Local Opportunities in Cleveland, OH

Issue #1: “Bay Village to close elementary school Thursday and Friday due to illness”

https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2020/01/bay-village-to-close-elementary-school-thursday-and-friday-due-to-illness.html

Westerly Elementary School is closing school for Thursday and Friday due to an extreme increase of student illness. They decided to close school for these few days after over 1/3^rd of the students in third/fourth grade were absent due to illness. They found that it was best for everyone to go home, feel better, deep clean the school, and return on the following Monday to ensure safety and less illness spread.

The problem is a widespread illness to the school that has the potential to affect everyone. Another problem, however, is the issue that classes will now be off track and lesson plans will fall behind because of these two days off.

Various people in this case have the problem. First the students, whether they are sick or not have the problem because they can potentially get sick, as well as are missing school. The teachers and staff also have the problem because they are exposed the illness and are now not working for two days and could potentially not get paid (it does not mention anything about this). The school district also has a problem because now they need to dip into their budget and hire a cleaning crew to clean the school. They also face the issue of potentially lower test scores due to missing two days.

Issue #2: Man shoots attacker in self-defense in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood, police say

https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2020/01/man-shoots-attacker-in-self-defense-in-clevelands-slavic-village-neighborhood-police-say.html

A man shot and injured someone who attacked him in broad daylight. The man shot in self-defense when someone attacked him from behind, brought him to the ground, and began beating him up. The attacker was under the influence of alcohol and when he was questioned said he did not remember what started it.

The problem presented in this story is the fact that a man is attacking someone in broad daylight in a Cleveland neighborhood. This brings an unsafe idea to this part of town, and it also causes a large case for police to deal with.

This is a problem for the shooter because now he has a case to deal with and has lots of paperwork, police talk, and potentially someone after him if he had someone attack him. This is also a problem for the attacker because he probably will be arrested or have some charge against him, plus now he is recovering from being shot. This is a problem for police because now they not only have to deal with this, but worry about potential crime in this area in the future. This is also a problem for Slavic Village neighborhood, where the shooting occurred because now the businesses might suffer because people will not want to go there. This is also potentially a problem for attacker’s insurance company because was rushed in an ambulance, meaning someone needs to pay for that, most likely his insurance company.

 

Issue #3: “Suspected coronavirus cases found in Ohio”

https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/01/suspected-coronavirus-case-found-in-ohio.html

The Coronavirus has been found at Miami University, which can be a deadly disease. It has come from China, and is now infecting the US. The Ohio Department of Health is monitoring these cases and are giving updates to the people. Their goal is to keep it as contained as possible, and keep the people in Ohio safe and healthy.

The problem is a deadly disease has been brought to the US and two possible cases have been found at Miami University. Therefore, it has the potential to spread through the state of Ohio.

The students have a problem because they are exposed to people who have this disease. The facility is also exposed, resulting in them having the opportunity to catch the disease as well. The students who are already sick have a problem because they are suffering. People who live near Miami University have a problem because they are exposed to it as well.

Issue #4: Bob’s Discount Furniture plans new Great Northern Plaza location in North Olmsted

https://www.cleveland.com/community/2020/01/bobs-discount-furniture-planning-new-great-northern-plaza-location-in-north-olmsted.html

Bob’s Discount Furniture is bringing in a store in North Olmsted for the public to shop at. It is moving into a vacant 40,000 square foot building and has plans to start construction to transform the building for its store. This company is expanding all over Ohio, opening its third location this year in the state.

The problem at hand is a strong competition for furniture in Ohio, specifically this location.

Other furniture stores in this area might have a problem because of competition, and since they are a discount store they might suffer in their sales. The people of North Olmsted might have a problem with traffic due to the new store. The people who live around the new store might have a problem because of the construction of the store and it could be loud and bothersome. Bob’s furniture company might have a problem if they do not do well in this location and could lose money.

Issue #5: Cavaliers are getting better, according to NBA 2K20

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2020/01/cavaliers-are-getting-better-according-to-nba-2k20.html

The Cleveland Cavaliers, a professional basketball team, have been having a horrible season, where they are in second to last place. However, the popular NBA 2K20 team has seen an increase in the ratings for certain Cavs players, which transfer into a better performance for the basketball team. This is to give hope to the professional team in hopes of making a turn around in mid season to begin to win and go far in the post season.

The problem at hand is that the team is performing poor, which brings less interest to the team, makes less money for the stadium, and makes Cleveland fans very upset and disinterested in the team. The problem is that they are doing poor, but there is hope they will do better.

The fans have a problem because they do not want to support a bad team. The owners have a problem because less money will be made if they continue to do poor. The players have a problem because they might be cut if they do badly and lose their contract. The city has a problem because if the team does bad then less fans will want to travel to Cleveland to watch them, causing a lose of money for the city. Investors who sell food and product in the arena have a problem because their sales might be down due to lack of interest.

