My Solution

Dust on Ceiling Fans

Proposed Solution

I would like to create slip on covers to slide on the fan blades. These covers would be made using a fabric such as spandex or cloth with a velcro/button/snap closure on the end. These covers could be manufactured in different colors with different designs. My ultimate vision would be to get licensing to place graphics on the covers such as Spiderman, Batman, movie themes, celebrities, etc. People would be able to purchase these covers in sets of five and slip the covers on their existing fan blades and forget about them. In incremental periods (a lot longer than current cleaning cycles) people could easily remove the covers, wash them and place back on their fan blades. 

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1. Hot Pursuit
• Ceiling Fans
2. Opportunity Statement
• Ceiling fans are a magnet for dust collection which requires periodical cleaning and maintenance to ensure appearance and health standards in homes and businesses.
• Who: Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching their ceiling fans fill with dust and had to clean them.
• What: Dust accumulates on fans requiring periodical cleaning.
• Why: Dust falls everywhere however some places (e.g. the kitchen, the floor, windows, windowsills, etc.) are frequently cleaned. Ceiling fans are not usually cleaned until dust has noticeably accumulated.
3. Testing
• Testing the who.
• Is there anyone who does not agree that this can and has become a problem for owners of ceiling fans?
• Testing the what.
• How often do you clean your fans?
• When do you clean your fans? Routinely or when you notice the accumulation?
• Do you find the task to be difficult?
• Testing the why.
• Why do you feel the need to clean your fans?
• Health reasons?
• Appearance?
• All of the above?
• New reasons?
• Why do you clean other areas of your home/business but neglect the fans?
4. Interviews
• https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/hypothesis-1/s-6kmmm
• https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/hypothesis-2/s-K7VbS
• https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/hypothesis-3/s-2EzSW
• https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/hypothesis-4/s-3O7qO
• https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/hypothesis-5/s-H4Zio
• https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/hypothesis-6/s-0q7hy

Looking for Opportunity

Opportunities

• Student Loan Crisis (Economic Trend)
• I found this opportunity in the CNN money section.
• http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/24/pf/college/student-loan-letter/index.html?iid=hp-stack-dom
• I believe an opportunity may exist because sending students letters and making them aware of debts incurred may encourage students to not finish school or as it states seek jobs and turn down loans. This would create opportunities for financial counselors and entrepreneurs who want to balance the need for working and taking out loans. Perhaps their is a middle ground.
• Customers would include students and financial lenders. Employers may become customers as well as they will have an interest in keeping prospective employees in school.
• I think it is a relatively easy opportunity to exploit because students, lenders, and employees all have a stake in more people graduating college. By students becoming more aware of the financial obligations may discourage students. Increasing students' knowledge of the financial gains from attaining a degree would counteract the initial debts incurred. There is opportunity for various fields to exploit here.
• I see this opportunity because I know the difficulties of taking out loans, repaying them, not graduating, working full-time while attending school full-time (my current situation). There is opportunity for people to educate students to stay the course because not graduating and still having to pay back loans will be more devastating as most likely the income will be lower without a degree.
• Million Dollar Homes Taking Over (Economic Trend)
• I found this article in the Huffington Post.
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cities-million-dollar-homes_us_573d7480e4b0646cbeec2bc6?utm_hp_ref=business
• I believe an opportunity may exist because in certain areas buying a starter home could become unaffordable and obsolete. This would increases the number of people who rent which would be an opportunity to own rental properties. It would cause people to borrow more money which would increase profits at lending institutions.
• Customers would include anyone considering purchasing a new home or renting. This trend would effectively decide for the prospective buyer/renter.
• I think it is relatively moderate opportunity to exploit. If anyone has the financial means or credit now then they are able to purchase future rental properties today.
• I see this opportunity because people won't be able to afford million dollar homes. With this increase in housing prices, all housing prices will most likely increase, eliminating some prospective buyers. This will force people to rent or borrow more money which increases profits at lending institutions as well. I think this is part of the typical cycle that occurs of what goes up (housing bubble) must come down (recession) and then back up again (current times).
• Louisiana Marijuana Tax (Regulatory Change)
• I found this opportunity in The Times Picayune.
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15D0B27C321DA6A0?p=AWNB
• I believe an opportunity may exist because of the tax implications increasing revenue for the state similar to revenue increases in other states. With these projections it would force the state to legalize marijuana. An array of opportunities such as growing and distributing would arise from legalization. Also opportunities for scientists who could narrow their focus as to the last usage of marijuana for companies who would like to ensure their employees are not smoking while at work.
• Customers would include people with medical problems, advocates of marijuana, people looking to party or just engage in its use and people who are curious but do not want to suffer legal ramifications.
• I think it is relatively easy opportunity to exploit because of the copious amounts of illegal use currently being exhibited across the U.S. Through legalization it would open a vast array of opportunities for people currently unemployed or who have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to get into this field.
• I see this opportunity because I see the amount of people who currently smoke and distribute marijuana illegally. Although I am not an advocate for mind altering drugs, I can see how many people are an advocate for it and how many people currently take risks now. 
• Louisiana Cigarette Tax (Regulatory Change)
• I found this opportunity on wdsu.com.
• http://www.wdsu.com/news/local-news/new-orleans/louisiana-senate-passes-cigarette-tax-increase-goes-into-effect-april-1/38358404
• I believe an opportunity may exist because increasing taxes on cigarettes should in theory reduce the total number of cigarettes sold. By forcing customers to pay more for cigarettes it may inspire some people to seek help in quitting smoking completely or using alternative means such as vaporizers. There would be opportunities to sell more vaporizers and for people who want to help people stop smoking completely.
• Customers would include those who want to quit smoking and need a little extra push to do so.
• I think it is a relatively difficult opportunity to exploit as this is one of desire and addiction. People may forego spending money in other areas to pay the extra cost for cigarettes.
• I see this opportunity because I know people who would like to quit smoking or who have recently quit smoking. Paying the extra money could be the difference between no one quitting and some people quitting. It would be a good opportunity for those in the field who help people quit to use this new measure as an added push to get more people to quit smoking.

