The Education Business Podcast

Episode Overview Season 3 of the Education Business Podcast closes with a reflective and practical solo episode from Claire Riley. After interviewing more than 50 education entrepreneurs, Claire shares the biggest lessons and recurring themes that emerged throughout the season — from starting before you feel ready, to staying resilient when business feels hard, to creating a business rhythm...

Episode Overview This episode explores what makes selling into education fundamentally different from other sectors. Steve Whitley shares four decades of experience across EdTech, international education markets, and consultancy, offering practical insight into long sales cycles, trust-based selling, exhibitions, MAT buying structures, and the financial realities facing schools. The conversation f...

Episode Overview Phil Robinson shares the unconventional journey that led him from military service and central government IT programmes into education and eventually founding Tide Education. In this conversation, Phil talks openly about the realities of building an education business from scratch. He explains how his experience working inside schools revealed both the pressure teachers face and t...

Episode Overview Sarah shares how she built a tutoring franchise from an “accidental” start into a long-term business. The conversation explores franchising from both sides, decision-making under uncertainty, and what actually drives sustainable growth in education businesses. The discussion focuses on practical realities: communication failures, hiring decisions, scaling challenges, a...

Episode Overview Katie Stone shares the transition from teaching to building a scalable virtual assistant business. The conversation focuses on the realities of leaving teaching, the mindset barriers that stop founders from outsourcing, and the practical systems required to grow beyond a one-person operation. This episode is grounded in operational clarity: how to move from doing everything yourse...

Episode Overview This episode explores how a classroom teacher built opportunities beyond school without leaving it. Simon shares how he moved from simply posting ideas online to working with global education brands, while staying grounded in teaching. The conversation focuses on value, credibility, and the tension between education and business. It unpacks what companies actually need from teache...

Episode overview: This episode explores what actually drives sustainable growth in an education business. Matthew breaks down why focus beats expansion, how luck shapes outcomes more than we admit, and why long-term success comes from subtraction, not addition.  Listeners will get: A clear lens on product-market fit vs early traction A grounded view on growth during and after COVID Practical...

Episode Overview This episode explores what it really takes to build a scalable education business. Jen shares lessons from three decades in one organisation, including leadership, succession planning, and preparing for exit. The conversation focuses on the shift from founder-led to system-led businesses. It challenges common assumptions about growth, value, and control. At its core, this episode...

Episode Overview Entrepreneurship often looks glamorous from the outside. Fundraising announcements. Revenue milestones. Big exits. But the reality is much simpler. In this episode, Kate Bodrova shares her journey from selling private English lessons as a university student to building a language school and founding an education technology company. The conversation explores what really drives foun...

Episode Overview  Parita Patel spent nearly two decades in education before building a tutoring business almost by accident. What began as a stop-gap after leaving full-time teaching is now a growing education company supporting students from primary through A-levels. In this episode, Parita shares how illness forced her to pause and rethink everything. That period became a turning point, sha...

Episode Overview In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley speaks with education consultant Shane Leaning about the journey from classroom teacher to running an education consultancy. Shane began his career teaching in the UK before moving into international schools and senior leadership roles in China. After running professional development across schools in Asia, he noticed...

Episode Overview In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire speaks with former head teacher and chair of governors Craig McKee about his journey from school leadership to building a portfolio of successful education tools. Craig shares how stepping away from headship in 2021 led him to experiment with building simple online solutions for schools — starting with safeguarding tr...

Episode Overview In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley speaks with education founder Kate Wadsworth about her journey from classroom teacher to launching What If Education. Kate shares the moment she realised the education system was pulling her away from the values that first inspired her to teach, and why she made the bold decision to leave the classroom without a...

In this episode of the Education Business Podcast , Claire Riley sits down with Matthew Curnier — founder of Capital Tuition Group and Tutor Onboarder — to explore the winding road from marine biologist to multi-company education entrepreneur. Matthew shares how the National Tutoring Programme exposed critical compliance gaps in the tutoring sector and sparked the creation of Tutor Onb...

Overview In this episode of The Education Business Podcast , Claire Riley is joined by Matt Wilkinson, founder of Restart Tuition. Matt shares his journey from FE lecturer to business owner, the reality of building a tutoring company, and the mindset shifts required to grow sustainably. They explore how to move from “doing everything” to focusing on the right clients, why undercharging...

What really happens when a teacher leaves the classroom and builds an education business? In this episode, Claire Riley is joined by John Nichols , President of The Tutors’ Association and founder of an international education consultancy, to unpack the uncomfortable truths about teaching, tutoring, and entrepreneurship in education. John shares his unconventional journey from Teach First sc...

Podcast Overview What happens when a teacher starts questioning the relevance of what’s being taught — and decides to do something about it? In this episode of the Education Business Podcast , host Claire Riley is joined by Darren Norman , founder of Headline Maths , who shares his journey from a 17-year teaching career to building an education business rooted in real-world relevance....

Overview In this episode of  The Education Business Podcast , host Claire Riley speaks with education consultant Aidan Severs about his journey from classroom teacher and school leader to running his own education business. Aidan shares how blogging, leadership roles, and consultancy work helped him find his niche, as well as the personal and professional challenges that shaped his decision t...

In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire is joined by Lisa Haycox, Chief Executive Officer of Explore Learning. Appointed CEO in April 2025, Lisa has grown with the organisation for more than two decades, joining in 2002 as a tutor and progressing through senior leadership roles across operations, product, and strategy. Most recently, as Chief Operating Officer, she led Explore Le...

Episode Overview In this episode, Claire Riley is joined by Ian Hunter , founder of Lyme Education Consulting, to explore how education businesses can successfully expand into international markets . With over 27 years in edtech and global education, Ian shares practical insights on trust, localisation, market research, and common mistakes to avoid when going global. All About Ian: Ian has worked...

Navigating the EdTech Landscape: Insights from Multiple Ventures In this episode, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, talks with Joshua, a seasoned entrepreneur in the education sector. Joshua shares his journey from children's publishing to running multiple education businesses, including Smartgrade and Carousel. He highlights key lessons learned, such as the importance of understandin...

The Importance of Context in Leading Your Education Business In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, discusses the pivotal role of providing context to your team members in an education business. She explains how context helps improve team efficiency and outcomes, sharing insights from her own experience and interactions with other educatio...

Building Multiple Educational Content Brands In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, hosted by Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, guest Matt Dix shares his journey from a primary school teacher to a thriving education business owner. Matt, who runs several education brands including Manic Street Teachers, Musician of the Month, and the Fluency Factory, discusses his transiti...

Unsticking Your Education Business: Future Planning and Growth Strategies In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley, co-founder of Classroom Secrets, addresses common challenges faced by founders and business owners in the education sector.  Focusing on the theme of feeling stuck in business, Claire discusses the importance of setting new goals, envisioning long-term suc...

Navigating Growth in an Education Business: Insights from Classroom Secrets' co-founder In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley and Ed delve into the journey of building their education business, Classroom Secrets. Claire, a former teacher, and Ed, who transitioned from an IT role in a large non-profit, discuss the unique challenges and strategies they faced. They highlight...