FreshBooks redefines Four P's of Marketing

FreshBooks Redefines the Four P’s of Marketing: Parachutes, Pedicures, Pancakes and Parking

For over 50 years E. Jerome McCarthy’s 4 P’s of Marketing have gone unchallenged and unchanged, while the world of business has transformed itself in nearly every conceivable way. Noting the seismic shift in small and independent businesses, FreshBooks (www.freshbooks.com) commissioned an esteemed panel of business scholars and experts to redefine the 4 P’s for a new era of entrepreneurs taking the world stage.The result of their extensive 3-year study is being heralded as the new paradigm in business education, with business schools scrambling to update their curriculums. “This is like the Twilight of the business world,” says Professor John Frescalibros of Gray University, New Hampshire, “it happens once in a lifetime, there are four of them to swoon over, and it makes me squeal like a teenage girl.” Academic publishing house Grow McHill reports university-wide halts in book orders as faculties await new literature around the study.Below is a summary excerpt from the study defining the New 4 Ps of Business:

Parachutes 
A major commonality among subjects of the study was a thrill-seeking mentality marked by the desire to work for oneself in light of the risks usually faced by entrepreneurs. Often described “like jumping out of an airplane and not knowing if the parachute will open”, participants tended to be more independent and strong-willed than their 9 to 5 counterparts.
Pedicures
Independent business owners have both the time and the disposable income to indulge in domestic luxuries, most popular of which are massages, facials, and pedicures. Small business owners are 2.5x more likely to have a standing appointment at their local spa than those who do not work for themselves.
Pancakes The 21st century entrepreneur is defined by his/her mobility between home office, client office, and all points in between. There has been a significant trend towards ‘uninhibited inspiration’, where business owners do their work when and where they want, oftentimes at home during breakfast (also observed to be most productive when eating pancakes.)
Parking Coupled with high mobility are high transportation-related costs. Dubbed the “2:10 Phenomenon”, entrepreneurs consistently outrun their parking meters by 10 minutes when on business travel, resulting in an average increase of 26% in transportation costs (due to parking tickets) over the typical full time employee.

The new 4 Ps - adapted from the original Price, Product, Promotion, and Place – were “deliberately identified to represent a new crop of entrepreneurship that hinges on mobility and convenience” according to the study. Some dissenters have described the study as biased and skewed in its research, but the majority of academics and business community leaders are embracing it whole heartedly.Case in point, cloud accounting software provider FreshBooks is footing the bill for anyone who purchases any of the New 4 Ps when invoiced using the FreshBooks mobile app from September 1st to September 21st, 2012. The first 40 invoices for each New P (160 total) sent to FreshBooks via the mobile app will be paid by them for one of the following:

• Parachuting - Enjoy a thrilling skydiving session on FreshBooks. They’ll reimburse you up to $100 USD for your experience.
• Pedicure - Need an hour of bliss? FreshBooks will gladly send up to $40 USD for a pampering pedicure.
• Pancakes - Mmmm breakfast! FreshBooks will fork over up to $40 USD for enjoying a delicious pancake breakfast - so be sure to share the treat with friends.
• Parking – They’ll happily pay up to $40 USD to park anywhere you please so this time, choose the best spot on the street.

For compete rules and how to enter, visit http://www.facebook.com/FreshBooks

Raygun launches new website exposing textbook costs

Raygun (RaygunReports.com), a new website, recently launched to the public with something never done before — detailed reports that show students whether they need a current edition of a textbook or can get the same information out of a previous edition, avoiding unnecessary spending and saving up to 95 percent in textbook costs. 

The exorbitant cost of textbooks significantly contributes to the burgeoning state of student debt. Raygun estimates that students entering college will have to pay $81.30 per month for 5 years simply to pay for textbooks. A chain of price gouging starts with the publisher and ends with the bookstore, which commands a profit margin akin to what cigarette makers and Healthcare REITs enjoy. Raygun is breaking that chain by providing students with the information and transparency they need to stop paying for new, overpriced textbooks and still have the books they need to excel in school. Raygun exposes the differences (or lack thereof) between new and previous editions of widely used college textbooks in their C.L.O.N.E. Reports. 

New textbooks are carefully compared to their cheaper, previous edition counterparts for any differences in content, figures, and problem sets. C.L.O.N.E. Reports track if there are any discrepancies and, if there are, provide links to the new concepts and content online. Founders Aaron Priest and Adam Seithel, recent grad school students themselves, truly believe in higher education and founded Raygun as a way to bring college costs down. Adam and Aaron firmly believe that students can buy an older edition of a textbook, with a C.L.O.N.E. Report, and do as well academically as students who buy new editions. 

“Higher-education in the U.S. isn't affordable anymore,” said Raygun co-founder Adam Seithel. “And the textbook market is broken, at best, and predatory at worst. Higher-education has taken the focus away from the most important element – the student. At Raygun, we are empowering students to make informed decisions when purchasing their textbooks. An informed student base will have the best chance at shifting the market away from these outrageous prices. The best part is, we can make these changes today.”

David Cassidy appears at Scottsdale's Talking Stick Resort

David Cassidy’s role as Keith Partridge on “The Partridge Family” made him a teen idol in the 1970s. And his hits “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,” “I Think I Love You” and “Cherish” made him a pop icon of the ages. Three decades later, he’s still winning fans around the globe through his thrilling and memorable performances. It’s your turn to see David Cassidy live when he takes the Talking Stick Resort Showroom stage on Friday, August 24.

Cassidy’s career has run the gamut in the entertainment industry, from television to recording and record-breaking concert tours to Broadway, London’s West End and Las Vegas production show. At each turn, Cassidy’s talent and creativity have shined, winning him nominations and awards in nearly every arena. Cassidy’s incredible one-night show will include singles from the Partridge Family best selling album such as “Doesn’t Somebody Want To Be Wanted” and ”I Woke Up In Love This Morning” plus hits from his solo career including “Could It Be Forever,” ”How Can I Be Sure,” ”Rock Me Baby” and “Lyin’ to Myself.”

For tickets, call the Box Office at 480-850-7734 or click on the link below.