First off holy smokes 2 weeks left...oh how time flys!!

What is working/How do you feel the project is coming?

Well I can say that the pressure is on. After a goof up last week with my computer it really threw me behind, but I have managed to keep up so far and I'm still in a good spot as we wrap things up. I had to make a decision on taking on my last commission earlier this week so that was bitter sweet as I wanted to adjust my focus appropriately so that I could do all of the final work that is needed for my courses.

What is not working?

Overall everything seems to be going well now!!

What are you learning about a business/What are you learning about yourself?

What is working/how do you feel the project is coming?

Overall everything is still going great in terms of the business and im beginning to really wrap things up and setting deadlines so I will have time to focus on the end of term projects as we are quite close to the finish line now.

What is not working?

Well...I lost a huge majority of my work as my laptop that I do my schooling on suspiciously stopped working, wouldn't even turn on or function and with that I lost a lot of my progression work that I had saved over the course of this period. (Hense the later than usual posting) as I had to quickly go purchase another laptop, I was able to restore some stuff from it that was saved in emails etc but it really ruined my week not only for this course but all of my others as well.

What are you learning about running a business/what are you learning about yourself?

What is working/how do you feel the project is coming?

This week was a little more difficult then most to time manage, but overall it is still going very well. I find that with a bit more focus being given in the course to really try and push sales and take what we have learned is really giving a great idea at what this would be like to run outside of schooling which is awesome.

What is not working?

As previously stated this week has been a little difficult with time management but that seems to be a off and on issue. I feel as though its unavoidable with the amount of different things going on in life. But I have found ways to better deal with it as time goes on.

What are you learning about running a business/what are you learning about yourself?

What is working/How do you feel the project is coming?

I'd hate to repeat myself after another week but...Everything is great! The project continues to amaze me and the progression of where I was beginning to now is astounding in general.

What is not working?

I've had a fairly hiccup free week this week, everything seems to be going well. I have solved my problem from last week of feeling really sluggish and drained by spending 1 whole day recouping from work and the business and school and that seems to be exactly what I needed.

What are you learning about running a business/what are you learning about yourself?

What is working/how do you feel the project is coming?

Everything remains the same in terms of the concept and everything is still working for what I am doing. I feel like the project is still continuing to grow and exceed my expectations as well as I am finding myself more and more enjoying it as time goes on through this process.

What is not working?

This week has been the hardest week in terms of staying on top of everything, the work/life balance is getting hard to manage currently as I have a few large projects and assignments for school going at once as well as my fulltime regular job has seemed to pick up more which means less time for school. A few sleepless nights and a loooot of coffee is keeping me afloat for now but I know that I need to start letting off some pressure somewhere as I know that I will eventually and inevitably burn out.

What are you learning about running a business/what are you learning about yourself?

What is working/how do you feel the project is coming?

So far I am luckily still feel like my concept and idea is holding up, the longer thought I put into it and the more feedback I get the more I am able to grow and see where I am going. The project itself is still very intriguing to me which "keeps the spirit alive" and allows me to have a lot of passion behind it as well as I learn and continue.

What is not working?

On the flip side of that I seem to have hit a small snag in my travel, I had my first client recently that I had to refuse the idea as I could not do what they wanted. While that sounds a bit frightening the reasoning behind it was because what they were asking for was not something that I felt confident that I could achieve within a set budget and being open and honest to them I gave them alternative options to the original idea they wanted. I saved the sale! But also it was a good experience have as I hadn't experienced it thus far.

What are you learning about running a business/ what are you learning about yourself?

Holy smokes we've come so far. Seeing a start up business unfold from a idea floating around in my head to a actual thing is both daunting and absolutely thrilling at the same time. Now to answer some questions...

What is working?/How do you feel the project is coming?

To be completely honest everything is working thus far at this point. Tweaks along the way, idea changes here and there, but it is working in what I am considering a successful manner both for my personal growth and for the development in the program as well. I feel very achieved in how far I've come and that is very rewarding especially in having to take so much unknown leaps of faith.

What is not working?

Well somethings that are still being tweaked is how am I going to expand from here and what I want to offer in terms of pieces etc. A creative mind leaves a lot of space for a whirlwind of ideas. Making it sometimes difficult to really focus on one solidified idea and be able to "advertise" only one thing.

What are you learning about running a business?/What are you learning about yourself?

After reviewing the sources available, personally in this stage of my business I would go through a Angel Investor or a Bank loan if needed. My reasoning behind this is because when looking through the other options in investors a lot of them are looking for large investments, bigger turn around and profit margin, or are looking to invest into businesses more technology based. Although there are risks with a Angel investor such as: Relationship tension, needing to give up a business percentage etc. I know that in my personal situation I have that resource available if needed. My second decision of Bank loans is because bank loans often have a lot of options for amounts, interest rates, and can break up the repayments quite easily and usually don’t have a lot of hefty requirements as long as you are in good financial status.

Purchasing Products/Gaining resources:

A few things have changed since we first started this journey, at first I was convinced on doing both physical copies (pen and paper) and digital copies for no contact providing. HOWEVER, honestly since Covid has been such a life changer for myself and many others around the world I have decided to switch to FULLY digital. Meaning unless something that I have already currently have breaks...I have no further "products" to purchase unless I decided to upgrade (which would be much...much more then a $50 investment) or change what I am offering. My resource search continues as I gain more and more knowledge everyday regarding what's available locally in my area to really help push and see what's available in terms of advertising opportunities etc. So my seed money can go into different aspects in helping my push my content and other matters.

Licensing and Permits:

Again (not so thank you) due to Covid another thing that has been impacted is traveling, lockdowns on and off, business fronts being closed. Proving my decision that where I belong is in a spot where I am: comfortable, free-minded, relaxed and able to focus is at HOME. Meaning I would not need to build, or rent a space, or invest in a property. However this would take me into moving to a online contactless offering only. With that being said there are still rules and regulations you need to have when operating a "E-buisness" as found on the canadian goverment website a lot of the rules and laws that apply to regular commerce also apply within E buisnesses. These are things that need to really be paid attention to in order to avoid issues in the future and set up for success.

Overall Vision:

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Strengths:

Since I was 16 I've worked in the vast universe of Customer Services, from waitressing to big box retail I've explored a few different areas and although hair pulling to say the least at times it gave me and is giving me the opportunity to gain a lot of experience in...people. Customer service issues, how to help others in a professional manner, problem solving, communication, how to work in and manage a team, all skills that I use everyday in and out of the workplace. Another strength is that I am very much driven to grow and expand my skillset and learn new things when given the chance to so I will never say no to a challenge and give my best effort.

Weaknesses: