Finshing the Product

Today we finally finished and edited the product, so it is ready to be sent to the printers. As it is more expensive for us to create our own design and layout for our product, we sent an email to the printing company to make sure that our design can be printed, because some programs are not compatible with the printers. We quickly received a reply, saying that they would check for us if our design worked, and would reply ASAP.
We are very happy with the product we have designed, as it has taken us many hours and days to create, collecting the images and putting it all together.

Feeling the Pressure

With less than 2 months left of the challenge, the pressure is now more than ever. Today we prepared the prototype to be sent to the printing company, as it needs to be done as soon as possible, because we must allow time for printing. The layout and design of the prototype is very important, and must be perfect. If this stage does not go according to plan, if could be disastrous for the S.O.N.

Deciding on Photos for the Product

This week, S.O.N. has been receiving the remainder the photos we had requested, and spent lunchtimes deciding which photos we were going to use. With so many to choose from, it was a difficult choice, but we did come to an agreement on the final 18 pictures we would use for our product.
We must take this chance to thank our Deputy Head Teacher and a relative of our business mentor for preparing the photos for us, and allowing us to use their wonderful photography.

Improving The Business Plan

Tonight Andy invited a friend of the family, who is an I.T. teacher, to help him improve the business plan he has been writing. He wanted to know why the plan took up so much memory, and why he couldn't transfer it onto his memory stick. He found out that it was to big, and that the memory stick was almost full, so his friend very kindly went home to collect a new, bigger memory stick, and offered to let Andy borrow it for the remainder of the competition. This will allow Andy to take the business plan to school, to show the rest of the team, and print it off when finished.
Andy also learnt ways to improve the business plan, in both presentation and content.

School Council Meeting

Today was a busy day for S.O.N. as we had a lot to do with our product. At lunch, we got together again to flick through another set of photos, kindly given to us by a teacher at our school, picking the ones we thought would be good and appropriate for our calendar.
We also asked if we could speak in the school council meeting after school, in which the answer was yes. We wrote a little speech in lunch, and then spoke in the meeting after school. After some discussion, we came to an agreement that we would hold a non-school uniform day on 16th February, which will add to our capital. We already have £250, but in order to manufacture our product, we are going to need around £500. This does not mean we cannot start making our product, it just means we cannot afford to produce as many at one time.
Finally we asked if we could come in tomorrow, even though it is a teacher training day. We asked because it would mean we could use the school's facilities, such as printing , and would be convenient for everyone to meet at. Howver, this was not allowed, as no one could supervise us, but it was worth asking.

Browsing Photos

For our product, we need photos from around the world. Today we browsed through our teacher's photo files (with his permission), copying the ones that we would like to use. These pictures, and hopefully a lot more, will go towards our final set of photos, and then a selection of these will be used in our product.
As well as this, we thought of some captions for our product. This was very difficult, but we did manage to create a dozen or so captions, which will be used will the photos for our product.

Linvoy Primus Speaking at Fratton Park

Last night, 4 of the team where lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to Fratton Park again, to witness Linvoy speaking about Christianity and how he became a Christian. The night also included a meal, raffle, other people's experiences since turning to Christianity, and finally a chance for Linvoy to sign autographs. This shows what a nice guy Linvoy is, as he spent a lot of time with each of his fan, giving them his full attention. As soon as he entered the building, we were introduced to him by our business mentor, who deserves our many thanks. We then took some photos with him, which we will use in the business plan.
We tried to make the most of this evening, by introducing ourselves to Linvoy, and what are product will be, as well as what we have done so far, and our ideas for the future. Our mentor had been talking to her friends, some of which were there, who came over to our table, asking for a pre-order for our product, and telling us how well we were doing. This boosted our confidence, because we now know we can sell to people outside of our school and families.

After the meal, Linvoy and Mick Mellows, who is another ambassador for Faith and Football, began to talk about the Alpha Course, and the wonders Christianity can do for people. This whole speech, which included accounts from other Christians, was very interesting and thought provoking, because it made us think "Is there more to life than this?"

