Last Lecture

          Well, we've hit the conclusion portion of the $100 challenge. I've attached some images that I am currently working on below. They still need to have the store stamp on them (their name, location, etc). I am really happy with the way things have turned out. I got over a little bit of anxiousness in talking with the business owners and I know that these ads are delivering on the promise that she'll get more traffic in her store as well as more sales.

         My first suggestion to anyone wanting to try something new is to have a clear vision of what you want to do. This took me a while to grasp, but once I was able to clearly communicate my vision, I was able to tell them how my business would help theirs. Granted, I have yet to make money on this idea - but I feel like because of the positive results with the business I'm working with - I feel like if I started talking with larger companies in a bigger area,  I'd be able to monetize my efforts. I used my small town as sort of proof of concept. 

         The second thing I learned is that things take time and things come up with take even more time. For example, I had to go to surgery (unexpectedly) and that took almost a full two weeks out of the time that I could have been working on finishing this project. I also had to schedule around the models and photographers time tables.

          In one of the reading activities we've done for this class, we talked about being a consultant for a business. I felt that working through this project I became a consultant for the business owner I was working with. It felt like she hadn't changed anything about her store in about 30 years. When I mentioned changing one thing that didn't have to do with my project - I could feel the wall coming up in her countenance. Towards the end of my project, she got to talking with me about what I'm going to do with my major. I told her my plans and she finally said, "You know, you should buy my store when you're done." The thought has been running across my mind since she said it. It's really amazing what doors open up when you make good impressions on people.  

Homestretch

So last week I was gone due to having a minor surgery in Seattle, but there wasn't much to report anyways.

          This week the wheels are actually rolling. I've picked out the outfits and items that Sandi wants to promote. She was thinking along the lines of spring weddings and prom and kids. This is great because it'll involve a few more models than I was expecting. I went into the store and after I was done picking the items to have in the photo shoot, I started contacting my models via phone and looked around at the tiny "end of the line" store. It might be selfish and/or prideful, but I really felt like I could really turn that place around. I hinted at a suggestion between calls and decided it was pretty futile. Owners I don't think see the possibilities once things have been the same for so long.

         The shoot is going to be Sunday morning at a studio. There are a few basic backdrops and my heads is buzzing with all the little details I've got to arrange. Next weeks post should be fun because I'll be able to post some of the photo's that I've been editing.

         One of the last things I'll need to do is figure out a way to see the increase of traffic. I haven't gotten that far yet, but I want to make sure that I've thought it out before the campaign launches.

Tangled

          This week we talked about franchising. I tend to think that more people believe that this is an easier route than it really is; especially if they don't know the industry. Franchising, in my opinion, is just a set system way of doing business. It's very systematic, and very entry-level skill sets should be able to understand and process what is asked of them. I like to think of it as McDonalds. It's the consistency of experience that gets people going back - not the quality of food.

         The $100 challenge got interrupted this week. I had to leave town for surgery and won't be back till next week. But I did set up a time with Sandy to get outfits together and get the photographer set up to take all the shots we need. I also want to reorganize the store to be more visually appealing and get in contact with the media streams that I've already dealt with.

End of 9

These projects are ending way too soon!

So, I was able to meet with two businesses this past week and I got the full-steam ahead on one of them. Twice as Nice is a second-hand store that has been in business for way too long. What I mean by that is that the owner does most of the work and hasn't been able to grow or change basically anything about it since it began.

I went into the store and talked with Sandy and discussed what I was doing. Once she heard that this was for school curriculum and that she really didn't have to do any of the work herself, she was on board. We discussed times that I could go in and put outfits together for her and get my photographer to do a shoot. I asked her what she wanted to focus on selling for the upcoming season and we talked about Prom coming up and spring weddings.

I'll be out of town for about a week, so that'll get me behind on some things, but I'm excited to start promoting for her. She literally just gave me the reins and said go for it. I did tell her though that I'd like to be able to measure any results that she got from the publicity. I think her main idea was that more customers means more sales...which is sort-of true. She said that her store does about $125 a day in sales - so we'll see how much impact a little advertising does :)

Hire Slow, Fire Fast

This week we learned all about an interesting thought about human resources. In a business, you really want the best people working for you. An example was given about a bus ride. Not only do you want the right people on the bus, you've got to get the people off the bus that don't share your vision {or where the bus driver is going}. This sounds easy in theory, but I would imagine when it comes time to actually do it, it would be much harder. As a boss, you know these people, their families, etc. But it really comes down to what is best for the business. {I'm just going to add here that it's best not to work with family, friends, or relations of your investors - just throwing that out there}.

The $100 challenge needs to pick up speed. Quickly. I'm getting very impatient. I have meetings with business owners next week - but that doesn't leave me a lot of time to complete everything on my end of the bargain. I have this sneaking feeling that its going to be a few long nights together getting everything done - but hey, isn't that how it always is in a start-up? {At least I'm hoping so because that's how it's going to be for me} It all comes down to me, and how well I can deliver the goods.

