We recently opened the doors to Great Clips University (GCU), our online learning center, and I've been doing somersaults ever since.

GCU is a virtual campus of courses that franchise owners and managers can access at their convenience in the comfort of their own homes as part of their orientation and on-going training. A university that comes to you and reduces travel time and expenses deserves a salute.

The course catalog includes more than 60 classes covering a wide range of topics. There are eight courses specifically on marketing alone: creating a product focus, generating customers, guerrilla marketing, what is a brand, marketing at Great Clips, brand communication, building ad-fund marketing calendars, and re-marketing your purchased salon.

All our franchisees and managers have to do is commute to our GreatClips.net site, click on "Learning Center," open the course catalog and sort by category. At GCU, you won't hear, "Sorry professor, I got stuck in traffic."

There's no entrance exam and no tuition. Management-level corporate staffers teach the courses and all are available at no charge. You can see why franchisees and managers are giving GCU high marks.

There are so many more opportunities in an online setting that makes GCU a valuable learning resource for our owners and managers. It's another reason why Great Clips is North America's number one hair salon brand franchise.