School Feasibility Study and Business Plan

Hi Inner Circle member:

Yahoo, we’re finally getting spring weather here in Vancouver. Today, temperatures will reach +70 F. And of course being Canadian, we’re getting ready for a huge hockey game tonight with our Vancouver Canucks hockey team. They’re playing Calgary for first place in their division (with only a handful of games left before the playoffs and first place on the line).

I want to thank all of our HEG Inner Circle members for their confidence in our firm’s services. We’re being retained to provide four different feasibility studies and business plans for new K-12 International Schools and Career Colleges in North America and the Middle East. Who says there’s a recession going on!! It is my believe that if you provide an educational program that is not being provided in a community, parents will find the money to send their children to a school that allow their kids to thrive and reach their potential. I’m living proof of that with both my children attending private schools.

Furthermore, the time is right to launch a career college or offshore accredited international US university. Research confirms that when the economy takes a hit and unemployment rises, they return to college to re-train. Additionally, high school graduates now can’t step right out school and land those $20 and hour jobs at construction sites, so they’re alternative is either McDonalds or finding a career via college training.

Today I want to provide you additional information on the value of allows HEG to perform a feasibility study and business plan before you jump in with both feet and start your school. I always advise clients to avoid the “field of dreams” syndrome…building the school and hoping students show up (although I did like the movie). I think it’s better to make the investment at the beginning and know what market demand is and statistically calculate enrollment against demographics, and then develop the start-up and operation business plan and budget based on hard numbers. This way you have a crystal clear picture of what your vision will cost and what your donors or investors need to contribute to ensure success.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

>> TWITTER: Get my updates by signing in @ www.twitter.com/halladay

>> P.S. Don’t forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. In The News

2. Useful Services

3. Feasibility Study and Business Plan

4. Products At Our Online Store

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1. IN THE NEWS
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>> INTERNATIONAL APPLICATIONS UP 4 %
Graduate school applications from foreign students grew 4 percent between 2008 and 2009, with the increase "driven almost entirely" by growth at institutions with the largest numbers of international students enrolled already, according to...

>> PRIVATE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT HOLDS STEADY DESPITE ECONOMY
Bethany Beach Wave - Bethany Beach, DE, USA - While some private schools are busy devising innovative ways to keep enrollment numbers up and funds coming in, private schools on the Lower Shore aren't noticing a decrease in attendance. Part of the reason why, according to Merle Marsh, director of special projects at Worcester Preparatory School in Berlin, is because many schools are trying to ease the financial burden.

>> STUDENTS FLOCKING TO UTAH COMPUTER SCHOOL
Forbes - NY, USA - Enrollment applications have tripled at a school that turns out software developers while traditional liberal-arts colleges are worrying about losing students.
Neumont University of South Jordan offers an intensive 28-month computer-science degree and works closely with major tech companies that hire almost all of its graduates. Tuition isn't cheap - $72,000 for the degree. But the school says it can place graduates almost immediately in jobs at such companies as IBM Corp. and eBay Inc. at salaries averaging $63,000 a year.

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2. USEFUL SERVICES
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(A) STARTING A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is why you need a firm that has experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of your school’s comprehensive Strategic Plan, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration for continued school improvement.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have the best board possible? Our full-day governance workshop (in combination with our interactive online survey) will fine-tune your board’s performance and focus priorities.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATION

A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. As a board member are you confident that you’re making the right decisions? Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with our In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan for immediate improvement.

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3. FEASIBILITY STUDY + BUSINESS PLAN
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I’m a strong believer in performing your due diligence when starting a school. I believe that you should develop a school based on facts rather than on gut instincts. Don’t get me wrong, most schools start over a conversation between parents who are either dissatisfied with the present educational options or have an entrepreneurial drive to start a school in their community that is not yet available. That being said, there are a number of qualitative and quantitative survey tools (e.g., phone, mail, online, focus groups) should be utilized to determine the level of demand for the school you envision.

