We will have the footsteps of giants and forests will grow in the places where we step

Hi all,

Today I met with a professional business coach. Pretty impressive stuff and shows how serious I am taking the whole Hale & Fun thing right? (let us not consider the fact that it was a free thing given out to everyone who attended the business seminar earlier this month and remember how much I like free stuff but merely reflect upon my admirable level of dedication).

Anyway, he asked me if I wanted the hard coaching or the soft coaching (no really he did. I have to wonder who asks for the soft coaching? of course by the end I was kind of wishing I had made that choice. On a completely, different topic-this is known as building the expectation in the mind of the reader. You know something bad is coming but what? And how will it be resolved. This level of anticipation encourages continual reading. There was a podcast on blog writing as well this week. It also suggested that grammar and spelling were important and ironically staying on topic and not allowing yourself to be sidetracked. Hey you can’t get everything!). So the upshot of the meeting was that we broke down the actual profit margin of the business and it turns out that there are two potential possibilities for me once we reach the glorious breakeven point:

Firstly, I will either be working an incredibly large amount of hours for an hourly rate that would make a sweat shop employee laugh or that I will never met the break-even point and spend the rest of my days paying to work hours that would make a sweat shop employee laugh.

Damn those uppity and smug sweat shop employees stop laughing at me.

I got the feeling that the whole point of this “tough love” was to make me think long and hard about whether the whole business thing was worthwhile if I may never make any money. Which personally, I think totally misses the point of the whole thing. Yes I understand that I will probably never reach the dizzying heights of minimum wage pay that I was earning stacking shelves during my undergraduate or working in a toy store during my PhD, but that isn't important. The important thing is that I BELIEVE IN HALE & FUN. I know that knowledge wants to be shared, that the greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of understanding. I truly believe that learning doesn’t have to stop. I believe that as I grow older, all that means is that I have more time to learn what I want to learn, when I want to learn and where I want to learn. Everybody wants, no craves wisdom- they just need the outlet. Humanity became great by pushing back the darkness of ignorance with the torch of enlightenment. And that is what Hale & Fun is all about.

It is like Pandora Box, I have imagined a better world and can how that world can be created. And once seen, it cannot be unseen and damn it, come hell or high water or even worse-prolonged middle class poverty in a first world country like Australia- I will see that dream realised.

And while I am preaching, I have attended a lot of universities and schools, I know that lecturers are entering the world of teaching unprepared and ill-equipped. This is wrong. The only way people can become the educators that they deserve to be is to be given the opportunities that Hale & Fun offer. The chance to create their own courses, to try new methods and work with other people who are also learning how to teach. Hale & Fun is dedicated to the idea that by giving our facilitators ownership of their courses, allowing them the flexibility to build on their passion. They will be driven to excellence, to be better than even they realised they ever could be.

In short, while I did appreciate the whole dollar and cents break down offered by the business coach, I don’t think it really got to the point. It doesn’t really matter whether I make enough money to finally buy the Playboy mansion or build my army of evil mutated zombie monkeys (but that is a story for another day) or whether I will be working 7 days a week till the wee hours trying to get the business running because that is not the point. The point is that THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE BECAUSE HALE & FUN IS IN IT. The growing community of facilitators and myself who make up Hale & Fun are creating something unique, something unseen before and it will be glorious….in terms of profit….hmmm, succeed or fail, that is not important- the world will know we were here and be a better place for it and that is all that matters….

The Hard Sell

Selling is hard.
That is what I have discovered over the last couple of days where I have really dedicated myself to getting the name of Hale & Fun out there both in the press and to all the retirement villages, community centres and so forth.  Probably doesn't come as huge revelation to most people but for someone like myself who was nurtured in the safe halls of academia before this it has come as a cold shower. That doesn't mean I am not use to rejection, I am a 30 plus (yes I am metrosexual enough to start using that) male with no athletic ability, the dancing ability that has been described by one compassionate soul as akin to an epileptic mongoose and a habit of reference either zombie movies or comic books in everyday conversation (by the by is everyone watching the Walking dead- brilliant series..the comics are better..oh yeah I am one of those people as well) so I am used to rejection or cold disinterest, but in the world of academia you are generally among other people who the outside world has rejected so like penguins in the cold you huddle together and are warmed by each other body heat.

