Collaborate, Critique, Optimize

This photo does a great job representing last week's and this week's tasks/objectives, so I figured I'd re-post it to begin my entry.  I promise we'll have a different image to open my blog when we return from Spring Break!

Last week's weather really detracted from what we wanted to accomplish in the classroom.  However, in the face of adversity, we really did get a lot done in only two days in the LGI room.  Your focus on your business, along with our plan of attack for next year's program showed me how dedicated you are to achieving great things.  I am very proud.

This week, we are going to put our heads together and help one another out with our individual business plans.  Like I said last week, Pick-It Sweets & Treats wouldn't be nearly as successful if we didn't share our ideas with one another.  No single individual can achieve what a group of intelligent people can.  Therefore, much like we did last week, this week we will provide some guidance for our classmates' business plans as they share out what they've completed thus far.  Each of you will have a chance to present this week, as I am allocating time every day (including Tuesday after your ACT!) to this exercise.  I honestly feel that you will expand your thoughts and bring out the best in one another during this exercise.

Below is a description of what we will do and how we will do it.  Notice I simply copied last Monday's exercise (snowed out) and pasted it here for Monday through Friday.  As we've already discussed, the only way for this to work is if you take ownership of the exercise, self-direct each other, provide insightful constructive criticism, and approach this as real business owners.  You and I know you can do it, so let's prove ourselves right.

Monday through Friday:

Clear Target: We can analyze and critique a business plan.

This week, we will have an activity centered around our progress with our individual business plan.  Each day, three or four students will share out their ideas, notes, etc. on the business plan to get some feedback on what the rest of the class thinks.  This activity will work just like our brainstorm in the beginning of the year when we bounced ideas off one another about Pick-it Sweets & Treats.

Basically, when you present, you will share your notes in the following manner:

1. Business idea - what is the need you are filling?

2. Vision - What will the business look like and be like? 

3. Target market - how will your business appeal to your market?

4. The rest of your notes (the working document you have kept on MS Word, Google docs, etc.) - what's your logo like? What do you do to differentiate yourself?

I have already emailed you a Google Form that you will complete during each presentation.  The critique forms are actually secondary, though.  The purpose of the activity is for the class to verbally critique each business to help improve the plan - just as we did during our initial brainstorm for our VE firm.  You can think like an investor or think like a customer or just think like a business person who wants to help local organizations thrive.

By the end of the week, the goal is for each of you to have a more clear vision/direction for your plan.  When we return from break, we will knock out financials, organize our plans, and present the real thing!  I look forward to this week and hope you do too.  Check your email later this week for your homework over Spring Break.  Let's have another productive week!