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trashcanmarvelfan · 5 years

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Best. Job. Ever. 7/12

Summary: Reader gets a job on the set of Spider-Man: Far from Home for the 3 weeks they are shooting in New York City as what she thinks is a production assistant, but a twist of fate has her reassigned as Tom Holland’s personal assistant. As she & Tom grow close during filming, will their budding friendship turn to more or will they go their separate ways after filming concludes?

Warnings: Language, but that’s pretty much it? This is basically a PG-13 rom-com. (Legal) alcohol use as well but since it’s legal do I really need to tag it?

Word Count: 2255 for chapter 7.

Author’s Note: As this was written WAY before Spider-Man: Far from Home was released (actually before Avengers: Endgame was as well) I’ve kept plot details and which scene was being shot on what day extremely vague. Also, I’m American but tried to write Tom as British as possible, although I do think he’d try to stay(ish) in character and use as much American slang as he could while he’s still playing Peter.

Chapter-Specific Author’s Note: None?

Requests are always open!

Cross-posted at AO3.

The next morning Y/N knocked on Tom’s door after making her usual coffee run and was looking at her phone when the door swung open. “Hey, you...” She paused as she looked up into ice-blue eyes. “...are most definitely not Tom.” She glanced at the room number again just to make sure that in her non-caffeinated state she hadn’t accidentally knocked on the wrong door. Nope, right room.

The guy grinned as he eyed her up and down. He ran a hand through his dark, curly hair. “No, darling, I’m not, but in this case I certainly wouldn’t mind the confusion,” he said in a crisp British accent.

Y/N blushed. Ah, this must be Harrison. Damn, are ALL British guys total hotties? She was starting to regret not googling him when she had the chance, thinking at the time that doing so would've been kinda creepy and stalker-ish. At least she would've known what he looked like.

Tom appeared behind him. “Hey, there you are. Come on in.”

The guy that Y/N presumed was Harrison stepped from the doorway and gestured for Y/N to enter.

Tom put a gentle hand on Y/N’s back as he introduced them. “Haz, this is Y/N, my assistant while I'm filming in New York. Y/N, this is my best friend, Harrison.”

“Ahh, so you're Y/N,” Harrison said knowingly. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Y/N glanced at Tom curiously before shaking Harrison’s hand. “Nice to meet you too,” she said, missing the glare that Tom shot Harrison in the process.

She handed Tom his coffee before turning to Harrison. “I didn't know you'd be around this morning, otherwise I could've also got you a coffee.”

Harrison laughed. “Thanks, love, but I can fetch my own coffee. I'm not a diva like this one.” He gestured towards Tom jokingly as he grabbed the to-go cup that was already on the desk.

Y/N laughed as well. “I honestly don't mind getting Tom's coffee in the morning and dinner at night. I'm already getting stuff for myself anyway, so it's nothing just to order extra.”

“And she does it all without complaint,” Tom joked. “Careful Haz, you might be permanently replaced as my best friend and assistant.”

Harrison pretended to be hurt. “I’m wounded. After all I’ve done for you and after all our years of friendship, you’re willing to just replace me like that? It’s because she’s prettier than me, isn’t it?”

Tom pretended to think for a second, then shrugged. “Basically, yeah.”

Harrison gently punched Tom in the shoulder. “That’s cold, mate.”

Y/N laughed. “While I’m flattered, I don’t think I could ever really replace you. The bromance is way too strong.” She grinned as her phone chimed with a text. “James is here. Ready to go? Need me to grab anything?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you yet -- Haz is going to come join us on set today,” Tom said. “I've already got it arranged.”

“Oh, ok, that's cool. You guys ready to go then?”

They all headed towards the elevator and as they were waiting for it to arrive, Y/N turned to Harrison. “While Tom’s busy filming we can swap all of our horror stories about how much of a nightmare it is to be his P.A.” She playfully nudged Tom.

“Aww, Y/N, not you too,” Tom groaned as the elevator doors opened and they stepped in. “I knew it was a bad idea to get the two of you together.”

Y/N turned and gave Harrison a high-five as the doors closed.

Harrison nodded approvingly. “I like this one.”

They made their way downstairs and to the waiting car. “Morning Mr. Holland, Miss Y/L/N,” he greeted.

“Morning, James,” Y/N replied.

“Sorry we're late,” Tom chimed in. “We've got an extra passenger today. This is my best friend, Harrison Osterfield. He’s in town for the weekend.”

James shook Harrison's hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise,” Harrison replied. “Shall we?”

Y/N climbed into the car, followed by Tom, then Harrison.

Y/N mostly kept quiet during the ride, letting Tom and Harrison talk and catch up, until her phone chimed with an email alert.

“Ok, hmm,” Y/N said, looking at the revised schedule she had just been sent. “Because of Wednesday’s and today’s schedules getting swapped due to the rain on Wednesday causing continuity errors and not being able to film outside, it looks like it won’t be as crazy tight of a day as originally planned. So instead of having to run straight to hair & makeup as soon as we arrive on set you guys should have about 45 minutes to relax in your trailer while I get your croissant. But the even better news is that you should be done around 3 pm instead of 9, so you guys will have plenty of time to hang out tonight.”

“Awesome,” Harrison said as they pulled up to the set.

They all climbed out, thanking James and wishing him good day.

“So I’m gonna go grab your breakfast from craft services, Tom, and meet you guys back at your trailer if that’s okay. Harrison, you want anything? Croissant? Bagel? Toast?”

“I’ll take some toast if you don’t mind,” Harrison replied.

Y/N nodded. “Ok, I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

She turned in the opposite direction of the trailers to head to craft services, greeting various cast and crew members as she walked.

She grabbed a pastry box and placed a few croissants and a couple of pieces of toast inside.

She made her way back to Tom’s trailer and knocked before poking her head inside. “Hey, guys, I have your breakfast.” She entered and set the box down on the table, taking a few mini jars of jam out of her pockets and setting them down as well. “Harrison, I didn’t know if you wanted jam or not with your toast so I went ahead and grabbed a couple of different kinds just in case, along with some butter.” She grabbed a croissant for herself before having a seat next to Tom.

“You, darling, are an absolute peach,” Harrison said, biting into his toast.

“She is pretty great, isn’t she?” Tom agreed, slinging his arm around Y/N and giving her a quick squeeze.

Y/N shrugged. “Thanks. I try.”

“So, Y/N, tell me about yourself,” Harrison said.

“Oh, um, well…” Y/N gave Harrison the same basic background information that she had given Tom upon their initial meeting. “So, you two met… at school?” she asked.

“Yeah, we met at school and hit it off straightaway, became best friends,” Harrison said.

“Flatmates, too, for a bit,” Tom added.

They chatted until it was time for Tom to go to hair and makeup. Harrison went with Tom to say hello to everyone while Y/N made her way to set to see if anything needed to be done before Tom began his filming for the day.

After lunch Y/N had been talking with one of the production assistants when Tom and Harrison walked up, joined by Jacob, who was flying out to California for the weekend after they filmed the final scene of the day.

“Hey guys,” Y/N said as Jon called for everyone to get in their places. “Ready to get back to it?”

Y/N and Harrison stood to the side as Tom and Jacob took their marks, Jon calling action on the background extras, then action on Tom and Jacob.

Tom and Jacob ran through the scene several times but Jon wasn't quite happy with it. After the fourth time of Jon calling cut, he told everyone to take five. “Hang on, something’s not right,” he muttered. He thought a moment. “I think we need a few more extras.” He pointed at Y/N and Harrison, who were talking with Tom and Jacob. “You two. I need you in this scene.”

Y/N's eyes widened. She pointed to herself. “Us?”

Jon nodded. “I need you two to walk across the background of this shot towards the cafe’. Act… couple-y.”

As he turned to call for hair and makeup, Y/N turned back towards Tom and Harrison.

“Well, this is an interesting development,” Harrison said cheekily, slinging an arm around Y/N's shoulder.

“Yeah, I wasn't expecting to suddenly be in the movie, even as an extra with no lines and only a couple of seconds of screentime,” Y/N joked. “If this even makes it into the final cut.”

The stylist came by and dusted the same translucent powder she used on Tom on both Y/N and Harrison's faces and gave Y/N a brighter shade of lipstick before declaring them camera-ready.

“Ok, Y/N, Harrison, you're going to cross behind Tom and Jacob as they're walking down the street,” Jon called out, settling back into his chair. “I'll cue you.”

Everyone got into their places and he called for quiet on the set.

“And… action!”

Tom and Jacob walked down the street, reciting their lines.

Harrison turned to Y/N. “Ready for your big debut?” he joked.

“As I'll ever be,” Y/N replied nervously.

Harrison squeezed her hand reassuringly. “You'll do fine.”

“And, cue Harrison and Y/N!” came Jon's voice.

Y/N and Harrison walked across the street to the coffee shop, Harrison's arm around Y/N's shoulder as she snuggled into his side, her hand on his and their fingers linked.

“Cut! That's exactly what we need, but let's do it one more time to make sure we've got it.”

They reset and this time when Jon called action, Harrison pulled Y/N closer as they stopped in front of the cafe’ and placed an affectionate kiss to the side of her head.

“Cut!” John checked the footage. “ Perfect. That's a wrap on today, everybody. Have a great weekend and I'll see you all on Monday.”

While Tom went to go change out of his wardrobe Harrison wandered off to go make a phone call, so Y/N decided to run to the coffee shop situated inside the bookstore on the corner of the street that they had been filming on. She signaled to Harrison to get his attention, pointed down the street, and mouthed, I'll be right back.

Harrison nodded. Ok, he mouthed back.

Coffee?

He nodded again. Thanks.

Y/N had gotten their coffee orders and was walking back with them when she saw Tom and Harrison talking.

Tom's face lit up as he spotted Y/N. “Y/N, there you are.”

“Hey, sorry. The line was longer than I thought it would be, probably since the cafe’ is closed today.” She handed Tom and Harrison their coffees and threw the carrier into a nearby recyclables container before taking a sip of her own coffee as they walked to meet up with James to head back to the hotel.

“So what’s up, guys?” she asked.

“Haz and I are planning on going out to a club tomorrow night,” Tom said.

“Oh ok, cool, have fun,” Y/N replied. “Which one? I’ll call ahead and reserve a VIP table for you.”

Tom shook his head. “Oh, no, that’s not necessary-- wait, actually, yes, that would be brilliant, thank you, but-- What I mean is, would you like to join us?”

Y/N’s eyebrows raised. “Are you sure? Harrison’s only in town for a few days, I wouldn’t want to interfere with boys’ night out or anything.”

“We'd love to have you come,” Harrison assured her. “It’ll be loads of fun.”

Y/N thought about it for a second before nodding. “Okay, then.”

“Brilliant,” Harrison said. “We’ll come ‘round to yours at what, 6 tomorrow night? That sound good?”

“Yeah, 6 is fine.”

Y/N called the club and left Tom’s name for the VIP list, making a table reservation as well before hanging up.

“Ok, we’re all set,” she said as James pulled up. They greeted James and loaded into the car.

They talked about dinner plans and agreed upon a sushi restaurant near the club for dinner beforehand.

The car pulled up to the hotel and they all headed towards the elevator, dropping Harrison off on his floor and heading up to the 10th.

“Are you sure it’s ok that I come with you guys?” Y/N asked Tom once they were alone.

“Yeah, it’s totally fine… unless you don’t want to?” Tom replied uncertainly.

“No, no… I mean I do, I just don't want to be a bother or a third wheel in case you guys want to be each other's wingman or something.”

“It’s not a bother at all,” Tom replied, giving her hand a squeeze as they stepped out of the elevator. “Honestly, I'd really like you to come out with me and Harrison tomorrow. He and I have all night tonight and all day tomorrow to hang out and I'd really like the two of you to get to know each other.” He grinned. “Besides, you have yet to experience New York nightlife and what better way than with two English blokes from London?”

Y/N smiled. “Okay, if you're totally sure.”

“Ok, then it's settled.” Tom grinned.

“I better go see what I brought that I can wear to the club so I can figure out if I have to go shopping tomorrow,” Y/N said, taking a step back towards her room. “See you later?”

Tom nodded. “See you, Y/N.”

#tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fanfic #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland rpf #avengers fanfiction #marvel fanfiction

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travelingtheusa · 3 years

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VIRGINIA

2021 Jul 7 (Wed) – We have been working furiously on finalizing plans for the NY Caravan. We have had to change some things. One restaurant said they are changing their prices every week because of the high price of chicken. Really??? How do you run a business like that?

We set off for NY tomorrow, traveling through PA. Joe & Diane and Rick & Brenda will travel with us. Ed & Sue were supposed to go with us but they are stuck here getting their rig fixed. Maybe they’ll be able to join us in a day or two. Hank & Brenda will be meeting us at the next campground in Intercourse, PA. We will be there for 3 nights. The pre-caravan is on!

2021 Jul 4 (Sun) – We took Ed & Sue and Joe & Diane over to the PX and Commissary this morning. Neither of them is retired so they are not entitled to shop in either store. We show our ID and they get to buy what they want.

After lunch, we did laundry. Sheba hawked up a hairball last night and left it on the sheet. So we pulled the sheet off and took it along with the rest of the dirty clothes, over to the laundry room.

We all enjoyed a barbecue for dinner. Afterward, we watched the fireworks that people were setting off across the bay. There was quite a bit.

2021 Jul 3 (Sat) – The four of us went to Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill. It was quite interesting. Washington had to be convinced to put the stills on his farm but once he did, he had five installed. His first year of operation, he made more money from whiskey sales than he did from all of his other endeavors combined. With his gristmill, he was producing flour, grits, cornmeal, and livestock feed. He was quite the entrepreneur.

