As our year in CEO draws to a close I have taken quite a bit of time looking back on all of the lessons we were taught in this program and how I will be able to apply it to my life in college and as the CEO of my business. The most important of these lessons being passion, perseverance, and determination as well as dedication for what you're going to do in your life. These things have been a commonality between all speakers that have presented in front of us at Belleville CEO and have made us better businessmen and women because of their presentations.

Something I’m going to work on in the future is finding the littlest bits of free time that I can spend on my business especially since I’m always so busy doing a million things that I have committed to. I need to learn how to discipline my schedule and write in times to create and plan if I want this business to succeed.

I will also do more research on marketing in college as my advertisement strategy for right now is selling on my Facebook page, I would eventually love to develop a website and put together events surrounding my art as well. I have a bright future in the art world, and armed with the knowledge I received from this program I have one in the business world as well.

In the last week of Belleville CEO I hope to have any questions that I might have had about running a successful business answered and to finish my year strong.

05/07/2017

On Thursday, McDonalds franchise owner Gary Peck paid a visit to our class and debunked many of our unfounded McDonalds rumors. Personally this was great for me because the only reason I ever stopped eating McDonald’s burgers was because I believed they were unhealthy for me. Besides restoring my faith in the McDonald’s burger, Gary Peck talked to us about the history and legacy of the McDonalds we all know today and how it started out as a simple burger stand. This visit to me opened my eyes to see that something that seems so small can develop into something absolutely huge. That means I have to plan ahead for my business, if my art gets extremely popular I have no way of mass producing it, that is a problem for me and my customers.

Speaking of mass producing, to get to that level I would have to advertise my business effectively. This is something that J.T. McDermott owner Josh McDermott opened our eyes to when he asked us about the latest trends in the advertising world. We all brainstormed different ways to do this and came up with some innovative ideas to reach our target audience. I will apply this to my own business and find more creative ways to advertise as well.

04/21/2017

 This week in my CEO experience we visited the art and entertainment business of Sips n splatters and Lindenwood University. We met with Dr. Barger and Dr. Trice at the university. From their lesson, I learned that speaking is an extremely important tool to have as a CEO or anyone in the public eye. When catering to the public as your consumers you have to make sure that your company appeals to the public, maintaining a credible image for your company is key to having a good consumer base. No one will but from a company that is rumored to cause unpleasant or unsatisfactory experiences. During our Lindenwood visit, we also had mock interviews with communications majors to test our ability to think on our feet, the exercise was very eye opening and exposed us to what a blindsided interview may be like so we could prepare for things of this nature in the future.

 While visiting Sips n Splatters with David and Chris Brandt, we were able to see a unique business running successfully in Belleville. As an artist, it was absolutely fascinating to learn how Sips n Splatters provides a fun, one of a kind experience to any customer and maintain that customer base throughout their business career. Many people wonder how art businesses will hold up because art is simply not a vital need, but for the expressionistic people of Belleville Illinois art is celebrated and displayed all throughout the city- giving a wonderful environment for art based businesses like Sips n Splatters to prosper. This is a great contributor to the success of the business, but more than that is the passion and love for art and life that the CEOs share with all of their customers. This business visit taught me so much about how to market creativity, and if I wish to survive in the world of entrepreneurship I must follow all of the advice I can acquire from driven people like them.

03/31/2017

 From Mr. and Mrs. Dunnigan showing us how to double our savings to Mr. Mike Wenzel who taught us that cash flow in a business is what keeps it alive, our CEO week was eventful and informative. From keeping up with all of the new information we were given and trying to apply it to my business I learned that I need to take better notes of the small things that are discussed in our visits. Our successful speakers may be extremely smart and experienced in their respective professional fields but they would not be there without a passion for what they do.

I like to take away the stories and emotions from our speakers to get a better understanding of passion and how I can use mine about art to the best of my ability. Many stories about how these CEO’s get to their positions are similar to each other; however each story about the roots of their passion and how they first started caring about what they do are always captivating and vastly different from the last one.

