Weekly Reflection #3

Wow!!!! Senior Project over!!! I can't even believe it. This week has been phenomenal with work. Let's see where do I start. Well, first off the focus group went perfectly. Susy was really grateful for the feedback. It was all exactly what she needed. This made me extremely happy because I successfully achieved my goal on the focus group. Susy is planning on taking what they said into consideration. However, I taught her a trick of turning what seems to be a negative into a positive. I once learned that when iPods originally came out customers absolutely hated the headphones. So what Apple did was launched the add campaigns with the earbuds in the commercial and photos. They also made it so that you could only get the headphones when you buy an iPod. Well, what eventually happened, as we all know, was that the headphones became a sign of status. And now no one wants an iPod without white earbud headphones. So I told Susy that she could apply this basic idea to her belts. For the D rings the group told Susy that they made the belt impossible to budge. So instead of spending money on new D rings I told her that she should simply classify the D ring belts as practical belts and should be used for actually holding pants, skirts, or shorts up. As for the plastic buckles the girls said that they slipped and didn't keep the clothing secure. So I said that they should be classified merely as accessories. When a woman needs a belt to complete her outfit she can use it for appearances only. More people are apt to buy certain things when they think that it is for a specific need. Think of Vitamin Water. The bottles tell us that they or for specific things such as concentration or energy. And we buy them for what we need...not the flavor. So if Susy applies this to her belts then I think she would be in a perfect position.
Also this week we worked on photography. Unfortunately it didn't come out the way that we hoped but it is good enough for now to show possible clients and to have on file to know what we sell. As for the logo we decided not to change it. Therefore, my goal for the logo was a bit tweaked. I instead worked with Susy on making tags that can be sewn onto the belts, headbands, and key fobs. They look great.
Now, as for that website. We may not have a website or any blueprints for it, but what we do have is a plan for the future. So basically we no longer are going to go big and go for e-commerce. Instead we are just going to use a website with pictures to send out to friends, family, and buyers. That way they can at least see the products and make orders by phone and or e-mail.

All is Well with Nantucket Jewel!!!

Last Day

Hours Worked: 12:00 - 2:30
I can't believe that this was the last day of Senior Project. In my opinion it couldn't have gone any better. Today Susy and I logged in all of our hours for the week and worked on putting tags on the products. We couldn't put them on many products because Artisans had bought just about everything from us. We mapped out every single tag on a word document so that Susy can always go back to it. I also made a stop at Artisans to see all of the products and they look great. But as any business man would do I rearranged everything to make sure that the best products were right up in front to represent the company.

Artisans is panning on helping susy gain more buyers in the state and in Boston. They are also going to help her get a representative who can do all the selling for her. All is well with Nantucket Jewels!!!

Photoshop/Copyright, trademark, and patent

Well, I'm still working but I started at 9:00
So far today I have photoshopped a lot of the photographs from yesterday. However, none of them have turned out the way I wanted them 2. I made the mistake of using a Red backdrop for most of them and the red has reflected into all of the products. So none of the photographs so far have been useful. And unfortunately I won't be able to take more pictures anytime soon because of the brand new good news. Yesterday Susy met with Artisans workshop and they bought everything she had in stock. It was terrific news.

I also looked into copyright law/trademark/patent today and it is so confusing. Basically I'm to young to deal with any of it. I was looking at all the information for registration and it seems pretty cheap but it could also be extremely expensive if you purchase the wrong thing. So basically I'm gonna have to leave that stuff up to Susy for the future cuz it is all just 2 complicated for me to understand. Well I'm off to continue photoshopping to see if there are any pictures that will work.

All is Well with Nantucket Jewels!

Photography

Hours Worked: 8:00-12:00
So today Photography was the name of the game. I basically created a little photo studio in Susy's house so that I could photograph all of the products that she will be bringing to Artisans workshop. I had four different color posterboards that I used as backdrop. So whenever I had a belt or headband I would photograph it on a posterboard that was of the complete opposite color. The reason I did this was because I wuold have an easier time photoshopping the photos. This is beccause when I go to select the belts and headbands it will make a crisper cut so that no other backround is in it. Then what I do is inverse the selction so that I have everything but the belt and headband selected. Then I can delete everything else and make a pure white backround and it looks like I only photographed the belt/headband. I plan on photshopping all tonight so that I can have a portfolio before the end of the week. As opposed to everything I put in my last post I think I might keep it a bit simpler. I think I will keep some of the stuff I said, but I think I will put the portfolio of all these photgraphed items on display. Then I can give them all a number and create an order form so that some people can buy what they like. But that is just and idea I'm not to sure yet. All is well with Nantucket Jewels!

