Data organizer
Description:
Businesses keep good records of what supplies they have so they can be efficient. There are many people today who collect things or have a large inventory of stuff. Many times they don’t know exactly what they have. All you do as a data organizer is record and organize the stuff so the owner knows exactly what they have.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I used to collect stamps and found that sometimes I would forget what stamps I already had. The idea came to me that other people probably have the same problem. I came up with some good ways to keep track of large amounts of material and started asking people if they would like me to organize their collections or stuff. It started to pick up from there.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The job can be very meticulous and require quite some time looking at the same thing over and over again. I remember cataloging a coin collection and seeing coin after coin. It was very boring but I finally started to focus on the date the coin was made. I would ask myself what was happening at that time in history. After a while I realized I had learned a lot about history and I could use it in my life. It made the job more enjoyable.
What I learned:
When cataloging you have to find a way to make the material important and interesting to you. As soon as you do this it is a lot easier to forget the time. This job helped me learn how be organized and work hard because people don’t want you sorting their stuff forever. You also learn a great deal about what you are recording.
Developing Mac Software
Description:
I, along with a friend of mine, founded a little internet company called Neometric Software. We basically had the idea of becoming a little Mac software company and had a couple of ideas to get us started. We were far from legally legitimate. All we did to create the company was say that we were one, instead of going through any legal process to legitimize the company. The closest we got to becoming legitimate was the use of my friend's dad to help us draw up some End User License Agreements (EULA's) that we could ship with our products. Our goal, beyond Mac development, was to also offer consulting for aspiring Mac developers. It was just two of us. At the time I was 18, and my friend was 15. Any decisions that we needed to make, we made together. There wasn't any indication that one of us was "over" the other. Our roles were quite different, however. My friend was the more proficient of the two of us in our language of choice ("Cocoa"), so he usually did most of the coding while I tended towards the consultation side of things.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
We got the idea for this after talking a lot about various ideas that we had. We first met on an online forum and became friends after chatting back and forth. We shared ideas and gave each other advice concerning various projects we were working on. We eventually decided to try our hand at building some of our ideas together, and decided to start Neometric Software. All we had to do to get things going was to obtain some web hosting space, which was fairly cheap. I was an amateur web developer, so we had the basics for what we needed to get started.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
We faced some interesting challenges. We tried to bring another person on board whom I didn't know or trust very much, which led to some heated discussions regarding roles and responsibilities. We also had the challenge that I was going to leave for two years to be a missionary and how that would pan out regarding my share of the revenue that we were making. We eventually came to a general sort of consensus, but none of us were entirely satisfied with the result. However, it was the best compromise we were going to get. Once I left on my mission our project essentially ended. My involvement with Neometric effectively ended on August 3rd, 2005. I continued to receive royalty payments, according to our agreement, but once our site went offline since we never bothered renewing the hosting agreement and that was the end of things.
What I learned:
One of the things that I learned is that there needs to be clearly defined roles from the beginning. Having this will effectively eliminates power struggles and conflicts of interest. Also, each member of the group needs to be able to trust the other members with whom he associates. If there is not trust, then there is no way that they're going to get along and produce something worthwhile. Instead they'll spend too much time bickering. Each member of the group also needs to be emotionally invested in his project. If he's not, then he'll work on it briefly but quickly die out and the project will end up getting shelved. As a result, all that time will be wasted.
I'm very grateful for the experiences that I had working with my friend. I learned quite a bit about marketing, consulting, design, and management that I use to this day. Some of the applications we made are still floating around on the internet. I occasionally get an email asking if we're ever going to resurrect one of the applications. Overall, one of the most satisfying feelings I got from the entire experience was the knowledge that we made some quality software that thousands of people found useful enough to buy.
E-bay Investor
Description:
I advertised products for sale on E-bay. I sold many different products including snowboarding boots. I would buy things on E-bay for low prices and then resell them for more money. I was able to do this by learning the best way to sell things online. I would make sure that my advertising made the product appealing to the potential buyers.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I got the idea one day when I was searching for a pair of snowboarding boots. I wasn’t sure what size to get but I figured that if they didn’t fit well I would resell them. This is what I ended up doing and got more money back than I purchased them for. After that I realized I wanted to keep buying and selling things on e-bay.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
One challenge I faced was trying to find products that weren’t being oversold. If there were too many of the same product being sold it didn’t matter how well I advertised, the chances of selling them were low. However I still needed to sell things that were in demand. So I would try and sell things that were in demand for that season. An example would be selling the snowboarding boots during the winter. Another challenge is to not get upset if your item doesn’t sell right away. I just had to learn to be patient.
