Episode 42: How to Start an Education Business

Many teachers have dreams and ideas of starting their own education business, but have hesitations that are stopping them. Some of those include their own mindset while others feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, which I totally get! Starting an education business myself meant I struggled, but learned from my mistakes. Therefore, I’m sharing some advice and 4 questions to consider when starting your own education business. 

Starting your own business can be scary, especially if you don’t have any business experience. However, remember that you’re a skilled expert in education with various transferable skills that can be utilized towards your business. Additionally, each of the 4 questions helps you think about the different aspects and components of starting, your ideal client, and how to gain support. When getting started it’s important to take your first step and listen to advice from those who have done it before you, which this episode provides for you!

 
 
 
 
 

Read the transcript for this episode:

In this episode, we're going to be talking about how to start an education business. And I realized that when I first started my education business, I didn't really even know I was starting an education business. I found myself consulting and doing curriculum design projects for a variety of Edtech companies and nonprofits and school districts.

And before long, I was getting new clients and I was having to invoice them. And I was managing projects, and I was starting my own business without even realizing it. So when I realized it, I was like, Alright, I can be a lot more intentional about what I'm creating, and then from there created Educator Forever with a whole bunch of intention to really support teachers to expand their impact beyond the classroom.

So in this podcast, I want to give you some advice if you're thinking about starting an education business. Because as teachers, we naturally have so many ideas about things we want to improve, or things we want to create for kids, or parents or teachers or the world. It can be really hard to know where to take these ideas.

But when we let ourselves dream about really creating the future we desire, we can take the first steps towards creating the change we want to see. And that's how I want you to see business.

Creating an education business that you feel really aligned to and that you're passionate about is a way to change things in the world, and is a way to create positive change that aligns with what you wish to see in the world of education. And really, it can be an amazing way to enact change.

You know, creating supports for new teachers, developing products that get kids excited about learning, supporting families, so that they know how to best support their kids reading at home, so many ways that we can improve education through starting an education business. And even if you don't have business experience, you have unique education experience, and so many transferable skills that you can leverage.

When you're starting an education business, it's so important to get clear on what your skills are, and how you're going to translate those into your next chapter. And if you feel like I don't even know how to do anything business related, that's okay.

Because as a teacher, you are an expert in learning, and you can really learn everything you need to know. So as you think about embarking on this journey of potentially starting an education business, I want you to consider four questions.

The first question connects to what I just said about being the change you hope to see in the world of education. So the first question is, what change do you want to create when you start an education business? Is there something that you know needs to change or a better experience that you hope teachers or students have? Is there a certain approach or curriculum that you wish more teachers used?

Lean into that and think about what motivates you to start an education, business and what change you want to see in the world of education. So you can brainstorm what needs to change? Brain dump all your ideas, I know there's a lot, and then brained up how you would change each of those things. And then think about are there patterns in the thoughts you brainstormed?

Is there a certain area or solution or problem that you gravitate towards, and really trust your gut. You know, if you really feel excited about creating something that is a good sign that you should go forward with it, or at least explore it.

So after considering the change you hope to create, the next question is who will your education business serve? Think about who you want to create a better future for. Maybe you want to create an app that changes how students think about math.

Or maybe you want to teach high quality content to students virtually, or maybe you want to develop self care practices for teachers. Whatever it is, get clear on who you will serve and who your ideal clients are.

Are they individuals? Are they teachers or their parents? Are they kids? Are they school districts? Are they companies? And if you answered kids, I would encourage you to think about who does the buying for these kids? Because actually those people parents, teachers, districts are actually the clients that you'll be reaching out to in order to reach kids.

Growing an education business is really about building relationships, and helping people. So it's super important from the beginning to get clear on who these people are, who are you going to help. And then once you have an idea, take it a step further and actually talk to these people.

Like if you're wanting to create something for parents around social and emotional learning, have some informational interviews or conversations with parents about social and emotional learning. And it doesn't have to be about what you're going to create explicitly, but really listening to parents, listening to the problems that they bring up, listening to how you might be able to help them.

Because really starting an education, business, any business is about problem solving. And as teachers, we are really good at this, we see problems all the time, we solve problems all the time. So listening to the people you want to help getting a sense of what they're struggling with. Thinking about what change you could create for these people will really help you as you build your education business.

Then, think about what small steps can you take to start an education business. The key to starting an education business, the key to starting anything, is to start, take one tiny step after another. The beautiful thing is that through the process of taking action, you can learn so much. And if you planned out everything before taking action, you would miss out on learning by doing.

So really think about what's a tiny step you could take forward. Trust yourself, and then do it. As you make progress towards your goals, reflect on what's working, what's not working, and what you could adjust.

Approach your business with curiosity. Really think about the data. Think about what you're seeing, think about the reactions that you hear from people, stay open to new ideas and feedback, and continually improve your business based on that data and feedback.

When you see everything as an opportunity to learn and grow, trying something new, even starting an entire education business will feel easier and more joyful.

And the last question to consider is what do you need to learn? And how can you get the support you need? When I first started my business, as I said, I knew very little about business.

But through the process, I've learned so much. I've been able to use what I've learned as a teacher, a social media consultant, a curriculum developer, and education consultant. All of your varied experiences will help you on your particular business journey. And you'll learn so much along the way.

For instance, some of the key points any business owner needs to learn more about and consider as they start their business could include who you'll market your business to, how you'll market it, where you'll find your ideal customer, how will you connect with your ideal customers, how you'll build a website, email list to market yourself for step with that is don't get overwhelmed.

And so thinking about all these things we need to learn it really can feel overwhelming. And I can't be like, Oh my gosh, I don't even know where to start. There's too much to learn. Maybe I shouldn't do this. But you should. If you really feel excited about something, you owe it to yourself to explore it.

And just because you're an entrepreneur, starting a education business doesn't mean you have to figure it out on your own. And showing that you have support is one of the most powerful things you can do as you start and grow your business.

So really think about people who have built education businesses, can you learn from them, likely you can. And really go to those people who have built something that you admire for advice. Perhaps they offer coaching or group sessions or masterminds or online courses. You don't have to learn everything on your own.

And remember that when doing anything new but particularly starting and growing a business, there are inevitably going to be new challenges and mistakes along the way. And as teachers of course, we're used to things not going exactly as we planned. So channel this adaptability, flexibility and growth mindset as you face these challenges.

If you feel like you're ready to make your dream a reality, there truly is no better time than the present to get started. The key to actually building the business of your dreams is to take action and get the support you need.

We have lots of support and resources for you on our website. We also have our Grow Your Education Business accelerator, which is a three month program designed to help educators launch and grow a successful education business. All the links will be in the show notes for this podcast.

And remember when you start an education business, it's your own. It's your vision that you're bringing into the world and that is a worthy pursuit. The best thing you can do is just get started and follow that little voice in your head that says maybe I should start this business.

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