Week 6 Post 3

Today we worked on the cookie mixes. These are individually “one batch” cookie mixes that people can buy. The idea was just created a few weeks ago and they are already a hit. They come in 4 of the types that the cookies are sold in. The only issue is that we haven’t come up with a great way to package them. We have to weigh out every ingredient one by one for each mix, which is really time consuming. We also don’t have an efficient way to poor the mixes into the bag. We put a plastic plate on the scale and then measure out the ingredient and then we fold the plastic bowl into a funnel shape and then try to aim it in the bag. It would be a lot easier if we didn’t do them by weight because then you could measure out a cup of flour and poor it in a bag, but we cant. I think the idea of the cookie mix is really good, that way they can make fresh baked cookies in the comfort of their own home.  They will definitely be big during the Christmas season so they have a couple of months to work out the kinks before the demand is too high.

It is so weird to think I have been working there for six weeks. It seems like less but also feels like its been forever. It has definitely been a good experience but I am pumped that it is almost over and summer is that much closer to starting.

Week 6 post 2

We got three HUGE orders for home goods, TJMaxx and Marshalls.  These orders are awesome because they are so big that it keeps everyone busy. The only issue is that it always seems to come at the absolute worst time.  For some reason the Kitchen felt really busy and these orders were going to put it over the top. Going in today (Wednesday) I could tell everyone was on edge. The kitchen is hot, the cookie production isn’t fast enough and the bakers are coming in two hours early, so they are tired. I feel like there is always so much to do but for some reason I can only help so much. The packagers have their assembly line down to 3 people and that seems to be what is the fastest and most efficient for them. The bakers have one and two person jobs, so one persons mixing and the other two are on the Vmag and then I am usually de-binning cookie rolls or doing the dishes. A lot of times it is helpful to have me around but others I feel like I am in the way.  Everyone in the office is now preparing for the fancy food show In New York City this weekend. They have the whole booth set up and have the displays perfect. The show is so that vendors and storeowners walk around and test people’s products and hopefully decide they want them in their store. This is a great way for the company to expand and get more customers. Too bad score ends soon or else maybe I would have been asked to go with them!

Week 6 blog 1

Monday was an awesome day. I started out in the bakery and then when the boss walked in and saw me sitting on a milk crate watching one of the bakers use to mixer she realized there was nothing for me to do. She walked back into the office and after a few minutes she came back with a task for me. I was to go through all of the address of the customers and make sure they were correct and complete. I had no idea why they were having me do this. I didn’t want to ask questions and annoy them so I just did what I was told. In the beginning it was hard to do it because I would be given the name “ The café on Elm” and it didn’t have a state so I had to ask Rochelle because there were too many Café’s on Elm on Google. Rochelle then gave me access to QuickBooks, which was actually really cool. It showed me all of the orders that had gone out to each store. After I finished these Nicole printed them on labels and I was then given two huge boxes of post cards that said, “Come find us at the fancy food show”. This was being sent to all of their customers so that they would go to the fancy food show in NY this summer. I then filed orders and did some other odd jobs. I really enjoyed being in the office, I felt so much more involved.

Week 5 Post 3

Today was slightly rocky, you could say I just about hit my breaking point. My main goal was to learn about a small business and I haven't really learned anything about how they run. Today I put stickers on bags for 5 hours. My boss would have had to have paid someone to do that and it would have cost her at least 50$, for a small business owner $50 is a lot of money. I almost feel like they dont want me/ need me there. I am respectful and stay out of peoples way, I am constantly cleaning and I will do anything anyone asks me to do. I know everyone is busy but the least they could do is appreciate that I am saving them money. I know that I could have learned so much through this internship, wether it was listening in on phone calls, being told about the things going on, or even just sitting in the office observing. There are so many aspects of the company that I know nothing about. When my boss introduced me to one of the people at the office today that I had never met she said what I was doing "wasn't and internship".. what else is it? I call it an internship, all of the forms she has signed say internship, I wonder what she thinks I am doing there. Today she called a meeting with all of the employees to talk about the orders that are going out in the next two weeks (my last two weeks there) and I wasn't Included. Every single person but me was at the meeting. Since I am going to be part of those orders you think I would at least be invited to sit in and listen. I haven't exactily come any closer to determining what I want to do when I grow up other than get a college education. Through this experience I do know that I don't want to have a job in baking or packaging. My goal for the next 5 days is to suck it up and continue to work hard and then be thankful that summer has arrived.

Week 5 Blog 2

Yesterday was a bit of a hectic day at the factory. First of all Joe the cookie slicer bit me so now it hurts to type. After that we found out that the huge order the mysterious man put in was a scam. His bill came out to a little over $ 3,000. He asked us to split the bill between two credit cards. He also didn't give a location to where the cookies should be shipped to. Then when we tried to call him to figure out the shipping he didn't answer his phone and emailed back that he didn't speak english well. We asked him what language he was most fluent in because combined the girls in the office can speak english, french, spanish, and german, he said he couldn't talk on the phone because he was at his grandmothers funeral in England. We responded with an email simply asking where he wanted the cookies to be shipped, he said to Australia. He then proceeded to tell Jess the person in charge of shipping that a man would be coming to pick up the cookies and that man would ship them to Australia. The only thing was that he would need to be payed in cash.. $ 2,200. My boss then called the credit car companies of the cards the customer had the business run. Neither of them were registered to the man or were from Australia. At that point they just stopped responding to his emails.
The whole thing was sort of unfortunate. Thankfully most of the cookies in the order could be put into different orders. We did have about 20 cases of Tea Cakes that are the most labor intensive cookie that are also slower selling that the company is now stuck with. Hopefully they find something to do with them.

