Forming an Opportunity Belief

1. I believe that there is an opportunity to sell a way for people to personalize their belongings.

2. The unmet need is to be different, unique, and to express yourself. The unmet need is to create a sense of identify through your belongings.
     Who has the need? Everyone, but students and teachers in particular.
     Where did the need come from? The need to be different and express yourself comes from a sense of identity and the human experience, so it is not new. In academic settings, however, the need comes from wanting to stand out or relate to your peers.
     What are people doing to meet this need now? Putting stickers, pins, and monograms on things such as laptops, water bottles, tablets, backpacks, and cars. People order stickers and pins from online websites, buy them in local stores, receive them with a purchase to promote a brand.
I am 80% sure that the opportunity to sell a way for people to personalize their belongings as a form of expression exists.

3. The prototypical consumer- students, particularly in high school and college.

Interview #1
4. Consumer- College student at the University of Virginia
She likes to personalize her objects in a way that strengthens her identity and displays the aspects about herself that she is proud of. She recognized the need to personalize her things in middle school, particularly surrounding sports. Her need is only sometimes since it is a social behavior. She noticed her need in middle school because that is when people began differentiating themselves and she wanted to distinguish herself. She has the felt the need for about 8 years. She currently addresses her need in the way that she presents herself through dressing. She is satisfied with her current solution of expressing herself through her clothing.

4. Interview #2
Consumer- College student at the University of Florida
She feels the need to personalize her items to make them unique to her and to make them cute. She says the stickers on her laptop are a reflection of her, and they are a way for others to see her interests and personality. She noticed her need when it became trendy to personalize things. She says that looking at stickers and colorful things on her items make her happy and brighten her day. She became aware of the need when she came to college and saw that everyone used stickers to break the ice with people and express themselves. She has the need for four years now since being in college. She currently addresses her need by browsing different websites online or finding stickers locally. She is satisfied with her current solution, but is always looking for different and fun styles.
Reflection-

4. Interview #3
Consumer- College student at the University of West Florida
She likes to personalize her belongings because it is a fun way to show what her interests are. She feels the need to express herself all the time. She noticed the need first developed in high school when she wanted to stand out and recognize her belongings quicker. She currently orders stickers online or at local coffee shops. She is satisfied with her current solution, but would like to see new designs.

5. Reflection- I learned that my opportunity is mostly focused on schools and students all the way from middle school to college. I think my original idea that people use stickers and pins to stand out is true based on these interviews. It seems like college students mostly fulfill this need by ordering things online or picking them up at local spots. It was surprising to learn that people may use other forms of expression like how they dress themselves to fulfill this unmet need.

1. I think most of my original opportunity is still there. The interviews confirmed that the need is present, and people do use decorations like stickers and pins to personalize their belongings.
2. After the interviews, I realized that my new opportunity is relatively accurate from when I started. I figured that the average student would have this need, and that the primary way to fulfill it would be ordering online or buying from local places. The first interview did show me there are other ways to personalize belongings like clothing.
3. I think entrepreneurs need to find a balance between adaptation and staying firm. They need to take customer satisfaction and feedback into account because those are the people that will be buying what the entrepreneur is selling. If the consumers don't like it and the entrepreneur isn't willing to tweak it, then they won't be in business for much longer. That being said, I don't think an entrepreneur should abandon the original idea entirely, just make small changes based on feedback if need be.