beccalulu-blog - Tumblr blog

[beccalulu-blog]

Final Project Business Plan

The EBMS program was a journey. I have had gained experience in Pro Forma Financial Statements, Digital Marketing, Branding, Publishing, Distribution, and legal matters in entertainment business. My learning objectives coming into this course was to complete a business plan, begin the process of making my plan a reality and build a team. I have learned so much throughout the program. This course specifically, has taught me how to create an elevator pitch, how to finish my financial statements, put together my final business plan, and create a business plan presentation. I have a few edits left to make on my plan for the marketing, start-up costs, and employee salaries on the Pro Forma. I am still deciding on a few factors before I actually start my business. My next step is to create my main product. I will be working on this on my time off from work, therefore, it will take some time to get this company up and running as planned. 

I have a huge appreciation for all of the knowledge I’ve gained from this program. It was a lot of work, but well worth the struggle. I’m glad my instructors pressed me at times and showed grace when needed. Having the Full Sail support really helped me get through this program. Lastly, I am happy to say: I DID IT, I completed my Entertainment Business Master of Science Degree! 

[beccalulu-blog]

Business Plan Development

My experience with the EBMS program has been an interesting journey. I have had many obstacles and wanted to quit several times, but the amount of information and quality of the classes have been the biggest reason for me to push through. To have come this far and be able to learn so much has been an experience that I would never even consider taking back. There were some classes that were super easy and some really challenging. The challenging ones, however were only challenging because of the time needed to accomplish all the assignments. Once I got through them and looked back, I thought to myself that I could have done better at times and at times I realized that I was stressed for no reason because they weren’t at all as hard as I expected at the beginning. 

This course, Business Plan Development, was a little confusing at first. I thought it would be easier, because I expected to be able to go back and just insert content from all my past courses. It wasn’t that easy though. I actually had to do some extra research and a lot more work than expected. I am glad that I worked through it. I feel like I have learned so much and come along way on this journey. Putting together the business plan is fun, time consuming, and takes a ton of information and research. The toughest part was just getting started. The funnest part was putting together the financials and learning how much money, investment, time, and effort is actually needed to start and run a business. As much as I wanted to give up at times, this class helped me remember how much I actually enjoy wanting to put together this business and continue with it. 

I am extremely grateful for this program and thankful for all my instructors that were willing to work with me and help me through the struggle. I know in the end that it will all be worth it.

[beccalulu-blog]

The 1% Solution

The 1% Solution offers insightful tips on how to become a better version of you. I was able to relate to a lot of the information in the book because it has similar techniques to my everyday meditation that I have been working on, yet it just has different approaches. 

Could a person have several turning points throughout their life?… As for me, I feel I’ve had many turning points that made me realize that I need a change and growth. There have been times when I have struggled in feeling as if I wasn’t at my full potential or maybe I wasn’t exactly where I was supposed to be in my life. It wasn’t until recently when I realized my beliefs were influencing my lifestyle. Therefore, I’ve been working on changing the way I do things in my life, as this book says, “1% at a time”. I also learned not to compare myself to anyone but my yesterday self.

I instantly understood the concept of Action = Motivation and how it’s a “self-feeding concept”.  I know when I get things done even the smallest thing like fixing my bed in the morning or doing my meditation, I get more accomplished throughout the day. I think what was super helpful was reading “there is no point in doing, which you should not be doing at all”. I do notice I get distracted at times and end up doing things that aren’t conducive to my life. So, what I have done was take a second look at my calendar and changed up my schedule to be more productive and take out what wasn’t important to guiding my success. I realized I need to focus more on effective and efficiency. I set a more reasonable plan, made it less stressful, and focused more on a little at a time. 

I really enjoyed and excelled in Physic’s classes in college, so having re-read about Newton’s law was refreshing and helped remind me why I need to keep myself in motion and try my best to not allow any friction or “outside forces” to stop me. Looking at the 80-20 principle in reverse explained leverage in a helpful way. I feel by rearranging my schedule helped with focusing more on the 20% in small actions to create 80% in large results. I also plan to work on getting over my fear of being in front of the camera. I love the idea of being able to “move the world 1% at a time”. I feel I could focus that to helping people create a better lifestyle and helping as many athletes as possible throughout my life.

