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Ron Beaufort's new venture

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Greetings to all ... at this point in time it's hard to decide whether I'm "self-employed" or "unemployed" - but I’m quite sure that I'm either one or the other ... my former boss has graciously allowed me to buy out all of the PLC training equipment that I’ve been using ... I’m now officially in business for myself ... I’ve been working night and day for the last couple of weeks learning how to put together a website ... I’m supposed to pick up the keys for my new office/classroom Monday morning ... if all goes well I’ll be able to do my first class the week of July 23 ... the problem is that I haven’t been guaranteed that the lease would go through in time to market the classes ... I’ll have to start calling previous customers Monday morning ... it usually takes a customer at least two or three weeks to get their guys scheduled - so I’m not expecting much this first time around ... for those of you who have a few minutes, I’d appreciate some constructive criticism of the website ... just click the link under my signature below ... I wasn’t trying for glitz and glitter so don’t expect anything fancy ... I just wanted to be able to steer “phone contact” customers to it so that they can download stuff like my course descriptions and schedule ... I’ve got a lot more pages to add over the next few weeks ... basically the menu is pretty “stripped down” while things are still under construction ... thanks to all of you who’ve made nice comments on the forum ... I’ve put quite a few of those on the “Public Testimonial” page ... big question: some of the PLC pictures look kind of muddy on the monitor I’m using ... are they OK for you guys? ... I’m still learning how to use the new camera ... I should have some shots of “students in action” and stuff like that after the first class or two ... if I had known this opportunity was coming along, I’d have been taking pictures all along ... marketing is going to be the biggest challenge ... if I’m teaching I can’t be selling ... if I’m selling I can’t be teaching ... naturally I’m hoping to get my foot in the doors at some larger plants ... if I can line up a few customers with large enough crews, I can teach for a while without worrying so much about where the next class is coming from ... my ex-boss used to go after smaller shops with only one or two technicians ... that approach was paying the bills - and actually growing pretty well ... but that was with him doing the marketing - and me doing the training ... now that I’m going to be doing both jobs, I’ve got to try netting bigger fish ... so if any of you guys run across a big plant that’s full of technicians who need PLC skills, please tell the maintenance manager to click the “Boss Button” on my home page ... heck, even if you run across a tiny plant, I’d like to talk to them too ... my ex-boss and I are still good friends ... he’s supporting the split 100% by forwarding all of my emails, phone calls, etc. over to my new lines ... we’ll still be working together on any mutually beneficial projects that come along ... he’s trying to concentrate more on the integration side of his business - so he’s willing to let the training side go to me ... anyway ... I’m 60 years old now (still feel about 33) ... I guess I should be thinking about retirement instead of starting up a business ... I thought about going out and looking for a job - but everyone told me that I was “over-qualified” ... I’m the only one who seems to know that’s a bunch of malarkey - so I had to hire myself ... now I’m not quite sure whether I’m a boss with a lousy employee - or an employee with a lousy boss ... anyway ... if you only believe in luck, then please wish me some ... if you’re like me and believe in God, then I’d appreciate a prayer ... Edited by Ron Beaufort

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Hi Ron, the images look great on my laptop, as does the site. I wish you the best Ron, you are a great teacher: to students, maintenance technicians, myself, and many others. I have no doubt that you will be successful. Tim

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Wow, good luck. I don't know if I would start over at 60. At least I wouldn't count on it for a pay check. I can see it as something to 'stay alive' . Retirement sounds too much like 'I give up, I'm done' but that is just the type A personallity in me. You must have some too. If you have questions about the control theory part of things let me know although the 'Advanced Control' threads and www.controlguru.com cover most things.

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Ron, The images look just fine to me. For marketing, I hope you've kept a list of the students you've trained over the years. They can introduce you to the decision-makers where they work. They may have moved on to positions with new employers and those new employers might have additional staff who need training. Best of luck in the venture.

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Photos look fine to me also. I clicked on every page of the website, everything appears to work as you intended. Good Luck in your new company.

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I've learned alot about marketing from Duct Tape Marketing blogs. Here is a sample: http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2007...-for-marketing/ Might help you too. I've found some interesting ideas that work pretty well.

