Business Exercise

The day today started with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for the business assignment that we were given by Mr Kamat.We were told to go an area called Aundh,where we had to work in a firm and gain experience from there and earn some money.So we were all charged up in the morning and looking very forward to the assignment that we had got we set ahead towards the location that we had got.

Since we were told to not spend any money of ours we had to hitchhike and go to our location.We took lifts from two people and finally arrived at our destination.On reaching there first we started to explore the shops that we had towards our left and we proceeded in a sequential manner.We went to airtel,shoekings,cocoons,Mc Donalds,Polka Dots,Rahul,Croma,and a couple of other places but either the manager was not available or they were letting us work but refused to pay us.This did not disappoint us and we continued to look for a place that would satisfy our needs.
Finally we arrived at a restaurant called Makkhan Mar Ke , that seated around 45 people.We met the owner of the restaurant and he agreed to let us work there for a sum of Rs 150 each.We were given a briefing in the beginning regarding the things that we were to do.We were shown the kitchen where we were to do the stock checking,after which we were made to learn the menu cards and understand what each dish meant and we were told to sell certain dishes to them as they were expensive.This is when i learnt as to how important profit is for the restaurant owner and how we gotta be smart enough to try and sell the costliest dish to the customer.We were also shown the way the manager was handling the accounts of the restaurant and how important each and every little detail affected the profit of the restaurant and how carefully it all had to be handled.
At around 1 we were all set to take the challenge of serving the customers,keeping them happy and also taking into consideration the profit of the restaurant.The first customer came at around 1:30 and we went to them, took their order, and then went to the kitchen and monitored the way the food was being cooked.After which we assisted the waiters in serving the customers their food and also observed the way the owner was entering data and managing the finances of the restaurant.After this a number of customers came and with each one of them we gained more confidence,experience and got to learn more about the restaurant.
This experience taught me a lot today.I understood as to how difficult it is to actually look for a job and convince the other party to appoint you when you cannot reveal your identity.Had we told them we are from Symbiosis ,and management students then we might have found it a little easier to convince some managers in wanting to give us the job.I also understood as to how each and every little thing in a restaurant from the ambience to the way the food is cooked,to the way you take orders and understand the need of the customer is important.A slight mistake here or there can affect the image of the restaurant drastically and this will apply to the Corporate world that we will all end up working in soon too.

I also leant today that the customer is the boss and we have to believe that whether we like it or not.We please the customer and we do well,we make profits and our firm ends up doing well,and there are no two ways to it.We have to make sure that the customer not only gets what he expected but also deliver the product to the customer with value added to it.Once you please the customer ,the customer would always come back to you and ultimately your business ends up doing well.I learnt the importance of good communication skills and the ability to be able to express onself well today.It is not only important to know about the processes and business strategies of a firm but to be able to covey it correctly to the customer is also very important.
Thus i got to learn a lot about running a business successfully today after having seen a real life example.It is very important to be determined and focussed and not lose heart when one starts to run a venture of ones own and this is what i learnt from the owner of the restaurant who saw each and every little detail of the restaurant by himself,made sure that the processes were running smoothly and was determined to make his profits grow and make his business successful,which is something we as managers have got to learn to do.

I also saw how the owner of the restaurant managed his time very sensibly and was making use of each and every minute sensibly.Time management and effective resource management are important factors to run a venture successfully and am glad i got to learn all these factors by doing this exercise today.I will make sure that i would inculcate these qualities when i become a manager and would make my organisation grow and use all resources effectively.