We stopped at the post office to pick up a package the Rick & Brenda have been waiting for, but it hadn’t arrived. Then we shopped at the Commissary. Brenda made hamburgers and baked beans for dinner. We put out hors oeuvres and drinks for happy hour. Joe & Diane and Ed & Sue came over to join us for dinner. (Ed and Sue were supposed to be here but their RV and car both broke down on the way to Fort Belvoir. They are currently staying at a hotel on base while they wait for repairs.)

After dinner, we all gathered around for a campfire.

2021 Jul 2 (Fri) – Joe & Diane lent their car to the couple that broke down. Not only did their motorhome breakdown, but their car did as well. Both are getting worked on today. Since Joe & Diane lent their car to their friends, they needed a ride to the commissary. We took them at 9 this morning. They picked up some items at the PX, then food at the commissary.

At 1:00 PM, we met Rick & Brenda and drove to the Pope-Leheighy House. It is a home that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was a beautiful architecture and we enjoyed the tour. Located next to the house was Woodlawn. This was a beautiful colonial home built by George Washington for his nephew and granddaughter-in-law. He gave them the house and 2,000 acres from his Mount Vernon property. Unfortunately, we were not able to tour the house. They were just finishing up a needlepoint display and they had taken all the house decorations down for the display. They will be putting everything back together and opening to tours again after July 25.

At dinnertime, I cooked zucchini chips and Paul barbecued an Alaskan salmon. Rick & Brenda made the salad and cooked up some scallops. It was a good meal. Afterward, we had a campfire.

2021 Jul 1 (Thu) – We went food shopping at Amazon Green today. It was a near digital experience. They have a shopping cart with a scanner. You dial up the app on your smart phone. Then as you pick up each item you want to buy, you scan it on your phone. Shopping bags are already located in your shopping cart; you put the items you scan in your bags. When you are done, your credit card is charged (Amazon has that info on file) and you leave. You have no need to go to the cashier. We changed our minds at the last minute and did not use the app. I do not like anything that holds on to the information about my credit cards or bank accounts. We shopped the old fashioned way.

I went to Great Clips for a haircut. I tried to talk with the hairdresser but she spoke very poor English and she was hard to understand. After I got home, I did more chopping on my bangs as I felt they were still too long.

We stopped at Baja Fresh for lunch. It was a kind of Mexican fast food place. The food was ok. I cooked an elbow macaroni dish for dinner which we shared with Rick & Brenda.

I drove to the campground office to pick up the check-in documents for 3 folks coming into the campground. The office closed at 3 and they still weren’t in. George & Sue arrived and I gave them their paperwork. Joe & Diane arrived later around 6; the couple traveling with them had a breakdown and they left them on the road waiting for a tow. Joe & Diane will be traveling with us through Pennsylvania to the New York caravan.

2021 Jun 30 (Wed) – We drove over to WalMart to get an oil change in the truck. While it was being serviced, we walked across the road to Panera Bread and had bagels for breakfast. We then walked next door and wandered through the World Market then Home Goods looking for new rugs for the RV. We didn’t find what we wanted.

When the truck was done, we drove back to the base PX and bought a new grill. Paul and Rick had priced the grill on the internet last night and the PX was the cheapest price. Add to that the fact that they don’t charge tax in the PX and we had a real good savings.

Merlin came by us wearing his face mask. He said he started feeling bad last night and worse today. So he went to the base hospital and got tested for COVID-19 . . . just in case.

Bonnie has had diarrhea for on and off for the past five days. We cooked chicken and rice for her one day. It seemed to help then things got worse again.

Two rigs have dropped out of the New York caravan. That brings us down to 16 paying rigs. One more drop out, and we will be at the threshold for canceling the caravan. Hope we don’t lose anyone else.

2021 Jun 29 (Tue) – The four of us went to the National U.S. Army Museum. It is new and we haven’t been here before. We spent over 3 hours wandering around the displays. There was so much to read and look at. We had lunch in the cafeteria. During our visit, we found out that the museum only opened in October last year, 2020, then closed a month later. They just reopened 2 weeks ago.

After we got back, we had dinner together. Brenda made pasta and I made salad. Everything was very good. Merlin was too tired to join us.

2021 Jun 28 (Mon) – We went into town to look for a grill. We couldn’t find what we wanted. We went to the PX and looked for an RV dealer nearby but there were none. We picked up pet food at Pet Smart and found a toy for Sheba. We were delighted! Lunch was at Famous Dave’s. I had ribs and Paul had burnt tips. The food was on the spicy side.

Rick & Brenda came over for drinks. We made margaritas. Another SMART member, Merlin, pulled in today.

2021 Jun 27 (Sun) – We went into Washington, D.C. for a 12:15 p.m. admission to the International Spy Museum. Brenda & Rick drove. We had been there in 2013. The building and entire area was totally different from when we were last there. The place was huge! You could easily take 3-4 hours to see everything. The museum was very crowded and it was difficult to get near much of the displays. But we all managed to enjoy the place any way.

When we got back to the campground, Rick & Brenda brought their grill over and we enjoyed steak, potatoes and salad. We visited afterward as it was too breezy to work on the travel guides. We have time to get to them. There’s no hurry.

2021 Jun 26 (Sat) – We did our laundry early this morning. The laundry room was full of gnats and other flying insects. We brought wipes to clean off the tables and machines so we could fold our clothes. It was gross!

We also drove to Food Lion to pick up some groceries and to Office Depot to get the printed copies of the Travel Guide. We stopped at McDonald’s for lunch; something we don’t do very often.

We drove to George Mason Gunston Hall with Rick & Brenda this afternoon for a 2:00 p.m. tour It was an 1800th century home of one of America’s founding fathers. Mason wrote Virginia’s Bill of Rights, which Jefferson later modeled to write the Bill of Rights for the new nation. It was a lovely home and had several outbuildings on the property to explore as well.

Afterward, we stopped at Fair Winds Brewing for beer and BBQ. We all sat out on the patio and enjoyed beers (except me since I don’t care for beer) and food. When we got back, we started work on putting the travel guides together. It was slightly breezy and made it difficult to work but we were able to get 11 books done.

2021 Jun 25 (Fri) – We finished up the Travel Guide this morning. Brenda and Rick picked us up and we drove first, to Office Depot, then to Occoquan, the quaint little town we discovered a few years ago. We had lunch at a restaurant on a patio overlooking the Occoquan River. There were several people in kayaks and on paddle boards.

After lunch, we walked down the picturesque street with its historic buildings. We popped into a chocolate shop and had a wonderful visit with the owner of the establishment. He gave us quite an education on cacao beans and the chocolate process. We all bought chocolate bars.

More walking and exploring, then we stopped in to the VFW Lodge. We sat at the bar and ordered cocktails only to be told they only serve wine and beer. It didn’t fit the bill so we left.

We went to a Tiki Bar on the river and had cocktails on the patio then returned to the campground around 5:30 p.m.

2021 Jun 24 (Thu) – We pulled up stakes and left Fort A.P. Hill at 10:15 a.m. It was an easy two hour drive to Fort Belvoir. We had our site number already so we drove directly to the campground rather than stop first at Outdoor Recreation. Oops! There was a gated entry into the campground and no room to turn around. I called the office and got the gate code and we parked on our assigned campsite. After set up, we hurried over to Outdoor Rec, got checked in, got our permit and other paperwork, then rushed to the main gate to help Brenda & Rick get passes onto base. They were already there and walking out of the visitor center with their passes. We got in front of them and led the way to the campground. Since we had the gate code and they knew their site assignment, we led them directly to the campground. We advised them to sign in at Outdoor Rec after they were set up. They didn’t hear (or understand) what we said and took their time setting up. By the time they went over to check in, the office was closed (open from 9 to 3).

At 4 p.m., Brenda and Rick came over and we had happy hour until 5:30 p.m. When they were gone, I popped a pizza in the oven for dinner. Gene (President of the Nomads) and Sharon stopped by. They are only here for the one night. After pizza, we played card games. SYN (Screw Your Neighbor) and Kings in the Corner were a lot of fun. They left when the sun was going down and it was getting cold.

Tonight was the last Supermoon of the year. It is called a Strawberry Moon, because it is when the strawberries are in season. It was a beautiful sight.

2021 Jun 23 (Wed) – We stayed in the campground all day working on the Travel Guide for the caravan. We are pushing to get this done so we can get it copied at the next town. There won’t be any big towns after we leave Fort Belvoir.

2021 Jun 22 (Tue) – We packed up and left Verona at 9:25 a.m. It rained on and off during the drive to Bowling Green where we are caped at Fort A.P. Hill. It is a fairly new campground with full hookups. The campground is about half full. We have a pull through site with no shade. We are only here for two nights. We will try to finish up the travel guide so we can get it copied while we are at Fort Belvoir. We don’t think there will be any big cities between there and when we start the caravan in New York.

2021 Jun 21 (Mon – First Day of Summer) – We stayed in the campground all day today, working on the travel guide and maps of the NY Caravan. We only have a few days left before we start to join up with other members of the caravan in D.C. We are almost done.

2021 Jun 20 (Sun) – We drove to the Grand Caverns this morning. I bought a two-for-one ticket on Groupon and $40 tickets wound up costing us $19.99. That’s a pretty good deal! The caverns were fantastic; every bit as phenomenal as Mammoth or Carlsbad Caverns. The rooms were huge and there were lots of speleoforms to admire. In addition, they had formations called shields. No one knows how they form but they seem to be unique to these caverns.

We went to Rack ‘Em Smack ‘Em for lunch. It was a ribs place. They were OK. Paul had mac & cheese. Still pink like them put ketchup in it. After the caves, we went to the Barren Ridge Winery. We were supposed to make a reservation ahead of time but didn’t. They were able to seat us out on the patio any way. I didn’t like any of the white wines. Paul liked one of the reds and we both enjoyed the port. So we bought 2 bottles of port and one bottle of the red wine.

I cooked some meatballs for dinner that we had bought at the supermarket the other day. They were so spicy hot! I took one bite and pushed them aside. We wound up heating up a pizza for dinner.

The campground pretty much emptied out today. I am glad we left for the day so we didn’t get caught up in all the activity of so many trailers moving out.

One of the campgrounds we will be going to upstate during the caravan tried to call but I told them to get back to us on Tuesday when we move. Hopefully, the cell phone signal will be better.

2021 Jun 19 (Sat) – We worked on the travel guide. At noon, we packed it in and drove into town for lunch at the Edelweiss Restaurant. It was a German restaurant with an authentic German waitress. The food was good, as was the wine and beer. Next stop was at PetCo to pick up dog food then to Kroeger for groceries and cat food. Since the cell phone signal is so bad in camp, we made a couple of calls to friends and our grandson while we were out and the signal was good.

The campground is chock full of campers. There is a lazy river that runs next to the campground where they have tubing. Groups of tubers walk by with their big tubes on the way to the launch point. The day is very warm and muggy. I bet the water feels good.

Bonnie woke Paul up at 2:30 a.m. She has diarrhea. She’s been good for a long time. We stopped giving her the supplements and goat’s milk when we started making sure the food we give her is AAFCO approved. That seems to have been good enough. We’ll see if this is one day or another bout.

2021 Jun 18 (Fri) – Work on the travel guide is going slow. The problem is the very poor internet signal here in the campground. We just can’t connect which makes it impossible for Paul to get the maps done.

We finally took a break at noon and drove into town for lunch. Staunton (pronounced STAN-TEN) is a very lovely, historic town with lots of brick buildings and round towers. We had lunch at the Clock Tower Eats & Sweets. The food was bland and unappealing. And the waitress was slow.

After lunch, we walked down the block to the Camera Heritage Museum. What a fascinating place! The museum, if you could call it that, was a small store front jam packed with cameras from all eras. The owner followed us around the store as we admired all the cameras, regaling us with stories of cameras and pictures. His collection was amazing, yet he said it only represented about 25% of his total collection. He is trying to raise money to buy a building that can house his collection. Trip Advisor voted him among the top world attractions. Quite an honor. Unfortunately, he needs to raise millions of dollars before he can reach his goal. He only has four years left to do it.

When we returned to the campground, there was a long line of RVs coming in. We sat in our chairs and watched droves of campers arrive all afternoon long. The campground of more than 200 sites filled up almost completely. There are lots of children and golf carts. The smell of outdoor cooking and campfires fills the air. We tried to have a campfire but it was too hot sitting in the sun in front of the fire. We got up halfway through and went back in to the air conditioning to watch the fire through the window. Lol.

2021 Jun 17 (Thu) – We went to the Augusta Military Museum. When a soldier returned home after the Civil War, he found all the schools burned down. Wanting the boys/men to have a decent education, he built a school. It later became a military academy when it was obvious that better discipline was needed. But it was not intended to be a preparatory school for military service, although many of the boys went on to service in the military. The school remained in service until 1984 when it closed due to financial difficulties. The museum was in the home of the former schoolmaster and exhibits were displayed in four small rooms on the first floor. We also watched a half hour video about the school and the men who attended.

Next, we went to a local restaurant for lunch. The interior had tables and booths arrayed around a large, open room. The waitress was very fast and efficient – a delight down here in the south. The food, however, was terrible. I had a chicken salad wrap that had too much vinegar in it. Paul had a mixed wrap that was very dry (it was ham, turkey, cheese, tomato and lettuce). It needed mayonnaise. His mac & cheese was pink, making us think they put ketchup in it.

After lunch, we went to the Stonewall Brigade Museum. It was all about the history of a local unit from the French & Indian Wars to today’s Gulf War. It was small compared to many other museums we have been to but it accomplished its purpose. The campground is filling up. It will be full this weekend. The camper next to us has two large dogs that they don’t leash. In addition, the owner doesn’t pay attention to what his dogs are going so that means he’s not picking up after them. We will have to make a complaint.

