The Education Business Podcast

Claire Riley
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The Education Business Podcast is for educational consultants, small education-based business owners, Edtech providers and workshop leaders focused on providing education services to schools, as well as for teachers transitioning to freelancing with an entrepreneurial business idea. Growing and scaling a business that provides a service to schools and education requires a different skillset and inside knowledge to many other entrepreneurial ventures. In this podcast Claire Riley, CEO of Classroom Secrets and host of The Teachers' Podcast, shares what it takes to market and pitch your services to this sector. Find out exactly what headteachers and teachers are looking for, and why building a personal brand matters in your marketing and how you can grow your education business.

  1. Claire Riley: The Season 3 Reflection Episode

    May 25

    Claire Riley: The Season 3 Reflection Episode

    Episode OverviewSeason 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 that genuinely works for your life and family. This episode is both a celebration of the education business community and a motivating reset for founders heading into the next season. Claire also reflects on the realities of entrepreneurship in education, the importance of listening to teachers and schools, and why persistence matters more than perfection. Perfect for tutoring businesses, education founders, school service providers, and anyone building a mission-led business in education. Sponsored by https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/  00:00 – Welcome to the Season 3 Finale 01:00 – Thank You to Guests and Listeners 02:00 – Why Reviews and Sharing Matter 02:45 – Lesson One: Just Start 03:50 – Launching New Products Without Perfection 04:05 – Lesson Two: Keep Going 04:45 – Handling Difficult Business Seasons 05:00 – Finding Your Own Rhythm as a Founder 05:45 – Balancing Business and Family Life 06:10 – The Advantages of Seasonality in Education 06:35 – Build What Teachers and Schools Actually Need 07:00 – Looking Ahead to the New Season 07:20 – How Education Business Club Can Support You Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/educationbusinessclub/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/education.business.club/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    8 min
  2. Steve Whitley: Practical Lessons From 40 Years in Education

    May 18

    Steve Whitley: Practical Lessons From 40 Years in Education

    Episode OverviewThis 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 focuses on how education businesses can grow sustainably while staying grounded in the realities schools face today. Steve also explains why empathy matters more than traditional sales tactics in education and why understanding the end user is critical.   00:01:00 – Steve’s journey into education and EdTech 00:04:20 – Why education sales are different 00:09:55 – Managing long sales cycles in schools 00:12:05 – Are exhibitions and BETT worth it? 00:19:40 – How to spend a small marketing budget 00:23:40 – Email marketing and database strategy 00:27:50 – How MATs are changing school buying 00:31:10 – Why the student is still the real end user 00:32:10 – The pressures schools are facing right now 00:35:05 – Final reflections on supporting schools   All About Steve:Steve Whitley: A Seasoned Technology LeaderWith over 40 years of experience in the EdTech industry, Steve has a deep-rooted understanding of the global education technology landscape. Starting his career in a local education authority, he transitioned to commercial roles, where he successfully sold technology products to governments, schools and institutions worldwide.As a key leader in a prominent EdTech company for over 26 years, Steve oversaw worldwide sales, marketing, and development teams. The company's innovative STEM education products are used by K-12 students across the globe.EdTech Consulting: Tailored Solutions for SuccessLeveraging his extensive experience, Steve founded EdTech Consulting. The company offers a range of services designed to help technology companies thrive and grow, including:• Go to market strategy development • Executive mentoring and support• Sales and marketing training • Project managementhttps://edtechconsulting.co.uk VolunteeringDiscovery Educational TrustDiscovery Educational Trust is a Multi Academy Trust, based in South Essex and currently comprising five schools. As vice-chair of trustees, Steve is actively involved in all aspects of governance of the schools in the trust. In addition to being vice-chair of the main trust board, he also sits on the Audit & Risk and Finance & Resources committees and is the chair the Human Resources committee.https://www.discoveryeducationaltrust.co.uk Education Research & Development Institute (ERDI)Based in Chicago USA, ERDI work to create a rich and meaningful forum for education leaders and solution providers to collaboratively discuss, design, and shape the products and services, that support K-12 education. As an expert network volunteer, Steve participates in ERDI events where he offers guidance, support, and mentorship to solution providers seeking to understand and launch into new international markets.https://www.erdius.org AI in EducationSteve is a member of the EdTech panel, guiding and supporting AI In Educations mission to ensure that every learner and educator in every school and college, is ready for an AI-powered future - one that nurtures not just knowledge and skills, but well-being, agency, creativity and lifelong adaptability.https://www.ai-in-education.co.uk Website: https://edtechconsulting.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenwhitley See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    32 min
  3. Phil Robinson: From Military Leadership to Education Innovation