Week 5 Post 1

Today was a really good day. It sped by because there was so much I could do. At one point one of the packagers even came over and asked the bakers if I could go over and help them. That was the highlight of my day by far. That was the first time they have ever asked me for help. It felt really good. Once I went over to packaging I was in charge of the tea cakes. Powdered sugar literally gets everywhere and they go in these special plastic boxes that always break when we are putting them together and then we tie a ribbon on in a really fancy way, they say its basically how you tie a bow tie. Anyway after I did that for about two hours I started on the wedding order. This order is of the polenta cookies. One of the girls who used to work at the company is getting married and for her wedding favor she decided to have these cute little boxes of the cookies. I think it is a really cute idea. After we did 175 of those we went back to packaging normal cookies which was less fun because we do those every day. I put 5 cases of cookies in the wrong boxes and then had to go back and switch them all. That was a downer but thankfully no one really cares. Then I went back to the bakery to slice and place the rest of the cookies. The cookie slicers name is Joe and he tends to be fickle. I swear he could bite my hand off if he wanted to, but he didnt today. I did however drop an entire roll of cookie dough on the floor. I laughed at myself but once again no one really cared that I did it so I was lucky.

Week 4 Post 3

When I went into work thursday morning the bakers were all huddled around an order form and calendar. They asked me when I was leaving and they said it was perfect. last night an order came in for about 100 cases of cookies. We normally do a little over 400 cases a week so this upcoming week we have to bake an extra 100. This was good because last week was slow and I was struggling to find jobs to do. Hopefully now I will be able to stay busy. The person who put in this order had been really weird in emails. The companies PR person didn't contact him he contacted them and it didn't seem like he had a store to sell them in. The office was a little hesitant on if it was a scam or not, but they ran his credit card number and it when through so regardless if he has a store or not he's stuck with a couple thousand boxes of cookies.
Since the week was pretty slow we thursday was "deep clean day" we were washing walls, scrubbing floors, cleaning anything we possibly could. Weirdly I enjoyed that. I didn't eat a single cookie this week. It hurt my stomach to even look at them. I definitely ate too much dough last week. Also the bakery is getting really hot. To the point that I thought I had a fever. Thankfully just taking something out of the freezer cools you back off. I cant imagine what it is like in the summer there. I'm happy I get to stop in tow weeks or else I might melt.

rough draft

Evy Weihs

May 1, 2013

SCORE Paper

Burgess

Forming a Successful Small Business

A business starts from one idea, one hobby, and grows into an industry. The road from an entrepreneur’s first idea to making a profit is long and hard.  Starting a business involves planning, making financial decisions and a number of legal steps.  Many companies start from the humblest beginnings. An example of the dream outcome of a small business is William Wrigley; at the age of twenty-nine with thirty two dollars to his name he decided he was going to start a soap business. Over the course of a few years he shifted from soap to baking powder and then on the side made gum to give out to his customers. His gum then became more popular than his baking soda, so he switched businesses again. At that point he was on the track to owning a globally distributed brand, and one of the largest chewing gum companies in the world. Through his personal hard work as a salesman, his ability to advertise, and his passion for his company Juicy Fruit in now a multi billion dollar business. None of his successes could have been reached had he not experienced all of the problems that go along with starting a business. There are a handful of specific steps a business owner must follow if they wish to be successful in their industry, if they are not fallowed correctly chances are a business wont flourish to its peak of success.

Many times businesses are not just started by one person, often its two friends or even a family. Conflicts are part of a normal experience for many small start-ups and family-owned businesses. Starting out, most businesses have an informal management style, which tend to inhibit the profitability and growth of the business. If a company is being passed on to a second generation it is said by the Small Business Administration that a company has an estimated 33% rate of survival, and a mere 10% for the third generation. William Taylor owner of Ebb and Flow in Essex Massachusetts runs his business with his two children. When asked about his experience he said, “ It is extremely difficult for the person who started the business to delegate authority to their children or to their brothers and sisters. The person who started the business usually has the most experience and believes they are right which causes quarrels and throws off dynamics.” As a business owner, it is important to think about who to include in your idea. If it happens that co-ownership is the right decision, think in advance about ways to avoid conflict. This can be done by having formally written agreements and a group consensus on where the company should be in the upcoming years and clear line between family and business discussions.

After a business idea is made it is necessary to plan for the company’s survival through a well thought out business plan. The first step is acquiring the licenses and permits that are necessary to run your business. Most states require that you obtain a license, permit or registration when you start a business, typically for tax purposes and sometimes to protect public health and safety. After that it is recommended that the owner should be able to put up twenty to thirty percent of the total startup cost either as cash or equity investment. For the rest of the money needed for the company, loans are a helpful resource as well as finding investors who believe in what you are trying to sell. Once the business has been formed it is then a good time to move the business out of the home office to its own location where staff can then be hired.  From there the main goal is growth and with those first key steps a business is equip with the things it needs.

