Forming an Opportunity Belief

I believe there is an unmet need in the college town of Gainesville. Currently, there is an overflow of pets being given away by college students in Gainesville. I believe this problem has occurred for some time and has affected many college students dealing with being away from home for the first time. My service would make it mandatory for first-time pet owners to take care of a puppy or kitten for one week to make the students aware of how big of a responsibility it is. I believe that some college students are unaware of the depth of responsibility needed to raise an animal (especially a puppy or a kitten). The need that these students have is to have a loyal companion to keep them company while in college. In response to this need, they overlook the responsibility commitment and make a quick decision and end up regretting it and return or give away the animal, which is sad for the animal and sad for the owner. I'm 60 percent sure this opportunity exists.

1st Interviewee: College female student living Off-campus:

Do you have a pet and are you a first-time pet owner? "Yes and yes"

Did you know the amount of responsibility needed to raise your pet before you got it? "Yes I knew it would be a lot at first but I was willing to make the sacrifice"

Are you aware of the problem in Gainesville of giving pets away? "Yes I've heard stories of people getting dogs thinking they can take care of them, and then they give them away a couple of months later"

Would you think a service that provides the ability for students to take care of a puppy or a kitten for a week before they get a dog or cat would be helpful for first-time pet owners? "I think that would be a great idea to counteract this trend of returning animals. Letting a dog have a connection with you only for you to throw it away is horrible"

Reflection: This person is aware of the need and she was aware of the responsibility aspect before she got her pet.

2nd Interviewee: College male student at UF

Do you have a pet and are you a first-time pet owner? "No, but I would love to get one"

Do you know the amount of responsibility needed to raise a pet? "Yes I think I have a good idea, it's like having a child"

Are you aware of the problem in Gainesville of giving pets away? "No that's awful. But I can see how people would assume how easy taking care of a pet is without sitting down and thinking about it"

Would you think a service that provides the ability for students to take care of a puppy or a kitten for a week before they get a dog or cat would be helpful for first-time pet owners? "That would be wonderful for first-time owners. I'm pretty sure I'd find that useful to see if having a pet can match with my busy schedule"

Reflection: This person found the service very useful even as a person that is aware of the responsibility aspect.

3rd Interviewee: College female student at Plaza of the Americas

Do you have a pet and are you a first-time pet owner? "I used to have a dog a year ago"

Did you know the amount of responsibility needed to raise your pet before you got it? To be honest, no I didn't know, I had to give it away because I couldn't handle it"

Are you aware of the problem in Gainesville of giving pets away? "Yes from experience I know the mindset that a student away from home has. They want something to keep them company and once they get one they limit themselves from going out with friends and you always worry about them"

Would you think a service that provides the ability for students to take care of a puppy or a kitten for a week before they get a dog or cat would be helpful for first-time pet owners? "Yes! I definitely could have used that to get a gauge of how much time I'd be able to allocate towards my dog."

Reflection: I was surprised that she fit my service perfectly. It's good to know that my service could've prevented her from being overwhelmed with having a dog in the first place.

Summary: I believe after interviewing the students, the opportunity is still there at a bit of a higher percentage than originally assumed. All three of the students felt that my service was a great idea. There are services for renting a pet, but I feel that if shelters make it mandatory to take care of a puppy for a week, it will give the students a scope of the commitment. As an entrepreneur, it is critical to model your idea after getting feedback from potential consumers. Using this data can better your business plan and make it more focused.