learning upgrades business plan

8/8/2019 Learning Upgrades business plan

1/11

learning_upgrades

business plan

table of contents

1. learning_upgrades2. table of contents3. executive summary

4. general company descriptiona. mission statement

b. company goals and objectivesc. business philosophy

5. products and services6. marketing plan

a. market researchb. economics

c. features and benefits

d. competitione. nichef. strategy

g. promotionh. promotional budget

i. pricingj. location

k. distribution channels

l. sales forecast7. operational plan

a. production

b. locationc. legal environment

d. personnele. inventory

f. suppliers/partnersg. management and organisation

h. personal financial statementi. startup expenses and capitalisation

j. financial plan8. appendixes

9. refining the plan

executive summary

I provide rich learning experiences.

I can engage a classroom of students, engage a variety of learner types and styles, and improveattitude and motivation, resulting in long term study development and improved exam

performance and thus increase resulting grades. I specialise in borderline classes, shifting from Dto C or B to A. This covers all subjects at GCSE, mostly academic, and concentrating on

Mathematics and English. With the use of various learning technologies, I help students overcomespecific perceptual learning blocks, in order to release the natural learning capacity to achieve

incredible improvements in work output, confidence, and present performance. I can also engage


2/11

students individually, diagnosing specific learning difficulties, and providing specific techniques

which show immediate positive results in terms of attitude, and later as results.

The basis of my teaching is generic: simultaneous processes, non-objective transmission,immediate results. Most methods of teaching are linear, where courses involve step-by-step

progress, linear schemes of work, etc. My method involves presenting a small number ofprinciples, not less than three, which must be conducted simultaneously by the student on order

to perceive the benefit. This holds true for algebra as it does for tango. There is no objective setof procedures or techniques, but rather I present the solution through demonstration, drawing

attention to precise principles (which are necessarily abstract, or hidden). I don't talk about it, Ido it, I show it, and students copy it. The results are immediate. Students can try immediately,

and the processes of trial and error is the learning experience. After a short period of time,because of the learning nature of us as human beings, all students appreciate they are learning,

and it only takes a matter of application before the required level of ability is attained. Because Itake considerable efforts to drawing attention to the minimal set of principles, the length of time

required to practice is greatly reduced. And because the experience is so palpable to students, theexperience of learning becomes something enjoyable, uplifting, and self-generating. It truly is a

delight to watch the learning process, and the students themselves amaze themselves with theirown skill.

I provide a wide range of workshops from algebra to systems-thinking, a few unique social

innovation products including action cycles, and a collection of books through print on demand.

general company description

I am in the business of education, offering learning_upgrades to individuals in the private sector,as well as students in public education. I provide open source social innovation products, and sell

online educational and instructional books through lulu.com.

mission statement

To transform the educational system, inspire a new generation of well-balanced human beings,strengthen the social fabric through trust games, help us achieve ideals impossible to theindividual but possible to a collective, create the realistic opportunity for world peace in our life

time.

company goals and objectives

The goals of learning_upgrades are to provide schools with a guaranteed service which improves

grades, private individuals with a trusted individual to help them achieve personal and collectiveideals, and to make global ideals realistic.

Objectives will be to have such a high demand for my services that I can charge privatecompanies large sums in order to subsidise poorer learning environments around the world.

business philosophy

Presence and mindfulness, respect and social responsibility, fractal scale: acting locally with global

effect.

Initially, local school heads to improve grades, private individuals to learn specific skill sets, and


3/11

companies who wish to improve interpersonal engagement and performance.

In the experiential economy, the industry is self-improvement, though aimed at producingcollective results. As technology is producing simpler, more user-friendly interfaces where smart

phones become ubiquitous, the significance of person-to-person engagement will increase. Howdo a small group of individuals work well together, without being constrained by the interlocking

structure of roles and positions? The future involves flexible groups, temporary collectivesconfluencing to achieve specific targets. I am in a fantastic position to take advantage of this

because I already have the skills. People benefiting from my workshops will be able to takeadvantage of this culture change, because the generic substructure is one of simultaneous

processes, fluid dynamics, and presence and performance.

The most important strength is presence, matching what one says with what one does, a deep

understanding of principles grounded across a wide range of experiences from algebra to tango.My strengths is being able to explain subtle concepts verbally, and represent them in different

modalities, such as providing physical experiences for subtle social concepts. I taught for morethan 10 years across a wide variety of educational environments, learning how to be able to deal

live with a specific collection of people. This makes me flexible, and resilient, able to deal with

anything. I am lean, requiring little, I do not have a specific procedure, an objective system, butrely on presence, having the sensitivity to respond to concurrent conditions optimally.

