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The Business of College Consulting is a podcast that provides practical insights and advice to individuals interested in starting or growing their college consulting business. The podcast is hosted by industry experts who share their experiences and strategies for success in the college consulting business.
28 Episodes
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Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Lisa Hillhouse shares her journey from Air Force officer to successful independent educational consultant, highlighting how she built a thriving college consulting business with a military specialty focus. Lisa shares how she: • Leveraged background in Air Force admissions to create a specialty in military academy and ROTC applications • Established strong business systems from day one with help from a business consultant • Built a support team ...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Mark Scalaro, CEO of IECA for over 30 years, shares his unique perspective on the business of college consulting and how the industry has transformed from an avocation into a respected profession. His insights cover the evolution from a field where consultants were openly booed at conferences to today's professional landscape with recognized standards, training programs, and business practices. • Most consultants struggle with imposter syndrome ...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Colleen Reed, founder of American College Consulting, shares her journey from high school teacher to successful college consultant specializing in helping Canadian students attend American universities. Her thriving family business now includes her husband, daughter, and several specialized consultants who collectively serve students across Canada. • Inspired to become a college consultant after her own positive experience with an independent co...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Margaret Baudinet shares her journey from college consultant to CEO of College Solutions, balancing business growth while raising quintuplets and building a thriving consulting practice with specialized services and a team of seven counselors. Margaret shares her journey: • Purchasing College Solutions from founder Larry Dannenberg in July 2020 during the pandemic • Transitioning from a small team to a comprehensive organization with leadership ...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Kim Derrick shares her unconventional model- a high-volume college consultant, revealing how she helps more students with fewer one-on-one meetings while maintaining exceptional results and strong relationships. Kim shares how she: • Started as a volunteer in school settings, including 15 years with Georgia Tech's Stamps President Scholars Program • Focuses on "the big four" pillars: college list development, grades/course selection, testing str...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Sylvia Borgo, owner of DJ Educational Consulting, shares her journey from classroom teacher to successful college consultant and explains how she maintains a small, intentional practice that prioritizes deep student connections. She offers practical advice about the power of organization, time management, and professional collaboration in building a sustainable consulting business. • Named her business after her children's initials (and coincide...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! You can't miss this episode with Chris Andersson, former Director of Admissions at NYU's Tisch School and founder of Nothing But Drama. In our latest episode, Chris recounts his move from academia to entrepreneurship, sharing the highs and lows of his journey. Chris highlights the collaborative spirit among college consultants and the ethical creation of referral networks. He shares his strategic steps in scaling his business, touching on the bre...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Stef Mauler, founder of the Mauler Institute, shares her story of her early days as a Canadian navigating U.S. college applications to becoming a Harvard MBA graduate and launching her own thriving college consulting business, Stef discusses her strategic growth and the pivotal decision to hire writing coaches. Her business acumen shines through as she details her unique college admission strategies by leveraging business p...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! ChatGPT In this interview, Lisa Bleich discusses her initial steps in marketing her services, relying heavily on word of mouth and personal connections. As her business grew, she recognized the need for systematizing processes and hiring a team to handle various aspects of client work, particularly essay writing. Lisa emphasizes the importance of finding team members who complement each other and align with the company's culture. She also ...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Have you ever felt the thrill of discovering your true passion after taking an unexpected turn in your career path? Jess Shermack of Virtual College Counselors, shares her entrepreneurship journey, emphasizing the pivotal role of support networks and the courage required to transition from a full-time job to the uncertainties of running a start-up. She uncovers the strategic branding and adaptability that have driven the success of her busi...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Join Brooke Daly and special guest Chris Bell from Bell College Consulting as they dive deep into the benefits of staying solo versus growing a team. Chris shares a wealth of experiences from his career transitions to humorous marketing mishaps, and offers candid insights into establishing a client base. Chris shares wisdom on prioritizing well-being in a lifestyle business, offering strategies for maintaining quality while managing demand....
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Brooke talks with Liz Murphy, the founder of Liz Murphy College Advising and the creator of the "IEC's Growing Our Business" Facebook group. Liz shares her journey in business growth from starting as a part-time consultant and transitioning to full-time. She discusses her unique business model, which includes part-time college coaches assisting her clients and her approach to relationship marketing. Liz also mentions her challeng...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this podcast episode, Brooke interviews Ibrahim Firat, owner of Firat Education and current president of IECA. Ibrahim discusses how he started a part-time tutoring business and expanded it into a full-time educational consulting practice. He emphasizes the importance of association membership, hiring, and how your role morphs as a business owner when you expand. They also touch on marketing strategies and the challenges of business growth. Ib...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Brooke interviews Scott Hamilton. Scott is a past president of the Higher Education Consultants Association and the owner of Future Stars College Counseling. Scott shares his journey into the college consulting business, how he transitioned from working with students in their homes to having an office, and how he expanded his team of counselors. He discusses his marketing strategies, including speaking engagements, referra...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In the final episode of the season, Brooke chats with Leah Beasley about her family history of working in admissions, and her journey from being a tour guide to working to admissions to starting her own business as a college consultant.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode of The Business of College Consulting, IEC Hanna Stotland shares her story of how her own college admission experience, including being admitted to Harvard with a G.E.D, shaped her crisis management IEC practice. Hanna also shares insight and perspective on charging what you're worth.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Brooke chats with Zach Galin, Founder of Galin Education, a test prep, tutoring, and college consulting business based in Madison, WI. Zach gives great advice for marketing in the early years of your business and how to grow a sellable business.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode of The Business of College Consulting podcast, Jennie Kent and Jeff Levy, superstars of the college consulting industry, share their paths from the writing and television industry to college consulting. They share the struggles of the early years of business growth, how they overcame them, and why they eventually joined forces (and businesses) to create Big J Educational Consulting. Check out Jennie and Jeff's famous spreadsheets...
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Lisa and Bob share the story of how Lisa started and grew College MatchPoint as a solopreneur, allowing Bob to leave his corporate job to jump on board, and how together they built a thriving college consulting business and team.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, I chat with Jenny Umhofer, founder of Colledge in Pasadena, CA. Jenny tells her growth story and how she transformed her business from a college consulting practice to a start-up tech business!
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