The Unseen Hurdles: The Highs, Lows, and Realities of Building an Educational Startup

The journey of an entrepreneur is often painted with images of growth and success, but the reality behind the curtain is a complex series of intense highs and crushing lows. When I started Spike’s Sight Words, I did it alone, fueled by a genuine passion to help children master literacy through tactile learning and orthographic mapping. I invested my own money and my own time, driven by the belief that every child deserves a resource that resonates with how they learn.

For years, I have worn every hat in the company. I am the photographer, the IT department, the accountant, the marketing lead, and the person responding to every email. While this hands-on approach has allowed me to pour my heart into every detail, the sheer volume of work required to keep the business running is often overwhelming.

Then there is the financial reality. The costs of maintaining a business—from website hosting and marketing to the significant expense of attending exhibitions—are substantial. There are days when the inbox is filled with positive, exciting messages that remind me why I started this company. Winning and being nominated for prestigious awards—like the Education Today “New Start up Business of the Year” and the BESA Rising Star nomination—are wonderful milestones. Being DfE vetted and a Pledge partner are achievements I am incredibly proud of.

Yet, the professional highs are frequently met with systemic lows. I have realised just how many loopholes and barriers exist when trying to get these literacy intervention kits into the classrooms that need them most. While some schools have their own budgets, far too many do not. It is deeply frustrating to encounter the inertia of systems that make it difficult to bring evidence-based innovation to students.

I don’t want this to be a struggle. My goal is simple: I want every school to have the option to use Spike’s Sight Words, ensuring that students who need a different, tactile resource to learn from are not left behind.

Here are the milestones and achievements of Spike’s Sight Words:

• Awards and Recognition

  • Winner of the “New Start up Business of the Year” at the Education Today Awards.

  • Finalist for the 2026 Rising Star award by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA).

  • Nominee for the British Dyslexia Association award.

• Partnerships and Qualifications

  • DfE vetted and qualified as an approved supplier.

  • Official Pledge partner.

• Educational Integration and Research

  • Integrated into the University of Birmingham teacher training program.

  • Subject of a written dissertation.

  • Currently coordinating literacy resource trials with organisations such as Novus for prison settings.

• Distribution and Sales

  • Successfully selling resources to schools.

  • Selling resources to libraries.

  • Selling resources directly to parents.

  • Secured placement of kits in specialist retailers such as The Dyslexia Shop and Helen Arkell.

  • New Initiative: Launching your own franchise model

• Community and Feedback

  • Consistently receiving wonderful testimonials from users.

Core challenges currently facing Spike’s Sight Words:

• Systemic Bureaucracy: DfE projects are taking an excessively long time to move forward.

• Unrealistic Funding Models: A recent DfE project required a donation-based model, which is entirely unsustainable for a small-to-medium enterprise (SME) like ours.

• Procurement Delays: The procurement processes are proving to be extremely lengthy, hindering the speed at which you can get your resources into schools.

• Founder Overload: Attempting to manage every single aspect of the business—including IT, marketing, accounts, and photography—entirely by yourself is becoming overwhelming.

• Constant Need for Validation: A significant amount of energy is spent repeatedly proving to educators and schools that your kits are effective and truly work.

• Marketing Constraints: Without the time or budget for extensive social media marketing, reaching your audience is a constant struggle. Because of this, it is all the more special and meaningful when members of your community like or share your posts.

• Financial Constraints: The lack of sufficient capital makes it difficult to fund essential growth activities, such as attending trade exhibitions and executing large-scale marketing campaigns to showcase your product.

Conclusion: The Real Measure of Success

Some days, the path of an entrepreneur feels incredibly bright—a positive email arrives, a meeting goes perfectly, or I see the impact of our work firsthand during a “Spike’s” school session. These moments of connection and sales are what keep me going. But there are also days like today, where the weight of the journey feels heavy.

It is undeniably difficult when that pressure extends into my home life, with loved ones questioning the financial sustainability of the business or suggesting I should have chosen an easier, faster path to profit. The reality is that there was never anything else I wanted to do more than help children unlock the mechanics of literacy. I chose this path because the need was clear, and I believe in the solution I have built.

Yet, I am reaching the limit of what I can carry alone. I don’t just need a business breakthrough; I need the right partnership. Whether it’s an investor who shares this vision or the high-profile support needed to break through the systemic barriers in education, I know that Spike’s Sight Words is ready for the next stage.

Ultimately, the real winners in this equation aren’t just me from a business perspective—it is the thousands of children who deserve access to the resources that will change how they learn to read. I have proven the impact; I have built the foundation. The big question remains: when will the big break finally come, so we can reach every child who needs us?

since you've read this, what do you think about the intervention literacy kits that i created?