Online Business School Seeks To Disrupt Business School Pricing And Value Proposition Model

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Tulsa, Oklahoma, February 14, 2015 /PressReleasePing/ – Thrive15.com, the online business education platform for entrepreneurs, business owners and employees looking to improve their business skills, launches out of beta, after nearly three years of development. The online education platform is already disrupting the business school pricing and value proposition model. According to Bloomberg, the least expensive business schools such as the Illinois – Urbana Champaign School of Business and William and Mary Mason start at over $34,000 per year and many business schools like Cornell University are priced at over $50,000 per year.

“We’ve worked very hard to make our business school $49,400 less per year than other business schools and much more entertaining, engaging and interactive so you will actually retain what you are learning,” says Thrive15.com Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Clay Clark.

Thrive15.com currently has subscribers in 33 countries has been attracting the attention of both non-college graduates and college graduates who are amazed at the quality and the practicality of the website’s ever growing content. One Thrive15.com subscriber and a private Ivy league Graduate from Southport, Connecticut says, “I think if you were to go to one of those websites that evaluates schools, my school would rank in the top 3 in the U.S. However, theres no training on how to be an entrepreneur and run a business. What is provided is not considered to be important by the students. They have professors who have never built a business, but are giving them critiques on their work. When go out in the real world, you enter this foreign world of entrepreneurship.

Thrive15.com’s Founder, Clay Clark says, “We think Steve Jobs (Apple co-founder and former Pixar CEO) was correct when he said, “It is absurd that American classrooms are still based on teachers standing at a board and using textbooks. All books, learning materials, and assessments should be digital and interactive, tailored to each student and providing feedback in real time.”

Thrive15.com’s business education platform offers courses in 20 areas of business mastery including leadership, capital, accounting, marketing, sales, legal, and more. Thrivers rate themselves and their current proficiency in each area and can then choose from the ever-expanding course catalog consisting of thousands of business education videos.

Even proud pillars of academia such as Harvard Professor, Clayton Christensen, see a brewing storm for America’s colleges, “Generally universities are doing very well financially, so they don’t feel from the data that their world is going to collapse, but I think even five years from now these enterprises are going to be in real trouble.”

Thrive15.com videos are taught by world-class mentors including NBA Hall of Famer turned successful entrepreneur, David Robinson, the former Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World Resort, Lee Cockerell, the New York Times bestselling author and publicist of choice for Michael Jackson, Prince, P. Diddy, Charlton Heston, and countless celebrities, Michael Levine, and countless other experts.

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Quick Facts Thrive15:

Thrive15.com provides 15-minute practical online business courses taught by millionaires, mentors, and everyday entrepreneurial success stories.

Thrive15.com features many celebrity mentors including:

David Robinson, NBA Hall of Fame Basketball Player and founder of Carver Academy charter schools and Admiral Capital Group, which currently has a valuation of over $250 million; Lee Cockerell, the Former Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World Resort who once managed 40,000 + employees; Michael Levine, the founder of Levine Communications who has been the publicist of choice for Michael Jackson, Prince, P. Diddy, Charlton Heston, Cameron Diaz, and countless other celebrities; David Nilssen, the cofounder of one of the nation’s largest small business funding solutions, Guidant Financial and; Jonathan Barnett, the founder of the 400 + OXI Fresh franchise.

Thrive15.com has teamed up David Robinson and the U.S. Chambers, Hiring Our Heroes Program, to provide free subscriptions to U.S. military families as part of the 1 for 1 HandUp Movement.

Thrive15.com has been mentioned in Forbes, Pando Daily, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and numerous media outlets since launching in BETA.

Thrive15.com offers best practice and practical online education in the core areas of business mastery that every entrepreneur must know including: legal, real estate, investing, execution, purpose, mindset, networking, business modeling, overcoming adversity, capital, branding, marketing, sales, customer service, product/service development, quality control, accounting, management, human resources, and leadership.

Thrive15.com was founded by Chief Operating Officer and Oklahomas former U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year, Clay Clark.

