Get Ahead of the Class - Denise Thomas

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Denise Thomas, CEO of Get Ahead of the Class, LLC., located in McAlpin, FL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I partner with parents to put their kids through college debt free.

Tell us about yourself

After my husband was laid off, the stock market crashed. It took only months of paying the bills and mortgage on what was left in the stock market to run out of money. We had to declare bankruptcy. The bankruptcy was liquidation, and we lost everything.

Not long after, I realized my children were starting high school, and college wouldn't be far away. How would we pay for it? I realized we couldn't. We had no savings to draw from, no 401k to borrow against, no home to use home equity, and that bankruptcy meant that we couldn't co-sign for those student loans everyone likes to talk about. How would our kids go to college? That's when I began my research.

In my research, I found that 70% of college students graduate with student loan debt from $5000 to $$$,$$$. But 30% graduate debt-free every year. Why don't we hear about that? What are they doing that the rest of us don't know about?

I put in to place everything I thought might impact college admissions and scholarships. In the end, my two homeschooled kids attended college on 17 scholarships totaling more than $199,000 for 4-years of college debt free with cash left over.

Most have said that my kids got the money because we were poor. Nope. We were making 6-figures when they won these scholarships. Some had said that my kids must be geniuses. No, again. Half of the scholarships my kids won didn't ask for GPA or test scores.

We've been conditioned into believing myths that keep our kids in debt. That's what keeps me going. Every day I dispel these beliefs hoping more families will choose the strategies that work, so their kids can get paid to go to college.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment was a single mom who followed my strategies and her son attends college on multiple scholarships. Then the mom decided to go back to college. Her extra scholarships are building her emergency fund. Both will graduate debt free with cash left over.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things is to focus on the things that move the needle in your business. It's easy to get distracted by shiny objects. You don't need what everyone else has.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

You don't "need" a website. You need a landing page where people can learn more about you, and you can offer something of value in return for their name and email.
Do not pay for ads until you (a) have been trained and (b) know your ideal client's keywords that they are searching for. Even if you miraculously get it right without losing your shirt the first time, you likely don't have a nurture email sequence ready to go, and you'll leave potential clients "hanging."
Don't chase squirrels or shiny objects. The "online powers that be" know you are searching "how to get your business off the ground." You will be inundated with ads from every guru, known and unknown. It's easy to think, "That's what I need! That will get my business known." Caution. While it's possible that they really are going to show you what worked for them, there is no guarantee it will work for you in your business and niche, even if you follow every step. Know the time you have to give, your personal propensity to procrastinate, and how much you really can invest.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.getaheadoftheclass.com/
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3TtLBev
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisethomasdebtfreecollege/

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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