Forming an Opportunity Belief

1. I believe that an opportunity exists in the market for scooter helmets. If we had a lighter, more stylish (maybe customizable?), and smaller helmets that do the job just as good, I believe that a large number of people would buy and wear them. 

2. A. The unmet need is a helmet that will not make people look bad. B. Students who own scooters and do not have a helmet to go with it have this need. C. This need is both legal and functional, as drivers under 21 are required by law to wear helmets, and those over 21 should want to not splatter their brains if they crash. D. There have been campaigns to get students to wear helmets, but nothing has been done to change the helmets themselves.

3. Interviewee 1: 21 year old scooter owner who goes to UF.

4. Interviewee 1: The need for people to wear helmets is really high, but I am not sure that an improved helmet would do well. I see people all the time not wearing helmets; even I don’t wear a helmet when I drive my scooter. No one does. I transferred from UCF, where people ride scooters as much, but when I came to UF, I immediately noticed it. I am not really doing anything for this, even though I know I should be. I think this idea might do OK, but I am not sure that you could make the helmet to people’s needs.

5. Interviewee 2: 20 year old UF student who also owns a scooter.

6. Interviewee 2: Despite the laws, most people don't wear helmets currently; I do think if people were able to customize their helmets that they would be worn more often. I became aware of the need for better helmets when I saw the big blocky helmets people were wearing and I saw that a large majority of drivers didn't wear them at all. I have had this need since I have owned a scooter, but I am not addressing the need because they are uncomfortable, look stupid, and mess up my hair. I am very satisfied with this solution. I wasn't convinced at first, but if you create a trend I think people would follow.

7. Interviewee 3: 19 year old UF student who rents a scooter and wears a helmet.

8. Interviewee 3. I think there is a major need for helmets that people will actually wear here in Gainesville. I became very aware of the need for helmets when I got a ticket for not wearing one. I rent a scooter on a semester basis ever since last year, and I own a helmet. I would absolutely love a new helmet, the one I have now sucks. I would definitely buy it if it were for the right price.

9. Reflection: I learned that my opportunity is most likely either going to be a great success or a miserable failure, no in between. I was surprised to hear that a reason for not wearing helmets is because people think they are not cool. I figured it was due to lack of space in there scooter or because they were too heavy. 

10. I am not discouraged about my opportunity really. I do think that my findings would lead me to do more research before putting a product out to make sure I get it right. I do think my helmet will be more refined and better now that I interviewed some people. I do think that entrepreneurs should listen to feedback, but only on a bigger scale than 3 people.