The Verizon cell service around here sucks! I can’t open the mail and other postings just sit there. The Internet is inaccessible at this point. Even in town, the service is severely limited. This town must be down in a big hole. **sigh** Not even the cell phone booster we bought is helping.

2021 Jun 16 (Wed) – We rode to Staunton today. First stop was at the Yelping Dog for lunch. It was a pizza and taproom. We each had a glass of wine and a sandwich. After lunch, we walked up and down the street. The town was very quaint and had lots of historic buildings and shops.

Next, we went to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum. There were three buildings. The first one we entered was the home that Woodrow Wilson was born in. He only lived in the house for 18 months then his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. There was lots of family in Staunton though, so they came back to visit often. Woodrow Wilson always thought of Staunton, VA as his home even though his family moved several times. He was the only president to earn a doctorate despite the fact that he had a learning disability that made it very difficult for him to read. What an interesting character he was!

The middle building was a private home where they placed the ever popular gift shop. The third building was the museum. There was a display of a WWI trench. That kind of thing always makes me shudder. It was thought to be so cutting edge in its day yet it was so barbaric. Ugh. We walked through rooms with lots of plaques to read and artifacts to view.

2021 Jun 15 (Tue) – We packed up and left Fancy Gap at 9:30 a.m. The weather (finally) was clear with blue skies. It was a long drive. We stopped at a humongous truck stop. They had 500 parking spaces for trucks with a truck wash, medical testing for drugs, a clinic, a steak place, a fast food eatery, and fuel station. We just parked to use the bathroom and walk the dog and then were on our way. We arrived at the campground at 1 p.m.

This is a KOA. It is a large campground spread out over low hills with lots of grass and trees. It is very pretty to look at. There is a river and waterfalls at the back of the park. They rent tubes for campers to float on the river. There are lots of things to do – a large pool, four hot tubs (currently closed), pool tables, a video arcade, horseshoe pits, etc. We have a 30-amp and water hookup but no sewer. The bathrooms are pretty far away. There are rabbits everywhere! They even have signs us warning not to pick up or chase the rabbits and they sell food to feed them. The cell phone signal in this campground is the pits! I can’t post on Facebook and it is difficult to research anything on the internet. This will be a tough week since we have to start coordinating with the various campgrounds and venues for the caravan.

We spent the afternoon and evening working on the travel guide. Things are starting to come together nicely.

2021 Jun 14 (Mon) – We took a ride into town for lunch at the Gap Deli. The food was pretty good. Afterward, we drove around the area for a bit. This a beautiful area. Lots of greenery and well built homes.

2021 Jun 13 (Sun) – We stayed in the campground today, working on the paperwork for the caravan. We did the laundry and bought dinner from the office. The smoker was going all day and the smell was very appealing.

2021 Jun 12 (Sat) – We took a break and went for a drive, stopping at 13 Bones for lunch. The ribs were not that good yet the place was packed. We figured it must be something pertinent to this region. We also stopped at WalMart to do some shopping. Returned home in the worst rainstorm. Ugh. Thunderstorms rolled through and poor Sheba spent the day hiding in the closet.

2021 Jun 11 (Fri) – We stayed in the campground all day working on the documents for the caravan. Our tail gunner had put together maps but we couldn’t get the program he used to mesh with the program we are using to create the Travel Guide. Paul wound up having to recreate all the maps. Ugh. What a waste of effort!

We had lunch and dinner at the KOA BBQ office. We met a couple parked to us from NC. We had a very interesting conversation until our dinner was delivered. Ray asked for information about SMART. Paul gave him a magazine. We would have given him a brochure but it got rained on the other day and we lost all the brochures we had sitting out for people to take. We will have to send for more.

2021 Jun 10 (Thu) – We went food shopping at the Food Lion today. Before then, we stopped at Aunt Bea’s Dining Room for lunch. It was a kind of cafeteria. You picked your food from a variety of items on a hot table, then sat at a table in the dining room. It was ok.

2021 Jun 9 (Wed) – We took a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway today. There are so many lush, green trees in this state. We stopped at the Mabry Mill, an historic Appalachian homestead on the parkway. It had a mill, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, and other artifacts. A ranger was working in a shed on a weaving loom. She explained the process to us and showed examples of her work. It was an interesting stop. Also along the Blue Ridge Parkway was a rail fence exhibit that showed several different types of fence made by wooden posts and poles.

We stopped at a winery in Floyd. You could only have a tasting if you were fully vaccinated. Since I am not vaccinated, we sat out on the patio and had a glass of wine with bread, cheese, meats, and fruits. Neither of us enjoyed the wine but the experience was nice. It rained pretty hard most of the day.

The program for the Max Air Fan in the kitchen arrived. Unexpectedly, it worked! The fan is now in action again. How wonderful!

2021 Jun 8 (Tue) – Well, I am back from New York. It was a long 3 weeks. I had originally planned to help out my sister, Susan, after knee surgery but she changed her mind and cancelled the surgery. My plans were already made so I left them alone. I stayed at her house and borrowed her Tesla during my stay. That is quite a car! Great for a speed demon like my sister.

I had a PET scan at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The results were spectacular! There were no metabolically active lymph nodes. Unfortunately, my oncologist moved to Texas and a new doctor was assigned to me but could not fit me into her schedule. I will see her at my next appointment. I asked the nurse if I could stop the chemotherapy but she said to continue as usual until I talk with the doctor.

I also saw the cardiologist. He ordered a stress test which I passed with flying colors.

I got to visit with my brother, Chris, and brother and girlfriend, Dennis & Denise, over the holiday weekend. I took my grandson, Caiden, out a few times and visited with my daughter and husband, Lilah & Kenny. I also stopped over my Cousin Claude’s house and visited with him and his daughter, Kathy. I also caught up with our friend, Jan, who happened to be outside in her garden when I drove by. She had knee surgery and is recovering nicely. And I got to have dinner with my daughter, Gina.

Susan volunteers at a wildlife rescue center and I was able to go with her twice. That place was overrun with raccoons, squirrels, and ducklings. Wow! There were many other types of animals and birds there as well. Susan’s daughter, Sharon, flew home for a few days and we went into the city for a day. Sharon has ongoing dental treatments at a specialist in New York City. Except for less people and cars, everything looked the same.

My flight home was disrupted by thunderstorms and I wound up spending a night at a hotel in Baltimore. But I ultimately made it home to my honey. While I was gone, Paul got the Spyder Control program fixed and we are back on the road! We were afraid that we would have to cancel the caravan if we didn’t get the problem resolved. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

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writerspink · 7 years

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Basic Topics

Food

cook bread cake pie noodles pasta eggs meat milk cheese oil chocolate chips cookies crackers treats snacks muffin rolls biscuit cupcake brownies bagel biscotti French fries sandwich hamburger salad meatloaf breakfast lunch super dinner snack fruit juice soda pop tea coffee wine beer

Outdoors

snow rain wind sunny cloudy tornado hurricane hail ice freeze thaw hot cold earthquake sand mud dirt dust mountain river lake sea ocean valley plain field park sidewalk fresh air camping campfire barbecue picnick

Animals

cow donkey horse rabbit dragonfly deer squid kangaroo bear wolf chipmunk squirrel dog fox cat pheasant brontosaurus mouse eagle clam parrot crow duck cricket swan housefly pterodactyl goose chicken oyster turkey sheep goat hummingbird raptor owl eel hornet zebra bird mosquito whale cougar shrimp elephant lion bee pigeon gazelle cheetah hippopotamus fish tiger gecko grasshopper rhinoceros walrus octopus otter spider jellyfish penguin falcon snake rat crab leopard T-Rex dolphin orca lizard shark hawk giraffe dinosaur starfish snail

Clothes

hat gloves scarf coat trench coat rain coat umbrella shirt pants shorts underwear vest sweater sweat shirt sweat pants sweat suit jogging suit boots shoes sandles slippers swimming suit suit dress skirt blouse hood hoodie fedora flat cap fedora polo shirt dress shirt T-shirt tank top muscle shirt blazer tuxedo cufflinks necklace bracelet earring

Home

house garage workshop window door screen wall floor ceiling kitchen bathroom living room bedroom window door garbage trash can clean wash rinse mob broom washcloth sink shower bath soap toilet toothbrush towel curtain bed blanket pillow bed sheets table chair bench knife fork spoon plate cup bowl water glass bottle cutting board rolling pin toaster blender stove oven fry pan wok pot kettle baking sheet crock pot coffee maker dish washer refrigerator freezer cellar pantry cupboard counter top cabinet closet toybox chest wardrobe vanity coat rack stand sofa couch love seat coffee table footstool ottoman recliner

Office & School

desk computer phone tablet printer clock watch memo note pencil pen ink eraser glue paper clip stapler rubber band sharpen dull shavings shred ruler protractor compass classroom pencil holder calendar pin board thumb tack desk lamp board room whiteboard blackboard conference table manager supervisor teacher principal team & teammates classmates employee student project assignment study work learn correct edit fix repair update upgrade install enroll graduate finish late on time communicate network energy electricity announcement speakers PA system (public announcement) public private corporation company school district industrial park factory building commerce money market

Roads

car truck motorcycle semi truck pickup truck sport car sedan coup scooter dirt bike bicycle BMX bike skates skateboard helmet seat belt air bag crash collision fender bender ticket parking lot speed limit lane highway onramp expressway freeway toll road bridge overpass underpass train tracks railroad train station bus stop yield distance limousine chauffeur driver taxi tour guide travel

Farm & Garden

barn tractor trailer crops harvest irrigation pesticide herbicide weed-killer fertilizer lawn mower bumper crop hay loft straw alfalfa pasture horse fence gate work gloves planting watering weeding trimming trowel plow hoe rake shovel pruning shears hedge trimmer watering can hose hose butler hose reel hose trolley spigot nozzle sprinkler turret sprinkler spray gun rain barrel rain gauge wood chips seeds blossom pollen silo grainery grain elevator cheesecloth cheese curd dairy butcher cellar canned vegetables frost dew perennial annual tulip bulb rose garden walled garden shrubbery

Sports

baseball basketball football soccer lacrosse golf tennis badminton swimming hockey bat glove mitt hoop basket net goal cleats shin guards pads jersey baseball cap court racket pool referee coach team manager stadium arena referee guard forward pitcher catcher offense defense goalie umpire puck penalty disc frisbee quarterback fowl pitch tee-off green rough course field flag boundary out of bounds clock period inning half quarter round match set play (a football play) line sponsor spectator stands bleachers nose-bleed section admission season playoffs tickets finals halftime

Music

piano clarinet oboe bassoon saxophone French horn trumpet trombone tuba flute percussion drum snare tympani bell chimes harp synthesizer instrument sampling director symphony orchestra band marching band parade color guard cadence harmony melody counter melody solo duet quartet march concerto composer tempo beat dynamics volume drum major field commander captain genre jazz blues pop rock n’ roll big band dixieland waltz tango alternative boogie woogie ragtime classical baroque romance medieval pentatonic scale Major minor harmonic

Cyberspace

computer monitor tablet stylus writing tablet touchscreen smartphone mouse keyboard battery power cord cable display desktop wallpaper firmware software application (app) app store runtime environment operating system kernel motherboard integrated circuit transistor processor processor core central processing unit (CPU) graphics processing unit (GPU) random access memory (RAM) read only memory (ROM) user account website profile page Internet web page homepage dependency software stack markup language scripting language cascading style sheet (CSS) hypertext markup language (HTML) database structured query language (SQL) universal resource identifier (URI) (https://write.pink/vocab) universal resource locator (URL) (https://write.pink) web address texting global positioning system (GPS) geolocation temp file directory structure file system email web application blog (weblog) content management system (CMS) human resource management (HRM) customer relations management (CRM) enterprise resource planning (ERP) personal information management (PIM) words per minute (WPM) social media multimedia terminal command line console client server client side language server side language legacy version version history product road map scope creep bug report feature request install update upgrade beta security malware virus spyware cookie meta data content menu navigation heading header footer article post tag search engine web crawler contacts share embed log error message runlevel priority foreground background radio select checkbox dropdown select text field encrypt certificate session web browser desktop application email client

Hospitality

reservation checkin checkout key deposit hotel motel hostel resort bead & breakfast cruise ship country club waiter waitress server maître d’hôtel concierge host butler bus boy bell hop kitchen crew dish crew chef assistant menu chef’s surprise soup of the day cup of joe appetizer soup & salad main course side dish dessert bread basket pitcher order make ticket make line make table make time delivery time serving tray goblet water glass pilsner glass martini glass shot glass wine glass soda fountain on tap deli deli cut tip / gratuity buffet all you can eat take out doggy bag delivery refill silverware napkin place setting cost per plate guest linens dining room floor bedding double bed queen size bed king size bed twin beds room service wake up call bar bar stool high boy bartender barista clerk open shop close shop “we’re all out” first in first out first in last out last in first out cost of sales five star three star

Travel

navigation driving directions baggage luggage carry-on hand-baggage check in checked baggage baggage claim ticket pass boarding pass departure arrival departure time travel time arrival time estimated time of departure (ETD) estimated time of arrival (ETA) delay on time commute journey embark boarding disembark boarding gate departure gate time table service counter first class business class economy class premium economy frequent flier membership card priority boarding priority seating lounge pass call button flotation device evacuation instructions bulkhead cabin wings air pressure altitude tunnel crash landing splash landing touchdown splashdown turbulence in-flight meal in-flight entertainment airplane mode stow dinner tray reading lamp climate control overhead compartment seat number isle seat window seat dining car sleeper car truck stop weigh station fuel station gas station petrol station passengers crew captain pilot copilot navigator conductor flight attendant helm deck terminal dock ferry plane ship airline cruise ship train bus subway space shuttle transporter beam flying saucer teleportation warp drive hyperdrive hyperspace supersonic lightspeed nautical mile time zone

