10. Here We Go Folks...

Here is the link to my business pitch.  I did continue with the "Creamed Gator" because it is a generally fun idea.  I hope you enjoy the pitch.  If you don't, please do not be shy provide criticism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvcGN2ukAHc

Don't forget to like, comment, and, most importantly, subscribe.

9. What Else is There to Learn?

From what I have found, the issue that I spoke about in the previous post is concerning for many teachers, but not all.  This is where I test a different set of bounds of the problem.

1. Who: Because this is a retired IB teacher, she did not see the pay or respect as an issue. 

What: Her husband made significantly more, and because she had been in the field so long, she knew the terms.  In other words, she was not there for the pay, but because of the passion for it.  In fact, she moved and is now a teacher in Maryland where she makes significantly more.  She also never really considered respect to be an issue because of the caliber of students that she taught.  One of her sons is even in the teaching field, despite her not recommending it, she admitted.

Why: Because she was retired, I think she was more attuned to the changes in education.  Considering these things have been happening for her entire career, new changes were less of a concern.  Not to mention, because IB has a separate curriculum, she was not as affected.

2. Who: I spoke to a teacher who left to become an online school teacher.

What: There are not issues here because there is very little interaction between teachers and students.  There is also not the stress of teaching from 9-5 and then having to take work home.  Because a majority of the instruction happens through the computer, they have time in the day to do all of their work.   They also receive higher pay and can work on their terms during the day.

Why: I mean this group could get paid more because they still fall well below the national average, but without the other issues, it really is not targeted at them.

3. Who: A non-teacher's union IB educator.

What: Once again, because of the caliber of student they are dealing with, they will not have as many issues with respect.  Also, they have a military retirement, so they did not see money as much of an issue as someone who only has one income stream.  They found this position very pleasurable, and will probably continue until they retire again.

Why: Once again, with the other IB teacher, they do not deal with the same students which is why they are on the outside of the issue.  In speaking with them, they were able to empathize with the other teachers who they hear struggle with different students.

4. Who: A new teacher at a union breakfast.

What: Being that they are new to the field, they do not know what it is like yet, and so they cannot have an issue.  There was prompting from other teachers that occurred, but they were dumbfounded to learn what happens in these schools.  They could not provide too much detail because they are not in the field yet, but I have a strong feeling their opinions of the field are stark to what they would actually experience.

Why: They are currently outside the trend because they do not have prior knowledge of the issues that happen in the schools.  I would imagine once they learn they will probably agree.  I will say there is some bias here, considering they were at a union breakfast.  I will not say whether this influence is positive or negative, it is influence though.

5. Who: A new school resource deputy.

What: Before entering the school as an SRD, they held the strong opinion that the problems at schools were not as bad as they were being portrayed.  Considering that he had dealt with hardened criminals in the past, there was no way this could be worse.  Once again, this is just a matter of ignorance of the field yet to be a part of.  Their wife is an elementary school teacher, who complains about these issues, but without first-hand knowledge its different.

Why: Once again, I feel they would soon understand the issue, but without proper exposure, they are only thinking of what they know about elementary students, not what the reality could be.  After speaking to them in their role for a little bit, they now see crime. Baker Acts, and kindergartners that are trying to beat him up and using foul language with him.

Summary: With all being said, there is no way to compare education compatibly for different educators, at different levels, with different strengths of students.  All of these factors present different issues to be faced.  At this point, I may not have gone deep enough to realize what the full extent of the issue is, or how I can rethink my thoughts on solving education in a way that will be more impactful for all concerned.  On another note, it may be costly, but an education campaign could be effective to show deep inside the bushes rather than the surface.  People may not fully be aware of the concerns because they have not thought enough about them.  At the same time, it may not be that ignorance is bliss, but that they genuinely do not have an issue, and any problems seen are making a mountain out of a mole hill.  I do not feel this way, but this is why we do research.

8. Diving into Entrepreneurship

To start off, I wholeheartedly believe that I am going to change this in the near future because I think I have figured out a better, different avenue to take.  However, I am going to run with the idea that I stated before because it received a lot of popularity when I first wrote about it.

