Final Reflection

 What sticks out to you as the most formative experience? The experience that you'll remember years later? What was your most joyous experience? What experience are you most proud of yourself for accomplishing?

• The good, the bad, & the in between: I remember at the beginning of the semester I was quite nervous for what was ahead. I wasn't really sure what to expect which made me a little more weary than normal. As the class progressed however, I became more confident with each post, and started to enjoy writing them and looking back at what my peers had to say. There were for sure times where it was noon thirty and I completely forgot to do our assignments, which is never fun, but it happens. Learning how to properly manage my time is something I've gained from taking this class. 

 At the beginning of the semester, I mentioned that I wanted each of you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Now, at the end, do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Do you think you have moved closer to developing an entrepreneurial mindset?

• I think the way I look at problems now is with much more optimism that there could be a better way, whereas before I would become deflated whenever I ran into an issue I thought was unsolvable. I wouldn't go as far to call myself a full blown entrepreneur, but I will say I feel much more confident in presenting my ideas to others.  

 What is the one recommendation you would make to the students who are going to journey down this path in the future? What would you recommend they do to perform best in this course? What would you recommend they do to foster that mindset?

• I would say to properly manage your time, always set goals for yourself, and have a good time with it. It could be quite dreadful if it was a negative experience, but I think with the right attitude and outlook it was very enjoyable. Come up with something you could imagine yourself using and bragging about to all your friends, that was the way i made it enjoyable for myself, it also makes the assignments far better if you know and are passionate about what you're talking about. 
  
• I can't stress this enough, time management is key!

Venture Concept No. 2

1. Opportunity

• Who has the need?
• People that drink iced coffee. 
• Nature of the need?
• When the ice in your iced coffee melts before you finish the coffee, it results in a worse drink. The ice completely melts which waters down the remaining coffee and gives it a bitter taste, that I know customers are not a fan of. If you don't finish the coffee before the ice melts, then that results in a waste of money and a waste of the rest of your drink. 
• How are my customers currently satisfying this need?
• There are options to get light ice in your coffee, which I know some customers do, but that also results in a less cold drink. 
• How loyal are they to whatever it is they use now? 
• Not loyal, people are always looking for better ways to do things, especially when you waste money as a result of not finishing your watered down coffee. 
• How big is this opportunity? 
• I think the large market and existing customer base makes this a very big opportunity that customers would appreciate. 

2. Innovation

• What is it? They are an alternative to standard ice cubes. Coffee Cubes is a line of different flavored coffee and cream cubes. There is anything from dark roast coffee cubes, cream cubes, and even espresso shot cubes. 
• What it does? It slowly releases whatever you chose, whether that be coffee or cream and flavoring, back into your drink, which maximizes the amount of the drink you're actually getting and consuming. 
• How it works? Making them is simple, like you would any other ice cubes, coffee and cream are both freezer friendly products for up to 6 months. You would place your desired amount of cubes into your drink and allow it to slowly melt back into your cup. 
• What exactly am I selling and for how much? 
• I'm selling a bag of 12 cubes for $5.99. 

3. Venture Concept

• How will my innovation solve the opportunity I identified? 
• It completely takes the water out of the equation, which completely solves the problem. There would be no chance of your coffee turning bitter or bad, but only becoming more delicious. 
• Why will customers buy my innovation? 
• They will buy my coffee cubes because there is nothing else on the market there for them like coffee cubes would be. Coffee cubes would provide a solution to a problem that everyone has been ignoring and neglecting. 
• What are the reasons to think customers would switch to this new product? 
• The customers need something that will solve the problem of melting ice, and the only solution other than water would clearly be more coffee and then follows with creams and flavorings. 
• How hard will it be to get them to switch? 
• I don't think it will be difficult to persuade them to switch, just getting them to try it once and then be hooked. 
• Who are the competitors?
• At the moment there are no other competitors on a wide scale, selling in grocery stores. I hope that coffee cubes would become a staple grocery item list and everyone would think to go buy them if they walked into a store because they were apart of their everyday routines. 
• What role does packaging, my price point, customer experience or the business location play in defining your business concept? 
• First off, packaging. I think the packaging could be a strong selling point and a good way to interact with the customers. The packaging needs to be something that grabs peoples attention and is clear to them exactly what they're picking up. I would also like the packaging to have some kind of clear message on it about the product and about the way it came to be. I would also like the packaging to be sustainable in some way, or be an avenue to where we can give back to maybe the places that the coffee is coming from and the people who are foraging for the beans. I think customer experience plays the next role and ties in with packaging. If the customer connects to the packaging and the message is is trying to get across, they are going to remember that experience they had while reading/purchasing it. This plays a very important role in customer experience because that moment where they take a second to appreciate or stop to read the story on the packaging they are creating a moment that they will hopefully remember the next time they come into the store. That positive moment will hopefully be a lasting memory for them and it will encourage them to repurchase. The price point I've set the coffee cubes at is very fair, for $5.99 you will get a bag of 12 cubes any flavor, coffee preference you like. The serving size for one drink, depending on how big is 1-2 cubes. The business location is semi-important but not a make or break. For business location I was thinking that places with warmer climates would be more ideal because people would be more inclined to have iced coffee rather than hot. Then I realized that people are going to drink what they want, when they want it, and if it was 20 degrees outside I would still be ordering iced coffee with a side of mittens. 

4. The Three Minor Elements 

• Venture's Secret Sauce: Most important Resource 
• The lack of competition and the lack of urgency that there is with my product. No one has given much that to it and if they have it's gone nowhere. Coffee cubes are not a standard at every coffee shop or even in everyone's coffee routine, however I think if they were exposed, they'd be converted. 
• What's Next for the Venture? 
• I think once we dive into coffee, meaning all different kinds of roasts: dark, medium, light, I think the next logical step would be creamer options. They could be both dairy and non-dairy, that way we are accommodating all creamer users. After that I think espresso shot cubes would be a great idea, for those that like their coffee extra caffeinated. 
• What's Next for You? 
• I want to keep experimenting with the different kinds of cubes you can make and the way they interact in your actual drink. I've been having so much fun with coffee that i want to explore every single avenue there is with coffee and all the different flavors as well. I love being in the kitchen and trying new things, that is what brings me the most relaxation but at the same time I love to be innovative. 

5. Summary of Feedback 

• I decided not to change much about my venture concept since I received such positive feedback on the first go around. I got feedback saying things like "you should have invented these a long time ago" and "I love this product", which made me feel confident in my venture concept. I also was asked questions like what demographic do you plan on targeting and how much will they probably cost? In my previous venture concept I touched on this briefly, however, I think it's smart to start off local and in a place I know well. I figured here in Florida where we live, we don't experience seasons as much as our other state friends, so a hotter demographic
  
  would be my first target for Coffee Cubes. On how much they cost, I decided on pricing them at $5.99 for a bag of 12 cubes. 

See Ya Later Alligator

1) Identify the exit strategy you plan to make. Do you intend to sell your business in the next 5 years for a large return? Do you intend to stay with the business for several decades and retire? Do you intend to protect the venture as a family business, and pass it down to your children?

I feel like what makes the most sense for me is to stay in the business for a few years but to eventually sell it to a larger company in the future. I'm for sure a control freak, so at the beginning I would want to be in charge of absolutely everything. I want to feel proud in the product that I put out there for people and once I feel established enough is when I will loosen the reigns. 