Not so much in the world of business...at least for the sole trader just starting out. Case in point, the first cold calling episode. There I was bright eyed and bushy tailed. I had a go get 'em attitude and a warm cup of Joe. I even had written on my desktop- Boss-The Buck stops here. It was the 1980s and I was Gordon Gecko.  The first words out of the potential client mouth were "please remove our business and associated businesses from your list we are not interested in your business and do not wish to hear from you again". I don't remember seeing that seen in Wall street. Still their loss is someone else's gain and while we don't have any definitely clients on board yet, things have definitely improved from that point. Hale & Fun have sent out more emails and phone calls to potential clients and media outlets in the last week than I care to imagine- Although because I am slight anal about such things (hehe anal- oh yeah did I mention immature sense of humour? another reason for rejection) I do have all it down in a wonderful spread sheet and in my business diary. So while things are still moving slowly (Where is the huge client who says "why yes that is exactly what I have been looking for- you sir are a genius here is a blank cheque go forth and prosper...and why we are at it, please date my daughter who beyond being daughter to my fortune is also intrigued by the world of graphic novels and zombies...it would mean alot to me if you did"?). There is a lot of good feedback and interest. Now to stoke those embers of interest into a bushfire of consumer feeding frenzy (hmm, I may be mixing metaphors there, I have been watching alot of seminars on being a good sales person and they seem to really love their metaphors, they get a little confusing at times). Either way, I am predicting that 2012 will be the year of Hale & Fun.

Another positive thing is an article written by Flying Solo- here is the link  http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/live-smarter/working-alone/solo-business-owner-we-are-the-soul-traders I recommend everyone read it because quite frankly it makes us small entrepreneurs sound pretty damn awesome and I need something like that to make spending my friday night trolling retirement bulletin boards and discussion forums for leads worthwhile.

Follow up on media release and the website review

Hi all,
Well the media releases have been sent out to a large number of potential media outlets. Hale & Fun has also started the "hard sell" in that contacting potential clients and letting them know about all the wonderful things we do.

One of the other important things that has recently occurred has been that it has come to my attention that the business website- www.haleandfun.com.au might be a little ambiguous in what the business does. I have to say, this does surprise me because I thought it was pretty self explanatory. Having said that I have heard this point reiterated by a number of people who are more qualified than myself so I suspect there may be some truth to this. To address this I have decided two courses of action. First off and because it is the quickest- I have requested that my web designer set up a way that I can upload the business brochure which give a much better explanation, hopefully this will act as a stopgap measure until I can organise to have a professional copy writer have a look at it and see how it can be improved (any out there who want to throw their hat in the ring on this one?).

On the lighter side of things, Flying solo (www.flyingsolo.com.au) one of the many discussion forums I am a member of (and one of the places I am getting the website reviewed- want to add comments? you can post them here or http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/forums/community-reviews/16899-website-review-hale-fun.html) is having a Christmas party. Personally, one of the greatest hardships I have had to face when running a small business is the lack of office parties (I havent had what one might call a very hard life overall!) so I am really looking forward to this.
Cheers
Daniel

Media releases and more business seminars

Hi all,
Well it has finally come. The website is up and running and Hale & Fun has enough of a syllabus that we can really start selling. So at the moment the focus is getting the business presence really out there. For this to occur we have hired the services of a press release writer named Keeta Nova ( http://keetanova.com.au/). I found some comments about her on Flying solo business forum and they all seemed highly positive and I have to say when I spoke to her on the phone she seemed to know exactly what I was talking about and the problems I was having getting the media release to really pack a punch. I would like to believe that after spending so many days and months on getting the business up and running that I would be the perfect spokesperson for Hale & Fun and therefore should be able to create magical press releases in my sleep but this turns out to be a lot harder than it looks. Thank god we live in the age of outsourcing.

I also went today to another business seminar this time run by X10. It continues to amaze the amount of free training and advice there is out there at the moment for the small to medium business owner- If you want my advice and lets face it I am writing a blog so I am arrogant enough to assume you do want my advice- and you are in Sydney and want to start a business, go for it. Now is definitely the time, with the NEIS program and the small business seminars being hosted by the Govt it has never been easier (which is good because I am kinda lazy!).

So what were my feelings on the seminar today. Well, nothing new really but it is good to network as always and you do pick up little hints and tips on how to be more effective. It is kind of like going to a Tony Robbins seminars. Now I wish I hadn't made that comparison because I really hate those sort of motivational speakers (Oh yeah, like I am alone). So I would give it a definitely thumbs up.

