My Featured Journal Entries
I was thoroughly impressed with how well the Knie tour went. By far, it was the most technologically advanced tour I have had the pleasure of being on. They have the ability to have the latest technology available be at their store and showcase it to their customers. Between having the latest smart home technology to a tv without speakers but individual pixels that produce sound, I was thoroughly impressed by everything the store offered. But what impressed me the most, was the union with Ashley's. They sought out the store in order to expand. By combining with Ashley's, they were able to offer both a home store and appliances. I think because of the diversity they are able to serve a wider variety of customers. The furniture on both sides was displayed very organizational based on what a customer wanted. For instance, I noticed the washers and dryers were arranged by price tag. With the appliances arranged like that, customers could search by a budget and better look at their options. I truly enjoyed this tour because I enjoy appliance shopping. I could tell how passionate Dave was about the business. Taking over after his father was very interesting because it is just another crucial example of how much you must be passionate about your business, this is very helpful going forward into the trade show because we must want to be here to be successful.
Another great week of CEO!
04/23/2017
So I tried the Yes.... And? technique that was presented to us by Patrick at The Establishment and I ended up playing a concert in the dark.
Friday was the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference all conference band and choir concerts. Milledgeville hosted and being the President of band and choir, I helped our directors with anything I could that morning. When several directors and schools, I was replying Yes, and? to everyone that needed anything. I finally got to sit down with the rest of the band. We practice all day from around 8:00 until 5:30, get dressed and then perform at 6! Quite a packed day! Well, all of the sudden the power to the entire town of Milledgeville went out at about 5:15. I was told to go and hang out with the rest of our band and choir until we could get the power back on. I began talking with my friends and we started throwing off crazy ideas to use so we could play in the dark. My friend suggested we use flashlights and out of habit I said, Yes, and?. He responded with a blinding flashlight on his phone to my eye as a joke and that gave me the crazy idea to use our phones to look off the music in the dark. My band teacher came in panicking still and overheard us. She gathered the other directors and explained the idea and all felt it was very appropriate. As guests started arriving to listen to the phenomenal work we put in for the day, my friends and I kept looking for ways to light up the walkways and the gym. We discovered the janitors closet where we found lanterns. Hurrying up stairs we managed to light up the stairs and then proceeded to help the choir students find phones with enough battery to use the flashlights. The choir students lined up behind us to illuminate our music and we began. All 104 students performed very well and we managed through all 4 songs. The choir students began to line up as the band students. proceeded behind them and mixed through with flashlights to do the same for them. It was very difficult as the risers were very packed. But alas, the lights came back on right before they began to sing.
As I listened to the choir, I started thinking about how CEO reflects our lives and how without saying Yes and? from out tour, our concert would've been a disaster. I thank the fact that I have CEO for all of my life because of the various adventures we have been on and the invaluable experience we get on the various tours. The smallest little insight can spark the greatest of ideas.
Another great week of CEO!
03/19/2017
This week was the start of crunch time for our dinner/trivia night, but I'm sure you already know that. On Wednesday though, we had a speaker, Aaron Flick, who talked to us about the marketing side of Wahl. I thought this was the most interesting speaker we have had this year. The way he analyzes all of the data through Wahl's posts on the different platforms they are involved in was very intriguing to me. I didn't realize he put as much effort as he does into the marketing of Wahl's products. Seeing all of the other major corporation's social media pages I follow, I looked into their market on social media in my Economics class. My favorite profile to follow is Wendy's twitter due to their hilarious answers and comebacks to what users post at them. After seeing their market analysis, their account activity nearly doubled every time they made a tweet that went viral. I think this is why companies need to have a constant emphasis on social media because it is the way to reach younger generations. I looked through the Wahl profiles after class and I saw how much activity they produce. It was very interesting to me.
02/26/2017