On Monday we were at Padgett Construction where we learned of their rich history and some business techniques. While we were there, David Padgett told us about his adventures in gaining ownership and the rollercoaster of business. He told us that he is always reading books on business and recommended that we do the same that way we gain experience without having to experience the problems. He also said that we need to find a job that fits your passion and told us about the story when his grandfather lost his arm. He used to work on the railroad and was riding a train but fell/jumped off and his arm got stuck then cut off underneath the train after dragging him a hundred yards. Everyone was expecting him to be upset/depressed but he was happier than he had ever been and when asked why he said because he doesn’t have to go back to work on the railroad he hated it there so bad. Dave told us that if you hate a job so bad you’re willing to lose an arm to stop working there you should probably quit. He later went on to tell us that some customers will not fit your business and its culture so let them go to your competitors so that they’ll go out of business. To have the best customer service rating you have to let them know everything that will happen and set their expectations so there is nothing that they don’t know. The key to success is knowing your books. You have to know everything about your financials and have them up to date.

Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we had Patrick McKeehan and Kurt Artinger come in and review our elevator pitches giving us advice on what to do to improve it and become the best that it can be. This was very insightful and helpful and actually led me to win the elevator pitch competition on Thursday. Overall this was an extremely productive and successful week.

04/07/2017

Monday we met at Trinity Financial Group with the Dunnigans. There, we learned about the importance of investing your funds and the crucial knowledge of the rule of 72. Mr. Dunnigan showed us that if someone were to put $2000 in a savings account, after 72 years they would only have $8,000 but if they were to invest it the person would have $8,000,000 (based on the stock market's average return of 12%). If anything he made me feel a little more secure and happy that my parents have helped me set up a mutual fund.

Then Mr. Wentzel came and visited us and taught us about his career as a CPA. Through him I figured out that I should probably register my business as an LLC but definitely copyright my business’s name and logo, which if I start doing well I most definitely will.

We also had some US Bankers come and help us with our financials which was extremely insightful. I truly saw how much this business could make and how much it may cost.

Earlier this month I received some news that was hard to swallow. Building this app could cost me up to $50,000, which for a high schooler is a fortune. However, earlier this week I found out the guy I was talking to can't even build the app, that he is only a financial/business advisor. Luckily he runs a mobile web application business on the side and offered to build a web version of it for free while I work on creating an App Store compatible version. This was a massive weight off of my shoulders and I can't wait to get everything going.

In fact, he has already started on the website and you get a preview of it at http://www.thewatchlist.mobi/   It is not a finished product but it has come a long way already!

03/24/2017

This week was the first regular week after having the class event. We had a Michael Riley, Sal Akbani, and Jason Eding speak to us.

First we had Mr. Riley speak with us. He taught us that we should set a WIG (a wildly important goal) that can be obtained within three to six months. If you do this, then chances are the goal will be obtained. He also expressed to us that we should not be afraid to walk up to somebody and introduce yourself. The more connections you have the better off you will be later on down the road.

Our next speaker was Sal Akbani, the owner of Gateway Classic Cars. He had a lot of insightful information that he learned through owning a restaurant, clothing factory and now a classic car sales business. Some of the things he mentioned are that:

A stagnant business is a shrinking business - you are either growing or shrinking
Find your passion and use that as a business model - follow your passion
It is never going to start out in a great environment
Do what you think is right for you not for everyone else
You will doubt yourself but you will have to find a way to make it
You have to survive he rock bottom
Need to be in “survival mode” as if you fell out of a boat
Being an entrepreneur is really tough but is extremely rewarding
Always sell yourself first then you business then your product
Avoid selling because of lower price
Make friends with your clients

 Our final person was Mr. Jason Eding from Precision Practice Management. His first point was that it is all about the experience.   Make a plan and stick to it but enjoy the ride. After that he went on to talk a lot about interviews when applying for a job - which was really helpful.

1. Research the company
2. Make a list of questions
3. Prepare a resume (specific to the company)
4. Make a cover letter
5. Use a legitimate email address

1. Make eye contact
2. Sound articulate
3. Don’t be monotone
4. Dress for the occasion
5. Ask a LOT of questions
6. Never talk about money or benefits
7. Act as though you really want the job

Over all the week was really informative and insightful.

02/24/2017

It was fun getting to see everything we have spent so much time and hard work on finally coming to life. Those that had stayed for the whole event said that it was surprising how well it turned out and they were very impressed and really enjoyed themselves. I wish more people could have stayed the whole time but I understand that we did it on a Tuesday which can conflict with some schedules.

