Regulatory Trends:
#1 Banning Plastic Straws: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/news-plastic-drinking-straw-history-ban/
I work in Finance for a restaurant corporation so I often hear updates on plastic straw and plastic packaging regulation from our sustainability and purchasing teams. I believe this opportunity is rather easy to exploit. We have seen plenty of single-use plastic straw alternatives hitting the market, however, there are still many caveats to the common alternatives. I think the largest customer opportunity would be selling a plastic-straw alternative to restaurant companies. While many states are beginning to ban single-use plastic straws, most major restaurant companies are simply changing their procedure (only giving straws upon request) rather than switching to a plastic-alternative. I believe this is because a high -quality competitor has not come into play yet.
#2 Texting and Driving: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2019/06/28/floridas-new-texting-driving-law-10-things-you-need-know/1557610001/
A law recently went into effect in Florida, restricting cell phone use. In certain areas, it is illegal to even touch your phone. I think we will see more states passing laws on this matter. This is an opportunity for cell phone manufacturers, app developers and cell phone consumers. No offense to "Siri", but I think she could use some improvements. I would be happy to switch to a different hands-free-assistant as Siri never understands what I say and I also have issues with the talk-to-text feature on my phone. I believe this opportunity is relatively easy to exploit; Consumers are always willing to try new apps and software.
Economic Trends:
#1 Are we in a Baby Boomer retirement crisis? https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/032216/are-we-baby-boomer-retirement-crisis.asp
According to the article 45% of Baby Boomers have no retirement savings and only 55% of Baby Boomers have "some" retirement savings. I work in a very large corporate office, with co-workers who have worked there for 25-40 years. While many of them say they have not retired yet because they love working, many have also shared that they simply cannot afford to retire. This can have massive economic impact as the new job force will have trouble finding an open position, the boomers may be displaced, or millennial may struggle to support their parents and grandparents. I also hear from younger coworkers that they are simply waiting for other to retire in hopes of getting a promotion. The decline of retirement has also limited upward-mobility within companies. I think this is a somewhat difficult opportunity to exploit.
#2 US Federal Reserve Cuts Interest Rates https://abcnews.go.com/US/fed-expected-cut-interest-rates-means/story?id=65690102
While the economy is "in pretty good shape", the government worries it is slowing down too much. This interest cut should help stimulate the economy. It would be cheaper to get a mortgage, car or business loan right now, which can encourage consumers to borrow and entrepreneurs to start a new venture. I am interested in this opportunity because I need to buy a new car. This is also a great opportunity for mortgage brokers, realtors, and car salesmen. This opportunity is rather easy to exploit.
