The second to last week of CEO has passed. Things are slowing down as we are heading into the final, year-reflecting presentations next Thursday. I am excited to head into the summer and finish out high school. CEO has truly been a life-changing and an all-around amazing experience. I have learned a lot about the real business world, and the ins and outs of owning my own business. I have learned a multitude of different ways of starting a business. I have heard the struggles, failures, and hardships. I have also heard of great triumphs. I have learned many things this year.

The first is networking is the most important thing in business. It is all about who you know. If you have a wide range of networks, anything is possible in the business world. People are the greatest resource. They will be able to give advice as well as refer customers to you. Another major thing I have learned is the importance of failure. Almost every single business we have talked to has experienced failure in some form. It was extremely eye opening to hear about how failure is necessary to succeed. People need to learn from failure and use those experiences to grow in the future.

On Friday, we met at Gas Light Vinyl. They are a unique business that wraps cars for advertising. They are the only business like it in Belleville. He talked about the importance of having skin in the game to a banker. Essentially skin in the game proves that you are all in and invested heavily in your idea. It is nearly impossible to get a loan without having a lot of skin in the game. I thought it was interesting that they generate ninety-five percent of business from Facebook advertising. That proves the power of social media as advertising. Owning a business is like a roller coaster. Some days it feels like you want to walk away and quit however some days it feels like you are a millionaire. I really liked the building that Gas Light Vinyl is using. It is huge and they have a lot of room to expand. I also like the garage for cars and old signs. I never knew this Business existed, but I am very glad that we visited there. It's unlike any other business we have visited.

05/07/2017

Another week of CEO has passed, and we are in the homestretch now. As the year is beginning to close, our personal businesses are beginning to ramp up. Next week is our trade show at Lindenwood University to showcase our personal businesses at our own homemade booths. I am very excited to showcase my business to local leaders and citizens who attend. Earlier this week I purchased my banner, pens, and business cards to help advertise my business at the trade show. I can't wait to see how everyone's booths will turn out, and I hope that we have a large attendance. Furthermore I hope that each of our businesses become successful, and this class will help us start more businesses in the future.

Last week we had Banker Day. I thought banker day was one of the most helpful exercises that we have done this year. We presented our business plans and financials to the bankers, and they looked at our work. They then asked questions, and tried to find holes in our plans. They helped me reach another level of insight on my business. I was able to look into my business plans a little more deeply, and really learn the importance of numbers. Numbers are huge if you want a loan from a bank. Overall, it was a very good experience, but I realized that I was nervous for no reason. They were all very helpful, and helped me grow with more knowledge. I wish that I would have had 15 minutes with each banker. It would give more time for back and forth firing of questions and comments. I liked the conversations with the bankers rather than giving the elevator pitch.

 Last week we also attended a breakfast entitled Eggs and Issues. It was a very interesting event put on by the Chamber. Local business leaders in the area come and network with others, and they had three speakers about cyber security. It was something that I found interesting because I do not know much about it. I was very interested that the government hires hackers to hack the bad people. I thought that was an extremely good idea. Overall it was a very good event, and the good was good too!

04/21/2017

Another busy week of CEO class has passed. This week we visited one business and have met with multiple business people. We have working hard on our elevator pitch, and our competition was Thursday. I enjoyed working on the elevator pitch because it helped me learn more about my business. I had to focus on a few main points in my business. I told a story about the genesis of my business and idea.

On Monday we visited Padgett Building & Remodeling. The business was founded by Ron and Don in 1978. Their target market is people ages 50 and older. Since they do such nice and unique projects, their customers need to have good funds. One important thing to keep in mind is to make sure that the customer understands what they are getting. They lay out everything that the customer needs to know so that there is no confusion. They view the family atmosphere as most important. It is a family run business, and it shows. They are always allowed to miss work for family functions. With that being said, they need to finish their work. One struggle Padgett had was a lack of preparation for emotional losses. Ron and Don's father died, they were at a standstill for many months. I enjoyed meeting and learning about the business.

On Tuesday, I practiced my elevator pitch for the first time. I was extremely nervous, and stumbled over my words. With that being said it was an extremely beneficial experience. I learned how to stay calm, and the importance of hitting all key points.

On Wednesday, when I practiced in class I messed up badly and froze. This experience helped me learn the importance of practice. I needed to practice a lot before I was going to be ready on Thursday. I practiced a lot, and tried to make it seem more like a conversation rather than a scripted speech.

