Blog #3: Domilise's

During my mentor meeting this past week, Mason took us to a restaurant called Domilise’s. It is a small, privately owned po-boy shop and bar in Uptown New Orleans. My mentor knew the owner, Granny, because he grew up with her grandson. We had a chance to talk to Granny, and the bartender who had been working there for 40 years. Granny explained how she got into being in charge of this long time family owned shop.

This was a very small restaurant, located in the back portion of Granny’s home. We went later in the night, when the shop was getting ready to close and there were only 3 employees working—2 women making the sandwiches and a gentleman working behind the bar. The fact that this business stayed in such a small location and do not have very many employees working at a time, makes them a profit. This is also a very well known restaurant, nationwide. They have been on the Travel Channel and are recognized and praised on many websites. This recognition brings the restaurant many new customers as well as reassure the regulars why they eat at Domilise's.

I was surprised by the genuine friendliness the employees and Granny had. Granny opened up to us right away, telling us about the history of the restaurant as well as details from her personal life. My mentor actually called the restaurant to make sure they would still be open. They actually stayed open longer than they wanted to so that we could come in and enjoy their food.

The owner told us that we should invest in a smaller business and put everything we possibly could into it. She said that if our hearts were not completely invested in the business, it would not be successful. I admired her for this—as an 87-year-old woman, she was still working behind the counter making po-boys. She also told us to value the customer no matter what. She exemplified this by keeping the shop open solely for our mentor group. This is what is necessary in keeping a small business successful. Customer service is very important and doing small things that may be out of the owners way can, in the future, earn them customers, connections, and money.

Blog #2

At my second mentor meeting, Mason took us to an Italian restaurant in Midcity. I have learned many things from him this semester. One important aspect to the business world that I learned from Mason is that the smaller businesses make up around 85% of companies and businesses are owned by a single person or partnerships. They are not large corporations such as Coca-Cola, Nike or Wal-Mart. This is very interesting and encouraging as a business major. My goal for the future is to own my own interior design company and manage it. Knowing these statistics from my mentor greatly encouraged me and motivated me even more. Another thing I have learned from my mentor this semester is to be open to job opportunities. Being well rounded in many business traits is necessary especially in the economy now. Many businesses are looking for employees that know many aspects of running a business well. This is a very important quality to have because it makes people more adaptable to change.
My mentor is a financial advisor and this sounds like a very interesting career. Though seeming to be stressful, this sounds like it would be right up my alley. I want to be in a position of authority, and although financial advising does not mean being in charge of employees, it is a job that would make me responsible of very important accounts. This career would require me to be very organized and take much responsibility for the actions and decisions I make.
I want to experience a local’s perspective and Mardi Gras experience. I do not want to do the tourist activities during Mardi Gras. I want to experience the parades and chaos of Mardi Gras, rather than spending all of my time in the French Quarter, where its only reputation is of being raunchy and hectic.
I think Mardi Gras is so important to New Orleans because it defines the culture. New Orleans is mostly famous because of its reputation of have a party season called Mardi Gras. It brings families together as they embrace the culture they live in. It is also important because there is so much history in the parades and the stories behind why Mardi Gras is such an event.

Blog #1 Networking Event

I met and spoke with five business professionals from the New Orleans area. The first person I met was Michael Morgan who is the Commercial Business Development Manager at Walton Construction. I also met with Lee Vorisek who is the president of Alta Max LLC. This is a packaging company, and I also learned that Lee is from Chicago, which is something we had in common and could discuss. I also met Thomas Hickman who is a Marketing professor here at Loyola University. He is also a mentor for marketing majors. Fourthly, I met Mason Couvillon who is the president of Dardis Couvillon & Associates, which is a financial consulting company based out of Metairie. Mason was kind enough to introduce me to Darryl Glade who is a realtor with Remax. This was a great example of how networking works and benefits people, even in a smaller, intimate setting such as this.
One thing I surprised myself with during this event was my openness. I brushed my shy side under the carpet and was very outgoing and personable. I made friendly conversation with strangers, which is not like me. I introduced other students to my mentor as well.
One business professional I would like to emulate is Lil Wayne. Though I do not particularly respect him or his values, I believe Lil Wayne is a very smart, successful businessman. He used his networking abilities to boost and further his career. At the early age of eleven, he met the owner of the record label Cash Money Records. He used this acquaintance to his advantage and was eventually signed to the label. This is a great example of networking. Lil Wayne is a very successful icon around the world and has definitely made a name for himself