Every project has a potential
problem, and that respective issue has a solution. As I indicated in a previous
post, my vision for Gainesville is to have a shopping center that consists of
high-end dining, high-end shopping, and a luxurious movie theater. It will also
include a series of nice bars and a Whole Foods grocery store. The only
possible issue with this plan is finding the capital necessary to pursue it. A
reliance on public funding might be in the cards, and to do that, me and a
series of investors will have to gain the public’s trust and confidence that
this is a good investment. My plan is to start a public relations campaign to
build public support for this concept. We’ll conduct polls and present them to
city officials, which will indicate that their constituents are in support of
building this. We’ll also put together a report that shows statistics that show
what a boon this will be to the economy in Gainesville.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1
The opportunity that I have decided
to pursue is that of a shopping center in Gainesville. It is not a traditional
opportunity, I know, but I really think that Gainesville needs something like
that here, and it would thrive. The vision that I have for it consists of a
shopping center that includes high-end, trendy designer shops, high-end dining,
and a high-end movie theater, and a Whole Foods. Outside of sporting events and
run-down bars, there aren’t many things to do in Gainesville for young people.
A plaza of this magnitude would be a game changer, and it would provide young
professionals a haven for social professional networking opportunities. The who
for this opportunity that I have identified is the City of Gainesville and its
citizens. The what is that they don’t have a place of this variety in the area.
If they wish to go to a center like this, the people of Gainesville have to
travel to a larger nearby city like Jacksonville or Orlando. It would be a boon
to the local economy, as well. The why is mostly unknown, but based off of my
interviews, I have determined that cost and taxes are likely reasons for the
lack of a center like this.
To test my hypothesis about this
opportunity, I have interviewed five people. The first interview was my girlfriend,
and she is of the mind that Gainesville does need something like this. She
essentially agrees that outside of sporting events and crappy bars, there
really isn’t much to do here. She mentioned that Gainesville doesn’t have ideal
spots for date nights, and she seemed thrilled with the idea of it. She agrees
that it would thrive here, and her sorority sisters would also be on board with
it. My second interview was with my neighbor Cynthia who also agrees that this
concept would be very beneficial for Gainesville. Amy, my third interview,
doesn’t actually see that there’s an issue with a lack of options for young
people. She does agree that Gainesville would benefit from this opportunity,
though. Logan, my fourth interview, seemed indifferent to the idea, though he
eventually admitted that while he does love Gainesville and what it has to
offer, he thinks that young people would love the shopping center. Jonathan, my
last and final interview, showed concerns about the idea. While he does love
the concept, he’s fearful of the rising taxes that could be a byproduct of
this. His perspective was extremely valuable because it is not something that I
had considered before. My opportunity concept would likely require the approval
of city officials, and would also need city funding, so I can see why Jonathan
would have these concerns.
Looking for Opportunity
1. Gainesville
City Council approves alcohol ordinance changes
This opportunity is one of the
economic variety. Gainesville City Council has approved several changes to the
city’s alcohol ordinance – these are going to be instituted to promote new businesses,
streamline permitting, eliminate outdated restrictions, and better align with
state regulations. I found this article via the Gainesville Times. There are
quite a few changes that the City Council approved – the ordinance allows home
brewers to host events, and create licenses for farm winery tasting rooms,
brewpubs and special events. It also allows for the sale and consumption of
alcohol in parks (with city approval). This information suggests an opportunity
for beer brewers with an entrepreneurial mindset to take advantage of these
changes. The prototypical customer is likely college students that are of
drinking age that have an interest in any kind of beer or wine, and also have
an interest in nightlife. I do think that the opportunity is relatively easy to
exploit because of how new the ordinance is. I’m sure we have many beer
connoisseurs in Gainesville that brew beers as a hobby, and now they have a
chance to make some money off of that hobby. I saw this information and came to
the belief that an opportunity exists because one of my best friends has an
interest in selling craft beer that he brews himself, but he doesn’t live in
Gainesville, and the city that he lives in has significant obstacles that make
selling alcohol incredibly difficult. I see this as an opportunity that can and
should be capitalized by those that have a passion for making something that
they’re passionate about. I always joke with my friend that we should go into
business together – he can manage the product, and I can manage the business
and operations of the company. Watch out, Gainesville. Here we come!
