Sunday, August 30, 2015

Business Plan Development Mastery Journal

Steve Burhoe Ph.D. was the Course Director for Business plan Development on campus.  This class was a great course and I learned so much within the spectrums of this period.  The original goal that I had for this course was to ensure that I understood my business plans numbers, and financial side of what I can do better or improve on within my specific target market.  As an entrepreneur, I want to be able to know what my customers need and understand whom the customers are, so I can satisfy their needs within my business.   
The goal was met for the past course, by allowing me to understand the different perspectives for my company, in retrospect of all the content and subjects that will be used.  I now understand the urgency to get my LLC going and to start figuring out where I want to be located and what all comes into play with starting a business on my own vs. having partnerships.  My insight changed slightly, because I was not going to have help within my company, I was going to run it as a sole proprietor, now I have changed my thoughts on that to hire volunteer help which will still not cost me much money.  My skill is still the same, I would like to open up to more businesses that like to do what I am doing in Life Coaching and partner with them and bounce of each other’s skills.  The outcome will be slightly different because I will now have to include some type of insurance or guidelines for others that are going to be permanent with me as volunteers and some initiatives for them helping me, which will cost more money.  I learned so much from this course one of the things I will remember is Steve’s example of the student who had a business plan and sold everything in the beginning cheaper, and then raised his prices as he saw the needs for it in the market, that is true planning.  I will apply the material that I learned in this course personally by always remembering to keep all my books, and materials and read up on the things I learned in this course.  I will apply the materials I learned professionally in my work by applying the business concepts, plans toward my real life scenarios, and now I have a better understanding on what is needed in a business plan and how to make it look and be professional.  The overall course was great and I loved the way Steve ran his class.



References

Know Your Customers
 (Abrams 99)
Abrams, Rhonda. Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies, 5th Edition. The Planning Shop, 2009. VitalBook file.



Sunday, August 9, 2015

Business Plan Development -Blog 1

Latoya Pritchard
Business Plan Development
Steve Burhoe Ph.D., Course Director
Blog Posting

Frederick W. Smith- President CEO of FedEx Corp.

One of the experts I chose is Frederick W. Smith; he is the chairman, President CEO of FedEx Corp., a $45 billion global transportation, business services, and logistics company.  Smith has received numerous civic, academic, and business awards, including the Global Leadership Award from the U.S.-India Business Council, the George C. Marshall Foundation Award, and the Circle of Honor Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.  In an article by (Entrepreneur 2008) Smith would use this "interesting but unfeasible" concept to found the world's first overnight delivery company and change the transportation industry forever.  (FedEx 2015).  One of the critical & key components that investors are looking for in a plan is for you to be able to know your target audience, and have different demographics in different areas of the city/country.  Frederick has many plans to enlarge his business and expand in variety and in different areas.  (Levitz, J 2010)  “Smith plans for FedEx to have acquired a dozen 777 jets, which he believes will help his company attract more international business from customers in countries such as China, India, and Brazil.  When you have a business, it is considered key to know and understand your target audience, so you will know with whom you are marketing to, and know the demographics and psychographics of your market.  (FedEx 2015).  Speaks out in the Connection Matter/overview page that, “a connected world is a better world.”  A suggestion that I agree with is connecting to the world is better, and I would use this for my plan to stay connected with people, information and ideas to always grow.  Accessing new markets and new materials is something that FedEx does and it is what I would like to do also, in a different way and form.  Frederick feels the same way that I feel when it comes to fair treatment.  (Entrepreneur 2008)  Fair treatment instills company loyalty, and company loyalty always pays off.”  You should always treat people the way they should be treated in being kind, and most of the time they will always back you up, and support you. 

References:
Levitz, J. (2010, July 14). FedEx Looks to 777s to Deliver an Edge. Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition. pp. B1-B2. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 6, 2015. 

Ginni Rometty- chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM

The second expert I chose is Ginni Rometty.  Ginni is the chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM.  Mrs. Rometty was appointed President and CEO effective January 1, 2012.  She became Chairman of the Board of Directors on October 1, 2012.  Mrs. Rometty began her career with IBM in 1981 in Detroit, Michigan.  Since then, she has held a series of leadership positions in IBM, most recently as Senior Vice President and Group Executive, IBM Sales, Marketing and Strategy.  In this role, she was responsible for business results in the 170 global markets in which IBM operates and pioneered IBM's rapid expansion in the emerging economies of the world.  (IBM 2014).  One of the critical & key components that investors are looking for in a plan is structure, completeness, and professionalism.  In your business plan when you have structure, completeness, and is professionally written it shows value, and respect for what you are doing, giving, or selling.  People will respect the fact that you took time out to plan and make all your ideas make sense in your plan.  One of the suggestions that I am considering for my plan is the fact that I agree with “You should take some time to work with mentors, business partners, and colleagues on your plan.  Ask them to look for holes so you can adjust accordingly.  Seeking input is a great way to get an objective view.”  When you seek answers that is a great step in asking for help so that you can try to make what you are doing better by getting help from professionals, or people that have been around longer in the field.

References:
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ginni/    -date retrieved August 6, 2015