Meet The Execs: Sarah Smith

Meet Sarah, the finance director. In this interview she reveals her secret hobby and says a big shout out to Granny Elizabeth Smith! 

Name and Course

Sarah Smith, BA Accounting and Financial Management

Do you have any hobbies?

Recently I have really enjoyed dabbling in baking and cooking but I mostly love eating the results. My favourite meal to cook is breakfast and I like to attempt make a fancy breakfast for my family and long suffering boyfriend at the weekends when I go home but sadly they turn out more Wetherspoon like than Michelin star so I will hold off the application to Masterchef for now.

My secret hobby (I can’t believe I admitting to this) is washing and ironing. I find it really therapeutic and I can be known to go a bit over the top with detergent, whiteners, brighteners and I even have beautiful smelling orange and pomegranate ironing water. I do realize the amount of enjoyment I get out of this is a little odd, and I am definitely a middle aged woman in a 21 year olds body!

What is life like on the admin side of the exec team?

I love being a part of the administrative side of Enactus, although I miss being a part of a project I really enjoy my role as Finance Director and I wouldn’t have any other job.

Now you’re on the blog, anyone you want to give a shout out to?

I would like to give a shout out to my Granny because she will love the fact I have been interviewed on a blog on the Internet! Although she will probably ask why I didn’t brush my hair for the photo and tell me I need to eat more vegetables as I am looking a bit “peaky” - good advice which I should probably take onboard.

You have a few shadows for your role. What kind of person are you looking for to take over your role next year?

I am looking for someone who is passionate about Enactus; particularly about what we do for our beneficiaries. Oh and someone who can crack a few finance/accountancy jokes because they are the best.

Favourite drink?

My favourite drink in the world is tea, I am a believer that a cup of tea can make you feel 100 times better - particularly when your mum makes it. However, I will openly confess that I am a complete and utter tea snob and I have been known to bring my own tea bags to Enactus Evening (I am a twinning’s girl). I am also a bit partial to the odd tipple of wine but who isn’t?

What is the largest amount of money you ever held in your hand (or dropped on the floor)?

The fantastic Intern team made over £1,000 but it was mostly in coins and when I went to pick it up and it dropped all over the floor…

What are you most looking forward to at the moment?

At the moment, I am really looking forward to the Enactus National Competition and being able to see what other teams have achieved this year and to show everyone what we have achieved too. I loved competition last year, it was a fantastic experience and I am very lucky to get the opportunity to be able to attend again so I am looking forward to making the most of that!

The Intern: Contestant Blogs!

The final task is due to on Wednesday, but before this begins, we thought we'd ask the contestants to share some thoughts and feelings on their experiences in the competition so far. 

In this post, we will hear the reflections of 6 of the remaining 17 candidates; Sam, Chioma, Niamh, Harriet, Tom and Anu. 

SAM GRAY
"My Time In The Intern"

The Intern has quite simply been the experience I have been waiting for. Just over a month ago, I had a keen interest in business whilst working away at my biology degree and going about my everyday life. Now however, over three great tasks I have experienced what I was looking for; a chance to prove my leadership and display my skills in a real business setting.

The one aspect of the competition I have enjoyed the most so far has been working with similar bright and driven individuals. The most recent task was a great example of this; not only did my team win the round, but I made some amazing friends and learned some new skills from them in the process. The tasks so far have managed to bring out out some of my qualities as a businessman. I have always considered selling as one of my strongest skills, and this was reinforced in the second task when I was the team’s top salesman. 

For our next task, I have been appointed team leader and I relish the chance to prove myself.

The Intern has been a huge accelerant in my personal development. Irrespective of whether I win the competition, I am one step closer to being the well-rounded businessman I aspire to be.

CHIOMA OTI

"Casting Reflections"

I’m about to enter the last critical stages of the competition, and whilst it has only been a few weeks, an immense amount has happened in those weeks. I feel as if I’ve grown as a person, my knowledge has expanded exponentially. Participating in ‘The Intern’ has been a blast. I’ve picked up and developed loads of key business skills from marketing to sales (pricing & negotiating) to working efficiently in a team, and did all of this without making an idiot out of myself on National television, hooray! 

The tasks have seen us holding a Flea Market to, selling vinyl clocks and bracelets all for charitable causes. In the course of this journey, I’ve found out that people are generous and willing to help if you can build up the courage to just ask! The work done by Enactus Sheffield being just a community of students is just phenomenal. They have been able to transform lives of people in need through projects ranging from a jam making venture, designed to support and rehabilitate the homeless, to schemes that empowers trafficked women through jewellery and cosmetics making. I hope to be a part of this community some day and contribute to their mission of –changing the lives of people through enterprise. 

