Our Services

Thank you for contacting our firm about our market-feasibility study and business plan services in regard to starting your private school. Our team at MindSpark-Education Management Consultants is a leader in school formation and management, having been involved in developing a large number private schools locally and nationally. We understand the key fundamentals needed to develop a successful school from the ground up, and we provide customized ‘turn-key’ services for K-12 and/or Post-Secondary school formation.

Critical Starting Point For School Formation

A market-feasibility study and business plan is a critical starting point and foundation for the development of your private school. Our firm has been involved in developing market-feasibility studies and business plans for a large number of school projects in countries around the world and school types and have an experienced team in place to support your group -- be it for-profit or non-profit. Our market-feasibility study and business planning approach quantifies start-up capital requirements and operational budget, break-even point, IRR, the feasibility of the school model in your market, enrolment projections, facility/site requirements, determination of the purpose and direction of the school, educational philosophy, human resource requirements, and conveyance of the proposition to your founding group. We formalize your educational, operational, and business model, and quantify enrolment projections, capital needed to open the school, and your five-year budget to determine when you break-even, and your internal rates of return and pay-down to investors.
Rationale For A Market Study and Business Plan

The rationale behind the market-feasibility study and business plan is to consolidate the scope of your formation project through an extensive onsite business case analysis to identify key elements and costs associated with developing your school and tasks associated with start-up. Upon conclusion of this process, we can better determine what you need to do next and the project’s feasibility. Our four-step development model follows these stages:

• Market Study and Business Plan
• School Development Plan
• Implementation of School Formation Plan
• Operation, Management, & Ongoing Support

This market~feasibility study and business plan typically requires members of our firm to conference with your team as part of our in-depth fieldwork to understand your educational model, proposed site(s), competition in your market(s), and the purpose and direction for your new school. We will then analyze and quantify the market for your proposed school, provide an overview of start-up and operational costs, and a summary of the critical elements needed for development. The process allows HEG to evaluate your project’s capacity, market demand, facility requirements, location(s), enrolment, costing and financial projections, and optimal market.

Objectives of the Market/Feasibility Study and Business Plan

MindSpark- Education Management Consultants will determine the critical elements needed for the formation of your school starting with the market/feasibility study and financial projections within the business plan, focusing on the following objectives to consolidate the purpose and direction for the new school’s:

• Vision and mission statements;
• Educational philosophy and values;
• Educational program(s);
• Accreditation requirements and licensing;
• Potential combinations of grades for each stage of formation;
• Staffing, training, and human resource considerations;
• Infrastructure requirements;
• Funding requirements;
• Management team, governance model, organizational chart, and personnel needs;
• Timelines, benchmarks, and services for each stage of formation;
• Review of the business case including assessment of the market opportunity and value of the school to be developed;
• Financial costs/assumptions for the start-up budget and five-year financial plan;
• Determine the corporate structure and/or investment/funding;
• Determine target market, enrolment projections, marketing, and admissions plan;
• Determine project management timelines and milestones;
• Determine proposed facility requirements and suitable location(s) of the school;
• Address issues/strategies to ensure successful start-up and operation of the school;
• Develop a Business Plan that provides an Executive Report, recommendations, and cost profile with an overview of demand for the proposed school, costs, and ‘blueprint’ for moving forward.

Objectives of the business plan include:

• Provide a summary of the viability of the project(s), including key measures for investors (e.g., IRR, break-even point or other appropriate measures of project value) and for lenders/donors (e.g., coverage ratios to show the project’s ability to support debt). The financial model will include sensitivity analysis to take into considerations variability in the key project assumptions;
• Prepare a concise presentation in coil-bound hard copy and a CD to the Client with a PDF and MS Word version format presenting HEG’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations concerning the subject school project(s). The following topic headings provide an overview of the expected:
• Executive Summary
• Business Description
• Pricing Strategy for Tuition
• Positioning And Competition
• Admissions And Enrolment
• School Formation Overview
• Location, Facilities, and FF&E furniture, Fixtures & Equipment
• Detailed Proforma, Financial Statements, and Budgets (Payroll, Capital Contributions, Financial Statement, IRR, Income Tax Loss Carry-Forward, Development Costs, Revenue, Procurement, Depreciation and Amortization, Administration Costs, Physical Plan and Maintenance Costs, Land Acquisition and Mortgage