What I learned:
After I started selling the products I realized it was not really the selling of the product that was important but rather the selling of the thought that this product is great and that it will make the buyers life better. All you have to do to sell your stuff better than others is to make your product look more appealing than the other people selling. I also learned to have the item bid end on a Saturday because people often look on e-bay on the weekends and will make last minute bids. Another important thing to remember is to make sure you put the right title on your product and make sure it is listed in the right category. Make it easy for the buyer by putting what the costumer will search into the title so it will pop up when searched. This is a fun and easy way to make a little money.
E-bay Seller
Description:
I bought used Nintendo and Super Nintendo games and consuls from a local thrift store. I would buy the best games and large quantities of common (filler) games. Then I would clean them up and make sure they work. Then I started an e-bay account and began taking pictures of my games and selling them. I sold them in bigger lots with one good game per lot so I could make more for the whole. Then I would have the responsibility of packing and sending the games on time. The main responsibility I had was to frequently go to the thrift store and know when they where getting new shipments. Also I constantly looked for video games on e-bay to see which ones were selling and the best prices so I would have an idea of which games and systems to look for.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I got the idea because I loved classic video games and there was a big market for them online. I would buy some games there. And when I saw the difference in prices from the thrift store compared to e-bay it just made sense. Because of my prior experience with video games I knew more or less what was rare and valuable.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The main challenge was finding the best games at the best prices. With a little investigation you can find out when these stores are going to stock there new games. Staying on top of that is the main thing.
What I learned:
I learn a lot about presentation. I saw which things were selling and which weren’t. Some of the best finds online had terrible pictures and they didn’t have much else going for them. I tried to take quality pictures that put what I had in the best light. Also I would make my lots look the best by putting the main games in front with a lot of games behind making it look like I had a ton of great games all together. I would write what games I was including but people would see the good game and the number of games and they were hooked.
Innovative New Web Browser
Description:
A friend from High School was part of the creation and innovation of the successful web browser Mozilla Firefox. He was a pretty smart guy but didn’t have as much experience as you might think. He gets with a few others to make what we know today as Firefox!
How I got the idea / found the employment:
He got the idea as he learned more about web design and web development in high school. He did what most innovative people do and analyzed. As in most basic-level web design or development classes, he learned about the World Wide Web and it’s history, popular web browsers and even the HTML web language. He realized that Internet Explorer had some flaws and that a new web browser could easily fill these flaws and be better than Internet Explorer.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
Even though my friend knew quite a bit about computers, he didn’t know everything, and not even close to what he needed to design, and make a completely new web browser! With a small team of other people who were a little more experienced in that field, he took his idea and ran with it, creating the best web browser available today. Firefox set a world record the day it was released.
What I learned:
I learned, from being in my own web design class when this happened, that anyone could do anything they desire. Two things that help are desire and passion. From just a normal high school student, anyone can realize his or her dreams! You can too!
Piano Lessons Online
Description:
post videos in order to teach others how to play the Piano.
Have a website in which people who want to learn to play the piano pay a subscription and access videos with the basic steps to learn how to play the piano. You need to create an organized set of videos that provide explicit lessons.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I got this idea because sometimes is hard to find a good piano teacher, affortable to pay and affortable to reach. Busy schedules of people from different ages makes almost imposible to find a time to actually meet with a person to teach or learn something. Online classes are flexible for everyone, you can lear anytime, and anywhere. It also decreases the cost to learn .
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The biggest challenge was to create an explicit piano lesson online. Learn how to play the piano is a very hard task, (depending in each person) it also requires lots of practice. To overcome this challenge i researched piano lesson techniques for kids, to teach in a very simple way, simple vocabulary .In each online lesson I emphasized the importance of the daily practice in order to learn.
What I learned:
The most important concept i learned was to be organized and to set goals. I also learned to be patient, create something new is a hard taks but is harder to wait for the results of it.
