5A Identifying Local Opportunities

Three charged in crash that killed Dunkirk teen

https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/crime/2020/01/24/three-charged-crash-killed-dunkirk-teen/4561391002/

Four teens were “horsing” around while driving through the town of Anderson, IN. They were treating their lives and the road as a video game, throwing objects at each other’s vehicles, running red lights, speeding recklessly. One of the vehicles ran off the road ejecting its driver, Sophie Robbin, 19, a Ball State University student. Robbins died from the crash.

The problem is the death of a young individual caused by reckless driving/horseplay.

What: The death of Sophie Robbins

Who: Sophie’s best friend in college

What(2): Sophie’s best friend is likely dealing with the emotional struggle of losing someone close to her, while balancing the weight of her own life as a student.

When: It’s likely that Sophie’s best friend is experiencing this problem many times throughout her day.

How: This problem is testing Sophie’s friend’s emotional part of herself. This is something she’ll carry for many years to come.

Other cities try to prevent stopped cars from blocking intersections, but in Chicago enforcement is light

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/transportation/ct-biz-blocking-the-box-getting-around-20200127-tigbyjjo5rel3fivyovbj635k4-story.html

The blocked box problem. That’s what traffic authorities called it when gridlocked traffic causes people to turn into an intersection when the light is green, but still find themselves sitting there, blocking the intersection when the light has turned red. This blocks traffic in both directions. The article is stating that Chicago has little enforcement and education for this problem in comparison to other major cities across the nation.

The problem is exacerbated traffic patterns caused by the blocked box problem.

What: The blocking of traffic inboth directions due to the blocked box problem

Who: Delivery drivers (Grubhub, Ubereats, etc.)

What(2): These drivers are facing increased time in their cars as they try their best to service their customers.

When: This problem seems to exist for the delivery drivers during the morning, noon, and afternoon rush hours.

How: This problem impacts their rational side, causing pressure to get beyond the traffic issues so that they can service their customers.

$20,000 bond for man accused of tampering with Elburn house gas line

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20200126/20000-bond-for-man-accused-of-tampering-with-elburn-house-gas-line

Frank Ryan, 33, of Batavia, IL had a problem with a family who lived in Elburn, Illinois. His solution was to reroute the gags line into the house to kill everyone inside. The residents called 911 after smelling the problem and realizing the gas line had been tampered with. Ryan has been charged with attempted murder.

What: The attempted murder of two people in Elburn, IL

Who: The suspect’s family

What(2): The suspect’s family now has to live with the ignominy of having terrifyingly close relations to an attempted murderer. How’s that for dinner conversation?

When: They’ll carry this problem through their daily lives until the news story fades. It will then likely only surface when people ask why they haven’t seen Ryan at the office Christmas party or whatnot.

How: This is an emotional problem, much like Sophie’s best friend will carry.

Elgin police advise how seniors can protect themselves from scams

Seniors are being targeted (not only locally) by scammers who are trying to hijack personal information and private accounts. A city police rep is offering seminars on how to avoid being scammed. “Verify, verify, verify” is the advice being given.

What: Being scammed by phone and email scammers

Who: senior citizens (primarily)

What(2): They have the problem of giving sensitive information that leads to the hacking of personal accounts and information to scammers.

When: This problem is experienced daily for many people. With spam calls and texts on the rise, this is a problem seniors need to be on guard for.

How: This affects them emotionally as well as rationally. Some people can develop rapport with would-be scammers and feel that that individual would not doing anything to hurt them. This can cause emotional stress to the victims.

Fundraiser for victims of child abuse offers AR-15 as prize

https://kutv.com/news/local/fundraiser-for-victims-of-child-abuse-offers-ar-15-as-prize

Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) gave raffled off an AR-15 during an even to “help victims of child abuse”. This is an interesting story, especially for someone who is lobbying against weapons like the AR-15. On one hand, BACA is holding an event for a wonderful purpose, and on the other they are giving away a high-powered weapon that many see the need to be banned.

What: The raffling off of an AR-15

Who: Those involved in lobbying against the public’s right to own AR-15s.

What(2): The problem for them would be seen as more guns in the hands of the public.

When: This problem doesn’t seem to have a time element to it.

How: This problem can have rational as well as emotional consequences for those against the right to own an AR-15.

4A Forming an Opportunity Belief

Within eyeshot of Acadia National Park is the Eagle Hill Institute. Eagle Hill delivers “advanced natural history science seminars” and acts as a field research station and natural history library. Weeklong classes (consisting of classroom and field research study) costing $500 are taught by subject experts, typically university professors and authors of natural history books. Attending these classes, for anyone who does not live locally, will cost another $500 for onsite room and board. It appears these classes are pointed towards students of all ages serious about their subject.

