Urmila is a mother of two young children - the boy is 2 years old and the girl is six months old. "I have a baby-sitter and so I have plenty of time at my disposal. I am looking for a good home based self-employment opportunity. I am ready to learn new things and work hard. I can invest a few thousand rupees in the project," Urmila told me.
I looked at her kids and then told Urmila, "Einstein and Marie Curie are cute." Urmila smiled broadly and said, "He is Chandan and she is Charu." I said, "Well, if you want you can rename them as Einstein and Marie."
Urmila eyes did not hide her confusion. "I think you have something in your mind. What are you up to?" she asked me. "If you teach your kids English, Science, Arts and Mathematics now, they will be as intelligent as Nobel laureates when they grow."
"They are kids! They are too young to learn and how can I teach them anything now?" Urmila exclaimed. "Have you ever heard about flash cards?"
"Oh, yes. Teachers use those small rectangular cards to teach difficult lessons to their students," Urmila said. "Each flash card contains a bit of useful information. It can have simple information such as 3X4 = 12 or a difficult one such as complicated integration formula. You are supposed to look at it and/or hear it for a few seconds at regular intervals for a certain number of times. Such spaced repetition of multi-sensory presentation helps your mind record the bits of knowledge permanently in its secret chambers. Glenn Doman is an American healthcare worker. A few years ago he discovered that through flash card method you can make your young children intelligent." I told Urmila.
"I think flash cards have been in existence for centuries," Urmila said. "Yes, you are right. Glen Doman did not create flash cards. He discovered that by using flash cards you can accelerate the learning process of infants and young kids. He believes that the tiny children have within them the capacity to learn virtually anything while they are tiny. He wants to give all parents the knowledge required to make highly intelligent, extremely capable, and delightful children, and, by so doing, to make a highly humane, sane and decent world," I told Urmila.
"I would like to teach my kids using this system. Where can I learn it? And you have not yet answered my original question about a self-employment project," Urmila reminded me.
"I am trying to get two fruits with one stone - I don't want to kill birds." I said with a smile, "As a mother, you will try to learn the system perfectly so that you can use the knowledge to make your kids highly intelligent. You can make money by inspiring mothers and by imparting this knowledge to them. Any mother will happily give you fat fees, if you can make their kids intelligent."
Urmila's eyes began to shine. "That's a wonderful idea," she said. "In our country population keeps growing. The income of most families is increasing. So, you have big market that can afford to pay you well," I told her and whispered, "There are no competitors in this field! It's true that there are many learning centers. But they don't teach to mothers of tiny tots. There are just a handful of people in this field. If you run this business professionally, you will have overwhelming response from the market."
"How will I get clients?" Urmila asked. "It's simple. Talk to the nurses and assistants in the maternity hospitals in your area. Request them to spread your message for some referral fees. Give the best possible service and products at an affordable price to your clients. Happy clients will bring more and more new clients," I told Urmila and continued, "Once you become an expert at one-to-one coaching, you can go for group coaching. You can start a coaching center. You can appoint franchisees. You can create supporting products such as worksheets, flashcards and software and market them through baby shops, websites, hospitals and schools."
"Is it difficult to learn this system?" Urmila asked me. "Any one, even a below average person, can easily learn it in less than half an hour! It is not a complicated computer science. The secret of success in this project lies in three things: your sustained effort, your right attitude and your true love for the children," I replied.
"Where can I get more information?" Urmila asked me. "Search the web for details on the two books 'How to Teach Your Baby to Read' and 'How to Teach Your Baby Math' by Glenn Doman and if possible buy them. They will be your starting point. Learn them well, teach your children and then teach other parents. Develop your own system. Glenn Doman does not have affiliates nor authorize others to use his system. Never use his name to promote your business."
Urmila sent me a mail after four months. 'I don't know to whom I owe my gratitude: you or Glenn Doman. My kids are able to recognize difficult words, flags of different nations, mathematical formulae and a wealth of other information. Their intelligence has multiplied. I don't care whether this is a short term phenomenon or long term one. My kids and I have great moments together each day. Yesterday, I got two clients through the recommendation of a labor nurse. I worked for three hours and earned Rs.1,200. This is the first income in my life.'