I'm interested in using text analytics in my therapy practice. Do I need to have a program written for me or is there user friendly software available

Khuram's reference to what I call the "gap technique" is spot on. Few people will rate something 10/10 or A+. This gives you the opportunity to ask them how to achieve that highest rating. Once you do that: "Shut up and listen!" :) -- One of the worst mistakes is to get a participant talking (and many people talk way too much) but then to cut them off even though they're giving you substantive information (obviously, if it's drivel, then you do want to move on). You also have to assess those you survey: some are founts of information and insight while others have nothing to say. All are not created equal, as it were. In all surveys, whether in person or on-line, I recommend open-ended (i.e., unprompted) questions (where possible) followed by close-ended (i.e., prompted answers) questions. In other words: What is your favorite brand of cookie (with no list specified)? Perhaps they say Oreos. Later on, after they've forgotten that, you have a list: Which is your favorite cookie brand: a) Little Debbie; b) Mrs. Fields; c) Oreo; d) Duncan Hines? Now if those two don't match up, how valuable are these answers? So that gives you the ability to test for validity. Once you present the prompted answers, you've poisoned the well, which is why they have to come later. Hope this helps and should you have any questions, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss with you. Best, Steve

Why does your original goal have to be unattainable? Figure out another way to generate the money to go to your MBA school. That should draw you on. Honestly, you pick up the pieces by picking up the pieces. Wallowing in self-pity is pointless. We all go through ups and downs. If you get beaten once and give up, you won't be a winner. The key is in the getting up again. Every day there are goals which have plans for their attainment invalidated by events. The planners keep the goal...and come up with new plans to reach them. Perhaps a review of Think And Grow Rich will help you. It has been a goal of mine to be a public figure. During the years I was 27 - 30, 4 full years, I bent my entire life towards becoming a council member in my home town. I kept a fairly easy management job so I could focus on evening activities supporting reaching my goal. I joined fraternal organizations and rose in them. I was appointed to and participated heavily in committees of council. I produced press in the local papers and got the city's non-profits and business groups talking, and more. I viewed this as no less than a "life purpose" thing. The 2005 election came and went...and as if I had been standing at train platform, waiting for the thing to come along that was so important to me, only to find that it blew on past without stopping--I lost. If you feel anything like the sense of loss and confusion I felt at that moment...after 4 years of deliberate, consistent effort, and rising high in the related fields...coming so close to what I desired, only to have it fly away...then I understand how you're feeling right now. The goal didn't change, but the means of achieving it did. It took at least three years for the sense of bitterness to fade. I moved thousands of miles away to a different country. I changed jobs and got an entirely new focus. But the goal didn't change. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and ask yourself: What out of the MBA education is what I really want? Is it the diploma? Is it the skillset? Is it the prestige? Is it the key to unlocking some great job opportunities? Is it something else? I'll bet you can learn and apply whatever these things are some other way...or you can figure out how to get back on top and afford the program. First thing to do is get your head straight. You know the old homily, and I am not usually one to repeat them, but it is apt for you: The Man Who Thinks He Can by Walter D. Wintle If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win, but think you can't It's almost a cinch you won't. If you think you'll lose, you've lost, For out in the world we find Success being with a fellow's will; It's all in the state of mind. If you think you're outclassed, you are: You've got to think high to rise. You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize. Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man, But soon or late the man who wins Is the one who thinks he can.

There are multiple survey software platforms. There maybe one that is better than another based on your specific needs. See below link to review the Top 10 survey software. http://www.capterra.com/sem/survey-software?headline=Top%2010%20Surveying%20Software&gclid=CLXsmM6SoM4CFQoJaQodgGUOFA

I think it is a good start. From my experience, people don't really know what they want -- they only think they do. An example of this is when Steve Jobs announced the iPad. There was collective confusion (more so than any other time Apple has done something). Now, we couldn't imagine our world without it. That said, the participants of your survey will likely answer within their comfort zone or what they are familiar with. This is what they *think* they want. If you base your entire business model on what people think they want, you will end up duplicating what they are already accustom to (your competition). Getting a sense of your market is a good thing, but you most have the "secret sauce" that will woo your potential customers away from their routine. I don't know what type of restaurant you are aiming for, be it fast food, causal sit down, unique and interesting, or 5-star quality. Based on that, price becomes very subjective. There is a very unique, one-off restaurant I enjoy visiting when I am traveling in Southern California. It is priced higher than any other restaurant in the area, but I am not paying for the food or even the service. I am paying for the way it makes me feel and the environment they maintain. The participants of your survey will likely not be considering intangibles like this when they answer. Keep this in mind, but don't build your entire business around it. Questions to validate your business model may include: - How important is the selection of adult beverages? - How important is the selection of healthy choices? - How important is a family-friendly environment? - How important is the quality of food (we don't always go where the food is best) - How important is the speed of service? Based on your question, I am guessing you are going for a family-friendly, speedy, inexpensive alternative to McDonalds, Burger King, or Carl Jr's. These companies have deep pockets to fend off upstarts. Your value proposition will need to be rock solid to defend against the giants of the industry.

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