Entrepreneurial Leadership

Keisha Jones Professor OlenaMaslennikova BUS 508 30 January 2012

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"Downtown Locker Room is a very unique retailer in that we genuinely appreciate our customers. It goes beyond just being grateful that consumers shop at our stores, it's really about having an appreciation of the lifestyle of our customers which has resulted in an understanding that allows Downtown Locker Room to make that connection which is invaluable!" -Craig Powell, DTLR Marketing Director

In the early 90's fashion in the urban community was making a dramatic change from being influenced by the sports industry to being influenced by the entertainment industry. This change brought about a focus from athletic apparel and footwear to urban apparel, footwear and music. Rick and Tony were active in family businesses in downtown Baltimore when they first met and noticed this changing atmosphere of fashion in the urban community. Fifteen years ago when cofounders Rick Levin and Tony Trantas joined forces creating the parent company Levtran Enterprises, Inc., Downtown Locker Room (DTLR) started its operation. The birth of DTLR was a result of both men being enthusiastic entrepreneurs with community awareness in trend retail and a passionate belief in the vitality of the urban consumer. DTLR switches gears as fashion and demand for emerging designers grows to address the changing needs of its consumers. With locations throughout the Baltimore, Virginia and Washington, DC metropolitan area DTLR has become the most recognizable retailer of urban apparel, footwear and urban music. DTLR is also committed to giving back to the community they serve via financially or sponsorship. DTLR develops and/or partners with programs and organizations that will assist the inner city youth and young adults to excel in opportunities for success through education, hard work, and also giving back to the communities where they live. They partner with

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organizations and events that target 10-22 year old youth and young adults, with a particular focus on young men. The founders of DTLR are currently leaders in the fashion retail industry. Their leadership style includes People/Relations oriented and Transformational leadership. In people/relations oriented leadership, leaders are totally focused on organizing, supporting, and developing the people in their teams. It's a participative style, and it tends to encourage good teamwork and creative collaboration. In transformational leadership they are leaders that are truly enthusiastic and inspire their team constantly with a shared vision of the future. In this leadership they are also supported by "detailed people." Detailed people are people that have a specific role in a business, but it takes everyone on the team to contribute their detailed work to keep the business functioning daily. DTLR detailed people include DTLR buyers, sales associates, street team members, outreach coordinator, marketing director, and many more. Some of DTLRs major business principles include cash generation, growth, quality and team collaboration. DTLRs main goal is a steady cash generation for its company in order to maintain stable and continuous growth within stores and community. When a business can grow it helps the economy and community. DTLR is a company that gives back to the community, therefore its stability in the fashion retail industry is imperative to many including investors, CEOs, staff, not for profit organizations, and its customers. The quality of services, products and outreach that DTLR provides is a reflection of the company as a whole. DTLR reputation is upheld by its customers. They are the voice in the community in which DTLR gives back to on the regular basis, therefore the customers support building its growth and quality of services they provide. In team collaboration DTLR collaborates cross-functionally with buyers, sales associates, street team members and coordinators/directors. This also includes managing

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evolving trends and outreach projects to enhance collaboration and progress/quality insight within its stores and community while ensuring operation teams work effectively as a whole.

We must accept the fact that transport and communications will bring the world in close relations and the youth of the world should have standards and ideals in common. -Juliette D. Low, Founder of Girl Scouts

Juliette Daisy Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts of the USA, was born Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon on October 31, 1860, in Savannah, Ga. Juliette Gordon Low spent several years searching for something useful to do with her life. Her search ended in 1911, when she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, and became interested in the new youth movement. Less than a year later, she channeled all her considerable energies into the fledgling movement. (www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are) On March 12, 1912, Juliette Low gathered 18 girls to register the first troop of American Girl Guides. Margaret "Daisy Doots" Gordon, her niece and namesake, was the first registered member. The name of the organization was changed to Girl Scouts the following year. In developing the Girl Scout movement in the United States, Juliette brought girls of all backgrounds into the out-of-doors, giving them the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. Girl Scouts welcomed girls with disabilities at a time when they were excluded from many other activities. From the original 18 girls, Girl Scouting has grown to 3.7 million members. (www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are) Girl Scouts is the leader in the largest educational organization for girls in the world. It has influenced the more than 50 million girls, women and men who have belonged to it. Their leadership style includes Collaborative, Task Oriented and Charismatic Leadership.

