We were lucky to catch up with Dolly Herron recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dolly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My heroes have always been the children with whom I work. They often face excruciatingly difficult obstacles just to learn basic skills, yet they are very intelligent and capable. How confusing it must be to be so young and so aware of the fact that things are just not coming easily. I like to tell them that everything in life is balanced. Everyone has weaknesses and everyone has super powers. I explain to my dyslexic students that while I am very creative, I don’t have the gifts that they have to problem solve, think outside the box, and see the world in the uniquely amazing way that they do. I can’t learn it. I can’t buy it. I had to be born with it, and I wasn’t. I can teach them to read and give them the tools the need to succeed in school. But I can never have the priceless gifts with which they were born. Their eyes brighten up and they see themselves in a whole new light.

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.

After 10 years of helping establish a school for kids with dyslexia and other language-based differences, my colleague and I decided to start consulting and advocating for the educational rights of children. We had worked as teachers for decades, as well as in admissions and administration. We saw a stark need for support, advocacy, guidance, and clarity for families trying to navigate educational choices and the individual needs of their children. Having been in the shoes of so many people on the school “teams” who make decisions about accommodations and services, we knew we could bring a multifaceted perspective to the table. We had been moms, classroom teachers, special education teachers, admissions counselors, and administrators. We had deep insight into the challenges that each job brings, and we understood the ramifications of the things we requested the school do for a child. We understand the laws behind what services are available and how to communicate that to our families and the school team. We understand psycho-educational test scores and how the weaknesses and strengths they report manifest in a classroom setting. We can distill that information to the families and team in a way that is understandable.
Aspire Educational Consulting was created to help families make educational decisions based on the unique profile of their child. Advocating for the rights of each child to have what he/she needs to learn is our North star.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

A child is what is most important to a parent. There is nothing a mom or dad won’t do to help their children learn, grow, and feel good about themselves. Word of mouth has been almost exclusively how we have developed a name and reputation for caring, knowledgable advice and advocacy. Seeing or hearing a paid advertisement pales in comparison to reading a heart-felt testimonial or review. The families with whom we work become a part of our family. They know we care deeply about their child and his/her education and happiness. This is not a modern approach to business, but it works for us. It is reminiscent of the story of the turtle and the hare. Our business is growing slowly and steadily, which gives us the luxury of giving 100% to each client.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Keeping in touch with the families with whom we have worked is embedded in our DNA. We study each child’s profile, records, assessments, and reports in such an in-depth way that it is only natural to check back in periodically to see how things are going. Thanksgiving offered a perfect opportunity to send thank you notes to all of our families to let them know how grateful we are for each of them. Parents know that we care about their children and are here for them any time they need anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aspireeducationalconsulting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspireeducationalconsultingllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077191127441
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aspireeducationalconsulting/