Introduction

My name is Blake Castle and I am a fourth year student at Southern Miss.  I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Merchandising and Tourism.    I love my degree because it’s almost like having the best of both worlds.  I get to study both fashion and tourism even though I still have no idea what career I want to have after graduation.  I feel like this degree plan gives me wiggle room incase I don’t like one area, I’ll always have a backup.  I have never made a blog before so I’ll try my best at this.  I am creating this account for my Merchandising 478 class.  I plan to learn what I can about marketing through social media and actually get the see it play out in the real world.  Working at Material Girls, a women’s clothing boutique, I get to see how our four stores use social media in order to make sales and boost the companies growth.  I hope that I can take away some things from this class that could help me become a better employee. 

 I have many personal and professional goals for my life but I don’t have many details worked out yet.  I know I want to have a family one day, as well as a successful career.  I grew up in a family that always traveled and I want my children to experience that also.  Traveling is one of my favorite things to do and you learn so much about the world and the people that we share it with.  One day, I hope to own my own bar and grill and make it something so unique and special, that it’s unlike any other dining out experience.  I want to offer something to all types and ages of people but still have an overall feel.  I also love the idea of maybe owning my own clothing store, or interior decorating store also.  I know I can’t do it all but these are just some ideas that I have come up with.  My grandfather created his own pipeline company 15 years ago that my dad now owns and operates and it is continually growing and climbing it’s way to the top so I know that I want to create my own business one day too.  I think that it’s in my blood to be an entrepreneur and create my own opportunities.

Strengths and weaknesses are never fun to talk about but everyone has them.  I would have to say that my three strengths are compassion, determination, and appreciation.  I am a very compassionate person.  I always care how people are effected by situations and how they feel about things.  I always want the people I’m around to have a good time and enjoy themselves.  I’m also a determined individual because I like to get things done.  I was raised to never quit anything in the middle, you always finish strong, no matter what it is.  I am also a very appreciative person.  I think about the effort someone went through when they do something for me.  I know the value of time and effort and I appreciate it as much as I can.  My three weaknesses would be time management, communication skills, and staying focused.  I like to wait to the last minute to do things which always makes it harder on myself but I still continue to do it pretty often.  I also lack some communication skills.  I tend to have a hard time saying what I want to or getting my point across the way I intended to.  I can get pretty distracted sometimes and want to veer off track.  

One of my favorite social media tools is Pinterest.  I think Pinterest is a great way express yourself, as well as hold all your favorite things in one place.  I also like Instagram though and I think that both of these sites are great ways to market for businesses and individuals.