Program gives students firsthand business experience
As the former managing director of a store with three locations, Harvard College junior Jenny Leight can easily list things she’s learned about running a multimillion-dollar business. Among them: Make sure the hooks on clothes hangers are faced to look like question marks, because that’s the “correct” direction, and it makes it easier for customers to take them off the rack. Others? Put your best or newest merchandise in areas where customers tend to stop first or most often. Don’t be afraid to put up flashy “instagrammable” window displays to draw passersby. Make your staffers feel appreciated, supported, and accountable if you want to motivate them to meet store goals. Perhaps most importantly, however, Leight can tell you this: From the small details to big-picture strategy, starting and running a business is something that can be learned. “I now feel I have the skills to look at a business, especially in retail, and...