Marketing 297 - Small Business Management

Fall 2004 - Sections 1 & 2

CLASSROOM: Tuesday (Sec 1) Butte Hall-103, Thursday (Sec 2) Butte Hall-101

CLASS TIME: Tuesdays (Sec 1) 5-7:50, Thursdays (Sec 2) 5-7:50

INSTRUCTOR: Marcia Briggs

CAMPUS OFFICE: Tehama Hall 387 (by appointment only)

CAMPUS OFFICE PHONE: 898- 4182 - Message only (or call studio anytime)

OFFICE HOURS: On campus, by appointment (or come to my studio!)

DESIGN STUDIO: 167 E. 3rd Ave. (Around the corner from Sounds by Dave)

STUDIO PHONE: 893-1747

E-MAIL ADDRESS: mbriggs590@aol.com

REQUIRED READING: Zimmerer & Scarborough, Essentials of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management

RECOMMENDED READING: Paul Hawken, Growing a Business

Over 800,000 new businesses are started in the US every year. More than half fail within the first 5 years. With this harsh statistic, (and some say the failure rate is much higher) why are so many men and women, eager to be their own bosses, sacrificing so much to give it a try? Why do some fail and some succeed? This course is designed to help you develop an understanding of the joys & pitfalls of owning your own business, and learn through a variety of classroom and field activities how people have taken steps to avoid failure and have made their business a personally and financially rewarding experience.

COURSE OBJECTIVE - Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify personal and professional traits common to successful entrepreneurs and discover methods for strengthening weak areas.

2. Evaluate through guest speakers, field trips, lectures and video presentations, what experiences have been both positive and negative to the success of existing small businesses.

3. Discover methods for determining success potential of business ideas.

4. Become familiar with the procedures for preparing a Business Plan.

5. Design a marketing strategy for an existing or imaginary business.

6. Identify positive sales techniques and become familiar with various methods for selling a product or service.

7. Discover possible routes for securing financial assistance.

8. Distinguish between the different types of legal ownership and understand the advantages and disadvantages of each.

9. Identify positive ways to address employee relationships.

10. Explore various techniques helpful in creating a dynamic sales presentation.

11. Learn to read and use financial statements to monitor and grow a business.

12. Strengthen creative problem solving abilities and learn techniques to nurture innovative thinking.

Marketing 297

Small Business Management (cont.)

ARTICLE

REVIEWS: Students will read and critique at least two articles on small business. The critiques will have specific evaluation objectives and should be typed.

CLASS

PROJECTS: Students will interview an existing company in the same or similar field as the business he/she would like to own. The project will include shared information from the interview, a description of the student’s dream enterprise, and a plan of action to get it off the ground. This project will be in the form of a research paper & presentation, which will be presented to the class. Details to follow.

CLASS

PARTICIPATION: Class participation is essential in order for the course

to function properly. Students must come to the class prepared and ready to discuss the material assigned.

TESTS: Tests will be primarily essay questions, with short sections of multiple choice and fill-in. The final exam will be comprehensive.

GRADING

CRITERIA: Class Participation & In-Class Assignments….. 20% Article Reviews…………………………………. 10%

Class Project…………………………………….. 30%

Tests…………………………………………….. 40%

CLASS RULES: •Be courteous to fellow classmates, guests & instructor.

This means no sleeping in class!

•Light snacks or drinks are allowed in the classroom, but please no Big Macs, pizza or French fries. Leave classroom clean.

•Contribute your share to group projects.

Marketing 297

Small Business Management (cont.)

These are some of the topics I would like to discuss in class and a list of some of the guests I hope to have either come to our classroom or show us around their business.

FOCUS TOPICS:

Nature of small business Manufacturing

Goal setting Retailing

Getting started Franchising

Creative problem solving Service/consulting

Mind Mapping Personal selling

Nurturing innovation Business planning

Marketing on the Web Financial assistance

Legal forms of business Emotional aspects

Basic bookkeeping Sources/networking

Marketing/merchandising International trade

Presenting yourself Developing your own unique talents

Advertising/promotion Business ethics

TENTATIVE GUEST SPEAKERS/FIELD TRIPS

Entrepreneurs:

Import Business

Owner of restaurant

Marketing Director of large franchise

Catering Business

Manufacturing (field trip)

Retail shop owner

Art –related Business

Professional Assistance:

Banker (manager/loan officer)

Attorney - specializing in business law

August, 2004

Dear Students,

Welcome to Marketing 297, Small Business Management (Entrepreneurship). My goal for this class is to help you develop a better understanding of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. By the end of the semester, I hope that you will strongly consider owning your own business…. Not necessarily right out of school but to think of it as a possible way to utilize your business background sometime in the future.

Throughout this course, I would like to share with you my experiences as an owner of Caribou Mountaineering Manufacturing, Inc. (which employed 165 people when I left in 1988) as well as my experience in the children’s market (Turtle Island Designs) and as a free-lance product designer and marketing consultant, which I do currently. I have also had the good fortune to meet and work with a large number of other entrepreneurs locally and hope to introduce you to some of their stories.

Because my time on campus is so limited, I would like to invite each of you to feel free to come by my studio if ever you need help with projects or if you would just like to discuss a new product idea or marketing strategy. If I am not working on some deadline, I would love to sit down with you (in my studio garden, if weather permits) and help if I can. My studio phone is 893-1747. I am also available to meet with you on campus by appointment. Just call me at my studio and we’ll set up a time.

You will quickly see how much I enjoy being an entrepreneur. I love my work and enjoy the flexibility of being my own boss. What excites me so much about teaching this class is that I feel I have a tremendous amount of practical experience to share, (over 25 years) both good & bad, but more than that is getting to know you and thinking about the potential that each of you have. With the excellent business educational training you’ve received here at Chico State, combined with your enthusiasm and the ability to come up with successful marketing ideas.....just think of the amazing things you could do! You have a huge advantage over many entrepreneurs who only have the dream. I look forward to getting to know each of you and truly hope this class is beneficial to you and to your future.

With warm regards,

Marcia Briggs