Wednesday, December 7, 2016

What should be in your Business Plan Powerpoint?


  • Title slide--Business Name and Owners
  • Slogan and Logo--how did you decide on these?  What do they represent? Show images
  • Overview of the Business--How did you come up with the idea?  Was there a change of plan?
  • Business Concept:  Goals and Objectives.  Be specific. Was your goal to make $25 net profit?  Was it to donate $50 to a specific good cause?
  • Who was your Target Market?
  • Market Research-- how did it impact decisions? (1 form for 5/6 grades, 2 forms for 7/8)
  • Advertisement:  Show picture of advertisement.  Did you do a lunchtime announcement?  Where did you advertise? 
  • Start-up Costs? What were they?  Where did you get the money?  Show exact amounts based on receipts or calculations
  • Gross Profit and Net Profit.  Be specific.  What were your best sellers?
  • Cost of Goods per unit (show the math)
  • Profit Margin (show the math)
  • Contract/ Division of Labor
  • SWOT Analysis of your business (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)
  • Where will you donate and why?
  • What You Learned and would do differently
Extra Notes:

PRACTICE SPEAKING AHEAD OF TIME.  DIVIDE THE SLIDES AMONG BUSINESS OWNERS.  WINNERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GOOD PRESENTERS.
  • Your presentation will last five minutes.  Practice ahead of time, or you may be cut off.
  • I don't care how many slides you use, but you need all this information in there.
  • You will be speaking through the presentation.  You can use "key words" on your slides instead of typing up paragraphs.  This makes it easier for the viewer.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

POSTER RULES IN HALLWAYS!

  • Only two posters per hallway  
  • Mrs. Dokken said brick or walls are fine as long as they are NEATLY PLACED. 
  • USE STICKY TACK!  NO TAPE! If yours are up with tape, go pull them down and ask Mrs. Zuercher or me for some sticky tack 
  • No posters on lockers or in bathrooms
  • Remove posters immediately after your sale

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

IMPORTANT BUSINESS DETAILS TO KNOW!

1.  Advertisments should be up one week in advance to get full credit.  For an event (like sports or a fun party), advertisements should be up two weeks in advance.  This is for your own benefit, so you have more customers.  Check the blog for what should be on the advertisement.

2.  Double-check the blog calendar to make sure your business is listed.  Also, make sure your products are listed under the description.  If it is not, I need to know ASAP!  The reason is that I will be sending out a list of dates and products to all middle school students.  I don't want you to be left off the list!

3. Bring change for customers.  I recommend at least $20.  You will make it easier on yourself if you charge by $1 or $0.50  increments.  But the pricing is totally up to you. 

4.  Do you need cups? Napkins? Utensils?  Prepare for that ahead of time.  

5.  REMEMBER:  You will pay back any expenses.  If parents loaned you start-up money, you must pay them back.  Once you have your net profit, you will donate at least 10 percent.  Then divide the remaining profits among business owners. 

6.  If you need help, hire some friends!  Just make sure you negotiate a payment.  

7.  Be sure to have a parent (or another adult) at the sale, to help organization and supervision.

8.  Have a price list of your products displayed clearly, so customers see before getting to the table. 

9.  You need to seek permission AHEAD OF TIME to get out of class early, to set up your tables.  If you are selling at lunch or after school, you need to ASK NOW if the teacher will let you out to set up on your sale date.  If they say NO, then you have to figure out another plan. 

Thursday, November 3, 2016

ADVERTISEMENT GUIDELINES

Guidelines for Advertising around Campus:

  •  Ads must be approved by teacher.  We check for spelling, grammar, etc...and make sure all the elements are on the Ad.
  • Food sales Ads go up one week before event.  Workshop or Party event Ads need to be up 2 weeks in advance.  This is for your success. 
  • Ads can only be placed on whiteboards in middle school.  Stairwells and bulletin board in LS are fine, if you talk to the secretary first.  You can create a monitor slide, which your teacher will forward to the correct people.
  • Lunchtime "commercials" are an option, but must receive prior approval from Dean Dokken (MS) or Mrs. Eubank (LS). You also must get permission from teacher if you are leaving a class to make the lunchtime announcement.  You cannot say, "Mrs. Brake says I need to..."  If they say no, then you cannot do it. 
  • Advertisement poster or monitor slide must contain:
  1. Name of Business
  2. Logo
  3. Slogan
  4. WHAT the business is selling (the product or service)
  5. Contact Information
  6. Date and Time
  7. Location
  8. Cost
  9. Must contain this phrase, for purposes of business office:      "This is an Entrepreneurship class business.  10% of the net profit will go to (fill in name of donation center you chose)"

Monday, September 26, 2016

5 Types of Market Research

What Types of Market Research are there?  

          SURVEYS:  Face-to-face, Email, Telephone, etc…  Businesses can offer samples of their product to evaluate response  (how could you do this with your business?)