Prior to starting a company hours and hours of research is necessary so you have the education and information needed. As an entrepreneur grows an idea they need to know whom their target market is. These are the people who will buy their products, whether it is a bakery selling coffee and pastries in a little town or a software company selling to a higher corporation. They need to be easily accessed by their target market so it is convenient for customers. They should also have advertising that is delivered in a way that is easily seen by different groups. For example older people read the local newspaper, so put an ad for you’re denture product in there, teenagers are attached to technology so having an IPhone application, a page on Facebook, text messaging alerts, or QR codes. There are specific ways to reach out to each target group, using these techniques it becomes easier to get responses back for customers as well.

Another key part of business planning is knowing who your competition is and the risk of staring another competitor. Competition comes in two forms, large chains and other small businesses. For example, if an entrepreneur for a coffee shop starts his new business next door to a Starbucks chances are they are going to struggle. Starbucks is a world wide trusted business, a customer knows what they want and they know it’s going to taste just the way they want it, it is familiar to them. They have already gained the trust of their customers, so chances are people wont break their habits to go to the new unknown coffee shop. If this entrepreneur goes to a little town with only one other coffee shop in town, to set up their new coffee shop chances are they will be new and exciting and they could be successful in getting customers. It is important to know who your competition will be and how you handle competing, whether its lower prices, better products, cleaner facilities, nicer staff. Competition is all about winning, knowing others weaknesses and coming out on top.

In important part of creating the business is picking a name. As a small business, it is usually better to choose a bold name in hopes that it would make you stand out. Naming a business is a stressful process; there are companies entrepreneurs can hire that are naming firms, such as Tungsten Branding in North Carolina and Eat My Words in San Francisco California. These businesses can be hired by an entrepreneur to name their business. Their job would be to learn your values and distinguishing characteristics as well as ask unique questions to come up with a name. Alternatively people can name their own business. There are a couple of key points to keep in mind when brainstorming. First a strong name should be simple, easy to spell and pronounce; you should never have to explain your name to people. Avoiding puns is a good idea; they are risky in that some are too over used. Lastly never be a copycat. For example, Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt chain that was expanded in the midst of a huge frozen yogurt faze. Because of this many other frozen yogurt businesses were started and many had “berry” in the title. It is suggested that you go in a different direction than the majority of companies. In this case the name Spoon Me for a frozen yogurt store. It catches your eye, stands out, is clever and a little risky. The company that is actually named Spoon Me makes a large amount of their profit on bumper stickers, hats and shirts. So when picking a name a business owner must keep in mind that they are not only selling their products but their name too.

Advertising is plays a major roll in a small business. The more a company’s name gets out to the public the more awareness people have. As for advertising there are three channels of media that rely on each other for survival, paid media shared media and earned media. Each of them gives opportunities to influence customers. These types of media have always been around; paid media has always dominated the three. Paid media is when a brand pays to leverage a channel. This type of media shifts from foundation to catalysts that feeds owned media, which then in turn creates, earned media, such as display ads, paid search and sponsorships. Currently there is an increasing prominence to owned and earned media. Owned media is the channel a brand controls, these build a longer-term relationship with existing and potential customers. This is done through a companies website, blog, twitter account or Facebook page. Earned media is when customers become the channel; this is a result of well-executed advertising. Companies achieve this type of media through awards, press releases and free news, and when a brand becomes the “buzz” or goes viral. A media agency is driven by an objective. It needs to inspire consumers to do something, whether it’s becoming aware of a new product, buying something or going to a store. Companies need to figure out a way to integrate all three forms of media for maximum effect to achieve successful advertising.

Companies are always looking for ways to stand out from each other. A great way for a business to differentiate itself from competitors is to develop an effective brand. Branding can be accomplished through a company’s name, logo, web presence, slogan and much more. Standing out isn’t the only factor, branding should be used to persuade consumers that a particular business is the only company that can provide a certain product or service. A brand is almost like a promise, it is a set of fundamental principles known by anyone who comes into contact with a company. Take Apple for example. Their logo is sleek elegant and easy to recognize. At the start of the Macintosh brand their logo was rainbow. A few years in they decided to go in a different direction with their products. The new single colored apple signified a change in direction of the company but still built its reputation. Apple brand personality is also about simplicity and the removal of complexity from people’s lives, as shown through the ease of their products. Apple has created a community. People buy one product and just have to get more because they work interchangeably with each other, customers also feel like they are part of an elite group. Branding is valuable to separate competitors and stand out in a customers mind.

An Entrepreneur sets their focus on the break-even point. This point is where cost or expenses and revenue are equal. At this point they are not in debt but they are not exactly making a profit yet. Even though the owner is not getting a salary they are not loosing money either. For some companies it take years to reach this point. For example Lark Fine Foods is four years old and they are still slowly crawling for that point. It is really important for the owners to keep a well-organized and accurately projected cost sheet. This spread sheet includes the costs of the entire outcome of the business. This includes taxes, insurance, rent, salaries, office supplies, and shipping, anything that takes money out of the businesses pocket. Their goal would be to make back in profit the amount that is at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Start up is incredibly expensive and things constantly go wrong forcing more money to be put into the company. According to the Office of Advocacy for the small business administration, any non-chain store has a10 percent to 12 percent chance that it will not be there next year.  Brian Headd, an economist with the Office of Advocacy, a company that tracks small businesses said, “If you’re new you have about a 50-50 chance of surviving five years”. Five years is a long time to push for an idea, a company that may not be staying above water.  One of the top reasons for business failures is not having enough cash to ride out the businesses ramp-up time. It is important to factor in enough money to cover the total cost of expenses of the business until it is projected to break even.