2) Why have you selected this particular exit strategy?

It makes sense in my mind to become established with Coffee Cubes and develop a good reputation and once I have acquired that and a loyal fan base, then I would feel comfortable in selling my product to a larger scale company. I would absolutely have to sign some kind of contract saying that nothing about the ingredients or process is going to change and same goes for the packaging and price. 

3) How do you think your exit strategy has influenced the other decisions you've made in your concept? For instance, has it influenced how you have identified an opportunity? Has it influenced your growth intentions or how you plan to acquire and use resources?

I don't think my exit strategy has influenced any other decisions in terms of Coffee Cubes, however I do see myself being more intrigued on starting something new once I sold off Coffee Cubes. I think that by going through this entire process I've learned good ways to identify things that should be better and identify good ways to go about doing so, that are unique. 

Reading Reflection No. 3

I chose to read "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight the founder of Nike. 

• What surprised you the most?
• What surprised me the most was the fact that Phil Knight did this all on his own in the beginning and the first name given to Nike was Blue Ribbon. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
• I admire his determination, he was only in college when he went to Japan alone to pitch his idea for shoes to different businessmen and women. 
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
• Oh absolutely. Everyone back in America was telling him that he was crazy and that there was no opportunity in shoes. That's all Phil did however, and in a sense that's all he knew, which meant he knew how to make it better than anyone.

It was interesting to me how quickly Phil was trying to get this to all happen, because as we know starting a huge company is not an overnight occurrence. He had no idea how he was going to pay for the first batch of 1000 shoes and he said he didn't fret because he had faith. Out of this first experience, he said if he failed it would have brought along great knowledge, and he was okay with that because wisdom is an irreplaceable asset. 

Celebrating Failure

I'm very good at not being good at things, especially if I've never done it before. This semester is my last semester where I'm required to take a math class. I am not what you call a math wizard, nonetheless I'm in the class. This semester was supposed to be a breeze, compared to other work loads I've had in the past, however this math class has proved otherwise. The first exam I pulled up to take for this class left me in awe. There were a good majority of the questions that I just stared at for a really long time. I think I may have even laughed out loud during the exam at one of the questions that was just ridiculously hard. 

Well, it being the first exam gave me some leverage because I knew I had time to make a come back. I ended up getting a big fat F on the first exam, which is always fun and super motivating. I knew I was going to really have to put in the work with this math class if I was planning on succeeding. I've redoubled my efforts since the first exam and my exam average has gone up. I was extremely discouraged when I got that first grade back. I wanted to curl up and throw that stupid piece of paper away but I wasn't going to be a baby. I had to learn from my mistakes, get my life together, and ace that next math exam. 

My perspective on failure has always been positive, I never like to quit anything so there is rarely a time I can remember giving up. I think without failure, you would never improve and never strive for more. I've mastered not being embarrassed anymore when I don't do something right. I've realized it's far more embarrassing to sit back and accept your failure and not ask how to do it better, than it is to actually fail. 

What's Next?

Existing Market 

Step 1: Talk about what you think is what's next in terms of products and services for your venture.

I think that what is coming next is more flavors and variations of coffee cubes. I think the opportunities for coffee cubes are endless. 

Step 2: Interview three customers who are already part of the market you have identified, and ask them what they believe is next for a venture like yours. Describe to them your business, and simply ask "What should we be doing that we aren't planning to do?" 

Interviewee No. 1: This interviewee said that the idea to expand to more flavors and different kinds of roasts of coffee. They said that maybe expanding into other kinds of drinks, like tea cubes for iced tea. 

Interviewee No. 2: Interviewee said that they could also see the cubes expanding into other drinks as well, but they said that they thought the coffee idea was the strongest out of all of them because coffee is so popular. 

Step 3: Based on your own expectations and the feedback you received from customers, set a path for the future.

I could see coffee cubes being sold in grocery stores and becoming a staple grocery list item, but I could also see coffee cubes being implemented into large scale coffee shops and being sold that way as well. I think whichever path I take will be a positive experience and successful. 

New Market 


Based on the feedback I got from the interviewee's and the feedback I've been accumulating all throughout this process has helped me to expand my ideas into new markets. People love the coffee idea, but can see this idea spreading across a lot of different territory. People have given me tips on venturing into teas, juices and smoothies. Creating coffee cubes came almost natural to me because I had had such frustration with watered down coffee. I think that people share thus frustration with all their drinks that come along with ice. I think creating cubes that go with your drink to keep it fresher longer and better longer is something that can appeal to anyone. Rather than only focusing on the people that drink coffee, I can expand the realm into a larger audience and hopefully create cubes for more than just coffee drinkers. 

Venture Concept No. 1

1. Opportunity

• Who has the need?
• People that drink iced coffee. 
• Nature of the need?
• When the ice in your iced coffee melts before you finish the coffee, it results in a worse drink. The ice completely melts which waters down the remaining coffee and gives it a bitter taste, that I know customers are not a fan of. If you don't finish the coffee before the ice melts, then that results in a waste of money and a waste of the rest of your drink. 
• How are my customers currently satisfying this need?
• There are options to get light ice in your coffee, which I know some customers do, but that also results in a less cold drink. 
• How loyal are they to whatever it is they use now? 
• Not loyal, people are always looking for better ways to do things, especially when you waste money as a result of not finishing your watered down coffee. 
• How big is this opportunity? 
• I think the large market and existing customer base makes this a very big opportunity that customers would appreciate. 

2. Innovation

• What is it? They are an alternative to standard ice cubes. Coffee Cubes is a line of different flavored coffee and cream cubes. There is anything from dark roast coffee cubes, cream cubes, and even espresso shot cubes. 
• What it does? It slowly releases whatever you chose, whether that be coffee or cream and flavoring, back into your drink, which maximizes the amount of the drink you're actually getting and consuming. 
• How it works? Making them is simple, like you would any other ice cubes, coffee and cream are both freezer friendly products for up to 6 months. You would place your desired amount of cubes into your drink and allow it to slowly melt back into your cup. 
• What exactly am I selling and for how much? 
• I'm selling a bag of 12 cubes for $5.99. 

3. Venture Concept

• How will my innovation solve the opportunity I identified? 
• It completely takes the water out of the equation, which completely solves the problem. There would be no chance of your coffee turning bitter or bad, but only becoming more delicious. 
• Why will customers buy my innovation? 
• They will buy my coffee cubes because there is nothing else on the market there for them like coffee cubes would be. Coffee cubes would provide a solution to a problem that everyone has been ignoring and neglecting. 
• What are the reasons to think customers would switch to this new product? 
• The customers need something that will solve the problem of melting ice, and the only solution other than water would clearly be more coffee and then follows with creams and flavorings. 
• How hard will it be to get them to switch? 
• I don't think it will be difficult to persuade them to switch, just getting them to try it once and then be hooked. 
• Who are the competitors?
• At the moment there are no other competitors on a wide scale, selling in grocery stores. I hope that coffee cubes would become a staple grocery item list and everyone would think to go buy them if they walked into a store because they were apart of their everyday routines. 
• What role does packaging, my price point, customer experience or the business location play in defining your business concept? 
• First off, packaging. I think the packaging could be a strong selling point and a good way to interact with the customers. The packaging needs to be something that grabs peoples attention and is clear to them exactly what they're picking up. I would also like the packaging to have some kind of clear message on it about the product and about the way it came to be. I would also like the packaging to be sustainable in some way, or be an avenue to where we can give back to maybe the places that the coffee is coming from and the people who are foraging for the beans. I think customer experience plays the next role and ties in with packaging. If the customer connects to the packaging and the message is is trying to get across, they are going to remember that experience they had while reading/purchasing it. This plays a very important role in customer experience because that moment where they take a second to appreciate or stop to read the story on the packaging they are creating a moment that they will hopefully remember the next time they come into the store. That positive moment will hopefully be a lasting memory for them and it will encourage them to repurchase. The price point I've set the coffee cubes at is very fair, for $5.99 you will get a bag of 12 cubes any flavor, coffee preference you like. The serving size for one drink, depending on how big is 1-2 cubes. The business location is semi-important but not a make or break. For business location I was thinking that places with warmer climates would be more ideal because people would be more inclined to have iced coffee rather than hot. Then I realized that people are going to drink what they want, when they want it, and if it was 20 degrees outside I would still be ordering iced coffee with a side of mittens. 

