Basket Weaving 101

 

David Shamah, The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 15, 2004

 

Back in the day, there were two distinct groups attending college – the kids who were studying practical subjects, like accounting and computers, and the kids who were taking the "other" stuff – like basket weaving, jazz, and political science. And sociology.

 

Oh, how we laughed, especially at the basket weavers. Tuition money doesn't grow on trees, after all; the kids who weren't studying practical things, like computer programming, were not only wasting their time. They were being irresponsible, wasting their parent's money, and ours too; sooner or later, they were going to end up as public charges, with the rest of us funding their sub-par roach-infested Section 8  welfare apartment drug-ridden hippie lifestyles.

 

Instead, it's the basket weavers who have ended up subsidizing those with professional degrees! As too many computer industry folks can tell you, 2004 is not 1999, and although the computer business seems to be "coming back," as they say, it's still a far cry from the halcyon days of the Internet era. Unless you're really good at what you do and really lucky to be able to work for a company that is making money, you might find that, the computer industry may in the long run turn out to be far less secure than other industries, as far as you personally are concerned.

 

But the basket weavers and allied artisans, like ceramics makers and glass artists are doing OK, as it turns out. A visit to any of the manifold street fairs or public events we are blessed with, especially around holiday time, is all the evidence you need – there are dozens, if not hundreds of stands selling crafts at each event. And people are buying this stuff; at least some of the folks making and/or marketing these crafts are doing quite well. Ditto for people who know how to sell their skills effectively, whether they write, speak, organize, consult or even program for a living; those who are in business for themselves, whether as full-time work or as a part-time gig, often make more money than employees who work for a regular paycheck, even for the same work!

 

So why doesn't everyone go into business for themselves? Why isn't there a shingle on every house on the street, heralding the product or service supplied by the resident within? Because as anyone who does run their own business will tell you, being an entrepreneur is a challenging, difficult project. True, it can be very rewarding, both financially and personally, but being in charge means never having anyone, other than yourself, to blame if things go wrong. Working for someone else usually automatically means that you are going to get rewarded for your efforts during the hours you work, unless your boss is a real jerk; but when you're on your own, it's all about you, your successes and your failures.

 

Going into business requires a lot of optimism and confidence; you have to believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. And the only way you can be optimistic about the success of your endeavors is when you believe you have what it takes to make it.

 

Although many of us would like to go into business for ourselves, the learning curve, we feel, is steep; for many of us it's too late. Try telling friends that you are seriously thinking about quitting your still-secure job and going into business selling a product or service; if they are really your friends, these people will tell you to think very seriously before you proceed. And you would most likely feel the same, even if you have a business plan that makes sense and enough cast to tide you over until you start making sales. You may have the book smarts and the money, but you don't have the confidence – deep down, you're not really sure you can do it, because you've never really learned how.

 

If only they had taught the Bizworld curriculum when we were in elementary school! With Bizworld, we would have received the skills and training we would have needed to become a success in business. If we can't be big business moguls, at least our kids can, and when they learn business the Bizworld way, they may have a fighting chance in the jungle of the marketplace.

 

Bizworld is a program designed for students in third through eighth grades that will give kids the complete lowdown on how business works. Bizworld is an extremely detailed curriculum that lays out for students exactly what needs to be done, when and how, in order to succeed in business - the friendship bracelet business, to be exact.

 

Bizworld is meant to be taught to groups of at least 10, in school or as part of an informal educational setting, like a youth group. That the authors of the program are extremely serious about making sure that the program is taught effectively is the stipulation you must agree to in order to download the free materials that you promise to file a full report about the effectiveness of Bizworld after the program ends. Bizworld is the brainchild of Tim Draper, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, who has sunk $5 million of his own into the project. The program's sponsors include finance giants like Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney, all uniting in order to train the next generation of capitalists.

 

Part of a good business plan is not leaving anything to chance, ensuring that there are procedures in place for every likely scenario. The Bizworld curriculum is similar; the teacher's guide is very detailed and has provisions for all the steps involved. Covering all the bases is the first lesson of business planning, after all. The four day program is split into specific modules, each running in two-hour sessions; the modules include Design Day, Manufacturing Day, Marketing Day and Finance Day. Students apply for their jobs (a twenty minute activity) before the first activities in Design Day begin; jobs include president of the company and an assortment of vice-presidents, such as one for design, finance, etc. The program tries to emulate every aspect of business the way it is conducted in the real world; for example, each team is supposed to come up with internal corporate cheerleading devices, like slogans, in order to get the troops excited about the product.

 

A big part of business is getting hold of some startup money to get things going, regardless of the business. A visit to the VC (venture capitalist) is important, whether it's for money for bracelets or voice over IP software development. VC funding is an integral part of Bizworld, and part of the training students get is in convincing a possibly reluctant VC to pony up in exchange for stock! During the product development stage, students have to convince a bank to give them a loan for manufacturing – and they go back to the VC for a second round of funding. The VC, the bank, the design team and the administrators are all made up of students, not all of whom, you can imagine, always get along. So, along with the market aspect of business, you get the personality side of it as well; and as too many of us know, a company's future can hinge on which side of the bed the bank's chief loan officer woke up on.

 

The ideal setting for Bizworld is in a multi-class setting, where different groups can compete against each other. The highlight of the program, what will make or break the company, is Marketing Day, where other students and even parents can come in and bargain for the bracelets manufactured by the various competitors. That's where the buying public – ultimately the last word on whether or not a product is going to make it – has its say, and makes sure that students learn their marketplace lessons the hard way. With Bizworld, you'll feel more comfortable with that basket weaving course your kid wants to sign up for – in fact, you might even insist that the go into the field full time!

 

Bizworld is meant for groups in schools or informal education settings. When you use it, you are expected to fill out an evaluation report on a provided form. All the Bizworld materials are free to download (registration required) in PDF format, and are available at http://www.bizworld.org

 

ds@newzgeek.com