U.S. History with Mr. Sweeney

Final Project

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Micheal Sweeney
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Entrepreneurial Business Project

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If you don't hustle, you won't be ready for your team presentation during finals.

For this assignment, you will be assigned to an entrepreneurial business team. Your team is going to create a business that is unique from any other. This business should be credible and possible to anyone reading your business plan.

DON'T GO THERE: Forbidden businesses include yet are not limited to, Bodyguards, Escort Services, Exotic Dancers, Drug Dealing, etc. Only legal businesses providing the community with a positive image are permitted.

Select the appropriate link below to see the
1)  The Final Project Description.
2)  The Final Project TimeLine (deadlines) and
3)  The Final Project Evaluation Form.

Click here to download the Final Project Description.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FINAL PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Click this link to download the Final Project TimeLine.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PROJECT TIMELINE

Click here to download the Final Project Evaluation Form.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FINAL PROJECT EVALUATION FORM

1) For Stage 1 checkpoint, each member can brainstorm business ideas that your team could start making income from and present that list in class on the due date. However, your business must be from the service sector.  You may choose your business from the following list or present an alternate business to me for approval.  The following list needs no approval. 

  • Landscaping Service
  • Babysitting Service
  • Vehicle Detailing Service
  • House Cleaning Service
  • House Painting
  • Seasonal Decorating Service
  • Pet Care Service (dog walking etc.)
  • Shopping and Delivery Service for Homebound people
  • Home Tutoring

You have, hypothetically, $1,000.00 start up or seed money to use. ....Due Date:   See TimeLine handout for all due dates concerning this project.


2) Stage 1:  Consolidate all team member ideas into your top FIVE choices and ask me to help you narrow the list down to the top workable idea. Then, as a group, select your business and verify it with me.  .....Due Date:   See TimeLine handout for all due dates concerning this project.

3)  Stage 1:  As a group, come up with 5 ideas for a company name.  Also verify these names with me and choose one.  You cannot change your business or business name without my approval.  .....Due:  See TimeLine handout for all due dates concerning this project.


4)  Stage 1:  As a group, write down the steps your team needs to go through to organize this business. Essentially, you are now starting to develop your business plan.

Stage 1:  Once the type of business is decided and the name of the business chosen, each member must decide, on their own, what their job area(s) is going to be and tell me on:   See TimeLine handout for all due dates concerning this project.

Once you have chosen your area(s), as listed in the three areas below

  • Graphic and Visual Aids
  • Presenters of Business Plan and Economic Model
  • Commercial Advertising

 and based on their rubrics, I will review your progress for completion according to the following schedule:

  • Stage 1:  Type of business, company name, job choice(s): (see Benchmork Below)
  •  Due on                       100 points.
  • 20% completion: (See Benchmark Below)
  •  Due on                       50 points.
  • 60% completion: (See Benchmark Below)
  • Due on                       100 points.
  • 90% completion:   (See Benchmark Below)
  •  Due on                      150 points.
  • Completion of project:
  •  Due on day of final.          300 points.
  • You must be in class during the final to qualify and possibly earn these points!

Benchmarks:

Stage 1 means you have turned in a list of any different business ideas you may have, helped choose a business and your business's name and have selected your job(s) based on the rubrics listed on my web site.

20% means you've started.  You must present a general outline or script if you are a presenter or doing PowerPoint, Video, Audio, live performance.  If you are doing the Economic Model, you should have a spreadsheet started in Excel.  If you are in the Visual & Graphic Art area you present a layout of your 5 intended projects or at least show one completed.

60% means your have completed more than half the material outlined in the appropriate rubric.

90% means you have completed nearly all the material outlined in the appropriate rubric.

Bring all completed work to class each meeting.

Every member of the group is responsible for their own portion (or portions) based on the job area(s) they choose.   Grading is based on individual not group accomplishment.  I highly encourage multi-tasking (multiple job areas) to achieve the best grade;  i.e. being a presenter and also directing a commercial or fulfilling the visual and graphics rubric and creating a web site or PowerPoint presentation.  In addition to my evaluations, you will be evaluating each other.  A form will be provided for this process along with an area for you to write down your team member's names, phone numbers and job area(s) responsibility.  This form must be turned in the day of the final or risk losing 50 points.  Don't lose it!

