What happens when a mom who is school-based psychologist has a visionary education idea? An entrepreneur is born!
Supporting Mission Driven Entrepreneurship
Dr. Karyn Ewart didn’t start The Sycamore School because she sat long and hard trying to conceive the next big business idea. The idea was born of her professional experience and watching teens in her community grapple with levels of stress, substance abuse, and burnout – all caused by school!
When Arlington Strategy’s engagement began with The Sycamore School in early 2016, the brand was new and apart from a logo, this nonprofit organization had no collateral, no messaging, and was just starting to flush out a business plan and build a board.
It is very exciting for our team to get to work with entrepreneurs from this early stage of business development, and even more exciting because The Sycamore School is a nonprofit organization providing a gap in education.
Bring in the Experts
It is critical for entrepreneurs to know their skills and fill in the gaps with professionals. The Sycamore School moved from concept to reality because the Founder and her team leveraged experts for those areas where they were not (marketing, IT, real estate, financing and fundraising.)
Arlington Strategy provided market research, communications and outreach strategy and ongoing marketing implementation during the start-up and launch phase. And as the school hired its administrative staff, we were on hand to provide training, transition planning, and continue to provide strategic support to make sure that the school can leverage the momentum gained so far into year two.
Messaging, Branding & Advertising
Arlington Strategy worked with The Sycamore School to articulate and refine their messaging; to be able to share their vision with the community. We provided advisory support through a website project; we created print collateral and a webinar; we created and implemented comprehensive social media, digital and print advertising campaigns and event strategy.
The Result
Fast forward 18 months, and The Sycamore School is no longer an idea, it is a physical school with staff, a Board of Directors, and an inaugural class of students. The team at Arlington Strategy is particularly proud of the accomplishments thus far for The Sycamore School. Founding anything is a challenge. Entrepreneurship is tough even for seasoned business owners. Founding a nonprofit school, in an area filled with high achieving schools, is a whole new level of gutsy.
Learn more about The Sycamore School on their website.