Saturday 31March 2013

Sunday 31 March

The group has set up a meeting for tomorrow for the viewing of our prototypes. Additionally, we need to finalise our prototype discussion document and prepare a presentation for our meeting with Stuart. I’m excited to see all the ideas we’ve discussed come to life.

Well this is it from me. It was nice putting my thoughts in writing this week. I"ll be passing on the torch to the next group member who is gonna be blogging.

Sam

Saturday 30 March 2013

Saturday 30 March

Trust, strengths and weaknesses

Nothing much on the group front today. The production of our prototypes has been delegated to the people who have the most vision and passion for the products that we chose. This just shows how important it is to have trust within the group. I have no hand in the production process of the prototype so I have to trust that the group members who are handling that will follow through with everything we talked about. In the same way, my group members have to trust that Teboho and I will edit the reports well. We having working hard to build trust since the beginnning of the semester. Trust isn't enough when it comes to producing good results, people also need to be put where they wilork best. We have learnt the areas where certain group members do not perform well, and so we have figured out ways to manage that. For example, I am not good at public speaking so  group members make sure Ithat 'm assigned the least amount of speaking in a board meeting.

Friday 29 March 2013

29 March

Although today is Easter and I have plans to attend an Easter play at church, thoughts of the group or the product are never far away. I think it is the same for my other group members.  Even as I walk around the grocery store, I’m constantly looking around for products or I’m thinking of ways we can ‘add value’ to our existing ideas.  This just shows that as entrepreneurs we need to do things we are passionate about, just as Stuart has said at our Sunrise workshops. Your work follows you around. We’re constantly doing things relating to the group; problem solving, having meetings and  planning. It’s stressful but we all enjoy it.

 

Thursday 28 March 2013

In it to win it!

 

There was not much group activity today. We’re all trying to finish the Entrepreneurial Strategies report whilst trying to enjoy our last days of freedom before second term starts. Today the group was happy to learn that one component of our Cake Sale has been Sponsored. Getting sponsored the second time round has certainly been a lot more difficult. The group had hoped to stick with the formula we had for the first Cake Sale but we knew getting the same sponsors on board would be difficult. Therefore, we’ve been trying to find a way around this. From what Stuart has told us, Genesis groups get so busy during the time of the second Cake Sale that they do not plan for it as well as they did the first one. We’re trying to make sure that doesn’t happen to us. If we can build on the success of the first Cake Sale and win Cake Sale over all, our reward is dinner cooked for us by Stuart. This is a crucial reward to win, not only cause I like to eat but because  a chance to pick Stuarts brain for two hours would be a tremendous advantage going forward.

Wednesday 27 March 2013

27 March 2013


Maintaining Communication

 

Even though it is the short vac , the group still tries to stay connected through Whatsapp. We still  need to keep hustling to get sponsors for the second Cake Sale and there are decisions that we still consult one another on. For example, one group member went to buy a product for a service we’re going to perform or students on the day of Cake Sale to supplement our food sales. She wasn’t sure what quantity she should buy so she asked for advice on Whatsapp. Certain members were able to give her feedback  on what decision we thought she should make. Such social media has been so vital in aiding fast group decision making whenever we're scattered across different areas of Cape Town or UCT. Especially because things do not always go according to plan. The group will settle on a particular course of action during a meeting, but will encounter problems during the implementation of those decisions. Whatsapp allows us to quickly adjust our plans as a group in one platform without having to delay things until we reconvene again.

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Tuesday 26 March

Lessons from florists

Today the group is meeting again for our Entrepreneurial Strategies micro-enterprise study. We’ve chosen a flower stand at Trafalgars Place to analyse. The group will study the same informal business, however, everyone will submit an individual report. This micro-enterprise is meant to assess how well we understand the concepts we have been learning and whether we can apply them. It was good experience for the group, meeting women who had been entrepreneurs since the age of 15. They are smart, strong, and passionate about what they do. They also have a good grasp of their market and what sells. They were also compassionate; employing anyone who needed a job and giving away free flowers for funerals. Although their objective is to make money at the end of the day, the sense of family was also very apparent. One could easily see the love the women have for one another even though essentially they are competitors.

Teboho and I were appointed as the group’s editors. It is clear that Teboho has emerged as the Academic champion of the group. I will merely be assisting her wherever she needs me. Hopefully these new appointments will help us become more organised.

 

 

Monday 25 March 2013

Monday 25 March

Group Picnic!!!

The group met today for a picnic at Kirstenbosch Gardens just help build our team dynamic, and discuss and finalise ideas for  our product. Stuart  dissuaded us from some of the product ideas we had. During our board meeting however, the board members seemed to like the passion we had for the products  we had wanted to pursuit in spite of Stuarts advice. They gave us good advice on ways we could build on our product concepts. I completely understand now, what Stuart means when he says “we want you guys to fail early” because at first you think you have a good idea but after a little research you quickly realise that your ideas are not really viable. We managed to narrow down two ideas of products we want to manufacture but we’re not yet 100% convinced that those are going to be our final products. Today we managed to raise to moral and bond as a team, we just weren’t as successful at finalising a winning product so we're going to do several proto