Staff happiness is often overlooked by businesses. After the process of creating a business, hiring staff is the next important thing. Employees need to be excited about their role in the company because they are the bridge that gets the product to the customer.  When hiring companies use to rely on the simple interview questions “tell me about yourself” and what are you’re weaknesses”. Companies now have answer keys that accurately rate candidate’s answers to the above questions. Interviewers can listen to candidates’ verb tense and other grammar choices and make accurate determinations about someone’s future performance potential. This simple step allows companies to weed out bad candidates for the jobs they need filled. The book Hiring For Attitude talks about what they found when they tracked twenty-thousand new employees at a variety of companies. Forty-six percent of the people hired were no longer working at their job eighteen months after being hired. They also found that out of that forty-six percent only eleven percent of that bunch was because a lack of skill in whatever industry they had been hired in. The other eight-nine percent had been fired because of attitude conflicts in the office. The year 2013 will continue to bring more economic instability. As technology develops, personal interactions will also continue to decline. This is an opportune time to stick to the fundamentals of business. Pay special personal attention to staff, supporters, and customers. Entrepreneur Daymond John says, “The only thing more important in business than the numbers are the people. If you follow this rule, you will continue to separate yourself from the ever-growing cold divide of modern business practices." It is detrimental to a company to hire staff that has been given the training they need to succeed, as well as a clean and respectful work place.

As an entrepreneur begins to hire people it is important for him or her to know how to be a good boss. Employees are put through training so they learn what they need to do so a boss should know their place. Respect is the number one character trait. It is impossible cant get respect if you cant give it. A boss must acknowledge that management successes through the help of the workers. Responsibilities need to be delegated and a boss needs to trust that staff will get them done the right way. A boss should know each person on the staffs strengths and weaknesses, as well as knowing when a person is only doing what is required of them and when one is doing all they can possibly do. A boss needs to help work out issues and stop problems quickly and directly. Importantly let them know how much you as a boss appreciates them and acknowledge positive things they do for the company. With smaller businesses a boss has the opportunity to set the tone for the entire company.

The Economy plays a major role in the success of small businesses. People always wonder when the best time is to start their business. The fact is, there’s really never a bad time to launch a business. It’s obvious why it’s smart to launch in strong economic times. Entrepreneurs and consumers have money and are looking for ways to spend it. In some cases launching a business in tough or uncertain economic times can be just as smart. If an entrepreneur knows their market and competition, presumably there’s a need for the business they wish to start. Because many people are reluctant to launch in tough times, their new business has a better chance of getting noticed. 

Financially small businesses struggle in harder economic times. During an economic slowdown, many small businesses face a number of challenges. Consumers become concerned about their job stability and, in turn, are more likely to be cautious with expenditures, which leads to decreased revenue for small business owners. Surviving a recession is a struggle, marked by an inability to get economic support from the federal government or credit from banks and lenders. Hendrickson Custom Cabinetry, so store in the Bronx of New York has been struggling to keep their doors open through these hard economic times. Orders are few and far between, they were forced to lay off twenty-five of their thirty workers. Because no one was buying luxurious cabinets they were forced to change their products, to meet the needs of people who didn’t have the extra money to spend. Even with that people are less likely to be remolding their kitchens, they began to live and die by every job. They had exhausted their savings and found themselves in debt. Each month there were bills to pay, payroll to make and loans to pay. Government was suppose to use their stimulus package to help bailout companies as well as agreed to use local companies on government projects. The owners of the Cabinet store placed bids on local and federal projects like building dormitory kitchens for a state university, library shelves for a courthouse and mail slots for an Air Force base. None of which they ever received. A business facing financial struggles is far less likely to qualify for loans for capital expenditures and operations, which limits growth opportunities. Economic conditions impact all businesses, though small businesses often feel the effect of economic changes faster than their larger counterparts. All of these factors push a business to slowly decline, which only contributes to more economic problems and a higher unemployment rate. 

A strong economy is a sign of prosperity for all businesses. Disposable income, money people put aside to spend on things they can live without, is high. Unemployment is low and confidence is high. These conditions allow consumers to spend more money, which as a result helps the economy even more. As small businesses increase with the good economy, so too does their customer demand. Business need to keep pace with demand by hiring additional employees, expanding retail space or adding new product lines. At the time this is viewed as a positive of a company, but if the economy ever starts to falter, many businesses find themselves overextended, which can result in mass layoffs and business failures.

It is always a good sign when a business is showing consistent profits that have continued to increases over a time span of three to five years. Since a steady profit has been made a business owner is secured with a strong source of capital that can be invested back into the business. This when the time comes to expand it isn’t necessary to take out any loans. The businesses customers have become loyal, and you have about twenty percent of your total target market hooked on your product or services. Expanding a company is a logical choice if the industries consumer interest level is high.  A businesses employee’s must be skilled enough to handle opening another franchise. At this time the owner is ready to stop having such a hands on roll and play more of a strategic one. The next step would be to draft a business expansion plan that includes all of the costs so that when growing pains arise strategies to manage them will be easily mapped out.