Chapter 4 titled “Why practice doesn’t make perfect”, is something I’ve always emphasized in my practices. I’ve always taught my players that “perfect practice makes perfect”, and I know “perfect” is a word that is a separate conversation all together, but my goal was always to have them understand that practicing any skill the right way every time helps to not enable bad habits. Thousand’s of hours of practice or anything, for that matter, is pointless, if you aren’t doing it right or, in my case, you aren’t doing what you love. I’ve put in well over 10,000 hours as an engineer in the Navy and was one of the go-to engineers in my department, so in a sense I did master that craft and was great at it, but when I got out and realized I didn’t love it as much anymore. I decided to take a different direction in my life and it’s been a journey. I’ve put in a lot of hours coaching and still know I have a ton of learning to go on becoming a great coach, so I embrace learning as much as possible from other’s. When I first started coaching I realized I had to start from the beginning and work my way up in order to understand all levels of coaching.

Why I love learning?! Understanding how amazing the brain is and that it almost functions like a computer (speaking from the IT side of me), if you only know and understand how to run it and how it’s wired, that changes everything. A while back I started doing meditations and through the process I learned about Dr. Joe Dispenza on YouTube. He talks a lot about the brain, how it works, and how to use it to create your future. It was part of the reason I re-started this class and overcame the fear of it. Part of that is remembering I’m here to learn and I don’t necessarily have to have the answers and that’s okay because I have the ability to learn anything I put my mind to. Chapter 5 in The 1% Solution talks about how when you learn, your brain grows new connections, and it was a highlight for me because I had just watched Dr. Joe Dispenza and he goes into more detail on how that happens and he definitely emphasizes that “the mind can change the body”. It is really insightful information that I feel everyone should access. I guess I’m super nerdy when it comes to the power of the brain, but knowing you have the ability to create your future is something that is changing my life immensely. 

Along with the power of re-shaping your brain, it is important to know not only how to recharge your body but also when. Recovery is important for the brain and body, because it’s all made up of muscle in some shape or form. This book helped me understand how not to reach the breaking point which I’ve done a few times in my past, because even though I have the education and training on how to prevent strains and injuries for athletes, I never fully applied it to my brain until over the last year. I have added meditation as a form of recovery over that last month or so and it has helped tremendously. A little background about me, I had a not so good past which Doctor’s diagnosed me with epilepsy, borderline personality disorder, depression, and PTSD. They tried to make me take medications, but I never did. I was always too stubborn to believe that pills would fix any of it. I always felt that I had to figure out a way to get through it all by myself. If I could just find a way to apply my work ethic to getting past the rough times, because that is what I always done in the past. I always worked myself to the point where I would be alright, but in fact what I should have done from the start is the complete opposite - “not doing anything” or “recovery”. The answer has always been right in front of me, because I was always involved in sports and being athletic. If I had only applied the sports recovery aspect to my brain early on, the possibilities - endless, but it’s never too late. I finally started learning about the brain, but also found a self-help tactic that actually works, for me, it’s meditation and learning how to re-shape the brain. Applying the recovery aspect to my life, which I was doing, but not realizing that’s what I was actually doing. Chapter 6 put that into context for me. 

Connellan, T. K. (2011). The 1% solution for work and life : how to make your next 30 days the best ever. Peak Performance Press.

[beccalulu-blog]

Sports Management and Operations

I switched degree programs, originally I was supposed to take Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution, so I didn’t have goals for this specific course. My goals probably would have been to learn how to manage a big sports organization, learn more about the operations of a sports organization, and create an organizational structure for my future business. 

I feel this course exceeded my expectations. The instructor provided great feedback that helped me understand the content better. The most interesting thing I learned in this course were the differences between the  various sports organizational structures. I also learned more about the different venues and how and why they were designed to make accommodations for very different and specific reasons. I would have liked to learn more about product and clothing sales and distribution for sports companies. My views, opinions, and career aspirations haven’t changed much after studying Sports Management and Operations. Based on what I have learned in this course, to prepare for a job in sports, I will make time for more informational interviews, work on my website more, and continue to build relationships in sports. 