4. The Three Minor Elements 

• Venture's Secret Sauce: Most important Resource 
• The lack of competition and the lack of urgency that there is with my product. No one has given much that to it and if they have it's gone nowhere. Coffee cubes are not a standard at every coffee shop or even in everyone's coffee routine, however I think if they were exposed, they'd be converted. 
• What's Next for the Venture? 
• I think once we dive into coffee, meaning all different kinds of roasts: dark, medium, light, I think the next logical step would be creamer options. They could be both dairy and non-dairy, that way we are accommodating all creamer users. After that I think espresso shot cubes would be a great idea, for those that like their coffee extra caffeinated. 
• What's Next for You? 
• I want to keep experimenting with the different kinds of cubes you can make and the way they interact in your actual drink. I've been having so much fun with coffee that i want to explore every single avenue there is with coffee and all the different flavors as well. I love being in the kitchen and trying new things, that is what brings me the most relaxation but at the same time I love to be innovative. 

Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

Resources:

1. Drive
• Valuable: The way my drive is valuable to my concept is that without businesses don't flourish. Helping to maintain momentum is important every step of the way when trying to make something succeed. I think that my willingness to be dedicated to the concept and business is something that will help me succeed. 
• Rare: A lot of companies when they start out have great momentum but as the initial excitement starts to drift, people begin to shift their attitudes. I think that because I'm so invested into my concept, that it will help carry me through. 
• Inimitable: It's easy to get overwhelmed and feel strained but I've always had a very positive outlook on projects I take on and I like to do them by putting my best foot forward at all costs. 
• Non-substitutable: Without drive, I really do think businesses don't connect well with their customer base and that may lead them to be unsuccessful in their ventures. Drive is something that can't be left out when trying to run a business, I believe. 
2. Low Cost to Produce 
• Valuable: This is valuable for obvious reasons, but producing coffee cubes at a low cost results in a larger profit. 
• Rare: Coffee cubes are usually only sold in small coffee shops and usually at a high cost. If the cost was lower and they were thought of as a staple grocery list item then things could seriously change for coffee cubes. 
• Inimitable: Like I said, the only place I've ever seen them is at local coffee shops so the large market has yet to see them. 
• Non-substitutable: It would be hard to make them at a high cost anyway because it's so cheap just to begin with. 
3. Support Systems 
• Valuable: Support from larger companies that are already established in the coffee industry would be a great way to publicize coffee cubes as a brand rather than just one item. 
• Rare: It would be hard to have competition at that point if some of the most popular coffee brands were endorsing coffee cubes. 
• Inimitable: If it reached a point to where we had to patent the idea of coffee cubes then I suppose that could be an option.
• Non-substitutable: It's hard to get used to having something all the time and then going without it. If coffee cubes were in large coffee shops everywhere people would be accustomed to having them with their coffee all the time and miss them if they weren't available. 
4. Personal Relationship 
• Valuable: Having personal ties to something always makes it more worth while. I hope for coffee cubes that the packaging is something that makes me feel proud and something that the customers are happy to spend their time reading and looking at.
• Rare: i feel like a lot of times the packaging can be overlooked or overdone. I want it to be clear what the customer is buying but I also want them to have something that they can read that will make them feel good about purchasing. 
• Inimitable: It;s hard to recreate a personal feeling you have when you're buying something you like, and if I can make that possible whenever someone buys coffee cubes I want that to be the case. 
• Non-substitutable: If the packaging was sub-par, it wouldn't entice people to stop and look. If there was nothing but the name and the ingredients, customers wouldn't have a personal experience when buying the product and that thought wouldn't last in their mind. 
5. Variety 
• Valuable: Having multiple variations of coffee cubes is appealing because people love options. Also catering to everyone is something important to me, if we offer creamer cubes I want to be able to cater to those who may be dairy-free. 
• Rare: Since coffee cubes are already rare as it is, having different flavors and kinds of cubes will make them stand out even more. 
• Inimitable: There has never been a brand of coffee or creamer cubes before, so this would be the first of its kind. 
• Non-substitutable: people like to drink their coffee a certain way, so implementing something into their coffee routine that will make it last longer and taste better is non-substitutable. 
6. Lack of Competition 
• Valuable: I've only ever seen coffee cubes sold in local small coffee shops and never on a wild scale. I hope to turn them into a staple grocery list item. 
• Rare: Since not many people have been exposed to coffee cubes before, it'll make an entire brand of different flavors and kinds stand out even more. 
• Inimitable: Coffee cubes are easy to make and cost almost nothing to make, meaning it's an easy idea to attain, but still no one has ever done it. 
• Non-substitutable: The only other substitution for coffee cubes is normal ice and that is inferior. 
7. Popular 
• Valuable: Coffee is always a hot commodity, so another coffee product would fit right in to the already established market. 
• Rare: Coffee is everywhere and people are used to what they're used to. Introducing something new is exciting to people and they'll be intrigued to try something different. 
• Inimitable: You can't really duplicate the taste of coffee in anything else so it would be hard to imitate cubes made solely on coffee. 
• Non-substitutable: There is a pretty large divide among those that drink coffee and those that don't, so substituting it wouldn't be an option for my target audience.  
8. Easy to Make 
• Valuable: Having coffee cubes be so easy to make is a great selling point if they ended up in large scale coffee shops being made and sold in iced coffee drinks. 
• Rare: Most coffee shops don't offer coffee cubes for their iced coffee so it would be a unique addition. 
• Inimitable: The most efficient way to make them would be in large batches and that would all depend on how many iced coffee sales you made on average. 
• Non-substitutable: The other options are normal ice and as we've established that is what were trying to stay away from. 
9. Existing Customers 
• Valuable: Having such a large customer base already as it is, and coffee having such a cult following, it's a big advantage for my product. 
• Rare: It's rare to have a new idea and already have such a large audience that would be interested in it off the bat. I think that aspect of this idea will help me succeed and make them a more normalized item in people's daily coffee routines. 
• Inimitable: It's hard to get rid of customers you've had for forever, and people are always going to want a good cup of Joe. 
• Non-substitutable: The fan base for coffee has always been around and will continue on for years to come. Coffee cubes would fit right in to that market and audience. 
10. Lasting Market  
• Valuable: Having a sustainable environment to sell your products is always a plus. The coffee industry is huge and not going anywhere. With that being said, it'll be interesting to see how people take to an additional item being added into their routine, but since the market has been around for so long I think it's time for something new to be added to the mix. 
• Rare: The coffee industry is a great market to be apart of and there's not another one quite as large and as popular, where there are also adequate ways to give back. The places where the coffee is sourced from could be a great outlet for giving back, if the time came to where the business could do that. 
• Inimitable: The coffee market has no clear competitors other than within the industry, but for my product that wouldn't be a problem since they're so versatile they could fit into anyone's market and style. 
• Non-substitutable: It's not easy to recreate such a large following that quickly and successfully so going into an industry that is already established will be a great help. 

