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New Generation Learners

I wanted to venture in the manufacture and retail of school supplies, so when I heard about the seminar entitled Tech Tutor 4: The Next Generation of Learners, I knew I had to be there. Why? Because I am currently studying some classic business principles and current trends that may be applicable to a school supplies business. (Read my previous article about timeless business principles and current trends here: How I Merge Classic Business Principles and New Trends.)

School supplies may be considered as basic commodities because students use them regularly during school days, however, with the current economy and latest technological developments, a very important question now comes to my mind. If printed textbooks may eventually give way to e-textbooks, what would become of regular notebooks and pad papers? So I went to the seminar to get a glimpse on what could be expected in the future world of education, at least in the eyes of the learners.

In Tech Tutor 4, it was pointed out that PowerPoint presentations and videos are but ordinary productions that students and teachers now do in their classes. Thus, the seminar included some sessions on photography, videography, and PowerPoint. Nonetheless, there were also a few product presentations from representatives from Microsoft Office and other software and hardware companies about their latest products which students and teachers alike can use in their classes. It was the first time I heard about SkyDrive  which is an app that enables the user to save and update files automatically in sync between his/her computers (PC or Mac) and SkyDrive.com.

Of course the main man of the seminar, Mr. Jerry Liao, presented the most interesting topics that include the characteristics of new learners and how their learning is heavily influenced by new technologies. One concrete example he gave was that with the use of smartphones or laptops (considering of course that students and teachers in the future already normally use these gadgets in their classes), students can easily validate real-time if what their hearing from their teacher is correct.  Vice versa, through the help of expert teachers, students can check if what they are reading on their phones is indeed factual. Learning then becomes more interactive wherein both students and teachers can share knowledge. Then Mr. Jerry Liao showed a very exciting clip about augmented reality.

Mr. Liao further presented how students could use future smartphones in their learning. Future smartphones could scan and detect objects, places, and people’s faces then give their names and other information about them. So, when students go on a field trip, they could simply use their phones and focus it on, say, a flower, and their phones would give out the flower’s name and other details like its scientific name and medicinal properties. Or students could be on a trip in a historical site and again, their smartphones could give accounts about the places they visit.

Going back now to how I will use what I have learned in this seminar to my prospective business. I daresay that although it is good to take things one step at a time, I should also be forward-looking so I don’t get left behind. Who knows perhaps in the latter phases of my business, I could develop a school supplies augmented reality? But hey, that’s just future me talking. For now, I would simply remember that my target market is very dynamic, visual,  present in the world wide web, and eager to learn as long as they are having fun. School supplies can be fun. : -)

How I Merge Classic Business Principles and New Trends

Everyone knows that it is important to know the current trends in line with one’s business. Knowledge of the current trends (like what is in, what is out) is as big a factor as having increased financial intelligence first  in entrepreneurship. As Spencer Johnson mentioned in his self-improvement book, Who Moved My Cheese?, “If you do not change, you can become extinct!” Well, if you are someone like me who is still enjoying the conception of your business, you don’t want your business to become extinct even before it is born, right? But you also do not want to be too engrossed with studying the current trends that you lose sight of the basic principles of succeeding in business. We don’t want that risk, don’t we?

So, before jumping into learning about the new trends and adopting each and every new fad you discover, remember that embracing change should not mean foregoing proven truths and classic principles. A dynamic business is one that is structured on both established principles and changing realities. 

One example of a combination of both is like this: A classic principle in business is to know the customers’ needs, like check Maslow's hierarchy of needs as well as study what people seem to need but no one is offering yet. Then, add to that classic principle the observable reality today on people’s buying behavior. For instance, lately, people have a higher chance of buying something that has been liked by a great number of friends and thousands of other people in Facebook rather than a product that has been offered to the buyer by a telemarketer who tries to convince him/her over the phone and saying “Sir/Ma’am, we have something that you need.”

