Blog 14: Independent Component 1

• Literal

        (a) I, Tannia Negrete, affirm that I have completed my independent component which represents 30                  hours of work.

        (b) The online service that helped me complete the majority of my independent component is the U.S                   Small Business Administration. The other credit goes to my mentor Tianna Negrete.

        (c) My Independent Component 1 Log is posted up

        (d) What I completed for this component was taking online training course and looking at "Webinars"                 with real experts from the Small Business Administration and took Cornell notes on each one I                       went through. The other two days were training days that I got to be a part of at my mentorship. I                 also took Cornell notes on what took place these days because I could not take pictures of the                     programs and other things that were being used during those times.

• Interpretive

          The Cornell notes show my 30 hours of work because I made sure to take notes for every single one of the training courses that I took. Each one had something to do with entrepreneurship, business, and other aspects that are important in a business. This is the link to my log of Cornell notes.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17jwgXBQE-mfQ_7Hvpt5ALSM18UKQ7kIqskkHx9BRXeQ/edit

• Applied

          This component helped me understand the foundation of my topic better because I now understand               that there are many things that come with being an entrepreneur and wanting to open a business. But             with the help of the Small Business Administration, they helped me understand that there are mentors             and training counselors that are there to help you along the way. The SBA can help you find a mentor           in your area and based on what is right for you to get started. The SBA also gave good information on           customer service, business plans, and ways to use current technology for the benefit of your business. 

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

     In my Lesson 2 Presentation, I am most proud of the fact that I used a power point to help keep me on track of what I wanted to talk about. It was there as a guide and is something I did not do for my first presentation. I am not a big fan of power points, but I did see how it helped me.

2. Questions to Consider
       a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE       [ P ]      AP       CR       NC

       b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
             
              I would give myself a P because I had everything prepared on time including the rough draft and final draft typed lesson plan. I referenced my mentorship and research that I did, using the Small Business Administration. I think I did better this time on my voice volume and practiced what I had to say to prepare.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
   
    The thing that worked in my lesson 2 is, like I mentioned before, that I used a power point. This is something new that I incorporated into my presentation that I have not done before. The power point helped me stay on track on what I wanted to say next and organized my presentation better. I feel that I did well with not reading off of my power point screen

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

     What did't work for me and what I would have done differently to improve my lesson 2 was that I need to remember to reference all the other research I have done to get all my information that I am presenting. I was too focused on saying my information that I skipped over mentioning where I got most of my information.

5. Finding Value
What do you think your answer #2 is going to be? 

   I think my answer #2 is going to be for spas to only offer what they are certified to do because no one can offer more than what is possible.

The Business

For my independent component, I had been focusing on taking online training courses on every aspect that comes with running a business. So far this independent component has helped me gain more research on the types of things that need to be done. The U.S. Small Business Administration provided me with accessible training courses that were simple to understand. The information was presented clearly and I actually enjoy going through the online training courses, and the "Webinars" that they also have to offer. I like these "Webinars" because they are professionals in this field that have a chance to provide good information. Anything that has to do with business technology, customer service, or other ways to help your business, they give useful information. The Cornell notes that I took along the way will certain be helpful when it comes to referring to my research. 

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

1. What is the best way to profit as a day spa in Los Angeles?

2. What is considered as good profit for a day spa business?

3. In how much time do you gain that profit?

4. What main factors contribute to the profit and success of your business?

5. What do you know about your company and its competitors?

6. What is the toughest decision you have made for this business?

7. What criticism have you or the business received and what did you do about it?

8. How do you promote or advertise what you have to offer?

9. What do you offer that makes you stand out from other competition?

10. What kinds of initiatives would you take to draw in more clients to your business?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours Check

1. I am doing my mentorship at Pacific Palms Resort & Spa

2. My contacts name is Tianna Negrete.

3. Currently I have only 12 hours recorded on my WB.

4. In the 12 hours I have completed at my mentorship, I was basically placed in the front, to greet the costumers as they were coming in. It was great practice for my communication skills and has allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and put myself out there.

Blog 10: Senior Project: The Holiday

1. Over the break, with my senior project, I began looking for other pieces of research that I could use for my research checks. But before that, I was able to finish up my Cornell notes on my previous research article called Principles of Entrepreneurship. I was only able to go to my mentorship once because during the holidays, it is way to busy and too much that needs to get done. I of course could not do much because I'd be in the way rather than being any help.

2. From my research Principles of Entrepreneurship, I learned that more often in today's time, it is cheaper for one to have some type of online business since the costs of maintaining and running a website have gone down. I have realized that this could be an option, but to sell and advertise the products I would use in my Spa. I have also learned based off my mentorship that there is so much more to deal with and handle during the holidays and that is when the most costumers come in.

3. I would actually want to try to talk to all the employees in the spa department that run the different sections of the spa, to find out what their perspectives would be on the questions related to my EQ. I would get different answers based off of what they see in their specific department and then I could finally talk to the actual manager who sees the business as a whole.

Research

It is now time to change the focus of my research that I have been doing throughout my whole senior project. Instead of just finding things on entrepreneurship in general, I am going to do more research on things regarding Business law and Business communications. This seems most reasonable for now because business is the basis of any entrepreneur. Hopefully with the online training courses I am taking for my independent component will also get me even more familiar with business.