Looking for Opportunity in Economic Trends and Regulatory Changes

Opportunity 1: (Regulatory)

Changes to Nutrition Facts Label on food products will provide an opportunity for healthier food products and food companies to thrive. I found the information on the U.S Food and Drug Administration website (fda.gov). I believe this is an opportunity due to the vast amount of negative publicity many of the food industry leaders are receiving. Many consumers will begin to notice they need to make better choices once the new labels are put in place. The prototype customer would be anyone who is mindful about their health. The opportunity is likely hard to exploit due to the culture that many food products hold. Many people will not care about the recently clarified nutrition facts and continue to eat the same things.

I saw this opportunity because I have been mindful of my own consumption and have limited myself to an interesting, but healthy diet. I believe there is an opportunity for food producers who put health first.

Opportunity 2: (Economic Trend)

Recently the trend of the automotive industry has been to go electric. Gas is extremely cheap right now; however, automakers are still bringing out hybrid and electric vehicles. I found this trend in the New York Times website (nytimes.com). I believe there is an opportunity for technology to take over the automotive industry. The consumer of the opportunity would be anyone that can drive because I believe electric cars can be made cheap enough for any person to buy. The opportunity seems easy to exploit because the technology is already accessible.

I saw the opportunity because I have read about the impact the environment is taking and I think that if every person could switch to a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation the world could be a cleaner place.

Opportunity 3: (Economic Trend)

Colorado saw a $135 million revenue of from tax and fees from the recreational and medical marijuana industry. I found this opportunity from multiple news sources, but specifically the Boston Globe (bostonglobe,com). What lead me to believe this is an opportunity is the immense revenue the industry has seen. The prototypical customer would be anyone who is medically prescribed, as well as people in the 21-30 years of age range, as well as other industries. This opportunity is extremely exploitable due to the amount of people already doing it.

I developed this belief because of past experience. Growing up with a father who grew palm trees, I can see the agricultural side of marijuana. The crop itself can be used in extremely versatile ways including construction, textiles, medicine, etc. This is the ultimate cash crop.

Opportunity 4: (Regulatory Trend)

The Food and Drug Administration recently announced a “slow-motion” ban on e-cigarettes. This requires e-cigarette manufacturers to get their products approved as “new tobacco products”, which is expensive and time-consuming.  I found this information on reason.com. I believe this is an opportunity for a new tobacco alternative. The typical customer would be the cultural smokers who are trying to cut down and look for an alternative. This opportunity is fairly easy to exploit because of the population that smokes. I was able to notice this opportunity because of the amount of friends I have that use e-cigarettes and they are always complaining about how they do not enjoy using them as much as normal cigarettes.