Grades

This blog started off as an assignment for an entrepreneurial assignment, as you can see by my lack of posts for the last few months. However, I have realized that expressing yourself in alternative ways may be beneficial. Hey, you reading it may help me realize something (and comment!) that I would not have realized on my own.

This blog is about the importance of grades. In any aspect of life you get a grade. Although you get a physical letter grade in course work during school, you are graded informally (or perhaps formally in a review) in work as well. If you slack, your position may be threatened.

I wouldn't say that I'm an overachiever; however, I do need need to do very well. I'm always aiming for the A and highly disappointed in anything less than a B+. I'm not sure what your personal views on grades, but those are my personal goals.

To do well, I put certain pressure on myself. I have always been a procrastinator, but in order to make it through this semester I knew that I had to break that habit. I believe that I have broken the habit for the most part, but, with help of external factors including illness and family issues, it is still very difficult for me to keep up. This, as one can imagine, brings about a great deal of stress. But what if I'm stressing over things that don't matter in the end?

In the real-world (whatever that is), what counts as important? Do bosses see the whole picture or the end result? Do they care if I have about a 3.5 in college? Do they care what I get on my case study that I'm writing? Do they care how well I can write a business plan (I have two to write this semester)? Do the professors care how well I do? Do they care whether I write a thesis? Do they care if the thesis is published? (Yes, I am currently working on one.) Do these things that are currently giving me stress really matter in the end?

I am working in groups with many of these projects and I will always do my best, if for no one else's sake but theirs, but does it benefit me in the end?

I guess you could say yes. Writing case studies, business plans and thesis's benefit me greatly in the long-run. They contribute to my knowledge and experience in the business sector. I wish to pursue business consulting, and this could include working (and perhaps creating) business plans. By writing my own case study, I'm looking in-depth into a company and learning from them, an analytical tool that will be very useful for my business ventures. The thesis will add knowledge to the field, making me an expert in that particular subject. The literature I read will help me understand a topic better than I had previously. It will pave the way to helping me become an academic as well a business woman. I know these are all very useful things, but should I stress?

What if I don't get it done? Then its not done. Stressing about getting it done doesn't make it get done any quicker. Honestly, it is more likely a distraction, something that takes up time. It isn't productive. My professors do not assign me these projects to be evil, they assign them to challenge me as a students, as well as a person. Tasks are not impossible. I can do it. The thing I have to remember is all I can do is my best. Stressing over the grade does not help.

Tipping Point of Studying Abroad

Could it be that I tipped a traveling epidemic among my friends? It seems that ever since I went abroad, all my closest friends now have plans to study abroad. There are two going abroad this summer- one to Galway, Ireland and one to Greece and Turkey- and then there are two going abroad next year, one to Paris, France for the Fall and one to London, England for the Spring.

I knew that these people were interested in traveling before, but only one of them mentioned the prospect of studying abroad. Could it be that since they saw that I was able to go abroad for the semester (and survive!) that it gave them the courage to try it too?

These are the people who I spoke to the most while I was abroad. They are the ones that I shared my experiences, the hardships as well as the good times, and they saw that it wasn't that bad. I am more independent that most of them, however, I have no doubt that they will LOVE their time in Europe. Then perhaps I can convince them to come work abroad with me... hmm.. :)

Ps. The picture is of my sister in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Its That Time of Year...

Finals.

You say the word and college students cringe. And yet again, they're here. Its time to freak out.

How is it that no matter how much you try to prepare that they always sneak up on you? In most of my classes I've been keeping up with reading and have started to study for these tests weeks ago... yet when Monday hits I know I'm going to be in trouble.

Could there possibly be a better system? You have tons of papers and small tests throughout the year, which contribute to the stress, but why have every single class you take have a big project or test at the same time? And the silly part of it is that the most emphasis is given to this assessment. Do the faculty really think that you're performing your best when you can't help but think about those other four courses that you've either just taken or are about to take in a couple of day or a couple of hours?

I say no. Down with Finals!

Optimistic Side of the Entry of Goliath

Ok, two in one day... within a couple of minutes actually... but I just needed to comment.

