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On Friday, October 12th, I attended and hosted Kip Soteres, of Soteres Consulting, who came as a speaker to talk to my Business 105 class.  According to his website (http://soteresconsulting.com/author/kip/), Kip is a leader and a change communications expert with 20 years of experience in high-tech banking and health care industries.  In those years, he has won Gold Quill and Silver Anvil awards from the International Association of Business Communicators and Public Relations Society of America for change communications targeting large employee populations.

The main concepts of his lecture were focused on what he does on a basic day in his business life, different forms of communication, how he developed his communications skills, and how he utilizes those skills in his work.  What Kip does is he talks to various businesses who are going through changes and tried to make the employees and workers comfortable with what is going on.  Kip shared with us some forms of communication which consist of: formal e-mails, memos, presentations with visuals, and formal reports.  I found that the e-mail segment of his presentation stuck out as the most important being that it is the most used form of communication in the business world.  He said that the key points to make sure an e-mail is professional is to use correct addressing of the person who the e-mail is being send to and also punctuation and politeness.  This is also discussed in chapter 14 of the business text book under forms of communication.

I saw an article online titled “Don’t Just Tell Employees Organizational Changes Are Coming – Explain Why” and it discusses the ways in which major change in the workplace can effect the attitude, moral, and overall work ethic of an employee; wether it be an atmosphere change, management change, etc.  Communicating a change to your employees can and most likely will affect the work staff at your business.  Motivating and incentivizing people to work well for prizes and bribes can be a solid way to get workers adapted to a new system of work.

Overall, I found Kip’s lecture very informational and full of insight.  I liked how he was able to talk about communications by communicating with the class and myself.  I was able to understand what he was talking about throughout the entirety of his presentation.  I now know how to write formal letters, e-mails, and give strong, compelling presentations.  These skills will be very useful in the future as I enter the business world.

Don’t Just Tell Employees Organizational Changes Are Coming – Explain Why –  https://hbr.org/2018/10/dont-just-tell-employees-organizational-changes-are-coming-explain-why

I attended a CMA meeting on October 18th, and listened to Lynzy Groves give her insight on lessons she has learned and where she has worked.  She is a 2016 Chatham graduate and is currently working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  She discussed with the group what strategies can be used when marketing with a specific goal in mind (societal marketing and marketing for the good).

First when trying to set something into the market, you have to clarify what your goal/mission is.  Having a concrete idea for what you want to market is key because without a solid idea, there is no product/service to market.  Once this idea is formed and confirmed with everyone on your marketing team, you need to have outside investors/promoters willing to spread the word of your message/product.  Networking and getting to know the right people can help create a good reputation for yourself and your marketing ads will gain more effectiveness and popularity.

Some marketing companies and campaigns fail to spread their message due to their poor execution.  However, some companies find success in persuading crowds of people for whatever they are pushing for.  The Truth campaign against teens smoking and vaping has mad large impact on teens to quit although a lot still do.  They have constant presence in Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter (where most traffic from teens derives).  Their goal is to stop teens from smoking all together.

What I learned from the speaker was how to display something that I want to market in a way that will attract and persuade potential buyers/participants to use my good/service.  I will use this in the business world in the future when I have a job someday.

Lynzy Groves’ LinkedIn: Lynzy Groves

I have business plan that I intend to pursue throughout college in the athletic apparel industry.  The market is very competitive but more often than anticipated, I see a small start-up brand make their mark in the market and get publicity and that is what I hope to do someday with my own company.  The sports industry is wildly popular worldwide because just about every country has sports and athletes that would buy the product.  Based on the season and sport, the supply and demand for my product will shift.  For example: If it is Summer time, people will most likely not be in the market for ski and snowboard apparel.  Top brands like Adidas, Nike, and Under Armour will continue to be the leaders in the field due to their strong reputation and dependable products.

Being in the same market as Adidas and others, it will be difficult to get a lot of recognition at first because a lot of athletes are brand loyal when it comes to their apparel.  I feel that the most promising advertisement strategy would be to promote online through local athletes looking for a sponsor and branch out through their fanbase.  I have a few friends playing division 1 sports and if they promote the product to their team, then the product could grow in popularity.  In order to better compete with already existing companies, I plan to increase brand awareness with a clean and unique logo that potential investors/customers will recognize.

As the CEO of my new company I will make sure I have my time invested in my product to promote and get my products name into the market as soon as I can.  I have a few colleagues that I have lined up with interest in helping promote my product(s) and I know with these people I will be able to get some recognition by bigger athletes for my product.  I also will email various small companies with the same goal in mind to potentially work together to get a product into the market.  I have set up a meeting with a business professional by the name of Donald Varshine in the beginning of December to discuss what I can do to make sure my product is of best quality and how to make profits bigger than my initial investment into the product.  I have spoken with this professional a number of times and read articles about how he made his business successful and why it is well known to this day.  He was the founder and former owner of a company called Keystone Dedicated Logistics.  He has given me advice for my company based on what he learned in the business world and how he has turned his failures into positive learning experiences.  I plan to utilize these strategies throughout my growth process Andy goal is to have my company name in the market by the year 2024.