The purpose of the Feasibility Study that we utilize is to provide reliable information that will help answer the following questions:

• What is the level of demand for the school you envision?
• Who is the target market?
• What is the likelihood of parents enrolling their children at your school?
• How many students will enroll (grade, gender, origin, present school-type)?
• What will prevent families from enrolling?
• What level of tuition would they pay?
• Would they need financial aid?
• What is the impact of pricing on enrollment and features or benefits to reduce price sensitivity?
• What is the response to the educational programs?
• What are the critical milestones?
• Does the founding group have the capacity to start and/or operate the school?
• What types of facilities are available and/or needed for the school?
• What are the financial assumptions and costs to start and/or operate the school?
• What are the obstacles that need to be overcome to achieve success?
• What will generate confidence in a brand new, premium priced private school?
• What are the most effective strategies to promote enrollment?
  

This process allows HEG to evaluate your project’s capacity for success, markets for enrollment, and ensure clarity in the development of your business plan and start-up preparation. We view the feasibility study like building the foundation of a house; you need to establish all the fundamental pillars before you can commit to putting resources and capital into building the school. We understand that the study and business plan will be the backbone of discussions with your partners and/or investment group and needs to be comprehensive and compelling.

Once you’ve the hard data for projected enrollment, we then develop your business plan, which includes Proformas for start-up budget and five year operational budget. The plan illustrates the opportunity, program requirements, timelines, facility needs, leadership structure, and investment structure. We focus on:

• Projected resource/facility needs and costs
• Timelines for each stage of school formation
• Competitive market analysis to determine demand and niche segment
• Economic analysis to determine tuition price point
• Marketing/admissions strategies and positioning
• Facilities and location for the school
• Financial and investment framework
• Initial start-up and five-year operational budget
• Construction and Renovation Budget
  

HEG and our experienced team are well suited and experienced to help assess and lead the development of your school. By utilizing our detailed quality controls, it ensures proper planning, development, and operation of your institution, delivery of a world-class curriculum, and assurance that your school will provide sustainable returns.

To find out more about our firm’s school development services, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs or click on the following link: http://bit.ly/Geo2l

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4. PRODUCTS AT OUR ONLINE STORE
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[!FIRST], here are 2 popular Toolkits that will help you to start and/or lead your school more effectively.

(A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in our detailed Workbook and Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD’s. It’s all there to help you develop your own plan.

(B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share with you how to start a school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your own strategic plan.

=======================================================

To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Five Qualities Of Leadership To Build On

Hello,

I hope you had a great weekend with your family. We had to drive our daughter into Vancouver on Sunday to practice with her school’s choir. While there we decided to take our son down to our favourite beach in Vancouver, Spanish Banks, which provided incredible views of English Bay, the north shore mountains (where there’s still plenty of skiing), and dozens of kite surfers sailing between the freighters anchored in the bay. Oh yeah, it was also an incredibly sunny day!!!

I’m also in a great mood since my Vancouver Canucks hockey team beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4 to 0 last night, and are now in 4th place, with only 8 games to go before the playoffs.

Today I’m going to talk about the concept of cultivating leadership at your school; be it at the board level or within your staff (with for- or non-profit schools). I’m a big supporter of building leadership within an organization. I feel that the more you encourage your trustees and staff to participate in the leadership of the school, the more ownership and moral you build on. I’m not saying you become a cooperative, but rather you delegate and build a culture of empowerment. I’ll share with you in today’s article five qualities of board leadership you need to build on.

Quote of the Day:

"I believe the best leaders are the ones that are focused on bringing out the best in their people - transforming lives. When someone has that as their purpose, the profits just naturally follow." - Susan Bagyura

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group Inc.

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Sign in and receive updates @ www.twitter.com/halladay

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit.

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IN THIS ISSUE

================================

1. In The News

2. Useful Services

3. Five Qualities Of Leadership To Build On

4. Products At Our Online Store

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1. IN THE NEWS

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ECONOMY IS DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Contra Costa Times - Walnut Creek, CA, USA

She's one of many parents who are living more simply to keep their children in private schools despite — or arguably because of — an economy that's on life...

