Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Mickey Mouse!!!
We got a Mickey Mouse doll! He's super cute and sweet, isn't he? For anyone who's interested in him, he is in very nice condition. When sitting, he's about a foot tall and needs something to lean against. Perfect for a kid or an adult who loves collecting stuffed animals (I sorta want to keep him for my collection...).
Pause to Understand
Hi all you amazing helpers!!!
I've had some questions regarding the details of this project. One person on Facebook asked for more information and the background of our team. This seemed like the best way to share!
I am taking an Introduction to Entrepreneurship class at Brigham Young University. Each week, we discuss a different skill needed to be a successful entrepreneur. This week we discussed negotiation and how 10 minutes of negotiation can often earn you more than a year of work. As an entrepreneur, there is so much to do, we need this sort of efficiency in our work.
We then watched a clip about the One Red Paperclip story. A man name Kyle, living near Vancouver, Canada, decided he wanted a house. But as he realized how much work it would take to get enough money to buy a house, he wondered if he could negotiate his way up to the house. Starting with a small red paperclip he had on his desk at that moment.
An ad went on Craigslist and within a year he had made 14 trades - the last on earning him his house.
He received a wide range of offers and had to choose which would move him closer to the house. He also had to learn to negotiate to get the deals he wanted. By negotiating, he could ensure that each trade would make as big a difference as possible.
To teach us negotiation skills, our professor challenged us to form teams, take a rock from nature, and make trades to reach a goal. I was sitting next to Michelle and Jennifer and asked if they wanted to form a team with me and we started off.
The trades should be mutually beneficial. When we say "bigger and better," we don't mean we want to give you junk for something great. The items we receive can be something you were going to donate to DI or Goodwill. And as we start trading up, what we can offer you will improve. Perhaps if you think you could help, let us know what you would like. We can work to get you your item along our way. Kyle of oneredpaperclip.com accepted a rare snow globe for one of his trades just so he could get it to an actor who wanted to make a trade.
At the end of the project, we will be dividing the final product three ways. We chose a car because it is a product that is frequently sold and we can easily divide the profits from a sale 3 ways. Also, it just sounded fun to see if we could get a car out of a rock. We are all poor college students. For me, the money from the car would allow me to finish my undergrad education without incurring any debt - and I am super excited about that idea. I'm not sure the exact use Michelle and Jennifer will be putting their earnings too, but tuition, food, and books were all listed as great uses for this "rock money."
So spread the word and have some fun!
I've had some questions regarding the details of this project. One person on Facebook asked for more information and the background of our team. This seemed like the best way to share!
I am taking an Introduction to Entrepreneurship class at Brigham Young University. Each week, we discuss a different skill needed to be a successful entrepreneur. This week we discussed negotiation and how 10 minutes of negotiation can often earn you more than a year of work. As an entrepreneur, there is so much to do, we need this sort of efficiency in our work.
We then watched a clip about the One Red Paperclip story. A man name Kyle, living near Vancouver, Canada, decided he wanted a house. But as he realized how much work it would take to get enough money to buy a house, he wondered if he could negotiate his way up to the house. Starting with a small red paperclip he had on his desk at that moment.
An ad went on Craigslist and within a year he had made 14 trades - the last on earning him his house.
He received a wide range of offers and had to choose which would move him closer to the house. He also had to learn to negotiate to get the deals he wanted. By negotiating, he could ensure that each trade would make as big a difference as possible.
To teach us negotiation skills, our professor challenged us to form teams, take a rock from nature, and make trades to reach a goal. I was sitting next to Michelle and Jennifer and asked if they wanted to form a team with me and we started off.
The trades should be mutually beneficial. When we say "bigger and better," we don't mean we want to give you junk for something great. The items we receive can be something you were going to donate to DI or Goodwill. And as we start trading up, what we can offer you will improve. Perhaps if you think you could help, let us know what you would like. We can work to get you your item along our way. Kyle of oneredpaperclip.com accepted a rare snow globe for one of his trades just so he could get it to an actor who wanted to make a trade.
At the end of the project, we will be dividing the final product three ways. We chose a car because it is a product that is frequently sold and we can easily divide the profits from a sale 3 ways. Also, it just sounded fun to see if we could get a car out of a rock. We are all poor college students. For me, the money from the car would allow me to finish my undergrad education without incurring any debt - and I am super excited about that idea. I'm not sure the exact use Michelle and Jennifer will be putting their earnings too, but tuition, food, and books were all listed as great uses for this "rock money."
So spread the word and have some fun!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Our first trade!
Michelle traded our beautiful rock away. We now have a Lilly Bloom lunch box - value $20. Pretty impressive for a first trade!
Don't forget to comment if you want to trade up for any of these items. I'll try to check frequently enough to consider all requests.
Don't forget to comment if you want to trade up for any of these items. I'll try to check frequently enough to consider all requests.
And Here's the Rock!!
Isn't it pretty? Jennifer was really smart to pick the beauty up while running this week!
By tomorrow, we will no longer have this rock, but it's a great starting point.
By tomorrow, we will no longer have this rock, but it's a great starting point.
Bigger or Better
So, you’ve all heard of the game Bigger or Better? Perhaps
you’ve even heard of One Red Paperclip, where a guy traded up from a paperclip
until he got a house? Our entrepreneur lecture class is playing a massive game
of Bigger or Better with goals just as outrageous as a house from a paperclip.
We’ve got a rock. It’s a cool rock. Jennifer found it while
she was running this week.
We want a car. It doesn’t have to be super nice or anything,
just as long as it runs decently well and isn’t totally beaten up. You know, a
typical college student car is acceptable. A really nice, new car would be even
better! Or a sports car! When you’ve got a rock, you can dream anything.
In class, Clarissa (me), Michelle, and Jennifer joined
forces in our goal to turn a rock into a car in two weeks. That’s right, we
have a deadline – the last trade must be completed by October 22 at noon.
This blog will chronicle our trades for the next two weeks. Tonight
Michelle and Jennifer are going to trade our rock for at least three new items
so that tomorrow we can branch out and make multiple trades at once.
It will also be a place for people in the Provo, Utah area
to offer trades. We are limited to the Utah Valley because we aren’t allowed to
pay for anything other than gas (including no shipping). Please comment and
offer anything you’re willing to trade. Most
importantly – let us know if you’d be willing to trade a car and what you would
be willing to trade for it.
Keep posted over these next two weeks – I’ll be updating
daily at the least this week and hopefully over the weekend as well. It’s gonna
get crazy!
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