The Chief Executive Officer of Thrive15.com is doctor, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist, Doctor Robert Zoellner.

Thrive15.com offers points instead of grades and gives its users a chance to win a business boost package of over $10,000 every six months to the Thriver with the most points.

Thrive15.coms content is created by combining entertainment, gamification, and best-practice practical business education to increase the retention of training provided on the platform.

Press Contact:

Deedra Determan

D2 Branding

1609 S. Boston Ave

918-520-8012

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Case Studies And Business Communication

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We were frustrated, my colleagues and I, as we wrestled with a new business idea. We thought it was a great idea but we couldn’t effectively describe, in business communication terms, what it would mean to users.

And, out of our discussions came the idea of writing a case study. If you’re not familiar with them, case studies are a staple of business communication. More specifically, they’re histories of specific business initiatives.

They’re like articles, but they put the reader into the shoes of a person making a difficult decision. Other professions also use case studies; you’ve probably heard of medical case studies, for example. Medical students get a set of facts about a patient, and perhaps some background or context, and then must diagnose the patient’s condition or disease.

Business case studies have proven popular at some university business schools (popular with the profs, at least). In some senses, the case study is the next best thing to being involved in a real case. And, an effective business communication tool, as I’ll explain here.

So, why would this be of interest to you? Well, if you have to persuade others to adopt your point of view, or buy your products, or vote for you, then you might find a case study useful.

In fact, you may be doing something like that already. Whenever you tell a story that’s designed to make a certain business communication point, you’re using a form of case study.

During my brief foray into life insurance sales, for example, I learned that emotion sells policies, and not logic. That’s why people in the business have a raft of stories about people who did or did not have protection when they died.

The point being made is that you should life insurance, and that you should have the right kind and the right amount. Now, if you sold life insurance, you would quickly find that no one listens when you explain the logic, but they will listen — and act — if you have your case studies (your anecdotes).

So, having gone through all that, is a case study just a fancy name for an anecdote or story? Yes, to a certain extent it is any tale used in business communication.

But, when you think of a case study, think of it as a more elaborate and more logically constructed story. Typically, a case study describes an organization or manager facing a choice or dilemma of some kind, and the reader gets a number of facts about the options. After that, you, the reader, are challenged to make the decision. Some real-life case studies include a follow-up report, so readers know which real-life decision was made, and how it worked out.

Getting back to the business idea with which we started, my colleagues and I did not proceed, and the case study exposition became a moot point. But, had we gone ahead, the case study likely would have been the cornerstone of our business communication efforts.

Finally, if you’d like to read some case studies, simply go to your favorite search engine and type in this phrase (with or without the quotation marks): “case study examples” or “case studies” .

In summary, case studies are a special type of business communication; they help us understand real-life decisions, and are a useful resource for persuasion and education. Add one or more to your business communication toolbox.

Why Android Is A Great Match For Mobile Business Users

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The smart phone industry is expanding greatly, and business users are left wondering which smart phones best match their needs. While BlackBerry has been the historic winner, many businesspeople are starting to look much more seriously at Android as a strong contender.

What makes Android so attractive to business users? This can be broken down into a few key areas: flexibility and choice, pricing, apps and software, and business integration.

Flexibility: On the whole, Android presents a lot of flexibility for users – they can choose from a variety of phones, a variety of providers, and an app store that is not heavily regulated (unlike Apple’s App Store). Business users have differing needs depending on their industries, position, and even lifestyle, and Android makes it easier to find a smart phone that’s a perfect match.
Applications: On other mobile operating systems, applications are heavily policed. While this has some advantages in terms of reliability, it also means that one company is choosing exactly what people do and do not want on their mobile phones. It excludes small niche programs designed for specific types of business people from existing – a problem that is rectified on Android. Android’s applications are open to all software developers, which means more innovation for the business user.
Strong web browsing capabilities: Android supports Adobe Flash – a popular way of encoding web pages that the Apple iPhone does not support. In other words, Android users are able to view a number of web pages that iPhone users would not otherwise be able to. This is important when you need one quick piece of information on the go!
Prices are much more competitive: Because Android is available on many different types of phone, there’s much more room for the budget-minded businessperson to find a price that works for them.
Strong Exchange integration: Many businesses use Microsoft Exchange, though mobile support for Exchange is sometimes hit and miss. BlackBerry requires of the installation of their BES server. However, Android integrates with Exchange without any need for add-ons – perfect for easy integration into the business world!