Robotics Club in High School
Description:
In my high school, they had a club that had just started up called the Robotics club. My physics class was encouraged to participate in it because so much of it had to do with physics and engineering. I had been interested in engineering and it sparked my interest. So I participated and that is what helped me decide to major in mechanical engineering. We built it from scratch and had to make it run an obstacle course in the fastest amount of time with the most achieved points. It also taught us about running a company/business since I was involved in the leadership of fundraising and publicity.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
This opportunity came about from a teacher from school, Mr.Curry, wanting to start a Robotics Club. He asked and encouraged our physics class to head it up. We all volunteered countless time and energy into this project, making it one of my most memorable experiences of my high school career. We had the idea given to us from the NASA First Robotics Competition held every year. But the challenge and the real ideas had to come from creativity. We were given an objective for the robot but of course, the team that had the best idea and completed project won.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
We faced many challenges, many very technical details and also many organizational problems. First off, we had to solve mechanical issues of size and opportunities. The robot could only be a certain size at first but then could expand after the whistle. We also had limited resources for the drive train and electrical resources. We decided for these issues that we could design the robot with an expanding feature with a pressurized system. We decided to choose the drive train that was the most economical, with an average in weight and a powerful speed. We also had a strategizing team that headed the strategies we were going to use in the 2004 competition. There are many opportunities to get ahead of the other team and those issues were brought up and voted upon. Secondly, we also had issues of finances and travel. We were lacking a couple of thousands of dollars so we created a snack booth at some of the sports events at the school and a car wash to help us gain more money. We also worked out car pool opportunities to get our club members and families to the tournament in St Louis about thirty minutes away. These problems were all solved using teamwork and brainstorming. We really took time to create unity in the club as well since we spent so much time together.
What I learned:
I learned so much during this activity. First and most important, I learned the love that I now have for creation and engineering. I also learned the enjoyable challenge of organizing the team to success. These are both fields that I am now pursuing. (A major in ME and minor in business with joint graduate degrees in ME and and MBA) I learned many problem solving techniques that I only grew in knowledge on my mission and have valuable experience in leadership. Brainstorming and listening is one of the most important aspects for great success among peers. I would recommend this club/competition to anyone who has an interest in creativity, fun, and engineering.
Scanning Slides into Computer Image Files
Description:
I scanned slides using a special scanner, thereby converting them to computer image files. Before scanning, I cleaned the slides with compressed air to remove dust. I then saved these image files to a DVD, which I gave to the customer. I did this mostly on my own, with my younger sister helping occasionally.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I got the idea for this when my Grandpa was talking about how he was looking for a way to somehow put all of his slides onto the computer, so that they could last longer, and his kids could have a copy of them. I had previously heard of scanners that could be bought to do this. I then did some research on the internet to find a scanner as well as pricing for the service.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The initial challenge I faced was finding more customers. I was eventually able to find more by talking to other family members, as well as other families that I know. Also, it took quite a bit of time for the slides to scan, so it was something that I had going all day long. I was not able to always be around to keep the slides scanning, so I had help from other family members.
What I learned:
I learned that work does not have to be dull if you can find something that interests you. This experience was a useful one because I was able to learn about working and some of what starting a business entails, and I got to earn some money while doing it.
