After School Programming for Entrepreneurs

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After School Programming for Entrepreneurs

• Five Steps to Successfully Launching your
  Business Venture

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Five Steps to Launch

• 1. Commit to a Business Paradigm
• 2. Research Consumer Needs
• 3. Develop Marketing Strategy
• 4. Develop Business Plan
• 5. Launch Product

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Step One Commit to a Business Paradigm

• School is Mandatory.
• After School is Voluntary.
• Older school students must be solicited as
  customers, as they would by any other business
  interest targeted at adolescents.
• Its as if every student that comes through the
  turnstiles is paying an admission fee.

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Step One Commit to a Business Paradigm

• After school time is a competitive marketplace
  with several well-marketed products readily
  available.

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Step One Commit to a Business Paradigm

• Nickelodeon Commercials
• What were the overall messages?
• What images stood out?
• How do the spots appeal to tweens?
• Convenience
• Competition
• Product Tie-Ins
• Autonomy

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Step One Commit to a Business Paradigm

• All successful business ventures must be able to
  clearly articulate an answer to the question,
  Why should your customers do business with you,
  instead of someone else?

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Step One Commit to a Business Paradigm

• Educators want to provide activities that
  support academic achievement after school.
• Students want to have fun with their friends
  after school.

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Step One Commit to a Business Paradigm
Follow the logic

• Educators require student participation to meet
  their goal.
• Students do not require educator participation
  to meet their goal.
• Therefore, an after school program will not be
  successful unless it makes meeting the students
  goals a priority.

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Step Two Research Consumer Needs

• You cant develop a product that will appeal to
  your consumers unless you know what your
  consumers want.

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Step Two Research Consumer Needs

• Lets Play the Feud!
• What is a characteristic of a teenage student?
• What do teenage students like to do?

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Step Two Research Consumer Needs

• The best way to learn what your consumers want
  is to ask them.
• Conduct focus groups among the various
  sub-cultures of your school.

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Step Two Research Consumer Needs

• Explore adolescent culture by learning what is
  cool in
• Music
• Fashion
• Television
• Hobbies
• Trends

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Step Two Research Consumer Needs

• Generate a variety of product model ideas and
  test them in focus groups.

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Step Two Research Consumer Needs

• Keys to Understanding Consumer Needs
• Listen, listen, listen.
• No hidden agendas.
• No pre-conceived notions.
• Dont sell your ideas, sell their ideas.

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Step Three Develop Marketing Strategy

• Determine the available media to communicate
  your message.
• Public address
• School newsletter
• Daily bulletin
• Closed-circuit TV
• Assemblies

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Step Three Develop Marketing Strategy

• Name Your Product.
• Develop a Logo.
• Test with Focus Groups.

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Step Three Develop Marketing Strategy

• Sell benefits, rather than features.

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Step Three Develop Marketing Strategy

• Recruit your spokespersons.
• Your consumers are peer-focused.
• Know which consumers are held in high regard.
• Utilize their coolness as an asset to sell your
  product.

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Step Three Develop Marketing Strategy

• Educate your consumers through words and
  pictures.
• Back up claims with pictorial evidence.
• Show your consumers having fun.

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Step Three Develop Marketing Strategy

• What is the best selling kids cereal?
• The one that tastes best?
• The one with the best character?
• The one with the best add-on ingredient?
• The one with the most health benefits?
• Answer at end of presentation.

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Step Four Develop Business Plan

• Analyze the assets your parent company has to
  assist you.
• Existing after school programs
• Popular teachers
• Facility space

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Step Four Develop Business Plan

• Students are on your campus after school doing
  something. Your job is to find out what those
  things are.
• Sports
• Band
• Academic Clubs
• Student Government

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Step Four Develop Business Plan

• Teachers are on your campus after school doing
  something. Find out who they are, what theyre
  doing, and how much, if anything, theyre getting
  paid.
• Tutoring
• Special projects
• Alternative learning

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Step Four Develop Business Plan

• Learn who the cool teachers are on campus.
  They tend to fit a favorable profile for
  overtime work
• Younger
• Low end of pay scale
• Fewer family conflicts
• Higher energy

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Step Four Develop Business Plan

• Teachers as Salespersons
• Should constantly be recruiting.
• Must cost-justify their salaries.
• Held to quotas.
• Hired on temporary basis.
• Must justify the educational value of their
  product offerings.

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Step Four Develop Business Plan

• Make the best use of your greatest assets you
  and your staff.
• What skills and talents do you all bring to the
  program?

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Step Four Develop Business Plan

• Use the war board technique to link identified
  needs with existing assets.
• This will also reveal your asset gaps.

NEEDS
ASSETS
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Step Four Develop Business Plan

• Where gaps exist, consider sub-contracting with
  community-based service providers to meet the
  needs.
• Dance classes
• Martial arts
• Musicians
• Artists

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Step Five -Launch Product

• Media Blitz
• Every consumer in your target market must know
  your product is available.
• Every consumer in your target market must know
  how to access your product.

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Step Five Launch Product

• Eliminate All Risk to Customer.
• 500 consumers must try your product to develop
  100 loyal customers.
• No obligation to join.
• Pre-enrollment waiver.
• Add/drop period.

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Step Five Launch Product

• Test and Revise Everything.
• Research and Development is ongoing.
• Change or eliminate anything that is not working.
• Test new products at every opportunity.

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Step Five Launch Product

• Re-Launch Products Periodically.
• Marketing efforts are ongoing.
• Re-introduce products with new campaigns.
• Turn old favorites into new and improved
  products.

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Step Five Launch Product

• Reward your Best Customers.
• Dont take loyalty for granted.
• Publicly acknowledge best attendance.
• Rewarding customers creates an atmosphere of
  caring.

Thank You
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Step Five Launch Product

• Stick with What Works.
• Let your customers tell you when they need a
  change.
• Offer multiple classes of most popular
  activities.
• Ride that camel until it dies.

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Answer to Trivia Question

• The best selling cereal is Cheerios!
• Why?
• Kids think it tastes good.
• Parents think its healthy.
• Parents ultimately make the purchase, but they
  dont want to waste money on something their kids
  wont eat.

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Moral of the Story

• If you want your child to eat a healthy
  breakfast, dont force oatmeal on them.
• Aim for the cheerios balance, but start with
  cocoa puffs if you have to.
• Otherwise, theyll spend their lunch money at
  the candy machine.

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Contact Information

• For an electronic copy of this presentation,
  please email me at
• samick_at_sdcoe.net