Reading Reflection No. 1

Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's
Ray Kroc

1. Entrepreneur: Ray Kroc
• I think I was most surprised that McDonald's was built to what it is today by a man who did not have the last name McDonald. Also, the fact that the McDonald brothers were more of a hindrance than a help to the building of the brand and how they sold out for what was a lot of money at the time but far below what they could have made had they stayed in the business. I was also surprised that he wasn't successful with McDonald's until he was 52.
• I admired Ray Kroc's determination, dedication and perseverance. Throughout all obstacles he found a way to succeed even if it meant financing the operation himself. He never gave up and remained focused on his vision. Also his altruism and how he wasn't doing anything for money itself but rather for the brand, the quality of the product and the customers. He also never backed down from what he believed was right. An example is when he decided to quit the Lily Tulip Paper Cup company instead of taking a pay-cut like everyone else.
• I did not like what he wrote about his wives as far as when he divorced each of his first two, he made a point to say he made sure they were taken care of financially. That's a good thing that they were taken care of but it almost seemed as if he were buying them out like a normal business deal. It seemed he was trying to get the readers to forget about how they were getting divorced (especially the second wife) and accept it by saying they he made sure they were taken care of. Throughout the book he made a point to say that money was not a primary objective but yet he made it one when he was saying they were taken care of financially. He neglected the fact they were probably both heartbroken as they wanted him and not necessarily his money. Also, the way the book was written makes me believe his third wife may have wanted him more for financial reasons as before she would not divorce her own husband early on but when she decided to go through with it later when she saw how much Ray had accumulated. On the business side I did not like how Ray requested June Martino retire. I know it was a business decision but she had been with him from the start. He could have let her decide when she wanted to retire out of personal loyalty rather than putting the business first in this one instance.
• Ray Kroc encountered a tremendous amount of adversity and failure. He never gave up his vision, always surrounded himself around quality, competent people and did whatever it took at the time to ensure success. From the failures selling the swamp land in Florida he unwittingly got involved in to the dealings with the McDonald brothers he fought through all adversity and stayed true to his beliefs.
2. Competencies
• Ray Kroc displayed the ability to sell and get people to see things his way. He was able to talk people into things they never thought of before but when he made his vision clear and showed how they would be successful and sell more of their own product they succumbed to his thinking. He also showed that hard work and determination will always win out.
3. Confusion