Opportunity Belief: Parking at the University of Florida

It is well known that there is a parking problem at the University of Florida. A while back, some students began the phenomenon of scooters being the primary mode of transportation to class. This tackled the problem, but also created new ones as well. This is a problem because tens of thousands of students, facility, and staff descent on campus everyday looking to park and there is simply not enough spaces.

This problem exists for a number of reasons, but I believe the biggest reason is because the Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) sells too many parking passes that exceed actual parking spots that exist, for both scooters and cars. This is a problem for students, teachers, staff members, and facility that need to get to campus for their daily routine. This also affects the businesses around campus, such as restaurants and shops across the street at Mid-town because people will try and park there when they cannot find a spot on campus. It also affects the apartment complexes behind midtown and towards downtown because they deal with people trying to park there as well, when they do not live there, making it hard for the residents to find spots. People are buying the VERY expensive parking decals (around $180 a year) to possibly get a spot, but it is not guaranteed. If you ask anyone who is involved with campus parking, they will say that it is a huge problem for the University. I believe an opportunity exists simply because the system does not work in an adequate way at the moment. Some options would be, only selling the number of decals that equal to the number of spots, more parking garages, more parking lots, or different levels of parking decals (Costs) so that the more expensive decal, the more guaranteed you are a spot.

The first person I interviewed was a student by the name Jade Caraway. Jade is a senior transfer the University of Florida and spent her first two years at North Carolina State University.  Jade expressed to me her experience at NC State and how it compared to Florida. She described how Florida’s parking system was the first thing she noticed when she transferred here. She said at NC State decals were a little more expensive, around $250 a year, yet she never had to worry about not finding a spot. She uses a scooter, simply because she found out it was impossible to drive anywhere close to her classes in her car. She had to invest in a scooter (~$2,000) and had to buy a decal on top of that. She experiences this issue everyday when she goes to class because she had to roam around for a scooter spot for about 10 minutes. She also has found that people move her scooter out of the painted lines and steal her spot, resulting in her having to pay even more for a ticket. She believes that something needs to be done with this on going issue for the University, because lots of people are upset, including her. Currently, she addresses this issue by locking her scooter in a manner where it cannot be moved, as well as leaving 10 minutes earlier than she would for her class so she can spend that time finding a spot.

The next person I interviewed as Amanda Lorenz, a graduate student at the University of Florida. She does not have a scooter and drives her car to class. She spent her time at Florida for her undergraduate as well, so she was aware of the parking issue. She felt that since she was a graduate student, and had more options to park with the decal she qualified for, that parking would be easier. In our interview, she described how some days are easier for parking than others. Specifically she noted that earlier in the week there are practically no spots, and later in the week there are many more. She also described that there are typically more spots in the morning rather than later at night because of how many graduate programs take place at night. She said that she knows there is a problem for parking and feels like they should just build much larger parking garages. She does not need to go to campus everyday, therefore it does not constantly affect her on a daily basis. However, she said when she does she makes sure to get there early in the morning to find a spot.

The last person I Interviewed was Jolene Henderson, a staff member at the University, along with a resident on 13^th Street across from the business school. She does not drive a car or scooter to campus, but rather walks. She finds that parking is an issue at her apartment complex because people try and park there, even if they are not residents. She said that cars are towed from there every single day because they are taking up much needed spots that belong to the residents. She described how she does not really like where she lives because of parking, but it is convenient that she does not need to drive to campus every, which means she also does not need to buy a parking decal as well. Jolene is in her second year working at the University and residing here as well. She became aware of the parking issue the moment she moved there, more specifically once classes began. She has combated the issue with walking everywhere she possible can, such as class, Publix, restaurants, etc. so that she does not need to move her spot and risk not finding another one. She knows that there is a problem when it comes to parking, so she chooses to just not move her car unless need be.

After these interviews I definitely believe there is a market to fix the parking issues at the University of Florida. However, I have learned that I feel like undergraduate students are the biggest market I can target simply because they are the most frustrated, and they are the largest population affected by this problem. I believe that a parking garage or more expensive decals for guaranteed spots would be the best opportunity to solve this problem. I can target the undergraduate population who would buy into the expensive decals because they can justify it by saying it is a “need”, along with contracting new garages to the TAPS industry for more spots. I found that there is a mixture between trade-off and “staying firm” through my interviews. I found that I could focus in on my targeted group better through my interviews, but also that the problem/ solution I had was the correct one following my interviews. Jade gave me the best insight and confirmed my intuition that undergraduate students are the most affected by parking issues.