What do you do when the place you wanted to start a business is being taken over by a hospitality Goliath? I just found an article in Suffolk Life that there will be this gigantic project that will take place in Riverhead, only a half hour away from where I want to open my hotel. This project is going to be huge. According to the article it includes eight separately themed resorts, a 350-foot indoor ski mountain, hotels, a fitness center, a man-made lake and 2,500 timeshare units.

How is a little dinky hotel supposed to compete with that?

I am hoping that this may turn out to be a good thing for my business. I am not quite ready to open up a business, but hopefully this large project will bring up tourism in the area. There seems to be skepticism on whether the project will ever happen, but if it does, Presiding Officer of Holbrook, Bill Lindsay, believes that it will result in a huge economic boom. There will be more of a reason for businesses to spread out east, and customers may want to rediscover the quaintness of the towns by the wineries while enjoying the benefits of the new amenities nearby.

I was actually worried about attracting more, new and younger people to the area and this could be just the thing to do it. Hopefully this competition will actually be a blessing.

It Now Seems Doable

I'm making progress. What seemed so unsure, so insanely large, is now seeming doable.

I'm talking about my project. I have to make a business plan. The main problem was that there is so much I didn't know about what I wanted to do in the business. I'd like to own a hotel, but I've never worked in one before. Sure, I have stayed in a few, just like most of us, but I have never worked there. I don't know what type of supplies the "hotel suppliers" supply. How often do you have to buy new sheets? I can't imagine keeping the same ones for too long of a time. That gets kind of gross no matter how well you wash it.

I don't know the first thing about hiring a person. I don't know what their salaries should be. Its hard to guess without working there. Thank goodness that I have the option of supplementing my project with a plan in order to work my way to where I want to be- my end goal of owning a hotel of my own.

I'm starting off much smaller and much different than what I thought. I found this cute little bed and breakfast online at a reasonable price where I am interested in opening a hotel. Its out on the eastern end of Long Island, right by all the vineyards, where you feel like you're staying somewhere a few dozen years behind the times. It's quaint. It's one of the place where I grew up. Its a place I know, a place I like to visit, and so a great place to try my luck in the hotel world. However my lack of experience is still at my disadvantage, and so before I sink my teeth into this adventure, I plan on spending a few years working in a hotel, and maybe a little while in consulting in small business. The consulting position is what I am recently looking into.

There is a small firm in which I would love to work with this summer. They specialize in turning small businesses into more successful businesses that will run without the sole proprietor nursing every step. I feel I can learn a great deal from the position. I am hoping that I will get it.

After that, perhaps next year or the summer after I plan to get a position in a hotel. Since I have no previous experience I will try my best to work my way up from the bottom. Doing so will give me the knowledge I need to manage those people, knowing what it is like to be them.

After taking this time, I hope to branch out into my own. I hope to make contacts through my experiences that would be able to help me along the way. This is an outline of my plan, although only the bare bones. It is indeed doable, all I need to have is patience.

Quit thinking, Start doing.

I think too big.

Do you see how ahead of myself I've been getting? I have big dreams, but I don't know how to get there. I'm a dreamer, and I just want to do- get to the end product, but I often don't realize what I have to do to get there.

I met someone yesterday that opened my eyes to the fact. He has big dreams. He wants to be a senator. How does someone get to be a senator? I do not know, but I'm sure he does. He bases many of his decisions around it. He doesn't step out of line because it may be spread all over the news a few years from now. He knows where he wants to go, and he has a track to get there. How does he have the patience for that?

I have goals... but I suppose that more than anything I just want to live. I want to explore and travel and experience life. (Wow, I sound like a hippie.) However, I do have big aspirations as well. I'm not pretending that I will be doing exactly what I think I will be in the next couple of years. I go down the road that life takes me. I have so many interests that maybe along the way my aspirations will change. I will discover something that I may want to do more. My whole life will swing towards that. Is it right to be driven so much towards something that a. you have blinders on and miss the journey or b. get where you want and then think, "Now what?"

My new friend put it very well- It depends on how you view life. He & I are very different people, and our lives will be determined accordingly.

