A Lesson Everyone Should Learn

If you know me, you might know that I love to save money. Times are tough. I don't really care who you are, everyone has been affected by the recession in some way, shape or form. With college coming up, so are a lot of expenses, some vital, some necessary, some that seem like one of the other two, the list goes on. One of the best ways to save money in college is going to be in your ID slot.

Your college ID can save you loads of money. No joke!

For example, I was in the Plato's Closet on Dawsonville Highway and saw where they give a 10% discount to Brenau, Gainesville State, and North Georgia students. I know it doesn't seem like a lot at the time but every little bit counts. Even more so if shop there a lot.

If you're the crafty type, JoAnn's has a 10% off discount card for college students. It's good on every purchase you make and doesn't expire for a year (or something like that).

I was a local thrift store and asked if they had discounts for college students. The cashier said they didn't but gave me one anyway!

Moral of the Story: It never hurts to ask. The worst they can do is say no. 

I'm eager to try this at Starbuck's and I know there are lists out there of restaurants that also give discounts.

This lesson also goes the High School students as well. JoAnn's summer program I mentioned earlier was specifically for High School students.

A Change of Plans

Everyday, I start leaning more and more towards pursuing my business for my Mentorship as opposed to Accounting. 

With this in mind, I searched for an article about the future of Small Businesses. I searched through Galileo and found one I could really sink my teeth in to.

The article I found is titled, 'But Where Did the Money Go?' and it's written by David Port.

In this article, Port interviews Karen Mills, the head of the Small Business Administration about what the SBA is really doing and if it is really helping small businesses.

The main goal of the SBA is to aid small businesses, mostly financially. They have counselors and advisers to help small businesses develop the business plans so that they can present better to banks and investors. In addition to this, they, and many intermediaries, provide microloans to small business owners.

Despite all they do for small businesses, the SBA has many critics. The large majority of their criticism come from the belief that the businesses they help aren't really 'small.' In reaction to this, Mills simply says, "This is a program for small business, it's not a program for big business masquerading as small businesses," (Port).

What I learned from this article is that, should I have trouble getting my business REALLY off the ground, there are agencies that I can turn to for help.

Work Cited

Port, David. "But Where Is The Money." Entrepreneur 38.8 (2010): 84-89. Business Source Complete. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.

Second Time Around

Dec 1, I did my second Craft Show. I felt a lot more confident going into this one, being my second time around.

This show was part of the Lighting of the Oaks program at Lanier Charter Career Academy at the Oaks in Oakwood, Georgia. Also a part of the program were performances by various groups, a Creative Christmas Tree Contest, a Gingerbread House Contest, a silent auction, and, of course, The Lighting of the Oaks.

This time my Mom and I went in together 50-50. She was selling Christmas bows while I sold my usual wares. 

I had actually set up some of my merchandise in the student run Gift Shop there. For the show, I simply moved them down the hall and set them up on my tables. 

This time was oh so different than my first Craft Show. 

There were people coming in and looking around while most of us vendors were still setting up. This really irritated me because I didn't have everything out and if they didn't see something they liked then, they would have no reason to come back and see the rest of my merchandise. It was just really unfair to everyone involved. 

Speaking of unfair things, as a performer myself, I felt uglier than pooting in church, talking and carrying on while all the different groups were singing. We were all in the same room with the performers and audience on one informal side and the Craft Show on the other informal side

I felt like there were a lot more people at this show than at my last one but, no one was buying. They said all my stuff was cute and neat and such a great idea but never bought. My Mom brought to my attention that most of the people coming through were probably the parents of those who were performing and probably didn't know that there was going to be a Craft Show going on. Needless to say, they wouldn't be prepared to spend money on all of our wonderful products.

I also REALLY disliked the set up of the tables in the space. They were basically set up in L's. We chose an L in the middle of the room. We thought we could get some good traffic this way but I soon found that I had my back to customers a good deal. I would follow my customers as they went around the table then back around as another customer came by. I spent the whole night going in circles. 

Despite all these issues/problems/concerns, we broke even and profited a tiny bit monetarily. I say it like that because another vendor told me about another show in Cornelia that takes place for three days, two weekends in a row, $30 for all six days. I feel like this show could be a really good fit and could do well for me. 

