We were lucky to catch up with Kathryn Allen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathryn , thanks for joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I would not change when I started my own business. I started my business at a time when many people were also in transition, right after the pandemic. Returning to normal life motivated me to find a new adventure, and I overcame my fears and left my long-time job. This motivation carried me to embrace the challenge of learning new things, of making new connections and of taking risks.

The dream became a reality because of two phone calls. Two colleagues, both parents of high school seniors, contacted me in a panic. The first colleague needed help getting her child ready to take the SAT after a disappointing first attempt. The child had received a scholarship but needed a higher SAT score to make that a reality. The second colleague called to say that her relationship with her daughter was on the line. “Would you please work with her on her college essays?” I said yes to both. There were happy endings for both students. The student’s SAT score went up two hundred+ points and the scholarship was his. The second student received the prestigious Morehead Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she just finished her first year.

I’m not one for returning to the past, so I haven’t considered whether I could have started my business sooner. I also try to live in the present (as much as I can as a chronic planner) and not look too much to the future. Based on the past year’s experience and personal and professional growth, I made the right decision to start my business at the time I did. I appreciate all that I have learned and all that I have left to learn, the challenges I’ve overcome and the challenges to come, and the success I have had along with the success I can create in the future.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After more than 25 years in the classroom, I decided to realize her dream of running my own business. Apex Writing/Apex Test Prep Tutor was established in early 2022. I tutor middle school, high school and adult students to improve their writing for both academic and professional purposes and to prepare for gateway tests such as SAT, ACT, and ISEE. The focus of Apex Writing/ Test Prep Tutor is to provide each student with individualized, customized and completely student-centered tutoring. I assess each student’s needs and creates a specific tutoring program based on the student’s level, skills and goals. I also offer group classes for high school students and international professionals.

Over the past year, I have worked with dozens of students as they work to improve their writing for college applications, to find a new job or to get a good test score for private school admission. I enjoy working with each student to see how that student learns. My greatest satisfaction is to see a student who is struggling to master test strategies, to write a great college personal statement or to craft the perfect cover letter reach his or her goal. My tutoring philosophy is to help my students develop both the skills and the confidence they need to succeed.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Apex Writing Tutor/Apex Test Prep Tutor is the happy result from the biggest pivot in my life. After calculating the number of months before I could retire more than once, it became obvious that continuing my job while waiting for retirement wasn’t for me. It was time for a new direction.

An acquaintance once told me that I didn’t have the entrepreneur gene. At the time, I believed her. Fortunately, frustration is a great motivator, so I decided to prove her and myself wrong. Every teacher is a lifelong student so the first step to pivot was to learn as much I could about starting and running a business. It turned out that many of the skills I already had worked in entrepreneurship. The next step was to find mentors and support people to turn my idea into a reality.

As it should have been obvious to me, the real pivot was not starting the business, but changing my mindset. Once I starting viewing myself as a business owner, I found that I could meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities. One year in, I am still learning, which I love, but I can proudly say my pivot has made me more fulfilled than I’ve ever been.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

“Know your value.” These three words capture the most important lesson I needed to unlearn to have success in my business. Knowing your value means that you price your offerings honestly, not to make friends. This phrase doesn’t just apply to the prices I charge but also how I market my business to potential clients.

This advice came from a long-time business owner who shared some hard lessons He had struggled to charge the true value of his products. Reflecting on my pricing structure, I recognized I had the same problem. What’s more undervaluing myself also affected my marketing efforts.

I’m not a natural sales person so asking people to pay me what my time is worth was a challenge. What’s more, as a woman, I found it hard to promote my skills to potential clients without feeling like I was bragging. These attitudes can be fatal to a business. Slowly, I forced myself to unlearn how I thought about my value.

I’d love to say I’ve unlearned my reluctance to charge a fair value and promote all I can do. The hesitation is still there, but it’s easier each time I meet a new client or start a new marketing campaign to remember my own value.

Contact Info:

• Website: apexwritingtutor.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apexwritingtutor/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-allen-83a92a49/

Image Credits
Kathryn Allen