• I was confused about why the McDonald brothers did not want to help as much. It was their name and they stood to gain a lot more out of the entire operation  than Ray Kroc. They already had a few other locations that Ray had no part in and they were getting a profit from all the locations Ray was able to license after their deal. Also I was confused why Harry Sonneborn was so steadfast in wanting to do things his way and decided to eventually leave. Ray had built it from nothing so why wouldn't he take more consideration into Ray's wishes rather than his own. I was also confused about why he didn't want the corporation to own more than 30% of the franchises.
4. Questions
• I would ask Ray does he regret making June Martino retire? I would ask that because that situation could have turned out like the situation with Harry Sonneborn and it could have ended their friendship.
• I would ask him why didn't he want the McDonald's corporation to own more than 30% of the locations? From Harry's perspective they could have owned a lot of real estate and it seemed like that would have been good for business where they could have accumulated a lot more profit. I know he wanted to help the franchisees but the corporation could have benefited as well.
5. Hard Work
• Ray Kroc explicitly says hard work is important and it was evident in his success story. He believed that determination and hard work were essential to success and paramount to seeking profit only. I share this opinion but I also believe that luck plays a factor in success as well. I read a book by Malcolm Gladwell called Outliers where he makes the argument it requires 10,000 hours to be great at anything but successful people also benefiting from being born in the right era, year, place, etc. at the right time. I think there is some truth to that logic as well.

Picture via http://www.thethings.com/15-facts-about-mcdonalds-that-will-blow-your-mind/

Forming An Opportunity Belief

1. Opportunity Belief
• I believe movie theaters should provide services such as food or drinks to customers while they remain in their seat via ordering through a tablet/monitor.
2. Unmet Need
• While watching a movie if anyone needs something to eat or drink then they must get up and miss part of the movie.
• Any moviegoer has this need including older adults, teens and kids.
• I think this need has always existed but it is becoming more apparent with the advances in technology. Some movie theaters currently employ a system similar to this proposal and some also serve hot food and alcoholic beverages as opposed to the standard popcorn and ICEES.
• Currently to meet this need people are leaving their seats during the movie and missing elements of the film or they decide to not get anything to eat or drink and remain watching the movie.
3. Prototypical Customers
1. Couples
2. Men
3. Women
4. Customer Interviews / Iterations
1. https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/interview-1/s-2Bh71
2. https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/interview-2/s-pqrWm
3. https://soundcloud.com/user-477379640/interview-3/s-fNIUg
5. Reflections
1. I learned that I was correct in my assertion that people would rather remain in their seat as opposed to getting up to get what they needed. I learned about the call button in a different theater.
2. I learned that movie theaters are losing out on money by not providing this service. Also I learned that the monitor may not be a good idea. I was surprised that it would not be a disturbance.
3. I learned that people will go next door for food rather than the theater. Once again people will suffer through the hunger or thirst rather than missing part of the movie. I also learned that everyone is in agreement for the convenience but some think it is a distraction for the monitor lights.
6. Summary
• I believe my original opportunity still exists. It has been implemented in some places already and it will create additional revenue for the theaters. The monitor may become a problem but it could be dimly lit to eliminate distractions.
• I believe my new opportunity has not changed much from my original opportunity. I still think monitors could be implemented as long as they are not bright.
• I think entrepreneurs should adapt if there is overwhelming evidence to adapt. I don't believe in staying firm no matter what and entrepreneurs should have some flexibility. I think remaining focused to the core principals is essential or else anytime the wind blows in a different direction, entrepreneurs would be willing to change. In my particular case I would be more of the mindset of staying firm in my original concept.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Opportunity One 
