The Business Writing Center

What The Business Writing Center does

The Business Writing Center is a privately held, founder-operated online education company founded in 1985 and headquartered at a PO Box in Normal, Illinois. It sells a catalog of 45 self-paced and instructor-led business writing, grammar, and specialized writing courses to individual professionals, corporate organizations, and government agencies worldwide. Course pricing ranges from $125 for self-study options to $710 for one-on-one coaching, with multi-course bundles offering 10% discounts and corporate/government programs offering bulk licensing with deferred registration and administrator reporting. The platform is built on a conventional learning management system that delivers lessons, accepts student writing submissions, and routes them to PhD instructors for personalized feedback and graduation certificates. Courses cover business writing fundamentals, grammar, proofreading, sales letters, business letters, technical writing, audit reports, white papers, web copy, customer support messages, meeting minutes, and English-for-nonnative-speakers instruction. The company is led by Dr. Robert Hogan, who holds a PhD in training and supervision focused on writing instruction, has over 40 years of training experience, has published in major English-education journals, and personally authored most of the curriculum. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time per-course purchases on the company website, supplemented by a direct enterprise sales motion in which Dr. Hogan engages with corporate training departments to design customized training plans; corporate and government clients receive volume discounts and can defer registration up to 12 months from fiscal year-end purchase. Marketing relies on organic SEO, social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), and remarketing via Facebook, Google, and Bing ads. The company has no external funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no parent organization.

Name

The Business Writing Center

Legal name

Business Writing Center

Website

https://businesswriting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Business Writing Center is an online education company founded in 1985 that sells 45 business writing, grammar, and specialized writing courses to individual professionals, corporations, and government agencies, with instructor-led feedback delivered by PhD instructors led by founder Dr. Robert Hogan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Writing Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Writing Skills & Composition Enrichment (EDAMAJAC)

Keywords

• Business writing courses
• Online grammar training
• Corporate writing training
• Executive writing coaching
• Professional writing skills

Headquarters

HQ city

Normal

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Individual Course Sales: One-time purchase model for online business writing and grammar courses. Individual courses range from $125 to $710. Students pay per course and receive lifetime access to materials.
2. Corporate and Government Training: Bulk course purchases and customized training packages for organizations. Discounts available for multiple employees. Registration management with progress reporting.
3. Multi-Course Discounts: 10% discount when enrolling in two or more courses simultaneously.
4. One-on-One Coaching: Personalized coaching sessions with Dr. Robert Hogan for advanced writing improvement, priced at $710 per course.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Business Writing Center sells a portfolio of 45 online business writing and grammar courses, ranging from self-study options to instructor-led courses with personalized feedback and graduation certificates. Offerings include foundational business writing and grammar courses, advanced coaching with PhD instructors, specialized courses for nonnative English speakers, technical and report writing, sales letters, customer support messaging, and customized corporate and government training programs with bulk discounts and progress reporting.