PRIVATE SCHOOLS FEEL ECONOMIC STRAIN

State-Journal.com - Frankfort, KY, USA

At CDS, families apply for aid through the National Association of Independent Schools. McDonough said school administrators don't know yet how many...

ETON FREEZES FEES AS SLUMP HURTS PARENTS

Times Online – UK

Leading independent schools including Eton and Manchester Grammar have in effect frozen their fees under pressure from parents worried about the recession…

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2. USEFUL SERVICES

==================================

(A) STARTING A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is why you need a firm that has experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of your school’s comprehensive Strategic Plan, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration for continued school improvement.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have the best board possible? Our full-day governance workshop (in combination with our interactive online survey) will fine-tune your board’s performance and focus priorities.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATION

A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. As a board member are you confident that you’re making the right decisions? Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with our In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan for immediate improvement.

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3. 5 Qualities Of Leadership To Build On

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Great leadership equals great schools, and it starts right at the top. Is your school board demonstrating great leadership or are they micro-managing? Is your board developing the priorities within your strategic plan and allowing administration to operationalize the vision and manage the school? Is your staff empowered to participate in the management of the school or is your school top down model?

Here are five qualities of leadership you may want to build your school on:

1. Values: what are the core values that drive your school’s decision making around staffing, education, the community, and how you interact with each other?
2. Culture: You should recruit board members and staff who match your values of who you are and then make sure they fit through training and workshops.
3. Communication: Talk to your community about your values and make sure you not only talk-the-talk, but also walk-the-walk. And for goodness sake, avoid gossip.
4. Vision/Mission: Make sure that your leaders and staff know and believe in your school’s vision and mission statements and that it is posted everywhere.
5. Accountability: You leadership needs to demonstrate the school’s values and ensure that a strategic plan is in place to implement the values, vision, and mission of the school, with a measurable implementation plan that ensures you’re headed in the right direction.

To find out more about our firm’s board governance workshop and how we can help improve your school’s leadership, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs.

============================================

4. PRODUCTS AT OUR ONLINE STORE

============================================

Here are 2 popular Toolkits that will help you to start and/or lead your school more effectively.

(A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in our detailed Workbook and Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD’s. It’s all there to help you develop your own plan.

(B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share with you how to start a school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your own strategic plan.

=======================================================

To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit.

Foreign Student Enrollment Will Drop 25%

Hello,

My son and I have almost recovered from this year’s version of the flu that we contracted a week ago. Arghh. That was a lost spring break though I guess that’s one less virus we’ll have to deal with for next flu season.

Please don’t ask about the Vancouver Canucks hockey team and their loss the other night to Phoenix. It was so bad, the Canucks scored on themselves!

I had an interesting response to my blog from an Inner Circle Reader who cautioned me on the use of Web 2.0 Social Marketing. My previous eNewsletter wasn’t about the students using; it was about how school’s can leverage the technology to maximize their exposure to past, current, and future stakeholders. This is about validating to your current parents and students why they should stay enrolled at your school; compelling reasons why future parents should enrol their child at your school, and why past parents and alumni should recommend friends to send their child (or donation) to your school. You don’t want to leave any stone left unturned with the media you use in your public relations machine. And of course, I know that you’ll also apply mechanisms to measure how you reach your community (don’t you?).

Today I’m going to look at a recent article in our local newspaper that talks about the drop in high school foreign enrollment and the increase in post secondary foreign enrollment. Yes, that’s right, one goes down by 25% while the other goes up. I’ll explain more in my article below in Section 4.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Get our updates @ www.twitter.com/halladay

================================
IN THIS ISSUE
================================

1. In The News

2. Popular Services

3. Foreign Student Enrollment Will Drop 25%

4. Online Store Products

==================================
1. IN THE NEWS
==================================

DON’T LET DOUR FINANCES DETER YOUR KID’S PRIVATE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
KOMO News - Seattle, WA, USA
Despite the economic downturn, applications to pricey private schools in King County are up. And so is the number of financial aid…


CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN TROUBLE
ABC2 News - Baltimore, MD, USA
This school is located in a part of North Baltimore with lots of very expensive private schools nearby. Here they believe that their $7000 tuition actually...


