Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in training & education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dominique Hicks, Founder of Kids.Code, located in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Kids.Code offers in-person (in Switzerland) and online coding courses for kids ages 7-15. We teach our project-based courses with a small group of students. The goal is that at the end of the period, each kid has projects they can be proud of. The small size allows us to cater the course materials to the interest of each learner. This keeps our students engaged and motivated. Our goal is that kids have fun learning to code.
Tell us about yourself
I come from a business background. My partner, Raffael, has a computer science background. While we were both still studying for our bachelor’s degrees, Raffael taught kids coding courses for another company. He enjoyed it and had plenty of great ideas for new projects and things to improve. That company wasn’t interested, so we started our own.
I started my own business because I wanted to be my boss and be free to work on something I’m passionate about. What motivates me each day is helping kids to enjoy learning and to realize their projects.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
All the kids we have been able to teach. They can learn and build their ideas while still having fun. That’s the core of why we made Kids.Code. And now, we are offering online courses to reach more kids. For this, we built an online platform where kids can move around, like in a game, and talk to each other. It feels like a virtual classroom.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Making it work. The highs are high, and the lows are low. You are the one that is responsible for all successes and failures. Sometimes it feels like what you’re doing is never enough. It can be hard to decide when to take a break or when to move in another direction.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Talk to customers. That’s the best way to check how you’re doing and how you can improve.
- Don’t wait for perfection. Better to get something out there and improve as you go. Chances are you will make changes to your original plans many times over.
- Keep the big goal alive by taking steps every day. Even if they seem small, they are never insignificant.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.kidscode.ch/
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3EsVIup
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KidsCodeHQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kidscodech/
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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