Forming An Opportunity Belief

I believe that there is a huge problem at the University of Florida. The fact that students have to go out around as early as 7:30 in order to not wait on line for bars is absurd. Students have to scarf down their dinner and get ready so fast or else they will be waiting on line for the whole night. It has gotten so bad that some students with later classes go to class dressed for Mid-Town. This problem mainly exists because of all the bars that have shut down in recent years. Mid-town used to be a wonderful place where you would go to a bar with some of your friends and see some of your other friends go to a different bar and you would make a plan when you got there. Now Mid Town consists of you going to one bar for the whole night. There are a few solutions to this problem. The first and most unlikely one is that the UF student body agrees to take a stand and everyone goes out later. The second and better solution is to simply open more bars in Mid. Re-open Cantina, someone buy the old bookstore and make that a bar or club, etc. There are so many options and it would make Mid great once again. 

#1. A male junior at the University of Florida

·      How often do you go to Mid-Town?

o   "Twice a week"

·      Around what time do you go out now compared to 2 years ago?

o   "7:30 - 8:00 now as opposed to 9:00 - 9:30 2 years ago."

·      How has the time change effected your normal going out routine?

o   "I now have to make the decision of whether I to go out or study where before I had the opportunity to study for a few hours at night and then go out. I also am eating dinner earlier now that I have to go out earlier. On the positive side, I usually come home earlier and wake up earlier the next day"

·      When do you feel this problem first arose? 

o   "When cantina and shucks closed. This made 1-2 bars the only bars to go to causing long lines at early times."

·      Do you think opening more bars and reopening Cantina would solve this problem? 

o   “Yes, but only with the right leadership, business model, and marketing strategy of each bar.”

#2. A female junior at the University of Florida

·      How often do you go to Mid-Town?

o   "2-3 times a week"

·      Around what time do you go out now compared to 2 years ago?

o   "Insanely early now. I usually go out at 8 pm, when freshmen year we would go out at like 10-10:30ish"

·      How has the time change effected your normal going out routine?

o   "I used to be able to either do school work or go to the gym before going out and now I can’t do either. Also, I eat dinner at like 5:00 as opposed to 7:30 which is when I used to eat dinner."

·      When do you feel this problem first arose? 

o   "Probably Spring of last year, around the time that Cantina closed."

·      Do you think opening more bars and reopening Cantina would solve this problem? 

o   “I don’t think it would immediately solve the problem because people would still be loyal to Fats, but it would definitely help over time.”

#3. A male senior at the University of Florida

·      How often do you go to Mid-Town?

o   "I’d say 3 times a week is fair."

·      Around what time do you go out now compared to 2 years ago?

o   "Man, everything has changed so much. I’d say I go out around 8:00 – 8:30 as compared to 9:30 – 10:00 back in the day."

·      How has the time change effected your normal going out routine?

o   "Changes everything, it changes my whole day. It has created a huge burden on my life. I have to eat earlier, go to the gym earlier and be ready to go out so much earlier."

·      When do you feel this problem first arose? 

o   "March 2017."

·      Do you think opening more bars and reopening Cantina would solve this problem? 

o   “One hundred percent.”

Summary/ Reflection: I think the opportunity definitely still exists. However, after talking to these people I have realized that it will not be as simple as I thought. It will not be just opening a few bars and “poof” Mid-Town is back to normal. I realized that a lot goes into opening new bars like management and a business plan and what not. I also realized that once these bars are open it will take time for people to grow accustomed to going to these different bars.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Miami Herald

1. Former South Florida star posted a racial slur. Then she withdrew from her university

• LINK
• A freshmen soccer player at Georgia State University, Natalia Martinez, used a racial slur on her "finsta," which is her private Instagram. The athletic director suspended the player from the soccer team before she told the school about her intentions to withdraw. 
• The problem was that a petition was released that wanted the university to take a stronger stance on the situation. The petition has received almost 700 signatures.
• Some might say the problem was for the student, when in reality it was more of a problem for the university. In response to the petition the university released a statement. In this statement the university said it "not tolerate the language (Martinez) used in her post."

2. Woman falls overboard into the Gulf of Mexico from Carnival cruise

• LINK
• A 44 year old woman fell overboard from a Carnival cruise ship into the Gulf of Mexico. All authorities have been alerted and they are leading search and rescue missions.
• A huge problem is that this was the second incident of a woman falling over the side of one of Carnival's ships in the past week.
• Obviously, it is a problem for the families of these people and I doo feel for them. However, I see the main problem being for Carnival. This is a public relations nightmare. 2 women falling off in the same week, one is still missing and the other is confirmed dead. Carnival has to address this immediately. 

3. Hospice is shutting down in Key West, and there's a problem with the alternative

• LINK
• The VNA and Hospice of the Florida Keys will close on February 28th due to financial stress only worsened by Hurricane Irma. This hospice has been providing end of life services since 1984. 
• Besides the fact that this will leave no hospice care in the Lower Keys and will eliminate 22 jobs, the next closest hospice is a 2 hour (91 mile drive). 
• Besides the employees, the people who suffer the most from this are the 31 patients being cared for through VNA and Hospice. They have the major problem of finding new care. That is just what the poor people on their death bed need. 

4. Mom turns in son after seeing he was wanted for stealing 81-year-old woman's car

• LINK
• A 14 year old boy was arrested and charged with carjacking after a deputy said that he was one of three boys who stole an elderly woman's car. The boy's mother told the news that she was the one who turned him in.
• The problem here is a moral dilemma for the mother, should she punish him on her own or turn in her own son?
• As stated previously, the problem here was the mother's problem. I feel that she did the right thing but now she has to deal with the fact that her son knows she turned him in. 

