From Chaos to Clarity: How One Founder Rebuilt His Education Business from the Ground Up to Revenue Up
- Alvin Onyemere
- Apr 19
- 5 min read
The Founder’s Fog: Why Vision Alone Isn’t Enough to Grow
I’ve worked with a lot of education founders. And I can tell you this—most aren’t short on vision.
They know what they’re building. They believe in the mission. They can see exactly how their product will change learning for the better.
But somewhere between idea and execution, things get foggy.
That was Nick Farrenkopf, founder of Wibly. He wasn’t guessing at the problem—he’d lived it firsthand as a tutor. He understood the gaps in how students process and retain information. And he built a platform that could change that.
But after months of building, launching, and doing everything “right,” Nick hit the wall every founder dreads:
“I had the product. I had the belief. But I didn’t have traction.”
He was showing up. Posting. Talking to users.But nothing was moving.
No clear system. No messaging that clicked. No reliable path from demo to deal.
This is the moment I call the Founder’s Fog—where your belief is still burning, but the path ahead looks like guesswork. And if you stay there too long?You burn out.
The DIY Trap: How Piecing Together Free Advice Slows You Down
Nick did what most early-stage founders do—he tried to figure it out himself.
YouTube videos. Blog articles. Cold outreach.He consumed everything he could on how to market, pitch, and sell.
But the problem?He was building a house with 1,000 blueprints.
“I was trying to learn from everywhere. But nothing connected. I didn’t know what step came next. I just kept asking myself… now what?”
And that’s the trap.
The DIY approach feels productive because you're moving.But that movement? It’s scattered. And scattered effort doesn’t build traction.
Education founders like Nick end up duct-taping strategies together from a dozen sources. One says cold email. One says webinars. One says post on LinkedIn every day.
None of it sticks—because none of it’s built around your product, your market, or your stage of growth.
And worst of all?You lose time.
Nick didn’t need more tactics.He needed a system that made the right move obvious—and repeatable.
The Power of Cohort-Based Learning (And Why Solo Isn’t Sustainable)
Here’s what no one tells you when you’re building an education company:Being the smartest person in the room won’t help if you’re in the wrong room.
Nick had been grinding solo—learning from blogs, bouncing between ideas, second-guessing every outreach message. But when he stepped into the EdSales Elevation Experience cohort, things started clicking.
Not because someone handed him the magic script.But because he was finally surrounded by people asking the same questions he was—and solving them in real time.
“The feedback from other education founders helped me see what I couldn’t.
They weren’t just cheering me on—they were challenging me to get sharper.”
Cohort-based learning works because it compresses the feedback loop.You’re not waiting for results to see if something worked—you’re iterating faster because you’ve got smart people in your corner who’ve been there too.
More clarity. More confidence. Less guesswork.
Education founders think they need more content.What they actually need is community—the kind that gives you honest input, not just “likes.”
Nick stopped building in isolation.And when he did, his business started moving forward—with way less friction.
From 40-Minute Rambles to 1-Slide Clarity: The Signature Solution Breakthrough
When Nick joined the cohort, his product made sense in his head.But every time he tried to explain it?
He talked for 40 minutes... and still didn’t get the deal.
Sound familiar?
Most founders oversell—not because they’re pushy, but because they’re not clear.They feel like they have to explain everything to prove the value.
But here's the truth:If your offer needs a TED Talk to make sense, it’s not ready to sell.
Inside the EdSales Elevation Experience, we introduced Nick to the Signature Solution framework—a simple, visual way to map out your offer so buyers get it within 60 seconds.
“Once I put it into a one-slide visual, the reaction was completely different. People leaned in. They asked better questions. It felt like a real conversation—not a pitch.”
His demos got shorter. His calls felt smoother.And more importantly—he stopped overselling and started creating clarity.
Because clarity builds confidence.And confidence builds contracts.
If you’re still talking in circles trying to get people to “understand” your product—what you need isn’t a better pitch.You need a clearer one.
Confidence Isn’t a Buzzword—It’s a Sales Strategy
Most education founders treat confidence like something you either have or don’t.But in sales? Confidence is the byproduct of doing the right things, the right way, consistently.
Nick didn’t suddenly become more charismatic.He became more clear. More structured. More intentional.
“Before, every ‘no’ felt like a rejection of me. Now, I see it as a signal—what do I need to adjust?”
That’s the shift.
When you know your messaging is tight...When you’ve tested your Signature Solution...When you’ve practiced real conversations in a supportive community...
Confidence stops being hype—and starts being a sales multiplier.
Because when buyers feel your confidence, they borrow it.They trust your process.They follow your lead.
That’s why we say:Confidence = Clarity + Consistency + Community
And Nick found all three—just not on Google.
LinkedIn as a Credibility Engine
Here’s the part that surprised even Nick—When he got clear on what he offered, his LinkedIn started working without trying to “go viral.”
No fancy content calendar. No endless commenting.Just a profile that finally made sense to the people who mattered.
“Once I clarified my Signature Solution, I started getting messages out of nowhere—from the right people.”
Because when your message is clear, credibility compounds.
Your profile becomes a handshake.Your posts start conversations.And your comments build trust without sounding like a pitch.
Most education founders treat LinkedIn like a megaphone.But Nick used it like a credibility engine—quiet, focused, and powerful.
And it paid off.
You don’t need to “beat the algorithm.”You need to tell the right story to the right audience… and do it with consistency.
A System That Scales With You (Not Just Your Product)
Here’s what finally changed everything for Nick:He stopped optimizing for the next sale—and started building for the next stage.
A lot of founders treat every sales call like a sprint.They’re chasing the win, scrambling to explain, and hoping the close works out.
But Nick stepped back and built a system.One that didn’t just help him sell today—but gave him a roadmap to sell smarter tomorrow.
“It wasn’t just that I learned what to say. I learned how to repeat it. I built something I could improve, not just survive.”
That’s the unlock.
Education founders don’t burn out because they care too much.They burn out because they’re guessing too often—and reacting instead of preparing.
Now, Nick has:
A clear Signature Solution that anchors every conversation
A pitch structure that lets him adjust, not reinvent
A system that grows with him, not against him
And that’s the difference between traction and treadmill.
If you’re stuck rebuilding your pitch every week, this is your reminder:It’s not just about selling now.It’s about building something that lets you sell better—again and again.
🎧 Want the Whole Framework?
If you’ve ever walked away from a sales call wondering what just happened...If your pitch changes every time you say it out loud...If your calendar’s full but your pipeline’s dry...
You're not alone.
Nick was there too.And the shift didn’t come from working harder.It came from stepping back, getting structured, and finally seeing the system behind sales.
That’s what we unpack—start to finish—in this episode of Breaking the Grade.
→ Listen now and go from “Now what?” to “I’ve got this.”
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Because clarity doesn’t just help you sell.
It helps you build.
