2014-15
Hacemos, Shawlands Academy
Publisher
Glasgow Area Board
[FINAL REPORT]
Business Advisor – Janie Munro
Link Teacher – Cindy Wong, Iain Goodart & Brian Kennedy
Hacemos – We Make
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Hacemos – We Make
Contents
Executive Summary
Mission statement
Product description
Financial summary
Company Performance
Company Organisation and Structure
Marketing
Pricing
Finance Team
Financial Analysis
Production Team
Manufacturing
Idea Development
Technology Team
Logo Design
Website Design
Our Experiences
Selling at ASDA
Trade Fair
Our Individual Reflections on the Whole Experience
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Hacemos – We Make
Executive Summary
Mission statement
It is our vision to continue to enthusiastically utilize cost effective, rapid production methods
to provide a personalised service and product to our customers whilst maintaining the highest
standards of customer support and aftercare.
Product description
Our company offered a variety of products as well as colours our products were key rings
which varied from hearts, stars, batman and superman logos and for Christmas decorations
we had a Christmas tree, a stocking, a reindeer and a snowflake. We offered a variety of
colours which included: tinted blue, red, rose pink, black, green and orange; with the paint
being either bronze, silver or gold
Financial summary
In order to have start-up capital, members of the team bought shares themselves and sold
them to family members, friends and teachers at Shawlands Academy. We had made £387 by
selling shares to 45 people.
Company Performance
Our company’s performance has grown ever since we started and continues to develop as we
sell our products. We had no experience at the beginning to sell products to the public but
after the trial in ASDA we had gained a lot of experience that helped us at the trade fair.
Company Organisation and Structure
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Hacemos – We Make
Marketing
Our initial idea for our products was to make a wooden jigsaw with an etched picture on the
piece. In order to see how this would work out with the material, the production team made a
prototype in order to see if this was durable. Unfortunately this did not work out as the piece
was too flimsy and it broke.
After this we narrowed it down to three products: a wooden clock with an etched name on it,
a personalised key ring or a personalised magnet. To see which product would appeal more to
our potential customers, we created a survey.
Our survey questions included:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
How old are you?
Are you a male or female?
How likely are you to buy a personalised gift for your loved ones?
Do you or your family print photographs from special occasions?
Where do you usually shop for gifts?
Which personalised product from the list below appeals to you the most?
What is the maximum you would be willing to spend?
Pricing
Our pricing had to cover our costs for the acrylic sheets we bought for £6 each and our
membership at Maklab but still had to have a reasonable price to entice customers to buy it.
Since we had two different products key rings and Christmas decorations we decided to
charge more for the snow flake and reindeer Christmas ornaments since they took a little
extra time to produce. They were priced at £3.50, whereas the rest of the products were
£2.99. We also had a promotion on for all £2.99 products if you bought 4 we would charge
£11.
Packaging
Our packaging had to be lightweight and durable, but also appealing to customers and at the
same time represent our business. We went with organza bags in purple because that was our
companies colour. We did not charge for these as they came with the product.
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Hacemos – We Make
Advertising
In order to raise awareness of our products to the public, we advertised through our social
media accounts which enabled us to inform family and friends. We then created our
Facebook page, twitter account and website, from which we used to allow people to know
about
our
products
and
any
updates
we
had
on
our
business.
To advertise in person we had leaflets and business cards made so that we could hand them
out at ASDA and the Trade fair. Our first draft of leaflets for ASDA was not as successful
compared to the ones we made for the trade fair. The ones at ASDA lacked colour and eye
catching images but we learnt from our mistake, and for the trade fair we made colourful
leaflets
with
pictures
of
our
products
on
it.
We thought of having a uniform, we chose purple sweatshirts with our names on the back and
our company’s logo on the chest. In order to buy these members of the team paid for their
own
sweatshirt.
Customer analysis
Our varieties of products were aimed at all sorts of age groups. We chose to market our
products based on gender and age as the superhero logos would appeal to younger people
rather than adults, whilst the heart shaped key rings and snowflakes would attract the most
attention from adults who would like to have them personalised. At our selling opportunity in
ASDA: we noticed that the key rings and Christmas decorations captured the interest of
people who were buying gifts for their family and friends. Our order forms made our
company seem more professional and also they attracted a lot of attention as customers were
keen to have names on their products that would be delivered to their home. For the trade fair
we rented a laser cutting machine from MAKLAB so that customers would be enticed to see
how we made our products. This was a huge success as customers could see the product
being manufactured and this helped them save money on the delivery of their products.
