Looking for Opportunity

Regulatory Changes:

1. Advocates are needed at the local level to help consumers and doctor’s offices to utilize and maximize benefits offered under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
2. Opportunity:
• I became aware of this through media outlets and a friend who works for a doctor’s office that most of the insurance companies have already or are planning to drop their ACA coverage options.
• Most people are unaware of what specifically the health plans offer, how to obtain one, or understand what the features and benefits are available.
• The typical customer is anyone who is not on a work based health plan, Medicare or Medicaid.
• The opportunity is fairly easy to exploit; with the proper education and training advocates can save both customers and doctor’s offices a lot of time and money, and the jobs created will have a positive impact on many people.
3. I see a great opportunity in helping people to obtain necessary healthcare.   I also believe that people deserve to understand their health care options and to be able to access them effectively. Any contractual obligation, specifically healthcare insurance policies, should be very clear to all parties involved. 

1. The legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use by all states
2. Opportunity:
• Through various articles, I have been able to follow the recent success of a couple of startup companies that grow and distribute marijuana and related products for legal sale.
• States that have legalized marijuana have experienced huge tax revenue windfalls, and towns that were once abandoned have seen revitalization due to the new industry.  New jobs and skills are being created to successfully deliver natural products to the consumer.
• The prototypical customer is someone with a medical pain issue, and those who want to experience a natural way to relieve pain, reduce anxiety,  and  generally feel better.
• This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit through education showing that consuming marijuana in various forms is more natural than ingesting more harmful chemicals associated with cigarettes, over the counter drugs, or prescription medication. 
3. I believe that the incremental legalization of medicinal marijuana would create new markets with untapped potential.  Structured correctly, a regulated and highly supervised market, could minimize the risks and negative impacts associated with this drug, while focusing on the well-being of the end user. 

Economic Trends:

1. Domestic pets have evolved from serving work purposes and earning their keep, to becoming considered more like family members.  There is a proliferation of grooming and medical services, special diets, organic food offerings, and private rooms for boarding.
2. Opportunity:
• Being a pet owner I frequently visit pet superstores and utilize veterinary services and boarding kennels.
• There is a lot of opportunity to create and sell truly fresh and healthy pet food as so much of the current offerings look and smell nasty, also improved pet health insurance would be appreciated by many.
• The typical customer is any pet owner and animal lover.
• The opportunity looks great but the challenge would be formulating fresh and delicious smelling food that also has a long enough shelf life to be sold in stores.
3. Pets are increasingly being treated more like family members and are therefore cared as such.  There seems to be a market for providing pets with food that is nutritious and customizable for a breed or a pet's age and health status, for instance, if a pet is diabetic or needing to lose weight.  I think there would be a great demand for pet food that is organic as well. 

1. Anywhere, anytime, instant shipping
2. Opportunity:
• When ordering products from Amazon.com I discovered that 1 hour shipping was available to most metropolitan areas.
• The logistics for offering such time specific delivery requires extensive planning and resources to make it consistently successful.
• Everyone who orders products online which is a steadily growing number of shoppers
• The opportunity is easy to exploit from the point of supporting existing delivery. infrastructures.  There could be ways to completely overhaul this with developing technology such as 3D printing and drone delivery.
3. “Must have it now” is something that many industry managers have demanded for years, and it is finally becoming a cost effective method of obtaining items.  The “just in time” concept that industry has used to streamline inventories is excellent for home based businesses and even individual consumers.