A Boutique Hotel

Under the Sun-- What a wonderful name for a boutique hotel.

If you do not know what a boutique hotel is, I will tell you. Wikipedia defines it as an intimate, luxurious, and usually quirky hotel that differentiates itself by providing personalize accommodation and services/facilities. This seems right up my alley.

As I have said earlier, I love to travel and I am simply fascinated by different cultures. By doing a boutique hotel, I would be able to attract different types of travelers and design each room to different cultural specifications. I could have a feng shui living space, a modern accommodation, an old-fashioned looking room... anything that I would want, tied together of course by a similar color scheme. I could have it all. It would be so much fun. It also would make my hotel more interesting. There would be a reason to come to my hotel... many cultures will feel at home while they are visiting a new country.

I hope to attract many international customers. This is very likely since the low exchange rate of the dollar is attracting visitors from many places throughout the world. With a bit of research I can figure out what they want, what they expect from a hotel, and market it to them (most likely through the Internet). Every step forward I have gives me 10 more questions! How do I attract international customers. What type of words do they search in order to find a hotel. Where would be a good spot they'd like to visit. (California seemed very popular as well as New York, however there was an odd portion of the Irish people I've spoken to that said they visited somewhere atypical such as Tennessee.) Do they want a similar experience as they get at home or do they travel to get something different? How accurate can I be? Is there any rule that I cannot copy other hotel designs? Is it possible for there to be a consistent, natural flow if there are so many themes? I want my hotel to be like a quilt, flowing but each square very different, not like a basket of mismatched socks, aka chaotic and unpleasant to go through. How is that achieved in these boutique hotels?

Back to the research!

Two steps behind.

Apparently we are moving forward. We talked about building websites in class today. I think that it may be getting a bit ahead of my plans, but I suppose with all the research that thinking about this stuff as well isn't going to do anything but good.

So onto logos. Its good to be clean-cut and recognizable, as well as on everything. Consistency is key. But isn't that a step or two ahead of finding a name? A name for a hotel is probably something to look for first, and the logo could match. I need a name before I put up a website. I also need information about what my company is going to be, especially where (location! location! location!), and what type (business/professional, vacation, low-budget/high-budget)... These are all things that I have been thinking about- but its time to make a decision!

I was thinking about doing a play off my name. Dawn-- First I was thinking Sunshine... I've actually have had people call me that, but it was cute because it was corny. Do I really want a corny hotel name? I just googled a bunch of related names, and I think I may have found one that I like. Under the Sun.

So when I like something, my brain goes crazy relating it to all different things. If it was Under the Sun, I could easily expand into many hotels, because you can travel anywhere "Under the Sun." I could easily have a logo that is bright with beaming rays of sun, that would be appropriate and set the type of easy-going atmosphere that I would like to work in (as well as other people would like to stay in).

By George, I think she's got it. Under the Sun.

A Consulting Side

Hopefully I won't jinx it but I am really excited at an opportunity to be an intern at a consulting firm. I know that this is not directly related to my entrepreneurial career as a CEO at a big hotel, but it could help me for the following reasons:

1. This consulting firm, Strategy Leaders, works with small companies who are searching for the push to go from mediocre to extraordinary. In working with them, I can pick up on what to do (and what not to do) when I one day start my business. I can consult myself.
2. Knowing businesses is good for any business. Especially since I will be working in a hotel (and perhaps having many add-ons to it (i.e. a spa or restaurant, etc)) I will need to know what is the more profitable and the least headaches. It also may open my eyes to an entirely different idea that can work better.
3. It gets my name out there. It may be a small consulting firm, but the people I meet here may help me (or be my competition) down the road. The more names and faces and experiences I put myself through now when the money is not on the line, the better knowledgeable I will be when I have to take the plunge myself.

Ah, I'm excited. But I severely hope that I'm not getting too ahead of myself. My final interview is Wednesday- wish me luck!

Research Trouble

I am human, and as a human, I have a fault. I have a fear of failure.

I'm sure that many people have fear of failure. Actually, I'm sure of it. If no one else had this fear, there wouldn't be so many quotes about overcoming it.

