Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in physical education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ben Landers, Founder of The PE Specialist, located in Columbia, SC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We make awesome digital resources to help PE Teachers save time and teach more quality lessons to their students and provide training to help them become the best teachers they can be.
Tell us about yourself
I have always loved being active and enjoyed working with students. Being a PE Teacher is a great fit for me since I get to stay active and work with students to help them become a better version of themselves each day. Learning to create resources for other teachers and to lead training for teachers across the country has been a fun and challenging way for me to grow as a teacher and to increase the positive impact I have on students and the PE profession as a whole.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think my biggest accomplishment is the library of resources we've been able to create over the last 11 years since starting our website. Creating videos, writing blogs, and designing resources for teachers has allowed me to help so many different PE programs improve and, as a result, positively impact their students.
A couple of years after starting the website, we launched a membership program which has allowed us to sustain the investment of time and money that it takes to continue making quality resources and providing support to teachers. The success of the membership was a huge accomplishment for our business.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The hardest thing, especially at the beginning when you don't have any help, is being the only person who is there to solve problems. When something goes wrong, you have to drop your plans and take care of them. It can become a real grind, and at times I wondered if I was building a machine that I would be unable to manage (or wouldn't want to manage). I'm really glad I pushed through those earlier years and now have more support and help with the business to allow us to manage all of our responsibilities and continue to provide value to our followers and members.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Find something you truly love and create a business that will be a "Win," even if it's a failure. For example, I knew that even if I invested two years into my business and didn't make a single cent, I would at least learn a ton of valuable skills that I could apply to my next venture, and I would also have a bunch of resources that would make my teaching job much easier for the rest of my career. In other words... "Scratch your own itch."
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.thepespecialist.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePEspecialist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepespecialist
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepespecialist
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePESpecialist
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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