Sheep, Shepherds, and Sheepherders

Matt 18: 12-14 - Rejoice in rescuing the one

Luke 15: 4-7 - Bringing home the lost

Isaiah 40: 11 - Feed, gathered, and carried

1 Peter 2: 25 - Lost and found

1 Nephi 22:25 - Sheep are known

         Something that caught me way off guard this week was the symbolism of Jesus Christ being the Good Shepard. I say it caught me off guard because I feel like that was something I was able to ponder and absorb multiple times. The message we delivered to families this week was, "The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Good Shepard".
          The following is from that message: "As we come to understand that Jesus Christ is the Good Shepard, our desire increases to follow His example and serve those in need. Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine....And I lay down my life for the sheep;" (John 10:14-15).
         Jesus' always extends invitations to draw closer to him. He never is forceful. Sheepherders use dogs to pressure the sheep into doing the herders biding. A true Shepard has but to call and His sheep hear His voice and willingly follow.

The $100 challenge update this week is very small. I found out that one business that I thought had closed actually is just changing locations. Due to mid-terms though, I didn't feel like I had the time to meet with any of the businesses that I've scouted. Next week I am determined will be different. Another note that I am determined to not do next week is save everything till Saturday. Not that I procrastinated, I just scheduled too many things for one day and I feel the pressure of over-scheduling.

Halfway There

          This week we covered materials focusing on the customer and the customer experience. Jet Blue, for example, stopped serving food to people because they couldn't win in the customer satisfaction department. Zappos focuses heavily on the culture of the company. In fact, they offer their trainees full pay plus $2000 if they quit. Their logic for doing this is that they only want the people who value their work and actually want to be there, instead of those who are just there for a paycheck. They said that it really helped empower the employees which then resulted in better customer service ratings. They want those same customer service ratings on the whole company, so everybody from the warehouse to the CEO takes the same training's as the customer service employees.

         The $100 Challenge - I call my business Local Retail Inc. We do small-scale media promotions; everything from the photo shoot to the launch and what we call media blasts. (Don't know if I've explained that before). This week I've contacted the photographer and she is really excited about helping me out. My first target store is going to be a place called Youngster's, which sells toddler's clothing. I've got a few ideas for kids as models which I will be contacting as soon as I go meet with the owner and talk about my company and what we can do for them. Right now there are transitioning to a new location.

        This is usually the part where nerves take over - but I'm determined to make it happen.

End of Week #5

         There isn't a lot to report on for the $100 Challenge this week. I still have the media audience access available that I wanted and I was supposed to contact the businesses this week; but things got really swamped.

          One part of the lesson this week was on suggestive selling. Having been in retail for about four years, reading about it was like reading about personal habits. The way we phrase sentences and how we present product makes all the difference in the world to our customers. Plus, it's everywhere - restaurants, retail, online bundling purchases, carpet cleaning, grocery stores, home decor - they all present their projects to maximize purchases. I had an experience one time when I was working at a major department store and I told my manager, "I don't want to push things on them if they are just going to bring it back." Her response to me was enlightening; she said, "Don't worry about the store losing sales by having customers return items. Our job is to help them take it home. That's more than half the battle." Not only did it show better numbers for the sales day, but even if the customer returns the item - it's another opportunity because they are already back in the store.

         We also practiced our elevator speeches and discussed improvements on them with our classmates. At first I thought the directness of the speech would come naturally, but it took me several tries to get one that I liked and felt like I could present well.

Lesson 4 Funding the Business

      This week I was able to reach key people in the community that gave me permission to use their social media platforms for my campaigns. This was a big step for the business for two reasons. The first is that I needed these people in order to get the targeted viewership that I wanted. Second, if I didn't get them, I would have to revamp my media blast. The next step will be to contact the retail businesses, meet with them, and see if I can get any to jump on board with me. One minor set-back happened; one of the businesses that I was targeting is going out of business. That happens somewhat frequently in our little valley. 

            In our module this week we talked about financing our new ventures. For the $100 challenge our max to invest was $20, so I just decided to invest it myself and then pay myself back at the end. This made me wonder about getting a larger amount though; would I have the courage to ask for what I really needed? Thankfully, most venture capitalists, angel investors, or business loan places make you work for their money by presenting a well-prepared business plan and whatnot. The class was posed a question about how to start a business on virtually nothing. We were given some great examples of how some companies did it by surviving on the bare minimums until they had the cash to get started and grow.  

End of Week #3 & $100 Challenge Update

          This week I really want to talk about what I'm learning in The E Myth Revisited. Basically so far I'm getting that you don't want to work for your business - you want your business to work for you. Gerber talks about the difference between the Entrepreneurial Perspective and the Technician's Perspective. "The Entrepreneurial Perspective sees the business as a system for producing outside results--for the customer--resulting in profits. The Technician's Perspective sees the business as a place in which people work to produce inside results--for The Technician--producing income." When I create my business, I need to do so when the results are systems dependent, rather than people dependent. 

