Khan, Weekly contribution, Nov 17- 30.

Date: December 1^st 2011              

To: Dr. Rivers

From: Ali Khan

Subject: Individual weekly contribution

 

This weekly report highlights the contribution I personally made to the Hookah Bar organization during the time period of November 17^th through December 1^st 2011.

As Thanksgiving was during this week we did not have many tasks to accomplish. My major objective for this past week was to finalize the group’s feasibility report. I managed to make so improvements as well as additions to the actual report.

The Organization Postmortem and our feasibility report is due in a week so my main focus will be on completing the documents. During class I assigned the tasks to the group with everyone’s cooperation.  We all know what part of the document we have to complete. The group decided that we should have an additional team week on Tuesday just to have everything and every aspect of the presentation covered.

The following week will be challenging as a lot of assignments are due. I also will have to help the others in creating a new Power Point presentation for the group’s final presentation. I am very optimistic and I think everything will turn out just fine.

 

Khan, Weekly Post Nov 10-16th.

Date: November 18^th 2011.

To: Dr. Rivers

From: Ali Khan

Subject: Individual weekly contribution

 

This weekly report highlights the contribution I personally made to the Hookah Bar organization during the week of November 10^th through the 16^th.

We as a group have successfully managed to complete all our tasks up till now. This past week I managed to catch up on most of the readings assigned for class. I read a couple of articles that were assigned by the professor, in class and via email.

In addition I completed a survey for the Hookah Bar that will be a resource for the success of our marketing strategy. I also asked a few other people to take the survey. The more people we can ask, the better it is.

We got the Mid Term Project Report back on Wednesday. The team plans to do revisions to the document and submit it before Wednesday. There is a group meeting at 4 pm on Tuesday. We all plan to work together on the revision.

Khan, Weekly Contribution Nov 3rd-9th

Date: November 10^th 2011.

To: Dr. Rivers

From: Ali Khan

Subject: Weekly Contribution

 

This weekly report highlights the contribution I personally made to the Hookah Bar organization during the week of November 3^rd through November 9^th of 2011.

The Midterm Project Report was due this week. There were a lot of things that had to be completed before Wednesday of this week. I was personally responsible for assessing our team on the whole. I had to go back and make sure that all the due dates were met and that all the group members were on track. All my group members have been working really hard and have contributed their all.

Various parts of the Midterm Project report were divided amongst the group members so that we could get everyone’s insight on the progress that we had made up till now. I coordinated two group meetings this week. One was held on Tuesday at 7:30 pm and the second was at 5pm on Wednesday. Both the meetings were extremely productive and we managed to complete all are tasks.

In addition to all this I was also responsible for making the PowerPoint for our in class presentation. With the help of my colleagues the PowerPoint turned out very well and we used it to our advantage during the presentation.

For next week I plan to catch up on the class readings in addition to doing more research on the marketing strategy that we plan to follow. We had to accomplish a lot of task last week so this week I plan to relax a little.

Khan, Weekly Contribution, Week Oct 26th- Nov 2nd 2011.

Date: November 3^rd 2011.

To: Dr. Rivers

From: Ali Khan

Subject: Weekly record of individual contribution

This weekly report highlights the contribution I personally made to the Hookah Bar organization during the week of October 26^th through November 2^nd 2011.

Our groups total investment plan was due this week. My main goal for this week was to help in the completion of the investment document. Allie and I allocated the funds between renovation, purchase of equipment, inventory, licensing expenses and insurance premiums. After the allocation we were able to construct an estimate of our total budget for the Hookah Bar.

The total investment numbers are an extremely important part of our Organizations feasibility report. The financial success of the Hookah Bar depends a great deal on how accurate our initial investment numbers. So far I feel that we have come very close to our projected investment.

I also coordinated the group meeting that was held on Wednesday at 5pm. The midterm project report is due next week. My goal for next week is to complete the report. There are two group meetings next week that I need to coordinate.

Hookah Bar Week 9 Report

Date: November 3^rd 2011.

To: Dr. Rivers

From: Hookah Bar, Ali Khan

Subject: Weekly progress of the Hookah Bar Organization

 The Hookah Bar Organization performed the following tasks between October 26th and November 2nd of 2011.

The organizations main goal for this week was to draft the total investment plan for the Hookah Bar. All the group members worked collaboratively and successfully created the total investment plan before the planned dead line. Our total investment draft consists of revenue allocation for the different stages of development of the Hookah Bar.  

More specifically the total investment document includes financial allocation to costs such as renovation, purchase of equipment, inventory, licensing expenses, insurance premiums, etc. The total investment document is a substantial part of the Hookah Bars feasibility report because it consists of all the initial expenses that the bar will be recurring.

