Reality Show

Well thanks for the complement, sorta :) Well I came forward to be a leader because I had been a manager and key employee in the past. I felt it was time to try to step forward and lead a team. It was not easy considering most of our members dwindled down to nothing.

I am so very glad to have you Robin, and (even though I could not stand her for awhile) Ms Retro on the team. Without you two working on that Business Plan together the Pink team would have never done it. I did feel strange and out of place when I made the meetings yall had so much more time for me. I had the school and work, and what made it very hard is I lived in durham and our meetings were in Cary so the drive ate my time.

One more note, how did you feel when at the hotel the Producer told everyone how Ms Retro helped so much in our team that she single handly wrote the business plan??

I know I had given you some parts to include, and I know you contributed alot. I felt a bit betrayed.

Also we found out there at the hotel and not before that Ms Retro was the top sell of the tee-shirts (turns out another member of the final 16 said she had sold the most so there was a small dispute about that) and she had already had a position in the finals. I do give her some respect for doing what she did when she could have sat out and did nothing.

One last note, remember at the victory open bar Ms Retro seemed to be pretty lit, and a bit flirty :) she was a different character that day.

:)
The Gay Guy

Batman,

Did you learn anything from the Business Plan Experience that will help you with things to come?

I'm in the middle of writing my first Business Plan. Do you have any words of avice for me?

Thnx-
Monica

Monica -
One tool that I found very helpful in writing the Business Plan was a book by Rhonda Abrams
The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies.

When I went out to Amazon.com, I noticed that there is a newly revised & updated version now available :) It has some great suggestions for the type of information to include in each section of your plan.

The other word of advice that I would offer is that it is very helpful to be passionate about the business that you are planning. If you have a vision, it is much easier to put that vision down on paper.

And, even though the plan is an essential starting point, it is a living document...I would encourage you to update and enhance the plan as you progress in making your business a reality. I expect that especially your timeline and financials will need to be updated before it is all said and done :)

Hopefully those thoughts will help you with your first plan! Good luck! And one last thing...HAVE FUN!! I know it is work, but you should definitely enjoy the work that you are doing :)

Batman

Gay Guy -
I agree, you had a tough task leading a group that pretty much fell apart. And I certainly commend you for stepping up and taking on the leadership role. It definitely said something about your character, and I am always supportive of stepping out of your comfort zone in order to better yourself. My problem with the first month, was that you seemed to lack focus. I realize that part of that was you were holding down two jobs and going to school part time. I defiintely did not envy your schedule at all. I was having a hard enough time planning a wedding while contributing to the team :)

And I also realize that having meetings in Cary was not extremely convenient for you, but several times we tried to get you on the phone. One time I even got yelled at by your roomate :) hehehe.
None the less, when it was all said and done, the three of us, Mrs. Retro, you & I were the only contributors to our first challenge.

As for the announcement that Mrs. Retro single handedly wrote our business plan....For about a minute I felt a little shocked, but then I realized that Mrs. Retro had made herself known to the 'Producer'. I on the other hand had taken a back seat to the experience, as I was still forming my opinion of the whole thing. So, where I knew I did contribute, I had not done everything I could have done to let the Producer know my skills and my efforts.....I still have much to prove, and I think you did to.

As for the shirt sales...to this day I don't know the all of the details...but again, I come back to...it is important to 'sell yourself', as I think Disney said several times in a previous post. I certainly did not let anything that happened affect me negatively, rather, everytime someone won a challenge, I took it upon myself to do something that much better the next time. At this stage in the game I had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

And finally, yes, Mrs. Retro definitely let her guard down that night at the Mariott....but I'm a very strong advocate of working hard and playing hard....that night, it was Mrs. Retro's night to play hard :)

Batman