An Opportunity on Campus
As a first-year student, I decided to live on campus. I knew that getting around by walking wasn't very time efficient, but I knew that I didn't want to pay for a scooter. Thus, I brought my bike to Gainesville and we both moved into Rawlings Hall.
My bike is a really nice bike that I had bought several years ago and had kept in great condition. However, when I got to Rawlings, I realized that I would have to keep my bike outside. This was the end of my beautiful bike. After one semester at UF, my bike's chain, gears, and other features were completely rusted and needed replacing. This is when I realized the true effects of weathering on objects like bikes.
My idea today came from a time that I rode my bike down to Garage V to pick up my car and I realized something unique: some of the bike racks there were covered. That is when I began to realize that almost none of the other bike racks on campus were covered and that this could be the solution to stopping my bike from further degrading.
THE PROBLEM HERE IS... that student's bikes are being destroyed by frequent rains common to this region of Florida. Students bring their bikes (or buy new ones for college) to campus only to have them be trashed and ruined by Mother Nature. Thus, it's the students who have this problem. This need has existed as long as the bike racks have, nothing new is causing this problem. Furthermore, the cause of this problem, the rain pouring on bikes, will never go away (unless we put something in between).
AS A RESULT... of this, students do either one of two things: they live with the fact that they will be riding a constantly degrading bike or they will invest time (and potentially money) into fixing and maintaining their bikes. Most students go with option one because as I looked at different bikes on bike racks throughout campus, rust everywhere was the common theme.
At this point, I was 95% sure that this opportunity existed.
Yesterday, I decided to go find out what other "bikers" on-campus thought about this dilemma.
First, I talked to a student living at Jennings who said his bike has gotten worse every day and that he has made peace with that in his mind so it doesn't bother him anymore. This made me realize that some people could care less about their bikes and were indifferent to building covers over UF bike racks.
Next, I talked to another biker who lived at Buckman and kept his bike outside in front of the dorm. He said that his bike was getting ruined by being outside in the weather and was completely supportive of building covers over the UF campus bike racks in the hope to protect his bike.
The third student I talked to was at the bike repair shop in the lower level of the Reitz when I brought my bike in for brake pad adjustment. The student told me that he had bought a brand new bike for college and that it had been getting destroyed by the weather while parked at an on-campus bike rack. His rusted chain and gears were proof of this.
As my bike was being fixed, I asked the bike technician if a lot of bikes brought into the shop were being destroyed by the weather and she said yes. When I asked her if building covers over the UF campus bike racks would help stop student's bikes from degrading, she said that while nothing compares to keeping one's bike indoors, it would help a lot by keeping the bikes from having direct contact with the rain and sunlight.
I also talked to a student who had kept her bike inside at her apartment off-campus and said that her bike was in really good condition. This is an outlier case because putting covers over bike rakes on campus would fix the problem for those who can't bring their bikes inside for various reasons.
OVERALL... I was happy to learn that I wasn't the only one with this problem and that others see building covers over the UF campus bike racks as a potential solution to avoiding bike degradation. However, I did realize something I hadn't anticipated and it was that some students, like the first person I talked to, don't care about their bikes or if they get ruined. It doesn't make sense but my "opportunity belief" shifted slightly as I now believe there are fewer people who know they need a solution to their bike degradation issue.
After talking with affected students, I believe that 100% of my originally observed opportunity is still present. The only thing I am now noticing is that there will be some people, like those who don't care if their bikes get ruined, who would get the benefits of the bike rack covers without actively wanting the benefits.
My new opportunity was less a change in approach but more of a change in understanding. I believe it is more accurate than when I started because now I have more evidence of the need and more data to support what starts out as an assumption (that people would be supportive and appreciative of this new idea for the UF bike racks).
I strongly believe entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback. If no one wants the UF campus bike racks covered, then why should UF invest money into doing this? The greatest success comes from finding what exactly the customers want and need.
My bike is a really nice bike that I had bought several years ago and had kept in great condition. However, when I got to Rawlings, I realized that I would have to keep my bike outside. This was the end of my beautiful bike. After one semester at UF, my bike's chain, gears, and other features were completely rusted and needed replacing. This is when I realized the true effects of weathering on objects like bikes.
My idea today came from a time that I rode my bike down to Garage V to pick up my car and I realized something unique: some of the bike racks there were covered. That is when I began to realize that almost none of the other bike racks on campus were covered and that this could be the solution to stopping my bike from further degrading.
