I often get asked about starting a college counseling business, or being an entrepreneur in general. I wanted to write a post answering the most common questions I get!
How do you become a college counselor?
There is no formal process or licensing authority for college counseling. The first requirement is to be passionate about college admissions and willing to spend a lot of time independently teaching yourself about the field.
There are some certificate programs offered by colleges such as UC San Diego, UCLA, and UC Irvine. I personally completed UC San Diego’s program. These certificates include education about college choice theory, counseling different types of students, and starting and maintaining your own Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) business.
Many college counselors join professional organizations such as the Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA), National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA).
How do you find clients?
Many college counselors rely on word of mouth and referrals. I personally use social media (primarily TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest) to reach potential clients.
What are the startup costs?
You can start a college counseling business with very little money. Necessary expenses might be a website and business license, but compared to other businesses it requires virtually no money.
What should you do first when starting a college counseling business?
It’s the same as starting any other service-based business: you need to narrow down your niche, put together an offer/list of services, decide on pricing, and create a marketing plan.
Why did you want to become a college counselor?
So first of all, I have been obsessed with college for years. In high school, I would put off my homework to research colleges. My high school only had 2 guidance counselors for 1600 students, so the counselors had very little time to offer help on college applications. Some parents started a volunteer-run College & Career Center, and each year they trained seniors to be Student Ambassadors and help their peers with college apps. I was a Student Ambassador and LOVED it. I spent almost every study hall in the library helping coordinate college visits or teaching someone how to use the Common App.
Both of my parents have college degrees, and so I knew a lot about the college admissions process going in (plus all the research I had done throughout high school). As I helped other people, I realized not everyone comes into their senior year with that kind of knowledge. The college admissions process is not equally accessible to everyone, and I wanted to do what I could to spread the information.
Throughout undergrad, I helped some younger friends with their college applications, and after I graduated I started offering services as sort of a freelancer. In February 2020 I decided I wanted to go full-time and officially start my own business.
Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
I think the most important thing I can say is to listen to yourself and your target audience above all else. There are a lot of books and Instagram business coaches that might have very helpful information, but what works for one' person’s business will not necessarily work for another’s. My goal is not to get the highest-paying clients or have 100k followers, so not all entrepreneurship advice works for me.
You will be successful if you listen to your target audience and fill a need. I saw a need for affordable college application help, so that is what I am trying to provide. I talk to high schoolers and their families all the time about their experiences with college applications, whether or not they’re my client. I made $1300 in one weekend from one product by identifying a need and filling it.
My other piece of advice would be to connect with other entrepreneurs. I was only 23 when I started my business, and was the only person in my friend group trying to be an entrepreneur. The first six months were really hard because I felt like no one understood what I was going through or they didn’t fully believe that I could do it. Connecting with other people who were in the same boat was really helpful and validating.