The Business of College Consulting

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Colleen Reed, founder of American College Consulting, shares her journey from high school teacher to successful college consultant specializing in helping Canadian students attend American universities. Her thriving family business now includes her husband, daughter, and several specialized consultants who collectively serve students across Canada. • I...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Margaret Baudinet shares her journey from college consultant to CEO of College Solutions, balancing business growth while raising quintuplets and building a thriving consulting practice with specialized services and a team of seven counselors. Margaret shares her journey: • Purchasing College Solutions from founder Larry Dannenberg in July 2020 during...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Kim Derrick shares her unconventional model- a high-volume college consultant, revealing how she helps more students with fewer one-on-one meetings while maintaining exceptional results and strong relationships. Kim shares how she: • Started as a volunteer in school settings, including 15 years with Georgia Tech's Stamps President Scholars Program...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Sylvia Borgo, owner of DJ Educational Consulting, shares her journey from classroom teacher to successful college consultant and explains how she maintains a small, intentional practice that prioritizes deep student connections. She offers practical advice about the power of organization, time management, and professional collaboration in building a su...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Aubrey Groves shares her journey from Chinese language teacher to joining her mother's college consulting business, Davis Groves Educational Services, and how they've built a thriving practice focused on creating work-life balance for working parents. • Joining her mother's college consulting business after teaching Chinese for six years...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Stephanie Mead shares her journey as an "accidental entrepreneur" who built a successful college consulting business by trusting her instincts over conventional business wisdom. Her experience demonstrates that personal authenticity can be the strongest foundation for business success. • Started as a test prep tutor while pursuing an acting c...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Lisa Hillhouse shares her journey from Air Force officer to successful independent educational consultant, highlighting how she built a thriving college consulting business with a military specialty focus. Lisa shares how she: • Leveraged background in Air Force admissions to create a specialty in military academy and ROTC applications • Established st...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Mark Scalaro, CEO of IECA for over 30 years, shares his unique perspective on the business of college consulting and how the industry has transformed from an avocation into a respected profession. His insights cover the evolution from a field where consultants were openly booed at conferences to today's professional landscape with recognized stand...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! You can't miss this episode with Chris Andersson, former Director of Admissions at NYU's Tisch School and founder of Nothing But Drama. In our latest episode, Chris recounts his move from academia to entrepreneurship, sharing the highs and lows of his journey. Chris highlights the collaborative spirit among college consultants and the ethical...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Stef Mauler, founder of the Mauler Institute, shares her story of her early days as a Canadian navigating U.S. college applications to becoming a Harvard MBA graduate and launching her own thriving college consulting business,  Stef discusses her strategic growth and the pivotal decision to hire writing coaches. Her business acumen shi...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! ChatGPT In this interview, Lisa Bleich discusses her initial steps in marketing her services, relying heavily on word of mouth and personal connections. As her business grew, she recognized the need for systematizing processes and hiring a team to handle various aspects of client work, particularly essay writing.  Lisa emphasizes the importance of find...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Joan Koven,  culinary connoisseur turned college consultant, dishes out her recipe for success, from her bold leap into a new field to her savvy networking that seasoned her burgeoning career.  In the heart of our discussion, Joan shares her innovative hiring practices, switching from Craigslist to Indeed to concoct the perfect team. Plus, sneak a peek...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Have you ever felt the thrill of discovering your true passion after taking an unexpected turn in your career path?  Jess Shermack of Virtual College Counselors, shares her entrepreneurship journey, emphasizing the pivotal role of support networks and the courage required to transition from a full-time job to the uncertainties of running a start-up. Sh...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Join Brooke Daly and special guest Chris Bell from Bell College Consulting as they dive deep into the benefits of staying solo versus growing a team. Chris shares a wealth of experiences from his career transitions to humorous marketing mishaps, and offers candid insights into establishing a client base.  Chris shares wisdom on prioritizing well-being...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Brooke talks with Liz Murphy, the founder of Liz Murphy College Advising and the creator of the "IEC's Growing Our Business" Facebook group. Liz shares her journey in business growth from starting as a part-time consultant and transitioning to full-time. She discusses her unique business model, which includes part-time c...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this podcast episode, Brooke interviews Ibrahim Firat, owner of Firat Education and current president of IECA. Ibrahim discusses how he started a part-time tutoring business and expanded it into a full-time educational consulting practice. He emphasizes the importance of association membership, hiring, and how your role morphs as a business owner wh...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Brooke interviews Scott Hamilton. Scott is a past president of the Higher Education Consultants Association and the owner of Future Stars College Counseling.  Scott shares his journey into the college consulting business, how he transitioned from working with students in their homes to having an office, and how he expanded his team of...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In the final episode of the season, Brooke chats with Leah Beasley about her family history of working in admissions, and her journey from being a tour guide to working to admissions to starting her own business as a college consultant. 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode of The Business of College Consulting, IEC Hanna Stotland shares her story of how her own college admission experience, including being admitted to Harvard with a G.E.D, shaped her crisis management IEC practice. Hanna also shares insight and perspective on charging what you're worth. 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Brooke chats with Zach Galin, Founder of Galin Education, a test prep, tutoring, and college consulting business based in Madison, WI. Zach gives great advice for marketing in the early years of your business and how to grow a sellable business.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode of The Business of College Consulting podcast, Jennie Kent and Jeff Levy, superstars of the college consulting industry, share their paths from the writing and television industry to college consulting. They share the struggles of the early years of business growth, how they overcame them, and why they eventually joined forces (and busi...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! Melanie Talesnick, Founder of AdmitU Consulting, shares her best marketing tips in this episode of The Business of College Consulting. Melanie was a double major in Marketing and Management at the University of Delaware. She worked with professional athletes before starting her business, giving her a unique perspective on working with teenagers.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, Lisa and Bob share the story of how Lisa started and grew College MatchPoint as a solopreneur, allowing Bob to leave his corporate job to jump on board, and how together they built a thriving college consulting business and team.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! In this episode, I chat with Jen McKenzie about the growth of Milestone College Prep in Boca Raton, FL. Jen will share the marketing strategies she used to grow Milestone, how she went from solopreneur to a team of 22, and how she strengthens her connections with students.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Click here! From politics to college admission: Evelyn shares how she went from political campaign manager to starting Magellan College Counseling, including how she overcame imposter syndrome (hint- it involves the UCLA College Counseling program and a lot of college tours!) to grow her business to a team of 18!