Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Opportunities are closely related to economic trends and regulatory changes. Listed below are a couple of opportunities that fall within the category of originating from an economic trend and a couple of opportunities that are derived from recent or potential regulatory changes.

Opportunities Related to Economic Trends

"Baby Boomers Aren't Retiring"

Baby Boomers, a generation that makes up nearly a quarter of the U.S. population, are delaying retirement, holding onto jobs that would potentially be picked up by people of younger generations. This trend has contributed to people of younger generations straying from the typical career path of entering into a job at some company and putting in their years to eventually climb up the ladder to a higher, presumably better paying position. Instead, younger people are either pursuing jobs that are intended to fulfill their passions or hopping from job to job as they get perceivably better offers.

• I had some pre-existing knowledge of the changes in how people approached their careers, as one of my professors stressed the switch from dedicating one's life to a company to, essentially, job hopping. I also knew of the increasing retirement age; so, I searched for a post that contained information that confirmed my own previous knowledge and found this page. https://www.thebalance.com/top-usa-future-economic-trends-3305666
• I believe this information suggests an opportunity might exist, as the younger generation is unclear as to what path they want to follow regarding their careers. While there are already successful programs and applications that match people seeking work with employers, there are still a whole group of people who don’t know what they want to do left empty handed. Individuals require assistance in determining their direction in life, in their careers, which is clear with the changes to how people perceive work nowadays.
• I think the most likely customer base for this opportunity would primarily be young adults, but also people of any age who lack a sense of clarity regarding their direction in life. 
• I think this opportunity is relatively easy to exploit in terms of the concept. The actual software involved in bringing this opportunity to life may be a different story. The basic concept of analyzing a person's interests and overarching goals and advising them on what they could pursue to make a living is not a new concept. Perfecting the methods at doing so, however, would be the more difficult part.
• I saw this opportunity, as I have become increasingly aware of the shifts in how people approach work and their careers. I always heard the saying "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life," but it hasn’t been until recently that I've actually witnessed people pursuing their life goals and legitimately enjoying all aspects of it. Just my recognizing this shift, it was easy to identify this opportunity.

"Branchless Banking"

Cash is being obsolete and digital currency is taking over. There has been a decreasing need for physical banks, as everything can be done online. This also means that there is no actual need to spend money on physical branches, so, better offers can be offered to customers or banks can increase their profit margins.

• I was previously invested in cryptocurrencies and am acutely aware of the current digital age. With this in mind, along with having heard of online banks, I searched for an article that could verify my background knowledge on the topic, leading me to find this page. https://www.newsmax.com/finance/georgementz/geo-political-economic-trends/2019/09/17/id/933091/
• I believe this information suggests an opportunity might exist, as cash is being fazed out and people are increasingly embracing products and services that solely exist in the online realm. E-commerce has taken over, as it is more convenient and helps when people are limited on time. Similarly, going into physical banks is time consuming; so, keeping everything online can help save time and money for both parties, the bank and the customer. 
• I think the most likely customer base for this opportunity is everyone who uses money, which is the majority of the population, as most of the transactions made in today's society are made by exchanging money for some good or service. 
• I think this opportunity is relatively easy to formulate in terms of the concept, but the software development and security requirements necessary for bringing this opportunity to life may be challenging. 
• I saw this opportunity, as I previously watched many videos on personal finance and was simply invested in the learning more about attaining financial independence. By doing so, I came across videos on which banks to put one's money in, a couple of which were branchless banks that offered higher interest rates for savings accounts than banks with branches. While there may or may not be a correlation, the concept of branchless banking intrigued me and helped me recognize the opportunity there.

Opportunities Related to Regulatory Changes

"Two Things Happening Right Now That Could Force U.S. Government To End Marijuana Prohibition"

The legalization of marijuana is near. Several states within the U.S. have already legalized the use of marijuana, similar to that of Canada. With the legalization of marijuana, pharmaceutical companies will likely wish to involve themselves in the cannabis market, as they may be losing customers that previously used other drugs.