The Different Types Of Printing Services Business Can Make Use Of

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You operate a business enterprise and you want to increase the exposure of the business, strengthen the customer base and increase the companies sales revenue. Or you have started a new business and would like to promote your product or service. Irrespective of how good the product or business is, you can not expect the customers to automatically notice your company or perhaps your services and come running to you. For that, you should set up promotion campaigns for your business venture. You need to create best impressions of your company amongst customers.

Without effective marketing, your potential prospects may never be aware about your products or offerings and your company may not be provided the chance to progress and succeed. So you have to apply right marketing techniques to gain recognition and success. Among numerous marketing and advertising activities, printing services is very cost-efficient and plays a substantial role in business promotion.

From business cards, brochures, envelopes, pamphlets, banners, invitations, calendars, stickers to office letter head everything involves printing in one form or the other. Even in todays digitized world, nobody can deny the importance and effect of printed promotional items in attracting customers and increasing sales for a product. Listed here are some of the printing services that a business can benefit from.

Business Card Printing

Business cards are the cheapest as well as the most effective promotion tools for any kind of business. All these cards carry your important contact information and therefore act as an excellent way to market your business. They provide a great number of possibilities to hand them to new prospective customers and give endless ways to get the word out about your business. A top notch of printing and professional looking business card plays a huge role in making a good impression on your prospective clients. That’s why you should take the time to select the right design and printing company who could aid you come up with interesting creations for your investment.

Brochure Printing

Marketing brochures is among the most versatile tool that you can use to tell consumers about your products or services. For example, retail shops get plenty of customer traffic regularly through brochures with product information. Banks put brochures of their financial products in the entrance hall where customers pickup to review while waiting for their service. When compared to other print out items, brochures offer much more room to include all important information about your product or service. Also, they’re extremely effective when you launch something new. In particular, graphics and striking messages on it will take your business to new heights.

Postcard Printing

Post cards are used by companies as part of direct mail marketing campaign where it is typically mailed directly to consumers and prospective clients without envelopes or stamps. Various online printing services offer free templates to pick your design and various finishing options which enables to create a more stylish and vibrant postcard related to your company. You must make use of high-quality prints on post cards as it can strengthen the matter that your company is committed to quality work. A right design and structure of a postcard can make a positive impression on the targeted market.

Pamphlets

Flyers are powerful and time-tested approach to cost-effective marketing for small to mid-size company. Eye-catching pamphlets hold the large potential to generate instant responses and promptly boost sales. Flyers deliver messages to customers in most effective way and cost much less to the entrepreneurs. For best results, always print flyers on a glossy paper and utilize lot of colorings.

Calendar Printing

A personalized calendar is yet another tool for effective marketing and once a year, tens of thousands of companies use this method to market their business. People view calendars very often so when your organization information, products or services are clearly noticeable on the calendar, customers will get constantly reminded and create a positive psychological impact about your company or brand name. All you need to do is to pick a suitable style of calendar, incorporate your company slogan, logo and contact details right into a visually attractive calendar design that people would want to display inside their home.

Letterhead Printing

Letterheads are important tools of marketing where they are utilized for correspondence with valued clients, suppliers, current customers, prospective buyers, banking institutions, etc. Letterheads really should be truly impressive as it could very easily make a excellent impact in the commercial circle and in the client community. Your letterhead must separate your company from your competing organizations. You company logo have to be added to the right part of the letterhead and in the right size. Online printing companies make the procedure easy for you, since at just a click of a button you can make personalized letterheads promptly.