This is the part of a business that you cannot control- so it makes it both the most important and most unpredictable aspect that anyone could apply. I already have a deep love for what I do and it shows through my creation and distribution of my artistic pieces to others who enjoy them. I am very excited to learn of the story and path to success my passion will lay out for me in the near and long term future of creating and running my art business.

03/24/2017

This week in CEO we had many workdays with our advisor Joann DiMaggio-May and one with Mr.Patrick McKeehan. I find these days to be essential when planning what we will all do in our businesses in the near future as well as knowing what we expect out of our business in the long term operation. I am constructing a very respectable business plan at this point and am excited about all the things I could do once I have my information and my elevator pitch in order. I plan to participate in many pitch contests- one being the NAACP event coming up in one month.

The speaker we had visit our home base this week was Mr. Wiley, the CEO of a local consulting service. What made Mr. Wiley’s visit stand out is that he followed his passion all through his life- being a young star athlete he got into consulting and running his own business all while still being tied to the sports he cherishes. I was extremely excited to hear him speak as he comes across as a very charismatic and kind man, and I learned many extremely helpful pointers that will definitely be put to good use in my business.

As for my production in my art business, I plan to pair with Mr. Crotty- the artist who assisted in making many of our class business plans come to fruition- to print photocopies of my artwork to frame and sell. Pairing with him will be much cheaper than printing at a public press like Walgreens. I anticipate working with Mr. Crotty again because he is so knowledgeable about an amazing array of art related subjects; I feel as though I always learn so much from conversation with him  and seeing him work.

03/17/2017

 On Monday we had our first day at Artigem replacement services, it was a not only a historical tour that was given to us by the CEO Mr.Artinger, but an extremely informative one as well. We all learned that the building that is now Artigem Replacement Services was once a community gym. Mr. Artinger told us all about his struggle to save the building so he could build his buildings in it, all of the loops he had to go through and all of the strings he had to pull was nothing short of a person with an extraordinarily persisting drive. I learned that even a person with no kind of professional degree can become successful by knowing what they are doing and running with it with all of their passion and confidence.

The building was beautiful as well, Mr.Artinger also showed us the wonderful art pieces and structures he keeps around the building for useful purposes and for morale/psychological purposes for the workers. Some very colorful structures serve as beautiful room pieces but they also redirect sound toward the ceiling to keep the workspace quiet. I'm excited to develop my business in this wonderful building with the immense knowledge I have gained from my visit here.        

This week we also visited the St. Clair Country Club. It was a wonderful experience for us to learn about fine dining and ediquette as well as how to run a successful high class event. Mr. Thad Payne showed us the do's and do not's of fancy dining while explaining what he as the event coordinator would serve to the guests, display which decorations for the guests, and even how he would dismiss the guests in a buffet style setting. I found it so wonderful to learn about a world that I had never been a part of and the cultural differences between it and my everyday dining experience. Besides that, it was vital information to learn how to please your guests with style and grace to give them the most wonderful experience possible for my future events.

03/10/2017

This week in CEO class we had our last days at the PPM home base and started to work on our individual businesses for the class with Ms. DiMaggio May. My mentor Geri Boyer has been an exceptional role model and guide for my venture into the world of entrepreneurship and I am currently balancing the list of things I must do to achieve a successful business with the load of work and responsibility from my school classes and extracurriculars. I have often thought about if running my business will be as time consuming and exhausting as it was described by local CEOs; although that is more than true I’ve also found that the passionate part about a business is what makes it someone’s livelihood and pride.

More than ever, I’m extremely excited to see what my business will grow into and the countless ways I can expand and improve it over the years I am operating it. I am a young artist that has sold many works already, so I wish to create and distribute art to people around the Belleville area. It's a simple trade at the moment; however art has a way of communicating powerful messages quickly and effectively. Hopefully this will be the case with my portraits of strong natural haired women to uplift natural hairstyles.