I found the need on campus for quality ice cream.  You can get a milkshake at Chick-fil-A or spend a lot of money at Sweetberries (which someone stated to me, is not too good regardless of money), or you can dream and hope that the Mochi on University Ave. reopens.

Have no fear, I have the perfect solution.  In a town like Gainesville, why do we not have an ice cream truck that goes around campus?  I would like to incorporate this because Florida is HOT, it is NOT accessible currently, and with all of the STRESS and DEPRESSION.  Ice cream truly is a cure for all of our issues.

This will let you relive your childhood because I would have everything from soft serve to those goofy Spongebob pops with the eyes that would always fall out.  If ice cream isn't your speed, because the truck would need all the chillers and refrigerators, I could easily sell ice cold drinks, milkshakes, smoothies, etc.

The service in this industry comes down to the fact that you do not have to go anywhere to get this ice cream.  It will be right on campus maybe sitting on the edge of Buckman Dr. or near Turlington or some other centralized location.  The convenience is what sells it as a service as well.

If the one truck become popular, it would be great to incorporate a shop where the Mochi currently sits that will sell hard ice cream by the scoop.  And if I could get a liquor license, I could even sell shots with the ice cream.  It sounds crazy, but if you have ever been to Disney World, they have a Dole Whip that comes with coconut rum and you poor the rum over the Dole Whip.  I have never had it, but knowing that college students will mix alcohol with pretty much anything, the bar/ice cream shop may be more profitable.

Thinking forward, If I had to brand it now, I would probably call it The Creamed Gator (see graphic above).  The graphic below is just a concept that will give you the general concept of what I am trying to do.  Please let me know what you think of this idea, if you support it or not, and any suggestions you may have.

7. Are Problems Perceived by Many?

1. Teacher Morale in Public Education

2. There is a national teacher shortage that is increasing yearly.  With fewer and fewer people pursuing a degree in education, we are going to have a limited ability to staff public school, and it will almost be impossible to find highly effective teachers.

The Who: Public Schools in America

The What: Have a limited opportunity to hire and retain staff at public schools

The Why: Teacher morale

3. I conducted interviews with the CCEA president, elementary school teachers, high school teachers, staff from the school, and school resource deputies.

4. How can the problem be expanded?

Who: Before, I thought that it was really the teachers that were struggling with morale in schools.  After the interviews, all of the elements of the schools are struggling with these issues.  The staff acting as Title 1 support, classroom aides, and administrative assistants are all feeling this pressure that has worked its way from the top as well.  Much of it has to do with a changing dynamic of students, but I will discuss several other factors later.  Not to mention, the administration of the school has the pressure of the school board and the superintendent from state and federal mandates.  This will ultimately roll down hill and will affect the abilities of those in the classroom.  Because these mandates are increasing in nature, I would like to believe that a majority of people in the field are feeling the effects and the data shows how many people are leaving.

What: When asked about the extent of the problem, several teachers admitted that they no longer suggest that people even go into the field of education because it has become so intolerable.  One of the teachers I spoke with that was struggling with the field after being in it for a long time has since quit with the enrollment of new curriculum.  Fortunately, for them, they are now an entrepreneur and are selling fudge and other desserts.  For other teachers, they feel stuck in these roles because their only retirement is through the state.  If they had a 401k or IRA, they could possibly change fields and still be on track to retire.  The CCEA president has been fighting for increases in wages and looking for ways to improve the implementation of mandates, but it's a difficult process when nobody wants to be involved anymore.

Why: In reality, there are a number of factors that are affecting how teachers/staff/administration perform in school.  I mentioned that morale is an issue.  Beyond that I discovered this morale issue has foundational components contributing to the issue.  Respect from the students has become an increasing factor, lack of mental health concerns for teachers and staff, local, state, and federal mandates, new testing implementation, new curriculum, decrease in the feeling of safety at schools.  The list goes on and on.  The teachers were very open to change and wanted to see formidable solutions to what they were evoking.  They feel lost and hopeless and need help or the field will eventually deteriorate.

