New North NotesNovember 19th, 2015
What been eye opening to you?
1. The significance of having an unbiased and knowledgeable third party has been eye opening. Initially Gary was able to facilitate conversations between my husband and I, enabling us to think about important questions and have conversations about the business from a business perspective – cutting out emotional responses like fear, or irrelevant distractions.
This thought process that took place was important. Being able to think out-loud, with a business advisor, offered clarity and reflective thinking. These conversations included whether or not I could leave my career and make a living doing what I love. When we started putting ideas and goals to paper the idea became a very real and achievable possibility. Part of this process was determining what my profit centers would be and what their seasonality would like throughout the year. Having the ability to talk through and strategize what my next steps will be has been invaluable.
2. It’s been eye opening to learn the basics of running a business. There will always be more to learn in this area. Having someone walk me through business basics was essential because I don’t have any training in business, marketing, or finance. Gary “assigned” professional reading on finance to help my learning curve. It makes sense that when working with service providers (especially biz CPA) it’s important to have some background knowledge and to speak using the correct terminology for basic business finance.
3. I’m learning that business is more give and take than I ever expected. I’m certain that the network I’m building with my advisers and professional service providers will come back around. The “Golden Rule” comes to mind. This is something most students now-a-days haven’t heard of. Throughout my years in the classroom, I’ve taught this concept to many of my students. How I treat others will certainly dictate how I am treated. I am so very thankful to everyone who has helped me up to this point from web developing, to graphic art, to legal and business advisory services. Thus far I’ve felt a real sense of community and of genuine care.
4. Starting a business is slower and more deliberate than I anticipated. There is a lot to be done, but having a plan helps defeat feelings of worry. If I start to get anxious about things moving too slow, I remind myself to go back and revisit my plan to I maintain my direction and focus.
What lessons have you already been able to implement in your business?
Many! I’ve learned how to incorporate a company by establishing an LLC. I’ve learned the importance of securing business insurance, securing copyright, the benefits of a general trademark vs. registered trademark, how and why I might need to use confidentiality agreements, basic web development and search engine optimization, social media insights, the importance of networking, and QuickBook accounting basics. I already knew that I can’t do it all, and am the first to admit when I don’t know something. But… I’m putting that knowledge into action by hiring out services that are above and beyond my capabilities and/or time I have to commit to learning something, such as development of a high quality website.
Have you experienced any particular result in implementing these lessons so far?
Yes, I decided to resign from classroom teaching to launch my business full time.
Through suggested reading I am better able to communicate using the correct terminology for business financials.
I am making financial decisions regarding start up, marketing and product development with my budget in mind.
I have a plan. I’ve been able to work out a short-term 3 month plan and have started really defining the companies vision - planning further out. Where do I want READ Learning to be 3 years from now, 5 years from now, etc.
I am meeting business minded people in different industries and building a positive support network and learning from them.
My website was launched! This was a learning curve for me – not knowing what to look for in a developer, what questions to ask, the level of quality needed, or what was necessary to have in a business website. Gary was able to offer support with all of these questions and offered off-site meetings with the web developer and myself. SCM Marketing is my web developer. They were great to work with and will be a big help in social media marketing in the future.
Is there anything else new with your business since we last spoke?
I’m writing as a subject area expert for HERD (Homeschool Educators Resource Directory).
I completed the draft of my instructional manual used for my new product launch and found an editor through networking.
I’ve hired a graphic artist who is doing a fantastic job with illustrations for the product.
How did we know Gary would be a good fit as a mentor for us?
We got a sense for Gary’s character, personality, and experience after meeting the first time, informally at a coffee shop. After this meeting, my husband and I talked about how beneficial it would be to hire Gary, but I wasn’t in the right place to make the commitment. It was only a couple weeks later that Gary called us back andoffered the Firefighter program. Through this program we have been able to work with Gary as an advisor and gain community exposure through the articles. There is a lot of value in having a business mentor. The Firefighter program was the answer to our question regarding money, regarding career direction, regarding business know-how. My husband and I are very thankful to have been given this opportunity.
How did you get into this business idea?
One of the reasons for the open door to this opportunity was the misalignment of the culture I was working in. It was very clear that the culture wasn’t a fit for me. The surprising piece to this is that I had finished my Master’s Degree and practicum for licensure as a special education and pupil services director this past May, 2015. I started interviewing, only to realize that my desire all along was really in the field of dyslexia and learning disabilities. I came to the conclusion that I would only distract myself from what I really wanted to do if I had gained employment as a director. Upon this realization, I had to choose between one of two jobs (keeping my classroom job or staying with my private work) because I couldn’t keep doing both – the days were getting too long and I was reaching a point of burning out. I could have grumbled, complained and marched onward ignoring the warning signs, but instead realized this misalignment created an opportunity. The timing was right.
Future articles
Development of the teaching product is to plug holes that are currently in many district mandated reading curriculums. I’ve created supplemental instructional materials that, in my opinion include the missing ingredient in many spelling/reading programs. I’m hopeful that my product will plug many of the holes that are currently holding struggling readers and spellers back.
Extra “stuff”…
There is power in writing down your goals because it takes you from thinking to doing. It makes things actionable and achievable through measurable steps. There is a saying I learned from someone I consider a mentor. Everyone can benefit from this saying, but especially those who struggle with executive functions (ADD). That is… “If you think it, ink it. Otherwise it may never happen.”