My last Lecture...

Are you planning on starting your business? What is stopping you? If you have a dream, go and pursue it!

                My dad is a wonderful man. He spend 25 years of his life  working for a great company that one day decided that they needed him no more. He tried to start over but it was hard for a 50 years old man to find a new job. After watching his experience I realized that it is not worth it giving your life to a company that at the end will fire you. New people more prepared and younger are looking for a job and for the companies is easier to hire  new people and pay them less than to have an experienced old man that deserves more money. They usually pick the youngest and cheaper with no experience. After living this experience and watching my dad that needed to support a family of ten I realized that it is better to start a business. It can seem risky in the beginning but working for others is more risky because no one is indispensable for any company. There are many benefits when a person finds something that they like that also gives them money. As a child I was happy but we never had a lot. My dad worked hard but his payment wasn’t that much. When someone owns a company, they can start having little resources but if they know how to manage the company they usually have success. If you have both opportunities to start a company or to work for someone else, I strongly recommend starting your own business. It is hard but worth it! Prepare yourself, study and pay the price to become an entrepreneur!

Easter Week

This was a great week to remember the Atoning Sacrifice Jesus Christ did for each one of us by giving us the opportunity to repent and return to the presence of our Heavenly Father again. There has been many wonderful people on earth that have learn from their mistakes, that no matter what they have accomplished their goals. Great leaders also experience difficulties and failures. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of overcoming difficult things we read in Matthew 26:39 "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Jesus Christ was willing to do his Father's will. Great leaders know how to follow the will of the Father, they know that in order to accomplish great things we need perseverance and faith that they will accomplish their goals.
This week i made a presentation to report my $100.00 Challenge. The challenge is over. My classmates came up with good business ideas. Starting a business requires diligence and a good business plan. We all learned a lot on the way. Practicing is the best school we can have. Knowing the theory is not the same that bringing in to practice. I have learned a lot more of small business management and I will apply the new knowledge in my family business.

$100.00 Challenge

It depends on the country we are born how big this challenge may seem. I read that the student that raised more money was able to raise $3000.00 he was really enthusiastic. I was enthusiastic too! I finally completed the challenge. During the challenge I had a surgery. I had to be three times in the hospital because I had a severe gastritis. My kids got sick and I am sick now, but God blessed me to feel good for three to four weeks and I sold homemade banana bread. I was able to fulfill the challenge that for me was rising in profit 25 cents at a time. This was the profit I had for each banana bread. So it was a hard thing to do. Friends, family members and neighbors bought my product they like it a lot, but it was a little expensive. I kept going thinking that my money will help someone else. I was able to sell 400 units to achieve my goal. Everything was done in Guatemala. I am a Guatemalan student from BYU-I. Each dollar is almost 8 Quetzals. I enjoyed learning about all the hard work that it needs to be done to build one small business. I felt like I raised $800.00 but they are actually just $100.00. I will not probably be mentioned as the girl that has raised more money for a project like this, but I did my best and I feel happy. This week I learned a lot about all the marketing that need to be done before starting a business. It is better to study the market by doing that the risks are lowered.

Franchising

 My husband and I have the dream of purchasing a franchise. It is a Guatemalan company called Al Macarone which is pizza and pasta. We want to open the restaurant in a city called Coban that is located in the north of our country. Some years ago I researched what a franchise was and the requirements to owning one. The first thing that we need is money. The cost to start up a business is usually high. This week I learned more about the advantages and disadvantages of owning a franchise. If someone has enough money it is a good way to low risks in starting a new business.

               I have learned a lot about owning a business. During the past weeks I have been selling homemade banana bread. It was a hard process looking for clients and making my best to reach my goal $100.00 this money will be donated to KIVA they make loans to small entrepreneurs form around the world. I have decided to help a woman from Guatemala. I live in Guatemala and I know how hard can be for some people to make a living. I was really motivated form the beginning of the project because it is something that I am doing to help others. It has been a great lesson.  It feels good to do something with the unique purpose to help others. 

Riches!!

                We all have the tools to become better each day and to achieve our goals. Sometimes we make mistakes down the road but thanks to the atonement we are able to start over each day.  This week I learned from the entrepreneur Catherine Rohr that everyone deserves a second chance. She helps people that is in prison and gives them the opportunity to change their lives by becoming entrepreneurs as she is. We can all become self-reliant and become prosperous but it is a process. It is not bad to seek for riches but first we have to seek the kingdom of God.  If we don’t follow these order and we seek first for riches and then for God probably we will become rich on earth but we will lose our reward in heaven. I heard a speech at church and the speaker said: “Poor the poor that is poor here on earth and is not working to have a mansion in heaven, the poor will be poor forever.”  We all can become prosperous but we need to remember the poor and the needy. I learned a lot by listening to the talk given by elder L. Tom Perry in General Conference in April 1987 the talk is titled “United in Building the Kingdom of God”.  I strongly recommend everyone to listen to it.