This past week we also visited the Leisure Time Pools business with the personable, kind, and inspirational CEO Mr. DeRousse. Mr. DeRousse was the most uplifting speaker I’ve heard in a long time, he is quite literally the personification of the ideal “If at first you don't succeed, try try again”. Surviving cancer multiple times her succeeded in overcoming extreme business losses and has triumphed into the owner of quite a few companies, his example will definitely be one I take after in the years to come.

03/03/2017

This CEO week was taken up by workdays finishing everything we needed to wrap up for the class business and one really interesting visit to the Belleville News Democrat newspaper production factory. The work days were productive, we took our final grades for the class business and evaluated ourselves as well as our classmates on their performance in the convention and In the classroom.

Going to the Belleville News Democrat newspaper production facility was the first time in a while we saw the factory behind the product that a business provided.  What I love about visiting these places is that you really get to see the production process and what makes the finished product come to fruition; whether that be the workers that assemble the product or the executives that oversee the process.

We learned so much every time we do this kind of visit behind the scenes of a business. I learned that the Belleville News Democrat although it is a newspaper needs a social media and website expert to be as successful as it is. Newspapers are a very customer based business-so the BND has to keep up with not only relevant news that people need to know, but the stories that people want to know and read about as well. For me, this highlighted that in any business that you have you have to do an immense amount of research to make sure that your product is the best that it can possibly be. I am going to apply all of these tactics to my own personal business which we will be starting soon in the CEO class, I am extremely excited to finally apply all of the amazing lessons I have learned all year into my business.

02/17/2017

Due to other organizations I was only able to attend one day of CEO this week, and although it was productive I can't help but feel a bit behind. I don't like missing class even for other organizations because the education I get in CEO is purely hands on and your quality of education is due to your attendance and attention.

I have decided to go a different direction with the art in our class business, instead of multiple student arts I will create a photography series related to Belleville CEO and the life of a student in the program, also relating to Belleville and our high schools in various ways. The photos will be blown up and then displayed and put up for sale.

This experience has taught me I can't rely too much on other people to get things done because they do not have the same motivation for this completed project as I do, which is understandable because it is not a grade for the various students at Belleville high schools.
I find this realization both clarifying and extremely valuable. In the future I won't have to wait for things to be done. I'll either hand a responsibility to someone I trust or I will complete the task myself. Overall the class business seems to be running along smoothly and I'm excited to see the result.

01/20/2017

Ever since we’ve made the switch to Precision Practice Management as our home base I’ve seen great things out of the business. We've had the pleasure of meeting the executives of Precision Practice Management and witness their chemistry and work ethic firsthand.

This week we even got to meet the founder of the business Renee Eichholz. From her story of constantly searching for what she would do in life we learned the importance of perseverance and personal happiness in whatever trade or business you end up in. She really drove the point home to us that if you aren't happy where you are, it's time for a change of pace. This point is not expressed enough in the business world. I feel as though a lot of what we learn to be successful is to follow the footsteps of past successes which is extremely helpful, but it doesn't address the points of personal happiness in business like Renee Eichholz did for us.

Her passion and dedication to her work is what it made it take off. These were essential parts of her business’ success because she went into a field where someone could do it themselves (filing information). That is what is so admirable about her business plan, you absolutely have to have people dedicated and enjoying this work or else it will fail. I think back to the visit of the other executives in Precision Practice Management and remember the impressive coordination and chemistry between them all, the small interactions and positive energy draws people to this group and makes them able to entrust their very important information with Precision Practice Management. These are qualities I wish to install in my own business at the end of the program.  

01/13/2017

Our first day back to CEO class was a wonderful visit from the officers of our next home base Precision Practice Management. The staff included the president and CEO Mike Barnell, Owner and Partner Alan Pulliam, and the director of Human Resources Angela Willis.

As soon as they walked into the room you could feel how close these three were, their attitudes and composure were impressive and their interaction was friendly and professional. Observing such a well put together team made me ask them about their office culture. Ms. Willis explained to the class that at the office they pride customer service and satisfaction above all else, and they have to be an efficient team to do so.  I look forward to coming here for our mornings and learning more about their wonderful business.

