Opinion Social (food provided)

Saturday, July 31st @ 10:00 AM.

RSVP now to attend. Foot and beverages will be provided. The menu is soda and pizza! :D We're capping this one at twelve people and we have several slots full already.

Address of the event: 2260 Foothill Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84109

To get there from the North:

Take I-15 South to I-80 East

Follow I-80 East until you reach Parley's Way Exit (just before entering Immigration Canyon)

After taking the exit, stay in the left lane which takes you onto Foothill Drive

Turn left at the first traffic light (Stringham Ave.)

Park anywhere that is uncovered, and walk to the Leasing Office (as indicated by the many signs)

We are located upstairs, above the leasing office.

Call Rob at 801-589-2157 if you have trouble finding it.

To get there from the South:

Take I-15 North to I-215 East

Follow I-215 east, and it will turn toward the north

Continue on I-215 until you find Parley's Way exit (near the mouth of Immigration Canyon)

Take Parley's Way exit, and stay in the left lane which turns into Foothill Drive

Turn left at the first traffic light (Stringham Ave.)

Park anywhere that is uncovered, and walk to the Leasing Office (as indicated by the many signs)

We are located upstairs, above the leasing office.

Call Rob at 801-589-2157 if you have trouble finding it.

Focus Group Result

We had a very productive meeting today and went over many aspects of the school!

I was so inspired for the rest of the day. It felt great! After the meeting, I spoke with my mentor, John, and he's going to introduce me to a gentleman who teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Utah so that I can ask him questions and if he'd like to be involved in any way. I'll also see if its possible for me to sit in on one or two of his classes and observe his method. Based on his background, and the description I received of his class, I think he'll be at least somewhat interested in participating with Idea School.

Also, news. We will be moving our efforts for the school to another web address that will be just for the Idea School, while this site will focus mostly on future projects and great ideas.

As a little tidbit for all you you, check out this school to see if it peaks your interest. George Wythe University and Idea School have some similar agendas, though not all the same. We also have some similar methods, though not all the same. I really enjoyed their site and it gave me some great insights.

Some of the differences for Idea School are:

• Strong focus on business and starting your idea implementation/exploration from the get-go
• Very little focus on writing for writing's sake
• A lot of community involvement
• Less class/"homework" time. (when I say homework, I mean traditional homework (see next post, coming soon))
• Less 'rigorous' application process

Some things I love about what I've read about George Wythe:

• Student-centered curriculum
• small class sizes
• Colloquiums (essentially discussion formatted classes)
• Critical Thinking as a primary subject matter
• Simulations (though I don't think you can replace real world experience, they are trying to get close and I commend them for that.)

You can check out more at gw.edu.

Have a good night ya'll.

Ryan

First Focus Group for Idea School

Address of the event: 2260 Foothill Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84109

To get there from the North:

Take I-15 South to I-80 East

Follow I-80 East until you reach Parley's Way Exit (just before entering Immigration Canyon)

After taking the exit, stay in the left lane which takes you onto Foothill Drive

Turn left at the first traffic light (Stringham Ave.)

Park anywhere that is uncovered, and walk to the Leasing Office (as indicated by the many signs)

We are located upstairs, above the leasing office.

Call Rob at 801-589-2157 if you have trouble finding it.

To get there from the South:

Take I-15 North to I-215 East

Follow I-215 east, and it will turn toward the north

Continue on I-215 until you find Parley's Way exit (near the mouth of Immigration Canyon)

Take Parley's Way exit, and stay in the left lane which turns into Foothill Drive

Turn left at the first traffic light (Stringham Ave.)

Park anywhere that is uncovered, and walk to the Leasing Office (as indicated by the many signs)

We are located upstairs, above the leasing office.

Call Rob at 801-589-2157 if you have trouble finding it.

Why? How? What?

Why:

• Students enjoy learning when it is fun and inspiring. 
• Students enjoy designing their own path through school. 
• Our world needs new, inspiring, big ideas because we have new, inspiring and big problems that need to be solved.

How:

• Through student centered curriculum and project based learning, I want to create an environment that allows inspired learning, that creates better businesses, that believes that anything is possible. Open minded teachers, open minded students. Flexible tuition payments. Learning for learning, not for GPA.

What:

• Idea School

Support us.

Crowdfunding

I'm starting a crowdfunding project soon, where you can contribute to building the school. I'll toss out rewards based on what you donate! Exciting stuff! Very cool rewards coming your way!

I'll update with details in a few days.

Don't write a business plan... almost...

I read this fascinating article by Jason Cohen.

In it, he explains why writing a business plan is best case scenario if your intention is wasting time. Mostly, he proposes, sticking to your plan is about as likely as winning the lottery. "At the beginning you don't know anything about what your business will look like. Your product will evolve to fit the market." writes Jeff.

I tend to wholeheartedly agree with the following exceptions:

• There are people who need to write things down. Not everybody, but some people do. Sucks for those people, but there are a lot out there that can only organize their thoughts in a long, drawn-out description. I would say that if this is how you think, you are at a severe disadvantage in business. You have to be able to think on your feet and juggle a lot of information in your head.
• Writing some things down is necessary. It's good to have basic concepts written down so that others can read them, however this is far from what most business plans would look like. A short two-pager is sufficient for many investors. Spend the rest of your time working on your concept, networking, and most of all, believing in yourself.

I strongly recommend that you read Jason's blog. It is a fantastic resource for the entrepreneurial mind.

The school we are building...

The school we are building is not:

• A business incubator
• A traditional higher education institution
• A mentorship program

It is, however:

• A community that brings together students with great ideas, aspirations, and empathy for the purpose of creating sustainable platforms (business systems) that benefit the community and the world.
• It provides hands-on education, new theory, practical counseling, and communal support to create innovative gadgets, services, and movements.
• It encourages all things lateral, even bypassing itself. There is always a workaround. There is always a way.
• It gives as much as it can. All proceeds go to growth, to help the school reach more students.