We were lucky enough to have the front table in the Milan Manderic Suite, with a perfect view of the speakers. However, we were not lucky enough to win another Portsmouth football, but it couldn't have gone to a nicer guy, who deserved it more than us. If you were there and heard his experiences, you will have thought so too.

Special thanks must be given to our business mentor, Marie, for inviting us to this evening, as well as paying for all of us. Steven, her husband, must also be thanked, for buying us drinks and making us feel welcome, and not to mention offer us some of his photos of India and Goa, which will come in handy later. And it wouldn't have been possible for us to go without Andy's mum taking us to Fratton Park. She did however gain a free curry and a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the legend that is the one and only Linvoy Primus!

Assessing The Printing Quotes

So far we have received 5 quotes back from the companies we have contacted. Some were expensive, and way out of our price range, but these companies are for proper companies who can afford to spend that much on producing 100 copies.
However, we have received some very reasonably priced quotes, which we can afford. We just need to confirm on the product layout, and the number of copies we want to produce, as some printing companies can offer a minimum batch of 50, rather than 100. If we made 100, we may not sell them all, and that will result in a waste of precious money.

Meeting No. 8

Sammy and Rob could not make today's meeting, for their own reasons, but we still went ahead, and met Marie as planned. Previously we had used the Conference Room for our meetings, but today we wanted to show Marie this blogspot, and the emails we have sent and received, regarding the quotes from the printing companies.
Billy had been away with the school for the last couple of days, so Harry and Andy had to inform him as well as Marie on what they have been up to in the last week.
We also talked about the meeting on Monday we were going to have, and when and where we would meet on that day. It will most important that we take notes in this meeting, as this will definitely be used in our final business plan.
Next week we be vital in the challenge, because it will be the week when we confirm our product, and start to manufacture our product. We will have to work especially hard, even though we have been already!

Enquiring About S.O.N. Account

Today we asked a few members of staff at school if it was possible to create our own account, so we can receive and send emails. However, the unexpected power cut meant that it was not possible today, but we shall ask again tomorrow.

Product Quotes

So far we have received 3 of the 6 quotes we have asked for, each at a competitive price. When we gather all the quotes together, it will make a very tricky decision on deciding which printing company to go for, because we must judge on the price, as well as the quality of the print.

S.O.N.'s New Account

Last night Harry came up with a brilliant idea of creating a new account, just for our business, S.O.N. This account is to use the computers at school, and have permission to use email, which is usually blocked by Hampshire. This will allow us to send and receive emails from companies who we have written to, such as enquiring about quotes for printing our product.
This account will be used by all the team members of S.O.N., and can be used at school and at home.

Whole School Assembly Movie

http://www.4shared.com/file/8973922/4c746b57/Linvoy.html
This the link for our movie we made for the whole school assembly, on the last day of the Winter Term, back in December. We first played this video, and then drew the winner of the raffle (Bob). In the video, it briefly explains who is in the team, what we are doung, and who we are doing it for. Enjoy! By clicking on the video and right click, go into zoom and then full screen, also turn on ur speakers to get the full effect of the video.

More Printing Company Quotes!

As well as Andy and Sammy getting quotes for manufacturing our product, Harry has asked one of his contacts about getting hold of 4 more printing companies, to get even more quotes. This would give us an even wider choice, and we have more chance of getting a better deal, and saving money on making our product.
The company who uses these 4 other printing companies is called Hughes Ellard, and we are very grateful that they are helping us find the cheapest quote for our product.

Raffle Winner

This is the lucky winner of the raffle we held back in December, to win a signed Portsmouth football! Bob, from Aztec Property Services, was very happy with his prize, as you can imagine, beating nearly 250 other lucky hopefuls, to win this ball, including signatures of great Pompey players like Sol Campbell and Gary O'Neil.

Contacting Printing Companies

With Billy and Rob away, Sammy and Andy contacted two different printing companies for our product today, one by email, and the other by visiting the company personally. We got a quote from one of the companies, and are waiting for a reply on the other. Having contacted more than one company means we can compare prices and deals, so we can decide on the best deal. Our business mentor is coming on Friday, so having got a quote for prices means we can start manufacturing our product as soon as Rob and Billy get back.

