embraceawesomeness-blog
Embrace Your Awesomeness
We are four open-minded, young and yet to be challenged in various venture projects SSE Riga students. Came together as a group of strangers - now we are a team !
Kipras Binkauskas, Anna Plaudiņa, Michelle Shehurina, Sandis Smilts
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EYA culture !
It is now time to say goodbye to EYA team, let us tell you a bit more about our team! There were some basic rules we tried to follow - the most important were to listen to each other and to help one and other whenever it was needed. It did not even have to be something related to LOE, it was also Math and spending some free time together. Communicating in Skype will definitely stay in our memories for quite of time, as it is challenging to listen(read) to more than one person at the time. And well drawing posters in the lobby :) Our teams inner culture may not have been perfect on managing the time and dividing responsibilities but we were all learning, hopefully those things we learned will be valuable to our future teams !
Sincerely yours, :)
Michelle, Anna, Kipras, Sandis !
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We call it idea cup! http://www.mooz.lv/en - inspiration is one click from were you are !
#LOE2012
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Panel on resources with creative personalities !
Last but not least guest lecture of this week is approaching. We are going to have a panel discussion and the guests are:
Edgars Skulte is the Member of the Board at Drošas Braukšanas Skola and Chief Executive Officer and Partner at DDB Latvia.
His past experiences involve being a Marketing Manager and Partner at Auto Riga and Freelance Journalist at Motoring and Formula 1.
Edgars Skulte is currently studying at Berlin School of Creative Leadership and has studied Business Management at University of York.
We would like to ask our guest following questions:
1) Are there industries that require higher expenditures on advertising?
2) Is your field related to creative thinking and experimenting or is it more of a following certain guidelines?
3) How does your past experience helped in developing DDB?
4) Have your worked with venture capitalists and if so what are the details that would be useful for start-ups?
This might be interesting - http://www.dbs.lv/en/
We will also have a guest lecturer economist Janis Oslejs who has founded company "Primekss Group". He is also a co-owner and Member of the Board in this company. Company branches in seven countries.
Janis Oslejs is also the Member of the Board and a co-owner of MolPort.com radosumapils.lv, which is related to charity.
We would like to ask Janis Oslejs:
1) What are the industries that could be most attractive for young entrepreneurs to start a venture in?
2) How important for your company is the export of your production?
3) related to previous question - how possible it is for the company to develop if only Latvian market is approached?
4) Is it essential for the entrepreneur to understand and know all the technical tools regarding his product?
Last but no least we have Eriks Stendzenieks who is the Director of the Board of Latvian Art Directors Club. He is also Creative Director at !MOOZ, which is creative advertising agency.
Eriks Stendzenieks has an EMBA in Creative Leadership of Berlin School of Creative Leadership and MACD in Communications Design of St.Martin's College.
There are questions we would like to ask Eriks Stendzenieks as well:
1) What is the main sources of advertising that have the most impact on audiences?
2) How these tendencies on how to approach customer has changed during past decade?
3) What are the cornerstones of !MOOZ?
4) Do you prefer to go along with society's attitude or do you prefer changing views and thus risking?
#LOE2012
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Let us welcome our guest !
Today we will have a lecture on resourcing! We look forward to meeting our guest lecturer Martins Jaunarajs.
He is currently Investment Director at AS"BaltCap" and Chairmen of Council at Citadele Asset Management
Director of:
SIA Primekss
SIA Agroup
SIA Vendon
Clusterpoint Limited
He holds M.A. in Business Administration of University of Latvia.
His work experience is diverse as previously until year 2010 he was a Senior Vice President and Global Head of Capital Markets and Investment Banking Division at Parex Banka.
His has also been the Head of Corporate Sales in Financial Markets division of Hansabanka
We would like to ask Martins Jaunarajs a few questions:
1) What is the percentage of total presented projects that gains financial support from AS"BaltCap"?
2) Do you agree that today it is harder to create more "trustful" business idea than it was 5-10 years ago?
