4A Forming an Oppurtunity Belief

1)  I think that there is an opportunity to help bring college kids together. The first semester for many kids is rough and a lot of changes happen at once. Whether is be the first time living and cooking on your own, or moving away from friends or family it is altogether a rough and stressful time in a persons life. Now I know there are counseling and clubs and such to help with this but I don't think those always work.  My idea was a sort of social event to help bring students together to converse and not have to worry about class or anything else just for that little bit of time just to help take their mind off of things.

2) The unmet need is a social group for college kids, there is only so much social media and your phone can do to keep you occupied and happy but when you turn the screen off there is something missing from you. Many college kids face struggles in their first few semesters and a social group would help combat these negative feelings. This need has always been around in college students but these days we are better able to see it. There are some clubs and counseling sessions to combat these problems but they are awkward and often ineffective.  I am 100% sure that this problem does exist in college students today.

3) The prototypical customer would be the average college student just beginning his or her collegiate career. First few semesters away from home and they just need that extra bit of social time to get them out and about and away from their apartment.

4)Customer 1,  He is a college  kid in his  first semester away from home. He said that he wasn't aware of his need at first but once I brought up the topic he realized the need. He often felt homesick or just the need to talk to someone a few times a week and really liked the idea of my social group. He was interested in a meeting or event once or twice a week to get out of the house. At the moment he wasn't addressing the need very much just a few phone calls home and he felt alright but it wasn't quite the same as good person to person interaction.

5)This opportunity does have the possibility to positively impact life around campus and help not only the student themselves but their grades as well.
 
Customer #2
Parent of a college student just beginning their career at the University of Florida.  When asking this parent she saw that her son was a little different both on the phone and when he came home to see them on the weekends. She would ask what was wrong but got no response from the student as it was hard for them to reach out.  She liked the idea of a low pressure social group for like minded and situational college students and thought that it would really help her son. She said that if something didn't change with her son that it might negatively affect his performance in school this semester. When she was in school she saw how rough it was and wishes that there was something back then.
This interview showed me that the older generation that has lived through it all sees the end for something like this and that is is indeed a good and realistic idea.


Customer #3
Another college student in his second semester at the University of Florida. When asking him about my idea of a social group on paper he initially liked the idea but brought to my attention that it might not be the cool thing to do and would be hard to get students to actually show up. I see that as a valid point but thought of ways to get around it. He said he thinks his friends would go to an event if you made it cool and a  very low pressure environment to mingle and talk to other students having the same issues. IF it were to work he thought that it would greatly help students who were feeling said or homesick.
I agree with him after some more thought the idea sounds really good on paper but many kids would feel too cool to go to the event or if the vent was lame. IF you could get over that fact the students would greatly help themselves and many others.

7)There is still a good bit of my original opportunity available to be had but  as my customer 3 made me aware of the lack of cool factor of such event a d opportunity that I had. With a way to make the event cool great help and joy could be spread across the campus. My new opportunity will bette cater to the real and normal college student now that I have more points of view and experience. Entrepreneurs should always take into consideration what the consumers and customers have to say because at the end of the day they are who the entrepreneur is trying to please or gain business from. Without s happy customer you have no business. Entrepreneurs should be semi-flexible in their opportunities in order to account for customer desires.