[beccalulu-blog]

Legal Issues in Sports

I switched degree programs, so I didn’t have goals for this specific course, but shown above were my original goals for the course similar to this. 

Goal 1 - was to develop contract templates for future clients. My strategy was to learn from instructors and research from the library. This goal was not met by this course because it did not cover contracts. 

Goal 2 - Gain more knowledge on intellectual property protection. My strategy was to read about case studies. This goal was met by this course. The videos for my class were very helpful in giving me information about intellectual property. The required research paper also allowed me to read case studies and get more understanding about this topic. I will be able to apply this in mitigating risk for my future business and have a better understanding in my personal life as well. 

Goal 3 - Learn the legal side of the sports entertainment. The strategy was to read and learn from case studies. This course met my goal by providing library and website information to research case studies. I now have a more in depth knowledge of business law in the sports industry.

This course taught me a lot about the various types of torts and liabilities. It taught me the differences in intellectual property, which covers copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and rights of publicity and what each liability applies to. It also taught me the differences of tort laws. It taught me what I need to know professionally for applying to my business and understand ways to mitigate risk. I will apply the material personally and professionally to maintain awareness.

[beccalulu-blog]

Negotiation & Deal-Making

Shown above were my original goals for this course. 

Goal 1 - Learn tools and skills for negotiating. My strategy was to watch this LinkedIn tutorial https://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Negotiation-Skills/553701-2.html?srchtrk=index%3a1%0alinktypeid%3a2%0aq%3anegotiating+and+deal+making%0apage%3a1%0as%3arelevance%0asa%3atrue%0aproducttypeid%3a2. This goal was met by this course by reading The Leaders Guide to Negotiation by Simon Horton. 

Goal 2 - Strengthen my presentation skills.  My strategy was to practice more public speaking. This goal is still in progress, as I am always finding new ways to practice my presentation skills. I found zoom meeting in my classes to be very helpful in getting comfortable with presenting and being on camera or VoiceOver. 

Goal 3 - Learn how to influence people. The strategy was to read the book How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I have not yet been able to read that book because I misplaced it or have it buried in storage. However, I found Understanding Body Language by Max Eggert and Secrets of Power Negotiating by Roger Dawson to be interesting and helpful reads during this course.

This course taught me a lot about myself and my communication styles. It taught me what I need to work on, not only in negotiating, but also with my professional and personal relationships. It taught about bargaining positions, underlying interests, mutual benefits, BATNAs, negotiation tactics, contracts, four processes to prevent negative emotions, and much more.

I will apply the material personally and professionally to maintain better relationships. I expect to have a better understanding on how to deal with different people in any circumstance. It also helps to maintain my ground and be better at negotiating for a win-win situation versus a lose-win or win-lose situation.

[beccalulu-blog]

Digital Marketing

Shown above were my original goals for this course. 

Goal 1 - Learn different approaches to marketing online to strengthen my skills. My strategy of reading and surfing the web for different types of marketing online was useful in achieving this goal. This goal was met by this course by creating a digital marketing strategy. The different sections that targeted this goal were the digital properties, keyword strategy, campaign objective, marketing channel, mock-ups, and KPIs. 

Goal 2 - Finish building my digital marketing platform online. This goal is still in progress, I have taken different approaches and training other then the AWOL as mentioned in my original goal, but from this class, I have continued to work on my online Portfolio, considered the different marketing channels for my business goals, and learned which channels best suit different businesses and how to strategize for campaigns. 

Goal 3 - Learn effective approaches to establish my professional presence online. The strategy of brainstorming with classmates has been met through the different discussion boards and seeing how others’ research methods and how they have applied this to their business ideas. The mock-ups and integrated marketing strategies have really helped with understanding better ways to establish professional presence online. 