Simpe and Sick

Today I was more focused on getting better. As I said before the show has been taking up a lot of my time and I am trying to get as better as I can. So today I worked really hard on deciding what I will do for the exhibit. I think that I will do a little display of the contracts for the focus group, display multiple types of ribbons and belt loops, have some embroidery examples, have some actualy merchandise on display, and maybe even have some products around just incase people would like to purchase theem. It should be very fun putting this together.

And so begins week numero tres!

Hours Worked: 9:00 - 11:00 & 1:00 - 3:00

Today was rough cuz I really wasn't feeling all that well. The show has been taking up the majority of my time at night and I am becoming exhausted. So today I developed a very simple survey for the focus group. In fact it is so simple that it only has two questions per product. They are...did you like the color coordination of the headband/belt...and.....please give any feedback you have on the product. The reason it is so simple is for a very specific reason. If the question is as simple as asking feedback then you are putting the response in the customers hand. This way you know exactly what they are thinking. If I were to narrow it down to a bunch of yes or no questions then I would be able to make a chart of who liked what the most. But that would be of a disadvantage to Nantucket Jewels. If the customer tells us what they want us to know then the company can make exactly what future buyers would like to purchase.

We also decided that we are going to 86 the website plans. It has become way to difficult. The company we have been working with has been absolutely useless. We will still photograph all of the products for a future website and for a possible order form for buyers.

All is Well with Nantucket Jewels!!!

Weekly Reflection #2

I can’t believe that two weeks of Senior Project have already gone by. An even crazier idea is that we graduate in only two weeks. I can’t imagine having my last Proctor experience being anything other than Senior Project. This week Susy and I purchased websites, designed products, began a focus group, and planned out my exhibit for the main event during exam week.

The website has brought many complications. The company is being extremely difficult with us and we’re now leaning towards not beginning a website just yet. Yes, this would be unfortunate for my goals, but if we were to continue to work on these problems than we would not be able to do anything else. So the executive decision might have to be to bag everything involving the website. However, all the problems that have happened were not a waste of time because they were all learning experiences.

The focus group is going according to plan. The girls have been wearing their products and have been full of feedback. Unfortunately Lindsay lost her headband and she will have to be pulled from the experiment. Tomorrow afternoon I plan on e-mailing them a survey that they can honesty box me with. They find it a little ridiculous that I am trying to make it extremely confidential, but I think that a proper focus group needs complete confidentiality.

As for this coming week, Susy will continue helping me with my exhibit. We also may be having a meeting with Artisans Workshop. As of now they look like a very possible buyer. We will also continue working with the buyer in the Bahamas this week to make sure that there are no more misunderstandings about her current order.

This week I also reflected on what my Senior Project actually is. I was always battling with the idea of whether or not my project was creative or career oriented. I have come to the conclusion that I have been doing an internship with Nantucket Jewels.

Cheers to a great week!!!

Very simple

No Hours with Susy today
Today was a very simple day. Susy and I have caught up on our hours and everything is set. So today I went to the New London Elementary school with Lindsay and Kelsey to watch the fourth grade play that they helped with. Plus Susy's son was in it and he's like a little brother to me. It was also cool cuz I was in the same play when I was in the fourth grade at NLES.

My ideas for the exhibit are great. However, I just need to make a decision on what I would actually like to do. Well, thats all for now. All is well with Nantucket Jewels

Oops

I accidently wrote that I worked from 11:00 - 2:00 yesterday. I actually worked till 1:30. 2:00 was when I was supposed to have my meeting with my mentor.

Very Simple

Hours Worked: 11:00 - 2:00
Today was a very simple day. Susy has been working none stop with me as well as managing a family of four with her husband. So today our quote was, "We're closed on Thursdays!" lol While I was at the house I begain working on an order sheet that Susy could send buyers before the website is established. As for that website....we're still having problems. Let's just say the company is absolutey useless and we're still trying to understand the whole purchasing. I also began playing with the photography of some of the products. Brenda was kind enough to let me use her camera so it has been of great assitance to get great quality photos of all belts and headbands.

Aslo, today I began to think about how my exibit will look for the Senior Project event. I'm still workin on how thats gonna work.

The focus group is going as planned. All the girls were wearing the accessories today and they looked great. Molly's belt is finished and she'll probably be wearing it soon. Tomorrow I will start working on the survey that they will fill out after the five days. My plan is to e-mail it and then have them honesty box it to my facebook so that it can be strictly confidential. Then I will take the answers and fill out hard copy surveys.

