Author Topic: Whispered Revival Ranch - only a business plan so far (Read 1882 times)

Oscar · « **on:** June 19, 2011, 11:58:34 AM »

Pile of Dead Kids · « **Reply #1 on:** June 19, 2011, 01:39:52 PM »

I'm pretty sure this will never exist, Oscar. It was put together as a project by a college student.

You know it can't possibly be real when you read page 15- no real programmie would admit any of that, especially not in a business plan!

Ursus · « **Reply #2 on:** June 19, 2011, 09:54:20 PM »

Quote from: "Pile of Dead Kids"

I'm pretty sure this will never exist, Oscar. It was put together as a project by a college student.

Here's a description of that course, along with a pic of the class...

[Link for the business plans submitted by students taking the 2010 Entrepreneurship course: Student Business Plans]

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Cornell College · Mount Vernon, IA
Entrepreneurship 2010 - Berry Center for Economics, Business and Public Policy

During Block 7 of the 2009-2010 academic year, Professor David Burgess from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business taught a Berry Center-sponsored business enrichment course, "Entrepreneurship". This course introduced students to basic economic and managerial theories, and principles of innovation and entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on social benefit entrepreneurship (innovating on behalf of the poor).

Students were tasked to create individual business plans that would be viable businesses and could be implemented in the short-term. In addition, the students worked in groups to create group business plans. Several of the group business plans were implemented and started to see revenue in the short 18 days of the class. One of these companies is a late-night food delivery service called Pandubaco, founded by Sam Peters '12, Nguyen Vo '12, and Tommy LeForce '11. On Friday and Saturday nights, for a 20% premium, students can place orders for food from Panchero's, Buffalo Wild Wings, or Taco Bell. Business owners then drive into Cedar Rapids to pick up the food. The students purchase carbon offsets to minimize the environmental impact of their business. More information about Pandubaco can be found at www.pandubaco.com.

Professor Burgess challenged the students that for every business plan that was fully developed and in at least the initial stages of implementation, students could climb to the top of College Hall and ring the bell. On Wednesday, March 24, two students were selected to represent the class and ring the bell 17 times. The video is available here.

After creating their business plans, students were also responsible for posting their work on a website called B Plans for Humanity. Students were able to look at the business plans of their peers and offer comments and suggestions. The name for Pandubaco, for example, didn't come from the students in that team, but as a collaboration between Professor Burgess and classmate, Nick Light '10.

© 2011 Cornell College | 600 First Street SW, Mount Vernon, IA 52314 | (319) 895-4000

Ursus · « **Reply #3 on:** June 19, 2011, 10:16:46 PM »

Quote from: "Pile of Dead Kids"

You know it can't possibly be real when you read page 15- no real programmie would admit any of that, especially not in a business plan!

On page 14 as well! Ya gotta give Montellano credit. I'm not sure why she includes so much detail; perhaps she's still under the WWASPS imperative to "confess to all." At any rate, here's that entire section, found under the heading SWOT Analysis > Threats:

Threats
- Lawsuits against similar academies are common
- Constant microscope on therapeutic academies due to the common accusations of students being emotionally and physically abused.

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Ursus · « **Reply #4 on:** June 19, 2011, 10:46:21 PM »

Real or not, this "business plan" still contains quite a bit of real information, even if only the verbalized rationale for the existence of these hellholes (from someone who allegedly experienced one first hand and is grateful for the experience). Here's the full pdf copied out for posterity's sake:

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Whispered Revival Ranch
Trout Creek Montana

Adrianna Montellano
Business Plan
3/25/2010

Whispered Revival Ranch

Problem
- Teenage rebellion has been an increasing problem in America for years now, and many parents have come to the end of their ropes. Most of these parents have faulted teenage rebellion as a product of parental-failure, and blame themselves for their child's defiant behaviors. During the transition to adulthood, many children begin experimenting with different behaviors that are viewed as somewhat insolent in their culture or family household. These children are searching for their identities, searching for individuality independent of their parent's and family; this process of searching frequently leads to dissident decisions according to family values, etc.
- Teens have always had the desire to explore the world for a place to belong, and they will continue to do so. As parents, we must allow them to construct their own character, however, the family values need to be reiterated constantly in hopes to prevent the teens from searching in dangerous or unhealthy environments for a place to belong. By the time the teens are already involved in dangerous environments, it may be too late for the parent to reach them alone; a team of experts may be the last resort for a better tomorrow. We, at Whispered Revival are not only serve as an intervention, we provide a solution.

