Partnership with Business

2015-2016
Dundy County Stratton FBLA #8722
Dundy County Stratton High School
Benkelman, Nebraska

Table of Contents
Development
Partnership Goals .......................................................................................................2
Planning Activities Used to Build a Partnership........................................................3
Roles of Business Leaders and Chapters Members ...................................................4

Implementation
Activities Implemented to Learn the Concepts
Of Business Operations.......................................................................................5
Roles of Business Leaders and Chapter Members .....................................................7
Results, Concepts Learned, and the Impact of
Of the Project Provided .......................................................................................7
Degree of Involvement ..............................................................................................8
Evidence of Publicity .................................................................................................8

Appendix
Basketball Order Form ...............................................................................................A-1
Basketball Order Spreadsheet ....................................................................................A-2
Business Card.............................................................................................................A-3
Articles .......................................................................................................................A-4
Facebook Promotion ..................................................................................................A-5
Work Night Sign ........................................................................................................A-6

Report prepared by: Nicole Kent

Partnership with Business

Roses, Carnations, and Gerbera Daisies galore! Flowers were a large part of the 2015-2016
Dundy County Stratton FBLA partnership with business project. DCS FBLA chose Seize the
Daisy, a local floral and gift shop, as their business partner for the project. Seize the Daisy was
purchased in January 2015 by Nickole Sis. Over the summer, the business underwent remodeling
on the store front and within the shop. With more space to work, Seize the Daisy expanded
beyond a floral business to include gifts, coffee, baked goods, and even dry cleaning. Seize the
Daisy is located in downtown Benkelman.
Dundy County is located in southwest Nebraska
and is bordered by Kansas and Colorado. Dundy
County Stratton Public Schools is comprised of
Benkelman Elementary, Stratton Elementary, and
Dundy County Stratton Junior-Senior High School
with a total of 329 students enrolled. The residents
of Dundy County and Stratton take great pride in
their rural lifestyle, and they strongly support the
school system and its activities.

Development
Partnership Goals
The Dundy County Stratton FBLA officers decided at officer training in August to establish a
partnership with Seize the Daisy, the local flower and gift shop. After meeting with Seize the
Daisy owner and manager Nickole Sis, the following goals for the partnership were established:

Educate chapter members about the operations of a small business

Adopt the skills associated with operating a floral shop
Provide Seize the Daisy with service hours that will benefit business operations
Learn about Seize the Daisy and business management
Publicize the many services offered by Seize the Daisy

Seize the Daisy

Partnership with Business Project

Planning Activities Used to Build a Partnership

At the Dundy County Stratton FBLA Chapter
Officer Leadership Training in August, the
officer team discussed many options for a
partnership project. Many business in downtown
Benkelman were discussed, including the grocery
store, the new law office, and the car dealership.
Ultimately, the officer team decided that the
floral and gift shop, Seize the Daisy, had the
potential to provide members with insight into
the management of a business and the
opportunity to learn skills associated with the
floral business, and members could provide the
DCS FBLA Officers discuss options for a
business with beneficial service. It was then
Partnership with Business Project.
decided that Nicole Kent and Madison Lambley
would serve as the committee chairmen for this
project. Following our meeting with Nickole Sis to establish partnership goals, it was time for
FBLA to plan to activities that would make our project a success for both parties involved. At the
first chapter meeting on September 9, members were given to opportunity to join the partnership
committee. D.J. Hardwick, Kami Porter, Payton Zarkowski, Sydney Warman, Becky Earnest,
Olivia Sis, Sofie Christensen, and Madison Haines signed up to be members of the committee.
The committee utilized free time at lunch to hold planning meeting for our partnership. As a
floral and gift business, the holiday season, Valentines Day, and parents nights for the athletic
teams are Seize the Daisys busiest events of the
school year. Knowing this, the committee
concentrated their ideas toward activities that would
benefit the business during these especially busy
times. Through discussion, the committee decided
that FBLA could help with the planning of parents
night by creating a smoother, cooperative process of
ordering gifts and flowers for the athletes parents.
Additionally, the committee decided that creating
candy bouquets for the holidays and Valentines
Day would be beneficial to Seize the Daisy during
The members of the 2015-16 Partnership
these times. Finally, during the holidays, Seize the
with Business Committee included (Left to
Daisy extends its hours, staying open later on
Right): Madison Haines, Sofie Christensen,
weeknights and opening on weekends. These times
Madison Lambley, Sydney Warman, D.J.
would be perfect for FBLA members to assist
Hardwick, Payton Zarkowski, Nicole Kent,
Nickole and her team and learn more about business
Olivia Sis, and Becky Earnest.
operations. Following these meetings, the committee
3

Seize the Daisy

Partnership with Business Project

members felt that there were plenty of things to be prepared and opportunities for everyone to get
involved.
After the committee met, Nicole and Madison, with the help of adviser Peggy Parker,
approached Nickole Sis with our ideas for the partnership. Nickole was eager to get started with
the project and excited to educate FBLA members on the different aspects of her business.
Nickole agreed that FBLAs assistance during parents night and Valentines Day would be
beneficial. A presentation by Nickole at a chapter meeting was added to the partnership to
familiarize members with business operations. A date was also set for FBLA members to visit
Seize the Daisy to create floral arrangements. FBLA also helped market Seize the Daisy by
passing out flyers announcing an open house during the annual craft fair, posting on social
media, and submitting articles for publication to the local newspaper.

