Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1. Technological advances that would be beneficial for small businesses - economic trend (https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-create-a-mobile-office-for-your-small-business-2951768)
• My friend who recently graduated from Duke was struggling to find a job, but just accepted an offer that will keep him "based" in Durham and allow him to travel around the country every week. I thought that was a great opportunity because it allows businesses to have many employees, smaller office spaces, and take advantage of technological advances that are being made in the industry. For example, the cloud, growing numbers of mobile devices (i.e. tablets, iPads, laptops), and faster internet connection allows us to work virtually anywhere. This would help boost economy by allowing companies to run more efficiently. The prototypical customer for this might be millennials and younger members of the work force who wouldn't mind constantly traveling for work. It might be difficult to exploit this opportunity to older employees and those with families, but recent college graduates would appreciate the experience.
2. Environmentally-friendly business practices - economic trend (https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonmainwaring/2018/10/25/why-and-how-business-must-tackle-climate-change-now/#f4ebd434712b)
• With global warming, rising sea levels, and frequent natural disasters (i.e. hurricanes and wildfires), the economy is at risk. Because businesses play a significant role in the economy, it is imperative that they take action to minimize the detrimental effects of climate change. By incorporating environmentally-friendly practices and reducing their carbon footprint, companies can not only save money, but help the planet. This includes reducing gas emissions in operations, saving energy, and implementing policies that favor the use of renewable resources. All businesses are the prototypical customer in this scenario. It will be difficult to exploit this opportunity because it can be expensive to be completely "green", but it is a necessary cost.
3. Streamling the tax process - regulatory change (https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardlevick/2018/08/07/e-commerce-beware-sales-taxes-could-be-coming-to-a-state-or-locality-near-you/#5f2f66505f08)
• I was talking to a friend who started her own online custom-made bikini company about the recent South Dakota v. Wayfair because she's worried how she'll be able to afford any sales taxes that will be implemented on online sales. I thought that their should be information distributed to online retailers and other smaller companies, the prototypical customer, about how sales taxes will affect them, how these will vary state to state, and how they can efficiently adapt to these changes without losing too much money. Perhaps classes and workshops could be offered to assist them. I don't think this will be too difficult to exploit given the amount of start-ups that already exist, and continue to be established.
4. Trade zones - regulatory change (https://www.ttnews.com/articles/times-trade-war-companies-get-creative-avoid-tariffs)
• As a consumer, I've been trying to keep up with the "trade wars" that are currently occurring with the President imposing tariffs on many countries and those countries firing back with their own. This has a tremendous effect on imports and exports which ultimately determines how much we pay for goods and services. I found an article that mentions trade zones that lowers the costs of certain imports from other countries that would help companies who rely on these supplies save money. The prototypical customer would be U.S. based businesses who import from places like China. I think this would be a good opportunity to exploit until the global market becomes more stable in terms of tariffs.