          FOCUS GROUPS:  A group of people are brought together to ask questions or lead a discussion which can provide direction for the business idea.  Answers are usually more personal than a survey.  Usually videotaped or recorded in some way
        
          PERSONAL INTERVIEWS:  Unstructured, open-ended questions (not “yes or no” questions) .  While this doesn’t give a broad sense of a target market, it can raise issues like what was wrong with previous products in that category… 

OBSERVATION:  Individual responses to surveys and focus groups are sometimes at odds with people’s actual behavior. When you observe consumers in action, you can observe how they buy or use a product. This gives you a more accurate picture of customers’ usage habits and shopping patterns.

FIELD TRIALS:   Placing a new product in selected stores to test customer response under real-life selling conditions can help you make product changes, adjust prices, or improve packaging.  (HOW COULD YOU DO THIS AT WCS?)



BELOW, COMMENT ABOUT WHICH FORM OF MARKET RESEARCH YOU COULD USE FOR YOUR BUSINESS IDEA...

Thursday, May 12, 2016

What should be in your Business Plan?

1. Name of Business and Business Owners
2. Logo and Slogan (you will tell us how they developed)
3. Target Market
4. How the business idea developed
5. Mission, Goal and Objectives.  Be specific with your goal such as make a certain amount of money, or donate a certain amount of money, etc..
6. SWOT Analysis of your business  (look at Shark Tank worksheet for details)
7. How was the business organized?  (who did what?  What did you have to do beforehand?)
8. Market Research:  What type was it?  If it was a survey, show us some questions, and some answers.  Tell us how the research affected your business decisions
9. Profit Details:  Cost of Goods Total, Cost of Goods per unit
10 Profit Details:  Net Profit and Gross Profit
11.  If you had to pay sales tax on your gross profit--7.5%--how much would that be?
12.  10%:  if you saved 10% in a bank account, what would that amount be?
13.  What percentage of net profit are you donating?  To what organization?  Tell us about it and why you chose it.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Don't Forget These Things!

1. Do you have a sign up sheet for your business?  If it's in the middle school office, negotiate with Mrs. Zuercher how you will pay her as your employee.  A respectful discussion is needed.  Remember, she doesn't HAVE TO do it.

2.  Bring change!  $20 in change should be enough.

3. Get permission IN ADVANCE for you to leave advising early, to set up.  If the teacher says no, then you cannot do it.

4. Entrepreneurship Table is in the Faculty workroom behind the couch.

5. An adult must be with you.  Be sure to tell Mrs. Brake if you need her there.

6.  Clean up!  Put away any equipment (tables, sports things, etc...)

7. Take down posters after the event!

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Guidelines for Advertisements

Guidelines for Advertising around Campus:

  •  Ads must be approved by teacher.  We check for spelling, grammar, etc...and make sure all the elements are on the Ad.
  • Food sales Ads go up one week before event.  Workshop or Party event Ads need to be up 2 weeks in advance.  This is for your success. 
  • Ads can only be placed on whiteboards in middle school.  Stairwells and bulletin board in LS are fine, if you talk to the secretary first.  You can create a monitor slide, which your teacher will forward to the correct people.
  • Lunchtime "commercials" are an option, but must receive prior approval from Dean Dokken (MS) or Mrs. Eubank (LS). You also must get permission from teacher if you are leaving a class to make the lunchtime announcement.  You cannot say, "Mrs. Brake says I need to..."  If they say no, then you cannot do it. 
  • Advertisement poster or monitor slide must contain:
  1. Name of Business
  2. Logo
  3. Slogan
  4. WHAT the business is selling (the product or service)
  5. Contact Information
  6. Date and Time
  7. Location
  8. Cost
  9. Must contain this phrase, for purposes of business office:      "This is an Entrepreneurship class business.  10% of the net profit will go to (fill in name of donation center you chose)"

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

5 types of Market Research to help choose a good business idea!

What Types of Market Research are there?  

          SURVEYS:  Face-to-face, Email, Telephone, etc…  Businesses can offer samples of their product to evaluate response  (how could you do this with your business?)

          FOCUS GROUPS:  A group of people are brought together to ask questions or lead a discussion which can provide direction for the business idea.  Answers are usually more personal than a survey.  Usually videotaped or recorded in some way
        
          PERSONAL INTERVIEWS:  Unstructured, open-ended questions (not “yes or no” questions) .  While this doesn’t give a broad sense of a target market, it can raise issues like what was wrong with previous products in that category… 

OBSERVATION:  Individual responses to surveys and focus groups are sometimes at odds with people’s actual behavior. When you observe consumers in action, you can observe how they buy or use a product. This gives you a more accurate picture of customers’ usage habits and shopping patterns.

FIELD TRIALS:   Placing a new product in selected stores to test customer response under real-life selling conditions can help you make product changes, adjust prices, or improve packaging.  (HOW COULD YOU DO THIS AT WCS?)



BELOW, COMMENT ABOUT WHICH FORM OF MARKET RESEARCH YOU COULD USE FOR YOUR BUSINESS IDEA...

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

What E-Traits do these entrepreneurs possess?


Click here to read about Famous Entrepreneurs

In the comment section below, tell us which entrepreneur you chose, what their E-Traits are, and WHY you think they have those E-Traits