--- Pain Point #1: "Just a heads up to any small business owners who took out COVID-era EIDL loans... SBA’s Hardship Accommodation Plan (HAP) ended... This screws over tens of thousands of small business owners who borrowed in good faith during the pandemic and are still recovering." Opportunity: Develop a peer-to-peer loan platform specifically designed for small businesses affected by the abrupt termination of EIDL loan reductions and accommodations, or a crowdfunding platform focused on community-backed small business relief. Justification: - Demand: Thousands of small businesses suddenly face full loan payments with no cushion post-HAP termination, as mentioned in the Reddit post. - ROI: Businesses will see immediate relief from financial strain and avoid potential insolvency, making them highly motivated to engage with any financing alternative. - Scalable: This platform could scale quickly to $1M+ by offering services across the country, tapping into vast networks of small businesses and community supporters. - Purple Cow/Controversial: Shifts the narrative from bank-controlled finance to community-driven success, potentially disrupting traditional financial systems and challenging governmental support structures. --- Pain Point #2: "How is GS1 US not an illegal monopoly? It looks like this so-called non-for-profit organization controls an entire marketplace and sets the prices." Opportunity: Formulate a decentralized, blockchain-based alternative for product barcoding and identification that challenges GS1's monopoly. Justification: - Demand: There is clear frustration from business owners about monopolistic practices and price-setting, indicating a strong desire to find alternatives to GS1. - ROI: Businesses would benefit from lower costs and more control over their product identification processes, reducing overhead and increasing agility. - Scalable: This solution can accommodate businesses worldwide as blockchain technology is inherently scalable and borderless. - Purple Cow/Controversial: Combines cutting-edge technology with business processes, decentralizing control from established monopolies and empowering businesses of all sizes. --- Pain Point #3: "Is becoming a Sprinter van owner-operator still a worthwhile investment in 2025?... Is oversaturation and falling rates still true, especially for local-only drivers?" Opportunity: Create a niche management and distribution platform specifically designed for local Sprinter van logistics, emphasizing optimized route planning, cost-sharing, and community building among local drivers in major freight hubs. Justification: - Demand: There's uncertainty and demand for more efficient logistics solutions tailored for local-only drivers, especially given the challenges and changes in the logistics industry. - ROI: Provides drivers with better utilization of their vehicles, increased efficiency, and higher profit margins by reducing downtime and optimizing routes. - Scalable: Can expand to various cities and regions, tapping into the vast logistics market and addressing localized needs effectively. - Purple Cow/Controversial: Challenges traditional logistics models by empowering individual drivers with tech solutions typically available to larger fleet operators.