    May 11

    Phil Robinson: From Military Leadership to Education Innovation

    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 the operational gaps that still exist around student support and communication. The episode explores leadership, trust, systems, scaling, networking in education, and the financial realities of launching an edtech company without major backing. Phil also reflects on what founders often underestimate when entering the education sector, including time, trust, visibility, and the challenge of simply getting people to engage with a new product.   00:01:00 – Phil’s career journey from engineering to the Army 00:03:35 – Moving into education and discovering the problem 00:05:00 – Why Phil founded Tide Education 00:08:00 – Similarities between military leadership and schools 00:12:10 – What founders should do first with an idea 00:16:20 – Why networking matters in education 00:17:05 – The realities of funding and marketing an edtech startup 00:22:05 – The hardest part of building Tide Education 00:27:15 – Scaling, automation and reducing barriers for schools 00:29:25 – Final reflections on building an education business All About Phil:Philip Robinson is a dad, technologist and veteran with a background spanning defence, UK Government and education. A former Major in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Philip served for 16 years, culminating in leading mission-critical IT system in Afghanistan.On retiring he worked in central government leading IT programmes and portfolios for a number of years before moving into education as Head of Business Intelligence in a medium-sized Multi-Academy Trust. Here he brought together fragmented information to create 360-degree views of students, enabling better insight, coordination, and outcomes across schools and trust.Philip is the founder of Tide Education, a real-time inclusion support platform for teachers, providing one view, one timeline, and one shared understanding of each child’s support journey.Website: www.tide.educationLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-robinson-22ba9a30/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 min
  4. Sarah Marsh: The Accidental Founder: Building an Education Franchise

    May 4

    Sarah Marsh: The Accidental Founder: Building an Education Franchise

    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, and the operational pressure of running a small business. It also looks ahead to long-term thinking, including succession, flexibility, and what “retirement” really means for founders.   00:01:00 – Sarah’s accidental path into business 00:03:30 – Leaving a franchise and starting from scratch 00:05:00 – Building a family-run franchise model 00:07:45 – Where franchisors get it wrong 00:11:30 – What makes a great franchisee 00:19:30 – Online tutoring and building Study Central 00:24:30 – Rethinking retirement as a founder 00:32:00 – The reality of small business pressure 00:36:00 – Why outsourcing matters more than hiring 00:39:30 – Final advice: you are not alone   All About Sarah:Sarah always wanted to run her own business, a passion that began in her teenage years and continues to shape her career today. She is part of the family behind MagiKats Tutoring, a company that delivers small group tuition through a network of franchised Tuition Centres across the UK and internationally. Alongside this, she supports private tutors through the Study Central subscription.While tutoring itself isn’t her focus, Sarah is most passionate about helping educators grow and succeed in building their own businesses, so that they, in turn, can help the next generation achieve their full potential.. Outside of work, she sings professionally and enjoys keeping active with the gym, as well as spending time on coffee outings and dog walks. Website: https://www.studycentral.info/ and https://www.magikats.co.uk/ Instagram: @sarahmagikats LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-marsh-51227523/ TikTok: @sarah.magikats Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011448608582 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
  5. Katie Stone: From Teacher Burnout to Scalable Business

    Apr 27

    Katie Stone: From Teacher Burnout to Scalable Business

    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 yourself to building processes that allow your business to run without you.   00:02:00 - Leaving teaching under pressure 00:05:00 - Starting a business with £500 00:07:00 - Why remote work changed everything 00:14:00 - The mindset shift required to outsource 00:15:00 - Control vs growth: the turning point 00:17:00 - Building simple processes that scale 00:22:00 - What to hand off first in your business 00:28:00 - Why systems matter early   All About Katie: Katie Stone is the founder of Elevated Support Ltd, a virtual assistant agency that helps education businesses grow by taking admin off their plate. A former teacher turned entrepreneur, Katie is passionate about helping education businesses to find more time for the work that matters.Since 2020 she has built an award-winning team of ex-educators and specialists who streamline systems, set up automation, manage email marketing and handle day-to-day operations. When she's not digging her clients out of spaghetti like tangles of admin, she can be found in South Shropshire gaming, watching and much TV as possible and hanging out with her husband and two lovely kids.Website: https://katiestonepa.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestonepa/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatedsupportltd See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    32 min
  6. Simon Hunt: Why Credibility Matters More Than Followers