Then we had Bill Hughes come and speak to us which was a really cool experience. He was very inspirational, at least he was to me, he has a rags to riches story but has not left the rags part of his life behind. He still lives it and uses it to stay humble. It was crazy to hear how he could talk about multi-million dollar purchases and sales like I talk about spending a couple of dollars. He also gave us a book to read (The Power of Positive Thinking) with a challenge to write and essay for a chance to win a $100 target gift card. The book is really insightful on how to stay positive and be the most productive and successful a person can be but it is not possible without having faith in both yourself and God. I even talked with him after he spoke and he said I could stop by his office and he would show me around and what all he does. I am definitely excited to see even more of what he does and how to be a little more like him.

02/10/2017

This week we went to Mathis, Marifian, & Richter, LTD, had an all-day work day, and Erica Barnell from Geneoscopy came and spoke to us. The first of the work days -Monday- we figured out everywhere we wanted to go, and check up on for Wednesday (our all day work day). There were a few other minor things that went on but nothing too special.

On Tuesday, we went to Mathis, Marifian, & Richter, LTD and learned a lot about their company. Again we heard that it is hard to start a business with your friends and family because it puts a lot of stress on the relationship. But it is also nice that the risk is spread out. Also that people need to develop long term, midterm, and short term goals and model all of the business’s progress after those goals. For many, if they don’t have these plans their chances of success are slim to none. But sometimes people’s plans are to expand and grow too fast so they end up running out of money then their business collapses. The expansion has to be a well-timed one, but many times to expand a person need investors. Another problem is that the more people invest, the more control they want over what they spend their money on. Yet the biggest point they made is that relationships and connections are key to everything.

Our “field trip” was very successful as well. By the end of the day we had doubled the number of booths that had committed and still have some pending. We have also gained a good number of silent auction items. Mike Crotty also stopped by and really helped out with some of the decorations that I think will turn out really well. It was quite a successful day.

And finally, Mrs. Erica Barnell came and spoke to us. She was extremely intellectual and knew a lot about what she was doing. She also advised not to put out anything that has already been made. But you also need to have people to advise you, some mentors that will guide you on how to improve your product and sell/advertise it. She too stressed the importance of knowing people.

01/27/2017

It was our first week back to work and there was a lot of work to be done. Over the break I accomplished little to nothing. My first few days were filled with creating and sending invoices and dealing with the problems of formatting. But I have also thought more on my personal business and asked around. It sounds like it may work out, but I am going out to individual businesses on Sunday and asking if this is something that would work or that they might take part in. (I’ll tell what it is if it becomes official)

Monday the CEO of Precision Practice Management and his team came and spoke with us then gave us a tour. It was really cool to see a national company and that it started here in Belleville and continues to stay here.

Tuesday we had sort of a reunion day with previous CEO students which was very insightful. We got to ask them questions for what they should have done better, and what we could do to improve our class event/fundraiser. I think we are going to have troubles bringing in people and selling tickets. We are also having a problem with booths. So we have come to the point where we are just trying to fill tables and are selling booths for an incredibly low price.

Following that we had Mrs. DiMaggio in to help with our business plan, I found out pretty quickly that it is a lot harder than I originally thought to create one. We spent the entire hour and a half writing it and are not even halfway done. It was really helpful getting to work on it as a class though. Hopefully she can stop by again and help us out. However, it seems like she doesn’t realize how much we appreciate her.

01/06/2017

Monday we met at Governor French Academy and learned all about what they do, how they run things, and all the restrictions and such about running a school. I had never really known much about GFA but I had found out they were originally not a not-for-profit organisation. I had no idea that there were so many regulations on schools for insurance, keeping records, etc. It was really eye opening to see how much paperwork there is to running a school and that a lot of this paperwork carries over to running a business.

Then during our workdays we hammered out some more about our venue and sponsorships and booths. Austin Thurman and I went back to the scottish rite to get some measurements and to tell Mr. Mike what the plan was and that we were serious about using their building. I finally finished the sponsorship/booth brochure, which took a lot of time and effort but I am glad that we can finally start handing them out and finding sponsors.

Then we went to TWM for a visit and learned all about them and what they do. We got to see this really cool piece of equipment that shot a laser around 360 degrees and took a 3D picture of the room. But we also learned a little about the business side of what they do. They mentioned a Tiger Grant which is a grant but whenever you buy products or materials with it you have to use American made products. This was also the second time that we heard about RTO (return on investment). He was saying make sure to invest in things that you are sure you will get more out of that you pay for either financially or use wise. The owner also talked about how the company is employee owned, so employees have shares of the business and nobody else. This gives them incentive to do well in their work and to have the business succeed.       

11/18/2016

On Monday we had Michael Crotty come and present a prototype and prices of our decorations. It was definitely eye opening and was probably a setback. This event is going to cost a lot more than we originally planned.