On an even lager scale many companies have decided to export their manufacturing of their products overseas, to places like china or Cambodia. This outsourcing can be done for many reasons, it could be more cost effective, as well as resources may be found in other parts of the world, or a desire to minimize corporate income taxes. China has emerged as the world’s second largest economy with an average annual economic growth of 10% over the past 30 years. They owe most of this growth to outsourcing.  Many companies decide to take this huge step with their company. To make this run smoothly in China, that company will need a full-time administrative team in place, which can handle all paperwork and other issues that may arise. By outsourcing products have a shorter turn around time, meaning they get to the customers faster than they would in the states. This is because most places of export are cities with big factories and many workers. They are already equip with the tools and than man power needed to produce products on such a large scale and in short time intervals.

It often happens that a business will get carried away while expanding. They either go to fast or do it in an uncontrolled way. When this happens the first things to be effected are a drop in profit as well as customer satisfaction. Delta Airline contacted lark Fine Foods a few months ago. They gave them an offer to use their cookies on flights during the mid flight snack. When a person would first hear about this offer one would think that it could be their big break, but it is more complicated than that. Sure it sounds like a tempting offer until you hear all of the logistics. First the company would have to expand even more to be able to bake and package all of the extra cookies, this would cost money in renting a larger location and hiring more workers. Then for two years the business would be booming, and make up the money that was spent expanding for this deal. Then the two-year contract is up and Delta goes back to Lark and says that they will continue to buy lark cookies if they are half the price. There is no way that Lark could survive that because their income wouldn’t even equal their outcome. The alternative Delta would give them would be to stop using their cookies. This leaves Lark over expanded, with workers that will need to be laid off and rent for the factory that is double the size they now need. As businesses grow it is important to not get carried away or foggy from deals that sound fair. It’s a precise process that is really hard to do correctly.  

At this point in a companies journey they have made it. Each day it is important to continue to grow while still being diligent and aware. Business owners want the best for their companies. Expanding to be a chain is every entrepreneur’s goal. With that Entrepreneurs are never satisfied. They want to do things better. They strive for perfection and use all the ingenuity to their command to achieve it. With a head strong and determined leader a new business should have no problem surviving in any economy if all of the necessary steps are taken, to ensure that it is the best it can be.

When an entrepreneur decides to start a company they are taking on a life changing commitment. Mary Ann McCormick, owner of Lark Fine Foods in Essex Massachusetts started her business from her kitchen in 2009. When asked when what the biggest obstacle that she and her daughter had to overcome in their business, she said, “The financial aspect of the company has been the biggest struggle for us, and it still continues to be.  I was lucky enough to dip into a savings account to start up Lark but I know a lot of people who have great ideas and great business plans but no money. Even now we have a foundation and customers but at the end of each month it is still a challenge to pay the bills and my workers. This month I will be able to pay all of my employees if I don’t pay two other bills that the company has. As a business owner all of the responsibility falls on you. If something goes wrong it is my job to fix it as fast as I can. A lot of times it is really expensive because we need to fix it in a rush because we have no time to shop around for the cheapest machines and contractors.”

Works Cited

[1] Dahl, Darren. "How to Develop a Business Growth Strategy." Inc.com. N.p., 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Steps to make an effective expansion plan

[2] Field, Anne. "SMALL-BUSINESS GUIDE; Strategies for Growth, Even in Down Times." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 May 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.

[3] Rosenberg, Joyce R. "5 Issues Facing Small Businesses in 2013." NBC News. N.p., 3 Jan. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.

[4] "Small Business Stats for Small Business Week 2011." Get Busy Media. N.p., 18 May 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Great graphs to show statistics

[5] Spaeder, Karen E. "10 Ways to Grow Your Business." Entrepreneur. N.p., 11 May 2004. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. 10 Ways to Grow Your Buisness

[6] "The U.S. Small Business Administration | SBA.gov." The U.S. Small Business Administration | SBA.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Aid, counsel, assist and protect, insofar as impossible, the interests of small business concerns.

[7] WHITAKER, BARBARA. "From Deli to Gourmet Enterprise." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 May 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Small Buisness

[8] Inc The Staff of Entrepreneur Media. Start Your Own Business, Fifth Edition: The Only Start-Up Book You'll Ever Need. Fifth ed. Canada: Entrepreneur, 2010. Print.

[9] Pinson, Linda. Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step-by-step Guide to Building a Business and Securing Your Company's Future. Chicago, IL: Dearborn Trade Pub., 2005. Print.

[10] Abrams, Rhonda M. The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies. Palto Alto, CA: Planning Shop, 2003. Print.

Week 4 blog 2

Today was a little bit more of a rough day. I showed up at eight just like I normally do. I walked in and the first thing the head baker said to me was that it was going to be a quick day. She had forgotten to take the eggs out of the freezer last night and so they were solid as a rock and there was much that was in the fridge that could be used today. This meant that thirteen batches of the coconut cookie that was supposed to be cooked today could only make 5 batches, and nothing else was prepared. So from there I knew there wasn't really much I could do. I washed about 100 trays and then asked packaging if they needed help, I knew the answer would be no. If there are are not many cookies being made there are not many to pack. So I made my way to the office. I hoped there would be something for me to do. My hole goal was to learn about the business aspect of the company, not the baking. They had nothing so by 11:30 I went home. I told them I could work on my paper and they told me to go do that because it didn't make sense to waste time doing nothing all day if i had actual work to do. I thought that was nice of them. Im dreading tomorrow because I know its going to be the same as today. I need some sort of project.

