that women that are well groomed tend to earn higher salaries
that those not as well groomed. This
study suggests that women have an incentive, regardless of moral and ethical
opinions, to spend more time on grooming themselves while preparing for
work. According to the article, “changes
in grooming have a substantial effect on whether women are perceived as
attractive, and their salaries.”
Problem: Women not well
groomed receive lower salaries than their counterparts that take the extra time
to groom themselves to a “professional” standard. The problem is that it takes women a
considerable amount of time to reach these grooming standards every day they go
to work, which can be stressful. There
may be an opportunity to introduce a grooming product that can save a few minutes
while preparing for work.
Who: Women that
already take a significant amount of time to groom themselves may be stressed
out from the time it takes to prepare for work.
Also, women that don’t take much time to groom themselves end up earning
less possibly because they do not want to be stressed from taking so much time
to get ready for work.
Miami
Zoo’s Cat Poop Problem Putting Animals at Risk
The Zoo Miami have recently
been dealing with an issue of stray cats sneaking into the zoo at night and defecate
in the sand of exhibits. Cat feces
contain toxoplasmosis, which is a deadly parasite and has been the blame for
the deaths of three squirrel monkeys and a red kangaroo at the zoo. The zoo took measures to capture these stray
cats and placing them up for adoption if they are healthy. The Cat Network did not agree with the
solution of the zoo and felt the Zoo Miami should take steps to keep all other
land species out of the park.
Problem: The problem is that the Zoo Miami has only
created a short term solution to keep cats out of the park. Their solution of capturing the cats is not a
feasible long term solution and they can not capture every cat, considering
that they are coming into the zoo at night.
This is an opportunity for a long term solution to protect the animals
at the zoo that’s also harmless to the cats.
Who: The animals at the zoo are in danger of
disease and eventually death from the cat feces.
Not Even a Baby in a Stroller Makes New Orleans
Drivers Stop at Crosswalks: A Letter to
the Editor
A mother from New Orleans
wrote a letter to the editor to discuss the growing issue of drivers not
stopping at crosswalks despite the fact that she’s pushing a stroller. She’s very upset at the number of times that
a driver has almost hit her and her 6-week old baby or just sped through the
intersection. She goes on to explain
that some progress is being made by the posting of signs but there still needs
to be more enforcement of the law.
Problem: The problem is that the lady that wrote to
the editor is not the only person that has experienced the issue of careless
drivers speeding through crosswalks.
This is not only happening in New Orleans but several other places,
especially larger metropolitan cities.
There is an opportunity to develop a solution to further deter drivers
from being so careless while protecting pedestrians from fatal accidents.
Who: Pedestrians can be seriously injured or dead
from drivers not paying attention to their surroundings.
Couple Offers Public Electric Car Charging Station
at Home
An Ozark, AL couple in
their 60s recently purchased a Tesla Model S P90 electric car and also placed a
public charging station at their home for use by other Electric Vehicle
owners. The Tesla can travel about 286
miles on a full charge, has an auto-pilot feature, parallel park assistance,
and can accelerate zero to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. They received a $7,500 tax credit for their
purchase of the Tesla Model S far exceeded the safety the Consumer Reports
safety standards. The only maintenance
required is to refill their windshield wiper fluid and have the tires rotated
every 5,000 miles. The Wyse’s are the
only owners of a Tesla in their town and they are coordinating with local first
responders to make it available to first responders for training purposes to
prepare for emergencies.
Problem: The problem with owning a Tesla Model S is
that charging stations are not as easily accessible as gas stations. There may
be a business opportunity to begin placing charging stations in areas that lack
adequate stations to support Tesla or EV owners.
Who: The lack of charging
stations results in Tesla owners avoiding long distance travel and potential
owners from buying the vehicle.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Bug List
11. In the morning when I wake up I get tired of
seeing the big decorative pillows on the floor that came with the comforter
set.
-
This bug exists because these big pillows take
up too much floor space in a small room especially when trying to get ready for
work in the morning.
22. It drives me crazy to have to try to 3-5
different barbers every time I move on military orders or visit another city
just to find a good barber.
-
This bug exists because I get used to my barber
cutting my hair exactly the way I like it and when I move then I have to settle
for a bad haircut until I find the right barber.
33. I don’t like the idea of losing my wedding band
and not having a way to recover it other than spending hours, days, or weeks finding
it and that’s if we are blessed to find it.
-
This bug exists because I have lost three
wedding bands from taking it off when I go to the gym and putting in my
pocket. Now I just have a rubber black
wedding band and my wife is not happy but she knows this is the best option for
a guy like me.
