Blog 25: Mentorship

    Literal

·     Log

·     Kurtis Beckstorm

Phone Number:1(626)551-8222

    

Interpretive

     What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

• The most important thing I gained from my experience with my mentor was seeing and understanding how difficult it actually is to run a skate shop. At the beginning of the year I thought that being an owner of a skate shop would be the easiest and funnest job to have. It was shocking to see how busy Kurtis is and the struggles he faces with his shop. I learned how important it is to be connected with your shop at all times, just really being on top of things and getting them done. I learned that being connected with your shop 24/7 is a great thing but very diffucult to do. I found this important because it showed me the struggles and benfeits it would be to run a skate shop.

   Applied

     How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.

• I realized how important and diffucult it is to attract customers to your shop. With knowing how important customers are I reasearched marketing strategies  eventually leading me to a marketing plan.  Through my mentorshio I came to conlusion on how important marketing is. Covert Board Shop, recently moved locations so we sent fliers to previous customers that have boughten there. Every flier cost 40 cents each and we sent thousands of fliers to customers. I saw how important it is to keep in contact with your customers and trying to attract new ones.This is one example that made me believe how important a marketing plan is to have a profitable skate shop.

Blog 24: Exit Interview Questions

Content: 

(1) What is your essential question?  What is the best answer to your question and why?

• My essential question is “What is the best way to sustain a profitable skate shop?” and my best answer is having a good marketing plan. This is my best answer because by having a good marketing plan, your business will become most profitable and be stable. It tells you the strengths and weakness your shop has, giving you the opportunity to improve it. Also, you will have the kind of marketing strategies you will have, which is very important in a skate shop because you want to attract customers. 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

• The process I took to come up with my answer was at Covert Board Shop, I was just evaluating what was going on at the shop when some days the shop would be busy and other days the shop felt like a ghost town. I asked Kurtis Beckstorm and he said the best thing you can do is have good marketing plan. This will include marketing strategies that can help you gain customers from all different parts of areas if they are really good. The marketing plan is key in making your shop run according to Beckstorm.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

• The problem I faced was at the beginning of the year, I could not find a mentorship to get my hours at a skate shop. I only had one week to find a mentorship because if I did not I would have had to find a different topic for my senior project. I really did not want to change my topic, so I looked up “skate shops” on Google and a bunch of locations appeared on the screen. I wrote down all the skate shop’s addressees and went to every single on personally to see if I would be able to get my hours there. Luckily, Covert Board Shop was the only one that said yes, which I’m very grateful for.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

• One of my most significant source would have to be what I did for my second independent component. I took a free online course, at saylor.org, called BUS305 Small Business Management. In this course I had to do read a lot of articles about entrepreneurs, building a team for your business, business plan, marketing plans, and financing. The book Principles of Marketing by Saylor, really helped me understand my third answer. This course helped me gain knowledge on the business side if a skate shop.
• Another significant source has to be Kurtis Beckstorm, founder of Covert Board Shoppe. I really got see how a skate shop is most profitable and what it takes to run one. I have learned a lot from Beckstorm when it comes down to business and just personally level in creating a good atmosphere. 

(5) What is your product and why?

While at doing my mentorship at Covert, I really did not have an expectation how involved the business was going to be with the community. Now I have an expectation that a business should be more involved with the community. Covert has many events that involves getting the community together to have a good time. These events are sticker exchange, skating contests, and live music. It was really cool seeing some of the same faces showing up to these events and just having a blast. I feel like by having the business be more involved with the community it showed me how really important the customers were.

Covert Board Shoppe Grand Opening!

Covert is moving locations and will be having their grand opening this Saturday! They are closing down the old shop and will be moving to a different location nearby. There will be live hip hop from 2MEX and Aceyalone hosted by MC Ducer. The doors will be opening at 7pm, so drop on by to show support and have a blast! The directions are down below.

Epic Skateboarding Culture Poem

This is a poem that describes a skater and the skateboarding culture. I find it very epic and simply just amazing! It may have some foul language and parental advisory is advised(It's not that bad though).

Kick, push, kick, push.  He journeys down the dark lit paths

of The City of Angels. The scriptures on the walls speak of the sacred soul of his home. He is one with his board.

A magical piece of wood that grants his every wish and takes Blazer Skater wherever he desires. Steals from the rich,

takes from the poor, and gives to himself. With his head held high he rides the endless journey of what is life.

He takes a heroic hit for all the shit he has suffered,  owing to the tears that hit him like bullets, as his heart drenches in blood.

With each inhale of that precious gift from god, he gets the courage to live for one more day. The nightmares that haunt him vanish as the wind takes them away and disappear into the cloud of smog overhead.

Whenever the cursed cloud gets too close he packs the hollow airways to heaven and the problem fades away, along with him.

It’s a Crip. It’s a Blood. No! it’s Blazer Skater, who’s not delirious enough to be defined to any demeaning silly gang. He rides solo, as he climbs the treacherous steel pole. With the can full of freedom of speech he marks his territory. Warning those that think they have the balls, to fuck off. 

By: Anonymous

Blog 23: Junior Interview

1.  Who did you interview and what house are they in?

• Angel Arredondo and he is in East House

2.  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

•  I honestly dont know what im going to do for my project. I want to do something in the medical field but i dont know where to get started.

3.  What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?

• I dont know that answer too. I havnt really looked at my options. Maybe doctor shadowing of some sort.

4.  What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?

• I hope to see a presentation that relates to my interests 

5. Any questions?

• Do you know of anyone doing a senior project in the medical field or any field of science? Yeah there is Ghina Thi doing her project on a clinical pharmacist or Zhailah Graza is doing something with Anesthesiologist.

Blog 22: 3 Column Chart

Content:
3 Column Chart