Roles of Business Leaders and Chapter Members

Nickole Sis was the primary business leader who worked with FBLA members in this
partnership. Nickole is a former business teacher and FBLA adviser, and her mother was the
founding adviser of Dundy County Stratton FBLA. With her FBLA background, Nickole knew
the importance of business education, and she wanted to make sure that FBLA members got as
much out of the project as possible. Her role as a mentor was truly appreciated and enabled our
chapter to learn about the many aspects of her business. Nickole communicated often with the
committee members via text and email. Beyond her help with this project, Nickole taught us how
to work with customers and be a business professional.
The committee members were responsible for learning about the operations of the floral
business, and then relaying this information to the chapter members during meetings and work
nights. Additionally, to ease the stress of parents nights for Seize the Daisy, FBLA would take
the flower and gift orders from athletes, gather the
information into a spreadsheet, and communicate the
orders to Seize the Daisy. After Seize the Daisy
prepared flowers, FBLA members would distribute
them to the athletes. For Valentines Day, Nickole
agreed to teach FBLA members to construct candy
bouquets. Nickole also loved the idea of having
FBLA members help at the store on weekends. The
weekends are a great time to take inventory, process
flowers, and learn more about the business.
Both Seize the Daisy and FBLA agreed to meet to
communicate in person whenever possible. Both also
agreed to use electronic communications, such as
email and texting, to maintain contact for the
duration of the project.

Nickole Sis speaks with chapter members

about the Partnership with Business Project.

Seize the Daisy

Partnership with Business Project

Implementation
Activities Implemented to Learn the Concepts of Business Operations
Committee members used the annual craft fair on
Saturday, November 14, as a marketing
opportunity for Seize the Daisy. Three members
met to place flyers on the windshields of shoppers
vehicles at the craft fair to advertise Seize the
Daisys Holiday Open House that was occurring at
the same time.
The officer team decided to invite Nickole to be a
guest speaker at the chapter meeting on Thursday,
December 10. At the meeting, Nickole shared the
story of how she purchased Seize the Daisy.
DCS FBLA members prepare to create a
flower arrangement
After the purchase, many changes and expansions
were made to the business. Nickole shared much
about the process of renovating the shop into the bright downtown business we see today. As
Nickole presented, members could see that she truly has a passion for the floral and gift business,
and that is why she is so successful in it.
In the month of December, several committee members spent
evenings and weekends at Seize the Daisy to implement the job
experience portion of the partnership. On Saturday, December
12, Nicole, Madison, Kami, Payton, Sydney, and Becky spent
the morning at Seize the Daisy learning to arrange bouquets.
Nickole gave the girls a quick lesson, but she told them not to
copy her bouquet. You just have to be creative and do your
own thing. The bouquets included a variety of green and red
flowers and an assortment of greenery, and each turned out
beautifully. When all of the bouquets had been arranged, Seize
the Daisy donated them to FBLA to use for their upcoming
etiquette dinner.
Kami worked in the evening on Wednesday, December 16. That
night, Kami helped customers, restocked shelves, and arranged
flower bouquets. Nicole, Madison, Sofie, and Olivia worked
Madison, Nicole, and Sofie
Saturday, December 19. This was the day of the annual
gift wrap items at Seize the
Daisy.
Benkelman Christmas celebration, and Seize the Daisy was
swarming with customers. Sofie and Madison handed out
prizes to the winners of the Chamber of Commerce drawing on behalf of Seize the Daisy. Olivia
helped customers on the floor, and Nicole made flower deliveries. Once all of the flowers had
5

