Forming an Opportunity Belief

Health is at the center of all of our lives, as without good health, there would be no lives for us to live. At the University of Florida, there are a variety of different resources available to students that are aimed at helping with their physical and mental health. There are also urgent care spots and hospitals around the city; however, these are less accessible to students or people (in general) who don’t drive. 

Recently, I've noticed that quite a few students around campus are sick. They are coughing, sneezing, congested, and overall just look tired. A few of my friends were a part of this population of sick students. They voiced their issues on how they had received inadequate care at the infirmary, as they didn’t have the resources to help them. Based on my observations and by listening to complaints, I determined that an unmet needs exists. This unmet need is the unsatisfactory service provided to sick students. Treatment and other resources are not easily available to students that seek diagnosis or other help for physical health related issue. 

Students are the main group of people who are afflicted by this unmet need; however, other individuals, too, that don’t have the means to transport themselves to places that provide care regarding one's health have this same need. This need isn't particularly new. It likely has always existed. It has just only now become apparent with the onset of a sick season.There are resources aimed at helping students with their health, which have been previously mentioned; however, the scope of the help they can provide is limited. Due to the nature of help required by students and other people in similar situations, I'm 80% sure that this opportunity exists. A mobile service that comes to students' aid with regards to providing asthma treatments, general antibiotics, and other medical help is necessary.

With this unmet need in mind, I identified a few prototypical customers. In this case, they are sick students. The interviews are recorded below.

Interview #1
INTERVIEWER: Have you recently been sick?
CUSTOMER 1: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: What did you do to treat your symptoms?
CUSTOMER 1: I took Dayquil, Nyquil, Emergen-C, and multivitamins.
INTERVIEWER: Were any of these products readily available to you?
CUSTOMER 1: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Do you believe the medical care provided to you at the university is sufficient? In other words, is medical care easily accessible to you?
CUSTOMER 1: Yes, however, I personally had to get out and get medication for myself.
INTERVIEWER: What is the exact nature of your need for medical care?
CUSTOMER 1: The flu. I need to be vaccinated.
INTERVIEWER: When did you become aware of this need? Do you always experience such a need, or is it only occasional?
CUSTOMER 1: When I got a sore throat. It's occasional.
INTERVIEWER: How long have you had this need?
CUSTOMER 1: One week.
INTERVIEWER: When did you first become aware of your need for medical aid?
CUSTOMER 1: When I got sick.
INTERVIEWER: How are you currently addressing your need for help in restoring yourself to full health?
CUSTOMER 1: I'm taking medication.
INTERVIEWER: How satisfied are you with that solution?
CUSTOMER 1: Mildly satisfied. I'm still sick and have only been able to treat my symptoms.

Interview #2 INTERVIEWER: Have you recently been sick?
CUSTOMER 2: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: What did you do to treat your symptoms?
CUSTOMER 2: I did nothing and hoped it would pass. Then, it got way too bad and I had to go to the infirmary.
INTERVIEWER: Do you believe the medical care provided to you at the university is sufficient? In other words, is medical care easily accessible to you?
CUSTOMER 2: No! They didn’t give me care. It's easily accessible, but it's inadequate. I waited at the infirmary for an hour and still received no help. I was literally told no one could give me treatment.
INTERVIEWER: What is the exact nature of your need for medical care?
CUSTOMER 2: Asthma and sickness.
INTERVIEWER: When did you become aware of this need? Do you always experience such a need, or is it only occasional?
CUSTOMER 2: It's only occasional. Whenever I get sick, my asthma flares up.
INTERVIEWER: How long have you had this need?
CUSTOMER 2: Well, I've had asthma for my entire life. I've been sick for over a week.
INTERVIEWER: When did you first become aware of your need for medical aid?
CUSTOMER 2: About three days ago when I got winded walking up the stairs.
INTERVIEWER: How are you currently addressing your need for help in restoring yourself to full health?
CUSTOMER 2: I'm not. I'm ignoring it.
INTERVIEWER: How satisfied are you with that solution?
CUSTOMER 2: Ummm...*cough*...not...*cough*

Interview #3
INTERVIEWER: Have you recently been sick?
CUSTOMER 3: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: What did you do to treat your symptoms?
CUSTOMER 3: I self-treated and went to Publix.
INTERVIEWER: Were any of those products readily available to you?
CUSTOMER 3: No.
INTERVIEWER: Do you believe the medical care provided to you at the university is sufficient? In other words, is medical care easily accessible to you?
CUSTOMER 3: Absolutely not.
INTERVIEWER: What is the exact nature of your need for medical care?
CUSTOMER 3: I have a cold.
INTERVIEWER: When did you become aware of this need? Do you always experience such a need, or is it only occasional?
CUSTOMER 3: Monday. Only occasional.
INTERVIEWER: How long have you had this need?
CUSTOMER 3: Since Monday.
INTERVIEWER: When did you first become aware of your need for medical aid?
CUSTOMER 3: Monday.
INTERVIEWER: How are you currently addressing your need for help in restoring yourself to full health?
CUSTOMER 3: I'm drinking water and taking Dayquil.
INTERVIEWER: How satisfied are you with that solution?
CUSTOMER 3: Not very satisfied.

After conducting my interviews, I learned that my proclaimed opportunity definitely exists, but not to the degree that I though it did. I had mixed results with regards to my interviews. While one prototypical customer saw no issues with the current medical care provided, the other two prototypical customers saw a strong need for better care. The most surprising thing I learned while researching the potential opportunity was not recorded in one of the above interviews. I learned of this story after finishing the last interview. The third prototypical customer informed me that she had just drove one of her friends to an urgent care spot earlier that day. Her friend had been sick, but knew something was wrong when she was unable to breath. Her friend later learned that she had had a cold but it had spread to her lungs, resulting in an infection in her lungs, because she had asthma. She had not known previously that she had asthma. This extreme situation struck me. The medical care provided must be failing if people are going around with conditions undiagnosed. People can't even seek help if they are unaware of what specific help they need. Additionally, the friend that was diagnosed with asthma had to ask for a ride to an urgent care spot, meaning that resource was not readily available to her. More accessible medical care is clearly necessary.

At least half of my original opportunity still exists. My belief that inadequate medical care is being provided still rings true; however, I believe it is more prevalent for people with pre-existing medical conditions, whether these people are aware of them or not. I believe my new opportunity is more accurate than when I started because I am more aware of the specific needs of potential customers. I think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities to meet the needs of their customers. Otherwise, no one would use those services provided and those that did would give negative feedback. Customers would be unhappy, giving rise to an opportunity to a more insightful entrepreneur. In other words, there is something of a trade-off between adapting to meet customer needs and staying firm in one's initial aims for their business ventures.