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Hacemos – We Make
Finance Team
Current/Fixed Assets
Out (£)
In (£)
Shares
358.00
Key chains
5.99
Acrylic
6.00
ASDA sales
190.50
Acrylic
95.44
Maklab
159.00
Maklab training
50.00
Leaflets
50.00
Paint
2.99
Trade fair sales
Organza bags
253.00
9.98
Envelopes
5
Ribbons
5
Table cloth
11.99
Table cloth
1.99
Business cards
25.18
Stamps
12.19
Current/Fixed Liabilities
Shareholders
358.00
Fatimah
46.51
Nabeeha
41.43
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Hacemos – We Make
Our funds were used to pay for our materials, production teams trips to Maklab and for their
training there. When we hired our Laser Cutter we got it for free as we offered to advertise
Maklab at our trade fair, which worked in our favour as we were able to cut back on expenses
in trade for a small favour. We purchased flayers and business cards to advertise our business
when we sold at ASDA. In ASDA we made a total of £190.50 without including our float
money which was £40. We persevered at trying to sell in school but it was difficult to find
pupils that were intrigued by our business and products. Also to the pupils the prices were
high. However, we did sell too many of our teachers. At the trade fair we sold a lot of
products and a large number of customised products, which was fantastic as we made a
Grand total of £253
Purchases and expense:
Income – 190.50 + 253 = £443.50.
Capital + VAT = £443.50.
20% 443.50/6.
VAT = £73.19.
VAT. £73.91 collected on sales.
VAT paid on purchases of £440.75 = £73.46
Uniforms:
As a small young enterprise business our team initially found it difficult to raise finance, we
were able to raise all of our finance by selling shares of the business to people who were
interested. However, as we needed to use most of the money raise elsewhere on materials and
etc. We decided to each purchase our own personalised Hacemos sweatshirts - which as a
team we now wear as a uniform. For Hacemos this was a very big decision to make as we
were aware that the money we raised had better, more important areas to be spent on.
However, we also felt it was very important to be able to present a certain image to our
customers, and we wanted to be able to do this by showing equality and unity throughout our
team by having the same uniform. At the start some team members were unsure about paying
for their own sweatshirt, as the sweatshirts weren’t cheap. In the end we resolved this matter
by taking a vote and going with what the majority believed should happen; and at our final
trade fair we had the opportunity to look united as a team.
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Hacemos – We Make
Warner Brothers Experience:
Just after our triumphant moment of winning the best overall in the seminar, somewhat
ominous and alarming bells started to arise. The business was surprised at the email that
Warner Bros sent us. We thought that they were going to sue us. The reason had been that we
were selling Batman and Superman key rings without having copyrights to them. Therefore
after the shocking email, we came to the decision that we would stop selling Batman and
Superman key rings. We thought this was the right thing to do, and with the amount that we
had earned by selling the key rings, we also decided to send the money to a chosen charity in
Warner Bros name. However, we had thoroughly investigated the email and found out it was
a hoax. Yet we still didn’t want to risk our business to be sued in reality. The email did
however, give us an important message for the future – always fully think out your business
idea and make sure you are doing it in the most legitimate way possible.
Production Team
Manufacturing
The manufacturing of products required the production team to have a membership with
Maklab which is a small business whom we worked with to make the products; we had to
rent their machines so that we could cut out the shapes for the key rings and Christmas
decorations.
The process of making our product began by making the shape on Ink scape software. Once
the shapes were finished on the software it was then sent to the laser cutting machine in order
to cut the shape out of the acrylic. When the shapes were completed, we attached the key-ring
chain to the acrylic and painted the engraved letters with acrylic paint.
Idea Development
After our trial of the wooden jigsaw, we decided to try out a jigsaw piece key ring but the
narrow part of the piece snapped. This is how we came to the conclusion of expanding our
range of key ring shapes. In order to have products to sell at ASDA our initial products had
the engravings: “mum”, “best friend or “sister”.
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Hacemos – We Make
Technology Team
Logo Design
When it was time to design the logo for the business the technology and marketing team
came together, the marketing team sketched ideas and the technology team tried to replicate
the design on the computer. The first idea was a 3-d cube split open, but then was modified
into a jigsaw piece, when we decided not to do any jigsaw based products; marketing came
up with the logo of the H being made by two arrows and then two more triangles at either
side, to represent our four teams: Marketing, Production, Finance and Technology.
Website Design
We chose to have a company website so that customers would have a place to refer to if they
had any questions about our business or wanted to contact us via our social media accounts.
We used a site which allowed us to design our own website and publish it to the public. It
was difficult and took a bit longer than expected because we had to create each detail about
our website from scratch.
Our Experiences
Selling at ASDA
At ASDA, our whole team were new to selling to the public or even doing anything remotely
like this, because we have many members in our team that we had to have two groups to take
shifts at ASDA. Our stall was placed at the entrance of ASDA which we found was the best
place to attract customers to our stall whilst they were entering and leaving ASDA.