As I have said before, God takes care of his children. In more ways than one. 

Final Project Prep

If you've been following along, you'd know that I am mentoring with an Accountant. You'd also be confused by my last post about my Craft Show. Truth is, I don't know what I really want to do anymore. The rational career to choose is Accounting. People will always need someone to do their taxes and business owners will always need someone to keep their books meaning, there will always be a need for accountants. The thing I really want to do though, is pursue my business. I love being crafty and making things but, with the economy like it is, there's no guarantee. Nonetheless, I'm going to use this program to double dip, gaining experience in the Accounting field and also researching ways to better my business (and a little free advertising.)

This week, Honors Mentorship students were asked to consider technology in their field.

Q. How is technology used on a day to day basis?

A. With websites like eBay, etsy, and Pinterest, the Internet is used 24/7 to sell and promote products. It can also be used to research possible price points for your products. The Internet is also used to get in contact with possible customers through things like blogs, direct e-mail, etc. Mobile technology is also starting to emerge with the use of QR codes and smartphones.  

Q. What technology is used to communicate with other Professionals?

A. In this day and age, everything's electronic, making the simple answer email for simple inquiries, like getting in a show, etc. However, I'm old fashioned. I like to make cards and send them via snail mail as thank you notes. I recently interviewed someone for a project and am making them a card saying how honored I was to be able to interview them and thanking them for their time. Somethings just can't be said better than with a home made card.

Q. When presenting to other professionals, what do you use?
A. I believe that, while a picture is worth a thousand words, the real thing is worth so many more. When presenting my products to potential clients and customers, I use a display of my products when presenting to other professionals. If I am unable to present my products in person, I will send samples of my products as well as photos.

Q. What is your theory about the type of technology that will be used in the future?
A. I believe that the same technologies will be used with an increase in mobile technologies since, people are always on the go. 

Q. How can you imagine technology being incorporated in the profession?
A. I can imagine programs being written or software being created that allows customers to create their own versions of my products so they can see what the end product will be when placing custom orders.

Q. How will I incorporate technology into my final presentation?
A. I plan to create a PowerPoint or Prezi detailing my business plan, the implementation, and a graphical representation of the results. I will also try creating a QR to utilize mobile technologies. (I will also more than likely take advantage of the opportunity to sell my products and will have displays them.)

My First Time

Have no fear everybody. This is PG-13. I'm talking about my first craft show.

It all started when my Mom and I were at a Creative Memories representative's Open House. We were hanging out and she was telling us about all the other things she was doing and she mentioned she was holding a Craft Show the following weekend. I asked her to put me on the mailing for next time since I would have loved to participate. She looked up at me and said, "Well, do you want to do it next weekend?" I was so taken aback, my first response was 'no, thank you though.'

We went home and I started thinking about the Craft Show and my schedule and I began to realize, 'I can do this.' I emailed the representative and asked if it was too late for me to enter the show and if there was enough room for me. She said to come on down.

I got all my inventory together and started putting together my displays. 

Once I got all my displays done, I was so tired of looking at everything and working with it and, oh gosh. If it wasn't for my Mom who helped me so much and kept me going, I'm not that sure things would have been a good as they were.

We loaded up our Jeep the night before so, the next morning, we were ready to go. Our host allowed us to start setting up at 8 and that was when we were there. We got set up quickly enough and then it was a waiting game until the show 'officially' opened.

Things started SO SLOW. Oh my goodness, it was pitiful. I sold just a couple of things and was getting discouraged. My Mom tried to keep my spirits up and said, "Things will pick up after lunch." I kept that in mind and kept going. It wasn't long though until I got really discouraged.

I went to bathroom and nearly started to cry. At the rate I was going, I wasn't even going to be able to make up my $15 entrance fee. $15. I reminded myself, though, God takes care of his children, no matter how it turned out, it would be what was right for me.

I went back to selling and the lady selling next to me made a $15 purchase. I went from not even breaking even to making a profit. I was so ecstatic. Words can't even describe. I still get chills and funny feelings thinking about it. I now know that God heard me and worked through the lady selling next to me. The next purchase was $37. The most I have ever, ever sold.

