FELLOWS T-SHIRTS!

Yep, we got our very own BitWise Fellows t-shirts recently, and they’re the bomb diggity! Emblazoned across the front is a captivating image of a BitWise Fellows coat-of-arms, and on the back is a giant logo complete with our URL, www.bitwisefellows.com.  We ordered them from Spreadshirt, Inc., and they did an amazing job, so be sure to check them out if you need a custom-made shirt — www.vintagedesignertshirts.spreadshirt.com. They shipped incredibly fast and arrived exactly as we ordered them, so we are immensely pleased with their work.  We’ll be wearing these shirts out and about to promote our business, so if you see someone wearing a giant BitWise logo, it’sone of us!

FELLOWS UNITE!

So what does it take for a group of high school students to run a small business?  It takes time, responsibility, and creativity.

Remember we’re high school students, so time management is a huge lesson that a Fellow learns during the course of his/her employment.  Juggling school, Fellows, and the rest of life is difficult and most importantly, takes responsibility.  It’s quite a reality check to be finished with homework, then have to move on to work when all you want to do is curl up on a couch and watch Youtube. After school, work is the next priority.  Real clients are waiting for their projects to be completed, so putting off work is not an option. 

Fantastic

Excellent

Laudable

Lovable

Overwhelming

Web design!

Yep, you guessed it—the Fellows are a very unique and creative company!  Think about it: How many businesses do you know of that are run responsibly and effectively by a group of high school students?  The Fellows strive to utilize this distinct quality in every aspect of our business, from youthful designs to creative marketing.  Being a Fellow is not easy, but it certainly is worthwhile.

And hey, who wouldn’t want a job where you can think up awesome acronyms to put in your company post?

Happy New Year!

The beginning of the New Year means a lot to all of us here at the Fellows.  Josh C. is looking for a candidate to take his place when he graduates later this year.  I (Michael) look to take on more responsibility of our finances from BitWise Solutions, our parent company, and streamline client experiences.  I also will be training my replacement (Josh M.) as I will be graduating this year as well.  As expected the entire team here will look to learn from their experiences while growing business.

Sadly, this year we will no longer have the mentorship of Julie Hunter, previous Manager of Client Experiences at BitWise Solutions.   She is looking for a new job challenge and we will really miss her.  We will probably have a “Goodbye to Julie” post here soon.

This year will be a busy and productive year for us all.  This week we had a reunion with all of the guys who had already graduated from the Fellows.  We all went bowling yesterday, and it was a great way to catch up with the guys now that they have a first semester of college under their belts!

Did you know that 75 pounds of food can feed a family of four for about a week?

Hey guys! These past few weeks I (Sarah) have been part of something really cool, and I just wanted to share about it with everyone. The youth group at the church Josh Cunningham and I attend (Centennial Bible Church www.centennicalbiblechurch.com) has been raising money for the Red Cross Center in Noblesville, Indiana. We raised a total of $1000 and with it were able to purchase over 900 pounds of food from Costco!  So using the information from the first sentence, that can feed about twelve families.  Last night we actually went to the Red Cross Center and helped to arrange, package, and stock all the food, and it was a BLAST.  I would encourage everyone to volunteer your spare time, because it had a big impact on me.  I went home to a nice, warm house and then ate a really good dinner.  Honestly, it made me feel a little guilty, and at the same time very thankful. 

So to sum it all up, I would encourage everybody to donate and/or volunteer for the Red Cross Center.  I know it’s hard to find the time and the extra money, but it’s worth it to help out families in desperate need. Check out www.redcross-indy.org for more info!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Today we began a NEW PROJECT with Nick Heldman from Heldman Exteriors, Inc.! Heldman Exteriors is a company located in Central Indiana that provides various services including roofing, siding, windows and doors.  They do not have a Web site, so a place to display information about their company and give users a feel for their different services is desired. We will be posting updates along the way so you can get an idea of the different stages of the Web site creation and can celebrate its completion with us!

The Fellows also recently finshed a Web site for Environmental Water Solutions, LLC, www.ewstreatment.com, so be sure to check it out!

Check back next week: same Fellows time, same Fellows channel for a new post! 

BitWise Fellows has been an invaluable experience for me over the past two years.  As president, my two main roles involve the handling of company sales operations in addition to the coordination of our staffing efforts.  Before I began my role, I really had no idea about what career opportunities I wanted to pursue.  My work at Fellows has allowed me to gain a much deeper understanding of the business world beyond just a business or economics course.  As a result of this experience, I am looking to go into business school in college next year.  I have developed a much greater comfort level interacting with adults in a professional business environment in addition to more effective leadership skills of my fellow high school students.  Working with my team members to solve problems and implement successful Web solutions for our clients is extremely rewarding.  Each project poses different challenges and requires us to think of new ways to meet the client’s needs. 

In short, my work at Fellows has provided me with a head start as I look to begin my college career and future job experience.  I would certainly encourage any students interested in entrepreneurial business experience to learn more about job opportunities at BitWise Fellows. 

~Josh Cunningham 

For our inaugural blog post we thought we would write a little about ourselves, BitWise Fellows:

So who are the Fellows and what do we do?  We are a small company of high school students that builds Web sites for clients in the Indianapolis area.  No, we’re not superheroes, but our mission is to rid the world of unsightly Web sites while providing high school students with real-world business experience that they can carry into their future careers.  A typical Fellows project involves Web services for small businesses and non-profits who are searching for innovative, yet affordable design.

We bring creativity and a professional touch to each project to meet our clients’ specific Web needs.   Right now we are working on several projects, including Americans for African Adoptions, Kreager Brothers Excavating, and Indianapolis Metropolitan High School.  These sites are scheduled to be completed within the next few months.

Keep checking in for updates! We aren’t yet sure how often we will be posting, but we’ll try to get into a regular posting schedule quickly.