Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Franklin Schargel, Founder of School Success Network, located in Albuquerque, NM, USA.

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

My business is to improve education. Education is the backbone of all economic improvement. It is responsible for where people live, where businesses move, and where people choose to raise their children and grandchildren. My customers are educators and business and political leaders.

Tell us about yourself

I am a former NYC HS classroom educator and Assistant Principal who reduced the dropout rate from 21.9% to 2.1% of an all-minority Title1 high school and developed 15 strategies to stop school dropouts. The strategies have been adopted by the US Department of Education and the National Dropout Prevention Center. I was the Education Division Chair of the American Society Quality (ASQ) and was on the team that developed the National Quality Award in Education.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I am the author of 14 books about educational improvement and school violence prevention. My #13 book, "Who Will Teach The Children? Recruiting, Retaining & Refreshing Highly Effective Educators," has received 11 five-star reviews on Amazon. My latest published book, Preventing School Violence: A User's Guide, published in February 2022, has received ten five-star reviews.

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

There is a reluctance is educators to change and a hesitancy among business and political leaders to see the value of quality education.

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

  1. Businesses spend a great deal of time working on developing strategic plans.
  2. They spend far less time deploying and measuring the results of the plan.
  3. The job of a leader is to create other leaders.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://schargel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franklin.schargel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpingstudentsgraduate/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FranklinABQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franklinschargel/

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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