Dinning Out

Dress

“dressy” festive casual jeans and tie dress pants and tie suit and tie three piece suit dress shirt nice shirt nice T shirt old shirt old T shirt jeans nice jeans rockstar jeans stone washed jeans blazer vest dress short nice shorts jean shorts skirt blouse dress high heels dress shoes slippers loafers sandals sneakers casual shoes [sport] shoes wingtip shoes

orange soda grape soda red soda cola Dr. Pepper lemon lime root beer ginger ale cream soda bread basket sub sandwich fruit platter cole slaw burrito taco nachos melon lemonade snacks popcorn hot dog chips

Camping

camper trailer mobile home campfire fire pit firewood kindling starter fluid charcoal coals ashes marshmallow s’mores graham crackers hot dog roast hot dog bun condiments relish ketchup mustard paper plate disposable silverware tin foil dinner wrap foil wrapped dinner grill barbecue cookout roasting stick campground toiletries bath house dump station park service park ranger national park state park county park city park recreation off road vehicle recreational vehicle speed boat water skiing wake boarding beach sand dune mountain climbing hiking walking stick mosquito net insect repellent tent tarp AstroTurf picnic table lawn chairs lantern kerosene sing-along

Construction

scaffold nails hammer sledgehammer jackhammer allen wrench screws screwdriver torques head Phillips head straight edge concrete flexcrete cement mortar bricks foundation chimbney threshold partition fire escape story loft lean-to foundation basement construction crew construction site building code building permit detour road construction earth moving equipment shovel rake bulldozer backhoe dumptruck studds drywall log cabin blueprints I-beam welding molding trim work framing carpeting tiling tile floor grout trowel hardhat work gloves safety glasses safety goggles face mask plaster paintbrush pain roller paint can paint can opener paint thinner wallpaper window frame door frame hinge deadbolt lock electric outlet breaker switch breaker box fuse box pluming faucet pipe drain septic tank septic system drain field landscaping survey crew land surveying acre shelf awning tarp fence rebar power grid power lines power transformer electrical pole wiring linoleum formica veneer lumber particle board plywood sandpaper palm sander belt sander saw horse table saw band saw jig saw radial arm saw drill press lathe C-clamp wood glue wood putty wood stain varnish lacquer

Basic Topics was originally published on PinkWrite

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ageloire · 5 years

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How to Create An Incredibly Well-Written Executive Summary [+ Example]

Whether you're an entrepreneur looking for investors for your small business, or the CEO of a large corporation, a business plan can help you succeed and is a critical component for long-term growth.

In fact, one study found companies that use business plans grow 30% faster than those that don't.

A business plan includes a company overview, your company's short-term and long-term goals, information on your product or service, sales targets, expense budgets, your marketing plan, and a list including each member of your management team.

While a thorough business plan is necessary, it's equally critical you provide readers with a short, attention-grabbing executive summary, as well. A CEO or investor might not have the interest or time to read your full business plan without first getting the general gist of your company or goals through a brief synopsis.

Essentially, an executive summary is the back cover of your book, convincing readers that it's worth their time to read the whole thing.

Executive Summary

An executive summary is a brief overview at the beginning of your business plan. It's a section that grabs the reader's attention, and summarizes critical information regarding your company overview and upcoming short-term and long-term goals. Ultimately, the executive summary is meant to inform readers of the most important information in your business plan, so they don't have to read it all and can get caught up quickly.

To write an impressive executive summary that effectively embodies all the important elements of your business plan, we've cultivated a list of necessary components for an executive summary, as well as an example to get you started.

What to Include in Your Executive Summary

Your business plan should convey your company's mission, your product, a plan for how you'll stand out from competitors, your financial projections, your company's short and long-term goals, your buyer persona, and your market fit.

To create a business plan, take a look at our business template.

An executive summary, then, should be a short, maximum two-page synopsis of the information provided in your business template.

Ultimately, an executive summary should provide a preview for investors or CEO's, so they know what to expect from the rest of your report. Your executive summary should include:

The name, location, and mission of your company

A description of your company, including management, advisors, and brief history

Your product or service, where your product fits in the market, and how your product differs from competitors in the industry

Financial considerations, start-up funding requirements, or the purpose behind your business plan -- mention what you hope the reader will help your company accomplish

To understand more tactically how an executive summary should look, take a look at the following example:

Executive Summary Example

Our Mission

Maria's Gluten Free Bagels offers delicious gluten-free bagels, along with various toppings, other gluten-free breakfast sandwich items, and coffee. The facility is entirely gluten-free. Our team expects to catch the interest of gluten-free, celiac, or health-conscious community members who are seeking an enjoyable cafe to socialize. Due to a lack of gluten-free bagel products in the food industry currently, we expect mild competition and are confident we will be able to build a strong market position.

The Company and Management

Maria's Gluten Free Bagels was founded in 2010 by Maria Jones, who first began selling her gluten free bagels online from her home, using social media to spread the word. In 2012 she bought a retail location in Hamilton, Massachusetts, which now employs four full-time employees and six part-time employees. Prior to her Bagel Shop, Maria was a chef in New York and has extensive experience in the food industry.

Along with Maria Jones, Gluten Free Bagel Shop has a board of advisors. The advisors are:

Jeni King, partner at Winding Communications Ltd.

Henry Wilson, president of Blue Robin, LLP

Our Product

We offer gluten-free products ranging from bagels and cream cheese to blueberry muffins, coffee, and pastries. Our customers are health-conscious, community-oriented people who enjoy gluten-free products. We will create a welcoming, warm environment, with opportunities for open-mic nights, poetry readings, and other community functions. We will focus on creating an environment in which someone feels comfortable meeting a friend for lunch, or working remotely.

Our Competitive Advantages

While there are other coffee shops and cafes in the north shore region, there are none that offer purely gluten-free options. This restricts those suffering from gluten-free illnesses, or simply those with a gluten-free preference. This will be our primary selling-point. Additionally, our market research (see Section 3) has shown a demand for a community-oriented coffee and bagel shop in the town of Hamilton, MA.

Financial Considerations

Our sales projections for the first year are $400,000. We project a 15% growth rate over the next two years. By year three, we project 61% gross margins.

We will have four full-time employees. The salary for each employee will be $50,000.

Start-up Financing Requirements

We are seeking to raise $125,000 in startup funds to finance year one. The owner has invested $50,000 to meet working capital requirements, and will use a loan of $100,000 to supplement the rest.

from Marketing https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/executive-summary-examples

#Marketing

0 notes

luxus4me · 5 years

Link

Design your way http://j.mp/2FBZ9Ug

Startups in San Francisco are almost as common as leaves on the ground. San Francisco has a vast startup economy.

Acquisitions and big IPOs occur at a steady pace. The five-figure monthly rentals and venues with $400 tasting have plenty of customers and that’s not looking to change.

While all of this made San Francisco a really expensive place to live in, the upside is that we have lots of great companies concentrated here. And these companies are creating products that are shaping the world we live in.

Let’s take a look at some of them and their websites.

Neat startups in San Francisco

Motiv

Motivs makes the Motiv ring. This ring monitors fitness, heart rate, and sleep, all in an attractive and compact metal ring. It is meant to be used 24/7 and is one of the most inconspicuous fitness trackers out there. The battery lasts three days and the ring is also waterproof. It is one of the hottest fitness tools on the market today!

Nurx

Nurx wants to be “Uber for birth control”. They eliminate a trip to the doctor’s office for birth control, allowing women to get a birth control prescription by using the Nurx app. Users just input their info into the app and a doctor reviews it. It is currently available in 16 states and looks to keep expanding. Delivery is cheap and Nurx even helps the uninsured choose and sign up for providers.

Virta Health

This online company creates individualized diabetes treatments. They hope to help revolutionize diabetes treatments and make life easier for those who deal with the condition. They are hoping to help more people reverse Type 2 diabetes without needing surgery or expensive specialized treatments. They offer treatment plans that have physician supervisions and the services of a personal health coach.

Brandless

Brandless offers consumer package goods from dish soap to olive oil to kitchen knives. They offer all of their products for the low, low price of $3 through their website. That’s very tough to beat! Brandless does this by living up to its name and avoiding traditional brands. They strive to build better relationships between their suppliers and their customers, helping people save money!

Trove

Trove contract with local moving companies that have some extra storage space on their properties. Customers can sign up with them to have professional movers pack up and move their stuff into storage to one of these nearby facilities. Their rates are at least $100 a month and depend on the amount of space needed for storage.

Spoke

Spoke makes use of artificial intelligence to automate help requests like sending a support ticket to IT or asking HR about company holidays. Spoke’s bots will answer employees’ routine questions. If the bot can’t answer, it will reroute the question to the correct team further up the chain. Spoek is still in beta, though it does include DoorDash, Turo, and Nuera as early users. Spoek has a lot of potential to help companies save time and money on fielding routine HR queries.

Instacart

Instacart is a mobile and internet platform that allows you to shop for groceries and have them delivered right to your door. With Instacart you can choose from a variety of local stores, as well as mix items from multiple stores into one order.

Stitch Fix

Stitch Fix is a personal styling service for women and men. All you have to do is fill out a style profile and a personal stylist will hand pick pieces to send you. Each box contains five items; you keep what you like and return the rest.

Brightwheel

Brightwheel is a mobile platform for early education. The app serves as a hub for schools and educators, childcare providers, camps, and after-school programs. It allows school administrators to monitor their programs, parents to follow their children’s day, and teachers to access easy tools for learning and assessments.

BuildZoom

BuildZoom is a site that helps both people and businesses find the right contractor for their projects. BuildZoom provides their recommendations based on license records, building permits, consumer reviews, and more.

Forkable

Forkable is “the best way to get lunch in the office.” Forkable uses AI to help you figure out what your office wants to lunch, and deliver from local restaurants.

Canvas

Canvas is an online platform that offers month-to-month car subscriptions. Canvas cars come with insurance, maintenance, and warranty coverage.

Creative Market

Creative Market is a marketplace for design, allowing independent creators to sell digital assets like fonts, graphics, and more to customers.

Optimizely

Optimizely is an optimization platform, providing website and mobile A/B testing and personalization for a variety of different brands. Optimizely’s platform allows businesses to run experiments to help them make better data-informed decisions.

Medium

Medium is an online publishing platform whose mission is to rethink how ideas and stories are shared around the world. Medium contains a collection of ameateur and professional publishers and allows users to sort content by topics that interest them most.

Slack

Slack is a communication platform that brings businesses and teams together. Think: AIM for work. Slack’s mission is to help connect people with the apps, services, and resources they need to get things done.

Le Tote

Le Tote calls itself “Netflix for women’s fashion.” With a subscription to Le Tote, customers have access to an unlimited closet of clothing and accessories. Once you receive your box, you wear the clothes, buy them if you love them, return them if you don’t, and the process repeats itself.

Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) is a dating app that was created with the intent to inspire singles to feel good about dating again. How does it work? Every day at noon, guys receive up to 21 matches, known as “bagels.” They can like or pass. Then, CMB curates the best possible matches for women among the men who “liked” them. The women then get to decide who to talk to among their matches.

Modsy

Modsy is a design company that allows you to visualize and shop furniture and designs in the context of your own home. All you have to do is take photos of your home and Modsy does the rest, creating a photorealistic version of your rooms for you to explore and design.

Grammarly

Grammarly is a company whose AI-powered products help people communicate more effectively. Grammarly is available in both browser and desktop integrations to help users check their writing, wherever it may be.

HotelTonight

HotelTonight is an ecommerce platform that allows folks on-the-go to find great hotels at even better rates. When hotels have unsold rooms, they load them on the platform, HotelTonight screens them, then users have the ability to find the right place for them.

Postmates

Postmates makes it easier to get goods delivered all over your city. The Postmates platform connects customers and local couriers, who purchase and deliver goods from any restaurant or store in under an hour.

Zumper

Zumper is a house and apartment rental platform. Zumper makes renting easier for both tenants and landlords; they offer real-time alerts, instant online applications, and tenant screening.

Twilio

Twilio is a developer-friendly cloud communications company, facilitating business calls and messaging on its robust API platform.

Cloudpassage

CloudPassage is a cloud-based security company—providing leading software-defined security platforms for private, public, and hybrid cloud environments of any scale.

Skout

Skout is a global, social platform for connecting new people based on their geo-location.

Figma

Built by one of the recipients of Peter Thiel’s fellowships, Figma allows user interface designers to collaborate on projects in real time. Basically, Google Docs for designers. Designers can save different versions of projects and go back and build on them later.

Numerai

Numerai is a hedge fund run by an artificially intelligent system built by thousands of anonymous data scientists. All of the fund’s trading data is encrypted to prevent the faceless engineers from seeing what trades the fund is making and copying those trades themselves.

AutoFi

AutoFi’s platform lets car dealerships turn static websites into e-commerce platforms. Car buyers can browse financing options and apply for loans online or on the dealership’s mobile app.

Zipline

Zipline’s drones deliver life-saving medicines like blood and vaccines to patients in places that can’t easily be reached by road.

Gladly

People love to text, tweet, email and call companies with their complaints. For each complaint, a ticket is issued. This often leads to an already unhappy customer having to repeat their ticket number and their problem over and over to different customer service agents.

Atrium LTS

A software company that wants to help automate legal workflows.