Product Prototype

This weekend, Billy, the managing director, and Robert, the designer, got together to design the prototype for our product, using the ideas we came up with as a team on Friday. They will bring in these designs on Monday, to show the rest of the team, which we can they show our target audience, and take any pre-orders if possible.
Meanwhile, Sammy, the sales director, will go to a shop which manufactures our product, and enquire about prices for making our product. Because he had contacts at that shop, we might be able to get a discount, which would help reduce our expenses, therefore increasing our overall profits.
Next week, Billy and Robert will be away on a school trip for a few days, so the remainder of the team (Harry, Andy and Sammy) will have to work without Billy and Rob, and start the sales of our product.

Meeting No. 7

Being our first meeting with Marie since 2006, we had a lot to catch up on. Andy was making very good progress on the business plan, and bringing it together. Robert had made designs for our product, after we discussed ideas last meeting. After more discussion with Marie, we altered some of our ideas, so that they would appeal to a wider audience, and therefore sell more, and increasing our overall profits.
Marie was impressed with the business plan so far, but had improvements that would make it better. She asked if it could be sent to her, via e-mail, to which she will reply with improvements. Marie also very kindly brought in examples of calendars, to go with the ones we had already, to give us more ideas.

Meeting No. 6

After coming back from the Christmas holiday, we all met today to report on how we are getting on. Robert had made designs for our main product, and we thought as a team of themes for the product. With only a few weeks left in the challenge, we needed to start thinking about contacting manufactures for our product, and start to sell the product to the product. We have decided on our target audience, so all it requires is to make the product then drive on the sales, as this is the part of the Enterprise Challenge.

Meeting No. 5

Today was the last day of the Winter term, and a day in which the whole school came together for a whole school assembly. We saw this as an oppurtunity to present to the rest of the school, to make them aware of who we are, what we are doing, who we are helping and ultimately who has won the raffle for the signed Portsmouth football. The movie and the raffle were a huge success, but it was a shame that the winner was someone from outside of school.
Our business mentor was there also, to see the movie and for our 5th meeting. We had accomplished so much since our last meeting, such as the raffle, business cards and more product ideas.
After the meeting, we agreed on each others actions that thy must do over the Christmas holiday, and decided on our next meeting.

Whole School Assembly Movie

Harry King tonight created a brilliant movie to go in the whole school assembly on the last day of term (Tuesday 19th). It includes who is in the team, who we are helping, what we are doing and who has won the raffle to win a signed Portsmouth football.

Meeting No. 4

Still undecided, we had to disscuss our product/service, and came up with more ideas as a group. Our Fianance Director counted up our current raffle ticket money, as well as checking it against the targets we had set.He also gave a sample business plan, which will be very helpful, and we overlooked the time line we have created, to check that we were on track. We still had not fully decided on our product and had not created business cards, which we had planned to do.
Our mentor also contacted us, as we had to seen or spoken to her for a while. She informed us that she would attend the whole school assembly on Tuesday 19th December, where we have created a powerpoint presentation, and will reveal the winner of our raffle!

Fund Raising

Throughout this week we have been selling off raffle tickets to the public, for a chance to win a signed Portsmouth football. We asked both teachers and students, as well as friends and family, announcing it in assemblies for every year group. Teachers seemed very excited about the raffle, but it was persuading the students to buy a ticket. The majority said they did not have any money, but we encouraged them to bring it in tomorrow, as a similar ball was sold for over £200 last month, and that all money raised will help go towards our profits, and eventually will help save children in poorer countries such as India and Africa.
When we first perchased this ball, we were offered over £300 for it, but after some disccussion as a group, we decided to decline the offer, as we might loose the public's trust if we sell something we promised to include in a raffle. This could have seriously damaged our selling of the product, and our overall chances of winning the challenge.

Finance Accounts

With us now starting to bring in money, it is needed to start our fianancial accounts for our business. Our Fianance Director, Andy, today went to meet an fianance advisor, Colin Aubrey, to discuss what was needed to include in fianance records. He explained very clearly what was needed, as well as what was essential in a business plan. Colin very kindly said that he would ask some of his staff if they could prepare some fianance records to base ours on, and promised to email them to us within 2 days. He also guaranteed that we had the support of both him, and his staff, throughout the challenge, and wished us good luck in winning the Enterprise Challenge.