On Thursday, we had our elevator pitch competition. It went very smoothly for me, and I was asked many questions. I thought I told my story well, but I was extremely nervous. When they asked me questions, I felt a lot more comfortable, and was able to answer them well.

04/07/2017

Another week of CEO has passed, and we have now entered the month of April. This month, we have a full calendar of things to do before the trade show at the end of the month. We have an elevator pitch that we just started to work on. There is a competition to see who has the best pitch. After that we have our trade show at the end of April. I am excited and nervous for this event. I do not know how I will do, but it will be a fun and informative experience. It will help set me up in the future for my career in business. On Monday we went to Lindenwood Belleville, and saw the room in which our trade show will be held. They talked about the importance of public speaking and live broadcasting. I personally need to improve my public speaking. I am okay at it, but it is extremely important in life. I need to feel more comfortable when speaking, and connect with the crowd. I should maintain more eye contact. In live interviews, the interviewer throws difficult questions to get a response that is good enough for a news story. They want to spin something minor into something major. Once you say something, you cannot take it back. It is very important to think before you speak.

Sips n Splatters is an extremely interesting business. I have never heard of it before this class. I really like how they provide a comfortable environment. I like how the business started in his apartment with a few friends. I really enjoyed his method of collecting money in a shoe box, and keeping it underneath his bed as savings. I was absolutely amazed that they money totaled up to ten thousand dollars. When I get older, I would really like to go and paint for a few hours at a party. It is something that I want to experience at some point in my life. I think it is a great way to relieve stress, meet new people, and talk to your friends. The owners showed extreme passion and dedication to their business even when times were hard. They were at the business all day every day to oversee all operations, and everything that happened at the store. It was exciting to see this business blossom from an idea in an apartment to a very good business that has expanded to three locations around the area.

03/31/2017

Another week of CEO has passed. It is crazy to think that I only have one quarter left in my high school career. As the year is closing, the insanity of senior year is picking up. Classes are getting harder, prom and graduation are coming, and college is a few short months away. My personal business is coming along, and I have already had my first lesson for a little kid named Hunter. I hope to continue, and help Hunter grow into a better soccer player.

On Monday, we met with Verna and Mike Dunnigan. Mike is a financial advisor at his own business, Trinity Financial Group. He helps people with investing their money. He believes that stocks should earn money at a rate of 12%. If you put money in your bank account, you will make in between 1-2%. My grandfather and mother helped me set up a stock account. I really enjoy learning about the stock market. I want to be heavily involved with the stock market when I get older. I either want to be a stock broker, or put my money into a stock account to grow it. He taught us the rule of 72. If you take the rate, and divide it by seventy-two, it will give you the amount of years to double your money. If you invest 2,000 dollars at age 18, by age 80 you will be a multimillionaire. I think that this is extremely interesting. After learning about this business, I read about Warren Buffet and how he made all of his money through investments. I thought it was exciting, and plan to learn more and more about the stock market field. Hopefully, I will be able to make a career as a stock broker.

Mike Wenzel came to talk to our class Tuesday. He reviewed financials with us. One of the things he said that stuck with me was to set a goal. When creating financials, set a goal of money for a month and year. If you do this, you will be able to figure the amount of sales that you need to do over a short period of time.

The bankers came in on Wednesday, and they helped me a lot with my financials. I was missing the legal and insurance aspect. I need to figure that out before I continue. My mother is a lawyer so I need to talk to her about it. I also need to pay attention so that I pay myself. I need to figure out how much money that I want to make.

03/24/2017

Another exciting week of CEO has passed, and it has been a productive week. I met with my mentor Mike Marchal, and discussed my business plan as well as another business option. After a long time thinking about my options, I want to change my business. Soccer has been and always will be my passion. I started playing when I was only two years old. I sat on the sidelines of my older brothers game, and loved every second of it. Throughout the years, I have been through the club soccer system. I have stuck through it through the ups and downs. I have been cut many times, but I used that as motivation to keep going and improving. I have been fortunate enough to have a successful soccer career. I won the National Premier League national championship in 2013. I have played on a US Developmental Academy team. I have been a varsity starter every year I have played high school soccer. I was captain, and won All-Sectional Honors. I also won the South Seven Defender of the year. Finally, my favorite award is the Chicago Fire All-State All-Academic First Team. I want to help children grow into better players, and hopefully exceed my soccer resume. Most importantly, I want kids to have fun with the sport that I love so much. I hope that I can help kids fall in the sport that has been with me for my whole life.