This course taught me from start to finish how to set up a Digital Marketing Strategy for a business. The biggest takeaways and new information for me were the campaign strategies, mock-ups, integrated marketing strategies, KPIs, and analytics. According to Stokes (2013), “KPIs are the specific metrics or pieces of data that you will look at to determine whether your tactics are performing well and meeting your objectives.” Stokes (2013), states that the examples of different tactics are: SEO, search advertising, online advertising, affiliate marketing, video marketing, social media, and email marketing.

How I will apply the material personally and professionally is to have a more scheduled plan for my social media and professional portfolio platforms. Professionally it helped me to have a useful template of a digital marketing strategy to be more prepared in moving forward with my business plans. It helps me with my goals and learn different approaches that were great new ideas. 

Stokes, R. (2013). The essential guide to marketing in a digital world. (5th Edition). Quirk Education.

[beccalulu-blog]

Entertainment Business Finance

My goal for the course Entertainment Business Finance was to learn more about setting a financial plan for a company. I learned about financial statements, time value of money, investment plans, and break even analysis. My expectations for the course were exceeded.

The course included more than I expected and I was not prepared for the amount of information given by the instructor.

This course was filled with tons of helpful information for business development. My favorite parts of the class was the the Pro-Forma Statement and continuing to build onto my website.

[beccalulu-blog]

Business Storytelling & Brand Development

My original goal for the course Business Storytelling and Brand Development was to learn more about branding and developing a company. I learned so much more than that. My expectations for the course were definitely exceeded. 

The course included ways to differentiating your brand and assisted in developing a business using the Business Model Canvas. The Business Model Canvas forced us to dig into every aspect of a business. This included: key partners, key activities, value propositions, customer relations, customer segments, key resources, channels, cost structure, revenue streams, and brainstorming ideas. We then explored Market Research using the PEST Analysis (political, economic, social, and technological). We worked on a Brand Strategy Canvas which gave insight into our Brand Positioning Statement. We spent a great deal of time on Brand Identity, which was way more than just identifying our brand. We started with working on a Brand Prism. Then learned the differences between trademarks and brands. During Brand Identity, we came up with a brand name, several different logos for our brand, prospective website names, and discussed marketing using the creative strategy. We implemented our own research on our brand names and trademarks through USPTO.gov. Finally, we researched leadership archetypes. We took quizzes for similar companies to our brands and learned how the archetypes were helpful in discovering our leadership qualities. We then delved into Website development, which I wish we would have had more time on. 

This course was filled with tons of helpful information for business development. My favorite parts of the class was the creative side where we worked on logos and the aesthetic part of building a website. I guess that is the artsy side of me wanting to break-free. 

I can apply this to any business or company I wish to develop or assist in becoming successful. This course provided me with a range of tools to further my career. I am excited to have already started, thanks to this course, implementing these different resources towards my future goals.

The pictures provided are just a small sample of my work in this course.

[beccalulu-blog]

Project and Team Management

Defining the project to executing the project taught me some new things, but a lot of it was repeat. The following is what I put together for this class: Defining the project, work breakdown structure, team agreement, risk management, budget, team performance management, and quality management.

Defining the project was long. The description, stakeholders, and deliverables were simple because I already had that figured out. The part that took the longest was creating a project name and a slogan, only because I had to come up with a new company name and slogan. So, for anyone starting the planning process of any project, I highly suggest you have the name and slogan figured out prior.

The work breakdown structure took some research, but was overall easy. Not having a team in place isn’t ideal when planning the project because I had to make up team names and do some guessing on some it.

I understood the importance of risk management, but it was time consuming and required some research. It is important to have a risk management plan to avoid problems or delays throughout the project. It gave me an idea of how much longer the planning phase of my project is going to take to avoid problems later.

My favorite part of planning was the budget. Seeing how much the project is going to cost overall, gave me an idea of what I must work on and look forward to. It was a bit difficult because I had to estimate some costs of items that I am uncertain of the cost. For my project, it would have been better if I would have done the budget before the work breakdown structure, because it would have helped to have an idea of how to structure it.