The second task that the organizations successfully completed was the initial marketing strategy report. The marketing strategy of the Hookah Bar is currently being reviewed by Li Lu’s professor of marketing at the Saint Louis University. The revised marketing strategy will be available to the group for a second review by Monday of next week.

The upcoming week is going to be very important because the midterm project report is due. Our group decided to have an additional meeting on Tuesday especially for completing the midterm project report. Everything in the organization is going very smoothly and the group is functioning extremely well.

Khan, Weekly Contribution, Week 19 to 26th

Date: October 28^th 2011.

To: Dr. Rivers

From: Ali Khan, Hookah Bar

Subject: Weekly record of individual contribution

This weekly report highlights the contribution I personally made to the Hookah Bar organization during the week of October 19^th through the 26^th of October 2011.

The majority of my time this week was spent on making revisions to the Organization Plan Document that Dr. Rivers had returned with his suggestions and comments for improvement. At the end of class our group had decided that Thom and I will be responsible for the corrections that had to be made to our groups initial Organization Plan.

I kept the original document that Dr. Rivers handed back to us with his comments. Because I had the original document, I did the initial revision to it. After I made the recommended changes I sent the revised Organization Plan to Thom with a scanned copy of the original document that Dr. Rivers had returned. Thom improved on the revisions I made and together we came up with a better Organization Plan Document.

I coordinated our weekly meeting that took place at 5 pm on Wednesday the 26^th of October. I also updated the group about the progress that the group had made. In addition I also gave Allie the phone number of the realtor of the location that we are interested in.

My task for the upcoming week is to figure out how much total investment will be needed for the start up of the bar. We will use this information to start our feasibility report.

Khan, Weekly Contribution, Week 12-19th

Date: October 21, 2011

To: Dr. Rivers

From: Ali Khan, Hookah Bar

Subject: Weekly record of individual contribution

This weekly reports highlights the contribution I personally made to the Hookah Bar organization during the week of October 12^th through the 19^th of October 2011.

An important part of our Organization Plan Document was the Gant chart. The chart reminds our team about due dates and individual tasks. This week our teams’ goal was to organize the Gant chart and to assign responsibilities to the group members.

As the project manager it is my job to make sure every member of the Hookah Bar organization is aware of the progress being made by our team. During the week I went around the Central West End area trying to find a good location. I was lucky and I found a very good location. My next task is to forward this information to Allie and Li so they can get in touch with the realtors.

In addition I arranged a group meeting on the 19^th of the this week at 5pm. We made the most of our time and the team made good progress. We managed to successfully assign duties to the members and everyone knows what they have to do.

My goal for next week is to make corrections to the Organization Plan Document that we got back in class on the 19^th. Thom will be working with me on revising this document.

Khan, Weekly Contribution Oct 7-12

Date: October 14, 2011

To: Dr. Rivers

From: Ali Khan, Hookah Bar

Subject: Weekly record of individual contribution

This weekly reports highlights the contribution I personally made to the Hookah Bar organization during the week of October 5^th through the 12^th of 2011.

A 1000 word Organization Plan Document was due on the 12^th of this week. Our team’s primary goal for this week was to complete the document before the due date. Before leaving class on Wednesday (The day the project was assigned) my group members and I decided that I will write the first draft and then our team would meet on Tuesday to finish the document.

Thursday evening I gathered all the information that I needed and I started writing the first draft of the document. I successfully put forward the layout of the document that I emailed to Thom. He did a great job in making additions as well as improving the draft. Tuesday night Thom, Leohn and I meet at Humphreys where we finished the final document. I called for another meeting at 5pm on the Wednesday the document was due. Everything went according to plan. The whole team attended the meeting and helped in the completion of the document.

Management Profile and Job Ads

Get ready for the ultimate Hookah experience in Saint Louis!!

 

History

Hookah, has been a part of many cultures for hundreds of years. It originated in the Asian sub-continent which is present day the border of Pakistan and India. In the early days the hookahs were very primitive, often made from a coconut shell and a tube attached, people mostly smoked opium and hashish. The hookah, or sheesha (glass) became extremely popular in Turkey where it was smoked in coffee shops. By this time people started smoking tobacco in hookah, hookahs were now being made from glass and brass tubes.

Overview

At present hookahs also known as shisha are extremely common throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and in countries such as Pakistan, India, Spain and the UK. There are many hookah bars in the United States as well. This industry is growing immensely in cities like Houston, Dallas, New York, Washington DC, Chicago and even Saint Louis. The main reason for growth in this business is the ethnic diversity of our great country.

