AGI Update

A quick update on the team I've been following: Monday night they had returned from their sales activity with 1236 pesos (they were in first place). Monday night we introduced a contest where the team that had the biggest percentage sales increase the next day (Mother's Day) would get a prize of 1000 pesos. Instead of their normal half day, the teams were given pretty much all day yesterday to go out and sell, and we counted their money at the end of the day. The team I've been following came back with 2281 pesos, which amounted to a 59% increase from their previous net worth (we also counted inventory in the original number - for anyone who's checking the math...). Their increase was great, but another team managed to get a 211% increase from 779 to 2424 pesos. Overall, the teams managed to get a total of 50% increase just from one day of sales - not too bad, considering they all started with less than a sheet of paper.

This team (Alfiles) created signs to advertise, and used a wheelbarrow to be able to carry around more inventory so they wouldn't have to return to the Academy as often.

Teotihuacan

Yesterday (May 10th) was Mother's Day here in Mexico, so the students took advantage of the day to go out and make more sales for their AGI activity. We decided that with all the students gone, and most of our cases being written, to take a trip to see the pyramids at Teotihuacan. This was a very cool place, and it took a full 3 hours just to see everything. All of these pictures are from my camera, so I'm the main subject in the photos - I'll let Ben and Nate post their pictures so their families can see them as well.

I'm standing in front of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Eduardo, Ben and Nate climbing the stairs to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun.

This shot didn't quite snap in time, but all three of them were taking pictures in the same stance.

Ben Dana, Eduardo Zanetta, Nate Lunt, Brent Jacobsen

On top of the Pyramid of the Sun. You can see the Pyramid of the Moon behind us.

Nate and Ben. Nate's showing his MBA powers.

Pyramid of the Moon (shot from the Pyramid of the Sun)

Standing in front of the Sun Pyramid.

Standing on the Avenue of the Dead. The Moon Pyramid is in the background.

An original Jaguar painting.

A pretty cool carved head.

Standing in front of the Moon Pyramid.

Quetzalcoatl's Pyramid.

Some of the very few detailed carvings left. These are kind of hidden behind Quetzalcoatl's Pyramid.

More carvings.

And more carvings.

My "Foakleys" - I looked all over to buy these, and only found one pair.

A view of the Moon Pyramid (left) and the Sun Pyramid (right).

Same shot, just with a pretty face added...

A shot of the Moon Pyramid from the top of the Sun Pyramid.

Some Cool Experiences Yesterday

One of the principle aims of the Academy for Creating Enterprise is to help students overcome what they refer to as the "Culture of Poverty." The basic premise is that most of the people are poor not because they want to be, but because they were raised in (and live in) a culture where the societal norms go against the practices and beliefs that allow success and financial prosperity. Overcoming those cultural beliefs is the first challenge that the Academy faces, and the first week is spent mostly teaching the students to believe in a culture of success.

In order to keep this post relatively short, I'll just say that the students had some great (very emotional) breakthroughs yesterday that were very cool to be able to see. One thing that Nate, Ben and I did that hadn't been done previously at the Academy was to have a movie night last night. To go along with the rather emotional day, we decided to show Pursuit of Happyness. 

This is one of my favorite movies, and having passed through a lot of similar circumstances to Chris Gardner myself, and listening to some of the challenges some of the students are currently going through, it was a great way to end a really great day.

Teaching Income Statements in a Foreign Language and an Update on Industrial Maqdec

Yesterday was Income Statement day. The Academy teaches a very basic 10-step income statement to the students. Most micro-enterprise owners don't even keep records, and the difference between Gross Sales and Net Profits is a totally foreign concept. The majority of the small business owners in Mexico (and a lot in the US as well...) figure that whatever is in their cash register at the end of the day is profit and can be spent.

Jeremi taught the concept of separate entities earlier in the day, so we had to field a few follow-up questions, but the lessons seemed to go pretty well.

Nate teaching the steps.

I'm answering a follow-up question.

Talking over each other...three teachers can make the lesson a little difficult (although, it also allows us to make sure we understand and answer the questions thoroughly).

Not sure what I'm pointing at here...

Students love to stand up when they're speaking - I don't know why, but it seems to be even more prevalent among the students that sit in the back of the classroom.

This is a lunch we had with Samuel Ahuacatitan - the owner of Industrial Maqdec. He followed up with Pemex, and they asked him to bid 8 oil pump systems with generators and oil tanks. The oil pumps are used to recover oil from "stripper wells" or "marginal wells." He is asking if one (or all) of us would be willing to accompany him to the meeting. It appears that he is even willing to have us fly back to go to the meeting with him. One of the reasons I took this picture was because this meeting was a lunch meeting, and our "dessert" was these suckers. I just found the image of a bunch of executives sucking on lollipops during a business meeting to be rather amusing, so I just had to snap a picture.

Buying Coke in a 3 Liter bottle makes Nate 3 times as happy!!

A Trip to the LDS Temple in Mexico City

So, it's Saturday, and the students are out doing sales all day, so we decided to take a trip into the city to go to the temple. It's only about 7 miles from the Academy, but that makes for about an hour ride in a taxi in a city with over 20 million people.

The three MBAs - or as we're called at the Academy - Los Tres Amigos.

A shot of just me.

Us and Eduardo Zanatta - a BYU undergrad originally from Brazil.

All of the interns from the Academy. Ashley and Calvin Skinner are a newlywed couple that will be here until August.

Another shot of me.

Another view showing the fountains.

Eduardo and the Skinners.

The Mexico City Visitor's Center.

This post shows where the ground level used to be. The post is driven all the way down to bedrock, and so it doesn't move, but the ground around it does. Mexico City is built on an old lake bed and is sinking - from the post, it looks like about 2-4 inches per year.

The architecture of both the temple and the visitor's center follow a lot of the ancient Aztec architecture. The building behind me is the visitor's center.

This is about two blocks away from the temple. "La Tienda Prometida" translates as "The Promised Store." For those unfamiliar with LDS culture, this is a play on a story from the Book of Mormon, where a group of people travel to "The Promised Land" (La Tierra Prometida). It's pretty obvious who their target demographic is.

Lunch at Burger King. Ashley is taking the picture, and we're joined by Marvin and Janet - two employees of the Academy who are engaged.