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Collaborative leadership means engaging the team members and communities in the organizations decision-making process. Beyond brainstorm sessions and opinion surveys, collaborative leadership welcomes a diverse range of people and makes room for them all at the table. Since Girl Scouts is so diversified this leadership has been essential in the building and continued success of the organization. Task oriented leadership focus only on getting the job done, and they can be quite autocratic. They actively define the work and the roles required, put structures in place, plan, organize, and monitor. Every organization must have a leader with strong beliefs, goals and plans. Charismatic leadership inspire a lot of enthusiasm in their teams and are very energetic in driving others forward. This leadership is important because in order for a non-profit to have long term success and satiability it must have followers that firmly believe in the morals and principals of the organization. One of Girl Scouts biggest (profit) trademarks are their Girl Scout cookies. The $760 million Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led business in the country and generates immeasurable benefits for girls, their councils and communities nationwide. Girls set cookie goals to support their chosen activities for the year, to fund community service and leadership projects, to attend summer camp, to travel to destinations near and far and to provide events for girls in their community. This huge success profit would not be made if the Girl Scouts did not possess some major business principles. Some of Girl Scouts business principles as a non-profit organization include innovative alliances, strategic connections, quality and diversity. Since Girl Scouts is nationwide it has to have alliances from all over. That innovative helps Girl Scouts as a whole continue to grow nationally. Having strategic connections keeps the organization connected to others that believe in the cause of Girl Scouts and want to help support it either financially through grants or

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donations or physically by volunteering. The quality of Girl Scouts has had a huge impact on the organization. In developing the Girl Scout movement in the United States, Juliette brought girls of all backgrounds into the out-of-doors, giving them the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. She encouraged girls to prepare not only for traditional homemaking, but also for possible future roles as professional womenin the arts, sciences and businessand for active citizenship outside the home. Any organization has to have diversity to be able to market and appeal to all nationalities. Juliette Gordon Low accumulated admirers and friends of all ages, nationalities and walks of life. The leadership styles in which I most identify with is the Charismatic and Task oriented Leadership. In the charismatic leadership the leader has a majority of responsibility in which is appropriate for a business owner or manager. Having this type of leadership requires true leadership skills and will make or break you in your position. Being as task oriented leader requires a person to be able to take charge. When employed by a company or business, I believe that each employee should be responsible for their own work. I also believe in getting things done and everyone having and playing their role effectively. The approaches in which I most identify with are collaboration, strategic connections, and growth. DTLR showed how successful a business can be with collaboration from all parties involved from the owners of the company down to the community. Having strategic connections benefits the organization/company, as well as the employee making the connection. That connection is one that can probably be used in another position if obtained and sustained correctly. Growth is something that DTLR and Girl Scouts have shown to succeed in imperatively. It goes to show with the proper combination of leadership and business principles how much longevity and success a company/organization can have.

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The three resources/tools available through the Small Business Administration and SCORE that would be most useful to the type of business and entrepreneurial approach I identified with above would be the How to Business Planning, Business Mentoring, and Business Loans, Grants and Funding. These resources are fundamental because they assist with starting and maintaining a business over time. Every business has to start somewhere and the use of these tools will enhance the approaches of collaboration, strategic connections and growth by assisting from the ground up.

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References Potter, R., & Hastings, W. (2008) Trust Me: developing a leadership style people will follow. South Carolina: Booksurge Publishing DTLR, Your Fashion, Your Lifestyle. (2007). www.DTLR.com Girl Scouts. (2008). www.GirlScouts.org/who_we_are Score for the life of your business. (2011). www.SCORE.org U.S. Small Business Administration. (2006). www.sba.gov