Right before we closed up, I made one last sale giving a total of $60 in sales, $45 in profit. Considering my products, that's REALLY good.

Lucky for me, the other participants of the Craft Show were really supportive and helpful. They gave me lots of advice about my displays and pricing.

LESSONS LEARNED

I was so focused on getting my inventory together, I didn't think twice about promoting the event and promotion is half the battle.

My displays weren't the best they could have been when it came to my necklaces. One lady, that was also selling, pointed out if I turned the display 90 degrees, I would have more room. (Lightbulb goes off.)

Most of my product are for late teens and young women. While this particular age group  was not part of the population that came to the show, their parents were. The $37 purchase was made by our host and her sister as gifts for daughters and nieces. All of this means that you don't always have to sell your target market. You can also target those who would give them to your target market as gifts.  Oh Goodness, my fashion marketing class was really worth something.

Another thing about the $37 purchase was that a deciding factor in what the two ladies bought had to do with the recipients' school colors. I had heard before that I should make things in school colors but, this reinforced the idea. If I was doing a show in Forsyth County, then I could look up the schools in that area and their colors and make inventory for that area.

One thing I really wish I was is more outgoing. I saw a little girl, less than 18 months, coming over with her Mom. I knew I had a bracelet that would match her outfit perfectly I showed it to the little girl and tied it on her. (Good gosh she was so adorable.) She liked it so much, I gave her Mom a discount and made a sale. My point with all of this being, if I had done something similar with everyone who walked over, my sales would have tripled, meaning, I have GOT to work on my people skills.

One of the last things I learned was that, if you can, wear what you make. If you don't seem to like what you make, why should anyone else? By the end of the show, I was wearing one of my t-shirt scarves to show one it's unique feature of going through itself instead of having to tie a knot. You are your own best advertising.

With all these things in mind, I can't wait to go to another show. I'm beginning to think that maybe this is really what God wants me to do, and I couldn't be more excited.

What is Broken?

Seth Godin's Gel talk was almost as amusing as Sir Ken Robinson's TED talks. Nonetheless, he makes great points. One of the ones that struck me was the "It's not my job" category of broken. In this day and age, things are so compartmentalized. There's a department for everything and if it's not part of your department, you don'touch it. Explains why so many things are broken these days.

My experience with broken things falls under this category. Various members of my family have been received jury summons, our civic duty. They get a letter in the mail with instructions to call on a certain day at a certain time. They call only to be told to call again at a different time. So the cycle continues for a few days. All the while, they are unable to go to work should they be called in. This fails to make any sense to me. Either call them in or let them go? Why is that so hard?

I think what is broken with school falls under the "the world changed" category. The public education system was developed in the 1800's. 200 years later, we are still using the same system. To say things have changed since then would win the "Understatement of the Year" Award. It's no wonder the education system is broken. It's beyond outdated. It would be like me trying to do this assignment on one of the first PCs. Not only would it take me hours, I would send myself into a coma from banging my head into the wall so much. Thankfully, unlike the education system, PCs were updated as time went on. Things were improved upon, new things were created, some things were even removed. The same things need to happen to the education system, or else someone down the line will be their head against the wall.

My Essential Question

Like many people, I've known exactly what I wanted to do ten different times, and I'm still not wholly sure. I torn between going with my head or my heart. The logical choice would be a career in Accounting. It's a growing field and will never be hurt by the economy. The make-me-happy choice would be pursuing home business, Merritt's Marvels.

My essential question is, How do I create a successful (an profitable) home business?

I chose this question because it wasn't what I chose for my mentorship and there are days when I get a little sad about it. I try to look at is as, Well, at least I'll know how to take care of the finances of my business. Granted, if business isn't big enough, there won't be any finances to do. I really hope that I can apply all that I find in my research to my business so that it can grow. Just the thought makes me all tingly. While a little broad, I think this question can provide with all the answers I need to help my business grow, become more successful, and (hopefully) more profitable. 

Scholarly Review

For this week's Honors Mentorship assignment, we were asked to review a scholarly article related to our mentorship.

Since my mentorship is Accounting, I went digging through Galileo to find something relevant and, most importantly, understandable. Let me just say, it wasn't exactly easy. 

