Real Business Experience
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Announcing the Zotec Business Competition
Zotec Partners
(Zotec), who provide specialized billing services to the
hospital-based specialty market, is a new 2012 COB REAL Partner. As
part of their partnership, Zotec has created the Zotec Business
Competition. All Real Business Experience (RBE) teams currently
enrolled in the MG 202 are eligible to compete.
Awards will be given to the RBE business that captures the true
entrepreneurial spirit of risk taking, innovation and success.
Zotec will specifically be looking for how well each team
demonstrates the Five P's: Passion, Persistence, Perspective,
Predictability, and People.
Teams will be vying for cash awards
There will be three top cash awards where teams can decide to
re-invest in their business or use as a cash bonus for a job well
done. Awards will be split evenly among each team member.
For spring - RBE class awards are the following:
- First Place: $9,000
- Second Place: $5,000
- Third Place: $3,000
For fall - RBE Class awards are the following:
- First Place: $4,000
- Second Place: $2,500
- Third Place: $1,500
Teams will also be evaluated on the
following:
RBE Teams will be reviewed throughout the semester not only on
their presentation skills and their execution of the Five P's but
also on their:
- REAL business process management
- Sales/marketing success
- The hiring of quality employees
- Growth/partnering
- Use of technology
- Social responsibility and
- Business valuation.
View the Zotec Business
Competition announcement video for additional details and
explanation of the Five P's and the competition. Good Luck!
"I received the chance to act as the CEO."
In just one year, students form teams, create a business idea,
apply for funding (to a group of real business executives) - and if
they receive funding, start and run their real
business. The class is facilitated by a team of faculty and
professional mentors who coach the businesses. The mentors
have impressive professional experience and include business
owners, consultants, doctors, lawyers and executives in fields such
as life sciences, manufacturing, and human resources. The
result is an amazing, interactive experience in which the
facilitators learn as much as the students. Past
student businesses have included a travel agency, screen printer,
asphalt company, food importer, photo booth, advertising agency,
ticket broker, calendar printer, transportation company, consulting
service and more.
Each business is looked at as a process, how the students
will behave and react in that business. Their grades are not
determined by whether they make the largest net income or highest
sales. We're looking at how the students actually run the business
and what lessons they learn from that business.
Dick Halstead
Lecturer in Management
Coordinator of Real Business
Experience
Business Profile: Strike a Pose
The real business:
A 16-person-capacity, mobile photo booth for events such as
weddings, birthday parties and proms. Partygoers preserve their
memories with a souvenir picture. The company charges $400 to
$1,000 to transport the booth and provides guests with a 4x6 inch,
high-gloss sheet containing four photos and the name of the event.
The photo booth has an LCD monitor on the outside so those waiting
in line can see what the picture will look like.
The real story:
The business becomes so successful that a second group of RBE
students decides to buy the company. They, in turn, sell it to a
third group whose members are so confident, they intend to continue
to run and expand the business after they graduate.
Visit the Strike a Pose website.
"I've fallen in love with this business. It has a high
profit margin and it's a fun thing to do. Strike a Pose feels
like me."
Kyle Nicholas, Class of 2010
Co-Owner and Chief Operating Officer, Strike A Pose
Business Profile: Back to Earth Compost
The real business:
A pick-up service for compostable kitchen waste. Customers receive
a bucket for compostable waste, which is collected weekly.
Customers receive a share of the compost to use in their
gardens.
The real story:
Library Guide on Entrepreneurship and
Innovation
Click
here to access the Butler Library Guide on Entrepreneurship and
Innovation.