How in the world can you do it all?

We've got less than a week to go... time is flying by. We're almost done with the vaccinations, although as Nikki alluded to, it's not been an easy time. I think that most of us are getting tired of taking malaria and typhoid pills, not to mention getting flu shots, tetanus shots, and hep A/B injections.

Today, the team sat in on a strategic planning session with one of my small business clients where we spent 2.5 hours facilitating a discussion for the business owners to tell us what is important for them to be working on. The objective of these sessions is to elicit goals that the company would like to meet: for example, marketing, managerial, financial, or procedural goals. Once the goals have been sketched out, the next step is to begin formulating strategies to help in meeting the goals. Every strategy has a tactic and actions that must be developed, budgeted for, and assigned to a specific person or group of people. This is quite a tedious process, but is important to identify the most pressing needs of the company.

What is sometime most overwhelming for an entrepreneur is to realize they need to spend more time working ON their business than IN their business! For instance, an interior designer may really love to do design work, but hate paperwork and record-keeping. Unfortunately the necessary evils of being in business (record-keeping, customer relations, reporting and paying taxes, etc.) require that an entreprenuer either develop systems or hire someone to handle these tasks for them. It's not enough to be a great designer, you have to wear many hats... and to be successful, you have to wear them well!

The Team: Nikki Mitchell

Hey guys! Im still learning how to do everything on here but i thought it would be a good idea to give you a little information about me...

I am a senior Accounting and Finance major at Valdosta State University. I am originally from Valdosta and love the area. I have been involved in SIFE for three years now. I started out as the secretary and as the years have progresses so have my positions. My second year in the organization I was Programs Director and this year I am the President. SIFE is a great organization the gives students opportunities to reach out and help others as well as helping yourself.

I am really looking forward to out trip to Guatemala. I think it will be a very beneficial experience for the people of El Remate, in addition, to VSU SIFE and the SBDC. I know that the process has been very busy lately because our team has faced many unexpected challenges, however, I think that we have an amazing group of individuals heading up this project!

The team: Scott Manley

It may be helpful for those reading the blog to know a little bit about us... here is my "formal" biography:

Before joining the Small Business Development Center, Scott Manley gained extensive experience in the private sector. A former small business owner, he has experience in the fields of retail management, manufacturing, logistics, financial management, and sales management. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with emphasis in Management, as well as a Master of Business Administration, both from Valdosta State University. Mr. Manley serves on the Business Advisory Board of Valdosta State University’s Chapter of Students in Free Enterprise, and on the Economic Restructuring Committee for Valdosta’s Main Street program. He has also served as Chair of Section 1533 of the American Society for Quality, on the Board of Directors of the Quitman/Brooks County Chamber of Commerce, and as a founding member of the Small Business Committee of the Thomasville/Thomas County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Manley is regionally and nationally recognized for his expertise in QuickBooks®, search marketing and optimization, and new product development. In 2006, Mr. Manley was awarded the ASBDC Distinguished Service Award by the Association of Small Business Development Centers, and in 2008, he was recognized as the Georgia SBDC Network's Consultant of the Year. In 2009, he was recognized as the Association of Small Business Development Center's "State Star."

T minus 2 weeks, and counting

This project is led by Scott Manley, Assistant Director of the VSU SBDC and SIFE Business Advisory Board Member, along with Jeff Shipley, SIFE Faculty Advisor. Students participating include Cameron Hoopes, a junior marketing major, and Nikki Mitchell, a senior finance and accounting major and current VSU SIFE president.

Today, Wednesday 11/4, starts the last round of vaccinations. We've already been poked and prodded (several times!), but now must start our oral malaria and typhoid vaccinations. Our little group will depart Valdosta at 5:45 on Wednesday, November 18th. We'll fly to Atlanta, then to Cancun, and finally to Flores, Guatemala, where we will be escorted to Hotel Gringo Perdido outside the village of El Remate. We'll spend the next five days working with the Hotel Gringo Perdido and project Ix-Canaan before returning home on Tuesday, November 24th.