Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Pamela Ellis, Founder of Compass College Advisory, located in Columbus, OH, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Compass College Advisory offers educational advisory, curriculum development, research and evaluation, and professional development services. Our clients include families, schools, community-based organizations, and institutes of higher education. With families, we partner with busy moms to help their teens find a college that feels like home without overpaying. The results of our work are that 95% of our clients have been admitted to their top choice colleges and received an average of $75,000 in scholarships.
Tell us about yourself
Not only am I a first-generation college student, but I'm also a first-generation high school graduate. My mom finished 8th grade, and my dad finished 10th, so they did not know how to guide me through high school. My mother desperately wanted me to stay home and commute to a local college. She had never heard of Stanford, and having her "baby" far from home was unthinkable. What if my mother didn't allow me to go away to college because it was a college that was a) too far away and b) she had never heard of it? I vowed that I would never let this happen to anyone else again.
When I became a mom, I was obsessed with schooling and learning everything I could to help them navigate the education systems. This obsession got so bad that I returned to Stanford to get my doctorate degree in Education. Fellow parents saw my success in finding my children the right out-of-school programs, advocating with teachers, and disciplining my children with grace. When parents asked me to help them, I developed a program that was based on the research of my doctoral program combined with my mom's intuition.
Once my initial students were admitted to their top choice colleges AND got big scholarship money, I knew it wasn't a fluke. I had perfected my process, and I decided that day to help as many families as I possibly could crack the code on getting in and getting money for college.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Hiring a team and impacting the lives of their families and communities.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Not being a bottleneck.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Hire an executive assistant sooner to ensure you're not overburdened with $10/hour tasks.
- Join a mastermind to have a supportive community of entrepreneurs.
- Go off the grid weekly and find moments of self-care daily.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://compasscollegeadvisory.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEducationDoctor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeducationdoctor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheEducationDoc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theeducationdoctor/
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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