So, as of now, I have this large project to do. If I have been doing research throughout the entire semester, it wouldn't be that bad. However, I started doing research, then I realized how much I didn't know, and how much I needed to learn... and I got stressed out. Hey- I'm human.

But now is the time to refocus.

The industry is the travel/ tourism/ hospitality/ gaming industry. Its wide, and varied... so much to learn. But why must I be afraid to fail? Why am I afraid to learn?

As I push through my fear and scrape up extra time to do my research, it doesn't seem so intimidating. It is actually rather interesting. I will someday be a part of this world, and topics that seem not to apply to me, will. There is a great movement to spread businesses into Asia. Does that affect me? Well, now I know that if I want to go to India I may find many more hotels there that will be familiar to me, as well as if I'm looking to start a hotel overseas, this may be a place to look into. Why Asia? Is there another region that is similar and may be the next big place to travel? If I do good research now, I may be one leg up.

The Bahamas

Wow, it has been a while since my last post. The days, especially vacation days, have really flown by. Speaking of vacation let me post quickly about what I learned.

It is our project to research somewhere we would like to start a business. One of my real loves is travel, and so I thought, if I was to open a hotel somewhere why not be somewhere out of the United States? I was going to the Bahamas with my father and a few friends and as I looked at the turquoise water and felt the warm sun on my skin I knew that this would be one of the best places to work. This is going to be the location of my hotel in the project.

I spoke to a few store owners in the different towns that we stopped at through the Bahamas and I asked them how difficult it is for non-Bahamians to open up business on the islands. Lucky for me, the Bahamas encourage development throughout the islands. Also, there is much land for sale (even entire islands!) so I have many places that I have to work with. What I have to now figure out is what type of resort that I would like to have. I don't want to start a resort in touristy Freeport or Nassau... I want something more natural and high class. A private island may be just what I need, but how much space do I need?

More research should help me decipher whether I need 16 acres or 4 acres on another island.

Counting My Blessings

Today is the last day of classes. I have one more class and then a midterm tonight, and then I'm off for two weeks. March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, I will be on a flight at a ridiculously early hour in the morning to fly to Florida and then to Abaco, Bahamas, to spend a week on my father's boat with two of my best friends and my family.

I can't imagine being luckier.

I wasn't tying to spread around the news of my trip to many people. I don't like to brag that I'm going on a wonderful and relaxing vacation with some of the best people imaginable. I also hate people saying "wow" and "I'm jealous," especially when their expressions and tones indicate that they are sincerely impressed. Honestly, for a while I wasn't so impressed.

I am very privileged. I don't own a lot of top-designer clothing or products, I don't like in a mansion, I don't have money dripping out of my pockets, but I am very privileged. My father loves sailing. He owns a large catamaran and is frequently taking us on sailing trips around New York and in the Caribbean. My grandparents also live on the beach on Long Island, close to the outlets but just far enough away from the bustle of normal life. In many ways, these retreats from reality keep my entire family sane. However, when something has been handed to you and you accept it without a thought (or has always been there), you sometimes lose sight on how lucky you truly are.

I'm sure that everyone can look at their own lives and see why their lucky. I originally got the idea from a post I found through a friend's blog. Their lists begin with "I'm alive!" How miraculous is that? You are alive and can do anything that you want with your life. Many people forget that.

I'm curious- in what ways are you lucky?

Switching Gears

What do I want to do? What do I want to do? What do I want to do?

This is an entrepreneurship class. Of course for this course I will be focusing on my pursuit of owning my own business... and if I were to own any business it would be a hotel. I already blogged about why I want to own a hotel-- so much to do with it, many ways to expand, and shear fun of it all-- but I have so many ideas in my head!

What about consulting? My favorite courses in my college career work very well into a career in consulting. The courses, information systems and knowledge management and innovation (taken abroad) have taught me to think critically about things and how important correct systems in place in a business in order to be successful. Of course these will be helpful in my business. You can't fix a business if you are not able to make one yourself... plus entrepreneurship is scary. So much risk. So many chances. So many way you can be rejected. Consulting is a safer bet... and similar in the level of difficulty.

