We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shelly Humbach a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shelly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start big picture – what are some of the biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

As an Independent Educational Consultant I guide high school students and families through the college search and application process. The college application process has become overwrought with complexity, stress, and confusion and these factors have been trending for some time now. In a sense, colleges and universities operate with increasing mysticism and when it comes to the cost of attendance, there is this nonsensical expectation that the actual cost is directly related to the actual amount of money one has to pay for it. Huh?

Can you imagine walking into a shoe store, finding a pair you like and when you ask the sales rep, “how much?”, they respond, “That depends. How much have you got in your pocket?” Welcome to the murky waters of the cost of college.

On the positive side, colleges are making progress within the areas of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion! And with the test optional movement, brought on by the pandemic, more underserved students are applying to schools that were previously out of reach.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After 20+ years working as a litigation paralegal (a career I loved), I decided to make a complete career pivot and having been introduced to college admissions counseling via volunteer work, I knew this was my calling. I jumped in with both feet. With the support of my family, I returned to school and earned my College Counseling Certificate, with Distinction, from UCLA-Extension. Simultaneously, I became a member of every professional organization available, and joined a small business advisory board. Each year I visit between 20-30 colleges and universities, across the United States and abroad. To date, I have toured nearly 200 campuses and this allows me to bring my personal take and specific campus details back to my families. I’m known to text campus pictures to my students with messages like, “You’ve got to research this school right now! I can see you here!” Looking back, it was my love and faith in high school students, combined with my deep appreciation for education that was the inspiration and foundation of my business. Still is.

I am grateful for the opportunity to bring solid, competent and comprehensive college admissions information and guidance to high school students and families. I am laser-focused on the commodity of a college degree, with a keen awareness of the sacrifices and resources necessary to achieve one. Having supported three daughters to earn a degree, I get it. The financial burden, alone, is staggering and I am committed to helping families spend as little as possible for college. And just to clear things up, is the college degree worth it? Undoubtedly, yes. Is it the right or best path for everyone? Emphatically, no. And this has never been more true than right now as higher education, along with virtually every other industry, is reeling with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic. I anticipate that colleges and universities will be forced to make hefty changes to the current model, which is clearly broken. Case in point – how is it that we find ourselves in a place of paying $80,000 per year for a Bachelor’s degree? It’s nuts. Having guidance and coaching in college admissions is a smart move. Why? Because it is essential that students and families become savvy consumers and the best way to get there is to rely on an expert. The college application process has unfortunately become so cumbersome and complex as to make it seem overwhelming, if not impossible.

I really believe education and opportunity are the foundation for a good life and every student should have equal access to both. I built my company on this principle and strive to ensure that every student has the best shot at a solid and valuable education and the opportunities that come with it. The greatest testament to my work is that the vast majority of my client families come by way of referral.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Reaching your target audience on social media and updated, strong reviews

Consistency with brand, message and results

Rule number one: know your target audience (market). As a college advisor I work with students, but am paid by parents. Thus, I have two separate audiences, with distinct interests and ways of accessing information.

High school students primarily use Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Parents primarily use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The content that I post for students is germane to their interests and posted to their platforms. Likewise, the content that I share for parents is relative to their interests and concerns and posted on the platforms they use.

Rule number two: outsource social media to an expert. My social media budget is small and yet my business benefits enormously. In fact, when I first launched my practice, 100% of new business came by way of referral. And while I still have a robust referral business, I now see approximately 50% of solid inquiries stemming from social media. People check reviews on everything, this is a powerful and effective way to grow your business.

Rule number three: discover what you are good at (which is hopefully what you have created a business around) and outsource the things that you aren’t good at, that don’t bring you joy and that ultimately are not a good use of your time and expertise.

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

Pretty quickly after I began my educational consulting company, several factors became of utmost importance to me in terms of the type of guidance I wanted to consistently offer.

Transparency regarding the financial commitment of higher education.

Trust, collaboration and rapport with students.

Humor and perspective to detract from the stress and overwhelm of applying to college.

These key components are reflected on my website, in every initial consult I have and throughout my work with students and families.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.humbacheducationconsulting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humbacheducationconsulting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humbacheducationconsulting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-humbach-6b057a41/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HumbachEC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWDldzEVnrPj4aPbPFoyfZA