This week we talked about narrowing down our market. We need to focus mostly on our potential market, and customers. You need to have passion in what you are talking about. When someone invests in a company, they are investing in the person not the idea. They have to believe in the person. I am excited to work on the elevator pitch because I have a good story to tell, and I am very passionate about my service. I need to write a business plan for my new idea, and financially I will be good. I will not have to spend a lot of money. I am excited to move forward.

This week, we met with Joe Wiley. He is SLU basketball legend. He has broken many records, and has a very successful career. He decided to finish his college career instead of going pro. He now owns Quest which helps fill managerial positions at large clubs.

03/17/2017

Another week of CEO has passed, and it was a slower week. We had a lot of work days, and were on our own for the majority of the time. Our personal business plans were due this week. I think that I have a very good start on it, but I need to work on it a lot for banker day. I think there are a lot of holes right now that need to be patched up. I really need to start bearing down on the financials of the company. As it stands, I have not bought a hat press nor a sample shirt. Those will be my initial costs, and I will start having fixed costs. I think that my market is a very wide range of people. With that being said, I think that I will sell the most shirts initially to friends and family. As the shirts are worn, it will be free advertising. I will then start to grow through advertising. I think that I will advertise through social media and word of mouth. Because I have very little start up money, I will only use free advertisements. There are plenty of ways to use free advertising, and I think social media is the most practical.

We started this week at a new home base. Artigem Replacement Services is our fourth quarter home base. I love Precision Practice Management, but I am excited to get a new fresh atmosphere. It was very interesting to hear the story of how the building went from almost being torn down to restored into a new revamped building. It cost him $1 to buy the building, and he has put a million dollars into it. I think it was an amazing thing for Belleville to save such a big part of the history.

03/10/2017

Another week of CEO has passed.  We are flying through senior year, and the third quarter is coming to an end.  We are currently working on our personal businesses.  I am starting a t shirt company.  I believe that I am going to sell long and short sleeve shirts as well as bucket hats.  I believe that the initial expense of the heat press will be covered by the $250 dollars. If my financials turn out as planned I will be making money if I sell 5 of each item.  My goal is to sell ten of each product before I leave for college. 

We have been working on our business plans. I am not as far on that as I should be, but I am working to catch up.  Something that will set my company apart is that I will donate a portion of my profits.  I think it is very important to give back, and this is a very good opportunity.

This week we met with Mr. DeRousse. He has a very impressive resume and life.  He has owned many businesses and has some very good success.  He talked about how he does not like being told no.  He stressed the importance of being involved, and stepping out of your comfort zone.  If you step out of your comfort zone you can be successful.  He also said a few quotes that I really like.  The first is, “you can do anything, but not everything.”  I really like the message behind that quote.  The second quote is, “never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.”  You need to find something you enjoy, and make a living off of it. It is important to be passionate in what you are doing.

03/05/2017

Another full and exciting week of CEO has come to a close. This week was full of visits from a wide variety of businesses.  We also got to work on our personal businesses this week.  We are starting to get into full swing with the businesses, and the end of the year trade show will be around the corner soon.  I have come to a problem. I was planning on creating an app, but I do not think that is an option with the short amount of time and limited money supply.  With that being said, I hope to gain the knowledge to be able to create an app someday.  I think that apps and technology will be everything in just a few years.

We met with Mike Riley from Physical Therapy Services, and he spoke to us about physical therapy and how there is a need for physical therapists.  He also spoke of how he wants a bill to be passed to make a PTs co-pay be lowered.  He believes that will draw more people in to PT because they won't be scared of the price tag.  This will cause less problems in people because they will get the help and exercises they need to receive a full recovery.

We went to Gateway Classic Cars on Thursday to visit a huge business that I did not know existed.  It is an extremely amazing facility and business, and is less that 5 minutes from my house.  They are the head quarters of the whole business which is located in 14 different markets. They are projected to do 75 million dollars in revenue this year.  It all started because of a love for cars. Sal, the founder, decided to take a risk like many entrepreneurs do.  He created a business on something he loves, automobiles.  He said that the company will take in 5,000 cars this year, and will sell 3,000.  Another crazy thing about this business is that people trust him and the business so much.  They will send 100,000 dollars without ever seeing the car. They just trust that it is what they asked for, and that it will end up at their door in a few weeks. That shows the importance of good reputation and word of mouth.

