Independent Component 2

Literal:

a) I, Aldo Rodriguez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work. 

b) My only source to compete this independent component was Antonio Ruiz, owner of A. Ruiz Wholesale in the Los Angeles Flower District. 

c) Log

d) I completed thirty hours of work at the flower shop in Los Angeles. It is a wholesale shop where florist from all over LA county buy their flowers. I helped wrap, sell, stack, unload, and keep the place clean while i stayed to learn more about the business. 

Interpretive: 

Waking up at one in the morning to get to the flower shop at two in the morning was hard work. Being in action at the place for three to four hours was very helpful to my senior project because not only do i know how to sell flowers, i know where they come from and how much money i can really make off of them. I unloaded trucks full of greenery and lilies. I also sold to florist who have flower shops all over Los Angeles. Antonio helped me with one of the answers which is proving to be my strongest answer: know your product. In order to make a profit you need to know everything about it, so you know how much it is really worth. Thirty hours of work was logged, however, even after this component is done i will continue to visit and help the shop out, not because i was asked to, but because Antonio taught me very good administrative techniques that can help me with general business. 

Applied:

My essential question is: "What is the best way to sustain a profitable flower shop?" In order to help me answer this essential question i had to turn to my mother. She was a huge help but what made it even better is that she introduced me to Antonio Ruiz. From day one he loved the enthusiasm i had towards business. Form that moment i knew he was going to be part of my project. As i was answering the essential question i mentioned to him i was going to use "knowing your product" as one of my answers, he threw some flowers on the floor and took me on a walk through the flower district. He told me the importance of knowing a product. He pointed to a lady that had opened up a shop nearby, she was selling rose for two dollars! That was outrageous, no one would buy. Antonio sold his for about fifty cents, he was making the best business. That lady did not know her product. After, he told me that no matter the business, no matter the market, a good entrepreneur needs to know the product front ways and backwards. He is the reason why knowing the product is my best answer. 

Independent Component 1

Literal

a) I, Aldo Rodriguez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

b) Guadalupe Avalos: (909)2827306, miasfiore@yahoo.com

c) Independent Component Hours-Log

d) During the time i was doing my mentorship, I delivered flowers, helped load and unload tables and chairs, took care of the shop and took a long time on the facebook page which is now up. 

Interpretive 

The work i have done was extensive. Random hours of the day and i was always up early. There are multiple hours i did not log due to the fact that it was maybe for an hour or two. The hours i have logged, however, show that i have been working. My mentor can also verify truthfully that i have completed the hours i have posted. One thing i was learning how to do was, how to appeal to the customers. My mother took care of the orders, but i wanted to be part of the business. I needed a place to set myself up. I decided to create a facebook page for the flower shop, which i am rather pleased with. Mia's Fiore

Applied

This Component helped me the greatest. Working with my mother not only helped me grasp the idea of how flowers work but the idea of how to run any business. I understand the importance of talking to customers. I understand the importance of a budget. My mentor, Guadalupe, started from not knowing any business skills, to having a successful floral shop that sustains a household of six. I can now, truthfully, say that i am ready to start my own business based on what i learned from her. 

Independent Component

1. For my independent component two i would like to do my thirty hours with a different florist. She has a shop in San Bernardino and she would be my guide for the rest of the year. 
2. Since she works very far from my house, i will go once in a while and help her all day with the store activities. She would become my main source for research. 
3. This component is related to my EQ because i am getting a completely different view of the business world. She owns her own flower shop and she is out of the swapmeet environment .I believe i can use the knowledge i get from this, with my own business. 

Senior Project Update

(1)
I am currently at a standstill with my independent component. I need to wait to get into the class. I will be allowed to get into the class in the middle of December and will have no problem completing the thirty hour requirement. In the meantime, however, i have been working long hours with my mentor, not only doing flowers but also understanding the financial side of things. I am also working on the Facebook page which will be up soon (www.facebook.com/miasfiore) 
(2)
I was on entrepreneur.com looking for a couple of articles. But for some reason the popular articles that day were about online businesses, how they are the best. I thought these articles were useless because i was dealing with a flower shop, a local flower shop. When my mother asked me to place an order to a customer via email i was thinking well if the customer could see the design already on a Facebook page then we would save a lot of time, and not only does that customer get to see it but others who like the page can see it as well. The article "How to start a Business Online" was extremely helpful because it broke everything down. Including networking. Now i am building the Facebook page for the local flower shop. 
(3)
Mias Fiore , this is the facebook page i started to build. I will progressively add pictures to it. As soon as i get into the floral class i will add some pictures of the work i do there, :)

Independent Component 1: Plan Approval

1. For my independent component i want to build on my mentorship hours. So instead of having 50 hours, i would have a total of 80.

2.Taking the extra time with my mother will give me the extra 30 hours.  

3.By taking the time to learn more from my mother i would have a better understanding of how to make the flower shop more sustainable and profitable.