44. It bugs me not to be able to listen to my music
at work since I am in the military and it looks unprofessional to where
headphones while in uniform, which I agree with.
-
This bug exists because I see my civilian counterparts
with headphones and they are able to really focus on work and it would be nice
to listen to music if there was a more discreet product on the market.
55. If I need help with installation or repair of an
IT or electronic product then the cost of Best Buy’s Geek Squad service is very
expensive.
-
This bug exists because it kept me from
purchasing a good wall projector screen that needs to be installed
professionally because I know their services are a rip off in my opinion and it’s
hard to find a company that offers the wide range of IT and electronic services
provided by Best Buy.
66. It bothers me when the cap on a soda isn’t
screwed on tight which makes the soda go bad faster.
-
This bug exists because my wife never screws the
cap on tight and fusses at me when I do because she is not able to open the
soda.
77. I shouldn’t have to go to a massage spa every
time I want a professional massage.
-
This bug exists because me and my wife would
like a professional massage more often but don’t want to spend the money on getting
a massage as frequently as we would ideally like to get them. A massage robot
with hands that feel real would be ideal.
88. I can’t stand walking with an umbrella and I still
get very wet sometimes depending on which way and how hard the wind is blowing.
-
This bug exists because there have been times I am
going to church with my fancy suit and an umbrella but I still get very wet.
99. It bothers me to see oppressed and
underdeveloped neighborhoods with a lack of social services readily and easily
available to them such as life skills/career coaching for young teens or
financial management services to help families pursue goals such as planning to
pay for their kid’s tuition early on or buying a house.
-
This bug exists because I see how much services
like this could have helped my mother, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews,
etc.
110. I get annoyed when my wife fusses at me about not letting the toilet seat down after I finish urinating.
-
This bug exists because I I am too lazy to let down the toilet seat.
111. I
wish my wife had a way to dry and curl her hair hands free so she could still
do her school work or even just work on something more productive.
-
This bug exists because my wife sometimes gets
stressed over school along with a 6 month old daughter and this would allow her
to still do her school work while working on assignments.
112. It
bugs me to not have an automatic tub cleaner that I could do at the press of a
button when I finish taking a shower.
-
This bug exists because it would be convenient to
have my tub cleaned as soon as I get out of the tub in the morning while
getting ready for work.
113. It
bugs me to have to buy so many birthday cards each year and pay an average of
$5 per card and it doesn’t say exactly what I would like it to say…..but I guess
it’s close enough.
-
This bug exists because I wish I could make my my
own cards to say exactly what I want and printed on the same material as store
bought cards.
114. It
bugs me that there isn’t an easier and faster way to change the oil in my car
that my wife could effortlessly do.
-
This bug
exists because when I am deployed or away from home for a few weeks then my
wife has to take the car to a mechanic and I don’t trust most mechanics.
115. It
bugs me to go through a drive thru car wash and leave with scratches and dirt
still on my car.
-
This bug exists because I treat my car like my
first baby and I don’t want anything to happen to Maxine.
116. It
bugs me to go to a nice restaurant (i.e. Cheesecake Factory) and my food is not
hot enough.
-
This bug exists because I just took my wife out
to Cheesecake Factory last weekend to celebrate her graduation and the food was
just warm. The food should definitely be
hot considering the price.
117. It
bugs me to have basic high speed internet and pay a high price because there is
a monopoly in my area.
-
This bug exists because I would not be with
Charter internet if I had another choice and I know their prices would be lower
if there was competition.
118. It
bugs me when my wife buys plants for the house and they die in a few weeks.
-
It bugs me because we have wasted money to now
have a dead plant that’s no good in a few weeks or a couple of months.
119. It
bugs me to wake up in the middle of the night to go urinate when I don’t want
to get out of bed at all.
-
This bug exists because once I get up and walk
to the bathroom then it’s hard for me to go back to sleep.
220. It
bugs me to be lost in a parking lot trying to look for my car.
-
This bug exists because I lost my chirp chirp/alarm
key for my car and I’m too cheap to pay for another fancy key. I wish there was a cheaper option to find my
car in the parking lot.
The main challenge I experienced while doing my "Bug List" was trying not to sound lazy or just complaining about small things because I'm not used to doing that but I got over it about halfway through the assignment. Another challenge I had was coming up with something that really annoyed because I don't think about products that frustrate me often. This assignment was very difficult because almost everything that initially came to mind already had a solution.
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