I was absent a day due to sickness, but was back for Joann DiMaggio-May to help us with our class summary. It was extremely helpful having her guide us through the steps and I'm grateful to have these sort of connections through the program.

01/06/2017

This past week in CEO has been an extremely eventful one for me. Not simply due to our CEO activities, but on Thursday during class I was involved in my first car accident.

Physically I am completely fine, however the accident was extremely jarring in many other ways. Most notably, the expenses that resulted in the collision. Because of the accident we lost our family van and now have to get a new one. I've also become more cautious when entering and leaving vehicles. My CEO class has been preparing me for months for a financial situation like this, yet it did not fully sink in until a crashing realization occurred- I have to prepare myself for real life.

What I appreciate about CEO is that it takes me out into the real world so I won't have extreme surprises when starting my own business. Although nothing else could have completely prepared me for a sudden car accident, I can't say that my teaching in CEO were not helpful while I was calculating the expenses and how soon I would have to start my business to pay my family back.

My mentor Geri Boyer is 100% supportive of trying to boost my business a bit before we officially get started. It's people like her that I am extremely grateful for; driven and dedicated people that I would have never met if I had not been enrolled in this program.

My next steps are still a bit of a mystery, as I have to plan a lot of things about my business before I truly get started. I know small things like that won't be a hinderance for me, because I have CEO on my side to push me to a successful future.

12/16/2016

Monday in our CEO class was another workday. We finalized details and brought new ideas for our class business to be approved. I have said this before, but what makes our workdays so precious to me is that I get to balance other people's ideas and find a productive compromise for when they present them. Having these kind of working days give all of us a sense of what it will be like to work with other people in a professional business setting without getting our feelings involved and having a discussion turn into an argument. Not only is this incredibly valuable for our future professional experience, but it makes us more mature as a whole.

On Tuesday our class made a trip to Fletcher's kitchen and tap to talk to the CEO, Derek Betz, and learn about what made his business so successful in Belleville. Mr. Betz talk to us about being pig committed and chicken committed, another way of saying you're either all in for a business or just a little bit involved. I obviously that would talk to us about being pig committed and chicken committed, another way of saying you're either all in for a business or just a little bit involved. He also talked to us about how Fletcher's has come a long way under his management and ownership. Mr. Betz obviously cares very much for his business and that is a key component to his success. I hope to one day be able to start a business that I care so very much for as he does with his restaurant.

On Wednesday, the last day of CEO class in week 12, we met at Barcom Security with the executive director of Midland Institute, Cheryl Mitchell. She was extremely lively and from the way she talks about the program you know that she cares very much for the CEO program-a little bit like how Mr. Betz cares about Fletcher's.

11/11/2016

This week and Belleville CEO, our class visited the headquarters of Rauckman utility products and was visited by the CEO of Super Bit Kicks Neal Eilers.

At the headquarters of Rauckman utility products, our class had the privilege of experiencing next level technology. A lot of the products and items we observed on Monday can be found on the Rauckman utility products website. Not only were the products that were displayed to us useful and environmentally friendly, but the people were extremely caring of their work as well. The staff at Rauckman is incredibly nice, and the way they care for their customers’ safety is second to none I've seen in a company such as theirs. For instance, Rauckman utility Products manufactures its own electrical gloves, and even goes as far to make custom gloves for workers who may need to have unique gloves made (such as ones with missing fingers).

Including the next day, our CEO week consisted of mostly workdays so we could focus on the details for our class business. During those times we discussed what may make our class business better than when we last discussed what it may be. I am grateful for these workdays because it gives me a chance to interact with my fellow CEO students. In this situation I get to learn how to incorporate different ideas into the same project, but also how to deal with clashing personalities.

On Wednesday Neal Eilers came to speak to us about his small business Super Bit Kicks, this was especially encouraging because Neal Eilers does not have a generational business or has not worked his way up into an  already successful business. His style of making custom shoes and T-shirts is the closest thing that has come to our individual businesses, and it fuels our drive to know that there are still methods of getting ahead for young entrepreneurs like ourselves.