Now this kind of businessperson, the one who conducts a business research based on classic business principles and then combining it with the current marketing trends is on the right track. One evident type of business is a manufacturer of classic products, let's say, a bath soap, which is a basic need of people. Then realizing that many people now in their area of concern want to have fairer skin, they began to add glutathione in their soaps and proceeded to offering the product to the public using the latest advertising strategies and promotions.

So, this marriage of the classic and the new for my business is what I have in mind when I went to Tech Tutor 4 yesterday, September 25. Tech Tutor 4 is a seminar on multimedia in education facilitated by educator / business technology specialist, Mr. Jerry Liao. In that seminar, I got to know my target market (the youth) and learn about some latest technological trends that my target market raves about. You can read about my post about this seminar and how I intend to use the knowledge I gained here in my future posts.

In the meantime, here is a photo I took on one of the slides presented in the seminar--the one that contains ideas I could use to guide me in my prospective business:

Elle goes into business and is having fun! You too, go into business! :)

Following Production Schedules for a Home Business

Having worked as an editorial manager in a book publishing company, I very well know the importance of having a definite product development process with a reasonable production schedule to match in order to achieve one’s production targets. Now that I am starting up my own business at home, I realize the importance not only of having a well planned production schedule but also the discipline and motivation to follow it as well. With no supervisor to answer to, it is easy for me to get distracted and lose precious time, which all lead to delay in the achievement of my business goals.

So, one day, (like all good stories start with) with little money coming in from my other sidelines, I realized that if I don't get my business up and working (and earning!) real soon, I might find myself bankrupt and again spending precious time in a full-time job and two- to three-hour travel to and from an office just so I could earn more capital for my business and start anew,

With that quite scary thought in my mind, I decided to write down some strategies to help me stay faithful to my production schedules, meet my targets, and keep my home business afloat.

1. Create a dummy poster indicating the name of your business, your target launching date, and the words “Grand Opening Day!” Display this on the side of your home office which is most visible to you or set it as your desktop wall paper. Having a visible reminder of your target opening day will motivate you to complete your tasks and meet your target opening day.
2. Set a reasonable time schedule for the completion of each task in your business plan. Make sure not to fit in too many work in a day. Know your limits and just like in the regular office, set periods for breaks and rest.
3. Indicate the percentage contribution of every phase in your business’s product development process. This way you will know how near you are from achieving your goals. Then, you may decide if you already need to work double time or if you can still pause for a while and take some rest.
4. Reward yourself for every major phase completed. This one is very important because it is sometimes difficult to find motivation to accomplish or stay focused on a task when you know there is no immediate income to be received after your hard work.
5. These are but some simple strategies but it worked! I hope other starting entrepreneurs like me out there might find these useful too.

Enjoy! Go into business. :)

                                                                                              

A Jobless Woman's Gain - Time

I am now officially jobless. Actually, I resigned from work. This means I have gained 11 hours (nine at work, two hours travel, to and fro) a day that I can use in doing pretty much anything I want to do. It is truly liberating. But I should remember I have bills to pay so I should use my time wisely. I wanted to be jobless for quite some time now, not for the pleasure of bumming around the house but so I could have a gainful rest, return to perfect health (I subjected myself to so much stress and tension because I took my previous job too seriously), and then go to business. Yup, putting up a business is still pretty much my goal. I am scared like a toddler going to school for the first time but I am also as giddy as a girl being wooed by someone she likes for the first time. I am now giving myself four months to put up my business for two reasons: 1) I’m targeting to sell my products by the 2^nd semester of SY 2012 or the November foundation day in schools, and Christmas bazaars and 2) I intend to go back to grad school or teach part-time by 2^nd Sem. So I am hoping that in four months, my business should already be standing on solid ground so it may continue to flourish still despite my divided attention by then.

So how do I start? I already did my feasibility study. I just need to visit it again, review and improve and actually put the plans into action divided into phases so I can see that I am achieving something. I think I mentioned in my other articles that I wanted to manufacture school supplies. I realized it’s not that easy but who says getting into business is easy as pie? All I know is my heart is into this and “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” I will invest time, effort and money in this business and whatever happens, I can always look back and say I had the courage to give it a shot. And for me, that alone is a great feat. Carpe diem!