THE PROBLEM HERE IS... that student's bikes are being destroyed by frequent rains common to this region of Florida. Students bring their bikes (or buy new ones for college) to campus only to have them be trashed and ruined by Mother Nature. Thus, it's the students who have this problem. This need has existed as long as the bike racks have, nothing new is causing this problem. Furthermore, the cause of this problem, the rain pouring on bikes, will never go away (unless we put something in between).
AS A RESULT... of this, students do either one of two things: they live with the fact that they will be riding a constantly degrading bike or they will invest time (and potentially money) into fixing and maintaining their bikes. Most students go with option one because as I looked at different bikes on bike racks throughout campus, rust everywhere was the common theme.
At this point, I was 95% sure that this opportunity existed.
Yesterday, I decided to go find out what other "bikers" on-campus thought about this dilemma.
First, I talked to a student living at Jennings who said his bike has gotten worse every day and that he has made peace with that in his mind so it doesn't bother him anymore. This made me realize that some people could care less about their bikes and were indifferent to building covers over UF bike racks.
Next, I talked to another biker who lived at Buckman and kept his bike outside in front of the dorm. He said that his bike was getting ruined by being outside in the weather and was completely supportive of building covers over the UF campus bike racks in the hope to protect his bike.
The third student I talked to was at the bike repair shop in the lower level of the Reitz when I brought my bike in for brake pad adjustment. The student told me that he had bought a brand new bike for college and that it had been getting destroyed by the weather while parked at an on-campus bike rack. His rusted chain and gears were proof of this.
As my bike was being fixed, I asked the bike technician if a lot of bikes brought into the shop were being destroyed by the weather and she said yes. When I asked her if building covers over the UF campus bike racks would help stop student's bikes from degrading, she said that while nothing compares to keeping one's bike indoors, it would help a lot by keeping the bikes from having direct contact with the rain and sunlight.
I also talked to a student who had kept her bike inside at her apartment off-campus and said that her bike was in really good condition. This is an outlier case because putting covers over bike rakes on campus would fix the problem for those who can't bring their bikes inside for various reasons.
OVERALL... I was happy to learn that I wasn't the only one with this problem and that others see building covers over the UF campus bike racks as a potential solution to avoiding bike degradation. However, I did realize something I hadn't anticipated and it was that some students, like the first person I talked to, don't care about their bikes or if they get ruined. It doesn't make sense but my "opportunity belief" shifted slightly as I now believe there are fewer people who know they need a solution to their bike degradation issue.
After talking with affected students, I believe that 100% of my originally observed opportunity is still present. The only thing I am now noticing is that there will be some people, like those who don't care if their bikes get ruined, who would get the benefits of the bike rack covers without actively wanting the benefits.
My new opportunity was less a change in approach but more of a change in understanding. I believe it is more accurate than when I started because now I have more evidence of the need and more data to support what starts out as an assumption (that people would be supportive and appreciative of this new idea for the UF bike racks).
I strongly believe entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback. If no one wants the UF campus bike racks covered, then why should UF invest money into doing this? The greatest success comes from finding what exactly the customers want and need.
Hey Carson!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I definitely agree that there's a problem here. I lived in Beaty Towers last year and the Gainesville Police Dept. ended up taking about 40-50 bikes in the summer because they were abandoned by their owners. It's most likely because the bikes got destroyed as well. Again, great idea!
Hi Carson,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting idea and I definitely believe that there could be some potential here for this idea as well. You are certainly not the only student who experiences these problems, as you found out through your interviews. I had a decent bike freshman year as well, but keeping it outside ruined it pretty quickly. I wonder what it would take to convince the university to install covered bike racks, because keeping bikes in a dorm is just not practical for many students.
Hello Carson!
ReplyDeleteSince I read and commented on your Bugs List assignment, I’m sensing a common theme that Rawlings Hall has been a less than ideal resident hall for you. I felt the same way my first year on campus, I also lived in Rawlings Hall. However, I did not have a bike - but my roommate dealt with this same issue. Even now, two years later, she has had to replace rusted parts so she can continue having a means of getting to class.
Overall, great job and thank you for sharing!
Caitlyn Torres
Hi Carson! I loved the way you told this story about your bike during your freshman year. You have a way of making something simple, like a rusted bike, sound more interesting. I think this will help you greatly as your entrepreneurship story continues! Keep thinking of ways to make this idea work because I think you're on to something.
ReplyDelete