What I did today
16 Junio, 2010I knew exactly which career path I wanted to take when I graduated college in 1994. I had decided in my junior year that I wanted to eventually own my own retail business. A Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in General Business seemed to be the education I would need to accomplish my goal. Majoring in general business would allow me to take a wide variety of business courses that would give me the knowledge and preparation I would need to run all aspects of a business.
As a General Business major, I was required to take courses in accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, general management, production/operations management, business law, business ethics, statistics, and economics. I also opted to take some psychology and industrial psychology courses. Though there have been some changes in these areas of study in the past sixteen years since my graduation, the fundamentals have all basically stayed the same. I've been able to apply the knowledge I gained back then, to the work that I do now.
After several years of working in retail management for three chain stores and working as an office manager for a staffing agency, I opened my own internet-based retail shop in the fall of 2008. It is a different type of business than what I had envisioned in college. Back then, I assumed I would run a brick and mortar establishment. The internet had not yet blossomed into what it is today and I could not even have imagined all the opportunities that the explosion of the world wide web would present to me. Even though the business environment is very different than what I had thought it was going to be, I still find that the skills and knowledge I acquired through earning my business degree shape the way I run my business today.
The marketing and accounting courses I took have proved to be the most valuable to me in the day to day operations of my business. I take the marketing basics that I learned back then and apply them to the business world of 2010. For example, the courses I took in marketing emphasized how important it was to understand exactly who my customer is and to target my advertising towards that particular group of people. It sounds simple; however, many an entrepreneur fails because they don't take the time to truly understand who their target customers are, what they need, and how to gear advertising toward that particular group. It's taken a few “hits and misses” for me, but I've found that staying focused on a particular customer group has helped me find my niche in a very competitive retail world. I save money and time by targeting the specific group that will actually buy my products!
The accounting courses that I took, naturally, help me with my favorite task: tracking how much profit I make! The accounting software is a bit more advanced than back then, but the basics are the same. Having the introduction to accounting procedures and software back in the early 90's has made it much easier for me to jump right into the program I use today. It also made me acutely aware of how important it is to know exactly where your business stands financially.
I am really glad that I chose the academic path that I did so many years ago! The knowledge that I gained from earning a BBA degree, has helped me greatly in the work I do today. It gave me the skills and confidence to open my own business and manage it successfully!
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Posted by Corey Combs


