Week 11

$100 Challenge

I was out to lunch with a big group of people this week and someone asked if they could order more cookie dough from me! I was so excited! Even though I’ve officially ended my project, I’m still going to make her some because I want to be able to donate as much as possible, since I had leftover ingredients. The survey I sent out to those who’ve baked my cookies was a success…and not. Everyone liked them…but I didn’t get any helpful feedback. Maybe it’s a problem with my questions. 

Week 11

Lessons Learned

I found the case studies to be very interesting this week, especially the one on the dry-cleaning business. The lesson that stood out to me was that of doing research before getting into a business. These people went so far as to actually get jobs working at a dry cleaner for $6 an hour. They were both Harvard Business school graduates and could have gotten a much better job while they researched what business they wanted to go into. I want to always remember that you’re never too good for any job. Whether you’re doing research for a future business, or if you’re just trying to make ends meet, you should never think too highly of yourself that you can’t work in a lower job. There are lessons to be learned in every situation.

$100 Challenge

I’ve officially finished my business! I’ve learned so much, and want to continue doing these mini businesses throughout my life. I delivered my last orders and spent so many hours making and rolling balls of dough (totaling 350 balls). The good news is-I’m not sick of baking…yet! I’ve learned that I find baking very relaxing and I look forward to selling them to people. I did get lots of feedback from these cookies, and it’s mostly all great! One person did say she burnt them because they spread out too thin…but no one else had that problem. Anyway, I made a few alterations to the recipe and it’s even better. The decision to alter the recipe was very hard because I didn’t want people to get confused about what they were buying, especially repeated customers. I haven’t had any feedback with the new recipe, but I’ll give them a chance to bake them. 

Week 10

Lessons Learned

I loved learning about Steve Jobs-I didn’t know most of the facts about him. It was interesting to hear about his life story and what contributed to his success. One thing that I took away was how he used the thought of death to his advantage. He didn’t see it as, “I’m going to die one day so what’s the point?” But he knew that because he was going to pass on relatively soon, he needed to make the most of his time on earth. He never stopped learning and trying to grow. I want to emulate this in my life. While I would always like to take college classes based on my interests, I can try new hobbies and learn about things I find interesting throughout life. Learning doesn’t have to stop once I graduate.

$100 Challenge

This was a great week for my challenge! I delivered the cookie dough early on in the week…it was so nice to get a return on my initial investment of $20. A few days later, I even had one customer ask me if she could order more! I was so excited to get my first repeated customer! I also asked people to fill out a quick survey about my cookies, things they liked/didn’t like and how much they would pay in the future. It contained about 10 simple questions like that. It was really interesting to see the different views on my cookies-but I’m pleased that everyone said they liked them! I also took more orders this week and will get them out today! 

Week 9

Lessons Learned

I absolutely loved Roxanne Quimby’s story. It was amazing how she and Burt created this major company from literally nothing. This proves to me that if you have the right idea, you don’t necessarily need money to start making money. Furthermore, they were completely debt free, which is unique to come by these days. I believe that her poor past helped her understand how to spend and use money to its highest potential. It was quite funny how she become a millionaire but had to have her sister co-sign for a credit card! No matter what I decide to do, I know that it will be a goal of mine to be debt free.

$100 Challenge

I received 6 orders this week by posting on Facebook! I learned a lot about speeding up my baking process. Instead of measuring out each ingredient while I’m baking a batch of cookies, I measured all six batches at once. I put the ingredients in their own zip lock bags, one for sugars and one for flours. This helped me make batches when I was short on time. I already put in 9 hours of preparation work for this week. Now that I have all of the dough made, tomorrow I’m going to invite a friend over to help me make it into balls and deliver them to my customers. I’ve created an online survey where they can tell me their opinions of my cookie. I decided to do this in case I want to continue selling my cookies after this class is over. 

Week 8

Lessons Learned

I loved the article about hiring slow and firing fast. It is so important to really get to know who you’re hiring to represent you and your company. Many people wouldn’t trust others with their most prized possessions, so why should they automatically trust someone they just met to take care of part of your company? This is why so many businesses end up with rude salespeople or telemarketers…they didn’t hire properly. While they may think that hiring slow takes up more time and money, I think these unworthy workers are really hurting the businesses that hired them. Firing fast is also so important, and I need to prepare now. I get so attached to people and take into considerations their lives, families, etc. Letting your emotions get the best of you isn’t a good way to conduct business. This reminds me of times on the TV show Shark Tank. Someone walks in with a great and touching background, but a not-so-good company or product. Even though the sharks are touched by their personality or experience, they never actually make an offer based on that alone.

$100 Challenge

This week I tested out my product by giving samples to friends and people in my social circle. Everyone loved them! A couple people came to me asking when I’m starting to sell them. I told them this weekend, which is great because it will force me to start taking orders! 

Week 7

Lessons Learned

This has been one of my rougher weeks, trying to balance life, running a home, school, and taking care of my newborn. Not being able to fulfill all of the things I feel like I should, chores, school work, etc., has taken a toll on me. However, the group discussion board question: What actions are you taking to build your weaknesses into strengths? has brought me peace. Ether 12:27 states, “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” Even though I’m weak in many aspects, I can always (and often, sadly, forget) that I can and should lean on my Father in Heaven for help. I have definitely been humbled this week. I can’t do everything on my own, but with the help of my Father, I can. I know that with lots of hard work on my part (daily scripture study, faith, trust, being humbled) He can take my weaknesses and change them into strengths.

$100 Challenge

This week as a learning experience for sure! I bought all of the necessary ingredients for my product. The total was $12, which I was extremely happy about. I made the cookie dough balls and tested them in my kitchen. They took 16 minutes to bake beautifully. The trick with my recipe is that you have to take them out of the oven before they look done. They will still look gooey. I took some frozen dough balls to my friend’s house to test them in her oven because I want to see how they would turn out when baked by someone else. She left them in for 19 minutes because she said they didn’t look done (even though I told her the trick). They were completely overbaked and didn’t taste as nice. I have a feeling that most people won’t heed my instructions, resulting in cookies that aren’t as good. I’m worried that the work will get out that they aren’t very good and people will stop ordering them. I don’t know what to do…I wonder if fully baked cookies freeze well. However that would take up more time and resources if I have to bake all of them!

Lesson 6

Lessons Learned

My favorite part about this week was learning about how Zappos hires their employees. They put everyone through a lengthy hiring process and then offer them a few thousand dollars to quit. This helps to weed out the people who aren’t dedicated or have a passion for what Zappos does. These people would rather take the money and find a job elsewhere. I think this is a great concept to apply to any business. Even though it may be more costly, I’m sure they’re better off with the employees who truly see themselves working in the Zappos culture and environment.

$100 Challenge

Unfortunately, I haven’t progressed much on my small business. Last week I realized that people are willing to pay more money for a product if they know the money is going to a good cause. This is great, but I also want people to want to buy my product because they like it. Maybe once they taste the baked goods, they’ll start to want to buy them ‘just because’. I have decided that I’m going to sell 18 very large cookies for at least $10 because they’re homemade from the finest ingredients. I also use my homemade brown sugar, which takes time but dramatically adds to the taste and wow factor.