5. Some of the things that I heard about the schools were incredible and shocking.  I found out that SRDs are being cursed at and beaten by students.  We see teachers going through traumatic experiences without necessary help.  I truly believe that the issue is much worse than I could have originally expected.  Even as an opportunist, I am at a loss for words with what is going on in our education system.  One solution that I do not think is really important is the money aspect.  As much as I would like to see more money in the education system, we typically spend it on more unnecessary bureaucratic processes.  We need to be more effective with the money in the system, and if we do place more money towards the issue it needs to be used to improve mental health of the teachers and students, create positions that pay decent wages, and develop a greater transparency where teachers/staff feel free to express their thoughts.  

6. The World We Live In

Economic Trends

1. Although this is not a national trend, it is surely an economic trend that will affect several coastal counties in Florida and generate economic growth all the way from where it stands now in Tampa to Georgia.  After years of debate about whether or not it would even be built and where it would be built, we now know that the Suncoast Parkway has started construction as will have a major impact on my home county of Citrus.

a. The source of the graphic above is from the Citrus County Chronicle (https://www.chronicleonline.com/opinion/columnists/go-west-then-north/article_273ec9e4-86e4-11e8-8196-ff799baaceef.html) but the roads construction has been a topic in local politics for several years now.  More information on the project can be found from FDOT (http://www.floridasturnpike.com/suncoast2.html).  This road has several estimated projections that all believe in significant economic growth for Citrus County.  Considering that we do not have any direct I-75 interchange in the county, this provides great access to Tampa.

b. With this major road being built, and to where it will extend, gives me the idea that Citrus County will receive a large amount of economic growth from southern-central Florida.  All of our local news is based out of Tampa Bay and we are typically the furthest north in many of their broadcasts which consistently leaves us out of the loop.  However, with the Suncoast being expanded, there have been estimates pointing to increase in full-time population, thousands of jobs, hundreds if not thousands of daily commuters, and a potential of millions of dollars being supplemented into the county yearly.  I do not provide direct statistics because nothing is known with full confidence until the road is completed.  

c. If I have to say anyone is the main customer during the building of the road it has to be the Florida government.  If you are a land developer, I would highly suggest that you purchase where you believe the road will be constructed because the state of Florida will have to pay high dollar if they want to build where you own.  Another customer to the land developers would be businesses.  If the Parkway does not end up on your property, but your land is adjacent, you can now sell your property for high dollar to other businesses.  The last prototypical customer will be your new full-time and transient population along the entire stretch.  They will need every service they had before now along this new stretch of roadway.  If this demand increases sharply, suppliers will supply and profits will come.

d. Because we still do not have an entirely set route for the Suncoast I am going to have to say it will be hard to exploit.  If you invest in property to sell to the government, businesses, or to start a business and the road ends up along another path, you may have difficulty removing yourself from that investment.  Also, the management of an asset like property in this prime location will not be easy because the length of negotiations that would need to occur with the government.

3.1 Coming from Citrus County and understanding the culture are a major part of why I can see the opportunity with this road.  This has been building over the years and had been controversial, but know that we know it is coming, I think many people recognize the potential for progress associated with the road being built.  Another thing I realize that other Citrus County residents might not, is that the county cannot stay as small as it is now.  It is going to grow, and we can either grow with it or fall to nothing.

2. The Fed has cut rates several times in the last couple years and this is definitely an economic trend that we really do not know what it is going to cause.  Private industry in many regards does not think we are to a recession yet, but the Fed thinks it is just on the horizon.

a. I have mostly been following this issue on the news but I read an article on Forbes that indicated the same information, and this article from Yahoo (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-fomc-decision-september-2019-133503618.html).  

b. This is definitely a trend that leads to opportunity.  Because there is such volatility in the market there is room for great gains, and also great losses.  Like Dr. Pryor said last class, times like these are great for venture capitalists that will play the market in these last stretch of growth to make great gains.  But also, if these rates continue to drop we will see that the housing market will have to increase.  Recently, it has been declining and some people believe it is in a recession of its own, but the Fed may be trying to turn this around.  I do not know if artificial stimulation of this market will work, but if I had to say anything it would be to sell property wait for the market to collapse and then buy a lot of property.

c. The people with the greatest probability to make out well in this situation are those buying if interest rates go negative, or those selling if we end up in a recession.  Finally, I have to mention venture capitalists again who may use this to their great advantage.

d. This opportunity is hard to exploit because so many people are so unsure of what is happening with the markets right now.  We also have to worry about the effects of the trade war with China to determine how this might swing.