I believe an offering similar to this could exist in Indiana.

The unmet need is that of an organization that offers advanced classes to the public on various natural history subjects. These classes would consist of both indoor and outdoor learning.

The prototypical customer might be precocial college students looking for insights not found inside of their classrooms, as well as lifelong learners and naturalists (bird watchers, mushroom hunters, etc.)

The need for an organization that offers classes of this type comes simply from a need deep within the learner to know their subject more deeply. An old motto of Cowell College is apt here: “the pursuit of truth in the company of friends.”

People are currently meeting this need in several ways. First, the Indiana Department of Resources offers the Indiana Master Naturalist program. This takes adult learners through introductory courses on a wide variety of natural history subjects. This program is an excellent first step in the learning process and leaves the learner hungry for more on subjects that interest them. Second, some learners might choose to audit local university courses on subjects of their interest. Third, many lifelong learners choose the self-study option in which learning is gleaned through experience, reading, and talking with others who share the same interests.

I am 100% certain that advanced classes on natural history is an opportunity that exists in the central and north central Indiana regions.

Questions

What are some of your favorite ways of learning about subjects that you’re interested in (field trips, books, attending lectures, educational videos, college courses)?

Have you attended nature center workshops to learn more about natural history? What did you like most or least from these learning experiences?

How would you feel about attending an advanced natural history class covering one of your favorite subjects? What would you feel is an appropriate price for 5 evenings of class?

Response 1

The first individual (Doug) had main concerns of price point and location. Doug said he would love a service like this specifically for the natural history of the Tippecanoe river, near his home. He stated that $200-$250 would be reasonable for a week’s worth of classes. He currently fills this need by the self-study option stated above. 

Response 2

Barbara had two main concerns. First was the subjects had to be of her particular interest. Subjects she stated were birding (aka bird-watching), habitat conservation, and land restoration. Barbara’s second concern was price. She said she would be willing to pay a reasonable fee, but did not come to a specific dollar range that would entice her. Barbara was exclusively interested in a narrow range of subjects. Her support (vis-à-vis her dollars) would unfortunately be only several times per year. She mentioned that people do much of their communal learning through attending lectures at local bird clubs and nature centers. 

Response 3

Nikki had reservations about being able to attend class for an entire week. She had been meeting this need by the first option, DNR Indiana Master Naturalist classes. Nikki was able to attend those because they held class one per month. This was more accommodating to get busy schedule. She was willing to spend around $100 on a class. She realized the need for additional learning when she became interested in the local flora and fauna. 

Reflection

People like the idea. They are willing to spend actual dollars (and are doing so now with the DNR class) on advanced natural history courses. Some of the things that got people’s attention were the local aspect and the expert aspect. People are eager to learn about their local flora and fauna by local experts. People were also interested in the idea of local field trips with other learners. 

Summary

My thoughts on the opportunity have not changed much. One of the areas that I did need to allow for flexibility was the timing and frequency of class. Nikki is not the only potential customer who works not be able to meet 5 days a week. I was happy to see positive reception to my thoughts when talking to people. 

3A Entrepreneurship Story

In the spring of my senior year of high school I started a small lawn mowing business. A few people I knew at the time had kept fairly busy doing the same work in the Chicago suburbs that we lived in. I started off by finding a partner who would help me as needed, gave the company a name, and opened a small business checking account at the local bank. The next step involved going to the library to print out several thousand flyers with our services offered as well as contact information. My partner fizzled out before we had our first customer. What does Dave Ramsey say? “The only ship that won’t sail is a partnership.” 

            Flyers in hand, I went door to door in our city of about 100,000 residents. The flyers slowly worked. Over the following weeks phone calls would trickle in with people asking about prices. Most of these leads led to customers. Much of my small base of customers that I grew came from meeting people as I handed them a flyer. This would usually spark up a conversation about my new endeavor then shift to the needs they had (“Could you do x? Could you do y?). This leads me to wonder what the ratio was for leaving a flyer in the door versus handing it to someone, with regard to bringing in a new customer. 

I did little to no marketing and eventually saw my customer base decline. It was a good start, but there was nothing that I did to sustain the business. 

I have a dream of owning and operating a small nature center with my wife where we live in Indiana. Imagine it with me for a moment. Toss out any image you have of a state of city nature center. Done? Good. Ours will focus on taking students out on field trips to study and learn about the local flora and fauna. 75% of our time will be spent outdoors and the rest will be spent in a classroom environment. We can use library conference rooms and the like for indoor learning. I don’t believe that a small business like this would have enough revenue for a building until it after quite a bit of growth. I would like to host weeklong classes that focus on special subjects (entomology, mycology, etc.) These could be taught by local experts and professors looking for a bit of extra income as well as a fun way to share their subject of expertise. I’ve seen weeklong nature classes of this format fill up at the $400-500 price range. Obviously, that type of successful operation takes time and effort. It’s a dream that will be a slow uphill climb.