Week 4 post 1

Yesterday was a good day at score. I felt like I did my part helping, got more comfortable with the people I am working with and got out at a reasonable time. 

There are usually three people in the bakery each day. Except when someone is sick and then on thursdays when one of the girls works another job thursday through sunday to make more money. When one of the three bakers is out I feel good about being there. Like I am actually helping out. I am able to do things without being asked and know my way around. When all three of them are there things get a little rocky. First I feel bad being there when they don't actually need the help because I am constantly asking "what should I do now" I feel like i'm in the way Secondly because the bakers are paid by the hour and when there are only three people they usually finish their day around 3, but if I am there too we finish around 1:30. To the normal worker that seems awesome to get out early. But when you are on an hour salary you depend on working those thirty hours each week. If you dont and fall short when you end at 1:30 each day you come about 90$ (that my guess I don't know what their salary is) short each week, which over the corse of my internship is $540. Which is a lot of money that they are loosing. So im starting to feel bad for the workers. I use to feel happy to help out the owner because I know its expensive to run the company but its also hard to make ends meet and I feel like I make it even worse for the bakers and packagers who have now become my friends. 

Week 3 Post 3

Today was a good day. It went by pretty fast and we got all of our work done early. I still dont know how the people that work at this company are able to stand for eight hours strait a day. My feet are killing me.
Anyway, my day started at the Vemag (I think thats what its called). This is a machine that you put the dough in and it punches out cookies on sort of like an assembly belt. Two girls were placing the cookies on trays and then I would sugar the cookies and put the tray on the rack. Thats a high pressure job. If you miss a cookie it falls off the end and if I don't take the tray right when its done the placers get all backed up. So three hours of that and I was feeling pretty stressed out. We were making 40 cases of ginger cookies, and I have decided they're my favorite. Today I ate three cookies, which is more than I have eaten I a week working at the cookie factory.
I feel weird when i have to keep asking "what should I do now", the girls say they feel weird telling me to do things but I'd rather jut be told. Whenever I feel like i've asked too many times I normally just go over and wash the dishes. I like doing them because I know I cant mess that up and everything else is new to me.

Week 3 Post 2

Today felt like it dragged on forever. Time flies when we are really busy but when we’re not it seems to be never ending.  During the day I realized just how many things go wrong for this company. Murphy’s Law, everything that can go wrong will go wrong and that’s the truth. Sealers break, packaging comes in late and designed the wrong way, ingredients that are needed to get an order out never seem to come when they are ordered. For a small business they seem to have a lot of trouble. For instance we have been waiting on ginger to show up for a week now and there are 36 cases backordered, and the number gets higher each day. They can’t go to the distributor to pick it but they just have to wait and hope that it will show up. Then the day it does they have to cook only ginger cookies for a few days, which backs up the other cookies. But there’s nothing they can do about it because cookies expire so you can’t make them too far in advance.  I don’t know how the owner of this company does it, she has her hands full.

            The company decided that they were going to sell cookie mixes for 3 of their cookies; so today we did the first few orders of this product. It is definitely a tedious job because you have to weigh out bags of all the ingredients perfectly for each package. As of right now we don’t have a great system of doing this, other than an assembly line. We hope that a machine will be ordered to speed up the process. 

Week 3 Post 1

Yesterday was a pretty basic day. We made cookies and packaged them. The only thing that was different was that two people were out so we were really busy. Because it was such a normal day nothing crazy happened that I can talk about. 

As I work I don’t really have to think about what I am doing so I normally think of the weirdest things. Occasionally it’s on things I need to do, other times I think about my score presentation, or it could be basically anything. I think its nice to just be able to think. I guess I have gotten to the point of just talking to myself in my head.

            I am beginning to miss school.  Now that I have had a nice break I miss seeing my friends everyday. I miss the structure of the school day and the brainpower it requires. I’ve always talked about how I couldn’t wait to be out of high school and working, I take it back now. I guess this is sort of different but still.

            The people I work with are really nice. I’m a really quiet person so I normally just listen to their stories. The three girls in the bakery are between 20-30 so they have really entertaining stories about everything, high school, college, their families and friends, basically just random funny things so I enjoy listening to that. The packagers are a bit older, my guess is they’re in there 50’s or 60’s, they have stories to but more about the stupid things their kids did the night before. Its nice to talk to them but I miss my friends. 

Week 2 Post 3

So yesterday was slightly traumatic. While we were about 1/5 of the way through our huge cookie order the sealer broke (of course when I was using it, just my luck. But it wasn't my fault). If you cant seal the cookies you cant do anything else. The sugerer's had to stop sugaring because you cant keep the cookies open to air over night. We were all really frustrated because this would be a huge set back. We should have been able to get to at least 90 cases done on the first day.
As a small business owner you run into problems like these a lot, and its really costly. My boss had to quickly order two small hand sealers that would have to do until bigger better ones arrived. That meant over night shipping so it would be delivered in about 16 hours. I cant even imagine how much that cost. Then you have workers at a stand still with nothing they can do. Bakers then get behind because if cookies cant be sealed they cant bake.
Another part of the business that is unfortunate is that there are so many things you can prep but so little space to put everything and so little time. We could put boxes together but there's no place to put them. Also as we left work today after 9 hours of non stop packaging we left the office with nothing prepared for tomorrow. No bags made, no boxes made, nothing prepped to make tomorrow run more smoothly. But after working for so long you have no energy to do all of that because you want nothing more than to just go home and sit. So basically we leave at night preparing ourselves for failure for tomorrow.

