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Dailies co-founder and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree visits Magnolia Tribune business columnist Phil Hardwick. She says it is long overdue for families, schools and communities to come together around young people to ensure a future and a legacy from which we can draw inspiration.
A Gulfport, Mississippi, entrepreneur has been named to this year’s prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list in education.
Jessica Shelley, a 29-year-old former school teacher and mother of five, invested $5 million in the two years she founded the company, which now serves more than 15,000 families worldwide. Co-founder of online learning company Dailies.
In this Q&A interview, we discuss her company and her advice for those interested in starting a business.
How did you come up with the name Dailies?
Every day represents how often we learn new things. We know that learning happens every day, so we call it “daily learning” – small, bite-sized learning moments that you can intentionally engage with every day.
Technology is clearly important to the business model. Can you tell us a little about the role technology plays in the company’s success?
In our case, technology is a great tool and helps us achieve broader impact and scalability. We know that the quality of education your child receives is greatly influenced by their postcode, but by leveraging technology we can reach families who may not have access to support like ours in their local area. can do. Additionally, our vision for learning apps is that they can be completed offline, so even those with limited internet access can learn every day.
We believe technology should not replace human interaction, but rather be used to more easily facilitate communication and connection.
How many employees does Dailies have and what is their role?
Our company has two full-time employees. They are me, my co-founder and CEO, and my co-founder and CTO, Manuel Zamora. We also have a group of teacher contractors who help with everything from classroom, curriculum, and programming oversight to even our marketing team. We know that teachers are significantly underpaid in the traditional system. That’s why we encourage our teachers to not only teach together, but also upskill together as our organization grows.
Let’s talk about marketing. How do you get customers? Teachers?
Currently, our customers typically come from word of mouth and organic social media. Parents inherently want products and services they can trust. So we spend a lot of time providing value to different groups and situations, and then we introduce parents to the idea that we can also serve them as an educational partner through our platform. .
Teachers have no problem finding and hiring top talent. Only about 1% of teachers who apply end up being hired, not only because of their dedication to our vision, but also because we want to ensure their success on our platform. Our teachers come to us primarily through word of mouth and organic social media.
How much start-up capital did you need and how was the company financed?
When we first started the business, my co-founders were able to get preliminary funding through a small round of friends and family, and then received a little funding through the 500 Global Accelerator program. We are now running the business on our own. Scale. Since we started developing our learning app, most of our funding has gone towards development and the team needed to help build an online class platform.
You have five children and are the CEO of a growing company. How do you manage your time?
Intentionally. There are times when we set aside time for each, and times when we know we can be more fluid, or “in the moment.” For example, Friday night is a family night and is non-negotiable. I never answer work calls. When you’re traveling for work, you can’t be a “mom” at home, so it’s all about balancing your most urgent needs with what’s assigned to you on a daily/weekly basis. I’m also lucky that I have a very supportive husband who primarily takes care of our children during work hours, giving me time to focus on work while my family is at home. Masu.
What data are you measuring? And what is the most important data to measure for your business?
We measure quite a lot. However, our main driving metrics are number of users and customer lifetime value (LTV). Because there is some seasonality in education, we tend to look at these two as the main drivers of influence, product development, and marketing efforts. Another important point is, of course, revenue and expenses to ensure that the business is profitable if it is not already.
I think the most important data to measure for any business is customer acquisition cost (CAC) and customer lifetime value (LTV). This is because it is directly related to your business model, revenue, and product/service development. If your customer costs are too high for the product or service you are offering, it will be very difficult to break out of a negative growth pattern in the first place.
We realized this early on when we were testing large group classes. These classes were a way we thought we could help more students and families access them, but there was little room for interaction within the class, which meant our mission of personalized learning did not match. Our product for these was more of a webinar type class because we could have more students at a lower cost for each class. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and while the number of customers increased, the small amount customers were paying per class did not cover the teacher salaries and the additional overhead required for customer support. I realized that.
You can experiment and adjust, but overall I think CAC and LTV are the two most important data points that drive business operations and development.
What do teachers who want to become Dailies teachers do? What can they expect when they become one? Is there a limit to the number of students?
Teachers interested in teaching at Dailies can visit here to learn more about teaching at Dailies and apply.
Our teachers create their own schedules and have the option of teaching a variety of classes, from enrichment to academic pods, complete homeschool programs, and tutoring with Dailies for School.
Teachers have complete autonomy over scheduling, the classes they teach, and even the elements and design of their lessons. There are no scripted lessons because we believe there are no scripted children. Our teachers have access to programs tailored to their interests and availability.
Our class capacity is 8 students, with an average class size of 4-6 students.
How do I find and qualify an instructor?
Our teachers come to us through social media or through direct referrals. The main things we look for in teachers who want to join Dailies are:
1. Their alignment with our teaching and learning philosophy – particularly the impact of small groups and personalized learning.
2. Be comfortable teaching online and using technology tools.
3. A general willingness to accept and provide feedback – we are all learning and growing.
4. Their leadership personalities and abilities that complement our class offerings and their uniqueness in their platform as educators. We focus on matching the ideal educator and strive for a variety of teaching styles.
5. Passion for service and connecting with students and families.
Have you received any criticism from your school or other educators?
It wasn’t said to us openly or directly. Almost every educator and administrator we’ve talked to understands the need for what we’re creating and fully supports our vision. As a former public school teacher myself, the products and services we offer are based on real problems happening in schools and families across the country. While this information is not necessarily new to this group, it is information that has recently become clear to parents as a result of the pandemic.
Do you have any advice for people starting a new business?
Take the time to plan and be intentional about your overall strategy. If you jump in with the hopes of posting on social media and getting customers, you may be faced with the harsh reality that it’s not as easy as you think. On the other hand, I think it’s important to utilize social media as well. This is where the people are, so you have to be there too.
The power is in the details of what your product or service offers. Establish your differentiators early and establish your market position. Be yourself throughout and focus on your customers every step of the way.
What are the company’s future plans?
Our plan is focused on impact. Our immediate goal is to provide learning support services to more families in 2024 through partnerships with local public, private, and charter schools. We are also focused on expanding our direct partnership with families.
Families can try a free class here.
It is long overdue that families, schools and communities come together around young people to ensure a future and a legacy from which we can draw inspiration.
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