As many of you know, I have been looking very hard for a teaching position here in Oak Harbor, but have had very little luck. My hopes were raised high last week when I found out that a local learning center was looking for a new owner. To make a long (and painful) story short, I worked all week to prepare myself to take over this new business with a lot of responsibility. I wrote out a company vision and mission statement. I gathered, organized and cleaned all the office tools I would need (most of which I already owned). I sold some of my old jewelry so that I could have some cash flow. I read--and followed the advice of--the most thrilling book on how to be an excellent leader, called EntreLeadership, by Dave Ramsey. I marched down to the city hall and got my business license, then set up my bank accounts and looked into getting a phone and a card reader. I was ready for my first day as a business owner and was totally stoked to go find my customers and get mentoring teachers.
And then the owner decided to give the business to someone else... And I was devastated. For about 24 hours. Then a beautiful thing happened. My little brother, Dallas, sent me a link to an article about why smart girls quit when the going gets tough in school. I read it and realized that I shouldn't just quit! I should just do it better!! (Too bad I didn't wait to post this before the deal was done!)
So hence my Facebook friends are all worried that I'm pregnant and the fact is, I'm having a business baby!!
God has blessed me with a lot of insight while I have been job hunting. Here in Oak Harbor, it is hard for everyone to find a job (not just me!) and especially for teenagers. We have a huge untapped resource of teenagers. There is also a unique need in the area in that younger children in Navy families often have difficulties adjusting to deployment schedules, which can have a major impact on their school work and confidence.
My idea is to match up the two needs to solve the problem. I will train high schoolers, who have good grades, attendance and skills, to mentor younger children who need help with reading and math. I'm also looking into ways to teach all ages, any skill they want. For example, yesterday I had a cute little old lady tell me that she wants to know how to work a smart phone so that she can have the confidence to go buy one.
To start out, I will be the one doing the tutoring and child care, but once there is more interest and demand, then I will be able to bring more people on to my team. I am starting out slow, but I hope and pray and believe that it will be big someday!!
To find out more, you can visit (and like!) the facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ohthelearningplace
Soon i will update the business blog at: http://ohthelearningplace.wordpress.com
Of course I started working on the logo right away (see below). Any ideas or feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much for the support I have already received. I feel so humbled to be so loved and blessed.