• If Pels can’t re-sign Anderson, they need a talented backup 
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15CD65D1DED39230?p=AWNB
• The New Orleans Pelicans endured an injury plagued season including one from their superstar, Anthony Davis. The lack of quality substitutes led to a dismal season for the franchise. Now they risk losing a key reserve who was second in scoring this season among bench players, Ryan Anderson. 
• The Pelicans franchise are faced with losing an intricate player to their team in Ryan Anderson who averaged 16.5 ppg coming off the bench, second among reserves in the NBA. If they lose him, they must find someone who can stretch the opposing defenses and alleviate pressure placed upon franchise player Anthony Davis. 
• The New Orleans Pelicans have the problem. They are faced with possibly overpaying for a reserve player who will receive lucrative contract offers from other teams after his stellar 2015-2016 season. If they decide to let him leave, they must replace him with a player of his caliber at a lower salary for the team to restore the success they enjoyed 2 years ago. 
2. Opportunity Two 
• Pfizer won’t sell drugs for lethal injections 
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15CDB76D177061A8?p=AWNB
• Drug manufacturer Pfizer, along with other drug manufacturing companies in the U.S. and Europe, has business and ethical objections against their drugs being used in lethal executions. 
• The scarcity of companies willing to allow their drugs to be used in lethal injections makes it difficult for states to administer the death penalty to death-row inmates by means of lethal injection using FDA approved drugs. States have become less transparent in their means of attaining the drugs used in executions. 
• Death penalty states who use lethal injection as the primary mean of administering executions have the problem. They have to find drugs in clandestine ways or revert to more barbaric forms of execution. Pfizer also has a problem as they acquired the company Hospira and have no way of knowing if their drugs are currently being used in executions as some of the drugs are approved for normal medical use. 
3. Opportunity Three 
• Free-range peacock from West Carrollton has a friend in City Hall 
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15CB6A4A152471F0?p=AWNB
• A peacock is causing havoc when he sees his reflection in parked cars. Rather than exterminating the bird, some residents including City Councilwoman Susan Guidry are advocating to add West Carrollton to the city's bird sanctuary list. 
• The problem lies with the damage the peacock is creating to residents parked cars. Some residents would like to have the bird removed while others would like the area declared a bird sanctuary. Residents have proposed solutions such as placing street-side mirrors and offering to pay for paint damage incurred by the bird. 
• Residents advocating for the bird sanctuary retain the issue. They lose money if they offer and have to pay for damage inflicted on cars by the peacock. Also if they lose the ordinance to declare the area a bird sanctuary, the peacock could be removed from the area or worse killed. 
4. Opportunity Four 
• Rain - rain - go away - Saturated soils can lead to big problems in the garden 
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15CB1566C7B4EA68?p=AWNB
• There has been increased rainfall in southeast Louisiana which is causing problems with trees and plants either not springing out or dying due to diseases and pests. 
• Increased rainfall is causing disease, pests, and trees to not spring out as in years past. The rainfall restricts oxygen levels required for trees and plants to spring out and creates problems for gardeners. 
• Gardeners and trees have the problem. The increased rainfall makes it harder for gardeners to sustain tree life and they have to take added measures and precautions to keep trees and plants alive. 
5. Opportunity Five 
• Jeff ends leases with 2 health clinics - Future of Marrero, River Ridge sites in doubt, CEO says 
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15CD65D18C0E5D60?p=AWNB
• The Jefferson Parish City Council voted to terminate leases for health care centers which could leave patients without service. 
• By terminating leases, many uninsured, underinsured, and indigent patients would be left without health care services. 
• The two affected health care centers and many patients face a new burden. Without renewal of the leases and resources provided from the city, these centers may have to shutdown and many people will feel the repercussions of less than adequate healthcare provisions.