Top Resource: Lack of Competition 

This resource is the most important one I believe because it helps make the product stand out so much more. It's a solution to a problem that most iced coffee drinkers experience. Having no competition and a line of cubes to fit everyone's needs would be ideal and appealing. 

Elevator Pitch No. 3

Coffee Cubes Pitch 3.0
Since my last pitch, I received a lot of positive feedback, so I didn't change much. I did include a prop last time to show exactly what it is I was doing, in the form of the ice tray. This time I decided to have two props, the ice tray and an insulated cup. I narrowed down the pricing of my product and I think I decided on $5.99 for a bag of 12 cubes. I tried to fix my eye contact and be more direct with what I was saying. 

Reading Reflection No. 2

1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?

I chose to read and discuss Clay Shriky's "Cognitive Surplus". In this book he is channeling in on exactly what Americans are doing (or not doing) with their free time. 

2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

Shirky wasn't interested in previous accounts of what watching TV is doing to us, because for the first time since the creation of television, young people are steering away from it. They are picking up their smart phones and computers instead and putting a rest to the television remote. I think that this shows us that we can't always assume, we must take closer looks and dive deeper to make sure that previous accounts of what we thought are true still hold true, and if they do not, to seek out the truth. 

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

Taking something you thought you knew a lot about, and doing some research until you find something that surprised you. 

4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

 He says that Americans collectively watch about 200 billion hours of TV each year. Shirky talks a lot about what we could all do if we joined together for 200 billion hours to do something good rather than sit in front of a television screen. 

Growing Your Social Capital

1. Domain Expert: Bay Islands Coffee Owners

• Who they are and what their background is? 
• Bay Islands Coffee is a small, local coffee shop in Gainesville and the owner was nice enough to have a conversation with me. 
• How did I find this person? 
• By being a loyal customer of Bay Islands Coffee. 
• What was the nature of the exchange? 
• Bay Islands Coffee is one of the only places in Gainesville I've found that offers Coffee Ice Cubes on their menu. I asked how successful they are on the menu and about how many they sell a day. The owner said that the Coffee Cubes are more popular with the regulars because not everyone knows that they offer them. 
• How will having this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?
• They've already had their opportunity to exploit the Coffee Cubes at their own business and they've done well for them. Being able to ask someone who has already taken my idea and implemented it into their own business model is super helpful. It allows me insight on how customers react to having the opportunity to purchase coffee cubes for their iced coffee.  

2. Market expert: Starbucks worker 

• Who they are and what their background is? 
• My friend that has been working at Starbucks for almost 5 years. 
• How did I find this person?
• I've known them since we were little, so I figured they would be very honest with me and they work in one of the biggest Coffee shops in the country. 
• What was the nature of the exchange? 
• I basically just told him my idea and how I wanted them to be offered in grocery stores in addition to being implemented into other coffee shops. He actually told me that he has received a few complaints before from customers about either their being too much ice in their drink and it tasting basically like water, or by the time they finish half of their large drink, the ice is melted. 
• How will having this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity? 
• Talking to my friend that has worked in a Coffee Shop for about 5 years was great help in terms of realizing exactly what customers like and dislike and if they would even be interested in having Coffee Cubes implemented into their coffee routine. 

3. Supplier: Coffee distributors 

• Who they are and what their background is? 
• Places around Gainesville, like Karma Cream and Volta Coffee have the same coffee distributors. I realized this one day while out and I could smell the brewing coffee nearby. I stumbled upon the Coffee distributor location and tried to go in to buy a cup of coffee. They looked at me a little funny and informed me that I was not at a coffee shop. Anyway when I called to talk to them, they remembered who I was. 
• How did I find this person? 
• On accident. 
• What was the nature of the exchange? 
• I asked them about the distributing process and they informed me that because they are so local, it is easy to distribute the coffee around to local shops in Gainesville. 
• How will having this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity? 
• It was nice to talk to someone on the back end of things and see how the whole process actually plays out. 

Idea Napkin No.2

1. You
Like I told you before, I am a perfectionist. I like everything to be a certain way, and I like everything I do to reflect me positively. So that means doing it well, paying attention to quality and not rushing to get something done if I don't back it up 100%. My experience relating to my business is the fact that I'm an avid iced coffee drinker (I sometimes dabble in the hot coffee realm, but not often). I know the exact frustration of having a great cup of coffee ruined by melted ice. I envision my customers walking down the freezer aisle in their grocery store and finding Coffee Cubes. I can see this business playing a role in my life because I don't think it is limited to only Coffee. The idea of flavored cubes of any sort being added to a drink to avoid the melted ice situation is honestly endless. I would however like to remain focused on Coffee Cubes because I love coffee, I drink it all the time, and I hate melted ice. This has become a problem in my life that I can't seem to avoid anymore and I'm ready to fix it.
2. What are you offering to customers?
I would be offering customers my brand Coffee Cubes and the line would consist of a variety of different flavors of cubes that they could add to whatever corresponding iced coffee drink they were getting. For example, we could have traditional brewed coffee cubes. These cubes could be different roast levels as well, light, medium, and dark. There could also be decaf, espresso, cream (I would also offer flavored creams and a nondairy version of each as well).
3.Who are you offering it to?
My people, the iced coffee drinkers of the world.
4. Why do they care?
They care because they dislike melted ice in their drink just as much as I do.
5. What are your core competencies?
What sets me apart from others, is that I hope to expand this idea from your conventional coffee shops and encourage people to make their own iced coffee concoctions and add the perfect base to any iced coffee drink, Coffee Cubes. People can customize their coffee with whatever Coffee Cube flavors they wish. The flavors are endless, seasonal, and yummy.


Feedback:
The feedback I received was all really positive and helpful. One question I got was how much they would cost. I did some research and found out that if you're brewing a cup of coffee at home it's going to cost you somewhere between 16 and 18 cents. Buying coffee on the other hand, you're looking at anywhere from $1 to $10 depending on how extravagant you take your cup of Joe. I would say, if I was selling a bag of cubes with 12 cubes and the serving size was 2 cubes per cup, you would be getting 6 servings so I think I would price a bag of Coffee Cubes at around $5.99. I'm not really sure if that's good or bad but I think it seems fair. 

Elevator Pitch No. 2

Coffee Cubes Pitch

Create a Customer Avatar

My Customer
What kind of hobbies does your customer have?
They like to be outside, travel to different places, meet new people, and go to farmers markets.
What kind of car do they tend to drive? What color?
My customer has a green Prius, or some other car that's eco-friendly.
What TV shows do they watch?
The Food Network
Do they have children?
No, maybe, if they do they have less than three.
How old are they?
30
Do they stay active?
Yes, they enjoy being outside.
What time do they wake up usually?
6:30, the early bird gets the worm.
How often do they eat out?
Four times a week.
Do they frequent coffee shops or make it themselves?
A mixture of both, but coffee shops more often than not.
How do they prefer their cup of joe?
Iced or hot?
Iced
Do you get light, regular, or  extra ice?
Light ice
With cream and sugar or just black?
Almond mylk

What do we have in common? 

