Forming An Opportunity Belief

1. I believe that the parking restrictions at Southwest Recreation Center should be changed or abolished completely.
2. Parking at Southwest Rec is not allowed between the times of 7:30am and 3:30pm. During those hours, you must have a parking permit in order to park in the lot. I think that parking there should be changed in order to allow students without permits to park and workout during those eight hours. Most college students enjoy working out. Weather it be to get in better shape, to stay in shape, or just to give them something to do, many college students like to go to the gym. I am one of these people. I have, many times, wanted to go workout between these hours, but I was unable to do so because there was no way to park there. I think that getting rid of the parking restrictions would not only encourage more people to get in shape, but would also take some pressure off of the 3:30pm-11:00pm hours when the gym is most full.
3. The prototypical customer is a University of Florida student that goes to Southwest Recreation Center a few times a week. This customer would be the person that most likely knows about the problem and has an opinion about it. 
4. Interviews:
1. The first person I talked to was a man named Evan. He is a recent University of Florida grad you used Southwest Rec about two times a week while he was a student here. When I asked him what he thought of the parking he said that he wished the parking restrictions were a little less strict. He said that he would have been much more inclined to go to the gym earlier in the day. He told me that his favorite thing to do was to play pick-up basketball. His complaint was that around 4:30 the basketball courts get very full and it is almost impossible to get in a game. According to Evan, this level of fulness normally lasts till about 11:30. He said that had he been able to go around noon there would have been much less people there and he would have been able to shoot and play more.
2. My second interview was with a girl named Rachel. Rachel just finished her junior year here at UF. She said that she uses the gym about once a week, however, she uses the parking lot everyday. Rachel purchased a park and ride permit at the beginning of the year. This permit allows her to park in the lot at Southwest Rec any time of the day. When I asked her what she thought of the parking, she thought the parking was great the way it is. I then asked what she would think if the parking changed so that there was no permit necessary. She said that she would be against that. She said that she is fine paying the $160 to get the permit. She continued by saying that if there were no parking restrictions, the parking lot would be completely full all the time. She thought that the price of the permit is worth knowing that there is always a parking spot for you. She said it would be awful to get there and find that there are no parking spots. 
3. The final person I interviewed was Rachel’s friend Lauren. Lauren is also going into her senior year at the University of Florida. She uses the facilities at Southwest Rec about three times a week. Lauren had mixed feelings about the parking restrictions. When I asked her what she thought about the possibility of unrestricted parking she said that she could see how it would benefit some people but that it would not increase the amount of times that she goes to the gym. She said that she could see the benefits of having unrestricted parking, mainly the idea that it would keep the gym less busy at night. On the other hand she said that it would not make her go to the gym more. She said that the main reason she goes to the gym is to go to group classes such as Total Body and Hip-Hop Fitness. Most of these classes are scheduled at night so that as many people as possible can have the opportunity to go. She said that she only goes to these group classes, so parking restrictions do not really effect the amount of times she goes. 
5. Through interviewing Evan, Rachel, and Lauren, I realized that there might not be as much of an opportunity as I originally thought. I was most surprised by Rachel’s interview because I honestly did not think that there would be someone that liked the parking restrictions. 
6. Summarize: After interviewing all three people I learned that this may not be as much of a problem as I originally thought. I did not think about how full the parking lot would be all the time if there were no restrictions. Maybe selling permits is the only way to keep the lot from being overrun with cars. It was very helpful to get out and here what the customers had to say as their feedback really changed my views. I think that customer feedback is very helpful, especially for entrepreneurs. The most important thing with a new business is customer service. Going out and talking to actual customers is the best way to learn about the customers desires and to make sure they are completely satisfied with your service.