30 Lessons in Days - The Accidental Edupreneur

"If someone offers you an amazing opportunity, and you're not sure you can do it, say yes - then learn how to do it later" - Richard Branson

So what is an edupreneur? Simply put, I define an edupreneur as an entrepreneur who works within the education sector. Why is it a good time to become an edupreneur now? Well, after "taking it easy" for a few weeks during this period of working from home, consumers are looking for a way to be productive, and thus hungrier than ever to gain new knowledge.

And if we can add value to a segment out of the throngs of knowledge thirsty consumers, and willing to give this a try with our spare time, then this might be a worthwhile endeavor to pursue.

Stumbling onto the path of a Edupreneur could be accidental, but the road to success is certainly deliberate. It requires investing effort and hard work. But it will be rewarding.

Excuse me, can I be an Edupreneur?

YES YOU CAN, if:

• You have expertise you’d like to share with others
• You are committed to the idea of adding value to your learners
• You are willing to take a few risks, and willing to invest the necessary time and effort to kick start your business

YES YOU CAN, even if:

• You lack marketing and sales experience

I'll be the first to admit, "The training industry is a sales driven game". If people do not know of our existence, how will we get the opportunity to train? Nonetheless, I believe it is an advantage, and not a necessity.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Famous edupreneurs also started out from scratch. What is important, is to have the tenacity and fortitude to persist in the face of obstacles. If you can train/teach, there are professional training companies out there whom you can partner with, to distribute your services. Build a brand for yourself and develop the selling skills along the way.

There are always going to be people who can sell better than you. Be an edupreneur anyway.

• You lack teaching experience

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A Lion, a Donkey, and a Fox went hunting together, promising to share the returns. Upon their return, the Donkey was tasked to divide the catch. This he did very fairly, giving each an equal share.

The Fox was well satisfied, but the Lion flew into a great rage over it, and killed the Donkey with one stroke of his huge paw.

Then he turned to the Fox.

“You divide it,” he roared angrily.

The Fox wasted no time in talking. He quickly piled all the game into one great heap. From this he took a very small portion for himself, leaving the rest for the Lion.

Pleased with what he saw, the Lion asked “Who taught you to divide so fairly?”

“I learned a lesson from the Donkey,” replied the Fox, who made a hasty retreat....

Aesop's Fable

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Who mentioned that we must be able to teach in order to be an edupreneur? The education technology we have available at our fingertips has provided us with a variety of ways to excel beyond teaching. From curriculum design, content creation, video editing, podcasting to being a producer for instructor led virtual sessions. As we have seen from Mr Fox, having an opportunity to learn from others is blessing indeed.

There are always going to be people who can teach better than you. Be an edupreneur anyway.

• You lack credentials or expert status

As long as you have the skills or knowledge that are valuable to others, and you are able to produce the end results that your clients wants, it really doesn't matter if you have that paper certificate. From my experience, clients are not really interested in raw knowledge for it's own sake. What matters is the outcome.

Credentials are of course, an advantage, but not a necessity. We can overcome it by providing a free demonstrations of our ability, seek recommendations and referrals from past clients, or maybe even add in performance linked clauses to our contract.

I often hear comments along this line: "I wish I could be on stage one day. But who am I to be teaching and training others, when there are many others who are more qualified?" My answer is, there are always going to be others who are more qualified. What matters is that we are qualified to share some things that are able to help our students/participants. And even if there are indeed someone who has expert knowledge in class, but are they able to facilitate and teach, the way you do?

There are always going to be people more qualified than you. Be an edupreneur anyway.

Keys to success as an edupreneur

Understand that we are running a business.

There are plenty of educators who see the opportunity in the global market for lifelong learning. But they are concerned about the stress of mixing education and business, or uncomfortable about dealing with the business side things. Unless they are able to overcome this mindset, their chances of success are slim.

In the adult learning market, the exchange of money for valuable learning outcomes benefits both sides of the equation. The learner is positively impacted, and the educator is able to support himself and continue on to help other learners. A good trainer friend of mine once told me, "Just because I enjoy about what I do doesn't mean I should be paid less for it!"

To be successful, the edupreneur needs to invest time into business activities such as market research, expanding their network, creating new products, forming strategic partnerships, as well as marketing and promotion. Without progress in these areas, we can only become an educator, but not an edupreneur.

Invest in Ourselves

As edupreneurs, we can either choose to develop deep subject matter expertise or possess good connection to others who possesses deep expertise.

"Sharpening the saw" is a critical part of the journey of an edupreneur. Other than seeking out new research and content, it is also important to familiarise ourselves with adult learning principles, facilitation techniques, and of course competency in using the latest technology for virtual training.

The networking part of the equation cannot be neglected, and it is necessary to attend events and workshops that attracts others with similar interests. Broaden our horizon by mixing with other professionals in the same industry.

Pace ourselves for a long game

The “get rich quick” mindset fueled by Internet-based entrepreneurship can sometimes be a negative distraction. With the boom in online courses, we can see plenty of such behaviours manifesting. With a strategy focusing on "evidence based' sales scripts, and creating an irresistible sales funnel, it is easy to forget on the premise which attracted us to this profession in the first place.

To make it as an edupreneur over the long term, my suggestion is to focus on creating value for learners. By touching their lives and creating a real positive change, we are building a solid foundation, and in time, we will be able to harvest the multiplying effects of their goodwill and referrals.

Just like educators who did not understand the importance of doing business, I have also seen entrepreneurs who do not understand the reasons for educating someone. Making grand promises, flashy presentations, spending money to buy awards, only to fail at delivering the the actual product, educating and creating positive change in our learners. Not surprisingly, they fail to last long.

To play a long game, we need to share. The pie is big enough. Our drought period may be boom time for someone else, thus having a close network is important for sustaining ourselves through the cyclical periods of this profession. I've also seen freelance trainers undercutting the rates of the training companies that they are representing. Blatantly selling their services, and forgetting to be grateful for the hand that fed them in the first place. Well, some clients do switch over after considering the savings. But you know what?

"When customers come to you because of price, they will leave you because of price."

Creating value and differentiating ourselves based on value is the only way to play a long game.

If not now, when? If not you, who?

In a nutshell, the massive advancements in technology has enabled how we can share our expertise and connect with our audience. As a result, we are starting to see a learning revolution, with edupreneurs everywhere. Post an educational video on youtube. Upload a course on udemy. Conduct a free webinar.

I personally think the timing couldn’t be better. The covid-19 pandemic has created a need for online learning, and created a tipping point for learners to move beyond their comfort zone of traditional face to face learning.

I am convinced there is always a market for effective learning, and I am hopeful the shift towards using online resources to add value to our learners will create an exciting learning landscape for edupreneurs. I'm thrilled by the possibilities of this new Learning Era, and I hope to see you there.

Weixi Tan helps clients to implement impactful change initiatives by addressing the human side of change through the use of psychometrics such as Workplace Big 5 and Strength Deployment Inventory. He also facilitates sessions using award winning online simulations that highlights important principles of change management. All interventions can be conducted in a virtual instructor led environment. He can be contacted at [email protected].