I am a sole trader. I shall be selling my services while promoting my book list.

products and services

Learning_upgrades provides rich learning experiences for students across a wide variety ofsubjects. It is a meta-cognitive service, improving students learning ability in anything. The

techniques are simple, and once learned can be applied across the board.

There are several products for schools, all conducted in 3 lessons:

exam performance: improve borderline grades from D to C and B to A in Mathematics and

English

arithmetic: memorise tables, shapes of numbers, and fractions

algebra: simultaneous processes of aim, balance and simplifying, no more no less

english literature: becoming sensitive to thought and feeling, start not-knowing, and there

is no right answer

accelerated learning: relate everything, note now and externalise soon; achieving

unrealistic ideals

The first lesson deals with the engagement with the specific class of students, and confronts themwith rather shocking alternatives to how they are learning, and offers specific techniques to

practice. The second lesson consolidates the learning practice, tailoring to specific individual

learner needs, and demonstrating the high level of presence and performance in class. The thirdlesson evidences the learning experience, accurately enforces confidence, and motivates towards

performing optimally in the future, such as in exams.

In addition, workshops on self-disciplining systems are also offered to schools, for teachers andeducational experts, covering techniques of the Educare system such as:

abc-classes: students and teachers learn how to increase self-discipline and learn about

social responsibility


4/11

fission-fusion: flexible group formation in order to avoid the characteristic problems of

static groupings

classroom co-ordinator: a well-defined role to induce a comprehensive self-discipline

system with a group of kids

play tron: install game on school server, set up after-school club, play in interschool

competitions

A variety of learning_upgrades for different students:

TEFL students: shakespearean pronunciation, question transformation, verb tense map

insights into communication, wording: language trips, beyond perception, active listening

buddhism 101: buddha dharma sangha, duality of mind, meditation

wisdom 101: three subjective laws, secret of perfection, conditional scale

collaboration: intentional presence, unilateral alignment, emergent flocking

social innovation: experiential nights, action cycles, gleick actuation

alternative economics: pay-it-forwards, distributed networks, hidden strange attractor

high tango: three principles, falling into one another's arms, high points are ecstatic

low tango: three principles, mutual grounded pressure, intricate play

tai-chi, physical meditation: 24 yang style, centering and calibration, simple push-hands tai-chi, dynamic dance: dynamic play, fluid abstraction, mutual improvisation

tai-chi, martial art: not speed or strength, transform conflict to play, apologise

worldpeace: thought-experiments, reality-experience, non-group participation

systems thinking: simultaneous processes, abstract-to-physical range, embedded systems

strateg_OS: one hour, big picture, retrospective proof

tron: survive the launch, avoid being core-dumped, become useful

chess: the fork, revealed attack, simultaneous offence

GO: good shape and influence, mid-level play, open game... invite play

collective strategy: chaos theory, not-knowing, singularity love

XQ simple: our side of maths, minimal language, subjective enumeration, maths is the

model

XQ solution: subjective science, buddhism is control, mind-drop solution

subjective science: methodology for subjects, experience as experiment, meditation as x

tends to 0

A number of books are available to buy on lulu.com, five of which have been allocated ISBNs:

small book BIG THINK

2020worldpeace

inspiring change

buddhism is not

XQ solution

A further list can be found at lulu.com.

marketing plan

market research

I have been conducting market research informally during my field experience in schools. I have

analysed the weaknesses in the system and provide solutions, namely
http://stores.lulu.com/happyseaurchinhttp://stores.lulu.com/happyseaurchin


5/11

the psycho-social fracture between primary and secondary school: classroom coordinators

the atomisation of knowledge: learning_upgrades relative to mathematics, english, and

general metacognition

fractured child-adult relationships due to subject separation: self-discipline system of

student within student body

economics

The size of the market for schools is 100million nationally, or 1% discretionary budget of asecondary school. Since I am only conducting a few lessons, this constitutes 0.01% of the budget,

though charge relative large amounts. Demand in the market is high: grades are the way that

schools are compared. Exam results remain important. Potential growth is for mentoring otherlearning_upgraders, deriving a secondary income stream. Barriers to entry involve my not being

known, and the risk of trying me out, head-teacher not wanting to undermine confidence in theirteachers, inability to value highly the positive response of students, linking lessons to improved

results for evidence. The barriers are overcome by offering super-supply, replacing sub with"intentional" learning_upgrade, support/bolster those teachers who are recognised as having

difficulty, recording positive results of kids through a variety of media as well as in terms of workoutput, ascertaining realistically expected grade by students and staff before and after lessons,

and based on actual exam results.

