Contents

Vision Statement

Hybrid Business Model

The Product

Market Profile/The Need

The Solution  

Objectives

Program Development

Social Marketing Plan

The “Animals for All” Program

Corporate Wellness: A Return on Investment Market

Financial and Business Status

Vision/Purpose Statement

All of the following is open to modification following opportunities.

Always serve the best, highest purpose for children, families and our environment through all aspects of: research, design, development, production, marketing and distribution of Kids Are Animals.

Promote advocacy for children, animals, and the natural world.

Do what needs to be done, the best way possible.

Preventive therapy programs, such as “Kids Are Animals:”

1. • Save lives, and improve the quality of life
   

2. • Save money for business, government, families and individuals
   

3. • Make sense!
   

Social Enterprise Hybrid Business Model

As a Social Enterprise practicing Service Capitalism we will develop products that generate Earned Income to guarantee Financial Self-sufficiency and Sustainability while pursuing a Triple Bottom Line of economic, social and environmental outcomes realizing a Financial and Social Return on Investment for ourselves, our partners, and families worldwide.

Seeking: Engaged Venture Philanthropists, Social Entrepreneurs and creatives to implement this plan.

Service Capitalism

This business plan is designed to produce a net gain with a sustainable purpose to its profits. It will develop a “Service Capitalism” model to guarantee long term product development as a “Profit Serving Nonprofit” company.

“Kids Are Animals” is registered as both .com and .org. In the future, both for-profit and non-profit business models will be exercised to insure all socio-economic groups benefit from the program. This will also give us the widest possible market, business, and financial pool from which to develop opportunities and provide services.

One for One Program

A One for One program will follow the One Laptop Per Child and Toms Shoes model. Once printing costs are reduced through bulk printing we will implement a One for One program that donates one copy of the book to children in need for every one sold.

AnimalExerciseFun.ORG will be a cooperative, social services model, networking and extending the program with grant supported educational and in-need products and services.

AnimalExerciseFun.COM will combine market savvy with high quality, multimedia products and services to develop a reliable revenue stream for product development and outreach. It will be developed as an employee owned venture.

Market Pursuits

1. • Print Publication with online marketing
   

2. • Corporate Wellness bulk sales
   

3. • Free and paid On-line Electronic editions
   

4. • Video Production for PBS
   

5. • Academic Certification
   

The Product

“Kids Are Animals” (AEF) is volume one of a multi-volume health and wellness program for families of young children. The exercise routines are presented as imaginary play, based on the natural movements of animals from around the world.

Currently, volume one of the book is in the final stages of Print On Demand (POD) publishing with CreateSpace.com a division of Amazon.com. 8x10 - 44 pages - full color - $8.99 retail - $1.49 royalty.

Transition to conventional but “green” printing will occur as soon as possible.

Volumes two and three await illustration. 

Market Profile/The Need

United States

There are roughly 4.3 million children per age group totaling 25.8 million children between the ages of 3 and 8.

Of these:

1. • over 3 million or 12% are obese.
   

2. • Obesity in children age 6 to 10 runs as high as 17% according to the CDC.
   

3. • Obesity rates climb to 33% among adults!
   

Over five and a half million or 22% of young children in our target demographic live below the poverty level which puts them more at risk for health issues caused by lack of exercise. These statistics are literally bankrupting the public healthcare industry.

World

There are 2.3 billion children between the ages of 3 and 7 in the world. A vast majority live in poverty. 500 million live in more developed nations.

World Facts about Overweight and Obesity

The World Health Organization (WHO) latest projections indicate that globally in 2005: approximately 1.6 billion adults (age 15+) were overweight; at least 400 million adults were obese.

WHO further projects that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.

At least 20 million children under the age of 5 are overweight globally in 2005.

Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

Needs/Challenges

1. •Modern children lead an increasingly sedentary life.
   

2. •Many diseases found only in adults are exploding in the youth population, including: diabetes,  obesity, hypertension, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety, and weak muscles and bones.
   

3. •All these diseases relate directly to the lack of a healthy lifestyle.
   

4. •Children in poverty are especially at-risk.
   

5. •The problem is spreading around the world and effects tens of millions of children.
   

6. •As these unhealthy children grow into unhealthy adults they will bankrupt an already strained healthcare infrastructure.
   

7. •Modern classrooms are sedentary experiences.
   

8. •Illness and chronic disease: reduces productivity, increases costs, and creates dependency, all of which cost society billions annually.
   

See Child Exercise and Health Facts - Supporting Research - Cost Benefit of Health Education for more supporting research and statistics.

The Solution  

1. •Exercise is the least expensive and most effective form of preventive medicine.
   

2. •Healthy childhood habits become healthy adult habits.
   

3. •Regular exercise and proper nutrition are the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.
   

4. •“Kids Are Animals” is a natural cure for what ails our children.
   

5. •My Cost / Benefit Analysis *estimates up to 10 to 1 payback on investment
   

6. 
   

7. * positive effect of more healthy family activity vs. lost parental wages, productivity, medical costs, insurance, development, lifetime future health . . . see: Cost Benefit of Health Education

   

   
   

8. 
   

