Monday, March 30, 2015

Extra Post March: NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO

 
From March 6th through March 8th, I attended the Natural Foods Expo WEST with both of my mentors. This expo was an opportunity for our company to network with other companies. We found options for more efficient packaging and ways to wash our fruits using healthy and organic fruit wash. I was exposed to ways an owner-manager interacts with marketing reps and CEOs of other companies. At the Expo, there were Large Business such as Chobani and Fage but their were also Small Businesses like ours. I also observed how companies presented themselves to us when we approached their booth. Overall this was a great experience for me that I can take back to my research.

Here is what NPEW has to say about their event:

As an Expo West Exhibitor, you will:

  • Meet in-person with buyers of natural, organic, and healthy lifestyle products
  • Highlight new products and/or build brand awareness
  • Network with the natural products community
  • Keep up-to-date on new trends and innovative ideas
  • Interact with trade and consumer press
  • Boost your presence in the industry
  • Strengthen relationships with existing buyers, brokers, and distributors
  • Build new business connections

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Blog 18: Fourth Interview Questions

Content: Post 20 Open Ended Questions to answer your EQ
 NOTE: These questions are similar to my Interview 3 questions, but they are specific to the flower shop only since I will interview the flower shop manager.

1.       Q: What are difficult aspects of working with flowers in general?

A: “

2.       Q: How do you organize your orders in the flower shop?

A: “

3.       Q: How do you distribute your orders to your employees in the flower shop?

A: “

4.       Q: How do you cope with stress during long hours?

A: “

5.       Q: How do you respond when an order has issues regarding your flower arrangements?

A: “

6.       Q: How do you distribute the flower orders to the drivers?

A: “

7.       Q: How do you organize flower orders in the fridge?

A: “

8.       Q: How does the bloomnet service affect work in your store?

A: “

9.       Q: How do you think Bloomnet could improve their service?

A: “

10.   Q: Are you unsatisfied with Bloomnet, if so, why?

A: “

11.   Q: What do you look for in an employee?

A: “

12.   Q: How did you memorize flower names?

A: “

13.   Q: How do you find out if an order is not in our system?

A: “

14.   Q: Do you expect that the flower store will expand in the next 5 years?

A: “

15.   Q: Where, do you believe would be the best place to expand the store?

A: “

16.   Q: How do you think we could expand our store?

A: “

17.   Q: Where do you believe would be the best location, why?

A: “

18.   Q: How are you preparing for Mother's Day?

A: “

19.   Q: What can you do to improve performance this Mother's Day?

A: “

20.   Q: What do you think is important in an owner-manager?

A: “


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Blog 17: Answer 3

EQ: How can a fruit and flower owner-manager best organize and grow her family business?

Answer 3: Owner-manager needs to analyze all options for growth and assess how much growth is possible within the two stores.

3 Details:

  • An Owner-Manager is essential to the business. This is why I have included this word in my EQ. Both of my mentors are owner-managers and they are the only ones  who know the business as if its their child and they can only determine its future.
  • Growth is faster to achieve in a small business. Since our business is still small (25-50 employees) we are able to expand at a much faster projected rate.
  • Growth needs to be assessed. Faster is not necessarily the best. Sometimes rapid change can cause many unidentified factors of destruction.
Kotter, John P. "Chapter 1." Accelerate. S.l.: Harvard Bus Review, 2014. N. pag. Print.
Eliadis, Dino. "Why Do So Many Small Businesses Struggle with Growth?." Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, 24.2 (2013): 127.

Phillips, David. "Towards Relationship Management." Journal of Communication Management, 10.2 (2006): 211-226.

This is my last answer because the first two were mostly dealing with organization. This is the answer that corresponds with growth.