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thanks for the suggestions and well-wishes from everyone ... and for all of the encouraging PMs and emails ... I'll try to respond to all as soon as things settle down a little bit ... I'll definitely read up on the "marketing" suggestions ... my most successful tactics over the years have always been the three listed on the “Boss Button” page ... basically: (1) come see for yourself; (2) send a student “on approval” to try it out; or (3) give me just ten minutes to come show you how it works ... somehow or other I need to make contact with those “bosses” and suggest that they push that button ... from Steve Bailey: actually the decision-makers are invariably the ones that we’ve been dealing with ... I can already count on all of the supervisors that I’ve helped in the past to send me every “new hire” that joins their crews ... that’s where 95% of all of our business has been coming from lately ... if it weren’t for those repeat customers I’d have starved to death a long time ago ... the big problem is that Charleston, SC isn’t exactly a hub of industrial activity ... the waters around here have pretty well been “fished out” ... sooner or later (probably sooner) I’m going to have to cast a wider net ... the key to success (or the path to failure) is pretty much going to hinge on whether I’ll be able to get in touch with the big bosses who’ve tried everything else for training - and always been dissatisfied ... once I get them to send me even one of their guys, I’ve always been able to get the rest ... so thanks again for everything ... sorry that I haven’t had a chance to reply to everyone ... next projects: move in the equipment ... hang the whiteboard ... get the cable connection put in ... buy a fax/phone ... etc. ... etc. ... I’m looking forward to actually teaching a class as being “quiet time” compared to all of this running around ...

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Hi Ron, Try http://www.statcounter.com for (free) data feed back for your website, its free and you can get loads of data from it There are several good threads that have some good reading material (when you get time, I know you are short) and I have several links to some good SEO websites, you need to get listed on Google if you have not done it yet, they have a waiting period of 6 months before you are 'truly' listed with them Register with Tim on his new idea if/when he gets it up and running, that's going to be a good one… We are going to be increasing our maintenance staff by 50% and training was a large topic (I will be in touch) meetings the last 2 weeks These are both good threads http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?showtopic=9467 http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=26561 Register here http://www.google.com/webmasters/ http://www.siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/ SEO (search engine optimization) http://www.webworkshop.net/ http://www.highrankings.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=833 I have just started my own and I am learning more and more every day, it's a blast!, thanks to Tim its been a good experience, I think if you provide a good service as you do (you can tell by your reputation) you will go far. Good luck, hold on tight and have fun.

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The one I use is: http://www.google.com/analytics/ It's mind boggling....

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Another best wish from a good friend Ron. Having read several of your posts I'm sure you'll do a fine job teaching. The guys here can definitely provide website advice.

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Ditto. Ron you have a great talent exlaining complicated things in great detail. I have no doubt that you will do great. The site looks very good too. Best of luck. gbradley

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Best of luck to you Ron. I missed this somwhere along way, probably because Ive been on the other side of the pond for a while. I have confidence that you will succeed in a big way. Is onsite training something that you would consider doing?

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Ron, good for you! I took a look at your webpage and it's a great start. You've done the best thing you can do by highlighting what makes you different (and better!) that the competition. I'm impressed with the wealth of information. In terms of how a user surfs the web, if you can't capture their attention in 10 seconds or less, they're likely off to another site. Your website goes a long way to that end. My only suggestion for improvement has to do with the Boss Button. I like the idea, but since the "boss" is the decision-maker, perhaps you ought to put some of that information onto the front page to increase the likelihood that the "boss" will visit that page. It may be as simple as changing the description around the Boss Button to indicate the "try before buy" idea. You might also link to that page from within the "guarantee" section of text. Just remember that the fewer clicks the user needs to get the information, the more likely they'll get there. Regarding website design, your format is simple and clean. If you know how, design it so that it will resize with the web browser. If that's not possible, consider making the static width narrower. The current size works on my widescreen laptop set at high resolution, but someone with older equipment (like a busy plant manager?) would end up needing to scroll sideways to see the whole page (especially the boss button!), which is frustrating. Also, try not to use any special Internet Explorer only controls. About 40% of the traffic on our website comes from people using Mozilla Firefox! As an avid Firefox user, it's annoying to have to switch browsers. I didn't see any problems when I was looking around, but be careful. You might want to download Firefox for testing purposes during your website design. The best way to create a good design is to look around at other websites and figure out what you like and don't like. Pay special attention to those in your industry, but keep an open mind. And pay even closer attention to the successful websites! Regarding SEO, I have three helpful websites. First is a posting on a Joomla forum. Joomla is a content management system that I use, but the posting is mostly general information, and very helpful. The second link is an interactive search engine relationship chart. It will illustrate just why Google is so important! And third, here is a fascinating article on "How to Write for the Web". Finally, Godspeed on this adventure. I wish you the best. Edited by JRoss

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Ron, I really wish you the best in your endevours.... sounds exciting.... Evenually, we might have Ron doing the circuits... I can picture the purpose built semi trailer (big rig) with all training gear in side and Ron touring the country... spreading the good news... all the best mate.