To close the week, we met with Jason Eding from PPM. He is the Director of IT at the St. Louis branch.  He shared a lot of information that was very helpful.  I especially liked his passion and excitement when talking to us. I really liked him.  I also liked his advice on life, schools, and interviews.  I liked how he went through what to do and what not to do in an interview.

02/24/2017

Another week of CEO has passed.  This past week was by far the busiest week this year.  Our trade show and conference was this past Tuesday night.  I am very excited to finally have the class business over after many months working on and planning this event.  Overall, I think that the night went well, but once the financials come in we will see how successful we were.

We started off this week with two full days at the Scottish Rite.  We worked all day to get last minute preparations for our event.  We spent a lot of time organizing tables, booths, and silent auction.  Also, we made last minute calls to people trying to sell tickets.  Tim and I nailed our script for the event.  We also finished last minute things like the pamphlet and slide show.  Jaylen took care of music as well.  We also ran last minute errands to get all of the little things that we missed.

Tuesday night came very quickly.  We were full of excitement and nervousness.  Our event started at 4, but there were only three people there when it started.  That hurt the moral a little bit, but more people started coming at about 4:30.  Because of this, I decided to push our speakers back 15 minutes.  I was amazed with Ben Glenn's performance. He is a fantastic entertainer, and his chalk drawing was amazing.  He told a great story, and made people laugh.  I think that he turned our event around.  Our trade show aspect seemed to go over well.  Many people rushed to fill out their cards.  A few vendors asked if we do this every year, and said they wanted to return next year if possible.  If I could change one thing, I would have made the event an hour shorter.  The timeframe should have been 4:30-7:30 rather than 4-8.  With that being said, you live and you learn. 

02/10/2017

Another productive week of CEO class has passed, and we are becoming closer and closer to our event, Around the Fountain: A Belleville CEO Experience.  The event is in less than two weeks, and we it is finally coming together.  We have enough sponsorships so that booths, silent auction, and ticket sales are all gravy. That was the goal at the beginning.  However, we are struggling in one area.  We NEED ticket sales.  We only have seventeen tickets and a table sold.  We need to reach out to anyone and everyone about this event.  Families and teachers hopefully will buy tables.  We also should reach out to families from our school as well local colleges. 

Wednesday we had an all day class.  We reached out to many different food businesses for booths and small businesses for silent auction items.  Overall, the day was a huge success. We got around five booths and many silent auction gift cards and items.   We are making strides on decorations, and getting the mini fountains rolling.  I think the design of them and using CEO's colors is very good.  Tim and I are working on the script and slideshow, and making progress.  We need to get the program and CEO booth sorted out.  With that being said, we are doing a lot better than we have been in the past weeks.   I am excited to see the results and revenue of the night.  I am confident in the ability of our two keynote speakers, Ben Glenn and Geri Boyer.  I think they will be very entertaining and teach a good lesson.

Another major problem is the lack of determination and motivation.  The class business is being run mostly by a select few people.  I wish the workload was more evenly distributed.  We have given many opportunities for people to participate, but they do not take them. If people say they are going to do something, they need to do it.  If not, people count on them to contribute, but then others with heavier workloads have to pick up more things. Overall, I think we will be successful if people work hard these next eight days.

01/27/2017

 "Around the Fountain: a Belleville CEO Experience" is in just a few short weeks. We have made huge strides within the past couple of weeks. Our trade show is coming together because we are getting a lot of booths. Our original goal is 16. We are getting close, and I believe that we can reach that goal. We need to start working on decorations, and finishing that. We have an all day work day next Wednesday, and I think it will be extremely productive. I hope to get a few sponsorships and a few booths. Tim and I have been working hard as a group to maximize our success on that Wednesday. We are going to small businesses along Main St. We also have a list of people we need to call and reach out to. We need to sell a lot of tickets for this event. Our goal is 200-300, and I think that it is attainable. I have already sold 10 myself. I think that I will be able to sell 30 tickets.

On Friday, we worked a fish fry at the Scottish Rite. I think that the venue will be perfect for our event because it has a lot of space for booths and people. The mini stage is perfect for our speakers and panel. I am very excited for this event. Tim and I had personal meetings with everyone, and we laid out what needed to be done to have a successful class business. It is coming down to the wire, and we need the help of everyone.