I finally found the following article.

Article

By Matthew Gilleard, Graduate of the University of Nottingham, Corporate Tax Editor for International Tax Review.

It his article Gilleard, describes the trend of American businesses moving to foreign countries, notably Ireland. The businesses have been moving due to foreign countries' preferable tax codes compared to America's.

He goes to quote Donald Marron, director of the Tax Policy Center, saying this, "'America's tax system is a mess. It's needlessly complicated, economically harmful, and often unfair,'" (Gilleard). 

Ireland's tax system, as well as those of many other countries, is much simpler and cost a great deal less to companies. 

One need not wonder why the companies moved. 

I have experienced the disparity of the tax system for myself in my by observing the writing and filings of personal and corporate tax returns. It is truly unbelievable the way the systems works and how people work it. 

Gilleard ends his article saying that the American tax system is in dire need of reform, and I most certainly agree.

I thought Gilleard was very unbiased and unpersuasive, though, since he wasn't trying to persuade, this need not reflect poorly on his writing skill. I found what he said to be fair and true and goes to confirm conclusions about our tax system that I had already formed.

Source:

Gilleard, M. (2012). Eaton's move to ireland highlights need for US tax reform. International Tax Review, , n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1032770596?accountid=11023

Bring on the Learning Revolution

Ah, the Great Sir Ken Robinson. I have watched his 2006 TED talk videos in both my AP Lang and Comp and AP Econ classes to spark discussion about creativity, norms, resources, and a variety of other subjects.

If I had the time and the resources to study whatever I wanted, I would have to Literature, specializing in Mysteries. I love to read and mysteries are my favorite genre, have been for as long as I can remember. I have a literature class now at Gainesville State where most of the class is spent discussing Literature and it is by far, one my favorite classes. I am also reading the newest installment of one of my favorite mystery author's, Louise Penny, series, The Beautiful Mystery. Had I the time and the resources to do nothing but the aforementioned, I would be a happy girl.

I tend to think Attitude has more influence over a person and their learning. For example, at 6'2", I have the aptitude to be very good at a variety of sports. My attitude, however, rules out that possibility  (Basketball and I do not get along.) In addition to this, the phrase, "You can do anything you set your mind to" also comes to mind. It also seems to suggest that Attitude has more of an effect than Aptitude.

This class has brought to my attention my time management skills. I have always thought that I managed my time well, until now. There have been so many close calls and, quite frankly, failures, in this area, it has proven to be quite a 'quiz' for which I am grateful to have taken before my 'test' next year in college. 

I purposely skipped over the issue of the grading system and wrote about it last. 

I think that the current grading system needs to be changed. I don't know that it needs to be abolished necessarily but, something does need to happen. I come to this belief by the logic and reason below.

In his TED talk, Robinson refers to the education system needing not evolution but, a Revolution. With his theory, he is correct. However, History tells us that Revolutions tend to be bloody and messy and some one always loses. One would have to be very naive to believe that during the course of the education Revolution students won't get 'hurt.' 

Going back to the original question, something does need to happen to the current grading system. Being only a student and not having the experiences of a teacher, I cannot reasonably devise a system that is fair to both parties. What I can devise is this, whatever Revolution that comes to pass should take an evolutionary path. Many would say that means it not a revolution anymore but, an evolution which, is what we're trying to get away from. Well, I would like to convert the whole human race to Christianity but that's going to take some steps, now isn't it?

On a very different but, I feel related, note. I was in my Communications class Monday. In it, we discussing listening. The average person listens on a 25% comprehension level. An above average person listens on a 40-50% comprehension level. The best listeners listen on a 60% comprehension level. To those of us who thought we were pretty good listeners and gave ourselves an 80% comprehension level, this was a nice kick in the teeth. 

My professor went on to say that of the four main parts of Communication, we take classes for writing, (Lang and Comp), reading, (English Lit II), speaking, (Intro to Comm), but we don't take any sort of class for listening.

She was right which, isn't shocking but, so much of our lives has to do with Communication and listening, why don't we have classes for like the others?

It's these sort of classes that need to be included in the Revolution of education and, if I have anything to say about it, they sure will be.