It also helps they were giving away a free book on marketing and free two hour coaching sessions. I really like free stuff.

Printing a brochure and a reaffirmation of my business philosophy

Ahh Office works. I try so hard to distance myself from there but always keep coming back. As a University student for more years than I care to remember I have an incredibly weak amount of resistance to places like office works, there are just so many different toys to help the studious (And not so studious) student. Alas this weakness also has split over to the world of big (ok Small to medium) business as well.

It was this familiarity with office works as a student that made me think to branch out a little when it came to printing the brochure. To be fair, I have never had problems with office works printing. Well, actually I have- but when they do make mistakes they have no problem fixing it so really who can fault them for that (if those of you more accustom to me responding to minor mistakes like these with a long winded rant are worried and confused - dont be, I am trying to cut down my caffeine intake by drinking green tea, it isnt bad and I suspect it is keeping me a lot calmer than I normally would be...at least for the next 30 minutes, at which point I suspect the withdrawal will begin), so I spent the day calling around to different printing services in Sydney and let me just say WOW!, I knew that office works wasn't bad value for money but compared to some of the quotes....actually there wasnt that many quotes to be honest a surprising number of businesses seem to either demand (and I dont use that term lightly) that all quotes must be done via email or simply wander off topic. A bit surprising but then again I also spent the morning being hung up on by incompetent net hosting companies as well. Customer service is obviously something that has gone the way of the dodo. I wonder why? I suspect it is part of the approach of some businesses to go for quantity over quality- simply flooding the market and like drift netting catch, maybe not the best but definitely something. So back to Office works it is, they may not be the cheapest or the best range but at least they actually seem to want your custom (and if anyone from officeworks is readying this and would like to reward such wonderful customer loyalty - I am amazingly open to bribes!).
So the brochures are finally getting printed. Hooray!

But interacting with these customer service officers (And I use that term lightly) reminded me that it is important to emphasis the business philosophy that I have built Hale & Fun on. The idea that teaching is a passion, a joy that should be passed on. Knowledge doesn't have to be restricted to boring classrooms and lecture theaters where students only learn out a conditioned response to examinations and assessment marks. That great teachers do not happen over night, they take time and need to be given a freedom to create their own courses, their own syllabuses. But also to remember that the student is important, we shouldn't be tailoring the courses to just what we want but also to what the student wants. I know that this may not be possible or even desirable in formal educational settings but who cares? Let them have that- I prefer teaching about things I love to people who really want to learn. So what if they are 20,30,50, 60 or 120 - as long as they have the craving for knowledge I have the passion for teaching.

Oh I also want to be paid...and make money..that is a pretty important component as well (I think it is important to be honest).

The internet Show- a first hand experience with Conventions plus the usual update

Hi all,
On Thursday and Friday of this week I went to the internet show, a convention in Sydney. It was pretty exciting because this was the first official outing in which I represented Hale & Fun. It was also exciting because the only conventions I had been to before this were either as a University student or Sci-Fi and comic book orientated. So to be a real "grown-up" convention was pretty big.

Of course, anyone familar with Hale & Fun would know that our focus at the moment is not exactly strongly internet orientated so why did I go to this convention? Well, firstly I have always hoped that Hale & Fun will move soon into the field of on-line courses and Web series similar to those offered by some of the Universities (such as MIT etc) so I was very interested in some of the stalls that offered video hosting and editing. Definitely got some interesting food for thought for future directions for the business.

But secondly and more importantly, I am becoming more and more impressed by the importance of continually learning how to interact with different situations in running a small business. In particular, how to be the face of Hale & Fun. Conventions offer an excellent training ground for such activities. A huge room full of people all sizing you up and assessing your strengths and weaknesses (of course this could just be the result of my highly paranoid nature) so it works well as a training ground for selling the business time and time again (Without the fear of being knocked back or losing a potential client). I remember reading somewhere that when you are representing a business you need to be good at "elevator talk" - basically how to condense what it is your business does in a short paragraph that could be used to communicate to someone who you meet in a lift. Now beyond spending your day going up and down an elevator Conventions are probably the best place to practice this. After two days of intensive training I definitely feel more confident in my ability to articulate exactly what Hale & Fun is all about.

