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I was actually home schooled, and it was a relatively taboo thing back in the mid eighties to be home schooled. The supplies available to us were fantastic thou

by thismat 18y ago

I was actually home schooled, and it was a relatively taboo thing back in the mid eighties to be home schooled. The supplies available to us were fantastic though, ranging from different computer based systems to actual text books. It's a lot less under-appreciated than you would really think, you can pretty much find a support group and curriculum aide in any community. It's just still not as popular as it should be, in my biased and humble opinion. A lot of our learning though, was incorporated into the family business...what's a good way to brush up on some skills? Make sure you do AP/AR/Laptop maintenance/Mass mailings and for PE - you get to sweep the entire warehouse. I loved every minute of it.

skmurphy 18y ago
By under-appreciated I meant by entrepreneurs. Too many focus on trying to insert first into the traditional college or K12 systems instead of niche education markets like home schooling.
- thismat 18y ago
  No matter what though, you will get more money by doing for college or K12 systems, I can understand the mentality. Besides, with the 'zealot religious', 'backwoods', 'socially inept' and other stereo types that tend to float around home schooling as a practice, you can see why most people might not consider the market very seriously.
  - skmurphy 18y ago
    It's a question of which market makes for a better start. You can always expand into larger markets over time. If the home schooling niche has many of the same properties that the K12 or college markets do that are relevant to your application then it doesn't hurt to start there. You should also note that because the markets communicate poorly (school districts don't tend to reference home schooling buy decisions) you can actually price differently in the two markets (e.g. lower in home schooling to get started without contaminating your mainstream price or enabling arbitrage).
    - thismat 18y ago
      You bring up a good point, it would be a lot cheaper and easier to go after the home schooling market. I see what you're getting at and I have to say, I do agree. Come to think of it, providing a local community of home schoolers would definitley put you in a niche market and ensure (if you're product is worth it) that you'd build a stable base of customers. Good points.

by thismat 18y ago

skmurphy 18y ago

By under-appreciated I meant by entrepreneurs. Too many focus on trying to insert first into the traditional college or K12 systems instead of niche education markets like home schooling.

thismat 18y ago
No matter what though, you will get more money by doing for college or K12 systems, I can understand the mentality. Besides, with the 'zealot religious', 'backwoods', 'socially inept' and other stereo types that tend to float around home schooling as a practice, you can see why most people might not consider the market very seriously.
- skmurphy 18y ago
  It's a question of which market makes for a better start. You can always expand into larger markets over time. If the home schooling niche has many of the same properties that the K12 or college markets do that are relevant to your application then it doesn't hurt to start there. You should also note that because the markets communicate poorly (school districts don't tend to reference home schooling buy decisions) you can actually price differently in the two markets (e.g. lower in home schooling to get started without contaminating your mainstream price or enabling arbitrage).
  - thismat 18y ago
    You bring up a good point, it would be a lot cheaper and easier to go after the home schooling market. I see what you're getting at and I have to say, I do agree. Come to think of it, providing a local community of home schoolers would definitley put you in a niche market and ensure (if you're product is worth it) that you'd build a stable base of customers. Good points.