This week we met with The Edge. It was a really good presentation. I have been the The Edge many times throughout my life, and I love playing laser tag as well as their arcade. I have not been in a while, and I was extremely impressed with new upgrades and design. I am excited to watch them grow and expand. I like the idea of go-carts and bowling. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

01/20/2017

This week of CEO was productive as a whole.  I think we are doing well with our business, and I always enjoy having speakers come in.  There is always something new to take away from our speakers because no two stories are the same. 

Renae Eichholz of Precision Practice Management came down to talk to us.  She is a very nice person, and has a fantastic story.  She did not ever go to college. She worked, and gained the idea for Precision Practice Management through real world experience.  She stressed the importance of hard work.  She also stressed that if you are the best at something and you work hard, you will be successful in that field. I really like her business, and I think it will continue to grow and become successful in years to come.

We also met with the Mayor this week at the new Belleville Police Station.  I really enjoyed meeting the mayor for the first time.  I'm glad he takes opportunities like this to meet with local students. It shows that he cares about the people of Belleville.  It seems that a mayor's job is very stressful and busy. On any given day, he can have 10 different meetings.  I think it would be very hard to keep track of all of the ideas and information.  The mayor also stressed the importance of a good work ethic.  He also commented on how important it is to work with other people as a team.  We need to utilize that information, and transfer it to our class business.  We need the help of everyone and not just a select few.

Joe Riley came to speak to us this week.  He runs a business who installs sprinkler systems.  He showed us that you do not have to reinvent the wheel to begin a business.  You can easily do what another business does, but just target a different audience.  He picked one word that he views as most important in our working lives.   Passion. We need to have passion in everything we do.  If we find something we are passionate about then you will be happy.

01/13/2017

We are finally back into the swing of things after a long Christmas break. I hope that everyone had a good break, but I am glad we are back to work on our class business and meet more speakers.  I have very high hopes and expectations for this semester.  I hope that we are able to finish the trade show with at least 6,000 dollars profit.  Our goal is 4,000, but I will work my hardest to make this business successful.  I think the key is obtaining sponsorships as well as booths. We also need to start selling a lot of tickets. We each need to sell 20 tickets to reach our goal. My personal goal is to sell 30-35. 

We are meeting at Precision Practice Management this quarter. It is nice to get a new atmosphere for class.  We met with the a few people from Precision.  It was very interesting to learn about the business, and how Renae started it many years ago.  She is the perfect example of starting a business off of an idea.  She has become very successful, and I thought it was important how she reached out for help from professionals when the company began.  I cannot wait to meet with Renee. I have known her for many years.

On Tuesday, we met with a few students from last year, and I thought it was very beneficial. They asked us questions, and we asked them questions. It was very nice to get insight from students who are just a year older, but have lived through it. It. Was refreshing talking to some more kids, and hearing how the class has affected their lives as well as college experience.  I think that they are very supportive, and willing to help us. I think that shows one of the most important things about the CEO program.  Networking and the willingness of people to help others succeed.

01/06/2017

Overall, the past semester was a very interesting experience. I have learned a lot about myself, others, and the business world.  I have learned more than I have in any other class this year.  CEO can be very time consuming as well as frustrating, but it is worth it in my opinion.  The class business is still very iffy.  We are a little over two months away, and we are not where we should be.  We just need to stay motivated and work hard, and we will be okay.

On Monday, we learned the ins and outs of being a manufacturing representative.  I have never heard of that before Monday.  It is pretty interesting.  I like how it is risky, and you make what you put into it.  If you work had you can make a lot of money, but if you are lazy you won't make much.  He taught a valuable lesson that only 5 percent of people took his calls, but he never gave up. He kept calling, and became successful.  We need to do that in search of sponsorships. He was another example of someone who learned from a failure, but it pushed him to be more successful.

On Tuesday, we went to the Kings House. It is a secluded retreat center in Belleville. I have been there once before, and I was glad to go back because it is a very neat facility.  We met with Geri Boyer again, and talked about meditation and self awareness. We also talked about what we want, and how we view our personal missions.  Why were we put on earth?  That is for us to decide. I believe my mission is to make people happy.

12/16/2016

This week was another full week of activity, games, and excitement.  We are continuing to make strides in our class business as well as still learning more and more with every speaker. One of my favorite things about this class is how I learn something new every day.  After every class, I walk out knowing that I have grown as a person, and I have grown in knowledge. 