Technical Support Consultant
Description:
(Interview with David Hilton) As a teenager over one summer I provided technical support for both hardware and software as an independent consultant to management consulting firm. Basically, I helped workers with software issues and network administration, solved bugs and kept the computers running. By doing so I helped to improve firm efficiency, as it was bogged down by computer problems less frequently. I was responsible for keeping the network running, which in a management firm is important business. This meant I had to make sure that the computers in the firm were talking to each other and that communication between employees was smooth. I was also on call in case other problems came up. I was the only employee of my own small little company, and was therefore responsible for everything that happened. If I did not know what to do I had to figure things out. As far as equipment was concerned, I needed a laptop with internet connection as well as a cell phone. Costs were low, as I already had these two things. My working hours varied, as problems appeared at varying times during the day. For me it was enjoyable, as I am interested in computers and business, and this was a great way to learn more in a very hands-on way.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I’ve always been interested in computers and have even considered making a living out of it. Before the opportunity came I had taken some computing classes, as well as an accounting class. I came up with the idea when one day my Dad complained about problems with computers in the firm he worked in. He was also talking about hiring someone else to set up email system for his company. I thought to myself, “I could do this,” so I told my Dad that I’d be willing to do the job for less money. For some reason, I could not be added as an employee, so the firm hired me as an entity, or a contractor. We wrote out a contract, and agreed on various terms for my services. Familiarity with computers was key for my success, as well as the ability to analyze the needs of people and communicate well. Most of all, though, I had to have the guts and the confidence to put myself out there even though I did not know what I was doing yet. Fortunately I had basic skills, as well as the time and the will to figure out what I did not know yet.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
My first challenge was figuring out how to run a business, because what I was doing was a separate entity. I quickly had to learn things like submitting time sheets and invoices and other paperwork. I had to deal with contracts, tax law, business finance and funds. I overcome these problems by spending time researching, and by asking people how to deal with these business questions. I had to contact professionals and ask their advice. The other huge challenge was that when I initially offered my services I really did not know how to do most of the things I was being asked to do. Fortunately, there is a wealth of valuable information on the internet that one can use if they know how to find it. The key is being able to take the time to search out theses resources and use them, as well as not being afraid to ask questions. To anyone thinking about beginning a similar venture, I would tell them to be confident and willing to take risks. As long as you are willing to learn and research you can accomplish a great deal even with a limited amount of experience. I was able, with almost no experience, to gain the trust of the company that contracted me, and actually make a difference in how this company worked. Also, If you think you do not know anyone who could offer a similar opportunity, look around you. Someone you know most likely knows someone who needs the skills you have or that you are willing to develop. You already have the connections, you just do not know it yet.
What I learned:
I learned that starting a business sounds a lot more scary than it actually is. If someone has an idea and the will to carry it out, it really is not that hard to get going. It was a useful experience for me, because even if I do not have a tech support business later, starting this business helped me gain critical job experience and technical expertise. I also had the opportunity to work with experienced business professionals, and learn a lot about the business world from them. As a benefit, my Dad’s firm referred me to other people who needed jobs done. This one job built on to other opportunities as a natural consequence of me working worth them. Most of all, as I am looking into majoring in computer sciences this one experience has helped me understand in greater detail what is involved in the profession and how realistic my goals are. Oh, and yes I made a good amount of money.
VHS to DVD convertor/Editor
Description:
The job involves taking home videos (VHS) and converting them to DVD. If the customer desired, the video was edited and enhanced to make it more artistic rather than a plain video.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
A friend and I discussed it prior to my mission. After I left, he went through with it. We were from a small town and didn’t really expect a whole lot of business. Still, my friend did find some customers that were interested in both options. I’m not sure how much he charged, but he did several projects before leaving on his own mission.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
Within the business, we had the problem of having enough equipment. If we were going to have a lot of customers, we would need multiple computers to do the conversions. We only had two. So my friend didn’t do a whole lot of advertising; he mainly used word of mouth.
Coming up with the idea for the assignment was hard and easy. We never really started an actual business, but my friend did make some money. I wasn’t sure if it qualified as a business or not.
The idea for the business was initially my fathers. He saw that I enjoyed playing with home videos, but was frustrated that so many of our cinematic memories were still on old VHS tapes. So I started to convert them. He said that many people probably had the same problem. So the idea came from there.
What I learned:
I learned in the process of thinking of the business, and watching my friend succeed, that in a job(especially a career) you need to do something you enjoy and find satisfying. I also saw that advertising would have helped in the expansion of the small business. I also realized that if we had started it early on, we may have been able to afford more equipment to expand the business. I think it is important for teenagers to come up with ideas like these so that they feel accomplished and have a sense of responsibility. Its helpful throughout life to have those experiences to reflect on.
Videographer/Video Editor
Description:
I created scout films for little league football teams in my area. I spoke with coaches, and went to film the team they would be playing the next week. I would film three games each Saturday, and I had to employees that did the same. After filming the games, my employees dropped them off and I converted the tapes to dvd’s. I took a cut from my employees’ tapes and received all the money from the games I filmed. Very little effort was needed to perform this job, and I found a way to leverage other people’s time to make more money.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I had been making wedding videos for a long time before this job opportunity. One of my ward members, the little league football commission, heard about my video business and asked if I would film games for him. The first year I did it, there were lots of games and I was unable to get them all. The next year, I decided to hire employees which allowed me to film games for all the coaches and QUADRUPLE my earnings.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The biggest challenge I faced was times when my employees had conflicts. I had a list of people that didn’t want to work every week but were willing to fill in. I used them when possible. However, sometimes I was unable to get a game filmed for a coach. I always responded by giving him the next game free.
