Forming an Opportunity Belief

1.     I think an opportunity exists in the Jacksonville metropolitan area in regards to issues with transportation due to intense traffic.

2.     The unmet need that corresponds with this issue is the ability to get into the city in an acceptable amount of time. Most often, people that live in the suburbs outside of the city, but whose jobs are located in the city, have this need. This need has existed for a few decades now, as Jacksonville has grown and spread out. In regards to this issue now, people are enduring the traffic so that they can still get to their jobs. I am 80% sure this opportunity exists as an issue for many people that live in Jacksonville.

3.     The prototypical customer is likely a middle-aged parent that lives in one of the many Jacksonville suburbs. Areas outside of Jacksonville are growing quickly, and often are home to new families that have gotten jobs in the city or close by at the naval base.

4.     Interviews:

a.     For the first interview, I spoke with my mother, who moved to Jacksonville in 2005 for a new job but lives 20 miles south of Jacksonville. The need that she possesses is the ability to access her workplace more readily, rather than having to wait unreasonably long to get through traffic. She is aware of this need every workday that she is not traveling, which is usually 3 days a week, and initially became aware of it very soon after taking her position. To address this need currently, she wakes up at 6:00 am and drives to work at 6:30 am so that she can avoid the morning rush. This solution has both positives and negatives for her. She enjoys that she starts her day earlier, and since she avoids the major rush that occurs around 8:00 she gets to work early and can leave early. The downsides include being more tired upon arriving home and her husband not being too happy about waking up that early since he works from home.

b.     For the second interview, I spoke with the sister of a good friend, who graduated high school in 2017 and began working at a job back in the city while living at home with her parents. She ran into the same issue which is that the traffic is intense due to the large volume of people that are also trying to get into the city every morning and trying to leave the city every evening. As a young adult in an entry-level position, she has a specific schedule she must abide by, so she experiences the need at the same time every workday. To address this need she is enduring the traffic and taking the added 45 minutes to an hour that it causes, but finding ways to enjoy this transit time more. Last year she picked up listening to podcasts in the car which she has started to enjoy because it has given her the opportunity to stay up to date on important news. She considers herself an introvert and values her time alone, so being in the car by herself doesn’t bother her all too much, and the only major qualms she has with traffic is the danger of an accident – but she doesn’t experience that often.

c.     For my third interview, I called one of my mom’s coworkers that lives in a different area of Jacksonville to see how his experiences compare. He also works during the normal workweek and therefore experiences the need of attempting to avoid traffic five days a week, and has experienced this since he began working at the company in 2013. He is not doing anything in particular to address this need, but his spouse also works in the same area that he does, so they are able to drive together. This shared issue allows them to go into the situation together, which provides a bit more relief than if they were to have to deal with it individually.

5.     I learned that the opportunity I have identified is a common issue, as I expected. The surprising thing to me though was the different attitudes expressed towards the matter at hand. As someone who is somewhat impatient and therefore despises traffic, I saw the situation as detrimental. Additionally, being relatively extroverted, the time spent in the car alone seems like a drag. But, I learned that, depending on the situation, there are ways to avoid or cope with the problem. For those who have the ability to make their schedule flexible, there are ways around having to drive at peak hours. For some, the time spent in the car is a valuable time to be solitary, and for others, it doesn’t have to involve solitude at all.

6.     Summary:

I believe that the original opportunity is still there, but it is probably present to a lesser extent than I had originally thought. I realized that, due to different perspectives, people have different attitudes towards the situation. This has helped me realize that yes, entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback. The input that others can offer in regards to the opportunity that has been identified individually is invaluable, especially if that input is received from a target customer.