Creating a New Generation Of Worldly Citizens

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in language education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Susan Acker, Director of The Socratic School of Language, located in Mount Rainier, MD, USA.

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

We are a STEM-based full immersion world language school for children ages 2-12 years of age. We serve a niche group of families who desire for their young children to acquire another language. We offer a choice of either Mandarin, Spanish, or Arabic and have existed since 2014. We also expanded in 2019 and have a sister school called The Socratic School of Language, located in nearby Mount Rainier, MD. All of our teachers are native speakers from around the world, and we sponsor visas for our teachers.

Tell us about yourself

The impetus for this school comes from a lack of understanding about language and a curiosity about what would happen if this concept could be created. I was practicing law in my first career where I was unable to translate documents from Asian countries and the exorbitant amounts of money my firm was spending to get the work done, with all of the issues that may also come from the unauthorized practice of law by those who translate but who may not be lawyers. My curiosity then got the best of me, and I began digging and then thought about my life and what I would want for my future children, specifically opportunities for them to become global citizens. I dug some more, performed more research, and decided to return to school to study Early Childhood Education, and I earned a degree in 2013, shortly before I opened the school.

Since that time, I have experienced many challenges with owning and operating the school, especially with hiring, working with international people, and just being able to handle business on a different level when it came to communicating with families. It took a couple of years before I really learned what to do and build a dedicated team who has been with me since that time. I am motivated by the successes we have experienced as a school and the outreach we have to many families outside of our school who use many of our services, such as day school, after-school programming, winter and spring break care, and summer camp.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The biggest accomplishment I have had as a business owner was being able to build a top-notch team. When I first began as a private school owner, I was really struggling and challenged because I did not know how to hire the specialized teachers we needed. However, when my team came together, we were able to increase revenue by building multiple streams of income from both inside and outside of our school through the creation of several programs to reach our target families far and wide.

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

Liability, liability, liability! You are responsible if the business succeeds or fails. You always have to be prepared, regardless of the times.

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

Do your research, hire the right kind of people, likely those who share your vision, and don't be afraid to become a student again and learn, even if you are the boss. These are the top things I have incorporated into my leadership strategy that has helped me more than anything else.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thesocraticschooloflanguage.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069029567606
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Socratic_School

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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