Work as a group on the following sections and consider the questions I offer in developing your business.  Some may be appropriate some may not.

5) Operations - Sales - Marketing - Advertising  Your presentation should cover these areas and convince your audience that they should choose you and your producT or service.  Perhaps you want to divide up the areas among your presenters to balance the presentation.    CONSIDER:

  • How does this business operate?
  • How does your company differ from others?    What makes it unique?
  • What customer base are you going to target? i.e. young, elderly, male, female, married, single etc.
  • How long does it take to perform your service?
  • What are your variable costs?
  • What are your fixed costs?
  • What are your total costs?
  • How will you determine your revenue?
  • How will you make a profit?  Where will you maximize profit, i.e. MR=MC?
  • What will your rent be?
  • How much is workers compensation and liability insurance?  
  • How will you train your employees?
  • What is each employee's responsibility?
  • What wages will you pay your employees.
  • Will they have benefits?  Will you pay them by the job or by the hour?
  •  How will you arrange to do the work?
  • How do you track work in progress?
  • How do you record the customer request or order for your service?
  • What kind of guarantee do you offer?
  • What is your refund policy?
  • Where will your clients come from?
  • What does your marketing person(s) do?   
  • How will they develop your business and increase your sales and profits?
  • How will you make the public aware of your business?
  • What form(s) will your advertising take?

 
The following "job areas" are available to any and all team members.  You need to choose one or more of these jobs so that your business project will have coverage and balance in all areas.  The job areas are:
  • Graphic and Visual aids.
  • Presenters of Business Plan and Economic Model 
  • Commercial Advertising

6)  Design and create multiple visual aids including yet not limited to:  company logos, posters, business cards, hand out flyers, order forms, brochures, ad slicks for a magazine or newspaper, banners, buttons, hats, tee shirts, audio and/or video commercials, live performances or skits.

Select the Visual and Graphics Rubric link below for responsibilities in this area.

Visual and Graphics Rubric

Free Animation Web Sites below:

Free animation from "Animation Library.com"

Free animation and photos from Animation Factory

7)  I suggest a Two to Three person Presentation of your Business Plan and Economic Model.
 
  • Dress appropriately
  • Make your presentation to the class as if it were a group of business people interested in your service.
  • Explain how your business plan and economic model works.
  • Provide a word processed business plan including an Excel version of your economic model.
  • Your presentation can be live, i.e. an infomercial;  via a Power Point;  or another vehicle mutually agreed upon (web site).  To learn more, see the Presenters and WorProcessing Rubric link below .

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CLICK BELOW FOR AN EXAMPLE OF "MR=MC" ECONOMIC MODEL

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MR = MC FILE

Presenters of Business Plan and Economic Model Rubric

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8)  Your group should make at lease one video commercial that is not more than 30 seconds in length.  You can make multiple commercial advertisements, audio and/or video.
 
  • It can be audio, and/or; visual, and/or;  live.
  • Hence, you can do all three if you wish (none of which are more than 30 seconds long).
  • Actually, you can have multiple audio, video, web site and PowerPoint presentations shown during your presentation if you choose.  Just make sure they are presented within the 25 minut time frame each group has. 
  • Furthermore, you can develop any of the above and present it via digital projector during finals.
  • Connect with the Commercial Advertising Rubric link below for more information.

Lastly and most important, you must verify that your presentation will work on the technology available in class.  In other words, your PowerPoint, web site, commercial or any other media presentation must work effectively on the Dell computer available in class.  If it does not work, during the presentation, you will be severely penalized.  It is your responsibility to see that it works.  You are also welcome to bring in your own computer for presentation of your own material.  Check with me if you have any questions about this.

Commercial Advertising Rubric

Here are some ideas and web sites to help you get started.......also,, SEARCH under small business to find hundreds of sites.

Information on Sole Proprietorships

Information on Partnerships

Information on "S" Corporations

Information on "C" Corporations

All about a small business

Starting a Business

Small Business Resources

Small Business Development - Western Australia

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SEARCH THE WEB for a few Internets sites and wet your inquiring economic appetite when considering Operations, Marketing, and Sales for your business plan. You can also build your own(free)Business Web Site........FREE Advertising!!!!!!

Here are a couple of "Free" Web Sites: .......or SEARCH "free web site" for a huge list.

Tripod: tripod.lycos.com/

GeoCities: geocities.yahoo.com/