I have found this experience quite liberating and even if I’m not one of the few that becomes ‘The Intern’, I’ve definitely gotten more than I bargained for. One thing especially that I’ve taken from this experience is how much confidence I’ve developed. It’s made me put myself out there more to try and participate in other activities and experiences I always made excuses to avoid. So much so, I signed up to be a H.O.P.E representative.


NIAMH MACKENZIE-JOHNSON
"Selling Ice to Polar Bears- Participating in the Enactus Intern Competition"

If you are reserved and the idea of running up to random strangers and trying to thrust your donated wares upon them brings you out in cold sweats, the Enactus Intern Competition will either change your attitude completely, or you will fall at the first hurdle. 

When I began this competition, the idea of having to introduce myself to strangers and then trying to convince them to hand over their money for a party popper would have meant a nervous breakdown and would have required a hefty glass of wine and maybe some jägerbombs for it to actually happen.  Now, however, I will happily waltz into any store in Sheffield (having done so numerous times by stage 3 of the competition) and demand their best offer for the tatty book I have managed to garner from the nice lady in Oxfam.

The Intern Competition will help you to get over whatever feelings of shyness you have and will help you expand your capabilities as a person, as well as a businessman/woman.  After your time in the competition, you will be capable of selling anything to anyone for any price.

HARRIET STREET

"The Intern Blog"

I first signed up for The Intern because I thought 'why not?'. At best, I could win a paid internship; at worst I would have tried something new and it would have been a new experience. However, The Intern has become so much more to me than that.

As I have progressed through the competition, I have learnt a huge amount about myself, and I have had loads of fun. Working in a team had always been something that I struggled with at school, but the past few weeks have highlighted to me how much I have improved. I have found my place in a group - I am a natural leader, but I have also learnt to take a step back and play more of a coordinating role if there is someone else who would like to lead. This balance means I can play an important role in successful teams, and I am very proud of this.

It has also surprised me how much fun I have had during this process. The tasks have been challenging and often stressful, but they have come naturally to me, allowing me to make friends, experiment with creative ideas, and develop new skills like selling and negotiating.

I am pleased that trying something new and out of my comfort zone has paid off so well - I have learnt new things about myself, gained amazing skills for my course and career, and had a great time. Winning would be the cherry on top.

TOM COXON LEWIS

"My Favourite Parts of the Competition"

The Intern competition has been a fantastic experience for me, the projects fitted nicely around my university commitments, making it easy for me to take part in.

The competition has helped me to develop skills that I feel would be important in any CV or job interview, and I feel I could use the Intern as an example to show employers different scenarios were I needed to work within a team, show initiative and develop ideas.

In my favorite task of the competition we were asked to put together a ‘bid’ for certain products such as HomeMade Jam and Bracelets. Our team won a selection of bracelets and 5 jars of jam. We took the jam and baked it into cakes, cookies and scones, which we sold to offices and university staff as a midday treat!

Even if I don’t make the final of the competition, I have really enjoyed taking part and hope the skills I have gained in terms of dealing with the public and delivering products in a short time frame will help me as I progress at university.

ANU IYANDA

"Scrap for Cash"

When you first hear about the intern competition you are likely to feel hesitant as you are not sure of what to expect. During the intro meeting, I seriously considered pulling out as I was surrounded by loads of business students and as an engineering student I felt like I didn’t belong. With the introduction of the first task which involved trading party poppers for items of a higher value, my heart sank deeper and deeper as the thought of having to approach someone and convince them to take the party popper in exchange for something more valuable  made me weak at the knees.

However this turned out to be my favourite task by far! I could not believe the immense generosity of the members of the public, from the businesses to our local students, I mean I was able to trade a party popper for 50 “I love vodka” posters that were due to be chucked away and later sold them for a £1 each!

As the competition went on I became more confident, I learnt about the value of good communication, that team work can do wonders and also the importance of being a persistent strong leader with good listening and decisive skills when organising a team.

All these experiences have lead me to believe that once you believe in yourself, it is actually very possible for you to achieve what you set out to, even though things might appear very difficult at the start.

The Main Intern: TASK 3 RESULTS

As the end of The Intern approaches the tasks are getting tougher and the competition is getting steeper. This task saw 4 teams (Team Harley, Cavendish, Revolution and Fusion- named after bars in Sheffield) utilise just 2 weeks to earn as much revenue as they could.

The teams were given the opportunity to pitch to judges, applying for certain Enactus Sheffield products which would then be turned into cash. After the pitch they were allocated what the judges believed they could sell the best. They had a week to sell, using craft fayres, bake sales, websites and setting up paypals. 

This evening the money was counted and I am now pleased to reveal the results... 