10/28/2016

Although I was absent for the first day of this CEO week, I'm glad I could be present for the eventful majority. The Tuesday when I started my week was my first day at Barcom, and the day we met the acquaintance of Charles Fike. Mr. Fike gave us a lot of wonderful feedback on our class business and poked holes in the weak points that we need to think about and build a stronger plan for; his perspective on how to reach the older generation (people who don't use social media) is extremely valuable for us to consider, looking at how most of our sponsors are in his age group.

 Mr. Hamilton Callison paid us a visit the next day, like Charles Fike he gave us wonderful advice to put into our class business. He taught us a few things about his career in accounting and the wisest choice out of quite a few hypothetical scenarios he presented to us. From Mr. Callison, I learned that all factors are important when making money, not just the end profit of whatever you make. He made this very clear in our hypothetical choices we were to consider during his visit.

 Thursday was a day we took to progress our class business plan by deciding on a venue. First we met at the Belleville Shrine to see their dining hall and if whatever they were offering us could accommodate the type of event we are trying to execute. Personally, I was more excited about the Scottish Rite for a venue location. The spacious dining hall plus the lobby space would be an ideal place for us to put on a wonderful trade show. Our theme for our class business is “around the Belleville fountain”, meaning that we wish to have Belleville businesses put up booths around the walls of whatever venue we choose, this will reflect how Belleville businesses surround our fountain in the public square.

 Not only will this build Belleville business relationships with each other, but it will give us all a stronger sense of community to have so many professionals invested and interested in the Belleville CEO program together in one place.

 I am extremely excited to see this idea come to fruition and the wonderful business connections we all will form in this event.

10/21/2016

I think the most interesting thing about being in the CEO program is that I get to make connections with all types of people. Men and women of different races and backgrounds are always teaching me things, giving me new perspectives on life and on business. What is particularly intriguing though, is when we meet someone who is involved with multiple businesses, like quite a few of our speakers this week are.

 On Monday we met Brian Mentzer, a businessman, family man, and family business man. He spoke to us about the responsibility of taking on family businesses, and explained to us the connections between over five businesses and his family’s involvement in each, including car washes, storage units, and even the barge business. Mr. Mentzer loves everything he’s involved in, the way he lights up when speaking on his businesses makes for a compelling session, and I enjoyed hearing about his business ventures.

 My father owns a business teaching self-defense classes, and although I believe it's important to know how to defend myself I do not believe I will have the passion for it like my father does. This is what makes Mr. Mentzer's family involvement in his businesses so fascinating, that the dedication runs between generations and has become an entrepreneurial tradition.

 Of course all of these businesses need help now and again, we learned about how businesses in the Belleville community can work together to promote each other, instilling a stronger sense of community pride than I had formerly thought Belleville possessed. At the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce, we learned of the planning, involvement, and overall dedication it takes to truly keep a community of businesses  running smoothly.

 Ms. Pfeil was the first to greet and speak to us; and she proceeded to tell us how a chamber of commerce works. From the presentation, I gathered that a lot more planning and community involvement than I assumed went into this particular business. Communication and love for your city/ town/ whatever Belleville is considered drives this Chamber of Commerce to further success each year.

 Kurt Artinger and Chris Oswald ended our week with a splendid tour of their business Peer151, a business that helps other businesses bring their ideas to fruition and profits from it. Businesses like Peer 151 inspire me into thinking outside of the box; there is a service for everything, even a service for helping services! This gives me perspective and ignites my ambition in my search for a sustainable business where I can be prosperous, yet entertained and happy in my daily work.

10/14/2016

Our CEO class started the week with an extremely fun event, we attended the TrepStart convention at SLU. There we interacted with many other CEO and business entrepreneurial groups; exchanging experiences and knowledge of our days in these programs made us friends. Besides the other entrepreneurs still in school, the most interesting part of TrepStart had to be the young business owners that came to speak to us from all around the country.

