When her two young children were old enough to begin their traditional schooling, Laura Sandefer and her husband Jeff were at an inflection point. They didn’t want the traditional path for their kids but they didn’t believe they could do classic homeschooling either. What that left them, was the idea to start a school of their own school and create a radical new way for children to learn. The two launched Acton Academy and it has grown into a collection of one-room schools around the world.

 

It was a big mess to be perfectly honest. We didn't know what we were doing, and we had no grand plan. We didn't have a strategic plan, we didn't have anything, and we definitely did not have a plan that this would expand beyond our own small community.

 

But changing the way children learn is not an easy task, and the style of learning is not for everyone.  And so, despite wanting to change the world for everyone, Laura had to do what all small business owners do — find the right market, learn to identify who to target, and who to let go of, accept rejection and grow slowly and steadily in order to make a lasting impact.

 

Learn more about The Journey at mission.org/thejourney.

The Journey is sponsored by our friends at Salesforce Essentials. We use Salesforce Essentials every day and it’s part of our own business journey. Essentials combines sales and service tools in a single app to help small businesses win customers and keep them happy. See how Salesforce Essentials can help you be your best business at salesforce.com/thejourney.