The Education Business Podcast
The Education Business Podcast is for educational consultants, small education-based business owners, Edtech providers and workshop leaders focused on providing education services to schools, as well as for teachers transitioning to freelancing with an entrepreneurial business idea. Growing and scaling a business that provides a service to schools and education requires a different skillset and inside knowledge to many other entrepreneurial ventures. In this podcast Claire Riley, CEO of Classroom Secrets and host of The Teachers' Podcast, shares what it takes to market and pitch your services to this sector. Find out exactly what headteachers and teachers are looking for, and why building a personal brand matters in your marketing and how you can grow your education business.
Episodes
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire is joined by Lisa Haycox, Chief Executive Officer of Explore Learning.
Appointed CEO in April 2025, Lisa has grown with the organisation for more than two decades, joining in 2002 as a tutor and progressing through senior leadership roles across operations, product, and strategy. Most recently, as Chief Op...
Episode Overview
In this episode, Claire Riley is joined by Ian Hunter, founder of Lyme Education Consulting, to explore how education businesses can successfully expand into international markets. With over 27 years in edtech and global education, Ian shares practical insights on trust, localisation, market research, ...
Navigating the EdTech Landscape: Insights from Multiple Ventures
In this episode, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, talks with Joshua, a seasoned entrepreneur in the education sector. Joshua shares his journey from children's publishing to running multiple education businesses, including Smartgrade and Carousel.
He highlights key lessons learned, such as the importance of understanding market size, unit economics, and ...
The Importance of Context in Leading Your Education Business
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, discusses the pivotal role of providing context to your team members in an education business.
She explains how context helps improve team efficiency and outcomes, sharing insights from her own experience and interactions with other education business leaders. Key points incl...
Building Multiple Educational Content Brands
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, hosted by Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, guest Matt Dix shares his journey from a primary school teacher to a thriving education business owner.
Matt, who runs several education brands including Manic Street Teachers, Musician of the Month, and the Fluency Factory, discusses his transition from the classroom to business, ...
Unsticking Your Education Business: Future Planning and Growth Strategies
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, addresses common challenges faced by founders and business owners in the education sector.
Focusing on the theme of feeling stuck in business, Claire discusses the importance of setting new goals, envisioning long-term success, and planning for future growt...
Navigating Growth in an Education Business: Insights from Classroom Secrets' co-founder
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley and Ed delve into the journey of building their education business, Classroom Secrets.
Claire, a former teacher, and Ed, who transitioned from an IT role in a large non-profit, discuss the unique challenges and strategies they faced. They highlight the importance of having a clear p...
Effective Mastermind Sessions to Grow Your Education Business
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, host Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, discusses effective strategies for conducting mastermind sessions to enhance business outcomes.
Claire shares her own experiences with different mastermind formats, their pros and cons, and introduces a refined mastermind structure utilised at Classroom Secrets.
The epi...
Journey from Classroom to CEO: Starting and Growing an Education Business
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, host Claire Riley speaks with Katie, the co-founder of Picture News.
Katie shares her journey from teaching Key Stage 2 to starting an educational business that provides news resources for schools. The discussion covers the initial challenges of balancing a new business with raising three young children, the ...
Effective Interview Strategies for Education Entrepreneurs
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, shares valuable insights on how to interview potential hires for your education business.
Drawing from her own experiences and common challenges in the industry, Claire highlights the importance of learning from past mistakes to ask the right questions. She emphasises hiring fo...
From Classroom to Boardroom: James' Journey of Building Number Stacks
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, host Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, interviews James, a former head teacher and founder of Number Stacks.
James shares his 16-year journey from being a cadet first aid instructor at age 13, through his teaching career, to becoming a business owner. He details the challenges he faced, the inspi...
The Power of Great Questions in Education Business
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, host Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, discusses the significance of asking quality questions in driving the growth and success of your education business.
Whether you're running a tutoring service, publishing company, or holiday club, Claire emphasises that asking the right questions can improve your outcomes and help...
From Classroom to Business: Emily's Education Marketing Business Journey
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, talks with Emily Hanson, a former teacher who transitioned into the business world.
Emily shares her journey from being a primary school teacher to founding her own company, Emmerlilly Digital, which specialises in marketing with an education focus.
They discuss t...
Navigating Public Scrutiny
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, host Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, shares insights and experiences on growing an education business.
Claire emphasises the importance of becoming comfortable with being on display and learning in front of an audience, which can include friends, family, ex-colleagues, Facebook followers, and employees.
She reflects on her own journey from ...
Transitioning from Teaching to Tutoring: Lindsey's Journey
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley from Classroom Secrets interviews Lindsey, a former teacher turned successful tutor and business owner.
Lindsey shares her personal journey from experiencing burnout as a deputy head teacher to starting her own tutoring business. She provides insights on overcoming initial fears, scaling her business by onboard...
Balancing the Hustle and Owner-Investor Mindset in Education Business
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, discusses the dual aspects of entrepreneurship: the hustle required in the early stages of a business and the owner-investor mindset needed to sustainably grow.
Claire shares her personal journey and insights on recognising which side of entrepreneurship you align wi...
From Teaching to Running Two Successful Businesses: Richard's Story
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, interviews an education entrepreneur named Richard. They discuss his transition from being a classroom teacher to starting and growing his own education business.
Richard shares the emotional and practical challenges faced during this transition, emphasising the import...
Scaling Your Education Business: From Solopreneur to Effective Leader
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, shares invaluable insights on how to grow an education business. Tailored for founders and business owners in the education sector, this episode covers crucial topics such as transitioning from solo entrepreneurship to employing a team, managing people, becoming a go...
The Transition from Classroom Teacher to Independent Tutor: Arthur's Journey
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, interviews Arthur, an ex-secondary math teacher who transitioned into an independent tutoring business.
Arthur shares his personal journey, including moving from teaching in the UK to an international school in Thailand, and eventually starting his own tutorin...
Sweat the Small Stuff: Navigating the Details in Your Education Business
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, emphasises the importance of paying attention to details in your education business.
While thinking big picture is crucial, the small details, such as customer service, website functionality, and social media presence, significantly impact your business's success....
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