This blog post delves into why idea planning and collaboration skills gained in startup clubs serve as core competitive advantages for business school applicants.
Academic Experience and Reflections
“Pursuing deep study over shallow breadth”
While in high school, I nurtured a dream of becoming a top executive active in the global market. People around me questioned how I could even become a CEO domestically, let alone expand overseas. However, I believed the domestic market was saturated with attempted startup ideas. Creative ideas were pouring out, but demand wasn’t growing. Therefore, I thought it would be better to refine the same ideas to suit local conditions and expand overseas.
Therefore, for the sake of my future dream, I decided I had to properly study English first. Since English is the world’s common language, I strove to achieve a level of proficiency comparable to my native Korean. It’s often said that leaders of the new era should know not just one foreign language, but more. However, I believed it was crucial to study English deeply, not just to the level of everyday conversation, but to a level where I could handle executive meetings or interpretation without any shortcomings. Therefore, I divided situations into everyday scenarios, travel situations, meeting situations, event situations like conventions, and situations for closing deals or contracts. I worked to develop the appropriate English proficiency for each.
Usually, being good at English in these situations is thought to mean being good at conversation. But I had a different perspective on this too. Conversation was achievable with just the confidence to voice expressions that came to mind. Instead, I believed a systematic framework was needed to first assemble and recall content mentally. Thus, my primary focus was grammar, followed by vocabulary and idioms essential for diverse situations. I studied grammar by writing down every possible combination, from sentence structures to modifier patterns for sentence construction. To this end, I wrote down a thousand sentences to create my own sentence structure notebook. And to memorize the words and idioms needed to flesh out these structures, I created specialized glossaries for each situation and committed them to memory.
Writing about major school activities and reflections
“Planning a cafe startup through entrepreneurship club activities”
I aspire to grow into a top executive active in the global market in the future. However, I don’t believe one must start exclusively in foreign markets; I see the possibility of expanding overseas after establishing a foundation in the domestic market. Therefore, from the planning stage of a business, I will consider items that can capture both domestic and international markets. The place where I could explore such items from multiple angles, share ideas with others, and develop together was none other than the entrepreneurship club. Although our school is a general high school, an atmosphere existed that highly valued and supported students’ management abilities and entrepreneurial potential.
Consequently, I joined the entrepreneurship club established on campus and received support from the Global Leader Development Program sponsored by the Office of Education. This program selected students showing potential to grow into global leaders within the school, providing them with financial support and educational opportunities. The selection process wasn’t arbitrary; students had to produce their own deliverables based on specific criteria to be chosen. I aimed to use this program to partially realize the startup idea I envisioned. So, I presented the startup concept I had been considering through club activities, shared ideas with friends, and challenged myself to develop the concept further.
My chosen field for entrepreneurship was a cafe. Starting a cafe is often considered the foundation of entrepreneurship, with many people attempting it and numerous actual cafes operating. However, I believed that precisely because it was the most common, it was worth trying in the broadest market. In reality, the overseas market presents challenges for the food service industry, as it requires a deep understanding of local culture and tastes. Businesses like apparel or daily necessities might also face lower competitiveness compared to local entrepreneurs. However, cafes are ubiquitous in cities and neighborhoods across any country, and they compete primarily on simple beverages and baked goods. This made it a viable venture to pursue. Furthermore, I judged that developing new menu items and beverages could make even novel products appealing and competitive, aligning with the local culture and tastes.
Therefore, I considered the ‘menu’ the most crucial element in starting a cafe. While most people prioritize interior design, cafe concept, seating layout, or comfort as startup considerations, I had a different perspective. Thus, I developed new beverage menus and unexpected bakery items, creating a unique menu board. Presenting the menu wasn’t just about displaying a physical board; I envisioned a cafe utilizing cutting-edge kiosks or smart devices. This concept aimed to satisfy both customers who want to order directly and receive their order quickly, and those who prefer the convenience of using devices like a vending machine cafe. When developing the actual menu, we collaborated with club members for continuous evaluation and improvement. As a result, we completed a satisfactory business plan and secured support from the Global Leader Program.
Case Study on Consideration, Sharing, and Collaboration and Reflections
“Collaborating to Develop New Cafe Menu Items”
Through my startup club activities, when conceptualizing my own business idea, I developed it not alone but with others participating together. Ideas conceived alone can become narrow-minded and lack realism. Conversely, ideas developed through group discussions gradually refined and became more sophisticated and feasible compared to the initial proposals. The same applied to menu development. My initial concept focused on launching a cafe centered around the menu, featuring unexpected combinations of beverages and baked goods. I had thought this far, but when it came to actually developing new menu items, I felt lost, so I collaborated with my club members.
Among the club members, there were friends who enjoyed researching cooking, friends who frequently visited cafes, friends with bakery certifications, and friends interested in barista work. Thanks to them, I could share opinions and seek advice, allowing the menu development process to progress. Considering the diversity of café customers, I targeted drinks that would appeal to different demographics: beverages with quick absorption for the elderly, easily digestible drinks for those feeling unwell, and unique, vibrant drinks to target the younger crowd. My team members then added their own ideas to flesh out the details. This led to the development of a healthy juice using carrots and parsnips, a porridge substitute drink made with grains, and a unique beverage combining soft tofu and kiwi.
The combination of word cards played a significant role in generating a flood of diverse ideas. This method, also suggested by one team member, involved writing food ingredients on word cards and randomly selecting them to combine. Through this process, we devised and combined various unique drinks, snacks, and breads, striving to find the tastiest and most novel combinations. Through this process, I improved my cooking skills and realized the joy of mutual growth by hearing my friends’ fresh perspectives. It was a time of double gains, as I also learned meeting methods and brainstorming techniques that foster diverse ideas.
Motivation for Application and Future Career Plans
“Growing into the Next Generation Leader in Global Cafe Management”
Numerous cafes already exist domestically, and countless people are starting cafe businesses. I have consistently maintained a strong interest in the cafe startup field. Even when visiting cafes casually, I habitually carried a notebook to study and analyze their menus. I also sought out and read books analyzing why chains like Caffè Bene and Starbucks succeeded. After all that effort, I concluded it was ‘worth trying’. While the cafe market is saturated, leading to many unique cafes, hybrid cafes, and short-lived cafes, I still believe it’s a field worth pursuing.
I want to open a cafe with my own unique concept, a new type of cafe offering menus never seen before. And I want to start this cafe venture not as a solo operation, but as a multi-person management system, partnering with people who brainstorm ideas and collaborate with me. To achieve my goal, I first need to enroll in a global business administration program during college to complete fundamental business courses. I also want to join a startup club at university and try new things with friends who share ideas. While I attempted creating business plans and developing menus during high school, I now have a passion to directly challenge myself with a business venture during college.
Expressed this way, my dream might seem like I want to build a large franchise café corporation. However, I am not considering entrepreneurship out of greed for huge profits or a massive market. I find the challenge itself—capturing consumers’ hearts with a new item in a new market—interesting and enjoyable. If I can identify what customers want and secure a place in that space, I believe I can maintain that position for a long time. If that happens, my cafe won’t be everywhere, but it will be remembered as a place people always want to visit. It won’t have a huge menu, but it will have dishes people always want to come back for. Please invest in my dream. Thank you.