                During the past weeks I have been selling banana bread at $00.65 per portion. It has been a challenge. But I have achieved the goal of $100.00. I couldn’t sell the bread more expensive because I live in Guatemala so the actual price was Q, 5.00 which is a little high for banana bread. My family and friends were really supportive also my neighbors. They bought the bread week by week.  I am still selling the bread but only to people that ask for it. This has been a great learning experience. Now I now more all the things I have to do to start a small business. 

The hiring process

I wish I had known these things before... My husband and I own a small company. Our company needs two employees. In a period of 5 years we have had 6 different employees. It has been really hard to find the right people for the job. Our employees need to be truck drivers and almost all of the truck drivers we have hired are dishonest people. All of them steal diesel fuel from the trucks. They don't look after the equipment. They don't fulfil their responsibilities. But this week I learned that almost all this happened because we hire fast and fire slow and this week I learned that it is the other way around, we have to hire slow and fire fast. It is a long process to find the right people for a job. I have realized that our employees don't feel the passion and love that we have for our business. They don't really understand all the sacrifices we have made to build it. But it is our fault because we don't give them the proper training after hiring them. We need to change this in our company. Things can go better if we do our part. It is our responsibility to tell our employees what we really expect from them. I know that if we take our time in the hiring process and if we follow the right steps we will avoid many future problems and our company will grow more.

That is why we have to pursue an education. There is always something new to learn. And I am also learning a lot with my $100.00 challenge. This week I change a little bit my strategy. I am selling now bigger loafs of banana bread. I make more money and it is less work. When people order the banana bread I bake one and deliver to them the recent baked banana bread. It is still hot and smells delicious. I deliver the product from the oven to the home. I almost fulfil my $100.00 goal for me it is actually Q800.00. I know I have to pay my tithing form the money so I have to make some extra money to pay it and also fulfil my goal. I am excited because I will reach my goal!

"The Perfect Leader"

Jesus set a perfect example in every aspect of our lives. If we have doubts in what to do, we can search for examples of his life or even better ask for an answer. Through prayer we can communicate with our Heavenly Father and ask for guidance in our lives. There are many things we have to do each day. We are making decisions on constant basis. We are responsible of our actions. We will be hold accountable for our decisions and choices on this earth. As children of God we can ask for his help any time we are in need. Our Heavenly Father sent his son to guide us and teach us how to return to him. Jesus was a great leader. He was not like the modern leaders instead he was humble and he was always willing to serve. He showed love for the people he taught. He didn’t impose his will. He taught the truth and gave his disciples the opportunity to choose. The world needs leaders that are willing to follow his perfect example. And do as he did. The world can be better if we decide to make it better. Every change has to start in us.  I have known great leaders that try their best to follow the example of our savior. They are still humans and make mistakes but they are trying every day to become better and better. We can be one of those leaders. We just have to decide to follow the example of the greatest teacher of all.

Each week I have to report my progress in my $100.00 challenge.  I have already almost $80.00 it has been hard to gather the money. I have offered banana bread to everyone I know. They are really supportive with my project. They also love my banana bread. It is really good. But I feel like these last $20.00 are going to be a challenge. I am learning a lot about perseverance and hard work. This challenge is teaching me a lot about small business. It has been so far a great learning experience.

The face of a company

I want to compare a house with a company. We usually like the thinks that we can see or perceive. When we see a beautiful garden with pretty flowers and green foliage we imagine that the house is as pretty as the garden. The same happens in a company when we are treated respectfully as customers and our needs are fulfilled we assume that the company is reliable. The companies need to invest in their employees. When an employee is happy and satisfied with his or her job they feel like part of it and they give their best. When an employee doesn’t feel part of the company he or she does not adopt the company culture and that is reflected with the clients. Companies can lose a lot of money if they treat their employees as slaves that have to obey because they are being paid, someone happy works better than an unhappy person.  Companies that invest in their employees have more benefits that the ones that don’t.

Customers are the blood of a company. If a company wants to have an income and be profitable it needs customers. It is easier to keep a customer than to find a new one. We live in a world of constant competition if we don’t provide the quality of service or product that the customer need they will find a new and better place that will provide what they want or need. So if we want to succeed we need to listen what the customers want and provide a good and happy environment to our employees.

I am learning through my $100.00 challenge that keeping a customer is easier than find new ones. I am selling my banana bread. And my customers love the home made taste. It is just different that the one they can buy at local stores or bakeries. Sometimes I feel like I am persecuting my clients. They love the product but I need to find better strategies to offer them the product without being pushy. WhatsApp it is helping me a lot to find new customers and to retain the ones I already have. Instant messages are a blessing for me!

Keep the customers!!

This week I realized that it is much easier to keep a customer than to find new ones. A happy customer will return to you again and again. I am working hard on my $100.00 challenge. I am selling homemade banana bread, it is delicious, but I have found out that, it is not a primary need for the people. Each week I try to look for new customers. I have to sell over 500 units to fulfill my $100.00 challenge. It is not easy, but I realized that my happy customers are buying banana bread each week, and it has been harder to find new customers. So I want to keep them happy until I finish my project. As I mentioned before, one dollar for me means eight times more work. One Quetzal which is my currency is only worth an eighth of the dollar. I also learned that my product needs to be a purple cow. I don't have too many competitors. It is not that easy to find banana bread in the bakeries but I have to make my product especial and different from others. I will try to find the purple in my product.

