10A – Elevator Pitch No. 1

Good afternoon everyone, my name is Thomas O’Grady

I am the founder of Redi Travel

We specialize in medical supply storage and convenient travel gear

Today I want to expose you to an idea that will revolutionize the comfort ability you experience when traveling as a diabetic.

My company has a potential product that will target our diabetic family and friends or even yourself

We have the medi case, this is designed to store and protect your insulin for up to 4 weeks while being exposed to temperatures up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit

This case is ground breaking because it will maintain a temperature below 50 degrees Fahrenheit which is essential to keeping insulin potent

This product will give new abilities to diabetics all over the globe

No more thinking in the back of your head about the vials of insulin heating in your backpack or making sure the cooler is closed and the ice is still frozen.

Our product will preserve the potency of your insulin giving you the peace of mind that every injection will provide the same level of effect

In the United States alone there are about 215000 people younger than the age of 20 who are insulin injection dependent.

I want to give back to our diabetic community and empower them to see new things and drop some of the anxious weight off their shoulder

Our research is requiring another $50,000 to purchase materials to complete our design

With this completion and recent survey conducted in 50 states we estimate a total sales profit of $625,000 in the first year. This is calculated at a product sales price of $75 when it cost $25 to produce just 1

Unfortunately there is no cure for diabetes at this time, but fortunately through our product we can give diabetics the ability to expand their horizons and leave some of the burden of diabetes behind them

Thank you for your time

9A – Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

9A – Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

Continuing the Opportunity Research

Who: Looking over my current idea of developing a canister to prolong the potent life span of insulin has been interesting. The points of view I have received through my additional 5 interviews has shown me the true effect of diabetes on individuals. I have found that there are people who want expanded boundaries and there are people who are content and comfortable with there current boundaries. I have also found 2 other products that match my idea. The two products only offer a 24 hour cooling guarantee where I look for up to 4 weeks and can be “recharged”. The products are also bulky and not easily traveled with.

-          I was able to find my interviewees through an online gaming community and the interviewees I have known for about a year now.

-          2 of my interviewees had families that were avid campers and hikers. They were both diagnosed with diabetes when they were around the age of 6 years old. They remember as a child going to local areas in upstate New York and the others family would camp and hike in Colorado. They know their families do not blame them for their change in life style but at the same time they know that diabetes is nothing to joke around with. One of my best friends Tyler is a diabetic and he was also diagnosed at around age 6 and when we would go to the beach he always had to wear water shoes because their feet are extremely sensitive and do not heal easily.

-          2 of my other interviewees felt comfortable with their life style. They both have the pump and from time to time need to manually inject themselves with insulin. They do not mind that they need to keep their insulin stored in their fridge or even have extra vials at their school. They have never felt the need to travel outside their current boundaries

-          The last interviewee was content with his current life style but did want to look into going abroad with his school. He is scared to go because the places they travel to usually lack electricity and would be living in a very limited area for up to 4 weeks. He is the in between customer because is content but at the same time if he had something that could guarantee his insulin to stay potent he would definitely have a better time sleeping at night.

What: My interviewees could all agree that it would help them personally sleep better at night when they know they may be in a warmer climate and they might be isolated from electricity for more than 2 days. My interviewees could also agree that the idea of having something easily portable would be nice. They would also like to see some sort of injecting device to be attached to the canister so they do not have to carry their injector kits as well. Possibly a stack able disposable small needle set resembling those mechanical pencils that have lead tips stacked within each other.

Why: This need is identified by individuals in 2 spectrum's, people who feel restricted and people who do not feel restricted.

I believe through a compelling commercial or advertising campaign we can market to people who are content with their current life style and try to inspire them to reach beyond.

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Who: Diabetics who want to explore new boundaries and experience a less restricted life style.	Diabetics who do not want to move outside their comfort zone.
What: To help expand boundaries to allow diabetics to feel more comfortable when traveling long distances or are isolated from electricity for a prolonged time such as 1 week. To give diabetics peace of mind	To give diabetics an infinite travel time for insulin To give diabetics completely alternate life styles
Why: I want everyone to experience the same or at least the same. I do not want my own friends or family feeling restricted for something they did not choose to have. I want to give diabetics a feeling of peace of mind that they sometimes struggle to feel when it comes to a long trip or an uncertain voyage.