          My next steps for the $100 challenge will be as follows:

1. Reach out to the retail businesses in town and pitch my idea

2. Plan out specific dates and time to run the campaign

3. Contact local models and photographers and pitch them the idea

        There will be more steps involved, but hopefully I'll be able to put some of the campaign pictures up on this blog when that time comes. 

          One other great asset that I learned about this week was an article how Richard Branson would answer on how to avoid common start-up mistakes. His step about staying on target was relevant to me because I have a tendency of thinking too big, or expanding too soon. He says, "Clearly define your goals and strategies, then establish a timeline. Don't let the other possibilities or hazy dreams distract you from achieving your goal".

End of Week #2

     This week I learned about how the Duck Tours company got started. It took a lot of tenacity. The story struck me in two ways. First, he was able to recognize an opportunity; and second, it said that even when he pitched it to someone who was interested in financing him, he really failed. Ultimately though, because the person he pitched it to was extremely interested, his failure in pitching ultimately helped him get the financing he needed. Hopefully for me that means I don't have to know all the answers to everything when it comes to starting up my own business.

     This week was also encouraging because I was taught that ideas can come from anywhere. Personally, I think it best to be out and about doing things and take a small amount of quite time to reflect to get my best ideas.

$100 Challenge Update

     This week I was luckily able to channel some creative juices and nail down my idea for the $100 challenge. I live in a small town were almost every other business is some sort of food product - mostly pizza chains. The rest of the businesses are mostly made up of beauty salons and mechanics. My idea was to try and find some way so that the smallest majority of the business here (retail), felt that they could be successful. Here's what I came up with: I'm going to go to businesses and offer small-scale media campaigns. I'll get a model that needs photos for her portfolio (work for free pictures), and a photographer that is looking to expand their work (or work for little pay) and pick out items at their businesses to promote (or work with the manager on items that they'd like promoted). After I direct how I want to shot to go, I'll edit the photo and blast the picture through social media - making sure that the picture includes vital information for the business. 

     I'm not going to charge the business up-front, but I am going to ask them to track the difference in customer flow and then give a donation for our work. I think it would be a win situation for them because if it really didn't do anything for their business, then they haven't lost any money. 

     Eventually I could see myself getting involved with the local theater program and using their skills to add to the mix - but I think at first I want to keep it small-scale and see where it grows naturally. If it's a success I could possibly move into larger locations (other towns) and begin to pay the photographer and model(s). 

Acton Hero Summary

Watching this excerpt about Tom Monaghan, it made me realize how important it is for you to surround yourself with things that are going to challenge you. Having Tom recognize his flaw of pride by reading the C.S. Lewis book, not only is encouraging to keep reading the best books, but is admirable because He immediately took action on how to change his life for the better. Alma 5:7 talks about God changing the hearts of the people – like they were in a deep sleep, and the scripture says, “they awoke unto God.” It probably wasn’t overnight that the result of that change came to be; but if you look at the way he lives his life now, rather than the way he started out, you can tell that he really took the embodiment of pride and left it somewhere forgotten. In summary; keep reading from the best books, and change course if needed. 

Where do I begin?

I can feel the stress just oozing out of me right now....starting my own business? Now? You mean, RIGHT NOW? Yikes

I better start reading. 

Quick search on amazon....four books and one rush shipping payment later...they're here.

I started with the One Minute Entrepreneur. Bite-sized concepts told through a story about a man and his start-up business. What hit me the most was a section about the importance of customer service. I'll share with you my favorite example:

"Let's take the example of a wake-up call in a hotel. What's the most common wake-up call in a hotel today?"

The phone rings, you pick it up, but there's no one there. Basically, a machine has called your room.

"How about the second most common wake-up call?"

I get a recording that says something like, 'Good morning, this is your wake-up call.' But nobody is really on the line.

"Here's where my example of a Moment of Truth comes in. While I was staying at a Marriott in Orlando, the phone rang for my seven o'clock wake-up call. I picked it up and a woman said, 'Good morning, Mr. Stafford, this is Teresa. It's seven o'clock. It's going to be seventy-five degrees and beautiful in Orlando today, but your ticket says you're leaving. Where are you going?"

I was taken aback - so I stammered, "I'm going to New York City."

Teresa counter with 'Let me look at the USA Today weather map. Oh no! It's going to be forty degrees and rainy in New York today. Can't you stay another day?"

- Now where do you think I want to stay when I go to Orlando? I want to stay at the Marriott so I can talk to Teresa in the morning!

The $100 challenge just began in the works. I choose a lady to donate my profits of my company too who started her own hardware-type business in a rural farming community.