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quick update: the building maintenance guys came in yesterday morning and replaced fluorescent tubes and several ballasts ... the cable guys came in about 2:00pm and we worked until after 7:00pm pulling the network and telephone cable into my room ... the room has 12 foot ceilings so it took longer than most jobs ... I spent more time on the 8 foot ladders than they did ... the sign guy just came this morning and so now I officially have my name on the door ... the day before that (Wednesday?) I rented a U-Haul truck (we say Ya'll Haul down here in the south) and I paid a kid $60 to help me move all of the lab equipment into my new place ... now I need to get everything uncrated and set up ... and mount the whiteboard - which requires extending a wall about 4 feet ... and get a fax machine ... and then hopefully start inviting students to come to the party ... all of this is taking at least three to four times as long as I imagined ... no major problems - just a LOT of time consuming "stuff" to get done ... anyway ... thanks to everyone for all of the encouragement and advice ... I'm reading it all and hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to sit down answer all of you properly ...

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Ron...Don't forget you still have a listing on Ebay {or it was still there sat July 21st} It is still listed under your former employer.Also a lot of us are still hoping for a Ron Beaufort book. {just a thought} Good luck and later...Todd

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Greetings to all ... things are moving along – and I’m just about ready to start holding classes ... from geniusintraining: maybe someday ... but right now I’ve got to do the classroom thing ...

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On site training, a slight variation. What we have found effective is to have "on site" training off site. Better explain in a little more detail. We usually rent a training room in a local hotel. That way it's off site, but we don't have to pay travel expenses for 6-10 people, we just have to pay travel expenses for the trainer, and of course the cost of the training room. You still get the benefits of off site training ( no interruptions ) and the savings of on site (no travel). Just a thought, might be something to consider.

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thanks, Ken ... that’s a pretty good idea ... I’ll definitely bring it up the next time I get asked about “on-site” classes ... usually the customer wants the training done right there at the plant - for the express purpose of having his crew “handy in case we need them” ... now there’s a sure-fire recipe for disaster ...

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Ron - I second Ken's plan. On Site training rarely works as well as we want unless the site is in shutdown.

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Do some of your customers have other plants close by? You maybe able to pick up some extra work thats just a few hours away. I like the idea of the off site hotel conf room. I have a distributor here that puts on different 1 day training shows a few times a year. They rent a room at the hotel set everything up the night before then tear down the morning after before checkout. It seems like it works out good. The hotel also supplies snacks for the class. Good Luck

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Greetings charlesm ... that’s far from a trivial advantage ... someday this week I need to go shopping for a refrigerator for my classroom ... fortunately there’s plenty of room in the back corner for it - and for a table full of snacks ... there’s a bank right across the lobby from me - but something tells me that they wouldn’t appreciate my students hanging around with the teller ladies in their company break room ... so I’ll come up with the obligatory coffee maker, bottled water, fruit drinks, snacks, soft drinks, etc. ... I usually try to stay away from the traditional “training session” donuts ... they always leave a sticky mess on the computer keyboards and everything else ... and since I’m the guy who has to clean up, I’m trying to make things easy on myself ... let’s see how long I can get away with that ... thank you ... I sincerely appreciate your ideas ... Edited by Ron Beaufort

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Ron- Looks like a great website to compliment a great training program. I especially appreciate that the website's focus remains on the CONTENT rather than just a means to show off somebody's HTML skillz like many people seem to want to do these days! Just wondering if you had considered a course for those of us that are proficient with controls in general and have a background with PLC5/SLC 500, but need to get up to speed with ControlLogix. I would beg, borrow, and steal to make it down to SC if you were to offer a class like that!

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Ron, Regarding the problem of having to wear both the trainer's and the marketer's hat, have you spoken with the AB distributors in the state? They already know the names of the people you need to be talking to. Have you considered offering them a commission on any students they send to you. I'm sure the distributors' sales people get asked about local alternatives to factory training all the time. Let them do some of your marketing for you. Back when I was doing training for a distributor, GE Fanuc never complained that we were stealing potential students from their classes because we both knew that I was training people who were unlikely to ever get sent to factory training. BTW, I tried sending you some files about what we discussed but your Gmail account rejected the attachment as being too large. Is there a better way to send files to you? If so, send me a private message with an email account that will accept a 1.8 meg attachment.

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Steve, that is a very good idea Ron, I have a few names for the local AB guys in SC for you to contact, I don't recommend spam....but I am on a mailing list that has 100ish local AB users (local in Columbia area) Personally I would not mind getting a email from you, I don't think others would either if you added some 'how to' content, I would read it and may go to your school or send you some clients, but since I already know you and your teaching ability I will send more your way, my point is I would not consider it spam if I got a email from you if I did not know you if it had good content. You should think about a news letter and a mailing list, once a month send a email with a targeting topic, this would also keep you in the minds of the people on the mailing list I think we both should look to Chris for marketing outlook, search anything to do with PLC's on the internet...MrPLC.com will be on the first page, nice job Chris If you do a news letter the first month RIO/DH+ for CLX would be very good topic You could also a link to another website in your letter if you wanted to {wink-wink} Edited by geniusintraining

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