3) What are the pluses and minuses of being a director of a several companies at the time?
4) What is essential for a new start up to attract investors attention - is is idea or the team that matters the most?
#LOE2012
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Guest lecture it is !
Tomorrow we will have three guest lecturers and a panel on resourcing. Sounds promising, doesn't it? And maybe we will even perform a pitch to get a valuable opinion. Meet our guests. Zane Culkstena.
She is currently a M.A. degree candidate at Columbia University in the New York.
Until 2010 she has been the director of kim?, Latvian Contemporary Art Museum.
While working at kim? she has found employees and over 100 volunteers to help in this project in the long term relationship.
She has previously worked as strategic and account director at DDB Worldwide Latvia. Her education is as following:
University of Sussex M.A. degree in Media and Culture Studies
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga B.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration.
We would like to ask Zane Culkstena questions:
1. Are there any room for business in Arts world and vice-versa?
2. Does creating and running exhibitions while working at kim? was challenging for you who previously worked at Marketing and Advertising industry?
3. What attracts volunteers to get involved in these sort of projects?
4. Can volunteering and fundraising become one of the main resources of a new company?
We will also have Maksims Kargins as a guest lecturer. He is a board member of MiniCredit.
Questions for our guest lecturer:
1. What are those qualities investors are looking for in start-ups and new business ventures?
2. Would you suggest taking credit our attract an investor in order to proceed a new business venture?
3. Do you consider entrepreneurs from Latvia inventors?
4. What would be your advise for us as students who have to build a profitable company?
Last but not the least is our guest lecturer Toby Moore.
Toby Moore is a manager of Imprimatur's investment activities in The Baltic and Nordic countries as well as in the St.Petersburg.
He is currently a banker in EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and the director of Baltic Sea Region in Imprimatur Capital.
He has before leaded ERBD's actions in Latvia.
Toby Moore is also a founder of the Latvian Venture Capital Association.
Regarding his education:
M.A. in Biochemistry (Durham University in United Kingdom)
B.Sc. in Biochemistry (Adelaude University in Australia)
We would like to ask Toby Moore questions:
1. What are the qualities investors seek in young entrepreneurs?
2. Are entrepreneurs of Latvia innovative in enough to face world's competition?
3. Is cooperation between entrepreneurs of the Baltics developed enough?
4. Why did you choose to work in the following field?
#LOE2012
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Guest Lecture of Juris Grišins
Today we are looking forward to meet our guest lecturer Juris Grišins. He is an investment manager who is currently:
Board member at Latvian Venture Capital Association
Board member at Clusterpoint
Board member at Accenta
Board member at Livonia print
Board member at Pharmedia
Board member at DiaMed
Board member and Fund manager at Eko Investors
managing a new-concept investment bank Capitalia
Capitalia focuses on transaction advisory for small and medium ventures in Latvia. He is also the owner of the company.
He specializes in investment banking, asset management, valuations and venture capital. It is outstanding how he have worked on transactions as investment banker with wide range of values - from 10th to 100m euros.
Regarding other position that is venture capital, Juris Grišins has invested 9m euros in more than 15 countries.
Last but not least is the the member of the board of the SSE Riga Mentor Club.
We would like to ask our guest following questions:
1. Does the specific business implement particular business model strategies?
2. What are the common pitfalls that investors with less experience make?
3. What is the message you have learned while being the part of SSE Riga Mentor Club?
4. What are the business sectors that attract the most attention from investors, both those from the Baltic's and world itself?
http://lv.linkedin.com/in/jurisgrisins
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Business design
Tomorrow we are having two guest lecturers performing on topic of Business design.
Jānis Bergs is the Chairmen of the board of SIA FMS
SIA FMS Group
Member of the board and CEO of SIA FMS Software
He is co-founder and a shareholder FMS Group.
FMS (Financial Management Solutions) Group provides companies and organizations with financial and business management systems and solutions for business analyses.