Entrepreneurship and I

I would say that I started thinking like an entrepreneur when I was beginning high school. I realized that I started questioning problems and their solutions a lot more than ever, and would think of abstract ways to concur these issues. When I was younger I would just let the problems be, and accept them. However, the older I got the more I would think about inventing things (even if they were impractical). I also really enjoyed watching the show Shark Tank, which is obviously about entrepreneurs trying to make their invention take off. I loved, and still do love, to watch that show because I am always so impressed with the ideas they come up with.  

I specifically remember when I was at softball practice one day hitting in the cages I came up with my first invention. I was tired of hitting the balls and having to pick them up every single time I hit them. I just wanted to come, hit, and leave. Instead, I would spend half my time hitting and the other half picking up all the balls I just hit. Therefore, I came up with the idea that the balls should be magnetically connected to the bucket, making it way easier to pick up. Of course this was not really practical, considering the balls need to be made up of certain material and way a certain weight, but the idea and thinking was still there, which is when I can first recall my entrepreneurship mindset. 

I have led some projects in high school, such as the main editor of the yearbook. Although this was not something new I invented, but I did lead the project and create the ideas, placement, writing, etc. for the project. 

I enrolled in ENT 3003 for two reasons. One reason is that I wanted to learn the basic fundamentals of entrepreneurship because I feel like these are important things to know in life, regardless of your occupation. The second reason I am in this class is because it is one of the few four credit classes, which was something I needed for my schedule.

Bug List

Bug list

1.     Long lines at Disney World bug me because they choose to over crowd and over sell their theme parks for more money, making the experience less fun because it is a lot of wasted time waiting for the ride.

2.     When traffic lights change too fast it bugs me because it makes drivers act irrational and run through the light, resulting in erratic driving, and potentially putting people at risk.

3.     People who walk across the street in the cross walk while texting and do not stop and look bug me because it is extremely dangerous for them and is even putting the driver at risk because the pedestrian is not even paying any attention.

4.     People who do not say thank you after you hold the door open for them bug me because it seems rude and self-centered by the other person when you went out of your way to be kind.

5.     When people post spoilers on Twitter about television shows bugs me because they ruin the show for everyone who cannot watch it at the immediate time it is aired (The Bachelor).

6.     Scooting to class when it is cold outside bugs me because the wind whips my face and it makes it even colder than it already is, which will also most likely result in being sick.

7.     People who do not cover their mouth when they cough/their nose when they sneeze bugs me because it gets germs everywhere and exposes the people around them to their sickness.

8.     When my socks get wet bugs me because it makes my feet cold and wrinkly and then makes me very uncomfortable.

9.     When I update my iPhone with the newest software and then the battery dies faster bugs me because they want users to buy the newest phone that comes out with the new update.

10. Paper straws bug me because people feel like they are better for the environment, which I agree with, but I feel like there are more things that we can do that make a larger impact than straws.

11. When people drive under the speed limit, specifically during heavy traffic, bothers me because it causes people to get stuck at lights, slow down, and just causes worse traffic to occur.

12. Smelly people bug me because it is rude to everyone they are around and something that is so simple to combat that there is no reason for it.

13. When a waiter gets my order wrong bugs me because it means someone did not pay attention to the order and was careless with their work.

14. When people put their hazards on when it starts raining (specifically in Florida) bugs me because it causes a danger to everyone around them, having people think someone is wrong with their vehicle, when in reality they are just scared.

15. When the internet disconnects/ stops working out of no where bugs me because it usually means something malfunctioned, yet I do not know how to fix it, so it becomes a huge problem.

16. Watching a movie on television that has commercials bugs me because the companies are paying for these commercials, yet it makes the movie so much longer than it needs to be.

17. Stepping in gum and it getting stuck to my shoe bugs me because careless people just throw their gum onto the ground with no care to anyone that will walk by, and potentially ruin their shoes from it.

18. Delayed flights at the airport bug me because it ruins everyone’s travel plans and causes problems for the airline, the travelers, and everyone involved really.

19. Getting junk mail bugs me because it is a waste of paper on the planet and a waste of money for the company that sent it.

20. Scam phone calls bug me because it can be dangerous if you answer and give them information, yet sometimes you have to answer because you do not know if it is someone you know (and just don’t have their number) or if it is a scam company.

I found it difficult at first to come up with the bugs, but then I would step away and just go about my day and think of things that bother me a little and make a note of it. I did this for a few days until I realized I had around 20 or so. I thought it was most difficult when I had to sit down and think about it because I like to try and be positive so it was hard to just come up with something on the spot. However, when I just reflected on things that bothered me or raised my blood pressure just a little, I made a mental note of it. I think this is an interesting assignment because it does really force you to reflect on things that you kind of let go unnoticed day to day, but when you reflect they really are a bother to you.