Five Days of Tasks in Four Days of Work

In business, even though you might have a short work week, the expectation from ownership is that you complete a full week's worth of tasks.  That's exactly the case in class this week.  Not only do we have to operate our business, we also have to prepare for our Trade Fair and grow our market share.  The only way for this to work is if everyone is focused on completing their tasks, and assisting where necessary if co-workers are behind schedule.  

Rather than write a long post, I've condensed this entry into a breakdown of tasks with some guidance for completing them.  If and when you encounter something that requires more of my assistance, I'll be available during class to point you in the right direction.

Here's our list:

Newsletter:

To be completed by HR, Admin, and 1 Sales Associate 

This week's installment should include articles about the following topics:

Business plan presentation team's performance last week - interview two or three of the presenters for this article

 Democratic leadership styles - read at least two articles and report out on it.  Include information about whether you feel it's something we can/should/already implement 

Sports at a glance - basketball jamboree, wrestling events, anything else going on with Northwest athletics

Employee Spotlight - Select an employee and spotlight him/her

Sales update - Write an article about our updated product list and how we decided to make changes this year

Newsletter team will be graded on quality of each article, as well as the design and overall appeal of the newsletter

Display Board:

This needs to be brainstormed, designed, and created this week.  I need at least two sections completed.  Display Board team will be graded on relevance and overall appeal of the board

Booth Design:

All who are in charge of this must have a status update by end of business Tuesday.  If we do not have a firm concrete plan in place for the store front by this time, we will not implement it for the trip.  Team will be graded on meeting deadline and feasibility of plan

Trade Fair Preparation Team:

Work with booth design team to determine materials needed for Trade Fair.  Compile a list of items, as well as an expense breakdown. Also create sales packages for customers at Trade Fair.  Team will be graded on how comprehensive the list is, as well as accuracy of cost breakdown.

Website:

Need cart updated.  Request assistance from other firms if necessary.  Also, ensure correct products are available online.  Team will be graded on completion of these tasks.

Accounting and Finance Operations:

You know what we need done.  Please journalize all transactions, pay all employees, and ensure our inventory is accurate and recorded properly.  Team will be graded on how accurately each entry is journalized and completion of other accounting departmental tasks.

Sales Tasks:

Please make sure this week's flyer is completed.  Determine Item of the week and have an appealing finished product.  Also, please work on emailing other firms (specific employees when possible) our flyer and please create a customer satisfaction form to be added to our website.  Have at least two and no more than four questions with multiple select options.  Team will be graded on aesthetics of flyer, number of sales of item of the week, and completion of form.

Purchase on the Network:

Everyone is to purchase something on the network and notify me when done.  This can be done on Friday.  

That's it for this week.  I know it's a lot to do, but you're all capable of getting it done if you work from the time class begins until class ends.  I'll see you all tomorrow!

Competition Time!

I don't believe in team motivation. I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it steps on a field and be prepared to play a good game.

Tom Landry

Be prepared, work hard, and hope for a little luck. Recognize that the harder you work and the better prepared you are, the more luck you might have.

Ed Bradley

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/be_prepared.html#XmIvw2ZKk0C8uK7Q.99

I love finding appropriate quotes for my blog each week, and I believe so much in the above quotes that I had to use them again this year.  As we prepared for our Business Plan Competition this past week, I hope everyone became more aware of the importance of preparedness.  The more time we devoted to our presentation and understanding the talking points, the more prepared we sounded during our practice. 

This week we have one final class period to get ready for Wednesday’s presentation.  See below for our daily objectives:

Tuesday:

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

Objectives: Analyze and Critique business plan presentation, Discuss VE Trip to Gatlinburg

During class, we should plan to run through the presentation (timed) and questions at least twice.  When finished, I will address any last minute fine tuning (should be minimal) and address any questions you may have with respect to our trip to Gatlinburg (tentative head count, address questions about cost, etc.).

Wednesday:

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

Objectives: Compose blog entry about business plan presentation competition

While the presentation team and I are out of the building attending our competition, remaining employees will compose a 200+ word blog entry about what they observed from our presentation team during their preparation for the competition.  They will also discuss how they think the team will do and whether we will make it to the State Finals. 

Questions to be addressed include, but are not limited to:

What sections of the presentation were strongest?  Which sections were weakest?

Which presenter(s) do you think will stand out and perform great?

Do you think the team is well prepared?  Why or why not?

Did our presentation appear to be worthy of an appearance in the State Finals?  Why or why not?

Based on the above answers, how do you think our competition team will perform?

When finished, please complete the following tasks for the rest of the week:

Wednesday through Friday:

Clear Target: We can apply concepts to operate a successful business

The following tasks must be completed for the remainder of the week:

Payroll:

Finance department – in the event that we failed to pay anyone last week, please make sure you do so as quickly as possible.  Employees must be paid and receive their wages consistently. 

Track Sales:

Finance and Sales departments – Please check the company email address regularly, produce invoices and send the invoices to the customers.

When the invoice is generated, you must journalize the transaction in the sales journal. When funds are received, you must journalize the transaction in the cash receipts journal.  All transactions must be journalized.