These kids have been on TV shows, interviews in magazines, and won competitions for their products- most of them under the age of 17. Seeing these kids younger than me have such success filled me with determination and a bit of disappointment: determination because it took away the fear of being too young a business owner, but disappointment because I've passed the age mark where anything I do (unless incredibly mind blowing) would be considered amazing. Nevertheless, I feel I am at a wonderful age to be level headed about my decisions while still being creative and spontaneous at the same time.

Not only were these teens an inspiration, but great motivators and supportive of anyone they met. I had the privilege of speaking with a young lady named Zandra- the CEO of a line of all natural skin care products- after my breakout session with her. She walked me through some key steps I would need to make my business a reality and I've been brainstorming and planning ever since.

The convention was more than inspiring, it was really a wake up call. As most of those who know me will be able to tell you, I love soaking up any new information I can and applying it to my life immediately; this definitely goes for how TrepStart was planned and executed so professionally. The entire venue, schedule, and event ran extremely smoothly from the Breakout sessions to the DJ and his great music. In these little things, I learned that details are very important to give guests a great experience for any event you plan or host. TrepStart will definitely be an example for our class business, and we will ensure that it will be just as wonderful as this experience was for us.

10/07/2016

This week in CEO was certainly eventful, most of it was taken up by our class discussions of the class project we will be executing in February. Through these class discussions, I've learned a lot about my classmates- that they are innovative as well as creative and think of things for our project that will really put it over the top. One of the things I really appreciate about this class is that it gives me an opportunity to work productively with any kind of person- which is an experience all young adults should have before they are thrown into a situation where they believe they can't work with someone else for whatever reason. These people who have the same goal as I do, although our personalities clash, are a great example of working through differences and being able to overcome them as a group.

Auffenberg car dealership in O'fallon was the only business we’ve visited this week, but it was wonderful nevertheless. The huge business was pristine and beautiful, quite obviously a place that likes to keep up with its cleanliness. We met Jamie Auffenberg, the CEO of his generational family business, and learned of his daily responsibilities. I've never thought about running a car dealership, but I can't say I've never thought about being a saleswoman for one. The job description itself would be wonderful practice in selling or marketing anything, and I believe it would be a fun experience for me. If I ever want to look more into this job field, Auffenberg is definitely where I will go.

On Friday we wound up at Allsup once again, but not for a typical class project discussion. We had a wonderful meet and greet with potential mentors for our group! I met many extremely interesting people that I hope to hear from again as a possible mentor (which I will refrain from naming just in case they don't turn out to be my mentor), that make me excited for my future in this class! Through all of the people that visited our class on Friday morning I have gained confidence in my business and refreshing brainstorming sessions, another priceless perk to the CEO class that I could not experience anywhere else.

09/30/2016

This CEO week started off with a trip to Holland construction services. During our visit there we were presented a PowerPoint with many extremely helpful tips on interacting within your business. Mike Marchal, the president of Holland construction services told us the importance of integrity and a can do attitude. The uplifting message he gave to us inspired me to apply these same values that Holland Construction holds so high to my own company values. Mike Marchal also mentioned how being in a job like construction, has many people involved, so communication is vital for anything to get done. From my own experiences in leading my extracurriculars at Belleville West High School, I can attest that when working or supervising many people communication is definitely a vital part to anything you do. Mr. Marchal also brought to our attention how inclusive words like “we” and “us” strengthen the bond between a group, something I will be sure to exercise in my upcoming group projects at Belleville CEO.

Dr. Dosier of District 201 shared an admiration for teamwork as Mike Marchal did.  We were engaged in an encouraging conversation about getting out there and persevering for sponsors of our badge project. It always fills me with joy to see how much faith the people who come to speak to us have in the Belleville CEO class, and I am always left with an urge to do better as a result of it. These visits and lessons will stay with me through creating my own business in the future.