Objectives

1. Aid in addressing the health crisis facing children world wide.

2. 2.Develop methods for FREE program distribution to all young children, especially those in need.
   

3. 3.Continue program development of additional volumes, online resources, and video media.
   

4. 4.While I believe EVERY CHILD should have a copy of this book, there is no doubt that every low-income at-risk child MUST have a copy.
   

Program Development

Multi-media Opportunities including:

1. •Print Publication - Pending w/Amazon POD service
   

• DVD Video - See Script

• Public/Cable Television - See Script

1. •Ancillary Products           
   

2. •Initially (AEF) will be available as a Free On-line Edition, a payment-optional E-Book, and through the Amazon Print On Demand (POD) service CreateSpace.Com. Transition to a full press run editions with green printing will occur ASAP.
   

Educational Programming including:

1. •Print Publication - Classroom/playground lesson plans, Big Books, Posters
   

2. •Teacher training
   

3. • Instructional DVD/software
   

Kids Are Animals is a natural for diverse product development:

• Product appeal and effectiveness have been tested.

• Over 45 unique animal exercises have been written - 9 video routine sets
   see “More Animals”

• Volume One has been illustrated for web/print publication.

1. •Script for Volume One has been prepared for production.          
   See Script
   

2. 
   

Long Term Development

• The author has a large backlog of original unpublished material for young children..

Social Marketing Plan

The more this program is promoted the more it gives to society, businesses, schools, communities, families, and children with increased health, savings, and productivity.

“Kids Are Animals”  is a multi-volume work with a variety of multi-media development options. We are taking a long term high volume track to “Push” market acceptance through a “Social Marketing” orientation designed to leverage NPO, Faith, Private Industry, and Governmental Agencies. Initial offerings include: free online samples, a ShareWare e-Book, and FREE e-book downloads to teachers.  

Target Market Profiles                                                                                      

•  Sponsored Production - insurance, wellness, government, faith, related industries

•  Nonprofit Partners: interested Npo’s are welcome to post the sample pages and give away the E-book

•  Granting Agencies

•  At-Risk Targeting - sponsor/agency partnerships

1. • Multi-Channel Scope - child, family, animal, health, fitness, insurance, education, environment, advocates, corporate wellness              
   

2. • International Markets - program syndication, “American Idol” model
   

3. • Enable FREE distribution - Public television, sponsors, grants
   

4. • See more information on Market Planning, Research and Development
   

5. •See a list of advocacy organization
   

Social/Financial Benefit                                                                                      

It has been shown that work site wellness programs can produce dramatic savings in health plan costs, sick leave, disability costs and workers’ compensation of more than 25 percent.

According to a 2002 US Department of Health and Human Services report, work sites with physical activity programs have:

1. • Reduced health care costs by 20-55 percent
   

2. • Reduced short term sick leave by 6-32 percent
   

3. • Increased productivity by 2-52 percent
   

Accordingly, family wellness programs, if utilized, will translate into similar benefits. In this case, “What’s good for GM,” or Intel, or Apple, is good for families and society in general.

Animals for All:

NPO, NGO, Faith and Government Ministries and Agencies around the world will be offered publication rights for distribution and fund-raising. They will also be offered the opportunity to post the On-line and E-book versions on their web sites for free upon approval. A commercial sites policy will be devised.

click here for more information

Free for our Future

This program will develop the means to offer free books for distribution to children living in poverty. AnimalExerciseFun.ORG will work to match NPO distributors with donors and funding agencies to achieve this goal.

My Dream:

Print and distribute copies of Kids Are Animals to the low income, at-risk children in the world.

Corporate Wellness: A Return on Investment Market

Corporate wellness programs have a proven Return On Investment (ROI). These programs are standard operating procedure at hundreds of large corporations. see Cost Benefit of Health Education

Every employee with young children can be provided a copy at $2.50 each through this program.

Potential Bottom Line Benefits of this program for Corporate Wellness Programs

Healthcare needs and costs impact: insurance premiums, quality of life, employee productivity, family finances, and business success. see: Corporate Wellness Programs

Potential Social/Medical Return On Investment (ROI) for the United States

Healthcare needs and costs impact: quality of life, business productivity, family finances, and government programs for the poor and elderly. 

Over three-quarters of women who have school-age children are employed. Sixty-five percent of mothers with children under the age of six are in the workforce. Often times the uninsured resort to emergency room visits where they can’t be denied service.
see: Projected Return On Investment

Financial and Business Status

“Kids Are Animals” will maintain a “Debt Free” development plan to guarantee long term program sustainability, purpose, and goal. Both this project and its author are and will remain debt free.

The project is currently being run as a sole proprietorship named “Animals for All” under Idaho State law. Future plans include incorporation with both profit and non-profit status and the establishment of a Board of Directors taken from the Review Board now in development.

PAYMENTS

Mike Lee will receive a royalty on sales.

The remainder will be divided appropriately between R&D, partner and employee profit sharing, and advocacy.

THE COPYRIGHT

To guarantee continuity, the copyright to the program will be licensed to the non-profit organization. Upon dissolution, reverting back to Mike Lee or his heirs.