Decisions, decisions.

Business Thesis

As a good business woman, when you see an opportunity, you jump on it, right? But how do you measure whether that opportunity is good? How do you know if it is worth it?

I was presented with the opportunity to join a program in order to do a thesis. The first part of the class is learning out to do a thesis paper (while researching and developing your topic), while the second semester is devoted in the completion of the paper. Is the expertise and the knowledge I will gain doing this paper be enough to outweigh the opportunity costs that I will have?

Its going to be a lot of work, so much time and energy... in a year when all you want to do is be with your friends for one last time before the "real world" hits. I think I'm going to do it. I want a challenge... and this is something that I may not get the opportunity to do again. I will be creating new knowledge, becoming an expert in something that I am interested in... and working with some of the best minds that Fordham has to offer. What a way to end my time here.

The interesting thing about my business is...

If you are to spend your entire life doing something, it should be something you love. Happy people are those who enjoy their jobs, and enjoying your job when you're an entrepreneur is especially important.

I am probably unlike a lot of people who go into entrepreneurship. I love businesses. I say that in the most dorky way possible. I am not over interested in any particular type of business in general, but more interested in the different parts of businesses and how they interact. I would love to speak to CEOs and ask them what makes their businesses successful. What attracts me to becoming an entrepreneur is that I would be able to build something from the start and build it into a successful, smoothly run business- something that I can look at and say, "I helped make that."

So you may ask why I choose the hospitality field. Can I blame Gilmore Girls? I'm just joking. I have two main reasons why I would like to own a hotel: versatility and fun.

I enjoy researching and the prospect of owning a hotel because there is so much that you can do with it. I have talked to different friends of mine, all with very different majors, and we joke around how they all could help out. My best friend joked about owning a day spa. Guess what- a day spa would be great attached to my hotel. I love basketball; if I wanted I could have my own court. If I wanted to learn horseback riding, a stable and a horse would fit in easily if I owned a smaller inn with lots of land.

Yes, all of these add-ons would change my prospective hotel. They would affect location, and dealing with friends is hard to do in business. But they're options, and I love options. I would hate to be told that I could not do something with my business. Hotels vary so much these days that I could possibly get away with anything (tasteful and marketed in the correct manner). I can change and expand as much as I'd like. My job will never be stagnant.

Second is my fascination with designing. I enjoy looking into real estate or even building houses and rooms myself. Making rooms and architecture delightful and comfortable to live in is fun for me. Making a place for other people to visit and sleep would be very stressful and hard, because every one's tastes are very different, but I will find a versatile way to suit the needs of most people staying.

I'm not looking to own a bare-minimum inn (although it may have to start lower-end). I want to provide my customers with a quality experience in a friendly and luxurious atmosphere. Decorating and formulating different ideas to keep customers happy will be a creative and enjoyable experience for me.

Be Interesting! and BLOG!

So now I'm averaging about three posts a month. Not bad for a beginner... right?

Apparently wrong.

Russell Davies "teaches" us that you should be doing so much more blogging (and other creative activities) in his blog post, "How to be Interesting." There are two main theories associated with it- Be interested and share with others. Easy enough, right?

I never knew how much time it took to be interesting. I thought that my quirks were good enough tools. However, I suppose these are rules for how the uninteresting becomes interesting.

I think that many of the suggestions he makes is very interesting. A lot of it has to do with getting out into the world and seeing what others take for granted. I believe that taking a camera with you everywhere you go and photographing something each day would be a great idea. With a camera in my hand, I feel transformed and I tend to see the beauty in what I used to think mundane.

The magazine suggestion is interesting as well. Everyone knows that it is good to be a well-rounded person, but the more you learn and discover, the more you have to talk to people about. The better you connect to a person the more they like you (and perhaps think you're interesting). Besides, there is so much in this world that you will never see and never learn if you didn't put in a bit of effort, and how much time does it take to read a magazine? An hour maybe? Great to do on any commute. You might even find a new interest or passion.