Kevin Pesko at the Bank of Belleville gave us helpful tips on how to get a business rolling with a bank; I am grateful for this because it's most likely the path I will be taking for the start up money of my own. The opportunity we are given as CEO students and the collective knowledge we get to experience is something I cannot have anywhere else, and I am reminded everyday of the amazing people who give their advice and knowledge to me to ensure my future success. Through this program I have been revealed the importance of community involvement, punctuality, and reliability: three values I will stress to my own employees in the near future.

09/16/2016

This week in our CEO class we visited the law firm of Greensfelder, Hemker, and Gale. Besides learning the immense burden of being a lawyer- hundreds of cases at a time, emotional attachment to unsettling cases, and mounds and mounds of paperwork- we learned that to be successful in your field you have to have the right attitude and love what you do. Especially for a career in law, the right attitude toward your work is essential to being successful- you have to love what you do. For me, it was encouraging to see people who are so immersed in their work. The fact that we had such dedicated lawyers in Belleville made me have faith in them; I've always thought my experience with a lawyer would be very generic since they have so many cases to deal with, it's reassuring to think I’d get the time and attention my case needs although they have others to deal with. This service sets an example for my own business, no matter how flushed I am with work I must stay organized and meet the deadlines I set for myself.

Empire Comfort Systems also taught us the importance of staying organized; the large factory had many small parts that are essential to the completed product- a fireplace. The employees, the assembly lines, even the strategically placed water coolers all contribute to an efficient, well-oiled machine. If one of these things gets skewed, it affects how the product will turn out. From Empire we took away that every part of a business is important, and keeping times and records of your progress will help you advance in your production as well.

A few days this week we have been able to attend our class at Allsup which we have spent developing our badge project. Each visit to Belleville businesses adds on to our knowledge of how to successfully develop a product, and how to maintain that success for a while. With Julie Siebers as our facilitator we are reminded of things that may or may not work, and are guided into a process where we have an immense chance of succeeding.

On Friday, our last visit was at Althoff Catholic High school. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect because I've never seen a school as a business before. I was pleasantly surprised to meet the friendly staff of Althoff Catholic and learn about the inner workings of a religious high school. Mr. Harris- the principal of Althoff- was especially outgoing and eager to answer all of our questions. We learned that Althoff has to acquire millions of dollars each year to keep it functional which they make up in fundraising and donations. The drive of Althoff’s staff to keep the school running for the many children who love attending there is admirable, and something to add in my own business endeavors.

09/09/2016

The businesses we went to this week had a lot of amazing lessons to learn from. We met with Kevin and Brett Baltz of Egyptian Stationers earlier this week, and learned the ins and outs of producing and distributing your own furniture. One of the most important things we learned on our trip to that office was that you don't need to invent the next lightbulb to be a successful business owner, you have to be smart and know how to do what your company needs to stay on top and in business. In the shop we saw many kinds of different models for furniture, including revolutionary desks that can raise up and be in use when the worker is standing or sitting comfortably. The fact that Egyptian Stationers realizes that a lot of employees need to be more comfortable at their work desk to be more productive shows why they are successful, they put in the work and research that other companies wouldn't. This is exactly why they are so relevant in the business of Belleville-they are flexible, reasonable, and modern.

Speaking of modern business, a great example of a an up to date business is one that has an unconventional office style, like the one at Kaskaskia Engineering. Mrs.Geri Boyer runs an efficient but still fun office space, highlighting the key points of this kind of “Strength Based” business in a PowerPoint she presented to us. Many huge parts of having a successful office, according to Mrs.Geri, didn't have anything to do with the business aspect at all. More so with the attitudes and feelings of the workers involved. She taught us the importance of being kind to the people you work with, and that communication is an essential part of any office. That, and the fact that this exceptional business never misses a deadline, is why Kaskaskia engineering is not only a fantastic group of people to do business with, but a place where you can feel as though your business will be handled where you will be updated and kept in the loop, not notified last second that you will not get the results you initially expected in time. This is what customers value about working with this company, and keeps them coming back.

