| BlendZ was born; we had the common vision; we needed a strategy. As the semester continued to unravel, it became clearer that having more hands does not immediately simplify or cut off the workload. I’ve learned that with 13 people operating towards one goal, it easy to lose focus, to get ‘project’ happy or to feel like every possible task is already being done. In reality, there were always things we could be working on, but we needed to think long-term. We needed to prioritize, to organize un-distracting communication systems, and, the hardest yet most essential of them all, to build a culture that takes initiative. At the end, when we didn’t, we were losing time. And time is money. We’ve invested a total of $2000 in BlendZ because we believe in it. Yet, I’ve deciphered that believing in an idea at the beginning is not enough; In a business environment that initial grit has to be maintained. Because we are a monopoly on campus, this has been especially difficult, as there’s no competition to accelerate innovation. Consequently, we slowed down. |
From this, I learned that if everyone does not have “authority” or ownership in a piece of the industry, they won’t be excited about crafting their portion. And even if I have not taken the role of the CEO, if there’s something I’ve absorbed from seeing Gisella and Pedro in action, is that to use time effectively, people must be divided into roles they both enjoy and feel challenged in. Until now, we’ve pivoted from departments, to project leaders, into directors; it’s becoming systematic. Today, I can’t say we are machine on extra-fuel, but we sure are getting close to it. Now, even if most would expect these rapid changes would drive a disorganized person like me crazy, the opposite has resolved from it. In fact, it’s empowered me to take an organized approach to my portion, to give myself smaller chunks of focused efforts, to be more self-conscious, to listen to others more often, to learn how to plan. It’s allowed me to focus my craft and produce more. I’ve been able to explore video advertising, logo design and now, the kick-starter campaign, which will (hopes up) collect $ 40,000 for us to inject in our long-term vision. Not just that, but specializing in media has strained me into script-writing, further improving my English. The cool part about enforcing the capital you possess, is that you gain in unanticipated areas that relate. So, if I have to highlight one thing on this semester, it would be that the world of business has definitely made me more ambitious, but don’t worry, not in the bad way; it’s made me grow. I’m sure that no matter how work on my writing, it wouldn’t be possible to fit all I’ve learned into one page. Yet, with this said, I think I’ve made my point: I’ve learned way more than just preparing kick*** smoothies (not that that isn’t soothing as well). |