Business Majors Input Wanted

[elmo]

oxide...
do you know anything about russia or ukraine? can you speak the language? how much time have you spent in the region? i have spent close to two years (off and on) in the region, i speak the language, and i know all kinds of people (from the wealthy to the poor). don't compare me to some loser who thinks that he can meet his mate online.

i will let you live in your reality. your reality consists of ugly middle aged women who want you to be wealthy, loving, feminized, and tough. good luck :crackup: . lets not forget that russian/ukraine cultures have always embraced the idea of the older gentleman and his much younger girlfriend/wife. it is just part of that culture. at times i think i would be better off if i was already that "older" gentleman. i also don't view 50 as being that old. it will be years before i reach that age, but i don't expect to be an old man at 50. in my experience, only american college sluts want a frat. boy.

my reality is very different from most. i decided to take a different path in life. a path that hasn't/isn't/and won't be easy. hell, it would be easier to play the game that most of you play. it takes courage and self-confidence to get out of line and live your own independent life. it is much easier to stay in line and do what you have been told to do. in saying that, i feel that i am living a life that will leave me with memories that will dwarf anything that you could imagine.

p.s. russian/ukraine girls have much better attitudes than any american girl i have ever known. don't forget something...every single female on earth is looking for a guy who has made it. american females expect 100 times more from a guy than any russian/ukraine girl could ever suspect.

 

[Oxide]

Ahahahahhahahahahaahaahah OH MY GOD, WHY DO YOU KEEP ON REPLYING WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT?!!!

You spent 2 years OFF AND ON in the "region". I've lived for FIFTEEN YEARS in both Russian and Ukraine, I had a house ON THE BEACH in Crimea (now foreigners can rent that house for the summer through a real estate company). Dude STOP looking like an idiot!


Ask any guy who has married a foreign girl and brought her to USA, they are MORE demanding than an American girl. They expect you to provide the glamorous "American Life" for them, and will moan and ***** until you work 60 hours a week and bring home the bacon.

Do you have friends who married foreign girls, and then who brought them back... AND THEN DIVORCED THEM?

How many Russian Parties have you been to in USA? How many russians in USA do you know? SHUT THE FVCK UP.

 

[elmo]

oxide...i won't argue with you. you live your life (2,300 plus posts included), and i will live mine. peace.:flowers:

 

[Oxide]

Yeah, that's cool, actually i was being a little bit of a ****, so don't take anything too personally.

There is actually a Russian Party tonight in MN, you should come I'll introduce you to my friends.

 

[STR8UP]

Business education and business experience are two different things.

International business major? ANY kind of business knowledge is good to have, but you have to realize what it can actually get you. If I had it to do over again I would have probably taken basic accounting and business classes just to learn how to read financial statements and know the terminology and such.

Beyond that, business degrees teach you how to run someone else's business. It sounds like that's what you are wanting to do, and I really can't offer much input from that angle.

 

[Oxide]

Ok, in YOUR experience, what are the key things to remember about running your own business? How hard is it to get the inital investors interested? How do you find clients? How do you promote it?

Let me break it down in Q/A format:

Business Type:

Initial investment needed:

Was a business plan a b1tch to write: (trick Q because all of them are a b1tch to write)

How did you promote it:

How long did it take to start making money:

Were you planning on selling it or keeping it after 5 years:

Did it fail:

What would you do differently:



Yeah, that type of stuff

 

[STR8UP]

Ok, in YOUR experience, what are the key things to remember about running your own business?

Business is more about execution than idea.

Everyone thinks they have the next million dollar business "idea". Those are a dime a dozen. What makes or breaks a business is the way it is run day to day. Does McDonalds make the best hamburger? No, they market it and serve it better.

Hire a GOOD consultant. Easier said than done, but if you can manage to find someone who knows their sh!t you might spend $10,000 or even way more, but the money they can save you by helping you avoid mistakes is priceless.

How hard is it to get the inital investors interested? How do you find clients?

Always used my own sources of funds.

How do you promote it?

That depends 100% on what kind of business it is. They are ALL different. The whole key is making your best educated guess as to what might work, then it's trial and error. Make sure you monitor the results of your advertising so you know what is paying off.

Let me break it down in Q/A format:

-Business Type:

My business type? Or the ideal business? I am in retail. Tough gig.

-Initial investment needed:

Mine started as a flea market operation, then up to a 1000 sq ft, phsical location, and now it is 3,000 sq ft. The 3,000 sq ft. location would cost anywhere from $150k-$300k depending upon if you do it yourself or not.

-Was a business plan a b1tch to write: (trick Q because all of them are a b1tch to write)

Never written one.

-How did you promote it:

T.V. produces the best results, but is expensive. Dollar for dollar word of mouth and email advertising is the best. COLLECT ALL CUSTOMERS NAMES IN A DATABASE. It's worth its weight in gold.

-How long did it take to start making money:

The big store pretty much turned a profit from day 1. But that was the cumulation of years of experience, so its hard to really say.

