Summer school task 2

How did I find the summer school?

I think this is perfect for anyone who has idea's about starting a business. I don't think it's so good for anyone who doesn't have a clue about business like me! There were a few terms I didn't understand when I was filling out the business canvas so I had to do alot of googling, but if you're business forward and have knowledge I think this is perfect. I really liked this summer school because I learnt alot of basic things about business, I don't think the work is too demanding, It is a decent amount of work and I think doing a business plan is a great idea.

What did I learn?

I learnt the meaning of enterprise, entrepreneurship and intrapeneurship! I also learnt the meanings of terms such as revenue stream, economics of scale, economics of scope and so on. I learnt there are alot of factors to consider when putting a business together, however it can be quite simple if planned well and considering all these aspects such as customer relations and channels etc. I learnt you don't need a degree and have to be highly intellectual to participate in business you just need a good idea and the skills to carry it out.  

Business plan review

I tried to include as much information as possible without having to go into too much detail, it's hard to explain briefly the world of black natural hair care. From doing my business plan I've started to think about starting my business, I might not start a base from London but my home in Kent. Writing my business plan made me see it's actually feasible and I've started to take some measures on my blog, I'm trying to gather some famous natural hair bloggers to film a mini series about natural hair, hopefully this will generate some buzz. I think I need to get my head around costing a bit more, but my business is small and simple so it shouldn't be hard to work out profit and cost etc. I found the business plan a bit hard because I had never done one before, the canvas and tutorial were useful, but if there was a model business plan i could have looked at for an example that would have really helped so I just filled it out explaining my business as best as I could.

Final thoughts

I think something that would help this course could maybe be a list including some business terms, including the ones on the canvas. The first task was really good for beginners in business it was very easy to follow so was the second task but the business task was a bit difficult, I think I was just a bit overwhelmed and expected it to be very difficult. I would recommend this course to my friends if they wanted to dip their toes into business to find out what it's about, and if they had any ideas about starting a business doing a business plan on this course is a good for them to get a jist of what they are capable of.

summer school task 1: Hair tutorial

So i sort of included some of the things i was supposed to include in my reflective blog in the video above but ill answer again anyway :).

what I've learnt

I learnt the difference between enterprise and entrepreneurship. Originally I thought enterprise was just another fancy word for business, but now I know it's just a fancy word for a package of ambition confidence creativity and developing your ideas! I learnt you can make a business out of ANYTHING, even if it sounds silly, when i read about how the post it note was invented it sounded so small and simple, but look how much its developed into something that's a stationary staple. Going back to enterprise, I learnt whether your business is successful or not is not just dependable on if the product is invest able but if you as person is investable, your character is also important!

How enterprising am I?

I think I'm really enterprising. I wouldn't call myself an academic, I'm more creative. I think I have a skill that appeals to other people which would be doing peoples hair, African natural hairdressing to precise. I never thought I could make a business out of hairdressing, just because in the African community it's more of a cultural issue, hair is a BIG deal and there are some people who are amazing at it. African natural hair in itself is a huge industry. I've started a blog about it, but it also includes fashion, but the point of the blog was about how to care for natural hair, protective styling reviews etc. I didn't know you could make money from blogging! Whenever I'm in London so many black women ask me about my hair, if I will do theirs, how I care for it etc, I thought I might aswell make a blog where people can read about it! I've only been doing it for a month, my main hindrance is a camera, once I have one, I hope it takes off. Eventually I hope I can become a well known 'natural hair guru' as they're called on youtube!

Do I have entrepreneurial aspirations? 

I pretty much answered this question above. I want to be a Japanese translator, but on the side I would like to be a natural hair youtube guru and successful blogger. I never thought I'd say that, it sounds so strange but plausible since social media is so predominant these days. So many strangers have given me encouragement and honestly from doing this summer school I've decided my blog is definitely something I want to try and make it a success.

My thoughts on enterprise since doing this course

In regards to the exact definition my thoughts have changed! I know this sounds silly but I didn't know your character and skills such as confidence and negotiation was something you needed to work on. I know you needed these skills but I thought the product and your idea being perfect was the main point. I guess if you showed up to a meeting with your shirt hanging out and not completely sure about your product even though its great, you're not going to get far.