All is well with Nantucket Jewels!

Focus Group...STARTED

Hours Worked: 8:00 - 12:00
Today I turned in the signed contracts to Susy for my focus group. Molly signed to get a belt and handband, lindsay a head band, hannah a head band and belt, and kelsey a head band and belt. I was really excited when I got to Susy's because I was able to chose things for my friends. I gave hannah a belt that was a blue and brown paisley on one side and the brown with big blue dots on the other. She also got a pockadotted headband. Kelsey got a reversable belt that had pink and green designs on either sides and a headband with navy and pink pockadots as well as a pink and navy paisley design on the other side. Lindsay got a head band with solid blue on one sid and the yellow and blue stripes on the other. Last but not least Molly got my favorite designs. She got a reversable head band with pink white and green argyle. It's really nice. Then I worked on designing a new belt for her that will be ready by tomorrow. One side has navy, white, green, and pink stripes and the other side is a navy backround with pink pockadots. On the striped side I embroidered a fancy MP for Molly Prudden. Then she's gonna get a big fancy pink buckle. Its really nice. Well thats all for now. All is Well with Nantucket Jewels!!

While Working....

Work Day: I will be working from 10:00 - 3:00
Today I decided that I would write my blog while I am actually working. This way everything is still fresh in my mind. So basically this entire day has been filled with TECHNOLOGY!!! This morning I worked with Susy more on the domain registration. It seems like there has been some confusion with which package we should be purchasing. As I said yesterday we bought a package that would allow the website to be put into search engines and all that type of stuff. That package cost $39.99 a month. However, once we made the purchase we had no idea where to go to actually make the site. Then we found that there is an additional charge that we will have to pay in order to make the site. So, we called the company this morning (of course it was someone fromm a foreign country who could barely speak English) and they told us that we should also buy the extra ecommerce package in order to make the site. This would cost us about $19.99 a month. It was perfect. You would think that a website design website would be easy to navigate....on the contrary. It took us forever to find what we were looking for. Once we found it we tried adding it to our cart. However, it would not let as chose nantucketjewels.com to add the package too. This probably sounds really confusing because you weren't there to experiencee...but don't worry...it is even confusing for us. So as of now we have no website because we are having technological complications. Whateva! We'll try again tomorrow.

As another part of the website Susy is going to open up a checking account with Capitol One for the company. They will then give free equipment in order for us to use Credit Cards. This will save us money when the website comes along because then we don't have to pay register.com (website domain company) to run credit for us. YAY!

So, after that I moved onto sewing world so that I could finally finish programming that stinkin embroidering software. And guess what?!?!? IT WORKS NOW!!! At first it wasn't working because I wanted to see what it would be like if we just used normal thread, but that didn't work. It was fraying and looked really bad. But as soon as I used the embroidery thread it worked perfectly (duh). I did three different tests of what the belts would have embroidered on them. One was a fance N J (Nantucket Jewels), but then we realized that it looked like New Jersey. That could work though because Susy is originally from there. Then I tested an SSS (Susy Snow Sullivan) and that looked really nice. They kind of descend in a diagonal way. Then I actually embroidered Susy Snow Sullivan just to see what it looked like. It takes up to much space but it looks really really nice. We also decided that the machine could be of use to the company because we can then sell monogrammed items. We could put giant initials on the Key Fob or allow people to personalize their belts. All of this will be great when the website comes.

So that has basically been my day so far. Susy is off in the other room starting up her jewelry once again. All is well with Nantucket Jewels!

Very Productive

So today I started with at Susy's from 11:00 - 11:35. Then I went to chorus, but as soon as it was over I got straight back to work. I then was able to work from 1:00 until 8:15. This allowed me to catch up on many of the hours that I missed last week. Today was extremely productive. I was able to create a contract to conduct a focus group of about 8 people. The contract asks whether or not the person would like a belt or head band. It also requires a signature in order for the individual to commit to wearing the product for 5 days straight. After these five days they will fill out a survey that will allow Susy and I to learn of any complications that need to be changed. It also gives us an idea of what products people would be more apt to buy. The plan is to have the contracts in by wednesday and the products to be ready by either Friday or Monday. As well as plan out the focus group I registered Nantucket Jewels for a domain (url/website). Some problems have arisen but we will fix those tomorrow morning. The website will allow ecommerce to occur and this will be of great advantage to the company. This way Susy can sell in bulk. We will start out with just a paypal account and then if things go well Susy will apply for a Visa account in the Fall. We also debated on how to use her current logo. However, we thought it would be best that I take photographs of the sandollars that I own and create a brand new logo. All is well with Nantucket Jewels and there will be much more to come tomorrow morning.