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2. POPULAR SERVICES
==================================

(A) STARTING A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is why you need a firm that has experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of a comprehensive Strategic Plan for your private or public school, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration to improve your school.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have the best leadership possible? Our full-day governance workshops in combination with our interactive online surveys can fine-tune your board’s performance and refocus priorities.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATION

A school evaluation and review is critical to knowing if your school is heading in the right direction. As a board member are you confident that your leadership is making the right decisions? Is your school "firing on all its cylinders?" Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan for immediate improvement.

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3. FOREIGN STUDENT ENROLLMENT WILL DROP 25%
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As a former Head of an International Boarding School in Western Canada, I know how important recruiting international students is to the culture and financial sustainability of a school. At one time I was on the road for up to 50 days or more a year recruiting and fundraising in Asia, North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. I was establishing new markets, building on current markets, and friend-raising with current and past parents and students. This was during challenging times that included 9/11, SARS, mad-cow disease, the crash in the Korean and Japanese economy, and more. Yet, we always were able to continue to build our international boarding numbers and improve retention. However, that’s another story. Today, I wanted to share with you some serious foreign enrollment numbers that you should be aware of:

• Vancouver-based schools are bracing for possible drops of up to 25% in international student enrollment that will cut into revenues for public and private schools and universities
• There is a 15-20% drop in study-permit applications compared to the same time last year
• Educators are worried that changes in the world’s financial order will make going abroad to learn a language, attend a post secondary school, or enrol in a K-12 school a luxury rather than a necessity.
  

However, UBC has noted a 13% increase in their international student applications. Of course, they will still have to wait till this fall to see if this translates into cheques. However, this does not include US students, where there’s been a drop of 4%.

However, during poor economies, domestic enrollment normally rises at post secondary schools, and this is holding true again, where applications from local students is providing good news during the grim economy. People are heading back to school when they can’t get a job or need to upgrade.

How is your school dealing with how today’s economy is impacting your school’s marketing for international student enrollment? Do you have an international and domestic marketing plan in place to grow enrollment? Remember, when other’s are reducing their budget you should increase yours!! Are you diversifying the markets you’re drawing students from? Are you increasing your marketing strategies to leverage more media and technology, new markets, going back to old markets that may create new leads? Do you even have a plan in place? Remember there are also international students living in your own domestic market that may looking for a new choice; have you a plan to reach out to them?

To find out more about our firm’s international student marketing services and how we can help improve your school’s social media presence, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs or click on the following link for more information:

============================================
4. PRODUCTS AT OUR ONLINE STORE
============================================

Here are 2 popular Tool Kits that will help you to start and/or lead your school more effectively.

>> (A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan effectively with my step-by-step instructions contained in my detailed Workbook and Manual. It’s all there to help you develop your own plan.

>> (B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your School? Four experienced school leaders share with you how to start a school from the ground up.

=======================================================

To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit.

Is Your School Using Social Media?

Hello,

My flu is getting a little better, but the best medicine is my Vancouver Canucks Hockey team winning last night. By beating the St. Louis Blues, the Canucks are now in 4th place.

As you know, one of the strategies HEG utilizes to stay connected with our current and future clients is to send out weekly eNewsletters to share tips, news, and advice on starting and leading private and public schools more effectively. From the strong retention rates, we must be doing a good job.

HEG utilizes as many technology-based strategies as possible to stay connected with our Inner Circle Members and access to new members. We do this through “Social Media 2.0” technology.

You can find HEG on the following Social Media Sites: LinkedIn, Twitter, Face Book, Plaxo, Blob, PPC’s on Yahoo and Google, Article Submissions, Reciprocal Links, and more.

If your school uses only traditional advertising and has limited online presence, it's missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow schools to effectively target their audience by logging on to social sites like LinkedIn, Digg and more. Take advantage of these tools by asserting your school’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees.

What does your school do?