In forth place... TEAM REVOLUTION! Team Revolution's pitch earned them 5 jars of HomeMade jam and a selection of upcycled items. They did a very impressive job of getting in contact with a local entrepreneur who has decided to stock the bowls, as well as selling baked jam goods door-to-door and on the university concourse. Total revenue: £291.80 

In third place... Team Fusion! After making their pitch and securing stock of upcycled items and Hope bracelets, team Fusion used door to door selling, concourse stalls, and their contacts through various societies to take £408 of revenue!

In second place... Team Cavendish! Armed with just 5 jars of HomeMade jam, team Cavendish used an old Polish family recipe to to create and sell a selection of jam based snacks. Just like team Fusion, they also had a selection of Hope bracelets to sell, but managed to beat them by just £4, earning a fantastic total of £412.  

And in first place... Team Harley! This team pitched for Hope Cosmetics, and set about selling the 3 cosmetic products (lip balm, body scrub and body butter) through a website- as shown in the screenshot below. They also used their network to sell the products through parents and offices. Finally, most impressively, they negotiated a sale to a retailer Wigs and Warpaint, bringing them to the total revenue of £488.50! 

A massive congratulations to the 4 teams who together made a total of over £1600!

With only one giant task left, we are approaching the end of the competition and are ever nearer to finding out who will win the Centrica and Enterprise internships. This, unfortunately, means that AT LEAST ONE PERSON from each team is going to be fired before the final task begins. 

Enactus Sheffield can only wish each individual the best of luck, and well done for everything you have done so far!

Oh and one more thing! Now the task is over, if you are interested in purchasing any of the products then feel free to browse the product websites: 

Hope Jewellery & Cosmetics: http://www.hopesheffield.org/

HomeMade Jam & Chutney: http://www.wearehomemade.org/

Meet The Execs: Eugene Gitonga

Meet Eugene, who runs some of the commercial projects this year. 

Name and Course:

Eugene Gitonga, Economics and Finance

How did you get involved in Enactus?

First got involved with Enactus when I was approached by one of the execs at the fair during freshers' week. I then went for the intro meeting and from then I've never looked back...

What is your favourite lunch? Is it chicken?

Hahaha. How did you know my favourite lunch meal was chicken?  But other than chicken, I do love me some good sushi.

If a bunny rabbit with powers of levitation and a dragon got into a fight, who would win?

I don't know..... The dragon??? Who comes up with these questions?? I will think about this later while I'm eating my dinner. 

What projects do you manage at Enactus?

I currently manage the Events team which is currently planning on putting Sheffield’s first ever Jailbreak event. I also manage Football Frenzy which makes money by organising football games for students at the university. 

Have you been to any good concerts recently?

I went to see Drake and The Weeknd last Friday in Sheffield. It was AMAZING!!!

Where is the most exciting place you have ever been?

Dubai, the palm island (an island shaped like a palm). That was pretty exciting being in a such a photogenic environment. 

What is your golf handicap?

A struggling 17 handicapper. I'm looking forward to spending more time on golf this summer 

Regional competition is tomorrow!

Are we allowed banners? To what extent can you cheer other teams? Will we get free sandwiches for lunch? What projects will emerge this year? 

Let's sum it up with a quote from Intern Director, Mat, who is new to competition this year... "Im totally excited to see a flesh presentation tomorrow" 

...erm Mat do you mean a presentation 'in the flesh'? 

When we compete to save lives, we all win.

The Main Intern: TASK 2 RESULTS

This week our brave teams were given £10 each to come up with a business idea in order to design and run an innovative stall on the Student Union concourse for the day.

In 5th place... TEAM CROOKES who made £63.30 with their Luxury second hand items; selling perfume, Fendi glasses, a years entry to Viper Rooms and an assortment of cakes on their stall throughout the day.

In fourth place... TEAM ECCY ROAD, pictured below with Rory the Sheffield Sports mascot. This team made £102.20 by selling mothers day cards, and sold in bulk by offering deals on multiple cards so grandmothers were not forgotten!

In third place... TEAM BROOMHILL raked in an impressive £107.29 by appealing to the students stomachs to sell handmade brownies that had been baked in the 40 ovens of student accommodation flats. The secret to their success was the cheapness they were able to source the ingredients.

And in second place... TEAM BROOMHALL with their ingenious balloon popping prize winning fortune cookie experience raking in a very impressive £120.59

And finally I am pleased to announce the winners of the second task... TEAM FULWOOD with their bargain "Pound Store" selling menus, raffle tickets, Plug tickets, tasty treats and posters.  They made a total of £169.44 and due to their success, all members will be immune from eviction from the project. Congratulations and good luck next week!

The total revenue this week was an incredible £568.44 

See you next week!