    Apr 20

    Simon Hunt: Why Credibility Matters More Than Followers

    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 teachers, why authenticity matters, and how educators can create opportunities without chasing them. For education founders, it offers a clear perspective on working with teachers effectively. For teachers, it shows a realistic path into building influence and income without losing integrity.   00:00 – Introduction 02:00 – Why Simon Became a Teacher 04:30 – Starting to Share Online 06:30 – The Shift to Business Thinking 12:30 – Understanding Your Value 17:30 – Monetisation and Credibility 19:30 – The Role of Trust in Schools 23:00 – Getting Started in 30 Days 26:30 – What Brands Get Wrong 29:00 – Working with Small vs Big Companies 31:30 – What Education Businesses Need to Know   All About Simon: Simon Hunt is a primary school teacher, education consultant, author, and content creator with 17 years of experience across a range of settings. He began his teaching career in Reception before teaching in Year 6 and now teaches a mixed Year 3/4 class at Tottington Primary School in Bury.Alongside his classroom role, Simon is a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) for Bury, supporting schools to develop creative, inclusive, and effective teaching practices. He works with schools across the UK to deliver CPD, share innovative approaches to learning, and help teachers feel confident and inspired in their practice.Simon has worked as an education consultant with the BBC on the 500 Words writing competition for the past three years and has collaborated with organisations including Netflix on projects linked to the Blackfish documentary. He is also a published children’s author and has worked with a range of education and EdTech organisations across the UK and Europe to develop meaningful, classroom-focused resources. He was also named Inspirational Teacher of the Year by the Manchester Evening News.Known online as Mr Hunt from the Front, Simon shares practical ideas, classroom strategies, and creative approaches to teaching with a wide audience of educators. His work is driven by a passion for making learning engaging, inclusive, and memorable for all children.Website: https://www.mrhuntfromthefront.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrhuntfromthefrontInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrhuntfromthefront/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-hunt-b0a442161/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrhuntfromthefront   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 min
  7. Matthew Henshall: Scaling by Subtraction: Building a Net Positive Business

    Apr 13

    Matthew Henshall: Scaling by Subtraction: Building a Net Positive Business

    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 thinking on focus, strategy, and saying no A realistic take on “net positive” success beyond revenue   00:00:00 – The core principle: scaling through subtraction 00:01:00 – Matthew’s journey into tutoring and edtech 00:03:00 – The accidental start of Lessonspace 00:05:00 – Early traction vs real product-market fit 00:07:00 – Customer-led growth 00:08:00 – COVID: luck, timing, and rapid growth 00:10:00 – Post-COVID strategy and saying no 00:12:00 – Focus as a growth strategy 00:13:00 – Building and scaling a team 00:16:00 – The personal cost of building a business 00:17:00 – Defining “net positive” 00:22:00 – Sustainability vs impact in education 00:26:00 – Final lesson: subtract to scale   All About Matthew:Matthew is the founder of Lessonspace, a Zoom alternative to conduct your online tutoring. Website: thelessonspace.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lessonspace/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 min
  8. Jen Elliott: An Operator’s Guide to Scaling and Exiting an Education Business

    Apr 6

    Jen Elliott: An Operator’s Guide to Scaling and Exiting an Education Business

    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 is about building something that works beyond the founder. That means strong leadership layers, clear accountability, and a business model that can stand on its own.   00:01:00 – Jen’s journey into education business 00:04:00 – Purpose and working in schools 00:06:00 – Leaving and returning with clarity 00:07:00 – Ownership and mindset shift 00:11:00 – Preparing a business for sale 00:13:00 – Systems, metrics and scalability 00:15:00 – What buyers are really investing in 00:17:00 – Succession planning explained 00:22:00 – Hiring and developing leaders 00:25:00 – Culture and people strategy 00:28:00 – Staying relevant in education 00:29:00 – Relationships and long-term growth   All About Jen:Jen Elliott is CEO of EPM Ltd, a leading provider of HR and payroll services supporting over 2,000 schools and trusts across the UK. With more than 30 years of experience, EPM partners with school and academy leaders to navigate complex staffing and employee relations challenges, delivering technology-enabled solutions across HR, payroll, pensions, safeguarding, compliance, and consultancy. Having worked in the business since 1996 Jen was appointed as EPM CEO in 2017. She has worked with many schools and some of the UK’s largest MATs over the last 30 years, supporting academy leaders with complex staffing and employee relations issues. In 2025, Jen founded the Network of Education Excellence (nEdEx), designed to bring together education leaders to share insight, drive innovation and strengthen sector collaboration. She also Chaired the Board of CF Group, an organisation dedicated to supporting young people through Alternative Provision, children’s homes, and independent social work services, leading the organisation through to its sale in 2025. Outside Education Jen is on the Advisory Board of www.eightfourtwo.co.uk, a financial investment business. Jen is passionate about supporting young people with their careers and providing development opportunities for students to support with the transition from school to business. Website: www.epm.co.ukLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-elliott-b1187023 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 min
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The Education Business Podcast is for educational consultants, small education-based business owners, Edtech providers and workshop leaders focused on providing education services to schools, as well as for teachers transitioning to freelancing with an entrepreneurial business idea. Growing and scaling a business that provides a service to schools and education requires a different skillset and inside knowledge to many other entrepreneurial ventures. In this podcast Claire Riley, CEO of Classroom Secrets and host of The Teachers' Podcast, shares what it takes to market and pitch your services to this sector. Find out exactly what headteachers and teachers are looking for, and why building a personal brand matters in your marketing and how you can grow your education business.

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