4A- Forming An Opportunity Belief

1. My opportunity belief sprung out of a belief that is on my bug list. I was exploring the food waste at Broward Dining and then branched out to continue thinking of the waste in everyday life. I thought about plastic or foam cup waste and what I could do regarding that problem. Another major problem most cities encounter, especially Gainesville, is homelessness. The stainless steel cup isn't just reusable, but has a heater of the bottom to heat, soups, stews, or even coffee.

2. The unmet need is waste and how donations for homeless are normally soups or beans that need to be heated up. Waste prevention and a portable self heater does not only benefit the homeless, but everyday people as well. This need for a waste alternative has always existed, but recently has gotten a lot worse. Now people are trying to use more reusable water bottles, but so many plastic bottles are still sold every year.

3. The customer base is everyone. The cup could be used for a road trip, camping trip, battling homelessness, or heating a cup of coffee or lunch at the office.

4. Susan Dastgerdi- (Adult/CPA)

During our discussion, she had so many thoughts on how I can improve my product. She brought up ideas I hadn't even thought about, such as if a homeless person were to get a can without a pull top, how would they open the can? We discussed further, coming to a conclusion that a can opener should be added as well as a reusable spoon. She asked about the marketing aspect of it, which again, something I haven't addressed. She suggested a buy one give one business strategy, which I loved. Buy one for yourself and one is given to someone in need in your community.

Reflection: This was a very beneficial conversation. She brought up ideas that I hadn’t even considered and, through discussion, helped me address those problems.

5. Emily Perpich- (College Student)

When talking to Emily, she had me consider different ideas and interpretations of my need that I hadn't  thought of previously. She explained that she felt the need wasn't comfort based, but instead one of practicality, as in satisfying hunger. She first thought of this need when she would get so mad because thermoses that are meant to hold cold and hot items lose their temperature over time. She liked the idea that this product allows less waste so the soup can continually be heated or whenever needed to prevent unnecessary food waste when no longer hungry. She claims that it is currently being addressed through heating devices, such as microwaves, but not everyone has the luxury of access to kitchen appliances. She expressed interest in the fact that this solution would benefit many different types of people and can be advertised to different people for different reasons, whether that be convenient, luxury, or a mere necessity.

Reflection: As an advertising major, she gave me tips on the demographic of the audience and the reason this product is necessary.

6. Megan Wordell (College Student)

I spoke to Megan, explaining my innovation and plan. She is a sociology major and explained to me that she always gets into really interesting discussions in class about homelessness and the realities of it around the country. She made some really interesting points in our discussion as well. She claimed that “the biggest consideration is providing basic needs and access to opportunity which could definitely be addressed with this invention.” She thought it would also be useful to implement something like this in low income schools that use programs like free breakfast and lunches to provide access to food and implement a waste free solution.

Reflection: This was a very useful conversation, bringing up components I hadn't thought of. She explained her thoughts on interesting implications for the product.

7. I would say much of my original opportunity is still present, but it is a lot more accurate and practical after my interactions. Talking to three very different people with differing ages and majors allowed me to get an overall sense of what the need was and what I was missing from my product. It was interesting to also see how both college students had ideas for the aftermath and overall bases of the product. Megan, as a sociology major, focused on maybe having this benefit in low income schools, and Emily, an advertising major, focused on the people it could reach and the overall advertising. In contrast, someone who is older focused on the practicalities of tweaking the product, adding a can opener and a marketing plan. I think it is definitely important to adapt to what a future customer says about the product because an outside eye is always important with anything creative related to get different qualities and traits for the product you would have originally never thought about. It is also important because that's who is initially purchasing your product, so getting their feedback is vital.