Forming an Opportunity Belief

1.)  Boat ride that takes you to and from different states surrounding the Gulf of Mexico.
2.)  A little back story on my idea is that I am constantly traveling back and forth between Florida and Louisiana. My boyfriend is stationed in New Orleans, and I am constantly either driving eight hours or driving to Tampa or Orlando to fly out - and let me tell you it gets old really fast. It got me thinking that it would be really cool to take a boat ride.The unmet need is that there isn't a fun and different experience of traveling to different states other than what already currently exists. People who have this need for a boat alternative, would be people who might be terrified of flying or people who get extremely bored on car rides. This could even be for people who are like me, who are sick of constantly traveling the same way. Also, this would be for people who travel often or for people who just want to travel more in general. People just fly or drive because those have always been the only options, but when googling boat shuttle rides across the Gulf of Mexico, there was hardly anything that showed up. I am about 60-70 percent sure that this opportunity exists and that people would be excited about this idea.
3.)
A.) Laura Stoddard (aka my mom who is terrified of flying on airplanes)
I knew asking my mom would be good for this because she would be one who is definitely in favor of this opportunity. My mom thinks that this would be a great alternative for her when she wants to travel to see me or my boyfriend when we are in Louisiana. She said how she sometimes doesn't travel because she is so afraid of flying and that this would encourage her to travel more. She said she gets sea sick sometimes and so would other people so that is something to think about. She thinks this is definitely a good solution to those who are afraid of traveling a certain way. My mom didn't recognize the need until I pointed out the idea.

B.) Nathan Doherty (my boyfriend who is in the USCG)
My boyfriend is in the same boat as me, as he is always traveling back and forth as well to see me. He admits he has thought about this opportunity as well, but that he has never considered it a dire need. Since he is in the military, he only has select days off, and he doesn't know how fast this would be compared to just flying or driving. He would rather take the fastest route possible as he only has a certain amounts of days free, but he understands how this could be a cool alternative for those who might have more time on their hands. He thinks this is a decent solution, but not something he would ever consider over current transportation.

C.) Mecca Wali (Roommate who likes to travel)
I thought my roommate would like this idea because I know she is always up for adventure and loves doing new things. She also pointed out that this is definitely not a need for her personally and not something she has ever thought about. She thinks that after hearing my ideas, that it would be a cool experience and great for those who hate traveling certain ways. She said if she had something like spring break, where she had optimal time to travel, then she would definitely want to go on a bus shuttle. She was satisfied with this opportunity and thinks it would be a new experience.

4.)REFLECT: I definitely learned that there are many different perspectives to this topic. As Professor Pryor was saying in his explanation video, some needs that I feel are important aren't necessarily important to everyone else. However, this also showed me that there are similar people in my boat or who are terrified of flying, that this is something people would be excited about. All in all though, I realized that this is definitely not a NEED for people. It is not something people will die without, but it is just a fun idea that would be a unique experience for people.

5.) I believe that the original opportunity is still definitely there. I think it would be a great alternative for people and something new and exciting to try other than just typical travel plans. I think that my ideas for this opportunity has definitely shifted a little bit. I say that because it gave me more ideas of the type of people who would actually go on these bus shuttles. I think it is extremely pivotal that entrepreneurs should adapt based off customer feedback. I don't believe that you can be a successful entrepreneur if your customers aren't happy, so I feel that feedback is extremely necessary and should certainly be sought out for.