My successes.

Lyn’s experience with SCORE started when she led the effort for SCORE mentors to work with Duke TIP students who were taking an entrepreneurial course. Since then, Lyn has started her own business, Success Story. There, she used many of the principles that SCORE mentors teach their clients. And she worked with SCORE mentors to get started. Here’s her story.

Transition from nonprofit education to a small business.

Lyn was a former English teacher who also worked 15 years in non-profit online education and enjoyed it. But she had a desire for new challenges and a passion to return to teaching. Lyn noticed that a lot of college consulting services offered multiple services as a package, which included expensive prices. She identified a different approach, offering a unique essay consulting service combining her teaching and writing skills at a lower cost for customers. Lyn decided to focus her mission around authenticity and storytelling: students rendering their stories in their own voice. And in the meantime, she would help them learn to love the craft of good writing. 

Like all new businesses, Lyn faced challenges in building her client base. She initially tried targeting school counselors before realizing that they were not motivated to send students her way. She then shifted her focus to parents, who would be paying the bills. She started by offering free work to build testimonials and establish her business. She then leveraged that initial success through word-of-mouth referrals to build her clientele.

Business challenges and impact

Besides securing customers, Lyn faced other challenges. These included the need for a web designer and IT support.  She also noted the pressure of not having a steady income. In retrospect, she thought she should have given herself more time for planning and market research before leaving her previous job.

Lyn wanted new challenges, and she got them. But she also gained the satisfaction of helping students, both with their applications as well as in building life skills. And she was able to build a profitable business along the way.

The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in college admissions

Lyn’s service goes beyond creating a personal story for college admissions. She works to help her students develop a unique voice through writing, particularly in long-form writing. Her process also helps students discover their talents and skills, which leads to better decision-making when choosing schools. How does AI impact this approach?

AI has created many challenges in the college admission process and in Lyn’s business. Some institutions like Cal Tech and Georgia Tech encourage its use while writing essays. Meanwhile, the Common App, which serves 1100 schools, has students sign an agreement that all work is the student's own. In this climate, Lyn finds it best to steer students away from using AI for brainstorming, drafting, or revision. Instead, Lyn's approach is to help students use AI for research on their schools.

SCORE’s impact

Lyn had worked with SCORE in the past, so it was natural to reach out again when starting her business. She found particular value in the business model, value proposition, target audience, and strategic analysis. Perhaps most important was the input and feedback from her SCORE mentor.

Helping students succeed

Lyn has built a business based on her talents and interests, as well as her desire to help students. Her success is reflected by the referrals and testimonials she gets from her clients. You can learn more about her business at the Success Story website.