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!
April 14, 2008
April 6, 2008
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.
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.
April 2, 2008
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.
March 11, 2008
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?
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?
March 10, 2008
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.
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.
March 6, 2008
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.
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.
March 2, 2008
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.
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.
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