3.2 I think that most people see this as an opportunity, but they may not know how to exploit it because of the unknown nature surrounding it.  You also need many assets to successfully tackle this situation.  If the PhD economists do not know what is happening, all amateurs can hope to do is get lucky. 

Regulatory Changes

3. Recently affecting Alachua County, the government here passed a law that only allows 21 year olds and older to purchase tobacco products.  This also requires people to show ID every time they want to purchase tobacco regardless of age.

a. I found out about it at Publix because I had to complete a new training about the regulation.  When regulation changes happen like this, there is always a computer based training to go along with it.

b. There is definitely a new illegal market.  Instead of seeing 18-20 year olds purchasing it for themselves (and maybe some minors), this is not going to correct the issue.  All we will see is 21 year olds buying it for their college friends and probably still some minors.  Let's be real, if you have a tobacco addiction and you now fall out of the range to purchase it, most are not going to try to quit cold turkey.  The black market is going to ensue.  Now, from a legal perspective, if you are a lobbyist for the tobacco industry, this is definitely your time to start working hard to reverse the policy.  I do not see it happening, but they have millions in resources to try.

c. The prototypical customers are the ones benefiting from the black market for the drug.  However, I think the government is the main customer.  They have to convince them that they should reverse their decision and let people live as free Americans.  Bans do not stop the action, so the existing market is there even if it is getting it in different ways.

d. This will be hard to exploit because of the illegal nature of one aspect and the hard job of the other.  To get a board like the Alachua County Commission to change their mind on an issue like this will be difficult and maybe impossible without getting court involved.

3.3 I am still not sure that this is a viable opportunity for a new entrepreneur, but I guess it is something to consider.  I mean most changes in regulations are to make things harder for the market to grow so creativity needs to be a large factor in this case.

4. At the last legislative session, the Florida House voted to ban texting and driving.  This increased the need for hands free technology that will prevent you from getting a ticket.

a. I found this keeping in touch with politics and saw the news posting about it a lot while session was in its final days.  It is still relevant now because the fees associated have not taken root yet, right now they are still only giving warning for the offense.

b. Depending on how strict law enforcement is with the law, the opportunity could become huge.  They can't really determine whether or not you were texting unless they see your phone which would be protected by the 4th amendment.  With that being said, they may overextend the bounds because I would think having your phone in your hand is grounds for probable cause.  I'm no legal expert, but hands free technology avoids the issue entirely.

c. I think that most customers are going to be young drivers because I think they are most prone to this risky behavior, but with cell phones having an increasing influence, it can extend to all drivers.

d. This opportunity is very easy to exploit because so many people drive vehicles.  You just need to drive the fear into them that they are going to get pulled over without the use of what you have.  This means the expansion of cell phone holders, the want for bluetooth radios, etc.

3.4 Having seen how many teenagers/young adults text and drive the issue is kind of personal.  I get Snapchats all the time of people driving and I just do not get it.  One Snap Streak is not worth me dying, call me a stick in the mud.  But honestly, this is being driven by regulation and I see sales of these items staying stagnant while warnings are being written, but the first of the year you can bet people will change their tune after getting a not-so-nice ticket.