Team performance and quality management were somewhat confusing, mostly because different organizations have a different setup or template. I really enjoyed the personality tests and learned how they could be useful in performance.

My project required a lot more time than most projects, because building a website is complicated. It has so many areas that need to be focused on. It also took a lot more research that wasn’t required when I was working on the project solo. Collaborating my project as a team project requires so much more detail.

[beccalulu-blog]

Leadership Mastery Journal Post

In the following journal, I will briefly describe which Greene’s Law I should make use of. I will explain whose leadership style I gravitate toward and why. I will show my leadership style where it started, where I have progressed, where it is now, and where I want it to be.

While reviewing Greene’s Law’s and Maxwell’s leadership styles, I feel I have some traits from both, but my personal leadership style tends to lean more toward Maxwell’s style. In my opinion, Maxwell seems to have a more genuine approach, whereas Greene has more deceitful ideas behind his laws. I see myself as a genuine and honest person and enjoyed reading Maxwell’s book a little more than Greene’s.

The one Law that stands out that I could take away from the most is Law 28 – “Enter action with boldness” (Greene, 1998). I feel like I need more boldness to accompany me with my future goals. I believe I have the confidence, but not enough courage to make my dreams a reality. At times, I think I’m just going through the motions.

Although Greene had some interesting points and tips that I could learn from, I still want to keep my leadership style like Maxwell. Looking back to where I began, Maxwell’s traits my foundation was built upon were integrity, problem solving, attitude, and vision. I always set out to be trustworthy and honest which were the basis of my integrity. I had a sense of intelligence that guided me when problem solving. My attitude has always been strong, but what made me full of character was my ability and willingness to adjust my attitude over the years. It’s easy to have a set attitude, but knowing when and how to change it, is the real challenge that shows strength. I am a visionary, a dreamer, and as any dreamer, I visualize my dreams into existence. At least I try to. Maxwell states, “what you see, is what you can be” (Maxwell, 1993). Even though I can’t see the future and don’t have evidence as to what will happen, I still imagine the person I want to be and every day I strive to be that.

The progress I have made throughout the years are re-evaluating and adjusting my priorities, self-discipline, and positive change. I have come a long way in these two areas. My priorities will be an ongoing work in progress. My self-discipline is still not quite where I want it, but I am getting closer. Positive change is the piece that has brought me this far in life. I always evaluate my circumstances and the people around me and do my best to create change that is positive and fulfilling.

The areas in Maxwell’s book that I want to implement are influence, people, and staff development. I look forward to one day influencing more than just my family and close friends. I have lead people in the past, but now I want to be the leader of my own company. Which leads me to staff development. This will be the turning point of my career. Once I get to what Maxwell calls “Personhood”, then I know that I am making a difference in my life and those around me (Maxwell, 1993). This is the 5th level of leadership which is at the top. In this level, I would have gained the respect and ability to lead an organization and influence people.

I just described which Greene’s Law I should make use of. I stated whose leadership style I gravitate toward and why. I explained my leadership style where it started, where I have progressed, where it is now, and where I want it to be.

                                                References

Greene, R. (1998). The 48 Laws of Power. New York, NY: Penguin Books

Maxwell, J. (1993). Developing the Leader Within You. Nashville, TN:Thomas     

     Nelson, Inc.

[beccalulu-blog]

This quote keeps me focused and keeps me from giving up on my dreams.

Laumann, S. [Image file]. Retrieved from img.picturequotes.com/2/229/228677/success-in-life-comes-to-those-who-simply-refuse-to-give-up-individuals-with-vision-so-strong-that-quote-1.jpg.

[beccalulu-blog]

This video helps me to keep pushing through even when I feel like giving up. It keeps me wanting to work harder to achieve my ultimate goals.

Thomas, E. [etthehiphoppreacher]. (2012, March 26). Secret To Success Pt. 1. [Video file] Retrieved September 17, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fsm-QbN9r8.

[beccalulu-blog]

My Name Logo

[beccalulu-blog]

My LinkedIn Profile

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-lucero-b8a89365/

[beccalulu-blog]

My Feedly Reader