My Featured Journal Entries
The trade show was one of my favorite experiences all year. For me, it took pretty much everything we've learned and put it to work, and I feel like I learned a lot about myself. I don't think I managed my time as well as a I should have; I ended up doing quite a few things last minute that didn't t need to be, like painting and assembling my booth. It got done in time, but it was really stressing me out because I had to wrangle that on top of everything going on with school and getting my cheesecakes done. Not fun. One thing I learned that I didn't really expect to be a problem was that I can't do something this big by myself. I had the plan and I was ready to get it all done, but looking back it was completely unrealistic for me to think I could do that on my own. It took my mom and I two hours to get all the cheesecakes packaged, and probably would have been more like four on my own. Moral of the story-- have good people helping you. I've written that so many times in my notes, and it really became relevant this past week. I was completely blown away by how the trade show went for me, because I was expecting to maybe sell 80% of my cheesecakes...not 120%! I had a contingency plan for extra inventory so I don't know why I didn't just go ahead and make more cakes to begin with, just in case. It was a problem I was definitely ok with. That really taught me to go big or go home, because you never know what could happen. The trade show was a fantastic networking thing for me too, because several people would ask if I did events like weddings and grad parties and hopefully someone will be in contact about catering a work party! I really made an effort to at least say hello to everyone that walked by, which I'm glad I did because not everyone bought a cheesecake, but some did. Even if I just got a smile and hello back, it was still worth it.
As I've been thinking about the entire year, I've realized that one of my favorite hints about he class is that it's full of big minds. And I don't mean that we're all destined for rocket science, but if you pitch a completely weird idea, it'll at least be entertained. Nothing is impossible, I've really seen or group take on that motto. I mean look at he giant banner on the bucket truck! I'm so spoiled; it's been the best to work with peers hat have drive and vision and are willing to actually put in 110%. The bare minimum has never been acceptable, and I love that mindset. It's helped me push above and beyond where I was and really given me the tools I need to go and and do anything. I hope I get to work with big minds for the rest of my life.
05/08/2017
I've been skiing with cousins all week, but Natalie's been filling me in about some big changes with the class business. I'm not completely up to speed, but just from my position right now I am pretty disappointed to let LSV go, but I definitely understand why. As much as I admire taking risks and fighting the odds, I think that being able to realistically analyze the potential outcome of a project is incredibly important. Since restaurants weren't signing up, it's probably the best option to change gears and go for something we can make successful. Even though it's sad, I'm really glad we have to opportunity to fail in this class. And that's kind of a strange feeling, but I've been thinking about how authentic this whole experience has been. There wasn't a safety net for us to jump into when our project wasn't working out, we don't get points for trying, we just got to actually experience what it's like when life doesn't go as planned. And now we can look back and learn something. It's the life experience that makes CEO awesome. This is helping me be more analytical with my own business, especially since I'm trying to decide if I want to keep the cheesecakes for the trade show or not.
01/08/2017
In New York this week, I just thought "CEO!" almost everywhere we went! It's crazy how much more you notice after touring businesses and hearing from entrepreneurs. I think NYC is one of the greatest examples of advertising in the world. No matter where I was, there were advertisements everywhere, each competing for everyone's attention. But there was a lot more to it than just posters and flashy billboards; the way a business looked on the outside or was decorated on the inside were a huge factor too, for better or for worse. I saw several little mom and pop grocery stores that I'm sure were great, and we're obviously doing okay for themselves, but as an outsider, I wouldn't have chosen to go there. All because of curb appeal. And maybe that's a little presumptuous, but I am definitely enticed or turned away by aesthetics. It's got to be a big factor in a businesses success , though, because there are definitely lots of people like me out there! I always think of Apple or Tiffany, two businesses with a defined look attached to their brand. Other places have tried to duplicate them, but you never see the Microsoft store with as many people inside as the Apple Store. On the inside, you can create the vibe you want for your business, and I love walking into a place and seeing unique decorations and feeling the unique ambiance-- it makes me want to go again! When I start my business, I definitely want to make a good impression with my product/service, but I also want to be able to draw people in with my curb appeal, and impress them with my packaging or decorations or whatever it may be. We ate breakfast at a little diner that was sort of off the beaten path, but it was packed! Even though it was basically located in an alley, it looked super classy from the outside and the interior was decorated very elegantly. The food was good, not life-changing, but I think what got people in the door and kept them coming back was the feeling. I would go back for sure, and I would tell people I liked it a lot, so I guess that just shows how much you can advertise without even putting an ad up. It's all in the feeling.
11/13/2016