Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Economic Trends

Opportunity #1: Increase in demand for hurricane supplies.

a) I found this opportunity while watching the news, before, and after the recent Hurricane Irma. Almost every new station was and still is, talking about preparing for a hurricane during hurricane season, and the incredible demand for goods such as fuel, water, plywood, and the lack of supply that many people are experiencing.
b) This information suggests that an opportunity exists, to me, because of the sheer amount of times it is discussed in the news, and the heavy importance that news stations, and the government, place on the matter.
c) The most likely customer with the opportunity are people in hurricane prone areas of the world, such as states on the Atlantic coast, and islands in the Caribbean.
d) The opportunity is relatively if not very difficult to exploit, because it is something that can mean the difference between life and death, and is a matter of great importance to the government, who hold high standards and regulation on disaster preparation.

It is an opportunity likely seen by most people who follow hurricanes on the news, if not all people in one way or another. I believe an opportunity exists because after watching the devastation that followed Hurricane Irma, and the amount of people in need of supplies who have no access to any, it is clear something needs to and can be improved.

Opportunity #2: Needs of many people to rebuild following hurricane Irma.

a) After watching the news on the devastation in the Caribbean and the Keys, and seeing the amount of people who lost their homes and businesses.
b) The opportunity definitely exists. There are thousands of people without homes in the areas affected by both Hurricane Irma and Maria.
c) The prototypical customers are people whose homes and businesses were destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
d) The opportunity is easy to exploit on a small scale, but difficult on a larger scale. It might also be seen is unethical to seek profit from the loss of other people.

The opportunity is known by anyone who has followed news of the recent hurricanes, but I have the personal belief that the government shouldn't be the only large organization helping to rebuild homes. Private organizations could be hired to help with the rebuilding process if such an organization existed.

Regulatory Changes

Opportunity #3: Some nursing homes are under scrutiny after Irma for allowing the deaths of patients from the heat.

a) I found this opportunity watching the news concerning the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills and in news articles such as
http://abcnews.go.com/US/10th-patient-dead-florida-nursing-home-lost-air/story?id=49965554.
b) Regulatory changes are under way to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. I believe a preventative opportunity exists because of the current outrage over such a preventable incident.
c) The most likely customer could be the nursing homes themselves, or the families of those who are living in a nursing home.
d) Because the topic is so controversial right now, many people and companies are aware of it, and so it becomes relatively difficult to exploit. Also it is a problem that involves the government and the lives of elderly people, so it is very controversial and important.

My personal feelings towards this tragedy created the idea of an opportunity to me. My grandmother was very recently sick and passed away, so I know how terrible it must be for those who lost family members. And they were lost due to negligence, something that could have been avoided.

Opportunity #4: Loss of power to millions during Hurricane Irma, yet for some it took weeks to get it back.

a) The loss of power affected my family for over a week, and still is a problem for others, following hurricane Irma. Some cities such as Coral Gables are fining FPL for not getting the power back on for many residents. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article174475551.html
b) There is no doubting that some Florida citizens still have no power. I faced this issue for around 10 days, and for certain homes without access to city water, getting power back should be a priority. There is an opportunity, because it is a problem that only a few companies have the ability to solve.
c) Customers include anyone who lives in a home that is prone to power outage during a storm, especially when the power outage is affecting millions of families at a time.
d) I feel this problem is very difficult to exploit, however it is one that should be given more attention. Only a few companies have the ability to return power to Florida homes after a disaster. With more help, power could be back on within days for those who need it.

This problem personally frustrates me. My home is the first to lose power during a storm in my county, and also one of the last to get it back. We use well water, so without power we don't have water. This makes going without power for over a week extremely difficult. I think many people can identify with this opportunity, but what can be done about it with the current control over the power lines.