Friday was the final day of work, culminating in the
presentations of our time with the entrepreneurs. The day began with the classic Nicaraguan
breakfast to recover from a long night.
Despite having little sleep, we were very excited to present our hard
work. We then all showered and dressed
in our best clothes. In our best
clothes, each group presented to the rest of the students, faculty,
entrepreneurs, and their families.
Groups all followed a similar format: beginning by
presenting background on the business and entrepreneur they were assigned to, a
SWOT analysis, and then a presentation of the deliverables and recommendations.
Despite the similar presentations,
groups were very creative in what they came up with to help the
businesses. From debt refinancing, brand
creating, promotions increasing sales, and the introduction of accounting,
every group came up with creative and very helpful deliverables. I was amazed by the work of the groups. I was especially surprised of all that was
accomplished in such a short time. I
cannot imagine what we could have done in more time.
At the end of each presentation, the entrepreneur would join
the group at the front of the audience to receive their certification of
participation. Entrepreneurs also took
the opportunity to express their gratitude.
They told stories of their past, their present, and where they wanted
their future to be. This is when we all
realized just how important our work the last couple days had been. Each presentation got emotional at the end of
each presentation.
Ivo Lopez, the entrepreneur behind Click!, was very impressed with our presentation. At lunch he asked me to go visit his home quickly to meet his mother, as he wanted her to meet the people behind the deliverables for Click!. She told me that she was amazed by our efforts and expressed her gratitude even further.
Afterwards we all went back and rested before getting
dressed up again to head to “El Timón,” the best restaurant in town. We were treated to the most amazing meal of
the trip, with many ordering incredible lobster dishes. Over dinner everyone shared stories of the
trip and expressed their excitement to go out together one last time. We went out to a couple bars along the beach
and danced to every song. It was
fantastic to see how close and comfortable everyone had gotten with each other.
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