Bug List

1. Google Calendar
• It bugs me that Google Calendar does not give me reminders for birthdays or important dates I specifically type into contact details on my phone. The only way it will remind me is if I set a reminder. Conversely, Facebook will remind me automatically when there is a friend's birthday so I believe Google should do the same.
• I think this bug exists because it wants people to explicitly set reminders even though I have implicitly set a reminder when I took the extra step to fill in those specific details in the contact information.
2. iPhone
• iPhone forces customers to only be able to download from the iPhone app store and does not allow for downloads from third party apps. It is not open source like Android.
• I think this is a way for iPhone to generate income by not allowing potentially free downloads of certain apps.
3. Automated Customer Service over the phone (Virtually all companies)
• It bugs me how almost every company has automated customer service prompts and it takes forever to reach a live person to discuss whatever issue the customer is having.
• I think this is a cost savings to companies as they can potentially solve problems without having to employ as many customer service representatives.
4. Mercedes Benz car maintenance (other car manufacturers as well)
• Certain specific tools are required for maintenance on Mercedes vehicles which are hard to find for purchase.
• This ensures drivers will not work on cars themselves and have to bring the vehicle to the dealership for maintenance.
5. Airport security check
• It bugs me when I have to remove my shoes, belt, and laptop to go through airport security. This is not necessary if I pay $80 for TSA pre-check so I know they technology is available for me to be properly scanned without having to remove articles of clothing.
• I think this is a way to get frequent travelers to pay extra to not have the "hassle".
6. Airport carry on items
• It bugs me about the security concerns for certain carry on items such as water and food which must be discarded prior to going through security.
• I think there are legitimate security concerns but it also encourages the sale of items such as water, food, etc. post security checkpoint. This creates a virtual monopoly and the prices are inflated due to convenience.
7. Samsung Note 5
• I don't like how I am unable to remove the battery from the Samsung Note 5 and buy replacement batteries for the phone as I could for the previous models. It also does not allow for expandable memory.
• I think this is an attempt to be more like iPhone and attract iPhone loyalists instead of staying the course and remaining different from iPhone.
8. Wal-Mart lines (Northshore Blvd. location Slidell, La.)
• It does not matter what time of day or night, the lines are always exceptionally long
• I think there are not enough cashiers or self-checkout registers available to accommodate the number of shoppers.
9. Gas station credit card pricing (new in my area and all gas stations seem to have this pricing in effect)
• Gas stations are charging more if you use a credit card as opposed to paying with cash
• They are passing on the credit card fee costs on to the customer which amounts to a cost savings for the gas stations
10. Amazon Fire Stick
• Does not allow people to add apps which are available to other streaming players such as the app Kodi.
• I think this forces people to buy apps only from the Amazon store. It is not open source.
11. Nexus Player now unavailable
• It bugs me that Google would not produce more Nexus Players as they are all sold out and it is obviously a hot item.
• I can not understand why they would not produce more. I think there may be external factors preventing them from producing more such as fear of being sued by the ease of which piracy can occur on this device.
12. No re-entry into stadiums during games
• It bugs me that I can not go to my car after I have already entered a stadium for an event and re-enter.
• I think this is to alleviate security concerns but I could still go back through the metal detector.
13. Ease of assess to alcohol in New Orleans in particular but Louisiana in general
• It bugs me how easy it is to purchase alcohol from almost anywhere including Wal-Mart, Rouses, etc and at almost anytime of the day or night. There are even drive-thru daiquiri shops.
• This encourages more drinking and partying which increases profits. It also tends to increase violence and crime.
14. Lack of books in Slidell, La. library
• It bugs me that there are not many books in this library branch. Only one book from the list of books we are able to choose from for this class was available at this location.
• I think this is because Slidell is not a major city and therefore there are not as many books as there are in New Orleans libraries.
15. Basketball court hours at Crossgates Athletic Club Slidell, La.
• It bugs me this athletic club is open 24 hours (sort of - see next bug) yet the basketball court is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon-Fri.
• I think this is a cost savings as they will have to employ less people during the night/early morning hours.
16. Crossgates Athletic Club not actually open 24 hours
• It bugs me that it is open 24 hours Mon-Fri but not Saturday and Sunday.
• Again this is a cost savings for electricity and employees.
17. Fast food that contains filler
• I don't like that many fast food restaurants (McDonald's) produce burgers that contain filler and the meat is not all beef.
• This is a cheaper way of producing food at lower prices and entice consumers to purchase more.
18. Lack of beef ribs in New Orleans and surrounding areas
• It bugs me that more restaurants or food venues in the New Orleans area do not sell beef ribs. I do not eat pork and I have not been able to find a place yet that uses beef instead of pork ribs.
• Pork ribs are less expensive so companies sell more of these as opposed to the more expensive beef ribs which only a small number of people would buy/prefer.
19. Power company monopolies
• I don't like how power companies only provide power to certain areas and we are unable to select who we want our power company provider to be which would open competition and lower prices. I don't know if this is prevalent across the U.S. but this is the structure in my location.
• I think this creates monopolies as the customer has to have power provided by a certain company depending on the area which you live. This allows the company to dictate what the price will be without any fear of losing a customer provided it is within governmental limitations.
20. Amazon.com free shipping on orders over $49
• I don't like that Amazon raised the amount required for free 5-8 day shipping from $35 to $49.
• I think this is to encourage buyers to spend more money and also to create an extra incentive to purchase Amazon Prime which has a yearly fee but free 2 day shipping.

Reflection:
I found this to be a moderately difficult task. It was hard to come up with the first couple and last few bugs but the middle was not that difficult. I think once I got the ball rolling I was able to think of more and more easier until I got to the end when I felt I had thought of everything already. It was really challenging thinking about the things that bug me and I had to think of all my daily activities, commutes, sights and devices I frequently use to decide what bugs me.

My Entrepreneurship Story

An entrepreneurial time in my life was about 3 years ago. During the Dre Beats headphones boom, I found headphones that looked similar on eBay but sounded nice at a fraction of the cost. When I first started wearing them, everyone would ask if they were Beats headphones. I said no but would let people listen to the sound quality and they would ask where I purchased them. I began purchasing more and more and selling them for a small profit for about 3 months. Although it did not last long and I did not become wealthy, it was a very good entrepreneurial experience.

I enrolled into ENT 3003 because I thought it would give me the tools and knowledge needed to start a business which is what I was hoping to gain from this course. After the first lecture, I discovered this is not the class for that but I am one to roll with the punches and it still seems interesting especially the way it will be structured and taught. Furthermore, I am confidant I can still use the experience and tools this class does provide in the business world.

Test Blog Post

Testing post for ENT 3003 and for credit in this first assignment.