Michael Boo Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Las Vegas in April??? I'm there! Remember to leave your Swiss Army knife at home. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monoemono Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 About Accent Marching Academy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 About Accent Marching Academy Do you think it would carry more weight had it been typefaced in Comic Sans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) First off, I am so thankful DCP wasn't around when I was a kid, and good for these kids for trying something. While some of what they are doing isn't quite baked and simply unrealistic, there is definitely an enthusiasm. It is clear that they are most guilty of what so many ambitious kids are... which is trying to run before they can walk and making plans and commitments without the benefit of experience. Bottom line here... seems these kids don't know yet what they don't know. That's normal. So, rather than tearing these kids down for trying, why not offer a bit more constructive criticism and guidance. I assume they are reading this thread, so maybe something will stick. Again, more kids actually stepping up and trying to do something should be encouraged and guided, not ridiculed. Tearing them down not only discourages them, but could also cause others to not even try. To the kids doing this... here are some suggestions: Scale back and focus on doing ONE event as killer as possible. Nail it. Get the process for everything down cold , refine the process and add a few more next year. Do not attempt to do more than one event in the first year. Find someone that has experience with running a small business, ask them as many questions as possible, do whatever you can to get them ACTIVELY involved (there are hundreds of mistakes they can help you avoid... things you probably didn't even ever consider) Find someone with bookkeeping EXPERIENCE that can do your books (do not try to do this yourself!!!!!) Find clinicians that are WELL KNOWN. This will not only draw more students, but help to establish your own credibility and help with building relationships with corporate partners and sponsors. If you can't bring in top names, then something is not quite right with what you are doing. Be willing to have someone step in and run things if it will make your idea much more successful. It is much better for your future to be known as the smart founder that brought in the right people to run things in order to make something great than the young CEO that tried to do everything themselves and it didn't work out (it took me more than one failed company to figure that one out). Dial it down a bit. The materials talk about how YOU will elevate standards... and is We, We, We. No offense... but I don't recognize a single name on the list. If the team was PROVEN to be able to elevate standards, I would recognize at least one. So, don't make any claims unless you have the PROVEN EXPERIENCE to back them up. (ditch the founder letter... 3 sentences max about the organization) Shift the emphasis. If you are trying to sell kids (actually their parents) on something... make it about THEM... not YOU. What will THEY get out of this experience... how will THEY benefit... what are the unique advantages of this opportunity for THEM? What will they leave with that they didn't come in with? Band directors and staff are your golden ticket. Engaging with them is how you are going to get participants, yet nothing on your site even addresses them and stresses their value... they are much more important than you, as without them... you've got nothing. THEY are who you need to sell to FIRST. Selling to kids can only happen AFTER you have directors on board. You need a set of materials and a pitch about what's in it for them. GET LEGAL GUIDANCE! This cannot be understated. You need to have all of your legal stuff rock solid. You are engaging in an activity that 1) uses facilities and equipment that does not belong to you 2) entrusts you with the care of minors. Cutting corners on this aspect could not only shut you down fast, but could expose you to personal liabilities that could greatly impact your future. Get any staff you are working with fingerprinted/background checked (see legal point above). There are several private companies that do this rather inexpensively - ex: http://www.fastfinge...Electronic.aspx INSURANCE. This not only includes insurance of physical property, accidents, etc. but should include temporary emergency health insurance for any kids that may not be covered by a family policy. Try to have a licensed medical professional on site during your event. Think big, but start small and grow slow. Edited February 15, 2012 by danielray 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) Danielray: While your posting is noble, yes I mean that without any sarcasm, this current matter is really serious. If Accent works; great!!! However, a number of young upcoming drum corps people seeking staff positions back in 2010 were burned by the last farce, and it was a farce (read through that previous thread and you will see a few of the people who were burned). And an investigative study on this current endeavor revels that once again another disaster could potentially happen. Only this time around innocent youth/parents are being asked to fork out $400+ which makes it that much more serious. My concern is not for the kid putting this thing together; if he succeeds great and if loses his butt that is business; but my concern is for the youth and listed staff who potentially will get financially harmed this time around. Edited February 15, 2012 by Stu 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monoemono Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Daniel, I agree that it's great to be enthusiastic and want to start something good and beneficial. But the gap between what this guy is capable of and what he is already promising/offering is very wide, especially in light of the drum corps disaster already mentioned by others on here. When someone else's children are involved, especially in a scenario where this guy is going to be responsible for them while thy are away from home at a weekend camp, well, that dials up the "serious business" knob pretty quickly. I could be enthusiastic about teaching, and decide to start a charter school, and that would be very admirable on its surface if my reasons for doing so were honest. I imagine, though, if I was woefully incompetent and ran it poorly, the first time your kid didn't get fed at lunchtime because of some screw up of mine or my equally inexperienced and incompetent staff, you would be more concerned about that than you would be enamored with my enthusiasm. Maybe this guy should take advantage of the internships offered by some corps, or try to secure a management position in a corps, or head a successful marching band program for a few years before asking people to send him their kids for the weekend. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmpt82 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I just saw this thread and thought I would help the investigation. The fee is $325 and $10 for the music packet. I didn't see anything about the transaction fee. I did call the Gwinnett Center, they did put down an $8,000 deposit down for the event. The staff from the center told me that they moved the event back because the lack of parking from the conventions going on that weekend, probably why the hotel was about 30 minutes away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Based on this guy's previous endeavor, I think the DCP community has every right to be skeptical. Mike 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) Based on this guy's previous endeavor, I think the DCP community has every right to be skeptical. I think DCP has been just a wee bit more than skeptical ! Edited February 15, 2012 by corpsband 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Stu was nice! I think you are insane! This "venture" is a fraud. I will sneak in there in Tampa and prove it! First off, I am so thankful DCP wasn't around when I was a kid, and good for these kids for trying something. While some of what they are doing isn't quite baked and simply unrealistic, there is definitely an enthusiasm. It is clear that they are most guilty of what so many ambitious kids are... which is trying to run before they can walk and making plans and commitments without the benefit of experience. Bottom line here... seems these kids don't know yet what they don't know. That's normal. So, rather than tearing these kids down for trying, why not offer a bit more constructive criticism and guidance. I assume they are reading this thread, so maybe something will stick. Again, more kids actually stepping up and trying to do something should be encouraged and guided, not ridiculed. Tearing them down not only discourages them, but could also cause others to not even try. To the kids doing this... here are some suggestions: Scale back and focus on doing ONE event as killer as possible. Nail it. Get the process for everything down cold , refine the process and add a few more next year. Do not attempt to do more than one event in the first year. Find someone that has experience with running a small business, ask them as many questions as possible, do whatever you can to get them ACTIVELY involved (there are hundreds of mistakes they can help you avoid... things you probably didn't even ever consider) Find someone with bookkeeping EXPERIENCE that can do your books (do not try to do this yourself!!!!!) Find clinicians that are WELL KNOWN. This will not only draw more students, but help to establish your own credibility and help with building relationships with corporate partners and sponsors. If you can't bring in top names, then something is not quite right with what you are doing. Be willing to have someone step in and run things if it will make your idea much more successful. It is much better for your future to be known as the smart founder that brought in the right people to run things in order to make something great than the young CEO that tried to do everything themselves and it didn't work out (it took me more than one failed company to figure that one out). Dial it down a bit. The materials talk about how YOU will elevate standards... and is We, We, We. No offense... but I don't recognize a single name on the list. If the team was PROVEN to be able to elevate standards, I would recognize at least one. So, don't make any claims unless you have the PROVEN EXPERIENCE to back them up. (ditch the founder letter... 3 sentences max about the organization) Shift the emphasis. If you are trying to sell kids (actually their parents) on something... make it about THEM... not YOU. What will THEY get out of this experience... how will THEY benefit... what are the unique advantages of this opportunity for THEM? What will they leave with that they didn't come in with? Band directors and staff are your golden ticket. Engaging with them is how you are going to get participants, yet nothing on your site even addresses them and stresses their value... they are much more important than you, as without them... you've got nothing. THEY are who you need to sell to FIRST. Selling to kids can only happen AFTER you have directors on board. You need a set of materials and a pitch about what's in it for them. GET LEGAL GUIDANCE! This cannot be understated. You need to have all of your legal stuff rock solid. You are engaging in an activity that 1) uses facilities and equipment that does not belong to you 2) entrusts you with the care of minors. Cutting corners on this aspect could not only shut you down fast, but could expose you to personal liabilities that could greatly impact your future. Get any staff you are working with fingerprinted/background checked (see legal point above). There are several private companies that do this rather inexpensively - ex: http://www.fastfinge...Electronic.aspx INSURANCE. This not only includes insurance of physical property, accidents, etc. but should include temporary emergency health insurance for any kids that may not be covered by a family policy. Try to have a licensed medical professional on site during your event. Think big, but start small and grow slow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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