Week 2 Post 2

I just want to start off by saying that I'm not going to reference the name, products, or owners of the business I am interning with because I don't feel right about it. I feel like my boss might not be too happy with me.
So, the butter I was talking about in my previous post was for an order I have now been packaging. Just to give you a sense of how much 250 cases are ill tell you this. 16 cookies are in each package, 12 packages are in each case, and there are 250 cases which is 48,000 cookies. Yup you read that correctly, 48,000.
Incase you were curious i'll tell you about the packaging process for these cookies.
Once they are taken out of the oven and set to cool the packagers have to sugar them, they basically roll them around in a big thing of confectioners sugar. They have to do that twice for maximum deliciousness. Then they are put into their first bag, measuring by number of cookies and weight. Then they are brought to the sealing machine and sealed. Then their bag is prepped with a nutritional fact card and label. They are put in that, and then twisty-tied. Then you have to make the box (just like when you pack to move), tape the bottom of the box. Then line the box with bubble wrap (after you have cut it all out into the perfect sized. Then you carefully place 12 packages of cookies into each box, close it, tape it, date stamp it, and put it on the U-Boat.
There are four of us packaging and we have split up 2 people sugaring and bagging, and 2 people doing everything from sealing on. I've been doing the second part for two days now and we're only on case number 171. I never want to see another cookie again.

Week 2 Post 1

I'm never really sure what to expect each day as I go into work. I do know that I will be wearing a god awful hair-net, gloves that make my hands all dry and an apron. As for what I was doing, it could be anything; baking, packaging or in the office. I Always feel sort of weird because everyone else has a job and I am more of a floater. I just help whoever needs help. Also the people that work there are paid by the hour so on one hand having me help out allows them to leave earlier but they also also loose some of their income. I don't know if they like that I'm there, I guess it depends on how you look at it.

On this particular day I entered the bakery and was quickly taken by the bakers. They were making batches of a certain cookie that needed to be 250 cases, and be done by friday morning. They assigned me to butter duty. I was to unwrap butter and put it on trays. This sounds like a pretty easy job, I know, but it wasn't. 8 cases of butter, 36 pounds in each case, 288 pounds of butter, individually wrapped. This took me probably a good two hours. My fingers became numb because they were so cold after a quick 5 minutes, and my back was on the verge of breaking by the end of it. Needless to say I now never want to see another stick of butter in my life.

Evy: Week 1 Post 3

Yesterday was a really cool day. Before I had worked in the bakery and with packaging but yesterday I got to work in the office. In the bakery i feel like the slow one (because I am).  The other girls can double my speed when we place cookies. When I seal bags I back up the whole assembly line. It gets me frustrated because I really want to be good at it but it is definitely something you have to work towards and build over time.
Anyway, I started the day off cleaning. I like cleaning because it is really hard to mess up. I cleaned all of the ingredients' bins, and the shelfs they were on. Then I scrubbed the ramp of the freezer and refrigerator floor. It was only bits of cookie dough that had been stuck on the wheels of the tray rollers. But it was a little bit of a tricky job because you scrub it with water and it freezes as you work, so you have to scrub and wipe and scrub and wipe so it doesn't freeze on you.
Right when I finished I was recruited to help one of the girls in the office. She is in charge of sales and has two huge filing cabinets of all of their costumers. I went through each folder to check if they had a credit application. That took me probably 3 hours. Once I did that I faxed credit apps to some of the companies that didn't have one. I had never used a fax machine before so that was really cool to learn. Then once the stores would send theirs back to us I would make a new folder and use the label maker to label it and I would put it back in the filling cabinet. While I worked I listened to the sales rep make calls and I found it really interesting to listen and see how she does what she does.
I enjoyed being part of another aspect of the company.

Evy: Week 1 Post 2

I never realized how much of an effort just one bag of cookies is. It’s actually a long process involving many people and machines.  Bakers start at seven in the morning. All of the ingredients are measured out together the afternoon before so that bakers can easily make each batch. Each batch that is made could fit in a large bucket; it is about 9 batches that a person would make at home in each batch they make. They make about twelve batches of each cookie. Once its made they put it in a machine that puts it into rolls; like the tollhouse ones in the grocery store. This is done so that they can easily slice each cookie and make them the same size. After they are sliced they have to be laid out on cookie sheets. Rows of 6X9 on about 25 cookie sheets. They are then put in the oven, and baked. They are then taken out, and left to cool for about thirty minutes. Packaging then takes over. One person is in charge of putting 12 cookies in each bag. The next person is in charge of sealing each bag with the machine. Then another person puts the box together. Another person glues the box. The cookies are now placed in their decorative package. There are 12 packages of cookies in each box. The boxes are packaged, taped up, addressed, and put aside to be shipped.  While packaging in being done bakers continue on the next type of cookie. This is done every day from 7:00 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon. It is an incredibly long day being on your feet. It was a huge adjustment for me because I am so use to sitting for 7 hours a day. I definitely took that for granted. 

Evy: Week 1 Post 1

Going into my internship at the cookie company I was not sure what to expect. Prior to arriving I imagined in my head a small office and bakery, with about four people working. I wasn’t aware of the size and the work that went into the business.