These are only two suggestions that I thought I would comment about, but there are others that are equally interesting. The funny thing is, everything comes back to suggestion number 2: Blog. Share. Get your point of view out there. Even if no one is reading it, writing it on paper makes substance to your thoughts. They are put down in an orderly manner (sometimes) and are made more clear than if you just kept them in your head. It is also good practice in conversing. The more you write, the easier it will be to talk... perhaps even about something that you written. And wouldn't it be cool if someone subscribed to your blog? People who actually care about what you say. Now, that's nice.

The Tipping Point

Almost more interesting than The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell's ideas would be the discussions that I have found that surrounded it. I first received my copy from Amazon about a month ago, and it immediately struck me as familiar. I started to read and I knew that I never read the book before, because the concept of a tipping point was very new to me, however I could not shake that I have seen it before. What I thought was that I had it at home and I wasted my money.

Well, it turns out that I did have the book at home, or practically, but I would not call the book a waste of money. I spotted it this summer in my sister's apartment. It seemed interesting to me, but I never picked it up. I asked it about it the last time I was home. She told me that she thought the facts were really interesting and we entered in a discussion. My friend Amy was with me, thought she mostly observed the conversation.

I went back and continued to read. I have since starting the book I have referenced it a few times in conversation. My sister is responsible for over 200 people in her Team In Training group for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and she informed me that according to research that people are not comfortable in groups of more than 150 people. After 150, communication breaks down. She uses that as the reason she is having difficulties. I've actually have had discussions with my friends on who the connector of the group is. (In college, I think there are a bunch of different connectors. You are constantly meeting different people through different groups/organizations. However, my friend Sara turns out to be a big connector.) Also, I was thinking about those people who know tons of information and try to share it with the world. Their main reason for sharing information is to help, but their information is so well researched that you take their advice almost 100% of the time. I have one of those people in my family. My grandpa is always researching, especially about technology and medical advances, and whatever he sends you, you should look into. He is usually right. Things he has been talking about 10 years ago are now common day. He just has a knack and the research to know what works.

All-in-all I believe that The Tipping Point is a very thought provoking book. Its not only one of those books that you look smart if you mention in an interview, but a book that is easy enough to remember in order to use it in your daily life, as well as a way to think about life. For anyone who has not yet picked up the book, you should. It was the best $10 that I have spent in "textbooks."

Sick Days for College Students?

What should one do while they are sick?

I guess the best answer would be to get better, pronto. But sometimes you just cannot shake that cold, or that illness that is more than a cold. And then what do you do?

Well, I am sick. If you saw me right now you would know. I might as well be walking around campus with this neon sign over my head screaming, "Approach at your own risk." What is worse is that not only am I exhausted, I also have to sound like a frog if I attempt to speak. Believe me, its quite impressive during class participation. I am the new Kermet.

I would stay in bed and eat soup all day, watch cheezy movies and sleep... however, my life does not stop because I'm sick. I'm searching for a job, hopefully one in which will gain me experience in the hospitality industry, as well as applying for internships. I can't give up a week or more of my time "getting better" when my financial situation is not improving and the deadlines for internships are breathing down my neck. Honestly, I believe the stress of it all is just making me feel worse.

So, I'm doing the best that I can. I am still going to my 8:30 class even when I want to break my alarm for waking me up. I am going to bed early (though it's still not enough). And I'm doing research and homework when I can. I suppose that is all I can do for now.

Investment in People

As I go through school, I have been giving many opinions- directly and indirectly- on what is the most valuable asset in your company. As an economics minor, I am told about the importance of money and property, in management classes I am lectured about structure and policies, finance speaks of investment strategies, and in accounting speaks of liquidity and sort term assets.

However, I believe that I chose the Entrepreneurial path mostly because I believe that it is the people who you work with, put your trust in, and mostly yourself that are truly the most powerful assets.

In a Question & Answer session, Scott Berkun talks about his ideas behind his book, The Myths of Innovation. It can be found at blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/06/ten-questions-w.html.

In a question about what his investment thesis would be, he responds, "I’d invest in people more than ideas or business plans—though those are important of course. A great entrepreneur who won’t give up and will keep growing and learning is gold." I think that there is a lot of power in that answer.