We like our coffee the same way and we eat out the same amount. 

I like the fact that we have things in common and like the same coffee. 

What's Your Secret Sauce?

I'm a perfectionist, so I like to do everything right and well and if I feel like something could be better, I'll most definitely go out of my way to fix it.
I think I'm a pretty good listener.
I'm really organized and like to keep things in line and looking neat.
I think I'm pretty good at interacting with people.
I also really like to learn, and keep learning even if I think I know most there is to know about something.



I think that the things I said about myself and the things that my interviewee's said were pretty similar. One thing that was said about me that I didn't mention myself is someone said I'm creative. I wouldn't have immediately said that about myself to begin with, but I will give myself some credit for not being totally bland. Maybe what causes the differences is the way we perceive ourselves and sometimes we miss qualities that we have and have them without even realizing. 

Buyer Behavior No. 2

Interviewee No 1.
The alternative products to coffee cubes I offered to my customers included: traditional ice cubes, plastic ice cubes, and lukewarm coffee.
Interviewee No. 1 preferred the traditional ice cubes out of all of the options. He said that the plastic ice cubes took up too much space in his drink. He said he had dealt with the same issue of the ice melting and giving his coffee a bad taste. He said if he were to buy any kind of ice cube product, it would be from the grocery store. When buying a product, he said he likes to make sure he got his money worth and is using something he enjoys. He said when determining whether to buy something and whether it is a good or bad purchase, he envisions himself either using or not using the product on at least a weekly basis, and if so, he goes ahead and makes the purchase. Interviewee No. 1 said that out of all the alternatives he would stick to traditional ice cubes, however at the end of our conversation he did say he would be intrigued to try out coffee cubes.
The conclusions I came to when talking with Interviewee No.1 is that I might have a hard time converting people from the traditional ice cube over to the coffee cube.

Interviewee No. 2
The alternative products to coffee cubes I offered to my customers included: traditional ice cubes, plastic ice cubes, and lukewarm coffee.
Interviewee No. 2 had a chance to test out all of the offered alternatives and after pondering, she decided she liked the plastic ice cubes the best. What she liked was the fact that they were reusable. I asked her what about the plastic ice cubes she liked, regarding the style and price, and she commented on the colors that the plastic ice cubes came in. The plastic ice cubes we had displayed were pink, blue, and clear. She also asked about the price of plastic ice cubes, and you can get around 36 cubes for only 11.99. She liked that they were so inexpensive, but she said she had never seen them in store before and wished she had. She says she prefers to do her shopping in person. Interviewee No. 2 said that when deciding on whether to purchase something or not and if it is a good or bad purchase she usually calls on someone close to her for a second opinion. Regarding whether she knows if it is a good or bad idea. she said that if she likes it and will use it then it's usually a hit. Interviewee No 2 also said that if she buys something and forgets about it the next day then it was a bad purchase.
The conclusions I came to are that the appealing aspect of the plastic ice cubes is a lot to do with how they look, so I might consider colorful packaging for the coffee cubes. Also the price of the plastic reusable ice cubes is decent, so noting that. I have to find a way to make coffee cubes as much as a staple as coffee creamer in order to satisfy these customer's idea of a "good" purchase.

Interviewee No. 3
The alternative products to coffee cubes I offered to my customers included: traditional ice cubes, plastic ice cubes, and lukewarm coffee.
Interviewee No. 3 said she far preferred the traditional ice cubes to any of the other options. She said that the plastic ice cubes made her coffee taste weird and took up too much space in her cup for not even being that cold. Interviewee No 3. said that the appearance of the ice cube didn't matter to her at all as long as it kept her drink cold. She did like the fact that the plastic ice cubes never melted however, and did voice some annoyance that her ice had melted in her drink before she got through with it. I asked where she would be most inclined to buy any kind of ice cube product from, and she said that either Amazon or her local grocery store would probably be where she would look. Interviewee No. 3 said that when purchasing things she imagines herself using it the following day and if she can then she goes ahead and makes the purchase, and if not. then no purchase. Also she know's when something is a bad purchase if she feels guilty when purchasing.
The conclusions I found with Interviewee No. 3 is that I need to find a way to make sure that the coffee cubes stay long enough to keep the cold significantly cold before the beverage starts to release.

Halfway Reflection

1. Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used or developed to keep up with the requirements of this course? 
You definitely have to be on top of your time management. This class requires that you are always on time and keep up with your work. Since the assignments go together, you must complete the first parts to do the sequential parts, so time management here is key.
2. Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up". What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude in the past two months? What experience most contributed to this?
There were for sure moments when I had forgotten the noon due date and been scrambling to get it in on time. That moment I felt like giving up, but I knew that it would be more worth it to just push through then to just give up. I do feel like that moment where I felt like giving up contributed to my tenacious attitude throughout this course. It helped me recognize that putting in the work is always the best option. 
3. Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about fostering the skills that support tenacity and developing the "tenacious mindset"?
Tip No. 1: Time management, like I said before super important.
Tip No. 2: Creativity, the class is way more exciting when you have fun with it and get creative.
Tip No. 3: Organization, setting up a schedule for yourself to help organize exactly what days you should do your work is the best way to go about this class.

Reading Reflection

1.  I chose to read about Coco Chanel and her journey as an entrepreneur. 
1. What surprised you the most? 
1. Coco Chanel actually began her journey as a fashion designer from abject poverty. She was raised in an orphanage and it was their that she was taught to sew. She worked her way to the glamorous brand we know today.  
2. What about the entrepreneur did you admire most? 
1. I admired her revolutionary styles and bold aspirations for the time she was working with. The attention she payed to detail and quality is why her reputation is quite impeccable. 
3. What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? 
1. Nothing. 
4. Did the entrepreneur  encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? 
1. After the orphanage, one of the adversity's she had to face, she moved onto a different career.  She was a singer, which is where she got her nickname "Coco" from. 
2. What competencies did you notice the entrepreneur exhibited? 
1. Chanel was an expert at her craft, the timeless shapes, colors, and designs made her extremely popular. She spent so much time tending to even the smallest of details, down to the inner lining of jackets and the bottoms of shoes. 
3. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you? 
1. Pretty straight forward. 
4. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur what would you ask? 
1. Did you expect the fashion trends to be anywhere similar to what they are now? 
2. What is your favorite item of clothing? 
5. What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
1. I expect that Chanel's opinion of hard work was to always persevere and pay attention to quality.  