Being updated is another point that had its significance stressed by Mr. Ed Hoering of Clifton Larson Allen, his company owes success to being able to adapt with the times and keeping up with community events and functions, this not only lets them help build the community they love but shows Belleville that Clifton Larson Allen cares, and in turn brings in business. He came to enlighten us on how “important it is to be well rounded in business” and any field you go into will require accounting skills to stay relevant. A great presentation by a well informed man, I learned many things that I could factor into my business that I hadn’t thought of before, like the ever-essential resource of history in business. “If it worked once it can work again”.

Belleville CEO ended the week with an informal and exciting trip to Holiday World. This trip was not only exciting for the obvious reasons (free drinks, free rides, friendly people), but I got to experience the effects of successful IT engineering- and chat with Matt Taylor- the IT Director- about it as well. We had a significant conversation about expanding on one of my business ideas that would need knowledge of IT to become successful, the problem with that is I'm going to school for the artistic and musical half that this particular idea would need. He referred me to some companies that mix technological work and artistry to a degree, and I found that the many business connections I've already made in Belleville CEO will be of great use to me as well in a collaborative project like I have in mind. Besides the actual Holiday World information, I also had the privilege of speaking to many different CEO students and sharing ideas of future projects with them. I’m incredibly excited to see what the next week holds, as this program has already exceeded my expectations, and it's only the second week.

09/02/2016

So far my CEO experience has been nothing short of amazing. Every day in the classroom we learn something intriguing, whether it is about business, each other, or ourselves. As a classroom we’ve been growing increasingly comfortable with sharing our ideas and talking to one another; and with the help of Vertical Performance’s team building exercises- run by Jim Schneider and Lynn Clapp- I’ve seen some of my peers in this program open up tremendously and share the brilliant ideas that they were unsure of sharing before. The Vertical Performance exercise has also helped me become more conscious of other people’s mannerisms when they are uncomfortable or wish to share something but need that extra push, and we have become a better unit for having them speak to us.

On Tuesday the president of Allsup, Dave Zura, came to speak with our group about being a success in the business world; he shared encouraging insight of his own personal experiences that inspired me to continue with the businesses I’ve been working on- but putting minimal effort into. Mr. Zura’s speech was enlightening for me to listen to, especially when he shared advice like “Recessions are a great opportunity” and “You can be an entrepreneur in someone else’s company,” These words of wisdom made me realize that there are ways around my biggest fear in business- failure. They mean I can have a safety net- like working in someone else’s company- but still develop my own ideas and become my own boss. The value of raw advice like this is priceless to me, because before I heard about recessions being a great opportunity I only viewed recession as the beginning to an end. It’s quite impressive how with every speaker my mindset changes, and I become a smarter, more outgoing version of myself with every solid word they give us.

For example, before Reva Faber of JAKs counseling services came to interpret our personalities I had no clue the four main traits of personality even existed. Now I know I am a Patient type! Ever since she assessed us and answered my many, many questions about the different personality types (it is extremely interesting to me) I have been labeling everyone I meet as extrovert or dominant or conformative. Not only has this helped me in my personal relationships to understand why the people close to me may react in the ways they do, but it also gives me a cheat sheet on salesmanship. To market to an extrovert, you would talk about their kids and establish a friendship- for dominant people you would get straight to the facts and show results- and for conformative people you would make them feel secure in all of their decisions and reassure them that all details are taken care of! I’ve been excelling at my schoolwork as well; making points in argumentative essays that appeal to all personality types have produced effective and persuasive debates. 

Our last Speaker this week was Mr. Lowery of Northwestern Mutual. His powerful lesson to us was centered on happiness in your business, organization of short and long term goals, and the fact that dedication to a job is much more valuable than talent or charisma. I’ve always felt as though my hard work has taken a back seat to someone who has more speaking presence than I do, but it’s reassuring to know in the long run that effort beats out likability. In a few hours I will send him his thank you email as I have done with the rest of the speakers we’ve listened to, hopefully it will show him how grateful I am for his wisdom as well as reassuring lessons. Overall it’s been a wonderful first week, and I can’t wait to get started on the second one!

08/26/2016