            My first morning I walked into the office, I was already amazed at just how large it was. I sat down with the owner to talk about what I wanted to get out of this internship as well as what the schools goal for us was. After that she told me a little bit about the company and how it started. While her daughter was pregnant she started making spicy chocolate cookies, which are now one of their hit cookies. The owner then brought them to a meeting and one of the people there said that it was the best cookie she had ever had. That is where it all began. She and her daughter started cooking about twelve batches every Thursday, they would package them and deliver them to a small store in Gloucester which would sell the cookies for them. As demand got higher they decided to expand. They rented a small part of a Catering company's kitchen, and this is where their company started to take off.  Current workers now describe it to me as a one-room area that was very crowded. As they continued to grow they needed more space so they now rent a different part of the catering building,  This allows them to have more than enough room so that each part of the process is able to work efficiently.

            It was really interesting to learn how the company started as a hobby and has grown into an amazing. 

Weihs Outline

Evy Weihs

SCORE Paper Outline

Introduction

Topic: There are many steps small business owners need to go through in order to run a successful business.

Thesis: A company’s main goal is to succeed in their market. Most times the idea of expanding a business would be a sign of success. Unfortunately often time’s companies expand too fast and don’t have the money or market they need to survive.

I.      After a business idea is made it is necessary to plan for the company’s survival through a well thought out business plan.

a       Licenses and permits

b       Loans

·        Be able to put up 20-30% of the total startup cost either as cash or equity investment

c       Location

d       Staff

e       Advertisements

f       Materials, Business cards, ect.

II     Entrepreneurs must construct a well-projected cost sheet that allows the company to break even.

a       Taxes

b       Insurance

c       Rent

d       Staff

e         Take a good look at that store on the corner. There is a 10 percent to 12 percent chance it will not be there next year, according to the Office of Advocacy for the small business administration.

f       “If you’re new you have about a 50-50 chance of surviving five years,” said Brian Headd, an economist with the Office of Advocacy, which tracks small businesses and examines the impact of proposed regulations on them.

g       One of the top reasons for business failures is not having enough cash to ride out the businesses ramp-up time. It is important to factor in enough money to cover the total cost of expenses of the business until it is projected to break even. (Reword first sentence)

III   After the process of creating a business hiring staff is the next important thing. Employees need to be happy because they are the bridge that gets the product to the customer.

a        Personality questioner

b       training

c        Income & health care benefits

d       Basic aspects of cleanliness, fairness, enjoyable atmosphere

e       Book Hiring for Attitude: When our research tracked 20,000 new hires, 46% of them failed within 18 months. But even more surprising than the failure rate, was that when new hires failed, 89% of the time it was for attitudinal reasons and only 11% of the time for a lack of skill.

f       Book Hiring for Attitude: Smarter companies are less likely to rely on the old standby questions like “tell me about yourself” and “what are your weaknesses?” Companies now have answer keys by which to accurately rate candidate’s answers. Interviewers can listen to candidates’ verb tense and other grammar choices and make accurate determinations about someone’s future performance potential.

g       The year 2013 will continue to bring more economic instability. As technology develops, personal interactions will also continue to decline. This is an opportune time to stick to the fundamentals of business. Pay special personal attention to your staff, supporters, and customers. Remember: ‘The only thing more important in business than the numbers are the people.' If you follow this rule, you will continue to separate yourself from the ever-growing cold divide of modern business practices." Daymond John

IV    The key success factors for a small business

a       Competition     

b        Education

c       Careful planning & adequate cash flow

d       Risks

V      Assessing readiness to grow from a local, to regional, to national business.

A     Finding a buyer to fund

B      Help from funds like shark tank

C      Expanding and then digging yourself in a whole

VI    China has emerged as the world’s second largest economy with an average annual economic growth of 10% over the past 30 years

a.     To be successful in China, your company will also need a full-time administrative team in place, which can handle all of your company’s paperwork in China.

b.     Many foreign companies that hire 1-2 full-time staffers in China, hoping they will lead their marketing and sales efforts, only to find that their employees spend more than half of their time completing administrative tasks

c.     The dynamics of supply chain, warehousing and distribution decisions

 Conclusion

o   Business owners want the best for their companies. Expanding to be a chain is every entrepreneur’s goal. With that there are an immense amount of risks that one runs into when expanding.

Works Cited

[1] Dahl, Darren. "How to Develop a Business Growth Strategy." Inc.com. N.p., 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Steps to make an effective expansion plan

[2] Field, Anne. "SMALL-BUSINESS GUIDE; Strategies for Growth, Even in Down Times." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 May 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.

[3] Rosenberg, Joyce R. "5 Issues Facing Small Businesses in 2013." NBC News. N.p., 3 Jan. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.

[4] "Small Business Stats for Small Business Week 2011." Get Busy Media. N.p., 18 May 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Great graphs to show statistics

[5] Spaeder, Karen E. "10 Ways to Grow Your Business." Entrepreneur. N.p., 11 May 2004. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. 10 Ways to Grow Your Buisness

[6] "The U.S. Small Business Administration | SBA.gov." The U.S. Small Business Administration | SBA.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Aid, counsel, assist and protect, insofar as impossible, the interests of small business concerns.

[7] WHITAKER, BARBARA. "From Deli to Gourmet Enterprise." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 May 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Small Business 101: How to Get Started