Furthermore, inventory must reflect what has been sold, so when we get low on an item, we must purchase more inventory.  Please don’t forget to do this.

Determine Item(s) of the Week:

Sales and IT Departments should determine what we want to discount.  When finished, please also create a flyer for the item(s) of the week.  Make sure to send this flyer to our customers.

Create Newsletter

HR and Admin Departments: Sections of the newsletter should focus on employee motivation, opening of basketball season, preparation for business plan competition, and one employee spotlight.  Please email all employees and me when finished

Bulletin Board:

All employees: Please display any pertinent information our employees need to know (upcoming events, forms to fill out, etc.)

Update Website:

IT Department: Please make sure our entire product line is loaded for purchase.  Please also work on the shopping cart on the site.  Finally, focus on some design improvements if you think they will make our website better

I look forward to seeing how well we do on Wednesday and seeing the business operating like a well-oiled machine.  See you all tomorrow!

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

When I was on the baseball team at Rutgers University, we used to have inspirational quotes hanging all over the locker room.  Sadly, the only one I can remember is the above Vince Lombardi quote.  I truly believe that in order to perfect or master something, it is of the utmost importance to focus on doing every aspect of it perfectly.  If you just practice, but practice the wrong way, you'll never get closer to your goal.

With that said, this week we are going to practice the business plan presentation all 5 days of the week.  We will have a panel of guests watch us perform and ask us questions, just as we had last year.  I am confident that this year's group can score just as high or even higher than last year's team.  With a strong written business plan, this year's team will have a great shot at moving on to the State finals.

Below is a breakdown of what we will do throughout the week:

Monday through Friday:
Clear Targets: We can create a business plan presentation AND We can analyze and critique a business plan
On Monday, we will allow the presentation team to review their parts in the presentation and get ready to present.  During that time, we will complete operations AND finalize our artifacts to submit for our Trade Fair Competitions.

After about 15 minutes of prep and work time each day, we will allow the Presentation Team to read through and practice their presentations.  As the audience, we will play the role of investors and ask the Presentation Team questions we think need to be addressed.  We will also provide feedback on how the presentation looks/sounds, and work on improving as the week goes on.

Please see below for Competition and Operational responsibilities for non-Presentation Team Members:

You will all be assessed on the quality of your work as well as how well you work with one another.  Making sure your final decisions are in the best interest of the organization is of the utmost importance, so please be sure to focus on the big picture rather than individual preferences.  The better we work together, the prettier our bottom line will look at the end of the year.

Here’s a breakdown of what each group will do and who is responsible for each task:

Trade Fair Competition Artifacts:

Impact Marketing Artifact:

I would like at least one sales representative and one representative from Admin or HR to focus on this competition.  We finished in 3^rd place last year, so the bar is set high for this group.  Please refer to the rubric (linked above) and feel free to ask me if you need assistance.  MS Publisher is the best Office Suite to use to work on this.

Newsletter Artifact:

Please refer to the previous copies of newsletters I emailed you before we left for break.  I really enjoyed working on this project last year and know that this will help us with future newsletters we make throughout the year.  Since this is a weekly project HR and Admin complete, I would like these departments, along with a representative from Sales AND one from IT/Web Design to get this done. 

Please divide your work appropriately and don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions about what to include in your project.

Business Card Artifact:

This is a project made specifically for IT/Web Design.  The task of designing our business cards is very important.  We have never made business cards before, but I feel as if we need to have them this year.  I need two IT representatives (including VP of IT) to take this project on and make it work for us. 

Please refer to the rubric, manage your time wisely, and make this project great.  I am available for assistance as needed.

Day-to-Day Operations:

Employees who are not focusing on the business plan presentation or competition artifacts have to carry the load of maintaining our business and keeping things running smoothly.  Remember, just because we have these deadlines for the Trade Fair doesn’t mean we don’t still have a business to run.  After all, without a successful business, how can we really speak so confidently about ourselves in the business plan?  Without a strong business, what good will all these strong marketing artifacts really do to keep customers once we’ve gotten them in the door? 

That said, we need our remaining employees to complete our typical operational tasks.  Employees need to be paid, orders need to be filled, sales calls need to take place, our website needs to continue to improve, and all of our financial transactions need to be recorded.  With fewer employees, this means there will be zero downtime, so make sure you work diligently on the upkeep of our brand.  See below for a breakdown of tasks and responsibilities:

Tasks and Responsibilities:

·      Upkeep of website – IT

·      Sales Tasks (Calls, Item of the Week) – Sales and IT

·      Invoicing: Finance

o   Please check our company email, create unique invoices for each order, email invoices, and log entries into our Sales and Accounts Receivable journals

·      Maintain accurate inventory records – Sales and Finance

o   Check our wholesale marketplace to update inventory records and update each sales transaction

o   Journalize purchase of inventory in our Cash Payments Journal

·      Payroll – Finance and Bryanna

o   Keep records of who’s present and pay each employee accordingly

o   Bryanna has experience with Accounting, so she can help with this

I know this is a lot of work, but this class is handpicked specifically because you are all capable of accomplishing these tasks better than anyone else in the school.  Take pride in this and put your best effort into getting these tasks done.  When these tasks are done, you will have a lot of things to add to a personal portfolio that will help you with your college and scholarship applications. 

