Assignment 4A: Forming An
Opportunity Belief
The sky was as clear as a freshly cleaned crystal glass. The sun kissed my skin with an “oh-so” desirable warmth. The day was as perfect as it could possibly be for a casual stroll around the block. It seemed as though nothing could disrupt the perfection that was that day. I, however, was wrong. As I strolled leisurely down the sidewalk I felt an object slide down my heel and below my foot. A bead of nervous sweat ran down my forehead as I realized what had just happened. My no-show sock slid off of my foot. I collapsed on the ground in horror, paralyzed by fear. My life, as I knew it, was never going to be the same again.
The paragraph above is a dramatization of the feeling one gets when one’s no-show sock slides off of one’s foot. That feeling has been popularly dramatized in internet meme culture, and for good reason. It is a commonly shared annoyance between people of all ages. No-show socks have a tendency to fall off of one’s foot. The problem annoys many, and little has been done to fix it. This is where I believe an opportunity exists. I believe there is an unmet need for a no-show style sock that does not constantly slide off of the wearer’s foot. The people who have this need are the countless number of individuals who wear no-show socks. The need for a better sock arose from the poor design of the first no-show sock. The initial design of the no-show sock had nothing to stop the sock from slipping off. That is why the feeling of a balled up no-show sock under one’s foot became such a familiar and shared feeling for many. What companies have done to meet this need is the introduction of gel grips on the heels of no-show socks that help to stop them from sliding off. Though this has helped the problem, it is far from a solution. No-show socks falling off in one’s shoe is still too frequent of an occurrence. I am 65% sure this opportunity exists. Below are the questions and answers from my interviews with three participants.
Interviews:
Participant 1 (Female):
How often do you experience your no-show sock falling off in your shoe (Often, sometimes, never)?
The participant sometimes experiences her no-show sock slipping off in her shoe.
How long has this been a problem (if it is a problem)?
The participant has had this problem since she began wearing no-show socks.
When did you first become aware of the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant became aware of the need immediately, noticing that the sock frequently fell off.
How are you currently addressing the need?
The participant is addressing the problem by purchasing no-show socks with gel grips on the heels.
How satisfied are you with the solution (Very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not satisfied)?
The participant is not satisfied with the solution because the socks still slide off.
Participant 2 (Male):
How often do you experience your no-show sock falling off in your shoe (Often, sometimes, never)?
The participant sometimes experiences his no-show sock falling off in his shoe.
How long has this been a problem (if it is a problem)?
The participant has had this problem ever since he started wearing shoes that required the use of no-show socks.
When did you first become aware of the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant became aware of the need after the first time one of his no-show socks fell off.
How are you currently addressing the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant is addressing the need by not wearing socks at all with shoes that require no-show socks.
How satisfied are you with the solution (Very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not satisfied)?
The participant is not satisfied with the solution. He would rather wear socks with his shoes so that his feet do not sweat.
Participant 3 (Female):
How often do you experience your no-show sock falling off in your shoe (Often, sometimes, never)?
The participant sometimes experiences her no-show socks slipping off in her shoes.
How long has this been a problem (if it is a problem)?
This has been a problem for this participant ever since she began wearing no-show socks.
When did you first become aware of the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant became aware of the need after the first time a no-show sock fell off in her shoe.
How are you currently addressing the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant is trying different no-show socks from various brands.
How satisfied are you with the solution (Very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not satisfied)?
The participant is somewhat satisfied with this solution.
Reflection:
What these interviews taught me about my opportunity is that it is very present. All of the participants I interviewed are experiencing the problem of no-show socks falling off in their shoes, and none of them are very satisfied with the current solutions. The most surprising thing I learned about my opportunity is the degree to which certain individuals are fed up with the issue of no-show socks falling off. Participant 2 gave up wearing no-show socks all together with shoes that required them. He would rather not wear socks than have to deal with no-show socks that slide off.
Summary:
After conducting my interviews, I believe that my original opportunity for a better no-show sock that does not slide off is still very much there. Every person I interviewed that uses no-show socks experiences the same problem and is not completely satisfied with the current solutions available today. I believe that my opportunity is more accurate than when I started. I think entrepreneurs should fully “adapt” their opportunities based on customer feedback. There is no sense in pursuing an opportunity if one finds out there is not one present. If after receiving feedback the entrepreneur realizes their opportunity isn’t what they believed it to be, then they should adapt the opportunity to one that can prove to be worthwhile to pursue and lead to success.
The sky was as clear as a freshly cleaned crystal glass. The sun kissed my skin with an “oh-so” desirable warmth. The day was as perfect as it could possibly be for a casual stroll around the block. It seemed as though nothing could disrupt the perfection that was that day. I, however, was wrong. As I strolled leisurely down the sidewalk I felt an object slide down my heel and below my foot. A bead of nervous sweat ran down my forehead as I realized what had just happened. My no-show sock slid off of my foot. I collapsed on the ground in horror, paralyzed by fear. My life, as I knew it, was never going to be the same again.