8a, Solving the Problem!

Selected Opportunity: Insulin cold storage, for a temperature range of 36 to 46 degree Fahrenheit. I want to look at this opportunity because I have many friends who are diabetics and I have seen them from young ages takes insulin from their fridges and inject themselves in the thighs or butts and after performing interviews with them I fully grasped how dependent they are on insulin and how vital it is to keep their insulin vials cooled to keep them from spoiling. I want to give my friends and other people the opportunity to go far far far away from a fridge or cooling source and finally feel completely free to do whatever they want, whether that’s go hiking in the mountains for a few days or just simply feel the ease of knowing their insulin is not being ruined because they don’t want to keep it cooled and take the risk of ruing an expensive bottle of insulin because it was not fully used by the 28 day period.

Product to be sold/distributed: The idea that I have come up with to tackle this issue is some sort of container that is small and lightweight that can be easily kept in a backpack, pocket, or some sort of personal storage space. The item will resemble the device that was used in Men in Black; it will be well insulated and can maintain cold temperatures for up to 1 week before needing to be cooled again. This item will allow diabetics to store their insulin vials in this capsule and take it with them on long vacations, or journeys to ensure the insulin does not warm which compromises the integrity of the insulin and causes it to have a functioning period of 28 days. This item can be used as a personal transportation device. My idea is to use the same insulating technology as yeti cups or tumblers that keep your drinks cool for the entire day or even a few days. I personally have a cup that I left ice water in the cup in my hot car for 2 days and it did melt a little but the ice was still present and had minor holes in the ice and my drink was as cold as when I first poured it.

7a - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

My opportunity wants to focus on the challenges diabetics face when it comes to storing insulin and ensuring maximum shelf life.

The who: Diabetics who require insulin.

The what: Currently diabetics have to keep their insulin refrigerated at all times which means they need to be close enough to a building or some sort of source that can provide 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

The why: This is because when insulin goes above that temperature range the proteins start to break down and starts to spoil and not function as well when injected to help regulate blood sugar levels.  

Testing the who: People that have this need are diabetics who require insulin injection daily to keep a healthy functioning blood sugar level balance.

Testing the what: The boundaries of this need are people that want to travel away from a refrigeration source which typically requires electricity to maintain a temperature within the 36 to 46 degree Fahrenheit range. Insulin can be warmed but when warmed it is only good for 28 days and remaining insulin will need to be discarded because it will not function.

Testing the why: All though insulin will be good for 28 days, if multiple vials of insulin are warmed then majority of the insulin will most likely be spoiled by the time you actually need to use it. Diabetics who want to perform high energy activities may require more insulin because they will be constantly ingesting food to help increase blood sugar and will require insulin to get it back to normal levels.

Conducted interviews: In my interviews I was able to ask 5 buddies that have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. I was able to discover obvious restrictions as well as missed opportunities that they each shared because of diabetes. In one of my interviews I was able to discuss the missed opportunity of joining a military branch or even becoming public service personnel. My friend Max could not join the Army because of diabetes, the fear was that if he were to be deployed which would be well over 28 days he would not be able to store insulin even if he was not part of a combat role. Because insulin is such a vital medicine it cannot be replaced or tampered with. Another friend who is an air medic is also restricted although he has an insulin pump connected to his abdomen he still has a requirement of storing his insulin in a cool place and needing access to it throughout the majority of his day. John who is the air medic wants to look into other training and certifications within his field but he knows he will have hard times finding work because of his dependency of insulin. I also discovered that all 5 of my subjects rarely let their insulin get to room temperature because the vials sometimes will last a long time and 28 days will be to short and the vials will spoil. My 5 subjects also wanted to pursue some sort of active duty roles and despite the new technologies for insulin injection and blood sugar regulation research has not created and insulin that can last longer than 28 days when brought to room temperature.