Payjoy

PayJoy wants to give smartphones to the 2 billion people who live in areas with internet access but who don’t have a reliable way to get online.

Qadium

Founded by an ex-CIA agent, Qadium scans the internet on behalf of large companies, looking for devices that are outside of corporate firewalls and vulnerable to attacks.

Dote

Dote’s mobile shopping app was incubated on Apple’s “Planet of the Apps.”

Rothy’s

Rothy’s are women’s flats made from recycled plastic water bottles.

Holberton School

Coding schools in San Francisco are easy to come by, but Holberton School sets itself apart by not charging tuition.

Spoke

Spoke uses artificial intelligence to automate help requests like sending a support ticket to IT or asking HR about company holidays. Employees can ask Spoke’s bots routine questions, and if it can’t answer the bot will reroute the request to the right team. Still in beta, Spoke counts DoorDash, Turo, and Nuera as early users.

Trove

Early Uber employee Michael Pao came up with the idea for Trove with co-founder Jon Perlow somewhere on highway 101. They were driving from Menlo Park to San Francisco and noticed the massive number of self-storage facilities on the way into the city. They realized that, of course, the facilities were there because people like being close to their stuff, and Trove was born.

Why is San Francisco so profitable for local startups?

Some San Francisco startups that have seen stellar returns include Uber, Airbnb, Lyft, Dropbox, and Twitter. A diverse number of tech startups in San Francisco have made their mark and many more are starting to.

There’s almost a formula to startup success in San Francisco. This formula is not enough in itself—startup teams need to have a lot of drive, talent, connections, and timing. But it is a substantial help and much better than relying on luck.

Here are key points to having a successful startup in San Francisco:

Losing money is not a bug. It’s a feature.

To start with, keep losing money until you have left your competition well behind. This rule is the glue that holds the San Francisco startup success stories together.

While many other startup companies in other locations have thrived and succeeded by following this rule, too, it can be argued very well that San Francisco startup teams do it better than the rest.

Many of the most valuable tech and internet companies in San Francisco lose lots and lots of money or post tiny profits relative to valuations.

Uber for instance reportedly lost $4.5 billion last year, while Dropbox lost more than $100 million after losing more than $200 million the year before and more than $300 million the year before that. It took Airbnb nine years to post its first annual profit.

Salesforce has posted losses for most of its history, while Square has never been profitable on a GAAP basis. DocuSign lost more than $50 million in its last fiscal year and more than $100 million in each of the two years before that.

As you can see, losing money does not mean you won’t find success. Knowing the success of these companies, you might even think that more fiscally restrained are missing out.

Seed Stalls

Seed funds are important. Entrepreneurs need cash to stall out (along with a deep local talent pool). Both are found in plenty in the San Francisco area, which is why many startup founders there are willing to deal with the high costs of living and working in the Bay Area.

Seed funds are not indicative, however. Last year, 157 San Francisco startups have reported raising a seed or angel round, collectively bringing in around $200 million.

This does not seem like much, but it’s worth noting that initial figures may be misleading. After several months or quarters, it’s not uncommon to totals 50 percent higher.

Still, it’s clear that the city’s startup scene is no longer in its old high growth state. Some of the big companies in the area are taking a lot of the tech talent and the city is quite an expensive place to live.

All About The Ecosystem

San Francisco is chocked full of tech companies at all stages of their development. There are so far more than 1,400 companies in the city that have $10 million or more in venture funding. There is an amazing startup ecosystem that’s hard to find anywhere else.

The support system and potential found within San Francisco is one of a kind. While many startup founders may feel they can’t afford to live in San Francisco, they also often feel they can’t afford to lie anywhere else.

Ending thoughts on these startups in San Francisco

There are many opportunities for tech startups in San Francisco. The city has a unique and competitive environment that can be challenging, but it’s hard to find anything like it in the world.

If you enjoyed reading this article about startups in San Francisco, you should read these as well:

Awesome Boston startups to watch in the upcoming years

Amazing Australian startups that you can apply for a job at

Innovative virtual reality companies and their neat presentation websites

Startups in Amsterdam that you should keep an eye on (and their cool websites)

Cool startups in Los Angeles that you should check out

Chicago startups you should pay attention to in the next years

Website showcase: Startups and tech companies in Austin

The post Neat startups in San Francisco with good website designs appeared first on Design your way.

http://j.mp/2r4vs4i via Design your way URL : http://j.mp/2mcINVw

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jamiekturner · 5 years

Text

Neat startups in San Francisco with good website designs

Startups in San Francisco are almost as common as leaves on the ground. San Francisco has a vast startup economy.

Acquisitions and big IPOs occur at a steady pace. The five-figure monthly rentals and venues with $400 tasting have plenty of customers and that’s not looking to change.

Let’s take a look at some of them and their websites.

Neat startups in San Francisco

Motiv

Nurx

Virta Health

Brandless

Trove

Spoke

Instacart

Stitch Fix

Brightwheel

BuildZoom

Forkable

Forkable is “the best way to get lunch in the office.” Forkable uses AI to help you figure out what your office wants to lunch, and deliver from local restaurants.

Canvas

Canvas is an online platform that offers month-to-month car subscriptions. Canvas cars come with insurance, maintenance, and warranty coverage.

Creative Market

Creative Market is a marketplace for design, allowing independent creators to sell digital assets like fonts, graphics, and more to customers.

Optimizely

Medium

Slack

Le Tote

Coffee Meets Bagel

Modsy

Grammarly

HotelTonight

Postmates

Zumper

Zumper is a house and apartment rental platform. Zumper makes renting easier for both tenants and landlords; they offer real-time alerts, instant online applications, and tenant screening.

Twilio

Twilio is a developer-friendly cloud communications company, facilitating business calls and messaging on its robust API platform.

Cloudpassage

CloudPassage is a cloud-based security company—providing leading software-defined security platforms for private, public, and hybrid cloud environments of any scale.

Skout

Skout is a global, social platform for connecting new people based on their geo-location.

Figma

Numerai

AutoFi

AutoFi’s platform lets car dealerships turn static websites into e-commerce platforms. Car buyers can browse financing options and apply for loans online or on the dealership’s mobile app.

Zipline

Zipline’s drones deliver life-saving medicines like blood and vaccines to patients in places that can’t easily be reached by road.

Gladly

Atrium LTS

A software company that wants to help automate legal workflows.

Payjoy

PayJoy wants to give smartphones to the 2 billion people who live in areas with internet access but who don’t have a reliable way to get online.

Qadium

Founded by an ex-CIA agent, Qadium scans the internet on behalf of large companies, looking for devices that are outside of corporate firewalls and vulnerable to attacks.

Dote

Dote’s mobile shopping app was incubated on Apple’s “Planet of the Apps.”

Rothy’s

Rothy’s are women’s flats made from recycled plastic water bottles.

Holberton School

Coding schools in San Francisco are easy to come by, but Holberton School sets itself apart by not charging tuition.

Spoke

Trove

Why is San Francisco so profitable for local startups?

Here are key points to having a successful startup in San Francisco:

Losing money is not a bug. It’s a feature.

To start with, keep losing money until you have left your competition well behind. This rule is the glue that holds the San Francisco startup success stories together.

While many other startup companies in other locations have thrived and succeeded by following this rule, too, it can be argued very well that San Francisco startup teams do it better than the rest.

Many of the most valuable tech and internet companies in San Francisco lose lots and lots of money or post tiny profits relative to valuations.

As you can see, losing money does not mean you won’t find success. Knowing the success of these companies, you might even think that more fiscally restrained are missing out.

Seed Stalls

Seed funds are not indicative, however. Last year, 157 San Francisco startups have reported raising a seed or angel round, collectively bringing in around $200 million.

This does not seem like much, but it’s worth noting that initial figures may be misleading. After several months or quarters, it’s not uncommon to totals 50 percent higher.

All About The Ecosystem

Ending thoughts on these startups in San Francisco

There are many opportunities for tech startups in San Francisco. The city has a unique and competitive environment that can be challenging, but it’s hard to find anything like it in the world.

If you enjoyed reading this article about startups in San Francisco, you should read these as well:

Awesome Boston startups to watch in the upcoming years

Amazing Australian startups that you can apply for a job at

Innovative virtual reality companies and their neat presentation websites

Startups in Amsterdam that you should keep an eye on (and their cool websites)

Cool startups in Los Angeles that you should check out

Chicago startups you should pay attention to in the next years

Website showcase: Startups and tech companies in Austin

The post Neat startups in San Francisco with good website designs appeared first on Design your way.

from Web Development & Designing https://www.designyourway.net/blog/web-design/startups-san-francisco/

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maeelizabethg · 6 years

Text

TRAVEL: A WEEKEND GUIDE TO AUGUSTA, GA

Zach and I had the pleasure of being invited to Augusta, GAby the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau team for a weekend trip a few weeks ago and I Insta-storied the whole thing. Incase you missed it, or are planning a trip there yourself, I figured a blog would be a good choice to reference so you can see what we got in to. If you don’t know, Augusta is a small city about 2.5hrs away from where we live in the suburbs of Atlanta so it was an easy drive to get there, and we brought the dogs along to make it a nice family getaway. I’m going to break up what we did in sections: lodging, activities, and food, but feel free to visit the official Augusta, GA website to see a lot more options!

LODGING:

We stayed at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center. This hotel is right in the middle of Downtown on the Savannah River. The staff was nice, the room was very modern and clean - plus, we had a killer view. In addition, the hotel lobby is really nice, it features a coffee shop and restaurant, they have a pool, and they are pet-friendly!

ACTIVITIES:

We did various activities, and changed up our itinerary, because it was raining the day we got there. I’ll categorize everything by indoor and outdoor in case this happens to you as well.

OUTDOOR:

Stroll along the Riverwalk : we did this at sunrise and took the dogs for a walk since it was literally right outside of our hotel. Plus, it was a gorgeous view.

Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle Boarding at Betty’s Branch with Outdoor Augusta : this was on our list of things to do but because of the weather we didn’t make it.

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park : this was about a 15min drive from the hotel and we took the dogs there for a nice walk. You get to see the swamp waters, they have a kids playground, and really easy walking trails.

The Carolina Georgia Fair : this one is a bit more seasonal since I believe it is only there in October, but we went on a whim and had a good time. Plus, who doesn’t love a good ole funnel cake?

INDOOR:

Augusta Candle Co - This place was awesome. You smell A TON of scents, write down your favorites, pick out a candle container, and go to the bar area where someone helps you create your own custom scented candle. It takes about 2 hours for the candle to harden so we ate lunch and killed time before we picked them up.

Fitness classes - again, we didn’t get to go, but it was recommended that I check out Oxygen Fitness Studio. They offer: yoga, pilates, spin, barre, cross-training, and HIIT classes.

Shopping (sort-of) - to be honest we didn’t really shop, but I got several messages on Instagram saying that I should check out Final Cut. It’s an “Anthropology/Free People Outlet” from what I understand. The place is huge and smells kind of funny, but if you’re into funky furniture and sifting through boxes of clothes - it might be your jam.

FOOD:

Humanitree House: we got really, really delicious cold-pressed juice and smoothie bowls. It’s all vegan, organic, and local. The place is super eclectic with art everywhere, and they even have a few vendors set up selling items and more food.

The Southern Salad: another really tasty spot with plenty of healthy options. Zach ordered the Grain Burrito Bowl and I had Toast + Lox. The also have salads, smoothies, more grain bowls, more toast options, snacks, and desserts.

Sole: This was our dinner spot and I highly recommend sitting outside. They have strings lights, heaters, and you can hear the extremely varied, yet awesome, music choices. This place isn’t very vegan friendly so Zach managed with a veggie roll and edamame, but if you’re into sushi and tapas they have you covered! I ordered a few of the speciality rolls and one of their signature cocktails. The service was also really great!

New Moon Cafe: This place was an awesome breakfast spot, but they serve lunch as well. They offer vegan, gluten free, and Keto options! They were quite busy when we got there, but the food came out quick. Zach got the avocado toast and espresso, and I got cheese grits, a lox bagel (again, I know), and a vanilla latte.

We only got to go for a weekend, so if you’ve been to Augusta before and have even more recommendations please leave them in the comments below!

0 notes

laynebaril1blog-blog · 6 years

Text

SBE310 full course latest all discussions , all you decide full course proj and final

Click Link Below To Buy:

http://hwcampus.com/shop/sbe310-full-course-latest/

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SBE310 Week 1 Discussion DQ1 & DQ 2 Latest

DQ 1

Entrepreneurship (graded)

What do entrepreneurs do that distinguishes them from any other person involved in business? Why is it that personality characteristics may be good predictors of who will be a successful entrepreneur?

DQ 2

Entrepreneurial Passion (graded)

Think of an activity that you love to do; it could be a personal interest or a hobby. How could you turn your passion for this activity into a business? What questions would you have to answer before you took this step? What triggering events in your personal life would it take for you to start this business?

SBE310 Week 2 Discussion DQ1 & DQ 2 Latest 2016 Jan.

DQ 1

Social Responsibility and Stonyfield Farm (graded)

After watching the video on Stonyfield Farm answer this question: “The responsible thing to do is to identify and examine every potential for doing good and make some kind of investment there.” How has the company’s CEO set about to improve his company according to these words, and what remains to be done?

DQ 2

Investor Decisions (graded)

You are an investor in small businesses, and you have three business plans on your desk. Choose one of the potential business owners listed. Explain why you think that would be the best bet for an investment. 1. A recent college grad, full of energy and ideas, but short on expertise. 2. A middle-management corporate refugee desiring a business of her own after frustration with bureaucratic red tape. 3. A serial entrepreneur who has previously started seven businesses (three of which were huge successes, whereas four failed, losing entire investments).

