Let's Make Some New Noise In Our Business

Help Improve Educational Opportunities!

I actually liked the last post.  During the run of writing things down for that post, an idea popped up that seemed interesting.  The post was covering the idea to make some noise in our business model.  There are three types of noises to make; a lot of noise, a loud noise or a cool noise.  During the description of defining how to make noise in a business model we actually described a new idea that I want to pursue.  In that description I used the phrase, "Link Up With Learning."  It has the tone of being something worthwhile to market well.  For those who do not do this kind of thing in their business model, let's examine how to take this idea to the next level.  Let's produce a plan to begin making some new noise in our business model.

We will try to concentrate on making a 'cool' noise in our model.  Remember, money works by showing up to the places that provide solutions.  We want to build our business model next to a lot of good solutions.  While we are working to improve how we do our business work, we will introduce a pattern of effort to help provide some new solutions for the need to improve better education in our area.  We will begin our marketing work to include steps that will help the less fortunate receive a better educational opportunity.  Even though it is true that when the student is ready, the teacher appears.  It still remains that many young students in our world do not have the means to capture all of the best tools education can offer.  Many young children get an early start on the wrong foot and become left out from the education process.  This pattern begins early and unfortunately carries on to the future.  It eventually becomes a pattern that produces a large unwanted cost to our tax paying society.  The children that fall behind early may never catch up.  The ones who do not catch up become the ones that drop out of the education process.  In some areas, that means about 25% of the children will not finish their basic education.  Ladies and gentlemen, that means you the tax payer will eventually need to supply those people with the basic needs to survive on poverty.  It will be your pocket that will need to open open up to pay for that supply.  Whether you like it or not, you are going to pay for it.  You already are.

Now I cannot guarantee that your tax obligations will shrink if you find a way to reduce this costly mess.  However, I can assure you that it will be good for business and good for the ones you help to improve.

Let's give it a whirl.  First of all, we need to be the catalyst for this big plan.  We do not need to carry the whole load, however.  In fact, as a small business we cannot carry the full load.  It is not in the cards.  The economy of scale refuses to allow us to sink enough money into this project to make it work well.  As a result, we need to focus on becoming the catalyst, the hub, the center of motivation for this whole movement to improve educational opportunities for the less fortunate.  We can build an army of many business models that are part of the move to help others "Link Up With Learning."

Sit down and write a very simple plan.  Make sure it fits on one page.  One page only.  Design the plan to be titled, "Link Up With Learning."  Make sure that every other business model who joins in uses that same title..."Link Up With Learning."  In that plan, have them do some kind of method to select five young students to help improve their educational opportunities.  Make sure everyone who selects five students in their region titles that effort as "Help Find Five To Fix."  Part of the plan must include working with the school districts to see where they need your business help.  The educators know where the most help is needed.  They also know how that help needs to be applied.  Trust them.  Do what they suggest.  Make sure they know that eventually media will be watching what all of you are doing to improve the opportunity for five selected students that are part of your program of educational help.  Knowing that media will arrive somewhere in the process will help to keep the process honest.  Your business does not need a black eye.  Let's put an alligator on the front door step of this effort, O.K.?  It is an interesting world, let's make sure we keep your efforts on the clean and narrow lines of positive movements.  Always exercise caution in your business affairs...especially when you are giving.

"Help Find Five To Fix."  That will be the next thing that each business needs to do in their efforts to join in.  Start the process. Write a one page plan to help where you want to help.  Meet with the educators in your region and find out where you can help make what they do become more effective.  Get started with this effort and title it "Link Up With Learning."  As you work with the educators, have them select the five most needed people you can help.  Make a short plan to do what needs to be done and contribute some of your time and money to help those five improve their chances to learn more.  Feature those five children in your marketing plans and encourage them and their families to participate in the learning improvement efforts.  Be smart, be caring and serve what needs to be served.  Become a great role model in this effort.  "Help Find Five To Fix."

It might be as simple as providing these five children with the proper school materials to do the work they do at school.  It might be as simple as making sure those five children have the proper nutrition when they arrive to school.  It does not need to be some grand contribution.  Sometimes it is the simple things that count the most.  Come on, give a hand.  You can afford to do something little like this.  Help those five kids get a better shot at learning more.  Once you achieve that step, encourage other business models in your area to do the same.  You are the catalyst for a new business movement.  You can make sure you make a difference to five kids in your area.  You need them to learn more.  Help them get a better shot at learning more.  There are plenty of really smart people out there that know what needs to be done.  You do not need to figure that part out.  You have a business to run.  Just find a way to help make what needs to be done for the five you selected to help.  You have started the "Link Up With Learning" and now have begun to help the five you found to help, "Help Find Five To Fix."

