INT: Whatsapp Chat Client and Coach.
Denzel: Hello. My name is Denzel, I attended the Pride Factor Sa meeting in Midrand some weeks ago..
Alsu: Hi Denzel. What's up?
Denzel: I'm good thanks and yourself? So I heard that this is the StartUpSity WhatsApp number where I can get acccess to your feeds, links and all.
Alsu: very much so. The feeds are custom and generic. The custom feeds revolve around specific industry areas while the generics are based on management and tips. We are not just on What'sapp but on Facebook and Twitter, for professional reference go to my LinkedIn profile. So what kind of feeds do you require?
INT: There feeds are based on 3 channels Of occupation, Employment, Freelance and Starting in business. Every feed is debatable as with every tip sent you are free to ask questions if some aspects are not clear.
Denzel: I would consider the one about Starting in business and also the Generic feeds.
Alsu: Ok. before we get to that stage let's explore the questions that you may have when it comes to the world of business. Then I will provide you with a list of industries that exist and you need to inform me what would be your 3 main choices out of them. Afterwards I will give you a selection of 3 business ideas from each industry that you have chosen to further choos 1 out of the tree ideas presented within the 3 industry's.
INT: What in the end you will have are feeds of 3 business types in 3 different industries. By the time we finish with the feeds, you will have not just Information but knowledge of the skills required in managing those businesses and its now upto you where and when you want to start them. We only suggest and you make the choices of whom you would like to work with.
INT: He asked 3 questions to which he got answers and then we proceeded with the specifics of business interests that he had. He was interested in opening a shop that caters for lunches and stationery for students.
Alsu: As a student when it comes to shopping what do you experience that you like or don't? I can only design solutions if you inform me on what you experience or have. So What would you like to see that would be different from others?
Denzel: I have seen schools around Kempton Park that has shops and they tend to sell what other students don't like and also the unhealthy drinks. I've also learnt that there are schools that do not have shops, this is a disadvantage to those students that would have the money or resources to purchase food at school but there won't be any shop at their schools. I also want to start a project with the sales I get. Like I set aside a certain percentage of the monthly profit to help the under priviledged students with stationery. I need this shop to be benefiting both the school and I.
INT: And from this moment on I proceed to approach my crew to deliver on just these short indicators.
INT: WITH CREW on WhatsApp.
Alsu: A youth came to us and said "I'm a student so I want to open a school shop in one of the schools around where I stay. So I need advice on how I can be up and running." I asked my team (who I will introduce to you all, when I am done with this phase of delivery.)" "What can we offer?"
I ask my crew: "What personal experiences have you had that can generate information for him?" This is how I manage my team effort to deliver on projects on the back end of our operations.
The following is what our client mentioned.
"I have seen schools around Kempton Park that have shops and they tend to sell some food that other students don't like and also the unhealthy drinks. I've also learnt that there are schools that do not have shops/canteens and this comes as a disadvantage to those students that would have the money or resources to purchase food at school but there aren't any."
We have a test site to implement the suggestions both at the studio and a location within Kensington. A lady who has a retail shop but the shop doesn't attract the potential that can increase her revenue stream.
He says also "I also want to start a project with the sales I get. Like I set aside a certain percentage of the monthly profit to help the under privileged students with stationery. I need this shop to be benefiting both the school and me. I would love to do a presentation at your studio it will be such an honour"
My reply was "You have identified 2 things "stationery and food" so the idea caters as a buffe and then on another stationary that students need. From that once you start making sales you can then see how to cater for the underprivileged."
With students at Startupsity we work "brainstorm" from 8-11pm as those are the times when they are prone to look for unwanted trouble on the streets. So having them collaborate online on ideas helps not just on an informational level but safety wise, except they are chatting on the streets, which I can't really control, however having the experience moves them subconsciously in time out of those unhealthy zones. I have been a youth so I know what I had to do in getting my mates out of sells when they got high on alcohol in Russia. That didn't get me out of trouble in Nigeria as there there were no platforms "social activities to occupy my mind and body" as was in Russia in my Dancing group.
So the flowing is one of the many types of chats with my teams. Different team personalities demand different types of approach so my methods differ.
Alsu: At 8 today please everyone be present for discuss on what types of food can be made for a buffet as well as stationery tools that he can start with on a minimum investment. Of course he may need to be trained in cooking as he will have to start alone and money only available for what he needs to open the shop.
INT: We work form an assumption point and then deal with the facts when on implementation phase.
A team member said: We would need to design a brand name for the biz to have a presence.
I responded: We need to do a feasibility study. What kids like to eat the most, as it always differs in preference.
INT: Online I proceeded to ask him "does he cook and What kind of food does he like?" To know what possible training he may need as well as what alternatives that are simple for him to provide like "sandwiches"
On the initial discussion with a client I keep the team from direct contact as their questions my not be subtle, we all have to realise that mate to mate questioning can be taken offensively as diplomatic skills aren't present in everyone. So as a coach I deal with my team and the client in different ways and communication channels before i bring them together. My job as a coach is to deliver in a short time to the client as well as coach my team at the same time so my methods always vary. As well as the final presentation of the project overview "which in form is like an executive summary that the investors request with a spunk for character as to read terminologies bore the living Jesus out of me. :)
Our assumptive questions go as follows, we ask ourselves questions as though we are him and then we rephrase them into a better format. "What restaurants or fast foods do we go to, when we do, because here the direction is dictated by a youth therefore his preference would be towards "chicken, eggs or beef"
The easiest and cheapest starting point would be with "eggs" and there are a million and one way to make eggs" even from this an instant brand picture and name can generate its self.
