My business idea - Summer School - the website is up - help needed for next step

**krupt** · 09-02-2007 03:46 AM

Hello people -

You may remember ages ago I posted an article about a project I am looking into. I am based in London, UK and am looking to try and set up an English Summer School for students from over Europe. I have good connections and speak a few languages and know I can get a lot of students in.

Maybe I posted it under another account I used to use by the name of Hbay or something - can't remember.

Anyways I have done the site -

www.englishsummeracademy.com

I have also printed flyers - the flyers are slim ones with a lot of marketing style work on it in the sense, it really is a quick interesting read and makes it sound very fun so that the student will then go onto our URL above and find out more in depth about it.

Now on the flyer I have a little offer where I say - IF you can get 4 of your friends to join ESA with you, then you will get a 20% discount on the total price.

I am making a seperate page for this now that I will add to the site.

--

So I have a site for it - I have 5'000 flyers.

What must I do next? My aim is to run this in the summer of 2008. I would seriously start to "approach" families or schools around after Christmas - like in January.

At this point it is all about marketing it and promoting it - how shall I do this?

Any tips appreciated or ideas

**teabenny** · 09-02-2007 08:58 AM

I'm not sure about Europe, but a lot of students in China who go abroad to study first visit an agent who specialises in setting up their entire trip, from the school to the visa to the airfare and everything in between, even coaching them for the visa interview. If there's such a thing in Europe, it would be a great place to start.

Otherwise, you need to get the word out to high schools and universities, but I'm not sure how. National/provincial education departments? Or maybe you could check out what sister city agreements your city has with others in Europe. A lot of exchanges happen that way.

**krupt** · 09-03-2007 05:19 AM

Thanks Tea - what about payments? How shall I TAKE payments? What options should I give?

I want to be able to get 50% deposit from parents in advance

**teabenny** · 09-03-2007 06:33 AM

sorry, can't help you there

**krupt** · 09-03-2007 06:35 AM

lol anyone else?

**akula** · 09-03-2007 08:25 AM

sure, name me three case studies for education providers who've done a great return for their investors

**krupt** · 09-03-2007 08:30 AM

huh? i dont get you

**akula** · 09-03-2007 08:34 AM

who are you modeling? whose success are you replicating? whose track record are relying on to give credibility to your strategy?

it doesn't matter what whacky ideas you get told on this board. what matters, is you being able to say "Phoenix U is doing $2bil in revenues. We are following their marketing strategy"

you must know the answers to the questions I'm asking you, and not go "huh?"

**krupt** · 09-04-2007 07:06 AM

I'm following my "improved" model on this company who i used to work for -

http://www.embassyces.com/english/va...on_summer.aspx

**teabenny** · 09-04-2007 09:03 AM

See, my "whacky ideas" were suggestions and tips for marketing and promoting the school. It's all well and good to blindly follow someone else's marketing strategy, but it doesn't hurt to take on board other ideas. Which is what I was giving him. Is it meant to be an exhaustive rundown of his options? No. But it can point him in new directions.