What happening with our economy and regulations(6a)

Regulatory:

http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/marijuana-legalization-and-regulation

The debate of marijuana legalization has been going on for many years now. Just as people fought for the legalization of alcohol, people fight for the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana has many different opportunities and could be the next big thing to happen in the United States. Following marijuana legalization we will see technology expand to help develop new medicines, alternatives for paper, alternatives for building materials, and possibly a safer way to enjoy a product that “takes the edge off” like alcohol does for many business men and woman. This information can easily be explored by just simply google-ing about marijuana and hemp which could become just as big of an industry as the oil industry. Potential customers can be patience who experience seizures, veterans who experience PTSD. Hemp which is classified and treated like marijuana can be used as an alternative to paper and can be refined to function as fuel for a new automobile engine. This is a mildly difficult industry to get into depending on what you are doing. Farms can be erected and the crops can be sold, or you can function as a factory that helps process the crops into medicines by extracting the natural chemicals found within marijuana. The startup could be expensive because it would take knowledge of plant growth and chemical compounds. This will require specialist to be hired or schooling to take place before the venture can be made. Others may not see this opportunity because they may disagree with the idea of legalizing marijuana because it has been classified as a drug equivalent to heroin and cocaine which are proven to cause deaths and effect people in different ways than marijuana does.

https://www.gensuite.com/top-4-osha-regulation-changes-to-prepare-for-in-2018-infographic/

OSHA, and organization that may make some business owners cringe by just muttering the word. OSHA is the Occupational Health and Safety Administration which oversees work sites and offices to ensure the safety of all employees within the United States.  A new change is presenting itself within the work force and that is the mandatory change of digitizing injury and illness reports. This new regulation will cause all employers to submit electronic reports of their illness and injury reports and open new opportunities for tech savvy people to find new jobs to create these reports for business that may be lacking their technology advantage. Potential clients for a data company will be all employers that have more than 20 payroll employed employees in their work force. This could be potentially easy to create a business that processes these reports if a company does not have a technologically inclined office manager or book keeper. Someone may disagree with this opportunity because if a company has more than 20 employees they must have someone who can handle this task. The truth is that many companies have book keepers or office managers that have been doing the same thing for 20 plus years. To insure proper reporting and not have any penalties or fines assessed it would be best to hire a company that offer this guarantee of accurate work and no repercussions if work is done in error.

Economic:

https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-blockchain-technology/

A new up and coming economic change is the idea of Block Chain Technology. Block chain technology is the idea of linking all digital information into a web of information that is easily compared and integrated to help create a web of information for the different industries that are present within the global marketplace. The opportunity of this technology is the adaptation business can make to utilize the information presented within block chains interface. Block chain technology can be utilized by major companies and current employees of corporation can become intrapreneurs and create new channels to help analyze block chain data to create new business plans or develop new products. This opportunity will be mildly hard to exploit because it will require training on how to analyze the data and then how to implement the data. This opportunity will be best prioritized by major corporations rather than small local businesses. Someone may not agree that this is an opportunity because they may not see the potential information that can be gathered by this new technology. An example is within the agricultural industry, companies can track the exchange of money to purchase a product. This mean supermarkets can track who purchased these goods before they did, this can ensure product quality and ensure they are getting the best buy for their money.

https://www.thebalance.com/us-economic-outlook-3305669

Another economic change is the information regarding oil and gas prices. As we can see through history gas prices have been steadily increasing and as time passes they will continue to grow because we all know oil is not an infinite resource. This opportunity would be the idea of developing new power sources. With the ongoing debate of hemp and marijuana being more accepted we can create no power sources by synthesizing the chemicals within these plants just as we do to crude oils to create gasoline and diesel fuels. Potential customers will be major power companies, home owners, cities, towns, and villages to help power homes, vehicles, and businesses. This opportunity would be hard to exploit because it will take a large sum of capital investments to make this work and fund research. Again someone may disagree with this opportunity because they may not agree with the abilities of marijuana or hemp.

Whats happening locally?(5a)

Apalachicola tourist sues over alleged bedbug infestation; hotel calls suit "frivolous"

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/09/13/best-western-apalach-inn-sued-over-alleged-bedbug-infestation/1283032002/

The article tells about a possible law suit that will be set in motion because Christopher Martin who was a visitor from Virginia stayed 5 nights at a Best Western Hotel. During his stay he was bitten more than 100 times and had to seek medical attention for the bites and has allegedly suffered because of medical bills, emotional damages, and lost earnings.