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Get our updates @ www.twitter.com/halladay

================================

In This Issue

================================

1. In The News

2. Popular Services

3. Is Your School Using Social Media?

4. Online Store Products

==================================

1. In The News

==================================

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results from the 2007-08 Private School Universe Survey." This report presents data on private schools in the United States for grades kindergarten through twelve by selected characteristics such as school size, school level, religious orientation, geographic region, urbanicity type, and program emphasis. To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please click here.

A NEW HIGH SCHOOL WITH A COLLEGE MIXED IN

New York Times - United States

Officials say the economic crisis may cause students to bypass more expensive private schools. Justin Simmons, a 2007 graduate of Brooklyn Technical High...

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2. Popular Services

==================================

(A) STARTING A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is why you need a firm that has experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally. Please click here for more information.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of a comprehensive Strategic Plan for your private or public school, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration to improve your school. Please click here for more information.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have better leadership? Our full-day governance workshop in combination with our interactive online surveys will fine-tune your board’s performance and refocus their priorities. Please click here for more information.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

A School assessment and review is critical to knowing if your school is heading in the right direction. You need to keep track of how your school is performing and how to stay competitive. As a board member are you confident that your Head of School and staff are making the right decisions? Is your school "firing on all its cylinders?" Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review. Please click here for more information.

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3. Is Your School Using Social Media?

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If your school has limited online presence, it's missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow school’s to effectively target their audience by logging on to social sites like LinkedIn, Digg and more to stay connected with your past, current, and future community.

Take advantage of these tools by asserting your school’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees. Here is a list of potential social sites your school should have a presence on:

Social-Media/Social-Bookmarking Sites

• Reddit: Upload stories and articles on reddit to drive traffic to your site or blog. Submit items often so that you'll gain a more loyal following and increase your presence on the site.
• Digg: Digg has a huge following online because of its optimum usability. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more.
• Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites like del.icio.us, which invite users to organize and publicize interesting items through tagging and networking.
• StumbleUpon: You'll open your online presence up to a whole new audience just by adding the StumbleUpon toolbar to your browser and "channel surf[ing] the Web. You'll "connect with friends and share your discoveries," as well as "meet people that have similar interests."
• Technorati: If you want to increase your blog's readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Business, Entertainment and Technology.
• Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone.
• Squidoo: According to Squidoo, "everyone's an expert on something. Share your knowledge!" Share your industry's secrets by answering questions and designing a profile page to help other members.
• Furl: Make Furl "your personal Web file" by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features.
• Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services.
• WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company's services with the public for free.
• YouTube: From the fashion industry to Capitol Hill, everyone has a video floating around on YouTube. Shoot a behind-the-scenes video from your company's latest commercial or event to give customers and clients an idea of what you do each day.
• Ma.gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma.gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized.

Professional-Networking Sites

Sign up with these online networking communities as a company or as an individual to take advantage of recruiting opportunities, cross-promotional events and more.

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site where alumni, business associates, recent graduates and other professionals connect online.
• Ecademy: Ecademy prides itself on "connecting business people" through its online network, blog and message-board chats, as well as its premier BlackStar membership program, which awards exclusive benefits.
• Ryze: Ryze lets members organize contacts and friends; upcoming events; and even job, real-estate and roommate classifieds.
• YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates.
• Xing: An account with networking site Xing can "open doors to thousands of companies." Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to "find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels."
• Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for college kids who want to post their party pics. Businesses vie for advertising opportunities, event promotion and more on this social-networking site.
• Care2: Care2 isn't just a networking community for professionals: It's touted as "the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference." If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.
• Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.
• MEETin.org: Once you've acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.
• Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.
• Ziggs: Ziggs is "organizing and connecting people in a professional way." Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company's presence online and further your own personal career.
• Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.
• NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You'll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.
• Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.

How is your school dealing with today’s social marketing opportunities and growing enrollment, retention, fund raising, and public relations? Do you have a plan in place to implement this? Hey, are you even using pay per click on Google or Yahoo?

To find out more about our firm’s services and how we can help improve your school’s social media presence, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs or click on the following link for more information:

============================================

4. Products At Our Online Store

============================================

Here are two sets of popular Tool Kits to help you start and/or lead your school more effectively.

