During the exchange you will play a Dragons' Den game.
This means that groups of 6 students will form a business.
You will come up with an idea of a business together.
You will work out a business plan and a marketing plan.
When you visit the Netherlands you will continue working as a group.
Then you will create a commercial and at the end present the idea to the Dragons!
The best idea will be awarded!
Turino:
thinking of business
business plan and marketing plan
Zwolle:
marketing plan and making a commercial
making commercial and showing business plan and showing commercial
starting a company
1 Start
Today you will meet your fellow company owners. You have to make some important decisions: Who gets which job in the company? What is the main focus of the company?
There will be groups of 6 students.
After the groups are formed you will get together and start thinking about a business idea.
The best way is perhaps to have a brainstorming session.
Just follow directions and you will get al the information you need!
Here are some tips for you to help you get started.
1. What about your Hobbies as a Business?
Many people have hobbies and skills, which could be turned into worthwhile and profitable businesses. Make a list of your hobbies and brainstorm with your friends, family or group members on how any of these hobbies could be turned into a business e.g.
Woodcraft/Metal craft – Making items from wood or metal for sale.
Cooking – Baking cakes, savouries, or setting up a catering business.
Sewing – Making soft furnishings and accessories for the home.
Writing/Photography – producing calendars, short stories, magazines etc.
Puzzles – Puzzle books for young children.
Music – Providing classes, workshops, making CDs or forming your own band.
2. Are there any Gaps in the Marketplace?
Have you ever said to yourself “where can I buy.....?” or “why can’t I buy…?” in my local area or school. If so, a new business idea could be staring you in the face!
School: does your school have a sandwich service, or a tuck shop?
Home: Do people in your area find it difficult to find babysitters, children’s party planners, pet minders etc.?
Local Community: Is there a scarcity of locally produced craft items, gift items or cards in your area? Could your local community benefit from a simple phrase book in, for example, Polish to enable better communications?
3. Use Ideas which have been used before. Maybe you can give them a New Twist.
Remember many successful companies do not try something completely new, they build upon ordinary ideas and make something special of them. Look around your local area, what kind of businesses exist? Could you offer something better? Remember you will be going into competition with these companies.
4. Use up Items lying around the Home.
In every home there are items lying around and of no use. These can provide a source of inexpensive raw materials, particularly, if you do not want to invest a lot of pocket money in setting up a business.
Remember to get permission before you use anything.
Business Management : What Is International Business?
IDEA GENERATION TECHNIQUES
There is a whole array of idea generation techniques which could be used in coming up with new ideas for businesses. One of these is brainstorming.
1. Brainstorming
Successful brainstorming generates massive quantities of diverse and sometimes fantastic ideas. Fantastic ideas are good during brainstorming, not bad. You want a high quantity of ideas during brainstorming, not quality. There will be plenty of time later to dissect and analyse.
Effective brainstorming can take place in groups or individually. Some of the ideas submitted to a brainstorming session may seem off the wall initially. After consideration these may turn out to be perfectly good business ideas.
Rules for Effective Brainstorming.
Do a practice run to warm up the mind. For example, how many uses can you think of for a cardboard box?
Assign one person in your group to write down ALL of the ideas that are generated by the group, no matter how wild or wacky they are.
Remember that all suggestions, no matter how silly they may seem, should be included on the written list and members of your group should give their suggestions as they come into their heads.
The quantity of ideas is better than the quality of ideas.
The wilder and stranger the better.
The whole group should let their minds flow and wander and come up with as many ideas as possible over a period of about 20 minutes – the aim is to generate as many ideas as possible.
At the end of the brainstorming session:
- go through the list.
- identify which ideas may be possible and which ones are not possible to take further.
- start to brainstorm the positives and negatives of each idea that you think you could take further.
Effective teams will have a blend of the following skills. You should reflect on your particular skills and abilities. Consider what skills are necessary in setting up your team.
Production Skills
The skills necessary to make the product. For example, woodwork skills, drawing skills etc.
Organisational Skills
Making sure that you are well organised, can get orders done on time, can arrange and run meetings etc.
Finance Skills
Have you the skills to cost and price a product or service? Can you complete a forecast and accounts?
Promotional Skills
Someone in your group should be skilled in promoting the product or service.
Sales and Marketing Skills
These are very important skills, as someone in your group needs to be able to market the product or service and sell it.
Management Skills
Someone in your group needs to take overall responsibility to ensure that the job gets done.
When the Necessary Skills have been identified, set Ground Rules for you and for the Team.
