Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with David Dodge, CEO of CodaKid, located in Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our business is called CodaKid, and we are an online coding academy for kids and teens ages 6 to 18. Our customers are looking for a level of computer programming instruction that they are not able to find in school and that will help prepare their children for tomorrow's world. Since our inception, we have provided coding instruction for over 100,000 students in 120 countries and counting.
Tell us about yourself
I am a Silicon Valley-trained video game designer and educator with experience working on over 30 published titles for the Sony Playstation, PC, and various SEGA platforms. After working in education for over a decade, I decided to fuse my background in teaching and software development, and CodaKid was born. We began as a small boutique coding studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2014, and within a couple of years, we began getting inquiries from customers all over the world who wanted to take our innovative classes. We launched an online division in 2017, which won several awards, including CODiE Finalist and Parents' Choice Gold. We've grown rapidly ever since and have become 100% online now.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Creating a service that former students now credit as their inspiration to become successful software developers and tech entrepreneurs.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Believing in yourself enough to take the calculated risks needed for success. For example, we decided to bootstrap our academy, which created some very lean times in our early days. While eventually, it paid off, it caused us to double down and risk our home and our savings, which was quite stressful.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Create a business plan that covers every part of your business (sales, marketing, finance, operations, customer service, product development, or whatever your business entails). Make sure that your plan has an extended section on competitor analysis and a plan on how you will provide more value.
- Make sure that you have enough financial runway to succeed. Most businesses fail because they don't have enough to get through the lean times in the beginning. If it's possible to bootstrap your company, this is an optimal way to go that will give you 100% control over your direction and culture.
- Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and that are deeply passionate about your product or service. We couldn't have achieved the success we've achieved without our fabulous team.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://codakid.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CodaKid/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codakidacademy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/codakid
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/codakid/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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