Once you get this thing started, it will grow through some challenging stuff.  Overcome them.  Then work it into something good for those five you are working to help.  Once that becomes established as a pattern of good work, call up a couple of other business owners you know and encourage them to "Link Up With Learning."  Do not make the phrase a business name, however.  It does not need to become a society business model.  Trust me.  Use only the marketing name as the key component for recognition.  Keep the rest of the project out there in space.  We have way too many other things to do that need our time and money.  We do not need another set of governing agencies, another business model nor another set of limiting rules.  We just need a connection based idea that will offer some small pockets of a little help.  That's it.

After you introduce another business into the process, have them write a single page business plan for how they want to "Link Up With Learning."  Introduce them to the educators that helped you.  Now go away and allow that new business partner in this effort do what they want to do to help.  Go find another one to introduce.  Become the catalyst.  Work with your five kids and help them to improve their educational opportunities.  The other business models will work with their five to help them improve their educational opportunities.  All you need to do is introduce more business models into the "Link Up With Learning" process.  Encourage the other involved business models to do the same.  Some will, some won't.  Do not worry about it.  Do your five.

No Diploma, No Work.  Period.

This kind of effort will eventually grow into a small noise in your community.  Your business model will be the catalyst.  All you will be doing is helping five kids.  This is an efficient way to make some big noise.  It is also a way to make some cool noise.  Who knows, it might grow up to be a way to make some loud noises.  That is how you make your small business model make the right kind of consumer noise.

It will also attract some consumer money.  "Link Up With Learning" is a solution process.  Remember how money works?  It gravitates to solutions.  Your business model is working to provide a simple solution.  Your customers will lend you a hand.  Money will come your way to become part of what you are helping to solve.  That is exactly how money works.  It is one of the laws of money.  You cannot violate this law.  You will only confirm it.  This is a good way to make a little business noise.  One thing to remember in all of this, do not worry about the accusations of exploitation's.  Exploitation is how business lives.  We really do not need an IPod.  Not really.  Our perceptions of need have been cleverly exploited.  Get over it. 

Furthermore, you can introduce a small promotion once in awhile to help contribute a small portion of your sales to help forward this cause.  You can run challenges with your five kids to encourage other business models to do the same.  The marketing opportunities are endless and the help for educating the unfortunate will improve.  This kind of noise provides a very obvious win, win set of scenarios.  We like win, win scenarios.  They are fun to be a part of and they usually provide a good sense of achievement.

What if this idea took off and became a regional affair?  What if the media found it out to be a worthwhile story to promote.  Would that be good noise for your business?  Sure it would.  What if one kid was to receive a better education because of this level of help?  What if only one student found it made a difference?  That would be a victory.  Help one win.  Help others to help one win.  "Link Up With Learning."  Make some business noise.

I read an article a few years ago about a small community who had discovered their children were dropping out at a 30% rate.  It was a disturbing community process.  While the educators where scratching their heads and the community leaders were jesting the education system, the Chamber of Commerce in that region decided to take an active role on the subject.  At one of the Chamber meetings the Executive Director of that Chamber asked the business leaders at the weekly luncheon if they had an interest in helping to reduce the school drop out rate?  After some nasty sets of comments and opinions, they came to the conclusion they would like to help but did not know what they could do.  The Executive Director suggested that the business community work up a plan to spread its desire to help the education system reduce the school drop out rate.  They came up with a simple plan at that luncheon.  That plan is still in effect to this day.  That happened twenty five years ago.  The school drop out rate in that small community is less than 18%.  Business leaders can make a difference, and do.

In that community the plan was simple.  The business leaders decided to make a small pact.  They agreed to never hire anyone who did not have a high school diploma.  Not one, never.  If a student decided to quit school they would need to leave the community to go find work.  It was rash, tall and wild.  It worked.

They went to the school system at all levels and made that announcement, 25 years ago.  They were invited to all of the classrooms and let the children know what kind of future they had if they did not earn their high school diploma.  No diploma, no work.  None.  It was absolute and cruel.  It worked.

One silly simple unfriendly hardcore plan.  It worked.  Kids began staying in school.

Several years later that same Chamber of Commerce has grown up.  It now has 35 college scholarship programs in effect.  It acts as a clearing house for those scholarships provided by many industries and business models.  It has also placed into affect many hiring polices for the community graduates that require new employees to give back to their school system in areas of community help.  Education has become a monster concern, a monster effort and a great part of that communities best foot.  It came one day with a simple question and a simple solution agreed upon at a simple lunch.  I viewed this story on the national news a few years ago.  A small community Chamber of Commerce made some very big noise in its business affairs.  It decided to offer a simple solution to a very big problem.  Remember how money works?  The news story also told of how that Chamber of Commerce was once a membership of 110 businesses when that luncheon made that silly hiring rule.  Today, it is over 1000 members.  Make some noise in your business model.  It is good for business.  Solve problems and money will appear.

By the way, that Executive Director moved on to bigger and better things in his life.  He left that Chamber 15 years ago.  The project of education improvements in that region carry on without his presence.  That means the plan is a good plan.  It lives well without its leader.  Remember to honor this quiet twist of success.

"Link Up With Learning."  "Help Find Five To Fix."  Learn how to make some noise in your business affairs.

Until next time...