He is also a lecturer on business at Riga Business School MBA program.
Jānis Bergs previously has been a CEO at MicroLink. and has invested in star-up companies such as Cherry Media.
1. Why is it necessary to divide FMS group in several various companies? Does it allow you to structure your work and work more efficiently?
2. Do you feel pressure of your competitors in your business market?
As previously mentioned there is another guest to come. Alan Benson is the Exeter Business School lecturer in management.
He has previously worked as a Senior Management Consultant and a Senior Management Accountant.
In the year of 2005 he gained his PhD for his thesis regarding regional business failure.
His work was published in the Environment & Policy-C Journal and International Journal of Behavioral Accounting & Finance.
1. What have you learned from your students?
2. How much key management tendencies changed over the last twenty years?
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And no worries about the quality ! We checked - You won't loose those signatures ;) #LOE2012
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The Most Special ThermoCups You could ever get !
There is past and there is present ! We prefer to stick to the future. So we continued brainstorming after creating a business idea and well, we created a new one !
We offer you ThermoCups (LVL 4) - signed by SSE Riga faculty and staff. You do all remember cheerful video from Maija Pole ! Now YOU can get a cup signed by her - ain't it gonna make your every morning a little bit brighter?! And that tea/coffee can make you little less sleepy and morning lectures more enjoyable ;)
We are lucky to have SSE Riga academic library because of it's tremendous collection of materials and the amazing Librarian Christopher who is always willing to help. Now You can get ThermoCup signed by him and look really Smart ;)
There are four more cups signed by SSE Riga faculty to come ! So don't miss Your Chance to get ThermoCup signed by those who created the school and by those who make it's brand last ! SSE Riga is about people!
And there is one more good thing to come - We will donate our profit to SSE Riga Alumni donation platform - Soros Auditorium renovation, so don't hesitate!
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ThermoCups . They have just been bought and don't know yet that they were chosen to be something special !
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Floating Ideas
There is no way better than challenging yourself to understand your limits ! During last week we took a small insight of that by our Shot Cafe assignment. But that was the last week.
This week the pressure has grown - we have to create an actual business venture. Here is how it goes ->
We went through loads of ideas starting from T-shirts to lottery. In short at the beginning there were T-shirts with certain text which should be a surprise -> paper lamination -> flasks -> and finally a lottery -> which this very evening turned into the raincoats. I guess the inspiration was the sound of the rain in Soros auditorium
It may happen that you have an idea which at the beginning seems to work out and be productive, but there already is an lamination services in SSE Riga and those flasks turned out to be way to much expensive. Well, lottery.. It was that sound of the rain on the other side of the window and clear it was. Raincoats.
"Weather doesn't matter if you are from SSE Riga"!
Since You are in Latvia, dear Y1,2,3 and Autumn is coming you will need a raincoat to enjoy being outside and running around in the rain (I mean running to school in the rain, most likely).
With this project we mainly want to promote our idea that it is awesome when it rains and it is awesome to be SSE Riga students.
???
But. Apparently as we created even more designs we started thinking if our ideas would better look on T-shirt or on raincoats. And which design do you think is attractive enough for SSE Riga student to wear? We would like to hear your opinions and have some feedback.
#LOE2012 SSE #Report
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Walk for Opportunity
Today there will be the first time in Laboratory of Entrepreneurship when three guest lecturers is going to share their experiences with us - Y1 of SSE Riga. It is a list of astonishing guest lecturers. More importantly, not all of them, being high-class entrepreneurs, have the business education. But they definitely have an experience worth sharing when it comes to Business Opportunity.
ZoFA Woman Footwear 2011 LADY WADER
Elina Dobele
is an architect and designer
creator and owner of footwear design company ZoFA (www.zofa.lv)
ZoFA is the winner of International Young Design Entrepreneur (IYDE) Award 2011
footwear of Zofa is 100% hand made.
http://www.zofa.lv/
Do you look on everyday life things (comfort things) surrounding us as of the pieces of art?
