Recent guest teachers at SOAR included Brad Semon of Painted Plate and Judith Altman of Judith Altman Designs. They spoke about their journeys to their current professions - journeys that took some unexpected twists and turns. Brad, a journalism major in college but always interested in cooking, eventually parlayed his passion into his profession. He told students he wanted to run his own business and control his own destiny. By owning your own business, he said, you "know what is going to happen," even in the current economy.
Judith, on the other hand, studied art in college, but her path diverged from her passion when she decided to acquire an MBA. She entered the corporate world and developed expertise in information technology and logistics, rising through the ranks of several corporations before eventually becoming the Senior VP of Global Operations for Burlington Industries. When Burlington closed, she returned to her passion for art and began her own artisan jewelry business - enabling her to be both an artist and an entrepreneur.
Students pondered Judith's introduction to marketing terms such as "product," "pricing," "placement" and "promotion" as they continue their own entrepreneurial at projects. This week, the class decided that their cheesecakes would sell more quickly with agressive advertising. Since they had already utilized the traditional routes of email, newsletters and posters, they fanned out into carpool lines, offering tastes to parents waiting for dismissal to begin.
In addition to refining their business acumen, students learned a few truths from Brad and Judith. Brad said, "The most important part of my life is my family," and Judith echoed this sentiment when she mentioned, "I managed 500 people at my old job, but I wasn't sure I was really doing anything productive." Both spoke of the satisfaction of a job well done - a superb meal served or a beautiful piece of jewelry bringing pleasure to its new owner.
Judith, on the other hand, studied art in college, but her path diverged from her passion when she decided to acquire an MBA. She entered the corporate world and developed expertise in information technology and logistics, rising through the ranks of several corporations before eventually becoming the Senior VP of Global Operations for Burlington Industries. When Burlington closed, she returned to her passion for art and began her own artisan jewelry business - enabling her to be both an artist and an entrepreneur.
Students pondered Judith's introduction to marketing terms such as "product," "pricing," "placement" and "promotion" as they continue their own entrepreneurial at projects. This week, the class decided that their cheesecakes would sell more quickly with agressive advertising. Since they had already utilized the traditional routes of email, newsletters and posters, they fanned out into carpool lines, offering tastes to parents waiting for dismissal to begin.
In addition to refining their business acumen, students learned a few truths from Brad and Judith. Brad said, "The most important part of my life is my family," and Judith echoed this sentiment when she mentioned, "I managed 500 people at my old job, but I wasn't sure I was really doing anything productive." Both spoke of the satisfaction of a job well done - a superb meal served or a beautiful piece of jewelry bringing pleasure to its new owner.
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