What I learned:
I learned lots of important skills from doing this job. I learned how to sell my product, by contacting a number of coaches. I learned how to manage my time wisely, as well as manage my employees. Overall, this was a great experience that allowed me to learn how to run my own business and make huge profits doing it!
Webmaster/ creator of music selling website – MadCowMusic.com
Description:
My brother, Martin, created and managed a website called MadCowMusic.com. This website had all of the features a punk/ ska/ indie rocker could want – they could purchase CDs, look up bios on their favorite bands, find new bands they would undoubtedly love, and even check up tour dates and locations for each of those bands. Many popular bands knew the website, visited it frequently, and used it to advertise. On a number of occasions, my brother was let backstage like a member of the band itself because the band members appreciated his efforts to get bands out there, and his love of music.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
My brother came up with this idea because of his profound love of punk/ ska/ indie music. He loved hearing new bands and sharing music with others, so he figured if he put the website online, he could share it with an even larger number of people, and even make a profit out of it!
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
Some challenges my brother faced was the constant level of attention his website business required. He was constantly updating information about over three hundred bands, their tour dates (which changed frequently), putting new bands on the website, adding new albums… Pretty much, it was a job that never ended. There was always more to do, and if you ever stopped there would be even more to do! Martin overcame these challenges by setting aside time each day to work on his website. He never gave up and consistently did all he could to have the most up to date information.
What I learned:
Martin learned to have a great work ethic. Likewise, he learned a lot about web design, coding like HTML and CSS, and how to manage a website. He also learned a lot about money management; he learned the necessity of money allocation of his earnings to further publicity/ web space and personal needs. Now Martin knows a wide variety of skills that have helped him in his later jobs, and he is very good at knowing how much to spend on necessities as compared to personal desires.
Website programmer and social networker
Description:
My brother, Jonathan, designed and developed websites for several clients. He utilized computer skills he had acquired from classes and personal practice. Jonathan used social networking sites like Facebook.com to find potential clients. He made a portfolio websites, linked to it on Facebook.com, and then found clients by using tools that already existed. Jonathan designed and developed flash programs, java-script programs, and other time consuming programs for clients who could not do it themselves. He also “branded” – that is, he created logos. He had no employees. It would be useful for teenagers to understand that a vast network already exists (Facebook.com/MySpace), and, consequently, finding potential clients should not be difficult, time consuming, or expensive.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
Jonathan’s idea started as a hobby. He loved internet computer games. He met people thru these networks, and found that people needed websites to help them improve their game playing. He started by making websites from this interest. His talents then spread as he became more proficient with computers. The process one should follow must start with an interest. That is, Jonathan really loved what he did and invested a lot of time into learning how to succeed. If you first have this desire, you should then find a niche where your skills are especially useful. Again, internet networking sites provide a great tool to market your services. From there, spread out. Acquire more talents and provide better services.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
Early on, it can be quite difficult to find the clients you need. Although Facebook.com provides an excellent opportunity to meet people, you still have to prove that your services are worthwhile. This means building a reputation and then allowing this reputation to spread thru word of mouth and other advertising. It also means proving your talents by doing things like acquiring certificates to prove skills. Other difficulties include being able to provide what your clients require in a timely manner. Sometimes, this means developing a new skill, and this can translate into long hours. Putting in the time necessary is the best way to overcome all of these challenges. You have to work hard to gain new skills, to build a reputation, and to prove your services are worthwhile.
What I learned:
Early on, it can be quite difficult to find the clients you need. Although Facebook.com provides an excellent opportunity to meet people, you still have to prove that your services are worthwhile. This means building a reputation and then allowing this reputation to spread thru word of mouth and other advertising. It also means proving your talents by doing things like acquiring certificates to prove skills. Other difficulties include being able to provide what your clients require in a timely manner. Sometimes, this means developing a new skill, and this can translate into long hours. Putting in the time necessary is the best way to overcome all of these challenges. You have to work hard to gain new skills, to build a reputation, and to prove your services are worthwhile.