At ASDA our experience was new and we weren’t as well prepared as we would have hoped
to have been. There was a last minute decision made to print out leaflets. Although the
information provided was not of any help without the images of our products, members still
thought that we should hand out leaflets. Our experience at ASDA taught us how to approach
customers in a friendly and professional manner.
Trade Fair
In the run up to the trade fair: at the Royal Concert Hall, we had hour long meetings after
school discussed how we would set up our stall. The night before the trade fair member’s
from each team stayed at school until 8pm getting things ready for the next day. We had
prepared key rings before-hand, and the Marketing team completed the sign for our stall.
Pictures and the text were collated to make up the story board to represent our journey over
the last couple of months. The first group reached the Royal Concert Hall at 7:30 am in order
to select most suitable spot to set up our stall. At the Trade fair we decided to rent out the
laser cutting machine from Maklab in order for us to have a unique stall. The second group’s
shift started at 12:45pm and they stayed until 5pm. The overall experience was amazing and
worth all the time each member contributed to the business. We ended up winning over all
thanks to the effort of the whole team.
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Hacemos – We Make
Our Individual Reflections on the Whole Experience
Salma Safi
Young Enterprise has enabled me to make products and work well in a team. It has allowed
me to further develop my communication and team work skills.
Khadija Chaudary
Young Enterprise allowed me to explore many skills at such a young age. Team work and
communication are one of the many skills I learnt from this project. Every member of the
team put their own innovative ideas into practice but it wasn’t until we started to listen to
each other and mix and combine the best part of all our ideas that we really started to
progress. I learnt that to work in a team, communication and listening are essential.
Fatimah Rehman
Overall I've enjoyed being part of Hacemos. It was great fun working as part of a team. I've
learnt how to communicate better with people and improved my patience. If I were to
do Young Enterprise again, the organisation within the team could be improved.
Sanaa Ali
My personal experience within Young Enterprise has been an amazing time and it was an
amazing opportunity for me to take part in. Even though there were some disputes we
managed to overcome them for the sake of the business. Also as co- managing director it
gave me a chance to see how the working world works and how it would be if I ever wished
to set up my own business.
Minhal Gilani
My experience in Young Enterprise was great. My role was in the marketing team and that
has taught me a lot of things that are going to help me in the future. I've gained more
confidence by selling in ASDA. I had lots of fun making the sign for the ASDA stall.
Miriam Jafar
While working within Hacemos I picked up new skills and adhered to working in a team,
even though the team had disagreements we would always overcome them and find the light
at the end at the tunnel. Overall my experience has been incredible.
Nabeeha Amjadl
Being part of the Finance team enabled me to gain new skills and experiences such as
making balance sheets and profit and loss accounts. These transferrable skills will be useful
for me in the future.
Sohail Jafar
I was in the Finance team. Participating in Young Enterprise has been a great experience.
This company gave me the chance to advance in my interaction skills and has made me
acknowledge what the business world is like.
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Hacemos – We Make
Samirah Farooqi
Being part of Young Enterprise has been a really worthwhile experience. I managed to gain
many new skills such as team work skills which I demonstrated when coordinating with the
different departments within Hacemos and especially the marketing team. As well as gaining
new skills I succeeded in developing my existing skills further such as communication and
organisation skills. Despite all the conflicts and struggles in meeting deadlines, our hard
work paid off.
Zainab Malik
My experience within Young Enterprise has been very educational. I was in the marketing
team; I had a lot of fun learning how to work in an actual business after learning about it. I
have learnt a lot of new skills which I could use in the future. This has been very useful to me
as I want to go on and pursue this in the future.
Asma Mohammad
My overall experience has been great! I have gained a lot of knowledge about businesses
from the perspective of a production team member. I have expanded on my existing skills
such as communication which I applied when working within the business. I have also learnt
many new skills such as a team work.
Amani Afzal
Being part of the Production team, I lacked knowledge with machinery and using software.
At the start of my training, it was very difficult to use the machines, and then I learned more
and more and gained new skills. It was a great experience, as I had the opportunity to work
with my peers and this helped me build my confidence. It was a very memorable and
enjoyable experience.
Miriam Ismail
Being part of Young Enterprise has been a good experience, despite the many difficulties
we faced. I was on the marketing team and gained new skills and knowledge in practicing
marketing. It gave me insight into how a business is run and provided me with the
experience of working in a business and as a team. It was very stressful at times but this
taught me numerous skills about organisation. Overall it was a worthwhile experience and
I’m glad to have been a part of it.
Rokas Levisauskas
Young Enterprise has been a fascinating experience, being a part of the technology team was
awesome.
Narinder Kaur
Being Co-Managing Director, Young Enterprise has taught me a variety of new things such
as how to run a business and experience the world of work and how relationships develop in
a business.
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Hacemos – We Make
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