SBE310 Week 3 Discussion DQ1 & DQ 2 Latest 2016 Jan.

DQ 1

Finagle a Bagel (graded)

After watching the Finagle a Bagel video, answer the questions below. 1. What financial issues has growth created for Finagle a Bagel? 2. What does Alan mean when he says that the restaurant business is a great top-line business? 3. What does that have to do with the bottom line?

DQ 2

The Role of Angel Investors (graded)

After reading the introductory lecture notes regarding angel investors, describe how an angel investor could assist in the financing of an upstart company.

SBE310 Week 4 Discussion DQ1 & DQ 2 Latest 2016 Jan.

DQ 1

Franchising (graded)

Explain how a franchise could be considered a partnership. What makes a franchise agreement simpler than a partnership that you would start with another individual?

DQ 2

Sideline Business (graded)

Many entrepreneurs test the waters of a market by starting a sideline business. What are the advantages and disadvantages of selling items on Internet auctions, such as eBay?

SBE310 Week 5 Discussion DQ1 & DQ 2 Latest 2016 Jan.

DQ 1

Market Segmentation (graded)

Segmentation is the process of breaking a population down into smaller groups and marketing to it. Is it possible for a small business to oversegment its market? How might that be dangerous?

DQ 2

Single Product Development Risks (graded)

Many small businesses are built around one product. What risks does this approach impose? How can small business owners minimize those risks?

SBE310 Week 6 Discussion DQ1 & DQ 2 Latest 2016 Jan.

DQ 1

Location Analysis (graded)

Why should the small business owner consider the demographics of an area when choosing a location for opening a new business? Name some sources of demographic information that are valuable tools to use in this evaluation.

DQ 2

Pricing Strategy (graded)

What strategies should be considered if a small business is setting prices for a product that is to be exported? How are these strategies different from those used in a domestic market?

SBE310 Week 7 Discussion DQ1 & DQ 2 Latest 2016 Jan.

DQ 1

Hiring Friends (graded)

As a young entrepreneur, you may soon be in the position of hiring one or more of your college friends in your own business. What are the advantages of hiring your friends? What are the potential pitfalls?

DQ 2

Operations Management at Various Company (graded)

After watching the video on operation management, answer these questions: 1. How has Finagle A Bagel used customization in its design decisions as a means of distinguishing its service and products? 2. What is materials requirement planning, and how can an organization use it to create its product?

Assignment and Course project

SBE310 All Week Course Project Latest 2016 Jan.

Course Project> Part 3: Entrepreneur Research Paper

Entrepreneur Research Project

Introduction

This course project includes interviewing an entrepreneur. Parts 1 and 2 require using the same interview. You may also use the same entrepreneur for Part 3 of this assignment.

Part 1: Entrepreneur Interview Paper

Locate a local entrepreneur to interview and write a reflection paper on your chosen person. You are required to submit a one-page biography of your entrepreneur in Week 3 that is worth 20 points. It is important: Be sure to start this assignment as soon as possible to insure that you find a suitable entrepreneur.

The purpose of this paper is to interview a local entrepreneur in order to develop insights into the world of entrepreneurship. At the end of the process, you will need to take the information and reflect upon the challenges and the rewards of being an entrepreneur.

What type of person becomes this type of risk taker?

What challenges did he or she face and overcome?

What failures did this person have?

How many companies has he or she started?

How successful is he or she?

Why is this person successful?

Why did he or she become an entrepreneur?

What is this person's measure of success?

What did you learn about entrepreneurship from this interview?

This paper should focus on these types of questions but should not be limited to just the ones listed above. Get creative and get into the idea that you need to learn from this person so that you can better understand the challenges this business choice offers.

Guidelines

The biography paper must be no more than one page; you will turn this into the dropbox at the end of Week 3.

You must follow APA formatting guidelines.

Although this is not a scientific-type writing assignment and is mostly creative in nature, references are still very important. You must reference your interviewee. Be sure to look up how to cite an interview in APA style.

All DeVry University policies are in effect, including the plagiarism policy.

Any questions about this paper may be discussed in the weekly Q & A discussion topic.

Milestones

During Weeks 1 through 3, select a person and conduct an interview. Decide who you are going to interview for the project, make arrangements for the interview, and conduct the interview.

In Week 3, submit an entrepreneur biography. In Week 3, you are required to submit a one-page biography in the dropbox.

Frequently Asked Questions

I do not know anyone who is an entrepreneur or owns a small business. What do I do?

Find someone who owns a business (or who has owned a business in the past) in any industry, anywhere. You may have to get on the phone and make some calls. Tell him or her you are a college student and need approximately 30 minutes of his or her time. People are almost always happy to help a student. Have a backup in case your first choice for an interview has a conflict at the last minute. Conflicts and conciliation can happen, so it is best to be prepared.

Do I have to do an interview?

Yes, a personal or phone interview with another person is required. Full contact information for the source should be provided in your paper for verification purposes.

I do this work for my company, can I just talk about my experience?

No, see question 2 above.

How do I cite a personal interview as a source reference?

See the APA Tutorial in the course Syllabus.

Grading Rubric:

Category

Points

Description

Background Information

50%

Ensure that you have a complete background of your entrepreneur. Key elements include company name, start date of company, key historic moments in company, and basic information on entrepreneur.

Grammar and Spelling

25%

Insure your paper is well written. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation should be correct.

Organization and Cohesiveness

25%

The paper is organized, and it tells the story of the entrepreneur. Writing is at the college level.

Total

100

A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 2: Entrepreneur Reflection Paper

Expand upon the entrepreneur interview, and write a reflection paper on your chosen person. The entrepreneur reflection paper is worth 150 points and is due in Week 5. The purpose of this paper is to take the information from the interview and reflect upon the challenges and rewards of being an entrepreneur.

Guidelines

The paper must be 4 - 5 pages in length.

You must follow APA formatting.

Include a table of contents.

Even though this is not a scientific-type writing assignment and is mostly creative in nature, references are still very important. You must reference your interviewee. Be sure to look up how to cite an interview in APA style.

All DeVry University policies are in effect including the plagiarism policy.

Papers are due during Week 5 of this course and should be submitted to the dropbox.

Any questions about this paper may be discussed in the weekly Q & A discussion topic.

This paper is worth 150 total points and will be graded on quality of research topic, quality of paper information, use of citations, grammar, and sentence structure.

Milestones

During Week 5, write and submit your entrepreneur reflection paper. In Week 5, you will finish writing your paper (see next section). For APA format guidelines, please refer to the APA Tutorial in the Syllabus. Insure that the body of your paper, excluding cover page and sources, exceeds the minimum and that all of the assignment requirements have been met.

Best Practices

Cover Page:Include who you prepared the paper for, who prepared it, and the date.

Table of Contents:List the main ideas and section of your paper and the pages where they are located. The illustrations should be included separately.

Introduction:Use a header on your paper. It will indicate that you are introducing your paper.

The purpose of an introduction or opening is to

introduce the subject and why the subject is important;

preview the main ideas and the order in which they will be covered; and

establish the tone of the document.

Include in the introduction a reason for the audience to read the paper. Also, include an overview of what you are going to cover in your paper and the importance of the material. (This should include or introduce the questions you are asked to answer on each assignment.)

Body of Your Report:Use a header titled with the name of your project (e.g., “The Development of Hotel X - A World Class Resort”). Then proceed to break out the main ideas: state the main ideas, state major points in each idea, and provide evidence. Break out each main idea you will use in the body of your paper. Show some type of division such as separate sections that are labeled, separate group of paragraphs, or headers. You would include the information you found during your research and investigation.

Summary and Conclusion:Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing, but summarizing presents the gist of the material in fewer words than the original. An effective summary identifies the main ideas and major support points from the body of your report; minor details are left out. Summarize the benefits of the ideas and how they affect the tourism industry.

Work Cited: Use the citation format as specified in the Syllabus.

Grading Rubric:

Category

Points

Description

Insight

28.5%

What insights have you gained from your interview? What did you learn from your entrepreneur?

Analysis

28.5%

How did you interpret the message from the entrepreneur with what you have learned so far in class? (How would you apply theories reviewed in class?) How was the information analyzed? What was the message of your interview?

Overall Organization

28.5

Was the paper organized, and did it tell the story of the entrepreneur and your findings? The overall paper should be cohesive and tell a story. How complete was the paper?

Total

150

100

A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 3: Entrepreneur Research Paper

You will write an extensive research paper on an entrepreneurship failure. As you may be aware, 80% of all small businesses fail within the first five years (50% in the first year). Your research paper must answer the following question: Why does this failure happen, and how can it be avoided? You will need to research a small business or use your entrepreneur that you interviewed to learn about failure. The paper will have three sections.

Failure Introduction: Your first 2 pages should be a background of the failed business. What was the business? Who were their competitors? What was their mission or business vision? When did the business start and then fail?

Reason for Failure: This section (2 pages) requires your insights and will be a large part of your grade. You must describe why the business failed. There are many reasons small companies fail, and you should do some basic research (hint – some scholarly research is required here) to determine the common causes and then compare this research to your company.

Your Analysis: The last section (2 pages) should be what could have been done, in your opinion and based on the knowledge you received in class (another hint – more scholarly research could be used here), to avert the failure. Could the entrepreneur have planned better? Was the idea sound but the implementation poor? Simply put, as the observer after the fact, how could this business have survived?

It is important: Do not write 5 pages on the company and save the last page for the reason and analysis. Please use the guidelines above to ensure that you maximize your effort on this project.

Remember, the point of this research project is for you toevaluatea failure, determine the causes of the failure, and introduce a way the failure could have been averted. This project will give you some insight for your own potential business idea and help you avoid some of the mistakes others have made. As stated above, failure is common in small business; conduct some solid research on this project to identify the risks, so you can create mitigation techniques to increase your chances of success when you venture out with your plan!

Guidelines

Papers must be 6 - 8 pages in length. (There would be roughly one page per area included in the report.)

You must follow APA formatting guidelines. Appropriate citations are required.

Include a table of contents.

Even though this is not a scientific-type writing assignment and is mostly creative in nature, references are still very important. You must have at least 4 scholarly references. (For more information, please view research information below.)

All DeVry University policies are in effect including the plagiarism policy.

Papers are due Week 7.

Any questions about this paper may be discussed in the weekly Q & A discussion topic.

This paper is worth 200 total points and will be graded on quality of research topic, quality of paper information, use of citations, grammar, and sentence structure.

Research Information

Note that you will conduct online research using scholarly resources, which can be found in the DeVry Online Library (available under Course Home) and online research sources such as Google. Locate at least 4 scholarly articles that discuss the failures in small business for inclusion as sources in your paper. What are current trends in this business (or in the overall industry of which this business is a member) that might impact customer service, customer satisfaction, or customer loyalty positively or negatively?

Milestones

In Weeks 1 through 3 you determined the failure you will research and decided what business failure you planned to research.

In Weeks 3 through 5, you researched and analyzed failure.

During Weeks 6 and 7, write and submit your entrepreneur reflection paper. Finish writing your paper. For APA format guidance, please refer to the APA Tutorial in the syllabus. Ensure that the body of your paper, excluding cover page and sources, exceeds the minimum page requirement, and that all of the assignment requirements have been met. Then, submit your paper.

Best Practices

Cover Page:Include who you prepared the paper for, who prepared it, and the date.

Table of Contents:List the main ideas and section of your paper and the pages where they are located. The illustrations should be included separately.

Introduction:Use a header on your paper. It will indicate that you are introducing your paper.

The purpose of an introduction or opening is to

introduce the subject and why the subject is important;

preview the main ideas and the order in which they will be covered; and

establish the tone of the document.

Work Cited: Use the citation format as specified in the Syllabus.

Grading Rubric:

Category

Points

Description

Introduction

25%

The introduction (2 pages) describes the business in detail. Start and failure dates, industry background, company idea and target customers all are elements that must be included. Additionally, any information about the founder and overall finance (if available) should be included.

Analysis

25%

The analysis is the core of the project (2-3 pages). You must determine why the failure occurred. You must have some research about general reasons of entrepreneurial failure as your base understanding and incorporate research in the analysis of the business failure.

Recommendations

25%

Your recommendations must demonstrate a thorough understanding of your business's failure and create credible remedies to solve the problem (2-3 pages). For example, if your company lacks capital, simply stating that the company needed more money is not enough. How would you raise that money? Perhaps the business plan was not developed properly, or no plan was created at all, and the idea and sales projections were unrealistic. In other words, your analysis and research must be specific and detailed.

Organization and Cohesiveness

12.5%

Insure that the paper follows the guidelines listed above and the information is presented in an organized manner.

Grammar and Spelling

12.5%

Grammar and spelling must be at college level.

Total

200

100

A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Devry SBE310 Week 6 You Decide Latest 2016 Jan.

You Decide> Grading Rubric

Scenario Summary

As outlined in the lecture this week, an incubator is a large firm that nurtures many companies and invests in business ideas. Incubators provide support in many ways and you would like to submit your idea to Rollins Incubator, Inc. in order to benefit from their management and financial support.

Your Assignment

You have contacted Janet Rodgers, the Vice President of Business Development of Rollins Incubator, Inc., and she told you that you will have 5 minutes with the Michael Rollins, the CEO of Rollins Incubator, Inc.

Key Players

You Decide

ScenarioYour RoleKey PlayersAssignment

Scenario

Your Role

You are an entrepreneur that wants to be funded by Rollins Incubator, Inc. You have an outstanding idea that needs funding and you feel that bringing your idea to an incubator would increase your chances of success. You have contacted the Janet Rodgers, Vice President of Business Development of Rollins Incubator, Inc., and she told you that you will have 5 minutes with the Michael Rollins, the CEO of Rollins Incubator, Inc.