5. Gossip Extra - Burnie's hijinks lead to another lawsuit against Miami Heat

• LINK
• The Miami Heat's mascot, Burnie, is involved in the most recent lawsuit towards the Miami Heat. During a game against the Toronto Raptors, security guard,Juanita Griffiths, was doing her job when Burnie bumped into her and injured her leg. 
• The problem is that this is the second lawsuit involving the beloved Heat mascot, Burnie.
• The problem is for the Miami Heat because it does not look good that their mascot keeps hurting people. A mascot is supposed to be a thing for kids, families and to represent the team's spirit. No one is going to want to let their kids near Burnie if he keeps hurting people. 

My Entrepreneurship Story

I had always been very interested in entrepreneurship and always wanted to learn more about it. I started watching the show shark tank and immediately fell in love with it. I get to see all these entrepreneurs present their products and share their stories. I love Shark Tank.

I had just so happened to be taking a business class at the time in high school, when the teacher told us our next project was going to be a mock Shark Tank. We had to make a product, a business plan, and everything we needed to present on the show. Then we needed to present to 3 or 4 teachers like we were on shark tank.

My groups product was a screen you put attach to your i phone that makes the screen the size of an i pad. It is mainly for when you are watching a movie or a tv show on a plane or a long car ride. But, I loved every second of this product because it really gave me a good insight on the world of entrepreneurship.

20 Things That Grind My Gears

1. The fact that you have to leave your house at 7:30 if you do not want to wait on line in midtown.

• This exists because many bars have shut down in midtown over the past year, and the majority of students only go to Fat Daddy's which creates a very long line very early. 

2. The fact that my room mate's dog is awfully trained and he refuses to admit it.

• This problem exists because the dog grew up in a frat house and never had a chance to be properly trained.

3. The fact that our football team has not won a National Championship since I have been here.

• We have not won yet because we gave away Will Grier, when he was clearly a championship quarter back.

4. The fact that greek life is getting more and more strict.

• This problem exists because of the recent pledge deaths. All it takes is a few irresponsible kids to ruin it for everyone else. 

5. The fact that the Knicks suck even though they have the best stadium, fan base, and are located in the best city in the U.S.

• This is an existing problem because James Dolan is the worst owner in all of sports, the team has been on a steady decline since he took over the team. He has made awful trades, terrible signings and treated draft picks like halloween candy. This man is truly a cancer to the Knicks organization, he does not deserve to look at a professional sports team let alone own one.

6. The fact that Cantina closed, it was truly the best bar in midtown and gave everyone something fun to do on Sundays once football season was over.

• Cantina closed because of poor management and a long list of ignored problems. 

7. The fact that the new Mcdonalds on W University closes even though it says open 24 hours.

• This problem is due to poor management and the lack of experience of the workers.

8. The fact that Kanye West takes so long to bless us with new music.

• This problem is due to the fact that Kanye is a musical genius and needs time to perfect his art.

9. The fact that none of the problems in our apartment building ever get solved.

• This problem is due to the awful management and staff. All of the managers are a bunch of yes men.

10. The fact that Bento on W University is not open yet.

• This problem exists because The Standard fell very behind on construction last summer. It is a miracle that the rooms were ready on time.

11. The fact that Andrew Luck is now an injury prone quarter back and is out indefinitely.

• This problem exists because the Indianapolis Colts now former GM Ryan Grigson thought it was a good idea to take washed up players at positions we already had filled instead of taking an offensive line to protect the Colts franchise quarter back.

12. The fact that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, How I Met Your Mother, and Family Guy are no longer on Netflix and they have the audacity to raise their prices. 

• This problem is due to Netflix losing their deal with 20th Century Fox.

13. When a class makes you buy a very expensive textbook that ends up being unnecessary. 

• This problem exists because professors might feel it is necessary in order to learn the material, however the student feels the opposite.

14. The fact that Kevin Durant signed to the Warriors, who just so happen to be the team that beat him in the playoffs the year before.

• This is an existing problem in the NBA because of Lebron James and "The Decision." Players look up to him because he is the best and they figure if he can do it so can they.

15. When my laptop freezes in the middle of an assignment, exam, or quiz.

• This problem exists because I need to bring my laptop into an apple store to get looked at and I have been procrastinating.

16. When you get to Chic Fil A at 10:30 on the dot and they won't serve you breakfast.

•  This problem exists because Chic Fil A has a very strict time schedule that they stick to no matter what. 

17. The fact that Chic Fil A is not open on Sundays.

• This problem exists because the owner of Chic Fil A is a hardcore Chirstian and wants to allow his workers to go to church on Sundays.

18. The fact that the kid moving into my apartment next year has a cat, and I HATE CATS!!

• This exists because no one has the heart to tell him not to bring it.

19. When I get notified that a package I ordered has arrived at my apartment building, but I can't pick it up because the building has not sorted it yet.

• This problem exists because the office at my apartment building is run terrible and they are very behind with mail and packages.

20. When I am playing golf and the people in front of me are very slow.

• This problem exists because golf is a very slow and strategical game and some people take longer than others to think about what they are going to do for their current shot.

I had a very hard time finishing this list after about 8 bugs. This is because I am not a very angry person and I do not get frustrated that easily. You can probably tell that by the bugs I listed and how they are not very personal. 

TEST POST

I'm Matt and this is my blog.