My Featured Journal Entries
If this week taught me nothing else, it taught me that there is always a way to get everything done, even when it seems like there's a mountain in front of you. There is no use stressing over every detail. The matter of the fact is that what has to get done has to get done, and it will. However, this week was full of so many more lessons. One of these lessons is that hard work always has a return, even when it sometimes does not seem there is one. Another lesson is that time goes by fast, don't take any of it for granted. A lesson that I've learned throughout this year but was once again reinforced this week is that we live in a very supportive community. It is so important that we recognize this. This is a huge blessing and a huge tool for us young adults. And finally, it taught me that you almost always need help, and that's okay. In the business world, it normally takes more than one person to make a business successful. You have to share that success. You have to share the credit. You have to work with others, problem solve with others, and celebrate with others. That's the best way to get to where you want to be.
05/07/2017
After a lot of business talk this week, I am getting more and more excited to work on my individual business plan. I can’t remember exactly who it was at the beginning of the year, but the speaker that shared with us, “80% of businesses are not original ideas” has been something I have been thinking about a lot. At the beginning of the week I found out that a little restaurant in town was closing due to lack of business. The idea behind their business was that it was “build your own” Mexican food. It was not completely original, but it put a spin on what would be considered normal. This afternoon I went to a restaurant that had “gourmet milkshakes.” The shakes had full doughnuts, brownies, cheesecake balls, etc. on top and toppings that flowed over the side onto a plate. While milkshakes are not a new invention, this was an original idea that is a draw for customers. I have been trying to base my business idea off of this. I want something that people will be intrigued by, but I don’t really think I can create something totally new. Looking back at the two businesses I just compared, one of them was successful with their originality spin and one was not. Both used these aspects as a way to market, to create interest, but not both worked. I wonder if the one would have been more successful not putting this spin on it, if in the long run that cost them. Can that “extra” to look a little better, to be more intriguing, put you under in the same way it can put you on top? I think this can be the key to success, but it also can be too much.
As far as class, I think we have accomplished quite a bit this week. I am thankful for Doug coming and working with us, I think he had a lot of great input, while putting a little humor in it which we all needed. He made the abstract a reality. He put the ideas to numbers. This was an eye-opener for me. I think we are underprepared in the department of numbers. We have our goal BIG, but we don’t have BIG described. Goals are hard to reach when they are not written out in black and white. One person’s big is different than the next, and as a team effort, we need to be reaching one goal, a goal that everyone can see. This is something that I am not always good at, I get an idea and I just start going and I don’t need numbers. However, by the end I realize I need them, and I think that’s where we are at right now. However, I think today we kind of got a start on that and hopefully it carries through.
02/05/2017
This leads to a huge concept: the difference between hearing and listening. I think we are even worse at understanding this concept in younger generations. With the advancement of technology, we do everything quick. We respond quick. We regurgitate an answer before we fully understand what is being said to us. Personally, I think this allows us to only hear. I think another problem with our inability to listen is the way we are so distracted by the things around us, normally our phones. We hear what people say, but we aren’t focusing on what they are saying. We are half hearing what they say and half interpreting what we are reading off our screens. We are completely superficial. We aren’t getting in depth and anything. We are only scratching the surface. We are missing out on so many things.
After hearing this lady talk, I thought of what John told us that day in class. He felt as if we were talking over each other, and therefore are missing important ideas. I think these two concepts go hand in hand. We aren’t listening to each other, we are just hearing the jabber. We’re missing out. We are being superficial. This applies to so many aspects of life. This applies to our connection with other people. It applies to our growth of knowledge. They are both important. We need them to be the best people, business professionals, employees, and friends we can be.
10/30/2016
"I have to say my most “ah-hah” moment this week was at Sauk Valley Containers. I think this is definitely a case where two guys went all in. They saw an opportunity and they took advantage of it. To me, the most interesting piece of information he shared with us was the fact that the reason they started this business was essentially for the steel mill, since that newspaper article triggered their idea, and then they never made a single box for them. I think this teaches a huge lesson. If you go into something and what you thought was going to happen doesn’t, don’t be discouraged. There is more than likely another opportunity. If you are using good business tactics, there are other consumers out there. To me, this particular business was a lesson on perseverance. They weathered a lot of roadblocks for a solid three years. But they kept faith. They kept working hard. They made their dream, their idea, a reality."
10/02/2016