The problem presented is that hotels need to be kept up to a health code which guarantees visitors will not contract or be affected by any insects or diseases that could be present in a hotels rooms. As we can see through this article the cleaning crew or whoever is hired to clean the rooms did not do a thorough job. This simple look over could potentially cause this business $75,000 in reparation.

The problem can affect other hotels/motels in the Tallahassee area. To a locally owned business a $75,000 bill could be a major game changer and cause the establishment to close or cause extreme devastation to the owners and its operations.

 Record number of tourists heading to Florida

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AAPM14%21Associated%2BPress%253A%2BTallahassee%2BMetro%2BArea%2B%2528FL%2529&sort=YMD_date%3AD&page=1&maxresults=20&f=advanced&val-base-0=&fld-base-0=alltext&docref=news/16E6589B27087E20

This small article give insight on the market of tourist Florida has. In the article Governor Rick Scott gives details of 65.5 million tourists came to Florida just within the first 6 months of the year of 2018. This is something to view because it was record breaking and could possess many opportunities for sight seekers.

The problem presented in this is that Florida legislators have denied the budget increase for Visit Florida which is the organization that handles tourism and its opportunities.

Employees of Visit Florida may be burdened with longer hours, minimum pay, out dated equipment, and increased stress because of their workloads because new employees may not be hired to help.

DAYTONA BEACH — Toronto is already the No. 1 source of visit

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ADBNC%21Daytona%2BBeach%2BNews-Journal%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0913%21September%2B13&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E6C750DB7E5098

The article explains the ability for a round trip flight from Toronto, Canada to Daytona Beach, FL. The airline SunWing is going to be offering this clutch travel package which will definitely see a major usage. The round trips flights could cost around $265 and will only be offered seasonally. Typically during the winter time and will end its flights in June. The planes used for the flights will be a Boeing 737-800 jetliner and can set up to 189 passengers.

The problem is that Daytona Beach Area of Conventions and Visitors Bureau and Visit Florida will be taking care of the processes for the flights to be accommodated and ensure all visitors are pleased with their visit. In my previous article review we learned that a budget increase will not be granted Visit Florida which may affect this opportunity.

Visitors from Canada may have bad experiences while visiting Florida because of the increased tourism which may lead to sold out hotels and a cramped city. Daytona Beach is the vacation capital.

FISHING REPORT - Mullet run may be anglers’ happiest time of year

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ADBNC%21Daytona%2BBeach%2BNews-Journal%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0913%21September%2B13&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E6C751C86A5F88

This article lets us know about the increased population of Mullet within the inlet waterways of Daytona Beach down to Edge water which is known as the Halifax River. These massive schools are attracting big time fisherman because Mullet is a hearty fish and is worth a few bucks and can offer a good meal.

The problem is that a major influx of fisherman will damage the possibility of a catch because there will be 10x more fishing poles casted in these water ways.

The people affected by this will be local fisherman. These local fisherman do not fish for gain or fame, they fish to feed themselves, their family, and friends.

DeBary OKs SunRail-area project - $180M development would bring homes, shops, trail connections to city - $180M development would bring homes, shops, trail connections to city

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ADBNC%21Daytona%2BBeach%2BNews-Journal%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0911%21September%2B11&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E61E8949559E30

This article is about the potential construction of a 180 million dollar development and the expansion of Central Florida’s Sun Rail system. This development will contain 2 story houses on smalled land plots. It is intended to house commuter families that work within large companies and it will attract them because the sunrail system will directly inject the employees close to where they work adding value to the neighborhood and development because it adds an ease of travel.

The problem is that the new development and the families that move their will be increased population in the city of Debary. This influx will increase workloads for local businesses and increase congestion in the area.

This new development will affect the locals that have already been living there. This may become overly populated and people may because angry with the new construction going on within their city.

The belief of community(4a)

Tallahassee Paintball Arena is one effort of my Community Development through Challenge idea.

     TPBA will be a place people can feel a part of their community. We will have military, law enforcement, and local emergency services take part in daily activities to help build a strong growing community through teamwork and exposure to people they may never encounter. The need to combat here is the feeling of community. This need comes from violence and the feeling of being lost. Nobody is satisfying this need. I would say 35% of people in just this area (Tallahassee) require this need of community. 

     My typical target client/customer/human would be teenager/young adults because they are going through a period of change and self-discovery.