5. Local Progress is Greater Progress

All Excerpts are from the Citrus County Chronicle

1. Title: Local school board member asks school-safety commission to discuss 'legal issues' criminalizing threats

Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AFCCCB%21Citrus%2BCounty%2BChronicle%2B%2528Crystal%2BRiver%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0820%21August%2B20&action=browse&format=text&fld-base-0=alltext&docref=news/1757AE82EDD14750

Description of Story: After a man made threats against Floral City Elementary, School Board member, Doug Dodd, asked the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Commission, a group which he is also a member of, to change how Florida statute defines threats.  The state representative and state senator have both said they plan to introduce legislation that will clarify the threshold for a viable threat.  It was reported that the individual made these threats to law enforcement, on the jail phone, a jail psychologist and several others.  Because the states attorneys office was only "considering" charges they received a lot of political pushback.

Description of Problem:  Florida statute requires that if a threat is to be considered viable it must be written down or documented in a way beyond verbally.  Considering the people that have heard the threat it seems unnecessary for the individual need to write it down for it to be considered an arrestable offense.  Because Florida statute does not consider these other sources as evidence beyond reasonable doubt for them to pursue charges.

Who has the Problem: This would be a general public problem because the idea that a threat meeting the threshold could affect anyone.  More specifically to the article, it would effect local authorities ability to prosecute people that are a threat to the public.  Here we see the School Board and the Sheriff's Office's inability to prosecute this individual.

2. Title: Citrus needs more handicapped parking spaces

Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AFCCCB%21Citrus%2BCounty%2BChronicle%2B%2528Crystal%2BRiver%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0819%21August%2B19&action=browse&format=text&fld-base-0=alltext&docref=news/17571948464A4678

Description of Story: To paraphrase from the article and make clear the main point, Citrus County has an elderly population of about 36%, which is high even for the State of Florida.  With that being said, the article wanted to articulate that there are not enough spots to park at many locations in Citrus County.  This is partially because of the nature of the county having a greater senior need but also because he thinks there is an abuse of the system.  He urges people to take down the license plate and speak with a manager of the business to ensure the situation is properly handled.  Other suggestions made included differentiating the types of handicap parking to accommodate different needs.

Description of Problem: There were many angles to the problem that were included in the article.  The first being that there is not enough handicap accessible parking in relation to Citrus County's need.  Second, even in the locations that have ample parking, people are abusing the spots.  The author mentions that some illnesses that would require the parking are not clearly visible, but he also mentioned that there is clearly an abuse of the system.  This problem was attributed to people pressuring their physicians into getting a decal.

Who has the Problem: This problem would be experienced by the people of Citrus County who need handicap accessible parking.

3. Title: Annexation flap is a symptom of a larger problem

Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AFCCCB%21Citrus%2BCounty%2BChronicle%2B%2528Crystal%2BRiver%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0816%21August%2B16&action=browse&format=text&fld-base-0=alltext&docref=news/175655255F717810

Description of Story: Property Owner, Greg Williams, wants to annex his property into the city of Inverness because the county land development committee has been forcing permitting requirements beyond what the law requires and are slow in the process.  To avoid this, Greg Williams chose to annex his property into the city which would increase his taxes, but allow him more flexibility in dealing with government.  The county government did not accept the annex and decided to take Mr. Williams to court.  Bad move for the county (entirely my opinion) because Mr. Williams is a lawyer and in the end, the case was settled allowing him to be annexed.

Description of Problem: Florida Statute allows for property owners to willingly annex themselves into the city if they chose.  The County attorney did not agree with this and urged the county commission to oppose this annexation.  Although that is the major issue, the underlying factors that caused this blow up is the lack of leadership involved with members of the county staff and their political agendas.

Who has the Problem:  Because the issue has several elements, the County Commission has an issue with its staff and the requirements they are promoting.  Both the city and the county have issues because they have squandered tax dollars on a lawsuit that is easily cleared up by just following state statute.  Finally, the property owners wishing to be annexed have an issue too because they are unable to truly express their property rights preventing local entrepreneurship.