Staff Meeting

Because today was the staff meeting, which doesn't happen again until after the end of the challenge, we tried to make the most of the occasion, by handing out leaflets to as many staff members as possible as they walked through the doors. In the leaflet, which can be found in the previous post, explains what we are doing, and giving them information about our capital raising idea, which is a raffle. All staff seemed very enthuastic about the challenge, and our headteacher was kind enough to introduce the staff meeting with a little speech about S.O.N., and about the leaflet we had produced for them.

Staff Meeting Leaflet

This is our leaflet that we have created, and will be shown to all staff at their next meeting, to inform them about what we are doing, and they can do to help us. We have told them about our capital raising idea, and who is in our team. This leaflet, along witht he questionnaire, will be shown on Thursday 7th December 2006.
http://www.4shared.com/file/6956987/dbd0af5d/leaflet.html

Meeting No. 3

With Mr Rogers away, we could not use his room for our meeting. Instead we used the library for our 3rd meeting. There we all decided upon the final logo, the page template and the questionnaire. Before, our logo was not in colour, as we initially were going to have it black and white, to save money on colour ink, but after we created a page template, we decided to change the logo to the colour blue. Meanwhile, Sammy researched manufacturers in the area, for some of our product ideas.
When we had done this, we then looked for a colour printer in the school. This took a while, as most teachers had left, but we eventually did find a room, and printed off the page template design, the logo designs, and the questionnaire, as well as the business card design.

Agenda 1

http://www.4shared.com/file/6649985/a18b4542/Friday_17th_November.html

Agenda 2

http://www.4shared.com/file/6650003/cf8837ca/Friday_24th_November.html

Time line

http://www.4shared.com/file/6542034/6b3c623f/time_line.html

Meeting No. 2

Today was our first meeting with Marie, our business mentor, in our school's conference room. There we made a short presentation to Marie about what we have done so far, before discussing our ideas with each other.
She seemed very enthusiastic about the Enterprise Challenge and our ideas, considering it is her first year doing the challenge. We think we can say she was impressed by what we have done so far, and can see our determination to win this challenge, because of our effort so far.
What Marie told was made us realise what we haven't accomplished yet, and what we need to do in order to win the challenge, and that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Goa.

Meeting No. 1 Pictures

Here are some pictures of our first meeting, on Friday 17th November, talking about our ideas for company name and logo, as well as product and fund raising ideas. You can also see our designer thinking of ideas for our company logo, and a bit of awsome photography through a chair.

Presentation for Marie

Today, Billy, Harry and Andy continued on the time line we had started, whilst creating a PowerPoint presentation for our business mentor, Marie. Because she is visiting tomorrow, we thought of creating a small presentation, just saying what we had done so far, like coming up with a business name, logo and time line.
On our time line, we added events like when our market research needed doing by, and key events like Trident, and end of the school term.

Time line

Today we met up a lunchtime to create a time line for our company, making different sections for each month, and using sticky labels to say what we needed to do by a certain date. Giving deadlines for each task will help us keep track of our progress, and if we miss a deadline, we know we need to catch up on it.
For example, we gave deadlines for fund raising and product confirmation, when we needed the money raised by, and most important of all, when we needed to hand in all our information and profit.
Even though we did not finish the time line, we completed the basic outline of what we needed to do, and we can still alter dates when necessary.

Meeting No. 1

Today was our first formal meeting, in which everyone attended, eager to give their thoughts and comments on the Enterprise Challenge. As it was our first meeting, we needed to discuss the following issues:

• Possible business name



• Possible business logo



• Possible fund raising ideas



• Possible products



• Jobs in the business



• Advertising



• Possible tag lines
  

We also contacted our business mentor, Marie Potter, to inform her about dates for our meeting with her, in which she swiftly replied.

After the meeting, we decided on jobs to do in the following week, and possible agendas for the next meeting.