Final Wrap up – July 26th, 2014

This is it; the end of my internship and the final blog post pertaining to it.  There has been a lot of time and a lot of energy put into this internship and the things that I have learned along the way.  I feel as though I am a part the shop family.  There have been many times that the owners and their significant others have gone out of their way to help me out, and they genuinely care.  I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a part of the Beyond Boundaries family.

Branching Outside the Walls – July 22nd, 2014

Being in the shop almost every day gives me the blessings of getting to know many people and develop a relationship with them.  These relationships don’t just stay within the walls of the shop.  The people that come into the shop are people from the community that I live in.  These are people that you see every day.  Saying this, I had the opportunity to help out a customer who I have developed a relationship with in the shop.  These friends were moving, and I have my truck.  What better way to help out a friend than to utilize the truck.  I was able to spend a day helping out this friend, deepening the relationship we have, and hopefully showing that our relationship is more than just surface deep.

Week 7 Wrap Up – July 19th, 2014

This was a very busy week.  Blake and I have been going through our catalogs and looking into what products that we want to carry in the Spring of 2015.  Yes, I know that this seems like we are doing orders way too far in advance, but that is just the way the process works if you want to get terms for the items you order and so that you know you will have the product before the season begins.

The orders are not completely a walk in the park to do.  There are many factors that go into deciding what you are going to carry in store.  We looked through what we had sold of certain items the previous year.  We looked at how long certain items and even sizes stayed on the shelves.  We have to take into consideration the amount of space we have available and even the amount of money we have to spend.  One of the things that I brought to the attention of the owners was that we had some stuff in shop that was too technical, and thus too pricey, for the area that we cater to.  Sure we will have an occasional person that is looking to buy a nice down 20 degree sleeping bag for $299, but by and large you will be better suited stocking bags that are around the $100 range, because there is actually a need for that in this area.  If you can sell four $100 in a few months, that would be way better than only selling one $300 bag.  This means that you have a higher amount of cash flow, and stock flow.  You will not just have product sitting on your shelves for a year waiting on that one person who is planning a trip up in the mountains somewhere.

Relationships pt.2 – July 15th, 2014

I thought I might share another story with you about how running your business as a mission creates relationships.  I was able to talk with a man that has done a lot of hiking and backpacking in his life.  He has done a lot of stuff that I have done and we were able to share in those experiences.  Our stories turned into sharing what big adventures we have planned for our future.  Talking about our big adventures led to talking about the blessings God has given us.  This conversation went on about God for a while.  This was a very spiritually uplifting conversation for both of us.

Week 6 Wrap Up – July 12th, 2014

This week we celebrated the Beyond Boundaries’ Anniversary!  That’s right, the boys have had the shop up and running for 1 year now!  It’s been an exciting week at the shop.  We have gotten new inventory in.  We have gotten to see and talk with many awesome people that we get to cultivate a relationship with.  It all culminated today with a large celebration at the shop in which we offered a sweet discount to our loyal customers and broke out the grill.  Also Chance came back for the celebration.  I have not seen him since he left for his job down in Texas about 3 weeks ago.  It was great to get to see and catch up with him.

Relationships – July 8th, 2014

I have been told multiple times before that “It is all about relationships.”  This especially comes into play in a store that puts an effort into really getting to know their customers.  As Beyond Boundaries looks at seeing their business as a mission, they see that many opportunities come from the relationships they have with the people that come into the store.

I am going to tell you of one of the interactions I was able to have with a customer.  One day I was running the shop alone and had an older lady come in to simply just look at getting some insoles for her shoes.  So I helped her as best as I could getting the right size and telling her what the product is supposed to do.  Well she came inside to buy the insoles and saw a globe that we have up for decoration and asked if she could buy it.  I informed her that we just had it up for decoration and that we were not selling it, but I did ask what she wanted it for.  She told me that her granddaughter had recently been doing some traveling abroad and she was looking to get a globe to keep track of where she has been.  We ended up talking about her and her granddaughter and how they had taken trips down to Honduras to do some mission work.  I then was able to share with her the experiences I had in Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Peru.  This was a very great conversation.  I ended up asking her to give my information to her granddaughter, who is a Junior at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  Maybe 3 hours later I get a friend request on Facebook from someone that I don’t know.  I asked who she is and she informs me that I did not know her, but that her grandmother had insisted that she contacted me.  So this led to a great conversation between me and the granddaughter; talking about the things we had done, what we had learned, and what our future plans are.  And remember all of this stemmed from a lady inquiring about a globe.

