Mentorship going great!

  

Display of some of the new fall clothes in the boutique 

    Last week was the first time I met up with my mentor to help out with her store. She had me unpack all the new shipments of clothes that came in, as she inputted them into the system to make sure they can be tracked correctly. After I hung all the clothes on a rack she had set out, I steamed each garment to rid them of any wrinkles and unflattering lines. This was probably the worst task for me to have done because I like to get things done quickly, and you can't exactly do that with a steamer since you will be bound to get burned, which I did about 5 times. Luckily, I wasn't hurt very badly so I went on to tagging each item with the price she set them as in her store. It took me a couple attempts but I finally got the hang of it and did pretty well for my first time. Once that was completed, Amy trusted me with her life to run to the bank and get change for some hundred dollars. I was honored that she trusted me with her money, but I can't lie, I was a bit nervous. I knew nothing wrong would happen, but there's always that worry when you have to do something important. Everything went perfectly fine at the bank and I returned with all her money and a smile on my face.
    All the tasks she gave me to do were completed and I was shocked to find out that I had been there for over 2 and a half hours! I was surprised to have had that much fun doing mentorship, and I'm definitely excited to keep working with her. I admire how passionate she is towards her store and what she does. Although she is always busy I can see how dedicated she is, and I greatly appreciate that regardless of her busy schedule she agreed to help me for my project.

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?

What is the best way to successfully manage a business?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.

One way to successfully manage a business is to take business management courses specifically designed to educate you on how to finance, keep records, and properly hire staff. This will ultimately become a big part in your job, especially learning how to manage the business's money and profits. 

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

The best source that I have come across so far is the book I have been reading in research check called "Business Without The Bullsh*t". I appreciate all the information the author packed into this book which is written in complete honesty. The information ranges from how to be a better boss to how to deal with crappy bosses and employees. It articulates how well you have to be educated about financing in order for your business to succeed.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you doing mentorship, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My mentor's name is Amy. She is the owner of a small clothing boutique in downtown Claremont. Working with her allows me to observe what she and her employees do in order to keep her business up and running. Since Any is the manager and owner, I can receive insight on what it is she does on both ends to ensure success for herself and the business.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

    My plan for Independent Component 1, was actually suggested by Mr. Piggott. My topic is Business Management, more specifically, managing a boutique. My vision for Independent Component 1 would be to set up my own online boutique. This online boutique would sell clothes that others may have outgrown, or may not like anymore. The person who is selling their item(s) will of course, receive money if somebody decides to purchase what they are selling. Pictures will be posted of what the clothing/accessory item is and who is the owner. People will send me information on the product they are interested to buy, and will be sold from me. Since the selling will be done through my online boutique, I would also be making some profit off of it. Hence, running my own business. I would like to go around to each Senior class, and perhaps even the lower grades to ask if any students would like to sell their unwanted clothes through my boutique. Since this is my first time creating a business of any kind, I would keep it very small, limiting the customers to I-Poly students. This will make the business easier to run and customers easier to track. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

    Creating a website, moreover, creating a website that functions properly and how I want it to function will definitely take most of the 30 hours. The rest of the time will be met through managing the website and business I created. The website will be constantly running, as will the business and keeping track of clothes, customers and money will be very time consuming. I would like to also speak to my mentor as to how she runs her website to I can gain more knowledge on how to run business professionally online. This will count as extra hours with my mentor, adding to make the total amount of 30 hours. 

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

    Managing my own mini-business will definitely give me more insight on how business management works. Although I will learn a lot through observing how my mentor runs her business,  I feel if I get first hand experience it will help me realize what work goes into a functioning business. My mentor previously said to me that besides her boutique, she takes orders and delivers them to her customers who may find her store a bit far. This is basically what I will be doing, except on a website. If she provides me with information on how she does just that, it will advance my learning on managing a business not only in stores, but what work goes into managing it outside of the store.