4A – Forming An Opportunity Belief

1. I believe there is an opportunity in my hometown of Oviedo, Florida, for a comic book shop.
2. The unmet need is for comics and comic related merchandise, such as graphic novels, statues, board games, and other such memorabilia. Who has the unmet need? Comic fans who have to drive 15 minutes or more to a comic shop. There was once one in the main mall in the town, but it closed, so now the closest ones are at least a 15 minute (on a good day) drive away. To meet this need now, people are driving that distance or ordering online, neither of which can replace the feel and culture of a local comic shop. Going to your "LCS" has always been a huge part of comic culture. I am 100% sure this opportunity exists, as I no there is no comic shop in Oviedo.
3. The prototypical customer would be a young person, likely 18-34. Mostly male, but there are many dedicated female comic fans as well. It would be someone who values loyalty to the store. The person would value having a lasting relationship with the businesses they shop at. A secondary customer to capture would be an older comic fan in their 40s-50s, which most of the other traits being the same.
1. First Interview
1. Having to drive to Sanford (20 minutes north) just to get comics. She usually experiences it on Wednesdays, because that's the day when new comics come out. Since the only comic shop in the area closed more than a year ago. Currently she has to make that 20 minute drive at least once a week, and she is unsatisfied because of it.
4. The prototypical customer is the same as previously described, but I can now narrow the niche further by adding that it would be someone who values time and/or doesn't have the patience or money for the cost of gas driving back and forth, but still wants the comic shop experience.
1. Second interview
1. He finds shopping in person better and easier because he can leaf through issues. He never starts new series from online readings, only in person. He is aware of this issue every Wednesday when he sees new issues that he can't/doesn't want to read online. They've had this need since they've begun reading comics (2+ years). He became aware of this need when he moved from a town with a store to a town without a store and had to change his habits. He currently uses online comics, but doesn't like it. He also pirates comics because there is not a store around him, but he would gladly pay for comics if it were easier. He obviously likes the price (free) of pirating comics online, but he would still rather be in person where he can hold a physical copy and talk to other like-minded fans.
5. Finally, the last iteration of the prototypical customer takes into account all the previous things, but with the addition of the thought that people will pay for convenience even when they could pirate, and the value of having a meeting place for people with similar interests.
1. Third interview
1. He wants comics the day they're released but doesn't want to go far to get them. He became aware of the need only in the last year because he only recently became a fan of actual comics. They feel the need on Wednesdays when the new comics come out. They've had the need since they became a fan. They are currently pirating online comics and driving on special occasions, and they are moderately satisfied, but they want/would be more satisfied with a short drive to a comic shop not only for Wednesdays, but on other days to meet friends, buy related things like tabletop game supplements, or just spend time browsing.
6. Reflect: I learned that my opportunity seems valid. Others in the community share my hope for a store close by. Although it wasn't specifically mentioned, I think the idea of being a "regular" at some place is satisfying to most people, and that interviewees 2 and 3 wanted that aspect of the in person experience as well. Surprisingly, the second interview turned me onto the idea that yes, a lot of people pirate comics, but for many people, it's only because they don't have the convenience of a close store. I had not considered that aspect of it. People are willing to pay for the experience of something they could otherwise get for free. 
7. My original opportunity is still there. In fact, it is clear to me that there is even more of a need than I originally thought. Because of that, I do think that my new opportunity is more accurate than my original. The key is to hone in one the in person experience, which I did mention originally, but not thoroughly enough. I was focused more on the annoyance of driving, but it seems that while the drive is less important, the person connection is more important. I think entrepreneurs should adapt as much as they can without compromising what made them love the idea in the first place. "The customer is always right" comes to mind. Not that the jerk that comes into your store deserves to stay in the store, but that whatever the customer wants to buy, you should be selling. In my case, that would mean selling comics and other "nerd stuff" literally, but figuratively selling the "local comic shop" experience and getting people to return.