Customer Reviews

Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Your Own e-Learning Business (The Startup Series)

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[Below is the review I wrote and posted for "Start Your Own Online Education Business" © 2007 (ISBN: 1599181207). That book is the same book as "Start Your Own eLearning Business" © 2004 (ISBN: 1932531238).]

I loved this book. I really liked it a lot! I'm in the process of putting together a virtual business that will provide a distance learning programs, some publications, and a coaching service. Having this book to read was wonderful because it discusses the ins and outs of putting together an online education business that is what distance learning programs are.

There are a number of books available today regarding infopreneurship and being an infopreneur. Creating articles, booklets, books, and reducing them to PDF files is the simplest way to be an infopreneur. But putting together teaching programs and providing the PDF files coupled with back and forth interaction through email and/or telephone is a bit more involved. It's still infopreneurship, but it is also distance learning or an online education business. This book explains what online education is about. And it gives you lots of resources and things to think about if you decide to take the plunge and start your own online education business. It has 14 chapters and two lists of resources in its appendix:

1. Learning for a Better Life
2. Entering the Online Learning Market
3. Start-up strategies
4. Online education goes to school
5. Tuning up knowledge workers
6. Lifelong online learning
7. Course planning and offerings
8. Solid foundations for virtual firms
9. Putting your money down
10. Content and delivery
11. It's all about the software
12. Finding the financing
13. Spreading the word
14. Failure and success
A1. Online education resources
A2. Glossary

I was disappointed with Chapter 8 that discussed Choice of Entity (COE) issues and Business Plans. The COE material was VERY poor, and even wrong at times. LLCs don't dissolve just because an owner dies. The author simply did not know what he was talking about. Consider getting a copy of "Structuring Your Business" (ISBN: 1593371772) to get good information about COE. I've posted a book review for that book on Amazon, too. I think there should have been a full chapter devoted to business plans in this book. But there wasn't. Consider getting a copy of "Business Models Made Easy" (ISBN: 1599180413). I've posted a book review for that book on Amazon, too.

If you are wanting to build and run an online education business like me, then definitely get a copy of "Four Steps to Building a Profitable Coaching Practice" (ISBN: 0595296602). I've posted a book review for that book on Amazon, too. Three other book s I highly recommend you read to supplement Mr. Mintzer's book are: "Mastering Online Marketing" (ISBN: 1599181517), "Web Business Success" (ISBN: 0974924504), and "The Web Savvy Writer" (ISBN: 0977830403). This last book is not currently being sold on Amazon. Google "websavvywriter" to find the author's site and you can buy it from her directly.

What I liked the most about this book was the number and quality of URLs provided of real life distance learning Web sites. They can be found in the body of the book and in the appendix (A1). The Glossary was a disappointment. Also, I found the expenses listed in starting and running an online education business to be high. In fact, very high! If you do the research necessary to write a sound 25-35 page business plan, then you will realize how off the mark the expenses listed in this book really are. It is possible to start such a business for next to nothing except for your time in creating your business plan and your product(s). 5 stars!

What an underwhelming book. You already know the great majority of the ideas in this 'book' (if this even is a book). This book will not get you closer to starting your future business or even understanding your future business. It will only help you put off any action towards starting your business. Instead of reading this I recomend you either just get started on your business or buy a howto book on small business or howto book on elearning but not this.

When I purchase a book titled "Start Your Own eLearning Business" I expect to read about industry standards, pay rates, tips on structuring the organization, etc. I was interested in learning about different business and economic models, and what other companies are doing - are they hiring employees? contractors? how many people are typically in the course build process? How many hours does it typically take to create courses in different categories? etc etc

None of this information was included. The book was very generic and not really specific to eLearning. Oh a few high level eLearning tips are there, but nothing at the level of starting a business!