My goal is to give the people of this city the ultimate hookah experience. I plan to open a hookah bar in the Central West End area of Saint Louis. The bar would have a wide selection of flavors of tobacco, as well as different types of hookahs that would be imported from various parts of the world. The décor will be traditional Middle Eastern with modern touches. We will also serve a variety of herbal teas, coffees, finger food, gourmet sandwiches, wraps and salads. Our bar would have a variety of foreign as well as local beer, wine and liquor.

Founder

My family moved to America in the late 70’s from Pakistan. I was born in Hartford, Connecticut. My family and I moved back to Pakistan when I was still young. I finished my early schooling as well as high school from Pakistan. My father is an entrepreneur who has a hotel as well as vacation homes in Pakistan. Growing up I spent a lot of time at our hotel, where I learnt a great deal about the hospitality sector. I moved back to the States a few years ago to continue my education and to eventually start a business here. I am a junior at Saint Louis University in the Business Entrepreneurship program. I plan to have this hookah bar open before my graduation. My plan is to make this hookah bar into a unique hangout spot for SLU students and others. My parents have always been supportive and there are willing to finance my venture.

The Project

There is a lot of work to be done! In the course of this semester I plan to have a detailed feasibility report of the hookah bar. The report would include details about the physical location of the bar, information about the lease agreement, and operating costs. Other aspects that would have to be researched would be the total investment required for the project such as; renovation, purchase of equipment, purchase of inventory, licensing expenses, insurance premiums as well as daily operating costs.

Competitive advantage

The area that I have in mind for the hookah bar is in the Central West End. The population of the area is about 14,000 people. The ideal locations would be the intersection of Maryland Plaza and North Euclid Avenue. There are a lot of nice bars and coffee shops around that area like Bar Italia, Bar Louie, Drunken Fish, Sub Zero, Coffee cartel and Starbucks. None of these locations serve hookah and that would give us a competitive edge. The combination of hookah, alcohol and good music will be a winning combination. Throughout the week there are a lot of people from all over the county that come to Central West End to have a good time and I feel that we can cater to their needs.

Job Ads

Primary Research Analyst

Are you someone who is good at gathering data? The hookah bar would require two primary research analysts. The Primary Research analyst will be someone who is good at gathering and interpreting data. The hookah bar will require a lot of research as it is an extremely competitive business. Our primary research department will be responsible for conduction research about the feasibility of the project in the short as well as long run. I feel that good research is the key to success.

Skills Required

• Organized
• Resourceful
• Computer literate
• Investigative
• Determined
• Persistent
• Outgoing
• Good with numbers

 Your Job Entails

• Conducting research about the financial feasibility of the bar
• Getting information about the cost of major equipment
• Finding vendors for the equipment we will require
• Researching about legal requirements and licensing

Secondary Research Analyst

Have you lived in Saint Louis for a long time? Do you have good sense of where all the popular bars are in Saint Louis? This job is for someone who can conduct research about what places are hip! The secondary research analyst will be responsible for conducting surveys of our potential customers. The analyst will also be responsible for researching about the budget that the average consumer is working with. For example how much money does the average person going to a bar in Central West End spends. The researcher will also be responsible for writing reports about his/her findings, as well as looking at the marketing aspect of the business.

Attributes you will need

• Out going
• Friendly
• Social
• Passionate
• Marketing capability
• Strong writing ability
• Resourceful
• Organized

Your Job Entails

• Going to local bars and coffee shops to gather data
• Make use of social networks such as facebook.com to perform surveys
• Visiting other hookah bars in Saint Louis
• Conducting research about average spending of consumers
• Initial marketing strategy

Interior Design Researcher

Being different and unique when it comes to business is extremely essential. We want someone who can construct the theme for our hookah bar. This job requires a vision which would look beyond what hookah bars in Saint Louis have to offer. The Interior Design Researcher will be responsible for the interior decoration of the bar. The researcher will also be responsible for finding suppliers of furniture and fixtures, as well as comparing prices of the equipment/supplies needed.  

Attributes you will need

• Creativity
• Passion
• Risk taker
• Some sort of interior decoration experience
• An eye for color and class

Your Job Entails

• The researcher will be responsible getting ideas for the interior decoration of the bar
• Come up with the theme of the bar
• Floor plan
• Propose color schemes
• Compare costs of materials required

Please Submit

• A job application letter
• Prior or current work experience (Optional)
• Other related material that might qualify you for the position intended

Via email to akhan39@slu.edu before Friday September 23,2011.

Intro

 

My name is Ali Khan. I am a senior at SLU. I’m working on my bachelors in Business Entrepreneurship. I have lived in Saint Louis for six years. I was born in Hartford, CT. My family and I moved to Pakistan when I was really young. I grew up in Pakistan. I moved back to the States for University. I strongly agree with the posts about the importance of being able to write properly. I feel that it is extremely important for a college student to be able to write to various audiences. I look forward to learning to write better from this class.