Many people aspire to be successful education entrepreneurs (endearingly known as “edupreneurs”). They enter the unconventional education space excited to make a difference and experience the freedom of being able to innovate on their own terms. Yet, the challenges and hurdles edupreneurs encounter can make them question their resolve. How do you find the drive to push forward when burnout and regulatory barriers push your limits?
After nearly a decade of running my own education company, as well as interviewing, working with, and mentoring edupreneurs, here’s what I’ve learned.
1. “No” Is An Essential Part of Your Journey to Greatness
At some point in your journey of creating a new school or educational model—especially at the beginning—you’ll likely be told “no” by lots of people. It definitely doesn’t feel good. You’ll probably encounter “no” from customers, regulators, potential investors or donors, friends, or even co-workers. This is one of the hardest aspects of being an edupreneur, mainly because you may find yourself with a vision for something that no one else thinks is possible. Starting out small with few resources, it can be disheartening to face rejection. Eventually, however, edupreneurs learn to recognize “no” as less of an obstacle to greatness and more of an aspect of achieving greatness.
When someone says “no” to funding, a building permit, a lease, etc., you have the opportunity to reassess your goals and ambitions, find others who firmly believe in your vision, and connect with new experiences and alternative solutions that push you outside of your comfort zone. Eventually, you begin to recognize that someone saying “no” is a push in the right direction, helping you get one step closer to achieving your dream. The key is to find people who see your potential and want to be a part of your journey early on, even when the vision isn’t crystal clear. These individuals can be your support system and help you fine-tune your goals and ambitions as your journey progresses. Eventually, you will get more and more people saying “yes.”
2. Success Is More about Being YOUR Best, and Figuring Out What That Means for You
Often, entrepreneurs have the initial inclination to fight to be the best in their sector or community, thinking it will give them a better shot at achieving their goals and attracting attention to their projects. While the pursuit of excellence should be commended, there will likely always be someone wiser or more skilled than you in one way or another. Fighting to be seen as “the best” could become a distraction. So, what’s the alternative?
Being successful has everything to do with being YOUR best. Being your best involves being memorable, passionate, effective, sustainable, strategic, and collaborative in your sector. It recenters your focus to being about adding value and creating impact. It focuses on self-actualization and mutual benefit: the belief that when harnessed, your worth can add something unique to the world for others to benefit from. It realigns your objectives to focus on what makes your idea or solution valuable to your customers—the families and learners you are serving. This can eventually position you as an expert, and help you stand out as an example of entrepreneurial success. You feel fulfilled, and your customers gain valuable services or experiences. It’s a win-win!
3. Growth Isn’t Always Linear, But You Can Track It
Edupreneurs, like all entrepreneurs, at some point must answer the question: “Where do I want to be in X amount of time?” That question can be daunting to answer, especially when setbacks are as much a part of the process of growth as progress is. The amazing thing about edupreneurs is that they have the ability to lean deeply into an innovative mindset and constantly adapt. Even so, it can be easy to miss the small wins and forget that growth will not always be a straight shot to the top.
What does progress look like in your school or innovative learning environment? That’s what metrics are for. Metrics are not just statements about what growth should look like; metrics facilitate goal-setting and help to clarify what progress means to the individual innovator. Metrics are also great for helping edupreneurs celebrate the small wins—those tiny steps forward that we often don’t give ourselves enough credit for. When developing your own metrics for success to track progress, here are some questions to ask:
- What do I want to accomplish, how can I plan for it, and what steps will it take to get there?
- If there are setbacks, what are they, and what alternative pathways can I take to still achieve the goal?
- What skills do I already have, and what new skills will I need to learn to achieve this metric?
- How will feedback from families impact my metrics now and in the future?
Being an edupreneur is hard, yet rewarding, work that takes effort, strategic leadership, and community collaboration. Pushing past “no,” defining what success means to you, and tracking your own metrics are three secrets to successfully starting and growing the learning community of your dreams.
Embracing the entrepreneurial mindset is a life-changing decision to embrace innovation, fearless leadership, strategic collaboration, and goal-setting. Edupreneurs across the US are breaking barriers and building spaces that redefine what education looks like, now and in the future. What will you build?