As I am looking into the marketing of my products, I plan to put the view of potential customers in mind and think what would make them want to invest in and/or buy my product(s).  I asked the students in my BUS105 class if they would be interested in purchasing one of my products that I came up with and every male athlete raised their hand with the intention to invest in my company based on a simple explanation I gave about what my product will consist of.  In order to get more interest for my company, I will use a marketing strategy consisting of: a price that makes sense financially for both the company and my customers, a dependable product, a social media and communication based promotion strategy, and find a manufacturer with good prices and a solid reputation.

From a financial standpoint, I want to find workers with an outstanding reputation in the industry.  I would also like to find investors who are willing to support the company’s growth over a 5-year period minimum.  In order to keep my company financially stable, I will work with a financial advisor to help keep my revenue and costs in check.  Financing my company correctly will be big part in the overall success of my company.

I plan to keep the productivity of my company at a high rate with dedicated workers who will stop at nothing in order to make sure the product is a success.  I can spot good work ethic in a person based solely on their behaviors outside of work.  I know how to utilize the abilities of people in order to maximize productivity.  By keeping records of production I will be able to analyze and improve any potential problems in the work system.  I hope to see a large number of athletes supporting and using my product one day and possibly being one of the companies mentioned when people think about athletic apparel.

Tommy Grigans:

“My major is marketing and I am a VP of the Chatham American Marketing Association. I am also a member of the Chatham Lacrosse team!”

I asked Tommy about what he does to manage his time considering he is an RA, an athlete, and a VP of the CAMA.  He said, “I usually spend my time getting my work done in the morning before I go to class.  I also do my work on Sunday nights and just hang out and relax to keep away from stress.”  This doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that he has dedicated hours to do his work.  I haven’t known Tommy for very long but he seems like a very dedicated person and always stays ahead of his work.

He is a role model for me because of his character and attitude towards his commitments.  When I talk to him I always manage to get a smile on my face because of his positive outlook on everything.  A good word to describe him would be optimistic.  Whenever there is a time where I seem stressed out he has seemed to change my mind into thinking that the situation is a positive learning experience.  I cherish looking at everything in a positive way.  I have learned how to better attack my school work because he has led me to keep the right mindset about everything.

I asked Tommy how to build my resume and how to make myself look as professional ad I can for any circumstance where a professional attitude is needed.  He said, “list skills that can be applicable to teamwork.  Anything that would make you sound like a team player is a good thing to add.”  I have but a resume based on what he said and it makes me sound like a professional, well-rounded individual.

I will continue to listen to Tommys advise in the future to make myself a better person.  If you get the chance to meet him, I would recommend it.

Dr. Chong talks about different business strategies throughout class.  The word that correlates the class and the Adidas article is the word: collaboration.  She has gone over different ways to stay in touch with people for business reasons and to get connected.

I made a Linkedin account to start the connection process with different business people all over the world.  There are numerous job fairs and meet and greets coming up at Chatham and I intend to go and give out my business card.

For future individual assignments, I plan to lay out my ideas and criteria for the assignment in order to see visually where I am and what I need to cover.  Once a subject is covered, I can take away that paper or packet to know it is completed.

In order to finish the assignments before the deadline, I like to start working on the assignment a few days in advance.  I will revise it a few hours before the deadline and turn it in on time.

In this article, the importance of collaboration with a team is discussed.  As a member of a team, both in class and on the field, I know how important it is.  If a job needs completed and the right people are available for the task, the results will be great as long as everyone collaborates.

Adidas is a huge brand name in the world of sports and fitness and they have a huge company focus and work ethic based on one word.  Collaboration.  “We believe that, through sports, we have the power to change lives” (Karen Budell, data and measurement).

Adidas likes to work with professional athletes to make all of their apparel and gear to fit the preference of the athletes.  They record data from various tests to intake information about what the consumers like about their products.

Their Ultra-boost running shoe has been marked as one of the greatest running shoes ever made.  The unique boost technology offers a very comfortable feeling due to the give it has for the foot.  I’ve tried using a pair before myself and it was like walking on a cloud.  The design was originally made for women as they discovered this is the preference they would like for their feet.

The Adidas design team collaborated with their consumers in order to make this shoe as revolutionary as it is.  By taking the creative minds of the team and countless tests and prototypes, they were able to find the sweet spot with Boost Technology.  Adidas uses various google platforms to share designs and ideas with each other.  The company depends so much on collaboration, they have the word on the wall of their headquarters building.

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/experience-design/adidas-marketing-collaboration/