Agree as to who will take on responsibility for each of the different tasks.
Decide upon how much time you are each prepared to invest in the business.
Decide on how you and the group propose sorting out problems/disagreements that may arise.
2 Divide roles between the team members
Now that you’ve come up with a business idea it is time to think about the roles in your team.
It is necessary to give each member a different role and responsibilities.
The skill needed in each team is at the next page in this workbook.
Go through them together and let every member decide which one fits them best.
market research
3 Market Research
Market research is the process of collecting valuable information to help you find out if there is a market for your proposed product or service. The information gathered from market research helps budding entrepreneurs make wise and profitable business decisions.
The key to any successful business is to understand what it is that your customers want and giving this to them in a way that is profitable for you.
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake early on of thinking that they know what their customers want without ever asking them. This can result in some very expensive mistakes later on.
In order to find out what exactly it is that your customers want you must undertake a process called ‘Market Research’.
Where do you start?
1. Look at other similar products that are out there: Can you learn from them? What do they do well? How could they be improved and how is your product going to be better than everything else that is available?
2. Secondly, look at your target customers: What are their needs? A questionnaire can be very helpful here but you might also consider talking to someone who is an expert in this area.
For example, if you are producing a piece of craft, how about talking to a successful craftsperson in the area? You might learn many valuable lessons.
SWOTAnalysis
When you have completed your research you can then do your SWOT analysis.
What is a SWOT Analysis?
A SWOT analysis is used to let you know what potential problems you might have to deal with in your business and the things which will be of benefit to you if dealt with correctly. Carrying out a SWOT analysis involves looking at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Strengths and Weaknesses usually relate to internal factors (things within your business) over which you have some control.
Opportunities and Threats usually relate to external factors (things outside your business) over which you have limited or no control.
SWOT analysis
business plan
4 Business and Marketing Plan
When the product or service is decided upon and the market research is complete, it is then time to commence production. It is important to carry out some product/service research to ensure that the project can be delivered upon.
It is essential to identify all of the components necessary including any essential equipment to deliver the product. It may be necessary to change some of the materials used at this stage if difficulties arise. Similarly, with a service business, it is essential to verify that all elements of the service can be delivered upon to the highest standard at the costs identified.
Carrying out research on the Internet, magazines, newspapers and in shops should give a clear indication of the types of product/service in demand in the marketplace.
Consumer tastes change and these changes are generally reflected in the media.
Quality control is essential in all businesses to ensure that customers are satisfied.
Appointing someone with responsibility for production and quality control is recommended.
The Business Plan
How to write a business plan in 6 minutes - template
cost-benefit analysis
Before you can produce your product you have to be sure you will make a profit out of it. So you have to determine what the production and shipping and renting space and having empolyees will cost and on the other hand what you expect of the potential buyers. How much are they willing to spend on your product? And how many buyers do you expect? How much do you need to start the production? This is the amount you will ask from the Dragons.
During the pitch you only ask for the amount.
You will have to work out the details on a A4 sheet which you will give to every Dragon in person.
On this you will sum up all the costs you will need to start your business.
Also you need to estimate the profit you will make.
Sometimes you see commercials you will remember for a long time. And when the commercial is a good one you also know the brand the commercial is trying to sell. Before you can start making your own commercial you have to learn from excisting commercials. Check out several commercials and ask yourself the following questions:
- what's the product they are trying to sell?
- target: for whom is the product?
- message: what is idea behind the product?
- what feeling do you have after seeing the commercial?
- where is the commercial shot? Why there?
- does product and commercial fit together? Why (not)?
Take a look at the examples and get your own brilliant idea!
Your commercial has a maximum time of one minute
Take the following steps for succes:
1. Who is your target and what is your message? Can you use humor? Can you use street language? Can you ...( fill in)
2. What's the best place to shoot your commercial? What do you need for the set? Think of clothing, props (decor), ...
3. Make a storyboard. You have to draw the pictures you will shoot. You have to write the script and the sentences. Where will you put the product and its logo?
4. Devide the roles: cameraman, director, actor, and so on
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Auteurs
Marieke Brugman
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Laatst gewijzigd
2014-02-27 12:52:44
Licentie
Dit lesmateriaal is gepubliceerd onder de Creative Commons Naamsvermelding 3.0 Nederlands licentie. Dit houdt in dat je onder de voorwaarde van naamsvermelding vrij bent om:
het werk te delen - te kopiëren, te verspreiden en door te geven via elk medium of bestandsformaat
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voor alle doeleinden, inclusief commerciële doeleinden.
storyboard