On Monday, John Perles from Midland institute joined us.  I love having the people from Midland come in. So far, they have been two of my favorite speakers.  I really like the action plan that he showed us.  I think it can be an essential tool in the growth of the class business. I also enjoyed making a personal and class mission statement. It is very good to stick to our mission statement.  Everything we do should be judged if it fits in our core values. He also stressed the importance of setting goals and deadlines.  As CEO, I have not stressed that enough.

On Wednesday, we went to FKG oil. I really liked Mr. Badgley, and the whole building.  I liked the old gas machines, and the other decorations.  I like the Moto business. It is very good, and personally they are my favorite gas station to go to.  I really enjoyed the presentation about the business.  I was also very interested in how they determine the price of gas weeks in advance.  Finally, the game of Jeopardy was extremely fun.

This week we had the first day where we went out to different businesses in search of donations and sponsorship.  Overall, my group did very well. We had very promising conversations with managers, and they all seemed very excited and interested in our class. We got a free hotel room from the Hilton, and I was very excited about that.  It really helped me develop skills speaking to people, and I found it very important to be straight forward and to the point. 

12/09/2016

Another eventful week of CEO has passed, and we are still making strides in our class business.  We also got to visit Governor French as well as Thouvenot, Wade, and Moerchan.  I have learned a lot this week about a lesser known high school and a business that I drive past every day without knowing what it was.

Governor French is a private school that runs from preschool until high school.  They are very small compared to Althoff.  They have less than sixty kids all together. I really like how they can work at their own pace, and challenge themselves to be the best students they can be.  I also like how every student has to participate in a sport and a play. This helps create well rounded students.  Furthermore, I like their morning routine. It promotes and celebrates the students, and I was excited to see it.  I also like how the students were confident speakers in front of the group of people. I was also happy we got to talk to a student.

We also visited Thouvenot, Wade and Moerchen.  I really liked their presentation and learning about the recycling of water. I thought that it was very interesting because I did not know what happened to our water.  I also enjoyed their machine that surveyed the room in just a couple of minutes.  It is truly amazing that the technology is so good that it was able to pick up the area between bricks.  I liked how they said to work with your passion, and it will not feel like work.  Do what you love, and question why are you doing this. I think that is very important to do what you love, and I am glad they shared that with us.

11/18/2016

Week 12 was a short, but very informative and productive week.  We started off the week with another work day.  We met with Michael Crotty, and we discussed possible designs for our mini fountains.  I am really excited, and I think that they will look very nice.  We can also fit sponsorships on them with is also very important.  I think that the chocolate fountain was a great idea to keep the theme going as well as keeping expenses low.  We need to nail down a venue.  I am happy to say that we were able to get Ben Glenn's price down to 3,500. I think that is very expensive, but I think it will be worth the investment in the long run. It was a good experience talking in the phone and negotiating a price.  I was very pleased with my results.  

On Tuesday, we met at Fletchers.  It is a very good restaurant on the west end of Belleville.  Mr. Betz commented on how people are the most important thing in your life.  We need people to be successful, and we also need them to be happy.  He also commented on failing.  We all fail it is how we respond that is important.  He commented on how he failed in opening a restaurant in St. Louis.  It never discouraged him, but helped him become more experienced.  He now knows to be more careful when opening a restaurant.  I really liked his analogy of pig committed vs chicken committed.  I think that it is very important to be completely invested in your business.  Surround yourself with people that will help your business grow.  I think you should demand that best from your employees as well as hire the best.  He also stressed the importance of building your resume.   

Cheryl Mitchell came and visited us on Wednesday.  I really loved hearing her talk. She expressed a lot of energy and support.  I am glad that she loves this program and wants to see it grow so much.  That is very nice to see.  The ultimate goal for CEO is to become the business educational standard among high schools across the U.S. I really hope that it is possible to achieve that. I was fortunate enough to meet and talk with Cheryl after class for a few hours. I am very happy I met her because she is a very kind, loving, and nice person.  She was willing to help talk us through life decisions while having fun and joking around. I thought that was awesome to see someone care so much. 

Finally, I was also very excited to talk at the investor luncheon.  It was a good opportunity to speak about the class while getting practice public speaking.  I am decent at public speaking, but I can get nervous so I was happy to be able to do that. It was nice to be able to thank Mrs. Siebers as well as the investors. I also loved talking to them and getting to know them better.

