Friday, September 27, 2019
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
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Outside the Boundary
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Who is Inà people who are looking to make their iced coffee stay fresh and last until you're done.
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Who is Notà people who drink hot coffee
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What the Need Isà having coffee ice cubes be a normal part of the coffee buying experience
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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.
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Why the Need Existsà iced coffee gets watered down by the traditional ice cubes but with coffee ice cubes the drink would last longer
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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.
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Friday, September 20, 2019
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.
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.
Friday, September 13, 2019
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.
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.
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.
Entrepreneurship Story
Around the age of 7 or 8 was the first time I really understood what being an entrepreneur meant. I had heard of the big word before and I knew that it meant you owned or started your own business. It wasn't until my mom had her own business that I really became exposed to what being an entrepreneur actually is. My mom was trying to come up with a logo for her real estate company and she asked me if I could help her with some ideas. We had gone back and forth on pieces of paper, jotting down what could have been the Hammer & Hammer Realty logo. It was this trial and error process we took to finding her logo that really sticks out in my brain right now because of the similarities I notice between that and what we do as Innovation students. My mom and I sat at the dining room table for hours drawing and writing and seeing what looked best. After a very long time, some opinions later, we had the Hammer & Hammer Realty logo, color picked out and everything.
This moment with my mom was a very distinct moment in my life where I distinctly recall events relating to her entrepreneurship story and now it relates to mine.
I joined ENT3003 to gain more insight on what being an entrepreneur actually means and what steps you can take to get there and strive. I've enjoyed all of the Innovation minor classes I have taken, and I didn't think it would be any different with this class. I appreciate the different variety of assignments we have to do and how nothing seems to repetitive. We have different kinds of assignments that challenge us to think outside the box and really push ourselves to be more creative than we ever thought was in our capability.
This moment with my mom was a very distinct moment in my life where I distinctly recall events relating to her entrepreneurship story and now it relates to mine.
I joined ENT3003 to gain more insight on what being an entrepreneur actually means and what steps you can take to get there and strive. I've enjoyed all of the Innovation minor classes I have taken, and I didn't think it would be any different with this class. I appreciate the different variety of assignments we have to do and how nothing seems to repetitive. We have different kinds of assignments that challenge us to think outside the box and really push ourselves to be more creative than we ever thought was in our capability.
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