• I've known about the changes to legislation regarding marijuana since the talks started, as it was at the center of debate in the news and even amongst friends of mine. In this case, I found this opportunity by looking up an article regarding the impending changes in marijuana regulation in validating claims made by those around me. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/trump-administration-to-revoke-californias-power-to-set-stricter-auto-emissions-standards/2019/09/17/79af2ee0-d97b-11e9-a688-303693fb4b0b_story.html?noredirect=on
• I believe this information suggests an opportunity might exist, as the legalization of a product means there are new opportunities for producing goods for consumption. In this case, the marijuana industry could expand, meaning greater opportunities for marijuana production and consumption.
• I think the most likely customer base for this opportunity is people who use cannabis for medicinal use and those who use it for recreational use. This customer base would encompass individuals from people in their teens all the way to senior citizens.
• While not entirely easy by any means, this opportunity is relatively easy to exploit as opposed to the other opportunities described in this post. The difficulty in exploiting this opportunity is likely in the production of the goods and possibly staying within the rules and regulations of the government (as to keep the business legal). Establishing a means of production for any product in general is a process and requires money; so, with that in mind, exploiting this opportunity may have its fair share of difficulties.
• I saw this opportunity because of my personal experience with marijuana related products. While I myself have not consumed marijuana, my family used to put CBD oil in my dog's food to help with his back legs. He has had trouble walking for a few years now, displaying pain in some cases. We tried steroids that the vet prescribed and laser treatments, but neither showed much improvements in his mobility. The CBD oil, however, appeared to make walking easier for him and her played even more intensely, like the times before he had issues with his legs. With knowledge of the benefits of alternative medicine sources (marijuana), I quickly identified this opportunity.

"Trump administration to revoke California’s power to set stricter auto emissions standards"

The Trump administration is trying to overturn California's own standards for carbon emissions. The Trump administration's regulations for auto emissions are more lenient, as to gain favor of the auto industry with the upcoming election. California has previously self-regulated, setting their own standards, as to promote greater environmental sustainability and are currently fighting against Trump's attempts to put the national government's power over that of the state's.

• A friend mentioned this topic of regulatory changes in California regarding carbon emissions. Funny enough, I also heard about the same regulatory changes on a podcast I had been listening to that same day. I henceforth proceeded to find an article along the lines of what I had heard about earlier in the day. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeadams/2019/09/03/two-things-happening-right-now-that-could-force-us-government-to-end-marijuana-prohibition/#4e72f7e9433e
• I believe this information suggests an opportunity might exist, as there are two sides to this coin of changes to carbon emission regulations. There is the side of California, who wants to limit auto emissions by setting a greater standard for gas mileage, and there is the side of the Trump administration and the auto industry, who wish to continue producing automobiles as cost efficiently as possible, meaning carbon emissions are not their greatest concern. The auto industry is not likely to change overnight, so, that side is not the one of opportunity. The side advocating for lower carbon emissions is the place of opportunity. European emission standards are targeted at becoming even stricter, so, if car companies wish to sell outside of the U.S. they will have to lower their gas emissions anyways. Working within the realm of environmental sustainability, too, suggests opportunity, as people are becoming increasingly aware of their roles in maintaining the environment we live in.
• I think the most likely customer base for this opportunity is the population of people who tend to be more aware of our environmental impact and those who favor alternative energy sources to that of fossil fuels. There is already a significant group of people who favor electric cars, as Tesla has taken over part of the luxury car market. So beyond those with large amounts of money, more economical options could be provided to expand the customer base to the greater population of, say, the middle class.
• The opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit. While there are already some electric cars and hybrid cars on the market, entering into this market is highly competitive and starting with nothing is not reasonably feasible. I have no experience in the auto industry or in engineering in general; so, this opportunity is even more difficult for me to exploit than someone with a background in the realm of automobiles.
• I saw this opportunity, as I was made aware of such an opportunity by a friend of mine. Coming from a family that constantly discussed new technologies and having a chemical engineer as a brother, opportunities for exploiting new technologies or alternative, more sustainable, energy sources has always been on the forefront of my mind. Considering the people I surround myself with, it wasn’t surprising that I easily found this opportunity.