Prosper Inc. offers courses to help people build their businesses and believes that its mentoring programs guarantee the students' success.

After pioneering its own niche in the non-traditional post-secondary education market, Prosper Inc. has positioned itself as an organization devoted to helping individuals achieve success in the business world through its customized courses, CEO Ethan Willis asserts. He says the company is a valuable asset for individuals hoping to fulfill their potential and further their careers through return-on-investment-based learning systems.

Offering educational programs focused on a variety of fields, the company first offered classes in stock market online investing and then slowly moved into e-commerce by showing people how to grow their business online, Willis says. “We then started developing one-on-one coaching platforms, so instead of sending a box of learning materials, we would assign an industry expert to each student,” he explains. “Our coaches must be active in the field they're coaching in, because we want someone with real experience and a history of success in their respective fields.”

Each course is catered specifically to the students' ambitions and level of prior experience, Willis adds. In addition to its courses in stock market investments and e-commerce, the company offers mentoring services in real estate investment, publishing or marketing products and services, and personal finance, he says.

Every week, the company performs 1,700 one-on-one coaching sessions in 76 different countries through a variety of channels. “We try to take advantage of every method of distance learning possible, such as Web-conferences, telephone conferences, online chats and small-group coaching sessions,” Willis explains.

Strategy for Success
While each student is paired with a mentor who best fits his or her goals and experience level from the course, each mentor only works with a select group of students at a time, and receives compensation based on the success of their students. “The true differentiating factor in our company is that each student receives customized training in their specific course of study, with a mentor who has been chosen based on both personality and expertise,” Willis says.

In addition, students are offered enrollment through an invitation-only process to ensure each person is fully committed to the program and motivated to achieve their goals. “As a company, the most important unit of measurement is that we're turning out success stories,” Willis asserts. “We know that people will find success if they work hard at each program. One of the most crucial elements is that each student has the right qualifications and is able to work well with our coaches.”

However, before signing a new student, the company ensures that each student's spouse or family fully supports him or her in the program. “We always try to get the spouse on the phone before committing to anything, because we want to make sure they are OK with the program and support their partner completely,” Willis says. “This is important, because we're all trying to bring balance to our lives by participating in additional activities and trying to earn extra income, but to do this successfully, people need to have the support of their family.”

As a result of the company's commitment to the success of each student, it has gained recognition throughout the business world. In 2005, the company earned the Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award, Willis adds.

Successful Ventures
Students of Prosper's programs are finding success in many different areas, and believe the personalized coaching methods are the key to success, Willis says. Former student Sara Holliday says her Prosper coach helped her successfully develop a Web site that would be used to market and sell her prenatal/postnatal yoga DVDs. Although she had no prior experience with Web site development, she created her Fit By Sara site in less than a month with the help of her Prosper mentor. “It's been incredible how quickly things have progressed,” she says. “After creating my Web site, [Prosper] was so helpful in guiding me with ideas on how to get traffic ” just a few days after writing my press release 'Moms Get Fit While Pushing Strollers,' I've ranked within the Top-10 on a few of my keywords in some of the highest-ranking search engines. ”

After finding success with the Web site, Holliday says she received many opportunities to further her program and gain a wider presence in the market. “Shortly after producing my 'Stroller Workout for Moms' DVD, I began doing a monthly fitness segment on KUSI Channel 9 News, and gained sponsorship from an upscale fitness clothing line known as Marika,” she asserts. As a result of Prosper's programs, she now has numerous opportunities to further her goal to help mothers worldwide live a healthier lifestyle.

Employee-Focused
Willis believes the company's most valuable assets are its employees, most of whom are hired based on referrals from current employees. “Everyone is very driven and has a lot of energy,” he explains. “In fact, almost everyone who comes in the office notices and comments on the energy of our employees.” Also known for its integrity, Prosper focuses on the more human elements of the company. “We try not to talk about Prosper as a company; we like to talk about it as an organization, or a group of people,” Willis says. “Everything about the company is focused on making sure we deliver on our promises to each student.”

After helping more than 30,000 students find success in business, Willis sees tremendous opportunity for growth in the future, he says. “We're truly passionate about helping entrepreneurs and professionals reach their full potential by teaching strategies on how to monetize their untapped potential in the best way possible,” he asserts.  USBR