The paragraph above is a dramatization of the feeling one gets when one’s no-show sock slides off of one’s foot. That feeling has been popularly dramatized in internet meme culture, and for good reason. It is a commonly shared annoyance between people of all ages. No-show socks have a tendency to fall off of one’s foot. The problem annoys many, and little has been done to fix it. This is where I believe an opportunity exists. I believe there is an unmet need for a no-show style sock that does not constantly slide off of the wearer’s foot. The people who have this need are the countless number of individuals who wear no-show socks. The need for a better sock arose from the poor design of the first no-show sock. The initial design of the no-show sock had nothing to stop the sock from slipping off. That is why the feeling of a balled up no-show sock under one’s foot became such a familiar and shared feeling for many. What companies have done to meet this need is the introduction of gel grips on the heels of no-show socks that help to stop them from sliding off. Though this has helped the problem, it is far from a solution. No-show socks falling off in one’s shoe is still too frequent of an occurrence. I am 65% sure this opportunity exists. Below are the questions and answers from my interviews with three participants.
Interviews:
Participant 1 (Female):
How often do you experience your no-show sock falling off in your shoe (Often, sometimes, never)?
The participant sometimes experiences her no-show sock slipping off in her shoe.
How long has this been a problem (if it is a problem)?
The participant has had this problem since she began wearing no-show socks.
When did you first become aware of the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant became aware of the need immediately, noticing that the sock frequently fell off.
How are you currently addressing the need?
The participant is addressing the problem by purchasing no-show socks with gel grips on the heels.
How satisfied are you with the solution (Very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not satisfied)?
The participant is not satisfied with the solution because the socks still slide off.
Participant 2 (Male):
How often do you experience your no-show sock falling off in your shoe (Often, sometimes, never)?
The participant sometimes experiences his no-show sock falling off in his shoe.
How long has this been a problem (if it is a problem)?
The participant has had this problem ever since he started wearing shoes that required the use of no-show socks.
When did you first become aware of the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant became aware of the need after the first time one of his no-show socks fell off.
How are you currently addressing the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant is addressing the need by not wearing socks at all with shoes that require no-show socks.
How satisfied are you with the solution (Very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not satisfied)?
The participant is not satisfied with the solution. He would rather wear socks with his shoes so that his feet do not sweat.
Participant 3 (Female):
How often do you experience your no-show sock falling off in your shoe (Often, sometimes, never)?
The participant sometimes experiences her no-show socks slipping off in her shoes.
How long has this been a problem (if it is a problem)?
This has been a problem for this participant ever since she began wearing no-show socks.
When did you first become aware of the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant became aware of the need after the first time a no-show sock fell off in her shoe.
How are you currently addressing the need for a no-show sock that falls off less?
The participant is trying different no-show socks from various brands.
How satisfied are you with the solution (Very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not satisfied)?
The participant is somewhat satisfied with this solution.
Reflection:
What these interviews taught me about my opportunity is that it is very present. All of the participants I interviewed are experiencing the problem of no-show socks falling off in their shoes, and none of them are very satisfied with the current solutions. The most surprising thing I learned about my opportunity is the degree to which certain individuals are fed up with the issue of no-show socks falling off. Participant 2 gave up wearing no-show socks all together with shoes that required them. He would rather not wear socks than have to deal with no-show socks that slide off.
Summary:
After conducting my interviews, I believe that my original opportunity for a better no-show sock that does not slide off is still very much there. Every person I interviewed that uses no-show socks experiences the same problem and is not completely satisfied with the current solutions available today. I believe that my opportunity is more accurate than when I started. I think entrepreneurs should fully “adapt” their opportunities based on customer feedback. There is no sense in pursuing an opportunity if one finds out there is not one present. If after receiving feedback the entrepreneur realizes their opportunity isn’t what they believed it to be, then they should adapt the opportunity to one that can prove to be worthwhile to pursue and lead to success.
When I started reading your first paragraph, I kept asking myself, "what is this product going to be..?" You had a very comical and captivating opening that transitioned wonderfully into your idea and evidence.
ReplyDeleteThe problem you stated is one that I have struggled with numerous times, but it is also one that I wouldn't have thought of for this assignment. This assignment was especially hard for me because it took me awhile to come up with an idea that had proper support and understanding. You took something that annoys people everyday, something we just take for granted, and turned it into a problem that needs to be solved A.S.A.P.
Great job!
Hey there Alexander! Well your problem was definitely not what I would have expected after the first two sentences! I enjoyed the rest of the reading because of the comical nature of the intro, maybe you can use that first paragraph as your grabber for your sales pitch on day in the future haha! Anyways, I can definitely relate to the issue presented here, so I'm definitely on board for whatever your solution is. One thing you could have added is perhaps a small blurb as to what you think the solution will end up being, because as of right now we don't know it. But otherwise, good stuff! Great topic!
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