2.
Pedal-Powered
Vehicle Tours Come to Gainesville
This opportunity is one of the
social variety. The Gainesville city Commission has agreed to remove the
four-passenger limit for non-motorized vehicles for hire. The article focuses
on the “pedibus”, a multi-seat vehicle powered by the passengers pedaling. I found
this article via Google on WUFT.org, an NPR affiliate in Gainesville. This new
ordinance is great for Gainesville because it enhances tourism options for
people that come here for sporting events. There are currently only two pedibus
operations in Gainesville, which is why I’m led to believe that there’s an
opportunity here for someone to make the market more competitive. I believe
that the prototypical customer would be anyone and everyone that would like to
explore parts of Gainesville in a non-traditional manner, and most likely
tourists. I think it would be relatively easy to exploit because of the lack of
competition in Gainesville for this concept. I formed this belief because of my
experiences in my hometown of Sanibel Island, Florida. Sanibel has a very large
tourism presence, and I’d say 50% of the tourist population make their way
around town using specialty group bikes called surreys, which can seat up to 4
people. Bike businesses on Sanibel do very well because of this, and I think
that there’s an opportunity that is there for the taking in Gainesville,
Florida for this.
3.
Development of Fort Myers Beach vision
unveiled
This
opportunity is of the economic variety. The citizens of Fort Myers beach have
officially
Gotten
their first look at plans for a big development on the beach, which includes
four resort
hotels
and a parking garage. The developer team led by Tom Torgerson presented
renderings of
a
future Fort Myers Beach at a meeting at FSW. The impact of the plan has said to
be more than
$1.5
billion. I found this information on NBC-2’s Fort Myers affiliate’s website. I
found this story
and
breakthrough to be intriguing because of the vast potential that the city of
Fort Myers
Beach
has. I think the most likely customer for this development are tourists,
especially families
and Spring breakers. I do believe
the opportunity will be relatively easy to exploit due to it being a new development,
but there’s a downfall – the immense competition in the area. A business would
really have to separate themselves from the pack. I see the opportunity here
because I’m from the area, and I
know the potential that Fort Myers Beach has in general. I’m of the opinion
that FMB has long needed a makeover – it was considered one of America’s Top 20
Trashiest Spring Break Destinations in 2015 – and a new development would be a
boon for the Local economy. The opportunity is there for the taking for anyone with
a creative entrepreneurial mindset.
4.
Despite
Progress on Ordinance, Ride-Sharing Still Illegal in Miami-Dade County
This opportunity is of the social
variety. Miami-Dade County commissioners agreed to grant preliminary approval to
a proposed ordinance that would legalize ride-sharing services like Uber and
Lyft. What this means is that drivers for ride-sharing companies would not need
a chauffeur’s license and would only need chauffeur's insurance when conducting
business for transporting passengers. Ride-sharing companies also could conduct
their own background checks on drivers, rather than relying on the county to
conduct the checks. This is definitely a game-changer, as ride-sharing services
are a hot business concept these days. With taxi rates through the roof, more
and more people are relying on Uber for transportation. I found this
information on wlrn.org, a Miami radio station’s website. I believe this
information suggests an opportunity exists because aside from Uber and Lyft,
there isn’t much of a competitive market for ride-sharing services, which is
why Uber is dominating the scene. I think the most likely customer is someone
who relies heavily on public transit, but can’t necessarily afford Uber’s
uber-high rates at times. This concept would probably be far more lucrative in
a larger city, but that’s not to say that someone in this space wouldn’t find
success in Gainesville. I think the idea and concept would be relatively easy
to exploit because of the lack of heavy competition. I see opportunity here
simply because of my experiences with taxi companies and Uber. I enjoy the
nightlife scene, and rely heavily on public transportation for it. I’ve also
had frustrations with the former companies because of the exceptionally high
rates during peak hours. I think they’re exploiting their customers, which is
fine, but I don’t believe they’d have that opportunity if there were more
competitors in this space.
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