Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Opportunity 1 (Economic): Car owners can rent their cars through an app
a) I found this opportunity from an article about Hertz filing for bankruptcy protection.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/business/hertz-bankruptcy-coronavirus-car-rental.html?searchResultPosition=1
b) Hertz is a popular rental car company, but they are struggling because of COVID-19. They were unable to fully recover from the 2008 recession, and the global pandemic made it even harder for them to turn their business around. Since rental cars will become a popular industry again with Hertz likely out of business, and people are constantly looking for ways to make money, I thought of the idea of car owners allowing others to rent their car for a few days through an app.
c) The prototypical customer could be consumers who are unable to rent a car from a large company, such as those under the age of 25. Also, people who need to rent a car on short notice could be the prototypical customer as well.
d) This opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit. This sounds like a logistical nightmare with insurance, liability, and potential accidents. I think the concept itself is relatively easy, but in reality, private rental cars would probably cause more harm than good.
Why: I believe I saw this opportunity because I am not old enough to rent a car. It is very frustrating, as I am a legal adult and have been driving for four years, but I still cannot rent a car. If I wanted to go on a trip with my friends and we needed a car, none of us could rent it because of our age. We would have to rely on public transportation or Uber/Lyft to get to places. There have been times where I wanted to plan a trip with my friends, but I quickly ignored the idea because it would be too expensive and frustrating to get around the city without a rental car.

Opportunity 2 (Economic): Universities should provide more scholarships to increase enrollment
a) I found this opportunity from an article about universities accepting students from the waitlist.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/us/coronavirus-college-enrollment.html
b) With the global pandemic going on, many students are putting off college. Some are deciding to enroll in a community college, while others are taking a gap year. Many top universities, such as Cornell and Rice, are contacting students from the waitlist and offering them a spot. These universities are struggling to hit their enrollment quota, which is why they resorted to the waitlist. If students had a financial incentive to attend these colleges during the pandemic, I think more students would enroll.
c) First-time college students are likely to be the prototypical customer. They want to get into a good college, and scholarships are very tempting. Graduate students or adults who are going back to school could also be included.
d) This opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit because most colleges are struggling financially in some way. Many donors who sponsor scholarships are not donating during the pandemic, and colleges are receiving lots of pressure to provide tuition refunds. Although these universities likely have some money to spare, it is probably not enough to provide a substantial amount of scholarships.
Why: I believe I thought of this opportunity because I am currently in college. Although I am a junior, I am still frustrated that I may be paying full tuition in the Fall to take classes online. I also have friends who are now entering college, and hearing their struggles to start college during a global pandemic made me think of this opportunity.

Opportunity 3 (Regulatory): Creating a course to educate people on how to vote
a) I found this opportunity based on an article about a Florida law requiring people with felony convictions to pay off financial obligations before registering to vote declared unconstitutional.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/florida-law-declared-unconstitutional-paving-way-for-felons-to-vote-11590366054
b) People with felony convictions who can now register to vote are likely out of touch with the voting process and political climate in the U.S. Voting is a very important constitutional right and responsibility. Voters should be informed of the process, how to find candidate information, and the different ways to vote. This led me to my idea of a course. A course would educate these people on our voting system, so that they can become productive and effective voters in society.
c) The prototypical customer could be people with felony convictions who received their reinstatement to vote. Also, new voters, such as high school students or new U.S. citizens, could be the prototypical customer.
d) This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit. Creating the course won't be that difficult, as it could be set up online. Live sections of the course could also be created for those without internet access. However, it would be harder to implement the course. It may be tough to find teachers for the course, as well as funding.
Why: I believe I saw this opportunity because I remember voting on this issue. The new law allowed felons with nonviolent crimes to have their voting rights reinstated. Once I came across the article, it reminded me of voting for the first time, and the experience I had when voting on this issue. This topic is quite interesting, as reinstating voting rights is an attempt to integrate convicted felons into society is a big deal, which is why I think I thought of this opportunity.

Opportunity 4 (Regulatory): Sales tax from e-commerce can help fund small businesses
a) I found this opportunity based on an article explaining the end of zero sales tax for e-commerce companies in South Dakota.
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html
b) Now that e-commerce companies in South Dakota are no longer getting away with paying no sales tax, these companies can form a partnership with smaller businesses. Potentially, the sales tax can be used to fund small, local businesses until they get back to nearly normal business conditions. The large e-commerce companies cannot keep the sales tax money anymore, so they might as well put it to good use and help local businesses. I thought of this idea from the fact that small businesses are currently struggling, and since e-commerce companies must now pay sales tax, the money can go towards helping the small businesses.
c) The prototypical customer could be large e-commerce companies and small businesses operating in South Dakota.
d) This opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit. Large e-commerce companies are already mad about having to pay a sales tax; they won't want to help out small businesses because those businesses are competitors. Even if the small businesses do not directly affect them, they will most likely not want to help out. Also, this idea could be a logistical nightmare. The state will receive the revenue from the tax, and will likely choose other ways to spend the money.
Why: I believe I thought of this idea because I frequently order off of e-commerce websites. A lot of items I purchase come from Amazon, and I've always wondered how much money they are saving by not paying a sales tax.