Alonya Bauska
creator, designer and owner of the fashion label QooQoo
winner of National Style and Fashion Award as a debut of the year 2010 in fashion
QooQoo has twice opened Riga Fashion Week (Spring/Summer 2011 and Autumn/Winter 2011-12)
previously worked as a graphic designer at companies DPJN, DDB Latvia, SIA Loristars
graduate of Baltic International Academy, University of Latvia.
Is experience being an employee useful now, when being an employer?
Does being an art related person helps you to think about your business as of art more than profit gaining companies and what impact do you think it may have on those consuming your product?
http://qooqoo.lv/
Guntis Smaukstelis
CTO and one of the founders of Mightyfingers
Mightyfingers is the company of game engine
graduated the LU Faculty of Computing.
http://mightyfingers.com/
Can the lack of business education become an obstacle in business world, for example facing financial challenges?
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Increasing the Added Value of Shot Cafe
Well, it is possible, indeed. But lets start by the story of how we went from not being video editors to surveyors.
Previous post probably gave you slight insight of our first challenge. Planning is interesting thing, but it is even more entertaining for you - readers - and for us students to complete these tasks and give some feedback. And we wouldn't call them challenges if there was just one way of reaching the goal.
Video in order to advertise bar has to be done in excellent quality no matter if the salary is drinks or money. Advertising may even include meeting with director of the bar arranged before to discuss the process. And meetings can take time, even in time when you no longer have it - I am talking about meeting a deadline, however keeping in mind that deadline is for the task, not for the growth of our team.
So here comes the turning point. We came up with the idea how to help bar to become more popular not by advertising it but increasing it's potential. Idea. Action.Result.
Open-minded and young people oriented bars were still the priority. So we went to the Shot Cafe (http://www.shotcafe.lv/par_mums.html) and they already have had some experience with our colleagues, but well, we said: "Hey, we have something different!" And sometimes being different works. The plan was to help Shot Cafe increase their level of service by researching the market. Bars that are next door, across the street etc. There wouldn't be no bars if there were no customers, at least bars gaining profit. So we asked customers of bars "Garāža", "Bar I Love You", "Ala" and many more one simple question "Why these people chose to spend their Thursday evening here, but not in shot cafe?" Here is the answer. Well, mostly, it is the atmosphere and history that matters. You can't change history, but you can embrace atmosphere and make bar more available. And availability is not only prices, it is information provided on the network. These weren't drinks, but feeling that those around 40 people we met were seeking for.
After completing the survey, we also created feedback and gave it to the bartender. And he gave us our first salary earned in SSE Riga. The result of this bargain was glass of the beer for each one of us. Not bad for the Thursday night, I'd say. And not bad for bartender to have that feedback before the Friday night of August.
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The beginning of the journey
Embrace Your Awesomeness. In these three words there are values representing all of us, as we come from different backgrounds. Challenges and ambitions are the things that leads us towards our aims at the same time embracing your awesomeness means to develop and always keep in mind our personal ethical values like respect and tolerance.
From now on this blog (http://embraceawesomeness.tumblr.com/) you will be able to read about 5 students who will challenge themselves whilst doing various tasks. We are Year 1 students of the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga - Kipras Binkauskas, Omar Chighladze, Anna Plaudina, Michelea Shehurina, Sandis Smilts
Based on our values there is a service created - advertising bar among SSE Riga students and even beyond. It includes video materials in social networks like Twitter and Facebook. But most essentially advertising it among SSE Riga Year 1 and lectures that may be beneficial for any entrepreneurs - bar owners in this particular case.
We are looking for open-minded student bars bearing in mind that person is young not because of the age, but because of their philosophy of life and creativity.
In return from the client we ask both little and a lot - drinks for each of us. It may not cost a lot, but drinks are the symbol of every bar and students’ life.
Keep updated on our twitter @EY1A and use our special hash tag #EY1A to stay tuned.
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