Buyer Behavior

1. Iced Coffee Drinkers
All three of the people I chose to interview drink iced coffee regularly.

2. Interviews

Interview No. 1
How often do you drink iced coffee?
"At least 3 times a week. "
Do you normally make it for yourself or go out and buy it?
"I usually make it for myself half of the time and the other half I'll go out to a near by coffee place.
Do you normally put ice in your coffee you make at home? Normally, but when I go out I ask for light ice."
Why do you ask for light ice when at coffee shops?
"They usually overcrowd the cup with ice and I don't care for the bitter taste of watered down coffee."
When?
 When does the need come up for Coffee Cubes, an alternative to standard ice cubes. There are different options to choose from, espresso shot cubes, cream cubes, or even decaf cubes. They incorporate more flavor back into your coffee as they start to melt.
"I think that when I go out to buy coffee, if there was the option for Coffee Cubes, I would certainly  ask for them in my drink."
Would you ever buy them at a grocery store if you saw them in the freezer aisle?
"Yes"
Would you ever buy them at a grocery store if you saw them in the freezer aisle?
"Well, I've tried to order those silicon ice cubes from Amazon, but I didn't like them, I had to clean them and remember about them, it was too much for me."
Have you ever voiced your frustrations about this to anyone you know?
"Maybe my husband, once or twice, I'm not really sure."

Interview No. 2
How often do you drink iced coffee?
"Every single morning."
Do you normally make it for yourself or buy it somewhere?
"I make it for myself every time."
Do you normally put ice in your coffee when you make it for yourself?
"Maybe one or two cubes, but I put my coffee in a Yeti so I can avoid using ice."
Why would you rather avoid using ice?
"I don't ant my coffee to be watery, I need my caffeine strong."
When?
 When does the need come up for Coffee Cubes, an alternative to standard ice cubes. There are different options to choose from, espresso shot cubes, cream cubes, or even decaf cubes. They incorporate more flavor back into your coffee as they start to melt.
"I'd put that in my coffee every morning if it meant there was more caffeine."
Would you ever buy them at a grocery store if you saw them in the freezer aisle?
"Definitely"
How would you normally solve the issue of having watery coffee?
"Well I used to just stop drinking it at that point, but now I avoid it by not putting any ice in my coffee, I just store my coffee in the fridge the night before."
Have you ever voiced your frustrations about this to anyone you know?
"No, I don't think so."

Interview No. 3
How often do you drink iced coffee?
"Probably every weekday so about 5 days out of the week"
Do you normally make it for yourself or buy it somewhere?
"Kinda both"
Do you normally put ice in your coffee when you make it for yourself?
"No, since the coffee I use, I store in the fridge anyway."
Do you order your iced coffee with regular, light, or extra ice when your out at coffee shops?
"Always light ice."
Why is that?
"No one likes watered down coffee, plus we live in Florida so it'll end up melting pretty soon if you don't have a cup to keep it cold with you."
When?
 When does the need come up for Coffee Cubes, an alternative to standard ice cubes. There are different options to choose from, espresso shot cubes, cream cubes, or even decaf cubes. They incorporate more flavor back into your coffee as they start to melt.
"I would for sure put that in my coffee when I make it for myself if it meant my drink wouldn't be watered down."
Would you buy them at a grocery store if you saw them in the freezer aisle?
"Most definitely"
How would you normally solve the issue of watered down coffee?
"By avoiding ice cubes"
Have you ever voiced your frustrations about this to anyone you know?
"100% my roommates."

3. Findings and Conclusion
So, basically I heard similar things from every iced coffee drinker I interviewed. They said that the major issue with traditional ice cubes is that they water down the coffee, and no one seemed to like that. They also all said that they would buy the Coffee Cubes if they saw them in the freezer aisle at the store, so that is good. I think that the need is obviously there, because there is a problem with normal ice cubes. The solution I have come up with seems to meet everyone's needs, without interfering with their preferences in any way.

Idea Napkin

1. You
I'm seriously a perfectionist and if something isn't how I intended it to be or better, then I'm redoing it. I try to never only give 50% but to strive to always give 100%.
I'm super organized, definitely more organized than the average person, and maybe even too organized sometimes.
I love to be in the kitchen. I enjoy cooking and experimenting with different things in the kitchen.
I hope that my product, Coffee Cubes, will help me to save money on the coffee I'm wasting by not finishing my drink everyday, and make my drinking experience more pleasurable.

2. My product is Coffee Cubes, an alternative to normal bland ice cubes.
These Coffee Cubes do not water down your coffee, bur rather slowly melt more coffee back into your drink.
My idea for these Cubes was to have multiple options available for customers.
Examples include:
Medium roast cubes
Dark roast cubes
Blonde roast cubes
Espresso shot cubes
Decaf cubes
Assorted cream flavored cubes (caramel, vanilla, mocha, etc..)

3. Customers
My customers would obviously be coffee drinkers, specifically iced coffee drinkers. That is a lot of people in this world, trust me.
Men and women would both enjoy these coffee cubes because there is never any discrimination when drinking coffee.
Anyone looking to reduce wastefulness, finally finish their iced coffee, and have a more flavorful, bang for your buck cup of Joe in the morning.

4. Why you may ask?
Well for one, everyone I spoke to that also had my same issue of never finishing their iced coffee because of the ice melting to fast, said that they also experienced the bad taste that the coffee had once the ice had melted. By introducing Coffee Cubes into iced coffee drinkers daily routine, they would be eliminating the waste created by the melted ice fiasco, while at the same time tailoring their iced coffee to exactly their wants. Whether they want their coffee to get creamier over time, or be more intensely caffeinated, that is up to the customer to decide. Why not save your coffee with Coffee Cubes?

5.
No major coffee chain or any grocery stores that I have been to and researched has coffee ice cubes available to their customers. I have been to two local places, one in Fort Lauderdale and one here in Gainesville, that were making and selling their own coffee cubes. I've never seen anyone market solely the Coffee Cubes, separate from the drink itself. I think that giving people the option to be able to buy coffee cubes in a grocery store and then take them home, stick them in the freezer, the add them into their coffee drink in the morning would set my product apart. I envision walking down the freezer section in a grocery store and picking up a bag of frozen coffee cubes, just like i would frozen fruit, and taking them home with me. 

Elevator Pitch No. 1

Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

 Who: The people who fall outside the boundary for coffee ice cubes, are the coffee shops that don't take into consideration their unhappy iced coffee drinkers. Although, I've been to one coffee shop in my time that actually sells coffee ice cubes, I have never seen them in grocery stores or any other local or wide scale coffee shops.  

What: I think my need is quite unique, I think it would be hard to come up with something similar and as effective. There could be a whole line of coffee ice cube flavors and coffee strength. 

Why: Overall, coffee ice cubes received positive feedback, I think I will need to take into consideration, the time it would take to implement the ice cubes and the money that would be spend doing so. 

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Who is Inà people who are looking to make their iced coffee stay fresh and last until you're done.	Who is Notà people who drink hot coffee
What the Need Isà having coffee ice cubes be a normal part of the coffee buying experience	What the Need Is Notà the need is not to have another item to buy, but to actually prolong the time you have your iced coffee for.
Why the Need Existsà iced coffee gets watered down by the traditional ice cubes but with coffee ice cubes the drink would last longer	Alternative Explanationsà Traditional ice  cubes water down the coffee drink within record time of getting it, we could eliminate that frustration with coffee ice cubes.

Solving the Problem

The selected opportunity I have found in the past exercises has been the unmet need of coffee ice cubes. I saw that in almost all coffee shops and all grocery stores, there are no options for how you prefer to keep your iced coffee cool. Either you accept the ice, or you get no ice and warm iced coffee. The product I would like to implement would be coffee ice cubes. They could be the same as iced coffee, where there are different roasting styles: dark, medium, light. There could also be espresso shot ice cubes or coffee and cream ice cubes. The opportunity was there because I realized that my coffee was being flooded with water from the melting ice cubes before I even got to finish my full cup of coffee. I was wasting money on coffee because I didn't want to finish the part that had become gross. 

Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

Hypothesis: 

Most coffee shops and all grocery stores in the United States do not sell coffee ice cubes alongside their iced coffee products. 

Interview 1: 

Do you also have this need for coffee ice cubes? 

No, I don't drink coffee regularly enough to have this need. 

What obstacles do you think would be presented? 

If there are a lot of different places to get them, they're bound to go up in price and get more competitive. 

Why does this need exist? 

For the people that drink coffee everyday, and there ice melts and waters down their coffee prematurely. 

If this need was met, would your day to day improve? 

No, since I don't usually drink coffee, but for other people. 

Interview 2: 

Do you also have this need for coffee ice cubes? 

I do because I drink iced coffee a lot. 

What obstacles do you think would be presented? 

Having the storage space, I guess, it's going to take a resource that maybe they were't using before. 

Why does this need exist? 

Ew, because watered down coffee is gross, it ruins the whole thing. 

If this need was met, would your day to day improve? 

Yes! Ha 

Interview 3: 

Do you also have this need for coffee ice cubes? 

Um, no not really. 

What obstacles do you think would be presented? 

I don't think there would be any obstacles, I think it's a good idea, but I don't like when my coffee is too strong, I actually prefer that it becomes a little watered down throughout my drinking experience. 

Why does this need exist? 

Because people who get iced coffee everyday, it's always getting watered down, and since buying coffee is kind of expensive, you shouldn't be wasting your money on water. 

If this need was met, would your day to day improve? 

Other people yes, but mine no. 

Interview 4: 

Do you also have this need for coffee ice cubes? 

Yes absolutely. 

What obstacles do you think would be presented? 

Storage and maybe pricing of the coffee ice cubes? 

Why does this need exist? 

Because watered down coffee is so not okay, I pay for coffee and to have half of it be water after 15 minutes is annoying and I'm tired of it. 

If this need was met, would your day to day improve? 

Hell yes. 

Interview 5: 

Do you also have this need for coffee ice cubes? 

I personally don't have the need, but I can see how other people would want it. 

What obstacles do you think would be presented? 

Keeping the ice cold throughout the day and maybe the price to make it. 

Why does this need exist? 

There are people that prefer stronger coffee and they should be able to have that option rather than a watered down $5 drink. 

If this need was met, would your day to day improve? 

Mine wouldn't, but others would ya. 

Overall, I think that I got good feedback that will help me move forward with this opportunity. I spoke to a lot of people that shared the same need I did, but I also spoke to a lot of people that didn't have the need at all personally but could see how it would be appealing for those who did. I think that is my biggest motivator from these interviews, is that although not everyone has the need, everyone sees the appeal. Something to keep in mind, that was pointed out to me during the interviews is that the price of coffee ice cubes would differ from the price of normal ice cubes. 

Economic and Regulatory Changes

Economic Trends: Related to the Coffee Industry

1. Opportunity: The total of dollars spent on the coffee industry was $225.2 billion.
I was thinking about how many people I know on a personal basis that drink coffee everyday. Then I was thinking about if that number was high, I can't even imagine how many people drink coffee everyday in this country. If people are spending that much money in a year on coffee, then I think an opportunity exists for another coffee product to come on the market, almost like a coffee accessory.
2. Opportunity: The coffee industry employs 1.7 million jobs in the U.S.
This fact shows that there is opportunity for more jobs and more money to be made in the coffee industry. If there was another task that needed to be completed in the everyday life of being a barista, that would create the space for another job position, allowing for more jobs. I found this opportunity when finding out how much money is spent on the coffee industry per year.

I think in both opportunities the prototypical customer would be a coffee drinker, someone who either makes their coffee at home or goes and buys it from a coffee shop. I think the need is the same in both cases, whether you make your own coffee or not, when it's iced you want it to stay iced and not alter the taste of your original drink. I think that because of the simplicity of what it is, it will appeal to the masses and be a really easy item to promote to people. I think that economically standing, Coffee Ice Cubes, could be a real hit in some coffee shops, but I also think that Coffee Ice Cubes could stand a chance in grocery stores as well.

Regulatory Changes: Related to my belief that an opportunity exists for Coffee Ice Cubes.

1. Opportunity: A caffeinated culture shift
Getting coffee on the go is something that we take for granted I think, because we don't have to worry about making it, cleaning up after, or worry about lugging around a tumbler with us all day. However, coffee shops have caught on to the trend of being more environmentally friendly, which is actually what led me to this opportunity. There are coffee shops at every corner even in the small town I live in, so coffee is an obvious popular commodity among everyone, which is why I thought that this opportunity exists. The people taking advantage of all of this abundance of coffee shops, and coffee products, are obviously those who enjoy them, caffeine addicts like myself. I  think that this opportunity has already exploited itself and coffee has become a big booming business in the past decade, and is only going to continue to grow and get smarter.
2. Opportunity: Reusable cups becoming a social norm
Piggy backing off of the last opportunity, if we have all of these coffee shops in such abundance, we should take advantage of that fact and expand on it. That is exactly what coffee shops have been doing by promoting reusable cups and offering a 10 cent discount to those customers that bring in their own cup from home, rather than buying a plastic one. The more and more that this trend becomes implemented the more and more people will start to catch on, which presents great opportunity in my opinion. The same way with all the opportunities I've presented today, the fan base is going to be coffee drinkers. Since this is already a trend that's happening, it will be easier to exploit, since customers are already aware, but I believe there is room for improvement everywhere.


Why did I see these opportunities?
I felt my answer would be the same or very similar for all of them since I am forming my opportunities around one thing in particular. I think I was able to pin point these opportunities because I have experienced these unmet needs and have been searching for ways and tricks to help me. I have been trying to find solutions to my coffee getting warm and watered down on an everyday basis. I even attempted to make my own coffee ice cubes (they worked) just to see what the outcome was. It was easy for me to see these as opportunities because I was dealing with this problem everyday and I was noticing no solutions for it on the market. I also definitely think that being in these Innovation courses has opened my eyes to realizing that if there is a problem, that is not the end of the line, there is something to be done about it and I could possibly be the one to solve the issue. So I think the combination of having this issue myself, not having a distinct solution, and having some Innovative background has led me to be able to identify these things as opportunities. 

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. County repeals plastic and Styrofoam ban
https://www.wcjb.com/content/news/Alachua-County-commissioners-vote-to-repeal-plastic-bag-and-styrofoam-ban-524378411.html
So because there are "bigger fish to fry" being a sustainable county is pushed to the back burner. Since the men in charge were thinking about the best interest of the taxpayers dollars, they decided to repeal the plastic bag and Styrofoam ban. Since there is a risk of being sued, the county commissioner decided to shift his priorities to something on the safe side. 
The problem I immediately noticed is that we are now going backwards, and becoming a more unsustainable as a county.
The people with the problem is everyone, the residents of Alachua County, the taxpayers, and the commissioner. As a society and as a county we have obligations and duties to uphold. Having a clean, healthy environment where we teach kids to be resourceful and prudent, rather than wasteful and lavish is a must. By setting a poor example, people will follow your poor actions, so moving away from repealing and moving towards actions is what needs to be done, regardless of the scary court fees, Mr. Commissioner sir.