I also learned something very special this week. We have to appreciate our life and take the best of each day. I understand that sometimes we just feel like sleeping all day, but we all have a great potential. We didn't come to this earth to rest. It is our time to work hard and succeed. The opportunities are out there we just have to find them. We have to learn how to believe in ourselves. Sometimes we are the ones that stop us from achieving our best. Our fears need to become our motivation not our stop. When we are not healthy, we wish for health to be able to do whatever we want, but when we are good we just accommodate ourselves and forget to keep going. I have wondered what does it mean to succeed? For each one of us will be different, but we need to set a goal and know where we are doing. Every day we can have little successes. Just even trying can be a success. But we will never succeed if we don't try!

Tithing

Many people experience money troubles at least once in their life. God has given us the opportunity to learn to trust him. It doesn’t matter if we are rich or poor. Tithing is the same for everyone and it is a principle of faith (action). When I had a regular salary I always paid my tithing first and it was amazing how then I had more than enough for all my needs. God doesn’t need our money, instead we need his help. God is always there for us. Sometimes we move away from Him. We trust more in men than in His hand. God gives us our health and intelligence to have a job so everything belongs to him and He only ask a small portion and it is not for Him. It is to help us have even more than He has already given us. We do have a loving Father.

This week I have learned more about how to raise money. It is not easy to convince people to trust in you and your ideas. We need to learn how to sell ourselves. I am lucky to start my initial capital for my $100.00 challenge with my own money. I trust myself and I know that hard work will give good fruits. I know that God will help me. And I also know that by paying my tithing He will provide even more to help the people we will donate the money from the challenge. I feel extremely motivated because I am not working for my benefit. I feel good to help people that need more the money than me. New entrepreneurs that are asking for help to keep working. I am grateful with God because I’m recovering well from my surgery and I will be able to achieve my goals!

                

Learning from our mistakes…

This week I learn about the importance of learning from our mistakes. Many times we have to experience failure in order to succeed. The best entrepreneurs and successful people have failed many times, but they have not surrendered. We only have to win once. Failing is a good tool to achieve success if we learn from it. Every time we make mistakes, we have to learn from them and become stronger. Spencer W. Kimball a prophet of God said “Where there are challenges, you fail only if you fail to keep trying!” We need to learn how to keep trying. We don’t have to surrender because trials come to our life. They come to us to make us stronger and better people if we take advantage of them and learn from them.

The entrepreneur Paul Robshaw learned from his mistakes after losing everything in his life he got back on his feet again.  Money is not everything but it gives us more tools to help the people around us.

After being two weeks in bed because of a surgery I learned a lot the value of good health. I am excited to feel good again and I am ready to start my $100.00 challenge.  I know that it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. At the end of the challenge I will realize that after a hard work we can finally obtain our reward!

Challenging week!

This week I had an emergency. I had a surgery where my gallbladder was removed because I had gallstones. I am in a lot of pain because this week I realized that I also have a gastric ulcer. I am a good student and I tried to give my best. This week I learned a lot about Tom Monaghan. No one can say that achieving dreams is impossible. Everything is possible but we need to work hard. Dreaming is easy but becoming our dreams true will really prove our desire to accomplish them. I admire Tom Monaghan because after becoming rich he decided to devote his life to serving others. Even though he is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints he followed the teachings of Jesus Christ the we found in Jacob 2: 18-19 “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” He also did what the rich young boy couldn’t do in the bible. He left his riches behind and followed Christ.

I also learned that it is good to have different ways of thinking and different skills in a group. I always thought that the best working groups were those where the people had similar ways of thinking, because there was no conflict and things could be solved easily and in a good and happy environment. This week really opened my eyes and helped me understand why diversity works in a team that want to solve problems or find different solutions. 

Last thing... this week I discuss with my classmates ideas to reach our $100.00 challenge. I realized that if we think negative any good idea will be impossible to make. We need to have a positive thinking in order to achieve our goals.

My first attempts…

I am starting a new adventure. I have a challenge of making a small business that can generate a profit of $100.00. Probably is not a lot for many people but for me it means 8 times more. I live in Guatemala and our money is worth 8 times less than a dollar. That means that making a dollar is 8 times harder for me. I decided to sell delicious banana bread. I am working on the logistics and I am excited about it. The cost of the banana bread will be $.0.38 and I will sell them at $0.62. I cannot ask for more because people won’t pay it.  $0.62 means Q.5.00 in my currency. It is an attractive price. I am motivated because it is really a challenge. I am also motivated because I have chosen to donate the money to a 69 years old lady from my country. It feels good to know that I will help someone with my effort. I am reading the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. I understand that in order to achieve good things I have to work hard and give my best. I have to think that I can achieve my goals and I have to work with a plan. I know that is it possible to reach my goal of $100.00 and I hope I can make more.      

                It is good to know that in a few weeks I will have the opportunity to look back and realize that today something that seems like a huge mountain difficult to climb will still be a mountain but I will be stronger and I will have a better perspective of business from the top.