4. Title: District’s model program enhances student safety

Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AFCCCB%21Citrus%2BCounty%2BChronicle%2B%2528Crystal%2BRiver%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0802%21August%2B02&action=browse&format=text&fld-base-0=alltext&docref=news/1751BEF8CCA86310

Description of Story: After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting the Aaron Feis Guardian Program was established.  This program is now being implemented in Citrus County Schools.  With an applicant pool of over 40 individuals, 8 were chosen as a second layer of defense for the students and staff of the school.  The article mentions the squabble that occurred between the Sheriff's Office and the School Board and how hard it was to implement the program.  After a year of debate, the program is now being used with training being done by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office above and beyond the state requirements.

Description of Problem: Like I previously said, this idea was highly contested when it was first presented to the Sheriff's Office because of their overall lack of training.  In this case, much of that was corrected by only hiring seasoned vets of law enforcement and the military.  However, there are still problems associated with the guardians as there is still not a clear comprehension about how much they are legally allowed to get involved with and what happens if the funding is not there in the future.

Who has the Problem: This problem is primarily between the Citrus County Sheriff's Office and the Citrus County School Board.  In turn, it can have a great effect on the School Resource Deputies, the students, the teachers, and other staff of the schools.

5. Title: Deputies placed on administrative leave following shooting; man who was shot recovering, not yet charged

Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AFCCCB%21Citrus%2BCounty%2BChronicle%2B%2528Crystal%2BRiver%252C%2BFL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0723%21July%2B23&action=browse&format=text&fld-base-0=alltext&docref=news/174E185E3A59ED60

Description of Story: In this story, a Citrus County man barricaded himself in his residence with what sheriff's deputies thought were two hostages (the article mentioned that it could not be confirmed if they were hostages or occupants when law enforcement arrived).  At the time of the incident, the Citrus SWAT team was leaving training in another county so the Hernando County SWAT responded.  After hours of standoff, the Citrus SWAT took control of the scene.  In the end, four SWAT members discharged their weapons and were put on administrative leave which is standard protocol.

Description of Problem: In the situation, the suspect had PTSD from when he was in the military according to his mother.  Mental health is a big issue across the United States, and Florida is trailing behind in its support of those who need the help.  Another issue that was presented from the situation is that many individuals in these situations want to create an intense situation where they can commit suicide by law enforcement.  The problem associated is how do we ensure the situation cannot escalate to that point and prevent the need for the use of lethal force?

Who has the Problem: The problem is with those who suffer from mental health disabilities and are not receiving the help that they need.  Also, from the deputies perspective, they need to live with the fact that they shot someone.  They will need proper mental health services as well.

4. Opportunity Awaits

1. After creating my "Bug List", I realized that I wanted to get dessert near campus.  Particularly, I wanted ice cream or a milkshake or basically anything dairy-related that was not going to break the bank.  I have gone to a few ice cream shops off campus and I paid high dollar there.  Last night, my roommate and I decided we would walk to McDonalds which was easily over a half mile away.  Now, if I am eating dessert and gaining all of those carbs and sugars, I should be glad to walk a little bit.  However, I am not okay with that because it just is not convenient.  In that moment, I realized that this is a major problem on campus that needs to be solved.  Quite frankly, I am bugged that I cannot cure my craving for ice cream on this campus.

2. First, the unmet need is ice cream and other dessert related options that are cheap, convenient, and accessible.  I am no expert on Gainesville, but there was a Mochi Frozen Yogurt shop on University that has closed down.  I will talk about the Baskin Robbins later, but that has issues too.  Sweetberries is on 13th, but it is too expensive, in my opinion.  Other than that, there is not much that is close or affordable.  Based on all of that, I think that this concern has existed for quite a while, but three is not reason for it.  I will confirm this need through my interviews, but I am sure that many UF students would agree with me that there just is not a good place for ice cream and other desserts on campus.  Their unmet need has to do with the following several points.

• Parking on campus is so hard to find, that everything you do on campus or near it needs to be within walking distance.  Even with the bus system, after reading other people's bug lists, they are hard to navigate and from personal experiences never on time. 

• My second point is that we live in Florida. In the summer, the heat index can get well over 100 degrees.  With this being said, we need to stay hydrated and aware of the heat.  There is nothing better than an ice-cold beverage, smoothie, or ice cream to help in this heat.

