Writing this first blog post feels a bit like writing a dating profile. There’s all this pressure to come up with a charming witty way of introducing myself and my startup, in the hopes that you’ll be intrigued enough to read more, but I also don’t want to set up unrealistic expectations for my future posts. So instead, I’ve decided to just dispense with the basics and tell you how I came to be writing this post.

I’m Betty (hi!) and I’m one of the co-founders of ProfessorWord. There are many entrepreneurs who can claim that “they’ve always known they would start their own business,” but I am not one of them. I didn’t run a lemonade stand as a kid or launch an app while in college. In fact, my career path has been decidedly conventional up until now: I was an English teacher, a master’s student studying education policy, a school district consultant, and most recently, an MBA student.

I had never really entertained the idea of starting my own business. So what changed?

Basically, a PASSION + an IDEA. I have always had a passion for reading, for learning new words, and for helping others do the same. I also had a co-founder who shared these interests. And one day, we came up with an idea for how we could use technology to create an easier and more effective way for students to learn vocabulary as they read online. Filled with excitement, and a fair amount of trepidation, we decided to embark on the startup life and create ProfessorWord.

So why am I sharing this with you?

Because I want to be honest about what you can expect from my blog posts. I’m a first-time entrepreneur who is building the airplane as she’s flying it, as one of my mentors would say. I have learned a lot on my journey so far, but there is still a lot that I don’t know. And, of course, the biggest unknown is whether my entrepreneurial journey with ProfessorWord will end up being a success or a cautionary tale.

But I am extremely passionate about what we’re trying to accomplish and I’m excited to learn and grow over the next year, and to share our experience with all of you. I hope that you will join me, and my fellow bloggers Benjamin and Will, as we share the ups and downs (fingers crossed that there will be more ups than downs!) of the startup life.

Until next time,

 

Have questions or feedback? Comment below or let me know on Twitter @professorword!

 

---

Photo Credit: Flickr user ecooper99