The market size in terms of disposable income for self-development is 200million, or 10%

income individually. There is a large demand for self-development amoungst private individuals,and my charges are modestly pitched, and based on results. Potential growth involve horizontal

pensions, where students pay me a percentage of their income should they derive any via theexperience I pass on. Barriers to entry involve marketing costs, lack of consumer acceptance and

brand recognition. I shall be conducting my marketing on a one-to-one basis, taking advantage ofopportunistic engagement, as well as promoting myself at all open mic and panel and anywhere

where I can get on a stage. Consumer acceptance can be allayed by the promise to pay based onresults. Word of mouth will also be encouraged.

features and benefits

Regarding the school products, the most important features are that they are conducted in verysmall periods of time, aim at improving grades by which the school is judged, and my experience

is proven and tested. The benefit to the head-teacher is that they can employ someone at the

drop of hat, witness positive changes in attitude immediately, behaviour and performance inclasses, and the consequential exam results. The head-teacher will benefit from making the right

decision, inducing a state-change in the students and potentially in teachers, and their standing in

the community increases. I will provide extra engagement if required, follow-up support, personaltuition, and a results-based bonus plan.

Regarding private individual products, the features are that lessons are brief and results-focussed.

The customer can experience the benefit immediately, appropriate the learning required, work attheir own rate to improve specific skills or perceptions, feel confident that the effort they expand

converts into performance, and that when they explore, they know the content of their explorationis entirely theirs.

Customer groups involve head-teachers of schools for the school products, and the demographic

for different learning_upgrades varies immensely.


6/11


7/11

appearance mixed

unusuallooking with

tattoo

untidy, nosuit, tie

good good 2

salesmethod

face to face why try me?through acompany

contacts 3

credit

policies

performance

related pay

wrt firstlesson, and

final result

bonus

nope ? 2

advertising none not knownbig

companiesknown 1

imagedon't have

onenice prezi :) - website 2

factor me strength weakness tango@33 negrachaimportanceto

customer

productsthree lesson

hit

three

lessons

not

argentine,

no class orevening

nice

venue,

nicepeople

popular,

nicevenue

3

price pay minimalcan't payclass cost

extra on

top ofsocial

extra on

top ofsocial

4

quality

high

attentivequality

bespokelesson

not

"moves" or"levels"

groupteaching

groupteaching

2

selection

service

reliability dependableregular

classes

regular

classes

stability

expertise my versionidiosyncratic

idiosyncratic

properteachers

proper 4

companyreputation

nobody unknownpleasantand wellknown

the

centralplace, bitharsh

though

4

location where-ever

flexible,

don't payfor venue

where? beautifulwell-known

5

appearancebit

dishevelledpoor excellent excellent 4


8/11

sales

method

word or

mouth?internet internet 3

credit

policies

performance

related pay

pay at the

door

pay at

the door1

advertising

image

niche

With respect to schools, I fare well against normal supply. I specialise in exam performance,

across a wide range of subjects, and I am inspirational and can motivate a large group ofindividuals. I am also interested in performance-related pay, as I am not into a long-slog or

looking for standard employment. I do not compete with most educational consultants since I amnot subject specific, and I am not trying to improve the organisation of the teaching staff. I deal

with students, face-to-face, and if the results don't speak for themselves, I do not fall back ontheory or reputation.

With respect to learning_upgrades in the private sector, I have the edge of traditional teaching of

eg tango: what I teach, I teach in three lessons. I am not interested in hooking in a student into along course of continued payment. I am interested in results, in the student learning for

themselves. Once established, such students are self-motivated and may put their money intoattending milongas and learning from experience. This goes for most of the other

learning_upgrades I offer: short, intensive, and clear results.

My weaknesses is that I am unknown, I am not established. But I shall never be established asmost companies or organisations are, because I do not wish to take on the additional costs. I wish

to work lean, with minimal costs for materials and venues and advertising, and maximising word-

of-mouth and intensive courses. Hence I am not in competition with standard education ortraditional companies, but complement them. I wish to improve the ability of students such that

they engage their teachers better, and their higher level of practice means a cultural shift:

increasing the number of students who are switched on, thus deriving a better quality of practice,whether in schools or on dancefloors or where-ever.

My books cover a wide range of topics, and the lead book, small book BIG THINK, defies simple

categorisation. It occupies less of a niche, and attempts to cover a wide-ranging ecology.

strategy

I plan to engage head teachers and to invite a trial experience with their students. Should that be

positive, then we can talk of booking a course. I am also going to engage kids directly throughsupply, and should that be positive, offer the results to the head again with the aim of booking a

course. I am not competing with full-time staff nor with experts, but facilitating a change that

might only be possible through this ad-hoc arrangement.