2. $1 City Slice replaces Oggi Italian
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190911/restaurant-news-opus-coffee-1-city-slice-tacos-volcan

The previous Oggi Italian restaurant is being replaced by a more affordable version of Italian cuisine, $1 City Slice. The former owner realized that the crowd around town wasn't going to spend $20 on a plate of pasta, which is why, before selling it to other restaurateurs, they decided to shift from high end to affordable. One of their goals is to start a trend in their new restaurant of paying it forward, where someone can pay for the next person in line's slice and so on. They want to promote helping each other and a community feel.
The problem that they had was that they weren't getting enough business with the menu that they had and at the price point that they stood at, so they fixed it. However, I see another problem. If they are trying to draw a larger crowd to their restaurant I think they could have done it without sacrificing their upscale menu. I've been to Oggi Italian many times, it looks like you're taking a trip to Italy to visit your grandma. I think they could have kept their menu, changed their decor, started implementing nightly deals, and they would have been soaring.
Right now the only people with the problem are the owners, and they will wait and see how $1 City Slice does in comparison to Oggi Italian.

3. County to add $17 million in services in new budget year
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190910/county-to-add-17-million-in-services-in-new-budget-year
I don't know much about taxes or how money is distributed in county's but I do know that $17 million is a big budget. The article talked a lot about property budget and fixing things like roads, and flooding issues. They were talking about raising minimum wage with this budget as well, which is amazing. Nowhere in the plans, however, did it say anything about allotting money to hand out for sustainability or environmental purposes. I think that all the issues they plan to fix with the money is great, but we just repealed a plastic bag ban and Styrofoam ban because of the lack of money, so why not put some of that budget back into education on sustainability and the built environment around us. Everyone living in Alachua county should care about the way we take care of the environment we live in, but unfortunately that is not the case. However, educating people would help spread the word.

4. UF Preview Costs exceed state limit
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190907/uf-preview-costs-exceeded-state-limit
Preview is UF's mandatory version of orientation for incoming freshman. Students over the last ten years have been overcharged by UF's Preview when cheaper options were available. The state law limits orientation costs to $35. Since 2007, students have been overcharged three to five times the amount that the state limit allows. It was never made known to UF students that cheaper versions of Preview were available. The problem is obviously that we shouldn't be being overcharged for something mandatory and illegally overcharged by our own institution. Is it bad that I'm not surprised though? I think the people that have this problem are obviously the students, but also, soon enough, whoever allowed this for so long is going to have some serious problems as well.

5. Feds seize cash, money orders from Gainesville massage parlor
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190904/feds-seize-cash-money-orders-from-gainesville-massage-parlor
Authorities seized almost $16,000 cash from a massage parlor during the investigation of a human trafficking case that led to the arrest of a Pensacola man. David C. Williams is the name of the man and he is undergoing charges for the money involved with the prostitution and for transporting these women cross country for prostitution purposes, and concealing and harboring people that should not have been in the U.S.
The problem is everything this man was doing was illegal but what is scary is that it was happening under our noses at a normal looking massage parlor. It's scary for our citizens to have that kind of activity going on but also for the woman who are being taken against their will. 

Opportunity Belief

I have a belief that there is an opportunity to create a product that is not yet on the market. As an avid coffee drinker I noticed that there was so much variety when it came to coffee products. Different kinds of cream, iced coffee, cold brew, espresso, and so on. I realized I had an unmet need everyday when I was drinking my coffee. I like iced coffee, we live in Florida, it's usually always hot, so I like to carry my coffee with me throughout my day in an obnoxiously large Yeti cup. As I went throughout my day, the ice cubes I put in my coffee at the beginning of the day began to melt and water down the rest of my coffee. Because of this my coffee would start to taste really gross and I wouldn't enjoy it anymore so I would pour it out. Once I identified the ice cubes as being the problem, I started asking my other coffee-drinking friends if they also experienced the same frustration, and turns out they did. This isn't a problem for people who enjoy hot coffee, but those who prefer to drink it iced. I thought about what could be a solution, and I tried not putting ice in my coffee, getting those silicon ice cubes, and even trying to convert to a hot coffee drinker. None of those sparked happiness for me. I thought about the idea when walking through the aisles of Publix, quite frustrated at my melting ice situation. I was in the freezer aisle and I went near the bags of frozen fruit and thought once again about my coffee cube problem. I figured if they bagged frozen fruit, maybe they could bag frozen coffee. My belief is that there is an opportunity to create coffee cubes that don't water down your drink, but actually provide you with more coffee. I also remembered how much variety I see in every other category of coffee, so I figured why not coffee and cream cubes, or espresso shot cubes, or basically anything. I thought that having something that keeps your drink staying cold, while slowly releasing more coffee, rather than more water. I'm sure this need has always existed and there have been solutions to the melting ice cube like the silicon cubes I mentioned before, but they took up space in my cup that I would have rather had filled with more coffee.

I'd like to say that I'm 90% sure my opportunity exists and customers would be interested.

Customer number 1: Someone who drinks as much iced coffee as I do.
Do you experience this need all the time? Yes, I have issues with my ice melting in my coffee before I finish all of it, and then it becomes less tasty.
How long have you had the need? Since I started making my own iced coffee at home.
When did they first become aware of the need? I didn't pay much mind to the melting ice at first but then I realized how much of my coffee I was throwing out because of the fact that I didn't like the way it tasted anymore after the ice had fully melted.
How are they addressing the need right now? I don't use any ice cubes at the moment and it's not ideal.


Customer number 2: Someone who drinks hot coffee
Do you experience this need all the time? No, I usually prefer just plain black coffee, but I do live in a climate that gets very warm so I occasionally will have iced coffee.
How long have you had the need? I guess since I started to get into iced coffee which was a few years ago.
When did they first become aware of the need? I did notice that the taste of the coffee would change once the ice would start to melt and it would give the coffee a bitter taste in my opinion. That's why I usually stick to hot coffee.
How are they addressing the need right now? By not drinking iced coffee.



Customer number 3: random person I knew nothing about
Do you experience this need all the time? Not all the time, I drink iced coffee more regularly than hot though.
How long have you had the need? Since I started drinking coffee, so a while now.
When did they first become aware of the need? I realized that the ice would completely melt before I finished my coffee and that made it less likely for me to finish it once that happened.
How are they addressing the need right now? I used to use those silicon ice cubes, but they got to be too much of a hassle so I stopped.



From talking to the three different customers, I realized that coffee drinkers do share my frustration of melting ice and would like if there was an easy, better solution. I also understand that not everyone that drinks coffee, drinks iced coffee, which means they do not have this issue. From talking to customer number 2, it was clear that if there was a better solution, they would be more willing to drink iced coffee. I think that this feedback proves that the opportunity is there for something to be improved upon.

How much of your original opportunity is still there?
I think the majority of my original opportunity is still there, I gained good feedback that informed me on what customers needs and wants are when it comes to keeping their iced coffee cold, but not watering it down.
Do you believe that you new opportunity is more accurate then when you started?
Yes, I think talking to different people allowed me to gain perspectives on peoples everyday struggle with this issue and then allowed me to see more space for opportunity.
How much do you think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback?
I think it should always be a fair trade off between your vision of what your opportunity is supposed to be and look like and what is realistic to everyday consumers.