Following that we went to Fletchers on Tuesday. This visit was extremely insightful to starting and running a restaurant and some points carry over to any type of business. There is an organization called the small business association that claims to be helpful in starting many businesses but they have extremely high interest rates and end up killing their businesses. His advice was to run away from anything to do with the SBA. We also learned about return on investment (ROI) which is pretty self-explanatory but he explained that sales are everything in a business. It supersedes anything and everything. He also said to maximize ROI never stop improving and pay your bills first, then your supplies, and lastly everything else. In order for a business to succeed there has to be at least one person that is “pig” committed. Which in the nut-shell means that the pig has to die in order to provide food or if the business goes south you have to cover it and take the hit. Instead of being “chicken” committed, where a hen can lay an egg and walk away untouched. A few bits of advice we received here and there is do not open a restaurant in a mall. Reason being is that a mall has specific hours in which it closes but you may not lock the doors until an hour or two after them. But because the lights are black and the cars are gone in the mall nobody bothers to approach the area. Also owning the property is more beneficial than leasing or renting the property. This is true for a number of reasons: if you lease there is a set chunk of money that you will never see again, also if you own the property you can do what you want with it. Remodel, tear things down, and customize the area specifically to your business.  Finally the business world is a grind and can get rough but never give up on your company.

Finally on Wednesday Mrs. Cheryl Mitchell came and spoke to us about CEO as a whole. Their expansion, training, meetings, the start, the traveling. It was amazing to hear the story about how our class came to be and how fortunate I am and the class is to have such a program available. In all honesty I was beginning to lose hope on our class “business.” In my eyes it was going to be a failure. But now that I have heard her energy and her faith in the CEO classes. Also being able to talk to her after class and hearing her opinion on our business has restored my faith in our event. The awesome part about is even with her astoundingly busy schedule she is willing to carve out time and email a potential key-note speaker and set me up for a phone call to increase my chances on striking a deal. Overall I think this week was the best week that I have had in this class.

11/11/2016

We had Mr. Nicol from the Nicol foundation come and speak with us one of the days. He presented a lot of information really fast but it was all extremely insightful. I have always heard to diversify your portfolio but never knew exactly what it meant. What were you supposed to diversify? Where everything is? Who you go to? He explained that a person should stay with the same financial advisor but put put your money in different investment types and places. Such as different stock, bonds, CDs,  etc. He also advised not to choose a financial advisor too fast but to do research on who the person is, how many clients the advisor has, the “cons” of using the person.

We had ‘The Bank of Edwardsville in to speak with us this week. Before them I knew a little bit about credit, but just the basics, that you need good credit to get loans and finance things, and to pay bills on time to get better credit. Beyond that I was in the dark. I had no idea what a good credit score was but I now know that around 740 is the ideal credit because the highest a person can get is 800 which is unheard of. Also that past history, public records, and outstanding balances on accounts affect a person’s score the most. And to avoid your score dropping due to credit cards, do not go more that 50% than the max credit amount on your card. But 40% is the ideal mark to not pass.

The rest of the week we had work days. I believe that we have made quite a bit on our class “business.” I was charged with making the brochure that asks for sponsorships and tells what the sponsor will receive for their donation. Speaking of which, anybody that is reading this; if you would like to sponsor please do contact any of the CEO students about it and we will get you the pricing and what you will receive. Also if you would like to have a representative at the event we are selling booths for $300!

11/04/2016

This week was our last week at Allsup and I think it was a week well spent. I’ve gotten quite a bit done on the treasurer side of things. We only have $700 left to bring in out of $2600. We’ve also gotten some pricing on the shirts we are making this year at last. A couple of weeks ago I had figured out that being an entrepreneur/CEO is a 24 hour job. But now that realization is starting to take its toll while still being in school. Having to juggle sports, homework, studying, and the financials of the class along with having to come up with ideas for our class “business” and my personal business is forcing me to handle my time management better than I ever have. I’ve learned that even if you don’t feel like doing something at the time, you need to do it anyways because you will definitely regret it later when you are scrambling to finish seven other things at the same time. I have never been good at my time management and have now learned tricks to get around it. I used to think that I was a decent multi-tasker, but this class has totally shredded that idea which has contributed to forcing me to handle my time better.

10/14/2016

This week was an interesting week. I hit the wall of being exhausted and tired from school, and sports. Our class has officially moved on from the forming stage to the storming stage but through it all we had a productive week. We have moved along well on our class project and have a better Idea of what we want to do. One thing I regret from the week is not writing anything down after our meet and greet with our possible mentors. There was a lot of insight and useful information being given out all around the room, but I think I have an idea of who I would like as a mentor. One thing that I was stressing about this year was figuring out what my business was going to be, and that day helped ease those nerves. I was assured that my experiences after high school will possibly give me an inspiration, or new idea.

I learned at Auffenberg that one of the best types of advertisement is repeat customers and referred customers. And a few minor things that don’t really affect anything for me, for instance, their Ford dealership is inspected by the Ford franchise and has to meet very strict requirements, such as the sealing on the parking lot.

