Building my own
Business Venture!
Ever wondered how ideas take shape, stories come alive, and data starts speaking? This project pushed me to visualize thoughts at lightning speed, craft emotionally engaging narratives, and transform raw information into powerful visuals. Here’s a breakdown of the three core skills that reshaped how I think, draw, and present.
Building the financial statements for NO SHADE from the ground up was an intense but rewarding journey. Beginning with revenue and sales projections, I learned to forecast with intention—defining pricing, units sold per phase, and seasonal trends. Creating monthly sales estimates helped me better understand the brand’s scalability and guided realistic decision-making. From there, I mapped monthly operational costs, breaking down expenses like rent, marketing, software, and logistics—turning abstract ideas into tangible numbers.
Digging into startup costs and capital requirements, I calculated exactly how much funding I’d need to launch and sustain the business. Developing a detailed cash flow summary, income statement, and balance sheet helped me visualize how money would move in and out of the business over time. The most eye-opening part was calculating ROI—it made me think like an investor, not just a founder. These tools weren’t just about numbers—they told the story of NO SHADE’s potential, risks, and growth path.
Throughout the quarter, we drew insights from Wall Street Journal articles, grounding our ideas in real-world trends. Working on Harvard Business School case studies sharpened our decision-making under uncertainty. Exploring the Ethics of Finance taught us how to build businesses that are not only profitable—but also principled and responsible.