We recently connected with Abid Abedi and have shared our conversation below.

Abid, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mind, so one day when I witnessed a friend providing coding classes to kids out of her home, it piqued my interest. She had a steady flow of parents wanting their students to learn coding. I was shocked by this initially, but it made perfect sense! Our society is becoming more digital with each passing day, and we will need a trained workforce to maintain this new infrastructure. In addition, my experience in hiring thousands of technical workers over my career, I found that most technical folks lack soft skills such as teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills. That, coupled with the fact there has always been a shortage of technical talent in the US, lead me to launch iCode.

As I dug in deeper, I discovered even more data supporting this workforce evolution and the deficit of trained workers that we are facing. And this demand is only expected to grow over the coming years. According to the World Economic Forum, 65% of the jobs in 2030 have not been invented yet. There was ample evidence and a compelling value proposition to launch iCode.

And parents weren’t the only ones taking notice of this digital evolution. Schools and ISDs are being pressured to offer STEM classes, but due to several factors including a lack of trained instructors, expensive equipment that must be continually upgraded, and a curriculum that needs to keep up with technological advances, schools were struggling to provide quality education in these areas.

What we needed was someone to come in and fill that growing gap in our system. A business that can solely focus and specialize on these vital fields with trained instructors, high-tech labs that can provide hands-on experience, and a team that can continually update the curriculum to stay current with advancing technology.

While there are other players in the kid’s tech-ed industry, our approach to teaching is very different. We believe that kids learn better when they’re having fun. That’s why our curriculum takes activities kids already enjoy, like Roblox, Minecraft, robotics, and drones, and teaches them STEM skills like coding and programming through these activities. We also believe that there is no substitute for hands-on learning. Each of our classes consist of a lesson, followed by an activity that is designed to reinforce the lesson students just learned. Instructor-led classes are another key differentiator. Following the pandemic, many parents recognized that online learning cannot take the place of in-person instruction. Our small class sizes make personalized attention attainable. And most importantly, we focus on soft skills. Our curriculum is designed to encourage the development of vital skills like critical thinking, collaboration, creative thinking, leadership, and presentation skills. With kids spending so much time on screens today, we should take every opportunity to develop these interpersonal skills that are critical for their success.

What excites me most about this business is the ability to not only run a successful and profitable operation, but to be able to positively impact our communities and the lives of our future generations. Seeing the excitement on kids’ faces and the positive feedback from parents is a very rewarding experience that never gets old. Of all the businesses that I have started, iCode is the one that has given me the most satisfaction. There is not a single iCode event that I attend where at least one parent doesn’t come and thank me for starting iCode. When was the last time that happened to an entrepreneur???

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mind, so one day when I witnessed a friend providing coding classes to kids out of her home, it piqued my interest. She had a steady flow of parents wanting their students to learn coding. I was shocked by this initially, but it made perfect sense! Our society is becoming more digital with each passing day, and we will need a trained workforce to maintain this new infrastructure. In addition, my experience in hiring thousands of technical workers over my career, I found that most technical folks lack soft skills such as teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills. That, coupled with the fact there has always been a shortage of technical talent in the US, lead me to launch iCode.

As I dug in deeper, I discovered even more data supporting this workforce evolution and the deficit of trained workers that we are facing. And this demand is only expected to grow over the coming years. According to the World Economic Forum, 65% of the jobs in 2030 have not been invented yet. There was ample evidence and a compelling value proposition to launch iCode.

And parents weren’t the only ones taking notice of this digital evolution. Schools and ISDs are being pressured to offer STEM classes, but due to several factors including a lack of trained instructors, expensive equipment that must be continually upgraded, and a curriculum that needs to keep up with technological advances, schools were struggling to provide quality education in these areas.

What we needed was someone to come in and fill that growing gap in our system. A business that can solely focus and specialize on these vital fields with trained instructors, high-tech labs that can provide hands-on experience, and a team that can continually update the curriculum to stay current with advancing technology.

While there are other players in the kid’s tech-ed industry, our approach to teaching is very different. We believe that kids learn better when they’re having fun. That’s why our curriculum takes activities kids already enjoy, like Roblox, Minecraft, robotics, and drones, and teaches them STEM skills like coding and programming through these activities. We also believe that there is no substitute for hands-on learning. Each of our classes consist of a lesson, followed by an activity that is designed to reinforce the lesson students just learned. Instructor-led classes are another key differentiator. Following the pandemic, many parents recognized that online learning cannot take the place of in-person instruction. Our small class sizes make personalized attention attainable. And most importantly, we focus on soft skills. Our curriculum is designed to encourage the development of vital skills like critical thinking, collaboration, creative thinking, leadership, and presentation skills. With kids spending so much time on screens today, we should take every opportunity to develop these interpersonal skills that are critical for their success.

What excites me most about this business is the ability to not only run a successful and profitable operation, but to be able to positively impact our communities and the lives of our future generations. Seeing the excitement on kids’ faces and the positive feedback from parents is a very rewarding experience that never gets old. Of all the businesses that I have started, iCode is the one that has given me the most satisfaction. There is not a single iCode event that I attend where at least one parent doesn’t come and thank me for starting iCode. When was the last time that happened to an entrepreneur???

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One thing I’ve learned in business is there will always be some sort of crisis every few years that turns everything on its head. In recent history, we experienced Y2K, 9/11, the market downturn in 2008, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic. But it’s been said that fire is actually good for a forest as it weeds out weaker trees and promotes new growth. In the same way, unstable businesses will die out and new business and ideas will sprout up. Each event threatened business as we knew it. And each time we’ve had to reimagine operations to function in the new environment. Most recently, with the Covid-19 outbreak, we had to quickly pivot iCode from a 100% brick and mortar business to an online platform offering virtual classes. This took a lot of hard work from our team, but it reenforce my believe that if you have the right attitude toward change, you can actually improve your business offering through these circumstances. And a piece of advice, this won’t be the last crisis we will face, so be prepared and look forward to the opportunity to innovate!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

As a leader you are on stage every time you walk into the office. How you dress, how you talk, and how you handle situations makes a big difference to your team. It is your responsibility to create a culture that promotes collaboration by ensuring there are no silos or egos; one that promotes transparency and creates positive energy and optimism. If you want your team to be enamored with the company vision and believe in it, leading by example is an absolute must. You must empower your employees to utilize their expertise to make important decisions and carry out their position. Micromanaging wastes time and promotes complacency. Business is a team sport, and each person is responsible for their area. This level of empowerment instills a great sense of ownership and fulfillment in the team. Remember CULTURE is the only differentiator your competitors cannot copy. Use it to your advantage……

Contact Info:

• Website: icodeschool.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/icode.school
• Facebook: facebook.com/icodecorporate
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/28123960