>> (A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan effectively with our step-by-step instructions that contains our Workbook and Manual. Click here to get more details.

>> (B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your School? We share with you how to start a school from the ground up. Click here to get more the details.

=======================================================

To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit.

Improve Your School's Performance With Our In-Depth Review

Hello:

A school evaluation is critical to knowing if your school is headed in the right direction.

You need to keep track of how your school is performing and how to stay competitive. As a board member are you confident that you’re making the right decisions? Is your school firing on all its cylinders? Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Is your board driven by crisis and your calendar, rather than the priorities of your missions?

You need to get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review.

HEG’s School Performance Review is the keystone to building a solid foundation. We review your school's operations and leadership utilizing our in-depth background of leading and managing private schools around the world and comparison to industry benchmarks of successful schools. Our approach identifies what is working and areas in your operations and management that need immediate improvement. We follow our on-site visit with an action plan that identifies a range of solutions and strategies to improve your school’s performance now. You get immediate results that will help your bottom line.

PROCESS:

To establish a complete picture of your school performance against established benchmarks and to determine areas of priority that your school needs to focus on, we provide a two-pronged approach to assess your school’s current situation and gather measurable data:

1. On-site focus groups, and;
2. Multiple surveys of your school’s community (e.g., parents, staff, board).
   

Our thoughtful review process will provide clear feedback vital to successfully analyzing and developing a clear set of strategies to guide your board and administration with the ongoing development of your school. Our assessment process will help to revitalize your school, save you money, and focus your board on areas needing organizational improvement.

Institutional Assessment:

We will appraise your school's operations applying our in-depth background of starting, leading, and managing private schools. After our on-site session we will follow up with a summary report that identifies a range of recommendations and action plan strategies to improve your school.
Our focused assessment process will comprise a two-day onsite session. We will then develop a summary report that prioritizes the critical issues you need to improve upon, as well as the "indicators of success" you need to move towards to improve your new school. Our process focuses on a “SWOT” analysis approach identifying your:

• Strengths;
• Weaknesses;
• Opportunities;
• Threats or Trends.
  

SUMMATIVE REPORT & ACTION PLAN

We then develop a final report that summarizes areas that need to be addressed for short- and long-term success, as well as areas to celebrate. This includes an action plan to mobilize your board. A final written and digital report is submitted to focus your path of organizational improvement. Based on the report HEG can prioritize with your board areas that you may wish to have HEG return to support. We will review your:

• School’s vision - mission - core values -educational philosophy;
• Strategic planning;
• Board Governance;
• Bylaws and constitution;
• Administrative leadership;
• Head of School evaluation and support;
• Physical plant and grounds;
• Financial planning;
• Development and fundraising;
• Curriculum and programming;
• Crisis management;
• Staff evaluation systems, contracts, compensation, and professional development;
• Tuition, bursaries, and financial aid;
• Infrastructure, handbooks, traditions, and reporting systems;
• Marketing and communications;
• Admissions, recruiting, and retention systems;
• School Climate.
  

EVALUATION PROCESS:

We will break our evaluation process into four parts:

1. Determine Scope and Direction: Meeting with the board’s executive committee to determine realistic goals, critical issues, timelines, situational scan, and deliverables;
2. Research Analysis (Internal/External Situation):
3. Collect/Review School Documents prior to the onsite visit to determine school’s present situation (e.g., staff contracts, compensation, bylaws/constitution, handbooks, timetable, staffing chart, admissions material).
4. Statistically-Driven Online Surveys prior to the onsite visit with staff/faculty, board, and parents, to gather data on school performance.
5. Focus Group Sessions (Two-Days Onsite) with key constituents of your community to determine the strengths of your school, weaknesses, and opportunities and trends to take advantage of, including: Board Executive Committee, board members, administration, parents, students, staff, former parents. I will also tour the school and hold several classroom observation sessions.
6. Summative Report: Develop a customized strategic report that will identify areas needing immediate focus and the ‘roll-out’ of a set of multiple recommendations, strategies and action plan to enhance your school’s development. This will include strategies, timelines, and designated staff.
7. Implementation and Monitoring (TBD): Once we identify and agree upon the areas that your school and board need to prioritize, we can also be actively involved with supporting your institution with the implementation of your plan as needed throughout the process. This will be included in a subsequent agreement
   

NEXT STEP:

A School assessment and review is critical to knowing if your school is headed in the right direction. You need to keep track of how your school is performing and how to stay competitive.