Product overview

The Business Writing Center is an online education platform offering a portfolio of 45 business writing and grammar courses taught by PhD instructors. The core product portfolio includes foundational courses (Business Writing Skills, Basic Grammar for Business, Business Writing Essentials), advanced/comprehensive programs (Explicit Business Writing, Basic Grammar and Writing Skills for Business), coaching services (One-on-One Coaching, Writing Coaching for Executive Nonnative Speakers), specialized writing courses (Technical Writing, Report Writing, Meeting Minutes, Sales Letters, Customer Support Messages), and self-study options. The platform operates on a per-course purchase model with instructor-led feedback and graduation certificates upon completion. Corporate and government training programs offer volume discounts and administrative customization for organizational deployment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basic Grammar and Writing Skills for Business (BWC310) Comprehensive instructor-led course combining English grammar review with business writing best practices for emails, memos, letters, reports, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, and sentence structure, intended for professionals needing end-to-end business writing improvement.
• Basic Grammar for Business (BWC100) In-depth grammar course with pre- and post-tests covering major grammar rules using a grammar textbook with exercises and tests after each lesson, intended for professionals needing a structured grammar foundation.
• Basic Grammar Skills Tutorial (BWC110) One-on-one tutorial course tailored to individual grammar and usage needs, evaluating student writing to identify skills gaps and coaching through corrections.
• Business Writing Essentials (BWC95) Short instructor-led course teaching essential business writing best practices with minimum study time, covering email, memos, letters, and reports.
• Business Writing Skills (BWC210) Comprehensive instructor-led course covering all best practices for clear, well-organized, concise professional writing with 12 practice exercises and four writing examinations.
• Basic Business Grammar Self-Study (BWC80) Self-study course reviewing essential business English grammar rules oriented toward proofreading for common errors, with no instructor feedback or graduation certificate.
• Training in How to Proofread Your Own Business Writing (BWC442) Course teaching business writers how to proofread documents, covering basic business usage including language, grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, and sentence structure.
• One-on-One Coaching in Writing Quality Business Documents (BWC620) Advanced personal coaching course from a college of business professor applying business writing best practices to individual writing needs, priced at $710.
• Using Microsoft Word to Create Quality Business Documents (BWC405) Course teaching Microsoft Word capabilities for business writing including formatting, styles, tables, headers, footers, page layouts, and document publishing.
• Writing Sales Letters That Sell (BWC370) Sales letter writing course teaching techniques for writing compelling sales letters using proven sales methods and copywriting strategies, targeted at sales professionals.
• Writing Effective Business Letters (BWC340) Course teaching business letter writing best practices including formats, salutations, composition, and modification for various purposes.
• Individualized Writing for Nonnative Speakers of English (BWC130) ESL-focused writing course tailored to nonnative speakers covering language, grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, and sentence structure with custom training.
• Writing Coaching for Executive Nonnative Speakers of English (BWC140) Executive-level one-on-one coaching for nonnative English speaking executives and managers with more coaching than standard ESL courses.
• Basic Grammar Essentials Survey course teaching essential grammar rules covering punctuation, spelling, word usage, and sentence structure for business communication.
• Writing Interesting, Informative Webpages (BWC427) Course teaching techniques for writing engaging, informative webpages that attract and retain online readers using clear, concise content.
• Writing Online Copy for Webpages (BWC428) Course teaching copywriting skills for selling products and services online, including E-zines, splash pages, and promotional webpage content.
• Basic Writing Skills for Technical Call Center Representatives (BWC495) Email writing course for support representatives teaching essential skills for clear support emails and customer communication.
• Writing Customer Support Messages (BWC497) Customer support email course developed with Service Strategies Inc. teaching best practices for organized, clear customer support messages, targeted at technical call center representatives.
• Recording and Writing Meeting Minutes (BWC215) Course covering meeting minutes preparation, note recording, writing clear minutes, and distribution with appropriate vocabulary and sentence structure.
• Recording and Writing Meeting Minutes with Additional Minutes Evaluations (BWC217) Extended meeting minutes course including three additional evaluations of meeting minutes beyond the standard course curriculum.
• Writing White Papers that Have Impact (BWC429) Course teaching B2B white paper writing skills for research reports that persuade readers and clearly explain issues and solutions.
• Writing Technical Explanations For Non-Technical Readers (BWC423) Technical writing course teaching how to write clear, easy-to-understand technical documents for non-technical readers using plain English.
• Business Report Writing (BWC421) Course teaching best practices for writing clear, well-structured business reports from material gathering through final proofing.
• Business Research Report Writing Skills (BWC420) Course teaching how to organize research findings into easy-to-read, informative, actionable reports for business decision-making.
• Technical Writing (BWC422) Course teaching technical report writing for subjects requiring extensive technical explanations, analyses, and data presentations for technical readers.
• Writing Clear, Objective Audit Reports (BWC425) Course teaching audit report writing best practices for presenting audit data in clear, concise, logically structured, objective reports.
• Writing Specialized Reports (BWC424) Course teaching specialized business report writing using samples of the student's own work with detailed feedback and revision coaching.
• Explicit Business Writing In-depth business writing course taught by Dr. Robert Hogan using his textbook, covering best practices for clear, professional documents.
• Explicit Business Writing with Additional Training MBA-level comprehensive business writing course with additional training exercises and extensive instructor feedback.
• Business Writing Skills Self-Study Self-study business writing course teaching best practices without instructor feedback or graduation certificate tracking.
• Corporate and Government Training Program Customized training programs for organizations with bulk discounts, progress reporting, fiscal-year-end deferral options up to 12 months, and tailored course administration for corporate training departments and government agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduation certificates awarded upon course completion
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Service Strategies, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerService Strategies, Inc., a company specializing in working with technical call centers, collaborated with The Business Writing Center to develop the customer support email course (BWC497 Writing Customer Support Messages). The partnership produced a comprehensive training program for call center representatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coursera: Online learning platform partnering with universities to deliver courses and certificates, including dedicated business writing tracks from business school faculty. Comparable in the use of university-credentialed instructors and the sale of self-paced professional writing content.
• edX: University-backed MOOC platform offering professional writing and communication courses from accredited institutions. Comparable in instructor credentials, course depth, and B2C/B2B credential-driven model.
• Writer's Digest University: Specialty online education arm of Writer's Digest offering writing courses, workshops, and coaching across multiple writing genres. Comparable in niche positioning around writing instruction, online course delivery, and instructor-led feedback.
• MasterClass: Premium subscription online learning platform featuring celebrity and expert-led courses across professional and creative topics, including writing. Comparable in DTC online learning model and instructor-led premium positioning.
• Udemy: Two-sided marketplace for online courses with extensive business writing catalog, priced similarly per course ($50–$500). Comparable in per-course purchase model, lifetime access, and direct-to-consumer funnel.
• HubSpot Academy: Free and certified online training platform focused on business, sales, marketing, and writing skills, often used by enterprise L&D teams. Comparable in targeting corporate professionals and bundling writing/business communication training with certifications.
• Skillshare: Subscription-based online learning platform with project-based business, writing, and creative courses. Comparable in DTC online learning model for professional skills, though differentiated by subscription vs. per-course pricing.
• LinkedIn Learning: Subscription-based online professional development platform offering thousands of business, writing, and soft-skill courses to individuals and enterprise L&D buyers. Closely comparable in B2B/B2C go-to-market, course catalog breadth, and target learner (corporate professionals).

Broad incumbents

• Grammarly: Widely adopted AI-powered writing assistance tool used by professionals to improve grammar, tone, and clarity in business writing. Adjacent rather than directly competing — addresses similar end-user pain points but via real-time automated feedback rather than instructor-led courses, and represents a potential substitute technology.

Emerging players

• Alison: Free online learning platform offering workplace-skill and business communication courses with certification, targeting a global learner base. Comparable in DTC online course delivery and free/certificate-driven funnel for writing and business skills.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WritingTrainers
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/businesswriting
• Facebookfacebook.com/writingtrainers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Business Writing Center