Post date: May 1, 2018 1:00:46 PM
The future looks bright for the Merch club here at ISAK. We have received good funding and support from the school, and this enables us to pursue more and more projects.
Our initial plan was to sell customized UWC ISAK Japan water bottles, but just like all projects, we hit a small bump in the road. We sent out a survey with a mock up design and prices of the bottles, and the results of the survey did not seem positive. We saw that the majority of the school complained about the high price (2000 Yen), and so this motivated us to pursue and sell less expensive products. This transition from water bottles to other products was not easy for us, as we were really excited and motivated to sell water bottles, but it also was for the better as we do want to end up making profit, and not losses.
Our next step was to think of any products that we wanted to sell. We honestly spent a whole session proposing and suggesting ideas, and this was really beneficial as it gave a whole list of ideas to pursue and sell. This 'knowing what to sell' was the first part of the planning process. We then started calculating the prices of the products. This was my job, and I must admit it was not an easy one. Sure, multiplying price by quantity sounds like an easy process, but one must put into consideration the percentage tax and the shipping costs, alongside how the price might be cheaper if we order a higher quantity. I put all those factors into consideration, and then came up with final costs for our products. This calculating process took a lot of my time, but it also helped me develop my organizational schools. I had to make sure that I was organized in this process to avoid confusions later on.
Knowing the prices and the products, we are now in the designing process, and are looking to order products in the next week or two. We have contacted artists in our school, and already have some mock-up designs. We are just trying to finalize our order. This whole process required a high level of commitment from all the members in the club, and it seems like it is working out so far. We were each assigned a role, and while some of us may seem like they are behind, we are still not in a bad position.With Merch club, one cannot simply do the whole work alone. It literally cannot be done as it requires a lot of time. This is the benefit of collaborative work. I may lack in some areas but am also strong in other areas, and together with all other members, our strength areas unite and we end up selling high quality products to the students and teachers at the school, and also make profit at the same time.