Know-How Exchange : Student Questions

The usual suggestions focus on what you like doing. I'm going to buck the trend, and ask you what you've gotten into trouble for. Usually this is because you're irritating someone that has pre-conceived ideas about you or your station in life - but they cannot do anything but be irritated. The point is to see this in a positive light and work out how to use this in your marketing dissertation. So, it's over to you and when you get back in touch, we can suggest some avenues to pursue.

And yes, I am still waiting for the letter from his lawyers ...

Pick a subject you know nothing about, or one that's counter to any gender or experience and write about it from your point of view. Write for your sake, not for someone else's. Write with passion, verve, and style about something odd, unusual, or off course from your everyday life. Avoid social media, branding, and major corporations: they've all been done to death.

If you are still not happy with the result after following the previous suggestions try this-

Picture yourself as a successful business leader in charge of a dynamic, profitable company. You are large and in-charge as they say. Now...how did you get there? What's the ONE "thing" that contributed most to getting into that position? What's your first thought on that?

That is what interests you at this stage in your life. Examine it, analyze it, learn all about it, reach some honest conclusions concerning its use and utility. You need to do this in order to broaden your thinking for the rest of your career. Use this opportunity to learn about and expand your self.

Since you are posting this on Marketing Profs, I'm going to make the leap that is should focus on marketing...

I work with small independent retailers, family run businesses, usually run by a second or third generation of the family. Many of these retailers don't have the time or resources to do serious in-dept marketing. You might be able to find a small business that will let you profile them and the struggles they face marketing in an evolving marketplace. What challenges are unique to a mulch-generational, privately held business? I know one retailer in Nebraska that wanted to find out how his family business was perceived by the community but didn't know where to start. I suggested that he contact the business graduate school at his local university to find a grad student that needed a thesis topic.