Key Players

Janet RodgersVP Business Development Rollins Incubator, Inc.Michael RollinsCEO Rollins Incubator, Inc.

Assignment

Given the scenario, your role and the information provided by the key players involved, it is time for you to make a decision. If you are finished reviewing this scenario, close this window and return to this Week's You Decide tab, in eCollege, to complete the activity for this scenario. You can return and review this scenario again at any time.

Activity or Assignment

Assignment

Develop a 12-slide PowerPoint presentation to pitch your idea to Mr. Rollins. Your slideshow must be succinct, compelling, and should include the following elements.

Slide 1: State your company name and motto, with a tagline and a date.

Slide 2: Review business proposition, what will your business create?

Slide 4: Share your objective, how much money do you need, and why you are here?

Slide 3: Review technology platforms you intend to use.

Slide 5: Provide current market review; detail the market; how big is the market?

Slide 6: Provide forecast for current market.

Slide 7: Market competition, who do you sell the product to and how big is that market?

Slide 8: Review business model drivers, what makes you unique from the competition?

Slide 9: Review potential risks.

Slide 10: Review the management team with whom you will partner, including yourself.

Slide 11: Financials; basic revenues and costs, and profits in a 3 to 5 year term.

Slide 12: Amount of money needed to fund your idea, with a basic breakdown of where the money will go.

Be sure to use the Notes section of the PowerPoint to highlight your presentation information. Keep these notes succinct as well.

Grading Rubric

Category

Points

Description

Criteria/Creativity

Demonstrate a strong substantiation of your idea. Demonstrate understanding of how the course concepts apply to the idea. Be sure to include the basic concepts and criteria required by the CEO. Your idea must be compelling and creative.

Understanding

Develop high-level concepts and outline for your idea. Be sure to include all the elements required when presenting a business plan. The elements and slides that are required have been presented to you in the You Decide audio section, be sure to listen carefully, so you will be able to create your slides effectively. Ensure that you utilize the Notes section to outline any specifics you would talk about in your presentation.

Execution

Make sure your slideshow is clear and succinct using strong organization and proper grammar. Use citations correctly. There will be an automatic 10-point deduction for any presentation over 12 slides.

Total

A quality slideshow will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Devry SBE310 Week 3 You Decide Latest 2016 Jan

You Decide> Grading Rubric

Scenario, Your Role, Key Players

You Decide

ScenarioYour RoleKey PlayersAssignment

Scenario

In this scenario, you are the Vice President for Johnson Angel Investments, LLC and assistant to an angel investor, Joe Johnson, CEO Johnson Angel Investments, LLC. Joe Johnson made his fortune in the Internet space. He was an executive for a company that went public and he cashed in his options and is now worth over $100 million.

Your Role

You are the Vice President for Johnson Angel Investments, LLC. You have been hired by Mr. Johnson to help select investments and determine viability of business ideas.

Key Players

Ms. Samantha SmithCFO Johnson Angel Investments, LLC.Mr. Joe JohnsonCEO Johnson Angel Investments, LLC.

Assignment

Assignment or Assignment

Assignment

Create investment criteria for Mr. Johnson that will outline what his company will be willing to evaluate for investing. The criteria will be created by you, which will be posted on the website to be seen by entrepreneurs.

Here are some examples of criteria, but not limited to the following.

Development Stage:What stage does your investor prefer (concept, idea, break-even)?

Geographic Location:Location the investor prefers.

Industry:The industry your investor prefers.

Revenue:Outline the level of profit you want the company to show.

Return on Investor (ROI) Desired:The amount of ROI you desire.

Technology Focus:The focus of the entrepreneurs' technology (i.e., biomedical, Internet, etc.).

Management:Level of experience you desire from the management team.

Sustainable Competitive Advantage:A demonstration of the competitive advantage.

Exit Strategy:The exit strategy your investor prefers.

Size of Market:The size of the marketplace that you prefer.

Size of Investment:The range of the investment your investor is willing to disperse.

Proof of Concept:A list of sales and a prototype required.

Your proposal should be 2-3 pages in length with a detailed list of your criteria and explanations for the criteria.

Grading Rubric

Category

Points

Description

Understanding

Demonstrate a strong grasp of the problem. Demonstrate understanding of how the course concepts apply to the problem. Be sure to include the basic concepts and criteria required by the owner and CFO. Show creativity with the assignment and outline interesting ways to create the proposal.

Analysis

Develop a detailed outline of your criteria. Provide details on angel investor requirements. A simple list of the criteria will not work. A demonstration of research outside of the course work will be evaluated; did you find criteria that is not explained in the details?

Execution

Write your answer clearly and succinctly using strong organization and proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Follow APA formatting standards.

Total

100

A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

final exam

Question 1.1. (TCO 1) Approximately what percentage of businesses have a payroll with fewer than 500 people?

(Points : 5)

10%

25%

75%

99%

Question 2.2. (TCO 1) The impact downsizing has on small business is which of the following?

(Points : 5)

No labor force to work in small businesses

Opportunity to perform the work large businesses no longer perform

An availability of workers with no skills

Lack of financial backing for small businesses

Question 3.3. (TCO 1) The most common cause of business failure is _____.

(Points : 5)

choosing the wrong type of business ownership

starting a business that is too large

lack of marketing expertise by the small business owner

inadequate management and financing

Question 4.4. (TCO 1) Entrepreneurship primarily involves which phase of business?

(Points : 5)

The startup process

Hiring of key employees

Maintaining a positive cash flow

Building and maintaining a sufficient customer base

Question 5.5. (TCO 1) The single biggest disadvantage of sole proprietorships is which of the following?

(Points : 5)

Limited resources

Limited skills

Unlimited liability

Double taxation

Question 6.6. (TCO 4) The best time for a small business to get a lawyer is _____.

(Points : 5)

when the business is in trouble

during court hearings

when writing the business plan

while the business is still an idea

Question 7.7. (TCO 4) Which one below is NOT a pricing strategy discussed in our course? (Points : 5)

Price skimming

Promotional pricing

Penetration price

Prestige pricing

Question 8.8. (TCO 4) Peter Drucker stated that businesses have _____ basic functions.

(Points : 5)

two

three

four

five

Question 9.9. (TCO 4) Product refers to which of the following?

(Points : 5)

Tangible goods only

Tangible services only

Tangible goods, intangible services, or a combination of both

Intangible services only

Question 10.10. (TCO 4) A small business owner should begin the site selection process by asking which of the following questions?

(Points : 5)

What region would be best?

What state within the region would be best?

What city within that region would be best?

What specific site within that city will work for the business?

Question 11.11. (TCO 4) A long-term agreement to rent a building, equipment, or other assets is known as a _____. (Points : 5)

lease

rental contract

legally liable contract

business contract

Question 12.12. (TCO 4) Consumers typically do not want the cheapest product available; they want the _____. (Points : 5)

best product for the highest price

most reasonable product at the highest price

most reasonable product at the lowest price

best product for the most reasonable price

Question 13.13. (TCO 4) The point at which total cost equals total revenue and the business is neither making or losing money is known as the _______.

(Points : 5)

Profit area

Loss area

Breakeven point

Profit point

Question 14.14. (TCO 2) Through the franchise agreement, the _____ gains the benefit of the parent company's expertise, experience, management systems, marketing, and financial help.

(Points : 5)

franchisor

franchisee

leaser

lessee

Question 15.15. (TCO 2) Adequate cash flow can be especially critical if the business is a _____.

(Points : 5)

manufacturing business

service business

seasonal or cyclical business

healthcare business

Question 16.16. (TCO 2) Which of the following is not included in the marketing plan section of the business plan?

(Points : 5)

How sales forecasts will be reached

Marketing objectives

Identification of potential markets

Cash flow statements

Question 17.17. (TCO 3) When analyzing financial statements, remember that profits can be increased and expenses can be decreased to make the records look better _____.

(Points : 5)

in the short run

in the long run

for tax purposes

for bank audits

Question 18.18. (TCO 3) No matter what type of business a person is starting, one of the most important resources is _____. (Points : 5)

inventory

low rental rates

high wages

time

Question 19.19. (TCO 3) Most Inc. 500 companies receive more than half of their revenue from _____.

(Points : 5)

their local areas

their regional areas

outside their home regions and internationally

within 100 miles of their businesses

Question 20.20. (TCO 3) The stages that products in the marketplace go through are known as what?

(Points : 5)

The product life cycle

The product growth stages

The product timeline

The product opportunity stages

Question 21.21. (TCO 5) Organizing involves all but which of the following?

(Points : 5)

Assembling financial resources

Assembling human resources

Assembling materials

Assembling invoices

Question 22.22. (TCO 5) Job analysis will _____. (Points : 5)

identify the tasks needed to implement your business plan

identify the human capital needed to implement your business plan

identify the skills needed to implement your business plan

None of the above

Question 23.23. (TCO 5) Which percentage of major U.S. employers offer some form of child care assistance?

(Points : 5)

40%

55%

68%

80%

Question 24.24. (TCO 6) Inputs, transformation processes, outputs, control systems, and feedback are the five basic elements of what?

(Points : 5)

Human resource management

Transformation management

Operations management

Time management

Question 25.25. (TCO 6) Information that shows the steps required to produce a product is called which of the following?

(Points : 5)

Routing

Sequencing

Dispatching

Controlling

Question 26.26. (TCO 7) An account number of 13 would represent which of the following accounts?

(Points : 5)

Accounts payable

Accrued taxes

Insurance expense

Accounts receivable

Question 27.27. (TCO 7) Assets that will be converted into cash within 1 year are called _____.

(Points : 5)

short-term assets

long-term assets

capital assets

financial assets

Question 28.28. (TCO 8) In our lecture, we discussed the difference in the missions of today’s companies. The mission of a company in the 21st century is to maximize shareholder _____. (Points : 5)

wealth

value

investment

None of the above

Question 29.29. (TCO 9) The obligation of business to maximize the positive impact it has on society while minimizing the negative impact is called what?

(Points : 5)

Moral obligation

Business responsibility

Business ethics

Social responsibility

Question 30.30. (TCO 9) A long-term planning tool used for viewing a business and the environments in which it operates in the broadest terms is _____.

(Points : 5)

strategic planning

intermediate planning

short-term planning

strategic alternatives

Page 2

Question 1. 1. (TCO 1) Compare and contrast a sole proprietorship, a partnership, and a corporation. Provide examples of where you would use each structure. (Points : 14)

Question 2. 2. (TCO 3) Analyze three areas that should be researched when deciding whether or not to purchase an existing business. Using examples, evaluate these three areas and their importance. (Points : 14)

Question 3. 3. (TCO 4) Compare and contrast economic order quantity and just in time as inventory control methods. Evaluate how these control methods can improve the financial position of a small business. (Points : 14)

Question 4. 4. (TCO 6) Compare and contrast Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theories. Relate the importance of each theory to a small business owner. (Points : 14)

Question 5. 5. (TCO 9) Analyze the four levels depicted in the pyramid of social responsibility. (Points : 14)

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tricityrevivals · 6 years

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Blog Chapter 2.1: The Journey Continues..

Exactly one year ago I wrote our first of now twelve blogs: “Chapter 1.0-The Journey Begins..” and it’s crazy to look back and read that blog and see where we were at that point in time, and remembering our mindset. This year has gone by so fast and it’s been filled with twists and turns along the way. I don’t even really know where to start with this one. Here’s our newest blog as our journey continues with a glance into the past and upcoming year of Tri-City Revivals.

We admittedly didnt know much about A business starting off. Where there’s a will there’s always a way. We knew how to make money selling things, and we translated that into “lets open a business doing this”. It’s pretty funny and crazy to think back and just say hey we can do this based off of that idea, but we took a shot, and it paid off.

The amount of knowledge we’ve learned this year is insane. Neither of us were really interested in college or schoolwork because the subject matter wasn’t of interest to us, but when we are interested in something we become geniuses. We still have a lot to learn, there’s always room to learn more and more each day. I can say absolutely we can school the majority of people double our age on picks about a bunch of items. They just look at us with the “wtf” look. How do these kids know all this stuff?

A year later we have an amazing instagram following, a tremendous website, an inventory of items that fly off the shelves, and an a pick list that’s double sided upcoming.

Our instagram community has been amazing. From making sales and interactions with all our followers to getting feedback it’s been a very powerful tool for us. There’s no magical social media potion we use, but it’s more of a place to display the work we put in and image of us. The majority of that credit goes to Luke and his keen eye and photography skills. I know the work we put in, but I just don’t know how to translate that into a photograph for our viewers, he does. Our followers have went from 0 to 3,000+ in 1 year. It speaks volumes, and we appreciate every single person who at least gives us the opportunity to see what we are about.

Our website gets compliments from everyone who visits. Our view of what we wanted was completed by NJ Tech Team. Specifically Vin and Jess. Since we graduated High School with both of them, they knew us, our personality, and also listened to what our vision was. They worked their magic, and gave us exactly what we wanted. We could not have been any happier with the way things turned out. Looking forward to this year, expect our website to take it up a notch. We don’t want to give anything away so stayed tuned. Its going to be much more interactive for those visiting the site.

As far as picks- we’re expanding our search. There’s still plenty in our area but we’ve been traveling up and down the East Coast as a test run recently, and expect that to go full throttle in the new year. People are finding us now, as opposed to us finding them. Word is spreading quick on Tricity Revivals and we couldn’t be any more stoked about it. They’re finding us several different ways- from friends of friends, or seeing us at shows/sales, or finding our business card in a local eaterie. That ones always funny.