11/11/2016

Another exciting and eventful week of CEO class has passed. We are 11 weeks into the school year, and are finally getting into the groove as a class on the class business. This week, we had three full work days at Barcom, and I think that we have made big strides this week. We are finalizing many small details that will help us actually go out, get sponsors, and promote our business. I am learning that the more we listen to each other the more success we have as a class. There is still a little bit of argument, but for the most part the class is doing a lot better. We seemed to have everything finalized for sponsorships, but we ran into a problem about decorations. I am excited to see how the class' minds work to solve this issue. I think that the trade show will be very successful, and we will pull it off.

On Monday, the Bank of Edwardsville visited us, and talked about the banking world. The bank was established in 1868, and has been successful ever since. They have a 190 million dollar net worth, and bring in 1.8 billion dollars in assets. Banks make most of their money from loaning money with higher interest rates. The Bank of Edwardsville makes 742 million in loans. Two very important lessons are to establish credit early, and start saving early. You need financial history to help you get a loan from a bank.

On Tuesday, Kevin Nicol came to speak to us about Nicol Financial Services. He is a very smart and passionate person, and just wants to help others. I really admire that about him. He gives scholarships to a student from each CEO class in the area because he supports the program and the children in it. I really liked his presentation of financials, but what strikes me as amazing is his support.

11/04/2016

After ten very short weeks of CEO class, the investors and companies never fail to impress me. We always learn something new or gain a new perspective on the business world.

On Monday, we visited Rauckman Utility Products. I thought that their company was very interesting on how they have to patent many ideas so that the competition does not steal the idea. I liked watching the 3D printing, and scanning of Jaylen's face. I also liked watching how the gloves were made, and how some need special adaptations due to missing fingers.

On Tuesday and Thursday, we had workdays at Barcom. We are making huge strides in the class business, and I think we have the keynote speaker nailed down. Things can move forward a lot quicker now that we have the date and venue nailed down. I think the Scottish Rite will suit our business well…

I enjoyed meeting with Neal Eilers. He has found his own niche in the business world, and enjoys what he does. He is a very creative and artistic person, and he uses his talents to create customized shoes. I really enjoyed hearing his passion about his company. He relies on positive reviews as validation that his company is the real deal. He is also willing to work through any complications, and I think that is very important in the business world. I think it is very important that I follow his example, and pick a business that I will enjoy working on, and that I am passionate about

10/28/2016

 On Monday, we met at Barcom Security for the first time.  It was fun to transition into a new atmosphere.  We just had a normal work day.  We talked about venues and speakers primarily.  We finally have a date set in stone, and we can move forward. Getting the date helped us go from 0-1. Now we should be able to go from 1-1000.

On Tuesday, Charles Fike came to Barcom to speak.  I like how he values the customer, and likes to build a personal connection with his clients.  I like how he has a standard set for his business, and strongly follows it.  He helped us decide that we should have a motivational speaker for our trade show.

On Wednesday, met with Hamilton Callison, and discussed his alcohol distributing company.  He is in charge of the southern Illinois portion of the company.  I like how he often promotes being safe with alcohol.  I enjoyed learning about his business because it was something we have not seen before.

On Thursday, we visited the Shrine and Scottish Rite to look at possible venues.  I really liked both venues, but in my personal opinion I want to go to the Scottish Rite.  They had a huge fountain in the lobby which complements our theme nicely.  I really liked the man who showed us around, and told us that a price is never set in stone.  It was an important financial lesson that we did not expect to learn while searching for venues.

On Friday, we went on a field trip to CEO Empowerment Day.  I enjoyed mingling with other students from different schools.  I especially liked the secret to making money.  Peter Maer was very interesting.  He has lived a very eventful life, and had some amazing stories to tell.  Finally, I enjoyed the statement about not underestimating the importance of the in-between job.

10/21/2016

After 7 weeks of CEO class, I am learning way more than I thought I would. I am learning important life lessons and skills as well as the ins and outs of the business world. I really enjoy meeting new people, and learning about all of the businesses.

On Monday, we went to TrepStart. It was an amazing experience, and I am so glad I was able to attend. I liked the atmosphere because it was reassuring that kids can be successful in the business world. I enjoyed hearing from the various child speakers. Zach, the 15 year old web designer, taught me two very important lessons. Always be honest with the consumer, and know your limitations. It is always good to be upfront, and express when you don't think you can do something. Zandra taught me that sometimes a big idea starts with a no. Her father told her no to buying more skin care products so she decided to make her own. She started the business when she was 8, and it is now a company that sells across the world. I also enjoyed listening to Maxine Clark. She told us how she created Build-a-Bear. It was incredible to hear the trial and error of the multi-billion dollar company's start up. Overall, TrepStart was an amazing experience.

