Enchantment

This week has been a bit of a blur, but it's been a good one. In our readings and videos, I listened to a great talk from Guy Kawasaki talking about his new book and the way of enchanting others.  This talk was given in 2011 to a group of students at Stanford and gave some pretty good advice.  In his talk, he went over many aspects of working with others and how we can engage others.  One of the most basic things he talked about that I loved was having a genuine smile.  He talked about smiling with the eyes.  Being genuine.  That part, although extremely simple, really struck a chord with me in how something so simple can be such a huge part of how people see and view us.

The $100 challenge has been going well. I have made my first sales and I am on my way to reaching the goal of gaining at least $100 in profit.  People seem to like the idea of customized stickers and they have loved the idea it also supports a good cause.  People want to show their support for their kid's teams, their kids, and the added bonus of helping others with the proceeds helps as well.  It is looking very positive going forward.

Here is some cash, now get lost!

The $100 challenge is going along well.  I have created my first designs, and I hope to be able to start advertising this week or next.  I’m getting excited to see what The Stickr Company can do.  I have high hopes and really think this concept can generate the revenue and profit I need in order to get a good grade in this class and help others in need.  I am going to be pushing that the profits go to a good cause in hopes that it will help motivate others in their purchase.

This week in class we learned about how Zappos would offer their new hires $2000 to leave the company during training.  They wanted only people who were motivated to stay with the company in their ranks.  I was blown away with how few took the money.  This was for entry level jobs in Las Vegas, and that money was no drop in the bucket for these people.  In the video, they talked about how the company culture was so important and that customer service was a companywide trait.  They wanted to make sure that everyone felt the same way about their company and that they could keep morale high and turnover low. I think this is a good example of planning with the end in mind.

Elevator Pitch

So this week in my business class we have been focused on marketing and building our brands.  I really enjoyed one of our videos this week by Guy Kawasaki.  In it, he points out how we need to be unique and bring value to our customers.  It is in that sweet spot where greatness can be born.  You can see the video here.

This week I also had to create an elevator pitch for my $100 challenge company.  It was great getting feedback from classmates and going back and refining what I would say if I met an investor in an elevator.  It helped me really drill down on my concept and make sure I could quickly and clearly explain what I was trying to do, who I was trying to sell it to, how we would make money, and why it would be exciting.  It's a great way to look at a company and get down to the roots of what it is and how it will bring value to the customer, owner and investors.  I know that my company will do this in my area.  Here is my video of my elevator pitch.  I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

Starting a New Business

Another week has passed, and move decisions have been made.  I'm excited to say that I have narrowed down my business for the $100 challenge to The Stickr Company.  With this company, I plan on selling vinyl stickers that people can put on car windows, walls, binders, or really anything they want.  I plan on focusing on local teams (high school, club, etc) and even have some upsell items like custom numbers, names, or other things to make their sticker unique.  Through that, I know that I can make a good amount of profit so I can be able to give through Kiva.org.

This week we learned about raising funds and being able to either bootstrap a business or looking for funds through a VC or other funding.  Although many businesses will never be able to get VC funding, I find it an interesting problem.  In one of our videos, they discussed how you must ask for money to make it a possibility.  It seems like a simple thing.  Just ask, right?  Well, it is the first step and it is part of the selling process.  If we don't make that step, it doesn't require the other party to answer.

Finally,  I just want to share a great part in my personal business life.  My personal IT company was purchased this week and I am now working for a new company, Integrated Technologies.  I'm excited about the new opportunities it can bring and we hope that this risk will be a good one.