Sunday, August 27, 2017

Entrepreneurship Story

My Story

I've been around entrepreneurs my whole life. Both of my parents started their own business before I was born. My step-sister's parents are also entrepreneurs. I guess you could say it runs in the family. If you've ever donated blood on campus or anywhere in the state of Florida really, chances are you were in a blood mobile that my parents built. They own a company in Clearwater,FL that build blood mobiles for what used to be Florida Blood Services but has now merged with several other blood banks to become One Blood. I have literally seen my parents company go from a business in our home, to a multi-million dollar company that, at one time, delivered buses all over the country. My step-sisters parents own a similar company in Hudson,FL. My brother and his wife work for my dad but are venturing off to start their own mechanic shop, mainly focusing on diesel engines and auto repair. 
 Growing up around this has definitely given me an appreciation for hard work and dedication. There were some years the company didn't make it out of the red, and other years the company had so much business they had to turn it away because they couldn't physically handle the capacity at the shop. It's made me fearful to start my own business because you don't have a guaranteed paycheck or benefits or set hours. My dad worked from sun up to sun down every day and he was constantly on call to go fix broken down blood mobiles. We lived a pretty comfortable life growing up, so for that I am thankful. But the risk of it and the stress and pressure I saw on a daily basis was too much for me to handle. I said I would never own my own business and I was ok working for someone else that had job security and stability. 
 Some day when I retire and my husband is a store manager I might have my boarding facility for horses. But that's a long shot.
 Seeing my parents lead people and put in a hard days work have made me the great manager I am today. Neither one of my parents have college degree's but my mom can run books and numbers better than most accountants I know and my dad has yet to come across and engine or generator that he couldn't fix.
Honestly the main reason I chose this class is because it was required for my degree. However now that I have seen the course work and the books I'm looking forward to learning more about this.

The refrigerator magnet is what our old buses used to look like. Now most of them are red.

The second picture is my dad and I at Cape Canaveral. The bus we are standing in front of is one that my dad built as a learning unit for kids to learn about the space program. The inside was all computers and workstations for kids. 

My Bug List

My Bug List
11.)    I recently purchased a home and the kitchen is the hottest room in the house, without having the oven or stove on.
Why does it exist: The sun rises at the back of my house and it shines through my sliding glass doors all day. It is also a 1970’s home and probably does not have the greatest ventilation.
22.)    I work in a bakery all day and one of my freezers is constantly freezing over and producing sheets of ice all over my boxes and floors.
Why does it exist: These freezers were not designed to stay this cold and have a constant flow of people going in and out of them all day.
33.)    The Cleveland, TN Gold’s Gym is the most humid and hot Gold’s I have ever been to. It also has a musty smell to it.
Why does it exist: The building is old and two stories with a previous leaking roof problem. It also most likely has poor ventilation and the collection of warm, sweaty bodies creates the humid environment,
44.)    The Santek Waste Services company that collects my trash every Friday does not pick up bulk garbage. They only take what you put in their designated trash cans. This results in me having to take my large black garbage bags and recycling to the city dump.
Why does it exist: The garbage trucks Santek uses only have one operator, the driver. The trucks have large mechanical arms that pick up the designated trash cans, therefore not allowing bulk pick up such as old cabinets and black trash bags.
55.)    Every Starbucks I have ever been to always spells my name, Ali (short for Aliese) wrong (even when I have my name tag on for work).
Why does it exist: Aliese is an uncommon name and most people are used to Ali being short for Allison. Spelling my name wrong when I have my name tag on is just a complete lack of paying attention. The baristas are usually in a hurry and just type in what ever sounds right to them.
66.)    We receive frozen trucks at my Publix bakery in Cleveland three days a week. They recently changed our delivery schedule to a window of 5am-8am. This now makes our Wednesday and Sunday mornings the most difficult days of the week due to scheduling and sale ad changes over on top of a frozen truck delivery that has to be put away upon arrival.
Why does it exist: The change of truck schedules is due to an increase of stores and a lack of warehouse space to provide for these stores. This in turn makes Wednesday and Sunday the most difficult days of the week because we only get one hour to take care of multiple things before the store opens at 7, and on these days our scheduling system generates the least amount of hours for bodies in the department to work.
77.)    My trash service, Santek, only picks up one day of the week, Friday. If you forget to put your can out you’re screwed until the following Friday.
Why does it exist: Because most companies are trying to cut back on costs. Running garbage trucks and paying an operator for collection two days a week to every house is a substantial amount of money. By only running one day a week for each house they save money on gas, payroll, and operating expenses.
88.)    My house is fenced with chain link and it runs all the way around the house, including my front yard. In order to let my dogs out I have to close the front gate, which is 14’ long and has a broken wheel, to my driveway.
Why does it exist: Because the previous owner had taken down the sections of chain link that connected the perimeter of the fence to the side of my house, therefore allowing the front gate to remain open while animals or children were in the back yard.
99.)    The pressure of finishing a college degree. Everyone in this generation is pressured to get a degree or they will equate to nothing.
Why does it exist: The millennial generation doesn’t want to be blue collar. So many jobs are based around education now instead of experience. Your social status is now based off of what college you went to.
10.)   My store manager likes to “beat a dead horse”. He can never just let the subject go after speaking with you about it once.
Why does it exist: Because he does not like the same mistake repeated twice and he wants to make sure you understand how serious he is. He also wants to be the best and make sure he pushes you to be your best.
111.)   Why does every brewery I go to have an overabundance of IPA’s.
Why does it exist: Because craft beer is a trend right now and apparently hoppy beers are everyone’s favorite. They try to be different from the big chains.
112.)    Cell phones break so easily these days and cost a fortune to replace or fix. My Iphone screen cracked a few months ago and my insurance refused to cover it. Even though they have covered everything in the past. What’s the point of paying the monthly premium if you can’t use it?
Why does it exist: Everything these days is made to be disposable. Products, especially electronics, are no longer made big and bulky. Everything today needs to be faster and smaller. Resulting in weaker products.
113.)   I have been in college on and off since 2007, earning 2 different degrees. In this time span I have seen technology completely take over. I hate virtual text books. Most teachers offer a code for the E-text these days, which is cheaper than a real book. Why do text books have to be electronic.
Why does it exist: Because the world is becoming more and more tech savvy. Book stores are going out of business because everyone has a Kindle or a Nook these days. It’s cheaper for editors to produce and E-text than pay someone to print and bind copies of real books.
114.)   Music is getting harder to find on CD’s these days. I still prefer a hard copy of my music.
Why does it exist: No one wants to have to drive to a store to get music anymore. Just like a lot of people don’t want to go out to a book store or a library and hunt down what they need. They want it now. It’s easier to download the album on Itunes than to go find it in a store front.
115.)   We have what we call touch points at work. They are areas of the department that are constantly touched throughout the day. I.E. door handles, oven handle, cooler doors, display case handles, and counter tops. I hate it when these are not continuously wiped down throughout the day.
Why does it exist: My associates are constantly running all day and they don’t think about wiping down the areas. Or they don’t take their gloves off before they touch a door handle, and it in turn gets covered in donut icing.
116.)   Why do people have such a hard to staying organized at work. Things in disarray make me anxious and pissed off. It’s not that hard to stay organized while you work.
Why does it exist: Again my associates are constantly running and on a time crunch. Especially my decorators. They have a habit of tossing their boxes on the floor and not cleaning up one mess before starting another project.
117.)   I hate it when guys at the gym constantly stare at themselves in the mirror and lift up their shirts.
Why does it exist: It’s probably due to them wanting to see their results, but I would just chalk that up to ego.
118.)   Dunkin Donuts isn’t open 24 hours!!!!!! I’m originally from Clearwater/ St. Pete area and I was transferred to TN for a promotion with Publix. Every Dunkin back home is 24 hours. Up here in the Chattanooga/Cleveland area they don’t open until 5 or 5:30am. Sunday’s they don’t open until 6. So when I have to be to work before that time I’m screwed for coffee. (Making it at home just isn’t the same)
Why does it exist: Because I moved to the bible belt and most places in this area open late or not at all on Sunday’s. And perhaps it isn’t a busy enough area to support a 24 hour chain.
119.)   Why does everyone text these days instead of calling. I had someone try to text in sick from work instead of calling.
Why does it exist: Because people are always in a rush and just want to send a quick text instead of calling. Even Doctor’s appointments and vet confirmations are made via text message now.
220.)   My favorite beers are porters and stouts and I have the hardest time finding them on tap in the summer months.

Why does it exist: Most people want light beers during the hotter months of the year. Porters and stouts are heavy and thick and are more of a cold weather beer.

Reflection
I didn't necessarily find the list of 20 things difficult to come up with. I just thought about it as I went through my week. When something popped up I made a note of it. Explaining why the bug's existed was a little more challenging. Some of them I really didn't have a clue on. Like the men at the gym constantly lifting up their shirts. Normally I would have a smart alec comment about something like that, but making myself think about it was a little more difficult. It was an interesting assignment. I honestly probably could have kept on going with bug's. Heck I probably could have made a whole list just about work.