-Were you planning on selling it or keeping it after 5 years:

Didn't really have a plan one way or the other, we played it by ear.

-Did it fail:

You never fail until you quit, even if you lose money. Right now we are in the process of selling the business. It is still profitable.

-What would you do differently:

You have to differentiate between buying yourself a job and owning a business. There is nothing wrong with being self employed, but you have to understand that there is a HUGE difference between opening a small business that requires you to be there to function, and building a profitable BRAND that has the potential to grow into something huge.

 

[elmo]

oxide...thanks, but no thanks. in a few weeks i will be in kharkov. no need for don juan skills in that place. i have yet to find a place that has more beauty than kharkov or odessa. simply stunning. i feel really sorry that you are forced to stay in america. i could never go back to the old college life again. oh well, i guess it's good that you have adjusted to america. you are much stronger mentally than i could ever hope to be. :box:

 

[Oxide]

odessa is the ****, but i would take the trip to the shores - yalta, feodosia, (google rent my summer flat or something similar, $45 a month to stay in my old place)

You owe yourself to go party in those party beach cities.

Peace, let me know how the trip went.

 

[KillingTime]

And here we have another example of a generation of people completely brainwashed by Rich Dad, Poor Dad... man I swear, kids go around quoting that damn book like it's the bible these days... it's nice to see, but it's as flawed and over-simplified as anything else.

Its funny b/c only about 6 months ago I would have been here agreeing with Oxide and everyone else, just last year I had dream's of being an entrepreneur and everything else that was mentioned here... then reality really did smack me in the face... what the hell am I doing?!?
I didn't really want the rich lifestyle, I had just become obsessed with it from reading so much of this Robert Kiyosake BS. I thought I wanted it, I sincerely thought I did... man was I wrong.

So what if you can't pay your bills? You'll still survive somehow, and if you don't well.. you'll die. Either way you win IMO.

 

[Rovalier]

I forget if Pook said this, but it was something like putting fresh meat on a spoiled plate, it will eventually be spoiled. If you are going to wed a foreign woman, you are better of wedding and living with her in her home country otherwise she will get polluted with Western feminism and so forth.

 

[STR8UP]

And here we have another example of a generation of people completely brainwashed by Rich Dad, Poor Dad... man I swear, kids go around quoting that damn book like it's the bible these days... it's nice to see, but it's as flawed and over-simplified as anything else.

Its funny b/c only about 6 months ago I would have been here agreeing with Oxide and everyone else, just last year I had dream's of being an entrepreneur and everything else that was mentioned here... then reality really did smack me in the face... what the hell am I doing?!?
I didn't really want the rich lifestyle, I had just become obsessed with it from reading so much of this Robert Kiyosake BS. I thought I wanted it, I sincerely thought I did... man was I wrong.

So what if you can't pay your bills? You'll still survive somehow, and if you don't well.. you'll die. Either way you win IMO.

Pfft...

 

[DrMetallica]

I am doing accounting... the job market is so hot, I am already doing an externship with two of the largest accounting firms in the world (PWC & EY). Chosing a major that would give me international opportunities was very important, which the accounting major provides. Talk to any of the Big 4 about their global tours or forgeign tours, it usually involves an 18-month assignment in a country of your choice (these firms have a GLOBAL presence, meaning offices in pretty much every country) while you get paid in your USA salary. I also found accounting a high essential component to business, while marketing and management did not seem as important. Economics fascinated me but did not have the exciting opportunities accounting has...

 

[DrMetallica]

I am a VP of the marketing club at my school. Let me say this - i WOULD NOT either major or minor in marketing. The job market might SOUND cool - "Go work with major companies! Everyone will know your name! You'll work with the stars!" But in reality the job market sucks and YOU WILL NOT MAKE MONEY. ( Around here PR job out of college is like 26,000)

Everyone thinks marketing and advertising is cool, that's exactly why it is so tough to get a good job.


For me, this is how i view the majors. If you disagree, please post your opinions:


Accounting - important, but better as the major, otherwise just hire a good accountant.

Business Law - same as Accounting, you are better off finding a great lawyer than working your ass at law school. (Do you know there is a lawyer for every 26 people in USA?)

Human Resource - If you want to be a manager at McDonald's, choose this.

Finance - REALLY good opportunities. It is great to know how to deal with money and markets.

International Business - all business will be this within next 10 years. Not a bad pick

Business Management - Not too solid of a pick. you can strike gold or be a manager at domino's.

Sociology - waste of fukking time and life.

MIS (computer systems and such) - Solid pick, there are jobs out there (but they are going away overseas very quickly as well), and you know what you will be for the rest of your life - a dork.

Finance is in my opinion a good choice, but becareful you don't spend the rest of your life in sales because that is what a lot of finance people do. Sociology isn't a business degree. Computer Information Systems is a VERY hot major, don't think that all them are being outsourced, because they arn't. Business Law is better served by a lawyer, or an accountant with a Masters of Taxation.