On Tuesday, we met Mrs. DiMaggio-May. Her job is to help businesses create a business plan. She also helps collect data for a particular businesses field. She helps makes charts and graphs to show that the product will be able to sell. Before she met with us, I did not know the importance and intricacy of business plans.

On Wednesday, we had another work day at Allsup. We had to sort out a few arguments and tension throughout the group. However, after talking it out, I think that the group will be stronger in the long run. We need to keep in mind that everyone's opinion is valuable and deserves being heard. Overall, I think we are taking a step in the right direction.

On Thursday we met with more potential mentors. I enjoy talking to all of them, and bouncing ideas off of them. I really enjoy these days just to talk with business people. It will be very hard to choose a mentor because they all are great, and bring a lot to the table. I am excited to be working with them soon!

10/07/2016

We just concluded week 4 of CEO class. I cannot believe that time is flying so fast. So far, I have made a lot of new friends, and made a lot of new connections. I have learned a lot of things about the business world and various occupations that I had previously never known about.

On Monday, we worked on our badge projects, and finalized a few details. Basically, we needed to get sponsors in order to create the badges. The only thing holding us back was the lack of gold donors. However, I think that we have made a lot of progress and should be able to make the badge soon.

On Tuesday, we went to Holland Construction and talked to Mike Marchal. Construction is a business that I have never thought about going into. However, Mr. Marchal helped teach me about the business, and interested me. I was impressed that Holland has not had an injury in 9 years. I like how he used the word love, and loves his workers. He stressed how important communication is. He talks about how he gives his employees constant feedback, and has direct conversations. He also said it is important to let people fail, but do not let them be failures. Everyone makes mistakes, and messes up. However, it is very important to get past those faults. Mike Marchal also talks about the importance of relationships.

On Wednesday, we had another project day. We started talking about our class business, and I am very excited to see what we will come up with as a class. I think that this business will be very fun to brainstorm and plan. I hope to be a big part of this project.

On Friday, the class went to Bank of Belleville, and met Mr. Pesko. His company's niche is small businesses and entrepreneurs. He also said that everyone needs a bank. Mr. Pesko stressed the importance of relationships and networking. So far, I think that every business has talked about the importance of networking. He also said that it is very important to do little things like be on time no matter what. Furthermore, if you say you are going to do something, you need to do it. His company "hunts with a rifle not a shotgun." This means that they target individuals for business not the masses. Overall, it was a very good week, and I enjoy coming to CEO every day.

09/16/2016

After the first full week of CEO class, I have high expectations and aspirations for the year.  Even though waking up early is never a high schooler's favorite thing, I look forward to waking up, dressing nicely, and knowing I will learn something new.  This class is engaging as well as challenging. I look forward to the connections I am going to make and the people that I will meet throughout this year.

On Monday, Mr. Schneider and Mr. Clapp came to help our class build as a group and become one.  We did a series of games and activities to get to know one another.  They also challenged us with a few games that were a little more complex, and took planning, thinking, and leadership.  However, the thing that stood out to me the most was how we need to acknowledge everyone in the room, and stretch our comfort zone. I was a greeter on Monday, and it made me feel good when they acknowledged how professional and welcoming it was to greet them in the morning.

The president of Allsup also spoke to us this week. I liked his past, and was very interested in all of the challenges and successes he has had in the past. A couple of quotes he said stood out to me. "Fail fast and fail forward." "The difference between successful businesses and unsuccessful businesses is execution."  These quotes are important because we will all fail, but if we do we need to use it as a learning experience.  Also, we need to execute to be successful. If you have a good idea, but never execute the idea is waste

On Wednesday, we met Reva Faber. She analyzed our PDP test results to learn what kind of person we are. I was analyzed as extroverted primarily.  I agree with the results for the most part, but I feel that I don't rely on approval as heavily as full extroverts do.  I like to talk, and I am outgoing for the most part, but I am satisfied without approval of others. 

On Friday, we met Roger Lowery at Northwest Mutual. He had many good points on how to be successful and happy with our careers. However one thing he said struck me more than the rest. He said, "I didn't listen to what was inside me, I listened to the people around me." I find this quote prominent in the majority of people's lives. We seek approval and guidance by others. Instead, we should search inside of ourselves to find answers in our lives because only we know what will make us happy.

            

08/26/2016