Executive Summary

Mission Statement
Our mission at Whispered Revival Ranch is to assist young men and women in developing the tools with which to build strong character and positive self-esteem. We intend to help these young adults develop responsible decision-making skills, and improve family relationships. As well as dramatically touching the lives of our teens, our mission is to also give parents and siblings useful skills that will assist them in their family's journey to a new beginning.

This academy's purpose is to help families with troubled teens gain the tools they need to survive, and thrive through the difficult transition into adulthood.

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Unique/Innovative features of Revival Ranch:
- Character-Building Seminars
  - Child Seminars
  - Parent Seminars
  - Parent-child seminars
- Measuring Value/Success
  - After student-graduation, if the child reverts back to their old habits within the first three months upon completion, they will be admitted back to the academy free of tuition.
- Admitting ages: 13-18 yrs old

Services
- At Whispered Revival Ranch, we provide multiple character-building seminars, individual and group therapy sessions, accelerated academic environment, and hope for a better future.
- Residential Environment
  - Daily Schedule
    
    7:00 AM Wake-up
    8AM-9AM Breakfast/Chores
    9AM-12PM PE, Individual Experiential Therapy
    12PM-1PM Lunch/Free Time
    1PM-1:30PM Girls Community Meeting/Boys Letter Writing
    1:30PM-2:30PM Specialized Group Therapy (Eating Disorders, Relapse Prevention, Grief and Loss, Adoption, etc).
    2:30PM-3PM Boys Community Meeting/Girls Letter Writing
    3PM-4PM Study Hall
    4PM-9PM School and Dinner
    9PM-9:45PM Journaling, reflections, and daily information sheet
    10:30PM Lights Out
- In addition to supervising residential life, mentors/staff participate with their students in therapeutic experiential activities; this creates a common bond. Shared experiences help students develop relationships and provide mentors with teaching opportunities in the course of daily living.
- Academics
  - Whispered Revival Ranch is fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools
  - Each student is evaluated after admission and placed in the classes they test into. While the student sets the pace, the teacher directs the learning.
  - We are not limited by a semester schedule so the student's learning experience begins the day they enter Whispered Revival Ranch. The student, his/her teachers and therapist, work together to build an academic plan that best suits that student's unique learning style. This customizes the learning process for every child.
  - Students must test on the all material given to them and pass with at least an 80% score.
- Therapeutic Exercises
  - Character-Building Seminars
    [individually]
    Focus [individually]
    PC2 (Parent-Child 2)
    Keys-Communication [individually]
    Keys-Relationships [individually]
    PC3 (Parent-Child 3) –graduation
- Group Therapy: In the character-building seminars there will be a handful of processes that have been proven to change lives of thousands, and according to, Premier Programs these processes have been rated top 5 life experiences of 95% of all participants.

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Market Analysis
- Target
  - Parents in search of a solution to teenage rebellion
- Marketing Strategy
  - Country Music Television (CMT)
  - Newspaper articles
  - NetBiz.com "Therapeutic Boarding School"
- Main Competitors
  - Cross Creek Academy (La Verkin, Utah)
  - Academy at Ivy Ridge (Ogdensburg, New York)
  - Horizon Academy (Armagosa Valley, Nevada)

Goals
- Projected Student Timeline
  Student Timeline DATE SEMINAR
  
  Admission Date PC-1
  Month 2 Discovery
  Month 3 Focus
  Month 4 PC-2
  Month 5 Keys-Communication
  Month 6 Keys-Relationships
  Month 7 PC-3 (graduation)
- When students arrive, they are expected to be closed off, and unwilling to participate; Discovery (2 day seminar) is the first individual character-building seminar they will attend, and it is expected that at this point in their program, they will begin to realize that their actions at home were non-working.
- Focus is a three day seminar that will change the lives of each participant. The processes executed in this seminar are intense, and after the completion of Focus, the students will be expected to "work the program" and prepare for PC-2 (where they will come face-to-face with their parents for the first time since their admission date).
- PC-2 is a parent-child (3 day) seminar that allows the family to openly discuss the behaviors that were occurring pre-program, and what is to be expected when the student returns home. The Life Contract begins. The Life Contract is a written set of Rules and Expectations that the student writes his/herself that will be followed after graduation of the program.
- Keys seminars are one day seminars that focus on the tools needed to obtain healthy relationships, and communicate in appropriate manners when faced with a conflict. Seminars are discussion based, and students will create their "Value Cards." Value Cards are cards with the students core-values/morals (Honesty, Family, etc.) written on them that are to be carried with them at all times until graduation date.
- PC-3 is the last parent-child seminar at which the Life Contract will be finalized, and the student will graduate and return home with their family.