Week 5 Wrap Up – July 6th, 2014

I have been searching for a pattern in how much foot traffic and sales that we get during the week.  Every time I think that I may have figured out a pattern, something changes and I am just totally wrong.  The reality of business is that you are going to have up days and down days.  Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for sales not to be coming.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of time.  You just have to stay above water and wait until your back on top.

Since this week was the week of the 4^th of July, we had decent sales all week.  Friday, the fourth, was a really slow day though.  So slow that I ended up closing early and we just stayed closed on Saturday as well.  I am hoping this next week will get us back on the up and up.

New Line – July 1st, 2014

We have a new product line that is going to be coming into the store this next season.  We are super excited about getting this new product line in.  The way that things work with carrying certain brands and products in the store is that you have to climb a “brand ladder”. You basically have to work your way up through the brands.  Some companies are more exclusive in where their products are carried, so it takes a little while to gather enough companies to prove to them that your business is worth carrying their brand.  This new brand we will be carrying is one that is more exclusive and it will serve as a huge stepping stone to get to the next brand. 

Week 4 Wrap Up – June 29th, 2014

Inventory has been completed!  It was a long process, but we have finished it.  Now as a weekly way to update the inventory, we will look at our register and update the numbers based on what we sold the last week.

This week was pretty slow as well, which aided in us completing the inventory.  Our rental program has really taken off in the last month.  Ever since we have gotten into renting out kayaks, we have rented them out every weekend and some week days.  There is a potential for expanding upon this in the future if rentals continue to stay at the level that they are.

In the Groove – June 24th, 2014

I feel very confident about being in the shop now.  I have had a little over 3 weeks of working full time now.  I know the inventory well.  I know how to sell what we have.  I know the process of most everything we do now.  The owners listen to me and respect the ideas and opinions that I have, which I am very appreciative of.  The guys have made it really comfortable for me to be working alongside them.

Week 3 Wrap Up – June 21st, 2014

Where have all the people gone?  This has been the slowest week.  I don’t understand how we can go from an absolutely amazing week to a slow week like this one.  I feel like we have had maybe 10 people a day come into the store.  That averages out to just about 1 person an hour.

Having all this free time has given me and one of the owners a chance to really make some headwind into the new inventory system we were making for the shop.  With all the free time that we had, we may have gotten through a little over half of the inventory.  Next week we will press on and try to finish up the inventory.

Mondays – June 16th, 2014

Mondays are the days that I have devoted into a new business venture that I am getting into with one of the owners of Beyond Boundaries.  I have set up a workspace and spend most of my Mondays working there.  Since we are starting this thing from the ground up, it is taking much time and effort to do the research for production.  I am still in the process of creating our product based on the end idea that we have.  Our goal as owners was to have a product ready for packaging by the end of the summer.  I am not so sure we will be completely at that point by then, but we will press on towards that goal.

Week 2 Wrap Up: Now We’re talking – June 14th, 2014

This week has been an amazing week in the shop.  We had a lot of foot traffic all week; which I like because that gives me the chance to meet a lot of new people and keeps me busy.  Friday rolls around and I am out talking with one of the customers in the morning.  He seems interested in the kayaks so I do my best to help him out. (Side note:  Kayaks have been the hardest thing for me to help customers with the last couple weeks.  They are probably the thing that I knew the least about in the shop.  So I spent a large portion of my down time researching and learning about kayaks.)  He said that he was looking at getting kayaks for both him and his wife.  When I asked what he was looking for the kayaks to do, he let me know that he was looking for one that he could use for fishing.  I showed him a couple models that we had that I thought would do the job for him.  I then told him which one I would think would be better and the one I would get if I was in his shoes.  He ended up deciding that he was going to get the higher end model for himself and get his soon to be fiancé the other one, but he was going to have to convince his fiancé and get here to agree.  He said he would come back later.  I then went and made a deal with Blake that if I was able to sell 2 boats that day then he would pay me the equivalent of a full day of work, if I was able to sell them then he would get a day off that I would just work the shop.  Win-win for him.  They came back later that day and I convinced them to get both of the higher end ones, because that’s what they both really wanted.  These kayaks have been in the shop since Beyond Boundaries opened.  The owners have yet to even be able to sell one of them.  I just 2 upped them, and earned a good reward in the process.  Bragging rights are mine for now!