Oh, a small side note, I have always felt that the years of being a University student has refined and honed my skills of getting free samples and promotional merchandise (as well as food and discounts) to peak condition but let me tell you, I was a true novice with the skills of some of these convention attendees. You remember back when the Easter show wasn't so expensive that only those with a credit rating death wish could afford to go and there would always be someone who didn't know when to say enough at the showbag pavilion. Watching some of the attendees walk out of the convention with their booty I was reminded of those people. But this is not in anyway a criticism. I am more in awe with their skills and talent.  I felt a little like how the character that Steve martin played in dirty rotten scandals when he discovered just how far Michael Caine had taken the whole thing. But once again, I must emphasis not bad mouthing them in anyway. Just very impressed.

Finally, updates on the business proper. The business cards have been inspected by focal groups and in general it seems to that they are fine. I guess my concerns were unfounded in that regard, although I think part of the "slightly off" feeling I was getting was from the fact that they appear to be slightly smaller than some other business cards, but this is hardly an earth shattering problem. One of the really freaky things about Vista printing is that once you order one item, they throw a thousand offers and deals your way (sad to say you cannot pick and choose between deals but it still makes for a pretty good bargain, if you dont mind waiting 21 days for the shipping and handling). I have ordered a couple of things that might make good promotional material such as keyrings, hats and so forth.

The brochure is done and completed. The designer was kind enough to send me an alternative version which has my signature and credentials on the back. I feel that this adds a bit more of a personal feel to the brochure  while also making it look like i know what i am doing (I do know what I am doing if anyone was worried though). We decided to go with the A3 format simply because it looks better and the fonts and copy looks much clear. Now I just have to finish the introduction letters to go with them and we can start the mail out.

There are a number of grant opportunities around at the moment that Hale & Fun is very interested in (gee a small business interested in free money, go figure!). So I have also been busy putting together the applications for these. It would be very good to be able to get access to some "seed" funds particularly for the "Open day" style promotion drives we are planning as the next step of our marketing. With more money we could really do these events in style. If we were lucky to get access to one of the bigger grants I would almost be tempted to hold the open day not one of the retirement villages but at a local RSL or community center and invite the retirement homes representatives there, but i suspect that may be a case of putting all my eggs in one basket. I have also started researching potential clients in much greater details so when it comes time to contact them, i will be right up to date with all the relevant information on them. Nothing impresses a client more than that sort of intimate individual knowledge (I have been attending a number of webinars on attracting clients so I should know!).

Hale & Fun also sent out its first ever media release to one of the local magazines. It is called the beast and is pretty iconic in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney so it would be really good if we can get some exposure in there.

The website has also been reformatted in something called a dynamic format. Apparently this will make changes a lot easier for the web designer. It also has some slight changes to the design which will make navigating the page a lot easier as well.

We are continuing to expand our syllabus with more and more facilitators coming on board.

and that is about it. Oh except that today the Randwick Ritz is showing Ghostbusters on the big screen further cementing my love of Halloween!

The Launch, the brochure and business cards

The official launch of the website was last Friday. Not exactly a gala affair but it did represent an important milestone in the business development. A sort of "and now we begin!" type of thing. These are very important for the psyche of the business, trust me I am a psychologist (almost) we know these things (sort-of). It is surprisingly difficult to get a website up and running, there are an amazing number of little things that pop up and need to be considered. Which brings me to the first point of this blog- time for a little giving kudos where kudos is deserved: Ashish Patel of http://www.itcutives.com/ work incredibly hard to put the website in order and is still working, even on the weekend (granted I am also working but I have no life and the promise of the final installment of my favorite zombie podcast- We're Alive that I have been saving for such a celebration..no much of a celebration I hear you say? see earlier comment about not having a life!). Ironically, despite the fact the website is officially launched we still have applications flooding in from potential teachers..sorry facilitators (They facilitate learning) so revisions will be happening for a long time- Lucky Ashish!

The brochure is also completed. Well, there are one or two minor changes which I am hoping to get done but in general it is coming together nicely even though there was a surprisingly hard time getting just the right pose for my photo. I was hoping for a young Lex Luthor (the cool one, not the early seasons of Smallville one) but that didnt really come across. Despite this, the job was done very professionally and I am happy with the final product. I must say that in regards to getting brochures designed the world really has come to a wonderful point for small businesses. Thanks to the internet and websites like Freelancer and so on- it is easy to find a young and hungry designer who can pull out all the stops and make quite an impressive product for a reasonable fee.