I know that I am jumping all around but I feel that I am learning to keep my tongue. I usually have a problem with not having a filter on what I say, usually what I think comes out of my mouth. But I think this week has really challenged me in this area and has helped me improve on it and strengthen this weekend through our storming stage. It is a lot nicer to be looking from the outside in, and analyze what is going on before acting than going in right away and scrambling to fix what just happened.

09/30/2016

Some things that I took away from this week without wasting time on where we went were some things based on what people look for when they hire. The leading characteristics are: respect for rules, work well in teams, and are comfortable with hard decisions. But more importantly was that when you have a problem with either an employee or a coworker, or even just a friend; you need to deal with the problem and talk to the person as soon as possible. Even the same day if you can. Also when you do confront this person or persons, do not make personal attacks because they turn into grudges really easily. ... But on more of the business side of things, I noticed another common point of interest between the business leaders; build a network of relationships with as many people as you can. Then the different ones that I have not heard of before but that I will probably end up using when it is my turn to open a business.

Find your target customer - how much do you want/plan to make - how much of your product you need to sell to get there - how much to charge for that product. Which is all part of a business plan but nobody has ever elaborated on what to look for in a business plan.  Also to start with a soft opening, basically to advertize a small amount before opening so that when you do open you know everything is running correctly then hit the public with what you are. I do think that this technique is what I will end up using when I come around to opening my business.

Then there are a couple last points on how to live your personal life. To be on time wherever you go, and to do what you say when you say you will do it. And ever since this class has started I’ve made a conscious effort to follow through with these points.

09/16/2016

This week we were at Egyptian Stationers, Kaskaskia Engineering, and Holiday world. Each one of these places had a common theme/statement that solidifies what everyone else has said and that I had never thought to be true until I started this class: you don’t need a new Idea, just make the existing ones better. Also that you shouldn’t be afraid to try something, you never know if it will work until you try it. Probably one of my favorite take-aways from this week was from Kaskaskia Engineering. Her company’s core values were faith, trust, partnership, service, respect, striving for your ultimate potential, and gratitude. I think the reason I liked it so much was because that’s always what I have lived by. Her keys to success were another favorite of mine from the week, though it is a long list, a lot of these points agreed with what the majority of other businesses have said: have faith, be optimistic, make decisions based on the highest good, be impeccable with your word, keep everything in perspective don't make assumptions work hard, learn how you handle stress and act on it, and finally don't take things personally, separate fact from emotion.

One thing I noticed that these people have said but we have yet to make is a business plan. I know that we are not a business but I do feel like we need to get a goal set and our priorities straightened out. Which is slowly happening with this badge project.

09/02/2016

The first day this week we had Vertical Performance come in, when they first arrived I just figured that we would be doing some ice breakers and that was it. I never expected to take anything from it. But I feel that I did a little bit of both watching and in the conversation, talking and leading. But when I was back watching I noticed that we have a great number of different personalities in our class. I can see potential clashes happening in the future but I think that we will make a great team and eventually a great business.

The second day was when the president of Allsup came and spoke to us.   His speech was very informational. I had always thought that the only way to be successful was to come up with the newest and greatest idea but he taught me that you can use an old idea and still be successful with it, it's all about execution. Also that you can't wait for that great idea to come otherwise you may be waiting your whole life, you should go out and test the small ideas that come to mind and learn by doing. One thing that I had never thought of until he mentioned it was to gather a ring of people to bounce ideas off of. I had always thought that if you do that your ideas would be spread around and taken but the way he explained it makes it seem like a great idea.

On Wednesday we had the PDP or Reva Faber from JAKS Counseling Center come in.   I thought that what she brought to the class was really intriguing. It was definitely really cool to see who I am on paper but that's not really what I took away from that day. I learned something about public speaking, which has always been an interest and a skill of mine.   You need to present information to every personality type, so for those who are extrovert be fluffy and personal, for those who are conforming you need to present all of the facts and for dominant you need to just get to the point. I don't really remember what the other one was best for but if you can find the fine line of a combination between all of these your presentation will be unbeatable and cannot be denied.

…And on Friday we were at Northwestern Mutual to listen to Roger Lowery, who had some very inspirational and informative points. He lived by his “Three I’s” which are Independent, Income opportunity, Impact, which I had never thought of and really reached out to me. I noticed that there have been recurring themes throughout the few speakers that we have had, even if your idea isn't brand new and it's all about how you execute it and carry out the idea. Then there were some points to live by which I have unknowingly been following: Show up on time (which I sometimes struggle with), Do what you say you’re going to do, Finish what you start, be as polite with others as you can, and do keep it simple even when simple isn’t easy.

08/26/2016