I’ll see you soon!

Welcome Back - Now the REAL Work Begins

This week is the first week of the year in which we’ll truly work in teams.  There are four main areas of focus for our tasks, so each group really needs to stay with it and get their jobs done as efficiently as possible.  Below is a big picture look at what we will be doing:

·      Completing the oral presentation (PowerPoint AND talking points)

o   Make sure to base everything on what we’ve submitted in the written business plan

·      Trade Fair competition artifacts:

o   Impact Marketing

o   Newsletter

o   Business Cards

·      Day-to-day operations

o   Upkeep of website

o   Sales calls

o   Invoicing

o   Maintaining accurate inventory records after each sale

o   Journalizing all transactions

o   Payroll

·      Acquiring sponsorships to subsidize cost of Gatlinburg trip

Because we will be doing these tasks throughout the week, our clear targets are as follows:

We can apply concepts to operate a start-up business

We can create a business plan presentation

You will all be assessed on the quality of your work as well as how well you work with one another.  Making sure your final decisions are in the best interest of the organization is of the utmost importance, so please be sure to focus on the big picture rather than individual preferences.  The better we work together, the prettier our bottom line will look at the end of the year.

Here’s a breakdown of what each group will do and who is responsible for each task:

Business Plan Competition Team (Ryan, Makayla, Josh, Andrew, Emily):

Review the Oral Presentation Rubric and create a PowerPoint that illustrates our Written Business Plan.  Remember to focus on our purpose and work to include every detail required in the rubric, as well as additional information we included in our written plan (Company Vision, Specialization of our products, etc.).

Areas of focus include:

·      Catchy introduction: Last year’s intro was awesome and got us off on the right foot

·      Accuracy of data: make sure to utilize the facts and figures from the plan, but also be prepared to update information (unemployment rate, prime rate, 30 year fixed interest rate) that may have changed since our submission.  This is something to focus on again when we are ready to present in November.

·      “Feasibility:” This year, we can earn up to 5 extra points if the judges are willing to invest in our organization.  That said, make sure to include a slide in which we ask the judges if they are willing to invest, and if they are not certain, be sure to ask if there is anything they wish to know that would help them come to a definite decision

Trade Fair Competition Artifacts:

Impact Marketing Artifact:

I would like at least one sales representative and one representative from Admin or HR to focus on this competition.  We finished in 3^rd place last year, so the bar is set high for this group.  Please refer to the rubric (linked above) and feel free to ask me if you need assistance.  MS Publisher is the best Office Suite to use to work on this.

Newsletter Artifact:

Please refer to the previous copies of newsletters I emailed you before we left for break.  I really enjoyed working on this project last year and know that this will help us with future newsletters we make throughout the year.  Since this is a weekly project HR and Admin complete, I would like these departments, along with a representative from Sales AND one from IT/Web Design to get this done. 

Please divide your work appropriately and don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions about what to include in your project.

Business Card Artifact:

This is a project made specifically for IT/Web Design.  The task of designing our business cards is very important.  We have never made business cards before, but I feel as if we need to have them this year.  I need two IT representatives (including VP of IT) to take this project on and make it work for us. 

Please refer to the rubric, manage your time wisely, and make this project great.  I am available for assistance as needed.

Day-to-Day Operations:

Employees who are not focusing on the business plan presentation or competition artifacts have to carry the load of maintaining our business and keeping things running smoothly.  Remember, just because we have these deadlines for the Trade Fair doesn’t mean we don’t still have a business to run.  After all, without a successful business, how can we really speak so confidently about ourselves in the business plan?  Without a strong business, what good will all these strong marketing artifacts really do to keep customers once we’ve gotten them in the door? 

That said, we need our remaining employees to complete our typical operational tasks.  Employees need to be paid, orders need to be filled, sales calls need to take place, our website needs to continue to improve, and all of our financial transactions need to be recorded.  With fewer employees, this means there will be zero downtime, so make sure you work diligently on the upkeep of our brand.  See below for a breakdown of tasks and responsibilities:

Tasks and Responsibilities:

·      Upkeep of website – IT

·      Sales Tasks (Calls, Item of the Week) – Sales and IT

·      Invoicing: Finance

o   Please check our company email, create unique invoices for each order, email invoices, and log entries into our Sales and Accounts Receivable journals

·      Maintain accurate inventory records – Sales and Finance

o   Check our wholesale marketplace to update inventory records and update each sales transaction

o   Journalize purchase of inventory in our Cash Payments Journal

·      Payroll – Finance and Bryanna

o   Keep records of who’s present and pay each employee accordingly

o   Bryanna has experience with Accounting, so she can help with this

I know this is a lot of work, but this class is handpicked specifically because you are all capable of accomplishing these tasks better than anyone else in the school.  Take pride in this and put your best effort into getting these tasks done.  When these tasks are done, you will have a lot of things to add to a personal portfolio that will help you with your college and scholarship applications. 

I’ll see you soon!