The above is why I am taking this class. I plan on taking the principles of entrepreneurship I learn here and model them into my goals and plans for the nature center. The photo you see is of a night-flying luna moth (actias luna). It floated down into our backyard last summer. They are native to the northeastern United States. 

Assignment 2 Bug List (2A)

Bug List

1.     When people complain about money problems—after telling me they financed a $1,400 cell phone. Why? People live above their means.

2.     Sitting at my desk from 10am-1pm, when the sun is blazing through the windows and baking my face. Why? My desk faces south, adjacent a window. 

3.     When trying to buy a cup of cheese dip for my breadsticks takes 15 minutes at Little Caesar’s. Why? With turnover so high, there seems to be only 1 competent cashier when I visit. They spend much of their attention helping new hires process orders. 

4.     When my bosses try to promote me without a concomitant raise in wages. Why? Limited resources.

5.     When I reach for some toilet paper but am met with only 2/5 of a square left on the roll. Why? Someone was too lazy to replace the roll earlier. 

6.     When I do not meet my short term financial goals (0-6 months). Why? Living above my means and not sticking to a written budget. 

7.     When I don’t get enough fresh air (walking the dogs, joggings, hiking) in a given day. Why? Lack of prioritizing/planning/executing my day.

8.     Men’s pants with a button-down fly instead of a zipper. Why? No idea why this is so. 

9.     Skipping out on the chance to develop a relationship with an acquaintance.. Why? Fear of the added pull of a new relationship in my life. 

10.  When Christmas week rolls around and I haven’t purchased gifts for my loved ones. Why? Lack of planning/prioritizing.

11.  When course content is made unavailable by the instructor until a specific date (this prohibits the student from working ahead). Why? To keep everyone working on the same module. 

12.  After loading the dishwasher, I reach for a soap pod and grab two because they’ve fused together somehow. Pulling them apart sometimes break them open (too early). Why? Factors may include the material they are made of, and the amount of time they spend in contact with each other from creation to consumption. 

13.  When my inbox is overloaded with marketing emails. Why? I have not yet unsubscribed from many lists. 

14.  When my reading light battery goes out and I’m nowhere near falling asleep. Why? I failed to recharge the battery at an earlier time. 

15.  When I’m walking my two dogs and their leashes become intractably entangled. Why? The constant warp and weft between the three of us manages to really get the leashes tangled. 

16.  When I can’t seem to find a way to stream a particular movie or tv show that we are wanting to watch. Why? No major streaming service has the rights to stream the film. 

17.  When a book I want to listen to is not available through my library audiobook service. Why? Limited resources on behalf of the library.

18.  When I cannot attend an event of workshop due to lack of interest on my  spouse’s end. I really wanted to attend the native plant society’s conference this last year but couldn’t motivate my wife to go. Why? It’s something that only I was interested in and not a day that we could enjoy together.

19.  When my printer decides it’s not going to perform it’s one job in life. To print. Why? Printers are complex little machines that can break down.

20.  When my lawn mower decides to stop working—in the middle of the front yard! This is one of the most embarrassing and frustrating pieces of owning a home. The dreaded lawn mower. Why? Lawn mowers are extremely complex (to me) machines that are prone to breakdowns if they are not serviced regularly. 

Reflection

            As you predicted, the first handful were a breeze. I took the dogs for a walk and tried my best to muster up the last 15 or so. One surprising notion is that many of the systems, processes, and contrivances in my life work so well that they didn’t make it on the Bug List. So yes, it was difficult to come up with the total list. Take my computer for instance. It is now 10 years old and still works for my needs. The plumbing in my home—works! And thank God because I haven’t a proper grasp on how to fix plumbing problems. A good half of my bugs are preventable with some good old-fashioned prioritization and preventative maintenance. 

Most of these bugs do not seem to weigh heavily on my mind when I encounter them, but rather it would be nice if there was a patch or workaround in order to avoid coming across them. 

2nd Reflection (A week has passed since the first reflection)

As time passed I was able to notice many more bugs. Only a few times did I make the connection "Hey this is a bug!" and put in on the list. What does that say about me? It means that I am (more often than not) willing to live with bugs, perhaps because digging for the root cause and learning from the experience so that I can avoid it in the future requires a bit of effort. In other words, I'm lazy.
Most of my bugs stem from social or process gaps that I take issue with. Many of the necessity/luxuries encountered daily in middle America work remarkably well.

Luna Moth (Actias luna)

This luna moth was photographed summer of 2019 in north central Indiana.