The business cards are now at the printers and hopefully will be shipped soon. I am using Vista printing despite some of my misgivings about the extra costs they add onto their "so-called" free cards. It seems a little wrong that they charge you a fee for uploading a logo and then for uploading text and so on and then the only form of free shipping and handling (as advertised) take over two weeks (yes I do feel better having ranted) although what really feels wrong is despite the fact that I did get all of these uploading fees and the expressed delivery it was still cheaper than most of the other options. But I am very excited because business cards are cool and these ones look the most professional I have every had. Especially compared to the business cards at one of my previous job where the head guy wouldnt even fork out the money for me to get some and so had to hand out generic ones with a sticker on the back with my details at the international conferences I went to representing the company- way to go looking professional there! (hmm, ranting online is addictive...). Why the cards look so professional is not due to the exceptional taste that I have but to getting the prototype reviewed by a professional business card..umm person (a cardologist perhaps?). Although at first I felt that this was a little too much, I went with it for a number of reasons- firstly, the person who recommended it also quoted American Psycho and I respect the opinion of anyone who uses movies as supportive evidence, secondly it was free (never look a gift horse in the mouth) and thirdly, a quick look thru the internet impressed upon me that business card design these days is now big business and also that my prototype was uncannily similar to the "what not to do" examples on many of these sites. I recommend anyone thinking of putting together business cards to do a little research (or find someone who already has) before designing it, there is alot of what could be considered counter-intuitive aspects that need to be considered but the final product really looks good.

Fun with the Website

Hale & Fun is moving to its own Domain name. Up to this point, it was put under the Domain of its umbrella business Lone Wolf Foundation ("when you are the best, you don't need a pack!") but once we started to put together the business cards and brochures it became apparent that this wouldnt do for a number of reasons. Firstly, the website name was Lonewolffoundation/HaleandFun which was definitely too long, and to set up business email addresses (which are much more professional looking than a gmail account) they would all end in @Lonewolffoundation.com.au. Which when the business is called Hale & Fun isn't really much better than gmail for sending that message of professionalism to our clients. The final nail in the coffin for the old domain name was the suggestion that Lone Wolf really wasn't conveying the message we wanted to send to our clients and distancing the two may be best.

If you are wondering how I came about these insights in the first place, well I wish I could say it was my own keen business mind which is sensitive to the mindset of our clients but while I am narcissistic and love to take credit for..well almost anything, I have to confess that none of these aspects were apparent to me- Once again it was the tireless work of my focal groups who were willing to patiently explain to me each and everyone of these issues, I was probably slightly biased because I really love the whole Lone Wolf concept (I mean Come on, it is a cool motto right?). But credit where credit is due and so I must once again thank them for taking the time to explain it to me.

But this does raise a very important issue (no, not the whole idea of why has my talent never been recognised when I can come up with mottos like "Healthy minds, active bodies, forever young" and "When you are the best, you don't need a pack") of Domain names and emails. When I first purchase the domain name I was in a hurry to take advantage of a discount offer (oh my social psychologist who spent an entire semester teaching up about the tricks sales people use would have been disappointed in me falling for that one) and so just used the main name of my businesses, I didn't even give a thought to how that would look on a brochure or business card. Such is the learning curve of business. Luckily we live in a world saturated with hosting companies and although it was a mistake and did cost me time and money it is not a great one and it did once again show that no matter how well you plan even the greatest of us (That would be me) can..well, I dont want to say "can be wrong" lets just say can be less right than they normally are!

Beta testing the website and more designs

This week we are putting the final touches on the business's website at http://lonewolffoundation.com.au/haleandfun/index.php. Luckily, I have been able to draw upon family, friends and employees to help me get it just right. It is amazing some of the things that you can be blind to, for example despite living and breathing the website for the last couple of weeks (and probably adding to the suffering of our web-designer), it was only when someone else pointed it out that I realised the website didnt even have a section explaining how exactly we provided the services that we were extolling the virtues of. There has also been really good and constructive feedback from my employees, which is good because I really want them to feel that they are part of a team here and can say anything that is on their mind.  The team here are all keeping their fingers crossed that the website will be ready to go by the end of the week!

