If you have a great product, offered at a great price,
can you fudge on the customer service just a bit? No way!
“How do you homeschool with a busy
preschooler at home?”
As the task of personally answering
many of the same basic questions over and
over became more and more time-consuming, Paul and Gena decided that it
was time to write a homeschooling
newsletter. And that's what started it all.
They sent out an ezine (an ezine is a “
periodic publication distributed by email or posted
Our Journey on a website”) to about 300 of their current and
As The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine past customers. At that point, they were
approaches its eighth anniversary, we are unaware of eBay’s policy that forbid marketing
humbled as we look back on how it has (viaemail)toformercustomers. Unfortunately,
grown. TOS actually started as an eBay® their creative solution was ended as quickly as
business! Originally, Paul and Gena just ithadstarted.
started using eBay to sell some used home- That initial ezine had generated a huge
school curricula to the vast “homeschool response from its recipients, so Paul and
culture” that eBay serves. As their eBay Gena decided to publish a 12-page, black and
business grew (including buyers from white newsletter, which they sent out to more
China, Africa, and Canada!), so did their than 750 customers! One year later, they
rapport with their customers. Many people were printing a small, one-color, 38-page
asked Paul and Gena homeschooling ques- magazine, and by the end of the following
tions, such as “What method do you use?” year, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine had
and “What curriculum do you like?” and begun to take shape as it is today—a beau-
MUSIC ACE® DELUXE
Dunkelberg. He is a nationally known
authority on small-business entrepreneurship. He encourages entrepreneurs to
maintain their advertising investments,
even in the face of a weak economy.
Dunkelberg’s advice is especially significant for small-business owners: “Don’t
pull back on it,” he says. “Customers are so
important now.” 2
tiful full-color publication with approximately 200 pages per issue and a wide
variety of authors, contributors, and advertisers from around the world. It hasn't been
an easy road; we’ve had our fair share of ups
and downs. We've learned some lessons the
hard way, but God has been with us every
step of the journey. This magazine is His
project; its success is totally His doing. We
are truly thankful for the opportunities that
He has given us. Many outstanding homeschool families and companies have helped
and encouraged us. We’re eager to help
other entrepreneurs achieve their dreams
while helping the homeschool marketplace
become the best it can be.
World’s Leading Music Education Software
Now Configured for Home Schooling
True Success
Ultimately, the best advice we can give
entrepreneurs, whether you’re marketing a
brand-new product or trying to maintain
your position in the marketplace, is to seek
the Lord’s guidance. I would echo the advice
that King Solomon gave his son. These
words offer the very best advice we could
give to you, exhorting you to heed the
instruction of God’s Word and His
commandments. As you acknowledge and
follow Him, He promises to clearly direct
you and give you wisdom.
Music Ace® Deluxe is a complete series
of 36 engaging music lessons and
games drawn from the award-winning
Music Ace Family of products.
The lessons teach beginning music
students of all ages the basics of music
Maestro
Max theory, rhythm, pitch, note reading,
listening, and the keyboard.
™
• 36 award-winning lessons
and games
What Home School Families Say About Music Ace
“Music Ace programs are charming, engaging, and
informative. Our children have different learning styles
and both derive equal benefit. We love Music Ace!”
A Home School Family, Idaho
“Great product. It is really enriching our home school
music experience.”
A Home School Family, Louisiana
“My children don’t ever seem to get bored with
Music Ace. It has stimulated their interest in music
appreciation, music performance and other arts.”
A Home School Family, Michigan
• Motivates students to participate
in music performance
• Assess and track student progress
• Conforms to and supports
National Standards for Music
Education
• Easy to use, easy to teach,
self-paced learning
• New instructional guide designed
for the home school environment
available via download
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart
keep my commandments; for length of days,
and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: . . . so
shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust
in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct
thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear
the LORD, and depart from evil. . . . Honor the
LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns
be filled with plenty . . . .(Proverbs 3: 1–10)
Endnotes:
1. www.sba.gov/advo/research/sb_econ 2007.pdf
2. http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/15/smallbusiness/
smallbiz_optimism_down.fsb/ index.htm?cnn=yes
Contact your school software provider or visit us at www.harmonicvision.com/hs
To learn basic principles of design that
will equip you to create an effective ad
for print, go to www.thehomeschool
magazine.com/design_an_ad.pdf to read
an article titled “Consider, Connect,
Communicate: How to Design an
Effective Ad for Print.”
