All the things that make great teachers also make great leaders: encouragement, adaptability, kindness, care. Tune into the podcast to hear from, Lisa Collum, who is former teacher who has built a multimillion-dollar curriculum company using all those skills she used to use in the classroom to now drive a great culture.
Lisa is the founder and CEO of a multimillion-dollar curriculum company, Top Score Writing, Inc., and the owner of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Coastal Middle and High School. She developed her first writing curriculum while teaching in a low-performing Title I school, creating a systematic approach to helping students improve crucial writing skills. In the first year, Lisa’s step-by-step program increased the percentage of her students scoring at the proficiency level on state writing assessments from 38% to 95%, rising to 100% for the following two years. Due to the program’s success and starting with only $100 and a binder of 25 lessons, Lisa began selling the curriculum to others and grew Top Score Writing into a nationwide seven-figure business.
With a mission to serve children in her community, in 2016 Lisa bought a local private school and turned it into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Coastal Middle and High School is a place for students who need a unique approach to their education. In addition to positively affecting thousands of students with her curriculum and school, Lisa has dedicated her career to helping fellow educators get the training and resources they need and inspiring other women entrepreneurs to create successful businesses of their own. When she’s not running her education companies or presenting as a keynote speaker, Lisa can be found cheering on the sidelines of her children’s games, giving back to the community, and spending quality family time with her husband and four children.
Tune in to this episode to hear Lisa’s inspiring story and learn how you can apply her classroom lessons to your boardroom.