Flying out of Beaufort tomorrow back to Nashville, only to return next Wednesday through the rest of next week.

This is one of the first places I've been that has ZERO CELL PHONE RECEPTION. Maddening, as you might imagine.

Lori got her first job offer today, which is huge. Takes a lot of stress off of her. Its with one of the top firms in the city, and while its going to mean a lot of work...I told her that she's going to be working hard wherever she is, so she might as well make as much money as she can while she's at it, right? Congrats, L, for rocking a tedious and intimidating interview process.

I am looking forward to being home for the weekend, a privilege I had to negotiate as things down here at Beaufort are beginning to turn a corner. It has been an interesting time down here, and certainly a strong learning experience as the "strategic initiatives" I come up with have immediate and tangible outcomes for the company. I can't tell you how gratifying that is. I always have to wonder in amazement how I got an MBA in both finance and "human and organizational performance" (gotta love that one) and then end up in strategy. God has put me in a position to make an impact which is all I ever asked for.

There has been plenty of time to sit around and contemplate things down here, as I have no cell phone reception (as I mentioned previously) as well as no TV or (until two days ago) internet reception in this Actus house I'm staying in while I'm here. I'm staying in this house by my own request to save company costs and learn more about our property, but I'm missing my creature comforts!

Though grading is nearly complete for the 2005 iTest and I have begun planning for the iTest CS, I still am forced to contemplate a major decision for the 2006 iTest. We know we are either one of many competitions that students at a given school may take, or the only national one they will participate in for the entire year. Do we improve our participation numbers by imitating other national competitions, or by attacking them and going on the offensive?

Its a major branding question. It seems logical to take a more rebellious stance, which aligns us with the natural course of being a teenager like our customers. Both the title and prestige of winning the National Championship, as well as the continually-escalating prize structure of the iTest, will pull students in regardless, so its not as risky of a move as it may seem though.

Several readers of this blog took what was known as the AHSME back in the day, which is now called the AMC when they switched names a few years ago. They constitute the only thing standing in the way of the iTest claiming the title of largest national math competition in the United States, which isn't the most necessary of titles, but would make for an unambiguously good way to describe the iTest in the future. They offer a well-written exam (for a price), but as I've noted before in this space, the "prize" for winning is getting to advance to a harder competition for which you get to pay more money to take. And, naturally, the prize for winning THAT exam is taking a multiple-day proof-oriented contest, which could result in you getting to spend your summer doing math. Sound like fun?

They have improved their capital flow slightly out of stagnant to declining growth, which is admirable, but still are standing relatively still.

We aren't going to win the game of "highest level of mathematical respectability" as I don't hold a PhD in math and certainly never will, though the quantity of education behind the test-writers of the AMC exams is at a remarkably high level. Thus, we have changed the rules of the game - we are going after the largest number of participating students.

Since the AMC will never be able to match us in cost (free, baby!) and is too established to take any risks in marketing, we are now playing a game we can actually win.

If our shaping of the iTest brand going forward is done thoughtfully, we will indeed emerge victorious.