We recently connected with Lisa Vodola and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How has Covid changed your business model?

Before COVID, Preschool Readers provided in-home reading instruction to preschoolers (ages 3 – 5). When COVID hit, Preschool Readers successfully pivoted from in-home instruction to virtual instruction. Now virtual instruction – along with in-home instruction – is a permanent part of our business model.

Lisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For years, I was a kindergarten teacher who loved to build confidence and foster excitement and enthusiasm around learning to read. However, I noticed a disconnect between what was taught in preschool and expected in kindergarten.

Eventually, I left the classroom and started Preschool Readers. At Preschool Readers, we provide children aged 3- 5 years a strong academic head start through our award-winning accelerated reading instruction.

We begin with an assessment that is used to customize a plan for your child based on their individualized needs and learning style. Then, one of our highly qualified Preschool Reading Specialists works with your learner during one-on-one weekly sessions that include a variety of literacy-rich games and activities that are fun, educational, and extremely effective. Instructional sessions are held in-home or virtually.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I started Preschool Readers out slowly, researching teaching methods, developing the curriculum, piloting the reading sessions, and acting as the sole instructor while still teaching full-time.

This gradual and steady approach to building Preschool Readers made the transition much smoother as I was able to work out some of the kinks before making it my full-­time job. It also made it easier for people in my life to be supportive – they saw it was working.

After only one year of working full-time as a kindergarten teacher and part-time at Preschool Readers, I left my classroom job to work at Preschool Readers full-time. Within another year, I started hiring and training new teachers to fill the demand for in-home instruction.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Collaborating with other small business owners has been a successful path for us. Like Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.preschoolreaders.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/preschoolreaders
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086356399222
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-vodola-m-ed-151b0b7b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSfbuvSYVCysS_b9u0aN7yg?view_as=subscriber