HELPING FOUNDER-LED EDUCATION SUPPLIERS BUILD PREDICTABLE GROWTH
Selling to schools is unlike selling to any other sector – especially now.
Selling to Schools
Over the last 15 years I have personally sold £10m of business to 7,268 schools across Great Britain, and I’ve never seen it like this.
Selling to schools is unlike selling to any other sector – especially now.
Budgets are tight. Teachers are overloaded. Trust matters enormously. And it’s seasonal. Even excellent companies struggle to get noticed consistently.
I have worked directly with:
primary schools
secondary schools
special schools
academies, maintained schools and independent schools
teachers
senior leaders
bursars
PTAs
I understand how schools buy, what schools value and why many education suppliers fail to gain traction, even when their product is excellent.
I draw on 25 years experience in my own small businesses, a Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship from Cambridge University and my training as an EC Certified Coach to help you think through your situation and choose the best course of action.
I typically work with founder-led small businesses selling to schools who already have a strong offer but want more consistent growth.
If that resonates I think you would be stronger with me alongside you. We should talk!
How I Help
I work with education suppliers who want to:
generate more enquiries
improve conversion rates
sharpen their marketing
increase repeat bookings or sales
make better choices with more confidence
create better systems
reduce overwhelm
grow with more confidence and direction
Many businesses I work with are strong operationally but need to improve their strategy. They work hard, stay busy and still feel stuck.
The issue is not effort. It is clarity, positioning, systems or focus.
Why Work With Me?
There are many business coaches.
Very few have deep, practical experience of the education sector itself.
I do.
I understand:
school buying cycles
termly seasonality
education budgets
MAT structures
the difference between teacher and headteacher psychology
cold outreach to schools
education marketing
rebooking strategies
referrals within the sector
the pressures schools are currently under
I combine commercial thinking, creativity and data driven decision making to help you build a business that works properly.
“Nigel is an outstanding business coach, particularly for entrepreneurs navigating growth and complexity.
He supports me to think strategically and make decisions with greater intention and long-term sustainability in mind. He consistently brings insight to areas I had not previously questioned, helping me step back from day-to-day pressures and view my business more clearly as a whole.
What sets Nigel apart is the balance he strikes between strategic rigour and genuine human support. He is flexible, highly responsive and deeply invested in the work.
After several months of working together, I can clearly see the impact on my confidence, clarity and approach to building a sustainable, values-led business.”
— Kirsty Fox, Education Business Founder (via LinkedIn)Thriving in Schools and the Education Sector
The Schools View
In the state sector funding is the worst it has ever been, teachers feel unloved, overworked and disrespected, young people have more needs than they did in the 2010’s and there's little sign that funding, apart from in specialist areas, will improve.
Schools are cutting previously core services or subjects and reducing staff, and a new compulsory National Curriculum is coming round the corner.
Meanwhile the independent sector feels clobbered by the tax man, so private schools are cutting back too.
The Opportunity
But the sector can also be a rewarding one: if you are the perfect supplier for one school there are thousands of similar customers available to approach, and we know where to find them.
With so much competition for dwindling resources it's important to make sure you are on top of your game.
Teachers and education leaders are working long hours and often have little time to engage with your marketing efforts.
I can ensure that your business thinking is up-to-date - and help you make the right case to be listened to. Tight school budgets often lead to suppliers with narrow margins, so it is all the more important to be sure that you have all the bases covered: the eleven foundation stones that nearly every business needs.
I coach you through a proven marketing and sales system that helps you put the foundations in place first, so that we can move on to build your marketing on solid ground.
Operations
With school-serving businesses so often seasonal the the workload in our businesses can be unbalanced, and range from frantic to quiet. Having owned a seasonal education business I can both sympathise and help!
If you would like a conversation about how we can work together to help take your business to the next level please book a discovery call or virtual coffee with me - for free and with no obligation.
Choose a Time to Talk
A Virtual Coffee
One-to-one | 30 minute Zoom call | Free
A casual coffee and a chat on Zoom - free of course.
Get to know me, or reconnect, or bring a question. All welcome!
One-to-one | 40 minute Zoom call | Free
Who This is For
If you are the founder of a small businesses selling to schools, already have a strong offer and want more consistent growth then this is for you.
What You'll Come Away With
During our conversation we'll discuss your business, how you operate, what works well and what doesn't.
Then we'll look at how I can help, and whether you would feel stronger, make better choices and be more succesful with me on your side.
You'll walk away with a clearer understanding of your current situation and a new sense of hope for the future.
This is a conversation with a purpose - it’s the beginning of leveraging my operational experience working with over 7,000 schools, to help you grow, and to see if we want to work with each other.