Seize the Daisy

Partnership with Business Project

been delivered, Nicole learned to work the cash register so that she could check customers out.
Once the downtown Christmas celebration was over, Sofie and Madison went to the back room
to help gift wrap customers purchases. On that day, the committee members learned a lot about
running a customer-based business.
Another large portion of the partnership was the
production of candy bouquets for Valentines
Day. When the idea was mentioned, Nickole was
thrilled. Thats a great idea. Candy bouquets are
usually very expensive due to the time it takes to
make them, Nickole stated. With FBLA
making them, we can sell the bouquets at a more
affordable price because we dont have to take
labor into account when pricing them. Nickole
came to the school with boxes of supplies on
November 9 to teach members how to assemble
Madison, Becky, and Nicole pose with the
bouquets. Theater size boxes of candy, plastic
first completed candy bouquet.
childrens cups, and valentine boxes with foam
inserted to the centers were used as bases for the
bouquets. Cellophane paper cut into 5 inch by 5 inch squares were folded and wrapped onto
green stakes with wire to create the filler, or as the committee members called them fluff
flowers, to go between the candy pieces. Candies such as heart-shaped lollipops, M&Ms, and
mini Snickers were also secured to the stakes. Nickole explained the importance of using odd
numbers of candy and to create a mirror effect on each side of the bouquet to make the bouquet
look as aesthetically pleasing as possible. For example, a piece of candy placed in the left back
corner requires the same piece of candy in the right back corner. After all the individual
components were constructed, they were assembled into one final product to create a candy
bouquet. The boxes of supplies were left at the school so that members could work on them
whenever they had time. The committee scheduled work nights throughout the month of January
to work on the bouquets.
Another large part of the partnership was the coordination
of parents night. Traditionally, athletes thank their parents
at the last home game of the season, and each athlete was
responsible for getting their gifts for their parents. In the
past, many athletes called into Seize the Daisy the morning
before the game, which put Nickole in a time crunch to
complete all of the flowers in time. With the permission of
the school activities director and each coach, FBLA
coordinated parents night. Seize the Daisy provided the
options for students to order, and FBLA collected the orders
and put the information into a spreadsheet. Seize the
Daisys order form can be found in appendix A-1, and

DCS Volleyball players pose with

the flowers they ordered from
Seize the Daisy for parents
night.
6

Seize the Daisy

Partnership with Business Project

FBLAs spreadsheet is appendix A-2. FBLA and Seize the Daisy successfully coordinated
parents night for football, volleyball, girls and boys basketball, wrestling, and cheerleading.
Committee members kept chapter members updated on the progress and activities of the
partnership through chapter meetings and photos on the bulletin board outside of the business
room.

Roles of Business Leaders and Chapter Members

This partnership was an exceptional experience thanks to the hard work of Nickole Sis and her
staff. Nickole was the head of operations at Seize the Daisy during this partnership, and she
worked closely with FBLA members. Joyce Blair and Wanda Peckham are also employees who
helped members while they worked in at Seize the Daisy. All three women were immensely
helpful in the communication of orders and assembling flowers for parents night. They helped
committee members learn more about business operations during the committees jobshadowing, and they taught us to build beautiful candy and flower bouquets. FBLA members are
thankful for their dedication to the project.
FBLA members were responsible for marketing Seize the Daisys Holiday House at the craft
fair, scheduling dates to work at Seize the Daisy, and constructing candy bouquets. Through
work nights, everyone was able to take an active role in the partnership. FBLA was also in
charge of coordinating parents night with the school administration and coaches as well as
taking the orders of each athlete. Both sides of the partnership had vital roles in determining
deadlines for completion of projects.

Results, Concepts Learned, and Impact of the Project Provided

Through the partnership with Seize the Daisy, FBLA members learned the importance of
organization and planning in a business and how to effectively manage order forms and orders.
They also learned about the day-to-day work associated with operating a floral gift shop
including customer interactions, marketing, processing flowers, assembling arrangements, and
running a cash register. Members were also familiarized with the history of the local business.

A completed bouquet prepared by

committee members

FBLA was able to help coordinate a smoother process in

planning parents night orders and bring in more
business from high school age consumers through this
process. A large number of students hadnt previously
shopped at Seize the Daisy, but through the partnership
over half the school purchased flowers and received a
business card as shown in appendix A-3.Candy
bouquets proved to be a hot item at Seize the Daisy
bringing in even more revenue. Every bouquet was sold
within days of hitting the shelf. Word got out in the
community of the partnership which drew a large crowd
of customers.
7

Seize the Daisy

Partnership with Business Project

Degree of Involvement
From August to February, many hours were spent by both FBLA members and Seize the Daisy
to make our partnership a success. FBLA members brainstormed and planned the project,
marketed for Seize the Daisy, job shadowed, organized parents night, attended Nickoles
presentation, created candy bouquets, and arranged flowers. The hours spent learning from
Nickole and her team at Seize the Daisy were invaluable.

Activity

Number of
Members

Number of
Hours

7
10
2
21
6
6
8
3

1
2
1
1
2
4
5
8

Officer Planning
Committee Meeting
Open House Marketing
Seize the Daisy Presentation
Flower Arranging
Work Experience
Candy Bouquets
Parents Night Organization
Total Hours

Total
7
20
2
21
12
24
40
24
150

Evidence of Publicity
Social media was one of the key means of publicity for the partnership. Seize the Daisys
Facebook page and Dundy County Stratton FBLAs Twitter page kept members and the
community updated on new candy bouquets and different projects. Additionally, an article was
printed in the March edition of the Nebraska FBLA Pledge under Champion Chapters, and
another article was printed in the Benkelman Post. All evidence of publicity can be found in
appendices A-4, A-5, and A-6.

Seize the Daisy

Partnership with Business Project

Appendices

A-1

A-2

A-3

A-4

A-5

A-6