Your Time to Shine – June 10th, 2014

It’s the beginning of week 2, and still feeling new to the whole thing.  I worked Saturday and today, Tuesday, on my own since the owners were out doing a rafting trip in Tennessee.  On Saturday I had a guy come in that was really interested in buying a Kayak.  We had recently received a new shipment of boats in that included the kayaks that we were going to use for our new rental fleet.  In this fleet we got a tandem boat that was exactly what this customer was wanting.  He ended up taking it out for a rental on the weekend and he said that if he liked it he would just come back without the boat and buy it.  Tuesday rolls around and this customer comes in.  I saw he was in a small vehicle and I asked him, “so you liked the kayak?”  He told me yes and then he ended up buying the boat from me.  Good start to the week I would say.

First Week Wrap Up – June 7th, 2014

This week has been fairly slow in the shop generally.  Friday the business picked up a little and we had more foot traffic come through the shop.  I have already been working here for a while but there is quite a different dynamic now that I am in the shop most every day.

The dynamic I am talking about is that the owners both are definitely in charge, but they already entrust me with the shop and the inner workings and knowledge about the store.  I feel like I am being well respected for someone who only has little experience and training within the business world.  I am definitely what you would call a newbie still.

Transition

It has been a smooth transition for me into the Beyond Boundaries family. Since I have already spent a lot of time interacting with the guys here, it has made it pretty simple to get into the groove. I have already manned the store by myself multiple times and have been able to sell a good amount while I have been working here.

This morning we had a large group come and rent 6 kayaks from us who were part of a church group. So we started off the morning with getting all of the kayaks and other gear all ready to go. Took a bit of doing, but we got them off with everything they needed to go enjoy a couple days on the water.

Business has been pretty slow besides that the last couple days.  Not exactly sure why that is since the last four weeks we have done pretty well as a shop.  We are hoping a few new things, like our new Chacos we just started carrying, will attract more customers into the shop.

Here We Go

Tomorrow I begin my internship with Beyond Boundaries Outdoor and Adventure.  Much Preparation has gone into this internship.  I have attended weekly meetings with the Beyond Boundaries owners to get to know one another and to make sure that we are on the same page as we get into the internship almost all this last semester.  My plan is to work 25-30 hours per week in store that I will be compensated for.  I will be learning the business and will be installing a new inventory system while I am there.  I will also be putting time into a new business venture with one of the BB owners.  More details will come on that as we get further into our production.  I have already put in a lot of time into this business venture during this last semester and will continue to do so.  I am incredibly excited to get into the meat of this internship and truly begin what we have been preparing for for the last few months.

Photo Creds: Beyond Boundaries Outdoor and Adventure Facebook Page

Caption: "Meet the newest BB team member! And in typical BB fashion, you aren't part of the team unless you have a kayak on your ride. His name: Parker!"

Old Place, New Opportunities

This summer I will be doing an internship in the glorious and highly regarded Searcy, AR.  Yes, I know, this is quite different from the other opportunities I have been presented with in the past.  I do believe though that this is just one more step in the plan that God has for me and that wherever I am God will use me to further his Kingdom.

My internship will be at Beyond Boundaries on Main St. in downtown Searcy.  “Beyond Boundaries Outdoor & Adventure is a retail/adventure store looking to make a positive impact on the local community. We intend to provide the highest quality outdoor recreation gear as well as specialty running shoes and apparel.”  This is a description of the store by the owners.

Photo Credit: Beyond Boundaries owners Blake and Chance

I am incredibly excited to get to be a part of this company for the summer.  I have always been a big outdoors guy and have interest in starting my own business one day.  This internship caters exactly to those interests of mine.  Beyond Boundaries has currently only had its doors open for about 6 months.  So this company is incredibly new.  This will give me the opportunity to see some of the process and potential problems and accompanying solutions to starting and maintaining a small business in its early stages of development.  A large portion of the owners emphasis is being placed on the community and building relationships with anyone who walks through their door.  This can potentially provide me opportunities to get out of the “Harding bubble” and into the community that is within just a few blocks from my school.  Also, it will provide a way of looking at how someone can help with urban development economically.

This last weekend, all the interns who will be going out this summer through the NiMa program, like myself, and a group of students in Outreach America were able to participate in a workshop presented by Marvin Crowson and his wife at HUT.  This workshop was designed to aid and develop our communication skills.  Effective communication is key in being an effective team.  These skills that were refined during the weekend will not only help me in my communication with the owners of Beyond Boundaries, but it will also aid me in my communication with any group or team that I need to work with.  As I continue with this semester, I will be striving to go ahead and develop a relationship with both of the owners, Blake and Chance. of Beyond Boundaries so we can already have some basis and experience of communicating effectively with one another.

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