We have also hired a Brochure designer via Freelancer.com. to design our first mail out brochure. Although, creative99.com has had really good reviews and their website is far more user friendly, I think Hale & Fun will stick with Freelancer for the time being for its outsourcing. Creative99 just doesnt have the flexibility that Freelancer has. Not to mention, you get the feel that those bidding on your projects in Freelancer are more radical and flexible in their thinking. Of course this is the first big project that I have posted on their website so I will have to wait and see if the designer lives up to the hype.

One of the key aspect of running a small business I am learning (well having to learn, the learning curve is quite steep and I am a poor student) is the need to delegate. It is surprising how much even when your business is pretty much still at a sole trader level you still spend alot of your time not actually doing "business" stuff but managing other people who are doing "business" stuff and then forcing yourself to take your hands of the wheel while they do what has to be done. I tell you it can be nerve racking at times. 

The desire for a community orientated business

Hi all,
One of the key aspect that I have tried to include in my business design is the provision for numerous different methods for individuals that are both our clients and our "employees" to communicate without inhibition with myself and other members of the upper echelons of Hale&Fun.

I have worked in a number of different companies (and subsequently been fired, asked to leave, ran away from and once made redundant by an excel worksheet...the sad thing about this was that it an worksheet that I develop but I am moving away from my point, and slightly exaggerating the truth to make it sound funnier) and the one thing that always frustrated me was the poor communication particularly when it came to management explaining their decisions. I remember in one job I had decisions were being made with almost no input from the employees and handed down from high like Moses on the mountains. Talking to my fellow workers it soon became apparent that in general these proclamations were ignored and these people who were really in the thick of things were coming up with the better solutions and implementing them, with a minor token head nod to upper management. To put it bluntly that SUCKS!, the employees were depressed because they felt that they were being ignored in the decision making for the company that was their life blood and even worse, frustrated because their, at time really innovative, problem solving was being stifled. In fact, in more than one case an individual who had after numerous attempts to make management see reason, implemented their own solution (which worked) was reprimanded for it because that was not company policy. Let me say again this SUCKS!

Luckily, Hale&Fun is my business and I get to do what I want (it is good at times being the boss), so I have attempted to make sure that there are as many different lines of communication as possible between all levels of this business. For example, all the managers are required to produce and submit at least one curriculum for the business, this is important because it keeps them on the same playing field as our "full time" teachers,. I have also started up a discussion forum and twitter, not to mention this blog which I hope will act as methods of keeping transparency in the decision making and offer the opportunity for the different voices within the business - both the employees and the clients to be heard. The aim is not just to build a sucessful enterprise but something that all of those involved feel ownership of, something we all have a say in and are all proud of.

(oh if you are wondering yes my business model has borrowed heavily from Wikinomics- the book by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, an excellent book which isnt as dry or dull as I first expected but definitely something I would recommend to everyone).

On the road to a new business launch

Hi all,

My name is Dr. Daniel White and I have spent more years than I care to remember at University. 

At some point during this wonderful journey into academia I discovered that although I now had quite a diverse field of knowledge (well quite a diverse group of letters after my name) yet there was no real avenue in which to pass on this knowledge. I have always enjoyed teaching (or possibly the sound of my own voice) but felt that University level teaching was too dry, too structured and dull. Conversely the level I wanted to teach at would never fit into the world of primary and secondary level schools. 

Having taught before, I understood that the most fun a teacher can have is when the class wants to learn, not because they are aiming to get a good mark or because it is required to complete their certificate but because they have a burning desire to know and understand these things. I felt that truely enjoy teaching I would have to find a venue that contained students that wanted to do just that.

During my final year at University studying Psychology, I realised I was not alone in these views. Furthermore it became apparent that there were many people out there with skills, knowledge and the drive to pass this information on but like myself no avenue to do just that. Certainly they could apply for University positions but they are few and far between and usually required years of teaching experience. Where was someone suppose to get this experience? This was the second aim of Hale&fun, to create the opportunity for people to develop their practical teaching skills. To find out what worked and what didnt and how better to light the fire to strive for that sort of mastery than by teaching what you love to people eager to learn?

Hale&Fun is the extension of these experiences and objectives. The aim of this community of teachers is two-fold: to gain the skills required to become the best possible teachers we can and more importantly to be able to bring our love of our own respective fields to an audience that really wants to learn.