Starting an Education Business: The Importance of Taking Action

When thinking about starting an education business, it can be easy to get stuck in the “dream” phase. If you’ve dreamt about something, then never moved forward with it, you’re not alone. But the key to actually building the business of your dreams is to take action. 

If you keep thinking about doing something, just do it! Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Instead, take the fact that you keep thinking about your education business idea as a sign that you should explore it. 

Feeling scared that your idea might not work out? Normalize all your feelings, then move forward anyway. The best way to find out if something will work is to test it, not to think about it endlessly. Once you start taking action, you’ll be able to get data to determine whether your idea is viable or if it might need some adjustments in order to be successful. But the only way you’ll find out is by taking action! 

Whether you’re dreaming of building an online education business or want to create an online course, use these ideas to move your business from an idea to a reality: 

4 Ways to Take Action on Starting an Education Business

1. Take one tiny step forward, then another 

Taking action doesn’t have to be massive. It doesn’t have to mean that you’re debuting a fancy website or spending a bunch of money on advertisements. The first action you can take when starting an education business is to tell people about your idea. Find a friend, then share your dreams. You’ll be surprised by how much more real your desires become when you say them out loud. 

Next, set up some experiments. As I mentioned before, starting an education business– or any business– is all about testing ideas and collecting data. Start by deciding which idea you’re going to test first. 

Maybe you want to work with new teachers on Zoom, but you’re not sure if teachers will come to meetings after school. Try offering one free Zoom workshop to new teachers and see what happens. Take note of the attendance, how the workshop goes, and how you feel when doing it. Even more importantly, ask the participants how they thought the workshop went and if they have any suggestions for improvement. 

2. Talk with your ideal customers 

Education businesses are about helping people. If you’re ready to get serious about starting an education business, then you need to get clear on your education business idea. Start by getting out of your head and start talking to the actual people you want to help. 

Even if you’re not ready to host that Zoom workshop yet, you could talk to some new teachers and get their thoughts on where they might need support. As you talk to your ideal customers, take note of their pain points and potential ways that you could help them.

Notice the language they use and how they describe the issues you hope to help them with. These notes will be invaluable when you start marketing to and trying to connect with people who are dealing with these issues.

Before going too deep into building products and services for your ideal customers, get their feedback on your ideas. Make sure you’re always connecting with and honoring the opinions of the people you are hoping to serve. Building a responsive business will enable you to have lifelong customers. 

3. Set manageable goals and hold yourself accountable 

When we’re doing something for ourselves– like starting an education business– it can be hard to hold ourselves accountable. When there are other deadlines, it can be easy to prioritize the work that pays you right now. But the best way to grow an education business is to treat your business as an investment in your future. 

Though it might not pay you immediately, the steps you take now can set you up for future profit and impact. Carve out time to work on your business, even if it’s just one hour a week. The most important thing is to take action, no matter how small that action may be. 

Setting goals can help to keep you on track. Plan out what you hope to accomplish in the next six months or one year that will help you start an education business, then use backward planning to create monthly and weekly goals. Keep your goals visible (don’t just set them and forget them!) so you can keep yourself on track towards meeting them. 

4. Join a community 

After nearly a decade in business, I’ve realized the importance of being part of a community of business owners who understand what I’m going through. 

Starting an education business can be a daunting process. You may be mapping out your education business plans so you can leave the classroom altogether. Building your business may take up any free time you once had outside of your teaching job. You may be worried about the next steps and struggling with self-doubt or limiting beliefs.

By joining a community of other teachers and education business owners, you can get the support you need throughout this process from people who understand exactly how you’re feeling.

Starting an Education Business? Start Here

If you’re looking to become part of a supportive community and gain the business skills necessary to grow your education business, apply to join the next round of our Grow Your Education Business Accelerator, starting in May 2022. 

In the accelerator, we have weekly lessons to learn the foundational skills needed to grow a profitable education business online. Plus we also have weekly group calls to build community and learn from each other. I would love to support you there! 

Have questions? Contact Educator Forever to learn more.