1. Report to Community
4/28/2015

2. Organizational Structure

3. EZ Post Posters
• Self Adhesive
• Customizable
• Reusable
• Eco-friendly

4. • Personal connection to team member
• Factory in New York
• Prints self-adhesive posters
• Eco-friendly latex ink
4

5. Making of EZ Post

6. • Discrepancies in leadership and organization
• Shortage of tasks
• No formal leadership
• Lack of structure
• Lack of commitment/motivation
Growing Pains

7. It Was Easy

8. • Team Issues
• Personal
• Teaching Team
• Selling
• Internal problems
• Structure
Not So Fast!

9. ● “By show of hands, do you think you are ready?”
● “You may be disbanded.”
The Intervention

10. ● Too many poster options
● Teaching staff made us forego B2B
Keep is simple, stupid!

11. EZ Post Gets Funded

12. • Funding took time
• First company to be funded in class
• Upon being funded
• Delay in starting selling after being funded
• Paypal issues
Launching the Business

13. Paypal Issues
• PayPal not working until late February
• 2 weeks of selling lost
• figured out how to make cash sales
• 90% of sales made online through PayPal

14. Finance
• Highs
• Breaking Even
• Expense Under Budget
• Master Sales Sheet
• Lows
• Issues with PayPal
• Changed prices

15. Income Statement
Full Condensed

16. Balance Sheet

17. Cash Statements
Statement of Cash Flows Bank Reconciliation

18. Finance Video

19. The Cash Box Issue
• Lack of communication in getting cash box
• Each party at fault
• No more spamming GroupMe
• Individual messaging better than group messaging
• Led to clearer communication

20. Cradles to Crayons
● EZ Post’s charity recipient
● What they do:
o Donates clothes/necessities to children in need
o Helped 87,000 children last year

21. Cradles to Crayons

22. Expectations vs. Reality
• Sold only in 7 of the 10 expected weeks
• On pace for 159 sales (vs. 160 projected)
22

23. Team member relocation
• Business needs trigger change in roles
• Flexible structure makes it easy
• 3 relatively large departments

24. Department Change

25. Finding my Niche
• Switching department
• Finding perfect fit
• Managing promotional posters

26. Marketing and Sales
• Highs
• FME Fair, CLTP, Reynolds selling
• Selling sessions at business close
• Lows
• Failed marketing techniques

27. Too many papers!

28. Unforeseen Complications
● Printing problems
o Blank sheet on document
o Extra “0” on printing number of flyers
● Promo posters thrown away

29. Technology

30. Online Sales
● 3,308 total pageviews
● 724 unique audience size
o 63 unique buyers (n = 11.5 people)

31. Operations
High
• Streamlining operations process
Low
• Poor image quality
• Unresponsive customers

32. Operations Video

33. Human Resources
● Peer evaluations and One-on-Ones
● Bonding events
o Some more business than bonding
o Last one was a BLAST!!!! (Picture on next slide)

35. Deviation from Launch Plan
● No “mini” posters
o Normal paper used instead
● No promotional raffle
o complications with hanging posters

36. ET&A
● Unique posters
● Creative use of resources
o Local connection to supplier
o Mailroom worker

37. Lessons Learned
• Clear communication is key
• Speak your mind
• No sitting ducks
• Motivation is essential

38. Advice for Future FME Students
● Speak your mind
● Conflict happens
● Direct messaging > Group messaging
● Leaders: motivate the team

39. Advice for Faculty
● Better communication with mentors
● Begin Launch Plan preparation earlier
● Allow teams to have structure before break

40. Bloopers

41. Questions?