“Hey I saw your card at this bagel shop and figured I’d give you a call because I have some stuff you may be interested in”

Trust me its not always this simple but it has happened before more than once.

One thing that really sticks out in my mind this year: We had so much fun. All too often you hear about the dreads and sighs of going to work and its really unfortunate. I mean we had a blast-just looking back and remembering certain moments could still crack me up. I couldn’t even count on two hands how many times we were doubled over laughing throughout this year in all the different situations we were put in. We’re friends first, business partners second. We’ve spent a lot of time together throughout our lives but this past year it was more than ever. I can’t wait to do it again next year.

We’re excited about what the next year may bring. I think we’ve exceeded everybody’s expectations except our own really. There’s no one else doing this the way we are. There’s no business plan we can mimic off of, or no monthly subscription payments to be accepted. No latest and greatest equipment we can buy to make our jobs easier. I think we’ve dealt with those circumstances pretty well, and have thought up pretty much any idea thats associated with us or how we do business all on our own. Whether it’s a minor change or a major one, we’re always the ones bringing that to the table and we can only hope it shows to our audience.

There’s always more work to do and more knowledge to learn. With anything new in life you need that grace period to learn the ropes and make adjustments. I feel like that was this year. Neither of us knew what to expect, but we figured it out pretty quickly. We’ve experimented with different methods and formulas. Some worked, others didn’t. Either way we kept pushing forward. There will always be mistakes but you have to capitalize on them.

There weren’t many mistakes this year but we are far from perfect. I won’t even call it a mistake I’d call it a lesson learned. To name one:

We overestimated the value of a bunch of items on one of our first picks in the beginning of the year. The items were great and we just thought we could sell them for a lot more than we bought them for. It was a mixture of our error and the seller being greedy or delusional. He was a lifetime collector and he knew there was no money for us to make on the items but he continued to sell them to us for over retail and promised someone would pay the moon for these things. Lesson learned. We’re human. You live and you learn. It obviously didn’t break us and made us look at things a little differently going forward. It has never, and will never happen again.

No need to harp on that in this blog. Just trying to give a glimpse showing it hasn’t been neat and dandy all year.

It’s hard to write a blog and find compliments for yourself and your business, especially when our mindset is that we can always be better, but I have to say we made it a year and we’re gaining more and more momentum with each day, each pick, and each restoration job.

Speaking on restoration- Most people don’t realize this is one of our services, and just see us as pickers. We did get our start restoring free furniture but we can do much more than that, and have restored some great items this past year. Especially when we have our full Tri-City Team with us. Let’s be clear we’d rather not touch the item at all. It’s only original once! I’d say instead of calling it Restoration we deal more (and enjoy more) of doing Rust-orations. It’s the biggest trend in this game right now, and its exploding. It’s basically restoring something so that its in working order, but the outter part is untouched or touched up very slightly. It still gives that original look. As I said, its only original once. People dont want something that looked like it did brand new in 1950. They want something that looks like it was made brand new in 1950 and survived to 2018. We love it and couldn’t agree more.

What to expect of 2018?

I honestly don’t know what 2018 is going to bring for us. I know we’ve had conversations saying we feel like we’re coasting a little bit at times. Admittedly, as we always say and think, we can be doing more, but if this is coasting than watch out if we’re going 110%. There’s a lot of things upcoming that we have to be excited for. We have a lot of really interesting and enormous opportunities that are ahead of us coming from all different ways. Some may work out, others may not, but it’s going to be an exciting time either way and I’m pumped to see how everything plays out. The relationships we’ve built throughout the past year will continue to hopefully form a stronger bond. All I can say is, I feel bad for the other side of those relationships if they choose to forget us, because eventually you’re going to remember the name.

As our best friend and Tri-City Team Member always says, “You guys are playing chess, everyone else is playing checkers”. We’re two steps ahead already even though it may not seem that way. We’ve always got a plan.

Besides that, we are excited at the thought of finding new items this year. We’ve sold over 400 different items this year approximately. Every single one of those items we found in a barn, attic, garage, or home. We’ve shipped items all over the United States and Internationally as well. People will stop in from time to time at Tricity Headquarters and its always the same question

“Where the hell is all your stuff?”

“Gone. Sold”

Every single item we found we learned the background on, educated ourselves, and that’s where the knowledge I was talking about previously comes into play. Every item we shipped to someone who appreciated that piece which makes it all the more special. Everyone isn’t out there getting dirty and looking in barns or attics for it, but they will spend their hard earned cash on it. That speaks volumes to us.

As long as time on earth continues, there is always going to be a market for vintage or antique items. Years go by, people don’t like the new stuff being made, so they go with something vintage. Or they just have great memories of something they had in their past and it’s not being made or sold anymore, whether it be decor or a functional piece. I wouldn’t say its a fad or a trend. This has been going on for much longer than we have been doing it, but the key is that now it’s in the spotlight. Not everyone can do this. I know plenty of people that do the same thing as us but they can’t sell an item to save their life. You can have a storefront, a big name, and a following but that doesn’t make you successful. Your reputation and work ethic will lead you to success. You have to put in the work, test out the market, learn the history, and be smart with your decisions. As long as we keep doing that Our Journey Will Continue.

Lastly, and on a side note: We want to thank everyone who took the time to help us out this past year. Family, Friends, and Relatives who were supportive from the beginning when all of this was just an idea. Spouse’s and our Fur Children who sometimes get put on hold when we are leaving you in the dust running out of the house for a pick or on our phones negotiating a deal or finalizing business opportunities-It doesn’t go unnoticed, and we cannot thank you enough for dealing with us. Even something as small as you giving us a like, or a follow, or a call, or bought something from us you have all had a hand in where we are at today. Thank You! God Bless! We look forward to sharing 2018 with you!

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emarkly-blog · 7 years

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What marketing strategies work for small businesses today? What are the best ways to get customers to know about your business, contact you, or make a purchase? Here are 24 marketing strategies that work for small businesses.

Image source: Photospin

Finding the right marketing strategies to use has always been a challenging task for small businesses. But the growing number of marketing channels available today make it even more difficult to find the best marketing strategies to build your business. The consumer who's searching the web for the best price on printing business cards may never see your ad in the local newspaper. The woman who gets a text message at 11:15 am from a nearby deli telling her that today's lunch special includes a free diet soda may never bother to look at the coupons your bagel shop mailed with a similar offer. The homeowner who needs a dishwasher repaired may look first at the classified ads in the local weekly newspaper. And, the middle school teacher who thinks her students and their parents spend too much of their waking hours using computers or other digital devices may never see the free sample ad you're running on Facebook.

So, what is the best way to promote your business today? Unfortunately, there's no one push-button marketing idea that will send a steady stream of customers to your door. Whether you sell products or services, you must use multiple marketing strategies to attract and keep customers.

The list below presents a variety of marketing strategies and ideas. Some of the ideas are pretty basic, but very often it's those all-important basic marketing strategies that businesses forget or ignore.

If you've been in business for a long time and haven't changed your marketing methods over the years, pay particular attention to the strategies that involve the Internet and digital marketing. No matter how your existing customers found you, businesses and consumers today regularly turn to digital media to gather information about their needs and research service providers before deciding which service provider they'll use. You want them to find your company.

1. Identify a target market. Create a profile of your ideal customer. What type of person buys this service most frequently today? Why do they need and strongly desire this service? What is their job function? If it's a consumer product, where do they live? How old are they? How much money to they earn? What other factors make them a likely customer? Where are they most likely to look for the service or hear about it? Who might they ask for a referral?

Once you answer those questions, ask yourself one more: "Where should I be networking or what should I be doing to make myself known to that potential customer or to people who give the prospect referrals." After you've answered the questions, act on them.

2. Promote what your customer wants to buy. Customers don't really want the service you perform. They want the solution to a problem or benefit your service provides. Think about it. A plumber's customers aren't really interested in plumbing. They want a leaky pipe fixed. A web developers' customers don't want a database or design. They want a website that will make them look good, get found in search engines, and help them get new customers. If you need help figuring out what your customers are really buying, ask them. Write down their answers and use Get better results from all the marketing you do by focusing on the specific problems your service solves or benefits it provides.

3. Make yourself a trusted resource to prospects and customers. People like to buy from people they know and trust. They also don't like to have anything "sold" to them. Become a trusted resource to your prospects by providing information that will help them make a good choice.

4. Make yourself a resource for the media. Members of the press are always looking for authoritative sources to quote. Keep in touch with local media through online and offline network groups and subscribe to HARO to receive inquiries from media who are looking for interview subjects for stories.

5. Set up professional profiles for yourself and/or your business on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google Profiles (which also serves as your profile on Google+). Be sure each of your profiles has a link to your website. If you meet a prospect and they lose your business card, they might type your name into the search engine to try to find you. Having a profile on the biggest social media sites will allow them to find you and the link to your website.

6. Claim your place on Google Places. Google places listings aren't just for fast food establishments or retail stores. You can search for any type of service by location, and Google will show a list of companies that match the service you searched for in the location you specified. If you live in a big city, there's no guarantee your places profile will show up on that first page listing. But having a profile gives you an edge.

7. Look for social media discussions groups that attract your target customers. Depending what you sell, look for topic-specific groups and/or location-based discussion groups. Set aside a few minutes a day to read the conversations, and then join in when appropriate, making informative comments or posting useful resources. If you don't have time to do this, hire a freelancer or an employee help by scouting out conversations that you may want to participate in.

8. Write informative articles related to the service you provide. Put some of the articles on your own site, and distribute others to articles sites and to other sites that reach your audience and use contributors' articles. Be sure to include an "about the author" resources box with a link to your website. (For more tips on article marketing, read Article Marketing Do's and Don'ts.) The articles will help get yourself and your company known, and help establish your credibility.

9. Print up flyers or brochures and distribute them at membership groups you belong to, if allowed. You can get free templates from HP and Microsoft you can use to create your own. Print small quantities of flyers or product sheets yourself on a color printer. (Be sure to use good quality paper – something heavier than standard copier paper.) When you know you'll need a hundred or more copies at a time, compare the cost of having them printed to the cost of printing your own. Be sure to allow enough time to have the printing delivered to you.

10. Volunteer to speak at local business groups. Local business groups always need interesting speakers to attract members to meetings. Your talk should be about some area of your specialty, but should focus on the audience's informational needs and the problems they want to solve.

11. Submit proposals to speak at industry group conferences. If you don't have a lot of experience speaking, see if you can get on a panel, instead of giving a solo speech. Be sure to promote your participation in the panel before the event, and link to any videos or other after-event promo the conference planner has posted.

12. Refer business to other businesses in your networks. Giving referrals is as important a networking tool as getting them. People recommend people they like….and business people usually like other business people who send them business.

13. Tweet, mention and link to blog posts and social networking posts made by other individuals if what they've written something of interest to your audience. Besides providing good material for your followers, it's a good way to win social media friends, expand your network, and get your name and specialty known.

14. Build an email list and send informative mailings to it on a regular basis. Your mailing list should be made up of people who have asked to be on it. (Having a newsletter signup box on your web page is one good way to get people to "ask" to be on your mailing list.)

15. Join and participate in local business groups and try one or two leads groups as well. The best source of business for many small service businesses is referrals.

16. Stick with groups that attract the types of people you want as customers. Even when people don't really know you, you become a more trusted resource just by showing up.

17. Keep in touch with potential customers and existing customers with a postcard mailing. The person who doesn't have time to talk to you today, may need your services (or know someone else who does) a month or 6 months from now.

18. Ask for referrals. Besides asking existing clients if they know anyone else who can use your services, consider what other professionals you know who could refer business to you – and vice versa. If you're an electrician, talk to local builders and remodeling contractors, plumbers, and people who lay tile. If you are a graphic designer talk to web designers and ad agencies, about referring work.

19. Pick up the phone and call likely prospects. Cold calling is hard and you have to be able to deal with rejection. But it does work. If you are fearful about trying it, check out this article about making cold calls easier.

21. Don't be too quick to discourage tire kickers. It's hard to know where to draw the line with people who keep asking questions without any indication they plan to make a purchase, but sometimes those questions are used as much to size you or your business up as they are to gain information.

22. Have a website and publicize it. It amazes me, but there are still businesses that don't have a website. I was at a Chamber of Commerce meeting a few months ago and met someone who said he was a copywriter. I asked for a business card, and his card didn't include his website, so I asked for his website URL. Amazingly, the person who had just tried to convince me he could write copy for the web, didn't have a website.

No matter how much in-person networking you do or how much social media networking you do, you still need a website. Your prospects will want to see samples of your work, get more information about you, and if you're a consultant or other expert, they're probably going to want to read things you've written about your area of expertise. You can control what they see on your own website. You can't control what ads show up next to your posts or what the rules are on social media sites.

If you can't afford to pay a web developer, set up at least a simple website using free or low cost website hosting and design tools such as Weebly or GoDaddy. Once you have a website, be sure it's listed on all your sales literature, your business card, association member directories, and as many places as you can get listings.

23. Have a fully functioning website. Another circumstance I find amazing is the number of small businesses who join local business networking groups and have non-working websites listed in the group's membership directory. Occasionally it's because the directory listing was published with a typo in the domain name. But often, it appears the business that owned the domain name let it lapse – or never finished setting up the website. Don't let that happen to you. Be sure you register the domain name yourself (instead of letting the web developer do it), and be sure that you keep your credit card information up-to-date at the domain registrar. Double check your association directory listing after it's published to be sure there are no typos and the link works. Check each page on your site to be sure you didn't leave up any links going to blank pages or to "under construction pages."

24. Don't stop marketing. Once business starts coming in on a regular basis it's tempting to ease off on some of the marketing and networking you do. But that's a mistake. You need to market continually to keep business coming in regularly.

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