Regarding the private sector for tango, for example, I have a rather unusual strategy. The

objective is to have a youthful tango scene by the end of 2010. Run by dancers themselves, theydance to modern music, and it is driven by the dancers themselves. To create this scene, I shall

find a handful of beautiful young women who are wanting to learn. I shall enlist their help to

engage young, funky men. Should a positive cycle ensue, then they will be in a position to invitetraditional teachers should they so wish. I shall be asking for payment to cover costs of teaching,


9/11

and for 10% of any moneyflow once their scene is established. If I can conduct this in one city,

London, I will try in others.

As for other learning_upgrades, such as meditation, a similar system is employed. The trick is tokick start a community, and for this community of practitioners to determine the experience they

wish, engaging traditional organisations and individuals as they determine.

The strategy for promoting the books is to introduce gather a community of writers whocontribute towards writing a collective book implementing the non-linear structure common tomany of my books. Sharing the responsibility for publishing this book will provide all participants

with a means by which they can further their own careers. The current working title for this bookis Brainsex and can be found here.

promotion

I shall be using traditional supply education agencies to get into schools, as well as contactingschools directly. As for the private sector, I shall take advantage of any situation to promote my

services. I have business-stickers, active with social media sites like twitter.com, facebook.com,and google, and plenty of presentation materials on prezi.com. I am reluctant to get another site.

I have collected my thoughts into a book, buying ISBN numbers, and thus able to sell a thingwhen engaging people. I am also actively seeking out any opportunity to get myself in front of a

crowd of people, whether comedy clubs or poetry nights or pecha-kucha nights -- anything whichshows my ability to engage a group of people.

I have liaised with other business entrepreneurs to create a collaboration tool, Confluence wiki. Byproducing a social result, involving products such as Brainsex and regular events, I hope to attract

the right people including publishers to be involved in writing and publishing the collective book.

promotional budget

I intend to spend a further money on moo stickers, business cards, ISBN numbers for books.

There are several sites which I can sign up as a tutor, and the regular costs of travel and coveringsundries such as teas and coffees during meetings.

pricing

For schools, I intend to charge 200/day, which is more than standard supply, but lower than aneducational consultant. I also intend to negotiate performance-related bonus with borderline

student passes.

For private sector, I have two payment plans. First, is traditional, charing 20, 30, 50 to 100

and hour for private tuition, and larger amounts for groups. This should compare to competition.Second, I charge only to cover costs, my travel, location, perhaps food and drinks, with the

personal promise that I am recompensed in the future should the student benefit. Because of thenature of what I teach, I believe an honour system like this might work.

My books retail for 10, which breaks down as around 3-4 for printing, 1-2 to lulu.com and 4profit.

location

In schools, in public, and hired venues. I may have to buy a moped if I have lots of private,individual, work dotted around London.
http://socialstartuplabs.com/wiki/Brainsexhttp://socialstartuplabs.com/wiki/User:Happyseaurchinhttp://socialstartuplabs.com/wiki/Brainsexhttp://socialstartuplabs.com/wiki/User:Happyseaurchin


10/11

distribution channels

I shall be using education agencies, amazon for book selling, and third party individuals for wordof mouth. With the books, for example, I shall be offering up to 40% of the profits to individuals

who promote the book, affiliated marketing. I am also looking for a manager who can secure gigsfor me, whether in schools, or in corporate conference or workshop environments.

Books are based on lulu.com, and once converted to ePub format, on iBooks.

sales forecast

see appendix II

operational plan

production

My booklets are produced through lulu.com. The cost of printing is determined the minimal cost to

the end-buyer. If I take a profit, then lulu takes 20%. Only if I buy copies of the book do I incurthe cost of production and postage. Books cost 3-4 and postage is 2.99. I plan to buy 10 copies

per batch, thus 30-40.

My services have a variety of costs.

Quality control is determined by customers, with subjectively evaluation 0-10, and personal

testimonials.

location

I work mostly in situ, schools, homes, company offices, and students have to cover the costs.

legal environment

I am a sole-trader.

personnel

I am a sole-trader, but I shall be conducting affiliate marketing with booklets, hoping to pass out

40% of the profits to production and marketing.

inventory

I shall own 10 copies of small book BIG THINK to be able to sell to individuals, with a stock value

of 30-40, retail value of 100.


11/11

suppliers/partners

I shall be using lulu.com and their network of publishers. I shall be making use of teaching supplyagencies such as

management and organisation

As a sole-trader, I do not require a board of director, etc. If enough money flows, I shall hire anaccountant. I shall be looking for mentors and advisors to support my efforts, write on my books,

etc.

personal financial statement

See appendix III for personal financial statement.

startup expenses and capitalisation

See appendix IV for startup expense.

financial plan

appendixes

refining the planMy intention is to split the remaining profits as follows: 20% to the writer, 20% to the inspiration

of the writing if appropriate, 20% to designers and production, and 20% to distributors. At themoment, I am taking 80% which is equivalent to around 1 per book.

learning upgrades business plan

Documents