Forming an Opportunity Belief
I believe that there is a huge opportunity in the city of Gainesville. This belief is that there is a much more efficient way for the traffic lights between West University Avenue and Southwest 13th Street to be dealt with. Often times, drivers or walkers can wait upwards of 6 minutes until it is their turn to cross or drive, and while this may give those who have the right of way a lot of time, it feels like it just creates a much unnecessary wait time. This is an issue for many University of Florida students, as that intersection is at a busy area, close to the Heavener School of Business, the Standard Apartment Complex, Publix, and Piesanos. Really anyone in the Gainesville area who passes this intersection is inconvenienced by this traffic light. This need for change is instantly felt by almost all residents in the Gainesville community, and modern day solutions include either waiting patiently until it is one's turn(which can waste a lot of time), or for walkers, jay walking (which can be very dangerous). There is a button pedestrians can push at the intersection that indicates they are waiting to cross, however I believe this technology simply needs to be more responsive.
I sought out my girlfriend Elanit, who lives at the Standard, which is located on the corner of the intersection. She mentioned that is a clear inconvenience, however she doesn't really think too much of it unless she is actively waiting at the stoplight to cross the street. Elanit became aware of this inconvenience the day that she moved to Gainesville, as often times traveling involves waiting at that intersection, sometimes, she says, lasting more than 5 minutes at a time. Currently, she just patiently waits for her turn to cross, and while it annoys her, it is not something she believes that is worth the hassle to fix. Waiting the extended period of time is really fine with her, and thus, a more responsive crosswalk system would not be worth the work to implement.
Next, I talked to my father, who often stays at The Holiday Inn on the corner of West University Avenue and Southwest 13th Street. During his visits, everywhere he goes, he has to cross this intersection, so it was understandable that he has been very frustrated with this scenario ever since he started visiting Gainesville (5 years ago). Countless times a day during his visits, he encounters this inconvenience, and it remains the only part of his trip he dreads. He admitted to me that many times he will use his own judgement to determine if it is safe to cross, even if the monitors do not give him permission, which is unsafe, and it would make his life a lot easier if this problem was fixed by any means necessary, like a sharper monitored stoplight system.
Lastly, I discussed the situation with my roommate Coby, who is a frequent customer at Publix. He told me that he used to drive to the Publix around this area for his groceries, yet has recently started buying from a different Publix, due to the inconvenience the traffic lights cause. He feels that drivers coming from certain directions are given too much time to drive, when drivers from other directions are given barely any time to possess the right of way, wasting a lot of his time. Sometimes he would wait close to 8 minutes at the same stoplight to move about twenty feet. He noticed this problem as soon as he became a student here at the University of Florida, however he doesn't encounter it as much anymore, due to his change in preferred location to buy his groceries. However, he still believes it is an issue that would be worth while fixing.
While I was surprised that those whom I discussed this special opportunity with didn't feel as aggravated by this inconvenience as I did, they all agreed that it interferes with their ability to get things done in a timely manner. Two out of my three companions think it would be worth it for the problem to be fixed, which shows at least my claim has some credibility. After conducting these interviews, the opportunity surprisingly hasn't changed juristically. Yes, I believe that entrepreneurs should change their opportunities based off of customer feedback, as without customers, an opportunity is pointless. However, the entrepreneur must find a balance, as it is impossible to make everyone happy, so staying firm and relying on his or her original gut feeling is an important aspect to keep in mind as well. In order to take full advantage of the opportunity, the perfect balance must be made between adapting to customers and sticking to one's original idea.
I sought out my girlfriend Elanit, who lives at the Standard, which is located on the corner of the intersection. She mentioned that is a clear inconvenience, however she doesn't really think too much of it unless she is actively waiting at the stoplight to cross the street. Elanit became aware of this inconvenience the day that she moved to Gainesville, as often times traveling involves waiting at that intersection, sometimes, she says, lasting more than 5 minutes at a time. Currently, she just patiently waits for her turn to cross, and while it annoys her, it is not something she believes that is worth the hassle to fix. Waiting the extended period of time is really fine with her, and thus, a more responsive crosswalk system would not be worth the work to implement.
Next, I talked to my father, who often stays at The Holiday Inn on the corner of West University Avenue and Southwest 13th Street. During his visits, everywhere he goes, he has to cross this intersection, so it was understandable that he has been very frustrated with this scenario ever since he started visiting Gainesville (5 years ago). Countless times a day during his visits, he encounters this inconvenience, and it remains the only part of his trip he dreads. He admitted to me that many times he will use his own judgement to determine if it is safe to cross, even if the monitors do not give him permission, which is unsafe, and it would make his life a lot easier if this problem was fixed by any means necessary, like a sharper monitored stoplight system.
Lastly, I discussed the situation with my roommate Coby, who is a frequent customer at Publix. He told me that he used to drive to the Publix around this area for his groceries, yet has recently started buying from a different Publix, due to the inconvenience the traffic lights cause. He feels that drivers coming from certain directions are given too much time to drive, when drivers from other directions are given barely any time to possess the right of way, wasting a lot of his time. Sometimes he would wait close to 8 minutes at the same stoplight to move about twenty feet. He noticed this problem as soon as he became a student here at the University of Florida, however he doesn't encounter it as much anymore, due to his change in preferred location to buy his groceries. However, he still believes it is an issue that would be worth while fixing.
While I was surprised that those whom I discussed this special opportunity with didn't feel as aggravated by this inconvenience as I did, they all agreed that it interferes with their ability to get things done in a timely manner. Two out of my three companions think it would be worth it for the problem to be fixed, which shows at least my claim has some credibility. After conducting these interviews, the opportunity surprisingly hasn't changed juristically. Yes, I believe that entrepreneurs should change their opportunities based off of customer feedback, as without customers, an opportunity is pointless. However, the entrepreneur must find a balance, as it is impossible to make everyone happy, so staying firm and relying on his or her original gut feeling is an important aspect to keep in mind as well. In order to take full advantage of the opportunity, the perfect balance must be made between adapting to customers and sticking to one's original idea.
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