The Top Three

As an Honors Mentorship student, I am often asked to look deeply into my dreams and future. This week, I was asked to look into my future. Not to far, just a few months, into where I would pursue the education of my field.

It was suggested that we use the BigFuture feature of College Board to find three schools that meet criteria that we think would create the perfect learning environment for us.

My major would be Accounting so, naturally, my schools would need to have an Accounting major program. The next biggest thing is keeping the costs down. To do this, I would like to live at home while I'm at school. For this to work, the colleges will have to be close to my home in Gainesville, GA. Though it wouldn't be required, it would be great if the college had multiple scholarships. 

I would also like for there to be an Honors program at the college I pursue my education at. Along the same line, I would like there to be a small student to faculty ratio.

Using the above criteria, and the Big Future college search program, I found the following three colleges:

Gainesville State College

Oakwood, GA

Brenau Unniversity

Gainesville, GA

North Georgia College and State University

Dahlonega, GA

The first of my three schools is Gainesville State College. I am already dual-enrolled there and have had a wonderful experience so far. I know from personal experience that the class sizes are small and they have an Honors Program, though a small one. 

Something I recently found out about Gainesville State is that they have great student activities. I have recently joined a discussion for 'The Book Thief' as part of Banned Books Week. Not only did they give a copy of the book for free, I get English credit hours for participating. WooHoo!

Sadly, Gainesville State only has an Associate's degree program for Accounting. I'm alright with because my plan all along has been to get cores done at a junior college and then transfer to a larger school to get my final degree. More recently, that 'larger' school has become Brenau University, which leads me to my next school.

My second school is Brenau University. Granted, with a student to faculty ratio of 9:1, Brenau isn't exactly larger than Gainesville Sate. I have recently come to realize that larger doesn't mean more expensive nor does smaller mean less expensive as I previously thought. Most importantly though, is that they have a Master's program in Accounting, the required degree to become a Certified Public Account (CPA).

Since I will be transferring from Gainesville State, it will be important for my credits to transfer. You must have a minimum of 30 hours to transfer, (I'll have that many at the end of my Senior year in High School) and you can have a maximum of 65, (I don't think that will be a problem).

Brenau is about as far from my home as Gainesville State keeping it a possibility to live at home while in school and, hopefully, keeping costs down for getting a degree. However, should this not work out, I have a Plan B.

Plan B and my third and final school is North Georgia College and Sate University. With a student to faculty ratio of 19:1, it is between Gainesville Sate and Brenau. It has a great Honors Program and is within driving distance from my home. 

Downside, it only has a Bachelor's in Accounting. 

My thing to remember is, Gainesville Sate and North Georgia are merging. So, I could get the Honors Program at North Georgia and all the student activities at Gainesville State and still transfer on to Brenau. 

With all these things in mind, there is still one rather crucial thing missing. Scholarships. 

My family makes just enough 'too much money' to qualify me for financial aid, leaving me to use my wits to get avoid financial ruin. 

I have a short list of Scholarships I plan to apply before and while I'm in college:

The Medical Center Auxiliary Summer Teen Essay Contest

Riverbend Gun Club 2nd Amendment Rights Essay Contest

GA Power Energy Essay Contest

(Thanks go to my AP Lang teacher Mrs. Gibson for teaching me how to write an essay.)

With everything I have found and researched, I think I'm now ready to take the nest step in my educational journey.

My Sentence

And no, I have not been charged with a crime that requires me to spend time in a state or federal correctional facility. 

As an Honors Mentorship student, I was challenged to create a sentence, something that someone would say when I was gone that summed up what my life was about.

For my sentence, I created,

"She brought a brightness to her surroundings and a lightness to those nearby with her integrity and willingness to help others," and below is my video.

Enjoy.

My Experiences at Gainesville State College

This year, I am dual-enrolled at Gainesville State College. At some point during the summer, I nearly had a panic attack when I realized I was going to be starting college. It was going to be totally different than any education experience I had ever had. 

My first day, I was SO nervous. I had driven down there with my mom for the first time with traffic and was running late. I didn't even turn off the car. I just pulled over, jumped out, and ran, with as much dignity as I could muster, to class.