• The third unmet need of the students is the price point.  I am not going to spend $5-10 to get my fix.  I am a poor college student who cannot afford these types of prices.  I need the $1 soft-serve or even the $3 waffle cone.

• Many people may be thinking that there is a Baskin Robbins on University Ave., and you would be right, but they too are not convenient.  If you show up at that Baskin Robbins at 8:30pm, they have already closed down their ice cream section.  Now we don't live in the retirement community, they have no reason to be closed at 8:30.  Even my small hometown has a 24 hour Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins that you can easily get to.

Interview #1: UF student

3. I figured that if my target audience was composed of college students, more specifically those who do not have access to ice cream while on campus, I would start with an interview of them.  I wanted to speak to them to see if they were experiencing the same problem that I had.

4. The first student that I spoke to was a second-year student who had told me that they had not yet found a good ice cream place that they enjoyed.  They iterated the same issues that I had and said that they had found themselves paying large amounts and walking far distances to get what they wanted.  To avoid the high prices of some of these places, they typically go to McDonalds which is over 1/2 mile from their dorm.  For them this isn't a daily need, but it does affect their frequency of wanting this need because they know the cost to get it.

Interview #2: Ice Cream Shop Customer

3. To further understand my target, I decided let's speak to someone that is actually in the act of purchasing ice cream.  This ice cream shop was about a 10 minute drive from campus, and I spoke to UF students there to see if their needs were being met. 

4. They first explained to me that they carpooled to the ice cream shop because it was so hard for some of their friends to get there without losing their parking spot.  They explained to me that they liked this ice cream shop and thought that their soft serve was really good.  However, one of the main points they made to me was that this was not their first choice.  The first choice had actually closed down previously.  Their second choice was a small popsicle place closer to campus, but their popsicles were over $5 a piece.  They all agreed that you could go to the grocery store if you wanted just a popsicle and it would be much less.  They were open to trying other ice cream places which leads me to believe they still have the need, and are trying to find a great place to solve it.

Interview #3: Game Day 

3. This was a student who was attending a home game at UF.  It was good to talk to them because of how many people are on campus during this time.  There are additional places to eat during these time.  It is still summer in Florida, so it is hot.  It was not as much for this game, but when we have a home game, it could be much worse. 

4. After the home game against UT Martin, they found themselves walking all the way to McDonalds from the stadium at 1:00 am to find it packed.  They did not even get the ice cream they wanted and settled for donuts at the Krispy Kreme.  Not to mention even if they had wanted ice cream before the home game, they had no way of getting it because there was not a single truck that was serving ice cream.  Because this need was not served before the game, they wanted it solved afterwards and still couldn't get it.  They were fuming when this happened and even considered paying premium prices from Uber to get somewhere.

5. From all three people, I learned that many of my concerns were valid.  Other people were experiencing the issue and just dealing with it.  Many were not too upset which makes me skeptical about whether or not they are truly wanting it.  I know it is a need, but how much so is what I need to figure out.  They are all traveling pretty far distances relatively speaking to fulfill their want.  Many had to change their plans several times because they could not get what they wanted, where they wanted it.  Price was also a big consideration because they are all college students and they don't have $5 to spend on a popsicle.  It was interesting to see they were experiencing the same things.

7. My issue has opened it self up quite a bit since I started writing about it.  Like I said previously, I really need to consider how much the need is there.  If these individuals were willing to travel so much, how much will they benefit from the convenience aspect.  I know that cost is a major concern for them, so I also want to consider how my profit margins will be effected by having to keep my rates low.  As was said in class, I also need to think about the lack of scenario.  We see that the Mochi on University Ave. closed down.  Was it because the rent was too high in that place or that they did not get enough customers, were their prices wrong, or was it a greater corporate problem (I've seen other popular Mochi places close down).  I have a lot think about at this point.  I don't think my interviews hurt my original idea but it gave me more things to think about and consider.  This is great because it will create more success in the long run.  I would like to hear more comments about whether or not my peers think this is a need on campus.