If you think about the reasons many of the other concentrations focus on, it is really the people backing the asset that makes the other factors of the business meaningful. A company only looks as good as the accountant makes them look. A company could have tons of money and investments, however they need someone spectacular to use it correctly. A company could have the best business plan in the world, however if it is not managed right and tweaked effectively, the company will lose the competitive advantage. Even at the ordinary level, if the workers are not responsive, new, more efficient methods of business would not be found. Efficiency in general would be down. If you do not have the correct people at the front desk, no one will want to visit you.

It is in the people of your company that give it worth.

My Ideal Day

I wake up at 9:30 am, completely refreshed with a full night's sleep. I wash up and head into kitchen of my apartment, where I live alone but have friends close by. I pet my comfort retriever (small part golden retriever dog), feed him breakfast, and then myself. I choose scrambled eggs and toast with butter, and make myself a bit of a sandwich with it. I bring my food out to my backyard, where the sun of the warm summer's day hits my face. I watch my pup chase squirrels around the backyard as I eat, and I play fetch with him for a few minutes until we both go inside and I take a hot shower.

I next call my friend Kendra in order to go into town. We mostly window shop, talking the whole time, and find our way to the beach. Here I find a bunch of other friends, and we spend the afternoon joking around, playing in the waves and sand. At around 4, we all split up, and a smaller few of us grab a late lunch/ early dinner. We sit and talk for hours about everything and nothing at all.

I head home to catch another shower and to get ready for the night. I have extra time between my shower and when I have to get dressed so I snuggle up on my couch, a soft blanket on my lap, reading my latest book. Today, it is Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger. I then put on a bright, colorful top and my favorite jeans just as my friend Jess calls me to tell me that they are leaving. I have no idea what the plan is, but then again, I don't mind. She picks me up, music blasting, and I hop in. We sing all our favorite songs on the drive there, and any time I ask our location, she just smiles. After about ten minutes she tells me to close my eyes. I oblige, being a good sport, but it was unnecessary because the smell of the ocean gives me a big clue where we were going.

I'm back at the beach again for an impromptu bonfire. I grab a drink and socialize a bit. I stay late, but head home alone. I'm in bed by 4 am... but that's ok; tomorrow's Sunday, I can sleep in.

My Goals for the Semester

"Three things that I would like to get out of this class are..."

To be honest, there are not three specific things that I would like to get out of the class. I am confident that I will learn a million little things that no one has ever thought to share with me. But in order to conform with this assignment, I will try my best to outline my three most important goals.

First of all, I would like to find out what the first step would be in starting my own business. I don't believe that I will step out of college and jump into running a business all of my own, but I would like to know how to get there. I have expressed a interest in hospitality, particularly in opening my own hotel, but I have no idea what I would have to do in order to establish one, nor do I have any contacts or experience in the industry.

So, I suppose that would be my second goal. I would like to know how to approach people in the hospitality industry. I know as a student it is acceptable and encouraged for me to talk with professionals in order to learn something from their experience, whether it is their successes or mistakes, but how do I even meet them in the first place? Should I ask them for help? When is it appropriate to ask for a job? I would like experience, and I don't mind working for it, but I know that information could be just as valuable. There seems to be a line between what is acceptable and unacceptable with these types of interactions, and I am not afraid to admit that I don't know where that line is.

Finally, I would like to know what kind of thought processes and other things that will set me apart when I am working for someone else. I only know how I think, so I don't know how the "normal" employee thinks. This is one of the topics that I anticipated covering when I first signed up for the class. I don't intend on starting my own business right away, so it would be beneficial for me and the other students in the class who are not necessarily interested in starting their own company to learn. What allows us to thrive and move up in the company that we find ourselves in? If I am going to be a part of another company, I want to be a vital part, and not just another worker bee.

I hope this gives you a bit of my goals, but as I expressed, I hope and expect to learn so much more from this class. With this class and the other classes in the concentration, I am looking to establish the foundation in order to learn and succeed in whatever venture I find myself in down the road.


Dawn