Our discussion went as follows again. "Has he already identified the schools and what he needs to sell? I would prefer that we park the stationery issue for now until he generates a bit of a profit first. The main thing he needs to look at is snackees that are cheap to buy but most love. This may make more money than just food, but food making has a faster chance of getting attention from the student perspective as that is an immediate need but it depends on where his shop is located at. Then he needs to consider cooking instead of buying ready made food as it would cost him more. If there is a factory for producing ready made healthy sandwiches, then that can be delivered to his shop just as Coca Cola distributes to retailers of their products. If there is no such then we need to identify a market where he can buy fresh and appetising vegetables as well as the main ingredients "eggs, chicken, tuna/sardines meets etc" at a good price. He could be supplied by mothers who are at home if he runs out of stock or if he doesn't know how to cook. Not everyone who is in the food business need to know how to cook but they may be good at running the business efficiently if they are organised naturally.
Another team member said: the location of schools matter a lot because schools in "kasi" would prefer "kota" and fat cakes but the ones in the suburbs would like sandwiches and samosas.
By the time he has gone round looking for mothers who can supply him he will generate a database of references and had spread the news. Youth need to take advantage of the fact that they are young and are more likely to get patronage from adults, most get buffed off because we have adults who think youth aren't serious, with a little more persistence they succeed.
I further ask my crew member to tell me of schools in Kempton park because that's where he is from or may know someone he could ask.
Then we proceed to structuring our knowledge into a better format and we present what we suggest for approval, should there be more questions we answer. We have a timeline for execution. A 3 hour chat discuss sorts the basics out and a 1 month testing brings out the SWOT and GAP analysis that makes the first phase of our objectives achieved as well as the clients.
We only present the projects of our clients in full with their permission. In this case we have the permission and he was happy with our advice.
INT: The following brief was presented.
Alsu: Hi Denzel, Ever thought of eggs as a way to start off? There are so many easy ways to making eggs as sandwiches that students can grab on the way to and from school as it isn't hard to make neither does it consume too much gas or electricity. Mixed with spices and veggies for taste. And you can make up your own specialty in that area to start off as well as eggs have a neutral base that suits meats and salads so as you go on in making the meals you add more ingredients. Then you can also have apprentice workshops that earn you some money and at the same time saves you labour costs.
You can have a simple mobile ordering system through WhatsApp and Blackberry and it won't cost that much. You may need to get an internship for a week at a restaurant to have an idea of what it feels like to cater and run the business.
Different locations need different strategy approach and the business doesn't have to be stationery as mobile solutions are available or can be built.
Connect with Canteens in other schools so you can understand the kid's needs and how a business of that sort operates.
We suggest a survey on a few schools to make out your S.W.O.T analysis, this will be possible If the canteens need help for a week. We have done the survey from the idea perspective now a basic on the actual handling of the job is needed.
A crew member mentioned "He can offer the under privileged students in the school to help out with making of food and then he can offer them pay or a plate of food or snacks or whatever you might be selling.
Schools should be interested in the kids having projects that they can play what they are studying in class. It's even a better motivation for them to know biology in this project instance. The food business has a lot to do with hugene and knowing how to preserve for microbes not to cause major digestion problems for customers. Salmonella is a bad microbe. If schools can't see this then I give up on schools but not the kids.
There's a market for good, healthy nutritious food, in our schools, he can learn how to cook, as @Alsu said earlier, to make the meals fun, tasty and attractive to the school kids. When parents know their kids are eating healthy, they are more likely to give them tuck-shop money for lunch than make lunch themselves.
In secondary schools they should be teaching Home economics and applying the "academic" info into it, this way the kids know how to help themselves and their parents and there would be better atmosphere at home as well as their own self worth increases.
Kids in secondary schools and Specific the government schools, private schools may give a semblance of order but even there not all kids can be made to focus on what direction the Gov syllabus demands. With headless governments we have today no wonder the kids can't relate to it both personally and socially let alone being career wise misdirected.
People are either technically or socially inclined from birth and experience before getting into university. A child with family issues is likely to choose becoming a family therapist should he or she be able to deal with its effects, just as they can become anti social as well. The social kids get ignored and downgraded first by teachers and when they report the progress the daft parents now rule them out as unruly, further more pushing them to being rebels. Underprivileged has 2 meanings you could come from a rich family yet have been under supported.
The academic world created space for the science kids not the social kids hence we have the bottle neck now because it was extreme. Today tech guys depend a lot on being able to sell their stuff through the civil kids hence you see the media industry creating images of people but eventually can't sustain that image because it was based on superficial attributes.
Where are all the big brother winners today? Career wise they are back to where they started from. So guys equip yourselves with experience and information to last longer than others and that paves a way to help yourselves and others.
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