Original Work Set-Up and Completion Summary
Objective/Purpose:
Conducting and applying research on the nuances of social entrepreneurship this year, through my Original Work, I hoped to gain enriching experience on applying the business concepts and details I had gained through primary and secondary research in a real-world setting. With entrepreneurship, what better a way to apply technical knowledge than through exploring society through the lens of an entrepreneur? Therefore, I planned to formulate, develop, and execute a complete business proposal and business plan for a potential competitive social enterprise. In addition, as social entrepreneurship differs from business entrepreneurship through the measure of societal impact, I planned on combining my genuine interest in the field of environmental engineering while establishing a potential business idea. Through this intensive research, coupled with appropriate application, I strove the execute a functioning business plan for the Green Bean Co. is an innovative social enterprise that creates a circular economy and reduces greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide by repurposing Spent Coffee Grounds (SCGs) to become a catalyst for new products rather than becoming a harmful pollutant in landfills. This company will serve as a services and product company that will facilitate a sustainable avenue for usage of Spent Coffee Grounds, therefore eliminating the release of harmful pollutants such as methane and carbon dioxide created from the unsustainable degradation of Spent Coffee Grounds in landfills. The company will get the spent coffee grounds, otherwise a wasted byproduct of the coffee-making process, from the local cafes and charge the cafes a monthly fee for this pickup service. Through effective distribution and operational strategy described further in the business plan, the Green Bean Co. will re-purpose the Spent Coffee Grounds as premium agricultural compost and coffee-based fire logs. This way the Spent Coffee Grounds will be repurposed, thereby making profits for the company and avoiding the Spent Coffee Grounds ending up in landfills and contributing negatively to the environment.
This way the Spent Coffee Grounds will be repurposed, thereby making profits for the company and avoiding the Spent Coffee Grounds ending up in landfills and contributing negatively to the environment.
Methodology:
Materials:
The primary materials I utilized while conducting my research in preparation for my Original Work and to complete my Original Work itself were the variety of products and services offered by Google, LinkedIn, the Youth Entrepreneurship Academy of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, and books that discussed leadership and effective management. With the wide reach of Google, it is no surprise that from Google’s search engine to its document and presentation creation software, Google played an integral part in the successful execution of my Original Work. Specifically, I heavily utilized Gmail to communicate with my selected mentors for this year. Through this platform, I was not only able reach out to my mentors but communicate important messages to them. In addition, I heavily utilized Google Docs as this document creating a editing software allowed be to create documents and share them with others in real-time, permitting me to gain helpful and constructive feedback on various components of my detailed business plan. Most importantly, I utilized Google’s search engine to conduct a majority of my secondary research. Whether usage stemmed from Forbes articles or intensive agricultural studies, Google’s search engine served as a vital medium that connected me to valuable outside knowledge that I have continued to implement into my ISM journey. In addition to the various features offered by Google, I was heavily involved on LinkedIn, as a majority of my communication to my mentor, Mr, Phil Dillard, occurred over LinkedIn’s messaging platform. We communicated constructive ideas while Mr. Dillard sent me beneficial studies and documents that could have been used to advance my secondary research. In addition to online communication with my consultant mentor, I had the opportunity to work closely and advance progress on my Original Work through the Youth Entrepreneurship Academy. This intensive program served as an amazing resource for the progress of my work as I was able to collaborate and share my questions, progress, and concerns with qualified mentors on a weekly basis. In addition, the content taught to us in class covered vital components of the business plan and the establishment of an enterprise that aided me in the successful completion of my Original Work. Finally, to tie all components together, lessons I learnt from books such as The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek and The Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki helped me greatly as it added a vital moral system to my business, wherein knowledge acquired form the books could help me guide vital components in my business plan such as pricing, methods of market growth, and marketing strategies. All of these “materials” whether intangible or not, have played vital roles in the development of my research and Original Work.