Weekly Reflection #1

As I’m starting the process of writing my weekly reflection I debate on what there is to truly reflect upon. Do I worry about whether or not I am keeping up with my goals? Do I plan on doing anything different than what I have already done? Or do I simply stick with the status quo and write exactly what I’ve been told to write without going above and beyond? And although these questions are present in my mind I can’t help buy deny what I am actually thinking. I think that I learned one of the most important lessons that I could possible learn about the work force during this past week. I learned what it’s like to balance your personal life and professional life. When this week began I was planning on diving right into senior project at full force. However, this goal fell short when my uncle was diagnosed with leukemia. I immediately dropped what I was doing to tend to the needs of my family. I knew that this was something I would never be able to do in the corporate world, but I could not resist the urge that I was feeling. Although I was given the opportunity to stay longer with my family I decided that I had a duty to my hours for senior project. I returned to New Hampshire promptly and got straight back to work. This was an experience of extreme importance because of the fact that I was able to maintain my loyalties on both ends of the spectrum. This is a skill that everyone must have before entering the work force so that the lines of different responsibilities are never blurred. This helps avoid much confusions and controversy.
As for my goals, everything is right on task. Website design will become more relevant in the following week. I plan on having blue prints for a web page to be finished by Thursday. I think that it will put Susy’s business in a supreme position to widen her range of buyers.

Style.com

So today was a really good day. We ran into a problem with the order from the Bahamas because the woman was not very clear in her e-mail about what she would like to order. As of now we think that she wants 16 new styles and will make a much larger order come Christmas time. However, we would still like to know exactly what she wants. So as a new project for me I will be developing an online order form so that buyers can purchase merchandise in a very simple fashion. I’m not sure how it will work out yet but I think it will be broken down very simply so that there can be no confusion. Also, today I taught Susy how develop her fall line of colors. I took her to style.com and showed her multiple fashion shows for the fall/winter ’08 collections. By dissecting all the different looks she can find what colors she can use and it can help define herself as a designer. I also taught her how instead of just looking at future outfits that she should look at the future shoe collections. This is because many outfits have belts to match their shoes. So if her belts match shoes that are released then she could make a bigger profit. Things are going well with my project. Today really allowed me to show Susy what I know about the fashion industry. So far I think we are off to a great start. This week has been full of planning and next week will be full of plan execution.

Back into the Swing of Things

So I got back from Mass. today and I started back at work at Susy's house. We were not able to get fully back to work today, but there was some good news about our future project. It is now official that the Bahamas want to make another order with Susy. So basically this means that we have only a few weeks to get a whole shipment. It should be exciting. Tomorrow I will really be able to get back into the swing of things.

Nothin New

So I have nothin new cuz I am still in Mass. babysittin my lil cuz. I will be leaving for New Hampshire tomorrow morning and will get back into my Senior Project full throttle.

Crazy Day

So this post and probably my next post will not very informative due to recent events. So this morning started out great. I went to Chorus and then to Susy's house to start work. I continued programmning the sewing machine and we think that we have worked out most of the kinks. We even received that good news that all of her products have been sold out in the Bahamas. I think we may even be working on a new shipment to get to them within three weeks. However after about an hour of working my mom came over to the house to inform us on my Uncle's new condition. Yesterday my Uncle went to the hospital. We thought everything was just a reaction to the virus that he had a few weeks ago. However, this morning, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Immediately I dropped everything I was doing because my entire family on my Mom's side went into rally mode. Our family of 20 moved at the spead of light to get everything done that needed to be done. I called Michele, Terry, and Swayz right away to inform them that I would be leaving the state for today and tomorrow. Those three were so helpful in letting me go so that I could take care of my little cousin while my aunt and mom take care of my uncle in the hospital. I will continue some research tomorrow so that I do not totally lose track for my project. Thank you everyone for your support!

First Day of Project

So today was my first day of senior project and it was pretty mellow. I got to Susy's house and we talked about our basic goals for the next few weeks. We also talked about how we may be having a meeting a possible buyer on Wednesday. Kinda exciting I think! So as a result of this I basically spent the rest of the working period programming her sewing machine. She has a machine that allows her to emroider her logo onto her belts, headbands, etc. That way she won't have to put a tag on them because the belts are reversible. I hope that I can work out the kinks of the machine by Wednesday so that we can have the logos already on the products by Wednesday.