Get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review.

If you’d like to take the initiative, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call us at +1.604.868.0002 to set up a time to talk about your needs.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Get our updates @ www.twitter.com/halladay

Your Board’s Commitment To The Future

Hi

My wife, who is a subscriber to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, received a letter penned from their Board Chairman, James Houghton. It has some very important points that will be valuable to any group that works with directors, be it for- or non-profit.

Here is our quote for the day.

"My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories." - Bjorn Borg, Professional Tennis Player

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

--> Get my updates @ www.twitter.com/halladay

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In This Issue
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1. In The News

2. Popular Services

3. Your Board’s Commitment To The Future

4. Online Store Products

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1. In The News
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APPLICATIONS HOLDING STEADY AT PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Richmond private school officials will be holding their breath Tuesday, (March 17) when acceptance letters go out to high school students...

SMALLER COLLEGES MUST BE SAVVY IN A DOWN MARKET
Smaller private schools also should frankly assess their course offerings and faculty. Discontinuation of certain courses may be advisable in order to...

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2. Popular Services
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(A) STARTING A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is why you need a firm that has experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally. Please click here for more information.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of a comprehensive Strategic Plan for your private or public school, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration to improve your school. Please click here for more information.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have better leadership? Our full-day governance workshop in combination with our interactive online surveys will fine-tune your board’s performance and refocus their priorities. Please click here for more information:

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

A School assessment and review is critical to knowing if your school is heading in the right direction. You need to keep track of how your school is performing and how to stay competitive. As a board member are you confident that your Head of School and staff are making the right decisions? Is your school "firing on all its cylinders?" Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review. Please click here for more information:

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3. Your Board’s Commitment To The Future
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My wife received a letter from the Chairman of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. No, it is not personalized, but it demonstrates that a little foresight and public relations can go a long way. What caught my attention is that Mr. Houghton recognized that his stakeholders need to be informed on the strategic direction that the Met is taking and the strategies they are putting into place to ensure that the many subscribers to the Met will continue to enjoy their.

Here is an excerpt from his opening paragraph:

"Over the last few months, we have all heard much about how the ongoing global financial crisis has afflicted so many of the nation’s leading cultural institutions, as well as the foundations and other funding sources that support them. The Metropolitan Museum is a robust institution, but despite its manifest strengths has not been immune to the consequences of this turbulent economy. I am writing to brief you on the circumstances in which the museum now finds itself – and to report on the steps it is taking to provide both short- and long-term remedies without jeopardizing its covenant with the public. Thus the Museum faces the unprecedented challenges of our time fully committed to fulfilling its mission."

Did you note the reference to achieving their mission? Yes, I spoke about that yesterday in my eNewsletter. Good boards need to know their mission and be committed to developing strategies to ensure that mission is achieved.

The Chairman then goes on to explain the strategies they will implement to respond to their situation. This approach demonstrates transparency as well as including their stakeholders in the solution. This will empower their community and trust-building. He then makes reference to the Museum’s principles and polices. Again using them as their sounding stone for their decisions.

How is your board dealing with today’s challenges and empowering your community to be part of the solution? Do you have a plan in place to manage our challenging times?

To find out more about our firm’s board governance services and how we can help improve your board’s effectiveness, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs or click here for more information.

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4. Products At Our Online Store
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Here are two sets of popular Tool Kits to help you start and/or lead your school more effectively.

>> (A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan effectively with our step-by-step instructions that contains our Workbook and Manual. Click here to get more details.

>> (B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your School? We share with you how to start a school from the ground up. Click here to get more the details.

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To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit.