Reading Reflection #3 - 27A

Beginning Point

My belief is that there is a serious need for a gas station in the new Butler Plaza are of Gainesville, preferably close to Walmart and Sam's to accommodate shoppers or restaurant-goers in the area.

The unmet needs that this gas station, like a nice RaceTrac or Wawa, would meet are as follows:

1) There are no gas stations from Archer Road all the way to where 43rd Street meets 20th Avenue.
2) Shoppers at Walmart, already out shopping, generally also need/would want to fill up their tanks if they are already out and about.
3) Getting gas on Archer when in that area of town takes some time, particularly at high traffic times. Because all but one are on the north side of Archer Rd., one has to usually get onto Archer and then proceed to do a U-turn to access a gas station.

The need for a newer, larger gas station has not always existed, but transpired as a result of all the new businesses being built in that area of Gainesville. As of now, I do not believe that there are any plans to make a gas station in that area, which indicates there is a clear and open opportunity.

Prototypical Customer #1

In questioning a prototypical customer, the Q&A went as follows:

Q: What is the nature of the need for a gas station?
A: When I'm out shopping in that area, I'd like to be able to have access to a large gas station instead of having to go back onto Archer Rd. where there is more traffic and more competition.

Q: Do you experience this need often?
A: Only when I'm out and about in Gainesville, which is pretty often. Everything you need is in that part of town.

Q: How long have you had the need?
A: Only for about a year now, ever since building started going up and more opportunities presented themselves.

Q: When did you first find out about this need?
A: When I was leaving Walmart with very little gas, causing me to go to Archer, where it took an extra 20 minutes to get gas because of evening traffic.

Q: How are you addressing this need?
A: I haven't addressed it until now. I'm sure many other people feel the same way as I do, but it would take a considerable amount of convincing to have the City of Gainesville approve such a project.

Reflection

Personally I learned that there's more to building a gas station than just finding a suitable company to break ground. The City of Gainesville would need to be actively involved and I am sure there would need to be numerous hoops to jump through to get such a project approved. I was surprised after doing some research just how difficult that is. 

Summarization

In conclusion, I believe there is still a substantial opportunity that a large gas company could take and possibly garner a lot of gain from. That is an untapped section of town that would have a lot of business from shoppers, restaurant-goers, and most recently, people affected by natural disasters. My opportunity that I presented is certainly more focused and reasonable, drawing into question whether there is ample space for such a project, enough information on City approval, and whether a company even has an interest in serving that part of Gainesville. 

Adaption and "staying firm" to your original ideas or plans is a tricky trade-off. On the one, adapting to new markets or picky customers could deliver much more business. However, sticking to your original plan will open up new doors to serving only customers that are your true and loyal fans. Also, staying firm has connotations of not wavering or becoming a "lemming" in the business realm.