     I was able to ask 3 coworkers and they described their current familiarity with their community as nothing. They realized they just stay here rather than live here in Tallahassee. They are not a part of something that unites them to their own city. They feel they experience loss of community because they fear theft, they fear for their lives, home should never contain fear. My 2 younger coworkers feel this is a great way to engage young adults. Everyone is absorbed into Call of Duty or other video games that involve shooting or fast paces scenarios why not bring it to life and teach lesson along with it? 

     Reflecting on my opportunity I am shocked to hear how distant people really feel in their own community with others that call the same place "Home".

     My three customers may have been overly optimistic for me but I believe my full original idea is still present. My idea of community growth is present with my three customers and they understand the vision and the value of my goal. 

     Going through the current idea I am reporting on and looking back at others I do believe an entrepreneur needs the fine combination of staying firm to their idea and adapting. We need to adapt to minor details but stay firm on our vision

THE BUGz! (2a)

Excuse the ramble but these things just bug me!

(Bug) Something that really grinds my gears is when people speed to a red light which forces me to not be able to pull out of a parking lot or driveway or even a side road.

(Why) This may happen because people do not pay attention to others while driving.

(Bug) Something that really bugs me is when people steal things from my car or just steal from someone else in general.

(Why) This may exist because people do not feel like a community.

(Bug) I really don’t appreciate when i really want McDonald’s ice cream but their machine is broken

(Why) This may exist because the machines are not operated correctly

(Bug) That that bugs me is when the street light does not change because i am on my motorcycle.

(Why) This may happen because i do not weight enough to trigger the sensor

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when pizza places do not deliver

(Why) This may occur because they do not have drivers or do not have enough delivery to make it worth offering delivery.

(Bug) Something that really bugs me is when i hit the home screen YouTube closes on most videos

(Why) This may happen because owners of the video want you to see the advertisement.

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when restaurants don’t assist me with my order(make suggestions)

(Why) This could be because business owners do not understand their clients.

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when i write in a binder and i am restricted because i am left handed

(Why) This is because the world is catered towards right handed people

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when i miss place my key and can’t find them

(Why) This is because I can’t call my keys or they have no tracking device and i don't pay attention when i get home from work

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when schools/colleges produce material list and we never use them

(Why) This could be because bad planning or alternative sources should be listed for a more cost effective approach.

(Bug) Something that bugs me is that when i was in high school i did not learn anything about banking or credit

(Why) This could be because it is not a necessity to obtain knowledge of banking?

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when i got to the store and i grab a cart that does not roll right or makes a loud noise.

(Why) This could be because the store may not have a good repair/service system to repair damaged carts.

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when my adviser does not help me even after i ask for help

(Why) This could be because they don’t know what they are doing or they are not appropriately trained

(Bug) Something that bugs me is the pay gap between the lowest paid employees of a corporation to the higher paid.

(Why) This is because there is no pay cap in the United States, there can only be one winner....

(Bug) Something that bugs me is why do we have conflict on a global scale (War) what is the end goal?

(Why) This could be because of ego and past traditions to be the most powerful, but why sentence or brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons and daughter to death by war and competition.

(Bug) Something that bugs me is litter bugs!

(Why) This may be because people don’t understand the impact of littering.

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when people do not truly understand something or they hear one side of the story and try to side with that one angle of the perspective.

(Why) This may be because they want to have an opinion and be a part of a conversation because they seek attention.

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when people judge others immediately without giving them a moment of their time to learn them.

(Why) This might be because they may have been missing understood one time and constantly feel the need to judge others

(Bug) Something that bugs me is that we are the most powerful species on the planet but we do nothing for others.

(Why) Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

(Bug) Something that bugs me is when people commit suicide

(Why) We may have missed something, not listened enough or just couldn’t help

(Bug) Something that bugs me is that I feel so pressured to not stray off my tracks because I will lose my house and fear of losing everything to pursue my dreams of changing the world.

(Why) Because I am a slave.

I faced the biggest challenge when it came to starting my bug list. I did not want to get to into my emotions or daily life so I tried expanding and reaching farther to find more ideas. It seemed that the biggest bugs were what pressured my emotions and that were directly in my face. Through combating my own bugs maybe I could help someone else....