Utilizing these different kinds of printing services will help boosting your business in several ways and takes it one step further. Keep in mind, the core of any business venture success lies in marketing and advertising. Every corporate business depends upon the right impressions. The quality and branding of the organization relies on the stationery being utilized and hence every brochure, business card, flyers, letterhead and anything that is printed increase the value of the brand being created. If you want immediate success in your business, you must opt for professional printing practices. The attractiveness and information the printed material carries is critical to build lasting relationships with your end customers and clients.

Choosing Great Painting Business Names

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A good business name is necessary to help you to build a strong brand and market your services successfully. A strong brand will give your business an identity in the market place, help you to make a good first impression on people and help to build a positive reputation among customers in the long run.

Below we have set out a number of tips and ideas for you to consider as you proceed to think suitable painting company names.

Don’t Limit Future Opportunities

Effective business names give potential customers a clear message about what products or services a company offers. This is one sensible approach but it is important not to pigeon hole your business too much as you may want to change direction, sell the business or introduce new services at a later date. Your name should indicate what you do while still being general enough to offer flexibility.

By all means include the word ‘painting’ in your name, but don’t be too specific about the market that you are targeting or the exact services that you offer. If you feel that you will branch out into other areas in the future then the word ‘contractor’ may be more suitable.

You should also think twice before including the owners name in the business name. This can offer a nice personal touch and give customers the impression that they are dealing with somebody who has a good reputation. However, this approach can make it hard for you to sell your business if you want to do so at some point in the future.

Including the name of the area or region where you are doing business is also an option that usually works well. However, if you ever want to offer services outside of this zone then such a name can become irrelevant or confusing.

Memorable and Unique

A great name for a business is one that can be easily remembered. People should be able to recall it after hearing it only once or twice and they should be able to pronounce it correctly. Once you have a short list you can run some tests on family and friends. See which ones they were able to hear clearly over the phone and which ones they were able to remember a week later. If you can think of a name that will stick in peoples minds then you will really have their attention.

A great name should be unique and professional at the same time. If you look in The Yellow Pages or online you will find plenty of clever, catchy and creative painting business names. While names that are funny can sometimes get more attention, you may find that some sectors of the market don’t relate to them, misunderstand them or even find them offensive. The best choice is often to go with a more conservative sounding name. This will come across as being much more professional and appeal to a wider market.

Originality and Usage Rights

While you can look to other industries for inspiration, dont imitate the names of other local businesses too closely or you will risk confusing consumers. You need something that is truly original if you want your business to stand out.

Make sure that no other companies are already using the name that you would like to use. Search The Yellow Pages, the Internet and the database at your county clerks office to make sure that you dont infringe on the intellectual property of other companies or individuals.

Domain Name Registration

Check that there is a suitable domain name available and register it at the same time as you finalize your business name. You will need to get a website up at some time and it is nice to have a domain that matches your name.

Preferential Listings

Many people name their business ‘A Plus Painting’ or something similar because they want to be among the first listings in The Yellow Pages. This is becoming less important these days though as popular search engines on the Internet don’t display search results alphabetically.

Acronyms

Give some thought to acronyms. If done right they can be an easy way for customers and business associates to refer to your business by using the first letter of each word. Just make sure that you stay away from embarrassing or weird acronyms.

Expert Advice

Many people underestimate the importance of a business name. It is one of the elements that will help your company to win the hearts and minds of the marketplace over many years. Some smart entrepreneurs are now starting to hire naming experts to help them make this crucial decision. While it is unlikely that a small painting startup would go to such expense it wouldn’t hurt to run your ideas past someone with a decent level of experience in business.

Avoid a Name Change at All Costs

Sometimes it becomes necessary for businesses to change their names because they have become old fashioned or irrelevant. This may become necessary for you at some point in the future but you should do your best to avoid this. The costs associated with such a change can be extensive so your selection should be able to stand the test of time.

A Name That You Like

Above all, you, as the owner of a painting business have to have a name that you like. There is no point in using a name that sounds embarrassing or makes you cringe every time you say it. Your business name should inspire you and make you feel proud to be a painting contractor.

Dont treat the selection of your painting company name too lightly. Give this important decision the time that it deserves and come up with something that can carry your painting business forward to future success.