Heading to my class in the Martha Nesbitt Academic Building

Once in my first class, I realized the class was small and about half of the students were full-grown adults with kids. Now that, was weird. Another strange thing was when we were done with getting to know each other and going over the syllabus, the teacher let us go, 20 minutes early. I had no clue what I was supposed to do until my next class. I took my time, wandered around, and ended up sitting in the floor in the hall outside the classroom. 

My next class was mostly freshmen and about twice as large as my first. Come to find out, there was another student who was dual-enrolled. This professor was so energetic and, quite frankly, loud, it took some getting used to. 

My first College 100!

In both classes, there were a few things that took getting used to. For one, the short classes. Each class was only 50 minutes. That's shorter than my high school classes.There was also the fact that we didn't meet everyday. At first, I thought, 'I'll have plenty have time to do my homework.' I quickly realized this was not the case and only with serious time management would I be able to do all my work and do it well.

Overall, I have enjoyed my time at Gainesville State and I look forward to next semester.

Debt Decisions

Debt seems to be the new face of the American way. Don't have money for something right now? That's okay, charge it on your credit card and pay for it later. Nothing harmful in that, right? The harm come in when people charge more than what they can pay when the bill comes around. Instead of getting scared and learning their lesson, they see there's a minimum balance due that they can pay. So, they pay it, feel relieved, and continue to charge things until they're in a hole so deep, they'll never dig themselves out. 

This means that the flow of information about credit, credit cards, fees, etc. is going the wrong direction. Part of the problem being that citizens are not taking the time to read and understand the ins and outs of credit cards. A credit card company draws people in with rewards and high spending limits, written in big, bright, letters. In tiny small letters that you need a magnifying glass to read, they tell you about the late fees, compounding interest fees, other ATM fees, things that add up so much, so quickly. 

I was taught a little bit about personal finance but, most of it I learned through the experience of having an allowance. I learned very quickly the importance of money management.

To say money has something to do with my Career Path of Accounting would be a major understatement and while I don't intend to get rich off being an accountant, I would like to make enough to live comfortably and, possibly, support my family. 

My Mission Statement

My mission is to use my talents with numbers and math and ability of creative thinking to help people succeed and represent the Lord in the best way I can, both in the workplace and in public, so that the world can see the amazing power of His Grace.

I would like to gain a better understanding of the Accounting profession so that I may better decide whether I would like to pursue it as a career choice. I am making sure I pay attention to what my mentor and his staff teach me and make the most of the hands on experiences they give me so that I can get the most of my experience. This experience shapes my future in that; I am beginning to see multiple workplaces and what dynamic I prefer.

Happiness Leads to Success, Not the Other Way Around

When I first started reading this article, I knew Acher was right. I've done the same thing for so long and I certainly never realized it. I am happy once I when achieve a certain goal but, it never lasts long since a new goal immediately rises to the top. It makes sense that you will become successful if you're happy. I know there's all sorts of research out there saying that optimistic people live longer, and happiness releases all these great endorphins that are good for your cholesterol, etc. 

I am willing to participate in the 21 day challenge. In fact, I have already started it. I chose to write down three things a day that I am grateful for. As a Christian, when I say my prayers at night, I thank God for the countless ways he has blessed me. This challenge takes it one step further with writing them down. 

In this day and age, with so much stimulation and a new toy that's better than the last every minute, it's so easy to not be thankful and satisfied with what we already have. Once we begin to appreciate and enjoy the things and people that are already here, through exercises like Acher's, we can exude happiness that will rub off on others, causing them to view you in an even more positive light that can lead to promotion and/or success. 

We are now one step closer to unlocking the secret to happiness.

Getting to Know My Mentor

First off, The Honors Mentorship Program is nothing if not thorough and thoughtful. The resources they provide for getting to Mentor are great and very helpful. I find that I can be very awkward when meeting possible superiors for the first time. Even though I've met my mentor before on a personal basis, a professional basis is a very different thing. I think the 'Conversation Starters' and 'Directing the Conversation' sections will be especially helpful with my first professional conversation with my Mentor.

I'm very excited about my first day with my Mentor and I can't wait to get to know my Mentor better. I'm also sure the resources provided to me will make the experience smoother and easier.