Business Club Class T-shirts
Collaborative project // October 2019 - January 2020
A project where my partner and I decided to collaboratively design our school class t-shirts. A process from designing to getting it approved to promote the product, organizing the orders to communicating with the suppliers, and lastly delivery and management. Overall, an incredible experience!
CAS LEARNING OUTCOMES:
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Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
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Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
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Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
INVESTIGATION:
During my junior year, I joined the Business club, which was newly introduced in Wells. The business club's goal was to make products and Wells merchandise customized for Wells Students like stickers of Wells logo and hoodies. I was drawn to this club because as a business student I saw an opportunity to work independently and gain business experience as well as enhance my thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Hence, I immediately signed up for this club. We were assigned to present an idea or project that we have in mind for promoting Wells products. My friend and I thought of class t-shirts as there are many customized t-shirts that Wells has with each club having its t-shirts but there were no class t-shirts. Therefore, we arrived to take responsibility for the class t-shirts. I was thrilled about this as this project will give me a small-scale experience of a business, its finances, and most importantly management.
PREPARATION:
Before presenting, we had to learn at what price students will buy and what are their preferences. My partner, Nantisha, and I contacted other clubs for an estimated average cost of a t-shirt. Moving on to colors, we observed that students liked black, white, and navy blue colors because they were simple and matched well with the school bottoms. After this, Nantisha and I divided up the work into 3 sections which were designing, supply, and delivery. I was in charge of designing so I made a few digital designs and asked the leaders for feedback. I was trying to make a design that was simple and eyecatching. This is the first time, I was designing a t-shirt and it was a new skill that I learned. Designing the shirt was easy but a lot of things to take into consideration like to make sure that the design will look similar on the t-shirt, there won't be a lot of difference for different sizes and a design in which the majority of the people will like and most probably order. Therefore, I made a design that was simple with the school's logo at the front and the graduating year at the back with a graduation hat and the school's name.
ACTION:
After the presentation, the leaders were supportive of the idea and carried on with getting the designs approved by a teacher. Once the idea and designs were approved, Nantisha and I saw an opportunity to promote the idea during our International Day booth. We believed that this will be helpful to understand if we have good amount of buyers to proceed with contacting the supplier. We displayed the presentation in the booth where students were free to have a look and ask questions. We saw a very positive response during International day with students showing interest, asking about the prices, measurements, and sizes. Hence, Nantisha contacted a supplier and we communicated regarding the prices, quality, and sizes. Following on, we made a google form with all the required questions like the graduating year, size, and the choice of design. The form was later posted in our school group at the selling price of 270 baht. We received about 30 orders. A few weeks after placing the order, the t-shirts were completed and we handed them out. The challenging part was making sure it is the right color and the right size being handed out to the right person. Alongside, keeping track of the finances and the delivery. This was a new experience which developed my management and communication skills.
REFLECTION:
This was a total of 1.5 months-long process, from initiating the idea, to getting it approved, promoting the idea, placing the order, delivering them, and finally wrapping up the finances. I got a new experience that taught me that a small task takes so much time and effort. I had the freedom to do what I want, which made this project more fun rather than something I was commanded to do. There were many problems such as miscalculations in the payments, deliveries of the wrong order, and the quality of the t-shirt print wasn't great therefore getting it printed again. I learned how to communicate effectively to the suppliers addressing the issues as well as the students to wait for their t-shirt. As a learner, three essential things I learned is how to work collaboratively and independently, communicate effectively, and management of responsibility to overcome problems. One of the best feelings was when the people who didn't order in the first round are requesting a second round.
DEMONSTRATION:
At the end of this project, I felt productive and proud of myself. This project taught me many skills applicable to grow mentally and academically. This experience made me realize that I want a career in business with few components from media, fashion, art, and digital art. I want to pursue business with elements from media and fashion. I look forward to applying the skills I developed such as problem-solving skills, how to initiate a new idea, management skills, communication skills, and organization skills. This experience and skills will guide me to be a better, independent, and innovative individual and businesswoman.