Production

Individual print production and sales through Amazon.com are currently self-managed by the CreateSpace POD (print -on-demand) system. While this is very simple and “free”, it is expensive for me and my customers. It is also not “green”.

Amazon customers pay $8.99 of which I receive $1.49. Shipping is additional.

Amazon charges $3.29 for bulk printing that can be replicated by a 100% “green” printer for $1.50 in lots of 15,000.

We will contract with a printer that can supply all manner of inventory, order fulfillment, processing, packaging, and shipping of everything from single orders to bulk sales.

Further development depends on the realization of one of several financing strategies being implemented/contemplated at this time. (see Target Market Profiles above) Sales from the POD book should begin to provide some income in the first quarter of 2009. $1.49 profit on each sale of the book for $8.99 through Amazon.

Academic Certification

I am an artist and writer, mostly self-educated. Kids Are Animals has been throughly researched and field tested by myself and teachers on multiple ages and developmental abilities, but requires review by certified professionals in multiple disciplines to win broad acceptance in the non-profit and educational sectors. This step is vital to our Educational Program Development

Professionals and organizations are currently being contacted to establish a Review Board. 

Green/Sustainable/Toxic Free

Unfortunately, the Amazon/CreateSpace POD printing is in not a completely a green process. What it is, is a cost effective way of producing proofs and review copies. I am actively seeking an alternative and will hopefully have it in place before serious promotions begin.

This is not just a philosophical decision. This book is designed for regular use by young children. Common sense and new regulations require high production standards.

Printing, packaging and distribution standards will be designed that match or exceed the “Green Press Initiative” standards. We will constantly seek: better, cleaner, more durable, cost effective, sustainable, toxic free, practices throughout the development chain. This includes: supporting innovative companies, cradle-to-cradle supply chain analysis, efficiency and cost/benefit comparisons.

We switched web site host to the “Super Green Hosting” service that uses renewable sources and energy efficient sources for their servers. www.supergreenhosting.com

See our Green Policy Page

Green Press Initiative

http://www.greenpressinitiative.org/action/printers.htm

Transparency

Our books will always be open to public inspection. A Board of Directors will be formed from the Advisory Board for ongoing review.

Management/ Development Needs

The website needs to be managed by a skilled technician or company to: optimize the experience for dial-up speeds, optimize search engine status, enhance user experience, develop animated sequences, and design interactivity . . . etc.

Various management/development options will be explored including: contracting a business management firm, partnering with an established company or NPO, licensing rights, contracting with a media firm, or utilizing freelance services.

Eventually, I will explore developing increased in-house services and constructing a studio.

Research and Design

At least one of three additional volumes should be ready to print by Fall 2009. I will also be exploring options for video production. A wide variety of educational verses, games and exercises will be added to the website over the course of the next year.

Competition

There is no competition in our business plan. The need dictates cooperation with any and all entities seeking to serve the needs of children’s health. Networking positive goals and shared resources will be the standard.

See a list of currently available childhood fitness book titles on Amazon.com

Here is a link to a list of currently available fitness videos for children
http://www.fitnessbeginnings.com/exercise-videos.html

Kid Fitness, a program that is broadcast nationally by PBS stations in 172 markets and to more than 80 million households.

http://www.aptonline.org/catalog.nsf/AlphaLookup/C816744CE1327AF78525701C004CE786

Personnel

I am personally doing it all at this time. I plan on contracting with a printer that can handle fulfillment from taking orders to distribution. To fully implement this business plan various services will need to be contracted including: Web development, Video production, and business management.

Seeking: Engaged Venture Philanthropists and Social Entrepreneurs to implement this plan.

Forward Thinking

If the business plan can be implemented and the program expanded over three volumes, I can foresee millions of copies distributed in print and electronic versions. 

I'd like the manufacturing and distribution of the book itself to become a marketing tool for everyone in the supply chain. AEF is a universally value-added product by its very nature for all companies with employees who have families, especially insurance companies! Add to that the multitude of non-profit child, health, and animal advocacy organizations and their NPO sponsors. Add the government with the health costs they incur from children, it should be a part of the child health care initiative. 

Disclaimer

I have kept this project alive for twenty years, through every sort of hope and disillusionment. While the need and market seem self-evident, all I can really promise is that I will never quit working to further its success. With one caveat, I understand business, but I’m not a business person. I do not enjoy accounting, sales, management, committees, and meetings. I just want to give everything away. Obviously, I need help.

Educational Outreach

There are over 600,000 Preschool and kindergarten teachers in the United States. Learning through play is an integral part of the curriculum. “Kids Are Animals” is ideally suited for the playground, and easily adapted to the classroom.  see Educational Program Development

Preschool and kindergarten teachers:  607,000

Preschool teachers: 437,000

Kindergarten teachers: 170,000

First Grade teachers: 250,000

Pre-K Enrollment
Enrollment of 3- to 5-year-olds in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs:

Level

Prekindergarten:    4,569,000

Kindergarten:         3,488,000

Total                       8,056,000

Percent enrolled:    65%

Public:                    5,619,000

Private:                   2,437,000