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Management Summary
- 8-1 student-staff ratio
- Executive Director/Shift Supervisor
- 2 therapists
- 24 hr staff

Financial Plan
- Payroll Chart:

Enrollment Fee includes:
- Uniforms (shorts, pants, shirts, polos, belts, etc) for student's entire stay
- Academic Assessment/Placement
- Transport – from child’s home to academy
Tuition includes:
- Safe, Clean and Organized Residential Facility
- 24/7 Supervision of child by trained and qualified staff
- Teen receives daily group and individual therapy sessions with a Licensed Clinical Therapist
- Weekly phone conferences with staff and/or child
- Character-Building Seminars
- Academics covering courses 6 thru 12, including college preparation
- Six days a week classroom instruction from trained teachers/tutors
- Academic assessment testing administered every 60 days to determine students improvement
- Contracted medical doctor team to ensure your son's health and well-being
- Physical Education scheduled Monday-Saturday.
- Extracurricular, off campus activities such as hiking, horse-back riding, etc.
- 3 Nutritious Meals a Day
- Monthly Personal Hygiene Cash (shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc.)

Basic Net Income/Loss
Whispered Revival Ranch
Income Statement
Month Ended March 31, 2011

Revenues
Net Sales 179,200
Total Revenues 179,200

Expenses
Wages Expense 86,339
Cost of Goods Sold 22,000
Utilities Expense 2,600
Supplies Expense 2,390
Total Operating Expenses 113,329

Net Income/Loss 65,871
Net Income of $65,871

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Funding
- Actual Financers
  - McCarthur Foundation (Grants)
  - Mike Linderman (Teen Whisperer)
- Possible Financers
  - Spring Creek Academy Alumni
  - Sky View Christian Academy Alumni
  - Orval Haggerman (Director, Sky View Christian Adademy)
  - Jared & Nina Copeland (Assistant Directors, Sky View Christian Academy)

SWOT Analysis
- Strengths
  - First Option of week-long "Teen Whisperer" experience –free of charge
  - Whispered Revival Ranch is a "Teen Whisperer" package, and the students will be working with Mike Linderman, a well-known, successful therapist with a unique, unseen approach to broken families.
  - Year Round Admissions
  - Wide-Ranged Age Group
- Weaknesses
  - Many successful competitors
  - Limited student-admission numbers (32 students)
- Opportunities
  - Multiple Ranches
  - Post-program counseling service
- Threats
  - Lawsuits against similar academies are common
  - Constant microscope on therapeutic academies due to the common accusations of students being emotionally and physically abused.

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Social Value
Creating a World Without Poverty, he describes a social business as being basically the same as Profit-Maximizing Businesses, yet differing in its objective. Whispered Revival Ranch will be a non-dividend business, in that the profit will not go directly into the pockets of the investors but will reinvest in the Academy, it's facilities and possibly the expansion to other ranches/states.

Most therapeutic residential facilities are social business at least partially, and these academies will be our main competitors. Because of this, the customers will have to decide which academy to patronize, at Whispered Revival Ranch we plan to dominate the market by being socially responsible and providing families with constant communication and evaluations of their child, and an outstanding success rate.

Whispered Revival Ranch is dedicated to producing social value rather than financial gain.

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Oscar · « **Reply #5 on:** June 20, 2011, 02:54:12 AM »

According to the documents - real or not - Mike Lindermann is a key person. His old project - Whispering Pines Academy - did not take off.

Ursus · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2011, 11:11:46 PM »

Quote from: "Oscar"

According to the documents - real or not - Mike Lindermann is a key person. His old project - Whispering Pines Academy - did not take off.

His website avers that he is currently the director of Elk Mountain Academy, as well as a lead counselor for One Change Group, which offers parenting workshops:

About Mike[/list]

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Wh??ter · « **Reply #7 on:** June 21, 2011, 11:12:49 AM »

This looks like a great business to me. I'm sure it will be very successful and help get trouble teens back on track.

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