I have a technical problem concerning the business I have just started. I am an English E.S.L. teacher entrepreneur operating locally in condition of quasi monopoly in Northern Québec, in a strong growth tourist area. I have recently signed the local banking business.
I am ready to take it to the next step.
Because the local population is generally uneducated, I have designed a language training course under guise of a brunch that would allow the general population to come and practice English in a convivial setting. The whole activity, for now, is slated for two and a half hours of practice plus a half an hour of my answering special question as I am also a translator and willing to provide answers to pointy linguistic questions as a marketing plot. I have found the ideal setting for leading such activities and secured very good prices. I have other similarly planned activities that are raising the same problems.
My problem is how to secure payment for such linguistic activities. My purpose is to make it simple as not to have to hire extra work force and bring the price up and complicate the process. I don’t want to have to restructure my business plan though I may have to do that at one point. I was thinking of a monthly subscription as a mean to develop customer loyalty.
How can I best secure payment in advance: pay pall or other similar outfits, the credit card route (are there traps because there sure are costs), automatic payment through a bank card, checks. I don’t feel like accepting payment in cash at the front door, since I will be busy monitoring, but perhaps I should do that. Any idea of how I should go about this.
This whole English teaching bit is more of a fun thing for me as I enjoy it and it is an effective way of becoming locally known. It is a means of getting me out of the house and interacting and breaking my isolation, always dangerous in a remote country environment. Translation is a higher paid field but I need balance. Just giving you background information.