Hi Everyone!
English Forward 2020. On our viewfinder, we still see blockchain dominance. Blockchain has helped save tons of resources that went into ensuring the protection and effectiveness of enterprises or services. Thus, it raised both the global GDP and the individual development of organizations.
Every year, more and more companies are using blockchain technology. When will the time come for English Forward? Although I don’t believe blockchain is the be-all and end-all for education, it is an enabler that can play a crucial role. There are many other factors that need to be considered, and the challenges in education must be looked at holistically.
As I look back on 2019, I remember the Latin phrase my father would always remind me of…”Patientia est virtus” (Patience is a virtue). This year has been a year of patience for us all in English Forward.
I am reminded of the story of the Chinese bamboo tree, a fascinating story of patience, as the farmer has to wait for four years for it to break through the ground. And yet when it does, in a period of just five weeks, a Chinese bamboo tree can grow to a height of 90 feet. It’s almost as if you can actually see the tree growing before your very eyes.
Building the foundation of a highly impactful and profitable company takes time, and I am always grateful to our shareholders and the English Forward team. What has kept us moving forward? Primarily, it’s the shareholders’ patience for not looking at short term rewards, and second, their interest in building a long term sustainable business that will serve the best interests of the people that use the site. Additionally, we give due credit to the team supporting our shareholders.
I salute the many moderators that give selflessly of their time to help others improve their lives. I am always encouraged and motivated by how a few good people can make such a difference to millions of others. It drives me to be better myself. Thank you!
Foundation for the growth and impact of English Forward 2020
English Forward 2020 is the shimmering oasis at the end of our day’s grind that beckons us from a distance. At English Forward, we have a very strong, passionate community, and adding blockchain and crypto strengthens and allows it to flourish in our modern world
We have had a great year at English Forward and have made progress in so many areas, laying the foundation for the growth and impact we will have into the future.
Standing on the edge of 2018 and looking forward to 2019 I believed we had all the pieces in place to raise the funds needed to begin building the new platform by March 2019 but the dynamic environment we work in and some unforeseen challenges resulted in this not taking place as anticipated. English Forward has relied on self-funding to date, both shareholder and revenue, this year to achieve the growth we have.
Each month we produce a set of numbers that show us our progress as we move forward. I’ve always found that focusing on numbers and allowing them to guide our future actions can often be misleading and not in the greatest service to the most important people using the site, the students.
I try to keep the students as the focal point. What will benefit them? How are my decisions impacting them? Will English Forward be a better place for them into the future because of the decisions I make today? I feel some disappointment in not being able to attract substantial funding yet to build a modern platform, as this will impact real people, their families, and their opportunities as they move forward with their lives.
The singular thing which has kept us together is the community. English Forward is the only learning platform 100% reliant on its community for content.
Funds needed to build a modern English Forward learning platform
I think of how many people could have had a better chance in 2019 if we had already raised the funds needed to build a modern platform.
I think of how we could have spent our financial resources in a wiser way, and how much we wasted on investing in avenues that produced no fruit.
But I also know that failure is a part of success. Experimenting, testing, learning, improving, growing. All part of the process.
And yet we’ve achieved so much this year!
Our team grew with some very talented people joining us in important roles and it represents the geographic and cultural diversity of our students.
Moderators – Global
KEY – India
Glenn – UK
Rod – South Africa
Emi – Serbia
Rob – Hungary
David – Holland
Doris – Malaysia
Frank – Malta
English Forward News writers – Global
KEY came on as a shareholder in January and made a difference from day one, adding immense value to our team and the company. His insights and experience in the online space, as well as his deep personal interest in helping others and his empathy for people, shines through everything he does. It has been a pleasure getting to know him and work with him.
He brought in Doris to assist with the organizational aspects of editing and writing across various media, and her skill, efficiency, and input have been a great asset to English Forward.
Glenn’s skill in keeping the site functioning optimally in Google’s fast-changing landscape has been vital.
Emi’s role in marketing and social media has resulted in growth in these areas, reaching a far wider audience and establishing a communication base.
Rod’s support in helping Emi edit her posts has allowed us to streamline the process and resulted in greater output and efficiency in that department.
Important Milestones we have achieved at English Forward
- Launched Telegram chat which has turned into a vibrant place for people to practice their English
- Launched English Forward News and was registered as an approved Google news website in July 2019. Since then EFN has published 1500 news articles (approximately 10 a day) and our goal of becoming the largest education news website of the internet is in motion.
- We did 18 interviews with CEOs, experts, and pioneers in the blockchain space, which positioned English Forward as the education expert in this arena, that were published across platforms online.
- We had the opportunity of being interviewed on Voice America.
- We participated in an education webinar Education on the blockchain; a global shift? “Can Education on the Blockchain open MORE opportunities for emerging economies?”
- Our partnership with Cryptopolitan resulted in the exposure and greater visibility of the English Forward brand in the EdTech and blockchain space.
- We did extensive testing on alternative advertising networks and changed our provider to achieve improvements in our user experience
- We contracted Dr. David Mezaros to assist in the application of a PIC number (Participant Identification Code serving as a unique identifier for organizations (legal entities) participating in EU funding programmes in Europe and to assist with grant funding once the number was received.
- English Forward received the PIC number in October and we have submitted applications for various grants. David’s feedback has been very positive and we anticipate receiving funding in 2020.
- We signed partnership/affiliate agreements with Ink Protocol, GetProofed, and Edusync.
I love working with positive, active and like-minded people.
Every one of you reading this is an important part of the English Forward team. You are appreciated and I congratulate and thank each one of you for the part you’ve played so far.
Here is to us making a difference in our World.
Happy New Year and all the best for 2020.
With appreciation,
Mitch Rankin, CEO and Co-Founder
EnglishForward.com I The Internet’s Largest Learn English Community
telegram I linkedin I #356 3550 0982
Malta. Budapest. Toronto.
